New Tunes: Alejandro Escovedo’s Real Animal
I’m new to Alejandro Escovedo’s music, but I’ve been familiar with him for years, as a much-respected roots rock singer/songwriter with a huge underground following. Not to mention he’s Sheila E.’s uncle (Sheila’s dad, Pete, is his brother). But I’ve never delved into the music until now. My loss, I know.
Real Animal is Alejandro’s eighth studio album since his acclaimed 1992 debut, Gravity. Prior to that, Alejandro was in San Francisco punk band The Nuns. After a move to Austin, he formed bands Rank and File and True Believers. But it’s his solo work that has garnered the respect of people from Springsteen to Lucinda Williams to Steve Earle.
So my first impressions of the album are very positive. I tend to gravitate toward the slower songs like “Swallows of San Juan”, “Sensitive Boys”, “Hollywood Hills”, and the beautiful “Slow Down”.
the past is gone
but it still lives inside of me
hold on tight
as we slip into this revelryslow down slow down
it’s moving much too fast
can’t live in this moment
when i’m tangled in the pastBut the rockers are growing on me too…the opening track, “Always a Friend” is a straight ahead rocker that Bruce and the E Street Band learned before they brought Alejandro out for an encore in Houston a couple months ago. And songs like “Chelsea Hotel ’78” and the tribute to Iggy Pop – “Real As An Animal” – sound great turned up loud and tearing down the road, making me temporarily forget about $4 gas and 15 miles to the gallon. We all need an escape in this day and age, and this album is a great side trip.
Buy: Real Animal
Official Site: AlejandroEscovedo.comMellencamp and T-Bone Burnett Hook Up
My opinion: if you throw T-Bone Burnett into a project, you’re going to get favorable results. Look at some of the production credits in his resumé:
Los Lobos – How WIll the Wolf Survive?
Wallflowers – Bringing Down the Horse
Counting Crows – August and Everything After
BoDeans – Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams
Elvis Costello – King of America
Robert Plant & Alison Kraus – Raising Sand
Bruce Cockburn – Nothing But a Burning Light and Dart to the Heart
The Soundtrack to O Brother Where Art ThouAnd oh so much more.
One new album bearing the stamp of T-Bone is John Mellencamp‘s Life, Death, Love and Freedom, due out July 15th on the Hear Music / Starbucks label. I have a ton of John’s older stuff, but haven’t really heard much of the stuff he’s put out over the last 10 years or so. And regardless of what John says about “My Country”, the over saturation from the Chevy commercials turned me off to the song immediately.
But this tune has me looking forward to the new album. Mellencamp calls it a collection of “modern electric folk songs”. He also credits Burnett with “finding the soul of each song”. I give Mellencamp credit for hooking up with Burnett – I look forward to hearing the results. They’re off to a great start with this one…
John Mellencamp – My Sweet Love
- Pre-Order: Life, Death, Love and Freedom
- Official Site: JohnMellencamp.com
New Tunes: Sergio Mendes – Encanto
I can’t claim to know much about Brazilian music legend Sergio Mendes, beside the fact that I love this song from his 1992 album Brasileiro…
Mendes has been active in the music industry since 1961, when he formed the Sexteto Bossa Rio. In 1965, he moved to New York City, and a year later formed Brasil ’66, which hit platinum with its debut, Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 – featuring “Mas Que Nada”.
Fast forward to Tuesday, June 10th, when Mendes will release his latest, Encanto (nice cover up there, eh?). Along for the ride are Latin sensation Juanes, Natalie Cole, Ledisi, Herb Alpert, and the ever-ubiquitous will.i.am, who recommended his buddy Fergie to sing on the will-produced track, “The Look of Love” – a Burt Bacharach track that Mendes originally recorded with Brasil ’66 in the late sixties.Now, it’s up to you to decide whether will and Fergie enhance the song, or poison it. My personal opinion: I think they’re starting to wear out their welcome; like they’ve hit their peak. But that’s one opinion. Here it is:
Sergio Mendes feat. Fergie – The Look of Love (streaming) – also in Quicktime
Another tune from the new album:
Sergio Mendes – Funky Bahia (streaming)
Links: Official Site | MySpace | Buy the album | eCard |Youtube EPK
Dreaming about…C.W.?
