From Wellington, New Zealand the sludge metal four-piece BEASTWARS abide by one steadfast maxim: Obey the Riff.
BEASTWARS could be described as "A mongrel mix of KYUSS, NEUROSIS, HIGH ON FIRE, KYLESA, BLACK COBRA, FU MANCHU and the mighty GODFLESH". Heavy riffages for heavy times, some real sonic soothsayers utilize the chaos that engulfs our world as ammunition for their defiant howls into the abyss.
"Blood Becomes Fire" is of course released on a beautiful Vinyl (:
Todays tune "Rivermen" is a nice piece with Whiskey soaked vocals and slow heavy riffs taken from the second album "Blood Becomes Fire", Released 2013. Enjoy!
TWEAK BIRD fell from the sky in 2010 with a fantastic sound that blended mind-altering, psychedelic soundscapes with ear licking, wormhole riffs, wrapped up within a framework of back to basics songwriting.
Their sound is pretty unique. Caleb plays a baritone guitar, pitched (and sized) halfway between a regular guitar and bass and most often used by early surf bands. Alongside him the powerhouse Ashton knows that drums are not for tapping. He hit's them hard, really hard.
The album "Tweak Bird", produced by regular collaborators Deaf Nephews- Dale Crover and Toshi Yasai of the MELVINS, who also worked on 2008’s mini-album "Reservations" features beats as tough as the Birds’ fraternal harmonies are ethereal. Recorded in less than a week, the record regularly returns to themes of space travel and escape, the raucous astral optimism of "Lights In Line" and "Sky Ride" evocative of lost sixties psychedelic dreamers like KAK and Population II.
The Brothers Bird have been a band since 2007 and have been making heavy and upbeat happy music, the brothers are from Carbondale, Illinois.
Today's tune "Lights in Lines" taken from the self titled album, the video is directed by Marcus Mader.
WAR PIGS pray at the alters of THE STOOGES, BLACK SABBATH, CRO-MAGS, BAD BRAINS, MC5, twisting impossibly heavy riffs around nihilistic vocals and a pounding wartime tribal death-beat. This complex rage is blasted through with the influence of traditional old-school hardcore, '70s proto-punk, and early stoner-metal. Hardcore breakdowns merge with Iommi-esqe downtempo guitar freakouts.
This is not your 15-year-old brother’s Straight Edge hardcore. This is not your father’s dark SABBATH metal. Its a chaos and precision that lies somewhere in between.
This is WAR PIGS from Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
Dig your claws into my organs. Stretch into my tendons.
Bury your anchors into my bones, for the power i am possessed.
Look above the gods and you will fall below the skeletons of the past.
Not to ask but give, not to want but just to send.
Today's tune "6th Chamber" taken from WAR PIGS "Degeneration" album, released January 1, 2009
They may have only officially released four tracks to date, but Southampton's DOLOMITE MINOR already exhibit great potential in the stoner/desert rock scene so why keep them in the shadow, stupid, let's play them and hopefully more than me will notice them and give them some attention.
This duo consists of Joe Grimshaw on Vocals/Guitar and Max Palmier on Drums.
They have already played major festivals such as Rock AM Ring, Glastonbury and Download and with good reason too. Their sky tearing sound blends hard rock with stoner rock to create something truly monstrous, a sound made up of monolithic guitar lines and furious, whiplash drumbeats.
The debut release is the last years release of the EP "Girl Of Gold" that includes 4 great tunes as the slammy, blusey rock & roll tune "Girl Of Gold", the bluesy smoked-out riffer "Let Me Go", the beast of bourbon jewel "Talk Like An Aztec" and speedy rocker "When I'm Dead" where the crazy 60's sound is melted into some popish 70's trance. A duo that could break in 2016/17 if they continue like this!
Today's tune "Talk Like An Aztec" is taken from the debut EP "Girl Of Gold", enjoy!
ÖKEN a progressive 70s psychedelica in the stoner rock / doom soil, the band is from Skövde, Sweden and have recently release their debut on Ozium Records.
