A couple months ago, AgingHippie shared the site The Next Big Sound, a band-promotion site where you can play A&R man, with the NESP community. I checked it out, liked it, bookmarked a couple bands and subsequently forgot about it. (Hey, I’ve been busy.) Today, I’m going through my bookmarks to see what I can share with you and the first thing I came upon is Parker House and Theory.
I immediately remembered why I like this Boston-based band. Formed in 2003, the five-piece band cites among their influences The Police, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews Band and Blues Traveler. I also hear a touch of (early) Barenaked Ladies, particularly in “November”.
They also fall occasionally into the Jason Mraz/John Mayer/etc. genre.
Speaking of Mayer, as of a few weeks ago PH&T had a chance at playing on Mayercraft. They’ve previously played with O.A.R. (already on the bill) as well as Robert Randolph. If you like PH&T and want to support them, go vote for them at playmayercraft.com.
I was first alerted to the existence of this (mostly-defunct) band via a passing reference in an old review of a Taylor Hicks concert. The reviewer mentioned that it would be cool if Hicks covered some “obscure Blodwyn Pig” tunes. Having never heard of such a thing as a Blodwyn Pig, I felt compelled to do a little research and see if I agreed.
A Google search turned up the snazzy website of founding member Mick Abrahams and, much further down the page, their mySpace. Abrahams, a former member of Jethro Tull, had left Tull in 1968 over creative differences and founded the Pig. At the time, Tull was headed into flute-loving folk-rock and Abrahams just wasn’t interested. Blodwyn Pig’s modern blues/jazz sound was fresh and exciting, compared frequently to such better-known musical pioneers as Frank Zappa, and was part of the 70s edge into Prog and Art Rock. Yet, in Europe at least, they managed to grow a mainstream audience as well, appearing on popular UK programs like Top of the Pops.
On their myspace and elsewhere, Abrahams tells some awesome stories of hilarity, madness and debauchery while on tour and in the studio. They released two albums, toured the U.S. twice, and were poised for big, big things. Unfortunately, the good times came to an end because of his crippling fear of flying (or rather, as he says, of crashing) and the other members unceremoniously booted him in 1970. Karma turned around and kicked them in the ass, and within seven weeks the Pig was no more. There was a brief, not-that-successful reunion in 1974, and since 1988 Abrahams has occasionally reconvened the Pig with various former members. He also plays with rotating band members as the Mick Abrahams Band.
Listening to Abrahams’ solo stuff on squirrelmusic.com, his guitar playing reminds me quite a bit of his contemporaries Eric Clapton and B.B. King. However, with Blodwyn Pig, the sounds and influences are varied and sometimes subtle. On 1969’s Ahead Rings Out the jazz groove of Jack Lancaster’s dual saxophones (seriously, you have to watch this to believe it) melds with Ron Berg’s crashing rock drums to create something that I’m pretty sure was out of the norm for that year: “The Modern Alchemist”.
“It’s Only Love”, from the same album, is very much a blues song but also has a strong Big Band influence, with an emphasis on the high-hat in the drums, and a prominent horn section, in addition to Abrahams’ excellent blues guitar. My grandparents would have no problem at all dancing to this song.
Blodwyn Pig took advantage of each technological advancement they could afford, recording Ahead Rings Out on 8-track and 1970’s Getting To This on 16-track. They were also creative in getting just the right sound, even when the recording and filtering equipment was not yet dreamed of. On “Dear Jill”, a song featured in the movie Almost Famous, Abrahams explained, “by double-tracking the guitar, which was an Ecko 12-string with only 9-10 strings on it (depending on my mood or how many strings I could afford on the day) it sounded akin to a modern chorus effect pedal.” (Liner notes to 2001 re-issue of Ahead Rings Out, via Wikipedia.)
