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Song Review: Johnny Cash - “Well Alright”

Johnny Cash wrote and recorded an LP’s worth of songs in 1993 and then shelved the thing. Now, it’s set to be released as Songwriter and if “Well Alright” is any indication, it’s about damn time.

Featuring Cash’s trademark boom-chuck guitar and baritone voice, it’s a whimsical number about turning laundry time into get-naked time.

I met her at the laundromat, she was washing extra hot/I said, ‘don’t you need a little help with that big load you got?’/she said ‘no,’ but did a double take and then she smiled and said, ‘I might’/as I rolled up my sleeves, I said to myself, ‘well alright, well alright,’ he sings.

Cash chuckles as he recounts the story and sings some do-do-dos in an uncharacteristically carefree manner. The song announces Songwriter’s June 28 arrival; it’ll feature appearances from Marty Stuart, who plays on “Well Alright,” Vince Gill, Dan Auerbach and Waylon Jennings.

Grade card: Johnny Cash - “Well Alright” - A

4/23/24

#Youtube #johnny cash #well alright #songwriter #marty stuart #vince gill #the eagles #dan auerbach #the black keys #waylon jennings

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Boys Keep Swinging When Bowie Mimes “Boys Keep Swinging”

- Restored clip marks 45 years since Bowie appeared on “The Kenny Everett Video Show”

David Bowie took the odd step of releasing an alternate take of “Boys Keep Swinging” days before the single hit in 1979. To make matters stranger, he did so on “The Kenny Everett Video Show” and, after miming the song’s guitar solo on violin, engaged the show’s host in some appropriately British and raffish humor.

“I fought for people like you, but I never got one,” Everett’s perverted, World War II-veteran character tells the black-clad and frighteningly thin Bowie.

“I’d hit you with my umbrella, but I think you’d enjoy it. And why should you have all the fun? Hit me with yours. C’mon? Please?”

The April 23, 1979, clip has been restored to mark the broadcast’s 45th anniversary. It’s weird. And the Lodger version of “Boys Keep Swinging” is superior. But this video is a good reminder of just how far afield Bowie was even as he garnered mainstream success pre-Let’s Dance and ahead of the relative normality he embraced for the balance of his career.

4/23/24

#Youtube #david bowie #the kenny everett video show #boys keep swinging

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Quarter Notes: Blurbs & Briefs from Sound Bites

- In this edition: the Allman Brothers Band; Aoife O’Donovan, Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal; Paul McCartney & Wings; & Cat Stevens

JAIMOE TO RETURN TO STAGE: Allman Brothers Band co-founder Jaimoe will return to the stage for the first time in 18 months, appearing with ABB tribute band Friends of the Brothers April 27 in Connecticut.

Ticketing info here.

The April 18 death of Dickie Betts leaves Jaimoe as the last surviving original Allman Brother.

AOIFE AND ROSANNE AND JOHN: Aoife O’Donovan will join Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal June 13 in Dublin for a benefit to launch Musician Treatment Foundation in Ireland. Already established in the United States, MTF provides free and low-cost medical care to musicians.

ONE HAND CLAPPING FOR WINGS: Paul McCartney & Wings’ lost live-in-studio album One Hand Clapping, recorded in 1974, will be released June 14.

FORMER CAT STEVENS BASSIST LARRY STEELE DIES: Larry Steele, who played bass for Cat Stevens in the 1970s, died recently, Yusuf/Cat Stevens recently announced.

“He was a soulful musician and a real peaceful guy,” Stevens said.

4/23/24

#quarter notes #jaimoe #the allman brothers band #friends of the brothers #musician treatment foundation #aoife o'donovan #rosanne cash #john leventhal #paul mccartney #paul mccartney & wings #denny laine #linda mccartney #the beatles #cat stevens #yusuf/cat stevens #larry steele #dickie betts

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Album Review: Aoife O’Donovan - All My Friends

Wrapping the history of women’s suffrage in classical and folk music, Aoife O’Donovan seeks to teach as well as entertain with her fourth solo album, All My Friends.

