Monday morning trail mix...

How Are You Fixed For Love (Frank Sinatra) Come Dance With Me
Cut the Heat On (Rob Stone & the C Notes) Just My Luck
Tell the Truth (Eric Clapton) 461 Ocean Blvd
You Ought To Be With Me (Al Green) Greatest Hits
This Could Be the Night (Modern Folk Quartet) Phil Spector-Back to Mono
Cowgirl In the Sand (Neil Young & Crazy Horse) Live at the Fillmore East
Harmonize (Fabulous Rhinestones) Fabulous Rhinestones
Bella Maria De Mi Alma (Mambo All Stars) Mambo Kings
A Change Is Gonna Come (Otis Redding) The Very Best Of
Want More (Bob Marley & the Wailers) Rastaman Vibration
Let's Get Lost (Diana Krall & Terrance Blanchard) Let's Get Lost
Lifeline (Ben Harper & Innocent Criminals) Lifeline
Almost Blue (Diana Krall) The Girl In the Other Room
Not Even Stevie Nicks (Calexico) Feast of Wine
Almost Grown (Chuck Berry) Dean's Top 100-1959
Hole In My Head (Jim Lauderdale) Whisper

Do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it linger? ...

Cranberries reunite for tour after seven years
DUBLIN (Reuters) – Irish rock band The Cranberries will reunite after a near seven-year break for a tour in North America and Europe with some new songs and old hits like "Zombie" and "Linger." In January singer Dolores O'Riordan performed together with some former band members in Dublin for the first time since the band from the western city of Limerick broke up in 2003. They met again at O'Riordan's new home in Canada at the christening of her son Taylor. "Never officially broken up, the band instead has been on hiatus, and being in the same room and playing music together for the first time made them realize how much they had missed each other," said the band's web site. The Cranberries, one of the most successful Irish bands of recent times, was formed in the early 1990s. It will begin its tour in North America toward the end of the year and continue in Europe in early 2010, the web site said. The Irish Times newspaper said the tour would start in Toronto in mid-November. "We lost contact with each other," O'Riordan told the paper, adding that she was "tickled silly" by the thought of recording a new album again with the band. "We were always friends, but I wouldn't be hanging around with them offstage. They're real lad's lads. What was I going to talk to them about? Breastfeeding?"

Another fucking rainy Saturday...

Yo Yo Ma has a cool gig in Boston today...story

You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows...

Little Bobby Dylan (Daily Nuggets)
The musician Bob Dylan began livin’ on May 24, 1941...The cat Bob Dylan began livin’ June 30, 2009…He is a new and welcome member of the Kennedy Family…and he is Bob Dylan…You can tell by the tune of his meow…unless of course…you’re a moron...We took Bobby out of the store cage, it sniffed my navy blue William S. Thomson Golf Scramble T-Shirt, and whistled “Chimes of Freedom”…HE DIDN”T???...We purchased the cat food…and the liter, in which he found his “direction” to…lil’ Bobby D took his first leak in his new “home”…tomorrow he will start writing lyrics...complete article

Reach (for an umbrella) Music Festival this weekend...

"Break out the poncho, it could get ugly," emails Pool Hall Stud Barry D this morning. Judging from those guys in the photo at right, he could be dead on, but I think he's talking about the weather forecast for Saturday evening, when we plan to attend the Reach Music Festival at the Simsbury Performing Arts Center featuring:

Earth Wind and Fire

Little River Band

Max Creek

Kory Montgomery Band

3 Penny Acre

Proceeds from the evening will benefit children’s charities including: Make-A-Wish® Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The Greater Hartford YMCA, Southington-Community YMCA, the Girl Scouts of Connecticut, and Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters.

R.I.P. Teddy...

Senator Edward Kennedy dies at age 77 (Reuters)
BOSTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, a towering figure in the Democratic Party who took the helm of one of America's most fabled political families after two older brothers were assassinated, died at age 77, his family said. "Edward M. Kennedy, the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply, died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port (Massachusetts)," the Kennedy family said in a statement early on Wednesday. One of the most influential and longest-serving senators in U.S. history -- a liberal standard-bearer who was also known as a consummate congressional dealmaker -- Kennedy had been battling brain cancer, which was diagnosed in May 2008. - complete article

Monday morning, you gave me no warning...

HAPPY 41st ANNIVERSARY

to JohnnyK and The Reet

from all the management and staff at Johnnykmusic

Cool Saturday morning, golf cancelled, song...

