Bo Diddley(R.I.P) (and that ain’t no Cadillac Records; maybe Nas will play him in the sequel; Little Walter, “My Babe”
I heard a Bo Diddley tribute on local college station KALX (and they played songs influenced by him, and hardley ANY Bo-Diddley. Ugh. We need more BO DIDDLEY (at least they played The Animals “The Story Of Bo Diddley” alongside “I Want Candy” and The Smiths policies (threatening to become law as so many elected officials remain ignorant of the political, democratic, stakes involved in this issue) is to contact www. savenetradio.org
Eddie Bo
Recently deceased, amazing New Orleans piano soul/funk r &b sides.
Google him, if you not yet know.
The Curious Mystery, Rotting Slowly (K Records)
Saw these guys a year or so ago in Oakland, were on the verge of breaking up, but managed to stay together to see through their debut album (release date, Malcolm X’s Birday May 19th). This fourpiece features the lead vocals of Shana Cleveland, who will probably get many comparisons
to Mazzy (“Fade Into You”) Star vocalist, but Cleveland’s voice takes is much more expressive and evocative than Hope Sandoval‘s, closer to PJ Harvey range. Guitarist Nicholas Gonzalez is amazing; playing bizarre chords that at first seem out of tune (Which may be why Calvin Johnson liked the band in the first place) but fit in very well with the very contemporary dense textured psychedelic revivalism; and Faustine B Hudson is as melodic as she is rhythmic. A stong debut
Norman Whitfield
Also, recently deceased (September, 2008). Another amazing “behind the scenes” guy, whose songwriting and production was as at least as important to “The Motown Sound” as Smoky Robinsonand Holland Dozier Holland
John Rich, “In The Real World They’re Closing Down Detroit”
Or is it “In the real world they’re shutting down Detroit”—Factcheck; it’s a contemporary country hit whose working class message I was very happy to hear. Bailing out the fat cats on Wall Street. But, watch out, democrats and progressives. People like talkshow host Sean Hannady are trying to co-opt this message for their political agenda—even though the Bush administration was even more in bed with Wall Street than Obama is….
Lux interior
Also, R.I.P.
Dean Wareham, Black Postcards.
His recently published memoir; for those who always dug Galaxie 500 more than, say, their New England based contemporaries, The Pixies. Some nasty page-turning words about that breakup still, but from the perspective of the post-Luna breakup (“it’s hard to be in a band with a couple”), leaves the possibility of a reunion open!
Benny Benjamin,
Another underrated, under-talked about, amazing behind the scenes Motown; the main drummer with James Jamerson for that great Motown rhythm section, unti his untimely tragic death in 1969. And, yes, it does seem to be his real name, and, no, they never played with Robbie Robertson or Kris Kristofferson, though that would be a damn cool mosh-up oldies supergroup
The Pine Hill Haints, “To Win Or To Lose.”
Sometimes when white boys try to sound like Mardi Grad Indians/ Second Lining they end up sounding like David Peel & The Lower East Side “(My Bones Are Gonna Rise Again”) , and that’s kind of kool, but even better is on tighter genuine old timey songs (like early Freakwater
meets Devil meets Three), such as “How Much Poison Does It Take”…
aslongasittakes.org
http://www.aslongasittakes.org/issue3/tobbi.mp3
“Turn To Me”, Lou Reed
Because sometimes you just have to
