Saturday Matinee – Jackie Venson, John Németh and The Blue Dreamers & Christopher Ameruoso

Jackie Venson: Singer-songwriter Jackie Venson’s version of the blues – with its R&B, psychedelic rock – has invigorated Austin’s music scene with its refreshingly electric sound.” Rolling Stone

From the mud n’ spud fields of Idaho to the California Bay Area, then on to Memphis, Tennessee, John Németh and The Blue Dreamers play a good mix of retro and modern blues and soul.

3-string electric cigar box slide gitfiddle (and cowbell boot) from Christopher Ameruoso.

Been getting pretty good at sleeping in, especially with the winds and rains. I like weather when it matches my attitude, and watching it from the porch tomorrow sounds like a good plan. See you there and then.

Saturday Matinee – BluesBeaten Redshaw, Dave Hole & Ruf’s Blues Caravan

BluesBeaten Redshaw on cigar box banister rail & tea spoon diddley bow (via @bluesharp). Not a lot can be found about this BB Redshaw guy, other than he hails from Yorkshire, has been performing since he was 14, and drove a 1948 Fergusen tractor from northern England to Switzerland, playing gigs along the way.

Australian guitar slinger Dave Hole is living proof that there’s a Mississippi Delta somwhere in Oz.  [h/t Archie Archive]

Ruf’s Blues Caravan /Blues Got Soul revue brought together Si Cranstoun, Big Daddy Wilson and Vanessa Collier to perform Sam Cooke‘s classic righteously.

Don’t know about you, but these days are flying by for me. I must be doing something wrong, or maybe something right. Have a great weekend and we’ll trash talk whoever doesn’t show

Saturday Matinee – Aaron Moloney, Markus Proske & Lollypop Lorry

Aaron Moloney‘s Toast (2017) won an RTÉ 60 Second Short Award.

Markus Proske‘s 4-string electric cigar box guitar.

Lollypop Lorry covered the Wailers’ / Skatalites’ 1964 hit Simmer Down in style – wait for the trumpet solo. Not bad for a ska band from Russia.

Okay, outta steam, outta time, gotta go, be back tomorrow, seeya.

Saturday Matinee – Steve Gulley & New Pinnacle, Christopher Ameruoso, Tab Benoit & Tommy Castro with Samantha Fish

That’s Steve Gulley & New Pinnacle performing The Fiddle Player’s National Anthem in 2015(?). And yes, they got clogged by a buck dancer. “Orange Blossom Special” is probably the greatest train song ever, followed by the late Steve Goodman‘s “City of New Orleans.”

Nice 3-string electric cigar box slide git-fiddle from Christopher Ameruoso in 2015.

“Night Train” is a killer boogie jam by Tab Benoit, Tommy Castro & Samantha Fish recorded at The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA, 2014. Somewhere, John Lee Hooker is smiling.

Have a great weekend, folks. See you tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Werewolf Diskdrive, Justin Johnson & Buckethead

I really don’t know what to make of this, but it somehow seems appropriate given the fires in California. Reminds me of early Devo vids. [h/t Bunkessa]

Justin Johnson amazes me. Plays lead, rhythm, bass and chorus at the same time on a 4-string cigar box slider. One of the commenters on the Utoobage posted “I’m convinced this guy is f***ing Buckethead,” and others agreed, so let’s roll with that.

“I was eating it, and I put the mask on and then the bucket on my head. I went to the mirror. I just said, ‘Buckethead. That’s Buckethead right there.’ It was just one of those things. After that, I wanted to be that thing all the time.” –Buckethead

Yeah, that’s a hella nice jam despite the silly visual gimmicks. Brian Carroll rocks.

Then here comes this guy.

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

 

Saturday Matinee – The Great McGonigal, Super Chikan & The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

The Great McGonigal, aka W.C. Fields, knew his cigar boxes.

Guy’s playing a Diddley Bow. Pure awesome, and here’s his website.

And since the sentient voters of Scotland wisely chose to postpone secession from Great Britain for now, here’s this:  my favorite Scottish band ever:

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band was oddly under appreciated in the US (except for a cult following in Cleveland) but was popular in the proto-punk theater-rock scene in Great Britain. Vambo Rools.

Have a great weekend, folks, and be back here tomorrow for more inanity.