Tag: RT n’ the 44s

Saturday Matinee – Boston Dynamics, The Contours, RT n’ The 44s, Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys & Roomful of Blues

Our whole crew got together to celebrate the start of what we hope will be a happier year: Happy New Year from all of us at Boston Dynamics. http://www.BostonDynamics.com.

Over 18M views and 97K comments since 29 December, and you’ve probably seen it already. I wonder what The Contours think of it.

The Contours‘ chart-topping 1962 hit Do You Love Me became a major hit again in 1988. I bet it scores a third time.

RT n’ the 44s has a laid back retro vibe with a large dollop of Johnny Cash. They’ve been described as “a vintage country band with dark obsessions.”

Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys have been jammin’ it since 1988, and here’s their cover of Colin James‘ Jumpin’ From Six to Six.

One of the best big brass blues bands in the land is Roomful of Blues. More than 50 musicians have played in the band since its inception in 1967, and I’m not sure of this 2013 lineup.

Have a great weekend, folks, because there’s more on the way. See you tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – RT & The 44’s, Speedbuggy USA, Dave & Phil Alvin

https://youtu.be/d8JEGvYIIH8

RT N’ THE 44s is Swimmy Webb, Brendan Willard, Leif Bunting, Johnny Sneed, and RT Valine. Featuring Timbo of Speedbuggy on slide can [via]. Awesome roots rock.

Speedbuggy USA cranks it. How about some more retro?

The Blasters were awesome and put on a great show when I saw them at the Whiskey in 1981 or so. (They were the warmup band for The Fabulous Thunderbirds.) Here are brothers Phil and Dave Alvin pickin’ and flickin’ in 2014.

Have a great weekend, folks.
Be back here tomorrow for more stuff.

Saturday Matinee – Chet Atkins & Les Paul, RT & The 44s, Orquesta de Instrumentos Reciclados, and Bob Lyons

Chet Atkins & Les Paul Limehouse Blues 1978. Wait for the end – Atkins shows that he was playing a fold-up guitar.

Using instruments crafted from tin, 2×4’s and salvaged parts, RT has stated that RT N’ THE 44s was born out of “an attempt to make listenable music from junk.” [Wiki]

[h/t to Anachronistic Decay.]

Here’s a related video from La armonía del vertedero – Orquesta de Instrumentos Reciclados de Cateura de Paraguay:

My late Uncle Bunk had what he called a “BoomBass” that consisted of a cookie tin nailed to a 2×3 with a single wire on a bridge that ran up to a fretboard, with tambourine thingys on the top and a spring peg on the bottom. You played it by banging it on the floor and hitting the wire with a notched dowel.  It was also painted very nicely, and someone I know still has it.

Besides the diddley bow, my favorite instrument that began as junk salvage:  the steel pan drum.

Bob Lyons plays Jason Mraz’s reggae-ish hit on steel drums in Wellington, Florida December 2009

Have a great weekend, folks, and remember, no man can eat 50 eggs, Easter or not.