And it worked out splendidly.

Drawing lyrical inspiration from suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt, President Woodrow Wilson, World War I and the fight to pass the 19th Amendment, O’Donovan put down her vision for the music with assistance from the Knights and their strings; the Westerlies and their horns; the San Francisco Girls Chorus and their voices; Dawes’ Griffin Goldsmith on drums; the Punch Brothers’ Noam Pikelny on banjo; Sierra Hull on mandolin; Anaïs Mitchell on vocals; and others to seamlessly meld disparate genres into a new category of music. And while there are flashes of O’Donovan’s 2020 classical EP, Bull Frogs Croon (And Other Songs) in the music, All My Friends finds the singer/songwriter meeting the challenge this time around.

Serving as omniscient narrators as much as background vocalists, the members of the Girls Chorus imbue O’Donovan’s compositions with tempered determination and celebration as work continues to get the Amendment passed on the opening title track and “Crisis” as string and horns meld seamlessly with O’Donovan’s acoustic guitar. And as O’Donovan voices both Catt and Wilson on “War Measure,” her songwriting blossoms into full flower, displaying maturity and insightfulness only hinted at in her previous solo works and in collaboration with Crooked Still, I’m with Her, Goat Rodeo and other bands she’s been a part of over the years.

Later, O’Donovan warns the work of Catt and others is dangerously close to being lost as she and Mitchell duet on “Over the Finish Line.”

America’s bleeding/we’re watching her die/fire and blood on the screen/her headlights receding/she’s waving goodbye/the curtain comes down on the scene, O’Donovan and Mitchell sing wistfully as the maudlin piano ballad leads into the album’s only cover, Bob Dylan’s “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll,” featuring a bit of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” in keeping with the overall theme.

With O’Donovan behind the board for the first time, the LP marks a new phase in her career. And while it’s unlikely O’Donovan will undertake another record like All My Friends, it’s also quite likely she will continue to grow and evolve, which, given her previous output, is an almost-scary proposition.

Grade card: Aoife O’Donovan - All My Friends - A

4/23/24

#aoife o'donovan #all my friends #2024 albums #griffin goldsmith #dawes #the knights #the westerlies #san francisco girls chorus #punch brothers #noam pikelny #anaïs mitchell #sierra hull #crooked still #I’m with her #goat rodeo #bob dylan

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Song Review: Songs from the Road Band - “Get Me Where I’m Going”

Sometimes, one just needs to get away. Songs from the Road Band sums those times perfectly on “Get Me Where I’m Going.”

The the latest standalone single from the OG SCR spinoff - anchored by former Steep Canyon Rangers bassist and composer Charles Humphrey III - is high-test bluegrass with mandolin, banjo and fiddle solos buttressing joyful, three-part harmonies on the chorus:

Get me where I’m going/get me under the stars/out in the field by the fireside/where the good times are, it goes.

Inspired by a festival in Florida, “Get Me Where I’m Going” is one of SFTRB’s strongest offerings to date and an ideal number for spring and what follows.

Grade card: Songs from the Road Band - “Get Me Where I’m Going” - B

4/23/24

#Youtube #songs from the road band #steep canyon rangers #get me where I’m going

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Orilla’s Centennial Drive Renamed for Gordon Lightfoot

- “He is a cultural icon whose music has touched the hearts and souls of millions around the globe,” mayor says

Gordon Lightfoot’s hometown of Orilla has renamed a street in the late folksinger’s honor.

The rechristening of Centennial Drive to Lightfoot Drive takes effect immediately after the Orilla Council on April 22 passed enabling legislation, the city in Ontario, Canada, said in a news release.

Changes to maps, city listings and signage will take place “over the next few weeks,” the city said.

“Gordon Lightfoot was known as Orillia’s favorite son, but his influence extends far beyond the boundaries of our city,” Mayor Don McIsaac said.

“He is a cultural icon whose music has touched the hearts and souls of millions around the globe. … Lightfoot's music brought together individuals from all walks of life who found inspiration in his songs.”

