He ain't heavy....

On Saturday night, April 1st (no foolin'), Phil Guy, brother of blues legend Buddy Guy, will perform at a party to celebrate the release of his new CD, He's My Blues Brother, at our favorite Hartford nightspot Blackeyed Sally's. Eric Danton, Courant music critic, has a nice piece on the man:

It's a cloying title - "He's My Blues Brother" - but an interesting story: Phil Guy, younger brother of blues legend Buddy Guy, has released his latest album on Black-eyed Records. If the name sounds familiar, it should: James Varano, owner of Black-eyed Sally's restaurant in Hartford, created the label specifically to put out Guy's new album, which features contributions on vocals and guitar from brother Buddy.

Those contributions to the title track looked for a while as if they might be a problem. Varano says Buddy Guy was particular about what label could release the album, and ultimately, none of the usual suspects - including Phil Guy's label, JSP - met with his satisfaction. So Varano started thinking maybe he could find a way to put out "He's My Blues Brother." complete article

Not to be outdone by its big sister publication, The Hartford Advocate also has a piece on Phil Guy:

Phil Guy has one of the most envious careers in the blues. He has toured Africa and ridden the storied Festival Express across Canada as part of the band of his older brother, blues guitarist Buddy Guy. Phil has recorded on many of Buddy´s records, recorded his own CDs, and played most blues festivals around the country, including the local Black-eyed & Blues Fest. But he´s never recorded for an American label. After nearly 50 years in music, that´s about to change.

His newest record, He´s My Blues Brother , is about to be released on his first American label, Black-eyed Records, started by Black-eyed Sally´s owner, James Varano. Coincidentally, this will also be the first release on that hometown label. - complete article

Band on the run.....

Important news from Adam Housman - If you are in Boston tonight, be among the very first to hear the band the critics are having orgasms over - THE SHIPWRECKS - at the Abbey Lounge

Do you like music? Do you like rock and roll that is sped up and distorted to a point that it is thrilling? Do you like the music of The Shipwrecks? Do you "not know The Shipwrecks and not go out on weeknights?" Can you name at least two "Golden Girls?" If you answered yes to most of these, you are in luck - all your favorite Shipwrecks songs are available this week in one comprehensive format at the Abbey Lounge in Cambridge! You'll be treated to old standards like... HEY FOLKS! These fans can't be wrong: "I'm not positive what the name of the band is and I play guitar in the band." - David Keegan "Guitars like hairspray through a tiki torch, bass like an interception return down the sidelines, drums like a race riot and vocals like a failed attempt to hail a cab. All in all, I could see it being entertaining...if you had been drinking."- Britt Russell, Half and Half "I saw them play the Wonderland Ballroom in Revere, Massachusetts, and on a scale of one to five - five's the better end - I scored them thus: 3 for presentation, 2 for the hair, 2 for the outfits, 3 for the love song, 2 for eye contact, 3 for "boyish" quality, 5 for the ripping guitars, 6 for irritability, 3 for dynamism, 4 for not sounding familiar, 3 for plot development, 5 for uncertainty."- Gene Shalit, Good Morning America "I was listening to these guys when I died."- Sam Kinison And hey folks - this is RISK FREE music! Join now and any costs incurred due to physical or emotional hardship will be 100% GAURANTEED REIMBURSED pending proper documentation. So what are you waiting for? JOIN NOW - Wednesday March 29th at 11PM at the Abbey Lounge in Cambridge! Short walk from Central Square T station to Inman Square, or 83 bus right to the doorstep - and you're entertained for a solid half hour - AND you will leave TOTALLY DRUNK! You don't think the spring gods are watching? You're only storing faith in early spring to reap the providence of the fantastic summer that you deserve! So what the eff are you waiting for?! Come on down! The Shipwrecks, This Wednesday 3/29 11PM

oops, we missed them......will keep you posted!

A dinosaur Victrola, listening to Buck Owens.....

Buck Owens has died at age 76. Owens was revered by many young rock guitarists such as Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler, with whom he recorded an album; CCR gives a nod to him in Good lookin' out my back door; and the Beatles recorded his country hit Act Naturally with Ringo on lead. Owens also was co-host, with Roy Clark, on Hee Haw, the country rip-off of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in.

I play an eclectic mix of tunes in the office and love to hear the comments of clients/colleagues about them. Today, Marybeth asked about It's Gonna Take a Miracle, an old Laura Nyro & Labelle CD I was playing. One of my favorites, it's Ms. Nyro with Patti Labelle's backing vocals on a bunch of old Motown tunes. I burned her a copy. Great stuff.

Everyone is going nuts worrying about creepy crawlers on MySpace.com, but how can you knock it if Lucinda has a page there! The site was originally supposed to be a format for musicians to see and be seen. Some of Lucinda's MySpace friends are Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello, George Strait. Even Cafe Nine now has a MySpace site!

Love's a game, you're in it, and you were so proud of it......

So I'm talking taxes with my 8am appointment when, from the waiting room radio, I vaguely hear an interview with Al Anderson, former member of CT's legendary Wildweeds and equally legendary bar band NRBQ and now a formidable songwriter/performer in Nashville. Try as I might, I couldn't catch much of it without completely ignoring him, so I missed out. But, not to worry, for good old NPR (I listen until 3pm until artier-than-thou Faith Middleton comes on) has the interview on its website.

Hear here. I proudly own two of Big Al's CDs, his most recent After Hours and the decade-earlier Pay Before You Pump.

Bought The Little Willies, Norah Jones & friends' country project hatched as an informal get together to play Willie Nelson songs in a bar in NYC. The gig got so popular that they decided to do the album. First take is positive. All About Jazz review

Top 'O the Mornin' To You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to wish all the very best on the day everyone gets to be IRISH! The next Black & Tan is on me, cheers! Van Morrison The Chieftains U2 Sinead O'Connor The Cranberries Declan Patrick MacManus (Who? Why, Elvis Costello, of course!) James Galway Yes, they were one-hit wonders (Dexys Midnight Runners), and this song is grossly overplayed, but I love it:

Come on Eileen

Poor old Johnny Ray
Sounded sad upon the radio
He moved a million hearts in mono
Our mothers cried and sang along and who'd blame them
Now you're grown, so grown, now I must say more than ever
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
And we can sing just like our fathers

Come on Eileen, well I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
With you in that dress my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty
Ah come on Eileen

These people round here wear beaten down eyes
Sunk in smoke dried faces
They're so resigned to what their fate is
But not us, no not us
We are far too young and clever
Eileen I'll sing this tune forever

Come on Eileen well I swear (what he means)
Ah come on, let's take off everything
That pretty red dress Eileen (tell him yes)
Ah come on Eileen

March Maestros - the #1 seeds.....and their music

UCONN - Connecticut isn't exactly Motown when you're talkin' music, but it has had its moments. Some would pick Gene Pitney, The Rockville Rocket, or the Five Satins of In the Still of the Night fame, but my money is on Al Anderson and the Wildweeds!

Duke - Well, we could go with Gene Chandler's Duke of Earl, or maybe the Nashville Teens' Tobacco Road, but I'm going with a sleeper pick with Stevie Wonder's Sir Duke.

Villanova - Home of the original Bandstand, Philly soul!!!!! (Meeeeeee aaaand Mrs. Jones, we got a thing goin' on....). Which brings suddenly (and unpleasantly) to mind Elton John's stupid song for the team tennis franchise, Philadelphia Freedom (I loooooooove you, yes I do!).

Memphis - Long-distance information, get me Memphis, Tennessee. Help me find a party who tried to get in touch with me. Are you kidding? The King! (pre-Vegas, of course). And, yes, I KNOW that Chuck Berry sang that song, but I needed the tie-in.

Thank-you very much.

Monday I've got Friday on my mind....

Sorry about the dirth of posts in recent days, but it IS tax season so I have certain responsibilities.....speaking of "gonna happen in the city" (Easybeats, 1968), JK/GK took in the first two rounds of the Big East tourney in NYC, but diappointed me greatly in being too tired from the grueling eight game tour of duty to take in some music at the clubs...

Cruising through the Yahoo! music section and noticed the Top Video was I'm 'N Luv Wit a Stripper featuring Mike Jones by T-Pain. I'll have to view it because it's probably a great song.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival just announced that Bruce Springsteen will be appearing on the first weekend of this year's festival. Alas, the boys are attending the second weekend. Still holding out hope that Lake Charles native Lucinda Williams will be added. She last appeared there in 2003.

