John Carpenter to perform his soundtracks for first time ever... in Iceland

Tickets for John Carpenter in Iceland are on sale now. Check MX-80 Sound's version of Halloween below.

Blue Rodeo slams PM Stephen Harper with shout-along protest anthem Stealin' All My Dreams

To go with the Stealin' All My Dreams song and video, Blue Rodeo assembled an informative list of Harper's horrors.

Here's a Brazilian music doc you didn't see at TIFF

Watch the trailer for Beth Formaggini's Xingu Cariri Caruaru Caroica exploring the secret world of Brazilian flutes.

Happy Birthday Lynn Hope!

Remembering R&B sax great Lynn Hope with an Aladdin swinger.

Colonel Tom Parker & The American Pour @ The Cameron House, Saturday, 6pm

You can grab a copy of Colonel Tom & The American Pour's great new Work. Horse. album right here.

One For The Weekend: Joe Ely & Butch Hancock

Here's a rare clip of Joe and Butch singing "Suckin' On A Big Bottle of Gin" on Austin City Limits in 1980.

Joe's new album Panhandle Rambler is available here. Read Dave Marsh's synopsis below.

Panhandle Rambler is Joe Ely back home, returned to the always dusty, perpetually

windy, generally arid, frequently smoldering, and seemingly barren landscape around

Lubbock where he grew up and first began playing music. A place that has hosted

generations of dry land farmers and wildcatters. It’s where Joe found his calling as a

writer and performer. First located that unmistakable voice. Learned to carry himself

upright and open, to move with determination.

In the rock’n’roll era, the vast spaces of west Texas have been filled with great music.

Joe Ely stands in a tradition born out on these gritty plains. It includes Roy Orbison,

Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, Tanya Tucker, Guy Clark, Delbert McClinton,

Don Walser, Terry Allen, Lloyd Maines, his daughter Natalie Maines, and Joe’s enduring

musical partners, Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore.

It is a land where you can see for miles and miles and miles. Only those who don’t know

it find it barren. For it’s full of stories if you know where to seek them. And it has

customs and amusements all its own. Even the forever dipping oil wells have their role.

“In high school, we used to get somebody to buy us a six pack and go out there to the

fields and ride the front part of those oil pumps all night long,” Joe remembers.

Now, Ely lives in Austin and spends much of his life on the road. But when

he’s accumulated enough song ideas, Lubbock is where Joe heads. “Somehow, just

driving for hours down those country roads is still the best place for me finish my

songs.”

Panhandle Rambler is one of the most personal albums Joe Ely’s ever made. It brings

forth this terrain, the spirited people it produces and that special sense of destiny, be it

terrible or glorious, that its very vastness creates. “Wounded Creek” starts the album

with what you might call a Western fantasy, except that the “bushes and the brambles,”

the traffic light, the stray dog and the cold wind are all completely brought to life.

“Sometimes, when I was a kid, you’d look outside and the only things you’d see would

be these huge radio towers, must have been fifty of a hundred feet tall, just swaying

in the wind,” Joe said. “Wonderin’ Where,” perhaps Panhandle Rambler’s most beautiful

melody, pays tribute to those trembling towers, the railroads which carried other things

equally unimaginable distances, the “cross between a river and a stream” where he

played, and the dreams and nightmares that flitted across that kid’s mind and heart,

and the loneliness of bearing such secrets. If it is possible to write a love song for a

place, this is one of the great ones, “trying to find a verse that’s never been sung

to hearts that need relief.”

“Here’s to the Weary” is the story of all the greatmusical refugees, from

Woody Guthrie, Bob Wills and Muddy Waters to the rockabillies—Buddy Holly,

Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, the shadows of the others—who soothed our

“weary and restless souls” with nighttime musical magic.

It’s also typical of all the songs on the album. The place doesn’t necessarily always win,

but, as in “Magdalene” and “Coyotes are Howlin’,” it’s the one thing that carries a sense

not so much of permanence as of inevitably. The two sides are fully summarized in the

almost giddy “Southern Eyes” and the fatalistic “Early in the Mornin’.”