Hipster Image (All Music Guide)
A hot mod band of the mid-'60s discovered by Animals managers Mike Jeffries and, in their one single, produced by Alan Price, Hipster Image managed to become a major band on the London club scene without ever charting a record. They were already established around Keele University when the group got to put two soul numbers onto a Jimmy Savile-sponsored flexidisc record issued at the university, which got them noticed by Jeffries and into a recording studio in London. Typical of Decca's judgement, the B-side, "Make Her Mine," was the better of the two songs and a popular club single. Despite these breaks, the band was never able to sustain itself and ultimately broke up, although their four surviving songs have since emerged on CD, and "Make Her Mine" is an acknowledged classic.

Poker run for Every Dollar Feeds Kids...

(click on image for larger view)

Thank God it's Friday Chuck...

Interesting development. Scott H, who still thinks he's on Jeopardy! (always answering in the form of a question), joins the multiple-winner crowd by guessing the Jefferson Airplane. You'd better find Somebody to Love

This one's pretty easy, but they will get a bit tougher next week, boys 'n girls.

Here's the deal: My long lost golf/tennis partner has resurfaced! Chuck knows his music and wants to test you with these drawings. I know my vast audience (measured in the dozens) can do this. Respond in the comments section below (if it doesn't work for you, send your answer to johnnykmusic@yahoo.com and I will post it); the prizes for guessing right are extraordinary!

Set list for Springsteen at Comcast Theatre wednesday night...

1. Sherry Darling 2. Badlands 3. Out in the Street 4. Outlaw Pete 5. Spirit in the Night 6. Working on a Dream 7. Seeds 8. Johnny 99 9. Murder Incorporated 10. Something in the Night 11. Raise Your Hand 12. Mountain of Love 13. Sha La La 14. I'm on Fire 15. Be True

16. My Love Will Not Let You Down 17. Waitin' on a Sunny Day 18. The Promised Land 19. American Skin (41 Shots) 20. Lonesome Day 21. The Rising 22. Born to Run 23. Rosalita 24. Thunder Road Encore 25. Hard Times Come Again No More 26. American Land 27. Dancing in the Dark 28. Twist and Shout/La Bamba Eric Danton's review

Thank God It's Friday...

Thursday morning trail mix...

Hey Little Girl (Professor Longhair) A Proper Introduction
I Cover the Waterfront (Eddie Jefferson) Letter From Home
Last Train (Allen Toussaint) The Allen Toussaint Collection
Quintet (Jim Bryant, Marni Nixon, et al) West Side Story Soundtrack
High Powered Love (Emmylou Harris) Cowgirl's Prayer
III. Allegro Vivace (Bela Bartok) Bartok/Eotvos/Kurtag
If Not For You (George Harrison) All Things Must Pass
Back Street Affair (Van Morrison) Pay the Devil
Monday Morning Blues (Ryan Hart & the Blue Hearts) Empty Wallet
You'll Never Know (Nat King Cole) The Billy May Sessions
Better Things (Dar Williams) End of the Summer
Satisfied (Johnny Ray) A Proper Introduction
Buckwheat's Special (Buckwheat Zydeco) On a Night Like This
CRS-Craft (Diana Krall) Only Trust Your Heart
Pablo Picasso (Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers) Roadrunner
Somethin' Else (Eddie Cochran) Dean's Top 100-1959
Are You Down (Lucinda Williams) Essence
Something I Can't Do (Marsha Ball) Let Me Play With Your Poodle
Passin' It Around (Coleman Hawkins) Body & Soul

Chuck is back, can you handle it?

Trish and Judi are dominating this competition! Trish correctly answered Gary Puckett & the Union Gap and wins a trip to the Mohegan Sun Wolf Den on Sunday, November 1st to see Mr. Puckett perform on his latest tour.

Here's the deal: My long lost golf/tennis partner has resurfaced! Chuck knows his music and wants to test you with these drawings. I know my vast audience (measured in the dozens) can do this. Respond in the comments section below (if it doesn't work for you, send your answer to johnnykmusic@yahoo.com and I will post it); the prizes for guessing right are extraordinary!