Replacing that La's CD that was stuck in JK's car CD player....

The latest grab:

Old Enough Lou Ann Barton
The La's The La's
Essence Lucinda Williams
Greatest Hits Mose Allison

Yanni, we always knew you were an animal....

It's time for Yanni to face the music. (e!online)

The new age warbler was arrested at his Manalapan, Florida, home early Friday after an alleged domestic dispute with his girlfriend of nearly two years. Yanni, born John Yanni Christopher, faces a domestic battery charge stemming from the altercation.

According to the police report, the fight broke out when the Grammy-winning singer-keyboardist ordered his girlfriend to leave his Palm Beach-area home late Thursday night. Silvia Barthes, 33, said she was in the process of packing her things when Yanni threw all her clothes out of the closet. According to the police report, Yanni then grabbed her arms, shook her, threw her on the bed and jumped on top of her. - complete report

Sunday

Hoping all enjoyed Fat Tuesday as well as I did, entertained by Guitar George Baker and the George Baker Experience at Anthony Jack's.

Liking the two Mary Lou Lord CDs more and more.

Teddy Geiger (from Love Monkey), the Radiators coming to Webster Theater

Mardi Gras Night at Anthony Jack's Wood-fired Grill

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT!!!!!!

Mr. Postman delivered my copy of Guitar George Baker's new CD, Mojo Lady, and I got to listen to it a couple times during the workday - very unusual, interesting takes on covers of Johnny B. Goode and House of the Rising Sun as well as some funky originals.


The Rotary Club of Southington is proud to announce its 2nd annual Mardi Gras Night to be held on Fat Tuesday, February 28, at Anthony Jack's Wood-fired Grill. The proceeds of this fundraiser have been designated for relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Chef Barry DePaolo has promised to again serve up some very tasty cuisine (see menu below), which will be accompanied by several interesting wines presented by Beringer Blass Wine Estates. Tickets to the event are $65/person and can be obtained at Anthony Jack's, by calling John Ryan at (860) 276-3843, or from any Southington Rotary member. If you were there last year, you know what a great night it was; if you missed out, do NOT allow it to happen again. BE THERE for great fun while aiding the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Entertainment will be provided by Guitar George Baker and his band, The George Baker Experience. All Music Guide states that Baker "may be one of the best-kept secrets in the mainstream blues world." Hailing from New Roads, Louisiana, Mr. Baker's impressive resume includes stints as music director/guitarist touring with Marvin Gaye for three years and as a member of the house band at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. His new CD/DVD, Mojo Lady just received a 3-star rating by Downbeat Magazine. New Haven Advocate article on 9/1/05 about George Baker.


View 2005 Mardi Gras Night

View 2006 Mardi Gras Night

EMAIL FOR TICKETS

Mojo Lady reviews:

All Music Guide

Vince Lewis in Modern Guitars Magazine

The Evening's Menu

Hors d'oeuvres Cajun blackened shrimp with honey mustard Sirloin bruschetta Mini oyster po' boys Chick crunch with creole mustard sauce Andoville sausage stuffed mushrooms Mini pulled pork sandwiches Spanakopita - spinach and cheese turnovers Featured Wines Meridian Pinot Noir Greg Norman California Chardonnay Beringer Pinot Grigio Chateau St. Jean California Cabernet Wolf Blass Australian Shiraz Carving Station Roast pork loin with gravy and cranberry mayo Pasta Station Crawfish Monica (rotini pasta with crawfish and tomato cream sauce) Cajun Station Choice of jambalaya and chicken etouffee Dessert Pecan pralines Coffee/tea

Hello, Mary Lou, goodbye heart.....

She's really cute and plays you with the vulnerability angle (and confesses to it), but you can't help rooting for Mary Lou Lord anyway. Sunday night at Cafe Nine, she played a wonderful acoustic hour-plus set to a packed house, seeming genuinely surprised that there were so many in attendance and that they knew her songs.

Lord is afflicted with spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological disorder that involves involuntary spasms of the vocal cords which can make one's voice sound strained or strangled (similar to that of Linda Thompson, whom she emails daily) and told us that she hadn't performed in quite some time. During the set, she gave a nod to Elvis' Latest Flame with her His Lamest Flame and to Salem's Elizabeth Montgomery (did I note a similarity in face?) with She's Still Bewitching Me (after all these years).

After the show, I picked up her LIVE City Sounds, which was recorded live (per the liner notes) in the subway at Park Street in Boston and Harvard Square in the fall of 2000. She recorded it herself with a portable DAT.

I caught an enjoyable slice of the Shellye Valauskas Experience's opening set, but turned down a slice of her Lithuanian (or something like that) birthday cake served shortly thereafter as her many friends/family in attendance serenaded her. It allowed me to sneak into better position near the bar.

Eric Danton, Htfd Courant rock critic, concert review - here

When Black Friday comes....

When Black Friday comes
I'll stand down by the door
And catch the grey men when they
Dive from the fourteenth floor
Katy Lied- Steely Dan (1975)

Perusing the Louisiana Music Factory CD listings and saw Tight Women and Loose Bands 1921-1931.

'50s and '60s Bands Aim to Stop Copycats by SUSAN HAIGH, Associated Press Writer
HARTFORD, Conn. - Doo-wop and rock 'n roll legends are asking lawmakers across the country to stop performances by some not-so-great pretenders. There are hundreds of bands touring the country these days claiming to be The Platters, the Drifters, the Coasters or some other group from the '50s and '60s, according to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in Sharon, Pa. Most of them have no ties to the original artists. "They undercut the legacy of those artists by pretending to be them," said Jon "Bowzer" Bauman, former member of the oldies band Sha Na Na and head of the hall's Truth in Music Committee. - complete article

(But then, who will help stop the legendary bands from touring????)


Sex Pistols Flip Off Rock Hall by Josh Grossberg

Britain's most infamous punk rabble rousers are giving the big middle finger to the music industry types who've tapped the band for enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, issuing a grammatically impaired open letter saying they have no intention of attending the induction ceremony scheduled for Mar. 13 at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

"Next to the sex Pistols, rock and roll and that hall of fame is a piss stain. Your museum. Urine in wine. We're not coming," the band says via a handwritten note posted on frontman Johnny Rotten's Website. - complete article

Well, we drank champagne and danced all night....

In 2003, Ray Davies (former leader of The Kinks - yeah, I know you know), came to the United States to live in New Orleans with the objective of studying our musical roots. And what better place than the Crescent City! In early 2004 he was shot in the leg by a guy who snatched his girlfriend's purse as he chased him down near the French Quarter, so he gets the American city experience as well. On Tuesday, Davies will release Other People's Lives, a solo effort about pre-Katrina New Orleans. David Carr has a fine article in the Sunday NY Times about Davies. - article

AMG review of Other People's Lives

New Orleans - the ideal place to get shot by Ray Davies for the Times (London) Online 9/7/05. Away from the partying it was obvious to a dedicated follower of the city that disaster was around the corner. - article

Gentlemen, start your engines.....

Oh yeah, big-time gearhead here, wouldn't miss the Daytona 500 for anything. I've got my case of beer and I'm going down to the beach to watch them race today. What????? They don't race on the beach anymore? Oh. Maybe I lost touch somewhere along the line.

Sister Mary Agnes attended a Daytona 500 Bon Jovi concert, she tells johnnykmusic via cell from her Raceway infield post.

Hey Johnny Gumbo, Marcia Ball appears at the Iron Horse in Northampton on Monday Night.

I can't stop going there!!!!!!

Another Friday trip to Chicopee and, you guessed it, a quick zip over to Northampton to my new favorite record store. Got caught in a wild wind/rainstorm just as I arrived, but managed a parking spot close by to minimize the damage to my person.

This week's catch:

Read My Lips Lou Ann Barton - Anyone who pays any attention to my ramblings knows how much I love Lou Ann Barton, who once sang with Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble. The catch is that she's only recorded a few albums and never tours. Found two CDs today, but one was a compilation with much duplicated product, so I went with the original issue. Great song lyric: "You can have my husband, but don't you be messin' with my man."

D & B Together Delaney & Bonnie and Friends - But not together for long, for D & B divorced soon after this record.

