Heard the news today that Johnny Winter has died at age 70. You’ll notice on my post of 25 essential albums from 1960 to 1974 I listed Johnny Winter’s Progressive Blues Experiment. Talk about being blown away. I’ll never forget hearing that for the first time.
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Johnny Winter
17 JulDerek Trucks & John Mayer play for BB King
13 Dec
BB King was only a couple of weeks away from his 87th birthday when he played the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 5, 2012. For the finale he was joined on stage by Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and John Mayer.
Even now BB King tours nearly 300 nights a year, clearly the love he gives and receives keeps him going. I was lucky enough to catch BB King in a small lounge in Reno, Nevada in 1973 and it remains a vivid memory.
Here’s a tip, rent or buy his DVD about his life, it has interviews with Clapton, Santana, Derek Trucks, Dr. John and many, many more. It is a wonderful film about an amazing person.
Jon Batiste & Michael Lee Firkins Interviews
25 OctJon Batiste
He and his band, named “Stay Human,” do just that, and they just released a breakout album entitled “Social Music.” When you watch video clips of him on the streets, or listen to his album, it’s music without borders or labels, but with integrity. I caught up with Jon in San Francisco in the middle of a very hectic tour
Michael Lee Firkins
He first gained attention as the “next big thing” in instrumental rock with his impressive guitar skills. On his just released album “YEP” on the Magna Carta label, he puts his singer/songwriter skills on display, backed up by the legendary Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones, John Mayer, Allman Brothers), and Matt Abts and Andy Hess of Govt. Mule.
Listen to, or download these interviews here
Keith Carlock, Wayne Krantz, Michael Landau, Jimmy Herring & Etienne Mbappe Are The Ringers
20 Feb
Listen to my extended interview with The Ringers, the first interview of the band. Jimmy Herring is of course known from Widespread Panic, Aquarium Rescue Unit, the Allman Brothers Band, Keith Carlock and Wayne Krantz from Steely Dan and their work with Tal Wilkenfeld, and Michael Landau from his work with people like Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell a.m.m.
They are just about to start their first tour, listen in here
UPDATE Feb, 20th, 2013
I noticed a bunch of traffic to talking2musicians.com coming from http://www.burnthday.com/p/live-stream.html Wasn’t familiar with the site so I checked it out and found myself watching and listening to The Ringers first concert via Ustream. They now have audio files (MP3 & FLAC) posted for download. Or you can stream online here.
Hard to imagine these guys only had a couple of days to rehearse. Essentially this should be considered a jam session, but what I heard gave every indication that this could indeed be something grand. Keith Carlock was spectacular, as was Etienne Mbappe. If they were doing straight ahead blues, or standards something like this would be a snap, but that’s not who these guys are. It’s scary to think how good this could get if, given their busy schedules, they have a chance to play together often.
If you’re on the East Coast you don’t want to miss this — amazing.
Roots Radio on Demand
11 Feb
Looking for some great roots & blues music? Paul Harvey, a veteran radio personality based in the Netherlands, has a great radio-on-demand program. Paul has promoted, interviewed, and brought many great musicians to Amsterdam over the years. For example, he was the first person to interview Derek Trucks on European radio, and organized his first three concerts in Europe. His show not only presents some fantastic music, but Paul also gives you the story behind the music. Do yourself a favor and check this out.
Talkin’ Blues, Bluegrass & More with Jimmy Herring
14 Nov
Check out my interview with Jimmy Herring in All About Jazz and also my First Impressions look at his latest album Subject To Change Without Notice (Abstract Logix, 2012)
