Alle personeelsleden van het Hasseltse muziekcentrum Muziekodroom hebben hun ontslag gekregen. Alle concerten blijven dit jaar doorgaan, maar vanaf januari gaat de werking in sluimermodus. De partners onderzoeken in welke vorm de Hasseltse muziektempel nog kan blijven bestaan.

Vanwege het wegvallen van structurele subsidies, had het muziekcentrum het al jaren moeilijk op financieel vlak. Dat de ticketverkoop na de coronacrisis maar moeizaam weer op gang kwam, heeft de situatie van de Muziekodroom niet makkelijker gemaakt.

Daarom heeft het muziekcentrum beslist om vanaf januari 2023 in sluimermodus te gaan. Dat betekent dat er vanaf dan geen nieuwe evenementen meer worden georganiseerd. Alle optredens die nog in de resterende maanden van 2022 gepland staan, gaan wel nog door.
​
Van een definitieve sluiting wil Muziekodroom nog niet spreken. De organisatie zal van de sluimerperiode gebruik maken om te onderzoeken wat de opties in de toekomst zijn. Ook blijft de vzw Muziekodroom voorlopig wel bestaan. Wel heeft de organisatie al het personeel moeten melden dat ze hun job kwijt zijn.

Ben E. King’s influence as both a songwriter and performer is undeniable. Beginning with his tenure in the legendary vocal band The Drifters, where he sang lead on such classics as “There Goes My Baby,” “This Magic Moment” and “Save The Last Dance,” and on through his solo career highlighted by timeless treasures such as “Stand By Me” and “Spanish Harlem,” King crafted a singing style, soulful and smooth, that continues to echo today.

Recently a group of friends and admirers have lent their talents on a set of recut versions of King's most beloved hits, creating a cross-temporal collaboration like no other! King's voice sounds as good as ever on this collection which features funky bass icon Bootsy Collins breathing new life into “Supernatural Thing, Part 1” while up-and-coming R&B artist Bette Smith joins blues guitar phenom Ronnie Earl on a rousing version of "Stand By Me!" Bringing some Latin flavor to the mix, flamenco guitarist Rafael Riqueni steps in for an inspired take on the classic “Spanish Harlem.” All of this and more can be found on Supernatural Soul, which is available now on all formats including both CD and vinyl!

​Stream/download the digital: https://orcd.co/a8a2l51

INDIANA BLUES-ROCK BAND THE COLD STARES BRENGEN TWEE NIEUWE TRACKS UIT
 
“Nothing But The Blues” en “The Ghost” bevatten beide personages die wanhopig verlangen naar hoop, naar een doel, naar comfort.
 ​

De Indiana blues-rock band The Cold Stares onthullen “Nothing But The Blues” en “The Ghost,” twee nieuwe singles die een nieuw tijdperk van songwriting voor de band weerspiegelen. Beide met personages die worden gedreven door verlangens - naar hoop, naar een doel, naar comfort.

​“Nothing But The Blues is kind of a continuation of the theme of our song ‘Hard Times,’” vertelt gitarist/zanger Chris Tapp. “I was thinking about what it takes to play ‘authentic blues,’ which traditionally meant suffering through the horrors of the old South. In my mind, there are so many things that can definitely set you down in the blues in the current world we live in. Lot of things in this song are sadly autobiographical, but as always it seems to take some challenges and struggles to bring about honest art.”
 
Over de tweede single voegt Tapp toe: “’The Ghost’ is a song about the loss of true love. Visually it’s a man secluded in a cabin in the southwest, mourning the loss of his wife and unable to move past it. He’s left there with her spirit and the memories they had. I thought the most poignant line in the song was, ‘Sit around and stare at these walls, killing time until Jesus makes that call.’”
 
De afgelopen tien jaar hebben The Cold Stares als duo onophoudelijk de wereld rond getoerd. Nu omarmt de band een heel nieuw soort chemie met de toevoeging van een derde bandlid, en vertolken zij nu de ‘classic power trio sound’ waar ze mee zijn opgegroeid. “Suddenly, all the parameters that had dictated what we could and couldn’t do just disappeared, and we were free to create whatever sound we wanted,” voegt Tapp toe.
 
The Cold Stares werd opgericht in 2012 toen de oude vrienden Tapp en Mullins besloten samen te werken voor een inval-optreden. Ze brachten een reeks veelgeprezen albums uit die ze op tournee bracht met artiesten als Larkin Poe, Rival Sons, Reignwolf, Spoon, Grand Funk Railroad, Thievery Corp, en vele anderen. American Songwriter prees de groep als “hard-won commitment, honesty, and intensity,” terwijl No Depression hun geluid omschreef als een “roots rocking firestorm,”. De nummers van hun albums doken overal op, van ESPN en TNT tot het populaire videospel Cyberpunk 2077.
 
Na het beëindigen van hun tournee voor 'Heavy Shoes' in 2021 (hun vijfde studioalbum en debuutrelease voor Mascot Records), keerden Tapp en Mullins terug naar hun thuisstad Evansville, Indiana. Het was tijd een beslissing te maken, want in de studio was de sound van de band steeds voller geworden. Tenzij ze op het podium wilden gaan meespelen met vooraf opgenomen backing tracks, bereikte ze het punt waarop ze niet meer in staat zouden zijn om hun nummers getrouw na te spelen als duo.
 
“We’d been a two-piece for a decade, so it wasn’t something we took lightly,” zegt Tapp. “But we’d also known Bryce for a long time and knew he’d fit right in.”

Een fan stapte naar Luc Dufourmont toe. Hij vroeg of die een nummer kon maken voor June, zijn pasgeboren dochtertje. Het kind werd zo goed als doof geboren en de vader wou een gezongen nummer als geboortekaartje. “Ik kan wel iets schrijven voor uw kindje” zei Luc. “Maar mijn vriend Wouter Spaens heeft altijd wel wat muziek in zijn schuif zitten.”

Zonder grootse plannen nam het duo in een dag hun eerste song op.
Riptunes is een feit.

Luc Dufourmont kennen we van de legendarische cultband Ugly Papas en tientallen muzikale nevenprojecten, nu nog altijd actief bij IDIOTS en Two Russian Cowboys.

Naast muzikant, performer, presentator kon je hem de laatste jaren ook al aan het werk zien als acteur in enkele Belgische producties (Bevergem, Callboys, Chantal, Cargo e.a.). Voor Knack Focus en de Krant van West-Vlaanderen schreef hij verder een reeks columns.

Wouter Spaens is eveneens actief in IDIOTS. In het verleden speelde hij al studioalbums in voor Bruce Bherman (met o.a. leden van Lambchop, Jack White,… ) in Nashville en Mooneye (Big Enough). Startte in 2022 Studio Piro, een muzikaal project waar ‘Tafels van Vermenigvuldiging’ op muziek wordt gezet, met o.a. Maaike Cafmeyer, Mathias Sercu, Gianni Marzo, Mario Goossens,…

In de Closed Session Recording Studio werd met producer Pieterjan Maertens (Tamino, Het Zesde Metaal) een volledig album opgenomen met cellist Frans Grapperhaus (The Wallace Collection, Broeder Dieleman, Wannes Capelle), pianist Gunter Callewaert (Waar is Ken ?) en drummer Ruben Vanhoutte (Tamino, Faces on TV), die ook deel uitmaken van de liveband. Ook Sarah Devos (Selah Sue, Filip Kowlier) en James de Graef (Loverman, Shht) speelden het album mee in.