Mary Lou Lord (EP) Mary Lou Lord - Kurt Cobain's girlfriend before CL, she will be appearing at Cafe Nine on Sunday, February 26.

The Complete Animals The Animals - They were playing this comprehensive two-disc compilation as I browsed the store, so when I checked out, I apologized, but told them I wanted that CD! They said, no prob, great choice, and packed it up. You sometimes forget just how good these guys were. Not catchy like the Beatles or the Stones, but really great blues that sound solid today as ever.

JazzFest lineup announced....

The lineups for both JazzFest weekends were announced on Wednesday. Since I will be attending the 2nd, I will miss The Meters, Dr. John Allen Toussaint, Snooks Eaglin, Sonny Landreth (who conspired to keep me from seeing Sarah Borges at the Iron Horse), etc., but will get to see Fats Domino (very cool), Jimmy Buffett, Paul Simon (maybe), Robert Randolph, Marsha Ball, The Radiators (saw them at Tipitina's in 1989), Irma Thomas. And more!!! Gumbo and I have vowed (yes, we actually vowed) to take in lots of the lesser known stuff, particularly gospel, which is VERY cool live.

First Weekend
The Meters, Dave Matthews Band, Bob Dylan, Yolanda Adams, Allen Toussaint with special guest Elvis Costello, Ani DiFranco, Dr. John, Hugh Masekela, Keb’ Mo’, Yerba Buena, Rebirth Brass Band, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Galactic, Snooks Eaglin, Cowboy Mouth, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Terence Blanchard, Walter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters, Sonny Landreth, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers, the subdudes, Ritmo Caribeño, John Mooney & Bluesiana, Terrance Simien, Anders Osborne, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, Charmaine Neville, Banu Gibson & New Orleans Hot Jazz, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews with special guest Steve Turre, St. Joseph the Worker Choir, Dukes of Dixieland, Eddie Bo, John Lee & the Heralds of Christ, C.J. Chenier, The Iguanas, Luther Kent & Trickbag, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Rosie Ledet, Lil’ Rascals Brass Band, Lil’ Band O’ Gold, Greater Antioch Full Gospel Church Choir, D.L. Menard & the Louisiana Aces, James Rivers Movement, Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes, NewBirth Brass Band, James Andrews, Leigh “Little Queenie” Harris, Sunpie & the Louisiana Sunspots, World Leader Pretend, Gregg Stafford’s Jazz Hounds, Shades of Praise Choir, Leah Chase, Jhelisa’s Tribute to Nina Simone, Melody Clouds, Christian Scott, Crown Seekers, Popular Ladies, Nine Times Men, Westbank Steppers, and the Young Men’s Olympians Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, David Egan, Franklin Avenue BC Choir, T-Sale, J. Monque’D Blues Band, Vivaz, Bryan Lee & the Blues Power Band, Panorama Jazz Band, Los Sagitarios, Cynthia Liggins-Thomas, One A-Chord Gospel Singers, Andrew Hall’s Society Brass Band, Louisiana Repertory Jazz Band, Jonathan Batiste, Loyola University Jazz Ensemble, Coolbone Brass Band, Hard Head Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Mahogany Brass Band, Tim Laughlin, Jo “Cool” Davis, Lighthouse Gospel Singers, Voices of Distinction, Young Tuxedo Brass Band, Kim Prevost, Leroy Jones, San Severino of France, Higher Dimensions of Praise, Joe Krown, Furious Five and Untouchables Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, Willis Prudhomme & Zydeco Express, The Revealers, Poor Clares, The Elements, Los Vecinos, SUBR Jazz Ensemble, Jambalaya Cajun Band, Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, Paulin Brothers Brass Band, Don Vappie, Connie Jones, The Jackson Travelers, Tony Bazley, Providence BC Mass Choir, Val & Love Alive w/ the Dimensions of Faith, Chops Funky 7 Brass Band, Unstoppable Gospel Singers, Belton Richard, Inspirational Gospel Singers, Pinstripe Brass Band, Local International Allstars, The Bester Singers, Gospel Inspirations of Boutte, and more!

Second Weekend
Fats Domino, Jimmy Buffett, Lionel Richie, Paul Simon, Keith Urban, The Ohio Players, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Special Ed & Big Daddy Kane, India “The Princess of Salsa”, Irma Thomas, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Doug Kershaw, Little Feat, Koko Taylor, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr. & the Greater St. Stephen Mass Choir, The Radiators, Angelique Kidjo, Pete Fountain, Donald Harrison with special guests George Coleman & Eddie Palmieri, Le Grand Ballet “Ngalam” du Senegal, Yonder Mountain String Band, Buckwheat Zydeco, Deacon John, Nicholas Payton, Chris Owens, The Ladies of New Orleans R&B featuring The Dixie Cups, Wanda Rouzan & Jean Knight, Roland Guerin with special guest Marcus Roberts, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters, Big Chief Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias, Ellis Marsalis with special guest Lew Tabackin, Ivan Neville & Dumpstaphunk, Tremé Brass Band, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Golden Eagles, Marcia Ball, George French, Stephanie Jordan, Hot 8 Brass Band, Sherman Washington & the Zion Harmonizers, Frankie Ford, Tab Benoit, Marva Wright & the BMWs, Lars Edegran & the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, Astral Project, Michael White & the Original Liberty Jazz Band featuring Thais Clark, Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys, New Orleans Klezmer Allstars, Theresa Andersson, Bob French & the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, Jeremy Davenport, Papa Grows Funk, Wayne Toups & Zydecajun, Lockport Chapter Choir, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, Tony Green & Gypsy Jazz, Bruce Daigrepont, The Johnson Extension, Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie, Soul Rebels Brass Band, John Boutté, Thomas “Big Hat” Fields, Rocks of Harmony, Alvin Batiste & the Jazzstronauts, Germaine Bazzle, Watson Memorial Teaching Ministries, Jeremy Lyons & the Deltabilly Boys, Reggie Hall & the Twilighters, New Orleans Spiritualettes, Storyville Stompers, Tornado and Stooges Brass Bands, Scene Boosters, Lady Rollers, Original Men and Ladies Buckjumpers, and Valley of the Silent Men Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, Lil’ Brian & the Zydeco Travelers, Savoy Family Cajun Band, Eric Lindell, McDonogh #35 Gospel Choir, Susan Cowsill, Mem Shannon & the Membership, Kim Carson, Easter Rockers, Tyronne Foster & the Arc Singers, La Bande “Feufollet”, Zulu Male Ensemble, Jeff & Vida, Zion Trinity, Fredy Omar con su Banda, Driskill Mountain Boys, Bamboula 2000, Otra, Little Freddie King, New Orleans NightCrawlers Brass Band, Chris Clifton, Amina Figarova Band of The Netherlands, Pine Leaf Boys, Michael Ward, Dynamic Smooth Family, Imagination Movers, Lyle Henderson, Leviticus Gospel Singers, NOCCA Jazz Ensemble, Harvey Spirituals, Real Untouchables and Smitty Dee’s Brass Bands, Mandeville High School Jazz Ensemble, Pfister Sisters, Second Nazarine Gospel Choir, June Gardner, Golden Wings, Batiste Brothers, Gospel Stars, Highsteppers Brass Band, and more!

So you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction....

Right on the heels of the new Johnny Ryan disc (see below), comes Dick Cheney's timely release of The Woman Within, which features a hot new hip-hop version of Barry McGuire's classic Eve of Destruction. Sung/spoken in his very hip Wally Ballou style, Cheney sends chills up and down the spines of his listeners with each 'note'. A sample from Arizona Killer:
I killed a man in Dallas,
And another in Cheyenne
But when I killed the man in Tombstone
I overplayed my hand
A must-buy for hard-core Cheney aficionados (and favor-seeking lobbyists).


The playlist:

1. I Fought the Law (They Said I Needed To Buy a Fucking Permit)
   
2. Guns Don't Kill People, I Do
   
3. Shotgun (Shoot Him 'Fore He Run Now)
   
4. Eve of Destruction (duet w/ the late Barry McGuire)
   
5. I'm Sorry, Dan, I Thought You Were a Quaill
   
6. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (He Wasn't The Bravest of Them All, After All)
   
7. Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Bang, Bang)
   
8. Arizona Killer
   
9. The Streets of Laredo
   
10. Cheney's Gotta Gun (duet w/ Steven Tyler)
    
11. Shot Through the Heart and You're to Blame (You Give Love a Bad Name)
    
12. Annie Get Your Gun (Dickie's Coming For Lunch)
    
    

Unsung, but not unhung.....