...whose kinda creepy Young Girl follows:


Young girl, get out of my mind
My love for you is way out of line
Better run, girl,
You're much too young, girl
With all the charms of a woman
You've kept the secret of your youth
You led me to believe
You're old enough
To give me Love
And now it hurts to know the truth, Oh,
Beneath your perfume and make-up
You're just a baby in disguise
And though you know
That it is wrong to be
Alone with me
That come on look is in your eyes, Oh,
So hurry home to your mama
I'm sure she wonders where you are
Get out of here
Before I have the time
To change my mind
'Cause I'm afraid we'll go too far, Oh,
Young girl

Crossdressers buy music?...

Survey: CDs still account for 65 percent of music purchased in U.S. (Yahoo)
For all the time we spend here at Yahoo! Tech writing about the latest trends in digital music, you might think that the good-old Compact Disc was all but dead and buried. Ah, not quite, according to the latest research, which shows that CDs still account for the lion's share of music bought in the first half of 2009. Indeed, only 35 percent music purchased in the U.S. in recent months came in digital form, according to the NPD Group, although that figure is well up from 20 percent back in 2007—and by 2010, CD and digital-music sales should be about 50-50, NPD researchers predict.

Interestingly enough, while CDs still rule the roost in terms of music sales, iTunes is the biggest music vendor in the U.S., accounting for 25 percent of all music sold—namely, as Fortune's Apple 2.0 blog points out, because several different brick-and-mortar and online retailers (such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Amazon, and Target) are fighting over the CD sales pie, while iTunes utterly dominates digital downloads (with a whopping 69 percent share, compared to just 8 percent for Amazon and 23 percent for everyone else). - complete article

Good morning, it's your Monday Chuck...

You got it, Judi! Let's see, what's your prize? JUDY, you are invited to guest dance down the aisle at THIS WEDDING!

Here's the deal: My long lost golf/tennis partner has resurfaced! Chuck knows his music and wants to test you with these drawings. I know my vast audience (measured in the dozens) can do this. Respond in the comments section below (if it doesn't work for you, send your answer to johnnykmusic@yahoo.com and I will post it); the prizes for guessing right are extraordinary!




Thats when sport was a sport, And groovin was groovin
and dancin meant everything, We were young and we were improvin
laughtin laughtin with our friends, Holding hands meant somethin baby
Outside the club cherry bomb, Where our hearts were really thumpin
say yeah yeah yeah, Say yeah yeah yeah
Cherry Bomb -John Mellencamp

Weekend Chuck....

Not sure how this happened, but Jenny from THE Ohio State University submitted correctly that the one and (thankfully) only Neil Diamond was the answer to our Weekend Chuck. Congratulations, Buckeye Jenny, and expect a spiffy new sweatshirt (at right) from the college bookstore.


Here's the deal: My long lost golf/tennis partner has resurfaced! Chuck knows his music and wants to test you with these drawings. I know my vast audience (measured in the dozens) can do this. Respond in the comments section below (if it doesn't work for you, send your answer to johnnykmusic@yahoo.com and I will post it); the prizes for guessing right are extraordinary!



Yes, here's the man in his overblown glory...

"C'mon, there's 300,000 of you fuckers out there..."

All things Woodstock - woodstockstory.com
WSJ editorial 8/28/69 - By Sqaulor Possessed
Woodstock 40: Headliners Then & Now - article

I'm Going Home (Live) - Ten Ye...

White, Page, Edge ready to rumble...

Guitar heroes in tune for "Loud" music documentary (Reuters)
"What's gonna happen? Probably a fist-fight," Jack White, the frontman with rock duo the White Stripes, mutters from the back of his limousine. Prisoners being led to their execution seem only slightly more nervous. But the guitarist awaits a fate for which most rock fans would sell their souls to the devil: a summit with axmen, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and The Edge of U2. The trio's private gathering on a Hollywood soundstage was filmed 18 months ago for a documentary, "It Might Get Loud," which opens in New York and Los Angeles on Friday before rolling out across North America.

The film, from Oscar-winning director Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth"), focuses on the relationship each of the musicians has with his guitar. In individual segments, each returns to his youthful haunts, and fondly recall burgeoning love affairs with the tools of their trade. The Edge walks the corridors of Mount Temple, the Dublin high school where U2 formed. In perhaps the film's most memorable scene, a grinning Page plays air guitar at his home as he listens to old Link Wray and Muddy Waters singles. The three finally meet up for the aforementioned jam session, swapping war stories and trading licks on such tunes as Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" and U2's "I Will Follow." - complete article

Friday morning trail mix...