2022, de wereld wordt wakker na een slepende pandemie en een nieuwe oorlog gooit roet in het eten. Maar dit houdt hen niet tegen om de plaat nog dit jaar te releasen. Riptunes brengt soelaas in goede en kwade dagen.
​
Of zoals Matthew Swanson van Lambchop het na beluistering zo schoon zei:
 “If songwriter Tim Rose were still alive and he took a time machine to meet fellow time traveler Stuart Staples at a dark Belgian bar in the mid 1970’s to hear an obscure chanson singer and discuss heartbreak and former girlfriends over many drinks and cigarettes, I’d imagine the soundtrack to this imaginary movie scene would be capably provided by Riptunes.

​Live (meer shows binnenkort)
16/9/22 - Dranouter - Muziekcentrum
17/9/22 - Lauwe - Café de Living
25/9/22 - Tournai - Froyennes - Le Petite Fabrik
29/10/22 - Ardooie - De Schaduw
20/01/23 - Menen - CC

​He was a giant in the jazz world who helped advance the careers of countless stars during his periods at Verve Records, Impulse, A&M and particularly his own CTI label. We are sad to report the passing of the iconic Creed Taylor at age 93.
The Virginia-born Taylor was himself a trumpeter and performed in a number of jazz ensembles as a young man. But he truly loved the production side of music, and developed a reputation as a creative, bright producer, to whom artists gravitated. In the 50s he worked with Charles Mingus, Herbie Mann and other top stars at Bethlehem Records.
His move to Verve Records in 1960 was momentous, as he used that platform to help bring bossa nova to America with such artists as Stan Getz and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Taylor’s years at multiple labels ultimately led him to form his own, CTI Records. CTI was groundbreaking in both the talent it gathered and in the inroads it made in broadening jazz’s audience by mixing in elements of R&B. The artists signed to the label were too numerous to count, but included Bob James, Nina Simone, Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws and Grover Washington, Jr.
While CTI ran into financial troubles in the 90s, and was swallowed up by Sony, the mark that the label and Taylor made over the prior two decades was indelible – it was the center of popular jazz music.
Taylor continued to work well into the 2000s, often reuniting with his former CTI stars. He left an amazing legacy of great music that was both of its time and, in a sense, timeless. Rest in peace.

​The release of the 12" vinyl version of the "Bending the Rules" album is celebrated with a new single "Hold Your Horses" !!

jaimie branch, the jazz composer and trumpeter, died on Monday night. The label International Anthem, which released branch’s music, confirmed the news. She was 39.

A renowned improviser, branch played and recorded with multiple groups. She released her first solo album Fly or Die on International Anthem in 2017. In 2019, its sequel followed--Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise. Earlier this year, her project Anteloper with Jason Nazary released its new album Pink Dolphins; it followed 2018’s Kudu. She also contributed to the new Eli Winter album and released an album in 2021 with the group Mofaya!. In addition to her career as a solo artist, she worked with multiple indie rock bands, including TV on the Radio, Spoon, Local H, and Atlas Moth.
Fly or Die Live arrived in 2021, and it featured her shouting political lyrics on “prayer for amerikkka pt. 1 & 2.” In an interview with The Quietus’ Stewart Smith, she discussed the song’s story about a South American woman seeing violence on the U.S. border. “My mom is a social worker, and was dealing with the family that I talk about in prayer for amerikkka part two,’” branch said. “One thing I want to make sure that people understand is that it wasn't a song about Trump. I mean, Biden is in power. The Democrat is in power now. We still have these prisons along the border. They’re still there.”
On her website, branch offered this statement to describe her practice: “All the music that ever was and ever will be is here now. It exists in a cloud just above our heads and when we play, we pluck it out of the ether for a lil while before sending it back up.”

​10cc's Graham Goldman en Queen's Brian May brengen samen song uit om eerste beelden te vieren van James Webb Space Telescope
De eerste, prachtige, foto's van het universum gemaakt door de gloednieuwe James Webb Space Telescope zijn onlangs publiek gemaakt.

Tegelijkertijd heeft Graham Gouldman van 10cc en van 10cc's Graham Gouldman & Heart Full of Songs samen met Brian May van Queen het bijpassende nummer uitgebracht: 'Floating In Heaven' (geschreven en gezongen door Gouldman). De song staat met een bijpassende clip op Youtube. Een artikel op Udiscovermusic geeft meer informatie over de samenwerking en deze clip.

Het Space Telescope Science Institute gebruikt de song "Floating in Heaven" als muziek bij hun clip op Youtube met andere spectaculaire beelden, gemaakt door de James Webb Space Telescope.

 
Graham Gouldman is een van de beste liedjesschrijvers van de twintigste eeuw. Hij is schrijver van hits als No Milk Today (voor Herman's Hermits), Bus Stop (voor The Hollies) en For Your Love (voor The Yardbirds). En dat zijn dan alleen nog maar de liedjes die hij schreef voor anderen. Als lid van 10cc scoorde hij wereldhits met tijdloze klassiekers als I'm Not In Love, The Wall Street Shuffle en Dreadlock Holiday. 'Wij wilden helemaal geen popsterren worden’, zegt Graham Gouldman over de beginjaren van die legendarische band 10cc. ‘Het liefst zaten we in de studio, waar we van alles uitprobeerden.’

In de lente van 2019 kwam 10cc's Graham Gouldman & Heart Full Of Songs voor diverse concerten naar Nederland. Heel intieme concerten met alle grote hits die hij heeft geschreven. Ook in de herfst van 2021 was Graham Gouldman nog in Nederland en speelde met 10cc in negen grote theaters door het hele land.


 
In september komt Graham Gouldman met zijn intiemer project Heart Full Of Songs terug naar Nederland voor zeven concerten. Opnieuw speelt hij intieme versies van zijn hits, maar verwacht een andere setlist dan vorige keer! Zo bracht hij een nieuw soloalbum uit: Modesty Forbids. Bijgestaan door toetsenist Keith Hayman, gitarist Iain Hornal en percussionist Dave Cobby reist Graham Gouldman door zijn imposante oeuvre.

Gouldman kijkt zelf ook uit naar zijn nieuwe tour: 'I always love taking my Heart Full of Songs show on tour. Acoustic performances always create a very intimate atmosphere where every song – which is what it’s all about – can truly be heard. It also gives me a chance to explain how the songs came about and something of the writing process.'

