Saturday Matinee – Horror Cat, Great Beer Run & Gary Clark Jr.

I generally avoid posting cat videos, but this one made me smile. [Found here via here.]

“At a time when the Vietnam War was at its height, one man, John “Chickie” Donohue, snuck back into the war zone to find his 3 closest friends and buy them a beer.”

This guy is probably the only good excuse to get burned up at Coachella. Here’s Gary Clark Jr. cranking some retro blues/rock awesomeness on 16 April 2016.

Have a great weekend folks, see you back here tomorrow for stuff.
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Greetings Feral Irish Fans!

If this is your first time here, have a walkabout; just make sure you leave a trail of breadcrumbs and set the timer, or else click on the “Sampler Plate“at top right. Lot of stuff buried in these archives. We have .gifs every Friday, UToobage every Saturday, and Sundays are often link dumps. –Bunk
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Saturday Matinee – Wagon Train, Tauba Auerbach & Eric Bibb

One of the prettiest theme songs ever, and one of my favorites.
Then the Missus ruined it for me forever by singing this:

Wagons here, wagons there,
There are wagons everywhere;
Some are short, some are long,
And they’re even in this song;

On a ship, on a plane,
You can find them on a train;
This is what we call the Theme to Wagon Train.

Very cool paper sculpture books [via].

How ’bout some country blues? Eric Bibb does it right.

Eric Bibb (vocals, acoustic guitars, baritone guitar, resonator guitar, contra bass guitar, cigar box diddly bow, 6-string banjo & footstomp), Grant Dermody (harmonica), Dirk Powell (fretless banjo, fiddle, mandolin, accordion, upright bass, banjo & harmony vocal), Cedric Watson (fiddles & backing vocals), Danny DeVillier (drums & tambourine), Christine Balfa (cajun triangle).

Aside from the video bloopers and bad cuts, I’d have never guessed so many great ones played on that track.

Have a great weekend, folks, and remember that Memorial Day is not about hot dogs and beer.

Saturday Matinee – Postmodern Jukebox with Morgan James, Herbie Hancock with Miles Davis, & Frank Zappa

Postmodern Jukebox (featuring the amazing vocals of Morgan James) always gets my attention. Nice ’60s kinda sound happens here.

Watermelon Man.” Herbie Hancock teams up with Bill Evans, Al Foster and Miles Davis on his 1962 soul/jazz/funk classic.

One of my favorite Zappa songs, “Black Napkins,” performed on the Mike Douglas Show in 1976. Kinda reflects my mood these days, but I’ll snap out of it. Meanwhile, have a great weekend, and for those of you in the midwest, have fun with the cicadas.

Elie Aghnedes’ Contribution To The World: The 1954 Rhino

Rhino 1954

Rhino 1954 2

Greek-American inventor Elie Aghnides amassed a fortune coming up with clever inventions.

One of his more unusual creations was the “Rhino,” an amphibious four-wheeled vehicle designed to patrol and defend the vast roadless wastes of Alaska and Canada.

Weighing in at five tons, the four-wheel-drive machine could hit speeds of 45 miles per hour on the highway.

Defining features were its massive front wheels, which had six-foot diameters and weighed 1,500 pounds each. Their hollow, hemispherical shape gave the Rhino its unique all-terrain capability. As the vehicle sank into mud, sand, or other soft surfaces, the bearing surface of the ribbed wheels increased, giving it greater traction.

The Rhino’s massive wheels and low center of gravity also meant it could tip 75 degrees to either side without toppling over.

In the water, the hollow wheels provided flotation, while a rear water jet provided propulsion at speeds of about four miles per hour.

The Marmon-Herrington Company of Indianapolis built one prototype of the Rhino for demonstration. The United States military declined to purchase any, reportedly out of concern that the wheels could be punctured by gunfire, sinking the vehicle [via].

Rhino 1954

Not only could it float, it had such a low center of gravity that it was nearly impossible to overturn. Here it is in action:

Elie Aghnides didn’t stop there. He created another prototype amphibious vehicle named “The Cyclops,” but for some reason the prototype construction failed. Aghnides won a $120.5K settlement with The Marmon Group in 1972.

I want one, if only to crash Burning Man without paying.
[Images from here, here and here. Found here.]

