Last year I posted this video in tribute to the 40th anniversary of Sgt Pepper. Unfortunately the video disappeared, but I found it again:-) I love the idea that music can cure the ills of the world. In this video from the movie Yellow Submarine the Beatles take on the blue meanies! Pretty cool and psychedelic!!!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Platters: Only You
The Platters huge hit in the 50s, which is one of the classic recordings of the Rock and Roll era.
Upcoming Reviews And I AM NOT SPAM!!!!
Just received in the good old fashioned snail mail a couple of cool items to review. First from Delmark records is a DVD Dave Specter Live In Chicago. The DVD also features Jimmy Johnson, Tad Robinson, and Sharon Lewis. I also received a CD from Miles High Productions of Mike Zito's new disc Today. Both discs look pretty cool so hopefully I can get to them this weekend and have a review for you by next week.
Finally, for some reason the bots that patrol blogger think that my blog is a spam blog. I have no clue why these clueless programs have picked on me, but it makes posting a real pain in the neck. They have these series of letters that many of you have no doubt run across, that you need to type in to post your post, but these are hard to read. It usually takes me three attempts before I can finally post. It is very frustrating. So I am a bit angry at the whole process and hopefully blogger will get a real person to look at my blog and lift the lock. AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Finally, for some reason the bots that patrol blogger think that my blog is a spam blog. I have no clue why these clueless programs have picked on me, but it makes posting a real pain in the neck. They have these series of letters that many of you have no doubt run across, that you need to type in to post your post, but these are hard to read. It usually takes me three attempts before I can finally post. It is very frustrating. So I am a bit angry at the whole process and hopefully blogger will get a real person to look at my blog and lift the lock. AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Honeydripper Review, And The Problems Of Distribution Of Indie Films
John Sayles cool movie, Honeydripper, about the blues and early rock and roll is featured in a nice article in Best Of New Orleans website (click here to read) What makes this a cool story is that the article tells the tale of Guitar Slim, and how he fits into the the movie. The article also covers how hard it is for an indie film to get into theaters. To see the movie in the few places still showing it Click HERE. It looks like I will have to wait until it makes it to DVD to give you a review, because the closest showing is in Kansas City. However, if you are interested and have a school group, or a blues society and would like to show the film go to the Honeydripper website and contact the good people there, because they will show the film for your group.
Billy Jones In Blues Review
Billy Jones who is one of the best underated bluesmen around is featured in Blues Review! To get a copy of this great blues magazine Click HERE. To check out Billy's myspace page and hear some of his great music click HERE.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Artist Of The Week: Stevie Wonder
This weeks artist is Stevie Wonder. Stevie was the great soul singer from the 60s and 70s, and still today can wow an audience. Plus every great blues band today has at one time or anther covered Stevie's monster hit Superstition. Stevie is currently campaigning for Senator Obama, and apparently took a fall the other day. Apparently he is alright, but it must have been pretty scary to see. To watch him in action check out the videos powered by Youtube on the left side of the blog.
Photo Of The Week
The Photo of the week is one of our many lighthouses located in Storm Lake. This one is on the camp grounds of the Boy Scouts. It is just west of our campus. Since summer vacation is coming on quick for me. (another two and a half weeks!) Then I will be done until August! My plan this summer was to travel and check out some of the great blues fests around the area, but thanks to George Bush's wonderful economic plans I am stuck here. 4 Dollar gas, is way to much for me to be tooling around the Midwest. I have even canceled plans to go Chicago. This sucks!!! BTW, I know that many people think that getting rid of the gas tax is going to help. Trust me on this folks, back when gas was around a dollar the tax was too high, but now federal gas tax won't make a dent in your gas bill if they take it away. So I will probably base myself in Des Moines for most of the summer. Try to pick up a few gigs, and take some classes. Maybe if a mircle happens and gas prices go down, then perhaps I could make it to Kansas City or Mississippi Valley for their blues fest. Wishful thinking I know:-)
Document Records Update
The latest from the fine folks at Document Records!
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Friday, May 2, 2008
Fats Domino: Blue Berry Hill
The great Fats Domino doing his big hit from the 50s! It also was one of Jimmy Pryor's favorite songs. This one's for you Jimmy.
