Binky Griptite shares video for bluesy swinger "What's My Number"

Watch Binky Griptite's new clip for his Howlin' Wolf-inspired single "What's My Number" Parts 1 & 2 available from his site. 

From Birth to Binky Griptite

Franklin Stribling is better known as Binky Griptite, guitarist and emcee with The Dap-Kings and a co-founder of The Soul Providers (with Gabriel Roth) which were the Desco Records house band in the days before Daptone. He recalls the years leading up to becoming Binky Griptite in 1999 below. 

Born June 25th 1966 just after midnight at Milwaukee County General Hospital. I'm the youngest of 7 and the 4th boy child thus breaking the tie. I've been listening to music actively since I was 5, so that's 1971. I was raised on a combination of black radio of the time and my older siblings' and mom's record collections, ranging from David's Funkadelic and Deep Purple records to Ann's Three Dog Night and Simon & Garfunkel records, as well as the bands I saw on Soul Train and American Bandstand and Midnight Special. On TV I saw Al Green, James Brown, Bobby Bland, The Edgar Winter Group, The Faces, so many artists. Even Hee Haw! Anything with music and especially guitar players in the shot. 

Like, I remember when "Superstition" was the HOT NEW JAM by Stevie Wonder, stuff like that. Any music that happened after '71 or '72, I got to  experience it in real time and I'm very thankful for that. This is what informs everything that I play. 

My sister Ann's nylon string guitar was always around but the neck was too big for me for a long time so I mostly treated it as a toy until I discovered it made a pretty nice drum if I tapped it with my fingers so I truly started as a drummer. When I was first handed a set of bongos by my first grade music teacher I knew exactly what to do with them, thanks to my experience drumming on the guitar and from watching I Love Lucy. Thank you Ricky Ricardo!

Then my brother Ted showed me how to play Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple because one of his friends showed him. He didn't play guitar either but the beauty of the riff is that anybody can play it! I was 7 when that came out, so I had that to play for a while but I really didn't get on the path to playing til I was 12 or so.

The Funkadelic album Cosmic Slop also came out when I was 7 and has been my favorite record ever since. I wanted to do that, to be that. I decided to be a musician long before I was one. My brother David took me to P Funk shows at Summerfest in Milwaukee starting in '75 I think, and I became a Bootsy fan.

David bought me a bass when I was 11 or so but I had no one to teach me so it laguished for a while and eventually disappeared from the house under mysterious circumstances. I found it in a pawn shop some months later and it was rebought. I took a few lessons and it got stolen again when I set it down at a bus stop  on a cold day. 

It was replaced with an electric guitar. Still without a teacher I was intimidated by the 6 strings and thought bass would be easier so I traded it for a bass. Then I became intimidated by thinking "I'll never be as good as Bootsy so what's the point"

Round about this time I happened to see Devo on the TV show "Friday's" (wannabe SNL by ABC). I fell in love with the guitar Bob Mothersbaugh was playing. It was a brand new looking thing I'd never seen before and I wanted one. I wanted to play be a guitar player and I wanted THAT guitar.

The very next day I went to the music store I frequently loitered in and I found it, they had a cheap knockoff of the sparkly blue Ibanez Iceman that I wanted! The Lotus version was the wrong color and made of plywood but it was as close as I could afford to get to the real thing. It took a few weeks but I musta begged and traded or whatever to get it and it got got. That was the guitar that finally got me started at 14. Now, 42 years later I have a lot of guitars but I still don't have an Iceman.

Check out Binky Griptite's latest single "What's My Number" below. Get a copy from his site right here: Binkygriptite.com 

 

Remembering soul great Sharon Jones on her birthday

Here's some great footage of Sharon Jones performing with the Dap-Kings at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem. 

Daptone issues 20th anniversary 2LP edition of Sharon Jones' Naturally album

The 2005 release of Sharon Jones’ Naturally was a pivotal moment in the history of soul music. The album has sold over 200,000 copies, with hit singles “How Long Do I Have to Wait” and “This Land is Your Land” streaming in the hundreds of millions—staggering figures for a wholly independent release. It was also the genesis for the Dap-Kings’ collaboration with Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse, the fruits of which having a lasting, indelible influence on soul, R&B and pop music in general. 