Following up on the surprising success of last year's cult favorite The Hope Song (recorded live at the Brass Guitar), John Ryan releases Unsung Gumbo to a small, but fiercely loyal fan base thirsting for more. And he delivers. Fueled by obvious frustration with his lack of commercial success despite being a critics' darling, Ryan lashes out at a tasteless record-buying public with If I Flashed, Would You Buy?, a clever, bitter nod to his androgynous good looks and the state of the music industry. P.S. I Faked It Too is an ode to bruised egos of love gone bad, while Dat's Going To Be a Tough Row to 'Ho chronicles the difficult life of a sweet young thing turned pro.

His tight backup compadres include Boz Scaggs (guitar/backing vocals), Rodney "Plaid' Greaves (bass guitar/slide trombone) and Wil Suzkins (drums/percussion). David Sanborn (sax) and Stevie Ray Parsons (muted trumpet), billed as the Horny Horns, texture several of the tracks nicely. All in all, a very fine effort from a largely undiscovered gem of an artist (and a peach of a guy).

The playlist:
1. If I Flashed, Would You Buy?
2. JohnnyFest
3. Struttin' Down Center Street
4. P.S. I Faked It Too
5. Psychologically I'm Fine, But I Could Use Some Fresh-Ground Pepper
6. How Do You Like Them Apples?
7. Dat's Going To Be a Tough Row to 'Ho
8. You Ain't Tina, Honey, But I'll Slap Your Face Anyways
9. I Brought the Dog Home, But She Wasn't Trained
10. Lazin' On Magazine

All songs written/sung by John Ryan; copyright 2006 Johnny Gumbo Music

Norah has been doing Willie Nelson....

By Melinda Newman

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - When you have snared a trophy case full of Grammy Awards in one sitting, including ones for album of the year and best new artist, it is a little hard to fly under the radar. But that is exactly what Norah Jones and her friends are trying to do with the self-titled debut from the Little Willies, out March 7 on Milking Bull Records/EMI.

The album is a loose-limbed collection of country classics by artists such as Townes Van Zandt and Kris Kristofferson, with four originals sprinkled in. For a brief while, the Little Willies were able to keep the crowds at bay during their semi-regular gigs at New York's Living Room, a small club on Manhattan's Lower East Side. But as word spread of the band's lineup -- Jones, Lee Alexander, Richard Julian, Jim Campilongo and Dan Reiser -- the lines out the door got longer and longer.

Although the band is named for its devotion to Willie Nelson, its members certainly were not beyond having a little good-natured fun with the name. "After a while, people recognized the Little Willies name and the shows were getting too crowded, so they changed to the Well Hungarians," says Zach Hochkeppel, VP of marketing for EMI Jazz and Classics. - complete article

Turn it up....louder

More great stuff at $8 a shot from this wonderful joint in Northampton, MA (website):

Roadrunner Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - compilation of JR's early stuff including 3 versions of that quintessential cruisin' title song - but, alas, no Dancing in the Lesbian Bar.
Corkey Siegel's Traveling Chamber Blues Show Corky Siegel - CD case asks "Is it blues? Is it classical?" Veteran bluesman and front half of the old Siegel-Schwall Band.
Over Under Sideways Down Yardbirds - Collection of 28 tracks (75 minutes!) covering 1963-1968 featuring the big three guitar studs Clapton, Beck & Page.
Ramblin' Lucinda Williams - Cindy's first, recorded in 1978, shows her interpreting Robert Johnson, Memphis Minnie, Hank Williams (no relation, really)
Carney Leon Russell - Released in 1972, features This Masquerade and Tightrope, but with so much more. Leon is very, very good and has appeared in these parts within the last couple months. Shame on you (and me) for missing him.
Music From Big Pink The Band - The classic early Band album with added alternate/outtake tracks.
The Loon's Desire Laura Nyro - Two-CD live set of concerts recorded at the Bottom Line in 1993 and 1994 with just LN, her piano and her soulful harmony group.

Previous week's catch
How Long Has This Been Going On? Van Morrison with Georgie Fame & Friends - Van and Georgie doing jazz standards, receiving indifferent reviews from all but me - I like it.
Day Dreaming at Night Sir Douglas Quintet - a reincarnation of this legendary band; harder rocking than other Doug Sahm music I've heard and my initial reaction is that I don't find the music as interesting - but not a throwaway.
Daring Adventures Richard Thompson - This guy doesn't get the mainstream attention, but those in the know respect the hell out of him. The disc is a mid-eighties release.
Funk Is In the House Walter 'Wolfman' Washington & the Roadmasters - Some nice New Orleans funk!
A Turtle's Dream Abbey Lincoln - Ever since I saw her at a Hartford Jazz Society concert in the mid-1980's, I never hesitate to pick up an Abbey Lincoln disc. She has a unique, tasty manner of phrasing.

G-Man comments on the Grammys

Get past the green carpet? and Ryan Secrest (the most famous lesbian alive) and the first Grammy of the night is announced by real musicians Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder. This will possibly be the highlight of the night - the best music of the night as the two sing a Stevie song dedicated to New Orleans and the first lady of the civil rights movement. A good start. And the best female vocal (i think) award goes to Kelly Clarkson. This should be a crime. - complete article

CBS gets the 'Monkey' off its back....

Variety reports that CBS has shelved Tom Cavanagh's Love Monkey after just three airings as part of a Tuesday-lineup shuffle. Taking over the 10 pm/ET slot is The Amazing Race (which premieres Feb. 28), clearing the way at 9 pm for The Unit, the new drama costarring Dennis Haysbert. Does that mean that Wayne Jensen (Teddy Geiger) never gets discovered? And after Tom made that great music video all by himself!

E! Online story -

Variety review of show

Local man shares his photos of rock ’n’ rollers

By Ralph Hohman, Record-Journal staff

Tom Hearn remembers the Ramones at the old Arcadia Ballroom in New Haven, in 1976. “It was like a paradigm shift,” he says, in his music universe. The Ramones, with their rough, rapid-fire, two-minute assaults, were a lurching return to rock ’n’ roll. “I always preferred Paul Revere and the Raiders to Led Zeppelin,” Hearn says. “I thought I was the only one.”

Hearn had his camera at the Arcadia, taking many of the shots that go into a photo exhibition, “Pictures of the Ramones and other rock ’n rollers,” hanging throughout February at The Picture Framer, 96 Elm St., a gallery owned by Hearn’s wife, Ann Hearn. A reception for the show is Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. The exhibition was still taking shape this week, but Ann Hearn says that when it’s all framed and hung, it will include about 40 photos, newly scanned and printed. - complete article

Tuesday morning -

The Rhino Musical Aptitude Test - "The trivia buffs in your area, in cooperation with the FCC, have designed this system to keep you informed in case of a pop culture emergency. If this had been an actual R.M.A.T., you would've puzzled over 305 multiple choice in one sweat-inducing hour. This concludes this test of the Rhino Musical Aptitude Test. " - Show them you know your shit here.

Unfortunately, I will not be blogging the Grammys this year because I will be taking in the UConn Huskies v Syracuse Orange(men).

Love Monkey tonight. I liked it; Jonathan & Garrett hated it.

Lost Highway Records celebrates five years...

PRNewswire - Lost Highway Records, the Nashville-based home of such acclaimed artists as Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams and the catalog of Hank Williams celebrates its Five Year Anniversary in 2006. Founded in 2001 by current UMG Nashville Co-Chairman Luke Lewis, Lost Highway is part of Universal Music Group and has built itself with a boutique label mentality, providing an artist-oriented environment. Since its inception, Lost Highway has released 50 albums, and by the end of 2005 has received 44 Grammy Award nominations, winning 11.

...2006 has the potential to be Lost Highway's most impressive year to date, starting off with the release of Van Morrison's "Pay The Devil" on March 7 and Willie Nelson's "You Don't Know Me: The Songs Of Cindy Walker" on March 14. Also, look for Lost Highway releases in 2006 from Lucinda Williams, Ryan Adams, Donavon Frankenreiter, Tim O'Reagan (The Jayhawks) and the first album from Golden Smog in eight years. - complete press release

Lost Highway website

Are you ready for some football....music?