ÖKEN consists of Adrian Kjellgren (guitar and vocals), Jonathan Holmström (guitar), Jesper Sundell (drums) and Arvid Qvick (bass and vocals). They only have played for a year, but has already found its own unique sound with a little jam time they have. They are now ready to conquer the world with its desert fuzzy jam cozy doomy music. Reminds of LUGNORO, JEHTRO TULL, SLEEP, IF and DUNGEN. Krautprogbikermetal !!
On the April the 30th does "Atomic Rooster Music Club" organizes a small minifestival named "Atomic OziumFest" at Cajsa Warg Majorna i Göteborg. Three Ozium Records bands will play, ÖKEN, VOKONIS and BAD ACID together with the Gothenburg SPIDERS as headline.
Monday, New Week, time to introduce "Record Of The Week".
This week we have the Guernsey Instrumental Psychedelic Stoner Rock band BRUNT.
The self titled album is a real beast. That the band lacks a singer will pretty immediately draw the attention to their musical profession. But with the bands really emotional hypnotic and far out experimental stoner rock where the tones, melody and riffs are added just in right time and place to create a wonderful and really groovy record.
The guitar riffs are heavy with some smoggy sludge and bluesy sound backed up with a solid and heavy drums and bass grooves.
The album contains only 5 tunes, where the album opener "St Felix of Nola" ticks in at almost 9 minutes, the song opens up the album with some classic stoner repetition that grows during time until it hits the break and change direction, very emotional and soulful, almost that you will get lost in trance by now until they found the next gear on their instruments and the speed is on. The 2:nd tune "The Tale of the Hideous Tricorn" is a more classic, a more solid smoker where the bass get the chance to open up, great tune. The 3:rd one "Rabbit Of Cannabong" is a beast with excellent melody with hard hitting drums, cleaver fuzzy riffing and a quick bass line. The 4:th tune "A Concise Cosmic History Of The Swob Monster Pt1 (The Birth Of Fuzz)" is a riffing orgy with high class, swamp rock deluxe. The last and 5:th tune "Raw Goat" closes the record with style, the bass line is so clear that it sounds that he plays it next to you, creepy but so damn good. The production on this record is top notch and the Vinyl sounds really good.
Summary:
A Instrumental Psychedelic Stoner Journey that you should not miss.
The album is released on Vinyl and Digital Download. Artwork by: Nikita Kaun and Natalie Foss
The Limited Edition Vinyl version is limited to 200 copies and comes with
- Black / White marbled vinyl
- Fold out artwork poster (A2 size)
- 3 post cards each featuring individual band member portraits by Natalie Foss
- 1 'Hideous Tricorn' double sided art post card
- Full colour printed inner sleeve featuring band portrait by Natalie Foss, plus HeviSike 'Hands of Dharma' artwork by David Paul Seymour
The Digital Bandcamp Download version comes with album art wallpapers, a bonus unreleased Demo song plus a PDF linking to an exclusive full length 36 minute studio video!
"Sonic Reducer" is a punk rock song written by Gene O'Connor and David Thomas during their tenure in Rocket from the Tombs, which made its recorded debut on THE DEAD BOYS 1977 album Young, Loud and Snotty with a change of lyrics that were rewritten by Stiv Bators. The song is widely regarded as a punk classic and has been covered by bands as varied as GUNS N' ROSES, OVERKILL, PEARL JAM, FOETUS, DOZER, ADULT CRASH, DIE TOTEN HOSEN, RAINY DAY SAINTS in a slow tempo on Diamond Star Highway and Saves the Day. The song appeared on the UK compilation album "New Wave", produced by UK actor and mystic, Pete Knobbler. The song was sampled on the BEASTIE BOYS song "An Open Letter to NYC" on their 2004 album To The 5 Boroughs. It is also featured on the skateboarding video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2 and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (by Saves the Day). It was also performed by fictional punk rock outfit Hard Core Logo in Bruce McDonald's 1997 mockumentary, Hard Core Logo.
THE DEAD BOYS were an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio. The band was among the first wave of early punk bands, and was known as one of the rowdiest and most violent punk groups of the era. THE DEAD BOYS were initially active from 1976 to 1979, briefly reuniting in 1986, and then later again in 2004 and 2005 without their frontman Stiv Bators.
Today's tune "Sonic Reducer" by DEAD BOYS taken from the first studio album "Young Loud and Snotty". It was recorded and released in 1977 on Sire Records, produced by Genya Ravan.
