The beginning of a Jones...

When I tell the story of how I stumbled upon this incredible jones I have for music (a story I'm sure I'll be telling in my old age whether anyone is listening or not), it usually goes like this; "The first time I remember being hit with the lightning bolt was one night my Dad played the 45 of "Hello Goodbye" by the Beatles (especially the "Hey-la" part at the end). Then, it hit again when my Dad would flip over his 'Let It Bleed' album to side two and go through 6 odd minutes of joy to "Midnight Rambler". For my 10th birthday, I finally got my first album, the Doobie Brothers 'The Captain & Me' after relentless bugging of my Dad to get this at Sears for the sale price of $3.33." Now, what I don't tell people (and this may be the first public confession) is what was in between "Midnight Rambler" and the Doobies. Yes, folks, I was (closet door opens) a Monkees fan. I loved the goofiness of the show (I was, what, 6? 7?) and liked the songs. This led to me wanting to be in groups and alla the things kids dream about when they find something they're really into. Before we made the move west in the early 70's, between my Aunt and my cousins, I had aquired 'The Monkees', 'More of the Monkees' and 'The Monkees Headquarters'. The movers managed to lose the 'More' record but not the cover (I had two records crammed into the cover). These records continued to be treasured until I started my fascination of the Doobie Brothers. The Monkees quickly got shoved into my past, under the carpet and into the closet. Now, I bought far more embarrassing records during the 70's (which I don't plan on telling you about either) but, the Monkees were for little kids! And I left them there to stay. I winced at every movie that would play "I'm a Believer", and almost every other Monkees song or reference. Today's passing of Davy Jones made me think back to those early days and where this thing all began. Even though I couldn't bring myself to jump on the revival wagon with everyone who thinks it's cool to admit they like all kinds of hideous music and pop culture from the 60's and 70's (god, enough Journey already!), I do think it's cool that they did bring themselves from just acting and lip-synching to being full fledged musicians (which Mike Nesmith already was anyways) and becoming more than a kiddie fad. One song I will give them credit on though, is the one that ran over the end credits of each show, "For Pete's Sake", presented here, on this historical occasion. Groovin' on...

When the Blues comes over me...

Cool week for the Blues last week. Airing tonight on PBS, is 'In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues', a bash they had at the White House featuring B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Warren Haynes, Gary Clark Jr, Derek Trucks, Trombone Shorty, and a host of others, with Booker T. Jones as musical director and bandleader. The concert was part of Michelle Obama's series of shows honoring the American songbook. There's been a number of videos going around the past week but tonight's airing gives us a chance to put it all together. Gotta wonder about a DVD release...

Also happening last week was the 'Howlin' for Hubert' all star tribute to blues great Hubert Sumlin. Performing there were Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons, Warren Haynes, James Cotton, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Doyle Bramhall II, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Guy Clark Jr., Buddy Guy and Elvis Costello. The show featured Keith Richards' first live appearance in five years and was a high point of the show. Strolling out to join Clapton for "Going Down Slow", he was met with thunderous applause as they continued through for "Little Red Rooster" and "Spoonful". The night began with a film featuring classic Sumlin performance footage and a recent interview with him, where Sumlin described how he found his own sound after Wolf strongly urged him to lose the guitar pick. The stage lights then revealed two massive portraits of Sumlin behind the stage. His sunburst Stratocaster sat on a stand at center stage, with his trademark feathered cap hanging off of it. Clapton then came out with Cotton to start the night off with an acoustic "Key to the Highway," complemented by Cotton’s razor-sharp harp fills.
Sets flew by, with Willie Weeks, Ivan Neville, Steve Jordan and Jim Keltner as part of the house band. Now THIS is a show that I hope makes it out there on DVD!

Week three of live broadcasting for NOTIMEWARP RADIO begins today. There's been a number of listeners passing through to check out what's going out to the world. Time's definitely changed the world of music listening in just the short coupla years the station was on hiatus. There's just so many different sources to compete with these days. My goal is to still put out great music of varied genres and turn people onto stuff they've never heard and maybe go out and seek some of it for their own collections. Be sure to stop by and check it out! You'll notice the cool little widget in the top right corner of the page. It makes it easy for you to see what's on and to click and listen. Give it a shot! Groovin' on...

and here we go... again...

We're underway! NOTIMEWARP RADIO Part II. Man, does it sound good! Got a coupla listeners that've been hanging around for mosta the day, diggin' the tunes. So, lemme tell ya the deal here; this is the first part of the vision for NOTIMEWARP RADIO. I wanted to get the tunes out there so everyone can start enjoying the music. What'll change is the way the music's presented. Better sound quality, more of a connection, if you will, between the tunes, tied together in an more artful manner. I also will plan to get a word in edge-wise here and there. This all will take a bit more dough, a extra few equipment items, a different locale, maybe even a different launching site. How long is this gonna take? Dunno... Getting some green comin' through will be the main instigator... After that, who knows, right? So, for right now, enjoy the tunes, email any requests, suggestions, comments, etc to notimewarpradio@yahoo.com. Also, check us out on Facebook for updates and stuff. Groovin' on...

Everybody Oughta Make a Change...

Dang, another year already... It's becoming a New Year's tradition around here for somebody to pick up the ol' Etch-a-sketch and play Frisbee with it. Major changes abound, ready or not. But, on the decidedly bright side, comes the long awaited (forgotten?) return of NOTIMEWARP RADIO. No foolin' this time. Next week, it goes live (provided there's no tech glitches). Got a 35 hour playlist that'll play Sunday evening through Friday afternoon, commercial free. I know I'm excited to get this going. There's so much great music on there, some stuff you haven't heard in a real long time, some stuff you heard yesterday, some stuff you've never heard. Real old songs, songs that just came out. Rock, Blues, Reggae, Soul/Funk, Native, and any other grooves I think are worth passing on. One thing's for sure; you won't hear a collection of songs like this ANYWHERE else! Be sure to stop by www.notimewarp.com or, if you wanna be there for the historic switch flip, check out the official NOTIMEWARP RADIO fan page on Facebook and just 'like' the page. Groovin' on...

