Saturday Matinee – Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Toronzo Cannon & The Chicago Way, and The Scotty Bratcher Band

Rick Estrin and The Nightcats: “Rick Estrin sings and writes songs like the brightest wiseguy in all bluesland and blows harmonica as if he learned at the knee of Little Walter.” – DownBeat magazine

Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon didn’t pick up a guitar until he was 22, but he picked it up fast:
“Gary Clark, Jr. declared, ‘Toronzo is a beast. He lights the room up,’ and Joe Bonamassa rightly pronounced, ‘Toronzo’s a great guitar player, excellent vocalist and an amazing personality.’ ”

Scotty Bratcher covers Albert King’s Feel Like Breakin’ Up Somebody’s Home. Bratcher was introduced to the guitar while still in the single digits of age, and was already making a name for himself before he had a driver’s license. He’s going to be around for a while.

The tragedy of the California fires has been the news of the week, but don’t forget the people who are still recovering from the ravages of hurricane Helene while coping with winter weather. For many, it’s going to be years before things get back to normal.

I’ll be on the porch if you need me.

Happy New Year’s Eve 2024 – End of Year Playlist

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.]

And one more thing: Happy New Year!


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

Saturday Matinee – Snooks Eaglin, Latvian Blues Band & Clutch

Snooks Eaglin took Wilson Pickett’s Memphis classic down to N’awlins.
[h/t hotfox63.com]

In 2008, Latvian Blues Band became the first European-based group invited to perform in the Chicago Blues Festival. From Riga, Latvia, members include Jānis ‘Bux’ Bukovskis (guitar, vocals), Jonatans Rācenājs (guitar), Rolands ‘Rolx’ Saulietis (drums, backing vocals), Reinis Ozoliņš (bass), Nauris Strežs (trombone) and Artis Ločmelis (sax).

Clutch picks it up, throws it to the floor and kicks it square in the crackerbockles. From their 2007 album From Beale Street to Oblivion.

Just got a breather from the Christmas festivities, and here comes the New Year barrelling down the tracks. I’m not ready for it, but I’ve had just about enough of 2024. Porchtime? Whenever o’clock.

Marcescent Hot Links

Misfits & Freaks, The Courettes (2022)Dubbed “The World’s Greatest Two-Person Rock ‘N’ Roll Ensemble,” Flavia & Martin Couri, aka The Fabulous Courettes, are proof that Phil Spector lives.

Trains!

5th Place.

Gompotheres.

We’re doomed.

Make it teensy.

Doppelgängers.

Skinny Legs Bar.

Crystal Magnum.

What is surveillance?

Slow down, Kathleen.

Silent Running (trailer).

Norty Blues Episode 94.

2-1/2 hours of prog rock.

Which clown are you?
Who are your Disney parents?

Huffy Radiobike [via Bunkerville].

The pyramids of Giza have eight sides.

Xmas Tree People of yore [via Mme. Jujujive].

Louis Vuitton Crack House [via Nag on the Lake].

Berens Old Fashioned Brandy Fruit Cake [h/t John McL.].

Mawson, Ninnis & Mertz [and others, via Memo Of The Air].

[Top image found here.]


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

Amathophobic Hot Links

Transatlantic Orbit, The Space Cossacks (1998)
This instrumental space surf rock quartet formed in Washington, D.C. in 1996. They released their 2nd album in 2000 – Tsar Wars.

See ya

Catrope.

Camperocity.

Glamma Chola.

Check your head.

Nine-Letter Word.

This Zippo lighter.

Sophia’s flow chart.

NFL filth [h/t Chuck C.].

Violet and Daisy Hilton.

Norty Blues Episode 92.

This Ain’t No Tribute Series.

Up the turbine {via Bunkerville].

Be Prepared [via Memo Of The Air].

Puke [via The View From Lady Lake].

Rats like to drive [via Nag on the Lake].

You want your own Irish Pub? (Okay, but heed this warning.)

[Top image: An online auction of Space Toys is scheduled for noon ET on December 3 2024 [via Mme. Jujujive].


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

Saturday Matinee – The Errol Linton Band, Aynsley Lister & Gary Clark Jr.

