Saturday Matinee – George Jones, Caravan Palace & Acoustic Alchemy

R.I.P. “The Possum” George Jones (1931-2013).

Caravan Palace “Rock It For Me” [h/t to Bunkarina].

Acoustic Alchemy, led by Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale on guitars, Fred White/keyboard, Greg Grainger/drums and Gary Grainger/bass, Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, CA.

Looks like that’ll do for this edition of The Saturday Matinee. Have a great weekend.

Saturday Matinee – Boston Brass, Jazz In My Pants, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Jools Holland & Dragstrip Riot

After the atrocities in Boston this week, I was undecided on whether or not to post a eulogy for the dead, a lament for the maimed, or a patriotic kick ’em right in the nuts fight song. I figure the best move is to post videos of what radical islamic supremists hate the most: music, dancing and people having fun.

The Boston Brass. “Blues For Ben” has a funk tuba crank.

Jazz In My Pants -A fun interpretation of  “St. James Infirmary Blues.”

Doyle Lawson/mandolin, Jason Barie/fiddle, Jessie Baker/banjo, Corey Hensley/bass, Mike Rogers/guitar, Josh Swift/dobro, and Carl White/drums at Bluegrass Underground, Cumberland Caverns, Tennessee on July 22, 2011.

Jools Holland & His R&B Orchestra in 2010.

Dragstrip Riot 1958 shows the true evil decadence of the Western world with hot rods, hot chicks, & rock and roll.

That should keep you happy until the next edition of The Saturday Matinee. Have a great weekend folks, and pray for the people of Boston.

Saturday Matinee – Jonathan Winters, Manu Chao, Gnarlemagne & Billy Cobham/George Duke Band

Jonathan Winters (1925-2013) was the most talented improvisational comedian ever. R.I.P.

Manu Chao, Live Baionarena – Dia Luna Dia Pena. Chao’s got an interesting background that explains a lot of  his leftist politics.

Gnarlemagne‘s “Funky New Orleans” is some fun nasty ska.

“The Red Baron” by The Billy Cobham – George Duke Band, live at Montreax Switzerland in 1976. Very cool funk groove, featuring George Duke, John Scofield, Alphonso Johnson and Billy Cobham.

That’ll do for another edition of The Saturday Matinee. Have a great weekend folks.

Saturday Matinee – Fresh Guacamole, Freshlyground, Leon Russell & Friends

[h/t Bunkarina for finding this.]

“Pot Belly,” recorded in 2007 by South African band Freshlyground. Nice song with a cool video [via].

Here’s Freshlyground live with “Fire Is Low” from 2011.

Leon Russell celebrated his 71st birthday 2 April. From the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh, here’s  his take on the Stones‘ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and The Coasters‘ “Young Blood.”

The event was the first-ever benefit concert of such a magnitude and featured a supergroup of performers that included George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, the band BadfingerRavi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan [Wiki].

With that, we’re out of here. Have a great weekend folks.

Saturday Matinee – Dehydrated Peeps, Monochrome Dance, Musical Genius / Sex Symbol Earl Okin & Johnny Burnette


Just add water.

Both vids above h/t Aussie Phil

Earl Okin is almost as seductive as Leon Redbone (sorry, Earl).

Nice vid compilation of Johnny Burnette‘s version of Tiny Bradshaw‘s classic “Train Kept A Rollin'” previously featured here.

Have a great weekend folks. Whether you’re religious or not, never forget the meaning of Easter.

Saturday Matinee – Séamus & Séamus, Séamus, Séamus; Shameless & It’s A Shame

Séamus Conolly & Séamus Begley.


Séamus Ennis, God of uilleann pipes.

Pink Floyd sucks at the blues, and there’s proof. Even I can play harp better than that, but Séamus The Dog makes it all worthwhile. But here’s the part that’s bizarre. (According to Wikipedia “Séamus the dog does not exist. Paging Mr. Schrödinger…)

Those should have been posted last weekend for St. Patrick’s Day, but they weren’t. Gotta go with something somewhat unrelated.