Of course, every Lubbocker album needs its legendary tales. Here that territory is

covered by “Four Ol’ Brokes,” which combines a hobo yarn with the ballad of

a gambling scam, and “Burden of Your Load,” in which true love triumphs over evil, if

just barely, we hope.

Equally legendary, but true in every respect, is the closing song, “You Saved Me,” which

is a love song to Joe’s wife, Sharon. The lyric never mentions her name, but no one

who’s known Joe Ely longer than about a day could mistake her.

Legendary tales and legendary musicians. Panhandle Rambler, largely recorded in

Austin, features some of the most respected local musicians: drummer Davis McClarty,

guitarists Lloyd Maines and Robbie Gjersoe, Jeff Plankenhorm, and Gary Nicholson,

bassist Glen Fukunaga. There were also Nashville sessions, with Music City’s usual

superb playing, led by guitarist Gary Nicholson. Joe wrote all but two of the songs:

“Magdalene” by Guy Clark and Ray Stephenson, and “When the Nights are Cold” by his

original Flatlanders sidekick Butch Hancock.

This is a classic Joe Ely album. It has moved me, every time I’ve heard it, with a

certain kind of awe. One reason is that, long before you hear “You Saved Me,” he put

everything he has into telling the world about a place in the world, and through

that, reaching his own emotional center. It’s beautiful and it’s inspiring.

— Dave Marsh  July 25, 2015

A$AP Rocky @ Echo Beach, Friday

Rod Stewart has been popping up in unlikely places with A$AP Rocky since the release of "Everyday."

Happy Birthday Dee Dee Warwick

Remembering Dee Dee Warwick with her 1965 appearance on Shivaree and the original "You're No Good".

Celebrating Son of S.O.U.L. @ The Supermarket, Thursday

Join Toronto's club community in celebrating the life of Masimba Kadzirange who passed away September 1.

Those who can't attend but would like to help support the Kadzirange family can contribute here.

Happy Birthday Jack Costanzo!

Celebrating the birthday of Mr. Bongo with a couple of classic performances. 

Elvis Costello pens memoir and naturally compiles soundtrack to go with it

Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink is out Oct 13 right after the release of the 2CD soundtrack Oct 9.

Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack album

Disc: 1
1. ACCIDENTS WILL HAPPEN (live) - Elvis Costello And Steve Nieve
2. POISON MOON - Elvis Costello
3. WATCHING THE DETECTIVES - Elvis Costello
4. OLIVER'S ARMY - Elvis Costello And The Attractions
5. RIOT ACT - Elvis Costello And The Attractions
6. NEW LACE SLEEVES - Elvis Costello And The Attractions
7. MAN OUT OF TIME - Elvis Costello And The Attractions
8. I WANT YOU - Elvis Costello And The Attractions
9. WHEN I WAS CRUEL NO.2 - Elvis Costello
10. STRANGER IN THE HOUSE - George Jones With Elvis Costello
11. BEYOND BELIEF - Elvis Costello And The Attractions
12. HOME TRUTH - Elvis Costello And The Attractions
13. INDOOR FIREWORKS - The Costello Show Featuring His Confederates
14. SHIPBUILDING - Elvis Costello And The Attractions
15. CINCO MINUTOS CON VOS - Elvis Costello And The Roots
16. BEDLAM - Elvis Costello And The Imposters
17. DEEP DARK TRUTHFUL MIRROR - Elvis Costello
18. ASCENSION DAY - Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint
19. RED COTTON - Elvis Costello And The Sugarcanes