Junior Wells, And Buddy Guy: Hoodoo Man
This is a classic recording from the Montreux Jazz Festival of Junior Wells and Buddy Guy. Wells and Guy were the original blues brothers. They performed together in Chicago for years. What is also cool about this concert is that Muddy makes an appearance during the show and plays with Junior and Buddy! Very cool concert!
Rich Berry Interview
Kansas City Bluesman Rich Berry is interviewed in the St Joe News. It is a short article, but anything about a local Kansas City bluesman is worth reading:-) Click HERE to read all about it.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Beatles: Get Back
I found it again! I wonder how long it will last! I love the concert on the rooftop from Let It Be. The Beatles getting out and performing live for the last time, with Billy Preston playing Keyboards. What is unfortunate is that this movie which was released on VHS, has never been released on DVD that I know of. I have looked for years, but I have never seen it. I know that those who control the myth of the Beatles probably don't want it released because it is a painful piece of history to watch, but it is also amazing how the music comes together at the end! (pun intended:-)
Koko Taylor: Wang Dang Doodle
Classic Koko Taylor sing a Willie Dixon tune. She is also backed up by Hound Dog Taylor and Little Walter! Also Brownie Mcgee and Sonny Terry are watching!! I also think that Skip James, and Son House were around for this shoot.
Taylor Hicks On Asian Idol
Just thought you might like some funky soul music from Taylor Hicks from Asian Idol. there seems to be a sync problem with the video but it is still worth watching.
Bob Dorr And The Blue Band Update
By Bob DorrSo, I am often asked "Bob, what's a rock star on your level do when you have a weekend off?". The answer (my friend, is blowin' in the wind) (can you tell I've been listening to early Bob Dylan?) comes after the Blue Biz that is...
Later today (Thur) we're hoping to kick off the "Last Summer" parking-lot-party season at Porky's, 44th & Douglas in Des Moines. The story I get is that HyVee has indeed purchased the land, but won't start building until after the summer, so Annebel has decided to open the patio for one last summer fling (!) We play 6-9pm. Sam "the Hammond organ man" Salomone will be the 5th piece at Porky's, making this one of those rare Blue Band shows without a sax player. Remember, this is contingent on NO RAIN, so you might want to check our website or call Porky's (515-270-6058) before coming out. The people watching, and all the Harley Davidsons, not to mention, Porky's Pink Ladies really make this fun. Rain date is Wednesday May 7...
Then Friday evening it's the final TGIF party for the season, at The Hub, 4th & Main, right here in Sparkle City, we play 5:45-9pm. It's really been fun at these monthly parties to reconnect with a lot of longtime (notice I didn't say-old) Cedarfallopians. (some of them actually remember the Circle Bar) (and some are like me, we know we were at The Circle Bar, but we just don't remember the details...) I really appreciate The Reverb and The Hub for hosting these TGIF parties the last 7 months. We're hoping to start them up again in October after the summer festival season. Heath and Al are bothing making the trip to Cedar Falls, giving us a no horn sound one night and a horn section sound the next. Same songs WAY different sounds!...
Please make plans to help us celebrate Jackie & Tim Trpkosh's Anniversary at The Dry Dock in Shueyville, (suburban Cedar Rapids) next Friday night, May 9, 8:00 p.m.- midnight. It's open to the public, NO cover charge. The Trpkosh's have picked up on a new kind of party idea that longtime Blue Band followers have recently established. Often folks are interested in having us help celebrate events, but find our fee a little out of their budget or they just don't have the garage or deck space to have a 6 piece band. Lately, people (the Shaws in Marshalltown and the Hollidays in Cedar Rapids this past year) have partnered with a nightclub, opening the celebration to the club's clientel, and splitting the cost of the band with the club. It's a cool way to throw a party that you don't have to clean up after! We don't get many chances to play in the Cedar Rapids area, so stop out and congratulate Jackie & Tim and don't hesitate to BRING CAKE!...
Saturday May 10 we return to The Sundown in Williamsburg, a place I've played for about 30 years, going back to the days of The Little Red Rooster Band (talk about not being able to remember the details...) The food is good and the vibe is always encouraging. We play 8:30-12:30...