Here is one of the great covers made of this song.
Guns N' Roses - Sonic Reducer (vocals by Tommy Stinson) - Live In Osaka, Japan 12/16/09
Julian Fernando Casablancas is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist of the rock band THE STROKES. In addition to his work with THE STROKES, Casablancas has led a solo career during the band's hiatus, releasing the album Phrazes for the Young on November 3, 2009.
In 2013, he formed the alternative rock project Julian Casablancas + The Voidz. They released their first album, Tyranny, in 2014. His own label, Cult Records, distributed the album, which earned the 50th place in NME's Top 50 Albums Of 2014 list. Over the years, Casablancas has also collaborated with several other artists on their work, examples being The Lonely Island's 2009 album Incredibad and DAFT PUNKs 2013 album Random Access Memories.
Julian Casablancas has said that Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" is his favorite song of all time. In addition, he has also cited Lou Reed of THE VELVET UNDERGROUND as a major influence on his lyrics and singing style. "The way Lou Reed wrote and sang about drugs and sex, about the people around him — it was so matter-of-fact," Casablancas stated in a Rolling Stone interview. "Reed could be romantic in the way he portrayed these crazy situations, but he was also intensely real. It was poetry and journalism." Additionally, he has stated that Bob Marley, NIRVANA and PEARL JAM are major influences on his work, the latter, being the reason he started making music after hearing the song "Yellow Ledbetter".
Today's tune "Venus in Furs" is a song by THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, written by Lou Reed and originally released on the 1967 album THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO. Inspired by the book of the same name by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the song includes sexual themes of sadomasochism, bondage and submission. The song appeared in episode 2 of the TV series Vinyl during a flashback to Andy Warhol's Factory.
"Sugar Daddy" is a tune written and performed by Sturgill Simpson, also the theme song to the Martin Scorsese/Mick Jagger-produced TV show, Vinyl. With a creative team that includes Mick Jagger and Martin Scorcese, HBO's music-driven period drama Vinyl has quite the pedigree. The action centers on a fictional record label and its employees in rock & roll's pre-punk Seventies glory days, fueled by mountains of cocaine and unrelenting ego. A small thing, I haven't seen this TV show yet, pretty odd right, regarding the name, the story etc, well first I have to say that I will soon, just need to wait that the season is over so I can see them all at once. As I am the worst serie/show follower on earth (: Anyway, the tune is a damn good Blues/Country song that needs to be played over and over. Check it up below, hope you will enjoy it, I do!
John Sturgill Simpson is an American country music and roots rock singer-songwriter. He has released two albums independently, High Top Mountain in 2013and Metamodern Sounds in Country Music in 2014. The latter album was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Americana Album, was listed 18th on Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2014," and was also named among NPR's 50 Favorite Albums of 2014. His third studio album, A Sailor's Guide to Earth, was released on April 15, 2016, by Atlantic Records.
Simpson is often compared to Waylon Jennings and the Outlaw Country genre of country music. Shooter Jennings says, "Sturgill isn't imitating at all, and he sounds like my favorite era of my dad, the Seventies, when he would sing quieter and more conversational. That's what struck me about Sturgill from Day One. And still does". Simpson himself counts Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Keith Whitley, and Marty Robbins as much bigger influences on his sound than Waylon Jennings. Indeed, Country Music Television noted that Simpson had "a voice that recalls Merle Haggard and guitar licks that bring Buck Owens to mind". His overall sound was described by Indiewire as "a mesmerizing and sometimes bewildering mix of traditional country sounds, contemporary philosophy, and psychedelic recording-studio wizardry".
Today's tune "Sugar Daddy" is taken from the "Official Soundtrack Vinyl".
Legendary singer Prince has passed away at the age of 57 at his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota. As of right now, details are scarce, but police reportedly responded to an emergency around 9:30 a.m TMZ is reporting that Prince's body was found earlier this morning at his residence. The AP has since confirmed Prince's passing. There are no further details as to the cause of death at this time.
“It is with profound sadness that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died at his Paisley Park residence this morning at the age of 57”.
Last week, Prince was hospitalized after his plane made an emergency landing in Illinois following a show in Atlanta. At the time, his team released a statement that he had been battling the flu, and he was later seen riding his bike around his neighborhood over the weekend. As of now, there's no word on the cause of death, though Prince had to cancel multiple shows recently due to health concerns.
