Green Arrow Radio

Corky Siegel and Ernie Watts, two like-minded friends, bringing people together across different traditions. Corky Siegel is known internationally as one of the world’s great blues harmonica players, blues pianist, singer, and writer of unusual songs, a Chamber Blues progenitor, and sole pioneer/composer of award-winning revolutionary works that weave blues and classical forms together. Corky’s has a catalog of recordings on RCA, Vanguard, Alligator, and million-selling blues/classical recordings on the iconic classical label Deutsche Grammophon. Siegel learned his craft – personally – at the feet of such legendary first-generation bluesmen as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Little Walter, and Otis Spann. Ernie Watts has been featured on over 500 recordings by artists ranging from Cannonball Adderley to Frank Zappa and even the Rolling Stones. He was a featured soloist on many of Marvin Gaye’s albums on Motown during the 1970s, as well as on many other pop and R&B sessions. In 2014, Mr. Watts received the prestigious Frankfurt Music Prize. Watts has performed and/or recorded with a long list of who’s who in Jazz including Pat Metheny, Billy Cobham, Kurt Elling, Arturo Sandoval, and Jack DeJohnette to name just a few. His saxophone can be heard on countless television and film scores, and recordings too numerous to list. These are legends!

A few years back I had the pleasure and honor of chatting with both Mr. Watts and Mr. Siegel, separately about an upcoming performance they were putting toGether in Madison. Once again, we are back at it…this time a conversation as a trio. This time around they are heading back to the North Street Cabaret on May 20th, as a duo. We get into a lot of what will go down both musically and personality-wise as a true night of entertainment awaits. We also discuss some of the possibilities of the unknown that always seem to happen when there is a spontaneous shared spreading of joyous moments. Since this tour is made possible by the Johnny Carson Tonight Show Foundation, we get into stories of historical importance of both Ernie’s and Corky’s as it pertains to Doc Severinsen, the Tonight show and even, Mr. Carson. Classic. We go back to their first meeting and the humorous way the two share in how that “you only get one time to mae a first impression’ introduction went down. We talk about some of the new music Corky has been working on and putting out as a solo artist as well as MORE Different Voices, even….And well, we have a whole lotta fun, which, afterall….is the goal.

In 2020, Rudy De Anda moved his homebase out of California for the 1st time. He was headed East. Somewhere in the back of the U-Haul, among the boxes and stuff, was a mostly finished record. Once getting to Chicago, Rudy quickly found the final pieces of his new LP, ‘Closet Botanist’. It’s due out April 28th on Colemine/Karma Chief Records. The album was recorded in Austin, Texas at the Electric Deluxe recording studio, owned & operated by friend of the proGram Adrian Quesada, who helped produce & engineer this new LP. Rudy’s previous releases have grown synonymous with California sunshine. He was born in Los Angeles and spent most of his formative years in Long Beach. ‘Closet Botanist’ isn’t a total departure from Rudy’s beachy, psych-rock roots, but it does sound more mature. Most of the songs were written back in California with the help of Rudy’s previous bandmates. “Tu Mirada” was one of the first songs he wrote in Chicago. Then, a local friend helped him find “Hey Mr. Sun.” Rudy connected with Blake Rhein (Durand Jones and the Indications) during the final weeks of writing and the two worked on Blake’s tune, another step of maturity as this was something Rudy previously had not done to date. To get the sound just right, Rudy called his California bandmates to the studio. Jon Rivera played bass, Daniel Villareal laid down the drums, and Kyle Davis took care of the organ, piano & synth leads. Adrian Quesada produced the album & Aaron Glembowski engineered the sessions. The band recorded directly to tape to channel a classic rock n’ roll sound. Rudy points to The Velvet Underground & The Kinks for direct inspiration. Rudy dedicates the album to those who love so hard that they neglect to water their own garden. Even in a much colder climate, the closet botanist continues to grow.

