Sunday morning coming down...

From Jon S, lead singer of the mega-band from Bristol, Zero Tolerance, via Facebook -

Event: Legends Cafe, Pine Street, Bristol, Friday, November  12 @ 9:30PM

This is the show we unveil our new Bass player! Who is he you ask? Well, we'll give you a hint - He can make a bomb out of a bandaid and a stick of gum, he lives in a crayon house, he plays shortstop for the Yankees, aaaaaaaaaand his best friend is Butt Head.... Still not sure? Stop down and find out!!!!  (youtube video- live @ Downtown Cafe)

From Scott K via Facebook -

Hey, new band for you (or maybe they've been around and i'm not hip enough), but really dig mumford and sons, think you'd enjoy...kind of a pop, blue grass, folk sound....album is sigh no more check em out and let me know what you think.  (youtube video- Little Lion Man on Letterman)

Mumford & Sons are an English folk rock band. The band is made up of Marcus Mumford (vocals, guitar, drums, mandolin), Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboards, accordion), "Country" Winston Marshall (vocals, banjo, dobro), and Ted Dwane (vocals, string bass). Although the band members have claims on certain instruments, the members switch instruments during live shows according to convenience, for they each play a variety of instruments. The band formed in late 2007, rising out of London's folk scene with other artists such as Laura Marling, Johnny Flynn, Jay Jay Pistolet and Noah and the Whale.  The band has often supported Laura Marling at concerts, while their association with Noah and the Whale can be traced back to St Paul's School, Barnes and King's College School, Wimbledon. Mumford and Lovett attended King's College School alongside Noah and the Whale bassist Matt Owens, while Marshall attended St Paul's School along with Charlie Fink, lead singer of Noah and the Whale.  The band's debut album,  Sigh No More, was released in the United Kingdom in October 2009, and February 2010 in the United States.  (Wikipedia- so it must be true)

And, of course, for all you Halloweenies, Let's Do the Time Warp Again (it's just a jump to the left):

Pontiac, maker of muscle cars, ends after 84 years (AP)

DETROIT – The Pontiac name plate is is going out of business.  The General Motors brand was known for muscle cars drag-raced down boulevards, parked at drive-ins and roared across movie screens.  The 84-year-old brand has been moribund since GM decided to kill it last year as it collapsed into bankruptcy and was in decline for years before that.  It was undone by a combination of poor corporate strategy and changing driver tastes.  GM's agreements with Pontiac dealers expire Sunday.  Pontiac's sales peaked at about 1 million in 1968, when the brand's speedier models were prized for their powerful engines and scowling grills. 

Back when car songs and surfer songs sounded the same, there was Little GTO.  

Also, Cheryl Hines sings Little GTO in the movie RV (here):

A Halloween Favorite- The Ghoul...

Sorry if i spooked anyone by posting this photo of The Gool  (it is a pretty scary face).

Dan (The Gool) Gooley

A ghoul is a monster from ancient Arabian folklore that dwells in burial grounds and other uninhabited places. The English word comes from the Arabic name for the creature: الغول ghūl, which literally means "demon". The ghul is a devilish type of jinn believed to be sired by Iblis.

The Ghouls - Punk music has a fine outstanding tradition of "in your face", hard lined music. Such is the case with "Philidelphia's own", The Ghouls. The Ghouls are a combination between traditional punk and horror rock, and have an old flair which takes you back to the early 1980's. (Video- The Dead Walk)

Ghoultown - The devilishly eclectic Ghoultown have thrilled, marauded and rocked their way across the nation for over a decade. Born in Texas and fronted by the infamous Count Lyle, Ghoultown is home to the most talented band of deviants this side of hell. Boasting collaborations with Chris Telkes (Nocturne) and Sara Lee Lucas (Marilyn Manson), their tracks are described by Synergy Magazine as "the ultimate embodiment of tequila drinking hillbilly rock". The band's sixth studio effort, LIFE AFTER SUNDOWN, proves to be their most ambitious material to date. The album is a unique mix of horror rock, punk-twang and spaghetti western flair. Think of it this way--if Rob Zombie and Johnny Cash were tossed into a meat packer, Ghoultown is what would come out the other side. (Video- Under the Phantom Moon)

Here's a list....

A listing of today's musical guests at Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear:

• The Roots
• Mavis Staples
• Yusaf Islam (Cat Stevens)
• Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco)
• Tony Bennett
• Sheryl Crow

Happy birthday to THE REET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cleveland Browns 30, NO Saints 17....YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fox must be stoked about having a SF Giants/Texas Rangers World Series....Shouldn't SF closer and former Beach Boy Brian Wilson (nice beard!) sing the National Anthem?  Wouldn't it be nice....

Something for G-man & Yvette to do today in NYC:

The 2010 WFMU Record & CD Fair is almost here!  Join us Friday October 22 through Sunday October 24 at Manhattan's Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street. It's the best record shopping weekend of the year!   In addition to 10,000 square feet of amazing CDs, LPs, DVDs and artworks, there will be the usual array of live broadcasts, live music, and movies in the AV Lounge, and more!   For those who can't wait till November 1st, Ronnie Spector will be at the WFMU Record Fair on Oct. 24 between 2 and 4 pm at the Telstar Records table signing her new Holiday CD.

Interesting email from Sarah Borges:
Dear friends and fans- We hope this email finds you well and enjoying your autumn. We wanted to update you about some news in Broken Singles land.  The band and I have decided to take a hiatus for a while after touring and playing at breakneck speed for the past few years. We'll play shows from time to time, but not with the consistency we have in the past. No bad breakups here though, only a little rest and time for family!  In the meantime, I'll be concentrating on making my first ever solo record, and playing lots of shows by myself. You can expect the same intensity and fun live experience from me that was a part of the Broken Singles, to be sure.

You guys don't look like Cafe Nine types....