Prince's contributions to the world go far beyond just his music, but his impact on the music world can't be understated in any way. His countless classic albums and songs over the years—1999, Purple Rain, Sign o' the Times, and many more—helped shape generations of music forever. The legendary singer brought an unmatched style and enthusiasm to everything he did, and also continually pushed the boundaries as an artist and challenged preconceived notions about not only music, but style, race, and sexuality.
Today's tune "1999" is a song by American musician Prince, the title track from his 1982 album of the same name. The song is one of Prince's best-known, and a defining moment in his rise to superstar status. R.I.P. man and have fun up there with Bowie and Lemmy!
HüSKER Dü and SUGAR front man Bob Mould have release his 12th solo album "Patch the Sky"
Patch the Sky is described by Mould as the third album in a trilogy, the other two albums being 2012's "Silver Age" and 2014's "Beauty & Ruin". This trilogy of albums began with Mould's signing to Merge Records and recruiting bassist Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster into his recording and touring band.
Bob Mould initially considered making a primarily-acoustic album, much like his 1989 solo debut Workbook. The song "Hold On" dates back to this time, having been written as a "downtempo acoustic song" in 2013.
After the release of Beauty & Ruin, Mould's mother passed away. This, combined with other circumstances in Mould's life like "relationships ending", led to the darker tone of the album.
Recording for the album occurred at Steve Albini's Chicago studio Electrical Audio, with Bob Mould serving as producer and Beau Sorenson serving as engineer.
The title of the album arose out of a vision Mould had, "of when people leave or things end, of something shooting through the 'fabric of the sky' and disappearing. 'Sometimes you think you want to chase it,' he says, meditating on the people or elements you lose along the way in life. 'Sometimes you get right to the edge of it, and sow it back shut and stay on the other side. Does that make sense?' You decide to patch the sky and keep going, instead of shooting through yourself."
Personnel on "Patch the Sky"
Bob Mould - guitars, vocals, keyboards, percussion
Jason Narducy - bass, backing vocals
Jon Wurster - drums, percussion
Bob Mould is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.
Today's tune "Hold On" is taken from the album "Patch The Sky", Released on March 25, 2016 on Merge Records. The Video is Directed & Edited by Alicia J. Rose and Produced by Lara Cuddy
BOMBINO (Omara Moctar) is an internationally acclaimed Tuareg guitarist and singer-songwriter from Agadez, Niger. His music frequently addresses Tuareg geopolitical concerns and is sung in the Tuareg language of Tamasheq. BOMBINO is the subject of the documentary film Agadez, the Music and the Rebellion.
He plays some dusty electrical desert blues, really ragged and feverishly modal. The tunes are poetic, melancholic and acrobatic. Odd but damm so good.
The success of "Agadez" attracted many musical stars to BOMBINO including Dan Auerbach of THE BLACK KEYS. In June 2012, Auerbach began producing BOMBINOs second international solo album titled "Nomad". "Nomad" was released by Nonesuch Records on April 2, 2013. BOMBINO began a concert tour of the United States in May 2013. The tour includes appearances at major music festivals, including Bonnaroo and The Newport Folk Festival. In 2013, BOMBINO was also invited to open for Robert Plant, Amadou & Mariam and Gogol Bordello.
On April 1, 2016 Bombino released "Azel", looking forward to dig into this as soon as the Vinyl drops in.
So click on play and enjoy some real Tichumaren desert blues!
Today's tune "Azamane Tiliade" is taken from BOMBINOs album "Nomad", produced by Dan Auerbach. Video directed by Reid Long.
Here I go again, a new week and another wonderful Monday, time to introduce "Record Of The Week".
As the days are getting longer, hotter and more sunny, a weather where the body just freaks out to rhythms of the summer I thought
that a more summerish album could fit in just perfectly.
The inherently talented multi-instrumentalist and producer Scott Woodruff, originally from Massachusetts, the lead man in STICK FIGURE. A man that I have a big respect for, he has manage to stand apart, thanks to his inherent aptitude for composing, he got the rhythms, the groove and all this with a magical feeling. His music has a pretty unique style that creatively blends upbeat roots reggae with the reverberating echoes of dub.
