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krispyweiss · 1 hour
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Song Review: Richard Thompson - “Singapore Sadie”
With “Singapore Sadie,” Richard Thompson continues his habit of writing contemporary songs that sound like traditional numbers set in modern arrangements.
Despite its disguise, “Sadie” is, indeed, a Thompson original and the lead single from Ship to Shore, the guitarist’s 20th solo LP and first since 2018.
It’s a wave-tossed waltz - a love song outfitted with Thompson’s electric guitar and David Mansfield’s violin trading off between verses about the titular character:
Her love doesn’t come every day/it comes like a bolt from the blue/burnin’ and blindin’ and true, Thompson sings on the chorus.
The Fairport Convention co-founder doesn’t plan to wait another half-decade to follow Ship to Shore, which lands May 31. In fact, the next LP is written and “ready to take into the studio.
“I’m uncomfortable if I don’t do it,” Thompson said in a statement. “If I don’t write, if I don’t perform, I get frustrated and I feel like I’m not being the human being I should be.”
Grade card: Richard Thompson - “Singapore Sadie” - B+
3/28/24
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krispyweiss · 3 hours
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Album Review: Béla Fleck - Rhapsody in Blue
Not only is George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” resilient enough to last a century, it’s also elastic enough to appear three times on a single album and not grow tiresome.
And Béla Fleck is just the man to make it work, anchoring his Rhapsody in Blue LP - a celebration of the piece’s centenary - with “Rhapsody in Blue(grass),” “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Rhapsody in Blue(s),” which clock in at 12, 19 and five minutes, respectively. The banjo man fleshes out the album with solo versions of Gershwin’s never-recorded, recently discovered “Unidentified Piece for Banjo” and the better-known “Rialto Ripples.”
Recorded with My Bluegrass Heart, “Blue(grass)” is a proverbial walk through the Appalachian Mountains as Fleck, fiddler Michael Cleveland; mandolinist Sierra Hull and her Dobro-playing husband Justin Moses; bassist Mark Schatz; and guitarist Bryan Sutton simultaneously reinterpret and preserve the piece.
Fleck then joins the Virginia Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Eric Jacobsen, aka Mr. Aoife O’Donovan, and replaces piano with banjo on a daring, and successful, bit of musical transplantation, released under its unchanged title.
Which brings us to the truncated “Blue(s),” on which Fleck, mandolinist Sam Bush, Dobro master Jerry Douglas and busy bassist Victor Wooten graft elements of “Mannish Boy��� into the “Rhapsody.” It’s respectful to Gershwin’s blueprint while - like its album-mates - adding layers to the already-intricately layered piece.
Grade card: Béla Fleck - Rhapsody in Blue - A-
3/28/24
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krispyweiss · 5 hours
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Song Review: James Taylor - “Long Ago and Far Away” (Live, March 27, 1986)
What was once here and now is today far away and long ago, which makes James Taylor’s March 27, 1986, rendition of “Long Ago and Far Away” in West Germany apropos for release from the vault.
It’s a duo performance with Taylor on guitar and vocals and Little Feat’s Bill Payne on electric piano and synth strings. Recorded for the “Ohne Filter” television program and originally broadcast Jan. 2, 1987, the arrangement puts Taylor’s early-1970s ballad smack dab in the middle-1980s.
But that disservice doesn’t mar the song’s inherent beauty.
Grade card: James Taylor - “Long Ago and Far Away” (Live - 3/27/86) - B-
3/28/24
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krispyweiss · 19 hours
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“Chicago & Friends in Concert” Hits Theaters April 18 and 21
- Steve Vai, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Robert Randolph among the pals who stop by
There’s a famous story about Jimi Hendrix telling the guys in Chicago, “your guitarist (Terry Kath) is better than me.”
Though it may be apocryphal, there’s something believable about the tale. And it seems obvious that if Kath had played in any other band or had lived long enough - he died in 1978 - to do some solo work, he might be more recognized for the six-string giant he is.