While we wait for Michael – King of the Friday Five – to post his latest (Michael – you okay??), I pose one question to you all…
Why did I have a vivid dream about “Convoy” singer C.W. McCall the other night?
The dream: I was reading an article about a new album or a new tour by C.W. Next thing I knew, I was on the phone calling his house, and his wife answered. I asked if C.W. was available. She asked who was calling, and I gave my best dream-induced explanation of who I was (I was still Pete and with Ickmusic.com, a music blog, blah blah blah).
The next second I was knocking at the front screen door of a modest home in a middle class neighborhood. I could see into the window to the left. There was C.W. McCall, sleeping in recliner. He was shirtless, and he had a large beer belly. End of dream.
I’ll have my random music dreams occasionally where I’ll be at a Prince or Springsteen show – sometimes even performing on stage. But C.W. McCall?? Ah, the ways of the human brain.
Is this too much information?
New Tunes: Teddy Thompson
This, my friends, is a fall in love at first listen type of tune. Teddy Thompson is the son of Richard and Linda Thompson – both well respected musicians in their own right. So Teddy comes from good stock.
“In My Arms” is beautiful, sunny harmonies, a killer B3 solo, a catchy hook… It’s got it all!
It’s June – summer has descended upon us north of the equator. So may I nominate “In My Arms” as a great kick-off-the-summer tune? I can? Good.
This is the first single from his new album, A Piece of What You Need, which comes out June 17th.
Teddy Thompson – In My Arms
Some tour dates:
Jun 6 – Pittsburgh, PA – Three Rivers Arts Festival
Jun 7 – Detroit, MI – Detroit Festival of the Arts
Jun 10 – Chicago, IL – Schubas
Jun 11 – Chicago, IL – Schubas
Jun 12 – Madison, WI – University of Wisconsin Terrace
Jun 14 – Covington, KY – Molly Malone’s
Jun 15 – Nashville, TN – 3rd and Lindsley
Jun 17 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
Jun 20 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Jun 21 – Philadelphia, PA – North Star Bar
Jun 27 – Bristol, UK – Fiddler’s Club
Jun 28 – Pilton, UK – Glastonbury Festival Q Magazine Stage
Jul 5 – London, UK – Kenwood House opening for Rufus Wainwright
Jul 8 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
Jul 9 – Los Angeles, CA – Coronet TheaterGiveaway: Mickey’s Drums, Jerry’s Greatest [All About de Riddim]
Hey! Let’s talk about drumming and rhythm and percussion, and give away a couple of CD’s: Mickey Hart’s 1991 collaboration with Airto Moreira and a number of amazing percussionists from around the world – Planet Drum; and Mickey’s latest project, Global Drum Project, a collaboration with some of the same legends, including Nigerian talking drum legend Sikiru Adepoju.
- You can check out the eCard here.
- And check out the Mickey Hard Collection here.
But that’s not all! I’ll also throw in The Very Best of Jerry Garcia, Rhino’s 2-cd release chock full of Captain Trips’ excellent solo and live material.
For the contest in question, let’s focus on the drummin’. To have a chance to win these CD’s, I pose one question to you fine ladies and gents….
Who is your favorite drummer(s) / percussionist(s) and why?
Neal Peart? Bonzo? Bun E. Carlos? Animal from the Muppets?
I just realized I have no clear favorite, but if I had to choose, I know who would be up there. Jon Fishman of Phish always blew my mind at their shows – how he could stay in rhythm and navigate through their myriad of mind-blowing jams. Fela Kuti’s drummer, Tony Allen, never ceases to amaze me when listening to Fela’s great Afrobeat catalog. I love the way Prince drums in “Irresistible Bitch” – a 1999-era B-side. But I recently found out that’s Morris Day doing the drummin’.