Disc: 2
1. VERONICA [demo] - Elvis Costello
2. IN THE DARKEST PLACE - Elvis Costello With Burt Bacharach
3. I WANT TO VANISH - Elvis Costello And The Attractions
4. MY DARK LIFE - Elvis Costello With Brian Eno
5. THE OTHER SIDE OF SUMMER - Elvis Costello
6. LONDON'S BRILLIANT PARADE - Elvis Costello
7. GHOST TRAIN - Elvis Costello
8. SUIT OF LIGHTS - The Costello Show Featuring His Confederates
9. JIMMIE STANDING IN THE RAIN - Elvis Costello And The Sugarcanes
10. THE BIRDS WILL STILL BE SINGING - Elvis Costello And The Brodsky Quartet
11. WISE UP GHOST - Elvis Costello And The Roots
12. ALMOST BLUE - Elvis Costello And The Attractions
13. ALL THE RAGE - Elvis Costello
14. COULDN'T CALL IT UNEXPECTED NO. 4 - Elvis Costello
15. ALISON - Elvis Costello
16. MY THREE SONS - Elvis Costello And The Imposters
17. I'M IN THE MOOD AGAIN - Elvis Costello
18. APRIL 5TH - Rosanne Cash, Elvis Costello And Kris Kristofferson
19. I CAN'T TURN IT OFF - D.P. Costello

Happy Birthday John Coltrane!

Celebrating John Coltrane's birthday with some rare performance footage of A Love Supreme from 1965.

Blackalicious inna Fantastic Mr. Fox style courtesy of Toronto's Animal Robot

"The Blow Up" is off Imani Vol. 1 which you can get here. Watch Benjamin Roberts' ace Animal Robot clip below.

Here's Animal Robot's take on N.W.A.'s Express Yourself

Reunited Drive Like Jehu rock Riot Fest @ Downsview Park, Saturday

John Reis and his Jehu crew will rip at Riot Fest tonight at 7 pm. Here's the SD reunion show from last August.

Elyse Weinberg's "lost" second album finally issued by Numero Group

Check out "Houses" (featuring Neil Young on guitar) from Elyse's unreleased Greasepaint Smile album.

Greasepaint Smile is the unreleased second album by Chatham-born Elyse Weinberg, who became an original lady from the canyon after leaving her Toronto home base. Recorded and recanted in 1969, Greasepaint Smile is more assured than its self-titled, Tetragrammaton-issued predecessor. Weinberg’s finger-picked acoustic is layered over distant drumming, while her gravel-pit voice evokes life, love, and mortality.

Fellow Torontonian Neil Young sears "Houses" with his signature fuzz-tone, casting chaos over the beautiful ballad, while J.D. Souther, Kenny Edwards, and Nils Lofgren pick up the slack. Masterfully produced by David Briggs, Greasepaint Smile has climbed out of the canyon and is bound for every turntable east of the 405. You can grab a CD, LP or MP3 version of the album right here.

Happy 70th Birthday P.F. Sloan!

Toasting P.F. Sloan on his day Secret Agent Man style. Grab his memoir What's Exactly The Matter With Me?

São Paulo's Bixiga 70 unleash third Afro-funk strike

Bixiga 70's whumpin' new album III is out now. Check out their recent Ensaio performance below. 

Dungen scores fake public access TV show

"Franks Kaktus" is off Dungen's new Allas Sak album out September 25 which you can stream after the clip.

Fanfaraï @ Small World Music Centre, Thursday

French/Algerian brass band Fanfaraï plays Small World HQ at 180 Shaw, Studio 101 at 9 pm sharp. It's free!

"French from Britany, French Algerians, French Moroccans, French who suddenly discover that they are Algerians, jazz musicians who suddenly discover a passion for the Maghrebian 6/8... and begin to sing in Arabic, Berber or Turkish and to dance like the Gnawa... These musical adventurers make up Fanfaraï, a Rai mutant grown in the copper sun of North Africa which breathes intercultural harmony and offers a sensory journey to the southern shores of the Mediterranean, Turkey and elsewhere."

The 11-piece brass band Fanfaraï emerged in 2005 under the direction of Samir Inal. After creating Ziyara, a traditional Algerian street band in 2000, Inal met musicians from jazz and salsa groups and together they decided to move in a brass band direction typical of street orchestras known as "Idbalen" or "Zernadjia" that animated rituals and feasts in Algeria from the beginning of the century.