The Errol Linton Band plays a cool ska to reggae blues mashup, described as “funky stuff, blues with a reggae tinge and jazz flavours, Black British music with roots in Mississippi and New Orleans, Kingston and London.

Self-taught guitarist from the UK, Aynsley Lister learned by copying the sounds of Peter Green, Albert King, Eric Clapton and Paul Kossoff. (I hear some Robyn Trower in there too).

Gary Clark Jr.‘s  influences and collaborations range from B.B. King, The Jackson 5 and Muddy Waters to Alicia Keys, Dave Grohl and Childish Gambino, and there are good reasons why he’s a four-time Grammy winner.

Only three days until The Great Election, and I expect fireworks regardless of the outcome – and not the good kind either…
In any case, the porch will be open for business as usual. See you there.

Tunes for All Hallow’s Eve


Songs in this collection may or may not be directly related to Halloween, and it’s probably the first Halloween play list without Monster Mash.
[Caveat: No copyright infringement is intended; songs posted here are for entertainment purposes only.]

[Update – Added SJH per Taminator’s suggestion.]

Saturday Matinee Pre-Halloween Edition – The Interrupters, Messer Chups, The Creepshow & Tom Waits

The Interrupters: Aimee Interrupter & the Bivona brothers sing an ode to a poor bony soul.

From St. Petersburg, Russia,  Messer Chups is listed under vampire space zombie surf rock. “Messer” is German for “knife” and “Chups” is from Chupa Chups lollipops.

The Creepshow has been blasting psychopunkabilly for a while. Zombies Ate Her Brain was from their debut album, Sell Your Soul (2006).

Who needs Halloween music when you got Tom Waits with his Olds 88 and the devil on a leash.

Been a busy week taking care of busy-ness and dodging busybodies. Tomorrow we’ll porch. See you at the crack of noon.

Saturday Matinee – FRANK, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Eric Tessmer & Big Monti Amundson

FRANK is not a band that didn’t form in 2021 when singer/songwriter/guitarist Élise Lounici didn’t join up with Sébastien Gaschard (drums) or Colin Pradier (bass) or something. Their website is in French and I can’t decipher the story.

Chicago guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Ronnie Baker Brooks‘ cover of the Stones makes me smile.  He is the son of multiple GRAMMY Award nominee and Blues Hall Of Famer Lonnie Brooks.

Eric James Tessmer is a guitar slinger out of Austin and cites Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix as inspirations. That’s no surprise – his guitarist dad named him after them. More about Tessmer here.

Big Monti Amundson backed by Bart Kamp (bass) and Henk Punter (drums). Amundson definitely has the Texas blues sound down.

What a week, especially with the continuous news of the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Prayers for the survivors that they not lose hope.

See you tomorrow.

 

Haptotropic Hot Links

Kometenmelodie 2, Kraftwerk (1975)
From the album Autobahn, Comet Melody 2 was released in August 1975, and was named after the appearance of Comet Kohoutek in March 1973. An earlier version of the song, Kohoutek-Kometenmelodie was released in December 1973.


Hurricane Helene:
The Aftermath.
Peachtree Creek.
In Defense of CSU’s Hurricane Forecasting.
A WARNING regarding electric vehicles and saltwater.


This dog.

This web.

SOMF live.

The Little Apple.

The Countdown.

Shadow jammin’.

Auctioneerspeak.

Squeeze-N-Pump.

Birth of a tardigrade.

Norty Blues Episode 83.

Live frugally on surprise.

The details of the painting.

Decycling [via Bunkerville].

Van Gogh’s harvest season.

Playing the Dualo du Touch.

You can’t choose teal or turquoise.

Toys for you boys, too!” [via The View From Lady Lake].

Screams Before Silence is a documentary of the October 7 atrocities. [Disturbing, NSFK]

Bill Moyers interviews mental patients in Any Place But Here (1979)
[via Memo Of The Air].

THE BEST old-school link dump site Everlasting Blört turned 24 this week, and Mme. Jujujive posted some Greatest Hits. Congrats.

[Top image: Frank Zappa’s basement More about the Z House here.]


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