It's alive....

The strange, ever changing landscape of 2011 continues, new things arriving and old things vanishing. Opportunities knocking and the cosmos sending messages. And UPS bringing my Super Deluxe version of 'Some Girls'! First, we'll tackle the "Live in Texas '78" DVD from the Rolling Stones.

In the great touring history of the Stones, critics, fans, historians, hippies, etc tend to look at the '78 tour as one of the lesser Stones tours. With '69 and '72 tours setting such a high and groundbreaking benchmark ('73 was pretty sharp too), a letdown sooner or later had to be expected. After their masterpiece 'Exile on Main St.", the Stones' next few albums got a little bit laid back (coinciding with Keith Richards' heroin addiction) and critics and the public started taking their shots at a now seemingly bloated Rolling Stones. Now, the Stones (especially Mick Jagger) are always on top of what's happening currently in music and that, combined with the criticism they were taking, they proceeded to record an album that showed they were still on top of things and could not only hang but rule the music world. 'Some Girls' put the Stones right back on top of the game and they headed off on the road to show it off.

The "Live in Texas '78" DVD was recorded at a smallish venue in Fort Worth, Texas, in July of 1978. The DVD comes in at over 2 hours total, so we have the good fortune of seeing the entire show. They open with a quick nod to their roots with Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock" and a brisk 'All Down the Line". They were certainly sharp on this night. Relaxed but confident. After a rousing "Star Star", they kicked into the first of seven straight from 'Some Girls', plowing into 'When the Whip Comes Down' (complete with extra lyrics). For a band with a large body of work (even then), that's almost unheard of. 'Some Girls' was a bad ass record and they knew it. During Mick's rap in "Miss You", the band doesn't even bother to drop the volume like on the record; instead just storming right on through. After working up to a high energy "Respectable", the band finally gives mercy to the crowd, strolling through "Faraway Eyes", bringing the 'Some Girls' section to a close. After a great version of "Love in Vain", things pick up again with a steady "Tumbling Dice" and a rousing "Happy". I really love watching them do this back in the days when Keith and Mick would share the mic during the choruses of this song; before Mick was contractually obligated to take a hike during Keith's songs. I love Mick's surprise as Keith bails out on the first chorus, just wanting to play guitar. His enthusiasm rolls right into the 2nd Berry number of the night, "Sweet Little Sixteen". They go for the kill, finishing off with "Brown Sugar" and "Jumping Jack Flash". It appeared the band was bringing "Jack" to a finish but Keith simply refused to stop playing so everyone was treated to another minute or so. Despite the powerful finish, it was apparent the Stones saved their best punch for the 'Some Girls' tunes. Their enthusiasm for the record was very apparent. 'Some Girls' had a serious New York flavor to it; in the lyrics and in it's attitude. A healthy dose of "Here it is. Take it or leave it". Again, this show was in a small venue. But you couldn't help but still feel that New York attitude towards the show. Flat out lean and mean. No confetti, no explosions, no giant inflatable dicks, not even a horn section. No harp or horns seemed pretty apt for this show. There was certainly no blowing or sucking here...

It's ONLY rock and roll...

Just a quick drive by here. Lotsa great stuff coming from the Rolling Stones these days. First (or as far back as I'm going...), the release of a DVD from a 1978 show in Dallas. The movie was shown in select theaters around the world and is now out there for purchase. I haven't gotten a chance to spy on it yet but it'll be a part of my library soon enough. Then, comes the release of a re-mastered 'Some Girls' next Monday. As is the custom from our favorite class rock artists these days, there will be multiple versions (although they don't get too outta hand on this one); the CD, a Deluxe version with a 2nd disc of out takes (note: they did this with the re-release of 'Exile on Main Street' as well, where most are basic tracks which Don Was picked out and the band fleshed them out and added new vocals on some as well), and a SUPER Deluxe version with said CD's, a DVD, a 100 page book, a picture sleeve 45 of "Beast of Burden" (which they sez is rare...), five postcards designed for the set, a poster (also designed for the set) and a photo from a never released photo session at the time of the album's release. I've never been in a position (or was that much of a sucker) to dive in on the super-duper-you-want-how-much-for-that? versions but, never say never. IT'S SOME GIRLS!!!! I was always a Stones fan of sorts growing up ('Let It Bleed' is part of my DNA) but when 'Some Girls' came out, it was absolutely lights out. While there's many many bigger Stones fans than myself, I've never met one. Oh, and also being released is a concert CD from a legendary show in Brussels from 1973. Many say 1972 was when the Stones peaked but, you may wanna give this on a listen. More on those later So, adios for now...

Just got paid today...

Hello again, from a dark bedroom in an undisclosed location somewheres in the American southwest. I just wanted to post some pictures from the ZZ Top concert I attended at the end of September. This was my 6th time seeing the band and they never fail to please. Springing for the fan club pre-sale, I ended up with a pretty nice seat. The set list hasn't changed too much over the last decade, as they pretty much stick to the hits. The nightly Blues tune does vary from tour to tour and they do throw in a coupla surprise tunes. The stage show has been pretty stripped down too, the point being as, they're just coming to git down to bizness. While the songs pretty much stay the same, the playing is still red hot and, as you can see by the pics, these guys still dig gettin' down in da groove every night...