Here She Comes (Beach Boys) Carl & the Passions
Confessin' (Erroll Garner) The Complete Savoy Masters
In My Dreams (Al Anderson) After Hours
Isabella (Sir Douglas Quintet) She's About a Mover
Ballad of a Teenage Queen (Rodney Crowell) A Tribute to Johnny Cash
Keep On Dancing (Ronettes) Phil Spector's Back To Mono
Got Love (D. Smith Blues Band) Playing In the Dark
Antenna Head (ZZ Top) Antenna
As I Went Out One Morning (Bob Dylan) John Wesley Harding
Laughing (R.E.M.) Murmur

Your Friday Chuck...

Scott K was Friday's winner, correctly identifying Gene Pitney, the Rockville Rocket (not to be confused with Sharie, known in her younger, saucier days as the Rockville Rockette). As Scott's reward, I have arranged for him to be the featured act on Sunday at the Irish music jam at Anna Liffey's Pub in New Haven. Congrats!!!! (Scott, perhaps you can give them your version of Town Without Pity)

Here's the deal: My long lost golf/tennis partner has resurfaced! Chuck knows his music and wants to test you with these drawings. I know my vast audience (measured in the dozens) can do this. Respond in the comments section below (if it doesn't work for you, send your answer to johnnykmusic@yahoo.com and I will post it); the prizes for guessing right are extraordinary!

Guitar Hero I...

Guitar, studio wizard Les Paul dies at 94
(CNN) -- Les Paul, whose innovations with the electric guitar and studio technology made him one of the most important figures in recorded music, has died, according to a statement from his publicists. Paul was 94. Les Paul, whose innovations helped give rise to modern pop music, played guitar into his 90s. Paul died in White Plains, New York, from complications of severe pneumonia, according to the statement.

Paul was a guitar and electronics mastermind whose creations -- such as multitrack recording, tape delay and the solid-body guitar that bears his name, the Gibson Les Paul -- helped give rise to modern popular music, including rock 'n' roll. No slouch on the guitar himself, he continued playing at clubs into his 90s despite being hampered by arthritis. "If you only have two fingers [to work with], you have to think, how will you play that chord?" he told CNN.com in a 2002 phone interview. "So you think of how to replace that chord with several notes, and it gives the illusion of sounding like a chord."

Guitarists mourned the loss Thursday. "Les Paul was truly a 'one of a kind.' We owe many of his inventions that made the rock 'n roll sound of today to him, and he was the founding father of modern music," B.B. King said in a statement. "This is a huge loss to the music community and the world. I am honored to have known him."- complete article

HAPPY 27th BIRTHDAY, GARRETT!!!!!!

I used this last month for brother Joe's birthday,
but since this is such a great version of the song, here's another shot.

Chuck's music quiz #2 - name the artist:......

Judi has been declared the winner of contest #2, but she has been put on probation due to the scandalous rumours that she obtained inside information that the bird was a robin! Judi wins front row seats at next Wednesday's Concert On the Green in beautiful downtown Southington featuring “SMOKEHOUSE” If you like country music, this is it!! (Please be forewarned, if you try to horn in on the senior citizens' chairs, you are DEAD MEAT!)

Here's the deal: My long lost golf/tennis partner has resurfaced! Chuck knows his music and wants to test you with these drawings. I know my vast audience (measured in the dozens) can do this. Respond in the comments section below (if it doesn't work for you, send your answer to johnnykmusic@yahoo.com and I will post it); the prizes for guessing right are extraordinary!



Smokey Robinson guests on Live From Daryl's House (very cool!)

Chuck's music quiz #1 - name the artist:...

Trish wins the initial contest and receives an all expense paid trip for two to see Skidrow at the Mohegan Sun's Wolf Den (sorry, but you must stand in line for the free entry). We are working on backstage passes so you can party with the band.

Here's the deal: My long lost golf/tennis partner has resurfaced! Chuck knows his music and wants to test you with these drawings. This is the first of the series. I know my vast audience (measured in the dozens) can do this. Respond in the comments section; the prizes for guessing right are extraordinary!

Jon Cleary missing from Bontaj tour, but...

Piano, Bass & Drums residency at d.b.a. in October
Cleary's Piano, Bass & Drums will be setting up shop for a weekly residency in the intimate confines of dba on Frenchman Street in the Faubourg Marigny on Thursdays in October on 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29. The trio will feature noted bassist James Singleton (Astral Project, Professor Longhair), and funky drummer Doug Belote! (Larry Carlton, Jerry Douglas). Come for the weekly hang to check out JC's newest material while sampling dba's amazing selection of whiskey and tequila

Bontaj Roulet at Oakdale...