And now, with "Set In Stone", the fifth full length LP, where he and his band faces the big task of living up to 2012’s critically acclaimed "Burial Ground", which is not an easy task to beat, but hey, STICK FIGURE returns with an absolute scorcher of a record!
Preceding "Set in Stone", STICK FIGURE has released five albums, all recorded solo, with (guitarist/vocalist) Scott Woodruff laying down the tracks one by one. The current live band line-up features Kevin Bong (KBong) on keyboards, Kevin Offitzer on drums, Johnny Cosmic on percussion, guitar, keyboard, and bassist Tommy Suliman, with Scott upfront on guitar and vocals.
"Set In Stone" has an vibrant sonic soundscape, an culmination of a journey that has seen the producer go from a mysterious figure to becoming a major player and virtually inventing a melodic subgenre of reggae that finds inspiration from mid-tempo electronic music. With guest features from Slightly Stoopid ("Choice Is Yours"), Rebelution ("Mind Block"), Collie Buddz ("Smokin' Love") and KBong. "Set in Stone" took three years in the making, 14 tracks and by far the best production I have seen on a STICK FIGURE record.
The album starts with a "Fire on the Horizon", a beautifully constructed track, a silky ear-warming distinct tone, trembling guitar riff and a mesmerizing beat with Woodruff’s typical psychedelic vocals that will get anyone to sing along. The album contains typical bas line pattern, great hooks, playful keyboards heard especially in tracks like "Choice is Yours", "Mind Block" and "Smokin’ Love" to the top a pulsating tunes like "Sound of the Sea" and "Sentenced" where both are a wonderful pieces with it's searing bottom-heavy bass line and the later with it's haunting organ riffs.
The mid-tempo romantic love tunes like "In This Love", "Out the Door", "One of Those Days", "Shadow" and "All My Love" with it's modern touch with a classic root beat and positive vibe with hitting keys and smooth riddims.
Summary:
Top to bottom "Set In Stone" is this summers best Reggae record, you need this!
Just listen to the lyrics of today's tune and you will understand.
I found love in the strangest places, where all is meant be
Jamming to the sounds favorite song, I said good love is all we need
And when you get down, turn it up loud, and soon we’ll feel at peace
When the world does you wrong, you listen to that song, like the birds listen to the trees
Today's tune "Fire on the Horizon" is taken from STICK FIGUREs fifth album "Set In Stone"
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Apr 17 Sam's San Antonio, TX
Apr 19 420 Eve on the Rocks w/ Method Man, Redman,... Morrison, CO
May 20 Hangout Music Festival w/ The Weeknd, Calvin... Gulf Shores, AL
May 29 California Roots Music and Arts Festival w/ Rebelution, Michael... Monterey, CA
Jun 08 College Street Music Hall. w/ Rebelution, The Green,... New Haven, CT
Jun 09 Stone Pony Summerstage w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Asbury Park, NJ
Jun 10 River Stage at Great Plaza w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Philadelphia, PA
Jun 11 Theatre at Westbury w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Westbury, NY
Jun 12 Maine State Pier w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Portland, ME
Jun 15 Innsbrook Pavilion w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Glen Allen, VA
Jun 16 Red Hat Amphitheater w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Raleigh, NC
Jun 17 Pier Six Pavilion w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Baltimore, MD
Jun 22 Riverfront Park w/ Rebelution, The Green,... North Charleston, SC
Jun 23 St. Augustine Amphitheatre w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Saint Augustine, FL
Jun 24 Sunset Cove Amphitheater w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Boca Raton, FL
Jun 25 Vinoy Park w/ Rebelution, The Green,... St Petersburg, FL
Jul 09 Levitate Music Festival w/ The Movement Marshfield, MA
Jul 14 Pemberton Music Festival Pemberton, BC
Aug 04 Revolution Concert House & Event Center w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Garden City, ID
Aug 05 Marymoor Amphitheater w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Redmond, WA
Aug 06 Cuthbert Amphitheater w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Eugene, OR
Aug 10 Villa Hispana w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Albuquerque, NM
Aug 11 Comerica Theatre Phoenix, AZ
Aug 12 Greek Theatre w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Los Angeles, CA
Aug 13 Santa Barbara Bowl w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Santa Barbara, CA
Aug 14 Avila Beach Golf Resort w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Avila Beach, CA
Aug 18 Mandalay Bay Beach w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Las Vegas, NV
Aug 19 The Complex w/ Rebelution, The Green,... Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 20 Big Sky Brewing Company w/ Rebelution, The Green,...Missoula, MT
Sep 02 Backwoods Music Festival w/ Big Gigantic, Nahko...Stroud, OK
Sep 02 Union Park Chicago, IL
"Black Betty" (Roud 11668) is a 20th-century African-American work song often credited to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter as the author, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources claim it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations of earlier folk material; in this case an 18th-century marching cadence about a flintlock musket. There are numerous recorded versions, including a cappella, folk, and rock arrangements. The best known modern recordings are rock versions by RAM JAM, Tom Jones and SPIDERBAIT all of which were hits.