Additionally, on Getting To This, Abrahams says, “I did sing a verse of “Variations on Nainos” with my head in a bucket of water with a mike positioned over it!” (From Blodwyn Pig’s mySpace.) “Variations on Nainos” is an experimental jazz type song with a Swingin’ 60’s vibe (it could be in the background of an Austin Powers scene with no dissonance). The bucket verse — double-tracked “with the same bucket,” by the way — appears around the 3:10 mark below.
Again reinforcing the idea that Blodwyn Pig could not be pigeonholed, “Same Old Story” touches into psychedelia and the Indian rhythmic and melodic influences of the time, but in areas with a harder edge than taken by other bands.
If you’re interested in further listening, the mySpace page jukebox features four songs, and there is quite a bit more, I believe, on Abrahams’ own site, including his solo work. But between YouTube and imeem.com, it is possible to hear just about everything for free. There’s also quite a bit available on iTunes, should you be so inclined, although not the first two records–live albums and an anthology.
I think that, should Taylor Hicks choose to do the research and select from the more heavily blues-influenced Blodwyn Pig songs, he could indeed have a hit on his hands. What might be more useful to him is a songwriting collaboration with Abrahams, who is still active and whose current music I find more compatible with Hicks’ style.
So what is a Blodwyn Pig? I’m not really sure. Blodwyn is a Welsh first name meaning “white flowers” or “blessed flowers”, usually female although one site lists it as male. We all know what a pig is, but I’m not able to analyze the band name beyond this point. Abrahams does not explain the origins of the name (assuming he even remembers at this point), so it may be impossible to know.
For every singer who is signed to a major record contract, there are probably dozens more working in the trenches everyday trying to be heard. These days the internet, through sites such as myspace and music blogs such as OFTV, plays a significant role in getting independent music heard. This marriage of music and the internet has been a boon for the artists and the music lover. A world of new music is out there if you just take a look.
One artist capitalizing on this trend is Billy Redfield, a singer/songwriter from Baltimore, MD. Redfield released Made You Smile, a five-song CD in 2005, followed up by his first full-length studio CD, Two Steps Closer in 2006. He has sold nearly 15,000 copies of his music independently, including hard copy and digital sales. He has won a number of awards for his music, including honorable mention in the prestigious International Songwriting Competition for his track “Die for You.”
Redfield’s voice is unique, soothing and passionate at the same time. His lyrics are thoughtful and the melodies are catchy.
Two Steps Closer is filled with acoustic ballads, such as the heralded Die for You and Miss Melissa and a smattering of pop-friendly tunes, like Lost and Naked. On his myspace he writes, “I write from a personal point of view; it’s what I know best.”
Redfield encourages his fans, known as the Redheads, to spread the word about his music. He uses his myspace to connect with fans, and encourages them to stay in touch with him through his myspace, AIM, and email. He says on his site, “Most artists and bands have no connection with their fan base. I think this is ridiculous because it’s the fans that make the band. Without fans your music will get you nowhere. So please introduce yourself to me and I will get back to you.”
Recently, OFTV’s Uhadmeatwoohoo presented Redfield with a few questions:
What would you consider to be the biggest influence on your musical style?
I believe that would be Dave Matthews.
Where is your favorite venue that you’ve performed and why?
So far my favorite venue is The Recher Theatre (Towson, MD) because it’s the biggest one I’ve played at.
What is the first album/record/cd you ever purchased?
Not sure but I remember being into rap when I was younger. It might have been a Snoop Dogg record.
Who are your musical role models?
Dave Matthews, Bruce Springsteen, and Jimmy Buffet.
Who is your favorite musician that you’ve performed with?
I haven’t really performed with many yet. So to answer your question I don’t have one.
What do you think about iTunes and changes the internet has brought to purchasing music?
I think it’s great. It allows independent artists the ability to sell their music and it is very convenient for the customer.
What are your plans for the upcoming year?
Keep building, building, and building a bigger fan base. Try to get to the point where I am selling out venues. Keep trying to get to the next level. Always trying to further my career and get better at my craft.
