Country, bluegrass and blues & other music for uplifting gourmandisers....

CBGB founder Hilly Kristal dies (AP)

NEW YORK - Hilly Kristal, whose dank Bowery rock club CBGB served as the birthplace of the punk rock movement and a launching pad for bands like the Ramones, Blondie and the Talking Heads, has died. He was 75. Kristal, who lost a bitter fight last year to stop the club's eviction from its home of 33 years, died Tuesday at Cabrini Hospital after a battle with lung cancer, his son Mark Dana Kristal said Wednesday. Last October, as the club headed toward its final show with Patti Smith, Kristal was using a cane to get around and showing the effects of his cancer treatment. He was hoping to open a Las Vegas incarnation of the infamous venue that opened in 1973.

Kristal started the club in 1973 with the hope of making it a mecca of country, bluegrass and blues — called CBGB & OMFUG, for "Other Music For Uplifting Gourmandisers" — but found few bands to book. It instead became the epicenter of the mid-1970s punk movement. - complete article

The final night of CBGB

And we're going!!!.......

Lucinda Williams Offers Live CDs at Special Concerts (CMT)

Those attending Lucinda Williams' upcoming concerts in Los Angeles and New York will be able to purchase CD copies of each performance and leave with it that same evening. Williams previously announced plans to perform five of her previously-released albums in their entirety, one album per night, in the two cities. She begins in Los Angeles in early September at the El Rey Theater before traveling to New York for two shows in late September at Irving Plaza and three additional concerts in early October at Town Hall. The albums she has chosen to perform include her self-titled project from 1988 (US!!!!!) and Sweet Old World, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Essence and World Without Tears. The CDs will apparently be a limited edition, and no plans are underway to make the recordings available elsewhere. Williams' record label, Lost Highway, is not involved in the recording or distribution of the discs. - Lucinda's unique mini-tour

Feist on Letterman last night....

Pitchfork article

But we remain humble....

We've taken our bows, And our curtain calls
You brought us fame and fortune, And everything that goes with it, We thank you all
But it's been no bed of roses, No pleasure cruise
We consider it a challenge before, The whole human race, And we ain't gonna lose

And we mean to go on and on and on and on

We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting, Till the end
We are the champions, We are the champions
No time for losers, 'Cause we are the champions of the World

Yours truly, together with my partner, Steve (The Bod), won our very difficult flight in the club round-robin and, as a result, qualify for the TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS! (Sadly, our dear friends, Vin and Keith, fared disappointingly.) But, then again, this isn't about them, because.....Freddy, take it from here....

Johnnyk scolding from Dineen...

Johnny K, you disappoint me so! Not a word about the Shaboo All Stars Reunion held on Saturday, August 18th in Willimantic! And your girl, Christine Ohlmann, was there together with the organist from Saturday Night Live!

The show opened with Jonathan Edwards being his folksy self...he now has a Jeep commercial! Following the hour of reminiscing with Jonathan was The James Cotton Blues Band which brought the "field" down. The show closed with David Foster and the reunion band (now known as the Mohegan Sun All-Stars). Cliff Goodwin, their music director, who spent many years with Joe Cocker, was outrageous as ever....David still has that rock voice, and he and Christine were great together. As a bonus Cocker's back up singers accompanied David on two of Cocker's hits. The crowd especially loved "You Can Leave Your Hat On."

You, my dear, missed the boat on this one!

MB's sister

(johnnyk note: I did indeed mention the event in my post of August 9, but I agree, it was a party not to be missed!)

Sawtelles email update of upcoming performances....

sng, dgd and of course, botv! Acronyms yes, but meaningful ones.

SNG= short notice gig. Sunday aug 26th at the Zen Bar, Farmington ave, Farmington. We start the nite off at 7pm SHARP.

DGD= double gig day. Fri aug 31st. 12:30pm Hamden farmer's market, in the back of the rather large parking lot found at the Miller Public Library, junction of rt 10/whitney ave.

8:00pm Chiane's coffeehouse Main St. Torrington, across from the Warner Theater. Free and all- and really good food to eat.

BOTV= be on tv, the Ken Safety Show broadcast on Cox cable in Meriden, Southington, and Cheshire. Poptelles will be filmed performing on the Rails to Trails bike path in Southington and Plantsville. See them at "madison square garden", "red rocks", "the factory", the dog park, and maybe even "picadilly circus". Run, walk, skateboard, or ride by and catch the spectacle. The SafetyPatrol will also be doing a photo shoot for the Record-Journal. Turns out one of the Editors of the paper saw the bathtub SSP Ken Safety show episode and had a reporter contact them for an interview! - Sawtelles myspace page

(johnnykmusic note - and the Sawtelles are not performing at the 6th Annual Erotic Poetry Night WHY?????)

We were so much older then, we're younger than that now....

Happy 39th Anniversary to Johnnyk & The Reet

from all the management and staff here at johnnykmusic

Perhaps we will celebrate by attending this event (the "steaming tango moves of Sandrina and Eduardo" are tempting):

6th Annual Erotic Poetry Night In Torrington
by Jennifer Dionisio (special to courant.com)

The summer gets a little hotter with the 6th Annual Erotic Poetry Night in Torrington this Saturday, with sexy words by poets Cheryl Della Pelle, Ed Donahue, Sandra Ebner, Davyne Verstandig and Jack Wolftreich and steaming tango moves by special guest dancers Sandrina and Eduardo. Drummers will be beating long enough for everyone to get up and move to the rhythm.The reading, presented by the Common Thread Poets, takes place at the Artwell Gallery at 19 Water Street.Admission is $8 per person. For more information on how hot the night will be, contact Stewart Wilson at (860) 482-5122

Not sure about the "No, No, No," Amy.....

Bloodied and bruised Amy Winehouse stands by husband who 'saved her life' (Daily Mail)

Singer Amy Winehouse has defended her husband in a series of texts after the couple were involved in a violent row which left them both bloodied and bruised. Amy denied Blake was the cause of the argument, 24 hours earlier after which the 23-year-old singer, who has spent most of the summer in and out of rehab for crack and heroin addiction, was seen with bandages covering her arm, blood-spattered shoes and a gashed knee. And in a series of texts between the Rehab singer and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, she defended her husband who she claimed "saved my life".

Amy told Perez: "Blake is the best man in the world. We would never ever harm each other... I was cutting myself after he found me in our room about to do drugs with a call girl and rightly said I wasn't good enough for him. I lost it and he saved my life." - complete article

NOBODY puts Baby in a corner!....

