#playing classical music solo in front of a stone-faced audience of old people who are either grading you or mentally calling u a slur: 👎👎👎👎👎

[rhpsdys]

raine had to play so many violin concertos while they were in school && they hated every second of it

[blackkudos]

Muddy Waters

McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913  – April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician who is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago blues".

Muddy Waters grew up on Stovall Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi, and by age 17 was playing the guitar and the harmonica, emulating local blues artists Son House and Robert Johnson. He was recorded in Mississippi by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in 1941. In 1943, he moved to Chicago to become a full-time, professional musician. In 1946, he recorded his first records for Columbia Records and then for Aristocrat Records, a newly formed label run by the brothers Leonard and Phil Chess.

In the early 1950s, Muddy Waters and his band—Little Walter Jacobs on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Elgin Evans on drums and Otis Spann on piano—recorded several blues classics, some with bassist and songwriter Willie Dixon. These songs included "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and "I'm Ready". In 1958, he traveled to England, laying the foundations of the subsequent blues boom there. His performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960 was recorded and released as his first live album, At Newport 1960.

Muddy Waters' influence was tremendous, not just on blues and rhythm and blues but on rock and roll, hard rock, folk music, jazz, and country music. His use of amplification is often cited as the link between Delta blues and rock and roll.

Early life

Muddy Waters birthplace and date is not conclusively known. He stated that he was born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi in 1915, but it is believed he was actually most likely born in Jug's Corner, in neighboring Issaquena County in 1913. Recent research has uncovered documentation showing that in the 1930s and 1940s, before his rise to fame, he reported his birth year as 1913 on his marriage license, recording notes, and musicians' union card. A 1955 interview in the Chicago Defender is the earliest he claimed 1915 as his year of birth, which he continued to use in interviews from that point onward. The 1920 census lists him as five years old as of March 6, 1920, suggesting that his birth year may have been 1914. The Social Security Death Index, relying on the Social Security card application submitted after his move to Chicago in the mid-1940s, lists him as being born April 4, 1913. His gravestone gives his birth year as 1915.

Muddy Waters' grandmother, Della Grant, raised him after his mother died shortly after his birth. Grant gave him the nickname "Muddy" at an early age because he loved to play in the muddy water of nearby Deer Creek. "Waters" was added years later, as he began to play harmonica and perform locally in his early teens. The remains of the cabin on Stovall Plantation where Waters lived in his youth are now at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

He had his first introduction to music in church: "I used to belong to church. I was a good Baptist, singing in the church. So I got all of my good moaning and trembling going on for me right out of church," he recalled. By the time, he was 17, he had purchased his first guitar. "I sold the last horse that we had. Made about fifteen dollars for him, gave my grandmother seven dollars and fifty cents, I kept seven-fifty and paid about two-fifty for that guitar. It was a Stella. The people ordered them from Sears-Roebuck in Chicago." He started playing his songs in joints nearby his hometown, mostly in a plantation owned by Colonel William Howard Stovall.

Career

Early career

In August 1941, Alan Lomax went to Stovall, Mississippi, on behalf of the Library of Congress to record various country blues musicians. "He brought his stuff down and recorded me right in my house," Muddy recalled in Rolling Stone, "and when he played back the first song I sounded just like anybody's records. Man, you don't know how I felt that Saturday afternoon when I heard that voice and it was my own voice. Later on he sent me two copies of the pressing and a check for twenty bucks, and I carried that record up to the corner and put it on the jukebox. Just played it and played it and said, 'I can do it, I can do it.'" Lomax came back in July 1942 to record Muddy again. Both sessions were eventually released as Down on Stovall's Plantation by Testament Records. The complete recordings were reissued on CD as Muddy Waters: The Complete Plantation Recordings. The Historic 1941–42 Library of Congress Field Recordings by Chess Records in 1993 and remastered in 1997.

In 1943, Muddy headed to Chicago with the hope of becoming a full-time professional musician. He lived with a relative for a short period while driving a truck and working in a factory by day and performing at night. Big Bill Broonzy, then one of the leading bluesmen in Chicago, had Muddy open his shows in the rowdy clubs where Broonzy played. This gave Muddy the opportunity to play in front of a large audience. In 1944, Muddy bought his first electric guitar and then he formed his first electric combo. He felt obliged to electrify his sound in Chicago as he stated "When I went into the clubs, the first thing I wanted was an amplifier. Couldn't nobody hear you with an acoustic." Muddy's sound reflected the optimism of postwar African Americans. Willie Dixon mentioned "There was quite a few people around singing the blues but most of them was singing all sad blues. Muddy was giving his blues a little pep."

Three years later in 1946, he recorded some songs for Mayo Williams at Columbia Records, but they were not released at the time. Later that year, he began recording for Aristocrat Records, a newly formed label run by the brothers Leonard and Phil Chess. In 1947, he played guitar with Sunnyland Slim on piano on the cuts "Gypsy Woman" and "Little Anna Mae." These were also shelved, but in 1948, "I Can't Be Satisfied" and "I Feel Like Going Home" became big hits, and his popularity in clubs began to take off. Soon after, Aristocrat changed its name to Chess Records, and Muddy's signature tune "Rollin' Stone" also became a hit that year.

Commercial success

Initially, the Chess brothers wouldn't allow Muddy to use his working band in the recording studio; instead, he was provided with a backing bass by Ernest "Big" Crawford or by musicians assembled specifically for the recording session, including "Baby Face" Leroy Foster and Johnny Jones. Gradually, Chess relented, and by September 1953, he was recording with one of the most acclaimed blues groups in history: Little Walter Jacobs on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Elga Edmonds (also known as Elgin Evans) on drums, and Otis Spann on piano. The band recorded a series of blues classics during the early 1950s, some with the help of bassist and songwriter Willie Dixon, including "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", and "I'm Ready." These three were "the most macho songs in his repertoire", wrote Robert Palmer in Rolling Stone. "Muddy would never have composed anything so unsubtle. But they gave him a succession of showstoppers and an image, which were important for a bluesman trying to break out of the grind of local gigs into national prominence."

Along with his former harmonica player Little Walter Jacobs and recent southern transplant Howlin' Wolf, Muddy reigned over the early 1950s Chicago blues scene, his band becoming a proving ground for some of the city's best blues talent. While Little Walter continued a collaborative relationship long after he left Muddy's band in 1952, appearing on most of Muddy's classic recordings in the 1950s, Muddy developed a long-running, generally good-natured rivalry with Wolf. The success of Muddy's ensemble paved the way for others in his group to break away and make their own solo careers. In 1952, Little Walter left when his single "Juke" became a hit, and in 1955, Rogers quit to work exclusively with his own band, which had been a sideline until that time. Although he continued working with Muddy's band, Otis Spann enjoyed a solo career and many releases under his own name beginning in the mid-1950s. Around that time, Muddy Waters scored hits with songs "Mannish Boy" and "Sugar Sweet" in 1955, followed by the R&B hits "Trouble No More," "Forty Days & Forty Nights", and "Don't Go No Farther" in 1956.

England

Muddy toured England in 1958 and shocked audiences (whose only previous exposure to blues had come via the acoustic folk blues sounds of acts such as Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Big Bill Broonzy) with his loud, amplified electric guitar and thunderous beat. His performance at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival, recorded and released as his first live album, At Newport 1960, introduced a new generation to Muddy's sound.

Grammy

In 1971, a show at Mister Kelly's, an upmarket Chicago nightclub, was recorded and released, signalling both Muddy's return to form and the completion of his transfer to white audiences. In December, he took harpist Carey Bell and guitarist Sammy Lawhorn to England to record The London Muddy Waters Sessions, which featured Rory Gallagher, Mitch Mitchell, and Georgie Fame. Soon after, he won his first Grammy Award for They Call Me Muddy Waters, an album of old, but previously unreleased recordings. Another Grammy followed for London Sessions, and yet another one for his last LP on Chess Records: The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album, recorded in 1975 with his new guitarist Bob Margolin, Pinetop Perkins, Paul Butterfield, and Levon Helm and Garth Hudson of The Band.