What are some unique gifts that fans have given you?
Well one fan sent me a framed picture of an Atlas statue in NYC. I thought that was very interesting.
Tell us a little about the Redheads.
The thing about my music is that it relates to everyone. They come in all shapes and sizes.
Which song that you’ve written are you most proud of and why?
I think Die For You is definitely one of my best songs. I think it encompasses the idea of giving up ones life for love.
What is the best internet marketing idea that you’ve ever used?
I subscribed to a mailing list provider that helps me keep in touch with all my fans.
What is your favorite holiday and why?
I like Christmas the most. I like getting new stuff and the real reason behind it.
Redfield recently took the leap into forming a band, The Billy Redfield Band, and is now performing with drummer Damon Marrow and bassist Stu Lemley. He is currently working on a new CD, and told Uhadmeatwoohoo, “I have written many new songs which I think blows away my old material. I think you will think so too.”
Redfield’s website is currently under reconstruction, but directs you to his myspace. Or you can visit his facebook page. Visit, take a listen, and leave him some feedback. Who knows, you might even hear from him.
For about two months, my calendar for June 28 was marked “Martin Sexton at the LL Bean Summer Music Festival.”As the date approached and I had no volunteers to accompany me and gas prices rose, it started to look like I would spend another Saturday night at home.But one day driving home from work, I was listening to my favorite radio station, The River (92.5), when a commercial came on for a band called The Mystix.The grittiness of the lead singer’s voice and the driving guitar had me turning up the volume.I discovered that they were playing in the neighboring town of Londonderry, NH at a little venue called the TupeloMusic Hall.Interest piqued, I went home and checked out the band’s website, and immediately visited the Tupelo website to purchase tickets.
While this review is about The Mystix, I would be remiss not to talk a bit about Tupelo. Housed in unassuming old white farmhouse, it would be easy to just drive by. I had heard from friends that it was an intimate setting and a great place to get up close and personal with the music.What they didn’t tell me was that there is an absolute musical gem right in my backyard.Once inside, the atmosphere is warm and inviting.The night I visited, the venue was set up with about 30 tables for four lit with candles. They sell non-alcoholic beverages and food items and you can BYOB, paying $3 for each person who will be drinking.The one big surprise about the venue was the quality of the sound, which was amazingly crisp and clear.It did not overwhelm the small room but still allowed you to really feel the music.Owner Scott Hayward should be complimented on the full package he has put together here.It was recently announced that Hayward would build a new Tupelo in the neighboring town of Derry. After experiencing Tupelo, I hope he works to maintain this amazing quality in a new, larger venue.
Jo Lily, front man for The Mystix, said he visited Tupelo three years ago to see Jonathan Edwards and has been itching to play the room ever since.His itch was finally scratched on a cool New England summer night, when Lily and his band brought some hot, sultry, juke joint sounds to that small New Hampshire room.
The Mystix are an all-star band of sorts, comprised of journeymen musicians from the Boston/New York music scene.With roots in blues, rock, and country, their most recent CD, Blue Morning, has become a fixture on roots and country playlists around the country.
The evening’s entertainment started with a four song instrumental set, which included a playful, driving version of Duke Ellington’s Caravan, by three members of The Mystix – guitarist Bobby Keyes, drummer Marty Richards, and bassist Marty Ballou.Keyes is clearly the standout here.A longtime studio player at the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Keyes has played with everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis and Ben E. King, to New Kids on the Block and most recently, Lil Wayne and Robin Thicke.Keyes is also an accomplished songwriter, writing four songs for Thicke’s recent CD and co-writing with Lily for The Mystix.But it’s his guitar playing that’s on display here – he is a six string virtuoso.His play is inspired, passionate, and clean. His guitar comes alive under his gentle touch.This description, from a CD Baby review, hits the nail on the head.
He can switch from “Surf-style-spaghetti-western” to Django Reinhardt-style hot jazz to kiss-ass rock riffs in the blink of an eye and never break a sweat.
