Discovering something different

I've been checking out some rock bands, that I've wanted to investigate, and listen to, for a while. 

They're not necessarily 'new' bands at all, but I hadn't really dug into their music, yet. (One could say that they're new to me, at least! Haha!)

So, I'm excited about checking these bands out; because I've wanted to do it for a while. And I've heard many good things, too.

Soundgarden is a great example of what I'm talking about. I actually own a fair bit of their music, already. But, for whatever reason, I put it aside. And then, I got into something else… and a fair bit time went by. 

But I felt like pulling out some Soundgarden music, again. And it's awesome!

Black Sabbath is another band that I really like. And I've been listening to them again, lately. I've listened to Sabbath, since my early teens. During the times when they were fronted by both Ozzy, and the late Ronnie James Dio. So it's cool for me to get back into them, again! I have quite a few of their albums. Especially the Ozzy-era stuff. So from around 1968, until the late 70s.

I was often listening to an Aussie band, called The Angels, as well. Which made the recent passing of their frontman, Bernard 'Doc' Neeson, all the more sad for me. R.I.P, Doc! The Angels were a great, hard-nosed, rock band.

Keeping things funky!

Hey, everyone. It's Mitch! 

I think it's time to post again! Let's 'get on the good foot'— and I'll talk about music that I'm into, at the moment! 

So, lately I've been listening to lots of very cool music. I'd say that I've been moving more towards the funk, rock, and R'n'B 'direction'. 

To be clear, when I say that I love 'R'n'B music', I'm talking about classic, old-school, awesome rythym and blues music. I'm not into the modern, popular stuff that gets labelled 'R'n'B' these days. 

Modern or popular R'n'B isn't my thing at all! I'm going to leave the current, popular stuff for other people to enjoy.

I'm getting back into rock music again, as well. For a while there, I wasn't listening to so much rock music; but I'm back into it, at the moment.

And I'm always listening to the blues! I never stray too far from the blues.

So here's what I've been listening to:

ZZ Top

I'm discovering ZZ Top, and it's way cool! I'd already heard many good things about those guys — but I never really took the time to listen to the music properly. I knew most of the hits, but then I started hearing other stuff, as well.

It's great music! It's bluesy, and it grooves!

Ry Cooder

I love Ry's work. I've heard lots of other musicians speak highly of him, as well. He has feel, AND incredible chops too! He's played with, and recorded with, so many great musicians. Like Taj Mahal, The Rolling Stones, Little Feat, Captain Beefheart. 

Snooks Eaglin

A very versatile blues and R'n'B singer/guitarist. He could play many different songs, and styles of music; like the old-school 'street singers' from the 20s and 30s. Watching him play guitar is amazing!

I've also been listening to Jimmy Reed.

Tune in next time for more! I've got way more to cover. But this post was hanging around, unpublished for a bit too long! This isn't all!

Dig this song, my friends! Dusty Brown

Hi, friends.
It's Mitch. :)

I wanted to post about this music that I wasn't aware of, until very recently. It comes from a pretty obscure harp player/singer, named Dusty Brown. I'll cheerfully admit that I know almost nothing about Dusty Brown. It seems as though he wasn't nearly as well-known as some of the other harp players, who where part of the scene, at the time. But there are still some great Dusty Brown recordings available to buy. (I used iTunes, in this case.)

The song that I featured, in this post is called 'Well You Know I Love You' by Dusty Brown. I discovered Dusty's music through a video interview on:
www.bluesharmonica.com
Great instructional website.

I love finding different music. Peace.


Mitch.


 

Harp talk, and an update

Hi, everybody. I'm back!

As always, I'm listening to heaps of music at the moment. I'm learning about lots of different music, too. That's one of the many ways that I can keep my mind active.

I love music! And I love discovering new, and different, albums or artists! It might be new material — or simply music that I hadn't heard before. (For whatever reason.) But there's always something cool, waiting for me out there, that I'm yet to hear. 'The quest' (my quest) to hear more cool music, keeps it fresh for me.

I enjoy learning about different subjects, too: the arts, history, spirituality, philosophy, music history, politics, and psychology. 

…And I love to write! So, writing about music is a wonderful way for me to combine two, beautiful things into one venture!

I've been learning to play blues harp for seven years, too. It's great; and it's a wonderful way to express myself. 

When I blow harp, I am personally connected to the music that I love so much! Being able to play — and practice harmonica is even cooler for me; because I didn't think I would ever be able to play a musical instrument, due to my Cerebral Palsy. But blues harp is a really good fit for me, musically!

I tried to play slide guitar — but I never had the necessary motor skills to do so. (Many other boys similarly dream of being a 'guitar hero'; so I wasn't alone!) Even so, it was mighty hard to accept that guitar wouldn't work out!

