Living With The Blues

They sing about it a million times over. Some musicians sound like it and some may look like it. But it takes a real blues musician to actually live the blues. They are far and between but they can be found in the back woods or in the deep alleys. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee are living the blues. They are probably the greatest blues duo to ever grace the stage. Here you can hear Sonny with his deafening holler in between blowing on the harmonica while Brownie explains how blue it can be. Sonny and Brownie were not only big in the blues world but they also took the folk world by storm while influencing Bob Dylan, Pete Seegar, Dave Van Ronk, Fred Neil and many more after performing all over New York City. Listen to them sing of the blues and you can just close your eyes and feel it. It sends chills up and down your spine.

The Strange But Deserving

There's no way I can not do a blog on the introduction of Tom Waits into the rock and roll hall of fame. Then I found out he was inducted by Neil Young it was absolutely perfect. I cant search through all the artists in the artist yellow pages or anthology and find anyone that deserves this prestigious award more then Mr. Waits. He is not your typical multi millionaire singer- songwriter that walks with pride and wealth. Waits still has the feel that he just crawled out of the gutter after a hard night of drinking in the dirtiest of dive bars. He is the cookie cuter cutout of a chain smoking, womanizing, coffee guzzling, brandy gulping, jazz crazed lunatic that strives for hard nights and even harder days. Waits said it best when he described music as " something strange you do with air", perfectly described for waits. He really does strange things with air since the late 60s. He still has that presence and voice proving it onstage performing Make It Rain and Rain Dogs. He lets no one down. You can see the joy on Young's face as he knows this is a huge step for the hall of fame taking in such a luminary. Waits asks for a smaller version of the award so he can carry it around just in case he gets in trouble and maybe it could get him out. That's Waits summed up, a troublemaker but also the smartest and most talented storyteller the music world have ever seen. He strives to be the best and the worst, the remembered and the forgotten, the sweet and the sour, the loved and the hated, but most important hes the most famed of the underground. No one might not understand Waits but that's the reason hes so tangible, hes one of us, hes real and raw. Congrats Tom Waits on getting what you probably didn't care if you got or not, into the rock and roll hall of fame. Keep writing the quirky and strange music that keeps running through my head.

Cash Alone

You think of Johnny Cash and Country legend comes to mind. Even though he stands both in the Country music hall of fame as well as the Rock and Roll hall of fame. He can do just about anything, a rebel without a cause. Me personally can't compare Cash singing by himself to anything else. His voice alone with the guitar is just stunning. Hank Williams is the same way when it comes to being alone with the guitar. Its more personal and raw. I can just close my eyes and pretend that they are right there playing in the same room. Two of the greatest albums that I have ever picked up were Cash's Personal file and Hank Williams Alone With Guitar. This song Drink To Me With Thine Eyes comes from Cash's Personal file. Its an old song that has been passed down from generation to generation. No one really knows where it came from but it has a sense of romance to it and Cash's voice really does wonders with it. He explains how he first fell in love with it and why its such a special song to him. Its such a personal song for Johnny and you an really tell by the way he sings it.

The Cheifs Of Ireland

Popularity means nothing when it comes to greatness. You could be the best drummer that the world has not yet discovered but still be the worlds best drummer. Irish music has a deep respect to it, filled with dignity and swagger. No one can touch The Chieftains on their dignity or respect. Its not a popularity contest so to say, some may consider The Chieftains the most popular irish group in the world but millions of people may not have even heard of them in such lights as U2 or The Dubliners. But they are loved where ever they go around the world. They play more jigs and reels of the traditional Ireland than actual songs where they have help from the likes of Van Morrison, The Corrs, Allion Krause, Sting, Ziggy Marley, Rolling Stones, Tom Jones, and the list goes on and on. Even in this video you can see a young Roger Daltrey of The Who sitting backstage admiring and watching them perform to thousands. The Chieftains may have been the first irish group to become worldwide and the most respected of today. Still touring and performing in the biggest of halls and the greatest of people. Spreading the irish cheer to millions.

