Giveaway: 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….
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
Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jujGZMS2vGY 425 355]
Bo Diddley – Hey, Bo Diddley (Video)Sad news this morning as another pioneer of rock n’ roll, Bo Diddley has passed away at 79. Our condolences to friends, family and fans alike.
From Pete: In October of 1998, I was sitting in an empty lobby of the Four Seasons in Wailea, Maui (my spoiled brother and his family were staying there). I glanced over to the check-in area to see a man dressed in black, with a very recognizable hat and glasses. I grabbed a pen and paper and slowly made my way over to the registration desk, getting a better look at the man in black.
“You look an awful lot like Bo Diddley”, I said with a grin.
He smiled and said “That’s me”.
“I’d be honored if you’d sign this for me sir.”And that was my random brush with the greatness that was Bo Diddley. Rest in Peace, sir. The all-star band in the sky picks up another legend….
Money at the Moon by Matt Hartin
A combination of job-related sleep deprivation, a stomach ailment of some sort, and post-holiday weekend laziness have conspired to keep me away from posting any new material for a few days. Apologies to those who notice.
I got a short & sweet email (just the way I like ’em) from Matt Hartin last week: “I’ve been checkin your blog lately and thought you might like this.” Spooky. I did like it. And I think you will too.
The song, “Money at the Moon”, has that alt-country, saloon duet feel that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Steve Earle album. I could picture Mark Knopfler rockin’ this tune too. Don’t know what it is… But this song belongs to Matt Hartin. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, right? This tune reached out and grabbed me, and I’ll be checking out more of Mr. Hartin.
Matt has a nice little site he’s put together. In one of the sections, he writes about what inspired him to write “Money at the Moon”…
While attending an art gallery opening, a painting caught my eye. The title was Throwing Our Money at the Moon. I spoke to the artist, Jamie Frankie, who told me that he and his wife like to take their coin jar down to the big tree in the field behind their house when the moon is full. They make a wish and throw their money at the moon. Mrs. Frankie’s first name is Penny. Seriously. Thus inspired, the words just spilled out and were put to a melody I had laying around for a long time.
Matt Hartin – Money at the Moon (mp3)
Buy the Let It Go EP for $5 (you can preview the EP here):
Visit: Matt Hartin.comBand of Horses at Amoeba Records (full performance)
Wow!
Looking forward to Austin City Limits Festival. The more I hear (and see), the more I like.Thanks Amoeba Records.
Digging the Virtual Crates: Catherine Wheel
I hear that Rob Dickinson is re-releasing his 2005 solo debut Fresh Wine for the Horses on June 10th with a bonus disc of acoustic Catherine Wheel tracks. I can’t wait to pick this up myself.
Pre-Order Fresh Wine for the Horses: Amazon
Catherine Wheel – Delicious (Video)
A Weekend with Ye Olde Style Council
We’re just over a month away from Paul Weller’s new album 22 Dreams (on Yep Roc), which I really look forward to hearing. I thought I’d take a trip back to his great blue-eyed British soul band of the 80’s, The Style Council. Wanting to incorporate R&B, soul, and jazz into his songwriting, Weller had walked away from his pioneering, mod-revival band The Jam in 1982 at their peak and formed the Style Council in 1983. The Style Council sort of fizzled out by the end of the decade, but Weller has continued on with a strong solo career as the Mod Godfather of the British music scene.
This is the kind of show that accompanies a nice sunny day, a cool breeze, and a nice lemonade (preferably spiked) on the front porch. No daytime front porch action for me, by the way. High of 102 on Sunday, and 106 on Monday. And heeere we go. Another summer in the Sonoran Desert.
JamBonus → Oh, also, a blog synergy bonus: Steve at Maybe We Ain’t That Young Anymore has a sweet Jam show from 1980.
Enjoy!
The Style Council
March 10th, 1984
Goldiggers, Chippenham, UKIntro – Pete Drummond (BBC)
Meeting Over Yonder
My Ever Changing Moods
Speak Like A Child
The Whole Point Of No Return
Le Depart
The Paris Match
Party Chambers
Money Go Round
Headstart For Happiness
Hanging On To A Memory
Dropping Bombs On The White House
Long Hot SummerNew Tunes: Junior Pantherz
My completely random dip into the Inbox tonight yielded a pretty catchy tune. The group is Junior Pantherz, and though the name elicits images of a junior varsity high school basketball team, or a football team of little kids – you know, the kind that Snoop Dogg coaches – you can’t deny a good pop song when you hear one.
The Pantherz hail from the great white north, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Their 6th album, Rejoice, Remain, will be released on May 27th (though it’s currently available on iTunes). The band is made up of Terry Mattson (guitars/vocals), S.J. Kardash (bass/vocals), Maygen Kardash (keys, trumpet, vocals) and last but definitely not least, Arnold Van Lambalgen II on drums. The best drummer name since Bun E. Carlos, if you ask me.
Junior Pantherz – On and Off (mp3)
Buy Rejoice, Remain on
Website: Junior Pantherz.com
First Listen: New Jason Mraz
While Pete is going the old fashioned route, I’ve chosen to go the digital method to pick up the new Jason Mraz record We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Frequent fliers of this blog will note that I’ve got a huge soft spot for the singer-songwriter and as such I had pre-ordered his latest directly from his official site opting for the total package of the three EP’s (not-so-ironically named We Sing, We Dance and We Steal) and the full length in both digital and traditional formats. The EP’s provided the sketches of what was to come and he’s delivered.Standout tracks in the first couple of listens are (obviously) “I’m Yours”, the metaphor ridden ode to the lovely ladies “Butterfly”, the lovely “Lucky (feat. Colbie Caillat)” and the painstakingly haunting beauty of “A Beautiful Mess”. This is a great example of a record with no filler and no throwaway tracks and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Buy We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things: Amazon | iTunes
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
Incoming: Tom Waits hits Phoenix
If the ticket gods allow, I’ll be seeing Tom Waits live for the very first time next month, right here in Phoenix. For some reason – and I’m not complaining – Tom has chosen our sleepy little town to kick off his Glitter and Doom Tour for not one, but two nights at the Orpheum Theater. The theater holds a grand total of 1,364 people, so I’m expecting a bit of a challenge when tickets go on sale at noon this Friday on LiveNation (evil overlord of conglomeration).
I have to select one of the two nights. So what do you think people? Do I opt for the opening show of the tour on Tuesday, June 17th? Or show #2 the next night? I’m leaning toward opening night, just for the complete spontaneity and un-predictability of it all.
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Tom Waits – Picture in a Frame (mp3) – from VH-1’s Storytellers. Original comes from Mule Variations.
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Here’s Tom’s entertaining “press conference” last week to announce the tour.
Tour Dates:
06-17 Phoenix, AZ – Orpheum
06-18 Phoenix, AZ – Orpheum
06-20 El Paso, TX – Plaza Theatre
06-22 Houston, TX – Jones Hall
06-23 Dallas, TX – Palladium
06-25 Tulsa, OK – Brady Theatre
06-26 St. Louis, MO – Fox Theatre
06-28 Columbus, OH – Ohio Theatre
06-29 Knoxville, TN – Civic Theatre
07-01 Jacksonville, FL – Moran Theatre
07-02 Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre
07-03 Birmingham, AL – Alabama Theatre
07-05 Atlanta, GA – Fox TheatreLinks: Tom Waits.com
