Tag: Soul

Saturday Matinee – Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, The Contours, and Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros is a bit of an enigma to me. Some songs sound like folk busker music, some seem almost evangelical, and then they morph into a psychedelic jug band. Formed by singer Alex Ebert, the band’s name is based on a story he wrote about a messianic figure named Edward Sharpe.

The Contours should need no introduction, but not according to some of the comments in the Utoobage. The 1962 hit Do You Love Me was written by James Brown and Pee Wee Ellis.

A former James Brown impersonator, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires turned up the soul groove with this retro gem from 2014. Great bassline too.

Happy Memorial Day weekend, stay safe in your travels, and we’ll be sitting on the porch as usual if you want to stop by.

Saturday Matinee – Lonnie Mack, Steve Ripley & The Tractors, and Malford Milligan

The late great Lonnie Mack.

Steve Ripley & The Tractors were responsible for creating the highest selling album ever recorded in the state of Oklahoma.

In 2019, Malford Milligan, backed by Danny Vera (& band), performed a great cover of Sam Cooke’s 1963 classic on Dutch television.

After attending Bunkessa’s wedding in NOLA, I had a busy week doing nothing and I loved it. Have a great weekend, see you tomorrow, rain or shine.

Palificational Hot Links

Sugar Sugar, Wilson Pickett (1970) The same year The Archies bubblegum song was released, Wilson Pickett showed the world how even a crappy cloying song can sound great.

Lol City.

Mo Rilla.

Lez Pugs.

Three minutes of odd.

Doodling on an iPhone.

Ahnold filled a pothole.

The Bowl and the Laser Bat.

Laser topper [via Bunkerville].

Weather cat apology [h/t Kirk W.].

“This is Bob. He doesn’t talk much.

The Jiggle Line for action pictures.

Michigan man finds squatters in his mailbox.

The Sav-On Fight Song [via Memo Of The Air].

[Top image found here. Don’t know the story, but a ship has been lost in Future World.]

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

Saturday Matinee – Propellerheads w/ Shirley Bassey, Harry & The Howlers, and (the other) Roy Rogers

Propellerheads, with Shirley Bassey, the Welsh vocalist known for her renditions of themes to three James Bond movies.

“Propellerheads were a British big beat music band, formed in 1995, from Bath made up of electronic producers Will White and Alex Gifford. The term ‘Propellerhead’ is Californian slang for a computer nerd, and when Gifford and White heard a friend from California drop this into conversation, they thought it the perfect name for their band.”

From Birmingham, UK, Harry & The Howlers features what Harry (Haley) Jordan calls “sleaze-fuelled rock and roll.”

Roy Rogers is one of those guitslingers who doesn’t need a backup band to sound good, but give him one and the results are amazing.

Have a blessed Easter.

Saturday Matinee – The World’s Largest Laser Gun, Oorutaichi, The Heavy Heavy, and St. Paul & The Broken Bones

World’s Largest Laser Gun (2018) by Corridor.

Oorutaichi is a “free-form, improvisational electropop artist from Osaka. Inspired by The Doors and The Residents,” he once had a band called Urichipang, and the Utoob description (via Google Translate) doesn’t help much:

PV of “Atlantis” from the album “Giant Club” by Urichipan-gun, which has been well received by UA, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Seiichi Yamamoto, and many other people as one of the masterpieces in J-POP history.

What a laid-back groovy groove. The Heavy Heavy is “a reverb-drenched collision of psychedelia and blues, acid rock and sunshine pop” based in Brighton, UK.

Jake’s and Elmore’s long lost nephew.
Paul Janeway of St. Paul & The Broken Bones nails the Stax/Volt soul sound, while Janelle Issis makes the video even better.

Might get a haircut tomorrow before someone starts calling me “mulletman” – again. See you back here for popcicles and beer.