St Paddy Slaps Ya In Da Face

With St. Paddy's day approaching i'm dedicating a whole week on great Celtic bands from Ireland and some from right here in Newfoundland and Canada. Irish music has been close to my heard since my younger years. Hearing jigs and reels on the radio just about every Sunday morning home, I can just look back and feel the salt air wave over me with the sea shanties and get taken away to rolling rocks and green grassy fields of old Ireland. I felt the best song to start off the week long blog dedication was Fiddlers Green by legendary Celtic group The Dubliners. Its a close connection that Newfoundland has with Ireland being a song about a heaven for fishermen which what really build my Newfoundland home. You can really tell that this song was written by a fisherman for fishermen with a poignant salty taste left in your mouth while listening to it. Its one of my favorite Irish tunes being covered a thousand times by groups all over the world including Newfoundland. Its a hard life being a fisherman. A life stricken with hard work and long days. They work hard, drink hard and you can really feel it while listening to this song. It gives me goodbumps just listening to the lyrics and Barney sing the song like it was his own. But Barney McKenna and The Dubliners really make it their own especially since McKenna himself is a true fisherman, its as if hes singing his own testament. Have a fun and safe week everyone, its Irish week!

Just BS Without The B Is A O K

While holding down the fort at Walkhams Pub the other night Steve Abbott one half of the local Bonavista group Just Bs walked into the pub and suggested to play friday night just for the good of him. The pub haven't had music in a while so of course it was a great idea to get it back to rocking form. So we thought that Friday night would be a good night to play and if it goes well he would do Saturday as well. As 10:30 Friday night rolls round Abbott walks in to a empty room with backs turned to him on the other side of the room, eyes glued to the machines. But that didn't stop him from putting on a solo performance in which he put every inch of his heart and soul into. I didn't mention that this was Abbotts first solo performance in public. Being the first I must say you couldn't tell if he was uncomfortable or nervous. Tackling new songs like John Prine's Souvenirs, in which I for one hopes will be in his set list from now on, Abbott played in front of hardly anyone but made it seem like a packed house. Abbott kept on playing and never let up. It wasn't until 12:00ish until people started flowing into the pub. A happy bunch of music lovers that wanted to hear Abbott wail out their favorites and sing along. It was more of a kitchen party than a concert/performance. At times having duets with Kayla Little and Chester. Even Randy Stead showed off his Newfoundland Ugly Stick skills on one song and had everyone stomping the ground with smiles from ear to ear. Abbott really killed it that night giving the crowd a great show and left them going home that night singing sweet songs into the moonlight. Great job Abbott, I for one can't wait for the repeat performance tonight at Walkhams Pub. Everyone who missed it last night really should take it all in and if you were one of the lucky ones who witnessed it come back show Abbott your support, he more than deserves it.

Cash's Gonna Cut You Down

Today marks the birth of the man in black Johnny Cash. One of the most important figures in music history not only in country where he strived but also in gospel, rock and folk. He will never be forgotten after his life was portrayed in the blockbuster hit movie Walk The Line as it placed his life on screen, revealing his hardships and pain, battling with pills and God. This song was released after his death and to me shows Johnny's talents more than any other video. Its morbid and dark but so is Cash at his best, no wonder he was dubed the man in black. His raspy deep voice only betters with age and it fits this song very well. Gods Gonna Cut You Down was maybe Cash's last testament. His going away card to the world before he himself was cut down. Its the perfect ending to the perfect long career of the man Johnny Cash. Happy Birthday, you are missed.

