The "season of giving" that never ends

We're entering a new year, about to leave that "season of giving" that consumes us so much.  For the general public, it's a season that seems to start as early as Halloween or even the days before then when Christmas displays start popping up in stores.

Thanksgiving's even becoming an afterthought.

For musicians, that season of giving can last year-round -- not just this time of year.  For that, we as music lovers should be giving thanks and showing our appreciation to those who give of their time and talents.

One of my Northern California musician friends -- Steen Berrig, a dynamite blues harp player -- has pointed out a time or two before just how much people like him donate to charitable causes just by bringing people in who love to be entertained by a tune.  They give of their time by practicing, hauling their gear to a venue, unloading, setting up, playing, taking down, loading, and hauling back home.

That's no little task.

A reminder of what it takes to give like that came up recently when some more local Utah friends of mine were among several bands and solo musicians who gathered at the Kafeneio Coffee House and music venue in South Salt Lake for the second annual "I Feed On Sound" benefit concert and food drive.  Admission came in the form of donations of non-perishable food items.  As is found so often, musicians gave of their time and energy to help the cause.

In the music venue, there was electronic dance music from Grim & Reaper, post-hardcore from The Infernal, pop punk from One Lump Sum, rock from Sektau, and a double dose of reggae to close out the evening from Rebel Zion and Bludgeon Muffin.

There was an acoustic area out front with even more musicians playing throughout the evening.

It was musicians giving of themselves as they do so often.  Their biggest payback came in the way of shouts of appreciation, hand claps and backslaps.  Their season of giving never seems to end.

'A friend of a friend of ...': Garth Webber

It was around a year ago that I launched the music blog you're reading right now.  It was intended to give a little exposure to musicians and music both known and unknown, to songs new and old -- songs that have been widely popular and tunes that deserve to be heard by more than they have been.

It was last Labor Day that I posted my first article in this blog, with notes and photos from a local jazz festival.  Now, a year later, I'm in the middle of a series looking at some of the people I've come to know personally, or more likely just gotten to know a bit about through common friendships online.

Garth Webber

The jazz music and the common friendships brings me to Bay Area guitarist Garth Webber.  He's played with the likes of jazz great Miles Davis in his fusion era, along with artists like Gregg Allman and Boz Scass to name a couple more.

These days, when he's not playing and recording himself, he's recording others or teaching some of the secrets of his craft to students who'd like to be "the next big thing" on the guitar scene.

For me, it's watching Garth Webber play with Miles Davis that brings the biggest smile to this jazz fan's face.

It's party time: Doctor Ryman's "Lean Into The Blast"

Doctor Ryman knows how to throw a party.  He threw a rockin' CD release party in California last October for his release of "Lean Into The Blast."

The good doctor of the "keytar" entertained the crowd at The NeXus in the Ford Building on the Richmond Shoreline along with some good friends -- jazz saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Richard Howell and his son Ele on drums, and Baron Chase hammering away on bass.

How does Ryman tell the story behind the music?  According to the web site top40-charts.com ...

 The intent behind "Lean into the Blast" is the creation of music and film that are equally gritty and sublime, engaging the body, mind, and spirit, and carrying forward the countercultural movements of the 1960s and 1970s style of art and social change through music. Dr Ryman's music calls his listeners to join in the renewal and recommitment to the values and insights that created the Civil Rights movements, the Anti-war movement, and progressive movements since.

"My definition of an 'artist' is one who sees and hears beyond the reach of the ordinary, who takes us into experiences we might never have on our own, who plunges us into darkness and light, into sound and silence -- to wake up our awareness, and call us to a higher consciousness of each other, our world and our being."  His music and films do exactly that, and the technical yet organic nature of his music surprises everyone. Hearing or watching him play, one keeps looking for the 'guitarist'.  His 'instrument' - an Apple laptop, provides stinging guitar leads and sweet powerful rhythms that one would never expect from a virtual instrument.

As for the music of "Lean Into The Blast" ... well, it speaks for itself.  For more on Doctor Ryman, go to http://www.planet606.com/index.html

Southern-fried Tuneage: Lynyrd Skynyrd

I do dig that Southern style when it comes to music.  It goes well beyond country, into rock and blues and progressive rock and even jazz fusion.

Like a fine pair of boots, it's got some real kick to it.  It can get my toes to tappin'.

It wasn't that long ago that I happened to tune the radio to a station just in time to hear some Lynyrd Skynyrd in a three-song block.  There's a band that has the South dripping from its veins.  They've gone through fame, hard living, tragedy, and a comeback.  They've had two Van Zants -- Ronnie and his little brother Johnny -- as lead singers.  They've had the layered, dueling guitar sound that's a staple of Southern rock.

