Recently I was lucky to cover a record release party for the granddaddy of Latin Boogaloo, Joe Cuba. It was headlined by Chico Mann, guitarist in the afrobeat band Antibalas who has his own electro DJ side project that mashes up dance music from all genres into one big funky electric stew.
Here is some footage from that night that gives a sense of the mish-mash style that Chico Mann brings to the table, where he covers Joe Cuba songs, but adds some funky-ass beatz in there to modernize the tunes.
A few years ago, I was turned on to Old Crow Medicine Show by a friend of mine. After listening to most of their self-titled debut album, I decided that I liked their jug-band/old-timey/moonshine throw-down approach, and deemed myself a fan. I dug the tunes, though they were nothing mind-blowingly original. Then the final song on the album started up, and changed everything. The song was incredible. "Wagon Wheel" was one of those rare eye-opening, life-affirming tunes that made me all warm and fuzzy inside, made me smile to myself and think about the people I loved. And best of all, you could really sing along to it. It was absolutely timeless and catchy, the perfect campfire song.
At the time, I thought to myself, "Wow, this song is so much better than every other song on this album, it's an instant classic!" Though the rest of the album is also very enjoyable, "Wagon Wheel"'s absolute perfection made it seem a bit out of place with the rest of the songs on the album, and I wondered why.
Well, the answer to this is unexpected, but not surprising at all once it is known. The reason "Wagon Wheel" is so fucking incredible is because it was written by Bob Dylan! Duh! It seems so obvious now, doesn't it?
It turns out that old Bobby D had originally recorded this song as a rough, half-baked demo called "Rock Me, Mama" back in 1973 for his Billy the Kid Soundtrack album. There were no verses, just a chorus and some mumbles. It didn't make the final cut, and went unused. Somehow, almost 30 years later, Ketch Secor of Old Crow stumbled upon the unreleased recordings, and wrote his own verses for the tune, transforming it into the tune we know and love. The band got permission from Bobby to use his discarded gem, and the song is now officially credited to Dylan/Secor. Another testament to the legend of Dylan, who's output is so prolific that his musical trash can be picked up and turned into pure gold.
"Wagon Wheel" ended up being the song that put Old Crow Medicine Show on the map, making them the most popular old-timey jug-band in the country. This is not to downplay their talents as a band (they are awesome live), but rather to acknowledge their massive debt to old Zimmy. Here's Dylan's original demo:
I just reviewed a performance of Keller Williams, the multi-instrumentalist virtuoso hippie one-man-band. His acoustic guitar playing is astounding, but some of the effect is lost to his flippy-dippy vocals and silly demeanor. Regardless, he is unapologetic about his musical personality, and wears it with pride on his sleeve. And whether you like his songs or not, the man can rip it up on acoustic. Here's my take on his show:
To give a sense of his stage skills, here are two very different clips which showcase different sides of his performance. This version of "Best Feeling" showcases his pure instrumental virtuosity, and is also one of his better songs:
On the flip-side of the spectrum, this version of "More Than A Little" is a great example of how he uses his looping skills to lay down some funky dance-party beats:
Recently I was lucky enough to catch a true legend perform in concert. Ornette Coleman has blazed his own singular musical path for 50 years now, and has no peers when it comes to the music he plays. He defines his musical approach through the term harmolodics, a musical philosophy which is not bound by chords, key or time signatures, and has no tonal center whatsoever.
Listening to Ornette's type of music is often jarring and off-putting at first, but once you open up to it, it is mind-blowing in its expressiveness. Here's my review of the show for Jambase:
To get a sense of what a powerful experience seeing this man live is, here is a clip of him performing at Bonnaroo 2007. You either get it, or you don't. If you don't, you're missing out:
The unfortunate hairstyle commonly referred to as a "mullet" is commonly known to have reached its fashionable peak in the 1980s. And though this fashion abomination may be most commonly associated with clueless hicks and douchebags, few may know of it's curious beginnings - particularly in Britain during the early to mid-1970s.
Granted, over the years there have been countless other rock and roll fashion tragedies worth mentioning (just look at this sad, pathetic sight), but the mullet's prevalence amongst England's rock and roll royalty (approx. 1972-1976) is a phenomenon too widespread to not warrant a closer examination. Around this time, a particular proto-mullet was sprouting from Brit Rocker dome-pieces left and right, making for a blimey brotherhood of bitchin' hair that was probably cool at the time (but unconceivable to us in 2009). These brave men were trailblazers ahead of their time, and helped to make the world safe for mulleters everywhere throughout the 80s. They rocked their Brit-mullets with gusto, and pulled them off, sometimes. Here is a list of said Brits:
Faces-era Rod Stewart
Faces-era Ronnie Wood
Exile-eraKeith Richards in 1972
Genesis-era Phil Collins (minus 50 points for balding mullet)
Wings-era Paul and Linda McCartney (what the fuck, Paul? I mean, really.)
