Tag: Soul

Saturday Matinee – Danielle Nicole Band, Blues Overdrive & King of the World

Danielle Nicole Band: Bass player and vocalist Danielle Nicole Schnebelen is an American blues/soul musician born in Kansas City, Missouri. She began her career with her brothers Nick and Kris in the band Trampled Under Foot, receiving local and international recognition. Since going solo, she was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame and earned eight Blues Music Awards.

Blues Overdrive is a Danish blues band formed in Nykøbing Falster, Denmark in June 2000. Led by frontman, songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Martin Olsen, the band has gained international recognition, performing across 18 countries and earning multiple European Blues Awards, Danish Music Award nominations, and international critical acclaim.

Formed in 2012, King of the World (aka The Hardest Working Band in the Netherlands) is a blues rhythm and roots supergroup of sorts, and features Belgian guitar virtuoso Stef Delbaere and singer/drummer Marlon Pichel.
(NOT to be confused with the Steely Dan tribute band from New York of the same name.)

News of the Week: Wild fires in France, Moroccans invaded Spain, Hamas said they’re sorry and won’t do it again. Dr. Fauci is full of No. 2; people got all humpy because Trump said some things, and our stray cat returned from his tour of the world.
Tomorrow, when the sun is directly overhead, there shall be a porch directly below. See you then and there, and don’t be L7.

Saturday Matinee – Chris Thomas King, The Bo-Keys & Dan Patlansky

Chris Thomas King‘s haunting cover of John The Revelator is made even spookier by the voodoo queen aura of the dancer. King became the last major folk blues discovery of the 20th Century when he was discovered in Louisiana in 1979 by a folklorist from the Smithsonian Institute. He was also chosen by the Coen brothers to play the role of itinerant bluesman Tommy Johnson in the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000).

The Bo-Keys features soul gospel singer Percy Wiggins. Led by producer / bassist Scott Bomar, the group includes historic session musicians from legendary Stax and Hi Records studio bands. (This song is NOT a cover – they released it in 2011).

Dan Patlansky was voted the #4 Best Guitarist in the world and (besides Joe Bonamassa!) remains the only artist in the world with two worldwide No. 1 and two worldwide No. 2 Best Blues Rock Albums as voted by Blues Rock Review USA.

Thanks to FIFA, visitors from around the world are giving rave reviews about everything from American food and hospitality to the wonders of state routes and Walmart. Oil prices are dropping, Iran promised to keep its promises a bit longer before breaking them again; everyone on Xwitter has suddenly  become experts on pool sealants and algae mitigation, and Clay Aiken hasn’t spoken to Kelly Ripa in 20 years.

The days seem to be getting shorter after last week’s solstice, so tomorrow is Porch Time. See you at half-past whenever.

Saturday Matinee – Jessie Wagner, Selwyn Birchwood & Justin Saladino Band

Jessie Wagner was born in Norfolk, Virginia and began her career writing songs for Black House, a production company in Jacksonville, Florida. She’s performed with many recording artists including Chic (lead vocalist), backup vocals for Duran Duran, Kid Rock and Lenny Kravitz, and more recently is pursuing a solo career, writing and performing her own songs.

Selwyn Birchwood is an American blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter from Tampa, Florida. He plays what he calls “Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues,” and was the winner of the Blues Foundation’s 2013 International Blues Challenge (band category), as well the winner of the Albert King Guitarist of the Year award. [Wiki]

Justin Saladino Band, live at the Montreal International Jazz Festival 2018.
Saladino plays a mix of rock, blues, Americana and funk (and contemporary roots, whatever that means). More about him here.

Fun times indeed: The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is reflecting again, there’s more ballot fraud in California,  Iran’s still dikkin around, FIFA announced that fans can bring disposable water bottles to the games, Jeff fell in the creek after we warned him twice, and now Texas screwworms are on the march. More news may or may not be discussed at Porch Time tomorrow. See you at your estimated time of arrival.