They've had some hits.  Oh, yeah, they've definitely had some hits.  It's classic rock, timeless music that will live on for years, even after one of the more tragic incidents in rock music history.

Timeless.

Coming Back With Grammys Week: The Black Keys

My oldest son gave me a great Christmas gift a few Christmases ago.  He gave me a CD that was a personal introduction to The Black Keys, "Brothers."

I've been a fan since the first listen.

It's good to know that The Black Keys are being recognized by a broader audience these days as well, including at this year's Grammy Awards.

The duo took Grammy honors last weekend for "Lonely Boy" as top rock song, "El Camino" as top rock album, and "Lonely Boy" again for top rock performance.

That's a nice haul for a couple of guys who play some of the crunchiest music to come down the musical road in a while.  I couldn't be happier for them.

Coming Back With Grammys Week: Mumford & Sons

I've got some catching up to do.  I've been away a while, trying to adjust to a new job and all -- different hours, different tasks, different things overloading my brain cells.  Things like that tend to get "in the way" at times.  Forgive me, would you please?

But here I am, working on making a comeback with my music blog as the adjustment continues.  And what better way to kick things off this week than by taking a look at just a bit of what was honored at the Grammy Awards Sunday night?

Leading things off, we have the English folk rock band Mumford & Sons, winners in the categories of Album of the Year for "Babel" and long-form music video for "Big Easy Express."

They take rootsy instruments like banjos and mandolins and give them a tough, touching edge.  They're a group to be reckoned with, and the Grammy voters reckoned it was time to give Mumford & Sons a big prize or two.

Celebrate!

UPDATE: The train keeps on rollin' for Lester Chambers

The "publicity train" for my musical friend Lester Chambers in his efforts to raise funds to record a new album with his band The Mud Stompers keeps moving along.

Lester Chambers and The Mud Stompers (left to right, Kenneth Roy Berry, Marcia Miget, Kenny Susan, Lester Chambers, Chick Peteresen, Baron Chase)

As of this writing, with less than three days to go before the end of the Kickstarter fundraising campaign (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lesterchambers/lesters-time-has-come-today) Lester has going with Reddit.com co-founder Alexis Ohanian, the drive has 2,128 backers and it's raised close to $60,000 -- nearly $21,000 over its minimum goal to cover expenses.

January 3 provided a prime example of how busy life has been lately for Lester and his friends.  It started in the morning with an appearance at a television studio in San Jose for a recording on Press:Here on NBC -- with Alexis and Lester each being interviewed, followed by one of the funkiest performances of "Let's Get Funky" that I've heard yet out of the band.

http://www.pressheretv.com/his-time-has-come/

From the television studio, the group packed up their gear and headed into downtown San Francisco, where they appeared with Alexis at WeWork Labs in front of an audience of close to 100 people for a Q&A and concert, designed to show how musicians can use the Internet to take greater control of their own artistic destinies.

It was an evening that was captured very well in an article by Drew Olanoff at TechCrunch.com.

http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/04/the-weekly-good-a-star-is-reborn-the-lester-chambers-story/

It was a night of questions, answers, fascinating stories capturing moments in rock music history, and more musicianship from Lester and The Mud Stompers.

Since then, the phone calls continue at "Mud Stompers Headquarters."  A new CD is now in the planning stages, and recording will begin soon.

Yeah, Lester Chambers' train just keeps on rollin' along.  It could roll on to a marvelous comeback for a man who believes strongly in miracles, hopefully helping along the way to set the tone for musicians like him who want to be able to do something with their music, on their own terms.

It's a joy to behold.

"Old school" meets "new school," part 2

Lester Chambers and Alexis Ohanian

I wrote here last week about Reddit.com co-founder Alexis Ohanian and soul/rock/blues/gospel music legend Lester Chambers teaming up on Kickstarter (at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1195088551/lesters-time-has-come-today) to launch a public funding campaign so Lester and his current group, The Mud Stompers, can record a new album in the coming months, and so Lester can "pay it forward" by giving money back to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund charity with part of the proceeds from his new album going to Sweet Relief through Ohanian's Breadpig site.

Tomorrow will mark a full week since Lester and Alexis' Kickstarter campaign was launched, and the goal of reaching $39,000 just to cover recording expenses by January 9 is under one-fourth of the way there as of this writing.

It's a busy time of the year, that's for sure.  One thing to consider during this time of giving might be to look at this campaign as a way of sharing a special gift for friends or loved ones in a variety of ways through the investment in/purchase of new music that could be given to music fans through the items that are available by pledging at the various levels:  a digital copy of the new album for a pledge of $10 or more; a limited edition CD and more for a pledge of at least $20; all of these items plus a specially designed shirt or an autographed copy of the new CD ... it just gets better.

