Saturday Matinee – The Young@Heart Chorus, The Linda Krieg Trio, The Hacklers & La Perra Blanca

What started out in 1982 at a Western Massachusetts elderly housing project to joyfully pass the time instead of passing before your time has developed into the stereotype-defying, generation-crossing musical extravaganza better known as The Young@Heart Chorus

Linda Krieg is one of the few prominent blues harp players in Germany and a fixture in the Rhine-Main blues scene. Her trio includes Dominik Krauss (guitar) and Klaas Wendling (bass); she also tours with her guitarist husband Oliver Hell as Mrs. Krieg & Mr. Hell.

The Hacklers are an Irish Ska band based in Kildare. They formed in 2014 and “developed their own distinguished sound, a mix of Ska and Reggae blended with their own unique ‘Extra Stout’ Irish flavour.”

Alba Blanco, aka La Perra Blanco, is a blues/rockabilly guitarist from Cádiz, Spain, and has been performing since the age of 14. This video highlights her stage act, kind of over the top with the mugging, but her talent shines.

Another long week gone in no time, and it’s already the weekend. We have big plans for tomorrow, or maybe we don’t. See you on the porch noonish.

Saturday Matinee – Gogol Bordello, S.M.N. & GJS

“It’s one of the very few songs I wrote for a girl. I just moved in with my girlfriend in New York. We had a neighbour: an old woman who was always dressed in purple head to toe. She was clearly bonkers. So whenever my girlfriend and I had an argument and she would start screaming at me, I would say: you might as well start wearing purple now”. – Eugene Hütz

Gogol Bordello, fronted by Ukranian-born Eugene Hütz, is a multinational American punk band from Manhattan, known for gypsy/romani/punk theater.  More about them here.

Formed in 2001 in Fukuoka, Japan,  S.M.N. (Slackers Make Noise) consists of high school classmates Hiroaki Yokoyama / guitar, Mah-bou / drums, Kosuke Nishimura / bass.

Here’s something to cool your eardrums. Gentry-Jones is Nil Jones and Tony Gentry, here with Mr. Sam (Sam Fallie) in 2014. Old soul line dancing at its smoothest. More on GJS here.

Whoop, look what time it is. Gotta go, got an appointment with the porch tomorrow. See you there.

Saturday Matinee – Tuba Skinny, Lucky Chops, Timo Gross & Skatune Network

Tuba Skinny, featuring bandleader Shaye Cohn on cornet. Although we were in NOLA last May, I didn’t get a chance to see them because I was too busy chillin’ on a balcony with the dogs.

Formed in 2016, Lucky Chops  began as a group of subway buskers from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, New York City, and now they perform world-wide.

German bluesman Timo Gross  has been around for a while but he’s relatively unknown in the US; I had to run his Wikipedia entry through Google Translate.

One man ska band JER / Skatune Network rang in the New Year in 2016 and somehow I missed it. Turnitup!

Yep, it’s almost time to turn the calendar ahead again, but before we do, we have a porch that needs sitting on. See you there.

Saturday Matinee – Pee Wee’s Playhouse, Dropkick Murphys, Joe Bonamassa & Chris Rea

Pee Wee Herman’s Christmas Special (1988) is kind of self explanatory. Watch the entire show if you really have to.

Dropkick Murphys and “family”.

Joe Bonamassa‘s Merry Christmas Blues album (2013) is free for download (I think).

Except for a hit in 1978, songwriter and perfomer Chris Rea is virtually unknown in the US (having never toured here). Despite long term medical problems, he’s enjoyed a successful career in the UK.

Have a Merry Christmas if I don’t see you, stay safe in your travels, and we’ll be back here tomorrow to trash talk you.

Saturday Matinee – Pays D’en Haut, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band & Joanna Connor

The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band in 2012: “The video was shot in one day in Brown County, IN on the hottest day in Southern Indiana history.”

The amazing Joanna Connor, from an unknown performance, possibly late 1990s.

