2017-10-07 (Coyote - Joni Mitchell)

Coyote - Joni Mitchell (1976)

Joni is songwriting royalty. Not just among female songwriters, but all of them. She is up there with the best. When I saw her perform this in The Last Waltz, I was blown away. I wanted to be the Coyote and to have had that, even if fleeting, intimate encounter with this beauty and energy. I was familiar with her early stuff (almost picked Big Yellow Taxi for today's song) and her connection with Graham Nash and CSN&Y. But, the difference between 'Big Yellow Taxi' and 'Coyote' is like the difference between 'Blowin in the Wind' and 'Tangled Up in Blue'. It demonstrates a real evolution in her craft.

The imagery in this song is like a short film. It is a visual tale laden with sensation as much as with emotion. The arrangement creates the perfect feel, using only guitars, Jaco's smooth fretless bass and congas. She strums the ease of "No regrets, Coyote" while Jaco bounces through the story from scene to scene. It comes across as autobiographical - about her realizing her lifestyle is not compatible with that of her new love interest. But, it's okay. It is clear by the ease of pace of the song and her matter-of-fact delivery of the lyric -- she may be fully taking it in, but she's not slowing down for regrets. Her independence is not stated, but it is apparent. To me (just a dude), the over arching theme is a story of feminism in the "post sexual revolution" 70's. Near the end, when she says she's a "prisoner of the fine white lines of the free, freeway" with that strum and bounce of the music, the closing credits are framed by the dashboard and windshield, looking out at that expanse - the possibilities. She sounds more committed to this way of life than imprisoned by it.

2017-10-05 (Panic - The Smiths)

The summer before 9th grade (1987), I was hanging out with Andy Cecil one day at the Country Club. Evidently, I was trying to act like some kind of punk to be cool around some older guys (Matt Lynch and another guy I don't remember his name). I was primed for it. There was so much angst and anxiety running through me in those days, but I so wanted to stay cool. So, this other guy asked me what music I listened to. I don't remember what I said, but he didn't approve. It was too mainstream.

"Why don't you listen to music with meaningful lyrics... somebody who's got something to say?"
"Like who?"
"The Smiths sing about hanging the DJ. You should listen to the Smiths Louder Than Bombs."

I went on to buy the cassette twice (cheap tape broke) and the cd twice (stolen). This was a primer that led me into some of the most important music of my life (REM, Cure, Depeche Mode...). Obviously, there were no brotherly influences here. Don thought I had gone fag. I wore this album out. Listening to it now, it doesn't speak to me as the most revolutionary song. And, even though I still love this album, it is not close to my favorite song on there. But, you can imagine a boy at 14....

Panic - The Smiths

I love almost every song on there, but here are a few that demonstrate their range pretty well.
Ask
Oscillate Wildly
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
This Night Has Opened My Eyes

2017-10-04 (This Ol' Cowboy - The Marshall Tucker Band)

This Ol' Cowboy - The Marshall Tucker Band (from Where We All Belong - one of my favorite albums ever! This is Southern Rock.)

"From Spartenburg, South Carolina, Capricorn Recording Artists the Marshall Tucker Band" (Intro to Live Album and "Ramblin'").

This is a song that's about the musicians playing it. A real band. And, it really doesn't matter the instrument - as demonstrated by southern rock's only flute player, a bad-ass flute player. The lyric is just enough to carry you into the lonesome feeling and the solos are enough to take you deep and let you wallow in it. I don't know anything about their intention in structuring this performance, but to me it seems perfect that the instruments are kept sorta singular. The rhythm section is solidly there throughout, giving you the feel out being 'out there' on your own. There is an occasional twin guitar or fiddle and guitar playing the same phrase. But, mostly each instrument is given ample time and space for their solos.

Col. Bruce had the 4 T's of playing. Tone, Timing, Taste and Threat of Vomit. I can imagine on a hot live version, there may have been the Threat (See "Ramblin" for T.O.V.), but not on this performance (other than the lonesomeness). But, I believe this song to be a masterpiece of the other 3 T's. There is no guitar player with better tone or taste than Toy Caldwell. The way the piano comes in at the end of the fiddle solo around the 3:15 mark and the guitar at the end of that solo..... is the timing that pulls it all together. Taste is everywhere, from the sparseness of the solos - the notes they are not playing - to the individual voice of each player, to the southern accent of the cowboy (Toy Caldwell's vocals). At least once, ignore the lyric and the solos completely and listen to what's going on behind it. And, listen for the subtle bass fills from Toy's brother Tommy - gorgeous!