Radiodead

I'm a huge fan of music and a wide range of music. From Led Zepplin to Miles Davis to Doc Watson to Hank Williams to Muddy Waters to Nirvana theres not much I can't stick my ears to. However there is one band that has taken the whole world by storm. They are almost crossing Godlike and are revered as one of the greatest bands ever. Some say the lead singer is a genius and has an angelic voice that stands tall against such greats as Jeff Buckley and Billie Holiday. The band I speak about is Radiohead. I can not wrap my head around why this band is so big. To me their music is not very listenable. Its filled with weird sounds that sound much more like a bad dj than a great band. As for Thom Yorke's angelic voice I cant really see it. It sounds extremely meek and too soft to even understand what hes saying. Today however Radiohead released their new album and new single called Lotus Flower. Apparently I missed the bandwagon on this one because as soon as I started watching the video I was perplexed at what I was watching. Yorke's oddly spastic dance moves was distracting from the song, which probably was a good thing. As soon as I could take my eyes away from the actual video and started listening to the song I was really not impressed. It sounded more like mumbling than what is considered the greatest rock band ever. I was never a huge Radiohead fan and this proves why. I have no idea why there's so many gigantic Radiohead fans, its more of a cult following where it's cool to like a band not for their abilities but for their marketing. Its a shame that this is what the music industry has come to. There's hundreds of better bands out there performing underground that can blow Radiohead away in concert or in the studio. I'm not one to demean music artists out there but I just couldn't sit back and let it go unsaid. I for one can't see the popularity of Radiohead. Its my opinion and I always stick to it.

In The Hills Of Carolina

Good time music can make a bring such bliss to your ears. Bluegrass for over a hundred years have been a pass time for many hillbilly's in the hills and woods of America. These people have lived off the land and many had to create entertainment themselves with such limited sources. Some picked up old moonshine jugs and began blowing on them at certain distances and created different hoot sounds which became a staple in a lot of the old time bluegrass sound. But the most recognizable instrument in bluegrass music has to be the banjo. For years has created a sound that has entertained people when there was nothing else around for miles and miles. For the past few decades bluegrass has stayed out of the commercial limelight besides a few notable names such as to name a few. Today a group named Old Crow Medicine Show, Allison Krauss, and Rickey Stagg to name a few. Today a group by the name of Carolina Chocolate Drops are setting the bluegrass field on fire with their rendition of bluegrass staples and their very own songs. Its a breath of fresh air to see groups like this bring new and beautiful music to the ears of millions. They are the heart of America and should be recognized for their talent and pride.

Sonny's Dream

Music can just grasp you and take a hold of your heard and just twist it while giving you goosebumps. If you listen to a song and it does that very thing than you know the writer did something special with words and soaked his very soul into it. That's exactly what Sonny's Dream does to me. Its exactly what hearing great songs written by Newfoundlanders about Newfoundland does to me, gives me goosebumps and makes me proud to have been given the chance of growing up in the greatest land on Earth. Ron Hynes wrote the song back in 1976 and it has become one of the most recognizable Newfoundland songs of all time. He tells interviewers later that he written the song for his autistic son. Maybe that's why its so heart filled and special. Here I have decided to post a version sung by Emmylou Harris and Mary Black. They do a wonderful job and it sounds angelic with these two beautiful voices working wonders with the song. Ron later said that out of all the cover versions of the song this was his favorite. There's no arguing why.

A Pentagle Of Music

Pentangle are a British band formed in the late 60's who floored spectators with their brand of folk jazz. Headed by guitar virtuoso Bert Jansch they had a huge commercial success over in Europe and most of the US. Jansch's strong voice paired well with Jacqui McShee's angelic soft voice. Pentangle used a plethora of different instruments in traditional folk songs to change the sound but still hold true to the richness of folk. House Carpenter is an old traditional folk song that has been sung by Dave Van Ronk, Doc Watson, and Joan Beaz just to name a few. Here Pentangle switched it up by throwing in a indian sitar and it sounded beautiful under McShees and Janschs voices. Beautiful job from one of Britian's national treasure.

