Saturday Matinee – Luna Lee, Bywater Call, Alastair Greene & Danny Bryant

Born in Seoul and trained in traditional Korean music, expert Gayageum rocker Luna Lee became interested in western music while still in college. More about her here.

Bywater Call is a Toronto-based group formed by singer Meghan Parnell and guitar player Dave Barnes. They were nominees for the Southern Rock & Soul Independent Blues Awards in 2021. In 2024 they were nominated for International Blues Artist of the year (UK Blues Awards).

Born in Santa Barbara, CA, and now in Austin, TX, Alastair Greene was inspired to pursue a career in music by his grandfather, Chico Alvarez, a trumpeter in the Stan Kenton Orchestra in the 1940s-50s.

Danny Bryant was born in Hertfordshire, England, was playing professionally by 18, formed Danny Bryant’s RedEyeBand with his father, Ken Bryant, on bass. His dad retired in 2013, but the band continues on.

Hope you’re all hunkered down for the Winter Wallop – a big white frozen nasty from what I can tell. As a former Buckeye, it looks like beer and Euchre weather. As a now-spoiled west coaster, it looks more like porch time to me. I’ll be thinking about ya.

Saturday Matinee – Bendito Machine IV, Görkem Şen, Luna Lee & Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Soundcheck

Very cool oddness. Bendito Machine is a series, and this is No. 6. You are allowed to start from the beginning with Bendito Machine I.

“Yaybahar is an electric-free, totally acoustic instrument designed by Görkem Şen. The vibrations from the strings are transmitted via the coiled springs to the frame drums. These vibrations are turned into sound by the membranes which echo back and forth on the coiled springs. This results in an unique listening experience with an hypnotic surround sound.”

Luna Lee plays ZZ Top’s La Grange on a Gayageum and it works. Her story and more here.

“You know when a long haired dude shows up in a cowboy hat, leopard spotted duster and rattle snake boots some shit is about to go down.”

Name another bluesman whose video of a soundcheck garners 19.4 million views. Having just woken up, he yawns, flicks a booger and then busts it out. Stevie Ray Vaughan was one of a kind.

Have a great weekend, folks, and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Justin Johnson, Luna Lee, Kim Wilson & Patrick Sweany

Roots music performer Justin Johnson plays an electrified custom cigar box diddley bow.

Luna Lee plays Elmore James on the gayageum [found via].

The Kim Wilson Blues All-Stars. Jump to 08:20 for an impromptu jam.

Here’s some heavy duty swamp rock. Although Patrick Sweany is from Ohio, he stomps it with “Every Gun.Zach Setchfield on guitar, Ron Eoff (?!) on bass and Dillon Napier on drums.

That should make the nut for this edition of The Saturday Matinee. Have a great weekend, folks. See you tomorrow.