Een unieke kans om een bijzondere liedjescomponist van dichtbij aan het werk te horen


Shows:
vr. 09 sep. – Oldenzaal – Oldenzaal Muzikaal Festival
za. 10 sep. – Leeuwarden – De Harmonie
zo. 11 sep. – Breda – Mezz

di, 13 sep. – Eindhoven – Muziekgebouw
wo. 14 sep. – Amsterdam – Concertgebouw
do. 15 sep. – Kampen – De Burgwal
vr. 16 sep. – Middelburg – De Spot


Links:
website, facebook, wiki

JERRY “JI” ALLISON, drummer for Buddy Holly and the Crickets and co-writer on some of their biggest hits, has died. He was 82.
​
The official Facebook page for Holly announced Allison’s death, though no cause or date of death was given. “JI was a musician ahead of his time, and undoubtedly his energy, ideas and exceptional skill contributed to both The Crickets, and rock n’ roll itself, becoming such a success. Buddy is often heralded as the original singer-songwriter, but JI, too, wrote and inspired so many of the songs that would go on to be eternal classics.”

Allison, born in 1939, met Holly in the Fifties and the two began playing as a duo — Allison on drums, Holly on guitar and vocals. Per a bio on AllMusic, Allison even accompanied Holly to Nashville for his first unsuccessful recording session in 1956. 

One year later, Holly and Allison linked up with bassist Joe B. Mauldin and officially became the Crickets. Not only did Allison’s drums anchor the pioneering rock and roll group’s sound, but he also played an important role in crafting the group’s songs. He’s credited as a co-writer on some of Holly and the Crickets’ most famous tunes, including their debut single, “That’ll Be the Day,” and classics like “Peggy Sue” and “More Than I Can Say.”


Despite their swift, trailblazing success, Holly and the Crickets split in 1958; Holly died in a plane crash the following year. The Crickets, however, continued to tour and record into the Sixties and beyond, and Allison established himself as a go-to studio musician, working with artists like J.J. Cale and Johnny Rivers. 

The Crickets were also closely associated with another musical great from Lubbock, Texas, Waylon Jennings, touring with him for several years during the Eighties. The band also got to collaborate with Paul McCartney, who provided piano and backing vocals to the band’s 1988 single, “T Shirt.”
As a member of the Crickets, Allison earned a special induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 (the band was originally not included when Holly was inducted in 1986). 

Delicious, delightful, bodacious, brave, insightful, seductive and fun - just some of the many adjectives one might use to describe Judith Owen's fascinating and alluring new album.
The release of "Come On & Get It" will accompany select tour dates worldwide, including stops in Paris, New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and London.

Watch the video for "Fine Brown Frame"
 
Watch the video for “Blossom’s Blues”

Owen, a now New Orleans native who originally hails from Wales, conceived of the project as a result of her childhood fascination with the jazz music of some of the ballsiest women of the Jazz and Blues world, including unsung trailblazers- Nellie Lutcher and Julia Lee whom she discovered hidden on the shelves of her father's record collection alongside the likes of Oscar Peterson and Jelly Roll Morton. Captivated and enchanted by these "unapologetic" chanteuses of the 40's/50's (Pearl Bailey, Dinah Washington, Blossom Dearie, Peggy Lee, Julie London), who were singing about sex - and enjoying it at a time when women were meant to sing about romance - Owen made it her mission to dig deep and find out more from both a musical and historical perspective. The result is "Come On & Get It," the most joyful, uplifting, and empowering project to emerge out of Covid; a throw-back with a fresh feel complete with a look and style that speaks of all those delectable, hugely entertaining women who broke the glass ceiling with their shoe heels and were ever so proud of it!

​“We wanted a song that could be your mama,” reveals Derrick Procell about the creation of his new Catfood Records release’s title song penned with longtime collaborator Terry Abrahamson. “A song that could hold your hand and tell you everything was gonna be alright. And whether you’re worried about losing your job or your sobriety or your Constitutional rights, or your hopes for the Scorched Earth, this is a message to the world that ‘Yes, your mojo can, indeed, come back.’ Of course, it had to be something you can dance to.”
 
“Hello Mojo!” sits at the number one spot of the latest Top 50 Blues Songs Chart in the Roots Music Report.
 
“’Hello Mojo,’ driven by a finger poppin’ N’awlins groove supercharged with a sizzling rhythm from south of some border somewhere, lays out the premise of the promise of the bleakness of a down and out mojo-less soul, then lays us out on the canvas for the inevitable 10-count, only to be raised like Lazarus on the heels of a hard “Nine” and dropped in the arms of redemption and joy. “You’ve gotta believe. You’ve gotta keep hope alive.  If this song can help one soul hang on for one more hour, ‘Hello Mojo’ has done its job. Of course, a few million souls would be a little sweeter.”
Produced by Blues Music Award winner Zac Harmon and mixed by Grammy winning music producer Jim Gaines, the song was recorded at Sonic Ranch in Texas with the label’s hard workin’ house band, The Rays. A stellar horn section, with incendiary sax & trombone solos by Peter Neumer and Steve Duncan, squeeze out enough Mojo to heal the planet, or at least your little slice of it.
 
Procell, a “five decade plus” veteran of the American Roots journey, has had his songs heard everywhere from television and movie hits This Is Us, The Office, Boston Legal, and the Oscar-nominated Ladybird, to the albums of the Cash Box Kings and Shemekia Copeland, for whom his “In the Blood of the Blues” snagged a chunk of the 2018 Blues Album of the Year. With half a century of Blues vocals, keyboards and harmonica under his belt, he’s the first to laugh at the notion that his next Blues Music Award  nomination might make him the first 71 year old considered for “Best Emerging Artist:”
“I went from ‘The Harp Guy’ to the AARP Guy.’”
               
www.DerrickProcellMusic.com
 

​Het Australische vijftal van de ‘energetic, punky and psychedelic’ rock band The Murlocs opereert vanuit Melbourne en “Rapscallion” is alweer hun zesde studio-album. Met leden uit bands als Orb, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Crepes en Beans kun je The Murlocs waarachtig een ‘dynamic musical collective’ noemen en ‘strapped with fuzzy guitar licks, feverish bass-lines and psychedelic brightness’ bevat hun nieuwe album ‘an ultimate mix of bluesy feelgood, laidback stoner, fun punk and catchy 60’s tinged rock’!
​

​​The sixth full-length from The Murlocs, “Rapscallion”, is a coming-of-age novel in an album form, populated by an outrageous cast of misfit characters: teenage vagabonds, small-time criminals, junkyard dwellers and truck-stop transients. Over the course of 12 hypnotic and volatile rock-and-roll songs, the Melbourne-based five-piece dream up a wildly squalid odyssey partly inspired by frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s own adolescence as a nomadic skate kid. The most magnificently heavy work yet from The Murlocs, the result is an endlessly enthralling album equally steeped in danger and delirium and the wide-eyed romanticism of youth.
 