Dies Paschae Hot Links

(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding,
The Holmes Brothers (2006) 2006 cover of Elvis Costello‘s 1979 cover of the Brinsley Schwarz/Nick Lowe 1974 song.

Spares.

Banana.

Tuesdays.

Close calls.

Slippyman.

Deer stand.

Cicadarona.

Dunebunny.

Nice bollards.
Tiny Digs Hotel.

Can’t park there.

Apocaloptimism.

A simple majority.

Moeraki Boulders.

Song of the stone.

Pistachio kalimba.

Steve’s very long walk.

Opening Day at Fenway Park.

A collection [via Thompson, blog].

Denver Man [via Everlasting Blört].

What Florida Man did on your birthday.

Beautiful Things [via Memo Of The Air].

Nancy wants to bang the drum all day.
It’s Bad Manners to bang the drum all day.

[Top image: Baby in Carriage Surrounded by Rabbits, Clara Burd, 1926.
Gouache, watercolor and pencil on illustration board, 12”x  14”.

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

Saturday Matinee – Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar, Larkin Poe, Selwyn Birchwood, and Boogie Beasts

Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar are a soul / gospel / R&B / blues group from Toronto, whose musical influences come from way past the Canadian border. The full band consists of 10 members plus singer / songwriter / guitarist Samantha Martin.

Multi-instrumental blues / roots rockers Rebecca & Megan Lovell, aka Larkin Poe, are amazing. Multiple Grammy Award winners from Georgia, the sisters named their group after their great-great-great-great-grandfather, a cousin of that other Poe guy.

Selwyn Birchwood is an American blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter from Tampa, Florida. He was the winner of the Blues Foundation’s 2013 International Blues Challenge (band category), as well the winner of the Albert King Guitarist of the Year award. [Wiki]

From Boogie Beasts‘ website:
“Dirty beats, hypnotizing slide, screaming harmonica riffs and plenty of fuzz: all of these will be served by this four man band from Liège-Limburg-Namur, Belgium. […] The drive is infectious, the noise is pure filth, yet highly irresistible.”

Stuff happened this week – some good, some bad, most of it just plain absurd. It’s also the time of year where we ignore resetting the clock in the dashboard and set our sprinklers and calendars ahead instead. As always, the change doesn’t affect porch time. Be there or be somewhere else.

Saturday Matinee – The True Loves, Joe Louis Walker & The Blues Rebels, and Brass Against

The True Loves are an Afro-beat funk and soul group out of Seattle. Formed in 2014 by Jabrille “Jimmy James” Williams / guitar, Bryant Moore / bass) and David McGraw / drums, they’re backed by Iván Galvez / congas, aux percussion, Gordon Brown / tenor sax, Greg Kramer / trombone, and Skerik / baritone sax. [h/t Chuck S.]

Supergroup Joe Louis Walker & The Blues Rebels, live at Zappa Tel Aviv (2013) featured Blues Hall of Fame member Joe Louis Walker / guitar & vocals, Andy Watts / guitar, Dov Hammer / harp, Ilan Hillel / bass and Alon Hillel / drums. Walker passed away in April 2025, age 75.

An amazing version of Motörhead’s classic by Brass Against, a collective led  by guitarist Brad Hammonds for purposes of protesting everything you can imagine with song covers. (Fun Fact: They are banned from playing at NASCAR events and Daytona Speedway’s Rockville Festivals because of an “incident” in 2021.)

I see that the winter storm isn’t done messing with you folks east of the Mississippi and south of everything. I don’t envy you – I did my time long ago. Remember to steer in the direction of the skid, and we’ll see you on the other side. For the rest of us, heavy porchtime is expected to blow in by noon o’clock tomorrow. See you then.

