Saturday Matinee – Howlers, Howlers, Howlers, etc.

Very cool trio from Williams, Arizona, not to be confused with the Midnight Howlers of Madera, California.

Very cool trio from unknown regions, not to be confused with Ivory Joe & the Midnight Howlers of Nashville, Tennessee.

Very cool party band from Nashville, Tennessee, not to be confused with the inane and expensive Halloween costume called the Midnight Howler.

Inane and expensive Halloween costume called the Midnight Howler, not to be confused with Midnight Howler.

Okay, I’ll stop. Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here in a few short hours.

Saturday Matinee – Jared Dines, Hillbilly Moon Explosion, The Baboons, Howlin’ Wolf with Willie Dixon

Jared Dines commissioned the design of a 17-string guitar, paid $1,200 for it, then learned that it was made in China for $400. Pissed him off, so he destroyed it. He then ordered this 18-string from a legit Australian company. Nice catchy tune…

Hillbilly Moon Explosion is interesting. Not too many bands feature Wednesday Addams teaching Lurch how to do The James Brown (at least I think that’s the dance).

The Baboons‘ “It’s Dark” has a solid (but unattributed) Howlin’ Wolf groove, so let’s go there.

That’s Willie Dixon on bass. He wrote, arranged, produced, played and sang on some of the most influential blues standards in modern history, so it’s really a Dixon Groove.

Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here when you’re ready.

Foul Fowl

[Original image found here. I added the captions. Click on the image for the NSFK punchline.]

Saturday Matinee – Por Uhklelelas, Eric Clapton & JJ Cale, & Bill Tapia

Por Uhklelelas nailed it, and that’s the prettiest version of the song I ever heard. Unfortunately I can’t find a link to their website. On the other hand I can link to this:

Bill Tapia, aka,The Duke of the Uke, calls the chords. Huell Howser interviewed him.

Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here tomorrow whether you like it or not.

Saturday Matinee – John Holeman & Dom Flemons, Tony Joe White, D.L. Menard & Kent Gonsoulin

Hambone was an early precurser to diddley-bow and Rap. Here’s a demonstration featuring John Holeman & Dom Flemons found here. Related posts here.

BTW, that’s “Poke Salat,” not “Polk Salad,” and everyone who heard that song thought Tony Joe White was a black cajun guy.

That’s classic D. L. Menard. Might as well keep rolling with the theme.

Like this.

Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here tomorrow with more victimization and undeserved personal grievances. =D

Saturday Matinee – God’s Cricket Chorus, The Steve Gibbons Band, Amy Helm & Third World

God’s Cricket Chorus is awesome. I want that played at my funeral, by humans, followed by “Holiday For Strings.” played by crickets. [h/t Octopus]

Here’s Tom Waits‘ response when asked by NPR, “What is the most interesting recording you own?”

“It’s a mysteriously beautiful recording from, I am told, Robbie Robertson’s label. It’s of crickets. That’s right, crickets. The first time I heard it … I swore I was listening to the Vienna Boys Choir, or the Mormon Tabernacle choir. It has a four-part harmony. It is a swaying choral panorama. Then a voice comes in on the tape and says, “What you are listening to is the sound of crickets. The only thing that has been manipulated is that they slowed down the tape.” No effects have been added of any kind, except that they changed the speed of the tape. The sound is so haunting. I played it for Charlie Musselwhite, and he looked at me as if I pulled a Leprechaun out of my pocket.” [via]

In 1977 The Steve Gibbons Band covered Chuck Berry‘s 1969 recording of Tulane and did a decent job of it.

Amy Helm can wail, and her band jams it down your throat.

Third World‘s classic “96 Degrees In The Shade” seems appropriate given this week’s heat wave (and not for the political message).

Keep cool, folks, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks

Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks had an unusual sound for a band based in San Francisco at the peak of the psychedelic music era. From an obit in the New York Times 7 February 2016:

“He came to call his music “folk swing,” but that only hinted at the range of influences he synthesized. He drew from the American folk tradition but also from the Gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt, the Western swing of Bob Wills, the harmony vocals of the Andrews Sisters, the raucous humor of Fats Waller and numerous other sources.”

Hicks was still performing up until his demise at the age of 74.

THAT is the prettiest (and only) cover of Tom Waits‘ classic “The Piano Has Been Drinking” I’ve ever heard. The backup vocals are sultry, and note the subtle hat-tip at about 03:00.

Have a great weekend folks, and a long one if you’re taking advantage of a mid-week Independence Day.

Saturday Matinee – THE Interview, Pro-Bubbles, The Blues Brothers & Junior Wells with Buddy Guy

I love this interview.

Melody Yang is a Professional Bubbler [via].

Yeah, The Blues Brothers gave it a good cover in 1979, but this one is better. Junior Wells with Buddy Guy at the 1974 Montreux Jazz Festival is nothing less than killer.

Here’s Junior Wells’ original version from 1960.

Have a great weekend, folks, see you back here tomorrow whether you like it or not.

Saturday Matinee – Alt Math, Rag’n’Bone Man & Tom Waits

This is scary. The Correct Answer Is 22.

Rag’n’Bone Man‘s cover of the Stones “Gimme Shelter” is killer.

More about that talented Brit via Wiki:

Rag’n’Bone Man’s first hit single, “Human“, was released on Columbia Records in July 2016. It peaked at number one in the Official Singles Charts in Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland. It was certified Gold in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.

That’s is an entirely different version and a precursor to the one I’m familiar with:

Tom Waits is amazing.

Have a great weekend, folks, and for Fathers’ Day, buy your Dad a big bacon cheeseburger with fries and a pint of stout. He’ll love it, despite what your Mom says about it causing tumors in rats.

Saturday Matinee – Jurassic Parkour, Eliane Rodrigues, Doña Oxford & The All Night Long Blues Band

Not quite Sweded, but close. [Found here.]

Brazillian concert pianist Eliane Rodrigues discovered that her piano was defective, descended into Hell, then came back smiling. She’s no prima donna.

Doña Oxford ain’t no slouch either, and her keys melt. Let’s do one more.

The All Night Long Blues Band featured Sean “Bad” Apple, Dixie Street and Martin Grant with a nice cover of Hambone Willie Newbern‘s 1929 recording “Roll and Tumble Blues.” [Harp player Martin Grant passed away in March of 2015.]

Have a great weekend, folks. See y’all back here soon.