Studio sues over "Dirty Dancing" line (Reuters)

Nobody puts Lionsgate in a corner. That's the message of a trademark infringement lawsuit the studio behind "Dirty Dancing" has filed against several companies selling merchandise featuring the phrase "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" from the hit film. The suit, filed August 15 in Los Angeles District Court, claims 15 companies including Uncommongoods.com in New York, Lucky Lou Boutique in Fishers, Ind., and Duck Duck Goose in Troy, Ohio, have used Lionsgate's registered trademark without permission. The quote, said by Patrick Swayze at the climax of the 1987 film starring Swayze and Jennifer Grey, has achieved a cult-like status, marketed and often repeated in films and TV shows for 20 years.

"The American Film Institute voted 'Nobody puts Baby in a corner' as one of the top 100 most popular quotes from a motion picture," the lawsuit states. "Plaintiff markets and sells merchandise with the movie trademarks through approved licensees as part of the 'Dirty Dancing' line of approved merchandise." The defendants, many of which market baby clothing and merchandise, are not authorized to use the mark and have created a likelihood of confusion with merchandise authorized for sale by Lionsgate, the lawsuit alleges.

Lionsgate, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., seeks to prevent the businesses from selling merchandise containing the phrase. It also seeks a court order requiring the defendants to pay restitution as well unspecified statutory and actual damages, treble damages and punitive damages. The defendants could not be reached for comment.

Thursday morning find.....

Awaiting some news of the Judith Owen show at Club Passim last night (Peter, did you end up going?) and stumbled upon Cahl's Juke Joint, a very hip "rock, blues and jazz blog" which features "reviews and meditations on rock, blues, jazz and other genres of music." Check it out. A sample of his daily song listings:

Thursday morning soul:

1) Betty Harris: "I Don't Want to Hear It"
2) Wilson Pickett: "Something You Got"
3) Al Wilson: "Now I Know What Love Is"
4) The Four Tops: "Loving You is Sweeter Than Ever"
5) The Double Soul: "Blue Diamonds"
6) William Bell: "Eloise (Hang on in There)"
7) Mable John: "Catch That Man"
8) Clenest Gant & Don Q: "I Can't Stand to See You Go"
9) Cookin' Bag: "The Song I Sing"
10) James Brown: "Fine Old Foxy Self"

G-Man gives thumbs-up to Ben's new one....

From Daily (more like weekly) Nuggets:

…that is the best 40 minutes of music I have ever heard…now, before you jump the gun, or anything else one must jump in order to get their hands on Harper’s “Lifeline”…I am not saying this is the best 40 minutes of music I’ve ever heard…I may have made that statement because I’m high on sleep deprivation…or maybe the music I just listened to was really that good... - complete review

Listen to the whole Ben Harper Lifeline album on msn's Listening Booth

Heads up for the Beantown crowd....

Jazz vocalist Judith Owen will be performing at Club-Passim-Boston on August 22. An interesting aside, Ms. Owen is married to Harry Shearer, one of the creators and stars of This Is Spinal Tap, where he portrayed heavy metalist Derek Smalls in the mock rockumentary. Owen had a cool gig during Live Earth-London at Wembley Stadium as Spinal Tap backup singer, Arnica.

I had not heard of Judith Owen until I sat next to one of her friends on the flight back from this year's Jazz Fest in New Orleans, where Owen had performed on Friday of the second weekend. - boston.com article

She burned them right down the middle like a tickler from a New Orleans whorehouse...

So, I got your attention? No, that's not a personal observation, just a line from an over-the-top review of a Diana Krall concert at the Hollywood Bowl:

"Her timing was exquisite, her phrasing Lesterian. The audience, many of whom knew who Lester Young was, nestled into her pocket. But mama really started coming back home on the up-tempo numbers like "From This Moment On" or "Devil May Care," where she joined the unsurpassed Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra for a romp along the race course. It felt like a place in her heart opened up when she took her rightful spot as one of the boys in the band. She burned them right down the middle like a tickler from a New Orleans whorehouse, showing no hint of fear of the bad cats up there like trumpet player Bijon Watson, trombonist George Bohanon and saxophonists Charles Owens and Ricky Woodard.

She got into some locked hands stuff that took you back to the days of Milt Buckner, and in between, she dropped into the pianissimo sector for some Teddy Wilson licks. Every once in a while, guitarist Anthony Wilson threw in some commanding solo passages, sometimes very pretty, sometimes very pretty and quite hot. He delighted Krall and vice versa on the quartet pieces, where bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Clayton joined them to enlarge the sound and the understanding.

Gone is the glamour girl Diana with her long eyelashes and her sultry come-on. Tonight she was up there in her jeans and stilettos and a designer silk smock, squaring off like Holly Hunter on "Saving Grace," with an occasional curl of the lip that said stone street. - complete review

Live music on tap for Johnnyk and friends....

Sunday finds us busy lining up music dates for the coming months. Already in place:

Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals on 9/15 at Radio City Music Hall in NYC with JFK and G-Man. Huge fan of Ben's album with the Blind Boys of Alabama, There Will Be a Light, which won a Grammy in 2004 for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album .

Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles on 9/22 at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton with Keith & Sharie. I may sneak down to Cafe Nine the night before to catch the show, but the others opt out of post-11pm show times. The new album, Diamonds in the Dark, is a great followup to their initial Silver City release. Buy it. Hear an interview on NPR's World Cafe Live here.

Lucinda Williams at the Town Hall in NYC with Keith/Sharie to hear Lucinda perform her self-titled album in its entirety as part of her unique LA/NYC gig of playing five different albums on consecutive nights on each coast. Williams will be performing the albums in reverse chronological order, beginning with 2003's WORLD WITHOUT TEARS on the first night, followed by 2001's ESSENCE, 1998's CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD, 1992's SWEET OLD WORLD, and ending with 1988's LUCINDA WILLIAMS on the final evening on each coast. Following each album performance, Williams and her band (guitarist Doug Pettibone, bassist David Sutton and drummer Butch Norton) will play a second set of material from her 2007 album WEST along with songs from throughout her career, plus some special surprises.

Cape Cod's Kate McGarry a Down Beat nominee....

While visiting the Cape at the gracious invitation of John/Judi, I came across this article in the Cape Cod Times about jazz vocalist, Kate McGarry.