Fanfaraï combine the saxophones, congas, trumpets, trombone, drums and tuba with traditional instruments, building on their North African repertoire to incorporate roots Afro-Cuban, salsa, and jazz influences for a hard-thumping brass band sound that's entirely unique as you can hear below.

Find out more about the Small World Music Festival: September 24 – October 4 right here

Watch Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal perform "Diabaro" on a Bamako rooftop

"Diabaro" is off the entrancing Musique de Nuit album from Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal out now.

When Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal released their first collaborative album, Chamber Music, they caught the music world by surprise. Back in 2009, everything about this duo was unexpected: the Malian kora master; the French cellist with the unlikely background in trip-hop; and the elegant, soulful music they made together. Now six years on, these two sonic voyagers have returned with Musique de Nuit – an album which may not have the same element of surprise, but which may be even more spellbinding than its predecessor.

After years of touring together Sissoko and Segal have created their own hybrid tradition, one that draws on the ancient well of West African troubadour songs, the rich heritage of Baroque music, and an elusive but somehow clearly modern sensibility. Musique de Nuit refines their approach: where Chamber Music included several guests, most of this album consists solely of duets – though your ears may tell you different.

Much of this is due to Segal’s inventive cello playing, which can provide a percussive groove in the lilting opener “Niandou” or imitate the njarka, the Malian fiddle, in “Balazando.” The seamless way that he moves from one sound to another gives the illusion of several musicians playing at once. Sissoko, meanwhile, weaves a filigreed texture of sound from his kora, which is both a melodic and a rhythmic instrument. And while you’d never mistake this for a jazz album, it does share a spiritual kinship with the great album of duets made by Duke Ellington with bassist Jimmy Blanton, in the sense that it captures two musicians keenly listening to each other, and responding with an almost telepathic connection to each change of timbre or rhythm.

“It’s actually a bit husky, and raw,” Vincent Segal explains. “There are out-of-tune notes and fingernails crack sometimes, but there’s a sort of activity between us in those moments that I love.” The idea, he says, was not to try to re-create the sounds of a performance in a beautiful concert hall, but something much more personal and intimate; “I love listening to my musician friends at their places, in the studio between sessions, in the backstage area.”

Perhaps the most magical thing about Musique de Nuit is that after years of touring, and performing together on hundreds of stages around the world, the album has the feeling of eavesdropping on a late-night jam session. In fact, the album was recorded in two sessions in the Malian capitol of Bamako – one at night on Ballaké’s rooftop, and the other during the day in the famed Bogolan studio. “We’ve always had this connection to the oral tradition,” Segal says, “and improvisation, and clarity of discourse.” Those deep roots give the album a timeless cast, as it moves between quietly beautiful nocturnes and lively, dance-based melodies.

The album’s centerpiece is “N’kapalema,” a work built around a loping rhythm that suggests camels swaying across the windswept western Sahara. But this ancient image dissolves as the piece picks up momentum, leading to a second half that conjures up the bustling streets of modern Bamako. As Segal recalls, “we played this piece night after night in our hotel rooms, on tour. I’m proud of its grand nobility of style, particularly in the pizzicato dance and in Ballaké’s extraordinary groove.” The groove, though, is even stronger on “Super Etoile,” a song named after the band that launched the career of the Senegalese superstar Youssou N’Dour. “For me,” Segal says, “that style, or mbalax, calls to mind those nights with my Senegalese friends in the Parisian suburb of Gonesse – it reminds me of parties, and the joy of dancing.” Here, the propulsive rhythmic interplay of cello and kora evokes Jimmy Mbaye, the lead guitarist in the Super Étoile de Dakar, and the moments where the cello soars over the top brings to mind the great Senegalese voices of Youssou, Thione Seck, and Baaba Maal.