The Super Blues Band

However, following his last big hit, "I'm Ready", in 1956, Muddy was put on the back shelf by Chess. In 1967, he joined forces with Bo Diddley, Little Walter, and Howlin' Wolf to record the albums Super Blues and The Super Super Blues Band, containing Chess blues standards. In 1972, he went back to England to record The London Muddy Waters Sessions with Rory Gallagher, Steve Winwood, Rick Grech, and Mitch Mitchell, but their playing was not up to his standards. "These boys are top musicians, they can play with me, put the book before 'em and play it, you know," he told Guralnick. "But that ain't what I need to sell my people, it ain't the Muddy Waters sound. An' if you change my sound, then you gonna change the whole man." Muddy's stated, "My blues look so simple, so easy to do, but it's not. They say my blues is the hardest blues in the world to play."

Final shows

In 1981, Muddy Waters was invited to perform at ChicagoFest, the city's top outdoor music festival. He was joined onstage by Johnny Winter, who had produced Waters' most recent albums, and played classics like "Mannish Boy", "Trouble No More", and "Mojo Working" to a new generation of fans. This historic performance was made available on DVD in 2009 by Shout! Factory. Later that year, he performed live with the Rolling Stones at the Checkerboard Lounge; a DVD version of the performance was released in 2012.

In 1982, declining health dramatically curtailed his performance schedule. His last public performance took place when he sat in with Eric Clapton's band at a concert in Florida in the summer of 1982.

Personal life

Muddy Waters' longtime wife, Geneva, died of cancer on March 15, 1973. Gaining custody of some of his children, he moved them into his home, eventually buying a new house in Westmont, Illinois. Years later, Muddy travelled to Florida and met his future wife, 19-year-old Marva Jean Brooks, whom he nicknamed "Sunshine". Eric Clapton served as best man at their wedding in 1979.

His sons, Larry "Mud" Morganfield and Big Bill Morganfield, are also blues singers and musicians.

Death

Muddy Waters died in his sleep from heart failure, at his home in Westmont, Illinois, on April 30, 1983. Throngs of blues musicians and fans attended his funeral at Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, to pay tribute to one of the true originals of the art form. John P. Hammond told Guitar World magazine, "Muddy was a master of just the right notes. It was profound guitar playing, deep and simple... more country blues transposed to the electric guitar, the kind of playing that enhanced the lyrics, gave profundity to the words themselves."

Legacy

Two years after his death, Chicago honored him by designating the one-block section between 900 and 1000 E. 43rd Street near his former home on the south side "Honorary Muddy Waters Drive". The Chicago suburb of Westmont, where Muddy lived the last decade of his life, named a section of Cass Avenue near his home "Honorary Muddy Waters Way". Following his death, fellow blues musician B.B. King told Guitar World, "It's going to be years and years before most people realize how greatly he contributed to American music". A Mississippi Blues Trail marker has been placed in Clarksdale, Mississippi, by the Mississippi Blues Commission designating the site of Muddy Waters' cabin.

His influence is tremendous, over a range of music genres: blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, hard rock, folk music, jazz, and country music. He also helped Chuck Berry get his first record contract.

His 1958 tour of England marked possibly the first time amplified, modern urban blues was heard there, although on this tour he was the only one amplified. His backing was provided by the trad jazz group of the Englishman Chris Barber.

His use of amplification has been cited as "the technological missing link between Delta Blues and Rock 'N' Roll." This is underlined in a 1968 article in Rolling Stone magazine: “There was a difference between Muddy’s instrumental work and that of House and Johnson, however, and the crucial difference was the result of Waters’ use of the electric guitar on his Aristocrat sides; he had taken up the instrument shortly after moving to Chicago in 1943.”

The Rolling Stones named themselves after his 1950 song "Rollin' Stone" (also known as "Catfish Blues", which was covered by Jimi Hendrix). Rolling Stone magazine took its name from the same song. Hendrix recalled that "the first guitar player I was aware of was Muddy Waters. I first heard him as a little boy and it scared me to death". The band Cream covered "Rollin' and Tumblin'" on their 1966 debut album, Fresh Cream, as Eric Clapton was a big fan of Muddy Waters when he was growing up, and his music influenced Clapton's music career. The song was also covered by Canned Heat at the Monterey Pop Festival and later adapted by Bob Dylan on his album Modern Times. One of Led Zeppelin's biggest hits, "Whole Lotta Love", is lyrically based on the Muddy Waters hit "You Need Love", written by Willie Dixon. Dixon wrote some of Muddy Waters' songs, including "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (a big radio hit for Etta James, as well as the 1970s rock band Foghat), "Hoochie Coochie Man", which the Allman Brothers Band covered (the song was also covered by Humble Pie, Steppenwolf, and Fear), "Trouble No More" and "I'm Ready". In 1993, Paul Rodgers released the album Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters, on which he covered a number of Muddy Waters songs, including "Louisiana Blues", "Rollin' Stone", "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I'm Ready" in collaboration with a number of guitarists, including Gary Moore, Brian May and Jeff Beck.

Angus Young, of the rock group AC/DC, has cited Muddy Waters as one of his influences. The AC/DC song title "You Shook Me All Night Long" came from lyrics of the Muddy Waters song "You Shook Me", written by Willie Dixon and J. B. Lenoir. Earl Hooker first recorded it as an instrumental, which was then overdubbed with vocals by Muddy Waters in 1962. Led Zeppelin also covered it on their debut album.

Muddy Waters' songs have been featured in long-time fan Martin Scorsese's movies, including The Color of Money, Goodfellas, and Casino. Muddy Waters' 1970s recording of his mid-'50s hit "Mannish Boy" (also known as "I'm a Man") was used in the films Goodfellas, Better Off Dead, Risky Business, and the rockumentary The Last Waltz.

The song "Come Together" by the Beatles mentions Muddy Waters: "He roller coaster/he got Muddy Waters."

Van Morrison's song "Cleaning Windows", on his album Beautiful Vision (1982), includes the lyric "Muddy Waters singin', I'm a Rolling Stone".

In 2008, actor Jeffrey Wright portrayed Muddy Waters in the film Cadillac Records, about Chess Records and its recording artists. Another 2008 film about Leonard Chess and Chess Records, Who Do You Love, also covers Muddy's time at Chess Records.

In the 2009 film The Boat That Rocked (retitled Pirate Radio in the U.S) about pirate radio in the UK, the cryptic message that late-night DJ Bob gives to Carl to give to Carl's mother is "Muddy Waters rocks".

In 1990, the television series Doogie Howser, M.D. featured an episode called "Doogie Sings the Blues" with the main character, Blind Otis Lemon, based on Muddy Waters, with references to his influence on the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, along with the performance of "Got My Mojo Working" by Blind Otis Lemon. He is also referred to as the original "Hoochie Coochie Man".

Awards and recognition

Grammy AwardsRock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed four songs of Muddy Waters among the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

The Blues Foundation AwardsInductions

U.S. Postage Stamp

Discography

Studio albums

Muddy Waters Sings Big Bill Broonzy (1960)

Folk Singer (1964)

Brass and the Blues (1966)

Electric Mud (1968)

After the Rain (1969)

Fathers and Sons (1969)

The London Muddy Waters Sessions (1970)

Can't Get No Grindin' (1973)

"Unk" in Funk (1974)

The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album (1975)

Hard Again (1977)

I'm Ready (1978)

King Bee (1981)

Wikipedia

[wordsaboutmusic101]

Music Connects Us: A Cross Generational Interview with Sneha Koddappully and Charles Mcfadden

When I was given the project to interview an artist for my creative writing class, I was stumped. Not because I couldn't find anyone, but because I already knew so many people in my life who have been affected by music, play music, or plan to create their futures around music. Dozens of people kept circulating through my mind and I still couldn't choose just one of them. Then, an epiphany dawned on me. The people in my life who work with music span across many generations. I began to wonder how different their answers would be due to this age gap, and I got a surprising discovery. The answers to the questions I asked may seem different, but they have the same feelings and intentions. Music is a feeling so fluid and languid, that people around 30 years apart can feel the same exact euphoric and motivating feelings, even if they are completely different.