Saturday Matinee – The Cabin Kids, Too Many ZooZ & Lucky Chops

The Cabin Kids from “Teacher’s Beau” in 1935. [via].

Too Many Zooz crank it.

Trumpet player Matt Doe, baritone saxophonist Leo P. and drummer David “King of Sludge” Parks have been rocking the [NYC] subways since August [2013]. Doe, 21, and Leo P., 22, first became friends while attending the Manhattan School of Music, while Leo P. and Parks played together in another busking band, the Drumadics. They all came together with a simple goal: to make some extra cash [via].

[h/t Bunkessa]

Lucky Chops is/are a bit more elaborate and include some cool moves (the trombone player even does the Mashed Potato).

Not bad for buskers. Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you shortly.

 

Saturday Matinee – Louis in the Studio, Kid Ory & Trombone Shorty

This exclusive video depicts Armstrong and his All Stars recording the master take of “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” as well as silent footage of them listening to the playback. Also featured in the clip are Trummy Young, trombone, Peanuts Hucko, clarinet, Billy Kyle, piano, Mort Herbert, bass and Danny Barcelona, drums.

I always thought Kid Ory came out of King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band (along with Johnny Dodds, Baby Dodds and Louis Armstrong) but according to Wiki:

Ory had one of the best-known bands in New Orleans in the 1910s, hiring many of the great jazz musicians of the city, including cornetists Joe “King” Oliver, Mutt Carey, and Louis Armstrong, who joined the band in 1919; and clarinetists Johnny Dodds and Jimmie Noone.

So how ’bout some more in the same vein? Trombone Shorty’s tribute to Louis Armstrong ain’t bad, and he’s got one hell of a breathing trick.

[Confidential to Calo – That one’s for you. Condolences.]

Have a great weekend, folks, and be back here tomorrow for more, you know, stuff.

 

Saturday Matinee – The National Blues Museum, Andy Williams & The Temptations, The Continentals & The Trashmen

The National Blues Museum just opened in St. Louis, Missouri. [via]

In December 1969, Andy Williams (aka Mr. Moon River) got down and funky with The Temptations. He looked mad, dammit. [via]

The Continentals (Richard Frank, Lead Guitar; Robert Sarlo, Rhythm Guitar; Ricky Mangone, Rhythm Guitar; Joseph Messina, Drums and Ralph DiForio, Vocals and Bass Guitar) recorded July 9, 1961 on Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour.

I dare you to Lip sync Surfin’ Bird. Now sing it without a backup band. Have a great weekend, folks, and we’ll be back tomorrow with more inanity than you can stand.

Saturday Matinee – Tom Waits, Howlin’ Wolf & Ron Holloway

16 Shells From A Thirty Ought Six” is one of my Tom Waits favorites. Pure industrial grade Howlin’ Wolf. This clip was from his 1988 film dérangeant Big Time.

Howlin’ Wolf and other classic bluesmen were promoted by The Rolling Stones.

Great live version of “Jimi Thing” by The Dave Matthews Band in 2011. Jump to 07:00 for some awesome funk sax by Ron Holloway.

Saturday Matinee – Gene Pitney, The Reflections & Aretha Franklin

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. Great song and great movie.

That’s how teenagers danced to The Reflections in 1964. Meanwhile Aretha Franklin was crankin’ out this:

Have a great weekend, folks, and if you have a minute, tweet #FreeStacy. He’s a good guy who’s done nothing wrong.

 

Saturday Matinee – Ice Stacking, Room Full Of Blues, Magic Slim & Buddy Guy

Lake Superior pwns the ice [via].

13 February 2016
“Lake Superior put on a dramatic show with her recent ice in Duluth, Minnesota.
[…]
The seemingly endless ice sheets broke into large plates and stacked on shore, sounding much like breaking glass. The ice thickness ranged from about 1/4″ to about 3″ thick.”

Room Full Of Blues (AKA The Institute of Awesome). They’ve been around for decades and don’t get half the respect they deserve. I heard them live in the ’80s and my ears are still ringing.

How ’bout some Magic Slim? Nice bad boy groove, that.

Buddy Guy coached a young prodigy on stage, and displayed no condescension whatsoever. What a class act.

Have a great weekend, folks. Be back here to tomorrow, because I said so.