The Genius of Miles
I listened to sides 3/4 of Miles Davis‘ ‘Bitches Brew’ on the way home from work today. Windows down, volume way up… it had been a while since I took a listen to this groundbreaking album, and I felt compelled…
Old School 87 – BDP “South Bronx”
G-Unit, The Game, Lil Jon, Lil Dik-Dik, blah blah. I don’t know, I guess I’m getting old, but give me the pioneers of hip hop any day over those thugs. Today I take you back to the old school to…
A Song about War – Marah’s Round Eye Blues
OK, so I keep coming back to Marah. Yeah, well, I love ’em… their second album, ‘Kids in Philly’, includes a poignant, powerful, and very well-written tune from the perspective of a Vietnam veteran. The song is “Round Eye Blues”,…
I’ll kiss you for each leaf on every tree
In between 1996’s ‘Being There’ and 1999’s ‘Summerteeth’, Wilco sat down with Billy Bragg and a bunch of Woody Guthrie lyrics to write and record 1998’s “Mermaid Avenue”. The album is a journey through Guthrie’s wildly imaginative, erotic and brilliant…
Down in the Basement
Basement Apartment. This Minneapolis band came to my attention recently while listening to Radio Paradise. From the handful of samples I’ve heard, they’re a mellow bunch. To me, they remind me of a little Mazzy Star here, a little Luna…
Erin go Bragh!
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, here’s a Chieftains tune that I used to play incessantly on the jukebox at Murphy’s Irish Pub in Tempe, Arizona (back in my “socializing days”). The Chieftains – “Boil the Breakfast Early” – from…
Standing in the Rain in Vain with LKJ
Linton Kwesi Johnson was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and raised in the Brixton section of London. Johnson invented dub poetry, a type of toasting descended from the DJ stylings of U-Roy and I-Roy. But whereas toasting tended to be hyperkinetic…
Respect to the Lady in My Life
Today is my second wedding anniversary, so today, my lovely wife of two years picks a tune for you all. It’s her favorite Skatalites tune, “The Vow”. Fitting for an occasion like today, as the tune expounds on the promise…
Coolin’ on a Saturday Evening with Beck
As I lay on the couch tonight listening to American Routes, the baby asleep, the lights off, the fan blowing gently, and my body spent from a day in the 85 degree Arizona sun, Cookie & the Cupcakes’ “Sea of…
Charlie Hunter’s 8 String Funk
Every time I listen to this live track, or any Charlie Hunter song in general, I’m amazed that all of the sounds are emanating from one guitar. Charlie is a Bay Area master of his custom-made 8-string guitar. He plays…