Self-produced by the band in the early stages of the pandemic, “Rapscallion” was recorded remotely in the home studios of Kenny-Smith (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Callum Shortal (guitar), Matt Blach (drums), Cook Craig (bass), and Tim Karmouche (keys). In a departure from the effusive garage-rock of 2021’s “Bittersweet Demons”, the album’s musical DNA contains strains of stoner-rock and the more primitive edge of post-punk, thanks largely to Shortal’s influence as the primary composer on “Rapscallion”. But despite that darker and more formidable sound, The Murlocs instill every track with the freewheeling energy they’ve brought the stage in supporting such acts as Pixies, Stephen Malkmus, Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees.
 
The Murlocs is a truly dynamic musical collective; all five members also perform in other bands: Kenny-Smith and Craig each play in the globally beloved King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Shortal plays guitar in Orb, and Karmouche and Blach are frontmen for Crepes and Beans, respectively. For The Murlocs, the making of “Rapscallion” marked both a major creative leap and a welcome reminiscence of their own youthful exploits. “As a kid I was out the door as soon I could, just chasing new experiences, and it felt good to look back on all these wonderful memories of that time - although there were certainly a lot of very dicey moments too”, says Kenny-Smith. “It was exciting to write in a different way rather than coming up with 12 songs about my anxieties, to live vicariously through that character and get back to a feeling of exploration. I hope when people hear the album they really dig deep into the world of the story we’ve created, and it gives them that same sensation of traveling into the unknown”.
​

​Eva De Roovere

Brengt haar album "Hier en Nu" en nog veel meer nu ook naar de theaters.
Vanaf september tot en met voorjaar 2023.

Ooit waren er twee producers die genomineerd werden voor Radio 2 Zomerhit met een remix van “Wild kind”, een nummer van Eva De Roovere ft Diggy Dex, ergens in het jaar 2019. En ooit waren er twee muzikanten die besloten samen aan liedjes te werken tijdens een pandemie, ergens in het jaar 2020. Deze vier muziek-wizards vlogen via Walem, Antwerpen, Lier, Gent en Brussel en streken neer in de Marmalade Sound Factory in Ranst om een plaat te maken. Allerlei onvoorziene omstandigheden, een dozijn obstakels, vele lockdowns, Zoom sessies, online meetings en Whatsapp-groepen later, verschijnt “Hier en nu”: Eva’s zesde Nederlandstalige full album.
Nu komt Eva tot bij jou met een band vol drums, bas, toetsen en gitaar om je te laten meegenieten van oude en nieuwe muziek en je mee te nemen van vroeger tot nu. Dans je zorgen weg op de aanstekelijke ritmes en laat je vervoeren door de stembanden van Eva De Roovere. Welkom, hier en nu!
 
Tourdata:

16/09/22  Deerlijk - OC d'Iefte - Tickets
12/10/22  Rotselaar - De Mena- Tickets
14/10/22  Meulebeke - OC Vondel - Tickets
30/10/22  Eeklo - CC De Herbakker - Tickets
19/11/22  Merksem - Schouwburg Noord - Tickets
08/12/22  Lauwe - OC Het Applauws - Tickets
16/12/22  Ravels - De Wouwer - Tickets
19/01/23  Steenokkerzeel - GC De Corren - Tickets
27/01/23  Temse  - Theaterzaal Roxy - Tickets
10/02/23  Poperinge - CC Ghybe - Tickets
11/02/23  Herentals - 't Schaliken - Tickets
24/03/23  Sint-Gilles-Waas - GC De Route - Tickets
25/03/23  Ruddervoorde/Oostkamp - Zaal Ridefort - Tickets
21/04/23  Avelgem - Spikkerelle - Tickets
19/05/23  Heist-op-den-Berg - CC Zwaneberg - Tickets
27/05/23  Heusden-Zolder - CC Muze - Tickets

Het recente album van Eva De Roovere "Hier en Nu" is een plaat vol onvervalste Nederlandstalige popsongs in een productie van Ken – Fatty K – Flamant en Wouter – Wowter – De Schutter. Singles “Spijt” en "Stroom" deden het  erg goed op de radio en haalden de Vlaamse Top 20. Ook het album zelf werd door de media en publiek bijzonder goed onthaald. Eva werd door Spotify afgelopen voorjaar wereldwijd uitgeroepen tot artieste van de maand.

 

Een jazzherfst knetterend als een haardvuur wordt het bij Flagey, waarin Deens gitarist, componist en 'gitaarfluisteraar' Jakob Bro al vroeg aantreedt met een unieke live album recording. Niet één maar vier concerten/opnames worden dat, meticuleus geregistreerd door ECM-kopman Manfred Eicher in de intimiteit van Studio 1 - want: quelle akoestiek.


Daarna maakt Bro plaats voor Jean-Paul Estiévenart, België's lievelingstrompettist. Die brengt in sepember -uitgesteld na de annulatie van het Brussels Jazz Festival- tòch nog de compositie die hij maakte in opdracht van Flagey, getiteld Deus Ex Machina. Later dit najaar volgt de tweede compositie-opdracht, uitgevoerd door zijn 'dreamteam' van internationaal gelauwerde artiesten.


Flagey brengt traditiegetrouw zowel The Best of Belgian jazz als de crème de la crème uit de internationale jazz scene.


Zo wisselen Jonge Wolven als de Brusselaar Vitja Pauwels en de West-Vlaamse Anke Verslype - de drijvende kracht achter aki, finalist bij Jong Jazztalent op Gent Jazz - af met internationaal gevestigde waarden als Youn Sun Nah Quartet, Chelsea Carmichael, Mark Guiliana en Tigran Hamasyan Trio. Wie Autumn Jazz zegt, mag zich dan ook aan heel wat nieuwe album releases verwachten.


In Gondwana records presents schuift Matthew Halsall, de oprichter van het Britse label uit Manchester, deze keer de aanstekelijk minimalistische Scandinavische jazz van Svaneborg Kardyb naar voor. Waarna hij zelf met zijn trompet het podium beklimt, geïnspireerd door zowel de Britse jazz, als de spirituele jazz van Alice Coltrane en Pharoah Sanders, maar ook door traditionele muziek en elektronica.


Onder de noemer Jazz Meets Symphonic nodigen Flagey, De Bijloke en Brussels Philharmonic al voor de vijfde maal grote artiesten uit om het podium te delen met het orkest. Na Brad Mehldau, Avishai Cohen, Tigran Hamasyan en Uri Caine de voorbije jaren, is het nu aan het Bill Frisell Trio.


Philip Catherine viert zijn 80e verjaardag in Flagey met - hoe kon het ook anders- een feestelijk optreden. Stoppen, daar denkt hij nog lang niet aan: 'Ik ben vandaag nog even gepassioneerd door jazz dan toen ik een tiener was. De gitaar is een verlengstuk van mezelf,' aldus Catherine.


De helende kracht van muziek in barre tijden komt deze herfst ook van een nieuwe generatie Zuid-Afrikaanse artiesten. Onder de titel 'South African Jazz - A New Generation' zijn in Flagey twee dubbelconcerten op één weekend gewijd aan deze heerlijke muziek. Rijzende ster van deze nieuwe generatie is pianist, componist en 'healer' Nduduzo Makhathini, die werd geselecteerd door Blue Note als vaandeldrager van hun nieuwe Afrikaanse tak Blue Note Africa.

