The Magic of Snooks Eaglin.

January 27, 2016
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Snooks Eaglin (image via allmusic.com)

Last week marked the birthday of New Orleans blues guitarist Snooks Eaglin. Snooks was a legend of New Orleans music, but not enough people know about him. Eaglin played with Professor Longhair and also played guitar on the Wild Magnolias’ first album. Snooks passed in 2009, but his music and the joy he had playing still resonates deeply with many NOLA music fans.

As I walked into the Mid-City Lanes Rock ‘n Bowl, an elderly blind man was carefully navigating his way up the rickety stairs. I didn’t realize at the time that this was Snooks Eaglin. I was about to find out. For over two hours, he completely melted the stage of that bowling alley.

Every time I saw Snooks live, it was totally mind blowing. Snooks shows would be a combination of blues, jazz, funk and quality old school New Orleans R&B. You would never know what he would play. Anything could happen. He would often just call out key changes to songs as he went along. Snooks rarely used set lists, he would often take requests shouted from the dancing crowd. Meters bassist George Porter Jr. played with Snooks for many years. When I interviewed George, he talked about the experience of playing shows with Snooks,  “Before the gig is over, you will have played three or four songs you’ve never heard before in your life.”

Below is one of my favorite Snooks clips. It’s a cover of Professor Longhair’s “Red Beans.” George Porter Jr. is on bass and Jon Cleary plays piano on this live version. So much soul and fire on this tune! Once you know about Snooks Eaglin, you will quickly learn why he is considered a legend of NOLA music.

 

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A1 and Rumple Minze: The New, Hip Cocktail of Choice?

January 26, 2016

 

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Is this the new cocktail of choice?

You know I’m all about sharing the latest hip trends. This bottle of A1 steak sauce and Rumple Minze were purchased together at 9:30 am on a Monday. Is this the new hip cocktail of choice? “The smoky nodes of the A1 really compliment the minty mouthwash burn of the Rumple Minze.” I’m sure this tastes like Santa Claus got drunk at Outback Steakhouse. Mock it now, but this will probably be the big thing in five years. Don’t forget to say you heard it here first!

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Typeface Fiends.

January 26, 2016

 

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National Enquirer Cover (image via nocoastoriginals.com)

“I like the National Enquirer, because they are the only magazine that uses bold typeface. They were like, ‘Donald Trump is….A LIAR!!!!’ Okay, bad example. The last one I saw, they were like, ‘Bruce Jenner is…..BECOMING A WOMAN.‘” -Overheard at the grocery store.

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I Have Heard Men at Work’s “Down Under” Over 163 Times in the Past Three Days.

January 26, 2016
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Men at Work (image via dailymail.co.uk)

The satellite radio station at work has been glitching out and looping the same songs for three days straight. Every seven songs, it has been plays Men at Work’s 1981 classic “Down Under.”

The first time you hear it in a long time, you’re like, “Oh hell yeah!! Men at Work kicks ass! This is one of the best songs ever written!” However, I have heard the song over 163times in the past three days. It might be a little bit of an overkill. Being a man at work forced to listen to this Men at Work song against your will can be rough. I think this must be how purgatory feels. You are forced to listen to a song you love over and over and over again. It is a strange form of torture. There have to be some laws in the Geneva Conventions about this.

Colin Hay is a beast of a songwriter and an artist. He’s written so many quality jams with Men at Work and as a solo artist over the years. “It’s a Mistake” is good as heck. The sax laced groove of “Who Can It Be Now?” is still awesome. The folk vibes of “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You” was one of the highlights of the Garden State soundtrack.

However, I currently still have “Down Under” still stuck in my head. CAN’T YOU HEAR, CAN’T YOU HEAR THE THUNDER?!? YOU BETTER RUN!!! YOU BETTER TAKE COVER!!!!!!

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Mock Turtleneck: The Challenges of Naming an Indie Rock Band.

January 25, 2016

There are so many bands out there today, I think people are running out of band names. I keep an ever growing list of potential indie rock band names on me at all times. If I ever start a bedroom indie pop project, I will likely name it Mock Turtleneck.

What rules do I follow for this list? Two word band names seem to sound good. The band name also must work in the following sentence, “I saw Mock Turtleneck open for Youth Lagoon. They were good, but he meowed into the mic too much.”

Mock Turtleneck
Galapagos Apocalypse
Shamu and the Peter Pans
Bunny Regret
Wet Kiwi
Crying Duck
Nervous Pervert
Strawberry Mountain
Minimalist Parent
Shaved Driver
Wolf/Woof
Dingo Butter
Evil Lawn
Heat Stroke
Bus Shoes
Gravity Waves
Hobo Rebuff
Flowers for Bees
Cape Disappointment
Electric Pen
Cubicle Days
Night Barge
Blood Moon
Earth’s Shadow
Dwarf Planet

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Don’t Be Like McClain.

January 25, 2016

beastit

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Overheard at YJ’s.

January 24, 2016
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YJ’s

YJ’s Snack Bar is a legendary coffee shop and snack bar in the Crossroads section of Kansas City, Missouri. The crowd that frequents YJ’s is tapped in and funky. Every time I hit YJ’s, I feel like I meet someone hip or hear something that blows my mind. Here is a collection of quotes I’ve overheard at YJ’s.