Saturday Matinee – Postmodern Jukebox, MONSTER TAI-RIKU, and Victor Wainwright & The WildRoots

Postmodern Jukebox did a good ‘un with this U2 cover in soul / R&B style featuring Rogelio Douglas, Jr. (2019). No comment on the, um, harmonica solo.

Excellent Buddy Guy cover by MONSTER TAI-RIKU (and that is how to play blues harp). Formed in 2012 and comprised of young session musicians, the band took a leave of absence in March of 2020.

Currently recording as Victor Wainwright & The Train, it’s Dr. John meets Roomful of Blues.
“Victor Wainwright, winner of this year’s Pine Top Perkins Piano Player Award at the BMA’s, is a force to be reckoned with on a piano. He IS honky-tonk and boogie, with a dose of rolling thunder. Wainwright’s playing is simply beautiful madness.” -American Blues Scene

Got some free time to mess around this week, and gonna mess around tomorrow too. See you when you get here.

Saturday Matinee – A Band of Bees, The Hi-Jivers & The Future Shape of Sound

A Band of Bees got a bit of swampy jug band in their blood.

Nashville retro-rockers The Hi-Jivers, filmed in the Torremolinos hills of Spain during the 2020 Rockin’ Race Jamboree.
Dawna Zahn – Vocals
Austin John – Guitar
Hank Miles – Upright Bass
Jason Smay – Drums

Lord help me. I don’t think I’ve heard shakedown gospel this good since Sister Rosetta Tharpe. This is The Future Shape of Sound.

Gonna get hot again this week, maybe get wet, maybe not. See you back here tomorrow for an in-depth discussion, or maybe we’ll do something else instead.

Kakistocratic Hot Links

Show Stopper, The Cashmeres (HEM Records, 1965) There is little information about this soul group from Washington D.C. (not be confused with The Cashmeres, a doo-wop group from Atlanta GA, or The Cashmeres from Brooklyn NY, or The Cashmeres from Portland OR). A  45rpm copy of Show Stopper is a rarity; according to Discogs, prices range from $680 to $1800 depending on condition.

Hotshot.

Flying in a hangar.

THIS is a great idea.

Life as an LA Influencer.

Too bad he didn’t as me. 😀

Almost everything I forgot to post.

Awesome. Drone Photos of the Year.

Brickit is an app for Legos [h/t Miz Beth].

“I look like the Queen of England,” proclaimed Betty.

ICYMI: Martha’s Vineyard Facebook group was bitching at each other.

[Top image by Terry Border from his series Bent Objects.]

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

Saturday Matinee – Bobby Banas, Booker T. & the M.G.s, Zontar Venus, and MonoNeon w/ Davey Nathan,

He was 30 years old when he ripped up The Judy Garland Show in 1964. From the Utoobage comments:
“The ‘Best Boy Dancer’ happened to be the choreographer for this dance. His name is Bobby Banas. He also played Joyboy in Westside story.”
I’d say the girl did a bang up job but she got no credit.

Al Jackson Jr., Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, Booker T. Jones,
aka Booker T. & the M.G’s, groovin’ in 1971.

Zontar Venus. You’re on you’re own with this one. [h/t Gord S.]

Modern soulfunkgroove (with some serious technical music skills embedded).
MonoNeon: lead vocal, background vocals, guitar, bass;
Davy Nathan: keyboards, drum programming.

Guess that’ll do for now. Hope the summer heat is cooling down to a  more tolerable level for y’all, and remember: it ain’t the heat, it’s the humanity. See you back here tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Cleverly Brand Alpaca Products, Marion & Sobo Band, The Mustangs, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

Digger Cleverly (frontman for the five member trio The Cleverlys) talks about his alpaca ranch.

Marion & Sobo Band does 1930s-era gypsy / Hot Club pretty well. Nice quirky video, too.

The Mustangs, is a famous western surf instrumental band from Finland. They’re so famous I can’t find anything about them.

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears bring back the Stax/Volt soul sound without a Hammond B3 organ.

Have a great weekend, stay cool, and be where you belong. See you tomorrow.

 

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