The Darkest Blues You'll Ever Hear

There are no words needed to be said on this song. The moans and strings says it all. Bluesman Blind Willie Johnson nailed it on Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground. Its sound can silence a barking dog or a howling wolf. As soon as you hear Johnsons first moan you know why this song was the favorite of alot of blues singers. Ry Cooder said that it was the greatest blues song ever written. It defined what blues was and how it should feel, cold, dark, lonesome, sadness, pain.

The Band Made A Difference

The Band came out of nowhere. Starting off as The Hawks with Ronnie Hawkins they kept the name when they started playing as a backup band for Bob Dylan. With Dylan they became The Band after numerous people were asking Dylan who they were and his reply was "oh, thats just the band". It stuck with them and decided to keep the name. The Band consisted of 4 Canadians Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel and 1 American Levon Helm. They carried on through a phenomenal career from their debut album Music From Big Pink to Northern Lights - Southern Cross. In 1976 they decided to call it quits, after Robertson was weary of touring and Manuel was suffering a neck injury from a boating accident. But they didn't leave without a bang. Robertson came up with the idea of a last concert, later called The Last Waltz. This concert was performed on Thanksgiving day in 1976. On the card was everyone from Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Ronnie Hawkins, Van Morrison, Dr John, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Neil Diamond, and Paul Butterfeild. Directed by the great Martin Scorsese it defined what The Band was all about. They had fun and you can really see it. This song It Makes No Difference also defined The Band, beautiful and soulful.

Belly Of Songs

A friend of mine who like me loves finding new music was talking about folk/country artists last night. We were going back and forth with artists that we listen to for years. He told me about an amazing songwriter who would play at his pub every now and then from St. John's named Joe Belly. He praised Belly to no end and i couldn't wait to get back home and check out this guy. When I did he blew me away with his songwriting. Hes what embodies what a songwriter should be. Catchy lyrics under a great tune. The video has an old time feeling, everyone gathering around the kitchen just playing and having fun until the morning comes. I extremely happy that I've been introduced to Joe Belly. This is why I started this blog to introduce people and friends of artists otherwise they wouldn't find out about.

Hanks Bitter Tears On The Lost Highway

Its one of the saddest songs I have ever heard in my life. Lost Highway was not written by Hank Williams like many people think, it was written by a songwriter named Leon Payne. But Hank made it his own, it was sort of biographical for him even though he didn't write it. He himself was traveling down the lost highway of life. Full of mistakes and drug abuse. He got lost many times and finally could never find his way back. But in the meantime of traveling his own lost highway Hank walked away as the father of country music. With his deathly whine and sharp voice he still is considered as the greatest thing that happen to country music.

The Session Of A Lifetime

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Live albums are a dime a dozen. There are hundreds you can consider the greatest live album of all time. Some may say The Allman Brothers Live At The Filmore the greatest. Or how about Peter Framptons Frampton Comes Alive. Or Humble Pies Rockin The Filmore. I can go on and on about great live albums. But nothing in my mind compares to what Stevie Ray Vaughn and Albert King accomplished on In Session. First when I heard the album I just couldn't stop listening. The guitar work between these two greats are extraordinary. They go back and forth trading licks like nobody's business. The best thing about it though is that they seem to be more having fun than trying to one up each other or sale records. The album was recorded in 1983 and wasn't even released untill 1999. The banter between songs is just great to listen to and you can feel the respect between both guitarists, Albert being the old school blues guitar killer and Stevie being humbled by his presence being the for runner in bringing back the blues. Saving it with an iron fist.

As soon as (Call It) Stormy Monday hits you straight in the face on the first track you can tell these two musicians are not gonna let up. They are gonna give it their all and go full force. This song has been covered thousands of times. Allman Brothers, Van Morriosn, BB King, etc. Has all done their own version of this song. Some were as short as 3 mins long and others lasted over 10. Albert's voice shines in this song, hes done it before on albums by himself but now he has the help of a young Stevie to back up and take care of the solos where he bends strings and minds. Some may say T Bone Walker who was the man who wrote it done it the best and it cant be topped but they either topped it on this one or came damn close.


