For those of you in the Memorial Day BBQ crowd, wrapping up your roadtrips, or just chillin’ on the porch, here are some random unrelated tunes posted in May of the years 2020 – 2025, ordered by year of release.
[Caveat: I don’t own the copyrights to any of the recordings. They are presented here for entertainment purposes only.]
I Can See Clearly Now, Lachy Doley Group (2021) Cover of Johnny Nash’ 1972 hit by Australian musician, singer and songwriter Lachlan R. “Lachy” Doley, best known for playing the Hammond organ and whammy clavinet.
The Bic Cristal [via My OBT].
Claycat’s Doom – The Dark Ages.
My new ringtone [via Bunkerville].
Reading Ulysses in Montana #668.
Top 100 rock albums from the 1980s.
May 1980 – Mount St. Helen eruption.
Sheriff Buford Pusser Home & Museum.
Lena Guberman’s masks [via Everlasting Blört].
Steaming Across Panama [via The Feral Irishman].
“Oh, honey? Mind stopping by the store on your way home?”
Alcohol and stairs in a Russian kitchen [via Memo Of The Air].
[Top image: Retro Future charging station via Club Cranium.]
From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago. 15 years ago.
Ooh Poo Pah Doo, Taj Mahal (1996) Cover of Jesse Hill’s 1960 classic. It was originally performed by a New Orleans pianist known only as “Big Four”. Reportedly Hill wrote down the melody and lyrics while hearing it live and began performing it with his own band.
Tasting Surströmming.
Discussing Surströmming.
Fkkn Jeff [via Feral Irishman].
The French invented car theft.
The Infanticiser [via Bunkerville].
Kerry Hyde’s science fair project (2021).
YouTubes’ 20 year anniversary Top Ten.
Pickle lovers always insist on a proud pickle.
Listen with your teeth [via Memo Of The Air].
American polyglot learns bonabo [via Everlasting Blört].
[Top image: The Crow, digital art by Sigi Kolbe ca. 2009 found here.]
From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago. 15 years ago.
Playing For Change x Visit Mississippi. Nice variations on Robert Johnson’s classic.
Born in 1952 on Craig Air Force Base near Selma, Alabama, slide guitarist, singer and songwriter Kenny Brown plays in the North Mississippi Hill Country blues style. He was taught by some of the best, including R.L. Burnside, who claimed him as his adopted son.
Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, James Thomas Uvalle (1980 – 2015) taught himself to play guitar at the age of 11. At 16 he adopted the moniker JT Coldfire and began his songwriting and performing career. He passed away suddenly at 35 years.
“The Killborn Alley Blues Band kills. Picture a deep-dish Chicago version of the Fabulous Thunderbirds back 30 years ago.”
Tom Clark, review of Tear Chicago Down, Hittin’ the Note • Issue 55, 2007.
Stock market up, stock market down, stock market up, and shake it all around. Been happening forever, seems a lot of people with TDS just began to notice. Meanwhile, the porch will open tomorrow promptly at whenever and we’ll discuss the best methods of trapping a skunk. See you then.
OK Go outdid Rube Goldberg in this sequence from 2010, all filmed in one take. Their website features behind-the-scenes clips of the set ups.
Professor Louie & The Crowmatix was founded by frontman Alan Hurwitz: “While performing as a duo with Rick Danko on stage, Rick would start calling me Professor Louie, and it was really a great honor.” Hurwitz produced three studio albums for The Band, and went on to form Woodstock Records.
Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse is a roots rock blues Americana country soul band from California, featuring vocals by documentary filmmaker, television producer, business entrepreneur and Louisiana native Greta Valenti.
The Terraplanes Blues Band is a relative newcomer to the scene. Having released their debut EP in 2020, they’ve already won recognition as “Emerging Blues Act of the Year” at the UK Blues Awards 2023.
Have a reverent Easter, an irreverent egg hunt, and stop in if you’re passing by – the porch is never closed.
You Keep On Worrying Me, Ike Turner & the Kings of Rhythm (1959) “Turner maintained strict discipline over the band, insisting they lived in a large house with him so he could conduct early morning rehearsals at a moment’s notice. He would fire anyone he suspected of drinking or taking drugs, and would fine band members if they played a wrong note.”
THIS.
It’s gonna be okay [via Bunkerville].
The Spotniks [via Everlasting Blört].
The Toronto Recursive History Project [h/t Jason F.].
“It’s a profound gas, Mr. Gunn“ [via Memo Of The Air].
Soho (Cafe Francais) 1955 [via The View From Lady Lake].
“I am a dwarf and I’m digging a hole. Diggy diggy hole, diggy diggy hole.”
[Top image found here.]
From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago. 15 years ago.
Brazil native and harp virtuoso Indiara Sfair has a tutorial for harmonica beatboxing here.
Nick Waterhouse has an eclectic mix of styles: rockabilly, R&B, jazz and soul, with traces of both old Americana and modern indie rock. He likes vinyl records too.
Besides being guitarist for Supertramp, Carl Verheyen is “one of LA’s elite ‘first call’ session players for the past 40 years, playing on hundreds of records, movie soundtracks and television shows.” Unfortunately Verheyen’s videos don’t credit the band, but that’s Dave Marotta on bass, John Mader / drums, Troy Dexter / keyboards and Hollye Dexter / vocals.
Message to 2025: Please STFD and STFU. We’ve had just about enough of your shit. Take a breather. Message to everyone else: Porch time commences at the crack of noon. See you there.
Master of the 3-string electric shovel, Justin Johnson slides on anything.
Too Slim & The Taildraggers go slidin’ all over the two lane. The award-winning trio has had six albums peak in the top 10 of the Billboard Top Blues Albums. Members currently consist of Tim “Too Slim” Langford (lead vocals, guitar), Robert Kearnes (bass, vocals) and Jeffrey “Shakey” Fowlkes (drums).
Gospel, soul and blues singer Otis Clay (1942-2016):
Gospel would remain Otis’ primary focus. After arriving in Chicago during the mid-1950s, he joined the Golden Jubilaires, then hooked up with Charles Bridges’ Famous Blue Jay Singers in 1960. “Here we are singing acappella, and we’re singing in elementary schools, high schools, hotels and colleges and things like that. We were known as variety singers, or we were billed as (performing) ‘Old Negro Spirituals and Plantation Melodies.’ ”
Nice to have 2024 behind us, but 2025 better settle its ass right down pronto or I’m getting out The Belt. Have a great weekend, we’ll weigh down the porch tomorrow, noonish o’clock.
The end of a long year deserves a playlist to bring in the new one, and just as we did a mere twelve months ago, here’s a compilation of songs that buzzed my earballs in 2024.
Set 1 – January, February, March & April
Set 2 – May, June, July & August
Set 3 – September, October, November & December
[I omitted most of the tunes from the Halloween playlist, but you can hear them all here.]
[Caveat: I don’t own the copyrights to any of these recordings. They are presented here for entertainment purposes only.]
Tacky Raccoons 