Ry Cooder in The Irish Times: “Nobody didn’t like Brownie and Sonny. Everybody liked them, especially white people who’d never heard of the blues, didn’t know what it was, wouldn’t have wanted to know what it was.” Mahal: “The blues haven’t gone anywhere; it is the people who’ve disappeared.” Cooder and Mahal’s tribute album to McGhee and Terry called Get On Board comes out April 22 on Nonesuch Records. It’s pure greatness.
April 18, 2022
Mike’s Monday Muse – Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder
March 21, 2022
Mike’s Monday Muse – Beverly Guitar Watkins
Beverly Guitar Watkins was eight years old in 1947 when she taught herself to play “John Henry” on a Stella guitar bought from Sears Roebuck. She won a talent show playing “Blue Suede Shoes” on that Stella in high school where she also learned to play piano, bass, and trumpet. In Paris is a new release of a 2012 live show out now on Music Maker Foundation. She sleighs covers of “You Send Me” and “What I Say” on the album and two songs, “Red Mama” and “Sugar Baby Swing,” are named after her guitars.
March 11, 2022
Friday 5×5
Holy hell, is it Friday again already? Time keeps on slipping, but this music does not. Check out our micro-reviews of new music from MOWESBY, Jake La Botz, Adee Gershon, Shrill Carder and Robert PM after the jump.
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March 8, 2022
Tuesday Tip-Off: Ringhold
It’s the end of the world and Ringhold feel dark and vibey as hell. On “Latest News” the Estonian duo lay down a bewitching minimalist groove via Kalle Tikas reverbed out electric guitar and eleOnora’s vocals – which give us everything from Nico to Beefheart, often within a single passage. If it all feels a bit fatalistic, well that’s because it is, with lyrics focusing on ecological extinction and an experimental vocal passage in the middle that sounds first like animals dying and then humans dying (it works, trust us). If the end is nigh, and lately signs point to yes, there’s nothing that says we can’t have a great soundtrack as we ride into oblivion.
February 23, 2022
Wordless Wednesdays
With the world wide word shortage due to Wordle becoming “a whole thing,” we’re doing our part by presenting you with two new instrumental tracks from Captain Rico & The Ghost Band and John DiStase Music.
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January 5, 2022
Where The Internet Took Us
Well, well, well if it isn’t Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band dropping yet another absolute banger of boot stomping, can shaking party blues complete with an equally fun and creative music video. This is what we in the music blog bizness call “the good shit.”
April 5, 2021
Mike’s Monday Muse – Muddy Waters
Alan Lomax first recorded Muddy Waters in Stovall, Mississippi in 1941-1942. In 1943 Muddy went to Chicago to pursue a music career and I Can’t Be Satisfied was released in 1948 on Aristocrat (Chess) Records. The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and so many other rich white rock bands have been ripping off Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Leadbelly, Ma Rainey and so many other amazing black musicians for decades. We all got to go along for the ride.
March 29, 2021
Mike’s Monday Muse – Sunny War
Sunny War is a blues and folk artist creating songs inspired by her experiences from living on the streets and coming together as a community. She made her most recent record, Simple Syrup, in Venice Beach and founded a Food Not Bombs chapter in LA during the pandemic.