Next it comes in Pride And Joy. One of Stevies best known songs and you can tell why after hearing the opening guitar licks, then hearing Alberts twang snap right into the mix. Its beautiful and amazing how these two guys so different in age can mix so well together musically. Later you can hear pianos chiming in to give it that upbeat sound, its done so well and I can listen to this song over and over and never get sick of it.

Next up is a BB King classic that Albert once record himself years and years before. Ask Me No Questions is a rip roaring upbeat blues song that is peppered with solos traded back and forth from both King and Stevie. Right after its done Two of Alberts own songs are showcased, Blues At Sunrise and Overall Junction. Blues At Sunrise is a slow blues song that catches your ear and never lets go. Similar to a classic BB King song with a one two punch that knocks you on your feet. Where on the other hand Overall Junction comes with with a killer piano solo and bass line that is jumping like that heard in a old blues joint. Its a killer instrumental from what some may consider two of the greatest electric blues guitarist of all time. How can it get any better than that. It just grows and grows and gets faster and faster as the song progresses.

Matchbox Blues cuts in next. The classic blues standard from Blind Lemon Jefferson cant be denied. Albert sings it with perfectly and Stevies guitar knocks it out of the ballpark going back and forth between Alberts voice and Stevies guitar.

This album is a classic and thank god it got released after 16 years. Two amazingly gifted guitarists get together one night in Canada. Put on a show for whoever was a spectator that night and years later released what I consider the greatest blues live album if not greatest live album ever. Stevie Ray Vaughn died in a plane crash on August 27, 1990 way before his time. Albert King died December 21, 1992  from a fatal heart attack. Fortunately somebody had the sense of mind to get these two musicians together and make a great album and for that I thank them. 

Brazilian Rebel

I was never really into international music. If I cant understand the words than I tend to see no point in listening. Not until i met my gorgeous fiance Virginia Berry have I ever listen to world music. Shes extremely into it being that she traveled so much and seen street performers from Spain to Peru. After listening to her type of music I couldn't help but get swept away by world music such as Roma, Brazilian, Peruvian, Klesmar, African, etc. Last night while we were talking she sent me this video, a deep voiced Brazilian acoustic guitarist named Seu Jorge. Here he is covering Billy Idols Rebel Rebel.I love how you it seems he is recording it near a beach so you can hear the waves rush in behind the music. It coincides perfectly with the song. I also love this version for the fact that its slowed down and calmer, its very relaxing and its nice to see songs that when you listen it just relaxes you and calms you down, this song does that perfectly.

Electric Murder Blues

One of the lesser known father of the electric blues, Robert Nighthawk murdered the guitar. His carnage could have been found in all the juke joints around the Mississippi area. Wowing spectators with his dirty blues with a spectacular slide guitar work. You can tell in this video by the smiles on peoples faces and how they just danced with each other. It was raunchy but the people loved it. Nighthawk was a huge influence on a one Muddy Waters. You can tell in this video how much fun it would have been, in the crowd drinking moonshine, dancing with disregard.

Take A Little Bit Of Sea Shanty

Canadian songwriter Stan Rogers was taken away from us way before his time. It was an unfortunate plane crash that took his life and brought alot of tears to fans all around the world. We were fortunate on the other hand to have a wide array of sea shanties that Stan has left behind for us to enjoy and sing along with him. This video gives me personally goosebumps from head to toe. Being from the Canadian Maritimes like Stan there's nothing I love more to see a bunch of friends sitting around the table, enjoying a few drinks and singing their hearts out. Not for money or the fame, no just for the pure fun of it. Its a tradition around here, its how alot of the songs were written, just sitting around looking out your window at the waves crash the rocks. How can you not write a great song and Barrett's Privateers is a great sea shanty. It sounds great with a table full of guys, no instruments, just bring your voice. Beauty.

Fab Four More And More

How can anyone not love this song? I Saw Her Standing There is one of my favorite Beatles songs and you cant deny the billions and billions of fans. Need I saw any more?