"You're really going to make me do this?" bitches The Reet endlessly throughout the day, "You aren't a real Yankees fan, I guess."  I don't need this, I'll go see Tony Joe White at Cafe Nine all by my lonesome.  The Reet finally stops whining, agreeing to a pre-concert stop at AJ's for a burger and crab cakes.  I think she was thinking she could convince Barry that he should go instead of her.  No luck, babe.

Early show, doors open at seven, show starts at eight, we'll be on the highway listening to the game by nine-thirty.  The Reet remains skeptical.  We arrive just before seven.  Holy shit, an open parking space right across Crown Street from the new entrance (they no longer use the State Street door, which almost put you on stage as you entered).  The remainder of the happy hour crowd mixes with the early Tony Joe crowd.  Smells a bit gamey as we snatch two bar stools.  The Reet makes me order a pina colada even though I know there's no way in hell a bar like this serves drinks like that.  Sorry, pal, this is a dive bar.  I nod.  The Reet orders Coke.  The barkeep hesitates, waiting for the Jack or rum or whatever, but quickly realizes that The Reet wants it straight.  We settle in, an hour to showtime.  The Reet has it set up that Garrett and Judy will continuously text her the progress of the Yankees game while she is imprisoned at the Nine.  An interesting young lady with spiked hair, lots of tats, a huge lip ring and dark eye 'wings' takes our $15 cover and stamps us.  Lots of conversations with the new arrivals who wedge next to us to order up drinks.  A tall, sturdy gent from New Milford and his wife grab the table directly behind us.  At one point, he smiles and says, "You don't look like Cafe Nine folks."  Oh?  The Reet chirps up that we, in fact, frequent The Nine often (obviously including herself even though many of our visits are just me).  He offers that guitarist Bill Krichen (once of Commander Cody & the Lost Planet Airmen) was fabulous here recently.  Hearing that we were from Southington, he inquired of the Cadillac Ranch and, when informed that we never go there, assumed we hated country.  "You don't like country?  Tony Joe is country!"  Easy, pal, the place is a dance club.  Line dancing.  I love lots of country, though I'm more inclined to say Tony Joe is blues.  Oh, sorry.

The place is filling up.  Christine Ohlman appears.  I wonder if she'll do a song or two?  The Beehive Queen finds a spot against the wall towards the back.  The Reet goes outside for air and overhears our lip ring girl say that her mom and dad are weird just like her, but her brother has rebelled by wearing khakis and light blue shirts!  It's just after eight when Tony Joe, dressed all in black and sporting dark shades, pushes toward the stage from the back, settles onto a stool with his guitar and harmonica, and says, "How y'all doin' tonight."  We're doin' just fine, aren't we Reet?

(Per Wikipedia) Tony Joe White (born July 23, 1943, Oak Grove, LA) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie"; "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but was firstly made popular by Brook Benton in 1970.  His set is similar to that which I saw in New Orleans at Jazz Fest a couple years ago, starting out with some solo acoustic blues, then introducing his drummer and getting deeper into the Louisiana swamp with some electric.  The voice is deep, commanding.  The Cafe Nine crowd is noticably older, with some curious youngsters (under fiddy) mixed in.  He's really good and they love it.  A tasty, understated Rainy Night in Georgia quiets them.  Tony Joe offers a few songs from his new CD, The Shine.  Mental note to purchase it, but it won't be tonight, for The Reet will have us OUT OF HERE as soon as the final song is done.  The Reet returns from yet another break with news that the Yankees are down 1-0 early.  Damn you, Phil Hughes.  She also found out from the owner that the set goes to 9:15.  Well, here it comes!  Polk Salad Annie. 

If some of ya'll never been down South too much...

I'm gonna tell you a little bit about this, so that you'll understand  what I'm talking about

Down there we have a plant that grows out in the woods and the fields,

looks somethin' like a turnip green.

Everybody calls it Polk salad. Polk salad.

Used to know a girl that lived down there and she'd go out in the evenings and pick a mess of it...

Carry it home and cook it for supper, 'cause that's about all they had to eat

But they did all right.

Down in Louisiana Where the alligators grow so mean

There lived a girl that I swear to the world, Made the alligators look tame

Polk salad Annie, polk salad Annie

Everybody said it was a shame, Cause her mama was working on the chain-gang

(a mean, vicious woman)

Everyday 'fore supper time She'd go down by the truck patch

And pick her a mess o' Polk salad And carry it home in a tote sack

Polk salad Annie 'Gators got you granny

Everybody said it was a shame 'Cause her mama was aworkin' on the chain-gang

(a wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin' woman,

Lord have mercy. Pick a mess of it)

Great show.  We get home just in time to see Phil Hughes get lit up for a two run double. Damn Yankees.

(courtesy of  this guy from a show at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta:)

Do NOT miss this show tonight at Cafe Nine!!!!....

 It's the best $15 you'll ever owe to the buddy who paid for you to get in!  I'm getting some serious shit from The Reet, actually questioning my Yankeehood, for dragging her to this show instead of staying home to watch the Bombers v. Rangers.  I've assured her that the show will be over by 9:30 and we can see a significant portion of the game.  She's not convinced, but is going.

Oct. 22, Friday, 7 pm EARLY SHOW
8pm start Tony Joe White; w/ another tba • The originator and King of Swamp Rock performs an intimate solo show in "the musicians living room". The writer of countless chart topping hits such as Polk Salad Annie and Rainy Night in Georgia, this is a DON"T MISS SHOW!!! - (New Haven Register interview)

Gumbo does Europe...

A pictorial note from the johnny gumbo fall tour of eastern Europe:

On a back street in the Old Town section of Prague, there truly is an Absinth Museum. 
Anything and everything you need to know johnnyk.

And from Budapest, a challenge was laid out and documented on the register at the 
 Black Pool pub to the Pool Hall Studs to man up and meet the challenge.

What's on his iPod?....