The trio was later joined on stage by keyboard player Tom West, and lead singer and guitarist Lily.Lily’s gravely, passionate vocals grabbed hold of the audience with Let’s Get Started and didn’t let go throughout their 14 song set.Some highlights included: the jumpin’ juke joint inspired Keyes/Lily original, Yolanda; the rocking Bourbon Street rhythms of New Orleans; and the Traveling Wilbury’s tune Rattled.
A taste of Yolanda at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2007.
I’ve read that they are a much tighter band since this performance – changing their drummer and adding a keyboard player.
Their country side was on display with their George Jones inspired original What Side of Heartache, which has risen to the top of the playlist on XM Country, and a cover of Porter Wagoner’s Nothing Between.They gave a couple of interesting nods to their interest in roots music.The first, Almost Down to the Shore was written by Jimmy Struthers, a blind axe murderer whose music was recorded at a penitentiary in VA by the Dust-to-Digital project.And the second, the encore, a song that they had never before performed live, Stephen Foster’s Hard Times Come Again No More.Yes, Stephen Foster – the “father of American music,” composer of Oh! Susanna, Camptown Races, and Beautiful Dreamer.Lily mentioned being asked to record this song by Keyes for a movie project, and how he was intimidated because it had been performed so perfectly by Bob Dylan. Having experienced Lily’s performance and watching Dylan’s performance, I’d take Lily’s version, hands down.
The Mystix are currently in studio working on their third CD which, according to Lily, will be more focused on roots music.If you get a chance to see the Mystix, I would highly recommend that you do, and you too will believe that the south has indeed moved to New England.
You can find The Mystix CD’s on CDBaby and iTunes online, and at Newbury Comics and Dyno Records in Newburyport, MA.
In recent interviews, the new American Idol, David Cook, has been predicting that his first CD will be “anthemic”. This week he talked to John Melendez of the Jay Leno show, after Cook says that his CD will be a rock record, Melendez asks him about playing with ZZ Top on the AI finale and asks:
is it going to be more that kind of rock, like a bluesy-based… ?
Cook replies,
Nah, It’ll be still kind of anthemic, I think for me, it’s just gonna be a matter of putting out songs that have something to say..
Is that an actual genre of rock music? Why does it give me visions of hair bands in large arenas full of my male classmates who thought that “2001: A Space Odyssey” was deep, their bics alight..
In more recent years, think U2, possibly the most pretentious rock band of all time. Or Spinal Tap.
Here’s a definition that doesn’t give me a lot of comfort:
Music is a pretty manipulative art-form at the best of times, but even so, Anthemic Rock is a particularly manipulative musical genre. The whole point of Anthemic Rock is to tug at the guts of the listener: to instil in him or her a peculiar sense of yearning for something that can’t quite be defined. It’s a stirring feeling, but also a slightly queasy one if you stop to think about it too much (as is my wont). But perhaps the most disturbing aspect of Anthemic Rock is the fact that, when you actually stop and listen to it, the lyrics are so often working at cross-purposes to the music: while the music of Anthemic Rock is, by definition, designed to be played loud, through speakers, and heard by large groups of people at the same time to create some kind of communal experience, the lyrics are often, in fact, about cutting off the listener from the rest of the world.
I thought some more about what makes a rock song anthemic:
Accessible melody, sing-a-long chorus “We Don’t Need No Education”, “We Are The Champions” The simpler the lyrics, the easier the chorus is to learn, the more likely the band will create the massive communal experience that only loud familiar music and lots of beer and/or secondary inhalation of illegal smoke inspires. Power chords and an insistent 4-4 beat are a must.
The lyrical theme must be Serious. No little deuce coupes, endless summer nights or honky tonk women.
Living on a prayer, and Not getting fooled again are fine themes. It’s also fine to sing about “Only Rock & Roll”, “I Love Rock n Roll”, “Rock and Roll All Night” or “Old Time Rock N Roll”.