Musicians are aware of Kath’s stature, however. And that’s how Steve Vai, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Robert Randolph came to be among the pals who shared the stage with Chicago for its 2023 Chicago & Friends gigs, excerpts of which will be released in theaters for a limited April 18 and 21 engagement of “Chicago & Friends in Concert.” The trailer shows Vai shredding on “25 or 6 to 4,” Ingram recreating Kath’s magnificent solo on “Make Me Smile” and Randolph leading the band through the rarely played “Listen.”
Other guests include Robin Thicke, Chris Daughtry, Judith Hill and VoicePlay.
Ticketing info here.
3/27/24
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krispyweiss · 23 hours
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Pete Townshend Joins “Tommy” Cast for “Tonight Show” Medley
It’s a rock opera. And if Pete Townshend’s appearance on “the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” with the Broadway cast of “the Who’s Tommy” is any indication, Tommy should’ve stayed that way.
With Townshend on acoustic guitar and background vocals, the cast played a medley of “Pinball Wizard,” “See Me, Feel Me” and “Listening to You.” Whether it was the unfamiliar voices, the Broadway staging, the fact that it was a medley or just that it seemed kind of pathetic in myriad ways, Sound Bites wasn’t feeling it and won’t listen again.
Townshend recently said he plays with the remnants of the Who for the money. One has to wonder about the rationale for this television appearance.
3/27/24
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krispyweiss · 1 day
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Demo Review: Grateful Dead - “Wave that Flag”
On Feb. 9, 1973, Jerry Garcia made an instructional audio recording of “Wave that Flag” so he could teach the song to his Grateful Dead bandmates.
The solo demo of the song that would eventually become “U.S. Blues” is out to announce the forthcoming From the Mars Hotel (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition). It finds Garcia at home, on acoustic and electric guitars and percussion, singing mostly complete - but slightly varied - lyrics to the short-lived member of the Dead’s live repertoire.
The recording reveals Garcia pretty much knew what he wanted his collaborators to do with the song. That’s particularly strange, given the many iterations it went through as it morphed from “Wave that Flag” into “U.S. Blues.” As such, it’s a super-cool peek behind the curtain and a demo that checks all boxes as it’s a good listen to boot.
Out June 21, Mars Hotel 50 includes a remaster of the original LP, the Dead’s previously unreleased May 12, 1974, concert in Nevada and a demo of “China Doll” to go with “Wave that Flag.”
Grade card: Grateful Dead - “Wave that Flag” (Demo) - A
3/27/24
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krispyweiss · 1 day
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Song Review(s): Sierra Hull - “Beautifully out of Place” and “The Last Minute” (Live, March 23, 2024)
Sierra Hull wasted no time getting down to business during her debut at Nashville’s famed Basement East concert venue.
The folks handling the livestream; however, were not as sharp, cutting in to the opening “How Long” as the song was ending. Presumably to make up for the error, two additional tracks were available on the freebie sampler.
The languid balladry of “Beautifully out of Place” shines a light on Hull, who is renown for her virtuosic playing, as a singer. It’s followed with the exceptional instrumental interplay of “The Last Minute,” which allows the mandolinist and her bluegrass-with-drums band, including acoustic guitar, fiddle and bass, to show off their individual and ensemble chops.
Grade card: Sierra Hull - “Beautifully out of Place” and “The Last Minute” (Live - 3/23/24) - B/A
3/27/24
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krispyweiss · 1 day
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Song Review: Taylor Scott Band - “Light One Up”
If the title doesn’t give away the meaning of “Light One Up,” the first line will:
This song’s about gettin’ stoned
Set to boom-chuck guitar and the associated horse-step rhythm, the latest standalone single from the Taylor Scott Band is also about heartbreak, drinking and spiritual ambiguity. The song is both funny and serious and while it flirts with with novelty territory, instrumental breaks on organ and electric guitar keep “Light One Up” in on the right side of the yellow line.
Grade card: Taylor Scott Band - “Light One Up” - B
3/27/24
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krispyweiss · 1 day
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“The Beach Boys” Coming to Disney+
- Documentary premieres May 24
“Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a documentary about us?,” the Beach Boys asked rhetorically.