Man arrested for sexually assaulting horse (ctpost.com)
SHELTON -- A Shelton man is under arrest Monday for sexually assaulting a horse.  According to police, officers were dispatched at 6:15 p.m. to Partridge Lane on a report of an unknown male inappropriately touching a horse. The complainant reported that the male appeared to be touching the horse in a sexual manner and the horse appeared to be in pain.  Officers arrived and located the male, identified as Marian Wegiel, 63, of 11 Partridge Lane, in the corral. Wegiel stated that he was comforting the horses that were scared by a loud noise. Wegiel stated that he may have inadvertently put his fingers inside one of the horses. (YUCH! - more)

So, what did they find on his iPod?:

• Wild Horses (couldn't drag me away) by the Rolling Stones
• Theme from Mr. Ed  (he'll give you the answer, of course, of course)
• One Trick Pony by Paul Simon
• Black Horse & the Cherry Tree by K.T. Tunstall  (I said no, no, he's not the one for me...)
• Beer For My Horses by Toby Keith & Willie Nelson (whiskey for my men, beer for my horses)
• Back In the Saddle Again by Gene Autrey (back where a friend is a friend)
• Wildfire by Michael Martin Murphy (she ran callin'....)
• Horse With No Name by America (I've been through the desert on a ...)
• Tennessee Stud by Johnny Cash

Any more suggestions for him to listen to while he's in jail?

Yale Researchers Identify Gene As Possible Cause Of Depression...

Avoid this Gene

Finding Could Provide Target For Future Antidepressant
Yale researchers have identified a gene as a possible culprit for depression and a possible target in the future for a new antidepressant. A study published Sunday in the journal Nature identifies the gene MKP-1 as playing a significant role in depression. The study's lead author, Ronald Duman, professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at Yale, says that it could be a "primary cause" of the debilitating condition. The research team arrived at their findings after conducting genome scans on tissue samples of 21 deceased people who had been diagnosed with depression. Comparing those to the genome scans of 18 people who did not have depression, the researchers saw that the presence of MKP-1 was more than twice as strong in the samples of those who had been diagnosed with depression.

Ward, weren't you a little rough on the beaver last night?...

Barbara Billingsley, Beaver Cleaver's mom, dies at 94 (AP)
LOS ANGELES – The affection people had for "Leave it to Beaver" many years after the series ended was a source of both surprise and satisfaction for Barbara Billingsley, who endeared herself to TV viewers with her gentle portrayal of the mother of Beaver and Wally.  She resurfaced in 1980 in a hilarious cameo in "Airplane!" playing a demure elderly passenger not unlike June Cleaver.  When flight attendants were unable to communicate with a pair of jive-talking hipsters, Billingsley's character volunteered to translate, saying "I speak jive." The three then engage in a raucous street-slang conversation.- (more)

Fitz & the Tantrums?...

Never heard of them, but that's one of the many reasons I'm a faithful fan of Live at Daryl's House, the monthly online podcast (I guess) project of Daryl Hall.  You know the drill by now, DH invites a singer or band up to his house in upstate New York to jam on some of their songs as well as some Hall & Oats stuff.  Throw in some food and you you have a pretty cool show that has developed quite a following.

This month's episode (#35) features an old-school soul band from LA with a leader, Michael Fitzpatrick,  who resembles David Byrne (or Bowie).  I'm a new fan. 

(From LFDH website):
With a shared love of old-school street corner soul, R&B and four-to-the-floor funk, Daryl Hall and L.A. band Fitz and the Tantrums make the perfect pairing for the 35th and latest edition of award-winning Live from Daryl’s House. Daryl joins Fitz, singer Noelle Scaggs and sax player James King for a toe-tapping, hand-clapping, get off your couch set that includes “Girl, I Love You,” a song Daryl wrote and originally recorded in 1967 with his first band, The Temptones.  The seven-song set includes four Fitz and the Tantrums originals, which they call soul-influenced indie pop, from Pickin’ Up the Pieces, their just-released album on Dangerbird Records, home of the Grammy-nominated Silversun Pickups, including the title track, “Breakin’ the Chains of Love,” “Dear Mr. President” and “MoneyGrabber.” Aside from “Girl, I Love You,” Daryl and the band decided to take on “Perkiomen,” a song written by him in 1970.

Love in an elevator...

Minka Kelly is the only child of former Aerosmith guitarist Rick Dufay and the late Maureen Kelly, a former Vegas showgirl. Although she is currently dating Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, past relationships include actor Chris Evans and musician John Mayer.

Why Trombone Shorty is important (and very good)....

From Cahl's Juke Joint  (this guy is a mid-western college professor who writes a very good music blog that I've followed for several years):

(A post while attending the Austin City Limits Festival)  ....In the middle of an electric rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In" on Sunday, Trombone Shorty added bits of Solomon Burke's "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love." Most of the folks in the audience probably didn't understand the significance — the soul legend had died earlier in the day. To me, the medley, which also included a portion of The Neville Brothers' "Fire on the Bayou," epitomized why Trombone Shorty is one of the most important performers of his generation.

He's a musicologist with a deep respect for the masters who've come before him. He patterns his act on James Brown's, from the blaring horn section to the nifty dance moves and impassioned vocals, but Louis Armstrong certainly lives in the same neighborhood of Trombone Shorty's mind — who would have thought a slow, dreamy version of "Sunny Side of the Street" could work a crowd of twentysomethings into a frenzy? Trombone Shorty did it by hitting a high note on his trumpet and sustaining the note for several minutes.

He combined New Orleans jazz with Miles Davis' electric period and some pop hip-hop — even my stodgy middle-aged friends seemed to enjoy Trombone Shorty's rendition of The Black-Eyed Peas' "Let's Get It Started." And when Trombone Shorty played his trombone, it sounded like a funky wake for Brother Solomon Burke and every other old master Trombone Shorty has ever idolized.

Rest in peace, Big Guy...