But blues harp fit me much better. It's small, and I can pick it up, and put it down again. I only have one arm to use, but there have even been great one-armed harp players, before. (Big John Wrencher, for example.)

The great harmonica players can get so many beautiful sounds and textures from that small, deceptive instrument! I love dipping into the music of the great players; and studying it! I try to practice often. Every day, or every other day.

Here's a short list of some of the guys/artists who I'm really enjoying, at the moment. (It's not exhaustive, definitive, or complete.) And it's not in order.

Junior Wells

James Cotton

Carey Bell

Gary Smith

Louis Myers

Big Walter Horton

Snooky Pryor

Bacon Fat

Rod Piazza

Little Walter Jacobs

Rice Miller (AKA 'Sonny Boy Williamson #2')

George 'Harmonica' Smith

Paul Oscher

John Lee 'Sonny Boy' Williamson (The original 'Sonny Boy Williamson'.)

Charlie Musselwhite

Howlin' Wolf

So that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed this post! By all means, let me know what you think. Tell your friends about this post, and the whole blog.

Mitch

More rock: The New Barbarians. It's Faces + The Stones

Hi.

To follow up on my previous post about rock music -- here's a cool song, that's taken from a live performance in 1974. I really like this one, I must say; and it features some blokes (A.K.A guys) whom you might recognise... haha!

For those who remember my previous post, I wrote that I'm listening to both Faces and The Stones a lot, lately! And I'm getting pretty deep into Faces' music, which I hadn't really done, before. (Not deep enough, anyway.) And by the way, I've read that the band's name is actually 'Faces' and not 'The Faces'... but I'm not sure which one's right, anymore!

Playing on this track is Ronnie Wood, Keith 'Keef' Richards, and Rod Stewart... for a start. The band is called The New Barbarians. I don't think these guys recorded much (apart from officially recording their live shows), so it's cool to have this!



This nice 'country-ish' rock ballad is called 'Mystifies Me'. Love the guitar interplay between Ronnie and Keith! Cool vocal harmonies, and back-and-forth, between Ron and Rod, too.

I want to be clear, and say that I bought two versions of it from iTunes. Look under the song title, or for 'The New Barbarians'. It's worth it. The whole album's good! I think at least 2 N.B. shows are available.

I don't wish to rip anybody off. And honestly, when it's as good as this, wanted to own it properly. YouTube (and the rest of The Web) is great for finding something cool for the first time; then using it as a springboard, to take it further, and buy it. Or tell your friends.

Anyway, other versions of this song were also recorded; including from other Barbarians shows, and a Ronnie Wood solo album.

I mean here, we have members of The Stones, and Faces... just having a good time with the music, and playin' together -- and that's special!

Rock

I wanted to broadly discuss my interest in 1960s-70s rock music.

Around the age of 12 or 13, I really began to discover, and appreciate, the genre of music that many people would class as 'classic rock'. Specifically, I like blues-based rock -- mostly bands and artists from the 1960s and 70s. I got into artists and bands like:

Led Zeppelin
Cream
Jimi Hendrix
The Rolling Stones
The Beatles
Black Sabbath
Pink Floyd
Deep Purple
AC/DC
The Beatles' solo careers.
The Who
The Kinks
Eric Clapton -- not only was I investigating his solo career -- but I like most of the bands he's been in, over the years.

And please don't get me wrong -- that list is merely an indication of what I was listening to in my early teens. That was more than ten years ago. I've come so far, since then! And as far artists like Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Stones, The Beatles, Zeppelin, Sabbath, and Cream go -- I own pretty much their entire catalog now! I know the music very, very well! Especially now!

That's one of the many wonderful things about music, there's always something new for the avid music junkie (= me) to discover! It never gets old! I'd say that I used some of these bands as a kind of 'launching pad' to discover other artists, and other forms of music. Because of my knowledge of the more 'well-known' musicians, I know about other artists, too; like Humble Pie, Little Feat, The Faces, Love, Taj Mahal, Mountain... etc. And I get into other types of music, too.

All art seems to be a door to get to new ideas.

Muddy Waters: live

Hi.
This is a great clip of Muddy Waters (and his band) playing the song 'Long Distance Call' live. From what I can gather, it was at the 1968 Copenhagen Jazz Festival. I could be wrong about that, but the info that was provided about this footage seems to 'check out' fine.

Anyway, I love this song; and I love this particular version of the song! So I think one could easily call this a 'win-win situation' for me, haha!

