Category Archives: SHOW “G”-Views

Last week ended in a rockin’ fashion for me. On Friday night, I kicked back with the large crowd of happy concert goers and watched SIRSY take the Main Pub in Manchester Connecticut by a dynamic duo storm. I honestly feel that this is what they would do at a festival, an intimate gathering or even just a small birthday party. Melanie is as pleasant off stage as she is on, she will electrify, energize and make all your parts move with a, errrrrrrrr certain tingle. Rich is on guitar, bass sounds and a little bass/snare with his feet. He is steady flowing man, taking the sounds into medleys and bouncing it off and back into original tracks that really pump!!! Melanie, standing up (oh yeah) wails on the drum kit like it cheated on her, makes magic happen with each beat…also plays the flute, sings and takes the crowd into her hands and molds them into rock -n- roll Sirsy soldiers, poised to take on the night together. Thanks to Keith at the Main Pub in Manchester for getting this band to the thirsty earholes of the people in this area. Folks, you should be talking your local club owners into bringing this act to a place near you….NOW!!

MisterG recommendation: **GO SEE SIRSY AS SOON AND OFTEN AS POSSIBLE**

Haven’t we all had that feeling of wanting to pick it up and move it along. Well, as history will have it, the nomadic people known as Gypsies, did just that and they seemed to add each cultures musical styles to their repertoire. This wayward traveling and moving allowed the Gypsies, or the Roma to become crafty musicians with no genre standing in their way of expression. This Putumayo release is a sure hit on the dance floors around the world. With mixes from some of the finest musicians in today’s scene, the roots of many lands grow strong through instruments foreign to perhaps too many ears. Gypsy Groove makes all colors of our one world dance together with toe tapping, house shaking and romantically wistful songs filled with that sense of wander, and connects regions to remind us once again of the common bond of sound that keeps us linked together. There are many standout tracks on this album but I will mention just one so you can use your own judgment. The album features the previously unreleased “Amari Szi, Amari (Remix)” from Luminescent Orchestrii, a Brooklyn-based group whose repertoire is a combination of Romanian gypsy melodies, punk frenzy, salty tangos, hard-rocking klezmer, haunting Balkan harmony, hip-hop beats and Appalachian fiddle. I invite you to put on your headphones and feel free to aimlessly roam with the ebb and flow of Gypsy Groove.

share the worlds dance floor.

Last Thursday, I was able to be a part of a the experience known as a Derek Trucks Band show. The venue, the Warner Theatre in Torrington, Connecticut is a beautiful spot to hear and feel such a blend of vibrant and alive sounds. You all know how much we like this band on the radio program, well when you remind yourself with a live performance, it really opens up many more avenues that remind us that genres don’t always have a place in the musical world. Kofi was multi-tasking all night long, Todd was all smiles as the notes proved to be an experiment at times. Count M’Butu was his classic self, dancing the robot and keeping the rhythm in all our steps while Yonrico made sure we got a significant amount of rock and roll flavors. Mike‘s voice is from a soulful planet somewhere I have never yet seen, but am thankful to be a part of, and it is even better live. There were moments during the show, but mainly during the solo/song ‘These are a Few of my Favorite Things‘, where I swear I saw both the ghosts of Jimi Hendrix and John Coltrane peek around the curtain to see what Derek was pulling off out there. There was a moment where he struck a note or four, while bending the top string around the back of the neck of his guitar. Simply Amazing!

If you can,you should always go and see the Derek Trucks Band play live, as you will not come home disappointed. But I bet you knew that!

On July 19th of 2006, the legendary Yardbirds lived up to their reputation that they have carried with them for so many years….they tore up the stage with a non-stop set of blistering rock and roll and blues. This album contains 19 tracks of both the noticeable and memorable tunes like “For Your Love“, “Train Kept A Rollin’“, Heart Full of Soul” and “Shapes of Things“, and some newer tunes from albums released later on in this legendary band’s career.. The line up that held the stage to a group of fans and listeners that wouldn’t let them go looked like this: Founding members Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja, guitarist Ben King, vocalist John Idan and harmonica player Billy Boy Miskimmin. The fine folks at Favored Nations released this live and unforgettable show and I want to make sure we thank them by spinning this album for some younger fans just diving into powerful blues rock, and of course for those people that lived through the Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck Yardbirds…..just to remind them that these Birds are still flying.