Banners depicting the singer and some of his most-famous songs will be installed along Lightfoot Drive later in the spring.

Lightfoot died in 2023.

4/23/24

#gordon lightfoot

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Song Review(s): Billy Strings - “Southbound,” “E.M.D.” and “Hellbender” (Live, April 21, 2024)

Billy Strings can cover Doc Watson and David Grisman with no problem. But his original material stands right up with songs by his heroes and mentors.

The one-two-three punches of “Southbound” (Watson) “E.M.D.” (Grisman) and “Hellbender” (Strings) as given away in the livestream sampler from Strings’ April 21 gig in Florida make this point once and twice and thrice.

Strings coaxes train sounds from his acoustic guitar on “Soundbound” before calling a solo from mandolinist Jarrod Walker, who delivers between Strings’ turns on the mic.

Grisman’s instrumental gives all five players - Strings, Walker, Royal Masat on bass, Billy Failing on banjo and Alex Hargreaves on fiddle - the opportunity to shine and they transfer that glow to “Hellbender,” an original song of woe and booze and women that sounds like a traditional tune.

For Strings stands on the shoulders of - and right alongside - the masters.

Grade card: Billy Strings - “Southbound,” “E.M.D.” and “Hellbender” (Live, April 21, 2024) - B+/B/A+

4/22/24

#Youtube #billy strings #jarrod walker #royal masat #billy failing #alex hargreaves #doc watson #david grisman #m

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Duane Betts Cancels Tour Dates in Wake of Father Dickey’s Death

- “I need a little more time to get my head together,” guitarist says

Duane Betts canceled three upcoming appearances as he processes his father, Dickey Betts’, death.

“I need a little more time to get my head together,” Duane Betts said in scrubbing his April 23 gig in Oklahoma and April 25 and 26 appearances in Texas.

Allman Brothers Band co-founder Dickey Betts died April 18 at 80 and has received warm praise and remembrances from his musical friends and fans.

“I’m flooded with pride to see Dad getting the credit he deserves,” Duane Betts said in a statement. “So again, I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.”

The younger Betts plans to return to the stage April 27 in New Orleans.

“I think Dad would want me to get back out there with my guitar,” he said.

4/22/24

#duane betts #dickey betts #the allman brothers band

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio, April 21, 2024

As he led the E Street Band through “Twist and Shout,” Bruce Springsteen betrayed a roached voice much as John Lennon had when the Beatles cut their version 60 years earlier.

But, like Lennon’s, Springsteen’s voice benefitted from its battered state - conveying joy and conviction, not exhaustion.

The house lights were on and the heart-stoppin’, pants-droppin’, hard-rockin’, Earth-quakin’, booty-shakin’, love-makin’, Viagra-takin’, history-makin’ - legendary - E Street Band had already been on stage for three hours April 21 as it played its twice-postponed-in-2023 gig inside Columbus, Ohio’s, Nationwide Arena to close the U.S. leg of its 2024 spring tour. Springsteen, who at 74 retains the energy and voice - acrobatic with guttural growls and falsetto cries - of a much-younger man, was sweat-soaked, his tie tucked into his blue shirt, his vest now removed, returned alone to close the show with an acoustic version of “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”

Death is not the end, he sang, while proving the life-affirming nature of live music.

Though the band could’ve phoned it in, the expanded 18-piece - augmented with four-voice choir and five-piece horn section - instead brought a loud hailer, opening the 30-song, 185-minute set with a grimy version of “Youngstown,” the first of a handful of tour debuts that included “Streets of Fire” and “I’m Goin’ Down.” That some songs were slowed by a quarter-step seems to have been the only acknowledgement of age.

So, if these guys are actually taking Viagra, it isn’t because of on-stage impotence. The band is so hot that even relatively weak songs like “Bobby Jean” and “Dancing in the Dark” are splendid in the moment.