Hot nights in Parisian clubs aside, much of the “night music” on this album is of a cooler sort. “Prelude” has a clear nod to the sounds of classical music and perhaps to the jazz pianist Bill Evans. “Passa Quatro” is dedicated to the Brazilian musician Ivan Vilela, and has echoes of the post-bossa-nova sounds of Vilela’s guitar-like viola caipira. And then there’s “Diabaro,” the only song on the album that features a guest musician, vocalist Babani Kone contributes her distinctive vocals, bringing the sounds of traditional griot singing which the kora is traditionally used to accompany in Mali.

“Samba Tomora” uses the sounds of Minimalism and dance music to irresistible effect, and the album concludes with the title track, a spare, gentle tune that sounds like just what you’d expect from two friends, playing together under the stars on a rooftop in Mali. For Vincent Segal, whose background includes a considerable amount of studio production, this whole record was an exercise in what he refers to as “field recording: no sound processing or anything like that. The idea was to lasso a moment of our life!”  Musique de Nuit captures those moments.

Happy Birthday Peter Zaremba!

Thirty years after this show at the Gibus, The Fleshtones are still rockin' parties in France as you'll see below.

Bloodshot Bill @ The Silver Dollar tonight!

Here's a video for Bloodshot Bill's "Creature From The Sky" by Sylvain Jodoin soon to appear on a split 7".

See Bloodshot Bill in London on Thursday

Celebrate 50 years of Canuck cacophony with the Nihilist Spasm Band @ The Garrison, Thursday

Sax great Joe McPhee joins London's finest who may reprise some of their No Record debut from '68.

Watch the Nihilist Spasm Band on Tamori's World Of Music in Tokyo, 1996

Scots duo WOMPS survive brush with Steve Albini to cut thrashingly good debut 7"

Check out WOMPS' Albini-recorded single Dreams On Demand b/w Live A Little Less out Sept 18. 

Tickets now on sale for Nikki Lane @ The Silver Dollar, November 6

You can get tickets for Nikki Lane's Silver Dollar show right after watching these performance clips. 

Whaddya mean you don't know Free Will

Enjoy Free Will's awesome ripper Are You Gone? from the rare Guinness label curio Here's Free Will.

Watch Miranda Mulholland's new "Rope of Sand" video

"I wrote a little musical love letter called 'Rope of Sand' that was released yesterday on Roaring Girl Records/Fontana North. My pal (and Harrow Fair bandmate) Andrew Penner produced it for me. We were sonically inspired by one of my musical heroes, Kate Bush. I hope you like the song!"
– Miranda Mulholland

Find out more about Miranda's recent adventures at: http://www.mirandamulholland.com/ 

Wicked 70s synth-funk from 4th Coming uncovered by Now-Again

Now-Again's anthology of rare and unissued 4th Coming joints, Strange Things 1970-1974, is due October 23.

They had a catchy, but inappropriate name: there is nothing forthcoming about Los Angeles’ 4th Coming, unless one counts a copious amount of releases – on rare 7” singles – that didn’t sell farther than vocalist/principal Henry “Hank” Porter’s Datsun 1200 could take him.

When 4th Coming records surfaced, they were often disregarded as novelty, for in the ‘90s, few besides 4th Coming fan DJ Shadow cared for the intriguing synth-funk of “The Dead Don’t Die Alive” (check the clip below). And some of their records were so rare that it took until the late ‘00s for them to reemerge, after the sinking of their initial pressing runs. Assembling a near set of 4th Coming recordings was nearly possible, until the issue of this, the lost 4th Coming album: Strange Things, The Complete Works 1970-1974.

At its core, the 4th Coming was a songwriting duo – Porter and Jechonias “Jack” S. Williams – and a rotating cast of musicians that Williams assembled at Artist Recording Studio to realize the pair’s ideas. They existed only from the latter half of 1969 until 1974; during that time they issued eight singles as 4th Coming and one as Impact!

Al Firth at Artist Recording Studio. 

