The Revivalists

I saw a great concert by The Revivalists at the Kennedy Center tonight. You can steam the concert here. The band, from New Orleans, rocked the place a lot more than you usually see at the Kennedy Center. Here are a couple videos.

"Catching Fireflies" Featurette



"Soul Fight"



"Concrete"

Let them in, Peter

A post for Memorial Day. John Gorka performing his song "Let them in, Peter", based on a poem by Elma Dean.

Walk With Me, Lord

Today's Gospel song is "Walk With Me, Lord", performed by Lizz Wright.

See Liz Wright's Tiny Desk concert in this previous post: March 18, 2011.

Gillian Welch, et al

My last post had a video on Gillian Welch and the Decemberists. Welch has a new album coming out this summer, so we should be getting some new songs from her. For now here are a couple videos of her performing with various others.

"The Weight" - Gillian Welch and Old Crow Medicine Show



"Go To Sleep You Little Baby", from the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss and Emmylou Harris



"Look at Miss Ohio" - Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. It would be very hard for me to pick one of her songs and say it was my favorite, but this song would be in contention.

Happy Birthday Bob

A post to mark Bob Dylan's 70th Birthday. Here is a previous post of Dylan covers.

"Knockin On Heaven's Door"



"Things Have Changed"



A early performance of the traditional song "Man of Constant Sorrow"

Americana Music Awards Nominations

Video for the four songs nominated today for Best Song at the Americana Music Awards.

"Down by the Water" - Decemberists with Gillian Welch



"El Camino" - Elizabeth Cook, This is not my favorite song of the album. See more video from the Welder album in my May 26, 2010 post.



"Harlem River Blues" - Justin Townes Earle



"Kmag Yoyo" - Hayes Carll

Oh, Happy Day

A great combination, Aretha Franklin and Mavis Staples performing "Oh, Happy Day", from the album One Lord One Faith One Baptism.

Another End of the World

Another post for end the world. How could I not have thought of this sooner?

Elvis Costello - "Waiting for the End of the World"

The End of World

Since the world is supposed to end tomorrow, I am posting this a day in advance, so I don't miss the occasion.

REM - "It's the End of the World As We Know it"

When the Levee Breaks

A second post on the 1927 Mississippi River flood. NPR had this piece yesterday on Music about the Flood.

Here is Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy's "When the Levee Breaks"



A more current version of "When the Levee Breaks" by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant

Pirates

From the soundtrack of the upcoming film, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Poster. a performance by Rodrigo y Gabriela. More of their videos at this post: October 26, 2009

Rickie Lee Jones

I have been listening to Rickie Lee Jones' 2001 album, Live at Red Rocks, recently. I have had this CD for years, but I don't remember liking it as much as I do now. In the past I have listened to her 1995 album, Naked Songs, a lot more. So here are some Rickie Lee Jones performances.

"Youngblood" - The video is dark, but the sound is good.



"Weasel and the White Boys Cool"



"We Belong Together", from an allegedly upcoming DVD.The DVD does not appear to be out yet.



This song is not on the Red Rocks album, but it is probably my favorite Rickie Lee Jones song, "Living It Up".

Paul and Silas

Earl Scruggs usually plays banjo, but here he picks guitar on "Paul and Silas".

Louisiana 1927

With the Mississippi River on the verge of another massive flood, here is Randy Newman's song about the last great flood, "Louisiana 1927"

Also see today's post on my other blog, Just Everything Else, which is also about the 1927 flood.

Bob Marley

A little Reggae to mark 30 years since Bob Marley passed. One of the few people who you can say created a whole new genre of music.

"Jammin'"



"Redemption Song"



"No Woman, No Cry"

Booker T. Jones

Booker T. Jones performs an NPR Tiny Desk Concert in this video. At 17 years old, Jones wrote and recorded what become one of the iconic instrumental performances of the Rock Era. As Booker T. and the MG's, he recorded this song—"Green Onions"—in 1962.

Almost 50 years later, Jones performs that song in this video, and well as discussing how he began playing the organ. Also on this video are performances of "Born Under a Bad Sign" and "Down in Memphis".



A early 60's performance from the the TV show Shindig. Obviously. this was In the days when Blacks were allowed to perform on such shows, but not yet allowed to be included with the dancers. Also this clip ends with a very amusing plug for milk. I suppose the idea was to associate Rock 'n Roll with something wholesome like milk. That and sports drinks had not been invented yet then.

Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down

I have had Brother Claude Ely's live gospel recording from 1953 for at least 15 years. Ely's nephew has now written a book about him, and NPR has a very interesting interview with the nephew.

"Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down" was written 1934, when Ely was 12 years old and was believed to be on his death bed. Brother Claude did not die then, but went on to be a successful Pentecostal Evangelist. Ely died in 1978, when he dropped dead of a heart attack as he was playing the organ and singing in front of his congregation.

He is Ely's 1953 recording of the song.



This was one of the last songs that Johnny Cash recorded. For more info about this video check out http://www.thejohnnycashproject.com/.

Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson was born 100 years ago, on May 8, 1911. He died in 1938, having only recorded 29 songs, but his guitar playing has had a major influence on both Rock 'n Roll and Blues music. He is also famous for the myth that he obtain his guitar playing skills by selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads. I have to admit that he has never been one of my favorite musicians to listen to. Still, you have to respect the influence he has had.

This video for the songs "Hell Hound on My Trail" and "Devil's Blues" has been created from a couple of the rare photographs that exist of Johnson. I find it a bit creepy, but it is the closest thing we have to live footage of him.



Johnson was a big influence on Eric Clapton. Here is Clapton's cover of Johnson's song "Crossroads".



"Milk Cow Blues" was the last song Johnson ever recorded. Here is Lee Roy Parnell's cover of the song.

Pete Seeger

Today is Pete Seeger's 92nd birthday. You can't let something like that pass without a video. Pete has also appeared in these two previous post's January 18, 2011 and July 4, 2010. Here is a clip of Seeger from the Smother's Brother Show, so this would have been in the late 60's.

Come Sunday

"Come Sunday" was written by Duke Ellington. There are some live performances of this song, but no one else can sing it like Mahalia Jackson, so I am just posting the audio from the 1958 album, Black, Brown & Beige.