If it’s a song you danced to at weddings, or made out to in high school, it’s probably not anthemic rock. However, a rock anthem may well have been your prom theme in the 1980s:
If your neighbor played it every night in the dorm while you tried to sleep or study, then it probably is anthemic rock.
I love the communal aspect of rock music. The thrill of classic rock concerts is sitting in a hockey rink with 18,000 of your closest friends, Paul McCartney in the Garden, “Back in the USSR” with that driving beat hardwired into our collective brains, and for three minutes he was just seventeen, if you know what I mean… and so were we. At the beginning we really did think rock music would change the world, because it made us feel like we could.
While I usually like my music with sophistication, funk and groove and soul, or at least an awesome beat, I respect the power of anthemic rock. A few years ago I finally got to see one of my favorite late 60s bands, the Guess Who, with its founding members Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings. Mr. Bachman was also in another major band, Bachman-Turner Overdrive. So naturally the concert included a few of BTO’s big hits including this:
Since TCB was not one of my favorite songs, I didn’t have a personal emotional connection to the song, but a good portion of the crowd certainly did. I couldn’t help but get swept into the party.
I say you can be anthemic without sacrificing the beat and the groove. These are tunes that make you want to dance the night away and kick some butt all at the same time..
So to the Newest American Idol I say, go write some rock anthems, and bring us all together with raucous glorious noise. But remember the words that Emma Goldman didn’t actually say, “If I can’t dance I don’t want to be in your revolution.” Power chord ballads have their place, but you can’t find redemption without a saxophone:
It’s that time of year again, when the auditions, the hype, the scandals, and a few shock eliminations have come down to three people with a chance to win America’s favorite singing contest, American Idol. Or as my all-time favorite guest mentor, and original teen idol Peter Noone said so aptly “it’s a voting contest!”. While I can shake my head and lament about the artists that I might have preferred, there is one remaining contestant that has caught my interest and will get my votes, the young Midwestern rocker and crossword-puzzle-solver David Cook.
In the first audition out of Omaha, I did take notice of the kid with a geeky argyle sweater and odd spiky streaked hair who sang Bon Jovi and confessed to being a Daughtry wannabe — thinking at least his voice was less annoying than Daughtry’s, which I find merely abrasive when loud. In the early rounds, I smiled at a video package where Cook revealed he was a “word nerd” who did crosswords to relax, and Simon Cowell glowered at how “uncool” a pastime this was. Simon, Simon, what you don’t understand is that all the rock-loving librarians and bookstore girls just fell in love.
Then Cook kicked the door down with change-ups of Lionel Richie’s “Hello” and Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”, and we all took notice. Who cares whether the arrangements were original, who is this guy? Apparently just about the only one who got the memo that the “challenge” of American Idol 7 was to take the hoary songlist of 70s and 80s that had long passed their sell-by dates and make them sound like something on a current ITunes playlist. Several very good singers who were expected to do well, particularly Michael Johns and Carly Smithson, got panned by the judges when their 80s covers sounded like 80s covers, and so got voted off the island.
Meanwhile, the hair and wardrobe people did their thing with Mr. Cook, and he evolved from “kinda cute in a dorky way, with impossible hair” to rather presentable. No one has yet been able to determine if this has involved the use of the Official American Idol Hair Extensions that volumized the luscious dos of Kat McPhee and Haley Scarnato, or just a skillful hand with scissors and gel. As a performer, Cook displayed a quiet and grounded confidence, sometimes mistaken for smugness.
As an American Idol rocker, Cook has far more versatility than Chris Daughtry. While both have the rocker’s rasp and power, Cook’s voice has a luscious warm, sandy tone that will serve him well when he starts making records for mass consumption. His interpretations are intelligent and compelling. His take on “Always Be My Baby”, which should be released to radio NOW, is a rich dark chocolate-caramel-cappucino confection (not to be confused with saccharine, none of that at all.. ) of quiet urgency, a thinking girl’s guilty pleasure pop masterpiece.
