The Hangover Mass Blues Show: Episode 2

A bi-monthly blues program spinning vintage and contemporary sounds from the Mississippi Delta and beyond:

| Chicago |

muddy waters - mannish boy || koko taylor - i'm a woman || elmore james - dust my broom || hound dog taylor - ain't got nobody || junior wells - snatch it back and hold it || paul butterfield blues band - i got my mojo workin' || buddy guy - she suits me to a tee || howlin' wolf - back door man || j.b. lenoir - mama talk to your daughter || jimmy reed - bright lights, big city || freddie king - me and my guitar || floyd jones - stockyard blues || albert king - as the years go passing by || big walter horton - christine || snooky pryor - drivin' dog || robert lockwood jr. - that's all right || carey bell - what my mama told me || little walter - roller coaster || lowell fulson - why don't we do it in the road || jimmy dawkins - b phur real || jimmy dawkins - back street blues || magic slim & the teardrop - mustang sally

"I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" - Jamie xx ft. Young Thug & Popcaan

Jamie xx has shared the fifth track from his upcoming debut LP In Colour. "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" features Atlanta rapper Young Thug and dancehall specialist Popcaan, over a sample of The Persuasian's 1971 track "Good Times." An earlier leaked version of the track hit the internet earlier in the month, but had slightly different production and lacked Popcaan's contributions.

"I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times) has all the makings of a major summer jam. Get a head start and stream it below.


Grab the track and the rest of In Colour, out on Young Turks, on June 2nd. <EC>

Give Me Back My Wig - Hound Dog Taylor

Bruce Iglauer had already known of Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor when he heard him and his band, The HouseRockers, play the popular South Side Chicago venue Florence's Lounge in late 1970. So moved by the rare and potent energy of that live show, he tried without success to convince his employer at the time, Delmark Records, to sign the group. Iglauer would eventually found his own label just so he could record and produce them. His impetuous project conceived the now famous Alligator Records.

In a 1998 interview, Iglauer spoke about his first impression of Hound Dog and his inevitable appreciation for the bluesman's talents:

"He would start songs for 15-20 seconds, stop and try to start another thing. Then he'd tell these incomprehensible jokes, crack up in the middle of the joke and bury his face in his hands. He'd light a Pell Mell, tell another weird joke, put the Pell Mell on the mike stand, start into another song that would fall apart instantly. But he was so funny looking - a tall, gawky guy, very thin, huge toothy grin. Everybody naturally loved him. I just kind of assumed that he was a clown. I thought that nobody took him seriously as a musician but they liked him because he was a cool guy.

He kept telling me that I should come to his gigs. He mentioned that he was playing at a place called Florence's Lounge on the South Side. It was a Sunday afternoon gig and nobody else had a gig on Sunday afternoon that I knew of...[He and his band] played for three hours straight. People were dancing in the aisles and on the seats and lots of people were sitting in. Lots of people were really drunk and they were shooting dice outside and the energy level was fantastic. Everybody knew Hound Dog and the music was totally raw and absolutely infectious. That's when I reassessed Hound Dog Taylor." <TM>

Listen Up: Spring Fling

Grab your best guy or gal. <TM>

Whiskey Woman - Flamin' Groovies

On no other merit than a name, we easily dismiss some bands. With our perfectly calibrated understanding of what hip musicians should call themselves, we routinely disregard groups like the Flamin' Groovies. Let this be a lesson that we should be conscious of our silent typecastings.

Formed in 1965 in San Francisco by Ron Greco, Cyril Jordan, and Roy Lonely, the Flamin' Groovies are recognized primarily for their contributions to the power pop movement of the 1970s. But their music is actually best defined by the way it creeps into other adjacent genres.

"Whiskey Woman", from 1971's Teenage Head is a sound example. Seductive swells in the opening sequence frame the contrasts heard later on. A pair of guitars carry bluesy themes and riffs that punctuate the refrain. These dueling instruments come together in a rugged pop coda that brings the tune to its close. Suspend your expectations and give it a listen. <TM>

The Hangover Mass Blues Show: Episode 1

A bi-monthly blues program spinning vintage and contemporary sounds from the Mississippi Delta and beyond:

| Mississippi Delta |

robert belfour - hill stomp || junior kimbrough - lord have mercy || r.l. burnside - jumper hanging on a line || howlin' wolf - back door man || charles caldwell - alone for a long time|| asie payton - i love you || jimmy lee williams - have you seen peaches || willie dixon - i can't quit you, baby || cecil barfield - georgia bottleneck blues || boyd rivers and ruth may rivers - come out the wilderness || walter horton - need my baby || jimmy dawkins - b phur real || lurrie bell - smokin' dynamite || lowell fulson - why don't we do it in the road || junior wells - snatch it back and hold it || smokey wilson - want to do it to you || j.w. warren - hoboing into hollywood || john lee zeigler - if i lose let me loose || jimmy lee williams - hoot your belly || john lee zeigler - used to be mine but look who got her now ||  belton southerland - blues #2 || a.a. bondy - vice rag || dr. isaiah ross - feel so good || j.b. lenior - talk to your daughter || junior kimbrough - meet me in the city ||

Revisited: The Georgia Sea Island Singers

The Atlantic coast that stretches from South Carolina to Florida is scattered with over one hundred barrier islands within miles from the shore. Saint Simons is one such island, allocated to Glynn County, Georgia, and despite its recent development as a resort community, has history dating back two hundred years before European contact. The island later served as a hub for cotton production, like many of the neighboring Sea Islands, and became the adopted home to generations of slaves and their ancestors. It was here that Gullah culture was birthed to preserve the African customs, and it was out of Gullah culture that the music of the Georgia Sea Island Singers came to be.

Headbanging in the Mirror - Ducktails

Ducktails has returned with the new track "Headbanging in the Mirror," just in time to make everybody's summer playlist. The song picks up where Ducktails left off with 2013's The Flower Lane  LP and Wish Hotel EP, as a tight, melodic, lolloping bedroom pop tune. With a title that's more reflective of the blissful feeling that comes from rocking out than something you'll find yourself along with  the song, "Headbanging in the Mirror" is the perfect accompaniment to taking a deep breath and taking it easy.

"Headbanging in the Mirror" is the first single from Ducktails' forthcoming LP St. Catherine, out July 24th on Domino. <EC>

april/15 playlist

A spirit of youth in everything.