Category: Music

Saturday Matinee – Robin Trower, Procul Harum & Clarence Gatemouth Brown

Robin Trower‘s album Bridge of Sighs was a gold record in 1974. (According to Trower, the title song was named for a racehorse that was named after il Ponte dei Sospiri).

Procul Harum in 2013(?) playing their 1967 hit “Whiter Shade of Pale,” featuring Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher, Robin Trower, Chris Copping.

Okay, the slow dance is over. Let’s crank it up.

Clarence Gatemouth Brown (1924-2005) burns through “Pressure Cooker” and “Up Jumped The Devil.” Amazing musician, and his 1981 album “Alright Again!” is one of my favorites.

Have a great weekend folks, wherever you are.

Opinionated Hot Links

Brazil 2016

Epic Cat is still epic.

84 year old shows his stuff at Muscle Beach.

Weaponized Victimhood: “This is not a grand battle against institutionalised injustice. This is an addiction to indignation.”

The MiniMoog made music history. Here are Parts 1 & 2 of an interesting (but flat) documentary.

Remember Walter Carlos? He flipped the switch years ago, and nobody cared. Why does anyone care about that Bruce guy?

The Ramones 31 December1977 London. Very cool, but they didn’t play Sheena.

Canadian cities in the 1950s in watercolor.

Cussing in the carnival photobooth.

Incarcerated for his opinions in the United States of America, Dinesh D’Souza has a new film out.

FWIW, The Blogmocracy had trouble migrating their blog. Their new address is http://www.blogmocracy.com so update your bookmarks.

[Top image from here, with the caption:
“Already struggling with an impeachment challenge, the worst recession in a century and the biggest corruption scandal in Brazil’s history, the Workers Party leader was given another reason to doubt she will complete her four-year term.”
Something sounds familiar.]

Saturday Matinee – Dinosaurs, Ted Hawkins, Playing For Change, Steve Ray Vaughan & Johnny Copeland

Dinosaurs are always fun, and this video has a great cast of relative unknowns. It’s over an hour long, but that’s just a day in dinotime.

Ted Hawkins (1936-1995) had more success in the UK than the US, although he had a local fan base in Venice Beach CA where he was a popular busker. Check out his background at the link.

[h/t Charlie L.]

This version of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” is fascinating, as it appears that all the players recorded remotely. Playing For Change is not a band, it’s an organization based in Venice California that records musicians from around the world, and is dedicated to creating and supporting music schools particularly in developing countries.

Haven’t heard any Stevie Ray Vaughan in a while, so here he is with fellow Texan Johnny Copeland, live At Montreux 1985.

Have a great weekend, folks. Stay cool.

Unperturbed 3×4 Hot Links

They are roughly 3 inches by four inches

The Anacreontic Song as sung by the University of Michigan American Music Institute Chorus, with Scott Van Ornum on harpsichord and soloist Jacob Wright, conducted by Jerry Blackstone.

The complete words to “Defence of Fort M’Henry.”

The National Anthem, The Great War & The 7th Inning Stretch. There’s a connection.

Giant bat farts [via].

13 Illinois Toads & Frogs living in squalor and what they sound like. The Green Frog sounds like the intro to Seinfeld, but The Wood Frog is a serious contender for my next ringtone.

Here are some sources in case you ever need one.

Just Googled “Eyelash Peacock Dumpster.” I was not impressed.

Black Napkins is my personal choice for the theme song of the 2016 Presidential Election. If it all goes awry, I’ll replace it with Watermelon In Easter Hay.

[Personal to Weez: Thanks for the phone call.]

[Top image: “They are roughly 3 inches by 4 inches.” Found here.]

Saturday Matinee – NASA 1961, Jason D. Williams, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, & The Yonder Mountain String Band

This magnificent feat was engineered with slide rules, and it amounted to blasting a giant bullet containing a human into the sky, then recovering both it and Alan Shepard intact [via]. Those early astronauts had big brass ones, and the creepy music made it even better. (John Glenn appears at 04:15.)

