Happy Birthday John Fahey!

Remembering fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey on his birthday with some interview and performance footage.   

Happy 100th Birthday Dexter Gordon!

Remembering saxophone great Dexter Gordon with a couple performances and Don McGlynn's 1996 doc More Than You Know. 

Basil Kirchin Band vs. Tito Puente's Orchestra w/ Vincentico Valdés

Check out Basil and Ivor Kirchin's hard swingin' 1954 version of Tito Puente's classic "Mambo Macoco." 

R.I.P. Gordon Pinsent, 1930-2023

Sadly, Canadian film icon Gordon Pinsent has passed away. We're remembering Gordon today with a few interview clips. 

Neil Young joins Victoria, BC rally to save old growth trees

Neil Young joined the Victoria protest to protect BC's old growth forests from the short-sighted plans of the Canadian government.

Watch Karen Dalton sing "A Little Bit of Rain" at home in Colorado

Here's some rare footage of Karen Dalton singing Fred Neil's "A Little Bit Of Rain" followed by a version of "Katie Cruel"

Happy Birthday Ralph Stanley!

Remembering Ralph Stanley with John Cohen's 1975 documentary Musical Holdouts, and a 1988 show in Flatrock, Michigan. 

One For The Weekend: Jimmy Carter Says "Yes"

As Jimmy Carter enters hospice care, we salute the 39th president with Gene Marshall's recording of "Jimmy Carter Says 'Yes'"

Remembering session piano great Nicky Hopkins

Here's session pianist Nicky Hopkins chatting with Merrell Fankhauser along with a rare solo performance and more.

Toronto's Blood Ceremony releasing The Old Ways Remain on May 5th

Blood Ceremony's fifth album, The Old Ways Remain – the follow-up to 2016's Lord Of Misrule – is due May 5th via Rise Above. 

Happy Birthday Elmon Mickle aka Driftin' Slim, Model 'T' Slim

Celebrating the birthday of house rockin' Arkansas one-man-band Elmon Mickle with a couple of his overlooked gems. 

The Beatles vs. Pee Wee Crayton

So who came up with the guitar riff from The Beatles' "Revolution"? Check out Pee Wee Crayton's "Do Unto Others" from 1954. 

Watch Bettye LaVette perform a Tiny Desk Concert and more!

Here's Bettye LaVette's Tiny Desk Concert from 2010, a performance of "Things Have Changed" and "Plan B" off her new album.  

Bettye LaVette's new album "LaVette!" is on the way from Steve Jordan's Jay-Vee Records. Read all about it here.

Happy Birthday Ernie K-Doe!

Remembering New Orleans R&B great Ernie K-Doe with a cable TV performance of "Mother-In-Law" from 1996. 

Remembering Mark Lanegan on the anniversary of his passing

Remembering singer/songwriter Mark Lanegan with a Seattle show from 1998 accompanied by his pal Mike Johnson. 

LINKS

Heavy Consequence Mark Lanegan remembered with new book

Say It With Garage Flowers Mark Langegan Q&A interview 2021

Jon Savage's musical tour of the early 80s

Jon Savage's new digital retrospective, The Art Of Things To Come covers 1980-82 and mercifully avoids much of the chart dross.  

Here's the scoop from Ace Records HQ...

With the new collection 1980-1982 The Art Of Things To Come, Ace Records continues Jon Savage’s highly respected year-by-year series documenting the music scene on a world stage, which began with a volume based on his successful 1966 book for Faber.

A genre-spanning two-disc array of pivotal singles, extended mixes, context-providers, scene-stealers and lost gems from disco, b-boy, new wave, rap, indie and synth: these are the decks that defined the dawn of the 80s, captured the mood and crystallized Jon’s personal experiences of these years. Artists include the Associates, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, the Human League, Grace Jones, New Order, Yello, the Peech Boys and Zapp.

Living in Manchester, working for Granada TV in tandem with Tony Wilson and spinning discs at Joy Division and New Order gigs, this was a time where clubs were key for Jon. It’s no surprise that this is the first volume where 12-inch singles make their mark in the series.

The 80s began with Thatcher in power, the rise of the New Right in America and the death of Ian Curtis, but by 1982 the world was travelling out of post-punk darkness into the light of a bright new decade. It was beginning of the art of things to come. Get a copy from Ace right here. Check out the track list below.

90s Nostalgia: Mudhoney at The Zap Club, Brighton, 1991

Celebrating Mark Arm's birthday today with Mudhoney's 1991 gig at Brighton's Zap Club and T.O.'s Lee's Palace in '98.

Happy Birthday Nina Simone!

Remembering the great Nina Simone on her birthday with a London performance from 1968 and a Montreux show in 1976.

Margo Price rocks The Phoenix, Friday

Watch Margo Price singing the Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" at The Fillmore and also Neil Young's "Hey Hey, My My."

LINKS

BBC Another Country w/ Ricky Ross featuring Margo Price

Happy Birthday Oscar Alemán!