The origin and meaning of the lyrics are subject to debate. Historically the "Black Betty" of the title may refer to the nickname given to a number of objects: a musket, a bottle of whiskey, a whip, or a penitentiary transfer wagon.
Some sources claim the song is derived from an 18th-century marching cadence about a flint-lock musket with a black painted stock; the "bam-ba-lam" lyric referring to the sound of the gunfire. Soldiers in the field were said to be "hugging Black Betty". In this interpretation, the musket was superseded by its "child", a musket with an unpainted walnut stock known as a "Brown Bess".
Other sources give the meaning of "Black Betty" in the United States (from at least 1827) as a liquor bottle. In January 1736, Benjamin Franklin published The Drinker's Dictionary in the Pennsylvania Gazette offering 228 round-about phrases for being drunk. One of those phrases is "He's kiss'd black Betty."
In 1934, John A. and Alan Lomax in their book, American Ballads and Folk Songs described the origins of "Black Betty":
"Black Betty is not another Frankie, nor yet a two-timing woman that a man can moan his blues about. She is the whip that was and is used in some Southern prisons. A convict on the Darrington State Farm in Texas, where, by the way, whipping has been practically discontinued, laughed at Black Betty and mimicked her conversation in the following song." (In the text, the music notation and lyrics follow.)
John Lomax also interviewed blues musician James Baker (better known as "Iron Head") in 1934, almost one year after recording Iron Head performing the first known recording of the song. In the resulting article for Musical Quarterly, titled "'Sinful Songs' of the Southern Negro", Lomax again mentions the nickname of the bullwhip is "Black Betty". Steven Cornelius in his book, Music of the Civil War Era, states in a section concerning folk music following the war's end that "prisoners sang of 'Black Betty', the driver's whip."
In an interview conducted by Alan Lomax with a former prisoner of the Texas penal farm named Doc Reese (aka "Big Head"), Reese stated that the term "Black Betty" was used by prisoners to refer to the "Black Maria" — the penitentiary transfer wagon.
Robert Vells, in Life Flows On in Endless Song: Folk Songs and American History, writes:
"As late as the 1960s, the vehicle that carried men to prison was known as "Black Betty," though the same name may have also been used for the whip that so often was laid on the prisoners' backs, "bam-ba-lam."
In later versions, "Black Betty" was depicted as various vehicles, including a motorcycle and a hot rod.
Black Betty is the slang name given to the Queen of Spades in the card game Hearts.
The song was first recorded in the field by U.S. musicologists John and Alan Lomax in 1933, performed a cappella by the convict James Baker and a group at Central State Farm, Sugar Land, Texas (a State prison farm).
The Lomaxes were recording for the Library of Congress and later field recordings in 1934, 1936, and 1939 also include versions of "Black Betty". A notated version was published in 1934 in the Lomaxes book American Ballads and Folk Songs. It was recorded commercially in New York in 1939 for the Musicraft label by Lead Belly, as part of a medley with two other work songs: "Looky Looky Yonder" and "Yellow Woman's Doorbells". Musicraft issued the recording in 1939 as part of a 78rpm five-disc album entitled Negro Sinful Songs sung by Lead Belly. Lead Belly had a long association with the Lomaxes, and had himself served time in State prison farms.