The larger-than-life Solomon Burke opened for Van Morrison a few years ago at Oakdale and nearly stole the show from The Man.  His 2002 album, Don't Give Up On Me, featuring an eccentric selection of cover tunes by Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello, got him a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album.  I wore out that CD.  I've pulled out Solomon Burke, King of Rock 'N' Soul, Live at the House of Blues to listen to as I post this.

Testimonial from Pool Hall Stud Marky G: 

SB was awesome.  I remember seeing him at the HOB in Nola years ago = Burgundy velour tux with all the ruffles... his son passing out the roses, with Barry & your old roommate Texas Jeff.  Great show and another legend we'll never see again.  Looking forward to this years fest.

(Per Wikipedia, so it must be true):

Artistically, Burke was influenced by the music of the church, as well as by Little Richard.  In the 60s, Burke signed with Atlantic Records and began moving towards more secular music. His first hit was "Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)", a cover of a country song. Though well-received by both peers and critics, and attaining a few moderate pop and several major R&B hits, Burke never could quite break through into the mainstream as did Sam Cooke or Otis Redding, who covered Burke's "Down in the Valley" for 1965's Otis Blue. Burke's best known song is "Cry to Me", which was a hit twice: first in the 60s, and again in the 1980s when it was used in the film – and appeared on the soundtrack for – Dirty Dancing.  In 1964, with Bert Berns and Jerry Wexler, he wrote and recorded "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", his most prominent bid for an enduring soul standard. Almost immediately covered by The Rolling Stones the same year, other well-known versions include one by Wilson Pickett and another, a decade and a half later, in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.  Burke fathered 21 children (14 daughters and 7 sons), had 90 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

As a tribute to Solomon Burke, here is The Wire Season 3 ending montage with his Fast Train as the background music:

Back from Atlantic City, battered, but unbroken.....

We start out early from Vinnie's North Haven homestead, listening to Robert Plant's excellent new CD, Band of Joy (buy it).   It's to be a brief three-day respite of golf, gambling and food.  By deftly avoiding the dreaded 8am Sunday rush hour traffic on the GW (oh, there is none?),  instead sailing over the Tappan Zee (at the insistence of Steve the Bod), we arrive at our Shore Gate Golf Club destination TWO HOURS early!  Not to worry, we wait (and wait) until 12:40pm, play brilliantly on the fabulous layout, then, now famished, hurry to check in at the Tropicana in order to wait over TWO HOURS for our dinner reservations at Carmine's!  A call from Jonathan reports the sad news of our beloved Brownies losing another close one - win streak stopped at one. While waiting for dinner, Vinnie and I are able to experience the wonderfully romantic sunset from our hotel room. Early to bed.

Monday has us up and Adam (with a wonderfully romantic sunrise from Keith and Steve's room!) for Ballamor Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township.  Although disappointed with the slow, sandy, spiked greens, we again play brilliantly.  Back to our hotel for lunch at El Libre, where I take Tom Russell's advice and say, "el Cubano."  (It's got two kinds of pig meat, ham and roast pork, and a slice of white cheese in the shape of New York, so throw on a pickle and pick up your fork, say "el Cubano," that's a Cuban sandwich.)  Delicious!  Spent the afternoon strolling the boardwalk looking for ghosts of Miss Americas past.  Hmmmm, is that poor homeless lady being hassled by the police one?  I wonder.  Steve the Bod, our AC tour director extraordinaire, drives us over to the Borgata for some dinner (Keith gets ill JUST after he pays for the buffet) and comedy.  More sad news - we hear of the passing of the great Solomon Burke.

Tuesday has us packed up, checked out and off to Twisted Dune for our final round.  Despite a brief early morning shower, you guessed it, we again play brilliantly as the first group off the tee on this thoroughly enjoyable links-style layout.  Then it's back on the road to CT while listening to big, fat Mike Francesa's very interesting interview with author Jane Leavy about her just-released Mickey Mantle expose' The Last Boy (Daily News story).  Home safe and sound.

Imagine there's no CONSTANT mention of imagine on John Lennon's 70th birthday....

We can do it if we try....

My youth is eroding....

(from the Htfd Courant) - We have been notified that Hartford radio legend, Ken Griffin (aka Joseph T. Mulhall) died Sept. 28 at his home in Punta Gorda, Florida. He was 73.   Griffin, as many in the Hartford area might remember, was a well-known WPOP and WDRC personality during the 1960s and 1970s when rivalry between the two then Top 40 stations was at its peak.  Unbeknownst to many, Griffin, whose illustrious career took him to Hollywood and back again, was the voice-over of the original Parkay commercial. I have to admit I was one of those teenagers who took great delight in calling in requests to Griffin while he was on the Hartford airwaves...a pajama party pastime with memories that still make me smile.

The Reet goes for the gold (again) today...

From Listomania:  Are you one of those people annoyed by the word meme? Well, turn away dear friend. Yesterday, the Daily Mail posted an incredible photograph from the Ryder Cup--one depicting a golf ball not much more than a nose hair away from the lens. Of course, the Interneters of the world turned this quickly into a meme. It wasn't of Tiger Woods, though. See the mustachioed dude with the cigar in his mouth? Yeah, you see him now. You can't not see him now. The guy was plugged into all sorts of other images where he didn't belong--presumably because he just looks so awesome.  And we've decided to jump in along with all the photobomb, Photoshop madness. So after the jump, check out five Tiger Woods Photo Bomb Album Covers.

Here is one of them:

This is hysterical and very clever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!....