Meer info: www.flagey.be

        

​Music is a great and powerful connector. There’s nothing quite like hearing the palpable and electric connection between musicians in an inspired performance, or feeling an intrinsic connection to a song that causes your emotions to take flight. Making that connection happen on his new recording is acclaimed Canadian pianist and singer Michael Kaeshammer with live-off-the-floor performances on his joyful and inspired new album, The Warehouse Sessions, set for world-wide release on October 7th from Linus Entertainment.

A delectable concoction of funky soul, gospel revival and rollicking boogie-woogie, The Warehouse Sessions showcases the fine-tuned prowess of a trio that has spent countless hours together on stage and off, honing their musical connection. Not wanting that connection to dissipate, Kaeshammer, bassist David Piltch and drummer Johnny Vidacovich gathered at Bryan Adams’ famed Warehouse Studio in Vancouver to capture their unique symbioses together in more permanent form.

A lost-in-the-moment capture of the multi-JUNO and WCMA winner and his hot trio, the punchy lead-off single, “You’ve Got It In Your Soulness,” is a lovingly reverent but progressive take on the Les McCann jazz-soul song that first appeared on McCann’s and trumpet player Eddie Harris’ 1969 Grammy nominated live album, Swiss Movement. 

“The concept was simple,” reflects Kaeshammer. “Let’s call a tune and then, let’s record it.  These are all first takes, loose and energetic.”
That approach has made The Warehouse Sessions a collection that is imbued with an immediacy and excitement that’s apparent from the first notes of “You’ve Got It In Your Soulness”, through the trio’s engaging takes on other classics like “Ain’t She Sweet,” “Down By The Riverside” and “Bourbon Street Parade.” All songs that “show a group having so much fun it’s infectious,” says JAZZ.FM91’s Brad Barker, who wrote the album liner notes.  “It’s simply three friends finding joy in making music for each other and we all get to crash the party.”

A mélange of styles masterfully conveyed is a hallmark of Kaeshammer’s versatility and inclusive approach to making music. Throughout decades as a professional performer, first in Germany and then Canada after making Vancouver Island his family home, the double JUNO winner has interwoven elements of classical, jazz, blues, boogie-woogie, stride, and even pop into his signature brand of music.

“When I play, I don’t worry about if it’s jazz or pop or classical or whatever; I just play what I hear and let the music decide what it wants to be,” Kaeshammer explains. “Sure, there are different styles, different eras, different approaches, but when you really look at it, it’s all just music based on 12 notes.”
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Sure, you can always distill music down to those 12 simple notes but, the wondrous art you can build them into is the magic. On The Warehouse Sessions and all the music he’s released since his 1996 debut album, Blue Keys, Kaeshammer displays his keen handle on creating that art for all of us to enjoy.

​As Preston, the song’s writer, says, “Carl was the best and original rockabilly. He was unusual for his time, a singer/guitar player who wrote his own songs including ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ for Elvis. I took the title for this song from his 1992 Guitar Player magazine interview where he said of himself ‘I guess I’m just a lucky old rockabilly walking down the pike.’ Very humble and very, very talented.”
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Op 9 september verschijnt ‘Introducing The Analogues Sideshow’, het nieuwe en eerste album met eigen nummers van de inmiddels internationaal gevierde Nederlandse Beatles-tributeband The Analogues. Singles "Goodfoot", "Patience" en "Can't Figure You Out" deden het al erg goed op de radio's en de streaming platformen. “Onze day job blijft het integraal live spelen van Beatles-albums. Onze eigen muziek brengen we daarom uit als The Analogues Sideshow", zegt Fred Gehring, drummer en mede-oprichter van The Analogues.
 
The Analogues is de groep Nederlandse muzikanten die de afgelopen jaren in binnen- en buitenland lovende kritieken kreeg voor hun spectaculaire live-vertolkingen van The Beatles’ studioalbums. Multi-instrumentalisten/vocalisten Bart van Poppel, Felix Maginn, Fred Gehring, Jac Bico en Diederik Nomden delen een diepgewortelde passie voor het latere werk van The Beatles en hebben hun muzikaliteit de afgelopen jaren in het teken gesteld van de live-recreatie van de iconische Beatles albums van eind jaren zestig.
 
Gehring: "Toen alles stil kwam te liggen vanwege corona zaten we midden in onze ‘Let It Be: ABBEY ROAD’ tour. De laatste twee albums van The Beatles en dus als zodanig ook voor ons de laatste twee mega reproductie-projecten. Opeens hadden we veel tijd beschikbaar. En het bloed kruipt waar het niet gaan kan. Iedereen had liedjes of ideeën en van het een kwam het ander. Uiteindelijk besloten we er voor te gaan: het ondenkbare idee van de Beatles tributeband die een eigen plaat maakt. En uitbrengt".
 
"Die hele serie iconische Beatles-albums die tussen 1966 en 1969 werden gecreëerd  maar nooit live werden gespeeld hebben we nu ontrafeld en gereproduceerd. De benodigde collectie vintage instrumenten en versterkers is compleet. Dus dat deel van het project zit er op”, zegt musical-director Bart van Poppel, “al gaan we die albums uiteraard nog ontzettend vaak live spelen - in binnen en buitenland. Dus The Beatles blijven nadrukkelijk onze belangrijkste focus. Maar het maken van de eigen plaat heeft ook enorm veel plezier gegeven. Ons nieuwe album is dus een sideshow, maar dat wil niet zeggen dat we het niet serieus nemen. Integendeel. Net als wanneer we muziek van The Beatles spelen. Het komt allemaal voort uit dezelfde drijfveer: liefde voor muziek”.
 
De collectie van 13 nieuwe liedjes op ‘Introducing The Analogues Sideshow’ bevat bijdragen van alle bandleden. De songs zijn divers, barsten van het speelplezier en ademen creatieve vrijheid, natuurlijk met als inspiratiebron de periode eind ‘60s, begin ‘70s.

Jazz Middelheim vond plaats van 12 tot 15 augustus in Park Den Brandt, Antwerpen. Op het jaarlijkse jazzfestival kwamen 15.000 bezoekers langs, wat met een maximumcapaciteit van 16.000 een nagenoeg uitverkochte editie was. Dankzij de programmatie die uit veel invalshoeken bestond, vond een divers publiek hun gading in de muziek. Met veel thuismatchen van lokale artiesten en een onvergetelijk eerbetoon aan festivalpeter Toots Thielemans en zoveel meer.
 
Bertrand Flamang (woordvoerder Jazz Middelheim): “Een leuke vaststelling is dat er voor de zoveelste editie op rij veel commotie en discussie was ontstaan over het programma. Uiteindelijk bleek tijdens het festival dat iedereen blij was met wie er op ons podium stond. De diversiteit van het publiek en het programma bleek hand in hand te gaan, mede gezien er een recordaantaal meerdagenpassen werd verkocht.”
 
