sistastrings, “Passacaglia/ Feeling Good”

from: you tube video

Sistah Strings
Wow wow wow
Whoa whoa whoa
How how how

In the pantheon of sibling musicians, these 2 women are supreme. Supremely connected. 

Hailing from Milwaukee, classically trained, championed by fellow native Peter Mulvey with whom they’ve recorded and toured (saw this trio in April as part of The Town and The City festival). Also hooked up with Brandi Carlisle. Their projectory is promising. Now based in Nashville. Keep eyes & ears open for their blessed sound and funky presence.

-Deb Lang-

ronald Shannon Jackson, “Iola,”

mandance, 1982

Funk, spunk, banjo and the guitar wizardry of the great Vernon Reid. The riddums carve space for one another.

shivkumar sharma, “Raga jog,”

from: raga jog, 1992

Shivkumar Sharma passed away a year ago in May at the age of 84. I was fortunate to have seen him three magical times. He elevated the Santoor, the instrument on his lap, from a folk instrument to one featured by him in virtuoso classical music performances all over the world. His son now carries on the legacy.

 -Alan West-

m. Ward, “Supernatural thing,”

from: Supernatural thing, 2023

M.Ward is a guitar moodulator. He specializes in a sound that merges vintage, retro, country-surf, low fried, 50’s space age, and rockabilly, reverbed with mini divinity, I think. You can set the needle down just about anywhere in his repertoire and find something valuably unique. In my only opportunity to see him in the flesh, he sported a quartet w/ two lead guitar players and two drummers. The lights in the theatre dimmed and an olde 78 rpm disc provided the atmospheric launching pad for his pliable show. He may be a well-quafureed, streamlined, optimist, mystic. This little number sparks off his soon to be released lp.

barbara lynn, “mello feeling Pt 2,”

from: 1965 Single

The underbelly of American soul music is populated by an impressive amount of distinctive talent. A shining example is Texas born Barbara Lynn. She prospered in the 1960’s as a R&B and blues singer, wrote her own songs and played lead electric guitar. Her unique composite skill set made her an attractive opening act for other great artists of the day including: Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, James Brown, Al Green, Carla Thomas, Marvin Gaye, Ike and Tina Turner, the Temptations, and B.B. King, to name but a few.  Ms. Lynn was a serious player. Still going strong at 81.

luka bloom, “diamond mountain,”

from: Turf, 1994

Born Kevin Barry Moore on May 23rd 1955 in County Kildare, Ireland. He was the younger brother of folk singer Christy Moore, who he began touring in support of at the age of 14. A bout of tendinitis forced him to learn to play the guitar with a plectrum hence his at times frenetic strumming style. He came to the U.S. in 1987 and took the stage name “Luka Bloom”, a nod to Suzanne Vega’s song and the main character in Joyce’s Ulysses. He had returned to Ireland to record 1991’s The Acoustic Motorbike and came back in 1993 to record Turf.

 -Alan West-

Fans of The Bop Shop are cordially invited to the third of four LIVE shows that grew out of the Music Lives 365 Calendar that you can view on Radio-Graphics. The Soul of Spring features both live and pre-recorded presentations of artists listed above who were born during Spring. Join me, local musicians and guests for a musical extravaganza. No ticket required. $5 donation appreciated. Snacks and beverages provided. For those far away, the show will be live on FaceBook.

https://facebook.com/events/s/music-lives-365-live-the-soul-/1384138112442307/

the weakerthans, “elegy for gump worsley,”

from: reunion tour, 2007

As general disinterest in professional ice hockey puts away it clothes for the onslaught of summer, I thought it might be time to trot out this gem from a little known band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Weakerthans were a working manitobas art rock group who lionized the spirit of the late hockey goalie Gump Worsley. It’s a direct hit. A few footnotes. The Plympton referenced in the song is George Plympton, a sports writer. Worsley refused to wear a mask to protest his face from serious cuts by the puck. Hence the comment as the song ends.

the flying burrito brothers, “sin city,”

from, The Gilded palace of Sin, 1969

There are many high points in the history of country rock, but this record in my humble opinion is the loftiest one. Country themes married to the rock innovations by a coterie of the savviest musicians of the time. Easy as it is to experience, listen to it when you get a chance. Especially in your car or truck on a trip somewhere. Gram Parsons delivers the dry goods, heartbreak and a vocal chimera rarely equalled. By the way chimera is a thing that is hoped or wished for but in fact is illusory or impossible to achieve. Chris Hillman is no slouch of a singer either. While pedal steel player Sneaky Pete Kleinow wasn’t called sneaky for nothing. His nuances drape the sessions. And from it “Sin City,” separates itself from the others with its warnings, its admonitions to the blind ambitions and materialism of the uncaring take your pick.

hal wilner, “stay awake,” Suzanne vega,

from: various interpretations of music from vintage disney films, 1988

Hal Wilner was/is the guardian angel sitting on the shoulder of music preservation. A singular impresario. He has involved with innumerable artists and projects of unmatched quality, perseverance and diversity. If you still have a blotter on your desk and are continuing to write notes to self, jot his name down. And listed below, from you know where, are the facts wherein you can experience what it means to exhaust, involve, co-ordinate, create, cajole and worry into being, major players from the recording arts who, despite their successes are always in danger of becoming forgotten. Treasure trove rabbit hole.

sandeep das & mike block, “fight or flight,”

from: Where the soul never dies, 2021

Mike Block is an amazing 40 year-old cellist that can play any style of music. He plays the cello standing up with the cello strapped to his shoulder.  Sandeep Das made his debut at 17 accompanying Ravi Shankar. In 2015 he moved to Boston and is a member , along with Mike Block, of the acclaimed Silk Road Ensemble.