Phil Maass has really put alot of time and expertise into the New Year's recordings in the last week. His recording and editing skills are absolutely amazing and he and I have come up with a really nice 65 minute capsule of the night. This will be a Homemade Hot Fudge release, tentatively titled New Year's Eve Pimento, we should have some for sale within the next two weeks, some selected songs will be posted on our website and the My Space page (I have to admit, I NEVER go to that My Space thing, do you?)...
And longtime Blue Band illustrator Steve Campbell (the guy who invented Big Blue, the devilishly looking Blue Note that can be found on logos and album/cd covers the past 22 years) has consented to try to come up with yet another logo for this year. We're trying to think up some theme ideas. Got any? So far, all we can think of is the $4.999 A Gallon Tour...
So, you've made it this far just so you can find out the answer to the often asked question: "Bob, what's a rock star on your level do when you have a weekend off?" First off, "often" is pure hyperbole. I don't seem to do ANYTHING often any more (except nap) and next, the real key phrase there is "on your level". Last weekend was extremely rare for me. We had no Blue Band gigs and I had all my radio shows on tape, so the possiblities were endless. On the spur of the moment, I thought about visiting my last remaining blood relatives in Chicago, my mother's twin siblings Dolores and Donald. They recently celebrated their 80th birthday and I was unable to attend the celebration. However, my Uncle Wallace, Dolores' husband, was starting some radiation treatments at the end of the week, making it a bad time to visit. This actually turned out to be a (kind of) blessing in disguise. Last Thursday night (the night I had planned to leave for Chicago) we got almost 5" of rain overnight here in Sparkle Town. I never saw it rain so hard for so long in my life. Because I live a subterranean life style, I pretty much live on the basement floor of my house. Friday morning I rolled out of bed and: PLOTCH. Uh-oh...I looked out in the hallway: about 3" of water lapping against the wall (this was not at all what I had in mind for a home swimming pool) So Friday of my "rock star weekend" I bonded with my wet-vac and removed five 16-gallon barrells of water. Unfortunately, the record snow falls of this winter had already saturated the ground and I'm convinced that some of those barrells of water just found their way back into my living quarters. The sump pump empties into my front yard. That yard was already pooling from the rain, so the pump was spewing water into the yard, which had no where to go, so consequently recycled itself threw the pump many times. Couple that water with carpeting that should have been removed two dogs ago (and I haven't even had a dog for 4 years!) and you have got yerself one nauseating smell right there in the "rock star palace". I spent all day Saturday trying to get the carpets dry enough to remove. It finally dawned on me Sunday morning that I should get some drainage tubing to add to the sump pump pipe in order to carry that water to the street instead of my front yard (I might be old, but at least I'm slow) ALL of that tubing in the metro area was sold out. None at Menards, Lowes, Home Depot, or Ace Hardware. I took some comfort that obviously MANY other people were having the same trouble I was! (misery loves company) Finally, I cobbled together a few sections of drain pipe from my gutter to get the water to start to flow out of the yard. I celebrated by pausing for dinner. When I went back downstairs, the water was back to standing an inch! WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE?? would have been a much tamer thing to say than what I really yelled. 45 minutes later, I found a small piece of debris that had lodged itself in a way that made the sump pump not automatically turn on. The water was right back where it was when I woke up Friday morning. And if you thought the carpet was awful smelling on Saturday...I finally did get it dry enough to get most of the really bad carpeting out on Monday. When I finally got that hallway carpeting out, I realized that I think the previous owner had plastered the original drain and carpeted over it! Duh! No wonder that's the spot that always gets wet! (wet spot?!) So that was a long story to tell you what rock stars "on my level" do with their very seldom weekends off. I'm just thankful that I didn't go to Chicago Thursday and come home to all of that Sunday night!...
See ya on the Blue Highway, treat your wet-vac with respect (there's some joke about sucking there, but I don't know what it is) don't let yer zydeco tie get rusty, don't forget that CAKE is a good reward for removing stinky carpet, and remember we love you! Bob Dorr & The Blue Band
Andy Coats Update
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Come on down to this historic watering hole, right across from the NC State Campus!
