Tag: Rock

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 – The Molotovs, Platinum Moon & One Rusty Band

The Molotovs are teenage siblings Mathew and Issey Cartlidge who play in the style of 70s-80s British Mod rock mixed with punk and ska.
“When [the covid] lockdown ended we just started busking all over London and doing covers of the bands we liked and that allowed us to become a really well rehearsed unit. So when the doors opened again, we flooded into venues and got onto the gigging circuit.”

Based in Katonah, NY, Platinum Moon was formed in 2018 by classically-trained brothers Anton (guitar, violin) and Joseph Klettner (keyboards, guitar). They recruited AvA Anduze after they saw her in a YouTube video, and are backed by drummer Ethan Grosman / drums and Toby Dorfman /bass. Another group that benefitted from the Covid-19 lockdowns, they tour the eastern U.S. and Canada.

One Rusty Band is French duo Grégory Garghentini and Léa Barbier. They started out as buskers in France with Grég on electric radiator guitar and Léa on taps(!) and decided to head for the recording studio. Their third album Line After Line was listed in RollingStone Magazine‘s Top 10 Albums of 2025.

Got some big ol’ honkin’ plans for tomorrow. I call it Porch Time. See you there.

Happy New Year’s Eve 2025 – End of Year Playlist

The end of a long year deserves a playlist to bring in the new one, so here’s a compilation of tunes that tugged on my earballs in 2025. Each set is in chronological order by date of recording.

Set 1 – January, February, March & April

Set 2 – May, June, July & August

Set 3 – September, October, November & December

I omitted seasonal tunes from the Halloween and Christmas  playlists. Last year’s playlist (2024) is here, and the 2023 EoY list is here.

And one more thing:
May You Have a Happy & Prosperous New Year!

[Caveat: I don’t own the copyrights to any of these recordings. They are presented here for entertainment purposes only.]

Christmas Eve Rock


A random selection of tunes to wrap presents by.

Bonus: Previously posted Christmas tunes can be found here.

[Caveat: No copyright infringement is intended; songs posted here are for entertainment purposes only.]

Viraginous Hot Links

Don’t Be Lonely, BoDeans (1987)
Classic guitar-driven midwestern rock-pop group BoDeans formed in 1986 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and they’re still at it.

dog.

A Truth.

Nanners.

River elk.

Alley Orb.

Leo Blues.

Snow ride.

No changes.

Rocky LaPorte.

Why two nostrils?

Hypocrisy School.

Painting with balls.

Meet Sydney Mecham.

Saw what you did there.

Iron Head’s Black Betty.

Fredrikshavn live webcam.

The howl of the arctic wolf.

Just Angus jumping around.

Signs of the the Exit [via Messy Nessy].

MIDI Slapophone [via Memo Of The Air].

Wash your marmot [via Everlasting Blört].

Yuleshards, bummocks and Schnapsidees.

Kellog’s Contraptions [via Thompson, blog].

Guadalcanal Christmas 1945 [via The View from Lady Lake].

[Top image found here, with caption:
Twice a year at Asakusa’s famous Sensoji temple an old ceremony of dancers dressed as white egrets or herons take place, once in April and once in November. The ceremony is called Shirasaginomai (白鷺の舞) and was revived in 1968 using an old scroll as a basis that had been found in the temple, depicting a ceremonial dance in 1652.]

From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago. 15 years ago.

Saturday Matinee – Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse, The Cinelli Brothers, and Mr. Sipp

Beau Gris Gris & The Apocalypse is a roots rock blues Americana country soul punk psychobilly band from California, featuring vocals by documentary filmmaker, television producer, business entrepreneur and Louisiana native Greta “Gris Gris” Valenti. (The nice lady dancing in the background is Kitten De Ville.)

Winners of the 2024 UK Blues Band of the Year, The Cinelli Brothers (Marco and Alessandro) revive 1960s – 70s vintage electric blues, R&B and soul with a modern vibe.

Castro Coleman, aka Mr. Sipp is smooth. A recipient of many prestigious awards, Castro was the first bluesman to have his handprint inducted into the Wall of Fame in Fredrikshavn, Denmark.

Another week and world news is still splattering all over the pavement and splashing in the swales. Every major story is both good news and omens of disaster depending upon the time of day and which town crier is coming through the village. The 48 hour rule is officially null and void.

My plan is to sleep in until Porch Time so I can be fashionably late. See you then and/or there.