Remember Bobby McFerrin, the jazz singer who had a 1988 No. 1 hit with "Don't Worry Be Happy"? Clearly a cheerful guy, but if you want to see him wearing a really big grin, check out the video on Kate McGarry's Web site. McGarry was in the audience in 2001 at Chick Corea's 60th birthday celebration when McFerrin, who was scatting along to Corea's piano playing, asked if anyone in the crowd knew the words to the classic song "Smile" (it was a hit for Nat King Cole in 1954). McGarry spoke up, and McFerrin handed her the microphone. In the next 60 seconds, McGarry put a smile on everyone's face with her subtly soulful singing. If McFerrin and the rest of the crowd didn't know who the Cape native was then, it's a good bet they do now. McGarry's fourth CD, "The Target" (Palmetto Records), landed a four-star review in the July issue of Down Beat magazine (the Rolling Stone of the jazz world).

Last month, McGarry, a 1981 graduate of Barnstable High School, was surprised to learn that she was one of the nominees for best female jazz vocalist — along with Diana Krall, Patricia Barber, Madeleine Peyroux and Cassandra Wilson, among others — in Down Beat's online readers poll. - complete article

Last call, put up or shut up.....

Bristol oldies guru, Jim Kane, says, "If you are going to do it, today is the last day. You have nothing to lose - all you need is 50% and you get a free set. Just name the song and match up to the artist." - BRISTOL FRIENDS CONTEST

Bristol Friends standings:
#1 Diane Kowalski
#2 George Benoit
#3 John Kennedy
#4 Jayne Dobek
#5 Mary Susco

Phil Rizzuto dead at 89 - Yankee great/Bat Out of Hell narrator....

AP story

Paradise By the Dashboard Light - The Scooter's legendary contribution:
ANNOUNCER (Phil): (spoken over BOY and GIRL's moans) OK, here we go, we got a real pressure cooker going here. Two down, nobody on, no score, bottom of the ninth. There's the wind-up, and there it is! A line shot up the middle, look at him go! This boy can really fly! He's rounding first and really turning it on now. He's not letting up at all, he's gonna try for second! The ball is bobbled out in center. And here's the throw and what a throw! He's gonna slide in head first! Here he comes, he's out. No, wait, safe! Safe at second base! This kid really makes things happen out there. Batter steps up to the plate. Here's the pitch, and he's going! And what a jump he's got! He's trying for third! Here's the throw! And in the dirt, safe at third! Holy cow, stolen base! He's taking a pretty big lead out there, almost daring them to try and pick him off. The pitcher glances over, winds-up and it's bunted! Bunted down the third base line! The suicide squeeze is on! Here he comes, squeeze play, it's gonna be close! Here's the throw, here's the play at the plate...holy cow, I think he's gonna make it! (GIRL - STOP RIGHT THERE!)

(note: The baseball reference is strategically wrong because no baseball team uses a squeeze play with two outs. With two outs, all the defense has to do is pick the ball up and throw to first and you are out of the inning.) - Songfacts.com

Gratuitous Ellen Foley plug. Very hot. I own her very good 1979 Night Out album.

I TOLD Jonathan & Garrett to go, but NOOOOOO, they didn't listen.....

From Eric Danton (Htfd Courant) regarding the Hold Steady's appearance at Brooklyn's Prospect Park:

'Hello Brooklyn!' - Couldn't make it to Brooklyn last Thursday to see the Hold Steady perform in Prospect Park? Buck up: Thanks to NPR, you can see video of some of the band's performance here. You can also read Ken Partridge's recap here. (Despite the greatness of that band, singer Craig Finn is still hopelessly misguided in his love of Kent Hrbek, the former Minnesota Twins 1B and 1991 World Series cheat.)

How does it feeeeeeeeeeel........

Bob Dylan remixed? DJ/producer Mark Ronson (produced Amy Winehouse's Back to Black)has been commissioned to do a Dylan remix to be a bonus track on Dylan's 3-disc set due out in October. Listen to Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine) at dylan07.com/ and vote your approval/disapproval. I like it. bobdylan.com Dylan at New Britain Stadium, 2006

Sawtelles at Jitters on Friday night!....

Last-minute gig, so re-arrange your Friday night plans and take in a set of Plantsville's own, the Sawtelles, from 8:00 - 11:15pm at Jitters Coffee House. A $5 cover and (generous) tips for the band. Be there, aloha.

Is it really 1982?....

Shaboo Inn 25th anniversary reunion concert, Saturday, August 18 at Recreation Park in Willimantic to benefit the Willimantic Hospital Auxiliary to benefit the Windham Community Memorial Hospital Emergency Room. $10

5:00pm - Jonathan Edwards

7:00pm - James Cotton

8:45pm - David Foster & the Mohegan Sun All-Stars (aka Shaboo All-Stars)

From Wikipedia re: Aerosmith's Dream On; This song was first played live in Willimantic, CT at the Shaboo Inn. - here

By the time we got to Woodstock, it was sold....

Well, not the actual alfalfa field, but Yasgar's farmhouse next door:

Woodstock's famous farm on the market (AP)
BETHEL, N.Y. - The famous farm near the alfalfa field that drew 400,000 people to Woodstock for three days of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll is up for sale. The asking price: $8 million. Roy Howard, the current owner, is packing it in after years of tangling with local officials over permits for reunion gatherings to mark the 1969, three-day Woodstock music festival that helped ignite a generation. - story

WTF, another Johnnyk????...........

Can you believe it!!!!! And he really can sing, the bastard. - johnnyk.com

According to his MySpace, ...Whether crooning jazz standards, riding the surf, throwing pots or making a film, Johnny K is a connoisseur of life. His love of music, adventure, art, and people prompt him to entertain and be entertained. Every endeavor is, in fact, an adventure, and to know Johnny is to experience the dips and soars, the unexpected and unbelievable, the impossible and the unforgettable. Sample him below:

Rock-and-Roll Call for the Class of '57....

Article in the Washington Post noticed by Johnny Gumbo while on business in Maryland last weekend and forwarded to me. It describes how, while assembling music for his 50th high school reunion, Ken Ringle compiled his listing of 50 Picks From 50 Years Ago. The article gives insight to the music culture of the period (the beginning of rock-and-roll) at Episcopal High in Alexandria, VA. - Washington Post article.