David Cook – “Always Be My Baby”
The boy now had my attention, clearly the smartest and most interesting guy in the competition. As Andrew Lloyd Webber week approached, it was apparent to me that in order to break out the pack and make American Idol history, Cook had to expose his inner theater geek, bring his best Michael Crawford and show us that he really can sing anything. Fortunately, he listened to me, and performed “Music of the Night” with sensitive phrasing and impeccable vocal control, and proved that he is a very very good singer.
My ITunes collection of the studio versions of the American Idol songs has become sorted in alphabetical order, so I hear “Little Sparrow” from Dolly Parton night immediately before “Music of the Night”. For the first song, Cook knows exactly how to use the rasp in his voice to create a perfect “Oh Brother Where Art Thou” sound. The final verse is gorgeous, searing, raw a capella. ITunes segues right into the strings and piano of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and I melt into the deep cushion created by this lush voice. Oh yes, this is the reason you watch this ridiculous show, to hear the voice that makes you melt.
But what happens if David Cook wins American Idol? Or even if he doesn’t win, and gets signed by the 19E Music Machine? Will the money changers label him Daughtry 2, and load him up with yet another album of Nickelback clone songs?
Looking at Cook’s pre-Idol music does not alleviate the fear I have. Like previous Idol contenders, including Taylor Hicks, Cook has independently-produced music available, with prior bands, and a fairly recent solo album titled Analog Heart. I don’t know if Taylor was the first to use this strategy, but it’s a brilliant one. Anyone who found Taylor’s original songs and concert performances discovered he was a creative, dynamic performer, and a sensitive songwriter. Any serious musician who contemplates the Idol experience should make sure to have music and performances available through Youtube and streaming sites, so that potential fans can check out original product and get some idea what sort of music the future Idol would produce.
For a while “Analog Heart” could be downloaded from Amazon, but that must have been too brazen to suit “The Powers That Be” in the American Idol machine. The CD can still be pre-ordered from the Amazon site:
“Analog Heart” consists of ten radio-friendly rockers, mostly following the formula of Verse, Chorus, Verse Chorus, and repeat chorus till you fill 3 minutes. The songs seem to be about the personal angst and heartbreak common to male songwriters in their early twenties. It’s all so earnest. I don’t usually listen to this type of rock music. I want my music to have style, groove and the promise of redemption. Give me a growling saxophone or a bluesy harmonica, something I can sing, clap or dance to. Do you believe in rock n roll, can music save your mortal soul, and can you teach me how to dance real slow, that’s my motto.
Mr. Cook doesn’t answer that question in “Analog Heart”. The noisy guitar rock arrangements don’t do justice to his marvelous vocal instrument. Maybe he’s only just now learned how to use it. If I was cruising the radio dial, I don’t know that I’d switch the station when these songs came on, but I don’t think anything would grab me. A couple of songs stay with me after frequent listening, notably the closing number “Silver” with its Coldplay-style piano intro, and prescient chorus that makes you wonder if Cook had been planning his current project for some time:
So take this small confession as my price to pay
I’ve never been the kind to let go
But before you up and walk away
I’m miserable without you, you know
This silver leaves me longing for gold
Second place has never carried me home
Second place has never carried me home
You think the boy wants to win? I’m quite okay with that. I hope that one thing he’s learned in the past few months is that he has the talent and savvy to stretch the boundaries of genre and make some damn fine music.
David Ford strikes me as a man with better things to do.
Perhaps not at the moment I was talking to him. He was on the road in Idaho, en route to a show in Salt Lake City, when we battled our way through cell phone connectivity issues and spent a few moments discussing music and all the things that seem to come part and parcel with today’s music industry. But like I said, he’s got better things to do. Like, say, writing and performing music.