Up to this point, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings had yet to reach an audience outside of dingy, hole-in-the-wall clubs, dive bars, and underground DJ parties, attended by only the most in-the-know. This was the scene where the band began to flourish, developing the sound that would forever alter the musical landscape and set a lofty new bar for what could be considered real-deal soul music. 

Recording for Naturally began in 2004 and holds the distinction of being the first Daptone session at the renowned "House of Soul”—a recording studio handbuilt by Sharon and the rest of the Daptone family in a two story rental in Bushwick, Brooklyn. (Sharon famously tackled much of the electrical wiring herself.) 

Around this time, the Dap-Kings were really coming into their own as a band. With years of relentless, econoline-style touring under their belt, and the additions of Tommy “TNT” Brenneck (Diamond West Records, Menahan Street Band, Charles Bradley) on guitar, and Dave Guy (The Roots, Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon) on trumpet, the group was not only the flagship group on Daptone Records, but also the very foundation upon which the label would build their empire. 

Naturally altered the musical landscape of the era, eclipsing imitators and the soulfully challenged, wholesale. It made Daptone a household name, helped open doors for many musicians and family who have gone on to do remarkable things, and sparked a renaissance that is still vibrating today. A testament to Sharon Jones’ legacy as the undisputed, reigning Queen of heavyweight soul. 

The 20th Anniversary remastered edition of Sharon Jones' Naturally album includes a second LP with instrumental mixes of all tracks! Get a copy via your platform of choice right here. Listen to a couple of instrumental tracks below. 

Imogen Moon updates Doug Randle's 1971 eco-activist concept album

Singer/songwriter Imogen Moon enlisted the Dap-Kings to reimagine her grandad's cult classic Songs For The New Industrial State.  

Here's the scoop...

Way back in 1970, Calgary-born, Toronto-based pianist/composer Doug Randle who was working at the CBC and NFB, had an idea for a song-cycle warning of the dire consequences posed by unchecked corporate greed on our Canadian culture and environment. So he rounded up Toronto's first-call session musicians – including Peter Appleyard, Guido Basso, Moe Koffman and Rob McConnell – with sunshine pop vocals contributed by Tommy Ambrose and Laurie Bower and recorded Songs For The New Industrial State. 

Despite the prescient message, tasteful arrangements and incongruously upbeat singing, Randle's clever concept album was a bit too far ahead of it's time in 1971. Without the proper promotional push, and somewhat misleading sleeve art which made it look like pro-industry propaganda of the era,   Randle's well-intended Songs For The New Industrial State failed to ride the wave of Canada's emerging green movement and ironically wound up in landfills. 

It wasn't until the early 2000s that beat diggers – checking for anything CBC-related in the quest for obscure sample material – hit on Randle's overlooked gem. Perhaps sensing that the times had finally caught up with what Randle had put down decades earlier, Seattle-based reissue operation Light In The Attic re-released Songs For The New Industrial State in 2009 which you can get right here. The 81-year-old Randle got some long overdue attention for his work before his passing on August 30, 2013 at the age of 85. 

But the story doesn't end there. Randle's 21-year-old granddaughter, Vancouver singer/songwriter Imogen Moon recognized a timely message in the album's songs about corporate malfeasance, resource extraction and global warming and thought it would be worthwhile to introduced the relevant songs to a new generation by updating the music. 

Cellar Music Group boss Cory Weeds saw merit in the idea and connected her with producer Ian Hendrickson-Smith best known as the saxophonist with The Roots on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Hendrickson-Smith booked time at Diamond Mine Studio in Queens and invited over his pals from the Dap-Kings, namely guitarist Tommy "TNT" Brenneck, drummer Homer Steinweiss, bassist Nick Movshon and trumpeter Dave Guy along with Hammond B-3 ace Adam Scone. To complete the circle, backing vocals were added by Imogen's mom, Joanne Randle who regularly sang on the recordings of her father, Doug Randle. Sweet. 

The resulting 6-track EP, When They Start Rebelling – which could easily pass for a Daptone release – is set for release by Cellar Live on July 21st. Pre-order it via Bandcamp right here. The first single is a dramatic reworking of "Nicolston Dam" – check out Imogen Moon's video followed by an audio clip of Doug Randle's 5th Dimension-style original version. 

Ocote Soul Sounds share "Blues For Ukraine"

Martin Perna (of Antibalas) and Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas) shared "Blues For Ukraine" via Bandcamp right here. 