Gedurfde lineup werd gesmaakt
 
Een verrassend concert voor Jazz Middelheim was dat van Coely, maar het bleek een absoluut hoogtepunt en een thuismatch die gesmaakt werd door het huidige én toekomstige publiek van Jazz Middelheim. Tijdens de energieke en feestelijke improvisatieset van Lander & Adriaan ging het publiek helemaal los.
 
Thurston Moore - een grote inspiratiebron voor veel jazz,- rock- en avantgardemuzikanten - trakteerde het publiek op een weergaloos concert. Velen stelden zich de vraag wat Iggy Pop op Jazz Middelheim kwam doen, terwijl Thurston’s set eigenlijk het verst verwijderd was van een klassiek jazzoptreden. Flamang: “Hij gaf wel een fenomenaal concert met heel wat uitdagingen en bovendien volledig geïmproviseerd. Iggy Pop zijn doortocht was dan weer onvergetelijk door de heel dynamische set."
 
Hommage aan Toots
 
Brussels Jazz Orchestra en Metropole Orkest brachten een tweeledige hommage aan Toots Thielemans, die dit jaar 100 zou zijn geworden. “De set van Brussels Jazz Orchestra was het beste concert dat ik in lange tijd van hen zag. Ze gaven de muziek een andere dimensie met een tikkeltje avontuur, zonder dat het geheel te gepolijst klonk”, aldus Flamang.
 
Roots van de Belgische jazzscene
 
Grand Picture Palace, het mini-orkest dat ontstond op Jazz Middelheim in 2019, bewees nog maar eens dat het is uitgegroeid tot een van dé prestigeprojecten in de Belgische jazzscene. Trompettist Bert Joris - die mee het DNA van Jazz Middelheim bepaalde door er tientallen keren te spelen in de voorbije decennia - vierde zijn 65ste verjaardag samen met het octet van zijn zoon, en dat bulkt van het jong talent. Hét bewijs dat er een nieuwe generatie klaarstaat die fantastische dingen doet met de roots van jazz.
 
Ook nieuwe geluiden vonden hun weg naar Jazz Middelheim, met onder meer het Belgische Aka Moon dat een ongelooflijk sterke set speelde. Artiesten zoals Philip Catherine en Jef Neve traden tijdens de covid-edities op voor een kleiner publiek op Jazz Middelheim, maar stonden nu weer te schitteren voor een grotere en enthousiaste mensenzee.
 
Herbeleef Jazz Middelheim op Klara
 
Marc Weyts (producer Klara): “Een zinderende editie, deze Jazz Middelheim. En heel divers. Er was de straffe rap van Yong Yello en een ontketende Iggy Pop. Hij pakte oud én jong mee in een powerset. En verder was ik erg onder de indruk van de wondere wereld/genereuze gekte van Alabaster dePlume met een glansrol voor Karen Willems op drums. En van Mysterium van Jef Neve.
Toots was er toch ook nog bij, met dat heerlijke Toots 100 project. En heel bijzonder was de combinatie Fred Hersch Trio en Desguin String Quartet. Geraffineerde muziek van een groot pianist."
 
Klara zond zowat alle concerten live uit. Op klara.be/jazzmiddelheim kan je terecht voor video’s, interviews en sneak peeks van de backstage. Dit najaar kan je op Klara nagenieten van Jazz Middelheim.
Deze zomer beluister je nog de meest legendarische jazzartiesten in het dagelijkse programma All That Jazz. En verder zijn er de podcasts All That Jazz en Toots op VRT NU.”

On his latest single “Waiting For The Dawn,” released today via Provogue/Mascot Label Group, the iconic blues-rock guitarist Walter Trout urges fans – and himself – to stay strong, in light of all of the challenges we’ve faced over the past few years. “There were times in this pandemic where I have sunk into some pretty deep depressions, sitting around, wondering whether life has a point,” Trout recalls. It’s the latest single from Trout’s new studio album ‘Ride,’ out August 19th. Written in his now-deserted home in Huntington, Beach, California, the album is filled with pointed reflections from Trout, informed by his decades of stardom in the blues world.

The song is featured on Trout’s new studio album ‘Ride,’ out August 19th
via Provogue / Mascot Label Group​

As long-standing Trout fans know, the Golden State has been the bluesman’s home for 47 years. Trout joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers lineup in ’85, before embarking on an acclaimed solo career from ’89 onwards. But before that came his chaotic, self-destructive years as a jobbing lead guitarist, whether for revered-but-tricky blues pioneers like John Lee Hooker and Big Mama Thornton, or an unhinged tenure in Canned Heat.
 
Trout’s well-documented excess in this era was darker than a young rock star cutting loose. It could all be traced back to his troubled childhood in New Jersey, he explains, where an unstable stepfather – himself the victim of shocking cruelty as a prisoner of war – was a terrifying presence. As 'Ride' took form, such memories couldn’t help but flavor the music. “This album is obviously what I was going through mentally and emotionally,” he considers. “All I did was express it. I spent a lot of time crying, because I would dig down into my emotional core. I want my songs to have some sort of truth to them.”
 
Some memories that Trout examines on 'Ride' are long-distant but eternally poignant. Try the deceptively upbeat title track, another song that began as a poem, recounting the locomotive that rattled past his childhood home each night and enticed him to freight-hop to freedom. “That song is about what it felt like to lay there in bed and dream about escaping on that train.”

 
The stormy "Hey Mama" takes inspiration from the same period, with Trout debating whether his trauma could have been averted. “I’m not pissed off with my mom and I love her memory,” he says, “but my wife says, ‘Your mom probably could have done more to protect you from your stepdad’. Yeah, maybe she could have. But it’s easy to say that looking back.”
 
Walter Trout is the beating heart of the modern blues rock scene. Respected by the old guard. Revered by the young guns. Adored by the fans who shake his hand after the show each night, and after five decades in the game, Trout remains a talismanic figure.
 
But, however fast or far a man travels, he can never truly outrun his past. On the new album he found himself eyeing the horizon and the green shoots of his triumphant late career. There was a new record deal with Mascot/Provogue. A move from California to Denmark with his beloved family. Even now, aged 70, Trout was still writing fresh chapters of his life story.
 
By now, Trout knows that nobody ever really leaves their old selves behind. But with 'Ride' providing an emotional release-valve – both for its creator and his loyal listeners – perhaps this veteran artist can reconcile with his past, accept his future and live in the present as it unfolds. “I think you can interpret this album title a few different ways,” he concludes. “I mean, this album is definitely a musical ride and I certainly tried to cover a lot of ground. But, really, life is kind of a ride too, isn’t it? And I want to live mine to the fullest.”                 
 

​​Blues legend Buddy Guy has announced the release of his new album The Blues Don’t Lie via RCA Records.
This is Guy’s 34th studio album, and the follow up to 2018’s Grammy winning album The Blues Is Alive and Well. Produced by songwriter/drummer Tom Hambridge, The Blues Don’t Lie features guests including Mavis Staples, Elvis Costello, James Taylor, Jason Isbell, and more.