“Darlin’, there is!”
Unimaginatively titled “The Beach Boys,” the latest film about the Beach Boys premieres May 24 on Disney+, the streaming service said.
Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny direct what is billed as “a celebration of the legendary band;” a streaming-only soundtrack will be released alongside the film.
Previously unseen footage; archival interviews with Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar; new interviews with Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks and Bruce Johnston; and commentary from such fans as Lindsey Buckingham, Don Was and others are the promised building blocks.
A companion book, “The Beach Boys by the Beach Boys,” will be published April 2.
3/27/24
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krispyweiss · 2 days
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Elliott Peck Has Successful Surgery; Midnight North to Perform as Grahame Lesh & the North as She Recovers
- “There is no Midnight North without Elliott,” band says
Midnight North frontwoman Elliott Peck is recovering after a “complex” surgery to remove a tumor in her abdomen, her bandmates said.
“(It) was fortunately deemed quite successful,” they said.
“Of course, because of the intensity of the surgery, her recovery will not be very fast, so it will be some time before Elliott is back on stage and even longer before she’s back on tour.”
The band therefore canceled its March 28-30 run in Colorado and will perform a string of April dates in the Midwest as Grahame Lesh & the North.
“There is no Midnight North without Elliott, so we’ll be holding off on calling ourselves MN until Elliott is ready to lead us onstage,” the band said.
Peck announced her illness in February.
3/26/24
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krispyweiss · 2 days
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Bruce Springsteen is First International Songwriter to be Named Ivors Academy Fellow
- “There is no one more fitting,” academy says
Bruce Springsteen is the first international songwriter to receive the Ivors Academy Fellowship award.
The academy broke its 80-year lock on English awardees for the man it called “one of the most influential and important songwriters of all time” in a news release.
“There is no one more fitting than Bruce Springsteen to be the first international songwriter inducted into our fellowship,” Ivors Chair Tom Gray said.
“Songwriters are powerful storytellers, who capture our lives, loves and hardships. Bruce has always told the greatest stories.”
Springsteen said he is proud to join the fellowship that includes Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Joan Armatrading and Sting.
“In addition to recognizing my songwriting, the award stands as a tribute to the fans and friends who have supported me and my work for the last 50 years,” he said. “This entire country has made me feel welcome every step of the way, and for this, I will always remain deeply appreciative.”
The ceremony takes place May 23 in London.
3/26/24
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krispyweiss · 2 days
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Album Review: John Craigie feat. TK & the Holy Know-Nothings - Pagan Church
A folkie onstage, John Craigie is broader-spectrum in the studio. He’s reached a technicolor apex on Pagan Church, recorded with the help of TK & the Holy Know-Nothings, who receive co-star billing.
An acolyte of John Prine and Todd Snider, Craigie litters the LP with couplets - If god didn’t tell people what to do, a lot more people would believe in god, he sings on “Viking Sex,” a mid-tempo rocker driven by slide guitar and brass - that serve as clues to Craigie’s inspiration and mindset within the music.
Being an old-school musician, Craigie previewed the LP with a triptych of singles that came with non-album B-sides, including a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Absolutely Sweet Marie,” that, like Pagan Church, come highly recommended.
Musically, Craigie and the Holy Know-Nothings deploy slide and steel guitars, brass and rhythm section to craft a blend a of rock, soul and blues on which the singer-songwriter channels his inner Snider most on the grinding “Judas” and melds his Midwestern influence with Craigie’s native West Coast on “California Sober.”
I lay a busted harmonica out on Pigpen’s grave/cure my Oakland sadness on the shores of Monterey, Craigie sings on this low-key lament.
Lyrically, Craigie is often genius-level with his craft, such as when he laments a long-dead relationship by singing: Oh, you look at a painting/you don’t think about what the last stroke was on the balladic “Good to You.”