I suggest turning this one up a little louder than you're comfortable with. Around the 2:45 mark, go ahead and turn it up some more. You will fall into it.

Personnel[edit]

• Doug Gray – lead vocals, percussion
• Toy Caldwell – electric and acoustic guitars, steel guitar, lead vocals on "This Ol' Cowboy" and "Everyday (I Have the Blues)"
• Tommy Caldwell – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Billy Sanders – rhythm guitar and harmonica
• George McCorkle – electric and acoustic guitars, banjo
• Jerry Eubanks – flute, alto, baritone and tenor saxophone, backing vocals
• Paul Riddle – drums

Additional musicians[edit]

• Charlie Daniels – fiddle on “24 Hours At a Time”
• Paul Hornsby – piano, organ, clavinet
• Stein – fiddle

2017-10-03 (Saturday Night Special - Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Obviously, growing up, I was hugely influenced by my brothers. It was simple, I liked the music they liked. And, growing up, we loved Lynyrd Skynyrd, as much as any band. I didn't know exactly why we flew the confederate flag in our bedrooms, but I guess it had a lot to do with Skynyrd. Funny thing is, they never flew the flag, just their fans. They were sorta hi-jacked by their redneck fans. But, what are you going to do. They were never trying to be political, but when they were, it wasn't always what you think. I like to think they were just another spoke in the slow moving wheel of the New South. If you're southern and you make a big stand against the southern way, you are ignored or worse. They slipped this one in on the same album as "Whisky Rock-A-Roller" and "Made in the Shade".

Saturday Night Special - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Two feet they come a creepin'
Like a black cat do
And two bodies are layin' naked
A creeper think he got nothin' to lose
So he creeps into this house, yeah
And unlocks the door
And as a man's reaching for his trousers
Shoots him full of thirty-eight holes

Mr. Saturday night special
Got a barrel that's blue and cold
Ain't good for nothin'
But put a man six feet in a hole

Big Jim's been drinkin' whiskey
And playin' poker on a losin' night
And pretty soon ol' Jim starts a thinkin'
Somebody been cheatin' and lyin'
So Big Jim commence to fightin'
I wouldn't tell you no lie
Big Jim done pulled his pistol
Shot his friend right between the eyes

Mr. Saturday night special
Got a barrel that's blue and cold
Ain't good for nothin'
But put a man six feet in a hole

Oh, it's the Saturday night special, for twenty dollars you can buy yourself one too

Hand guns are made for killin'
They ain't no good for nothin' else
And if you like to drink your whiskey
You might even shoot yourself
So why don't we dump 'em people
To the bottom of the sea
Before some ol' fool come around here
Wanna shoot either you or me

Mr. Saturday night special
You got a barrel that's blue and cold
You ain't good for nothin'
But put a man six feet in a hole

Mr. the Saturday night special
And I'd like to tell you what you could do with it
And that's the end of the song

Bonus track: Three Great Alabama Icons - Drive-By Truckers

I grew up in north Alabama back in the 1970s when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. I'm speaking, of course, of the three great Alabama icons: George Wallace, Bear Bryant, and Ronnie Van Zant. Now, Ronnie Van Zant wasn't from Alabama, he was from Florida, he was a huge Neil Young fan but in the tradition of Merle Haggard writing Okie From Muskogee to tell his dad's point of view on the hippies in Vietnam, Ronnie felt that the other side of the story should be told. Neil Young always claimed that Sweet Home Alabama was one of his favorite songs and legend has it that he was an honorary pallbearer at Ronnie's funeral, such as the duality of the southern thing. 

...and Bear Bryant wore a cool lookin' red checkered hat and won football games, and there's few things more loved in Alabama than football and the men who know how to win at it. So when the Bear would come to town, there would be a parade. Me, I was one of them pussy boys cuz i hated football, so i got a guitar but a guitar was a poor substitute for a football with the girls in my high school. So my band hit the road, and we didn't play no Skynyrd, neither. I came of age rebelling against the music in my high school parking lot. It wasn't until years later after leaving the South for a while that I came to appreciate and understand the whole Skynyrd thing and its misunderstood glory. I left the south and learned how different people's perceptions of the Southern Thing was from what I had seen in my life, which leads us to George Wallace...