Below is a sample of the songs in the list, which is included in the piece:
Pledging My Love (Johnny Ace)
Twilight Time (The Platters)
Come Go With Me (The Dell Vikings)
Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On (Jerry Lee Lewis)
In the Still of the Night (The Five Satins)
Work With Me Annie (Hank Ballard & the Midnighters)
Annie Had a Baby (Hank Ballard)
In This Whole Wide World (The Four Freshmen)
Sh-Boom (The Crew Cuts)
Hey Miss Fannie (The Clovers)

Ken Ringle sounds like a kindred spirit to Bristol's oldies guru, Jim Kane!

Jesus, Dad, can't you take a joke!...

Per NME.com, Keith Richards did snort his father's ashes, he has confirmed. The Rolling Stones guitarist claimed earlier this year that he had consumed his deceased dad, prompting a storm of controversy in the global media. His publicist then claimed he had been misquoted. But Richards has now insisted it did happen, although he didn't mix the ashes with drugs, as first claimed. "The cocaine bit was rubbish. I said I chopped him up like cocaine, not with", the rock legend explained. "I pulled the lid off (my father's urn) and out comes a bit of dad on the dining room table. I'm going, 'I can't use the brush and dustpan for this'. "What I found out is that ingesting your ancestors is a very respectable way of...y'know, he went down a treat", said Keith. In a separate interview, Richards also revealed that he's quit taking cocaine after the head injury he sustained in Fuji last year, which prompted brain surgery. "Drugs I'm on now - the shit I've gotta take because of the brain job, Dilantin. Means you can't take cocaine anymore. Which is fine with me", he explained. "But now I can't do that anymore, so I don't do it no more. I still smoke like a fucking chimney."

I gotta woman mean as she can be....

(Thanks to Marsha V for the headsup)

NY Times article about the state of New Orleans musicians...

The Katrina Effect, Measured in Gigs
....it remains to be seen how long a loose-knit band of charities can stand in for coordinated economic development in one of New Orleans’s most important business sectors. Although New Orleans is one of the country’s most culturally distinct cities, a large-scale recording industry never took root here, even before Katrina. Yet the informal music sector, the kind visitors find in clubs and bars, and large-scale musical events like Jazz Fest, is a mainstay of the city’s tourism business.

In fact, local authorities say, music and cuisine are the twin pillars of the tourism industry here; the leisure and hospitality businesses account for almost 63,000 jobs in the city and for about 35 percent of the sales taxes. Both of those figures are larger than those of any other business sector, including the energy industry.

Still, nearly two years after Katrina, there are fewer restaurants and bars offering live music, and the ones that do are paying less, musicians say. As the reality of the slow recovery has set in, fewer locals feel that they can afford cover charges or even tips, so clubs that used to have live music four or five nights a week have cut back to two or three.

Conventions, typically a strong source of music gigs, are running at 70 percent of 2004 levels, but leisure travel remains far below pre-Katrina levels, according to the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. Over all, visitors generated $2.9 billion in spending in 2006, down from $4.9 billion in 2004, according to the bureau. About 3.7 million people visited the city in 2006, compared with more than 10 million in 2004. - complete article

Papa's got a brand new baby.....If you think you're one of James Brown's kids, raise your hand....

2 more James Brown children identified (AP)

DNA testing on about a dozen people who claim James Brown was their father has found that at least two of them are telling the truth, a longtime adviser to the late soul singer said Friday. Several tests have come back negative, while others are pending, said Buddy Dallas, who did not have exact numbers Friday night. Dallas refused to identify the two people whose DNA showed they were Brown's children, but The Augusta Chronicle reported that LaRhonda Petitt, a 45-year-old retired flight attendant and teacher in Houston, showed the newspaper a report that says there is a 99.99 percent probability she is Brown's daughter. She would be the oldest of Brown's children.

Brown picked out Petitt's mother from the crowd at a show in Los Angeles in the early 1960s, and she became the singer's girlfriend, sometimes ironing his shirts before his shows, Petitt said. But when her mother became pregnant, she split with Brown and moved back to Houston. She would point to the television when Brown was performing and tell her daughter the singer was her father, Petitt told the newspaper. Petitt said that she met Brown at concerts and spoke to him over the phone, but that he never acknowledged being her father. "I was angry that he was out there making all this money, and he wasn't doing anything for my mother and me," Petitt told the newspaper. "I could have had a better life."

Brown died Dec. 25 of heart failure at age 73. His body was entombed in a crypt at the home of one of his daughters in March. Brown's will, which is being disputed in court, names six children. Tne possible child of Brown's who hasn't undergone a DNA test is 6-year-old James Brown II, the son of Tomi Rae Hynie. Hynie was one of Brown's backup singers and said she is the singer's fourth wife. But Brown's attorneys continue to dispute that claim, and the boy and his mother are not in the singer's will.

In court papers filed in recent weeks, Dallas said Brown told him that James II was not his child and that instead of calling him "son," he referred to him as "little man." Whether Petitt makes a claim to Brown's estate depends on whether the will holds up, said her lawyer, Jim Griffin. He would at least like Petitt's two daughters to be eligible for a trust the signer set up to pay for his grandchildren's education, he said. Petitt said she has grown less bitter about Brown as the years have passed. I love my daddy," she told the Chronicle. "When I hear my daddy's music, it just freezes me."

Oldies contest update from Jim Kane....

Wow!!!! The lists have been pouring in! Many of you have guessed 40 plus tunes. No one, as of yet, has guessed 50% or more of the answers. Bristol Friend - GEORGE BENOIT - has come the closest with 48 correct guesses. Remember the deadline for your answers is August 15 !!!! C'mon get those thinking caps on - I want to see some Bristol winners. Remember the years 1955-1965. And the songs had to be danceable. There have been 27 winners so far - but none from the big city - Bristol. - JIM KANE

Name the songs by these artists that will be included on the HIGH SCHOOL DANCES - 1955-1965 CD to be released by Rusty Records:

Artist/Year 1 PAUL ANKA 1957 2 FRANKIE AVALON 1959 3 THE BACHELORS 1965 4 LEN BARRY 1965 5 BARRY & THE TAMERLANES 1963 6 THE BEACH BOYS 1963 7 THE BEATLES 1964 8 JESSE BELVIN 1959 9 CHUCK BERRY 1957 10 GARY U.S. BONDS 1960 11 PAT BOONE 1957 12 JAMES BROWN 1965 13 THE BEAU BRUMMELS 1965 14 JOHNNY BURNETTE 1960 15 THE BYRDS 1965 16 FREDDY CANNON 1959 17 THE CAPRIS 1960 18 THE CHAMPS 1958 19 GENE CHANDLER 1962 20 THE CHANTELS 1958 21 JIMMY CHARLES 1960 22 CHUBBY CHECKER 1961 23 THE CHIFFONS 1963 24 THE CHIMES 1960 25 LOU CHRISTIE 1965 26 THE DAVE CLARK FIVE 1964 27 TONY CLARKE 1965 28 SAM COOKE 1965 29 THE CRESTS 1960 30 THE CRYSTALS 1962 31 DANNY & THE JUNIORS 1958 32 BOBBY DARIN 1961 33 JOEY DEE & THE STARLITERS 1961 34 THE DEL VIKINGS 1957 35 THE DEMENSIONS 1960 36 THE DIAMONDS 1957 37 DICK & DEE DEE 1963 38 DION & THE BELMONTS 1962 39 FATS DOMINO 1956 40 DON & JUAN 1962 41 THE DOVELLS 1961 42 THE DRIFTERS 1962 43 THE DUBS 1957 44 THE DUPREES 1963 45 THE EARLS 1962 46 THE ECHOES 1961 47 SHIRLEY ELLIS 1963 48 THE EVERLEY BROTHERS 1960 49 THE EXCELLENTS 1962 50 THE FIVE SATINS 1956 51 THE FLAMINGOS 1959 52 THE FLEETWOODS 1959 53 CONNIE FRANCIS 1958 54 BOBBY FREEMAN 1958 55 THE FOUR SEASONS 1963 56 MARVIN GAYE 1964 57 THE GENTRYS 1965 58 JIMMY GILMORE & THE FIREBALLS 1963 59 LESLIE GORE 1963 60 BILL HALEY & THE COMETS 1955 61 ROY HAMILTON 1958 62 BUDDY HOLLY & THE CRICKETS 1957 63 THE HONEYCOMBS 1964 64 THE IMPRESSIONS 1964 65 JAN & DEAN 1964 66 JAY & THE AMERICANS 1964 67 THE JAYNETTES 1963 68 THE JELLY BEANS 1964 69 THE KINGSMEN 1963 70 THE KINKS 1965 71 MAJOR LANCE 1964 72 BRENDA LEE 1960 73 KETTY LESTER 1962 74 BARBARA LEWIS 1965 75 GARY LEWIS & THE PLAYBOYS 1965 76 JERRY LEE LEWIS 1957 77 LITTLE ANTHONY & THE IMPERIALS 1959 78 ROBIN LUKE 1958 79 MANFRED MANN 1964 80 MARTHA & THE VANDALLAS 1963 81 THE MARVELETTES 1964 82 SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES 1965 83 RICKY NELSON 1962 84 ROY ORBISON 1962 85 THE ORLONS 1962 86 THE PARIS SISTERS 1961 87 PAUL & PAULA 1962 88 GENE PITNEY 1962 89 THE PLATTERS 1955 90 ELVIS PRESLEY 1956 91 THE QUINTONES 1958 92 ROBERT & JOHNNY 1958 93 THE RONETTES 1964 94 THE ROLLING STONES 1965 95 RUBY & THE ROMANTICS 1963 96 BOBBY RYDELL 1963 97 THE SAFARIS 1960 98 DEL SHANNON 1962 99 DEE DEE SHARP 1963 100 THE SHANGRI-LAS 1964 101 THE SHIRELLES 1961 102 THE SPANIALS 1957 103 CONNIE STEVENS 1960 104 BARRETT STRONG 1960 105 SUNNY & THE SUNGLOWS 1963 106 THE SUPREMES 1964 107 THE TEDDY BEARS 1958 108 THE TEMPTATIONS 1965 109 JOHNNY TILLOTSON 1958 110 THE TOKENS 1961 111 RICHIE VALENS 1958 112 BOBBY VINTON 1963 113 THE VOGUES 1965 114 JACKIE WILSON 1958 115 MAURICE WILLIAMS & THE ZODIACS 1960 116 KATHY YOUNG & THE INNOCENTS 1960

Name the Song

Charlie's thoughts on the Farquahr...

Charlie has left a new comment on your post "My eggs don't taste the same without you...":

Cloud Nine Motel was only one of many comedic songs sung by the Farquahr (most written by Doug Lapham "Barnswallow") This song was featured on a Dr. Demento show that may or may not be archived somewhere on the net. I almost know the lyrics by heart. here goes with apologies to Doug:

I took my wife and kids on vacation, to a place where we'd never been, There was a mixup in the reservations, so for us there was no room at the Inn. Now this was at the height of the season when a room was really hard to find, We drove around and long about evening we found a motel they called Cloud Nine. Now the wife and kids went out to find our room, while I unloaded the car, Soon the kids came running back excited and said hey dad this is the best place by far! chorus: Daddy they've got mirrors on the ceiling, and you oughta see whats playing on TV! They got whips & chains in the closet and the bathtub would hold the family! Now your bed is shaped like a big heart and dad it goes up and down ! And mom's so happy she's crying, it must be the magazines she found !!! etc.. Someone please take of these handcuffs and what's that trapeze doing in here! Just then i saw my youngest go walkin by with something he had found He said, hey dad what the heck is this thing, it vibrates and makes a humming sound.......

There is more it is a great song; it is on the Farquahr's cd From the Top. Good luck for such a terrific group. There is very little about them on the net sadly... I know they had a great following..

We want the Waits album!...

TV On The Radio man producing Scarlett Johansson album? (NME.com)

Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio is producing an album for Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson, it's been reported. Johansson has already spent over a month in a Louisiana recording studio working on the material which also features members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Celebration, according to Pitchfork. The actress's sound is "avant garde" and "very Marilyn Monroe" says Dockside Studio owner Steve Nails, and he reckons it could even go on to win a Grammy.

Johansson famously appeared onstage with the Jesus & Mary Chain for the song "Just Like Honey" at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival earlier this summer, and other reports say that she has also been working on an album of Tom Waits covers. Meanwhile, Sitek recently completed work on the forthcoming album from British band Foals.

Soulsville, USA...

No, not Aretha this time, we're talking about the Staples Singers! Stax Records started out in Memphis in the 60's featuring the mixed-race house band, Booker T & the MGs, consisting of Booker T. Jones (organ), Steve Cropper ("Play it, Steve" - guitar), Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass), and Al Jackson (drums). Stax was the gritty brother to the sleeker Motown sound of the 60s with Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Carla Thomas and the Staple Singers.