Mahalo.com - As The Roots began playing The Sugarhill Gang's song "Rapper's Delight," Timberlake and Fallon grabbed microphones, walked over to the stage and began rapping the song. Timberlake and Fallon went on to perform a medley of rap songs from the past three decades, including Run DMC's "Peter Piper," the Beastie Boys' "Paul Revere" and "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground. After performing these 1980s rap songs, Timberlake and Fallon launched into Dr. Dre's 1993 hit "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," which featured Snoop Dogg. The two then performed a snippet from Tupac Shakur's 1995 rap song "California Love." Other songs included in the History of Rap medley included The Roots' "The Seed 2.0," Eminem's "My Name Is" and Missy Elliot's "Work It."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOClaIZACrM⁷ http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2010/10/justin-timberlake-jimmy-fallon-and-the-history-of-rap.html⁸
Timberlake and Fallon began dancing as they performed several contemporary rap songs, including Kanye West's "Gold Digger," "Live Your Life" by T.I. and Soulja Boy's "Crank That (Soulja Boy)."http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2010/10/justin-timberlake-jimmy-fallon-and-the-history-of-rap.html⁹ The pair then went out into the studio audience to perform Jay-Z's song "Empire State of Mind" for their grand finale. Audience members stood up and began dancing and singing along.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOClaIZACrM¹⁰


The history of rap/hip-hop with Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake & the Roots  on Late Night:  

Here are the originals:

I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more...

Farm Aid #25:
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) – Thousands turned out on Saturday for the 25th anniversary of "Farm Aid," the benefit concert for America's family farmers headlined by the charity's founders: Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young.  This year's hours-long concert, dubbed "Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America," was held at Miller Park, the home of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team.  The founding musicians, who gathered under a canopy outside the stadium to meet with reporters before the concert, praised family farmers as practitioners of sustainable agriculture while portraying corporate-run farms as greedy polluters contributing to the nation's obesity problem. - (more)

The Sawtelles have the blues...

What does one do on a Sunday evening after yet another (anticipated) 4th quarter meltdown by the beloved Cleveland Browns?  Suicide is painless, yet it brings on lots of changes.  Rather, one might opt for the CT Blues Society's 7th Annual CT Solo/Duo Blues Challenge.  Whew, I thought that title would never end!  This Sunday's lineup at the Pine Loft Cafe on the Berlin Turnpike includes:

• Pete Schelps
• Ditty/Mack
• Sarah LeMieux
• Ed Accardi
• Walter & David
• The Sawtelles

Music starts at 6PM and it's FREE!!!!!!!!

I know, it's only rock 'n roll....

Below are your nominees for the 2011 Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame class.  According to press releases, ballots will be sent to more than 500 voters from the music industry who will select the inductees (johnnyk is awaiting his ballot). They will be announced in December the induction ceremony to be held on March 14, 2011 at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York.  Here is the Johnnyk assessment:

1. Alice Cooper - good, but not great.  Sorry, Al, school's out forever!
2. Beastie Boys - I'll defer to the hip hop boyz on this
3. Bon Jovi - too popular to keep out these Jersey boys out
4. Neil Diamond - let the poor bastard in, for Christ sakes!  Great songwriter!
5. Chic - wtf, really?
6. Donovan - big fan here, but a little light in the resume for my taste
7. Dr. John - he's in the right place, but at the wrong time (I'd put him in, but THEY won't)
8. J Geils Band - some GREAT singles....but enough????
9. LL Cool J - can't put both the Beasties and J in
10. Darlene Love - borderline; I say no
11. Laura Nyro - singer/songwriter extraordinaire; I love her (R.I.P.)
12. Donna Summer - disco queen, yikes!
13. Tom Waits - my man, therefore he has NO chance
14. Joe Tex - only country guy; sorry, Joe
15. Chuck Willis - going WAY back to the 1950s - CC Rider
16. Pool Hall Studs - no way these lightweights should get in before the Johnny Gumbo Party Band!

Who ya got?

I can't get this Nano commercial out of my head (who else thinks this sounds like Sweet Jane at times?)....

Sad......but love his new album....

Earle postpones tour, enters rehab after arrest (AP)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Justin Townes Earle says he is suspending his tour and is entering a rehabilitation facility.  Earle's publicist confirmed the statement on the singer's website Thursday. The move comes after the 2009 Americana Music Association new/emerging artist winner was arrested Sept. 16 in Indianapolis following a show.  Authorities charged Earle with battery, public intoxication and resisting law enforcement. He is accused of doing $200 damage to his dressing room, then assaulting the club's owner. He has a court date Oct. 19.  The New York-based artist has postponed U.S. and British dates in support of his new album, "Harlem River Blues," through Nov. 14.  Earle says in a statement that he is "committed" to confronting his problems with addiction and denies published descriptions of the altercation. He is the son of Grammy-winning country artist Steve Earle.

Please help me, I'm falling...

The autumn leaves drift by my window....or not

'50s pop singer Eddie Fischer dies at age 82 by Raquel Maria Dillon, AP
LOS ANGELES – Eddie Fisher, whose huge fame as a pop singer was overshadowed by scandals ending his marriages to Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor, has died. He was 82.  His daughter, Tricia Leigh Fisher of Los Angeles, told The Associated Press that Fisher died Wednesday night at his home in Berkeley of complications from hip surgery.  "Late last evening the world lost a true America icon," Fisher's family said in a statement released by publicist British Reece. "One of the greatest voices of the century passed away. He was an extraordinary talent and a true mensch."  The death was first reported by Hollywood website deadline.com.  Fisher's clear dramatic singing voice brought him a devoted following of teenage girls in the early 1950s. He sold millions of records with 32 hit songs including "Thinking of You," "Any Time," "Oh, My Pa-pa," "I'm Yours," "Wish You Were Here," "Lady of Spain" and "Count Your Blessings." - more

Happy Corn Fritter Fry Day!

Golf EARLY at Wintonberry Hills in Bloomfield (7AM start), then off to Framingham for Peter's annual corn fritter fry. Will listen to the new Robert Plant, Band of Joy,  on the way up.....A-Rod, A-Rod, A-Rod!!!!!!!  Nice turnaround in result from possible strike three to game-winning home run.....The Reet passes (for you insiders)!!!!!

Derek Cheeter?....