Just in time for the holidays, Kelly Finnigan issues A Joyful Sound

Kelly Finnigan is joined on his soulful Christmas LP by members of the Monophonics, Dap-Kings and others.

Here's the scoop...

Kelly Finnigan's A Joyful Sound – out now on Colemine Records – is a future soul classic with all the elements of a classic R&B record, but simply with a joyful holiday lean. With an all-star supporting cast from the contemporary soul scene this record is truly a family affair with Kelly at the wheel. Featuring members of Durand Jones & The Indications, The Dap-Kings, Ghost Funk Orchestra, Monophonics, Thee Sinseers, Orgone, Ikebe Shakedown, Jason Joshua & The Beholders, The True Loves, Neal Francis, Jungle Fire, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Ben Pirani, The Jive Turkeys, The Ironsides, The Harlem Gospel Travelers, Rudy De Anda, Alanna Royale, and more! Inspired by records like Atlantic's "Soul Christmas", Phil Spector's "A Christmas Gift For You" and Rotary Connection's "Peace" this album will be a record that will appeal not only to lovers of holiday music, but lovers of SOUL music in general! 

This is Kelly Finnigan's third full-album production in just under two years, including his debut LP "The Tales People Tell" and Monophonics' most recent effort "It's Only Us". He is rapidly establishing himself as a key producer, songwriter, and performer in the current soul scene. Listen to A Joyful Sound below and get a copy via Bandcamp right here. 

Tommy "TNT" Brenneck doesn't overthink shit

Guitarist/producer Tommy "TNT" Brenneck gets a big up for his studio savvy on the B-side of the new Menahan Street Band single. 

Menahan Street Band - "There's A New Day Coming" b/w "Tommy Don't"

Originally recorded as a single backing track for Charles Bradley, the tune was ultimately shelved (like many other tracks) after Charles' passing. After some time had gone by the reel made its way back onto the tape machine and producer Tommy "TNT" Brenneck had a eureka moment. He split the track into two sides and wrote some lyrics for the slower portion as a tribute to CB, which became "There's a New Day Coming". He loved the juxtaposition of having the slower, heavy tribute on side A, and the upbeat, lighter track on the flip.

When singers, Saundra Williams (Saun & Starr) & Alecia Chakour showed up for the session TNT played them what was to become "Tommy Don't". While it was playing Saun said "You know why I like working with you, Tommy? Cause you don't overthink shit". And with that Saun started singing "Tommy don't overthink shit." Brenneck started cracking up and said, "We HAVE to record that.". And with that...Voila!...a brand spanking new 45 from the kings of instrumental soul, Menahan Street Band. Get a copy of the new MSB single right here. Listen to both sides below.

Living On Soul screens @ Royal Cinema, Friday & Saturday

Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley and the whole Daptone Records family star in the Living On Soul documentary.

Watch Sharon Jones on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Canadian Shows:

April 4 -- Victoria BC -- Alix Goolden Hall [SOLD OUT]

April 5 -- Vancouver BC -- Commodore Ballroom [SOLD OUT]

April 8 -- Winnipeg MB -- Burton Cummings Theatre

June 3 -- Ottawa ON -- Algonquin Commons Theatre

June 4 -- Montreal QC -- Corona Theatre

June 5 -- London ON -- London Music Hall

June 6 -- Toronto ON -- Massey Hall

Charles Bradley roars back with new single

In advance of Charles Bradley's long overdue debut album No Time For Dreaming (now scheduled for release January 25, 2011), Daptone's dependable Dunham subsidiary is putting out the motivational Joe Quarterman-penned title track as seven-inch single with the charging Farfisa-fired Golden Rule on the flip.

As with Bradley's previous Dunham scorcher The World (Is Going Up In Flames), both sides are produced by Dap-Kings guitarist Thomas "TNT" Brenneck featuring the instrumental support of his stone-solid Menahan Street Band with vocal enhancement provided by Daptone's own sweet singing Gospel Queens on loan from Naomi Shelton.
Before heading over to Daptone's online store to grab a copy for yourself, check out Mr. Bradley belting out No Time For Dreaming with the Menhan crew at Het Depot in Leuven, Belgium back in February. Some time-saving advice to diggers: Don't bother trying to track down Joe Quarterman's original recording of No Time For Dreaming – it was never issued.



No Time For Dreaming by Charles Bradley