May 032009
“It’s wonderful to be surrounded by people you like.”
Especially Richard Baskin!
Feb 062007
Flame on. Call a doctor. Speak your peace. This is the place to unload.
8 Responses to “All-Star Jam”
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Wow, I love that Yellow Jazz Bass. I have only seen that color on Townsman Chickenfrank’s Percision.
Orange amps too – cool. I like the video more than the tune itself.
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Pince-nez correcion: that’s not a Jazz bass — it’s a Mustang, I think.
Also: Orange amps are *not* cool anymore; every two-bit retro band plays them nowadays. Now a Hiwatt amp — *that’s* cool!
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Hey, Mr. Mod — as much as I loooove the sound of a clavinet in almost any context… can I change my vote in the your latest Big Choice Poll to “maracas”? The fact is, they’re my fave ancillary Rock instrument, and one that’s sorely in need of greater deployment.
Greatest maraca moment: when they come shakin’ in after Angus’ blistering lead in the original “Problem Child” — from the Great AC/DC album that you’ve never heard, “Let There Be Rock.” When are you gonna check that LP out, anyway?
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Greatest maraca moment: when they come shakin’ in after Angus’ blistering lead in the original “Problem Child” — from the Great AC/DC album that you’ve never heard, “Let There Be Rock.” When are you gonna check that LP out, anyway?
I packed High Voltage in the car with me today. I had to take a break from all the KISS I’ve been cranking to prepare for next week’s big KISS Army Reunion. It’s gonna be hot, Townspeople! Maybe after the GRAMMYS Bash and the KISS special I’ll make time to seek out this tremendous AC/DC album that I’m sure I’ve heard plenty of, although admittedly, never in one sitting. Thanks for the reminder.
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“Greatest maraca moment: when they come shakin’ in after Angus’ blistering lead in the original “Problem Child” — from the Great AC/DC album that you’ve never heard, “Let There Be Rock.” When are you gonna check that LP out, anyway?”
Nah – the percussion expolsion before the third chorus in Brown Sugar is the best.
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Andy, that was a HUGE body blow! I may have to hand over the maraca crown to Mick and the boyz. Still, the larger point is illustrated: the maraca kicks mo-fo ASS.
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I needed a fix of “Brown Sugar,” and wen out on Youtube to find some. I landed here, and was greatly amused:
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… can I change my vote in the your latest Big Choice Poll to “maracas”? The fact is, they’re my fave ancillary Rock instrument, and one that’s sorely in need of greater deployment.
But doesn’t the relative rarity of maracas on record factor into their effectiveness when they are deployed?
And to think we all thought that Lisztomania was the high point of Daltrey’s azcting career!
On of the Great Enduring Mysteries of popular music: Barbara Streisand’s iconic status. This only deepens my confusion.
New Orleans Jazz Fest report:
Well, this red, burnt lobster has returned from his single day at the 2009 New Orleans Jazz Fest and I have to say that of the ones I’ve attended, this one was the best for me. Perhaps it was the preparation (with the exception of being a fool when the sun block was offered), but that has nothing to do with the music…
We (Townsman MickAvory) planted ourselves in front of the main stage to wait for Neil Young. Local favorite (and all around general musical guy) Allen Toussaint played right before Neil and he was his usual great self. He plays some fun stuff as well some big time hits, including “Certain Girl” and “Southern Nights”. I was hoping with Elvis playing in Memphis the previous night that he might get down to N.O. and make a surprise appearance, but he was not there. Oh well.
Neil’s crew set up his entire stage set complete with lights, set decoration, and wooden indian (!). I’d never seen anything so elaborate for a festival, but Neil is Neil. He played a two hour set featuring some new stuff and a good smattering of hits like “Cinnamon Girl” and “Heart Of Gold”. Of course, we got our fair share of Neil and that nasty nasty nasty tone as well as a good hour’s worth of Neil wrestling with his guitar. The great thing about witnessing this act is that the guitar sometimes wins these battles. No one in rock wrestles a guitar like Neil Young. Neil closed his set with “Rockin’ In The Free World” before treating us to an encore of “A Day In The Life” complete with ripping the strings from his Les Paul and plenty of feedback and general noise during the final E chord. At that moment the rain came as we walked out before The Neville Brothers closed the festival out. we came waht we came to see and left satisfied. Neil was everything we could have expected.
A side note: Townsman MickAvory saw some dudes do a line of cocaine near to him. I saw some of Tulane’s finest hitting a pipe and there were a couple of dude’s behind me puffing an “herbal jazz cigarette”, but coke?!? These guys must have really loved irony because they did their lines when Neil was playing “The Needle and the Damage Done”. I suppose with shades of Neil’s coke hanging out of his nose during The Last Waltz…
TB
Great report, TB. Thanks.
Wow, I haven’t seen anyone do coke in ages. Good thing, if you ask me.
It’s a good thing we saw them doing it or is it a good thing they were doing it?
I was actually looking for some Miami Vice pastels or something. “Dude, coke is so 1985…”
I am not affiliated with JazzFest or anything, but this festival is the bee’s knees for me. I generally don’t like large crowds and prefer to see my favorite bands in a more controlled setting. Plus, the weather always plays a part. But JazzFest is a cool atmosphere complete with great food and so much to see. If anyone wants a great vacation and wants to see The Big Easy, I might recommend making your plans around this event.
There was a ton of media coverage for this year’s fest, too. Just check out CNN or Rolling Stone for some pictures and reports…
TB
TB, you forgot to mention whether you saw Bon Jovi.
I’m a big fan of Jazz Fest too. I’ve been twice. The headline stuff is great but the real cool stuff is on the side stages like the Heritage Stage and the Gospel Tent. The crowds are much more manageable and I’ve seen no-name local groups who blew me away.
Once the kids are a little older, I’m sure we’ll head down there for a family vacation.
We played in Memphis on Saturday, so I only made it for the closing day. So, no Bon Jovi for me.
HOWEVER, Townsman MickAvory caught the Bon and Wilco and Dr. John and whoever…as a resident of N.O., he’s been to several of these, but I’ll leave it open for him to share. Mick?
TB
CDM, I’m with you about the side stages. There are always some great stuff going on there. I got some cool pictures from these events. Oneincluded the traditional Mardi Gras Indians, some South African dancers, and something resembling an Armed Forces (the real ones, not E.C.) band featuring a theremin solo!
TB
Here’s a little Monday treat: A fantastic new interview with Nick Lowe, by comedian Todd Barry. (He played the supermarket manager in The Wrestler.) Enjoy, all!
http://believermag.com/issues/200905/?read=interview_lowe_barry
STAY TUNED: Late tonight or tomorrow there will be word of Rock Town Hall’s first-ever Listening Party!