A few scattered empty seats did nothing to temper the raucous atmosphere inside the hockey arena. Fans hoisted signs - “I’m Mary, thanks for all the songs” was among the best - and Springsteen sung a line of “Thunder Road” to a woman who’d been dancing furiously in front of the stage all evening, causing her to light up like a strobe. Though there was no crowd surfing during “Hungry Heart” - dude is 74, remember - Springsteen did go into the audience during “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” as images of late E Streeters Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici shone on the house video screens.

Back on stage, the living celebrated being alive. Steven Van Zandt played a guitar emblazoned with the Ukraine flag during “No Surrender.” Fellow guitarist Nils Lofgren spun like the Tasmanian Devil as he unspooled his “Because the Night” solo. And Jake Clemons served as Springsteen’s saxophone-blowing foil and conjured Uncle Clarence’s spirit throughout the night, thus garnering some of the crowd’s loudest adulation.

One of those moments came during a religious-experience rendering of “Spirit in the Night,” when Clemons sat on the stage and Springsteen literally leaned on his bandmate. The music temporally settled before exploding like a supernova and the climax. This was the greatest E Street moment Sound Bites has witnessed since the Band reunited for the 1995 Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“Last Man Standing,” with Springsteen on acoustic accompanied by trombone, was a nod to his earliest bandmates, all gone now. “Trapped” was a singalong on the choruses. “She’s the One” borrowed the Bo Diddley beat. “Wrecking Ball” transformed the arena into the charismatic church of E Street. “Rosalita (Come out Tonight)” found the group mugging and celebrating with the faithful on a small chunk of stage that jutted into the general-admission pit. And the vaunted “Detroit Medley” once again demonstrated that if you have rock ’n’ roll in your life, your life has the potential to be heaven at any given moment.

Grade card: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Nationwide Arena - 4/21/24 - A

See more photos on Sound Bites’ Facebook page.

4/22/24

#bruce springsteen #bruce springsteen and the e street band #steven van zandt #nils lofgren #neil young & crazy horse #jimmy cliff #2024 concerts #the beatles

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Song Review: Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention - “The Duke (Take 2)” (Live, 1968)

Even Frank Zappa sounded mundane on occasion.

One such occasion was with Zappa & the Mothers of Invention’s 1968 performance of “The Duke (Take 2),” recorded in Los Angeles and promptly forgotten.

The instrumental is out to announce the June 21 arrival of Live at the Whisky a Go Go, 1968. But instead of Zappa’s singular sound, this loose-of-form, improv-heavy track sounds much like the many San Francisco-based bands making the rounds at that point.

Marginal sound reproduction doesn’t help matters.

Grade card: Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention - “The Duke (Take 2)” (Live, 1968) - C

4/22/24

#Youtube #frank zappa #the mothers of invention #live at the whisky a go go 1968 #the duke

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Song Review: Little Feat - “Can’t be Satisfied”

Although Sam Clayton sings like a Muppet with a cold, Little Feat are musically where they need to be on “Can’t be Satisfied.”

The Muddy Waters remake follows “You’ll be Mine” from Feat’s forthcoming (May 17) Sam’s Place, a blues covers LP that features percussionist Clayton exclusively on lead vocals.

The choice of singers seems an accident waiting. For while Clayton is a unique vocalist, he’s unlikely to be capable of carrying an entire album. That’ll be a shame as the band has finally landed on a musical lineup that recalls its classic sound with piano and slide guitar anchoring blues that hops.

Grade card: Little Feat - “Can’t be Satisfied” - B-

4/22/24

#Youtube #little feat #can’t be satisfied #muddy waters #sam’s place #bill payne #sam clayton #kenny gradney #tony leone #fred tackett #scott sharrard

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Album Review: Bruce Springsteen - The Best of Bruce Springsteen (Expanded Edition)

From character songs rooted in early rock ‘n’ roll (“Spirit in the Night”) to the pop-rock of “Glory Days;” and from a return to folk roots (“The Ghost of Tom Goad”) to a 21st-century renaissance, the Best of Bruce Springsteen seems a collection in search of an audience.