I had the pleasure of spending a little time talking with Rudy ahead of his April 26th event in Madison at The Bur Oak. We painted a little scene of what event goers should expect when in that space together. We got pretty deep into the new album – learning how things got accomplished, how Adrian and he worked and how the final product, in my humble opinion, is a step into the future of this psych soul sound. With that, Rudy takes the question on of building a setlist with a track off ‘Botanist’ and as usual, I feel the listeners would not mind if another artists took over the driver’s seat of the show. HA!

Ghost Funk Orchestra is the brainchild of composer/multi-instrumentalist Seth Applebaum. What started as a one-man recording project has now evolved into a powerhouse live band. It’s a sonic kaleidoscope that defies genre specification, but draws heavy influence from the worlds of soul, psych rock, salsa, and beyond. Their unique blend of genres has attracted praise from the likes of NPR, Bandcamp, KUTX, Brooklyn Vegan, Earmilk, and more. Local NY blog Post-Trash described their sound as a ‘psych odyssey of traditional sounds delivered in a non-traditional fashion.’ Bandcamp’s Editorial Director J. Edward Keyes praised the band’s ability to ‘leave no funk-adjacent genre unexplored.’ Experimentation is the key, and unpredictability is what has been attracting folks from all corners of the globe to see what GFO pulls off next…

I had the chance to catch up with Seth ahead of the April 26th show at The Bur Oak here in Madison. We talked about the differences between what is hear don one of GFO’s albums versus a live show. We got into the making and process of the latest album ‘A New Kind Of Love’ out now on Colemine Records. Within the conversation about the record, we explore how this group of people is on the cusp of many genres, and how that widens the pool of ears, and makes them a perfect fit for greenarrowradio. We take the talk of that latest album into what songs Seth would choose to build a setlist around and he gives a few tracks for consideration budling on top of those. Get ready to stretch with GFO wherever you can catch them. Which reminded me actually of the recent shows Ghost Funk Orchestra had a chance to be a part of with the legendary Brazilian Tropicalia group, Os Mutantes. I had to listen to how Seth’s voice changed a little bit while going into what that experience was like.

NYC-based Benny Reid is a producer, composer, saxophonist, & educator. He is a Fatbeats & Concord Recording Artist, as well as an endorser of Selmer Saxophones, Vandoren, Novation, Focusrite, & Applied Microphones. He has held the #1 Billboard spot for “Follow the Leader Re-Imagined”, a partnership with legendary hip-hop artists Eric B. & Rakim. Mr. Reid has performed with numerous acclaimed artists including Frankie Valli, Bon Jovi, Fergie, The Temptations, Buddy Rich Band, among others. As a composer, his music has been featured in Major Motion Pictures and on networks including CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, HBO, Showtime, Netflix, Amazon, and MTV. Reid has composed and performed music for a variety brands such as Subway, Gevalia Coffee, and Mercedes. Currently, Reid produces and scores music for both picture and recording artists, as well as leads his various ensembles in performances worldwide. His most recent work, THE INFAMOUS LIVE: BENNY REID & HAVOC, is an amazing rebuilding of Mobb Deep’s iconic 1995 opus ‘The Infamous’. This ambitious new project is a collection of acoustic, sample-free renditions, built entirely from the ground up & performed entirely by the multi-instrumentalist. ‘The Infamous Live’ comes on the heels of that Billboard-charting take of Eric B & Rakim’s ‘Follow The Leader’. From this, Mobb Deep’s Havoc discovered his work and authorized him to reconstruct the timeless Mobb Deep album, giving his input and working with Mr. Reid in the studio to complete the project. His limited 7″ of “Shook Ones Pt. II” previewing the project, sold out quickly upon release in December 2022.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Benny Reid about this latest project after airing a couple of tracks and the phones lit up. We got into how this project with Havoc’s blessing on a legendary record that many hold near to their ear. We discuss the almost scientific approach her took while rebuilding this iconic sound from the bottom up as an instrumental. The how Havoc got wind of what was going on and gave the thumbs up on a push forward with this new feel of an old sound. Its the original source material that started the thrill, creating the allure to do other versions of the first track he rearchitected. This path was a long and difficult one, so we get a look into what’s next, and even get a peek under the hood of some of the ‘soon to happen’ projects being discussed and thought through. This album will give you both a nostalgia and a path forward to a brand new listening spot.