The people I decided to interview is one of my best friends, and roommates Sneha Kodappully, and my uncle Charles McFadden. Sneha is a sophomore at Rutgers University New Brunswick who plans to earn a master's degree in music production along with psychology, and Charles Mcfadden is a man who was once in many different garage bands, but now only plays in front of a few friends and family. They couldn't be further apart in both age and experience, but still prove the point of music’s universality.

Inspiration and First Exposures to Music

Charlie stated that his friends influenced his taste in music by showing him bands such as the Beatles and Rush. These bands then ignited his passion for music. He saw how those bands performed, the liveliness of both the stage and the musical performance as well as the idea of having members you can trust and rely on and thought, “Wow, I gotta do that”. So he picked up a guitar and started to play before finally moving on to playing a bass and forming a band of his own.

Sneha had a different experience with . For her, her family played a huge rule in both exposing her to music, and igniting her love and passion for it. In fact, when she was around 3 or 4 years old, she was placed into dance by her mother, and being exposed to classical South Indian music has been a huge influence in the direction that she has went concerning music. She was also exposed to classical rock by her brother, and another huge influence for her was the Beatles, as well as bands such as Guns N Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Third Eyed blind, Sour Stones, etc. She also took choir since 7 as an elective that turned into a passion of hers that she still pursues to this day.

It’s interesting how both of these people, who are so different from each other, can still be influenced by some of the same sounds such as classic rock, and more specifically the Beatles. Some music is so good, so touching and inspiring, that it makes you pause in awe as to how something can be that everlasting and cross generational.

Goals Concerning Music and Your Involvement in it

Although these two individuals have a common inspiration, they have/ are going down completely different paths. For example, when my uncle was younger, he was in a band. His goal at that point was to do music as a job. He thought the feeling of the “band life” was the best in the world. However, when I asked how he felt on stage when performing at gigs he answered that at first he was scared. In fact, he was so scared that he would play the bass facing sideways away from the audience so that he didn't have to see them. He realized that being in a band was much more than a feeling of camaraderie, it was really hard work and endless hours of practicing and writing songs. In short, it was stressful. But, even though it was stressful, there were always those moments during a gig where the crowd would cheer during a particularly hard bass solo, or cheer for the guitar licks, and it would make everything worth it. He became energized, excited, overstimulated. He paused for a while after explaining this feeling, pondering on the exact word before deciding all of the words said before weren't enough to explain how performing on stage and feeling the crowd's response was. It's something you have to feel for yourself. And when I asked him what he wants to do with music now, he says he just wants to play it for fun. He hangs out with some of his old friends and just jams out with them when they feel like it. He also enjoys playing the ukulele and singing with his daughter and wife, and says sometimes, these little moments are more important and satisfying than going on stage in front of a crowd of people. When he was younger his goal was the excitement of playing in band, but now his goal is to love music and use it as a tool to make beautiful moments with his family.

Now, Sneha has a different goal. Her goal isn't about the camaraderie or brother ship of being in a band/ living the “band life”. She instead wants to become a music producer, and her ultimate goal is to be able to perform the music that she produces. She wants to become a music producer for many different reasons. One of those reasons is to make music that melds and mixes modern music with the classical indian music that she grew up listening to. She wants young girls who were like her to be proud of their culture and their music while simultaneously showing to them that they can be proud of their heritage while still enjoying the modern age that they are in. She is also very proud herself of her culture and wants to show that pride through her music. Another reason she wants to produce music is because she has stage fright. This means that performing, although it is her ultimate goal, is very hard, and easing herself into this stage would be easier if she could perform songs that meant more to her, and if she had more of an exposure behind the scenes to build herself up to the big stage.

Goals change all the time. My uncle’s goal when he was younger made a complete 180 to what he wants with music now. Sneha has a completely different goal. But the similarity is that both are passionate. Although their goals may not be the same, they both wish to enjoy the music they perform, whether it be through a band/family, or through performing your own music.

Most Influential Live Performance

I asked this question because live performances can inspire you even more than the music itself. Seeing your goal in front of you with your own eyes can be the most inspiring and motivating feeling in the world. When I asked Charlie, he said that seeing Rush live when he was a teenager was incredible, and a moment he would never forget. They were his favorite band at the time, and the lead singer and bassist of the band, Geddy Lee, was the reason he picked up bass himself. He continued on to say that every member of Rush was a musical genius and probably the best in their field concerning their instrumentation. The feeling he got while watching everyone in the stadium sing and scream for Rush was the moment he decided he needed to be in a band, and he wants to make people feel the way Rush made him feel. I can tell he was very excited because he continued on to tell me about their personalities and even recommended their induction speech to the Rock and Roll hall of fame, which is I agree, a must watch.

When I first asked Sneha what her favorite live performance was she seemed perplexed. She was thinking for a long time before laughing and saying that’s really hard. But then she gasped and asked me a question. “Can it be a performance I was in?”. I said of course because I thought this was a really refreshing and new idea. I hadn't even thought about live performances as anything other than seeing someone else perform live, and it opened my mind in terms of what I would now consider a live performance. She then began to explain her junior year play that was based off of the cabaret. Sneha and her best friend both auditioned for the play together. They were so nervous because both of them had very intense stage fright. But both of them made it into the play! They performed “What is this Feeling” by Wicked and after the show people went up to them and congratulated them on their performance. They both cried after the stage because they finally faced their fears and did what they loved, and they did it together. They can always look back at this moment and remember what it felt like to be in extreme fear, but have a best friend next to you, grounding you to earth and pushing you to perform to the best of your ability. It was her favorite because it gave her hope that she would be able to perform again.

It was interesting to see that whether someone performs live or sees a live performance, they both come out with that same energy and drive to pursue music in the future. If someone loves music and they go to a concert, it will solidify not only the love of the music, but the love of the performance and the desire to stand on stage. And if someone performs live and enjoys it, it will solidify the love of music and performance, and the desire to stay on the stage. Regardless of age, experience, or background, people can still feel the same feelings when exposed to music and performance.

With that being said, I now want to ask you, the reader, whether you have experienced these feelings before. Were you also inspired by a band that crosses over generations? Do you wish to grow with music? Do you feel the same energy and drive when you go to live performances, or when you perform live? Do you think music is a universal language that cuts across every generation?

Ask yourself these questions, rekindle your love for music, talk about your experiences with others, because music ties us together, even if we don't originally see it.

[sinceileftyoublog]

The Versions of Shannon Lay

Photo by Denée Segall

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The story of how LA-based folk singer-songwriter Shannon Lay came to commit to music full-time is legendary. It’s akin to Radiohead seeing Jeff Buckley live leading to Thom Yorke’s heartbreaking performance on “Fake Plastic Trees”, but this time, it’s a different kind of inspirational folk luminary. Lay watched Jessica Pratt’s quiet, contemplative, yet all-encompassing music dominate a room; if there’s a demand for it, she, too, could do it, she thought after watching Pratt’s set. Lay decided to quit her job of 7 years at a vintage shop in August of 2017, the month being the namesake of her best album to date and one of the finest of 2019.

August exemplifies so much that Lay does well. The surprisingly linear spontaneity of opener “Death Up Close”--which starts with a misstep and eventually features a Mikal Cronin saxophone solo--is contrasted by the flaneur of “Nowhere”, an ode to enjoying the circular journey without an end, where her voice travels in the opposite direction of the song’s lilting melody. “Will I ever see through?” Lay asks, but not too bothered, layered over drums and hand claps. She sees the humor and delight in the smallest moments: Gorgeous and simple standout “Shuffling Stoned” is a scene in a record store in New York City, a customer buying weed from his dealer as small spider crawls on his stack of records. Many people would want the spider killed, but Lay sees it as no less a sign of life than anybody else. Most remarkable is “November”, dedicated to the woman left behind, Molly Drake, the mother of the late Nick. “Molly did you feel the sting / Of November songs gone quiet,” she asks, again not expecting an answer but knowing that asking the question, embodying another’s state of mind, is what’s important. 