Muddy's band cooks here. I love the Guild guitar that Muddy is playing! Otis Spann is even sitting at the piano in Muddy's band, at this point in time, which is a cool, rare treat in itself! Most footage of Muddy's gigs with a full band comes from after Spann died.

The original version of 'Long Distance Call' was written by Muddy, and released by Chess in 1951.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please let me know.

-- Mitch

Hello. It's me, once again! And Little Walter

Hi, everybody! It's me, Mitch.

Yep, that Mitch. The Mitch, hahaha! Just kidding. ;)

So, I'm back again! With a renewed and re-discovered desire to write about music, the arts, culture, and life. Still playing blues harp, too.

The year of 2012 wasn't a great year for me, in terms of my health. It's nice to leave it behind!

It's been an exceedingly long time between 'drinks' (or posts), in terms of my blogging activity. I'm not even certain how long it has been between my blog posts. Doesn't matter now.

But I couldn't let this blog die, nor would I want it to go silent for good! I enjoy writing about music, and the arts, far too much for that to happen. I enjoy the research that I do about music, and the process of discovery. I love finding and hearing new artists! It's just fun for me to discover the music and also, the history that's attached to music!

There's been loads of interesting music in my consciousness, since I last blogged. Lots that's worth talking about here! Let's get started, brothers and sisters!

I wanted to talk about this CD box set... that comes to us from 
The Great Little Walter! 
(AKA Marion Walter Jacobs)

It's a great CD set, from the blues harp master -- and generally wonderful musician -- Marion Walter Jacobs, AKA 'Little' Walter. (1930-1968) The box set's called 'The Complete Chess Masters: 1950-1967'. If you're into blues harp, or blues music generally (and both of those things are true of me), then get this set. The music here is spread over five discs, and it's all great!

Jacobs is often compared to Charlie Parker, or Jimi Hendrix; and it's justified! He was simply that good! He changed the landscape of blues music and blues harmonica with his virtuosity, use of amplification/distortion, and jazzy phrasing. Walter recorded as a sideman (w/ Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Rush) and also as a bandleader/solo artist.

It's difficult to overstate his musical impact. He had a sophisticated, imaginative approach to his music, and Walter often treated his harp like a sax. Mind blowing music!

Drum Battle - crazy

I don't really know what this is... but I had to post it! I guess it is some kind of crazy drum battle (featuring Ginger Baker!) It sure is trippy, folks...

Enjoy.

Thanks to R.L!

I don't know what to say, after feeling unwell for so long. I haven't really felt like blogging.

I'm happy to be writing again, now! It can be frustrating to get back into the swing of blogging regularly -- but I have some music that I'm excited about.

To kick off this entry, I'm listening to 'First Recordings', recorded by the late bluesman R.L. Burnside in 1968. This disc of acoustic blues tunes, was recommended to me. Burnside has a very expressive voice -- ranging from a high wail, to a low, menacing growl. It's spine-chilling!

It's very raw, personal music. Sometimes frighteningly intense, but always amazing to hear! I think that R.L. must have dug really deep into himself, to produce these songs. This is about as genuine as music can be!

Guy Davis

I thought this was a great clip, from a modern bluesman, Guy Davis. Davis sings and plays harp, banjo, and guitar (both six and twelve-string).



This is an old Tampa Red tune, called 'Things About Coming My Way'.

Mitch's Playlist: 0.5

This is a special, post-birthday edition of Playlist. After a particularly unpleasant stay in hospital, I have some music to share with you.

• Essential Collection: The Classic Cobra Recordings 1956-1958 -- Otis Rush. Otis has an amazing feel as a guitarist, and also one of the best voices in blues music. The blues landscape, as we know it, owes much to Otis Rush. The recordings here have their place in *blues* history. (And it's a fun CD to play!) I just love these tunes; many of which were 'picked up' by British blues acts, like John Mayall, Eric Clapton, and Led Zeppelin. It's mighty difficult, when the originals are so good, though!
  
• Mississippi Fred McDowell -- Fred McDowell. I really enjoy this album; the atmosphere is very laid-back. McDowell is/was a gritty, honest bluesman. (The real deal!) His lyrical slide guitar, and vocals, always get to me! He absolutely tares through these songs. I think it might have actually been recorded in someone's house, which gives the whole thing a really unique, 'party' vibe. Everybody is enjoying themselves -- probably getting good and drunk, too -- and it brings out the best in Fred.

More soon... Stay tuned!

Michael Jackson Has Died

I thought I would blog this news, as it breaks. Michael Jackson, pop music icon, has died. He was fifty years old.

An American news article about Jackson's death: Pop Star Michael Jackson Has Died At UCLA Medical Center After Cardiac Arrest - kdka.com. It's been all over TV and The Internet.