Andy Coats & the Bank Walkers
Sat., May 3, 7 – 10 pm
Sadlacks Heroes
2116 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
NO COVER CHARGE
Thanks!
Andy
www.andycoats.com
www.myspace.com/andycoats
http://www.myspace.com/andycoatsandthebankwalkers
Press Release From Just Roots PR
Just in hot of the ol email truck;-)
The Next Great Drummer Hosts A Competition and Fundraiser To Benefit Katrina Survivors and Children
Eric Seats, drummer to major recording artists, a single father and mentor to local youths using drums, along with his business partner Chrystal Allen, and Spaun Drum Company in Chino, California present a one day “Drum-Off”
Eric Seats and Chrystal Allen are co-creators of an upcoming reality show entitled, The Next Great Drummer.
The “Drum-Off”
Major and local companies are asked to donate items for invited children of the Chino Boys and Girls Clubs, children from area schools, and kids from local area skate parks, who are our special guests for that day.
The Items needed are bottles of water, bottled juices, school supplies, drum supplies/equipment, music/CD's, packaged food items (ex. chips or cookies for the visiting area children).
Additionally, free vendor space will be made available to those vendors who make donations of their product, water and various other drinks and snacks for the competitors, visiting children and general public.
About Eric Seats:
Eric is part of the Key Beats, Inc. team, which was established in 1997 by both Rapture Stewart and Eric Seats.
Eric and Rapture got into the music game touring and working with Montel Jordan, and from there, Rapture went on to be the music director for Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, Ginuwine and Playa. Timbaland soon noticed their production talents and signed them to a publishing deal with Warner/ Chappell. Missy also got on board and began to work with them in the studio. They developed a very unique chemistry with Missy right away. Their first song produced with her was the chart topping 702 hit "Where My Girls At". This song paved the way for what was to come. Soon after, they signed a management deal with Blackground Entertainment and began on their musical journey.
The dynamic duo went on to produce songs for the movie and soundtrack "Romeo Must Die". They caught the ears of hit song writer and Destiny’s Child member Beyonce Knowles while producing a song for them on this project. They went on to produce the song "Independent Women (Pt. 2)" for their "Survivor" record. This was the original version of the song that was recorded for the movie "Charlie’s Angels". After the success of the soundtrack, Aaliyah wanted to work with them on her next project as well. They went to work right away with hit makers Static and Black of the group Playa. They also developed a very unique chemistry with Static. They went on to produce half of her record "Aaliyah" which included the 1 hit "Rock Da Boat" written by Static. This solidified their place in the music game and they went on to work on numerous projects.
Key Beats, Inc. has worked collectively and individually with many different artists, whether producing and writing in the studio or performing live.
To date, some of the artists they have worked with include the late Aaliyah, Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Ginuwine, Playa, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, Tony Yayo, DJ Whoo Kid, Travis Barker, T.I., DJ Drama, Young Dro, Jay-Z, Destiny’s Child, Beyonce, Tweet, Nelly, Murphy Lee, DMX, Ashanti, Ja Rule, DJ Reflex, DJ Dense, Yung Joc, Diddy, Pharell, Busta Rhymes, Chingy, Fabolous, Tank, Keyshia Cole, Kanye West, Bubba Sparxxx, Nelly Furtado, Rich Boy, Soulja Boy, Lil’ Mo, D4L, En Vogue, Karen Clark-Sheard, The Soul Seekers, Mary Mary, 702, Montell Jordan, Chante Moore, Kenny Latimore, Dave Hollister, Lalah Hathaway, Kelly Price, Patti LaBelle, Stevie Wonder…and the list goes on and on.
Eric is currently writing and producing a Broadway musical entitled TIMELESS.
For more information, contact:
E. Seats & URE LLC
15942 Los Serranos Country Club
Suite D, #313
Chino Hills, CA 91709
Attention: Chrystal Allen
http://www.myspace.com/chrystalshouse
Personal Business: Urban Royalty Entertainment~urbanroyaltyent@yahoo.com
School Email: ChrystalA@email.phoenix.edu
Cell:213.278.3714
Home:213.623.5496
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