Live last month at Lincoln Hall opening for Cronin, Lay and her band members (Denée Segall, Sofia Arreguin, and Shelby Jacobson) were effortlessly good. August songs like “Sea Came to Shore”, in studio just guitar and violin plucks, were much more forceful on stage, while old favorites like “Parked” allowed Lay to show off her finger-picking and English folk chops. The band ended their set with an a capella, almost unrecognizable version of Italo house classic “Everybody Everybody” by Black Box, further cementing Lay’s ability to adapt material to suit her style. The audience, even one prepared for the hell-raiser to follow, loved it. It makes sense; if anybody has experience slaying in front of all types of crowds, it’s Lay, who also plays in Ty Segall’s Freedom Band. She’s thankfully unafraid to call out talkers when necessary, as she told me over the phone earlier this year. “Nick Drake quit halfway through his first tour because people were talking during his set,” she reminded me. “People [who talk] don’t have empathy...they’ve never been up on stage,” she added. Ever the wise reader of people, but one too thankful to let it get to her too much, Lay moves on.

During our interview, Lay shared the stories behind some of the songs, videos, and lines from August, as well as explained her inspiration from The Simpsons, true crime, and Nick Drake and Karen Dalton. Read our conversation, edited for length and clarity, below. 

at Lincoln Hall

Since I Left You: A lot of the context of the album you’ve shared in other interviews or through the bio. Is there something else the listener might not pick up in terms of how August is unique as compared to your past releases?

Shannon Lay: I wanted this one to be overtly positive. Not as moody as my last ones. I think that was the main difference that I felt--this undercurrent of joy I had never really had making a record. There was always a heartache involved or a brooding of the state of the world. Now, more than ever, I feel like you gotta do what you want to do. Being able to experience and appreciate that and encouraging other people to do that too.

SILY: Did doing music full-time help you think about things in new ways?

SL: Yeah, for sure. It kind of freed up so much brain space that was taken up by the usual life stuff. It was cool to put all of my energy into one thing I cared about so much. It was a really amazing experience I had never really had.

SILY: What was your job?

SL: I was working at a vintage store called Squaresville. It was a great little store. I grew up there, working there from 19-26. Really formative years of my life. The store bought clothes from the public, so there were all these new faces coming in. The staff would have been an amazing sitcom. Everyone was just the most incredible character. It was a ton of fun. My boss at the time was just so supportive--always let me go on tour and come back. She was a huge reason I was able to do this in the first place.

SILY: That’s nice to hear. A lot of the time when you hear about these types of stories, it’s about escaping some sort of soul-sucking desk job.

SL: I was very lucky. I had a cool environment to be in.

SILY: Do you still keep up with them?

SL: Yeah, for sure!

SILY: The first song on the record--does that start with a recorded misstep?

SL: Yeah, it was a total accident. As we were going through the tape, I just fell in love with that moment. The song comes in so quick, it was kind of a “Roll it!” moment, and then the record just goes.

SILY: So it was something you just heard and were like, “We should keep that in”?

SL: Totally. When we were doing the mastering, they had taken it out, since they thought it was a mistake--we were like, “Put it back in! Put it back in!”

SILY: Where did you get the idea for the video for “Death Up Close”?

SL: Me and the director, Matt Yoka, we had been talking about that idea for a year. We finally had just enough money to pull it off. Matt’s the best in the sense that when he gets an idea in his head, he’s going to make it happen no matter what, so we just had the most fun ever. We built all of it. Everybody was so nice. Most of the people were just volunteering. The concept behind it was mainly the idea of having a safe space in your mind that’s never changing no matter how much you change. For me, that’s obviously The Simpsons, my total safe haven, end all be all childhood memory show, and something I still watch every day. It was amazing to become yellow.

SILY: Is there a specific line or joke from The Simpsons that you think about all the time?

SL: The one that comes to mind is such a weird deep cut. There are tons of them. [laughs] There’s one where George Bush moves into the Simpsons’ neighborhood...this is not funny to anybody...there’s one point where Bart comes over and George Bush yells to Barbara Bush, “Bart’s here, we gotta get him out of here,” or something, and she’s just like, “I’m making pies, it’ll be a while!” That’s the joke that I think of. [laughs] There’s so many. I also love the one where Lisa starts to play hockey and Marge has Milhouse’s teeth from the show before. I’m just like, “Stop showin’ us those.”

SILY: There are so many good Easter Eggs.

SL: Yeah, totally.

SILY: What was the story behind your video for “Nowhere”?

SL: I did that one with my house mate Chris [Slater]. He’s a great director. We just used our phones for that one. I found an 8 MM app that was available. We just went around our neighborhood taking some footage, and he put his editing magic on it. I really like the way that one came out. It was a cool visual moment.

I wish music videos had more of an impact, but I think they’ve become this weird thing. You remember back in the day, Making the Video, and they had a yacht, and it was this huge thing...the new Missy Elliott video totally harks back to it, like she has different looks and different dancers.

SILY: The song “November” references Nick Drake’s mother. You see a lot of songs about a prolific or important singer-songwriter who left too soon. Why did you decide to explore the perspective of his mom?

SL: I guess sort of the fact that he did live at home. It was just a normal night that he went to sleep, woke up, had a bowl of cereal, and took one too many pills. I just imagine his mom waking up in the morning and feeling this silence in the house. It just must have been such a crazy moment. I don’t think it was any secret he had some emotional problem, but you never expect anything like that to happen. Putting myself in her shoes for a minute, and feeling such a strong presence leave the world, it must have been really emotional and intense. At the same time, what he left behind was incredible. He’ll live forever. He’s more alive now than he’s ever been because of how many people have discovered his music. I was thinking about the inherent sadness of losing a loved one, especially someone where everyone outside of them could see their potential, but maybe they’re struggling. It’s a whole thing. [laughs]

SILY: I love the story behind “Shuffling Stone”. Do you like spiders?

SL: I do love spiders. Not when they’re on me, but I do like spiders.

SILY: “Something On Your Mind” was released before this record was even announced. Had you always planned on putting it on the record?

SL: I didn’t, but it just became clear to me that it sums up what I’m trying to portray and how I’m feeling. The amount of people who don’t know who Karen Dalton is--I’d love to spread more awareness of her. I discovered that song relatively recently and it really hit me, so I started playing it live, acoustic guitar and vocals. Whenever someone did know that song, they’d be like, “Dude, thank you so much for playing that song. I love that song.” I think it’s that kind of a tune. If you have a relationship with it, it’s incredibly special, and to discover it is a really beautiful thing. I hope it points people in her direction.

SILY: What made you want to sign with Sub Pop?

SL: When we first finished the record, I kind of did an email blast and sent the record to all the labels we like. Sub Pop got back so fast and were so stoked. I was surprised because they don’t strike me as an overtly folk label, but that was exciting to me to, to be like, “Hell yeah, let’s bring a new perspective to this established, wonderful thing.” Then I met some people from there, and they were the most wonderful people. I’ve never really experienced the resources they have before. There’s a social media guy, and a PR girl. Everybody is working so hard in their specialized zones. It’s amazing to experience and be a part of. They just seemed so down to earth while also being very professional and serious at the same time. They’re awesome.

SILY: They are pretty stylistically diverse even if they haven’t done much folk. Your sound fits just because of that.

SL: Totally, yeah. It opens a lot of doors in my mind of what I could do.

SILY: I read one review that said Jessica Pratt inspired you to dedicate all your time to music.

SL: The first time that I saw her play, I was super deep in the rock scene. I had always been in really loud bands, considering that people want to see that kind of music. I saw her open for Kevin Morby in LA, and the whole room was silent, and she was just captivating everyone. It was incredible to watch. I immediately went home and booked my first solo show. I had no idea people wanted this kind of music, and I had been making that kind of music, so let’s see what happens, let me book a show. She was totally the catalyst for that. I was so in awe of the simplicity and the beauty of what she was bringing to the table. Music like what she makes has a lasting power and timelessness where you can be anyone and anywhere in the world and people will be captivated. It’s amazing.