Remembering legendary Argentine singer/guitarist and dancer Oscar Alemán with a couple of entertaining performances. 

R.I.P. soul great Chuck Jackson, 1937-2023

Sadly, soul singer Chuck Jackson – who hit big with "Any Day Now" – has passed away at the age of 85. He'll be greatly missed.

Keeping up with Heidi Happy

Swiss singer/songwriter Heidi Happy has been busy scoring films and television shows when not knocking out commercial jingles.

Happy Birthday Nichol Robertson!

Celebrating Nichol Robertson's birthday with clips from West Of Jane, Hulagoons, Layrite Boys, Robinson'Sons and more. 

Andrew Bird shares video for "Never Fall Apart" and tour dates

Check out the new video for "Never Fall Apart" off Andrew Bird's Inside Problems album. He's coming to Toronto April 9th. 

Here's the scoop...

Andrew Bird begins another year of music and touring with the release of his new single and music video, Never Fall Apart. Written, directed, edited and animated by the song’s co-writer Jeremy Ylvisaker, the moving visual stars prominent Anishinaabe musician, Keith Secola, and Geezis Humphrey, connected to each other by a seemingly endless string of yarn. As they sit alone in their own dark abyss, the track erupts into soaring, shouting harmonies – Bird reaching out for love and connection with lyrics that illustrate the attempt to piece yourself back together again. Available via Loma Vista Recordings, the resounding closer to his latest album, Inside Problems (get it right here), is accompanied by an extended, alternate arrangement called Never Fall Apart: Epilogue (also available here). Watch the music video below.

“Back from the brink we may have pulled ourselves back together (though tenuously) for the moment,” says Bird. “I recorded Epilogue outside in Ojai, CA in January of 2021 for a documentary about news deserts in rural America. I felt I captured something that’s hard to nail because I was playing only for myself. I just happened to be recording. So I sang the lyrics to never fall apart over it, giving the song a different dimension.”

On the heels of a headline tour that brought him to sold-out shows at the Greek Theatre, Red Rocks, NYC's Pier 17, eight different Chicago performances and beyond in 2022, Bird has returned to the road for both international and North American runs this winter and spring. Following a trek through the UK and Australia, he and his band will return to the U.S. and Toronto (History on April 9) for a dozen dates including Big Ears Festival and other stops across the East Coast and Midwest, with support from Joan Shelley, Madison Cunningham and Ted Poor. In support of Inside Problems, the shows will continue to "transport listeners to a lush musical world" (NPR Music). You'll find a complete list of upcoming dates below.  

In recent months, Andrew Bird has also collaborated with Phoebe Bridgers on a reimagining of Emily Dickinson’s, I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, in addition to appearing on NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me, Guy Raz’s Great Creators, NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts, the cover of Strings magazine and more. Pre-order I felt a Funeral, in my Brain featuring Phoebe Bridgers (out March 31) on limited edition 7" vinyl right here. Check out the videos for "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain" and "Never Fall Apart" below followed by Andrew Bird's tour schedule. 

ANDREW BIRD ON TOUR

2/19 - London, UK - O2 Shepherd's Bush #

3/9 - Melbourne, AU - Forum Theatre &

3/10 - Sydney, AU - Enmore Theatre &

3/11 - Brisbane, AU - The Tivoli &

3/30 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel*

3/31 - Knoxville, TN - Big Ears Festival

4/1 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Music Hall*

4/3 - Richmond, VA - The National*

4/4 - Louisville, KY - Paristown Hall* %

4/5 - Madison, WI - The Sylvee*

4/7 - Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theater*

4/8 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre*

4/9 - Toronto, CA - History* !

4/11 - Portland, ME - State Theatre* !

4/12 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Hall* !

4/13 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall* !

# w/ Charles Watson, & w/ Tift Merritt, * w/ Ted Poor, % w/ Joan Shelley, ! w/ Madison Cunningham

Watch David Murray live at the Padova Jazz Festival

Since it's David Murray's birthday, here he is in action with Brad Jones and Hamid Drake on November 17, 2021. 

Whaddya mean you don't know Haran Griffin & The Explosions

Gospel Crusaders keyboardist Rev. Haran Griffin cut the deep funk burner "Movin' Much Too Fast" for Bama Records.

Remembering New Orleans legend Huey "Piano" Smith

Sadly, Huey "Piano" Smith passed away on February 13. We're remembering Huey with Mr. Fine Wine's selection of 45s right here.

Downtown Soulville with Mr. Fine Wine salutes Huey "Piano" Smith

Listen to Huey "Piano" Smith biographer John Wirt on WFMU's Fools Paradise from 2014 right here. 

Happy Birthday Cheetah Chrome!

Raising a glass to Cheetah Chrome on his birthday with some footage of the Dead Boys at CBGBs and The Starwood in 1977. 

Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore share "Borderland"

Check out "Borderland" from Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore who kick off a new tour next week in Santa Ynez, CA. 

About the song "Borderland," Jimmie Dale Gilmore says...