And finally, the man who's proto-mullet broke down more doors towards mullet acceptance than all of the previous rockers combined.... Ziggy era David Bowie, 'nuff said. He actually makes it cool, somehow, even today. Not sure how, but Bowie pulls it off. Good job, Bowie.
For a period in my life back in '07 or so, it seemed like Toto's "Africa" was following me around everywhere I went. Granted, I went through a phase where I was thoroughly obsessed with the song and its accompanying album, Toto IV (probably due to my discovery of Toto through the Yacht Rock series). This obsession started off as ironic, and gradually morphed into a genuine, authentic love for the song, which to my ears still exudes sonic and melodic perfection. The Toto boys were the master craftsmen of studio work in the early 80s, and it is no coincidence that Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson, in their plotting to rule the world, recruited them to help with production on Thriller.
My obsession aside, it got a little weird there for a while. I was hearing "Africa" on the radio way more than I had ever remembered hearing it before. This reached a head when I took a vacation to Jamaica. In all the cabs we took around the island, the radio played dancehall and reggae music almost exclusively. But then, in the midst of all this Jamaican music, while riding in the back seat of a cab to Treasure Beach watching the sunset, the only American song I've heard all week starts playing - "da-da-da-da-da-da-da-daaaa..." Who knew that Jamaica loves Toto? I was amused, if not a bit spooked.
So the vacation ends, and I take my plane home to Boston. Plane lands, I walk to baggage claim, wait for my luggage. Amidst the terminal echoes and P.A. announcements, the carousel turns, my bags round the corner, and the ceiling speakers go "da-da-da-da-da-da-da-daaaa..." What the fuck?!!
It must be noted that this is one of the few songs that I can listen to hundreds of times, and it simply does not get old. All my weird run-ins with "Africa" have made my day a little better, resulting in happy sing-alongs.
And so I was super-psyched to stumble across this version yesterday by a Slovenian acapella group. This is awesome and must be watched, even if you don't like acapella. It's fairly ridiculous, as they take themselves a little too seriously, but check out their take on the synthesizer solo at 4:43. Love it!
Here is a review that steps outside the comfort zone, as it is of a band that I don't particularly love. The Infected Mushroom show was a particularly intense mind-fuck barrage of beats and noise, and as I'm not a raver at heart, I couldn't truly get into it. Regardless, it was an interesting musical experience. And a note to you all: Psy-Trance is not for the faint of heart. It is utterly relentless.
So I don't know about you, but ever since I heard of MJ's death last week, I've had some serious case of MJ obsession. It seems like the world feels the same way, as his albums are currently taking up 13 of the 15 top spots in Amazon's bestselling music list as I write this.
It's been consistent for me lately that whatever I'm doing, be it working or grocery shopping or whatever, that my thoughts always eventually drift back to MJ, like they're being pulled by a super-funky magnet of some kind. I've found myself browsing the internets late into the night for breaking MJ news, or footage from his final rehearsal. I can't help it, I've been consumed by the man, the concept of MJ. In terms of cultural magnitude, his death is going to be right up there with Kennedy, Elvis, and Princess Di's. We'll always remember where we were when we heard that MJ died. This is a big fucking deal.
The man was, and will always be peerless. Dude's music is blasting from every other car that passes on the street these days, and will dominate most DJs playlists for months to come. But it seems like it's always the obvious, super-saturated cuts that are getting spun, i.e. "Billie Jean," etc. In response to this, in my current obsessive MJ mode, I've made an Essential Mix of super-fresh MJ Deep Cuts for y'all to download and get down to. You probably have heard some of these songs, but most will still be fresh and new to your psyche, and offer optimal danceability as a result.
An MJ Mix - The Deep Cuts
1. Jackson 5 - I Want You Back (Z-Trip Mix) 2. Jacksons - Lovely One 3. Jacksons - Give It Up 4. Jackson 5 - Stop! (The Love You Save) 5. Jackson 5 - Darling Dear 6. Jacksons - Everybody 7. Jacksons - Blame It On The Boogie 8. Jacksons - Your Ways 9. Paul McCartney w/ MJ - Say Say Say 10. Michael Jackson - Come Together 11. Jacksons - Walk Right Now 12. Michael Jackson - P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
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