A few odds and sods that have been rattling around in my brain that I thought I’d dump on you… Feel free to return the favor!
Friend of the Hall Ben Vaughn (original late-’70s demo version of the song performed above here!), featuring my close personal friend and longtime musical collaborator Townsman Sethro on drums, is featured tonight at 10:00 pm on Philadelphia’s PBS station WHYY (and possibly PBS stations elsewhere). The performance was from a fun show in a South Jersey park late summer or early in the fall of 2011. Perhaps you’ll see me and my family sitting in the audience, off to the right side (from the audience’s perspective) of the stage. You may also see a guy who looks like me with shorter hair. That would be my brother.
Marc Maron interviewed Nick Lowe on his WTF podcast. I’m a real late-comer to this show, and despite having some problems with Maron’s “cool-guy” penchant for dropping F-bombs, his too-familiar-for-my-comfort self-absorption, and in this interview with a musician, obvious gaping holes in his musical knowledge, the interview really pays off if the music nerd in you can get by Maron’s Larry King–like lack of preparation. Lowe shares a lot about his early days.
A week or two ago I caught a clip of Christina Aguilera hamming it up at Etta James‘ funeral. That’s one low-hanging cross! There’s got to be an amazing Ham-Jam out there featuring Aguilera that blows away her role in the star-studded quartet version of that old LaBelle song some time ago.
This morning on my local Oldies radio station the DJ and news person made a Flavor Fav reference in their crossover. It made me feel 100 years old.
Bummed that Stations of the Boss is not included.
http://mobile.philly.com/entertainment/?wss=/philly/entertainment&id=139411563&deliver=android&viewAll=y#more
This comes from a mailing for Infinity Hall, a venue in northwestern CT. They opened a few years ago, have quite a good roster of artists performing there, and it’s a nice place to see a performance. Still, I can’t for the life of me figure out how they succeed. They are in the middle of – if not quite exactly nowhere – not much and charge an awful lot for tickets especially compared to the Iron Horse in Northampton MA which has many of the same artists for a third to half the ticket price. Maybe it’s artists like this:
Sons of Cream feat. Kofi Baker, Malcolm Bruce and Godfrey Townsend
The “Cream” were undeniably the first rock “supergroup” of the 1960s. Although they were together for less than 3 years, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton left a gigantic impression on the world of rock music forever. Ginger Baker’s son Kofi, along with Jack Bruce’s son Malcolm, team up with guitarist Godfrey Townsend…to pay humble tribute to the world’s greatest power trio. Ticket Price: $35 & $45
Meant to add the description by the local music writer in today’s Hartford Courant: ““Sons of Cream” — Kofi Baker, son of Ginger; Malcolm Bruce, son of Jack; and Godfrey Townsend, son of someone who is not Eric Clapton.”
Nice work Seth
Also on the upcoming Infinity Hall schedule – An Evening With Wilson Phillips and Royal Southern Brotherhood (which includes Devon Allman). Infinity Hall (and me with these posts) has their own LMS – Children of Rock Stars in the Business.
This is fascinating news and definitely something we need to investigate further!
From the desk of The Great 48, as passed along to me by the dearly departed (from RTH, that is) Berlyant:
http://www.criticalmob.com/news/more/32_years_ago_elvis_costello_gets_happy
I actually saw a commerical for this while having my lunch today:
http://promotions.mardenkane.com/cbs/cbscares12/
Link of the Year?
It seems like Sharon has taken his balls, so he’s got to get a thrill somewhere.
I saw that the MC5’s bassist died while I was out of town. Now I see that Kim Fowley is getting ready to die:
http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2012/02/16/kim-fowley/
I’ll get this off my chest just in case he does, to save myself from fretting about speaking ill of the dead. Has Rock ever produced anyone more mediocre and less interesting than Kim Fowley? He goes on and on about how everybody hates him and his talent has never been recognised, to which my response is a combination of “yeah, right” or “why the hell don’t you stop moaning for five seconds and do something to improve the lot of yourself and the human race?” He’s like some ghastly spoiled seven-year-old girl who will enter the village talent show every year safe in the knowledge that mummy’s on the judging panel and daddy’s paying for the building of the new village hall.
There, got that off my chest, better go and fix that dripping tap…
Trans-Atlantic high five!
Mediocre, generally, yes. But I admit I find him interesting, if only for his capacity to surprise me by popping up in unexpected places. (Which shouldn’t be unexpected by now.)
Fowley was definitely mediocre as an artist, but as a self-promoting sleazeball huckster, he was an ace. That makes him interesting if not necessarily likable.
http://image.musicimport.biz/sdimages/upc02/5013145207321.jpg