Ford’s been a working musician in Great Britain for more than a decade, and has even seen some measure of success as part of the band Easyworld. Since 2004, he’s been a solo artist, and has been steadily gaining fans in the United States, among them Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. He has toured with Ray LaMontagne, Suzanne Vega, Sara Bareilles (in April 2008) and Augustana (this month), and in June will be touring with Aimee Mann. (All of his summer tour dates are available in the OFTV events calendar.) His latest album, Songs For The Road, was released last year and is available for download on iTunes.
I first heard of Ford thanks to Kired over at Cursed Monkey Paw, and I was immediately struck by the honesty and sheer musicality of his songs. No pop songs, these, although they could easily do well in a better musical atmosphere than the current music industry. Therefore, I thought he’d be a perfect fit for our readership here — we’re all tired of the current music industry, yes?
Here is the utterly enjoyable and admittedly most “pop” song from Ford’s Songs For The Road, “Decimate”. As Ford says, “It’s a positive song about inviting someone to lay all their problems on you, to take their hardships and lighten their load, wanting everything to be OK. It’s kind of like a love song.” The video, I think, is also the most “pop” of the videos I’ve seen.
More representative of both Ford’s music and his videos is “State of the Union”. The video was shot live, in one take, with one camera. “It’s a challenging thing to keep it interesting without relying on clever editing and cuts,” he says. “There’s a sense of realness as well, you’re actually watching a moment in time that happens as you see it.” (Continue Reading …)
May 3 2008
Song of This Day: “Wedding Bell Blues” by Laura Nyro
I was going to write about a different song tonight, but my brain got hijacked, and ended up here.
I was cruising some of the blogs in my bookmarks, and stumbled across a video of Paul Revere and the Raiders on one of those 60s dance shows, either Shindig or Hullabaloo, with the go go dancers, Mark Lindsay staring soulfully into the camera. It reminded me of Where the Action Is, which was Dick Clark’s after school show, and the Raiders were one of the house bands. In my junior high years, I faithfully watched the lip-synched location performances. Our version of MTV Spring Break.
And when I think of Where the Action Is, I think of the most (and no doubt only) amazing thing I saw on the show. A video (and we surely did not know to call them that then) featuring a young woman with dark ethnic features, and a long dark dress, she totally blew my 7th grade small-town Wisconsin mind. I think she was at an amusement park, or on a carousel. This would have been late 66, early 67, before the Summer of Love, when we all learned what Hippies were. She sang “Wedding Bell Blues”, and while I wasn’t ready to understand what I was seeing, I never ever forgot it.
It was eventually a Number One hit for the 5th Dimension in 1969, who had already had hits with Nyro’s “Stoned Soul Picnic” and “Sweet Blindness”. I grew to love her soul-tinged melodies and chords, sensuous mysterious lyrics and her song book was one of my prized possessions. And it all started with a video on a shlocky lipsynch music show.
I can’t find that video online. But I found this amazing story
Laura Nyro’s father tuned my piano yesterday.
* * *
It took him an hour to complete the job. When he finished, I pulled out my Laura Nyro songbook, the one with Eli’s Coming, Wedding Bell Blues and Stoney End. A thick slab of white medical tape holds the binding together. Growing up, I played from the book constantly, until it was in pieces. He seemed pleased to hear of my great admiration for his daughter.
“Do you want to see a video of her at age 19 singing Wedding Bell Blues?”
“Sure,” I said, hardly believing that he would carry around the video in his bag.
“Do you have a – a – what do you call it?”
“A VCR. Yes, I do,” I said and led him into the room at the other end of my apartment. I felt slightly awkward inviting this stranger into my bedroom, but he stood politely at the foot of my bed, while I popped the tape into the machine and pressed play.
“This was taped in San Francisco. I’ve never seen it, can you imagine? Someone told me about it and then I contacted the Columbia Records people and they found a copy. They just sent it to me.”