...now Wallace was, for all practical purposes, the governor of Alabama from 1962 until 1986. Once when a law prevented him from succeeding himself, he ran his wife Lurleen in his place and she won by a landslide. He's most famous as the beligerant racist voice of the segregationist South, standing in the doorways of schools and waging a war against the federal government that he decried as 
hypocritical. Now Wallace started out as a lawyer and a judge with a very progressive and humanitarian track record for a man of his time, but he lost his first bid for governor in 
1958 by hedging on the race issue against a man who spoke out against intergration. Wallace ran again in '62 as a staunch segregationist and won big and for the next decade he spoke out loudly. He accused Kennedy and King of being communist and he was constantly on national news representing "the good people" of Alabama. 

...and ya know race was only an issue on tv in the house that i grew up in. Wallace was viewed as a man from another time and place, but when i first ventured out of the south I was shocked at how strongly Wallace was associated with Alabama and its people. Racism is a worldwide problem, and it's been like that since the beginning of recorded history and it ain't just white and black, but thanks to George Wallace, it's always a little more conveinent to play it with a Southern accent. 

Bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd attempted to show another side of the south, one that certainly exists, but few saw beyond the rebel flag and this applies not only to their critics and detractors but also their fans and followers. So for a while, when Neil Young would come to town, he'd get death threats down in Alabama. Ironically, in 1971, after a particularly racially charged campaign, Wallace began backpeddling and he opened up Alabama politics to minorities at a rate faster than most northern states or the federal government. Wallace spent the rest of his life trying to explain away his racist past and in 1982 he won his last term in office with over 90% of the black vote, such as the duality of the southern thing. 

...and George Wallace died back in '98 and he's in hell now, not because he's a racist. His track record as a judge and his late life quest for redemption make a good argument for his being, at worst, no worse than most white men of his generation, North or South. Because of his blind ambition 
and his hunger for votes, he turned a blind eye to the suffering of black America and he became a pawn in the fight against Civil Rights cause. 

...fortunately for him, the devil is also a southerner.

2017-10-02 (Southern Accents - Tom Petty)

Rest easy Tom Petty!

When I went to Central Florida to help work/live with Raymie's family, I learned that he wasn't just a classic rock hero. He was also a voice of a specific slice of American red-necks.

I wouldn't have known this, but Rick Litton asked me, point blank, Labor Day weekend around 1:30am. My favorite Petty tune.

Southern Accents

There's a southern accent, where I come from
The young 'uns call it country
The yankees call it dumb
I got my own way of talkin'
But everything gets done, with a southern accent
Where I come from

Now that drunk tank in Atlanta's
Just a motel room to me
Think I might go work Orlando
If them orange groves don't freeze
I got my own way of workin'
But everything is run, with a southern accent
Where I come from --

For just a minute there I was dreaming
For just a minute it was all so real
For just a minute she was standing there, with me

There's a dream I keep having
Where my mama comes to me
And kneels down over by the window
And says a prayer for me
Got my own way of prayin'
But everyone's begun
With a southern accent
Where I come from --

I got my own way of livin'
But everything gets done
With a southern accent
Where I come from

Here is his best impersonation of the Rolling Stones and one of my favorites.
Here Comes My Girl

Both of those were with the Heartbreakers. His solo career produced "Full Moon Fever". I wore that tape out in high school. I remember being introduced to it by Mary and Raymie the first time I really connected with them. They gave me a ride home from school and we rocked out to "Free Fallin'", "I Won't Back Down" and "Runnin' Down a Dream".

2017-10-01 (He Will Set Your Fields on Fire - John and Martha Carson)

I first remember hearing this one on Stanton Radio's Sunday morning show, sitting in the living room, waiting on Mom to get dressed for church. Daddy later made a tape of John and Martha Carson and this was always the standout track. If I remember correctly, John is the son of Fiddlin' Doc Roberts who was usually accompanied by Asa Martin on guitar.

He Will Set Your Fields on Fire - Don Reno and Benny Martin (since the better version is not on Spotify)

Vinyl (Vol. 2)

My office!