So those four years – which coincided with the rise to international fame of Los Angeles funk ensembles like Charles Wright's Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band and soul singers like Bill Withers – must have seemed like a great time for Williams to record and release singles, in an attempt stitch his thread into the rope carrying LA’s progressive black musicians above the smog. Williams found an unlikely allegiance with Al Firth, Firth’s Artist Recording Studio and his Alpha label.

And now, Strange Things, a mysterious trove of recordings made possible by an open minded and well-funded indie impresario – Firth – which document a very real and very weird Los Angeles of the past. It’s a city we’ll never know again, and one that might never again produce an ensemble like the 4th Coming.

If Firth’s faith only rolled snake-eyes in terms of commercial success, however, when it comes to documenting Los Angeles’ vibrant soul/funk underground, he rolled boxcars. The album Williams and Firth hoped would bring them real success, now sees its complete release as Strange Things and allows us to ponder the might-have beens had a 4th Coming album come together in the mid-‘70s.

Watch the trailer for the new Saints doc "Stranded"

New TV documentary aims to introduce The Saints to Australian public obsessed with Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato.  

Tommy Hunter explains why "everybody loves that good ol' Mississauga town" in 1974

Here's Tommy Hunter & the Laurie Bower Singers performing his song "Mississauga" from 1974. 

Watch Kurt Vile's new Life Like This video

Kurt Vile's new album b'lieve i'm goin down is out Sept. 25. Check the Adam Avilla clip below. 

Robyn Hitchcock performs jewels from the vault w/ The Sadies @ The Drake, Sunday

While in Toronto, Robyn Hitchcock enjoys a bit of sight seeing & red rocket riding along with his record shopping. 

Whaddya mean you don't know Hong Kong's New Wave Orchestra

Here's the title track of NWO's entrancing China Night album from 1969 you can read more about here.

MTL's Golden Tombs opening for New Horizzzons @ Handlebar, Saturday

Check out Golden Tombs' brilliant rework of Europe's The Final Countdown as a spaghetti western theme.

One For The Weekend: Guilty Simpson

Grab yourself a double LP copy of Guilty's new Detroit's Son album with a bonus cut on Stones Throw. 

Guilty Simpson has worked with hip-hop production luminaries from California, New York and the UK, but his roots run deep in his hometown of Detroit.

It was fellow Detroiter J Dilla who gave Guilty his first shot on “Strapped” from Jaylib’s Champion Sound (2003), and the Four Tet remix “As Serious as Your Life.” At Dilla’s request, Guilty joined the Stones Throw fold, releasing his debut solo album Ode To The Ghetto in 2008, which established him as one of the label's flagship artists.

Two years later, Guilty returned with producer Madlib for OJ Simpson (Stones Throw, 2010) which some dude at Pitchfork called “cohesive, focused, and flat-out fun… one of the best hip-hop records of the year.”

After a collaboration with the late Sean Price and producer Black Milk as Random Axe, and another with producer Apollo Brown, Guilty’s next appearance on Stones Throw was shorter but no less pivotal – a guest verse on “Fitta Happier” by the hip-hop production super-group Quakers put together by Portishead's Geoff "FuzzFace" Barrow with his pals Stuart "7Stu7" Matthews and hot-handed Aussie producer Ashley "Katalyst" Anderson. Time spent with Katalyst in Australia led to Guilty’s third album for Stones Throw.




Detroit’s Son distils the essence of what made Ode To The Ghetto an underground classic. With the subject of life in the Motor City placed front and center, Guilty’s hardcore rhymes fit seamlessly with Katalyst’s hard-hitting beats. The raps are every bit as gritty as on Ode or OJ, but Guilty also shows a lighter side with “Smoking,” probably about as close as Guilty will get to a summer anthem.
Detroit's Son finds the Detroit MC in top form, rapping over beats perfectly tailored to his rough 'n' rugged style of microphone rippin'. Don't sleep.

Don't miss Detroit's Human Eye @ The Central, tonight

Timmy Vulgar's Human Eye will be joined by Das Rad for an explosive punk rock party at 603 Markham. 