While Lead Belly's 1939 recording was also performed a cappella, most subsequent versions added a guitar accompaniment. These include folk-style recordings in 1964 by Odetta (as a medley with "Looky Yonder"), Dave "Snaker" Ray, and Alan Lomax himself.
In 1968 MANFRED MANN released a version of the song with the title and lyrics changed to "Big Betty", on their LP Mighty Garvey. In 1972 MANFRED MANNs EARTH BAND performed "Black Betty" live for John Peel's In Concert on the BBC, but this has not been publicly released.
In 1976 a Cincinnati band, STARTRUCK, recorded a rock version of the song with modified lyrics on the Truckstar label which had little success.
In 1977, the rock band RAM JAM—which included former STARTRUCK and LEMON PIPERS guitarist Bill Bartlett—re-released an edit of the STARTRUCK recording of the song with producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz under Epic Records. The song became an instant hit with listeners, as it reached number 18 on the singles charts in the United States and the top ten in the UK and Australia. At the same time, the lyrics caused civil rights groups NAACP and Congress of Racial Equality to call for a boycott.
In February 2016 the 76 yrs old lady and still rockin' Mavis Staples album "Livin' on a High Note" was released, Produced by M. Ward the album features songs written specifically for Staples by Nick Cave, Justin Vernon, tUnE-yArds, Neko Case, Aloe Blacc, and others. Discussing the album Staples said:
I’ve been singing my freedom songs and I wanted to stretch out and sing some songs that were new. I told the writers I was looking for some joyful songs. I want to leave something to lift people up; I’m so busy making people cry, not from sadness, but I’m always telling a part of history that brought us down and I’m trying to bring us back up. These songwriters gave me a challenge. They gave me that feeling of, ‘Hey, I can hang! I can still do this!’ There’s a variety, and it makes me feel refreshed and brand new. Just like Benjamin Booker wrote on the opening track, ‘I got friends and I got love around me, I got people, the people who love me.’ I’m living on a high note, I’m above the clouds. I’m just so grateful. I must be the happiest old girl in the world. Yes, indeed.
Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist. She has recorded and performed with her family's band The Staple Singers, and also as a solo artist.
Today's tune "Take Us Back" is taken from the fifteenth studio album "Livin' on a High Note", released in February 2016 under Epitaph Records. The clip is from The Late Show, Feb 23, 2016
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Apr 15 Coachella Indio, CA Sold Out
Apr 22 Coachella Indio, CA Sold Out
Apr 23 Cache Creek Casino Brooks, CA
Apr 29 Beale Street Music Festival Memphis, TN
May 01 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest New Orleans, LA
May 04 Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center Ft Lauderdale, FL
May 06 Kravis Center West Palm Beach, FL
May 08 Lyric Theatre Birmingham, AL
May 19 Wendy Williamson Auditorium Anchorage, AK
May 21 Juneau Jazz and Classics Juneau, AK
May 29 Strawberry Music Festival Grass Valley, CA
Jun 04 Chateau St. Michelle Winery w/ Bob Dylan Woodinville, WA
Jun 05 Chateau St. Michelle Winery w/ Bob Dylan Woodinville, WA
Jun 07 Cuthbert Ampitheater w/ Bob Dylan Eugene, OR
Jun 09 Greek Theatre w/ Bob Dylan Berkeley, CA
Jun 10 Greek Theatre-U.C. Berkeley Berkeley, CA
Jun 11 Santa Barbara Bowl w/ Bob Dylan Santa Barbara, CA
Jun 13 Humphrey's w/ Bob Dylan San Diego, CA
Jun 14 Humphrey's w/ Bob Dylan San Diego, CA
Jun 16 Shrine Auditorium w/ Bob Dylan Los Angeles, CA
Jun 19 Red Rocks Ampitheatre w/ Bob Dylan Morrison, CO
Jun 21 Starlight Theatre w/ Bob Dylan Kansas City, MO
Jun 22 Pinewood Bowl Theatre w/ Bob Dylan Lincoln, NE
Jun 24 Ravinia Festival w/ Bob Dylan Highland Park, IL
Jun 25 The Lawn at White River w/ Bob Dylan Indianapolis, IN
Jun 26 Carl Black Chevy Woods Amphitheater w/ Bob Dylan Nashville, TN
Jun 28 Fraze Pavilion w/ Bob Dylan Kettering, OH
Jun 29 Toledo Zoo Amphitheater w/ Bob Dylan Toledo, OH
Jun 30 Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park w/ Bob Dylan Lewiston, NY