Saturday Matinee – The Heavy, Big Guitars From Texas, Eric Johnson and Booker T. & The MG’s

Formed in 2007, The Heavy are a rock / soul / R&B band from Bath, Somerset, England. Kelvin Swaby / lead vocals, Dan Taylor / guitar, Spencer Page /bass, Chris Ellul / drums.

Big Guitars From Texas ca. 1985: Evan Johns, Don Leady, Denny Freeman, Frankie Camaro, Keith Ferguson and Mike Buck. Buck / drums and Ferguson /bass were original members of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Leady & Ferguson were also members of The Tailgators, Leady, Buck & Johns were with The LeRoi Brothers.

From Wikipedia:
Eric Johnson (born August 17, 1954) is an American guitarist, vocalist and composer. His 1990 album Ah Via Musicom was certified platinum by the RIAA, and the single “Cliffs of Dover” won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

R.I.P. Steve Cropper (1941-2025)
Booker T. & The MG’s opened this Creedence Clearwater Revival concert at the Oakland Coliseum, 1/31/70. Seen offstage are John Fogerty, Doug Clifford (w/beard), and Stu Cook (w/glasses).

Thanksgiving leftovers are almost gone, Christmas is just around the corner, and I’m still on Halloween. Guess I’ll have to reset the calendar one of these days, but not tomorrow. I plan to have some QPT (Quality Porch Time) at precisely sometime o’clock. See you then.

Equiponderated Hot Links

Riverside, The Beat Farmers (1990) From their album Loud, Plowed & Live. The Beat Farmers (1983–1995) were a great band from San Diego, California (best experienced live with lots of beer) and featured the late Country Dick Montana.

‘Sup.

Fetch!

This cat.

Hey face.

Stepsides.

Duo Baldo.

Tublication.

Tintype shack.

If I were a moth…

Touch the rainbow.

The Batman Effect.

The Art of the Deal.

Saved by the dash cam.

3-1/2 hours on the fent.

Crip Walk demo.
Native American Crip Walk.

Sowell on multiculturalism.

“Normally it’s pretty simple.”

Lunch Boxes [via Everlasting Blört].

She’s a grinder [via Thompson, blog].

Poor little thieves [via Nag on the Lake].

Miss Transportation [via Memo Of The Air].

“911? You may not believe this… “ [via The Feral Irishman].

[Top image: 1967 Subaru 360 advertisement found here.]

From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago. 15 years ago.

Saturday Matinee – Eddie 9V, RelaxTrio, Altered Five Blues Band & Bywater Call

“A shot rang out in the name of love” is one hell of a lyric.
Brooks Mason was born in Georgia in 1996, focuses on classic southern soul, blues, rock and funk. “A lot of people wanted me to be the Brooks Mason Blues Band, but that’s been done. I wanted to start from scratch, and I ain’t never heard of no bluesman named Eddie 9V.”

The girl pounds bass. Finnish band RelaxTrio is
Linda Teränen (Vocals & double bass)
Oskari Nieminen (Vocals & guitar)
Vilho Voutilainen (Drums & backing vocals)

Award winning group from Milwaukee, Altered Five Blues Band features frontman Jeff Taylor with Jeff Schroedl / guitar, Mark Solveson / bass, Alan Arber / drums and Steve Huebler / keyboard.

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).

Lotta weather this past week, but it didn’t freeze, didn’t flood and nothing important fell over. Thought about getting a hair cut, but I filled up the tank instead and fed the cat a few times. Life is good. See you tomorrow, some time around porch o’clock.

Saturday Matinee – Alastair Greene, Eric Johanson & Katarina Pejak; Nikki Hill Band, Anthony Rosano & The Conqueroos, and Cam Cole

Ruf’s Blues Caravan 2024 featured Alastair Greene, Eric Johanson & Katarina Pejak. 

Nikki Hill Band:
“If Tina Turner and Little Richard had a daughter and raised her with the help of uncles James Brown and Chuck Berry, she’d be like Nikki Hill.”
— Minneapolis Star Tribune

Anthony Rosano & The Conqueroos mixes Delta blues, NOLA  second line funk and 60’s jams with classic rock. No self-indulgent wheedly-wheedly solos with these guys.

Cam Cole, busker, bluesman, rocker, recording artist, and the most impressive one-man band you will ever see.

Looks like the west coast is in for rain, the midwest is in for winter, and the porch has a roof with a live weather watch. See you tomorrow, rain, mud, sleet or snow.