The album will be released on September 30th, exactly 65 years to the day that Buddy arrived in Chicago on a train from Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1957, with just the clothes on his back and his guitar. His life would never be the same, and he was born again in the blues. The Blues Don’t Lie tells the story of his lifelong journey.

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The first single, “Gunsmoke Blues,” is a timely, haunting song featuring 4X Grammy-winning Americana artist, Jason Isbell.
Reflecting on this body of work, Buddy says “I promised them all: B.B., Muddy, Sonny Boy as long as I’m alive I’m going to keep the blues alive.” He has indeed proven that again, and proclaims, “I can’t wait for the world to hear my new album cause The Blues Don’t Lie.”
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Following the chart smashing and critically acclaimed Pop Up Jim Bob (2020) and Who Do We Hate Today (2021), Jim Bob (from Carter USM) is back with a twenty-one song classic compilation of timeless tunes in the shape of The Essential Jim Bob.
 
Having performed solo for over twenty years The Essential Jim Bob compiles the bangers from albums such as Angelstrike! (2004), A Humpty Dumpty Thing (2007), Goffam (2009), What I Think About When I Think About You (2013), Jim Bob Sings Again (2016) alongside the two aforementioned recent Top 40 albums.
 
“I spent far too long working out what the difference between a greatest hits, a best of and an essential collection is, and which category these twenty-one songs fits into.” Says Jim of the release. “In the end I did what I so often do. I asked myself ‘What would The Clash do?’ Looking at my record collection I decided this was my ‘Essential Clash’. I’m now looking forward to future releases of ‘Super Black Market Jim Bob’ and the three disc box set, ‘Jim Bob on Broadway.’”
 
A man of many words, Jim Bob’s solo career saw an album every year or two for the first decade before he picked up his pen and parchment to become a best-selling author. It’s proof of his knack for writing quality music that not only connects with everyday hum drum, but does so in a sympathetic, witty and credible way. It’s why you won’t find a chronological song order on The Essential Jim Bob, but instead a hopscotch of songs that celebrate a vivid, dark, substantial world that is just as real now as it was when he first wrote about it.
 
Arriving in November as a deluxe double vinyl album or 2CD edition, the sleeve is once again supplied by Mark Reynolds – who, after playing way too much Wordle, has created a ‘find the hidden song in the picture game.’ Early pre-orders will receive a free download of the official live Jim Bob bootleg Being Alive – Live At The Brixton Electric.

1. 2020 WTF!
2. Dream Come True
3. If It Ain’t Broke
4. Where’s the Backdoor, Steve?
5. The Man Behind the Counter of the Science Fiction Superstore
6. The Revenge of the School Bullied
7. Battling the Bottle (Fighting the Flab, at War with the World)
8. Victim (Jim Bob Sings Again piano version)
9. The Summer of No Touching
10. Another Day at the Office
11. KIDSTRIKE!
12. Coach A: Seat 21
13. Jo’s Got Papercuts
14. Our Heroes
15. Johnny Cash (Jim Bob Sings Again piano version)
16. My New Walk
17. The Loneliest Elephant in the World
18. Song for the Unsung
19. Cartoon Dad
20. #thoughtsandprayers
21. Angelstrike!

 

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In a storied career of many accolades and firsts, celebrated seven-time Blues Music Award-winner Rory Block will release perhaps her most-ambitious album yet, with Ain’t Nobody Worried, coming October 7th on Stony Plain Records. 
 
As the third volume of her “Power Women of the Blues Series,” Ain’t Nobody Worried follows the logical course of its predecessors.  Produced by Rory Block and Rob Davis for Aurora Productions, Ain’t Nobody Worried was recorded and mixed by Rob Davis at Kentucky Studios, Sandy Hook, Kentucky; and mastered by Toby Mountain of Northeastern Digital. Rory Block sang all the vocals, played all the guitar parts, slide, bass and percussion.
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​“The inspiration for this recording was born during the dreaded shut downs,” recalls Rory Block about the album’s genesis. “Being quarantined led us to the idea of Home Broadcasts, which soon blossomed into two concerts per week over two years with an incredible following of viewers from around the world. We were all hungry for togetherness and music, and found ourselves clinging to the idea that some form of normalcy still existed, somewhere, almost certainly in music. After covering just about every blues, folk and Old Timey song I ever knew, the idea popped into my head to reach into the iconic songbook of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. That meant music that was on the radio over 50 years ago. In its own right it could be called historic, early American music. Viewer requests for their own favorites strengthened and expanded this idea, turning the concerts into a major potpourri of material. It was challenging, satisfying, and inspiring. The consensus was that it was time to hear these incredible songs again. 

“While it was challenging, and I never had enough time to really learn the songs properly, no one minded or expected my acoustic versions to be replicas of the originals. We wanted to remember, celebrate and cling to the emotions and memories these great songs embodied. We wanted to sing along. We wanted it to be a sentimental journey with an unexpected twist. That’s what this record is all about.

“I started referring to it as ‘The Campfire Sessions.’ That meant ‘Hey, pass me the guitar... lemme try that one!’ I was the person saying pass me the guitar- and that was just alright with everyone.

“In keeping with my latest ongoing project, ‘Power Women of the Blues,’ and inspired by the enthusiasm generated by the Home Concerts, I chose hit songs performed or written by female artists whose music changed the world. I could do multiple volumes easily as there are, as always, just too many great songs to choose from. 
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“There will be those who will question why I would decide to do songs by legends such as Gladys Knight, Mavis Staples, Mary Wells and others. Why attempt to resurrect such untouchable greatness? I suppose the answer is the same reason I dare to do Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith and other early blues legends. I do not do these songs to create a better version than the original. Those versions are enshrined in the halls of Musical Heaven. I do these songs because I play the music I love the most. Creating new versions honors the original artists. And, as I learned during the Home Concerts, it’s time we thought about these amazing songs again.”