I had an itch that needed to be scratched and there was only one cure…6 turntables and a Reggae Dub Trio named Zion Blood. There were dueling turntables throughout this night with heavy psychodelia and scratch-tastic beat dropping. The turntables even got involved in the dub action staying all around the stage while Zion Blood kept the irie feelings in the haze. Oh yeah. This was an inventive, creative soundscape of imagination and vinal madness. DJ Reazon, DJ Axel Foley and DJ Mister Rourke brought the noize to this quaint spot in the quiet corner of Connecticut. Tyrone Farm hosted this madness in their beautiful barn that would make any farmer jealous…if they didn’t have animals. If you are someone who often says that there is nothing good happening out there, you just haven’t thought about it long enough or you might need to tune into greenarrowradio for some live music to open your minds and fill up those thirsty earholes. You won’t be going down the wrong avenue if one of these fine DJ’s is making magic in your neck of the woods. Supposrt live music!

G

Dj Reazon & DJ Mister Rourke at Tyrone Farm

Call it raw like a freshly opened musical wound, or perhaps you might give it the name of back porch delta swamp blues where you can feel the mosquitoes dancing on your skin. Either way, this album is meant to be played loud. The album is called “Texassippi Blues” and it couldn’t be more appropriate – a slice of Texas – a pinch of the Mississippi Delta. As someone who spins music for listeners with thirsty earholes an open minds, I find this album to satisfy the senses of those seeking a foot stomper, a “hell yeah” and to be taken back a few steps into the blues that made you remember the first time your caught an earful of the legends. Cashman is Ray Cashman & Gabby Brown, that’s right just the two making all that sound….they get a little help from Mr. Jimbo Mathus on a few tracks and the assist to his fine label, 219 Records. I give you a boot on the backside towards the music outlet of your choice to make this one a priority.

***** MisterG Rating.

Well, this highly anticipated evening was even better than expected. You know how it usually is, you get yourself psyched up for an event and it doesn’t ever quite “get there”…well, Little Feat got there and then some…and then…some MORE. I got a chance to hang with Billy Payne and a couple other of the Feat members, watching and talking a little college hoops. The show started off with a bang and we all never looked back. There were some tasty treats as expected we got to Skin it Back, and walk around on a Spanish Moon, and we did get a fried up encore-like rendition of Dixie Chicken, but what blew me away was what appeared to be a version of Within you With out You. The best part of all, believe it or not was the way the entire Little Feat family treated me like I was one of the crew, making sure all was well on several occasions. This band might have little feat, but they sure do have some big hearts…please check out their webpage to see how active they are in the social/medical climate around the world.

A brand new solo release on Red House, Five years after Blue Country Heart, this new release finds Jorma Kaukonen continuing and expanding on that Grammy-nominated work. Not generally a prolific writer, Kaukonen has written a welcome five of the disc’s fourteen numbers this time out. They range from the perfect and prayerful opener “Overture: Heart Temporary,” with its 12-piece string section holding his acoustic guitar and vocal aloft, to the lilting instrumental “A Life Well Lived.” Jorma’s choice of covers has left him room to make them his own, while also adding to the portrait of who he is as an artist, and how he got there. Continuing the journey through American roots music he started in the early 1960’s, Jorma cooks up a tasty collection of down-home blues, bluegrass, folk, country gospel and reggae. Stars In My Crown was recorded in Nashville and is rooted in classic Americana, flavored with a laid-back bluesy feel. This album certainly shows off Jorma’s ability to hears songs in a different light then those who wrote them before him. While he does have quite a collection of backing musicians on this album, it is obvious that Jorma is his own star and another shining jewel in the history of sound. As i sit and listen for the fourth time through, I look forward to locating the quirky tastes of individual personality this guitar master tempts us with as his signature style. And then I look to his website for tour dates….