Batrachivorous Hot Links

I Can’t Stop Dancing, Archie Bell & The Drells (1968)
 Soul / R&B group from Houston, Texas, Archie Bell & The Drells had a string of hits in the late 60s-70s. They are best known for their 1968 dance hit Tighten Up which shot to No. 1 on the charts while Bell was recuperating from a leg injury he suffered while in the U.S. Army.

AiDA.

Poor Luna.

Interference.

Don’t do this.

Two seasons.

One small step.

Downtown Troy.

Blizzard timelapse.

Blowin’ in the wind.

Magnetic Mountain.

Because they said to.

Stations down under.
Bear down under.

Dads, kids & bicycles.

Housing the homeless.

Bedroom rollercoaster.

All-purpose storm tracker.

“How did your husband die?”

Lyrics to Hocus Pocus by Focus.

Limping devils and their vejigas.

Machines [via Everlasting Blört].

Warming up the car [Thompson, blog].

Happy blogoversary to The View from Lady Lake.

Morgan James sings Floyd [via Memo Of The Air].

[Top image: Snow couch found here.]

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

Uropygium Hot Links

Can I Change My Mind, Tyrone Davis (1968)
In the 1950s, Davis was a popular R&B singer in the Chicago area, began recording in the late 1960s. A DJ friend in Houston played the the B-side of one of his singles on the air, and Can I Change My Mind made both the Billboard R&B and Top Pop charts. It eventually sold more than 1 million copies and his career took off. (In 1969, Joyce Jones recorded Help Me Make Up My Mind as an answer song.)

Ye’s eggs.

“IT’S A MENU!”

Squash happens.

The US of Alcohol.

Situation acrobat.

Cool infrared pics.

The hat relay of 2017.

They was a-wrasslin’.

The Curse of Peter Pan.

The ghost of Miles Davis.

“A top climate scientist…”

When the internet goes down.

It was a dark and balmy night.

Happy tractor hood ornament.

The many worlds interpretation.

Happy Bloggleversary, Miz Beth!

Shoplifter [via Everlasting Blört].

Antarctica poop [Thompson, blog].

ALIEN concept sketch [via Bits & Pieces].

Magnetic distraction  [via Memo Of The Air].

Flicks in the Public Domain [via Neatorama].

VERY COOL interactive tessellation generator [via Nag on the Lake].

[Top image found here. That’s Cricket, a baby rhesus macaque who lives at the Safari Zoological Park in Caney, Kansas.]

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

Happy New Year’s Eve 2025 – End of Year Playlist

The end of a long year deserves a playlist to bring in the new one, so here’s a compilation of tunes that tugged on my earballs in 2025. Each set is in chronological order by date of recording.

Set 1 – January, February, March & April

Set 2 – May, June, July & August

Set 3 – September, October, November & December

I omitted seasonal tunes from the Halloween and Christmas  playlists. Last year’s playlist (2024) is here, and the 2023 EoY list is here.

And one more thing:
May You Have a Happy & Prosperous New Year!

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

Saturday Matinee – Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse, The Cinelli Brothers, and Mr. Sipp

Beau Gris Gris & The Apocalypse is a roots rock blues Americana country soul punk psychobilly band from California, featuring vocals by documentary filmmaker, television producer, business entrepreneur and Louisiana native Greta “Gris Gris” Valenti. (The nice lady dancing in the background is Kitten De Ville.)

Winners of the 2024 UK Blues Band of the Year, The Cinelli Brothers (Marco and Alessandro) revive 1960s – 70s vintage electric blues, R&B and soul with a modern vibe.

Castro Coleman, aka Mr. Sipp is smooth. A recipient of many prestigious awards, Castro was the first bluesman to have his handprint inducted into the Wall of Fame in Fredrikshavn, Denmark.

Another week and world news is still splattering all over the pavement and splashing in the swales. Every major story is both good news and omens of disaster depending upon the time of day and which town crier is coming through the village. The 48 hour rule is officially null and void.

My plan is to sleep in until Porch Time so I can be fashionably late. See you then and/or there.