Ain’t Nobody Worried Track Listing and Comments by Rory
1. I’ll Take You There
The Staple Singers (featuring Mavis Staples)
Not much explanation needed. This is one of the all-time great and powerful crossover gospel songs with an immense rhythm track, graced by the matchless voice of Mavis Staples. Mavis proved that gospel is a force in pop music. “I’ll Take You There” was the first track we recorded and is the first track on this CD. It just felt right.
2. Midnight Train To Georgia
Gladys Knight and The Pips
Who can say “Midnight Train to Georgia” wasn’t one of the most soulful songs of its time, and who didn’t try to learn to sing listening to Gladys Knight’s superlative rich vocals? Who didn’t try to learn backup vocals and dance moves from the Pips? This song was a must-do, and the second track we recorded.
3. My Guy
Mary Wells
Mary Wells nailed this perfectly-crafted song by Smokey Robinson, giving it passion, charm, and a wry sense of humor. I recorded it in the same key as the original, but then was dismayed to find my natural vocal range was deeper, so I thought about slowing the track or re-recording it. In the end, I sang it in a somewhat jazzy head voice and went with it. I could have given it a bit of growl in a deeper key, but maybe it didn’t need growl. After all, it is a spirited and fun song, and I had a great time singing, especially on the outro.
4. Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Remember when this song came on the radio and blew our minds? It was a trendsetter, with a stereotype busting, cutting edge approach that was almost unheard of at the time. It was, however, (if I can pat myself on the back), an idea I had always cherished - taking an acoustic song and suddenly applying an earth shaking drum track when least expected, taking the song, with its emotionally honest and arresting story, to another level altogether. Tracy was one of the first to really turn this approach into pure gold. 
5. Cried Like A Baby
Koko Taylor
I met Koko Taylor on the road in Germany. I opened for her and her tighter-than-ever band for several shows on that tour, including a TV show that ended up as a laser disk (remember those)? She dubbed me “Little Miss Dynamite,” a name I deeply appreciate and cherish. No one could nail the power of a sexy full-out blues wail like Koko. On the outro, I ad lib one of my conversations with her, including her worldly wisdom and advice.
6. Love Has No Pride
Bonnie Raitt
Greenwich Village in the ‘60s was a hotbed of immense musical talent, with the likes of Bob Dylan living just two doors away from The Allan Block sandal shop, Joan Baez performing in local venues, Bonnie Raitt making waves with her heart wrenching blues, and the list goes on and on. My first boyfriend, Stefan Grossman, was friends with many of the pivotal players in the burgeoning scene. One of his good friends was a great songwriter and musician named Eric Kaz, who, together with Libby Titus, wrote ”Love Has No Pride.” We always thought it was the best song ever written, performed by Bonnie, the best singer on earth.
7. I’d Rather Go Blind
Etta James
This song led the way for the concept of this recording, establishing the theme celebrating great women of song. I just kept saying, “I can’t wait to sing ‘I’d Rather Go Blind.’” This song is one of the most haunting and moving portrayals of heartbreak ever written, sung by the amazingly gutsy blues voice of a woman who meant every word she sang. Etta, we got the tissues out.
8. Lovin’ Whiskey
Rory Block
This is the song I thought no one would care about. This is the song that got me on an airplane. This is the song that launched my career. This is the song I didn’t want to put on the record. This is the song that earned me a gold record and has remained my most popular and requested song for over 3 decades. I have heard repeatedly that it’s because it’s about the hidden struggles of the heart, and knowing we are not alone. More people say that it helped them through the hardest times of their lives than any other I have written. Murphy’s Law, you never know. Oh yes, great guitar player Bud Rizzo played the original heart-wrenching solo. I decided to follow it note for note, for better or worse, on my acoustic version. I also stuck with the original drum pattern that I somehow constructed on one of the first drum machines ever invented. It made no sense in that it wrapped around so the “one” beat was in a different place every verse, but it somehow worked… and you know, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
9. Dancing In The Streets
Martha and The Vandellas
Great song, great performance from Martha and her Vandellas, great groove, solid gold, what’s not to love? Had to do this one for the pure joy of it. 
10. You’ve Got A Friend
Carole King
This song came on the radio in one of the hardest periods of my life. Waking me from a deep sleep in a state of despair, hearing the vulnerable and unpretentious voice of Carole King made me sit up straight in bed and say “Maybe I can do this!” It was a life changing moment. She was the voice of every woman.
11. Freight Train
Elizabeth Cotton
This could be the most influential guitar style ever created. Libba Cotton once was Nanny to the Seeger children, until she was overheard sitting in another room singing this haunting tune. I celebrate her, not because this song became gold, but because in the most unassuming way, quietly and without a lot of fanfare, her guitar picking became one of the most influential guitar styles of all times.
"I do these songs because I play the music I love the most." -- Rory Block
 

www.roryblock.com                     
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“Estrangement Zone” is de eerste single/videoclip van zijn debuut-solo-album “Nothing Special”!
Will Sheff - Estrangement Zone (Official Video) - YouTube

The song “Estrangement Zone” sets Sheff’s less-than-hopeful vision of society’s decline to retrofuturistic digital timbres more associated with Oneohtrix Point Never or Boards Of Canada than Okkervil River. The video is directed by Johnny North and prominently features Marcus Paek as a character simply called ‘The Youth’. It’s a mystical desert fantasy that’s part “Dune”, part “Stalker”. Sheff: “I think of the video as a kind of magical spell the crew and I were trying to cast - a parable about endings and beginnings happening simultaneously”.
xxxxx

​Will Sheff is het brein van de alt folk-country-indie-rock formatie Okkervil River en na 20 jaar en 9 studio-albums met initiëel zijn ‘buddies from high school’ is het nu tijd voor zijn eerste solo-release. Twee jaar geleden overleed zijn ‘main old buddie/drummer’ Travis Nelsen, en “Nothing Special” gaat met name over ‘grieving for him, grieving for everything my friends have lost, grieving for the rock and the rock & roll myth, and trying to open my eyes to a more transcendent reality’. Ook zijn recente verhuizing van Austin, Texas naar Los Angeles had z’n weerslag, want “Nothing Special” is daarnaast geïnspireerd door de overweldigende natuurschoon van zuidelijk Californie. Je hoort Jeff op z’n meest ingetogen; ‘unconventional, lush, patient and deliberate songs with delicate passages, rich arrangements, decaying synthesizers, liquid guitar tones, cinematic soundscapes, psychedelic tunes and gentle positive vibes’!

Op 7 oktober verschijnt het album: “Nothing Special”
TRACKLISTING:
1 The Spiral Season
2 In The Thick Of It
3 Estrangement Zone
4 Nothing Special 
5 Holy Man
6 Like The Last Time
7 Marathon Girl
8 Evidence

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De bassist van The Pogues, Darryl Hunt, is op 72-jarige leeftijd overleden. Dat heeft de Britse folk/punkband dinsdag bekendgemaakt. “We zijn ongelooflijk bedroefd. Onze Darryl is gisterenmiddag in Londen overleden”, aldus The Pogues via Twitter.

​Darryl Hunt werd op 4 mei 1950 geboren in Christchurch, in Zuidwest-Engeland. Hij speelde eerst in de pubrockgroep Plummet Airlines vooraleer de punkband The Favourites op te richten. In september 1986 ging hij aan de slag als bassist bij The Pogues, nadat hij eerder voor hen als technicus had gewerkt. Hunt speelde voor het eerst mee op hun album If I Should Fall From Grace With God uit 1988 en bleef met hen spelen tot hun laatste album, Pogue Mahone, in 1996.

​De band bracht in totaal zeven studioalbums uit. In Nederland scoorden The Pogues met Fairytale of New York (1987) en Fiesta (1988) de grootste hits.
In 2013 overleed de gitarist van de band, Philip Chevron, aan de gevolgen van kanker.
"We kunnen niet in woorden uitdrukken hoe bedroefd we zijn", schrijft de band over Hunt. Een doodsoorzaak is niet gedeeld.