Like George Clinton, Human Eye's Timmy Vulgar finds United Sound perfect for in-studio photo shoots.

Bruce & Vlady's entrancing prog-jazz gem rescued from obscurity by VampiSoul

The deep digging VampiSoul crew are recirculating Bruce Powell and Wladyslaw Jagiello's Reality LP from 1970.

When you come across a sleeve like this – hypnotic artwork, enigmatic title, unusual Hammond and drums set-up – it's a reasonably safe bet that the record is gonna be dope. However, The Reality album credited to Bruce and Vlady didn't sell well when it originally came out in Sweden on the tiny Svensk American label back in 1970 and has since become a sought-after item for collectors of European out-jazz, funk and small press curios who can't get enough of Hansson & Karlsson. VampiSoul's welcome reissue reveals the previously undocumented back story of this crazy rare prog jazz masterwork for first time thanks to its co-creator, keyboardist Bruce Powell.

"I had returned from an eight month engagement in Tokyo and decided to go back to Las Vegas, Nevada," explains Powell. "While there, I was introduced to trumpeter Ernie Englund. He told me he needed an organist who could read music and had his own instrument. I said yes and he hired me to play with his big band at the Grande Hotel in Stockholm. That was December 1969.

"My Hammond B-3 was somehow damaged on the trip over and Ernie decided to send me back to the United States. My wife, however, had arrived two days after I got there, so I decided to stay in Stockholm and make a go of it on my own. I found someone called Bengt who repaired my Hammond organ.

"I met Vlady (respected Polish jazz drummer Wladyslaw Jagiello) one night at a rock club. He and I both were sitting in with another band. He liked the way I played and I liked him. We talked about doing something together and Bengt told us about the jazz venue, Klub Ernst, so Vlady and I approached the owner. We got hired for several engagements there.

"A friend of Svensk American Records boss Rune Wallebom heard us one night and told him about our music. One day Vlady and I had a concert to do in downtown Stockholm and Rune came to hear us and loved it. After the show he offered me a recording contract. The deal was that I would record all my original music. He also said that if the album sold 20,000 copies in Sweden, it would then be promoted in England (under EMI/Columbia Records) and would also get us a booking at Ronnie Scott's in London.

"I don't remember the name of the studio but I do remember that we did four takes. After reviewing them all, we decided upon the ones that appear on the album. There are two more takes out there somewhere. I had the tapes from the sessions but they got lost over time…

"Vlady and I performed the album in Stockholm at the Gyllene Cirkeln. I had heard about this place and that such greats as Jack McDuff, Ornette Coleman and Eddie Harris had performed there. When I approached the owner, he said he had been booking groups for a two-night engagement. However, he liked our music so much that he signed us for 16 nights! It was a great success.

"Not long after, Rune came to me with a sad face and told me his wife was divorcing him. She was co-owner of Svensk American Records and was dissolving the company. This happened just after the album was released; therefore it went no further. The promotion and distribution ceased. I never received any monies or royalties for my work… When my grandmother passed, I decided to return to the United States (September 1970). I lost track of Vlady and never was able to contact Rune about what happened to the album."

Steve Wynn records soundtrack for Norwegian dark comedy series Dag

Benedikt Blues, Steve Wynn's sonic companion to Dag's season 4,  is out November 6 on Kinkverk.

"I was asked last year to do the score and soundtrack for the 4th season of Dag, the stunning Norwegian dark comedy series. I'm a huge fan of the show and was honored to be asked. And today –10 episodes and many songs later – I'm in Oslo for the premiere screening. This is one of the new songs I wrote and it is also the title track to the soundtrack album that will be coming out next month in Norway for now, the rest of the world sometime next year. If you have a chance to check out the series, please do. If you don't, that might change sometime soon. Enjoy!" – Steve Wynn

Happy Birthday Dr. James Polk!

James Polk and the Brothers feat. Angela Strehli & W.C. Clark was among the earliest integrated bands in Austin.