Laura Nyro appeared on the screen, dressed completely in black, with a wide-brimmed floppy hat, like the one in the Cat in the Hat book. Her pale skin contrasted with her dark hair and eyelashes. Soon I heard the familiar Wedding Bell Blues.
“It’s dubbed,” he said. “To the record track.” I felt amazed to see this early MTV-ish version of Laura Nyro singing the song that later became one of the Fifth Dimension’s biggest hits.
Welcome to the Vault! As part of an ongoing feature of our new music blog, we’ll be bringing you band/artist/crew “spotlights” and interviews. Names I’m sure you’ll find familiar if you follow the music and career of Taylor Hicks!
Our first spotlight is on the band SPOONFUL JAMES based in Auburn, AL
After a journey that included three cds and opening gigs for the Allman Brothers Band, Little Feat, Gov’t Mule, Buddy Miles, and The Jerry Garcia Band, unfortunate circumstances forced Spoonful James to make the tough decision to split up. Lucky for us, they found their way back to each other. This is the story of how the current band came together.
Wynn Christian, Taylor Hicks, Quinn Borland and Patrick Lunceford. Photo courtesy Elizabeth Borland.
PART ONE: The story of Spoonful James
Spoonful’s history from bass player Quinn Borland:
The band is myself, Wynn Christian (lead vocals/guitars), Eric Baath (piano/organ), and Patrick Lunceford (drums). The band started back in 1996 with Wynn Christian and me. We were actually in a band in high school called “March of the Fishers Wives”. Terrible name, I know. We had a real brainy guy in the band and he’d just read some Russian revolt story or something. Anyways, we both ended up going to Auburn University and started playing acoustic for a while, until we had some original songs under our belt. We formed Spoonful as a trio, adding Lee Vartanian on drums. We cut our first album (self-titled), in 1997 and it is currently out of print and vaulted (for good reason). All I can say is, it was a good stepping stone for us.
After this, we started touring around the southeast for a few years and this is about the time we met Taylor Hicks, Clay Connor, John Cook, Bill and Wes Williams and the whole crew you know and love today. We all became friends fairly quickly and would stay up ’til the wee hours watching my collection of old concerts. Rick’s Music in Macon had a HUGE archive of old footage, and for $20 you could get 120 minutes of any concert you wanted. Needless to say, we spent everything we made every time we played in Macon. This is where Taylor got to see Sam & Dave/Otis Redding for the first time live on video. He still asks me for copies of that.
We started gaining popularity and cut our second album in Hueytown, AL, titled “Leave That Door Open”. We had just opened for Buddy Miles of the Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsys in Tallahassee, FL and during our set Buddy liked our music so much, he made security keep his door open so he could listen, hence, “Leave That Door Open”. Eventually we became great friends and got him on our next album, ”7 Mile Breakdown”.
We had met Patrick when he was with Taylor’s band, Passing Through. At the time we had Jay Knorr on drums, who recorded on “Leave That Door Open”. We parted ways with Jay after the album and picked up Patrick. Lucky for us, Passing Through was dissolving at the same time, so it worked out for everybody. I must say, Patrick is hands down the best drummer I have ever palyed with.
At one point, we and some of Passing Through, Iratowns, and Highly Kind formed the supergroup known as “Fletch Lives”. Taylor sang lead, of course, and at one point people started paying us outrageous amounts of money, even though combined we only knew about 8 songs. With 8-10 members, we knew it couldn’t last too long, and due to previous band commitments we were only able to keep it together for a few months. Our proudest moment came at the Florabama, when the managers told us to stop playing or we would start a riot. Good times!
After this we picked up a few different organ players and eventually got back in touch with Eric Baath. I knew him from my freshman year at Auburn, where I was a member of his band, “Soul Patch”, before Wynn and I started writing together. This guy is awesome. He actually flew back from Germany to do the opening gigs for Taylor’s last tour. Total dedication, great guy. Our music has been coined “Southern Fried, hard driving, original rock & roll. That kind of stuck and I like it!
