Category: Music

Saturday Matinee – Xylophone Ad, Joey Ramone, New York Dolls, The Milenberg Joys, Red Nichols

A wooden ball is set atop a long, wooden structure that might be a xylophone or a marimba, constructed in the middle of the woods. As the ball rolls downward, dropping onto each wooden “key,” it plays a note, and suddenly we are hearing Bach’s Cantata 147, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” .. “We did not add any artificial music at all,” Harano wrote (though they did adjust some levels to “bring out the sound of river and nature”).

Yeah, ultimately it’s a commercial, but it’s still very very cool. [via]

R.I.P. Joey Ramone  (d. 15 April 2001)

The New York Dolls were stuck between classic rock and proto-punk,  but they had that pseudo-tranny stuff going on that turned off a lot of potential fans, at least in my opinion.

[Deleted the video. Screw ’em since they’ve blocked embedded links.  If they don’t want free advertisement, then they shouldn’t post it on the Utoobage.]

The Katzenjammers. Nice trumpetingness. [h/t to Bunkessa]

So, in place of a cool video of the folks originally posted above, here are The Milenberg Joys. I think they had more talent than that Katzjamband anyway.

Red Nichols & His Five Pennies were awesome in their time.

Speaking of time, I’m out of it. Have a great weekend, folks. Be back here tomorrow for more fun.

Saturday Matinee – Nippoless Nippleby, Dan Hicks, Leon Redbone, 80s Ragtime


Nice absurd animation from the 1980s.


Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks were mildly successful in the 70s with their 1930s hot club jazz/bluegrass style. “Crazy ‘Cause He Is” was my favorite Hicks ditty. (NSFK: flip off in the vid image, mild language warning. Fun song otherwise.)

Leon Redbone’s version of  “Polly Wolly Doodle.” According to Wiki, there’s no secret meaning to the song, but here’s a verse I’d never heard:

“Behind the barn, down on my knees,
Sing Polly Wolly Doodle all the day;
I thought I heard a chicken sneeze,
Sing Polly Wolly Doodle all the day.
Oh he sneezed so hard with the whooping cough,
Sing Polly Wolly Doodle all the day;
He sneezed his head and his tail right off,
Sing Polly Wolly Doodle all the day.”

I suspect that the song predates The War Between The States even though the popular tune is played in ragtime. So let’s play some ragtime!

Yep. 1980s hits played in ragtime. There’s something wrong with piano players who can pull off stuff like this (actually, I think there’s something wrong with piano players in general). Must be a subconscious and deep-rooted jealousy thing just because I can’t do what they do.

And with that, we’re done. Have a great weekend, folks. Be back here tomorrow for more fun.

Saturday Matinee – Theft FAIL, Clarence Carter, Small Faces, The Turtles, Sam & Dave

Heh. If you’re going to steal a truck, better know how to operate a clutch. [Found here]

Clarence Carter‘s “Slip Away” was one of the prettiest R&B tunes of the 60s. Here he is in 2010 with an excellent live version.

Small Faces‘ “Hey Girl” from 1966 is fun in a trolley.

The Turtles, featuring Flo & Eddie, with “The Story of Rock and Roll.” About the only redeeming quality of this sappy song (besides the intro) is a nice move at about 01:45.

There should be no introduction needed for these guys. (Watch the dancer on the left… she’s doing a modified boogaloo.)

With that, I’m out. Have a great weekend folks – be back here tomorrow for more fun.

Saturday Matinee – MANT, King Sunny Adé, Steel Drum, ASWAD, The Sonics

MANT!

King Sunny Adé popularized Nigerian juju music during the “World Music” meme of the 1980s. Didn’t hurt that he was awarded the title of Minister of Music there, either.

Oh ya mon. Me got de steel drum reggae.

Adjust your volume up and groove it.

Great Googly Moogly! Here’s The Sonics “Anyway The Wind Blows” from 1967 – and all these years I thought it was a Frank Zappa composition.  Woof.

[Update: Maybe I was right after all. On the Wiki list for “Cruising with Ruben & the Jets” the song is credited to Zappa.]

Have a great weekend folks. See you back here tomorrow.

Happy Mardi Gras!

[Image found here.]

Gris gris gumbo yaya to y’all!