Grade card: John Craigie feat. TK & the Holy Know-Nothings - Pagan Church - B+
3/26/24
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krispyweiss · 2 days
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Song Review: Widespread Panic - “Tackle Box Hero”
Widespread Panic could’ve lopped off half of the eight minutes that make up “Tackle Box Hero” and come up with a more-potent number.
Without an audience to egg it on, the band sounds directionless in its jamming, as if it is trying to fill a record - and it might be as “Tackle Box Hero” is the third recent studio track the band has issued, following “Little by Little” and “We Walk Each Other Home.” To make matters worse, guitarist Jimmy Herring is essentially recycling old Michael Houser riffs, rather than bringing his own personality to the aural fore.
Keyboardist JoJo Hermann sings this stoner sea shanty - lyrically, it sounds like something Jimmy Buffett might have written if weed, rather than booze, was his formula. Musically, it’s little more than WSP filler - totally listenable, but not particularly exciting.
Grade card: Widespread Panic - “Tackle Box Hero” - C+
3/26/24
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krispyweiss · 2 days
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Song Review: Jeremy Spencer - “Where is our Home?”
Jeremy Spencer has Gazans on his mind.
Though there are no words to express his feelings, the motivation behind Spencer’s latest single is obvious in the artwork, the melancholic music and the title of “Where is our Home?”
The cover, also Spencer’s handiwork, shows what appears to be a family of Middle Eastern refugees on the move. And the music is wistful, Spencer’s slide guitar crying gently of over a mix of acoustic rhythm, melodica and subtle rhythm section.
“Where is our Home?” is more of what’s become standard fare from the former Fleetwood Mac guitarist in recent years. But his thoughts imbue the song with palpable emotion that often eludes instrumental pieces such as this.
Grade card: Jeremy Spencer - “Where is our Home?” - B+
3/26/24
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krispyweiss · 3 days
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King Crimson on How “Facts of Life” Came to Be
Negotiations needed to take place before “Facts of Life” could become a King Crimson song.
The decision-making process between guitarists Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew, drummer Pat Mastelotto and bassist Trey Gunn is the focus of the band’s most-recent archival release.
With the quartet vamping on the theme; stopping and starting as they discuss the incipient arrangement; and Belew singing scratch vocals, this “audio documentary” is inside cricket in the extreme. Its appeal is therefore limited.
But Crimson has its share of fanatics. And those folks will revel in the insights provided by this outtake from the sessions that produced 2003’s The Power To Believe.
3/25/24
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krispyweiss · 3 days
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Song Review: Sierra Hull - “Black Muddy River” (Live)
If Robert Hunter hadn’t written the words of “Black Muddy River” for Jerry Garcia to sing, perhaps he could’ve given them to Sierra Hull.
Hull performed the maudlin Grateful Dean ballad at the 2024 Dead Ahead festival in Mexico and her version is a heart-rending as any. With acoustic guitar, upright bass, violin and brushed drums accompanying Hull’s mandolin and lead vocals, this “River” is as black and muddy as they come.
That Hull ceded the solo to her violin player only adds to the aching melancholy. And that Hull - just 32 - clearly feels the impact of Hunter’s words is obvious, both in her vocal performance and as she gestures for effect as she sings.
Just exactly perfect.
Grade card: Sierra Hull - “Black Muddy River” (Live) - A+
3/25/24
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krispyweiss · 3 days
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Song Review: Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams - “Ride with Me”
Teresa Williams sings sweetly. Larry Cambell plays subtly stinging electric guitar and joins his wife in harmony over the snare drum that drives “Ride with Me.”
Won’t you ride with me/let the wind blow your spirit free/can’t say how far we’re gonna go/we don’t need to know right now/baby just ride with me, Williams and Campbell sing on the third - and final - preview single from All This Time, due April 5.
Following “Desert Island Dreams” and “The Way You Make Me Feel,” the languid “Ride with Me” is a deceptive little number. It seems a simple love song upon first listen. The second time through, its latent beauty begins to emerge. Third and subsequent spins reveal an incipient classic that pulls sock-hop ballads from the 1950s in the Americana soundscape of the 2020s.
Grade card: Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams - “Ride with Me” - A
3/25/24
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