The National Anthem offered a particularly odd partnership — Aaron Neville and Dr. John (in a tribute to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans) with Detroit favorite Aretha Franklin. Neville sang half of the song in his feathery-soft voice, then was never heard from again when Franklin blew the dome's roof off. - complete article

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter The birds flew off with the fallout shelter Eight miles high and falling fast It landed foul on the grass The players tried for a forward pass With the jester on the sidelines in a cast Now the halftime air was sweet perfume While sergeants played a marching tune We all got up to dance Oh, but we never got the chance

'Cause the players tried to take the field, The marching band refused to yield. Do you recall what was revealed, The day the music died? We started singing Bye, bye miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry And good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye? Singing this will be the day that I die this will be the day that I die .

Football halftimes are for players to have a short respite from their labors and to endure a lecture of how badly they sucked in the first half. Football halftime entertainment is meant to be a background distraction while we fans alternately unfill and refill. Football halftimes used to mean watching uniformed college marching bands playing John Philip Sousa tunes or, if the bandleader was feeling randy, a Burt Bacharach number (Raindrops Are Falling on My Head). Smart formations, nothing earthshaking, but nice, comfortable. Keith Jackson halftimes. And games were preficed with standard, if mundane, renditions of our national anthem.

But that was too square, so we were given "Up With People" shows of painfully happy young people dancing around with colorful streamers while singing about how wonderful the world could be if we would only sing together. Am I the only person who ever, if only for a brief moment, wanted to take an AK-47 and wipe out the entire population of those mindless smiling idiots? I'm not sure when they finally stopped the 'UP' movement, but it existed so long that I avoided halftimes like the plague (although, I must admit I have never actively avoided the plague, so that may not be an apt statement to make).

When I checked back, the national anthem had become the first American Idol format, a stage for any artist to showoff his/her 'soulfulness' with each gut wrenching final verse - even if the correct words frequently eluded them. But even that wasn't enough. Now, because halftime is showcase time (blame rests squarely on the New Year's Day bowl committees), mega rock stars, wannabees and has-beens Milli Vanilli their way through 20-30 minutes of music you can't hear, staged so ridiculously that the music isn't even the point.

So why am I going to watch this Sunday's pre-game and halftime? Because I'm shamelessly curious. The anthem is to be sung by Aaron Neville, his mole and Aretha Franklin. Other pre-game music will feature Dr. John (no, not John Ryan, Ph.D.) and Stevie Wonder. The Rolling Stones have the daunting task of appearing relevant at the break. I'm luke-warm on the badboys at this stage of their career, but they've got to be light years ahead of Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson. Here's hoping anyway.

Lady (Stuffed) Sole......

by Richie Unterberger for AMG

Aretha Franklin is one of the giants of soul music, and indeed of American pop as a whole. More than any other performer, she epitomized soul at its most gospel-charged. Her astonishing run of late-'60s hits with Atlantic Records — "Respect," "I Never Loved a Man," "Chain of Fools," "Baby I Love You," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Think," "The House That Jack Built," and several others — earned her the title "Lady Soul," which she has worn uncontested ever since. Yet as much of an international institution as she's become, much of her work — outside of her recordings for Atlantic in the late '60s and early '70s — is erratic and only fitfully inspired, making discretion a necessity when collecting her records. - complete biography

Now here's your over/under on Aretha's gametime poundage:

450 big ones! WHATCHA GOT?

I've got the Steelers......and 475 lb

I'm walkin' to New Orleans.....

Just received an email from the New orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival announcing that "the most important Jazz Fest in history" will be held April 28-30 and May 5-7. Tickets are available at nojazzfest.com.

This year's official poster (at left) features Fats Domino in "Rockin' to New Orleans" by James Michalopoulos.

Press Release
New Orleans, LA (January 31, 2006)—After months of anticipation, organizers of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival today officially confirmed the 2006 dates for the Jazz Fest they say will be the most important in the history of the event. The first post-Katrina Jazz Fest will be held on April 28-30 and May 5-7 at its traditional home, the Fair Grounds Race Course.

Jazz Fest Producer/Director Quint Davis said, “We’re dedicating this year’s Festival to the people of New Orleans and inviting everybody who cares about this city to come to Jazz Fest and play a meaningful role in bringing back the city’s culture, which is the soul of America. Jazz Fest 2006 will be a homecoming party for thousands of New Orleans musicians, Festival chefs and craftspeople, and we want the world to join us in welcoming them back as we present the celebration of a lifetime.”

Sponsorship of this year’s Festival, according to Davis, is one of the major reasons why the Festival is happening as planned. “In light of the great financial challenges of presenting the 2006 Festival on the grand scale everyone is accustomed to, we simply could not have produced Jazz Fest without unprecedented corporate support from Shell, who becomes the Festival’s first-ever Presenting Sponsor.”

The Edge and U2 Offer Aid to New Orleans By SOLVEJ SCHOU, Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES - With a long-held affection for New Orleans, a city he calls "very unique and very special," U2 rocker The Edge felt compelled to try to help it recover from Hurricane Katrina. The result: Music Rising, an organization that provides instruments to musicians blasted by the storm. The city especially took hold of his heart in 2001 after he and the band, while playing there, suffered a tragedy back home. A storage area in Dublin where they kept a lot of instruments was wiped out in a flood.

"Luckily," he recalls, "my main guitars were with us in New Orleans ... the Gibson Explorer that I've had since I was 17-years-old, and the amplifier I've used on every album for every show since we got a record deal." Four years later, after Katrina blew through New Orleans, the memory of that good fortune led him to create Music Rising, along with Gibson Guitar, the Guitar Center Music Education Foundation and the MusicCares Foundation. - complete story

Happy Groundhog Day....

Groundhog Day Songs

Groundhog Day - The Movie

C'mon baby, let's do the (Pepsi) twist....

Doo-Wop Band Wins Settlement From Pepsi By KIM CURTIS, Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - A judge has ordered PepsiCo Inc. and its advertising company to pay $250,000 to the 1950s doo-wop band The Flamingos for using their recording, "I Only Have Eyes For You" in a commercial without permission. A federal judge in Chicago on Friday upheld an arbitrator's decision in favor of the two surviving members of The Flamingos, Terry Johnson and Tommy Hunt, and the estates of the deceased members.

A collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists requires an advertiser to get permission and pay fees to the music publishers, the record labels and the artists themselves. "In our case, they didn't even ask," San Francisco entertainment lawyer Steven Ames Brown said Monday.

It's not the first time Pepsi has neglected to pay a recording artist for their song, Brown said. He claims Pepsi has failed to pay black performers for their songs in advertising campaigns featuring supermodel Cindy Crawford. "Pepsi routinely pays the Caucasian performers who appear on camera, but refuses to pay the African-American singers whose voices are used in the soundtrack unless they sue," Brown said.

A spokesman for Pepsi said the failure to pay The Flamingos directly was an oversight and that Pepsi didn't realize the song was subject to the collective bargaining agreement. "That's completely inaccurate," said Dave DeCecco of Purchase, N.Y.-based Pepsi. "We have a long history and strong track record of supporting diversity in our advertising."

Pepsi used the band's best known 1959 hit in a television commercial that ran nationwide for about six months in 1997, Brown said. Brown said he successfully sued Pepsi on behalf of Doris Troy, whose 1963 hit, "Just One Look" was used in another popular Crawford commercial, which also featured two young boys. Troy died in 2003.

Brown sued on behalf of The Flamingos in 2003. Hunt sang the lead vocal in "I Only Have Eyes For You," which reached No. 11 on Billboard's Top 40 in 1959 and remained on the charts for 11 weeks, according to the suit.

Lizzie, don't forget to bring your axe...

Late Saturday afternoons can be a little lazy, football season over, replaced with a thousand hoops games of varying importance. So grab that unfinished memoir, put on some good background music and chill.