***** MisterG rating

Last night was something special. We arrived early and caught the sound check, which produced one of the coolest and most original guitar jam of the evening…and there were many. We met up with other journalists and discussed Vieux and his father but mostly the home country to them, Mali. The green room was the spot for our conversation. We shared laughter and languages, handshakes and with some heritage, it was as real as the very earth we stand on. The guys at Modiba Productions are doing this tour right. They are a team of people, treating each other and us as family and it really hits you when they are on stage. The crowd was to the back walls and as you looked around they were smiling from thirsty earhole to thirsty earhole, most containing the urge for dancing until the end of the show…oh, this music makes you dance like no one is watching. Vieux was filled with energy and enthusiasm as always on stage and off. Many tracks of his new self titled release are featured during the show, and there are some surprises also. Many of the people in attendance walked away with their copy, I suggest you find yours. O.K….LET’S GO!!

Also, check out the first music video in Vieux’s career.

produced by Andrea Wozny

The place was packed with a group ready to hip, hop and bounce around to the good time feelings and sound of G. Love & the Special Sauce. There was a nice blend here of new album material both with the Special Sauce and acoustic G. As with the majority of the crowd, Garret doesn’t stay still very long on stage, slapping five with the folks in the front and movin’ and shakin’ it the entire show. The energy and fervor really spill over onto the crowd like a guitar pick being tossed into the front rows. The band rocked and rolled into the early hours and made us all feel cooler than we felt before we walked into the Heartbreak Hotel, and I for one, still feel like the FONZ to this moment after sharing some time being a part of this event. Ayyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeee!!

G during ‘Shootin Hoops’

The collaboration of veteran bluesman John Hammond and contemporary Philly hip-hop/soulman G Love could make some blues purists run for the hills, the duo’s work here shows there is nothing to be running from. G. produces the 64 year old Hammond’s newest release, which John actually tackles some songwriting of his own. If you recall my conversations with Garrett and John last year, we touched on that aspect. This is a release destined for good things, with that ‘lets find some trouble‘ guitar moan and the bar-b-q sizzler of harmonica, blues enthusiasts will be thrilled to the bone. For those of you looking for a cross-over track, try #5 I’m Tore Down, which features a dash of hip hop and rap colliding with the fusion of a well produced album, not an over produced mess.

MisterG Rating *****

Let me just tell you this, if you are in search of something to take your mind away from the everyday sounds and styles you are used to, go see Vieux play live anywhere. He and his band mates, combine the tradition Malian sound associated with Vieux’s father Ali, mix in its cousin the North American blues and now there are dashes and hints of Reggae and even rock and roll. I swear on the last song played, Chuck Berry jumped on stage at one point. Vieux is exciting to watch, whether it is playing his or his father’s guitar, dancing or flashing a brite smile into the crowd. At Wesleyan we were quite lucky as Mama Sissoko and Seckou Toure joined in on the magic making. Wesleyan was packed with a crowd of smiles, foot stomping and a deep puddle of self expression splashing in beat with Vieux triumphant sound of mother earth, and his motherland Mali.
This was a show were connection were made, I came away feeling more in synch with the very soil I walk on and the water I drink seems to trickle down from those very strings Ali Farka Toure once strummed, and now I am pleased to have Vieux pouring that water into our thirsty earholes.

Stay tuned for an upcoming conversation with Vieux and his team at Modiba Productions.

This is a FIVE STAR ***** Show. Not to be Missed!

It was a snowy evening, but as expected the Jamie McLean band brought Rock and Roll to the Main Pub in Manchester. From the moment the first note struck, people knew they were in store for something different, but in my opinion, they weren’t ready for songs and style reflecting an early Black Crowes with more intelligent lyrics. This is a rock and roll band my friends, a rock and roll band with backbone and style. This is not a jam band or Louisiana Swamp Boogie, this is not a fusion of anything but 2 parts ROCK and 2 Parts ROLL. Jamie’s electrifying guitar work as well as his soulful vocals and his unique songwriting will make the JMB a group to keep your eyes and watch out for in your neck of the woods.

By the Way. Did I mention anything about the Jamie McLean band being a kick ass rock -N- roll band??

…This album carries a universal appeal, sound space that allows you/invites you to join in. The flavor is ripe togetherness, a club where open minds do meet. For a moment, you find yourself enriched deeply in the soul of a cosmopolitan scene that transcends fame and fortune into sounds and rhythms all people relate to. This collection of innovative listeners turned creators provides a robust an technologically superior super record needle that is secure in A NEW GROOVE….