PBS premiered a two-hour documentary, Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story last night as part of their Great Performances series. It gives a nice historical overview of the label, its impressive collection of artists, and the cultural climate of the era, but gives them a pass on the extravagant lifestyles/financial misdealings that eventually brought it down. Great music! Newsday review

An excellent resource for this music can be found at The Soul Express with Dean Farrell on WHUS-FM 91.7 in Storrs, CT on Saturday nights from 9-midnight.

Who's your daddy?....

No 'Ike Turner Day' in St. Louis (AP)

Music legend Ike Turner said he holds nothing against St. Louis' mayor for a decision not to issue a City Hall proclamation in his honor. Mayor Francis Slay has turned down a request from organizers of the Big Muddy Blues Festival to make Sept. 2 "Ike Turner Day." Turner, 75, is scheduled to perform that day at the blues festival in St. Louis. Turner says he never asked for the honor. He notes he already has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame, and said he doesn't worry about whether he's given those honors. "I just care about making people happy in the audience," he said.

Turner's past troubles include a 17-month stint in jail on a 1990 drug conviction. He was depicted as an abusive husband in "What's Love Got to Do With It," a 1993 movie about ex-wife Tina Turner's life. Ike Turner admitted in his autobiography that he had hit his former wife, but said the movie depiction is what hurt his career. "All I can say, and I would say this only to her, is `I'm sorry,'" he told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch in Sunday's edition. "But I can't undo yesterday. I don't owe anybody else that." The mayor suggested, through a spokesman, that Ike Turner could visit a St. Louis center that provides services to domestic violence victims to call attention to the issue.

Rufus Reid at Bushnell Park Monday night...

Paul Brown's Monday Night Jazz Series at Bushnell Park
Rufus Reid website

Is this town big enough for Lucinda and Sarah?...

We are leaving for home on Sunday, so we will not be forced to pick between seeing Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles (appearing as a WTMD Emerging Artist at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson) on Eastern Avenue and Lucinda Williams (appearing at the Ram's Head Live) at Power Plant Live, Market Place. Opened in December 2004, Rams Head® Live! features national acts in it's 26,000 square foot entertainment venue, featuring a 160 seat signature Rams Head Tavern, 5 bars, 3 food stations and 44 monitors and screens for watching. We will be seeing Sarah and the boys on September 21 at Cafe Nine in New Haven and Lucinda at Town Hall in NYC on October 4.

Yankees suck, Yankees suck, Yankees suck!...

Perhaps they do, Orioles fans, but we don't need you yelling reminders at us all the time. In Baltimore for a few days to catch the Yankees/Orioles at Camden Yards, but haven't gotten tickets for Saturday night's game yet. Working hard on it. Ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in the Inner Harbor yesterday. Why, you say? Bad food, tacky atmosphere - bad choice. In the meantime, saw Joe Torre (with trainer Steve Donahue) at Barnes & Noble in the Inner Harbor area around noon today. Reet/Kathy would rather have had a Jeter sighting.




We are dining pre-game tonight at Amicci's (thanks to the headsup from Kyle/Jen) in the Little Italy section of Baltimore. Visited it earlier in the day on our informal Heritage Walk. Photo here is of the setup across the street from Amicci's for the weekly neighborhood movie. American Graffiti was tonight's offering.




G-Man favorite Talib Kweli appears tonight at Sonar on E. Saratoga.

Etta James hospitalized in Los Angeles (AP)....

Etta James was in stable condition Thursday after being hospitalized for complications from abdominal surgery she had last month, her manager said. The 69-year-old blues singer was being treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. "Her condition is stabilized" but she had to cancel upcoming tour dates with B.B. King and Al Green, her manager, Lupe De Leon, said in an e-mail. De Leon did not indicate when James was admitted but said the hospitalization was caused by "post-op complications" from her mid-June surgery. The complications and the nature of the surgery were not specified.

The Grammy Award-winning singer was "extremely disappointed" at having to cancel appearances, De Leon said. "If it had been left solely up to her, she would have checked herself out of the hospital and started the tour regardless of her delicate health," De Leon said. "However, her doctor advised that were she to do so, it would put her at very great risk." "We feel confident (that) by postponing her participation until Aug. 23, she will be in good shape to put on the kind of performance that Etta James' fans know and love," De Leon said.

During her 50-year career, James has scored a string of hits that include "At Last," "Trust in Me" and "A Sunday Kind of Love."

Bristol oldies guru Jim Kane demands your input.....

The old farts at "Rusty Records" have been commissioned to make a 4 CD set entitled "High School Dances". The songs will be from the Golden era of Rock N Roll music. I need your help in choosing the songs. Please send me your top 5 all time songs from 1955-1965. There will be 120 songs on this set. To top it off I will be able to get you this set for below wholesale. The set will be selling in the stores and the internet for $60.00 plus shipping. I will be able to get this set for $20.00 plus shipping. So - help me out - please send me your top "5" all time songs, from your high school dances , during 1955-1965. I'll let you know when the set will be available. So put on those thinking caps, and send me your top 5!!!!! Thanks, Jim - email

Okay, Johnnyk was a keen sideline observer at said high school dances, only occasionally daring a silent slow dance. Here are my five from 1960-64 (I won't say best, rather memorable for various frivolous reasons):

Louie, Louie (Kingsmen)

Fingertips Pt II (Little Stevie Wonder)

Cathy's Clown (Everly Brothers)

Shop Around (Miracles)

Tossin' and Turnin' (Bobby Lewis)
Another 5:

Sugar Shack (Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs)

It's My Party (Leslie Gore)

Another Saturday Night (Sam Cooke)

Baby, It's You (Shirelles)

Maybe (Chantels)

Can't trust that day...

Gator's got your granny: Tony Joe White, who put on my favorite show at JazzFest this year, turns 64 today....Band Southern Culture On The Skids pays tribute to White in their 1996 song "Voodoo Cadillac" (arguably the best listening song ever recorded for cruising, with your baby of course, in a 2002 Champagne DeVille) with the first stanza lyric: "Come on baby, take a ride with me / Up the Mississippi, down to New Orleans / Tuck and roll, FM stereo / Got some Tony Joe White on my radio". Here's a youtube video of TJW at JazzFest this year:

The Paul Brown Monday Night Jazz Series continues tonight at Bushnell Park in Hartford with the Kelly Sheppard Quintet opening at 6pm followed by the Paul West Quintet at 7:30pm.

Book her, Johnny.....