And don't think Lester and The Mud Stompers aren't ready to get this thing going.  Here's a nearly half-hour taste of an appearance they made on a Bay Area public television program in the last few months.

Let's have a birthday jam: A week-ending potpourri

There's Deep Purple's Roger Glover.  There's Billy Idol.  There's country singer Mindy McCready.  There's Broadway/television/Princess Bride star Mandy Patinkin.  There's soul singer June Pointer of The Pointer Sisters.

There are way too many people celebrating birthdays today to choose just one for a week-ending birthday jam.  So why not go with a bit from all of them?

It's quite a mixture.  But that's what this blog is supposed to be about -- a musical potpourri.

Celebrate!

Let's have a birthday jam: John McVie

I'm a person who actually looks at my Facebook "to do" items closely enough to check out who has a birthday on my friends list on that particular day, and to wish that person a happy day.

John McVie (Image via Wikipedia)

There were a bunch of them today.  One of those people celebrating a birthday today happens to be John McVie.  I wished him a "rockin' day."  Yes, that's John McVie from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and the "Mac" part of Fleetwood Mac.  The guy playing the bass, laying down that steady groove.

I love musicians' birthday jams.  When a musician has a birthday, it's not unusual for them to have a few friends over, socialize, share some good food and drink, and do what they love to do -- play music.

Here's a video birthday jam in John McVie's honor, but I won't just go with the easier Fleetwood Mac choices.  I'll try and go a bit deeper than that.

When someone has a musical history as deep and rich as John McVie, you've got to go deep.

Especially on their birthday.

A daily dose of "thank you" -- the Bon Jovi version

I trust that many of my American friends are in pretty much the same shape as me right about now -- recovering from a belly full of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, etc., topped off by a slice or two of a delicious pie for Thanksgiving.

There's no better time than now to try and digest it all by moving to some music.  This time, it's Bon Jovi's turn to say "thank you."

Happy Thanksgiving!  Rock on!

A daily dose of "thank you" -- The Casanovas version

They don't celebrate Thanksgiving "down under" in Australia, do they?  Well, at least not on the same day we do in America, anyway.

They still know how to say "I Thank You" in a very crunchy, rockin' way when it comes to the band The Casanovas.

This isn't your grandfather's way of giving thanks ... unless your grandfather is into that heavy sound of guitars, drums being bashed hard, a throbbing bass line, and vocals that are sure to grab your attention.

This is called rockin' in the holiday.

Remembering The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show

It's interesting, the kinds of things we can remember going back to the early days of our childhood.  I remember sitting on our couch on a February evening in 1964, when I was all of 3 years old, with my older sister sitting beside me as she taught me how to read.

The television was on, tuned to The Ed Sullivan Show.  The next thing I remember was Ed Sullivan shouting, "The Beatles!"  The screaming that came from the crowd was deafening, unlike anything I'd ever heard.  The music itself was unlike anything I'd ever heard.

For me, it was the beginning of a lifelong passion for music.  It was born that night, and it's only grown since then.

Some memories just stay with you.  Even those dating back to the age of 3.  I can still envision it in my mind, just like it'd happened yesterday.  The album collection started in the years to come, and many of the most memorable ones -- and the most memorable album covers --  had to do with The Beatles.  I was certainly not alone.

Joe South dies at age 72

Singer-songwriter Joe South died Wednesday at his home in Buford, Georgia, of heart failure at the age of 72.

South was perhaps best-known for his 1969 hit song, "Games People Play."  As a songwriter, he penned songs made famous by Billy Joe Royal ("Down In The Boondocks") and The Osmonds ("Yo-Yo"), as well as "Hush" for Deep Purple and Kula Shaker.  Lynn Anderson turned his song "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" into a huge country hit in 1971.

As a session guitarist, he played on Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools," Tommy Roe's "Sheila," and Bob Dylan's Blonde On Blonde album.

Joe South's bio appears in the link below.

Joe South biography

Did I find what I was looking for?

So, this is how it works for me sometimes.  It's like I have this music playlist that somehow follows me around quite naturally, almost mysteriously at times ... supernaturally.

I got in the car a day or two ago to head to the nearest mega-giant-discount chain store to get some food for dinner.  The first radio station that was on the stereo when I turned on the car wasn't playing a song I was in the mood for at that particular moment, so I switched to my favorite classic rock station.

(Photo credit:  Wikipedia)

There it was ... "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."

By the time I got to the store and parked the car, the song hadn't finished but I had to go in.

As I was shopping, pushing the cart through the aisles, I couldn't believe my ears.  Over the mega-giant-discount chain store's sound system, the song was playing ...

"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."

Is someone trying to tell me something?  I dunno.