It's just sad. I have my own cool memories of listening to MJ's music, when I was a little bit younger. I was a huge fan, in my early school years! Albums like Dangerous, Bad, and Thriller are well-loved classics, which continue to sell in huge numbers. The concert tours were epic, and his music videos were trail-blazing.

Jackson made a huge impact on music and pop culture. If you know anything about the popular music (or popular culture) of the last few decades -- you'll know of Michael Jackson.

There are lots of other things one could say about Michael Jackson... but you can make up your own mind!

Twitter and Blip.fm

I've wanted to program the music on the radio for a while. Now, in a way, I can! It's called Blip.fm.

Each user, known as a 'DJ', has their own station; which is a place to post the songs that they have picked. The library of music to choose from is huge (and ever-growing)! I think it's mostly sourced from track previews from iTunes and Amazon. Choices are beamed out, through services like Twitter, or Facebook. The music you choose to play appears on your station.

DJs find each other because of their tastes in songs or music. They can applaud good selections (by giving props to that person), and then add that song to their own playlist.

It's so cool to have this treasure chest of music to browse... and then choose from. I can simply pick a song and know it will (very likely) be there! When I find something I like, I can post it in real-time.

Eric Burdon and War drop in

I was lucky enough to discover the rich, earthy music of Eric Burdon and War about six months ago; when I bought the album Eric Burdon Declares War. (I love the album title, too!)

War had an expansive and funky sound... it is very joyful music.


('Spirit' is the song title.)

With the components of War's sound including a horn section; some Latin percussion; Burdon's strong, compelling vocals; Lee Oskar's harmonica...

and funk... lots of that!

Mitch's Playlist: 0.4

• The Very Best of Otis Redding, Vol. 1 -- Otis Redding. Albums with titles such as this one, often fall far short of their boasted greatness. In rare cases, an artist's body of work does not merit a 'best of' album; but that is rare. Most commonly, the songs that are chosen as 'the best of' don't meet the listener's expectations.
  

With this collection, though, one suffers no let-downs. I came to love both the CD, and Otis! All the songs here display Redding at his best -- often backed by the Stax record label's legendary house band! Highlights for me include: 'That's How Strong My Love Is', 'Pain in My Heart', 'I've Got Dreams to Remember' and more.

Otis was to make huge impact, in a short time. He played a highly-memorable set at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. Sadly, he was killed in a plane crash later that year, aged 26.

Redding's 'deep soul' music lives on.

Cross-promotion: new blog!

I'm letting everyone know that I've started to write a new blog. It's about my life; and interests other than music. Since I decided to focus on music here, the posts about politics and whatever else don't seem to fit.

I've named it 'All or Nothing', because it's about life; which is all about little things and big things.

I hope those who read this will come to see my new 'work'! And, of course, stay right here for more music.

Link: click here

Pass it on!

Calling in -- mini playlist

Hi, everyone.

Just calling in -- I don't have much strength in me. I'm feeling pretty sore and tired. I like John Coltrane's 'My Favourite Things' album, right now. I'm also playing Lead Belly, Peg Leg Sam and Louis Armstrong.

Check out this post, right here:

Click.

I started it in February, which explains the older date stamp. I know it has taken me a while to post it. The next edition of 'Mitch's Playlist' is coming! I'll get some strength back, soon. I guess this was a mini-playlist, of sorts.

I've pulled out my harmonica, too. Pretty tired now.

Peace!

AccuRadio

I must say, this is a cool find! Most of the time, I don't bother with radio; even of the independent, non-commercial variety. There's so much I dislike about the business of being 'spoon-fed' music! I am happy with an ever-growing CD collection.

But Internet radio may change all that...

'AccuRadio' seems promising, now that I've heard the jazz section. Link: AccuRadio - The Next Generation of Radio

They seem to cover many genres of music, which is always a plus. It's free to listen to.

Thanks to Fitz, who is the author of the blues blog SqueezeMyLemon, for having the link in his StumbleUpon archives.

Back in business: with Muddy!

It is my first music-related post in a while. And I had hoped to deliver something special to my readers!

I think I have found a gem.



The late, great Muddy Waters is interviewed here in 1972 , on the television program 'The Old Grey Whistle Test'. I found it really interesting to hear about Waters' reasons for moving from Mississippi to Chicago. (Many black musicians of this era made similar choices to move to urban areas, like Chicago. As the musicians adapted to new environments, so did the music. Chicago then became the birthplace of urban or electric blues.)

Also, it was fascinating to hear about the reasoning behind the switch from using acoustic instruments, to playing with electric instruments. These are all points of real social interest, for me!

We also get insight into what Muddy believes the future of the blues would be (as it stood then). This is gold!