Has it come down to this for The Captain, faking getting hit by a pitch in order to get on base?  G-Man keenly equates it to a basketball flop.  Ken Singleton, uncharacteristically, had a funny line: "Derek dove back to first base with his right arm - the left is his acting arm."  C'mon, Jeet, step it up!.... The latest episode of Live From Daryl's House features Sharon Jones (of Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings).  Check it out for both the music and the food.  This is a GREAT series!  If you don't agree, I may have to (nod to Stephen Colbert) put you on notice.  So, here is Episode #34.... Quick stop at West Hartford Barnes & Noble yielded the new Robert Plant (featuring Patti Griffin), but no Justin Townes Earle....Just read that Florence & the Machine's performance was a big hit on the MTV Video Awards last week.  Gave Jonathan their CD for Christmas, but the Boyz from B'klyn gave a tepid response to it.  Perhaps they should revisit.....

My name is Earle...

I'll always remember a well-lubricated Lucinda Williams at the Newport Folk Festival shouting out to the crowd, "Hey, y'all give it up for Steve Fucking Earle!"  Well, that has nothing to do with this article, 'cept that Justin Townes Earle is Steve's son.  Garrett and Yvette saw him open for Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys) awhile ago.  Justin will be appearing on October 19 at NY Webster Hall (7PM, $17).  Jessica Lea Mayfield supports.

  

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE  MYSPACE
Justin Townes Earle is an anomaly. He’s tall as the day is long, all angles and elbows and a hard stare, both welcoming and deadly serious. He’s Nashville North, all set up in lower Manhattan now, just like his hero Woody Guthrie, with twang and charm intact.  That hard working earnestness has paid off, to say the least. Justin won the Best New and Emerging Artist at the 2009 Americana Music Awards. His record, Midnight at the Movies, was named one of the best records of last year by Amazon, received four stars in Rolling Stone and found a sweet spot in the blackened hearts of fans and critics alike. GQ Magazine named him one of the 25 best dressed men in the world in 2010. He also appeared on HBO’s Treme with his dad, troubadour Steve Earle, on whose Grammy Award-winning Townes record Justin also guests.  The aforementioned Woody Guthrie once said, “Any fool can make something complicated. It takes a genius to make it simple.” On Harlem River Blues, Justin chose the simple route. The record’s not a wall of sound produced to the rafters. It’s rockin’ and reelin’ at times, sweet and slow at others—and it’s great. Like good fried chicken, a well-cut suit and a handmade guitar, there’s heaven to be found in the beautifully crafted simpler things.

Below is a very positive review of his latest album, Harlem River Blues:

Justin Townes Earle, "Harlem River Blues" (Bloodshot)
By CHRIS TALBOTT, AP Entertainment Writer

Seems like Justin Townes Earle's backstory gets all the ink — enfant terrible, former heroin addict, fired from his own father's band.  With his third album, "Harlem River Blues," the son of Steve Earle should finally be free of the shadows cast by that past and his father's legendary career. The album's 11 tracks capitalize on the promise Earle showed on his previous releases, "Midnight At The Movies" and "The Good Life," and push him to a new level.  While it's still true the songwriting gift runs in the family, the younger Earle shows an emotional depth and subtlety that makes him a unique artist.  The album is packed with flavors — gospel, rock, folk — and ideas that seem to mostly swirl around Earle's move to New York City.  "Harlem River Blues," with a chorus performed by a choir, is perhaps the most upbeat song about suicide to come along in a while (though it also could be about immersing yourself in big city life). "One More Night In Brooklyn" has that climbing-the-walls feeling of a long day in the city and "Workin' For The MTA" could be a modern version of those old Dust Bowl laments, with Paul Niehaus' steel guitar adding a lonely lament.  CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "Move Over Mama" comes the closest to capturing the energy of Earle's vibrant live show. It's got a rockabilly feel and bounces along on Bryn Davies' standup bass, Jason Isbell's snarly electric guitar line and Earle's clever lyrics.

New Robert Plant...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Some things in Robert Plant's record collection are completely predictable. Others might surprise you. Like that copy of Low's "The Great Destroyer." "It's great music," Plant said of the Duluth, Minn., indie band known for its often slow, atmospheric songs. "It's always been in the house playing away alongside Jerry Lee Lewis and Howlin' Wolf, you know. There's room for everything." That could be the theme of Plant's new solo album, "Band of Joy," an eclectic collection mostly of covers and reinterpretations that showcase the former Led Zeppelin frontman's range in ways you wouldn't expect from a singer in his fifth decade at the edge of the stage. The album — named for a band Plant was in with John Bonham before the two joined Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones — opens with a cover of Los Lobos' "Angel Dance," then jumps in several equally unpredictable directions. There are versions of Richard Thompson's "House of Cards" along with the Low songs "Silver Rider" and "Monkey," folklorist Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recording of "Cindy I'll Marry You Some Day," "The Only Sound That Matters" by Milton Mapes and Townes Van Zandt's "Harm's Swift Way." - (more)

Shit, missed him at the Bowery Ballroom last Sunday (tour dates).

While waiting in line for jambalaya at Rhythm & Roots...

Stranger than fiction: Just received a video link from cmiper, saying he/she was directly opposite from me when I videoed the above! A sharp eye will find a handsome gent with sunglasses/backwards baseball cap taking video while in line (see below).

Fly me to the moon ....

It's amazing how cool Frank Sinatra sounds sometimes, like when you're sitting around making incisive points about the current state of the American economy to complete strangers at a wedding reception and Fly Me to the Moon blasts out.  Also waxed nostalgic upon hearing our own wedding song, the Righteous Brothers' You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling (just kidding, Reet).......Opening NFL Sunday.  That means my (and Jonathan's) beloved Brownies put their NFL best 4-game regular season winning streak on the line against Tampa Bay.  Jonathan wryly predicting another 'multiple-win' season for the nattily attired (a marketer's dream) Clevelanders....After catching him at last weekend's Rhythm & Roots Festival, I'm listening to Dave Alvin's Ashcroft CD.  Hey, Nine Volt Heart, I recognize that song as the title cut of an Iguanas CD.  A quick check in the liner notes gives me the connection: the song is co-written by Dave Alvin and Iguana Rod Hodges.  (Nod to Johnny Carson) I did not know that......G-Man home for the weekend with his newly-acquired Pete Molinari CD, but rather praising Daniel Wayne as the better of the two at Wednesday's gig at the Mercury Lounge in NYC.  Here's the only video clip I could find on him.  Reminds me a bit of Neil Young:

And where IS Lesley Gore, anyway?...