SILY: Is it hard for you to switch back and forth between your solo shows and playing in bands?

SL: It’s kind of easy. It’s a matter of mindset and what alcohol you’re consuming. [laughs] I always go tequila for the loud shows, wine for the quiet shows. We’re saying the same things, but in very different ways. It’s kind of nice to have both perspectives.

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art for the new record?

SL: The guy who took the photo, Matt Reamer, mentioned he wanted to do more portrait photography. He had always a lot of live stuff. We took photos, and as I was going through them, I came across that photo. I love how ambiguous it is. I could be thinking about anything in that photo. It’s whatever you want it to be. I had the idea of getting people to do different versions of it, and it became this cool, unique thing of these different perspectives and the evolution of me in the past year. I’ve been doing a ton of cleaning house, checking in, and learning new things about myself and not taking myself too seriously. It’s been a hell of a journey, and seeing these four versions of me felt really appropriate for the record.

SILY: Are you the type of songwriter who’s always working on new songs?

SL: I’ve been kind of stuck lately, because I’ve had a lot of stuff to work on, but there’s always a ton of voice memos on my phone, little snippets I work on in the car. I look forward to when I have a block of time where I can sit down. I’ve written quite a bit of the next record, but I probably have 5-6 songs to go. I’m excited to get back into it.

SILY: Is there anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that’s caught your attention?

SL: I just watched Euphoria. That was really good. It really inspired my eyeliner game. I’m always listening to a lot of true crime. I’m a big true crime buff. It fascinates me--the extremity of people’s actions. That’s what that song “Wild” is about on August--the things we’re capable of.

SILY: That line, “We are kind things capable of the most evil,” is very fitting. You kind of nail nature versus nurture in just that line.

SL: Yeah, totally. It’s wild. [laughs] The age old question.

SILY: Are you a Forensic Files fan?

SL: I am! Whenever I’m in a hotel room, I know it’s gonna be on, and I’m stoked.

SILY: My girlfriend and I struggle to find new episodes. It’s always our “before bed” show, and we’ll start one and midway through be like, “Wait, we’ve seen this one.”

SL: Have you ever listened to a podcast called Small Town Dicks? It’s the voice of Lisa Simpson, Yeardley Smith, and she has this podcast. It’s amazing because it sounds like Lisa Simpson doing a true crime podcast, but it’s also amazing stories.

Album score: 8.5/10

[doomedandstoned]

SUCK: The Untold Story of South Africa’s Pioneering Heavy Metal Band

~By Tim Harbour~

Steve Gilroy was raised in Liverpool and educated in London. Gil was the firebrand guitarist of the Johannesburg band SUCK between late-1970 and early-1971. This iconic heavy metal band started up in the same year Black Sabbath released their seminal album Paranoid and rose quickly to fame, then suddenly disappeared -- all within the span of a single year. But, what a year it was!

Suck changed the face of South African music. The outrageous antics of the band won them notoriety throughout the land. They chopped up pianos, set fire to stages, used colourful language on stage, and smashed up everything and anything around them. They were wild and they were banned from playing in every South African city and major town. They were evicted from what was then known as Rhodesia and escorted to the border by the police. Their only album, ‘Time to Suck’ (1970), recorded in less than a dozen hours at EMI Studios in Joburg, was banned from the South African Broadcasting Company and shunned by many radio stations. Every newspaper carried stories about their wiles, however, for if there was one thing that Suck made sure of, it was that they were being sufficiently noticed.

Suck specialized in an infectious style of acid-soaked hard rock and proto-metal, brought to life its four original members:

Andrew "Andy" Ioannides (vocals, flute)

Stephen "Gil" Gilroy (guitar)

Louis "Moose" Forer (bass)

Savario "Savvy" Grande (drums)

Now, nearly fifty years later, Suck are finally being recognised for their music and the one vinyl album to their name is currently being sold for about R 18,000 (approximately $1,279 USD). The album was pirated in Europe and Japan with a purple record sleeve and many of these still exist. Not until 2009 was it officially released in the United States, two years after Suck's mention in the Classic Rock article, 'The Lost Pioneers of Heavy Metal.'

This is their story as best remembered by Gil, whose recollections are being shared for the very first time in the pages of Doomed & Stoned.

Two Rabbits Runnin' In A Ditch

"I came to South Africa in April 1970 by invitation of the South African Government as a mechanical engineer. The day I landed, I phoned Eddie Eckstein who was the drummer with the Bats. I met Eddie in England when the Bats were touring there and we played on the same gig. We drank a few beers together and he said, 'Wow, man, you’ve got to come to South Africa. It's great!' When I called him he said, 'Shit, you’re really here. Did you bring your guitar? Let’s go jamming!'

The 1974 Publications Control Act was written for me the bastards.

"That night he took me to some of the big clubs in Joburg: Club Tomorrow, the Black Out, Ciros, and The Underground. I jammed with the top bands, drank a lot of beer, and had fun. I remember Eddie grabbing a bass guitar -- a brand new Fender -- off a bass player and performing an incredible head-first roll across the stage. The bass player nearly passed out! It was a night to remember, but how it finished I have no recollection.

"About a week later, when the word had spread one of the bands introduced me to ‘Moose’ Forer. He was a really good, aggressive bass player. We had a few beers together and went to jam with a band. We clicked and blew that club away. Clive Calder and Ralph Simon had just started Sagittarius Promotions. They had heard about Moose and I and they saw an opportunity to do something big."

Season of the Witch

"Savvy (Savario Pasquale Maria Grande) came up from Cape Town and we played together. Shit! What a drummer. We were blown away! Every number we played was a perfectly timed drum solo from start to finish. Savvy was like Keith Moon of The Who, but Savvy was far better. He was a big part of Suck’s big sound. We had the musos, now we needed a vocalist, a real screamer. Andy Ionidies was a real screamer! Now we had a band.

"Before we even started to play together, Clive Calder organised a record deal. We had just three weeks to get material together for an album. There was no time to write new material so we listened to music we liked and gave it the Suck treatment. Moose and I did write ‘The Whip’ during a lunch break and that was the only original number. When we played it live, I had a cat o’ nine tails and whipped Andy while he was singing. The audience went into spasm!

"We recorded the entire album and a few extras in nine hours. Four hours on one late afternoon and five hours the following morning. That was it, most of the album was recorded in one take and then onto the next song. Everything was on a budget – that’s how we did it in those days. None of this 'We’ve spent six months in the studio' bullshit."

C'mon and Save Me

"It was the same story with the poster shoot. We had a photographer booked for three hours one afternoon. We were taken to an old, falling apart house with an upstairs fireplace jutting out of a half-demolished wall. Rick Alexander, the photographer, said, 'That would make a great shot. Can you get up there?' I went up to see if it was safe and the floor collapsed! I fell through the floor, hit the ground floor, went through that and ended up in the cellar. Moose dug me out of the rubble. We did the shoot, blood running down my chest, my carefully combed hair a disaster and Andy holding me up. In those days you just did it.

I fell through the floor, hit the ground floor, went through that and ended up in the cellar. Moose dug me out of the rubble.

"The band took me to Joburg General Hospital and a very Afrikaans matron took one look and told me to come back if I started coughing blood. I said, 'If I start coughing blood I’ll be dying.' She casually looked over her shoulder and sneered, 'Well, you had better hurry then.' The guys took me back to the flat, leaned me against the wall, knocked on the door and ran like hell. Lin put me in a bath full of Dettol and started cleaning wounds. It was a big job and involved a lot of alcohol one way or another."

Hear Me Talkin' Baby

"Suck never really gigged, we went straight into playing packed stadiums and theatres. There was a huge amount of hype around Suck, but the band was plenty good enough to pull it off. Moose and I perfected the art of smoking huge amounts of grass, drinking insane amounts of beer and throwing up out of lots of windows and all whilst playing never-ending chess games.