The set up could be better, but I'm psyched about having the turntable next to me, for now. I believe it will be moved upstairs to the living space at some point.

New obsession - Vinyl (Volume 1)

I finally started adding to my vinyl collection. I went to Sweeten Creek Antiques to look for a couple of pieces of furniture that Annie and I have been shopping for. There is a lot of vinyl there. And, some that I just couldn't pass up. 

          Tupelo Honey for $25 (Great condition)

          One of my all-time favorite albums ($12)

       I remember this one in my parent's collection.

    Classic - Grace just said this one was the best ever.

     I remember this stuff from when I was a kid, too.

Chuck Leavell -- couldn't go wrong for $1 (great condition)

I got several more - Glen Campbell (b/c he just died), Cahoots, a better copy of After the Gold Rush, a Return to Forever album on the cheap.... This all came on the heels of getting the new Tyler Childers album in the mail. I need to write a separate post for that one. I think it is the best of this great new wave of country music -- that includes Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Stapleton... I absolutely love it - been walking around the house singing lines for weeks.

I'm not a snobby audiophile. I have Spotify Premium and I can listen to almost any album (or song) I want, pretty much anytime I want -- on my computer or phone. Probably the most exciting thing about getting into this collection is liner notes. I miss liner notes badly and often. Over the last 5-10 years, I've listened to Common Sense probably 100 times (easily). I had no idea. Look at this... Jackson Browne, JD Souther, Glen Frey. Steve Goodman is pretty much on the whole thing (no big surprise there - but still, I didn't know this). And, who is Larry Muhoberac? Has he played piano on a lot of other stuff? Even with CDs, I would have known these things and it would make other buying experiences and conversations with people so much more fulfilling. 

I'm also excited about the physical mass. I'm mostly into getting rid of shit these days -- simplifying my life. I run my accounting practice "in the cloud", electronic office as much as possible. But, I have been a bit sad over the last few years that there was such little physical evidence of my love of music. I am ready to buy (or build if I must) just the right shelves and stock them full of only the best stuff I can find.

Hampton 70 - I was there!

Hampton 70! At the Fabulous Fox, no less. Everybody there to pay homage to their Daddy. This concert was a must-see for me. It's been a carrot on a stick that helped get me through tax season. I've been seeing Col. Bruce for nearly 25 years. He exemplifies and fosters everything I love most about music -- freedom and self-expression, spirituality and a connection with the cosmos, vulnerability and authenticity, camaraderie and community, commitment, excellence and professionalism.

The emcee for the night said, "Get ready for a night you will never forget!" That, it was! Throughout the night, I kept thinking of the 10 concerts posts people have been posting. I could produce a pretty impressive list, just from this one night. But, it wasn't just an awkward jam session of unfamiliar all-stars. They were there as family with a worthy common goal. The emcee also mentioned that proceeds from ticket sales were going to charity. I thought, "They're playing for free... keeping their motives pure. They would've had this party anyway. I'm sure glad they invited us to join."

It was everything I was hoping for, and more.
There may have been a couple of the regular cast missing. But, one thing is for sure- those who were there, brought 100%. The show was smooth and well-rehearsed with plenty of room for stretching out. Highlights are too many to name. The drummer game was strong. Two kits with either Duane Trucks, Jon Fishman or (my MVP of the night) Jeff Sipe always in the mix. Dave Schools handled most of the bass duties as did Matt Slocum the organ. Guitar monsters – Herring, Haynes, Trucks, Taz, Tinsley. Chuck Leavell bossed a rocking stretch… other key characters – John Bell, Susan Tedeschi, Popper, Herman, Emmitt, Denson and others. “Working on a Building”, “Compared to What”, “Time is Free”, “Space is the Place” and on and on with all of the favorites performed with intensity and what seemed like an eagerness to show Bruce that they could do it how he taught them. It all built to the crescendo of “Glad”, with the Col. in command, sitting right in the middle. It could have gone on forever with no complaints. The feeling was euphoric.

For the encore, they poured out onto the stage – around 30 musicians along with Zambi and a some Zambiland props. They conjured up the vibe that I feel so grateful to have been in the presence of many times over the years. “Zambi has but one command. Peace and Happiness in Zambiland.” All 30 went at their instruments as if they were trying to pull them apart and find new sounds in them. And, together from that chaos, they busted into “Lovelight”, a Col. Bruce showpiece.