I loved Bonnie Raitt in the 1970s and early 1980s. Saw her a dozen times at venues as varied as Bridgeport Jai Alai (they kept the netting up; perhaps because we fans were too rabid?), Toad's Place in New Haven (where she performed drunk in a mini), Oakdale Theatre (where she shared a strange co-billing with her dad, Broadway legend John Raitt). But I fell out of love in the early 1990s as she finally got her slice of the money pie with a few wildly popular albums. I never begrudged her the fortune (she deserved it), but I found the new style boring compared with the old. It wasn't a conscious decision, rather a slow fade from my catalog.

About eight years ago, we saw her at the new Oakdale. I remember liking the show, but I was more impressed by the opening act and backup band, Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen. I was an immediate fan. Once I began to annually attend Jazz Fest in New Orleans, I got to see Cleary often, both at the Fest and at the Maple Leaf Cafe. Well, this year Bonnie was back at Jazz Fest's 2nd weekend and I'm in love again. The setting was perfect. She was backed by Cleary & the Gents, had a killer horn section of Big Easy musicians and pulled out lots of old material. She was fabulous, forcing me to see her complete set when I planned to cut early to catch Patty Griffin (luckily, I still managed a good chuck of Patty's).

So it was a no-brainer when I saw that Bonnie was doing a tour with Taj Mahal called Bontaj Roulet with a stop at Oakdale. Keith, you in? Yep, grab some tickets. Got section 104, left of stage. Steve the Bod was to grab another four for him, Mary, Vin/Marsha, but failed to do so. V/M managed to get some at the last minute. Busy weekend, for we just returned from Saturday night's Sarah Borges show at Hygienic Art Park in New London, so we forego dining out, opting instead to meet everyone for a pre-concert drink. Parking is a snap. Keith/Sharie flag us down as we arrive, moving past the Steve Miller Band for $20 signs outside. Margaritas are the choice instead of outrageously overpriced Heineken's. Keith states that he's up for the Journey/Heart concert. Yikes!

Taj takes the stage first, backed by the Phantom Blues Band, and plays an eclectic, energetic set. Really good horns. Plays for about an hour, then a short break. Bonnie comes on looking fit, sounding strong, sampling songs from all over her vast catalog. Also backed by an excellent band (no Jon Cleary this tour), which includes Ricky Fataar on drums (Bonnie notes he has been with her since her Green Light album), Rick Peterson on keyboards (newly available after being fired as Mets pitching coach), Don'tknow Marinelli on guitar, unknown guy on base. Bonnie is both cool and hot on slide. Nice version of John Prine's Angel From Montgomery. She gives a shout out to the old Shaboo Inn! Speaking of Bonnie's underrated Green Light album, the highlight of the night for me is NRBQ's Me And the Boys with special guest guitar by CT's own Big Al Anderson! Very cool. I'm less taken with her tepid version of Something To Talk About.

This thing lasted almost three hours! The grand finale is a joint collaboration of both bands with Taj and Bonnie for about a half-hour. Nice finish and, keeping with the theme set the previous night by Sarah Borges, no encore!

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yanks 5, Sox 2
(It's a beautiful thing)

Please don't let him be misunderstood...

The sun rises in Wallingford
by Dave Moran, Record-Journal staff
WALLINGFORD - You might not know the name Hilton Valentine, but you've almost certainly heard the man play the guitar. Valentine was the guitarist for the Animals, the British rock band that rose to fame in the 1960s with such hits as "We Gotta Get out of This Place" and the anthem, "House of the Rising Sun," a group that at its peak practically rivaled The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in popularity. "In the music papers in England at the time we were classed as the third biggest group in the world," Valentine said. "It was The Beatles, the Stones and then The Animals." His arpeggio on The Animals' 1964 version of "House of the Rising Sun" is arguably one of only a handful of rock songs recognizable in mere seconds thanks to its simple, distinctive opening chords. Even Bob Dylan, who covered the popular folk tune as a track on his self-titled first album in 1962, is said to have exclaimed his respect for the song, and Valentine's guitar riff in particular the first time Dylan heard The Animals' version over the radio. And you might not know that Valentine, who was elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Animals in 1994 and has a handprint on the Hollywood Rockwalk, has called Wallingford home since 2000. - complete Record-Journal article

It's not just a neat little art park, it's hygienic!