UPDATE: Just booked orchestra seats for the 10/4 show at Town Hall, NYC for the Lucinda Williams album (Keith's favorite) concert. This album produced three hits for other artists:

Passionate Kisses (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

Crescent City (Emmylou Harris)

Changed the Locks (Tom Petty)

Really cool!

Oh, that crazy Lucinda!...

Lucinda Williams' unique concert plan (Newsday.com)
Lucinda Williams on Friday unveiled plans for an unusual string of shows in New York and Los Angeles this fall. The Grammy winner will play five concerts -- Irving Plaza on Sept. 29 and 30 and Town Hall on Oct. 2, 3 and 4 – in New York, focusing on a different one of her first five studio albums each night. After she performs the album in its entirety, she will play a second set of material taken mainly from her latest album "West" (Lost Highway) as well as the rest of her career.

The NYC breakdown:
9/29 NYC (Irving Plaza) - "World Without Tears"
9/30 NYC (Irving Plaza) - "Essence"
10/2 NYC (Town Hall) - "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road"
10/3 NYC (Town Hall) - "Sweet Old World"
10/4 NYC (Town Hall) - "Lucinda Williams"

Ticket info from her website:
Tickets for all Los Angeles shows at the El Rey are $35 and will go on sale on Saturday, July 21 at 10am PST. Tickets for the New York City shows on September 29 & 30 at Irving Plaza are $50. Tickets for the October 2, 3 & 4 shows at Town Hall are $65 and $45. NYC tickets will go one sale on July 21 at 1pm EDT. All tickets will be available through Ticketmaster and tickermaster.com.

Concert review: Attitude, talent enthrall crowd (Jeff Spevak, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
(July 20, 2007) — Lucinda Williams crept in on cat paws, slow and languid, in the heat of the Main Street Armory. Three songs into the show, 20 seconds into the lovely and passive "Lonely Girls," she suddenly stopped. Three thousand, two hundred people were chattering away, creating that aquarium-like mall sound that had made Charlie Louvin's set a half-hour earlier sound like he was the opening act for a cattle auction.

"Lonely Girls" was forgotten. Set list was tossed aside. "This reminds me of growing up in the Delta," the Louisiana native said of the sweaty room, and she and the band leaped into a rocking version of her suicide epic "Pineola," which she hadn't planned on playing. Then the pining lover of "Those Three Days" — both of those songs drop a snarling f-bomb — and she had the attention of the cavernous room. - complete review

Some live Lucinda:

Hartford Festival of Jazz this weekend....

Friday - Festival Website
MAIN STAGE

6:00pm Opening ceremonies

6:15pm Jimmy Greene

8:00pm Steve Davis, with the premiere of "The Hartford Suite"

Saturday
FRIENDS OF THE FESTIVAL'S ARCH STAGE

1:00pm Paul Fuller Group

2:00pm Jerrod Cattey Trio

3:00pm Dana Lauren

10:30pm Jazz Dance Party
MAIN STAGE

4:30pm Bradley Leighton

6:00pm Joyce Cooling

7:30pm Pamela Williams

9:00pm Gerald Albright

Sunday
CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL, 45 Church St.

10:00am Jazz Mass, Ross Tucker's Hot Cat Jazz Band
FRIENDS OF THE FESTIVAL'S ARCH STAGE

1:00pm Theresa Wright

2:00pm Jovon Alexandre

3:00pm Doug Maher
MAIN STAGE

4:30pm Esteban Arrufatt

6:00pm Barbara Fowler

7:30pm Kevin Mahogany and the Kansas City Review

Martha, My Dear.....

Martha's neighbor writes protest song (AP)

KATONAH, N.Y. - Like many wars before it, the one between Martha Stewart and some of her Westchester County neighbors has inspired a protest song. Written by Katonah resident Marc Black, the song takes aim at Stewart's attempt to trademark the village's name for use on a line of furniture and home products. That idea has outraged many residents, who say that no one should own the name "Katonah," and some American Indians, who say the name is taken from a beloved 17th-century tribal chief. "The bottom line is, I'm just hoping, I think we all are, that Martha will hear the song," Black said in a video posted on The Journal News Web site. - complete article

July is sawtelle birthday month....

End of month email info from The Sawtelles:

Sat 21st: javapalooza w/ the awesome duo Zoo Front (they now have a myspace page so check them out!) music starts at 7pm with us kicking things off. we'll trade off sets til 10pm....free and all-ages and plenty of stuff there for sale to put in your mouth. bring some tip money if you've got some extra coins rolling around in your car.

Fri 27th: Hope out loud coffeehouse in hartford at la paloma. donation at the door to benefit the CT coalition for peace and justice. Things kick off at 8pm with open mic and featured performers.

Sat 28th: BIG BIG BIG BIG show at La Hacienda corner of water/olive in new haven. 8pm and last month it was free. see starting at 8pm: Sawtelles/poptelles then Victoria's Secret Sauce (big al howard's fab project) and ending the nite will be the Presidential Targets!!! The show really starts at 8 because the dance party starts at 11 and they want us indie pop freaks finished up by then.

Sun 29th: Edgewood park farmer's market. 12pm. free. All sorts of veggies/flowers/meats and other goodies to buy from local vendors. Edgewood park is over in the westville section of new haven.

Check our myspace sites for updated gig listings and listen to our new projects if you haven't heard them yet. myspace.com/thesawtelles/poptelles/schoolsafetypatrol/primatenemistnightmare/sawtelles

Monday night at Bushnell Park....

With the Yankees' playoff fate in the capable hands of The Reet (beware Kei Igawa), I cruised the 15 minutes to Hartford on a perfect Summer evening for the Paul Brown Monday Night Jazz Series in Bushnell Park. No problem parking, found an on-street spot opposite the Capital Avenue exit and it is a short climb over the hill to the park. The concerts are held at the western end of Bushnell Park on the lawn that tumbles down the hill from the State Capitol building. A wonderful venue. A permanent bandshell has been constructed for concerts, a far cry from the makeshift stages of the New England Fiddle Contests of yore, which were held over at the east end of the park near the skating pond. The annual Blackeyed & Blues Festival is also held here each June sponsored by, you guessed it, Blackeyed Sally's BBQ & Blues

I arrive after the Lummie Spann Quartet's opening set, so I stake my space on the hill with my everyone's-got-one-of-these foldup chair and amble down to the stage to snoop around. The weather is magnificent, the setting sun blinding. Pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi's Quartet featuring Lew Tabackin is the headliner this evening (interestingly, on the Berkeley Agency website the ensemble is the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Quartet). They are married. I catch the members hanging out on the south side of the stage as the announcements are made. Wellness Center, CDs for sale, sponsor Prudential Financial, tee shirts, upcoming concerts. Showtime.