Jul 02 Tanglewood w/ Bob Dylan Lenox, MA
Jul 03 Foxwoods w/ Bob Dylan New London, CT
Jul 05 Filene Center at Wolf Trap w/ Bob Dylan Vienna, VA
Jul 06 Filene Center at Wolf Trap w/ Bob Dylan Vienna, VA
Jul 08 Forest Hills Stadium w/ Bob Dylan Forest Hills, NY
Jul 12 CMAC w/ Bob Dylan Canandaigua, NY
Jul 13 Mann Center for the Performing Arts w/ Bob Dylan Philadelphia, PA
Jul 14 Blue Hills Bank Pavilion w/ Bob Dylan Boston, MA
Jul 16 Thompsons Point w/ Bob Dylan Portland, ME
Jul 17 Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion w/ Bob Dylan Gilford, NH
Jul 31 Chateau Ste Michelle Winery Woodinville, WA
Aug 12 Eaux Claires Festival (August 12-13) Eau Claire, WI
Sep 17 Arts Commons Jack Singer Concert Hall Calgary, Canada
THE TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND — formerly known as the Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band — is a blues rock group based in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Formed in 2010, the band is led by husband-and-wife musicians Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, and primarily features members from their solo groups. Their debut album, Revelator (2011), won the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Blues Album. As of 2016, the band has released three studio albums and one live album.
Today's tune "Anyhow" is taken from the third studio album "Let Me Get By", released in 2016. During breaks in touring in early 2015, the band used Trucks and Tedeschi's home studio in Jacksonville, FL to record the album. Unlike their previous album, "Let Me Get By" was written fully by the band, with help from Doyle Bramhall II. Trucks produced the album himself, after having co-produced the band's previous albums.
Thom Jurek of Allmusic wrote "An obvious studio offering, it's warm and resonant, yet crackling with energy and ideas. The feel is loose and grooving, the performances hot... Never has TTB sounded so organic, relaxed, and free. Let Me Get By is the album this group has been striving for since their formation. You need this." Will Hermes of Rolling Stone wrote "Tedeschi has chops, charm, and a workmanlike style that could at times use some pizzazz. But sharing duties with polyvalent vocalist Mike Mattison... and the other soloists, she steers a band greater than its parts, and still growing better." PopMatters wrote of the album "Past TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND records had their charms and their high points but this is the record that gets everything right from the first note to the last and it’s a welcome progression from a band that deserves all the good things coming its way in the wake of this record."
THE TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND perform "Anyhow" from their new album "Let Me Get By" live in their own Swamp Raga Studio.
Sweden’s THE STROLLERS return with a brand new blistering 45 ahead, the upcoming 7" single "Gotta Get Away", due April 22nd, 2016.
Formed in 1992 THE STROLLERS quickly made a reputation of being one of the wildest & hardest garage rock acts in Scandinavia. They started playing small clubs in Örebro (Sweden) and soon they went to do festivals and toured most parts of Europe. But the wild living and internal fights took its toll and in 2001 the story was over. Or so everyone thought…
THE STROLLERS had a brief reunion in 2006. Now, many years later, the original lineup crawls back up from the grave. After a much appreciated appearance at garage rock legend Jens Lindberg’s (THE MAHARAJAS) 50th birthday party the band has now decided to reform. People who witnessed the show will tell you they sounded better than ever!
THE STROLLERS released two nowadays hard to get 45s and two full length albums; “Falling Right Down” (1999, Low Impact Recordings) and “Captain Of My Ship” (2000, Low Impact Recordings). And who knows - maybe there is more to come??
MEMBERS
Mathias Lilja – vocals & guitar
Henrik Wind – organ
Joakim Dimberg – bass
Martin Karlsson – drum
Todays tune "Gotta Get Away" is the upcoming single, Recorded and mixed by Bob Cinnabon at The Millenium Falcon. Produced by The Strollers. Mastered by Fredrik Landh. Graphics by Tobbe Barth. Photos by Gustav Sund. The Video produced by: Andreas Åkerberg