Sarah Borges at Hygienic Art Park in New London

The Andersons (Keith/Sharie) and Antons (Rick/Joann) couldn't just lay around the shanty, mama, all afternoon waiting to travel southeast to the Whaling City to catch Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles (with The Reducers). NOOOOOOOO!!!!! THEY had to go kayaking to work up a good sweat and appetite first. Keith has taken advanced kayaking techniques classes, which qualify him as (and he insists on being called) a master. Sharie has also taken the classes, so she's the mistress. That, I gather, explains the whip.

In any event, we are to meet The Kayak Kids along with Vin/Marsha pre-concert at Capt. Scott's Lobster Dock on Hamilton Street, about a mile from the Art Park's Bank Street location. Traffic is a bitch, but we manage to thread our way down Rte9 and over I95 to exit 83, where we wind through downtown across Bank to Shaw, then left on Hamilton, then back into the dock area. Yikes, we are not the only ones with this idea! Cell conversations have Vin/Marsha deep in I91 traffic thinking of turning around and the Kayak Kids in tandem going back roads. We wait. The line is not too bad, but appears ready to get much longer as the hungry continue to cruise into the parking lot. ARRIVALS! With the Kayak Kids on the scene, we bully our place into line, sneaking Marsha/Vin in as soon as they appear. The wait is about 20 minutes to order, then another 10 tp pickup. Meanwhile, we commandeer a table and retrieve beer/soda/wine coolers from the Kids' kayak koolers. Lobster roll was delicious, though others opted for more butter than the issued 'drizzled' portion. Noticed a flyer for the Borges/reducers concert on the wall next to the pickup window. We top off the meal with tasty ice cream cones (Keith going old Yankee Conference on us by selecting "Maine Black Bear").

Off to find the Hygienic Art Park, The Rick leading us in circles through downtown New London looking for a place to park. We finally locate a large public parking lot and walk over to Bank Street. The 'park' is an open courtyard with a stage in the back. Wrought iron tables/chairs are scattered about, but we brought our own chairs. Eight dollar suggested donation. Booths lining the side to serve beer, wine and.....LOBSTER ROLLS! SBBS is set to open so we settle in. This lineup is a juxtaposition of the Cafe Nine pairing, where the Reducers opened for Sarah. Home turf rules. Haven't seen them in about a year, since new guitarist Lyle Brewer joined the band. I notice they have reworked some of the old songs. Guitar solos are different, energetic. Pitching the new CD, The Stars Are Out, her third. Got it in the Spring. It's a bit short, but good. I like the Doug Sahm cover (recorded for a Doug Sahm tribute album) very much. It seems to be a Reducers crowd, but she's slowly winning them over. Some women attempt Elaine Benes-style dancing in front of the stage during the last couple songs, one of which serves as the encore, Binky explaining that it saves all the time/effort of actually going off stages and being "coaxed" back on. Great idea; this should be mandatory at all concerts.

The crew is fading. I'd love to stay for the Reducers; The Reet would not. We compromise: a couple songs. Refill Yankee Ale and discuss Sunday night's Bonnie Raitt/Taj Mahal schedule for Oakdale. New London's Reducers have a few miles on them, but come on like gangbusters and the place explodes with dancing fans (no, not THOSE fans, asshole!). They are great! However, a couple songs into the set, I get 'the tug on the sleeve' from The Reet. We are out! Okay, fair enough. I look for Sarah on the way out, but she's not at the booth. Binky is, but is busy. Catch you guys later. Good show!

Epilogue: Need gas, so we pull in to a Sunoco prior to entering I95. Lucky us. About ten bikers in full colors are filling up with us. The Reet has the cell cocked 'n ready. No incidents. Good Night!

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make...

Beatles fans swarm Abbey Road on album anniversary (AP)
LONDON – Hundreds of Beatles fans swarmed Abbey Road on Saturday, singing songs and snarling traffic to mark 40 years since John, Paul, George and Ringo strode across the leafy north London street and into the history books on iconic pop photos. The famous photo graced the cover of the Fab Four's "Abbey Road," the last album recorded together, and shows the bandmates walking purposefully across the zebra-striped asphalt. It remains one of music's best-known album covers, endlessly imitated and parodied. Although the shoot itself only took a few minutes, so carefully studied was the cover for signs and symbolism that some die-hard fans came to the conclusion that Paul McCartney — who appears barefoot and out of step with the rest — had secretly died.