A jazz lover, not a critic, I will spare you the minutiae, but the husband-wife duo intermittently trade solos, she precise and darting, he more free-form, a very enjoyable listen when mixed with their rhythm section of bass/drums. Loved Tabackin's bluesy tenor on Akiyoshi's tribute to Charles Mingus. Monday night jazz, treat yourself. Bring a friend, a picnic, a bottle of wine, good conversation, a book. See you there. - Hartford Courant review

The Toshiko Akiyoshi Quartet featuring Lew Tabackin.

View from the north end of the stage back up the hill toward the Capitol.

Ms. Akiyoshi being interviewed between sets on WWUH radio,
which broadcasts the Monday night series live at 91.3 FM.

Zero Tolerance...and that means YOU!.....

It's a band and it's a principle. The band Zero Tolerance will be playing at the Downtown Cafe in Bristol, CT on Saturday, August 4. Your absence will NOT be tolerated. I'm trying to post a pic of the band, but can't get any off of their MySpace page, so the hell with them!

0T is Jon Savage, Terrance Woodrow Williams, Jim Peproni, Billy the Kid, Troy Claypool and cite Randy Rhodes, Randy Jackson, Randy Johnson, Randy Travis, Randy Randy, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Rick James Bitch!, My left foot, Adam Viniteri, Matt Lane, Gavin Rossdale, Ice-T, Mickey Mouse, Calvin Klien, & Blossom Russo as influences.

In an exclusive interview at the annual Baseball League of America summer meetings, lead singer Jon Savage admitted that, although his bandmates are "good peeps," he's slumming a bit creatively. Savage would like 0T to tap his deep reservoir of original material, but the others opt for "covers crap." He quipped, "I am the straw that stirs the 0T drink."

The Intolerance Tour will take them to the Farmington Avenue Restaurant in Kensington on September 8.

Sounds like a Lucinda Williams song....

Culpepper’s rings true with Louisiana palates by NATHANIEL GLEN (THE GAZETTE)

The owners of Culpepper’s Louisiana Kitchen are so legitimately Louisiana that their backstory sounds like a Lucinda Williams song: born in Lake Charles, raised in a small Cajun town, met up in Baton Rouge on the road to New Orleans, settled down on the shore of Pontchartrain. The food has that same Williams flavor: sassy, smart, Southern, sometimes sweet, sometimes fiery and always more than you’d expect. In a word, it’s great.

But to put it to a real test, you need more than a critic who’s about as Southern as maple syrup. So I called some friends, Jeanne and her daughter Crystal, who were born and raised in New Orleans and planned to stay there, until Hurricane Katrina put 8 feet of water in their living room and they got on a bus to Colorado Springs. “Oh, mama, look, they got po’ boys! I haven’t had a po’ boy since we left,” Crystal said when we sat down in one of the booths at the modern but homey stripmall dining room. - complete article

Live music abounds.....

Dr. John at Meadowbrook Park in Hamden on Friday night.

Some truly great free jazz at Bushnell Park this Monday night. Pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi's Quartet featuring tenor saxophonist Lew Tabackin as part of Paul Brown's Monday Night Jazz Series. Apparently Prudential Financial has provided some life-saving backing for the long-running summer program.

An email heads up for some good music from Trish (The Dish) friend Steve G:

Couple of musical head’s ups. Next Friday (July 20) at Café Nine I am going to try and go see Eilen Jewell who I mentioned before. She’s great and worth seeing. I’ve seen her before there. If you go to her website you get a quick musical introduction to her sound. Next day actually up in Greenfield Mass is a very nice music festival called Green River Festival. Details on their website. I went to this last year. Impressive. I am also thinking of going to this as well but plans for both this and Eilen are still uncertain. Thought you and Johnny K would be interested. One show I’m definitely going to (a whole group of my friends as well) is Alejandro Escovedo up at the Iron Horse on August 4.

JK note: James Hunter appearing at Greenfield Fest

For your morning moment of Zen....

The Boys of Blue Hill & John Ryan's Polka

Powerful Cat....

Johnnyk (the younger) and friend Tall Dan ventured over to the Avalon Ballroom in Boston to see Cat Power (Charlyn "Chan" Marshall) with Dirty Delta Blues Sunday night and reports a wonderful performance by The Fidgety One. JFK says that she started the performance with The Greatest, from her addictive, same-titled album, but then ventured off to other, eclectic material, some of which possibly came from her previous recordings which include Dear Sir,1995/ Myra Lee,1996/ What Would the Community Think,1996/ moon Pix, 1998/ The Covers Record,2000/ You Are Free,2003). JFK is not so familiar with Cat's catalog that he can identify the evening's playlist, however. During band solos, Ms. Power, according to Tall Dan, sneaked offstage to pet her dogs. (ed. note: I procrastinated sufficiently to miss tonight's show at the Pearl Street in Northampton)

REVIEW- Boston Herald
Feral Cat Power shows off her soulful side by Christopher John Treacy/ Music Review

Known for strumming deceptively simple compositions as a one-gal show, Cat Power (Chan Marshall) wowed listeners last year with "The Greatest," an unexpected, striking set of Memphis soul originals. After an interim trek with the 11-piece Memphis Rhythm Band, she’s now working with a new quartet, Dirty Delta Blues, and the smaller setting allows room for her limited but expressive pipes to flourish. In tight jeans, pink T and fingerless gloves, Power bounded onto Avalon’s stage Sunday night with a massive iced coffee and a giddy look of wonderment, launching into the disc’s woozily seductive title track. Gleefully swishing from side to side, she wove tracks from "The Greatest" between an oddball shuffle of unlikely covers, revealing her musical personality best with idiosyncratic interpretations of the latter.

Fueled by organist Gregg Foreman, Power zapped Sinatra’s familiar "New York, New York" of any Broadway glory, morphing it into something sly, shady and sinister: It slapped a whole new slant on the line about wanting to "wake up in the city that never sleeps." Her bluesy whisper gave Billie Holiday’s "Don’t Explain" necessary gravity, while her Dirty Delta ensemble pumped barroom humidity into Kitty Wells’ "Making Believe" and Otis Redding’s "I’ve Been Loving You Too Long."

Flat Duo Jets vet Dexter Romweber opened with a set of his signature punkabilly, bolstered by his sister’s fantastic drumming.