"Travelling around was hell. Clive found an old Volkswagen panel van that the Singer Sewing Machine company had put out to pasture. Three guys in the front, and two Marshall stacks, a PA system, a drum kit, and one guy squeezing in between the equipment and the roof. We kept the Singer signs on the van because it was much safer than Suck. South Africa was by most standards a very conservative country and Suck came as a bit of a shock to most. There were quite a few confrontations -- a typical example was Pietersburg.

About 40 or 50 guys popped into town to inform us that they had come to f*ck us up.

"I think there was an Air Force base there and, while we were unloading the van at the hall, about 40 or 50 guys popped into town to inform us that they had come to ‘f*ck us up.’ We got used to this and the usual procedure was to face them off. My weapon of choice was a heavy claw hammer. Moose had an insane f*ck off sized Bowie knife, Andy had a mike stand with a cast iron base, and Savvy would get hold of anything handy. On this occasion it was a fire axe. We would just stand in a line our backs to a wall, cracking jokes between ourselves, and looking tough. It was obvious that our opponents would suffer casualties and sooner or later our aggressors would chicken out and walk away shouting, 'Fok jou.' It worked every time, I’m delighted to say"

So Many People I Can Be

"The road was hard and shows were always a long way apart. Sagittarius gave us an allowance of R1.00 per day. That was it! We played to big crowds. I seem to remember at Kingsmead Stadium we pulled about 12,000 people, and we lived on R1 per day. It was enough for Viennas, chips, and a slice of bread. We lived on that.

"Clive Calder learned a lot from Suck. We were his first big band and he went on to the USA to produce some of the world’s biggest bands. Suck was promised an American tour, money and more albums, when suddenly nothing happened! We got to the top in South Africa and there was nothing there. It wasn’t going anywhere. I lost interest in music and went back to engineering for a while.

"I started Mame Enterprises -- South Africa’s first nudie photo company. All tastefully presented as an aide to budding artists, complete with drawing instructions. We were banned (I was used to getting banned) and we took the case to the Rand Supreme Court and won. So, the government changed the law and, about a year later, a court case in Pretoria resulted in being banned again, this time for all future publications. The 1974 Publications Control Act was written for me, the bastards.

"Later, I started a small printing company that developed into a pharmaceutical printing business and then I decided to follow my passion: beer! In late 2008 Gilroy’s Brewery, Restaurant and Pub opened in Muldersdrift where my band plays Jazz and Blues on most Friday afternoons.

"Sadly, Andy passed away from a gun accident and Moose was taken by cancer. I’ve heard that Savvy is building racing cars in the Cape and I’m at Gilroy’s having a great time. In the old days Moose and I would play for beer -- it seems that I’m still doing that but this time it’s Gilroy Beer!

"It was tough but I’m really glad that I did it. That feeling of being on stage playing with top-end musicians to a raving crowd -- there is no feeling quite like it."

[onthegoinmco]

Real Music Real Masters, is the longest running concert series at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, brings unique acts to the Stanleyville Theater from Tuesdays through Sunday from January 7 to March 15.

The Real Music Real Masters concerts include performances from first-rate tribute acts, acrobatic performances, and chart-topping artists from the greatest musical eras.

Real Music Real Masters concerts are included with park admission.

Event dates and details subject to change and/or cancellation without prior notice.

Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

With that out of the way, let’s look at this year’s Real Music Real Masters concert line-up!

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Real Music Real Masters 2020

January 7-12 | Concerts at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm

LEONARD, COLEMAN AND BLUNT: FORMER LEAD VOCALISTS OF THE TEMPTATIONS, PLATTERS AND DRIFTERS

Glenn Leonard, Joe Coleman and Joe Blunt have been around the world and back again several times each as the lead singers of three of the most legendary vocal groups of all time: the Temptations, Platters and Drifters. The three Washington, DC natives have a back-story right out of a Hollywood movie; Leonard, Coleman & Blunt grew up singing together in church and on street corners throughout the 1960s before each found fame and fortune as members of Rock and Roll royalty. Now the childhood friends are back together again, performing the biggest hits from all three groups in one show filled with magic moments and musical memories.

January 14-19 | Concerts at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm

THE DIAMONDS

Through the years since the release of Little Darlin’ (1957), The Diamonds have learned one important lesson—the durability of this classic rock and roll music is as much about the future as it is about the past. As a result, The Diamonds continue to expand their audience to this day, performing in a variety of venues and settings worldwide. These performances include — with Symphony Orchestras, in Performing Arts Theatres and major concert halls, on cruise ships, in casinos, at county and state fairs, on tours of England, Ireland, Brazil, Chile, Korea, and Japan, for benefit concerts, corporate conventions and at nightclubs.

January 21-26 | Concerts at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm

BJ THOMAS

A true American institution whose iconic pop, country and gospel hits defined their respective generations and now transcend them, B.J. Thomas has found a unique way to celebrate an incredible half a century in music and some 47 years since his first gold selling hit on Scepter Records. The singer, a five time Grammy and two time Dove Award winner who has sold more than 70 million records and is ranked in Billboard’s Top 50 most played artists over the past 50 years, invites longtime fans and newcomers alike to his living room—or more accurately, The Living Room Sessions, his debut recording for Wrinkled Records featuring intimate acoustic re-imaginings of 12 of his most renowned songs.

January 28 – February 2 | Concerts at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm

PIANO MEN: SIR ELTON JOHN AND BILLY JOEL TRIBUTE

Sir Elton John and Billy Joel tribute artists Jeffrey Allen and Lee Alverson have joined forces to create “The Ultimate Tribute Show”. The two capture both artists in this high energy, interactive rock n roll show! Just like the original tour, each artist performs a solo set with the a rock n roll band, and then culminate the show with a “face to face” set which features both of them playing together on two pianos trading off lyrics as their costumes take you “through the years”. The show is an experience of hit songs, energetic performances, outrageous costumes, and true rock n roll at its finest!

February 4-9 | Concerts at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm

CLASSIC STONES LIVE: THE WORLD’S GREATEST ROCK & ROLL TRIBUTE SHOW

Front man Keith Call has all of the moves and swagger of Mick Jagger, and along with his partner in crime Bernie Bollendorf, who portrays rock and roll outlaw Keith Richards, they complete the duo notoriously hailed as “The Glimmer Twins”. Their jaw dropping resemblance to these two rock and roll icons is simply amazing, but what truly makes Classic Stones Live unique, is their musical prowess, attention to detail, and the spot on renditions of all of your favorite Rolling Stones “classics”! From the signature saxophone solo in Brown Sugar to the unforgettable backing vocals in Gimme Shelter, every last detail has been accounted for by this eight piece band. Classic Stones Live performs all of the songs that are staples of any Rolling Stones show in original tunings.

February 11-16 | Concerts at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm

SIMPLY QUEEN: THE MOST INCREDIBLE LIVE TRIBUTE TO QUEEN

Simply Queen is fronted by Freddie Mercury impersonator extraordinaire Rick Rock. Guitarist Bob Wegner was hand-picked by Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor to play guitar in several productions of the award-winning “We Will Rock You” musical. Drummer Phil Charrette and bassist Mitch Taylor are veterans of the southwestern Ontario and Detroit circuits. The band performs all the iconic songs that made Queen one of the most legendary rock bands of all time, and faithfully recreates the grand scope of Queen’s live shows, both musically and visually, with attention to detail capturing the live amazing live Queen experience that filled stadiums around the world.

February 18-23 | Concerts at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm

LET’S HANG ON: AMERICA’S #1 FRANKIE VALLI TRIBUTE SHOW

Let’s Hang On has established itself as the preeminent Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons tribute group by combining spot-on vocals and crisp choreography with a genuine ability to entertain an audience. The seasoned performers respectfully pay tribute to all these classic “Four Seasons” details while also paying tribute to the Broadway show, The Jersey Boys. This powerhouse group will perform all of The Frankie Valli mega hits including: Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like A Man, Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You, December of 1963 and Who Loves You!