McCartney himself made fun of the bizarre conspiracy in the title of his 1993 concert album, "Paul is Live." Conspiracies aside, the ease with which fans can imitate the scene has drawn throngs of tourists to the site every day, turning the street into "a shrine to the Beatles," said Richard Porter, who owns the nearby Beatles Coffee Shop and organized Saturday's event. Crowds spilled into the street, cameramen jostled for angles, and exasperated drivers honked their horns. "I didn't expect so many people to be here," said German visitor Tschale Haas, 50, who was dressed in a Sgt. Pepper jacket. Abbey Road, which cuts through London's well-to-do neighborhood of St. John's Wood, is home to the eponymous studios where the group recorded much of its work. The group decided to shoot the photograph in August 1969 while recording music for the last time together. For the shot, photographer Iain Macmillan stood on a stepladder and police held up traffic while the Beatles walked back and forth across the street.

The enduring popularity of the site has caused headaches for local authorities, who have had to move the Abbey Road street sign up out of reach to prevent theft and repaint the wall every three months to hide fans' graffiti.

Sarah, Bonnie & Taj this coming weekend...

All This Weight - Sarah Borges

Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles will play at the Hygienic Art Park in New London on Saturday night. Opening for SBBS will be New London's own The Reducers.

Angel From Montgomery - Bonnie...

Looking forward to this very cool pairing of Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal Sunday night at The Oakdale (or whatever they call it this week). Bonnie was fabulous at Jazz Fest in NOLA this year. I've been playing Bonnie's Streetlights in the car all week in preparation. Reacquaint yourselves with that album; you'll be glad you did.

Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes - Taj...

Once upon a time you dressed so fine, You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?...

Shepard Fairey-designed Obama portrait on cover of Rolling Stone deifies, questions President (Daily News)
Artist Shepard Fairey, whose iconic HOPE campaign poster of Barack Obama was a global sensation, is back with a new image that both questions and deifies the President. Appearing on the cover of the Aug. 20 Rolling Stone, the portrait depicts Obama with a brow knit in determination, surrounded by a halo of stars. "Will he take bold action or compromise too easily?" asks a headline enshrining the President's head. Fairey said it wasn't meant to be a halo. Rather, the picture he worked from showed Obama standing in front of the presidential seal, he said. -complete article

A man and his temple...

Who said real men don't drink Shirley Temples? (We did!)

Thursday morning trail mix, prepping for Ellington Ridge:
Lose Her (The Sawtelles) Unreleased
No Way For a Slave to Behave (The Strange Boys) And Girls
Wild Child (Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels) Sock It to Me
Into White (Cat Stevens) Tea For the Tillerman
L-O-V-E (Al Green) Greatest Hits
Blind (Talking Heads) Best of Talking Heads
Detour Ahead (Billie Holiday) Billie's Blues
Sandy (Richie Havens) Mixed Bag
'Til I Kissed You (Everly Brothers) Dean's Top 100
Just Like a Woman (Doug Sahm) Return of the Formerly Brothers
You're Always Pulling Me Down (UB40) UB40

Not too early to make your plans for Rhythm & Roots...

I haven't been down to Ninigret Park in Charlestown, RI in a few years, but there are some compelling reasons to return this year, even though traveling partner Johnny Gumbo is camped out in the Great Northwest. Looking over the preliminary listing (below), Saturday seems to be a pretty cool lineup - Hot Tuna, Asleep at the Wheel, Steve Riley, Tab Benoit, Big Sandy & the Flyrite Boys, etc. The festival runs from Fri-Sun 9/4-9/6.

Here's Who's Playing R&R in 2009 (Updated 4/16/09 ~ More tba) - R&R website
Great Big Sea (Sun)
Hot Tuna (Sat)
Asleep at the Wheel (Sat)
Jerry Douglas Band (Sun)
Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys (Sat/Sun)
Tab Benoit (Sat)
Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s (Sun)
The Lee Boys (Fri)
Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band (Fri/Sat/Sun)
The Duhks (Fri/Sat)
Cedric Watson (Fri/Sat/Sun)
Papa Mali (Sat)
The Travelin' McCourys (Fri)
Corey Ledet (Sat/Sun)
Big Sandy & the Flyrite Boys (Sat/Sun)
The Nouveaux Honkies (Fri/Sat)
Eilen Jewell (Fri)
Ed Poullard & Preston Frank (Fri/Sat/Sun)
Magnolia (Sat/Sun)
Li'l Anne and Hot Cayenne (Fri/Sat)
Hot Tamale Brass Band (Sat/Sun)

Classic Bobby Zimmerman on the trail...

