The Saturday Matinee – Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, Link Wray w/ Robert Gordon & Santana

Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express live at Winterland 29 November 1975, San Francisco, CA. Early jazz fusion at its best. Lineup:

Brian Auger – organ, vocals;
Jack Mills – lead guitar;
Alex Ligertwood – vocals, guitar, percussion;
Clive Chaman – bass;
Lennox Langton – congas;
Dave Dowle – drums.

Robert Gordon‘s 1977 cover of Billy Lee Riley‘s 1957 cover of Billy ‘The Kid’ Emerson‘s 1955 recording of Red Hot got a lot of radio play. Now about that legendary guitar ripper…

Link Wray‘s recording career spanned decades, 1958 to 2000, and it’s hard to pinpoint when he was really at his prime. Wray was ranked No. 45 of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time bu Rolling Stone, and is considered the “Father of the Power Chord.” Other fun facts: his parents were Shawnee and Cherokee; he was a Korean War veteran; he lost a lung due to tuberculosis in 1956.

Carlos Santana‘s 1999 album Supernatural is one of my favorites. Can’t believe it came out over two decades ago.

That kinda wraps things up until tomorrow. See you then.

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.

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.

Saturday Matinee – 2020 Cast Interviews, Big Bug, Gatemouth Brown & Roy Clark, Ry Cooder w/ Buckwheat Zydeco & Lenny Kravitz, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Well done satire, that.

Big Bug vid found here.

Clarence Gatemouth Brown & Roy Clark (with Leon Rhodes) do some serious pickin’ on Hee Haw (1979). If this ain’t roadtrip music, nothing is.

Ry Cooder, Buckwheat Zydeco and Lenny Kravitz, having some fun in New Orleans 2005.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds cover T-Bone Walker‘s The Hustle Is On (1950). Not sure of the date or location.

That’ll do for now. Gonna get some R&R and see you back here tomorrow as far as you know.

Saturday Matinee – HM Royal Marine Band, Kapua+Tatofi+Maoli, Redbone & Billy Preston

Post Horn GalopThe Bands of HM Royal Marines. Amazing post horn fanfare duel.

Hawaiians Kaipo Kapua, Josh Tatofi and Nu’u Maoli. This medley should be named “See A Minor, Effin’ G.” Those vocals are tight.

Redbone had a nice run in the 70s, Witch Queen of New Orleans being one of my favorites for the swamp-rock sound. Very underrated band IMO, even if they did wander into the pop playpen occasionally. “Come and Get Your Love” (1974) was an earful of soul.

Billy Preston sported one of the greatest ‘fros in the business, and wrote one of the best instrumental jams ever – Outta Space. This version is from 1987.

Have a great holiday weekend, have some fun despite what the scolds say, and we’ll do more stuff tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Little Remy & The Flying Rockers, Michael Kiwanuka & Willy DeVille

Little Remy & The Flying RockersShadoogie (1962)
Indorock band uit Den Bosch
Ad Boeren – Drums; Rinus Huismans – Slag Gitaar; Guus Silooy – Solo Gitaar; Cees Vermeulen – Bas Gitaar.

Willy (Mink) DeVille had an unusual sound for the late ’70s scene, and Moon Martin‘s Cadillac Walk was one of my favorites. (I didn’t know that Mink DeVille was one of the original house bands at CBGB, but that explains a lot.) h/t Immortal Jukebox.

Michael Kiwanuka‘s One More Night is a cool groove with a quirky video stapled onto it. Can’t quite put my finger on what this reminds me of, but it’s a real smooth combination. Born and raised in London, Kiwanuka is the son of Ugandan parents who escaped the brutal Amin regime.

Have a great weekend, folks, stay cool and don’t let the ninnienannies get to you. Be back here tomorrow and we’ll do stuff.

Saturday Matinee – George Duke & Dweezil Zappa, MonoNeon & skArmy

George Duke showed up to play Zappa’s classic Uncle Remus with Dweezil Zappa‘s band in 2010. (If you like George Duke, this behind the scenes rehearsal from1978 is kinda fun. Jump to 02:50.)

Ignore the clickbait title – it’s a killer groove by MonoNeon. He’s right-handed, but plays left-handed on an upside-down right-handed bass. Dude can cover Zappa, too.

skArmy covers Save Ferris‘s cover of Dexy’s Mightnight Runners‘s Come On Eileen is a good one to wrap it up.

Have a great weekend folks, gonna do something tomorrow.

 

ROCK BROKE

Galt of the Hill People figured it out.

[Found here.]

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 – Asphalt Orchestra, Euphoria Brass Band & Mudcat

Asphalt Orchestra (the ambulatory arm of Bang on a Can) is pretty good, but they’re downright amazing when they pull off Zappa’s Zombie Woof.

Euphoria Brass Band cranks out Sublime’s What I Got at the Tijuana Jazz and Blues Festival 2015. Lotta not-so-subtle influences heard in that jam, and I like it.

“i found a cd of this band in a abandoned ship on the coast of uruguay – montevideo, never heard nothing about this band. really a surprise. grettings. good shit.” [2016 YouTube comment]

The Mudcat Blues Band featuring Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck hails from everywhere, but apparently is anchored in Atlanta. This vid is from 2013, Matildas, Music Under the Pines in Alpharetta, Georgia – jump to 1:34 for Whiskey.

Well that seems to sum up my attitude for today. Have a great weekend folks, don’t worry ’bout the ‘Rona, and do what you wanna do. See you tomorrow for something or other.

Saturday Matinee – The Funk Brothers, Procul Harum & Robin Trower

The Funk Brothers were/are a rotating group of session musicians who performed on many Motown classics, including The Contours‘ 1962 hit “Do You Love Me.” This 2002 line up backed Bootsy.

I always liked that song even though nobody knows exactly what Procul Harum was singing about in 1967.

Robin Trower continued his career after leaving Procul Harum, had a nice solo run, and is still performing at 75. Jimmy Dewar‘s vocals always fit.

Have a great weekend, folks, don’t burn down or loot anything, turn in those who do, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow for something or other.