February 25 – March 1 | Concerts at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm

EAGLEMANIA: THE WORLD’S GREATEST EAGLES TRIBUTE BAND

Eaglemania has evolved into a nationally touring tribute to The Eagles, performing to sold out audiences everywhere they go. Eaglemania performs all of the hits of the Eagles, as well as Don Henley, Glen Frey, and Joe Walsh’s solo albums. Their attention to detail and their ability to reproduce the Eagles exactly leaves their fans with an experience that they do not soon forget.

March 3-8 | Concerts at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm

CIRQUE VERTIGO FEATURING THE WALLENDA DUO

All of the amazing people in this act have grown up in the Cirque/Circus world. There are no “part-timers” in this show ~ they are all true, 100% professional performers. This is their life; it’s all they do! The Wallenda Duo (mother & daughter) have worked all of their lives with the Flying Wallendas and currently do special appearances with the entire family. And now the 8th generation Wallenda, baby Alex has joined the show at 24 months old. You will truly be amazed at their skill and jaw dropping feats!

March 10-15 | Concerts at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm

ONES: THE BEATLES #1 HITS

ONES is the completely new show that Beatles fans have been waiting for. This experience is an audio and visual spectacular with 11 performers that include ‘all-star’ vocalists, orchestra, and spellbinding stories behind the number one hits. Don’t miss this note-perfect performance of the Beatles number one hits!

Follow us for more updates:

The post Real Music Real Masters Concert Series 2020 appeared first on On the Go in MCO.

[devils-gatemedia]

Earlier this year, the glorious summer came to an end at exactly the time that Steelhouse Festival opened with a weekend of storms, high winds and incessant rain. Halfway up the bill on Saturday, a band that had somehow previously escaped my notice came on stage and gave the sodden crowd one of the best festival sets I have ever seen. As we left the pit the photographers each applauded, something I have never seen before. After the set, I sought the singer out in the crowd as he watched the next band, a young unknown called Myles Kennedy. Firstly, I have NEVER done that before, but I wanted him to know how much I enjoyed his music and secondly, after thanking me he gazed at the stage, turned back to me and said in awe “It’s Myles Kennedy”. That band was the Dan Reed Network, and when I heard that they were taking a headline tour on the road, I HAD to be there.

Opening the show were another band that have so far not appeared on my radar, but I will now be following and looking out for, Hollowstar. It is genuinely exciting to see young bands with this much class and ability. Every song in the brief set, from opener “Money” to absolute stunner of a set closer “All I Gotta Say”, hit the mark. There is light and shade, with “Feel The Burn” showcasing some soulful and emotional vocals from Joe Bonson before a huge guitar hook comes in, courtesy of the ever-active guitarists Phil Haines and Tom Collett, all supported by powerful drums courtesy of Joe’s brother Jack. There is a healthy dollop of Black Stone Cherry about “New Age Lullaby”, and “Let You Down” is simply massive! Mid set, Joe takes some time to talk about how it feels to be where they are and to be playing to a crowd, passionately talking about invisible illnesses and how music helps him deal with issues he has faced. It is raw and honest, and rewarded with spontaneous applause.

Later in the evening, during Dan Reed’s set, the female half of our little review team needed to hydrate and lost her place upfront with me. Joe, at the merch stand, saw what had happened, and made a gap back to the front for her, where he spent some time dancing. A really gentlemanly thing to do, and this is a public shout out to thank him as it made her day! It is easy to say that bands low on a bill have “potential” to go all the way in this business, but I haven’t been as impressed by an opening act in a long time, and wish the guys every success. I get the feeling I will be seeing a LOT more of them!

Mason Hill also appeared on the bill at the mudfest that was Steelhouse, and whilst I enjoyed their set, I picked up on some reviews that weren’t exactly impressed and accused them of going through the motions. Since then, they have had a number of difficulties, and so I was intrigued to see how they would come across on such a strong line u

Their intention became clear as soon as the lights went down. Singer Scott Taylor walked to the mic and sang solo vocals in a single spotlight to “No Regret”. It’s a ballsy and exposed way to start a show, and as the rest of the band kick in, it is clear that they are out to put the record straight. “Survive” was up next and could well have been written to sum up recent trials. The anthemic chorus was sung with particular passion. Hold On” slowed the tempo down a little then burst into life. “Out Of Reach” quickly followed. Every song an absolute belter and thrown at the crowd with immense energy and passion not to mention musical ability.

Between songs, Taylor has an easy rapport with the audience, which isn’t easy when the combination of his thick Glaswegian and a Bristol burr must be the most contrasting of accents! He seems thrilled at the size of the crowd and the reception they are giving the band. “Wait For You” and “Against The Wall” continue to showcase their songwriting skill. The twin guitars of James Bird and Marc Montgomery trade some powerful licks and riffs. One of the strengths of the band is the quality of the rhythm section with bassist Matthew Ward and drummer Craig McFetridge excelling. “Where I Belong” is a belter. Taylor’s vocals once again taking centre stage. It’s a ‘lighters in the air’ anthem, and the room is silent as the waves of emotion surge from the stage. For me, the best two songs end the set – “Now You See Me” with it’s complex guitar intro has a different feel to much of the set and then encore. “Cochise”, is delivered with real respect. Dan Reed has said several times on the tour how strong the support bands are, and how the future of rock music is in good hands. He is absolutely on the money. Here’s hoping Mason Hill get through recent challenges and realise their potential.

So, to the headliner. Even before Dan Reed Network take the stage, there was a demonstration of the class that the “Network” bring to the business when bassist Melvin Brannon snuck out and stood at Hollowstar’s merch table with his bass. The guys were visibly stunned when he asked them to autograph it for him! Shortly after, the band took the stage for one of the most entertaining and enjoyable couple of hours I have seen on a stage.

Now usually I would run through a setlist , mention a few songs that I liked and comment on the skill of the musicians, but somehow at a Dan Reed show that feels insufficient. You see, a Dan Reed show is a life affirming, joyous, fun, amusing, musical, soulful, funk and rock experience, rather than simply a collection of songs played live.

First there is Dan Reed himself. The living epitome of the phrase “dance like nobody is looking”, he is never still for a moment. His rapport with the crowd is unparalleled; constantly shaking hands, pointing at old friends, hanging out over the room from the unfortunately placed steel support right in the middle of the stage and entertaining them with banter and stories rooted in many years in the business.

Then there is the ‘Network’: Brion James, dreadlocks flying and a smile that lights up the room, mixing funk with raw rock sounds, Melvin Brannon slapping the strings off his bass and entertaining with one of the best solos I have witnessed on the four-string, Rob Daiker, keys and all around support as well as a couple of songs at the front in the spotlight, and drummer Dan Pred, long-time friend of Dan Reed, and tonight, honoured with a round of shots for his fast approaching birthday.

Then there is the sheer fun that they have on stage together. During the set, an entire litany of problems presented. First the monitor in front of Brannon objected to being used as a step and disappeared into the void. Result? Dan suggested they would spend the evening singing Celine Dion songs instead and handed the mic to Brannon for a simply hilarious version of “My Heart Will Go On” while it was sorted. Shortly after, the show came to a halt with Reed commenting that whenever the drums played the bass stopped. Brannon’s wireless system was to blame and Reed gleefully ranted about the old school leads that never let you down as Brannon went low tech. Further into the set again, and issues with James’ effect pedals led to more improvisation and finally a broken string for said guitarist led to Reed singing almost the entirety of jazz standard “All Of Me” leading to discussions of an alternative future as a jazz band.

Dan Reed stops and starts the set at will even without the issues, at one point instructing James not to choose a particular effect because he “wants to hear that guitar part differently tonight” and often just dissolving into laughter at the antics of his band. All of that might sound unprofessional, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. What we are seeing is how to continue to enjoy what you do many years after most bands become formulaic and all feeling is gone. Every band should take a lesson from Dan Reed Network, as it keeps a freshness that is pretty unique to the set. Of course, there are the songs too!

“Rainbow Child” is the song most people would associate with Dan Reed Network, and tonight it is played as emotively and passionately as the day it was written. “Tiger In A Dress” had the crowd in the palms of his hands. “Baby Now I” is possibly my favourite few minutes of a band on stage with its’ jam, where anything and everything could happen, from heavy metal classics to soul and funk. “Save The World” and it’s addictively funky rhythms.