Saturday Matinee – The Cowans, Fats Waller, Art Tatum, George Clinton & Leon Redbone

Before you get all humpy like this is just a last minute hodge-podge throw-it-together post for the Saturday Matinee, chill. It’s all good, and it’s all connected in an odd sort of way…

September 2008: Fran & Marlow Cowan played an impromptu recital together in the atrium of the Mayo Clinic. The song is Arthur Clough’s “Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet” from 1910.

Fats Waller‘s “Aint Misbehavin'” (1929) was my introduction to early jazz before I knew who Fats Waller was. 1930s Jazz = Best Jazz in my book.

And then Art Tatum ripped it all apart and completely rebuilt the engine.

Gonna jump a few decades to Miles Davis‘ “Tutu.”

George Clinton‘s Mothership! [via Coldwarrior] One more? Heh. You got it.

Yep, Leon Redbone on Carson, playing “Diddy-Wah-Diddy,” which is somehow apropos for Mardi Gras gris gris gumbo yaya.

Have a great weekend folks, and be back here tomorrow for more fun.

Saturday Matinee – Frank Portolese, Joe Cocker & Leon Russell, The Chips, The Blues Brothers

“Hail Fredonia,” written and performed by Frank Portolese with Brian Sandstrom (Bass) and Rusty Jones (Drums).

Now for a completely unrelated vid, here’s Joe Cocker and Leon Russell from 1970 – “Cry Me A River.” Lotta noise, but a lotta fun.

Here’s CCR‘s “Ramble Tamble from 1970, pasted onto a time lapse cross-country roadtrip. The tune reminds me of The Chips‘ greatest hit  (sorry, no video action except for a spinning 45):

And then there’s Dan Akroyd‘s awesome and accurate rendition (lyrics previously posted here.)

Hell ride ricky ticky hubba lubba great weekend, folks. See you back here in a Hi-low ‘n sum a-chickawa.

Saturday Matinee – Hoogerbrugge, Moonshine, Karen Wheeler, Chet Atkins & Jerry Reed, Country Dick & The Beat Farmers

Hoogerbrugge’s “A Thunderstorm in a Beautiful Summer Sky.” Want more video oddness ala Hoogerbrugge? Click here.

Now let’s make some moonshine.

What’s moonshine without country? Here’s Karen Wheeler’s version of “Muleskinner Blues.” [via] (This is the same song that The Fendermen covered in 1960 with their rockabilly version.)

“The Claw.” Can’t beat a combo of Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins.

I bet I’ve posted this video before, but I’ve been a longtime fan of the late Country Dick Montana and the Beat Farmers, and it just seems right to wrap up this Saturday Matinee with Big Ugly Wheels.

Have a great weekend folks, and be back here tomorrow for more fun.

Saturday Matinee – The HorrorPops, The M3T30RS, Billy Bacon & The Forbidden Pigs, The Stray Cats, and Eddie Cochran

I don’t know how The HorrorPops missed showing up on my radar screen. Too much awesome in this psychobilly band from Denmark.

Before The HorrorPops came these guys.  The M3T30RS‘ version of “Rawhide” ain’t too bad, especially considering they’re from the U.K., and according to some are the originators of psychobilly.

Antedating The M3T30RS  came San Diego’s own Billy Bacon & The Forbidden Pigs, presented here in a gloriously crappy 35mm film. The missus and I were fortunate to see FP at their prime. Great show.

Just prior to The Forbidden Pigs, there were The Stray Cats, but y’all know about them.

Before The Stray Cats were even born, there was Eddie Cochran, arguably one of the most successful early Rockabilly recording artists. Sure it’s lipsynching but he faked the entire crowd out with the giant TV set, and his fans were given free chewing gum just to go along with it.

With that, have a great weekend, folks. See y’all back here tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – The Best 9-1/2 Minutes of Awesome You’ve Ever Seen, The Schoolmaster, Aswad, & Satchmo

9:49 minutes of pure Bollywood Awesome.  [via]

Rowan Atkinson is Teh Schoolmaster. Pay attention, Nipple.

Aswad. Good riddims, brah.

Satchmo. Can’t top him for the end of a Saturday Matinee.  Have a great weekend, folks, and be back here tomorrow for more fun.