That’s a vid based on “The Luck You Got” by The High Strung which was a themesong to a cable TV show I’ve never seen called “Shameless.”

There you go. The Spinners‘ “It’s a Shame,” and that’s how we’re going to wrap up this edition of The Saturday Matinee. Have a great Séam-free weekend, folks, see you back here tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Erin Go Bleaugh! To Hell with the Mnathan Nighe!

Clever cover of cover of Paul Anka’s “Lonely Boy” by Mnozil Brass [via].

Since Sunday (tomorrow) is Saint Patrick’s Day, we might as well get into the spirits.

We Have No Heads!! Jeff Donohoe (Tin Whistle/Slapped-Bass/Vocals) and Mike Grimes (Guitar/Vocals). Playing unplugged (except for the Bass). Drinkin and pukin at Jeff’s place in Albuquerque NM on Feb. 25 2009.

The Fenians were a great bar band at The Harp, and I’m glad they’ve made it to bigger venues.

Dropkick Murphys featuring Liza Graves of Civet.

What a classic to wrap up The Saturday Matinee.
Scare off the bean sídhe and have a great weekend folks.

Saturday Matinee – Litter Bottle Beetles, Alvin Lee, Terry Bean, Keith Richards & James Cotton

Australian Bottle Beetles [via].

That’s Ten Years After‘s version of the blues standard first recorded by Sonny Boy Williamson. RIP Alvin Lee.

Terry “Harmonica” Bean playing Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Bring It on Home” at the 2012 MS Blues Marathon Expo in Jackson, MS.

From the OMG Dept: Keith Richards and James Cotton performing “Little Red Rooster” during rehearsals for the Hubert Sumlin Benefit concert 2012.

And that’ll do it for another edition of The Saturday Matinee. Have a great weekend.

Saturday Matinee – The Steve Gibbons Band, Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox & The Carolina Chocolate Drops

The Steve Gibbons Band was cool. Anyone who could take a relatively obscure Chuck Berry song about a *ahem* novelty shop bust and get a minor hit in the 1970s was okay by me. I’d have never heard of Gibbons had I not been the 17th caller and won some albums.

Grampa Style. Scott Bradlee’s  Postmodern Jukebox cover of Macklemore‘s “Thrift Shop” is fkkn awesome. NSFK/NSFW warning on the link. [h/t to Bunkarina].

“Corn Bread and Butterbeans” by the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Why haven’t I heard of them before?

I dunno, Babs, but I do know this. It’s time to post The Saturday Matinee and be done with it. Have a great weekend, folks.

Saturday Matinee – Iguana Love, Mantis Love, Don Shaffer & Elizabeth Cotten

Henry Lizardlover, born March 27, 1954 as Henry Schifberg, is a herpetoculturist, writer, and photographer who has lived with as many as 60 lizards in his home.

Iguana love [via].

Mantis love [via].

Don Shaffer was the inspiration behind Radar O’Reilly, a character in the popular novel, movie and TV series “M*A*S*H.” It disturbs me how Hollywood co-opts and distorts the true contributions of people of merit and presents them as caricatures, as they did with Shaffer, Joe Rochefort, Adrian Cronauer, and many others.

Elizabeth Cotten had an interesting self-taught finger picking style that’s difficult to play – unless it’s played left handed on a right-handed guitar (and yes, her last name is spelled “Cotten”).

90 years old, she was still pickin’.

Playing guitar was tough enough for a lefty like me. I was never proficient on guitar or bass, and could never hold a pick; however, I knew some fakes enough to fool some folks. Learning on a re-strung guitar is probably a worse handicap for a southpaw than just flipping it over and keeping the standard tuning. That way, if there’s a guitar handy, you just pick it up and blow the right-handers away (like Jimi Hendrix did).

Wish I’d figured it out way back when. Coulda, shoulda, woulda, all on the Saturday Matinee. Have a great weekend, folks.