 -Alan West-

Marissa anderson, “the fire this time,”

from: still here, 2022

One  of my regular rabbit-hole excursions following a  Music Lives posting led me to this gem.  American Primitive meets Weird Improv.  Crank it up, close your eyes and go there.  Cred from Ms Anderson's Wiki bio includes: performer with an anti-government circus in Southern Mexico; member of the Dolly Ranchers; and opening for and playing with fellow Oregonian Michael Hurley.  

-Bill Boehm-

lee dorsey, “who’s gonna help a brother get further,”

from: Yes we can, 1970

Affirmative action is a kinkin’ thang. Here it is in all its vibrant glory. Allen Toussaint, the Meters and the masterful Lee Dorsey asking “ What happened to the Liberty Bell I heard so much about? Did it really ding dong? It must have dinged wrong. It didn’t ding long” That’s getting hop to hip! And so forth. So much soul in this number you can cut it with a dull spoon.

peggy Lee, “aren’t you kind of glad we did,”

from: the lost capitol masters, w/ dave barbour, 1946

When did it become permissible to talk about having sex, in a song? I’m not talking about outliers like The Fugs, but in a song that could be played on the radio? Up until the 70s, writers had to use suggestion or metaphor to get the message across. Some Rhythm & Blues tracks crossed the line (“Sixty Minute Man” or “Work With Me Annie”) and got banned. 

Then there are songs that took a more nudge nudge wink wink approach, like this Gershwin number. I love Peggy Lee’s 1940s work with her husband, guitarist Dave Barbour, and her voice and attitude are perfect for this. You can just see her sly grin, singing the title line.

-Charlie Blaum-

chris turner, “dancers in the bulrushes,” + “fox chase,”

from: Harmonicas, 1980 and live you tube performances

Born in London in 1950, Chris Turner is ranked 26th on harmonica.com.  That is a travesty. Since he can get any sound he wants out of his array of harps, how can he not be right up at the top?  The reason is that he isn’t well known and the band that featured him in the 80s, The Nee Ningy Band, wasn’t everyone’s cup of volatile tea. He has lived in Rhode Island for many years and the video is from a church in Rumford.

-Alan West-

linda thompson, “paint and powder beauty,”

from: Fashionably late, 2002

Linda Thompson is regrettably one of the missing pieces in British folk rock history, often relegated to the shadows of her ex-husband Richard. Let’s quickly dispense of that unfortunate dynamic. She is stunningly talented as this work stridently demonstrates. Mention has been made of the producer/arranger Robert Kirby in a recent post. He was influential in the music of the late Nick Drake and many other artists from the 1960’s. His deft classical touches elevated other musical persuasions in what we shall call “mindblowing proportions.” He reappeared for these sessions with Ms. Thompson and works his magic poignantly detailing “Paint and Powder Beauty.” This is a song of unique pathos, and if you like that kind of thing you’ll find none more tenderly searing.

yo la tengo, “Return to hot chicken,”

from: I can hear the heart beating as one, 1997

I am especially enthusiastic about this band for several reasons but high up on the list is the number of high classified instrumentals of many persuasions. Some melodic, some rockin’, some etherial, some psychedelic, some grungy, some meandering, some avant, some trashy and obscure. But there are a lot in their extensive catalogue. I can’t think of many groups that have resorted to the predilection to chose the sound of instruments over the incorporation of vocals. And they are a trio built largely around a married couple. That’s special noise. Here’s the “Return to Hot Chicken.”

terry allen,”what of Alicia,”

from: juarez, 1975

Do you know the most famous or infamous alumni from your high school? My high school, Lower Merion lists Henry Arnold (only person to be a 5 star general in the Army and the Air Force), Chuck Barris (for those old enough to remember the Gong Show), Alexander Haig and Kobe Bryant among many others .Monterey High School in Lubbock Texas lists Terry Allen, Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and for basketball fiends, Craig Ehlo. If not familiar with the first four musicians, they could be grouped under Texas Country or Outlaw Country and all were born in the mid 1940s. Allen was trained as an architect and taught for ten years before pursuing his music and his art, which is featured in many museums including the New York Museum of Modern Art and the MET. “What of Alicia” is from his first recording Juarez that was released in 1975.

-Alan West-

josh ritter, “young moses,”

from: sermon on the rocks, 2015

Some songs you must have to just surf on the rocks of the imagination to come up with. Such could be the source of today’s Josh Ritter selection. He’s a critter who has delved widely in previous artistic incarnations. I had a small odyssey trying to identify who had made this work, having heard it on live on a local radio station. But thanks to the generosity of its dj, here it is in living, flying audio coloration for your edivacation! About music he created during this time Mr. Ritter has stated he was attempting to “play messianic oracular honky-tonk.”

Waxahatchee, “talking dust bowl blues,”

from: home in this world: woody guthrie’s dust bowl ballads,