Speaking of Great Balls of Fire, here’s the next best thing to The Killer. Jason D. Williams pounds the ivories with Sticks McGhee‘s 1947 classic “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-dee-o-dee.”

Spodiodi was street slang for chipping in for a cheap bottle of fortified wine in a brown paper bag and sharing it with your buddies. Urban Dictionary says “Spodiodi” is a glass of wine spiked with bourbon. Nah.

BTW, Sticks McGhee was the brother of Brownie McGhee, who partnered with harmonica player Sonny Terry known for his harmonica whooping. “Key to the Highway” was covered by many, including what’s his name. That famous British guy. You know. That guy.

Here’s some Easy-On-The-Ear-Holes stuff from The Yonder Mountain String Band. They need some authentic whooping in my opinion. Maybe even some eefin.

Have a great weekend, folks, and be glad that you’re not in Turkey.

Hot Links Del Mar

Gastropod Eggs

Electric eel leaping out of a tank to shock a fake alligator head [via].

Woman from San Diego has been banned from visiting over 21% of America.

Riding the Strandbeest bike [via].

Link Wray.

Classic P.J. O’Rourke heresy. (Don’t get any ideas, kids.)

PNBHS Haka for Mr. Tamatea’s Funeral Service is still an excellent tribute.

“100 Years” is a movie scheduled for release in 2115. The idea is to purchase metal tickets and pass them on to your descendants.

“…We can be rich in cotton and mining metals, and silk worms, and we can make things, things cars, the machine can make it for us; and we can have the community, and city, in San Francisco; and we can make things and put them in the store. On the East Coast they have slaves and believe in slavery and made in China…” She has it all figured out.

JUST RELAX.

[Top image: Giant gastropod egg capsules of the species Adelomelon brasiliana washed up near Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires and were herded into concentric circles by locals. Found here.]

Saturday Matinee – USS America, Accidents & Blunders, Johnny Winter w/ Popa Chubby

Cool timelapse of USS America LHA-6 arriving in Pearl Harbor for RIMPAC 2016 (not to be confused with the aircraft carrier USS America CV-66 which was decommissioned in 1996) [via].

[Found here.] Warning: Too dark for young kids.

Here’s something a bit lighter.

Johnny Winter, with Popa Chubby, Frank Latorre & The King Bees,  at the B.B. King Blues Club in NYC on 23 February 2014.

Have a great weekend, folks.

Saturday Matinee – Big Daddy, Big Daddy and Big Daddy

Big Daddy‘s take on Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” is pure awesome. Check out their mashup of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – you’ll love it. You might even be able to find a clean download somewhere before it’s gone (hint hint nudge nudge).

Then there’s this Big Daddy I never heard of. Pure brilliance happens within the first 60 seconds. See how long you can stand it before you click on

this. The Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Mugs mug too much, but their music is retrohot.

Nice drivin’ acoustic blues by Big Daddy Wilson, live at the Bluesmoose Café 14 March 2012, featuring
Big Daddy Wilson – vocal & percussion
Roberto Morbioli – Guitar
Detlef Blanke – Bass.

Whoa Mama! There’s a long weekend coming up. Have a great one, and be back here tomorrow if only because we told you to.

Father Michael, Row The Boat Ashore

Michael Row The Boat Ashore Live

[Found here, and yes, we discussed it at length yesterday when you weren’t paying attention.]

Saturday Matinee – LAZAR, Ry Cooder & Black Country Communion

Unusual animation from the 1980s. It reminds me of Terry Gilliam‘s “Brazil” from the same period, and it’s apropos, given yesterday’s #Brexit vote in the UK.

Ry Cooder‘s version of Johnny Cash‘s “Get Rhythm” (from the album of the same name) is introduced by Harry Dean Stanton. Cooder’s swamp rock take of Elvis’ “All Shook Up” is killer.

PeteR recommended Black Country Communion featuring Glenn Hughes, so here he is, there they are, and here we go.

Have a great weekend, folks, and if we’re not rockin’ tomorrow we’ll be rollin’.