The set consists of sixteen or more songs, plus the many breakouts and jams. The clock goes way past curfew with Dan Reed Network just keeping on going. Reed refers back to the support bands several times, and also takes time to thank pretty much everyone who has taken a part in the evening from the venue, another humble touch.

I rarely wish I had video from gigs, but the ending tonight just after I had put my camera away was one of the times I wish I had done so. Just as I thought Dan Reed Network had taken their final bow, they lined up and sang acapella with some sumptuous harmonies. Dan Reed, leaning out over the crowd, was unaware of the chaos unfolding behind him as Pred sneakily removed the cord from Brannon’s mic, just as he went to step forward to sing a lead vocal. Brannon grabbed James’ mic. James saw his moment approaching and reached to grab Reed’s mic from behind. Reed struggled and threw a mock punch at James who retaliated. Cue utter chaos and hilarity as the entire band tried to complete the song amidst cartoon violence with one less microphone than vocalists.

Several bows later, and Dan Reed Network finally leave the stage, promising to return for signing and almost nobody moves as they wait to shake his hand and have a word. There is only one way to end the review – to Mr Dan Reed and the Dan Reed Network, Thank you! See you soon!

Review and pics – Rob and Danni Wilkins

Live Review: Dan Reed Network – The Fleece, Bristol Earlier this year, the glorious summer came to an end at exactly the time that Steelhouse Festival opened with a weekend of storms, high winds and incessant rain.

[mountchocorua]

Eurotrip Part I: Vienna

“Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend.

…It’s a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your Personal Legend. It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.”

- The Alchemist

In Brooklyn, before leaving, I see friends I love and they remind me that I’m not alone in wondering about my contribution to the world.

“Do you ever feel like…?”

Whenever expressing self-doubt in the present, fear of the future, or a struggle to fully grasp the past, most fellow human beings, especially those who love me, can empathize.

To be convinced that I’m alone in having these questions – the FAQs of existence, is to indulge a masochistic desire for self-pity and isolation.

I’m reminded that we can share these questions, and even come up with similar answers, while still seeking to fulfill our own Personal Legend. As solitary special snowflakes, we make no difference to an indifferent surface, but together we form a mass that can be sculpted into shapes that mean something.

The plane ride is terrible.

Among the worst first world problems I’ve ever had is sitting in one of the middle two seats of a four-seat row, wedged between my dear friend of 15+ years, Nick, and a young man traveling with a number of his bros. The stranger offers me some generic sleeping pills and I decline, perhaps in that split second wary of the clear plastic that shows all the purple capsules crammed together.

I should have said yes.

While not quite as bad as dragging passengers off planes, the fact that airlines allow coach seats to recline is yet another example of their utter disregard for human decency.

I pass in and out of sleep, awaking with a jolt each time the seat in front of me lurches back and forces my body to compact further. It’s the modern version of a medieval torture device.

Lisbon is our first adrenaline shot of foreignness – a different language, a different feel to the airport security line. But we are weary, not excited.

When we finally reach the airport in Vienna, we get a glimpse of what’s to come. 

Everything feels geared towards English-speaking tourists, but somehow not in a gimmicky way. Perhaps this is my view simply because it feels very comfortable, but it’s not a bad place to start.

We appear as goofy as can be, with our hiking backpacks strapped around our waists, but everyone we ask for directions is happy to help, and we reach our first hostel with ease. The room – two bunk beds, a table, lockers and a bathroom - is simple and clean. The doors here are designed differently, an approach similar to the way Lincoln Logs fit together, and the sheets must be slid over the mattress from one opening, like a giant, awkwardly wide condom. But these differences feel manageable.

Our German bunkmates, who arrive slightly later, are friendly, and they are also here only to sleep, because tomorrow is meant for exploration.

Whereas the journey over was rough, we find getting around Vienna easy.

There’s a subway stop right by our hostel, and the ride into the city center is only about 10-15 minutes.

Everything in Vienna is both old and new.

Buildings constructed centuries ago now house offices, apartments, luxury clothing brands, and the occasional brightly lit, colorful comfy chair-filled McDonald’s.

I wonder what a Big Mac tastes like in Europe, but have not yet conducted a thorough investigation.

The heart of the small, almost-hexagonal downtown of Vienna is St. Stephen’s Cathedral. 

It makes sense that this place would be a tool for the recruitment of true believers. Who other than God would be worthy of such a monument?

It seems as if every stained glass story, statue and painting in the Viennese houses of worship shares a central thematic image: a group of onlookers witnessing one man’s suffering.

Some of them are aghast in horror, as if they know this persecution is unjust, but they are forever frozen in their stone or painted position, powerless to stop it. Others clamor to protect the soul worth saving.

Here in this high-ceiling hall of the Holy Roman Empire, Snap-chatting, selfie-sticking tourists be damned, I feel a reverence for some form of a higher power.

As we wind our way through Vienna without even bothering to pronounce the German street signs except for a laugh, we come to the Hofsburg. Statues line the rooftops of buildings that form large, open squares - spaces once used more often for official functions. Apparently this is still the seat of government, but it all seems to exist as the amber encasing of a faraway time, a place for us to witness what power used to look like.

We visit the National Library, which appears straight out of a fantasy novel, and stands in stark contrast to others I’ve visited:

Here there are no metal shelves. No drab carpets, and no brightly colored posters that read “R-E-A-D.”

In here, books you cannot touch stand on shelves supported by stained wood columns topped with gold, and the royal family statues seem to say our voices must be kept to a whisper. 

Pages of the Old Testament that would crack if turned in a book sit in glass cases, their stenciled and colorful letters accompanied by drawings of characters filled with anguish or pleasure.

Old globes show what the world used to look like before anyone could see it all.

That evening, we go to see a quartet perform Mozart in a room where the man himself used to play for an archbishop.

The room is small, seating maybe 30-40 people, and the walls are painted with cherubs and other round-faced figures in blues and pinks and golds. A lamp sits in the middle of the small stage area with the music stands, obstructing the photos and videos of the audience looking to show friends and family they were in fact here in this moment.

The quartet players, two men and two women, are dressed in the style of Mozart’s day. One man, his hair pulled back in a ponytail, gives an introduction in German and then English. It seems language will rarely if ever be a barrier on this part of the trip. 

As the quartet begins to play, it becomes clear that one woman will have the spotlight in each piece. This of course is not improvised, but it feels as if the rest of the band is just there to play backup for her solos.

She’s also the one who seems to be taking the most joy in this celebration of Mozart, sitting in a seat where he might have once sounded these very same notes. Her head and body move in graceful, wavelike motions, but her fingers fly fervent.

I am only mesmerized for so long though.

I can feel my anxiety lurking beneath the surface. It looks for an opening to attack from thick, cloudy depths and drag me away from the present towards a self-centered, murky bottom.

Calming, classical music somehow serves as the soundtrack to my brain’s spinning cycles.

Where are the omens for my Personal Legend?

The players take their final bow and I am relieved, ready for a change of scenery.

The next day we visit Schönbrunn Palace.

Aside from cathedrals, this may be what some people think of when they think of Europe.

The palace feels fit for a king.

Outside, the courtyard is massive, a spaciousness that seems in keeping with the city as a whole.

Given its historic charm and clean polish, Vienna feels like it should be more crowded. Yet there is always space. Room to breathe. To soak in the majestic maintenance of a former empire.

Inside, there are rooms that reflect the personality of whoever requested their design. 

“I want this room to look like porcelain,” said some empress, and presto.

Her wish, the artist’s command.

A room of blue and white, swirling smoothly together. The Porcelain room radiates elegance, once serving as the perfect spot to drink tea and contemplate how to protect the children from being married off for political purposes.

On the palace garden grounds, wind sighs through the leaves of trees lining paths wide as two lanes of a highway.

We walk like the royal children must have once, unsure of which path leads to where.

The day is winding down and the labyrinth is closed, so we look for the exit.

Next stop: Prague.