So let’s pick your brains. Leave a comment below with your opinion. The winner will be chosen from the comments in a week or so.
More about the Mickey Hart CD’s after the jump….
One for Barack Obama
Tonight, an African American man is the Democratic nominee for the President of the United States. This is truly an historic day – one of the brightest in our nation’s 231 year history. And how does Hillary Clinton handle the news and reality of the day? She does everything but concede to Obama in her speech tonight. Classless as far as I’m concerned. Shame on her for not recognizing Obama, on a night when the entire Democratic party should be united, and the entire country should pause for a moment to salute Obama’s accomplishment.
Take it all the way, Barack Obama!
photo courtesy of Yahoo News / AP
Austin City Limits Schedule Released…
..and here come the conflicts! Last year, the big one was Wilco vs. My Morning Jacket ( I ended up splitting it half and half). And this year is not without its frustrating scheduling choices…
The big one: on Saturday night – we’ll be forced to make a choice between seeing Beck (8:30-10) or seeing Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (8:15-9:30). Boo! Especially since Friday’s headliners are Manu Chao vs. Mars Volta (both whom I wanted to see too). But really, couldn’t Beck or Plant & Krauss have been scheduled for Friday, and Mars Volta or Chao moved to Saturday? Sort of a bummer.
Other personal conflicts:
- Friday: N.E.R.D. (6:30-7:30) vs. David Byrne (6:30-7:30) vs. Antibalas (7:15-8:15) vs. Alejandro Escovedo (7:45-8:45)!
- Friday: Patty Griffin (4:30-5:30) vs. M. Ward (4:30-5:15) vs. Gogol Bordello (4:30-5:30).
- Saturday: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (2:30-3:30) vs. Back Door Slam (2:50-3:30) vs. Drive-By Truckers (2:30-3:30).
- Saturday: The Black Keys (7:30-8:15) vs. Iron & Wine (7:30-8:30).
- Sunday has Gnarls Barkley (6:30-7:30) going up against The Raconteurs (6:30-7:45).
But hey, in the scheme of things, these are all good problems to have.
Other places you’ll be – how you say? – seeing my ass:
Band of Horses: Sunday, 7:30-8:30
Old 97’s: Saturday, 12:30-1:30
Hot Chip: Friday, 5:30-6:30
Rodney Crowell: Friday, 12:30-1:30
Vampire Weekend: Friday, 2:30-3:30
Erykah Badu: Saturday, 4:30-5:30
Duffy: Saturday, 5:30-6:30
Okkervil River: Sunday, 5:30-6:30ACL SCHEDULE (Sept. 26-28): See Day One Schedule | Day Two Schedule | Day Three Schedule
Wattstax
I watched Wattstax today for the very first time. Now, I’m burying myself in Stax music, and totally in a 70’s funk / soul / R&B frame of mind. What a film!
Wattstax was a music festival that took place at the L.A. Coliseum in August of 1972. Organized by the Memphis-based Stax record label to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the Watts riots, it featured Stax artists like Isaac Hayes, Rufus Thomas, the Bar-Kays, the Staples Singers, Luther Ingram, and a lot of others.
The film features music footage interspersed with interviews of Watts residents, a pre-‘Love Boat’ Ted Lange (Issac!), and Richard Prior, who all talk frankly about being Black in 1972 America.
By far the highlights for me were this Rufus Thomas performance of “Do the Funky Chicken”, and this, the Bar-Kays’ “Son of Shaft”. You just have to love the style of the times. And just check out how the Bar-Kays hit the stage. Now that’s showmanship! I guess the band wanted to come on to the field in a chariot, but that was rejected at the last minute. Well, the outfits stayed. S-t-y-l-e.
It really doesn’t get any better than this….
If you want a new (or renewed) appreciation for 70’s soul & the Stax label, as well as a fascinating document of the early 1970’s L.A. Black community, check out this film.
Thanks Gonzo for the recommendation!
By the way, if anyone can recommend any other good films / concert videos that document this era of 70’s soul, funk, and R&B, please drop a comment below. I want more!