Or, if you feel adventuresome, trot down to Cafe Nine in New Haven. Each Saturday afternoon, The Nine holds a jazz jam hosted by a revolving group of area musicians, whereby a core house band is provided and anyone is invited to bring his/her axe along and sit in. Saturday's jam was to be hosted by Guitar George Baker. So, with a UConn Huskies (bastards, not bitches) victory over the Providence College Friars at the Dunkin' Donuts Center (a misnomer since Dunkin' Donuts do not have centers) secured, I scooted down to The Nine to check out the situation. My main reason was to introduce myself to Mr. Baker, who will be performing with his band at this year's Southington Rotary Mardi Gras Night at Anthony Jack's (see below). I caught a set of his at the Chowder Pot in Branford and spoke with him on the phone regarding the Mardi Gras gig, but I had not met him personally.

I arrived in the middle of the first set, finding George up on the small stage with a drummer, bassist and saxophonist playing some very tasty jazz standards. The bar was pretty full with an interesting mix of old and young, listening attentively, heads abobbin'. I had tried to entice the Reet to accompany me, but no go, and my co-chair Johnny Gumbo declined because he was "right in the middle of something." My partner at the bar was a very intoxicated young man who had a few crumpled dollar bills and would occasionally coax a small glass of beer out of the barkeep. He was also trying to charm the two ladies on the other side of him, with little success.

The session reached its first break, so I approached the stage to introduce myself. George, exiting the stage with the assistance of a cane, recognized my name immediately (go figure!) and seemed quite enthusiastic about doing the Mardi Gras Night, inquiring about the food and tickets for additional members of his entourage. He said that his regular band, The George Baker Experience, which will play the event, included today's sax player. And he proudly showed me the Downbeat Magazine three-star review of his newly issued CD, Mojo Lady. We talked about the problems facing New Orleans' rebuilding, George noting that the black population gave the city its flavor and that tourism provided 80% of its revenues and created the jobs.

Back on stage again, the band hosted a number of interesting musician characters:
-a 70+ cowboy vocalist (in full cowboy attire) doing credible versions of Stormy Monday and On Broadway
-a soccer-dad looking sax player who blew some pretty good stuff
-a thin, long-haired forty-something hippy who I had pegged as a guitar player, but who instead pulled out a TROMBONE!!!!!

It's getting late, so I wave goodby to George and head down State Street to my car, en route passing my bar buddy sharing a joint with the boys on somebody's front steps.

Cafe Nine holds a blues jam each Sunday afternoon.

Sarah leaves johnnyk out in the cold.....

Since I was working in Chicopee today, I said to myself, "Self, why not take in the Sarah Borges/Sonny Landreth gig at the Iron Horse tonight." Brilliant! So I cruised on up to Northampton late Friday afternoon, found the Iron Horse on Center Street after driving around for a half-hour (I finally cheated - I asked directions), snagged a GREAT parking spot nearby and, to use up the time before the show, went off to a record store I spotted. Cool. Hmmm, Kay's prospective furniture store location should be around here somewhere. Wow, I never realized what a busy place this is!

Turn It Up! is a below-street level store just off Main on Pleasant and is, as it turns out, the 'flagship of our magnificent fleet' of stores (others in Keene, Brattleboro, Easthampton). Once you negotiate the steep set of steps, you enter a cozy, friendly den of high quality used CDs. High Fidelity quality but without the attitude, which makes for a stress-free browsing experience. An hour of browsing produced (for $30!!!!!):

How long Has This Been Going On? - Van Morrison with Georgie Fame
Super Ball - The Iguanas
Daydreaming at Midnight - Sir Douglas Quintet
The Golden Hits of the Everly Brothers - Who the hell do you think!

No, thank you!

A short walk back to my GREAT parking place, a change into sneakers/sweatshirt and I get into line to see Sarah 'n Sonny. Nice day! It's cold during the half-hour wait, but not unbearable. Mostly couples with a smattering of old hippie looking guys. And me. The line moves slowly, but steadily along the couple of storefronts that constitute The Horse until we're in the warmth of the ticket area.

An unsettling feeling seeps into my feelingquitegood being as I offer my $20 to the ticket guy. Uh oh, I grossly underestimated the appeal of Sonny Landreth (Johnny Gumbo saw him at 2004 JazzFest and said he was great). Sold out! Can't ya jus sneak in one more, especially since I drove ALL the way from southern CT? Nope. I can wait an hour to see if any standing room will be sold, but, crestfallen, I trudge back to my GREAT parking space....and cruise back to CT.

(Sarah Borges Band, Danielia Cotton Band - Co-bill is a new booking at the Iron Horse for Thursday, March 30.)

Wednesday morning at 5 o'clock as the day begins....

Watched another Love Monkey (see previous post)and am still frustrated by the shallow stereotype characters. Don't the writers have any confidence in their audience? And the bro-in-law (Jason Priestly) story lines (i.e. being paranoid about hiring a nanny who is TOO hot) MUST go! However, I am not giving up yet. - Eric Danton take

While riding to the office this morning, my free XM Satellite Radio subscription expired. I enjoyed the three-month taste of it, but should I renew? So much music around (over which I have control) that I've put off listening to because it's habitforming to just let the radio choose. Not a slam dunk, but I'm back to my own CDs. Now, where IS my Jake Brennan & the Confidence Men!!!!

Listening to Neil Young's Southern Man from his After the Gold Rush Christmas present from my sons. Which reminds me, why is the background music for the Kentucky Fried Chicken commercials Sweet Home Alabama?

Come back to Connecticut, Lucinda

According to her website, Lucinda Williams will be doing some tour dates with her guitarist Doug Pettibone commencing mid-February. However, for the dates listed through early March, Pittsburgh is the farthest east she goes.

Maybe she holds a grudge for the incident at Toad's in 2003 where, while she was doing her encore, a huge cheer went up as the Red Sox clinched their series with Oakland - she was pissed! Oh, Cindy, get over it.

Revisiting Doug Sahm en route to Chicopee

Late for a noon appointment in Chicopee, I cruised up I91 from Hartford listening the entire distance to a wonderful live set from Doug Sahm on XM Satellite Radio's X Country station #12. It was so good that I hesitated to arrive too quickly! There was no break in the broadcast for commentary so I don't know what recording it was from. Perhaps XM has those things online; if so, I will let you know because it was packed with energy and great tex-mex music.

Sahm, who died in 1999, was nominated for but not elected to the rock 'n roll HOF this last time. Most remember him from the Sir Douglas Quintet's Mendicino, but he was a contemporary of Willie Nelson back in the day and put out some truly great music. Two recommendations from johnnyk are 1973's Doug Sahm and Band (which features Bob Dylan, Dr. John and David "Fathead" Newman) and 1994's Last Real Texas Blues Band Featuring Doug Sahm.

Random...thoughts, not violence......

Johnny Gumbo notes via email:

"We're down to double figures .... 99 days to the start of Fest 2006 !!!! .... and 105 days until the boys from CT hit town...... rooms are booked and travel is confirmed .... word on the street (from a source at a NYC restaurant) is that everybody wants to be there to play so this will be a Fest to be at ... and a very emotional one at that."


Let It Bleed is SO much better than its more heralded sister album, Exile on Main Street, which I find very good but the vocals feel buried inside the mix. Not that you give a damn what I think, but I was just listening to it.

Wilson Pickett just died of a heart attack at 64 (I guess we won't still be sending a valentine, birthday greetings, bottle of wine). The Wicked One had two monster singles in 1965, Mustang Sally and In The Midnight Hour, but little beyond those. They got him into the HOF. Go figure.

Yikes, leafing through the latest Rolling Stone (an easy leaf, given that it's all of 72 pages), I see that The Nelsons-Accoustic Duo are (is? in the power struggle that is their name, I'm going with the front half) appearing at Mohegan Sun Cabaret Theatre. This venue means that, as opposed to the free Wolf Den, one must PAY to see them! Yuck!

Speaking of stalking, Sarah Borges and the boys are now Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles. Yes, I know, but we'll try. SB & the Bingles play at the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA with Sonny Landreth on Friday, January 27. Paste Magazine's Jeff Leven had a nice review of Silver City:

Make a note of this name and get in on the sawdust-covered ground floor Who knew that the woman with some of the most convincing honky-tonk chops in recent memory would hail from Boston? Belting with conviction over a virtually Nudie-tailored wash of silvered pedal steel and squawky country guitars (which are even doubled for a classic Western-swing solo on “Miss Mary”), Borges consistently sounds more world-worn and wise than her age could possibly allow. Like Ryan Adams’ better country moments, the effect is not pastiche when the raw talent bridges that gap and an unbridled musical ambition drives it home. Her voice isn’t always perfect (think Sheryl Crow without the complicated quiet parts), but it’s out there and the songs carry it well, which, to my ears, beats the self-serving over-vocalizing of the Joss Stones of the world any day. While some buzz has already started to develop on Borges, this stuff screams for a wider audience on par with at least Lucinda, if not Gretchen Wilson. As country radio grows more solicitous of the whiskey-soaked end of the spectrum, you never know. Follow this one—she could lead you to some exciting places. Paste

thursday has no songs......