The relatively obscure “Streets of Philadelphia” and “Secret Garden” notwithstanding, there are no tracks deep enough to attract hard-core tramps. And even casual fans are likely to have access to all 18 tracks on the physical editions and most of the 31 available digitally on the Expanded Edition. Their younger siblings and children, however, might employ the Best of Bruce Springsteen as a springboard to Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., Darkness on the Edge of Town, Nebraska and, perhaps, Born to Run and the River - essentially best-ofs unto themselves.

For a love-hate follower such as Sound Bites, the Best of Bruce Springsteen epitomizes the relationship between listener and musician with the first dozen tacks - “Growin’ Up” through “Atlantic City” - providing excitement; the next eight cuts, culled from Born in the U.S.A. through Lucky Town, causing frustration; and the balance, spanning 1994-2020, delivering redemption.

As with a setlist, one’s opinion of a best-of collection is subject to the whims of personal preference, yet such albums are almost always more satisfying than greatest-hits LPs.

Grade card: Bruce Springsteen - The Best of Bruce Springsteen (Expanded Edition) - C+

4/21/24

#bruce springsteen #bruce springsteen and the e street band #best of bruce springsteen #2024 albums

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Song Review(s): Billy Strings - “Up in Smoke” and “Pyramid Country” (Live, April 20, 2024)

Billy Strings’ fingers were flying across the neck of his acoustic guitar while his feet worked the pedals to produce an electric-acoustic hybrid of sound that made the musician sound like three musicians.

It was the tail end of a quarter-hour trip to “Pyramid Country,” the psychedelic-bluegrass instrumental that found Strings, banjoist Billy Failing, fiddler Alex Hargreaves and mandolinist Jarrod Walker passing solos around like the big, fat doobie they almost certainly shared before taking the stage April 20 in Florida.

It was 4/20, after all.

So Strings celebrated the occasion by opening the show and the associated livestream sampler with Cheech & Chong’s “Up in Smoke,” with stage manager Nate Flores adding comic relief alongside the guitarist at the front of the stage as the band played and sung quietly in the shadows. It was a loose, hilarious ditty that found Strings mangling his Spanish and eventually tossing his red bandanna into the crowd as if he were Willie Nelson.

“Up in Smoke” was the rolling of the joint. “Pyramid Country” was the smoking of it.

Grade card: Billy Strings - “Up in Smoke” and “Pyramid Country” (Live - 4/20/24) - S/A+

4/21/24

#Youtube #billy strings #jarrod walker #royal masat #billy failing #alex hargreaves #cheech and chong

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Neil Finn on Fleetwood Mac: “It Doesn’t Currently Exist”

Fleetwood Mac “doesn’t currently exist.”

So says Neil Finn, the Crowded House frontman who was “gobsmacked” when Mick Fleetwood asked him to join a retooled version of the Mac for its 2018-’19 tour, which also featured former Heartbreaker Mike Campbell but no Lindsey Buckingham.

“The naysayers said, ‘No Lindsey Buckingham, no Fleetwood Mac,’ but I brought personality and the ability to sing with Stevie (Nicks) and Christine (McVie),” Finn told MOJO magazine.

“I could never be capable of sounding like Lindsey, but I put a similar intensity into his songs.”

Though the group “doesn’t currently exist,” Finn said when it did, it was led by Fleetwood, who “carried the flag,” and Nicks, who “wants it the way Stevie wants it and that’s the way it’ll be.

“She couldn’t bear to be in a band with Lindsey any more, but she still wanted to do it exactly the way he would have,” Finn said.

“It was more difficult for Mike Campbell: she … put a lot of pressure on Mike to be more like Lindsey. Sometimes Mike’s solos would go on and Stevie would get exhausted playing tambourine. She’d be, ‘Fucking hell, Lindsey only did 12 bars.’”

Christine McVie died in 2022.