I caught up on my missed naps today and ran out of time to do much Utoob mining or write up. Not quite ready for Christmas music either. Have a great weekend and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – 16 Horsepower, Véronique Gayot & Delbert McClinton

16 Horsepower was a Denver-based group that mixed rock, bluegrass and Appalachian gospel. They released four studio albums before egos got in the way: they disbanded in 2005, citing “mostly political and spiritual” differences.

French blues rock singer and guitarist Véronique Gayot is a vocal powerhouse. Although she’s got two albums out and another soon to be released, I couldn’t find much background except for an interview.
Véronique Gayot: vocals
Yannick Eichert: guitar, vocals
Jerome Wolf: bass
Jérome Spieldenner: drums

Delbert McClinton has been performing on stage since 1957, has been called the sound of Texas soul, and has backed Sonny Boy Williamson II, Howlin’ Wolf, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Jimmy Reed. Eventually he had a national hit, playing harmonica on Bruce Channel‘s “Hey! Baby” in 1962. His biggest hit came in 1980 with Giving It Up for Your Love, which scored No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It’s almost time, and I’m not ready for it, so we’ll put off the Christmas cheer until it becomes mandatory. Have a great weekend and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – The Pogues, Chelsea Williams & Johnny Winter

The Pogues lost one. RIP Shane MacGowan.

Nice bluesy cover of a Tom Waits song sung by Chelsea Williams, with John Schroeder / guitar, Vikram Devasthali / trombone, and husband Ross Garren / harmonetta. Should have been filmed in 16mm b&w – in 1927.

Too soon for Christmas music, so how about some Winter? Fire it up!

Another week gone in a blink and the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone. Nothing to do but be back here tomorrow and think thoughts while we still have time. See you then.

Semi-Rufescent Hot Links

Joyful Sounds, The Word, (2001)
The Word is a blues/ funk rock superband consisting of Robert Randolph, John Medeski & The North Mississippi Allstars (brothers Cody and Luther Dickenson). They make gospel music fun.

First rain.

Surfin’ birds.

Camperocity.

Dear Mrs. Kennedy.

Fashion 1910-2023.

The Forever Mumble.

Detached from reality.

The Fall of Minneapolis.

Only say it if you mean it.

Pie Hole [via Mme. Jujujive].

A 6 year old girl joined Mensa.

Dropping compliments in NYC.

It came from Grandma’s house.

A Short Conversation [via Bunkerville].

Hydraulic Press Girl [via Mme. Jujujive].

Ekgmowechashala translates to “little catman”.

Science Oopsies Illustrated [via Memo Of The Air].

From FOX13 Florida: Female felon found in furniture.

[Top image found here. More manikin madness here.]


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

Saturday Matinee – Tab Benoit, Jonny Lang & Joe Louis Walker w/ Nasta Súper

Cajun party fun with Tab Benoit, Corey Duplechin on bass, Doug Gay on drums. Ain’t nobody sittin’ down at that show.

Straight outta Fargo: Jonny Lang had an early start in the blues business, earning a platinum record by the time he was 15 years old. To date, Lang has scored five albums in the top 50 of Billboard’s Top 200.

Blues Hall of Fame inductee and six-time Blues Music Award winner Joe Louis Walker teamed up with Nasta Súper, an Argentinian blues band lead by guitarist Rafael “Rafa” Nasta.

Seems it was just Halloween a few days ago and yesterday was Monday…  I gotta to find a way to slow down the calendar. See you tomorrow (unless it’s Christmas).

Saturday Matinee – Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Albert Castiglia w/ John Ginty, and Larkin Poe

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram is nominated for a 2024 Grammy for his album Live In London. Pretty good for a guy only halfway into his 20s, and I hope someone helps him shed some kgs so he can stay around a while.

Albert Castiglia is vicious, sort of a Negan Smith of blues rock, and there’s the proof. That’s John Ginty on the Hammond B-3 organism.

Larkin Poe pulls off some fine surf rock blues. They are also nominated for a 2024 Grammy for their album Blood Harmony.

Used to be only the days, but now the weeks are flying by.  The accelerator’s stuck, the brakes are shot and we’re about to slam right into the holidays. Maybe I’ll pretend it’s not happening, at least for now, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow.