Desmond Dekker Dead At 64

Ska and reggae pioneer Desmond Dekker died Wednesday, May 24 of a heart attack at his home in Surrey, England. Dekker, who was born in Kingston, Jamaica, had a string of hits both in his home country and in the UK. His most well known singles included “Israelites,” “Rudie Got Soul” and “007 (Shanty Town).” Many of his songs were about rudeboy culture, glamorizing the lifestyle for the growing mod subculture in 1960s England. Dekker is credited for bringing world attention to Jamaica‘s ska and reggae movements, as well as paving the way for artists like Bob Marley. Dekker continued to record into the ’70s, though the singer declared bankruptsy in the ’80s when Two Tone ska fans dwindled. A re-release of “Israelites” and a full touring schedule up until his death kept Dekker busy.

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5/27 Fusion Fill In

I had the pleasure of filling in for another one of my “make sure to tune in” programs at WHUS. In the Groove, Jazz and Beyond, Saturday Evenings 7-9pm. I enjoyed experiementing with different flavors in funk and jazz fusion. Check out what was played:

Baghdad Cafe, Liquid Soul
Sex God, Liquid Soul
Kong, Liquid Soul
Hindi Gumbo, Garaj Mahal
Poodle Factory, Garaj Mahal
Milk Carton Blues, Garaj Mahal
Crash Point, Bev Vaughn
the Stalker prt II, Ben Vaughn
Kenny, MMW
Shelly Manne, Charlie Watts Jim Keltner Project
Art Blakey, Charlie Watts Jim Keltner project
the Simpsons, Joe Deninzon & Stratosphereius
Give the Drummer Some, Mike Clark Sextet
Swamp Thing, Mike Clark & Paul Jackson
Car Chase, James Taylor Quartet
Mr. Cool’s Dream, James Taylor Quartet
Heartbeat, Jake Shimabukuro
Fallout Shelter, Dave Fiuczynski
Unclean Waters, Dirty Dozen Brass Band
The Machine, Garage A Trois
Needles, Garage A Trois
Watermelon Man, Herbie Hancock

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Mike Clark Conversation

You might know him from the Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters…you might. Or, you might recognize him as one of the truly authentic jazz/funk/soul/R&B/Blues/Hip Hop drummers on the planet. Check out this conversation for some insight to the world of music, the good and not so good. Little tricks of the trade that’ll make you say “cool” and a show tonight in Manchester Connecticut. The amount of people who have worked with Mike and also “borrowed” loops of his drumming,is absolutely mindboggling. For more about Mike,
check out his webpage

listen to our talk here.

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5/27/06 Hot and Moist…

Lovin’ cup, Paul Butterfield Blues band
Shake your $ Maker, P.Butterfield Blues band
Mystery Train, Paul Butterfield Blues band
all these blues, Paul butterfield Blues Band
She came in thru the bathroom window, J. Cocker
Cold Cold Boogie/Triple face Boogie, Little Feat
I must be Mad, the Craig
You’ve got me Rockin’, Carl Palmer PM
We could be so good 2gether, the doors
Bye Bye Baby, Big Bros & holding Co.
Intruder, Big Bros.& Holding Co.
Mama Boy Blues, Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks
Shakespeare, Susan Cagle
Shake it up, Jake Shimubukuro
Me and Shirley T, J.Shimubukuro
Ida, Rachid Taha
Unified, G Love & Special Sauce
White Fang, Bill Frissell
Jumpin’ in the Mornin’ Ray Charles
Heartbreaker, Ray Charles
Mess Around, Ray Charles
Don’t you know, Ray Charles
Potion, Morphine
Like Swimming, Morphine
French Fries/Pepper, Morphine
11 0′ Clock, Morphine
Daddy’s in a Duldrum, Secret Machines
007 Shanty Town, Desmond Decker
Stealing Happy hours, 311
Shannon’s Kitchen, Dave Fiuczynski
Swamp Thing, Mike Clark & Paul Jackson
Pictures of Matchstickmen, Ozzy
Big Jake, Roy Rogers/Norton Buffalo
Move on way from here, R. Rogers/N. Buffalo
One of the fortunate few, D. Mclinton
I got a Woman, John Hammond jr.
My World is Round, Alvin Youngblood Hart

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Dan Hick’s conversation

finally, after a technical mess…I have relocated the interview with Dan Hicks and am able to bring the entertaing chat to you.Throughout his decades-long career, Dan Hicks stood as one of contemporary music’s true eccentrics. While steeped in folk, his acoustic sound knew few musical boundaries, drawing on country, call-and-response vocals, jazz phrasing, and no small amount of humor to create a distinctive, albeit sporadic, body of work which earned him a devoted cult following.

Check out Dan’s website.

Listen to chat here.

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Elvis’ Legacy Joining Cirque Du Soleil

I am a huge Elvis fan, so this news seemed interesting to me.
Elvis Presley is going on a worldwide circus tour. CKX Inc., the parent company of Elvis Presley Enterprises, announced a long-term joint venture Thursday with Cirque du Soleil, the Canadian-based acrobatic troupe known for its extravagant theatrical and acrobatic productions. Cirque du Soleil (French for circus of the sun) will produce a series of shows focused on Presley‘s life and music and help design interactive, multimedia museums called “Elvis Experiences,” CKX said. Touring productions are expected to get under way in about 18 months in Europe and Asia with the first of a series of “Elvis Experience” museum opening later in 2008, Sillerman said from his headquarters in New York. . CKX also owns the American Idol TV show and other entertainment ventures. Cirque du Soleil, begun in 1984, is scheduled to stage 13 shows this year, including one set to open in Las Vegas next month based on the music of the Beatles.

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Into the Sunset….Cowgirl’s summer ride

Too much to Dream, the Electric Prunes
Night Time, Strangelove
Lies, Knickerbockers
Oh Yeah, Shadows Night
Psychotic Reaction, Count Five
Don’t GO, the Amboy Dukes
Season of the Witch, Bloomfield/Stills/Kooper
Sugar Mama, Fleetwood Mac
Daddy’s in the Duldroms, the Secrect Machines
Imagine This, Mediacracy
Gone Daddy Gone, Gnarles Barkley
Dance this mess around, the B-52’s
Deee-lite theme, Deee-lite
Try me on, Deee-Lite
What is Love?, Deee-Lite
Boxer’s Fracture, L:iquid Soul
Duke Ellington Superstar, Ken Clark Organ Trio
Rhythm & Business, Ken Clark Organ Trio
ABC, Maceo Parker
Unclean Waters, Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Barabajagal, Donovan
Resume Man, String Cheese Incident
Elvis’ Wild Ride, String Cheese Incident
When the Levee Breaks, Leftover Salmon
Jokester, Leftover Salmon
Blues at Sunrise, Stevie Ray Vaughn/Albert King

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Dj Cheb i Sabbah talk

Listen here

Cheb i Sabbah was born in Algeria and moved to France in the ’60s. He is one of the earliest practitioners of the art of deejaying and began spinning in Paris in 1964 where he first saw and met The Living Theatre, whose influence resonates in the drama and epic abandon of Shri Durga. It is hard to separate the myth from reality about Cheb i Sabbah’s life in the ’70s. He maintains a stoic silence about it. He makes no comments about his engagement by John and Yoko in the U.K. and the macrobiotic connection therein. Freaky performance art in body bags? Chebiji makes no elaboration. Although, we do know that he joined The Living Theatre in 1971 and later on, with Suzanne Thomas, started a theater troupe in San Francisco named Tribal Warning Theatre. In the late ’80s and through the ’90s dj Cheb i Sabbah was an icon of the DJ circuit in San Francisco and was involved in a breathtaking variety of musical collaborations and performances including Qawwali maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and jazz trumpeter Don Cherry. He produced an album called The Majoon Traveller, using DJ-cut-up techniques and making fast connections with Brion Gysin, Ira Cohen, Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman and Moroccan Jilala and Gnawa trance music for the Sub Rosa label. Since then, he has remixed Psychic TV, Paul Horn and Don Cherry. His diverse influences and spiritual curiosity resulted in Shri Durga, his debut album and a mind-bending, panaromic Hindu-goth pi裥 de r鳩stance.

“Music is the only thing I know. It has the power to liberate one from whatever one wants to be liberated from.” – dj Cheb i Sabbah

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Devon Allman Conversation

Listen Here

Join me in learning about a new band. Honeytribe. HONEYTRIBE’s music is feel based. Although featuring Devon Allman as the front man (yes from that Allman family), this band is an ensemble cast all the way. Devon has been busy lately, touring the planet, working on new material for the new Honeytribe album, and also being featured on a top ten hit in Europe with guitar monster, Javier Vargas. After several European tours and a video on MTV Europe, it’s been quite a year for the soul singer / blues guitarist and if you can catch him this year, you will see an artist on the threshold of greatness. The synergy of this band on stage is something to behold. Shifting from killer old blues songs to their own material, this is a band that will make you go “WOW!” while you watch them. From a straight up knock you in the teeth blues feel to a very girl-friendly island feel; this band has something for all feel-based music lovers. If you join any Tribe in today’s twisted world …make sure it’s HONEYTRIBE.

Listen to what Devon says about their new album, and find out what his worst job was.

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Benefit Concert for Love’s Arthur Lee

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Love’s Arthur Lee Battling Leukemia – Benefit Concert Set

Robert Plant has joined the lineup for the June 23 benefit concert for Love frontman Arthur Lee who is battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Previously announced performers include Yo La Tengo, Nils Lofgren, Ryan Adams and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah singer Alex Ounsworth amongst others.
Highlighted by the 1967 masterpiece Forever Changes, Love was responsible for some of the most important psychedelic rock of the era. But his legacy waned due to a prison stint on a weapons violation.

for more details click here

Inquiries, please contact:
Mark Linn
Delmore Recording Society
Phone: 615.480.6923
delmores@comcast.net

5/13/06 Park the Ark…

a rainy day….part of a rainy week.

Spoonful, Willie Dixon
Messin’ w/the Kid, Junior Wells
Smokestack Lightning, Howlin’ Wolf
She’s 19 Years old, Eddie C. Campbell
Superharp, James Cotton
Gypsy Eyes, Jimi Hendrix
I didn’t have the Time, James Gang
Country Fever, James Gang
Locomotive Breath, Jethro Tull
Maggie’s Farm, Bob Dylan
Leopardskin pillbox hat, Bob Dylan
Don’t Worry About Tomorrow, Van Morrison
John Henry, Van Morrison
I Like Birds, Eels w/Strings
Hey Man, Eels w/Strings
Shocktime, Bela & Flecktones
Roudhouse Blues, Bela & Flecktones
Space Rooster, Cosmic Farm
Strange Train, Cosmic Farm
Happy PT1, J.A. Granelli & Mr. Lucky
Again, J.A. Granelli & Mr. Lucky
Vog, Fiuczynski & Medeski
Pineapple, Fiuczynski & Medeski
In a Big Country, Moe
Gone Daddy Gone, Gnarls Barkley
District Six, Hugh Masakela
Malaika, Aingelique Kidjo
Chotisi Aasha, Minmini
Theme Track, Ghost of Darkness
Diarabi, Issa Bauayyogo
Are you Sure Hank did it this Way, Leftover Salmon
Mean Ol’ Wind Died Down, N.Missi. All Stars
Rock me Right, Susan Tedeshi
Boom Shak-A-la-ka, Apache Indian

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David Fiuczynski fretless guitar visionary

Although he has been involved in many musical projects, the album with the most legs seems to be his work with John Medeski, Lunar Crush. He is associate professor of guitar at Berklee School of Music, as well as a jazz “FUZE”ion guitar visionary.
In 1994 David, in collaboration with keyboardist John Medeski of Medeski Martin & Wood, woke up the sleeping jazz fusion world with a landmark CD, Lunar Crush chosen by Guitar Player’s 30th Anniversary Edition as a “Disc of Destiny” – in Guitar Player’s estimation, one of the most influential albums of the last thirty years. A funky, freaky party, Lunar Crush was a wild 90’s tribute to Tony William’s groundbreaking early-fusion band “Lifetime”. Fuze’s signature palette of otherworldly guitar sounds and enormous chops received astonished accolades from critics and fans alike and landed him on the cover of Guitar Player as a trailblazer who could “change the way you play!” In 1994 David became the original guitar player in Meshell NdegéOcello’s debut band and is prominently featured on her first two Grammy-nominated CD’s.

check him out online at http://www.torsos.com/

listen to our talk here.

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David Bowie Curates NYC Festival

The one and only David Bowie will curate the inaugural High Line Festival. The new music fest is slated to take place in May 2007 in neighborhoods underneath the High Line, a public park being created atop a long-abandoned elevated railway line on the west side of Manhattan. The festival will feature David Bowie performing a huge outdoor concert, his first show in New York since 2003. Bowie will also pick musicians and artists to appear throughout the festival. Bowie told Billboard.com, “I’ve been particularly excited about seeking out emerging artists and giving them a place in a festival that will also feature some very well-known names.”

Well, Bowie does have his hand and wallet in the new indie scene. Expect some very good music to come out of this festival, especially with the hippy starchild himslef getting into the mix.

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Lotus: The Strength of Weak Ties

For Lotus, the constant touring seems to have finally begun to pay off. Eventually any band on the live music circuit has to reach that “make-it or break-it point,” and with the release of their third album, The Strength of Weak Ties, (released April 4th on Harmonized Records) the Philadelphian organic electronic quintet may have pushed over the proverbial hump. What becomes most apparent throughout this album is Lotus’ maturation as a band and as individual musicians. While Nomad, the band’s second album, flowed smoothly from start to finish, it left a taste of “there could be more” on the listener’s palate. Though still good, it felt like a live band taking their live sound into the studio, and it came out sounding like a glorified bootleg. All the talent and head-bobbing grooves were present, but a sonic void remained after all was said and done. With the new album, Lotus goes deeper into their songwriting and compositions, leaving little room for the “what if?” Clear and concise, it offers a portrait of what a band known for their live shows can produce in the studio setting. Finally, they have created a work of art that will appeal to a target audience outside of the jam scene, while still captivating the faithful “old schoolers.” Calling Lotus a rock band may catch some off guard, but a rock band they are. Before any of the ultra-technological, post-modern gadgetry, samplers, and synthesizers, Lotus maintained a jazzy, organic sound. Mike Rempel, the band’s crafty lead guitarist, has stayed true to his sometimes delicate, sometime ripping guitar style. Chuck Morris (percussion) has added a HandSonic and other intricate grains to fill-in spaces, as do the Miller brothers, who write the vast majority of the band’s tunes. Although the sound has been driven by an eclectic fervor for futuristic flavor, Lotus has remained genuine to their core. When the dust settles, they continue to be a rock & roll band with a range of jazz, funk, world, and electronic textures further amplifying and coloring an increasingly polyphonic product.

The difference is that Lotus now enjoys a much more complete sound…check it out!!!

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5/6/06 What’d you say?

Mean ol’ Wind Died Down, N. Missi. All Stars
Shake ’em Down, N. Missi. All Stars
Down in Mississippi, N. Missi. All Stars
Snappy Kakky, ZZ Top
Left Coast Groovies, Gov’t Mule
Frankie & Albert, Taj Mahal
Angel Eyes, Raghow
Tumbiyan, Craig David A Rishirish
Kabbi aar Kakki Paar, Raghow
Vande Maataram, Penn Masala
Kawa Kawa, Sukhwinder Singh
Mon te Adventro, Ry Cooder/Manuel Galban
Don’t stop til you get Enough, Keller Williams
Rapper’s Delight, Keller Williams
Under Pressure, Keller Williams
Moondance, Keller Williams
Pygmy Twylyte, the Disco Biscuits
You Don’t Mess around w/Me, Waylon Jennings
She makes me want to Sing, Jerry Douglas/D. Trucks
Swing Blues #1, J. Douglas/J. Fogerty
Hey Man, Eels w/Strings
I’ll go Crazy, Gargia/Grisman
Take me out to the Ballgame, Sam Bush
Just Because, Jorma Kaukonen
Nare Sugar, Mofro
Sex God, Liquid Soul
Rock el Casbah, Rachid Taha
Riot Radio, the Dead 60’s
Ding Dang, Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade
Female Problems, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz
Barstool Boogie, Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks
Who Do you Love, Dion
If you Wanna R-n-R, Dion
Ball & Chain, Janis Joplin

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Wie makes cut on Asian Tour

Maybe I am a sucker for her cuz she’s so darn cute and seems loveable, but the truth is she is a golf player. Not female or male, but a golf player.
Wie finished at 5-under 139 after two rounds and tied for 17th at the Sky 72 Golf Club course, six strokes behind co-leaders Iain Steel of Malaysia (66) and Prom Meesawat of Thailand (64). The cut was even-par 144.
The Hawiian-born teenager becomes the second woman to make the cut at a men’s tournament in South Korea. LPGA star Se Ri Pak finished tied for 10th in the lower-tier KPGA Tour SBS Pro-Golf Championship in 2003. Wie improved on her opening-round 70 with a near flawless display Friday, making four birdies and one bogey on the 16th hole.

“My putting was good,” she said. “Yesterday was pretty good, but today was better. I was more confident today.”
The SK Telecom Open is Wie’s eighth start in a men’s professional event. She played in four PGA Tour events and has competed on the Japan, Nationwide and Canadian tours, missing the 36-hole cut in all seven tournaments.
Since turning professional last year at 16, Wie missed the cut in the PGA’s Casio World Open and Sony Open. Wie finished third in March at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first LPGA major.

“In the future, I still want to challenge the PGA Tour and make the top ten,” Wie said.

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Superdrummer: Carl Palmer chat

Listen to us talk here.

often credited as one of the most respected and influential Rock drummers of all time. Palmer is a veteran of a number of British bands, including The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Atomic Rooster, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Asia. He has also contributed to works by Mike Oldfield.
Although none of the groups Palmer performed with are yet in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Palmer’s 2½ ton stainless steel drum set is, after being purchased and donated by Ringo Starr.

In recent years, Carl has performed a series of drum clinics across the UK and Europe. He is currently on tour with the original line-up of Asia, celebrating their 25th anniversary

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Moe’s Al Schnier talks from NYC

Something we didn’t talk about is: September 1 – 3, 2006
Snow Ridge Ski Area
Turin, NY The Seventh Annual moe.down will be held September 1-3 at the Snow Ridge Ski area in Turin, NY. moe.down is an annual party for moe. and its fans. The band will perform a total of six sets throughout the weekend. Past moe.down performers include Flaming Lips, They Might Be Giants, Matisyahu, MMW, Ani DiFranco, Blues Traveler, Leo Kottke, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Nellie McKay, Cracker Van Beethoven, David Grisman, and Les Claypool.

Listen to what we talked about here.

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J.J. from Mofro tellin it like it is!

A backwoods country boy surfer whose surfing jaunts took him around the world long before music did, Mofro’s JJ Grey embraces the title of “redneck” yet defies any of the negative stereotypes it evokes. He’s a multi-instrumentalist (voice, guitar, piano, harmonica, bass and drums) or as he says “I play just good enough to pull off a song or two.” As a lyricist and songwriter he is primarily a storyteller, trying in his own way to carry on the oral tradition. J.J. still resides on his grandparent’s old chicken farm where he and his family continue the tradition by farming organic vegetables.

Listen to our conversation here.

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4/29/06 ear tucker

Statesboro Blues, Taj Mahal/Ry Cooder
Divin’ Duck Blues, Taj Mahal/Ry Cooder
Candy Man, Taj Mahal/Ry Cooder
Let the Good time Roll, Taj/Ry Cooder
Take a Giant Step, Taj Mahal/Ry Cooder
Waiting for the Man, Velvet Underground&nico
Femme Fatale, Velvet Underground & Nico
Squeeze, Robert Randolph & the Family Band
Calypso, Robert Randolph & the Family Band
Snakes in my Bushes, N. Missi. All Stars
Villified, Galactic
Blue Pepper, Galactic
Suckapunch, Furley
Baghdad Cafe, Liquid Soul
Sex God, Liquid Soul
Volunteered Salvery, Derek Trucks band
Chevrolet, Derek Trucks band
Gravity’s Gone, Drive by Truckers
Space City, Drive by Truckers
Baby, I love you, Aretha Franklin
Stray Cat Blues, Rolling Stones
Highway Song, Hot Tuna
Zillionaire, R. Wasserman/J. Garcia/E.Brickell
Shake your Hips, Robert Randolph & the Family Band
Mule, Gov’t Mule
Mama’s Boy Blues, Dan Hick and the Hot Licks
Porch Monkey Blues, Alvin Youngblood Hart
Back to Memphis, Alvin Youngblood Hart
the Hustler, Alvin Youngblood Hart
Down in Mississippi, Roy Rogers & the Delta Kings
She likes to Boogie real low, Johnny Winter
baby, I love you BB King/Bonnie Raitt
paying the cost, BB King/Rolling Stones
Dangerous Mood, BB King/Joe Cocker
Spoonful, Willie Dixon

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