“If you hate the music you make, more people are bound to like it. That’s the way it works, right?”

“I thought this was a Steve Reich remix. It just had that certain use of minimalism.”

“I’m just looking for bands made by high school kids that hate their parents.”

“I plan on the show being kid friendly until 9.”
“Nothing is kid friendly.”

“A divorced couple is fighting over frozen embryos. That is messed up. It’s like paying child support for frozen embryos.”

“I know you had your first client in the dark room yesterday.”
“How do you know that?”
“I have my ear to the streets.”

“I have no idea what the concept is for this album. It’s called Xerox Vol. 3, so I would guess it is the sound of destructive copying.”

“He’s mostly into electronic music. Last week, he said he was into Vapor wave. I think he is just making up genres of music.”

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YJ’s

 

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The Joyful Sounds of Robert Randolph.

January 24, 2016
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Robert Randolph and the Family Band at Wakarusa 2006.

“Don’t let nobody take your joy away from you,” Robert Randolph enthusiastically shouts to the crowd in an intro to a 2002 live performance of “The March.” He has a point. It’s an important life lesson. Holding on to joy is what life is all about.

Robert Randolph is one of best pedal steel guitar players in the world. He began playing pedal steel in the House of God church in New Jersey. His live shows are filled with an energy that is unparalleled in today’s music scene. The joy he brings to his music is infectious.

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Robert Randolph and the Family Band at Crossroads KC (2014).

Live at the Wetlands remains one of my favorite albums of all time. The live album served as my introduction to jam bands. Randolph’s joyous passion comes through in his playing. His playing reminds me of some glorious gospel combination of the Allman Brothers Band and Sly and the Family Stone, but with Randolph’s own voice shining through all of the time.

I first saw Robert Randolph and the Family Band live at the City Market, in 2005, in Kansas City, Missouri. I have seen RRFB live 10 times over the years. His shows are loose and free flowing. No two sets are ever the same. I once saw Randolph play a three song mini-set and it was still 30 minutes long. Epic NOLA Randolph shows featured some of the most uplifting music I have ever heard.

I interviewed Robert Randolph in 2006. It was fascinating to see his positive viewpoint, “When we are in our great state of mind and we see somebody else stumbling along the way, feeling a little down, we can be able to pick them up and get their spirits up. Things like that are really important to me.”

Robert Randolph brings his joy to the world through music. When I go to a show, I want to see an artist doing what they love. Robert Randolph’s music connects with so many people because it comes from a real place. Let’s get to some of my favorite Robert Randolph live jams:

Here’s RRFB and Luther Dickinson (of the North Mississippi Allstars) playing “Squeeze.”

Robert Randolph and the Family Band “Run for Your Life.”

Robert Randolph and the Family Band “The March.”

Here’s Randolph, performing with gospel/jam super group the Word, doing a cover of the Lee Boys’ “Joyful Sounds.”

Robert Randolph and the Family Band “Nobody.”

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Seeking the One True Voice. Happy Birthday Jimmy Herring.

January 23, 2016

 

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Jimmy Herring (image via JimmyHerring.net)

Happy birthday to past interview subject Jimmy Herring. He is best known as the guitarist for Georgia-based band Widespread Panic, but first rose to prominence as a member of Col. Bruce Hampton’s Aquarium Rescue Unit.

Herring is an endlessly creative musician. “What I like more than anything is basically to have no genre at all. Where elements of different styles of music come together to form something pure that has no definitive category,” he stated in my 2014 interview. Jimmy’s desire to create music that exists beyond category keeps him pushing ahead. “Ultimately, a musician is seeking their one true voice,” Hering said. That can be a lifelong search.”

Let’s get to some jams. I decided to focus on some non-Widespread Panic tunes to show off Jimmy’s versatility:

Here’s the Jimmy Herring Band doing “Aberdeen.”

Here’s Jimmy and Derek Trucks ripping it up:

Here’s Jimmy playing the classic “Basically Frightened” with Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit:

Here’s Jimmy sitting in with the Allman Brothers Band:

Here’s Jimmy sitting in with the Allman Brothers Band and taking “Mountain Jam” to Mars. Following this show, Gregg Allman was talking to the band about this jam, “OK, who’s the fucking Phish fan? That was too much.” Is this jam over the top? Yes, but Jimmy and Derek Trucks take the song to glorious heights.

 

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Stagnation is for Squares.

January 19, 2016

“Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous.” -Bill Moyers.

Whenever you feel stuck, ask yourself, “Are there any ways I can be creative today?” Tapping into your creative zone can help chill you out, improve your focus and increase productivity. That energy can also help you beast it through a stressful day.

I truly believe that everyone has the power to be creative. Looking within your skill set can help you unleash the joy within yourself. Stagnation is for squares. Finding the passion in life is all about upward momentum. No matter what is going on in your life, you have to keep pushing forward. Even just making the effort to be more creative can light the fire within yourself. It can open your world to new possibilities. You are not going to look back on your day and say, “I’m so upset that I was creative today.” Use the power of creativity to uplift your soul, pierce through the mundane and find something marvelous.

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