Saturday Matinee – The Veteran & The Neighbor, Junior Wells, The Healers & Roy Buchanan

Iraq war veteran (Airborne Infantry) bought a plot of farmland in rural Virginia and discovered that something came with it. Grab a mug and listen to his story.

Junior Wells‘ performed his 1960 hit “Messin’ With The Kid” live in 1993. The Blues Brothers did a decent cover in 1978, and this version by The Healers is killer.

The Healers have one fine lineup, and one fine cause.

Roy Buchanan (1939-1988) was one of the greatest unknown blues guitarists in modern history. Have a listen to “Roy’s Bluz” live in Austin Texas, 1976. [Related posts here.]

Have a great weekend, folks. Got a nice assortment of Hot Links for you to sift through tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – T. Rex, Mott The Hoople & Lou Reed

T. Rex was a proto-punk band despite the glam rock stuff, and yeah, Marc Bolan was a Jeepster.

Yeah, I listened to Mott The Hoople, too, despite the glam rock stuff.

And yeah, I listened to Lou Reed despite his earlier heroin-addled glam rock stuff.

Have a great weekend, folks, come back here tomorrow for more stuff.

P.S. Tomorrow is Fathers’ Day. Do him a favor. Call and say “Hi, Dad,” then leave him alone. He’ll appreciate it. =)

Saturday Matinee – Mr. Snuggles, Stan Ridgway, Reese Malone & Kelsi Kee, & Samantha Fish

Goodbye Mr. Snuggles. (Impressive credits roll, too.)

Stan Ridgway and Wall of Voodoo were unusual for the time. They weren’t prolific, but I liked what they did.

Filmed & Recorded on May 4, 2019 at the Dallas International Guitar Festival

Red House is pure awesome, but I can’t find a direct link to the band.
Kelsi Kee – Vocals
Reece Malone – Guitar
Ally Venable – Guitar
Anthony Cullins – Guitar
Danny Ross – Keys
Mike Gage – Drums
Aram Doroff – Bass


Holy crap. I just found this. So heavy and nasty.

Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here tomorrow for more awesome.

Big Chief Buffalo Hot Links

How to create a portal.

The Corgi & the Gauntlet.

The exploitation of Peter Max.

Cool EcoVid, but why the porn soundtrack?


Desert BluesJimmy Rogers, 1929.
Desert BluesSkeets McDonald, 1965.
Desert BluesRicky Nelson, 1967.
Desert BluesLeon Redbone, 1975.

More versions listed here.


If in Riverside, California, take this tour.
If in Wilmington, Delaware, take this tour.
If in Lynchburg, Tennessee, take this tour.


Max Mueller II, mayor of Idyllwild, California, is a real SOB and everyone knows it.

Mom ordered a t-shirt from China for her 3-year-old and it came with a surprise bonus feature.

And it’s all supposed to be spontaneous. Yeah, right.

Un-Aborted Pro-Abortion woman tries to make the argument:
Let’s eliminate suffering by killing those who MIGHT suffer.” Pheew. Even Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger was against abortion as a contraceptive (except for blacks). The entire premise is false.


From the archives: 10 years ago. 5 years ago. 1 year ago.

[Top image from here.]

Saturday Matinee – Leon Redbone (1892-2019)

“Why don’t they play pretty music any more?”

Leon Redbone was an iconic performer who reinvigorated the music of the late 19th to early 20th century, including blues, ragtime, dixieland jazz and country. That he pulled it off in the mid 1970s is an interesting commentary of the state of music of the time (mainstream rock was sucking donkeys). You couldn’t get more retro than Leon Redbone at that time, and he stepped right into the mix.

Rolling Stone described his repertoire as “so authentic you can hear the surface noise of an old 78 rpm.” During a 1974 interview (prior to release of any album) they asked where he first played in public. Redbone responded, “In a pool hall, but I wasn’t playing guitar, you see. I was playing pool.” Apparently he was pretty good at it.

I learned of the song “Ain’t Misbehavin” via some sheet music my late grampa had, and I liked the tune. I’d never heard of Fats Waller before I heard Leon Redbone’s version.

Then I heard Redbone’s over-the-top absurd version of The Sheik of Araby, a cover of this (1937) which was a cover of this (1922). I became a fan.

In the early ’80s I saw Mr. Redbone perform at The Golden Bear (a small but famous venue with no bad seats). His props were a rattan chair, a side table with a lamp, and his guitar. He was in the middle of a song when he saw the flash of a Kodak Instamatic camera. With lightning speed, he stopped, grabbed a Polaroid Swinger and took a photo of the photographer, then sat quietly humming until the image appeared. He held it up to view.

“Ahhh. Not a bad likeness.”

Then he resumed the song exactly where he left off.

I wasn’t aware of this until today, but there is a documentary on Leon Redbone. Here’s the trailer:

“He was always mysterious, he was always coming and going. It was almost like he was there one second and he’d be gone the next… and you never knew where he’d gone or why or how he’d even left, but suddenly he wasn’t there anymore.” – Jane Harbury, Publicist.

Here’s a link to the full documentary if you’re interested. It’s only 16 minutes, but it’s worth it.

Leon Redbone, you were a breath of fresh air into the stagnant late 70s music scene. May You Rest In Peace.

[Related posts here.]

Saturday Matinee – Hahn Beer, Ten Years After, Samantha Fish & Justin Johnson

Here’s another.

Okay, I think I see a pattern. Here’s one more.

Okay, I’ll stop, but not before I link to this Danier Leather commercial.

Alvin Lee & Ten Years After‘s “I’m Going Home” is one of the greatest speed metal rock tribute songs ever, and this live version dates to 1969 – Woodstock. TYA had only one Top 40 hit.

How ’bout some Samantha Fish?

Definitely dangerous. Hand her something with four wires nailed to it and she’ll jam it down your throat. I want to hear what she can do with a diddley bow.

That’s Justin Johnson playing classic Son House on a custom-made glorified diddley bow.

Have a great three-day weekend folks and please remember what Memorial Day is all about. See you back here tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Lake Street Dive, Ry Cooder & Cats Puking To Techno

Lake Street Dive sings “Take On Me.
That’s not A-ha’s version, but it’s a lot better. At least she doesn’t have to hike up her chonies to hit the high notes. The bass player is hot and the trumpet dweeb is killer.

Ry Cooder is a classic American guitarist. You’ve heard his stuff even if you don’t know his name. Watch for Harry Dean Stanton in this clip.

Cats puking to Techno is awesome [via].

Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here tomorrow, but before you go, click this.

R.I.P. Tim Conway (1933-2019)

The guy was naturally funny, especially when ad-libbing, and he did it all without profanity. Tim Conway was a real class act. We’ll miss him.

[Update:

A cartoonist named Randy Bish posted that tribute (via here).]

 

Saturday Matinee – Mitch Ryder, The Swingin’ Medallions & Robin Trower

William S. Levise, Jr. (aka Mitch Ryder) was entirely awesome and way ahead of his time, even though he was echoing bluesmen who weren’t getting credit or pay for their songs. Yeah, he ripped them off.

The Swingin’ Medallions had some cool hits in the ’60s, especially “Double Shot Of My Baby’s Love.” (Note the stage floor choreography markers.) Killer stuff.

I was in Jr. Hi when I first heard those guys. I liked the music, but at the same time I thought they were dangerous. I don’t remember why.

How ’bout this? Here’s a faceload of Robin Trower.

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

Saturday Matinee – Claude Fontaine, Jerry Reed & CSN&Y – Kent State Day

Bunkessa suggested I post Claude Fontaine. Nice stereotypical reggae groove, but her fake wispy voice kinda turns me off.

I’d rather hear this.

Jerry Reed was a hoot.

Then something happened on 4 May 1970 and a bunch of morons chimed in, like these guys:

Took me a long time to realize that CSN&Y were nothing more than a bunch of musically talented idiots.

See you back here tomorrow.