But, oh, I disagree!

THURSDAY by Morphine We used to meet every Thursday Thursday Thursday in the afternoon For a couple a beers And a game of pool We used to go to a motel A motel A motel across the street And the name of the motel Was the "Wagon Wheel" OH! One day she said C'mon C'mon She said why dont you come back to my house She said my husbands out of town You know he's gone till the end of the month

Well I was just so nervous, so nervous You know I couldn't really quite relax 'Cause I was really never quite sure When her husband was coming back It turned out it was one of the neighbors One of the neighbors, one of the neigbors that saw my car And they told her, yeah they told her They think they know who you are Well her husband is a violent man A very violent and jealous man Now I have to leave this town I gotta leave while I still can We should have kept it every Thursday Thursday Thursday in the afternoon For a couple of beers And a game of pool She was pretty cool too!

Okay, okay - I'm trying to think of a music connection to this story

UPDATE: Ex-Cheerleader Pleads Guilty
TAMPA, Fla.(AP) - A former Carolina Panthers cheerleader got six months probation for her role in a bathroom brawl sparked by accusations that she was having sex with another cheerleader. Angela Keathley, 26, pleaded guilty Wednesday to disorderly conduct and obstructing a police officer during the Nov. 6 fight, which broke out when women in line to use the bathroom made the allegations about Keathley and fellow cheerleader Victoria Renee Thomas.

Thomas, 20, denied the sex allegation. She has pleaded not guilty to giving a false name to a police officer, battery and unlawful display of a license. The Panthers fired the pair for violating a signed code that bans conduct embarrassing to the Panthers.

Note: Actually, the Panthers fired two pair. And that makes the Panthers' postseason run even more remarkable - down two cheerleaders! Amazing resiliency.

---

TV report

Panthers' cheerleaders arrested after pawing in bathroom stall - National Post news services

Action in the NFL's Season of Behaving Badly moved south from Minnesota and landed in Tampa on the weekend when two Carolina Panthers cheerleaders were arrested early Sunday morning at a club there. The Top Cats, identified by police as Angela Keathley, 26, and Renee Thomas, 20, were at a club called Banana Joe's in downtown Tampa when they got into an altercation in the women's bathroom. Other patrons of the club were angered that Thomas and Keathley were taking too long in one of the stalls; in fact, they believed the women were having sex with each other there.

When the cheerleaders emerged, Thomas, who is described on the Panthers' Web site as a rookie team member and a student at UNC-Charlotte who wants to earn a doctorate in dental surgery, is accused of trying to do some rudimentary dental work on another patron with her fist. "The blonde hit me in the face," said Melissa Holden, who restrained Thomas until police arrived.

Keathley, who would be "the brunette" in the scenario, was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. A police report obtained by the Tampa Tribune said she was drunk, as well as "rude and belligerent," and refused to be handcuffed. Thomas's charges include battery and a felony charge of giving a false name at the time of her arrest.
- complete article

The list:

Girls just wanna have fun (Cyndi Lauper)

I wish they all could be Carolina girls (Beach Boys)

She came in through the bathroom window (Joe Cocker)

You can't hurry love (Supremes)

Just walk away, Renee ((Left Banke)

Good vibrations (Beach Boys)

Your choices?????

Love stinks (J. Geils)

Looking For Love in All the Wrong Places (Bob Morrison)

A public outraged - - here
bastardly.com
But really, cheerleaders are people, too - nflcheerleader.blogspot.com

Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey.....

UPDATE: The whole family watched Love Monkey and, given the expectations, came away disheartened. We did feel, however, (with the exception of JFK who thought it completely sucked) the show had enough promise to give it time to mature - but it had better pick up the pace quickly! The dialogue tries WAY too hard to be 'throwaway' witty, hip (or inept, when required) and comes off forced (one exchange between the married buddy/bro-in-law and the three single conquistadors regarding the merits of marriage was torture). And did they have to insert EVERY imaginable stereotype into one series (ONE close black friend and, Jesus, ANOTHER gay ex-jock!)? Axe those buddies, just shoot them and start over with new friends. Or maybe everyone can just relax a tad now that we've all been introduced. The setting in the NYC music industry, the cameo appearances (who is Teddy Geiger?) and the frequent throwaway artist/album references buy the Monkey a second look.

---

I don't watch television series anymore, just too much commitment, but I am curious about Love Monkey, a new show on CBS that debuts Tuesday. "The series is about four male friends at different stages of life and love as told through the eyes of a single, thirtysomething record executive." The story line, adapted from the Kyle Smith book, is set in NYC, stars Tom Cavanaugh (the 'Ed' guy) and features cameos from musicians. Yeah, I know, a guy version of Sex and the City, but if we can only get them to have Lucinda Williams, Tom Waits or .....hmmmmmm, let me think....Sarah Borges (who plays at the Rodeo Bar in NYC next Saturday)...on the show, we'd really have a story!

While the pre-game buzz from the media has been generally favorable, television critic Kevin McDonough at unitedmedia.com feels that 'nice guy' Cavanaugh is seriously miscast as the lead. "It's as if 'Ed' were on his way to an audition for a Dockers commercial but found himself marooned in the East Village and asked to give a lecture on the history of punk rock."

NY Times piece on Monkey
Episode Guide
tvguide.com review by Matt Rouch
Love Monkey novel by Kyle Smith, reviewed by Edward Champion

And I thought it was Utah.....

Panel: Jazz Vital to New Orleans Rebirth By Cain Burdeau, AP writer
NEW ORLEANS - While the city builds better levees and new homes, a mayoral arts commission is recommending that the city not forget to reclaim its legacy as the birthplace of jazz. The commission recommends building a National Jazz Center, which would be a museum, performance hall, recording studio and archive rolled into one.

The recommendations — which were to be presented to Mayor Ray Nagin on Tuesday — also call for creating new artistic districts, increasing the teaching of arts in schools and setting aside 2 percent of eligible capital bonds for public sculptures, murals and other artwork. The ideas are part of a broad rebuilding plan being rolled out by the Bring New Orleans Back Commission, a panel appointed by Nagin after Hurricane Katrina hit on Aug. 29. The panel is coming up with a variety of ideas on how to rebuild the city — from abandoning some residential sections of the city to overhauling schools and city government.

On the cultural side, the commission's recommendations tackle a long-standing complaint: that New Orleans has done a miserable job in promoting itself as the birthplace of jazz, the quintessential American form of art. Many important buildings in jazz history have fallen into disrepair or tumbled down. Even the home of Louis Armstrong was allowed to be demolished. The report also endorses a plan to preserve several old buildings on Rampart Street associated with Armstrong, Buddy Bolden, Sidney Bechet and other jazz greats and turn them into a jazz park.

The old brick buildings, some of the only buildings left in New Orleans with ties to Armstrong, are largely in a state of neglect and a lack of signs on them leaves tourists passing by without realizing their importance. "In Vienna every place Beethoven looked at, it's marked by something," said jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, the co-chairman of the commission's cultural committee. The report says the most immediate concern is recovering from Katrina. The storm's flooding and winds hit musicians, community theaters, dance studios, artists, night clubs, second-line bands and Mardi Gras Indian tribes particularly hard. - complete article

Friday the 13th.......

Alas, no Nevilles (for us) today at Mohegan Sun.....while on that topic, Aaron Neville has been tapped to sing the national anthem at this year's Super Bowl with Dr. John accompanying on piano. Pretty cool. - article

Mozart's musical diary goes online LONDON (Reuters) - A musical diary by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart goes online on Thursday, allowing Internet users to browse handwritten pages from the composer's catalog and listen to the opening bars of rarely performed works. The British Library in London has produced a digital version of 30 pages and 75 musical introductions from "Catalog of all my Works," which can be accessed on its Web site www.bl.uk/turningthepages. The catalog includes many of Mozart's best-known works, including "The Marriage of Figaro" and "The Magic Flute," but also contains a "Little March in D," which the library said had been recorded for the first time for the site. complete article

monday, monday, can't trust that day.....