Out on the Rails to Trails early this mornin'. It's mornin', not morning, because instead of the usual iPod shuffle mix, I somehow selected Dylan's Blonde On Blonde for the trip. Wore this bad boy out in the Spring/Summer of '66. Great choice, JK!

From Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide: - If Highway 61 Revisited played as a garage rock record, the double album Blonde on Blonde inverted that sound, blending blues, country, rock, and folk into a wild, careening, and dense sound. Replacing the fiery Michael Bloomfield with the intense, weaving guitar of Robbie Robertson, Bob Dylan led a group comprised of his touring band the Hawks and session musicians through his richest set of songs. Blonde on Blonde is an album of enormous depth, providing endless lyrical and musical revelations on each play. Leavening the edginess of Highway 61 with a sense of the absurd, Blonde on Blonde is comprised entirely of songs driven by inventive, surreal, and witty wordplay, not only on the rockers but also on winding, moving ballads like "Visions of Johanna," "Just Like a Woman," and "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands." Throughout the record, the music matches the inventiveness of the songs, filled with cutting guitar riffs, liquid organ riffs, crisp pianos, and even woozy brass bands ("Rainy Day Women #12 & 35"). It's the culmination of Dylan's electric rock & roll period — he would never release a studio record that rocked this hard, or had such bizarre imagery, ever again.

Side One 1. "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" – 4:36 2. "Pledging My Time" – 3:50 3. "Visions of Johanna" – 7:33 4. "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" – 4:54 Side Two 1. "I Want You" – 3:07 2. "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" – 7:05 3. "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" – 3:58 4. "Just Like a Woman" – 4:52 Side Three 1. "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" – 3:30 2. "Temporary Like Achilles" – 5:02 3. "Absolutely Sweet Marie" – 4:57 4. "4th Time Around" – 4:35 5. "Obviously 5 Believers" – 3:35 Side Four 1. "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" – 11:23

Personnel * Bob Dylan – Vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano * Robbie Robertson – guitar, Vocals * Rick Danko – bass, violin, Vocals (not on final album) * Garth Hudson – keyboards, saxophone (not on final album) * Richard Manuel – drums, keyboards, Vocals (not on final album) * Charlie McCoy – bass, guitar, harmonica, trumpet * Al Kooper – organ, guitar, horn, keyboards * Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano, keyboards * Bill Atkins – keyboards * Paul Griffin – piano * Kenneth A. Buttrey – drums * Sanford Konikoff – drums * Joe South – guitar * Jerry Kennedy – guitar * Wayne Moss – guitar, Vocals * Henry Strzelecki – bass * Wayne Butler – trombone

A good night despite disappointments at LJF...

"Fun evening in spite of finger slice, missing patient, tornado threat, torrential rain, longer than expected drive, no wine, just ok hors d'oevres, no bathroom, lots of mud.......bottom line, great company, good music, awesome friends." - a Friend of the Festival.

Litchfield Jazz Festival Gala...

The pitch: - The 14th Annual Litchfield Jazz Festival kicks off on Friday, July 31st with the Friends of the Festival Gala from 5:30 7:15 pm at the Morrison Gallery in Kent, CT. The Morrison Gallery is co-hosting the event with Kents finest dining establishments, The Fife n Drum Restaurant, Docs Trattoria, and Bulls Bridge Inn along with Northeast Beverage Company. Delicious hors d'ouvres are signatures of each restaurant; fresh mozzarella and grape tomato lollipops, asparagus bruschetta, crab cakes with chipotle aioli, melon wrapped in prosciutto, gourmet cheeses, sausages, fruits and fresh bread, a carving station with beef, chicken and pork and for dessert, mini cannoli, chocolate torte, tiramisu and more. Fine wines and Magic Hat microbrews will accompany the food. Music will be provided by outstanding students from Litchfield Jazz Camp, whose scholarship program the event supports. Guest will also get to enjoy the exhibit on display at the Morrison Gallery of new mixed media works by Connecticut Modern Artist Jonathan Perlowsky.


We are still awaiting the "fine wines" promised to us.


Never trust a man with a bowtie and no drink.


Members of the Litchfield Jazz Camp Band entertain at the LJF Gala.