“The Big Bend of the Rio Grande River, which in Mexico is called Rio Bravo Del Norte, is one of the most magnificent geographical features of our world. It is a vast, rugged, and beautiful landscape that holds a mysterious attraction for some people. It is the borderland between two cultures, two countries, and, in a way, at least two contrasting worldviews. My wife and I have spent as much time there as possible for many years, and this song is an attempt to evoke a feeling of the place. A strange sense of something deeply familiar and yet, at the same time, completely alien. Maybe all true love songs are made of something like this.”

Get a digital version of "Borderland" right here: https://ffm.to/borderland. Have a listen and check out Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore's upcoming tour dates below. 

Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore with The Guilty Ones on tour

Feb 22 – Santa Ynez, CA Tales From The Tavern SOLD OUT

Feb 23 – Ventura, CA Ventura Music Hall

Feb 24 – Bakersfield, CA WorldRecords Bakersfield

Feb 25 – Felton, CA Felton Music Hall

Feb 26 – Auburn, CA @oddfellows007 

Feb 28 – Petaluma, CA @MysticTheatre SOLD OUT

March 2 – San Juan Capistrano, CA Coach House Concert Hall

March 3 – Phoenix, AZ @RhythmRoomPhx SOLD OUT

March 4 – Tucson, AZ Rialto Theater, Tucson, Arizona

Chicago's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble hits the Redwood Theatre, Friday

Trumpeter Corey Wilkes and master percussionist Kahil El'Zabar are joined by saxophonist Alex Harding for EHE's Toronto show.

Caliban Arts Theatre Presents

KAHIL EL'ZABAR & ETHNIC HERITAGE ENSEMBLE

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17

@ THE REDWOOD THEATRE

1300 Gerrard Street East, Toronto

7:30 pm doors, 8:30 pm concert

Tickets: $45 advance

The legendary Ethnic Heritage Ensemble has toured internationally, as well as recorded innumerable celebrated projects over the last 49 years. The current lineup features Corey Wilkes (trumpet) Alex Harding (baritone sax) and the band's founder, Dr. Kahil El’Zabar (multi-percussion/composition).

The EHE is a must-see ensemble, that’s truly making history with each performance! They are 21st-century griots, making great black music for the mind, body, and spirit! Get tickets right here. 

Watch the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble perform in the hour-long video Free Jazz From The Sanctuary below.  

R.I.P. French film composer Alain Goraguer, 1931-2023

Sadly, French soundttrack ace Alain Goraguer, behind La Planète Sauvage, has passed away at 91. He'll be greatly missed.

That time Malian blues great Ali Farka Touré played Later... with Jools Holland

Here's the late great Ali Farka Touré – who passed away in 2006 – performing "Diaraby," a Manding song of lost love.

Watch Jack Rose trade licks with Glenn Jones

Remembering guitarist Jack Rose on his birthday with a couple of stellar performances with Glenn Jones and more. 

Happy 65th Birthday Ice T

Celebrating Ice T's birthday with  his 1983 debut, "The Coldest Rap" his brief appearance in 1984's Breakin' 2 and more.

R.I.P. Memphis deep soul legend Spencer Wiggins, 1942-2023

Sadly, Memphis soul great Spencer Wiggins has passed away. He'll be greatly missed. Listen to a few of his 45 gems.

B-Side Wins Again: Charlie Starr

Charlie Starr's overlooked 1966 B-side "I'm Gonna Find A Cave" was later re-cut by the folks behind The Banana Splits. 

Midweek Mixdown: With It feat. Montreal's Parka Pat & DJ Nico

Check out a swingin' With It session of hip-shakin' 60s soul and R&B from DJ Nico and special guest Parka Pat Foisy right here.

R.I.P. Jörg Evers of The Pack, 1950-2023

Sadly, Jörg Evers of Munich-based punk group The Pack and Amon Düül II has passed away. He'll be greatly missed.  

 

Seems like the February passing of Jörg Evers – the musical genius behind legendary Munich punk outsiders known as Pack – deserved much more press attention, considering their gob-smackin' 1978 debut was among the most exciting releases of the entire punk era. Just a quick and brutal cash-in some might argue, perhaps, but then, so was Never Mind The Bollocks. Each time I drop needle on the Pack's widely slept on classic, I think back to the days before the interweb, when punk collector types were passing around their want lists of grail items they only dreamed of owning. They'd wax on at length to my old pal Imants Krumins and I about a new discovery from somewhere in Europe or England in late 70s and Imants would invariably respond, "yeah, it's OK... but not as good as the Pack" and I'd always have to agree. Rest in Power Jörg Evers! 
 

Watch a short doc about Billy Nicholls' album, Would You Believe

Since it's Billy Nicholls' 74th birthday today, here's a short documentary about his fab 1968 debut album, Would You Believe. 

R.I.P. Canadian trumpet titan Guido Basso, 1937-2023

Sadly, versatile trumpeter Guido Basso – who recorded with the Boss Brass, Jackie Mittoo, Lee Gagnon and Diana Panton – has passed away at the age of 85.