I don’t know how to recount the final act. It’s strange and awkward and haunting to witness death. It definitely shook me and my head is still spinning. As I try to process it a few things keep coming back.

-In the end, he had a huge part in his own undoing. There is likely no other person on the face of the planet (over age 3) that could go down in a heap and lay face first for almost 4 minutes in room full of people who love them and no one think it out of the ordinary. We all thought it was part of the show. Despite some obvious clues and a nagging confusion, I kept that possibility alive in my head until emergency vehicles rolled in as we walked out the door.

-I will keep tabs on the career of Taz Niederauer.

-The quality of the show should not be totally overshadowed by its finale. Find it and listen to it. 

-I can think of no better way for anyone – or no more fitting of a way, for him, to go out. It was harsh, but it was beautiful. The perfect ending to an incredible story.

-As suggested by Jeff Mosier, I choose gratitude. There's a lot to be thankful for.

-It is absolutely a night I will never forget!

(copy and pasted from my facebook page - originally written on May 2, 2017)

Songs Covered by WSP - Spotify Playlist

I have seen/heard Panic live over 100 times, dating back to February 1993.  They have some great songs of their own, but it is always a treat to hear them cover their favorites by other artists.  Part of the attraction to them for me has always been their accessibility.  I have seen them in lots of small venues and I even ran into D.S. at a Dead show in Atlanta once.  Listening to the original versions of these songs, their faves, adds to the feeling that they are as much old friends as one of my favorite rock bands.  The songs they have covered over the years have also turned me onto many of my now favorite artists (including JJ Cale, The Meters, and Vic Chesnutt).     

Since I signed on to Spotify, I have thought of all kinds of reasons to create playlists.  It is not a perfect tool, but I like the idea of a place to share music with friends in a mostly open and mostly free/inexpensive way.  After hearing Panic cover "Just Kissed My Baby" in Cincinnati last month, I went to Spotify to listen to some different Meters albums than the ones I own.  This set me on a path to hear original versions of other covers too.  I started with some others they covered in Cincy, "None of Us Are Free" and "Four Cornered Room".  I couldn't stop.  I added them to the playlist as I thought of them and only mixed them up a little for an easier listen.  You have to have Spotify to listen, but it is easy and free to sign up and you won't be sorry you did.

I'm not sure if there's a difference between these links, but one of them should work for you.
Four Cornered Room

Four Cornered Room

56 Tracks, 4 hours

This playlist is not meant to be comprehensive.  It is a great listen.  Here are some of the gems that show up

Four Cornered Room - War
Slippin' Into Darkness - War

It Ain't No Use - The Meters
Just Kissed My Baby - The Meters

Walk On - Neil Young
Vampire Blues - Neil Young

Papa Legba - Talking Heads (Pops Staples vocal version from film as well)
City of Dreams - Talking Heads
Heaven - Talking Heads (from Fear of Music)








Here are some of my personal favorites.....
Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave - Traffic
Down On The Farm - Little Feat
Dirty Business - New Riders of the Purple Sage (featuring an extended jam with Jerry on pedal steel)
Maggot Brain - Funkadelic
Time is Free - Johnson / Hammer (cover of a cover by Col. Bruce & ARU)
Protein Drink / Sewing Machine - brute
She Caught the Katy - Taj Mahal

Songs you thought were theirs;
Send Your Mind - Van Morrison
Travelin Light - J.J. Cale
Blight - Vic Chesnutt

And it's great to find the originals of a few that I've never heard, like
Weak Brain, Narrow Mind - Willie Dixon
Bowlegged Woman - Hot Tuna
Stop Breaking Down - Sonny Boy Williamson (I love the Stones version)
None of Us Are Free - Solomon Burke
And especially "Flat Foot Flewzy - NRBQ!

One last note: "Don't Be Denied" is a great Neil Young song from a legendary unreleased and until now unspotified album called "Time Fades Away".  This album also includes "Last Dance", another Panic cover which I love.  On the playlist, I reluctantly included a version of "DBD" by Nils Lofgren.  It's not the original and it's not great, but definitely one of my favorite songs so I kept it.

Also, there were a few others that I really wanted to add which I couldn't find on Spotify (mostly "Knockin' Around the Zoo" - James Taylor).