Amy Winehouse to sing 'It's My Party' for Quincy Jones
(EW.com) - Is this the beginning of Amy Winehouse’s comeback? The troubled soul singer is poised to release her first new music in years, the Associated Press reports.Winehouse is said to have recorded a cover of Lesley Gore’s 1963 hit “It’s My Party” for Quincy Jones’ upcoming Q: Soul Bossa Nostra album. Her close collaborator Mark Ronson produced the track.  “It’s My Party” was one of Jones’ first major pop production credits before his legendary work with Michael Jackson. Its petulant, insistent tone fits perfectly with Winehouse’s strengths. And anyone who’s heard “Rehab” or one of their other five collaborations on 2006′s breakout Back to Black knows how arresting Winehouse can sound over a Ronson track.

Yvette, Pete & Garrett...

Pete Molinari in concert Wednesday night at the Mercury Lounge

From Daily Nuggets:  We're Not John and Yoko took a break from late-night jam sessions, and instead of performing their own music, headed out Wednesday night to hear some live music, ending up at the Mercury Lounge in Manhattan, on Houston Street, to see Pete Molinari, and the opener Daniel Wayne. We bought the ticket to see Pete, but Daniel went on first, stole the show, and was an incredibly hard act to follow. Originally from Ohio, and now living in Brooklyn, Daniel Wayne is unsigned, but I predict, give him a year, and he'll be a household name. Don't let me down Dan! And, I can call him Dan. We're Not John and Yoko got a chance to meet him after the show, and he was very genuine, appreciating our emphatic compliments of his show. (read more)

From Pete's website: "As a kid I was given two books that made as big an impression on me as anything could. They were by Woody Guthrie and Jack Kerouac, and along with the songs and music that were later handed down to me, they helped convince me that my life should and would be some kind of journey on the road that some call 'bound for glory' and others 'the road less travelled by'."

Sorry, Robert Randolph, it was a full day and we had to hit the highway...

Our plan was to arrive for the start of Geoff Muldaur's set around two-thirty. Lunch in Mystic on the way down.  With all due respect to the Danny Barnes Trio and Horace Trahan & New Ossan Express, who have the noon and 1:15 sets respectively, you just can't do it ALL!  Muldaur is an old jug-band folkie from the early sixties' Greenwich Village era, but has continued to create great music.  I've never seen him live.  We arrive right on time, pulling into the nearly full parking lot to their opening number. We grab our shit, buy our tickets and file into Rhythm & Roots 2010. It's a picture-perfect day: sunny, clear and just brisk enough. We mark our territory, open our chairs and....sit. "Great seats, hey buddy?" Sharie is skeptical about being in one place for the next seven hours and is subtly lobbying to ditch Robert Randolph & the Family Band before they come on at 9:15.  She hints at doing some hiking, kayaking, para sailing, skiing, snorkeling- anything to pass the time.  The Reet is attending as a favor to me; she has little interest in the music.  Keith is my ally in this venture.  But it's all good.  Keith/Sharie venture over to two-step at the Johnny Gumbo dance tent (yes, named after the one and only for his legendary smooth dance moves at R&R!).   The Reet holds down the fort.

I've heard enough of the Texas Sheiks for now.  I explore, finding my way over to the workshop tent where Dave Alvin is holding court.  The iconic Blasters co-founder (along with brother, Phil) takes questions, self-effacingly spins anecdotes about the sources of his songwriting, and sings a few songs.  Thoroughly entertaining.  We'll catch DA shortly at the Main Stage with his new band, Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women.  While exiting the tent, I run into an old neighbor of mine.  Now divorced and with his girlfriend, he apologizes for the time he screeched out of his driveway and, while roaring down our quiet little street, thrust his middle finger out the window.  "It wasn't meant for you, it was for my fucking ex-wife."  No offense taken, my man.

Back to the main stage as CJ Chenier & the Red-Hot Louisiana Band's ready for their 3:45 set.  My phone rings, but I can't figure out how to answer it, so I have to check missed calls.  It's Barry D, restaurateur/Pool Hall Stud, now in the house with his entourage inquiring of our location while they fill up on potato pancakes.  We're over HERE!  Finally, all  introduced and settled, we're now nine strong as CJ launches into his set of high-energy zydeco.  Keith offers to fetch the beers.  All that's missing is Gumbo and that Will Farrell-guy.  On second thought, it's nice and peaceful.  At five o'clock, Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women turn the music toward a roots rock vein.  During a bathroom break, The Reet & I take a quick look-see at the Dance Pavillion, where Preston Frank, Ed Poullard & Friends are playing to a packed dance floor.  Back to see Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, a band we've seen countless times.  Good stuff.

We notice that the festival program has an advertisement for the Knickerbocker Cafe (Southern NE's home of roots music year round) in Westerly, which features some of our favorites:
Sat, Sept 4- Sugar Ray & the Bluetones
Sat, Sept 25- Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles (I've been accused by friends of being a stalker, but haven't seen her in over a year)
Sun Sept 26- Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials (had a song on one of the legendary JohnnyK Christmas CDs)
Sat, Oct 23- "The Beehive Queen" Christine Ohlman (a long-time favorite; Keith and I served her band dinner from Anthony Jack's in the Southington Town Hall basement when she played Johnny Gumbo's Apple Harvest Festival a few years back)
Sun, Oct 24- Susan Cowsill (Gumbo and I saw her, along with 25 of our closest friends, at Cafe Nine a few years ago.)
Sat, Nov 13- Robert Earl Keen

I sample the jambalaya (liberally sprinkling hot sauce on my portion and pay dearly for it).  While waiting in line, we are entertained by the Hot Tamale Brass Band (I have video, but still trying to get it transferred from my phone).  The Reet tries to relive her hoola hoop daze with limited success.  It's now heading toward 7:30 and the Newport set decide they've had enough fun and frolic for one day.  Not even staying for Donna the Buffalo!  They are out.  Teary goodbyes all around.  While DtB is really good, I've seen them several times and Sharie's idea of leaving early is making more sense by the minute.  Okay, let's do it.  The Reet gives our extra Bayou Bucks to an appreciative neighbor while we pack up.  On the way out I attempt to buy a R&R Festival tee shirt, but the colors I want are sold out.  I leave empty handed.  After a bathroom stop at Wendy's (all four of us march in, march out), Keith steers us safely home (while I catch a few zzzzz's).  Golf at 7:37AM.  Night all.