It appears from the responses I've received that all had a great time at the SB concert Friday night at Cafe Nine. Got a phone call from Johnny Gumbo. Gumbo was talking after the concert with Binky, the bass player, urging him to have the group really consider playing the Southington Apple Harvest Festival, when Binky informs Gumbo that he grew up in Southington! GET OUT, no WAY (insert Elaine Benes shoving move)! Yes, WAY. Seems that the Binkster went to North Center School through the 3rd grade, at which time the family moved out of town.

Our musical road trip continues this Friday night with the Nevelle Brothers at Mohegan Sun Wolf Den with the Andersons.

Rumors floating (from unnamed informed, fedora-wearing sources) that U2 would love to play this year's JazzFest, but committee in a quandry as to where to stage them. Could be a logistical nightmare. It would be pretty cool though; and maybe catch them jamming at a downtown club with Lucinda!

Picked up the new Strokes' First Impressions of Earth and like it, but don't LOVE it yet. Got to give these things a little time to sink in.

Guitars and ales, but no chili

Five hours of Elm City Ales will wear one down, perhaps even have a lingering effect the next morning. Confirmed. Well, someone had to secure the tables at Cafe Nine for the Sarah Borges show, so we showed up at 7, catching the end of an accoustic blues set by a trio fronted by Travis. A young lady with an American flag decal displayed prominently on her sweatshirt says, almost apologetically, that Travis usually plays rock 'n roll. The bill had the Moody Blossom Band as the happy hour fare, so I'm not sure if Travis and Blossom are one and the same. We may NEVER know!

Sarah and the band have already arrived from Boston and drift in and out, hauling equipment and just hanging out at the bar. We (Reet/Johnnyk, Garrett/Jonathan, Judi/John) stake our claim at a couple of the small bar tables with a good view of the stage and order up food (by the Checkered Duvells) and drink. The happy hour set ends and that band's groupies depart leaving The Nine relatively sparse. We've decided that this venue is smaller than Sam the Clam's! Beret-topped Trish and hubby George mosy in, followed by Keith/Sharie and, finally, by a mysterious, sharp-dressed man known only as Johnny Gumbo. All now accounted for. What, no chili???? Damn Duvells, no fries either.

Next up are....jeez, I forget......oh yes, The Forgotten Ones! Lots of cowboy hats 'n pedal steel 'n Johnny Cash. Lead singer vamping it up with a big 'ol hat pulled down real low meeting his Buddy Holly glasses, head tilted at an angle away from the audience, strummin' 'n singin'. A good, quirky look. Good music, too. The GROUP is split into two factions now, the leg-weary opting for a more comfortable, but poorly positioned table against the outside wall. Lots of witty reparte along with toetapping to .....I forget....oh, yes, the Forgotten Ones. In the meantime, Trish introduces herself to Sarah and, in turn, introduces Sarah to the whole gang. Since no one brought a camera and I don't know how to use the cell-cam, we have no pictures. My bad, poor planning.

The crowd has filled in nicely and it's almost 11pm when the chipped-toothed SB and the boys hit the stage, launching into a set of music that takes us well past midnight. I've read a few reviews that liken Sarah Borges to Lucinda Williams; I don't see that at all outside of both being considered alt-country. While Lucinda's outstanding music is blues-based country (it has been sarcastically described as "background music to commit suicide by"), Sarah's is much more upbeat and rock-based country. WHAT the hell is he talking about! Ms. Borges and her bandmates - Binky (bass/backing vocals), Mike Castellana (guitar/pedal steel), Rob Delaney (drums) - are in great form as they run through much of Silver City and throw in some other tasty stuff too (I would give you more detail, but it was late and I was tired - so shoot me!). Catellana does some mighty fine picking on his solos, although I feel that the band as a whole should jam a little more, extend and explore their songs. But I'm not complaining, perhaps I'm a little greedy. Great show, guys! Hope you continue to venture down here once in awhile. And cudos once again to Cafe Nine for having superb taste in their music offerings.

I yell over to Gumbo that he should try to land her for the PRESTIGIOUS Southington Apple Harvest Festival. How could she possibly pass up an opportunity like that! He ponders (and after the show gives her his card - did I see it torn up on the floor as I left?). Out.

(NOT concert photo since we blew the camera thing)

Silver City was chosen one of the "10 Superb Choices" by Chris Morris in LA City Beat magazine. sarahborges.com Sarah Borges MySpace From Puremusic interview by Frank Goodman: Interview - Vidclip#1 - Vidclip#2 - Vidclip#3

some stuff...

and speaking of the Drifters....I just saw that The Temptations (down to just one original member, Otis Williams) have recorded 15 old Motown songs for their new album Reflections. Jeez, Otis, just what we need. And, of course, they will be touring to support the album with a stop scheduled for the Stardust in Las Vegas, which, it was recently announced, will be torn down to make way for a new mega-complex called The Echelon. Let's hope, for Otis's sake, that the demolition is scheduled for after his run there. - Reuters story by Jonathan Cohen

At dinner last evening at Emilio's (good food, ghastly service), Sister Mary Agnes informed that she, hubby, daughter and beau are looking forward to seeing Billy Joel in Boston in March. Let us hope that the ex-Mr. Brinkley doesn't decide to drive to Beantown.

on a sad note....The body of Barry Cowsill, singer-bassist for the '60s pop act the Cowsills, has been discovered in New Orleans, more than four months after he went missing when Hurricane Katrina hit the city. He was 51. complete article. His sister, Susan Cowsill, is a highly respected alt-country singer based in New Orleans.

Over the years, I've had a casual interest in country music, tending toward Texas country rather than Nashville, so the news that Jesse Colter, 70's Outlaw singer and wife of Waylon Jennings, released a new album, Out of the Ashes, that was influenced by Ben Harper's music, piqued my curiosity. Reuters article by Chris Morris (Interesting tie-in: Sarah Borges recently opened for Jesse's son Shooter Jennings at the Paradise in Boston.)

The Strokes' First Impressions of Earth keeps getting glowing reviews. Eric Danton of the Hartford Courant is the latest - here. You can grab a listen to the entire album on AOL Music (for how long, I do not know). I'm still evaluating, not yet sure how much I like it.

Year-end music lists (or Who is Sufjan Stevens?)- "What's longer than the holiday shopping season, and even more relentless? The end of the year. It's an interminable period - beginning sometime after Thanksgiving and ending sometime after Martin Luther King Day - when music magazines and Web sites, not to mention newspapers, go list crazy." - NY Times article by KELEFA SANNEH

Sarah's at the Nine on Friday night!

From Cafe Nine...."The last time Sarah Borges was at the Nine, she was in the process of becoming totally buzzworthy. Well, she's achieved that status now. Her cool alt-country stylings have made her one of Boston's top local stars. Check her out on Jan. 6."

Okay, all you guys who are going, we are planning to get there around 7:30 to get a decent spot. There is a happy hour from 5:00pm-7:30pm with a band and then The Forgotten Ones open for Sarah. Cafe Nine is not a big place and the stage is tucked away in the front left of the room, so early placement gives a big advantage. Let me know if you think you're going so we can try to save some tables.

Directions - Eats
sarahborges.com - Sarah Borges myspace

Sarah Borges, the BUZZ gets louder...

Thanks to Andy McGowan for the heads up on Sarah Borges gracing the cover of the Improper Bostonian and heading the "It List" -

Andy writes.... "The 'Improper Bostonian', a free weekly magazine, has an article about the 20 "IT" things in Boston ---the 20 hottest things in Boston right now. Bars, restaurants, singers, etc...Sarah Borges is one of the 20. She is also the cover of the magazine. (at first glance looks a lot like Sandra Bullock, I thought...and probably the reason I picked up the magazine in the first place, not even realizing it was the singer Borges.) In a nutshell the short write-up on Ms. Sarah said, "...see her now so when she is on Saturday Night Live you can say you saw her when..."

Don't say you were not warned!!!!!! She appears at New Haven's Cafe Nine on Friday, January 6.
Sarah at The Narrows in Fall River November, 2005 - here
A review of her album Silver City