(review submitted to Putumayo by: MISTERG)

We were treated like V.I.P’s the whole night, even hanging out with Mr. Allmans # 1 tour man, Chank. Chank is the man who they defined the term “COOL” after. Gregg was obviously under the weather, and I say obvious because he mentioned it once and never looked back. So we knew, by that one mention and the constant tea/honey concoction he sipped on through out the show at the WOLF DEN in the Mohegan Sun Casino. Floyd Miles‘ voice rang through on a couple of his own tracks and I have to say, crowd watching was in rare form that night. I made many a friend and want to thank the Saugus Gang and my photographers for the evening, Wendy and Ken. MANY THANKS to GOOD PEOPLE.

I’m No Angel
House Of Blues
Just Like A Woman
You Must Be
All My Friends
LoveLight
Multi Colored Lady
Can’t Turn You Loose
Melissa
Going Back To Daytona
Midnight Rider
Whipping Post

encore:
Statesboro Blues

Vernon Reid, one of the world’s great guitarists and notable piece of New York downtown scene history, has a second Vernon Reid & Masque album. Titled Other True Self, it is his third “solo” album. The self-produced CD came out in the early summer of 2006 on Favored Nations Recordings. On Other True Self, he opens up some of the pages into his personal musical diary of how he might have gotten to where he is at musically. Each track spells out one or more facets of Vernon Reid: his African lineage in “Prof. Bebey,” the Latin flavor of the melodies he splashes over Hank Schroy’s bass pulse and Don McKenzie’s crisp reggae rhythm bed in “Flatbush and Church Revisited,” which has been featured a few times already on greenarrowradio. The swirling Middle Eastern energies in “Mind of My Mind” reminds my ears of what my eyes recall from visits into the desert. There are tracks on this album that belong to the other members souls as well and this is a sure piece to add to your puzzle of guitar driven forces in the world of sound.

MisterG ****

In 1987, four musicians got together for what they envisioned would be a one-time performance at Tipitina’s in New Orleans. It was a night of mostly acoustic music – sparse instrumentation with a strong emphasis on songwriting and vocal harmonies. The show far exceeded expectations, and on that March night the subdudes were born. Nearly 10 years later, after five well-received albums and several years of hard touring, the subdudes called it quits. Spinoff projects ensued, as did the occasional reunion show. Finally, in February of 2002, three of the four original band members decided to get back together. They recruited additional longtime friends to fill out the sound and called themselves the Dudes, but the music was still unmistakably the subdudes. An homage to old New Orleans — Behind the Levee relies on guitar, accordion and tambourine to back up the well-shaped harmonies of singer Tommy Malone and his fellow singers. With elements of bluegrass and zydeco accenting a time-tested approach to rock, the band — Malone, John Magnie, Steve Amedée, Tim Cook and Jimmy Messa — bridge the gap between their roots, which extend from New Orleans to Denver and beyond.

Tracks 1,3 & 9 are some standouts on this album produced by Keb’ Mo.

On the 16th of November, The DGQ brought the dawg but someone left the leash at home. The show started off with a first set that showed off each gentleman of music’s broad range of expertise. We heard latin flare from Enrique Coria on guitar, as he awaits that movement from his band leader for a moment of change. The outstanding Jim Kerwin on bass, (who does a pretty mean James Brown impersonation) shared an irish tune for his grandma with us that left the smell of the rolling hills of the Celtic homeland rising from the theatre floors. In words I am not so sure how to describe Matt Eakle, who played flute and random objects. Where I feel that Kerwin is the heartbeat to the group, Eakle must be the oxygen rich blood. He has more groove in his step and sound than can ever be measured or captured. He is as great as he is undefinable. George March on percussion balanced out the spirit and soul of this body of music. Oh, yes that Dawg. Well, the new Italian mandolin was the guide into a show that seemed like it had never been before. Mr. Grisman’s well timed subtle changes kept not only his band, but the audience on the edge of their seats. The strings tried to tame this bluegrass jazz, boarder jumping, mind expanding soundscape, but alas as I said, the leash was left elsewhere. We explored a lengthy journey taken on by the DGQ, and by nights end we learned about some of the new work the group has been working on, and even had a few verses of a familiar and old friend “Shady Grove”

I want to thank C.M. and David for what they do as well as the Calvin for making sure it is here.

Learn more and support this and other styles of acoustic music here.