4/20/24

#fleetwood mac #mick fleetwood #john mcvie #christine mcvie #stevie nicks #lindsey buckingham #neil finn #crowded house #split enz #mike campbell #tom petty and the heartbreakers #mojo magazine

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Song Review(s): Billy Strings - “I’ll be Gone a Long Time” and “Wild Bill Jones” (Live, April 19, 2024)

Heading south to Florida, three shows in a row, Billy Strings sung at the first of a triptych of gigs in the fascist state formerly known for sunshine.

An autobiographical song perfectly constructed for slight lyrics changes and the opening slot, “I’ll be Gone a Long Time” was the first of two streaming numbers given away from Strings’ April 19 gig in St. Augustine.

And was sonic perfection as Strings took extra care in his vocal delivery, yet was enthused enough to call out mandolinist Jarrod Walker by name when the time came for a solo.

The fine-crafted precision continued on “Wild Bill Jones,” a murder ballad and slow-roller that juxtaposed the preceding celebration of living like a fun-house mirror. There was no calling for solos on this one - they just happened - and Strings himself reeled off a couple of inventive licks that, even for him, were attention-grabbing for their unexpected twists.

Grade card: Billy Strings - “I’ll be Gone a Long Time” and “Wild Bill Jones” (Live - 4/19/24) - A/A

4/20/24

#Youtube #billy strings #jarrod walker #royal masat #billy failing #alex hargreaves

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Song Review: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - “To Follow One’s Own Dream (Days that Used to Be)” (Live)

The title - along with a couple of the players - has changed, but the song remains pretty much the same.

This is a good thing when it comes to the former “Days that Used to Be,” recast as “To Follow One’s Own Dream (Days that Used to Be)” and released as the second single from Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s forthcoming (April 26) live LP, Fu##in Up.

With Young, Nils Lofgren and Micah Nelson on guitars, this number snarls as a Crazy Horse number should and Young nods to his folkie side with a harmonica solo for good measure. The name-changing gimmick is another of Young’s weird ideas, but his ongoing passion for music won’t be denied.

The former “Broken Circle,” with the parenthetical original title “(Over and Over)” appended, preceded “To Follow One’s Own Dream (Days that Used to Be).”

Grade card: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - “To Follow One’s Own Dream (Days that Used to Be)” (Live) - B+

4/19/24

#neil young & crazy horse #neil young #ralph molina #billy talbot #nils lofgren #bruce springsteen and the e street band #micah nelson #particle kid #to follow one’s own dream (days that used to be) #fuin up #Youtube

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Song Review(s): Grateful Dead - “The Music Never Stopped,” “Samson and Delilah” and “Uncle John’s Band” (Live, May 3, 1977)

In 1977 and as still relatively new additions to the Grateful Dead repertoire, “The Music Never Stopped” and “Samson and Delilah” tended to be pretty similar from night to night.

So it goes with the May 3, 1977, iterations released to announce the April 26 arrival of Dave’s Picks Volume 50, which captures the entire New York City gig in exceptional sound quality.

These early versions of “Music” are exquisite examples of acid disco and, despite the soundboard source, the crowd can be heard going bonkers during Donna Jean Godchaux’s solo vocal spots.

Conversely, “Samson and Delilah” had room to grow. And it did, making this example historic more than anything.

Which leads us to the third track - “Uncle John’s Band” - in this preview. It’s a low-key version, one that finds the front line of Godchaux, Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia singing softly in an effort to keep in harmony, which they mostly do, but they still muff some words.

And when Keith Godchaux’s sparkling piano suddenly cuts through the mix, it’s a stark reminder that he was a non-factor on the preceding numbers. It was ’77, after all.

Grade card: Grateful Dead - “The Music Never Stopped,” “Samson and Delilah” and “Uncle John’s Band” (Live - 5/3/77) - A-/B-/B+

Hear them here.

4/19/24

#grateful dead #dave’s picks volume 50 #the music never stopped #samson and delilah #uncle john’s band #jerry garcia #bob weir #phil lesh #bill kreutzmann #mickey hart #keith godchaux #donna jean godchaux