Category: Saturday Matinee

Saturday Matinee – The Blind Boys of Alabama, Toby Beard & King King

Jaw-dropping rendition of the gospel standard by The Blind Boys of Alabama. The lyrics were penned by English abolitionist Rev. John Newton in 1773, and the tune predates House of the Rising Sun by decades.

Toby Beard  is a blast from Down Under [h/t Aerchie].

King King features frontman Alan Nimmo and brother Stevie on rhythm guitar, with Jonny Dyke (keyboard), Andrew Scott (drums) and Zander Greenshields (bass). Unpretentious blues rock with a kilt.

Quite an odd week, got some milestone decisions to think about, so I’ll be sitting on the porch with the dogs and a Coleman if you want to stop by for a slab of coldies.

Saturday Matinee – Link Wray, Billy Bacon and The Forbidden Pigs & The Highmarts

Link Wray did what Elvis couldn’t.

Billy Bacon and the Forbidden Pigs = Billy Bacon / bass, vocals; Adrian Demain / guitar, vocals; David Bernson / drums. They were a fun band live.

The Highmarts = Suzu /guitar & vocals; Haruna / bass; Minako / drums (sitting in for Karin). More about this Japanese garage band here.

Outta time, gotta go, see you tomorrow. Here.

Saturday Matinee – Rising Appalachia, Little Feat (w/ Lowell George), and Moreland & Arbuckle

Such a pretty sound. Rising Appalachia plays roots-based music righteously.

Little Feat, with founder Lowell George and Mick Taylor sitting in, live in London 1977.

“Where Zeppelin meets Son House.”
Moreland & Arbuckle were a trio consisting of Aaron Moreland on box guitar, Dustin Arbuckle on harp, Kendall Newby drums. Active from 2001-2017, they’re still performing, with different bands and lineups.

Gonna be a long hot (and probably loud) weekend given Independence Day on schedule for Tuesday. Don’t blow your wad of Black Cats too soon and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Marcin Patrzalek, Ronnie Wood, and Samantha Fish w/ Jesse Dayton

Polish guitar savant Marcin Patrzalek‘s skills are astounding, combining Spanish flamenco with finger style. Much of his repertoire appears to be classical; this version of Bart Howard’s In Other Words (1954) is a bit lighter.

The 1987 concert was recorded and released the following year as Live At The Ritz. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. “Where’s Bo?” It’s not a Utoobage typo – Bo Diddley shared the stage with Ronnie Wood but sat out this song.

Samantha Fish meets Jesse Dayton – Rockabilly happens with their cover of Brand New Cadillac (Vince Taylor & His Playboys, 1959). Too bad the bass isn’t heavier, but then the Cadillac would belong to Peter Gunn.

Looks like a weekend is happening, so have a great one and we’ll deal with stuff tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Cimafunk, Raskahuele & Seratones

Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodríguez, aka Cimafunk, chonks out Afro/Cubano grooves with some hip hop on the side. Nice blend.

L.A.’s Raskahuele from a few years back. (Don’t mind the Toaster, the music gets better).

They’re part rock, part psychadelia, part R&B and part soul, but mostly Seratones is lead singer and guitar player A.J. Haynes. When asked what inspires her, she responded, “Afrofuturism.”

Since tomorrow is Fathers Day, let’s schedule some quality Sitting-On-The-Porch-With-The-Dogs time. Have a great weekend.

Saturday Matinee – A.I. – The Carnival of the Ages, LA Priest, The Growlers & Sturgill Simpson’s Sunday Valley

“Where past and future collide in a retro-futuristic spectacle.”
[via Nag On The Lake]

LA Priest (aka Sam Dust, aka Sam Eastgate) found some electrical outlets in the Mexican jungle to play Carribean techno space lounge music.

The Growlers had some fun with a dark subject.

Enough of that oddness. Time for some jaw-dropping high speed electric bluegrass hollerin’ cowpunk, and Sunday Valley fits the bill. The band is defunct, but Sturgill Simpson is still kicking it… somewhere.

Well looky here. It’s the weekend again, so have a great one and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

 

Saturday Matinee – Genya Ravan, Pat Benatar & Larkin Poe

Proto punk soul singer and producer Genya Ravan blew me away when I heard Stay With Me (1970), and check out her 1977 interview here.

Pat Benatar‘s 1991 cover of Denzil Laing & the Wrigglers‘ 1958 cover of
Wynonie Harris‘ 1951 cover of Hank Penny‘s song from 1949.

Larkin Poe gets all nasty and swampy.

You know the drill. Have a great weekend.

[Update: Fixed link to Stay With Me.]

Saturday Matinee – Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, The Contours, and Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros is a bit of an enigma to me. Some songs sound like folk busker music, some seem almost evangelical, and then they morph into a psychedelic jug band. Formed by singer Alex Ebert, the band’s name is based on a story he wrote about a messianic figure named Edward Sharpe.

The Contours should need no introduction, but not according to some of the comments in the Utoobage. The 1962 hit Do You Love Me was written by James Brown and Pee Wee Ellis.

A former James Brown impersonator, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires turned up the soul groove with this retro gem from 2014. Great bassline too.

Happy Memorial Day weekend, stay safe in your travels, and we’ll be sitting on the porch as usual if you want to stop by.

Saturday Matinee – Aaron Hughes’ Five Cents, The Meteors & The Interrupters

Aaron Hughes‘ impressive hand-drawn animation Five Cents:
“Drawn by hand on thousands of market data pages from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times with ink, white-out, gouache paint, gold leaf and other materials.”
[h/t Mme. Jujujive].

Formed in South London in 1980, The Meteors are considered the first verifiable psychobilly band (and the second band to use the term).

The Interrupters: Aimee Interrupter & the Bivona brothers always look like they’re having fun, probably because they are.

That’s all for now. Be back here tomorrow and we’ll make up stuff.

Saturday Matinee – Smooth Hound Smith, Justin Johnson & Cam Cole

Smooth Hound Smith were an Americana duo comprised of Zack Smith and Caitlin Doyle-Smith; their sound reminds me of Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks. After ten years of performing and recording, they closed up shop during The Great Covid Lockdown.  Apparently Z.G. Smith is now back in business.

Justin Johnson‘s unusual cover of Howlin’ Wolf fits my mood.

Cam Cole, busker, bluesman, rocker, recording artist, and “the most impressive one-man band you will ever see” has a new EP out, but this one is still my favorite.

Porch time is on schedule for tomorrow, so we’ll see you there.