Tag: Saturday Matinee

Saturday Matinee – Mitch Ryder, The Swingin’ Medallions & Robin Trower

William S. Levise, Jr. (aka Mitch Ryder) was entirely awesome and way ahead of his time, even though he was echoing bluesmen who weren’t getting credit or pay for their songs. Yeah, he ripped them off.

The Swingin’ Medallions had some cool hits in the ’60s, especially “Double Shot Of My Baby’s Love.” (Note the stage floor choreography markers.) Killer stuff.

I was in Jr. Hi when I first heard those guys. I liked the music, but at the same time I thought they were dangerous. I don’t remember why.

How ’bout this? Here’s a faceload of Robin Trower.

Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Claude Fontaine, Jerry Reed & CSN&Y – Kent State Day

Bunkessa suggested I post Claude Fontaine. Nice stereotypical reggae groove, but her fake wispy voice kinda turns me off.

I’d rather hear this.

Jerry Reed was a hoot.

Then something happened on 4 May 1970 and a bunch of morons chimed in, like these guys:

Took me a long time to realize that CSN&Y were nothing more than a bunch of musically talented idiots.

See you back here tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Birdie Num Num, Death Pop, Favela Brass, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Jimmie Vaughan

A scene from The Party, a 1968 cult movie starring Peter Sellers.

I’m at a loss. Annoying death metal band lip-synchs to annoying pop band.

Favela means “slum” or “shantytown” in Portuguese. Awesome happens about 0:40 in. More here.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds were (and are) entirely awesome. Great lineup, including Jimmie Vaughan.

Yeah. Wait. That.

Have a great weekend, folks. Might have to go dark next week due to unfortunate family business, but don’t worry. We’ll be back soon enough.

 

Saturday Matinee – Robert “Junior” Lockwood, Robert Johnson & Eric Clapton

That’s Robert “Junior” Lockwood Jr. (1915-2006)

I had no idea of Lockwood’s pedigree when he showed up at an early morning jazz appreciation class I took in college. For him, it was all about the blues, and his lecture/demonstration blew me away.

He was taught guitar by Robert Johnson (1911-1938), the legendary King of the Delta Blues (and the Grandfather of Rock and Roll) hence the nickname Robert “Junior.”

Most of Robert Johnson’s songs have been covered by modern musicians, but I hadn’t heard the original “Hellhound On My Trail” until today. It’s got unusual chord patterns and rhythms:

You sprinkled hot foot powder
All around your daddy’s door.

Here’s Eric Clapton’s version from 2004, and it’s just as disturbing.

Have a great weekend, folks, and remember that everything’s gonna be alright.

Saturday Matinee – John Lee Hooker, Peter Wolf & the J. Geils Band & John Lee Hooker

The J. Geils Band cranked that blues classic 180 degrees in 1970.

John Lee Hooker doubled down and reclaimed it in October 1992.

 

Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – The Big Lie, Bad Manners, Reel Big Fish & The Skatalites

The Big Lie (1951). Yeah, it was propaganda, but it was also true. I went to school with a guy whose family escaped from communist Hungary in a hot air balloon. You can laugh, say that “It can’t happen here,” but it IS happening here.

Bad Manners – one of my favorite Brit Ska bands.

Reel Big Fish. They were kinda awesome.

No one could out-ska the Skatalites.

1]Freedom Sound
2]Man In The Street
3]Guns Of Navarone
4]El Pussycat
5]James Bond Theme
6]Sugar, Sugar
7]Nice Time
8]Simmer Down / Turn Your Lamp Down Low
9]Rockfort Rock (El Cumbanchero)
10]Latin Goes Ska
11]Phoenix City
12]Freedom Sound – Reprise

Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Hound Dog Taylor, Little Walter, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, The Allman Brothers Band with Eric Clapton

Hound Dog Taylor & The Houserockers Live. From the Utoobage comments: “He had six fingers on his left hand.”

Little Walter’s Jump, 1967. From here:
“Little Walter‘s harp is accompanied by Hound Dog Taylor (guitar), Dillard Crume (bass), and Odie Payne (drums), at the 1967 “American Folk Blues Festival” in Germany just months before his death.”

Who else was at that venue? Bukka White, Skip James, Koko Taylor, Son House and Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee. All blues greats, without a doubt. So let’s go with this:

Yeah, Eric Clapton ripped off “Key To The Highway,” but he also paid many cool tributes, including this version with The Allman Brothers Band.

Have a great weekend, folks. Be back here tomorrow for more you know what.

Saturday Matinee – Rail Bicycling, Eliese LeGrow Bo Diddley & Dick Dale

Rail bicycling looks like fun out in the open, but it would spook the hell out of me on the bridges. One rogue gust of wind blows you away, one mis-timed tunnel and you go splat. Nice vid with nice music.

Elise LeGrow took Bo Diddley’s classic and made it nasty.

Bo Diddley was a national treasure who got ripped off big time by the recording industry, partly due to his own ignorance of copyright law. The vid is from about 2008.

We lost another Great One this past week.

R.I.P. Richard Anthony Monsour aka Dick Dale (1937- 2019).

Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here in 24 or more.

Saturday Matinee – St. Patrick’s Day Eve Edition: Irish Wedding at 5AM, The O’Reillys & The Paddyhats, & The Rumjacks

Pretty good rendition of “The Rattlin’ Bog.” It’s a tough song to sing, but I’m partial to the version sung by The Fenians. Saw them sing it live more than once, and Terry Casey never stumbled.

The O’Reillys & The Paddyhats jam it with “Barrels of Whiskey.”

The Rumjacks‘ “An Irish Pub Song” is “a piss take at the explosion of Irish Pubs in Australia and the bastardisation of a culture.”
From the lyrics posted on the Utoobage:

There’s a county map to go on the wall,
A hurling stick & a shinty ball,
The bric, the brac, the craic & all,
Lets call it an Irish pub.

Caffreys, Harp, Kilkenny on tap,
The Guinness pie & that cabbage crap,
The ideal wannabee Paddy trap,
We’ll call it an Irish pub.

You get the idea. On the other hand, my favorite Irish rebel song was a broadside set to music: Nell Flaherty’s Drake. It’s got some of the best snarky curses I’ve ever read. Here’s The Clancy Brothers’ version.

This is kinda fun, too. Good story intro:
“The Night I Punched Russell Crowe.”

Have a great weekend, folks. We’ll be donning some green tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – New York Subway A Capella, Russian Chicago Cover & Ice Weasels

Apologies for losing the original link. These guys are great.

These Russians do Chicago better than Chicago.

Then there’s this insanity. Ain’t no fear of thin ice.

Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here after the apocalypse.