Tag: folk

Saturday Matinee – Jesse Welles, The Anthony Paul Soul Orchestra w/ Willy Jordan, Curtis Salgado, and Vanessa Collier

Born and raised in Ozark, Arkansas, Jesse Welles began his career around 2012, performing as Jeh Sea Wells. “It’s obvious that Wells will always be comfortable in some dirty rock and roll kitchen where, as he says in one song, ‘everyone’s kinda ugly in that way that looks pretty.'” – NPR

60s-70s soul sounds from San Francisco: The Anthony Paul Soul Orchestra (APSO) features Willy Jordan.

R&B soul singer Curtis Salgado won the  Blues Music Awards’ Soul Blues Male Artist Of The Year two years in a row (2021 & 2022). Salgado was the inspiration behind John Belushi’s creation of the Blues Brothers characters in the late 1970s. They met in Eugene, Oregon, and became friends while Belushi was filming the movie Animal House [Wiki].

Nice Louisiana dixiefunk. Vanessa Collier fronts an 11 piece band that includes Laura Chavez (guitar), Doug Woolverton (trumpet) and Mark Earley (sax).

Gonna take my hatchet and get a Christmas tree tomorrow. Not gonna cut it, I just get a better price with a hatchet in my hand. Don’t know why, I just do. In the meantime, help yourselves to the porch and I’ll be back soon enough.

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 – 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 – Mississippi John Hurt, John Hiatt w/ The Jerry Douglas Band & Les Greene w/ The Televisionaries

Mississippi John Hurt, recording from Pete Seeger’s “Rainbow Quest” series (1965/1966) a television show devoted to folk music.

The great John Hiatt, backed by The Jerry Douglas Band, gets all sweet and swampy and stuff.

Grammy nominee and Swayzees frontman Les Greene teams up with The Televisionaries, a surf punk band from Rochester New York, and the result is.. that.

Have a great weekend, see you on the back porch tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Rail Yard Ghosts, The Spuny Boys & BoDeans

Railyard Ghosts are a self-described “deathgrass band” from Minnesota, but are categorized by others as a folk punk  orchestra. Their lineup is constantly changing, excepting Ms. RabbitTail Abigail and Mr. Riley Coyote. Not much more about them here.

The Spunyboys covered Ronnie Dawson‘s 1959 hit Rockin’ Bones with reverence in 2018, Villeneuve St. George, France.

BoDeans formed in 1986 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and they’re still at it. Recorded in 1993 and performed here in 2015, Closer to Free is their biggest hit to date.

Looks like something big and nasty is comin’ round the mountain, and it’s not gonna be fun. Hope the effects don’t affect us as much as I think they will, but we’ll carry on. See you back here tomorrow and we’ll do laundry.

Saturday Matinee – The End, The Brothers Comatose w/ AJ Lee, Justin Johnson & Kingfish Ingram

In 2020, the world stood still… in the movies too.
The End is an experimental narrative short film, in black & white and color, made only with movies gifs with a perfect loop, more than 500.
The End is also a tribute to the cinema, from silent films to now.

Music by Enrico Morricone. [h/t Mme. Jujujive]

The Brothers Comatose with AJ Lee covers Neil Young – and do it better.

Justin Johnson‘s style mashup works.

23 year old Kingfish Ingram has already recorded and/or performed with Rick Derringer, Samantha Fish, Eric Gales, Guitar Shorty, Buddy Guy, Bob Margolin, Keb Mo, Mr. Sipp and the Tedeschi Trucks Band. Amazing.

Whoa. It’s the weekend already. Lotta time flies these days and we’ll see you tomorrow sooner than you think.

Saturday Matinee – Blackberry Smoke, Valerie June & The Delta Saints

Blackberry Smoke lies on the trackalacka with their cover of Aerosmith’s Hangman Jury (1987).

Valerie June  began recording and performing in 2000 (at the age of 19) and plays a combination of blues, gospel and Appalachian folk that she calls “organic moonshine roots music.”

Self-proclaimed “Bourbon-Fueled Bayou-Rock” band from Nashville, The Delta Saints  lay down some serious heavy worry. They opened for Blackberry Smoke in 2014.

I think that’ll do for now. Have a great weekend (enjoy it while weekends are still legal) and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Byrd Theater PSA, John Fred & His Playboy Band, The Tractors & Tom T. Hall

The Byrd Theater in Richmond, VA has played the same PSA before every movie since the early ’80s, and the audience recites every word along with it. From the comments:
“Wow, takes me back. the crowd participation was one of the best aspects of this PSA, a whole theatre saying “sssssick!” was amazing.”

According to John Fred & His Playboy Band,  Judy had cantaloupe eyes. (The color version of this 1968 promo video was poor quality, so the guy who posted it converted it to black and white.) The song was co-written by baritone sax player Andy Bernard and lead singer John Fred Gourrier, both of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Bernard pawned some memorabilia on Cajun Pawn Stars (2012, Season 2, Episode 14).

Mama’s little baby goes trippin’ in the kitchen with a different take on the traditional folk song by The Tractors.

“The Story Teller” Tom T. Hall, best known for Harper Valley PTA, passed away yesterday at the age of 85. R.I.P. to a great songwriter.

A lot of disturbing news flying around these days, but we’ll get past the insanity somehow.   Meanwhile have a great weekend, cherish family and friends (except for, um, you know) and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, Jerry Jeff Walker & The Stones

Kitty, Daisy and Lewis Durham are a quirky group of siblings from London who play a mix of R&B, blues, soul, punk, rock and roll, and West Indian music. This one sounds a bit swampy to my ear, and their version of Polly Put Your Kettle On is a good ‘un. More about them here.

Jerry Jeff Walker (1942-2020) in Austin, Texas, 2014. He had a successful run in the 1970s and never stopped having fun. (Anyone who can write a song about relieving yourself in the breeze has my vote.)

This obscure band from the UK has great potential, but damn are they ugly. Cool song, though.

That’s it for now, see you tomorrow, a/c or not.

Saturday Matinee – Leningrad Cowboys, Eliza Doyle w/ Paula McGuigan, The Dead South & Elvin Bishop

Leningrad Cowboys are from Finland, and you’re on your own with this one. [h/t Mme. Jujujive]

Eliza Doyle on banjo, Paula McGuigan on upright bass. Amazing harmonies.

https://youtu.be/1C9YlcvhIm4

The Dead South (with Eliza Doyle) covers Roger Miller. It’s a singalong.

My uncle used to love me but she died;
A chicken ain’t chicken ’til it’s licken good and fried;
Keep on the sunny side;
My uncle used to love me but she died.

Jump to 0:50 to bypass the intro (or not).
Elvin Bishop is one underrated master of swamp rock guitar, always looks like he’s having fun with it.  He’s still performing (despite the lockdown).

Leave your masks at home, reduce your social distancing to the length of your forearm, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.