Five Bayou Bucks will get you a Longhammer IPA

Not a cloud in the mid-afternoon sky for Geoff Muldaur & the Texas Sheiks

Former Blasters founder Dave Alvin talks songwriting, life and lost love at the Workshop Tent.

Look out, R&R, here we come! But where is Johnny Gumbo?...

No golf today.  Just hanging around this morning, reading the papers while The Reet catches up on her U.S. Open matches from last night.  We'll be picked up at noon by the Andersons to head down to Ninigret Park for the final day of the 2010 Rhythm & Roots Festival.  This is my first trip back since 2005 and 2006, when I attended with the one and (thankfully) only Johnny Gumbo, who swept many a damsel off her feet in the dance tent.  Gumbo went solo the following year and treated the Pool Hall Studs with his presence at Barry D's place in Newport for the night.  Oh, what a night!  ANYWAY, we're (or at least I am) trying to get there in time for Geoff Muldaur (Maria's ex) and his band, The Texas Sheiks.  From Wikipedia, so it must be true:  In 2009, Muldaur formed a roots super-group for work on a new album. Dubbing themselves Geoff Muldaur And The Texas Sheiks, folk and American music luminary Stephen Bruton, Grammy-winning Dobro player Cindy Cashdollar, fiddle virtuoso Suzy Thompson, guitarist Johnny Nicholas and bassist Bruce Hughes joined Muldaur in the studio for a pair of recording sessions in 2008. Bruton died in May 2009, but the music lives on in the album entitled Texas Sheiks that was released September 22, 2009, on the Tradition & Moderne label.

Today's lineup:
12:00 Danny Barnes Trio
1:15 Horace Trahan & New Ossan Express
2:30 Geoff Muldaur & the Texas Sheiks
3:45 CJ Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band
5:00 Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women
6:15 Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys
7:45 Donna the Buffalo
9:15 Robert Randolph & the Family Band

This has very little connection with the above, but check out this long ago jam with Leon Russell, Maria Muldaur and Bonnie Raitt - here.  Then, check out Leon on Shindig in 1964 below!!!!!!!! -

Saturday in the (Ninigret) park....

Today's lineup at Rhythm & Roots Festival:
12:00 Uncle Earl
1:30 Creole Cowboys
2:30 Lil Freddie King
3:45 Horace Trahan & New Ossan Express
5:00 Bonerama
6:15 Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys
7:30 Marcia Ball
9:00 The Texas Tornados
10:30 A Texas-Sized Star-Studded Jam with Texas Tornados, Marcia Ball, Johnny Nicholas, the Mamous and who knows who else

Long driver, low rider....

So, I was practicing my putting this afternoon in preparation for our usual Friday afternoon skins game, when a voice blasted from the nearby pavilion, "And the long drive winner is: a big crew-cut Will Farrell clone!" Hey, I know that jerk! He's one of the Pool Hall Studs! I didn't think he could hit it 100 yards based on the way he plays pool!

Okay, okay, maybe he isn't THAT bad (yes, he is!).   I've got to give him props, though, because he knows his music and can be a decent human being (on occasion).

I guess the world is a ghetto...

Funk band War tells PepsiCo they're not friends (AP)

NEW YORK – Members of the original funk band War say they can't be friends with PepsiCo. They're suing the soft drink maker for more than $10 million, saying it did not negotiate with them to use their song "Why Can't We Be Friends" in a new commercial. Even if PepsiCo and its agencies got rights from the music's publishers or anyone else who owns them, attorney Ken Freundlich and his co-counsel Max Sprecher said the company should have negotiated with the artists too. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles, some of the group's original members and a relative said they learned the 1975 hit was in the ad for Pepsi MAX only when the commercials launched in July. PepsiCo said in a statement it believes the lawsuit has no merit. "Pepsi has a long history of partnering with iconic celebrities and musicians and we value our relationship with the music and entertainment industry," the company, based in Purchase, N.Y., said in a statement Thursday. A spokesman for ad agency TBWA/Chiat/Day declined to comment Thursday, referring all questions to PepsiCo. The ad is part of a campaign pushing the no-calorie Pepsi MAX. The spot with "Why Can't We Be Friends" is a remake of the company's "Diner" Super Bowl commercial from 1995, but this time Pepsi MAX is pitted against Coca-Cola's popular Coke Zero. In the original, one of the best loved commercials from Super Bowl XXIX, delivery drivers from the rival soft drink makers form a short-lived friendship in a diner over music. Backed by the song "Get Together" from The Youngbloods in 1995, and War's hit in this year's ad, the drivers sample each other's drinks and the Coca-Cola driver prefers the Pepsi product. In both ads, the friendship comes to an abrupt — and funny — end. But the War members apparently weren't amused. They have asked for a jury trial and "confiscation of unlawful profits" in amount to be determined. Original members listed in the lawsuit are Harold Brown, Lee Oskar Levitin, Howard Scott, and Morris Dickerson. Laurian Miller, daughter of Charles Miller, is also a plaintiff. "Pepsi is selling its billion-dollar brand based on their voices and they have to pay for it," Freundlich said.