July 2010

  • The Sound of Music Playing at The Muny

    By sarajean on 7/31/10 6:19am
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    Before Julie Andrews made being a nun romantic and fun, The Sound of Music was a live musical enjoyed by children and adults alike. Now through Sunday, St. Louisans can see the performance live at The Muny in Forest Park.

    I remember watching The Sound of Music as a child and just being enchanted by Andrews in the film. “A Few of My Favorite Things” is a song I like to hum when I’m in a sticky situation—at the dentist or about to throw up, for example—that seems to make me calm down. (I have no idea why.) Since then, there have been dozens of remakes of the song by artists such as Tori Amos, Luther Vandross, Barbara Streisand, Outkast, and many others; Andrews’ version remains my favorite.

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  • Beyond Berkeley Guitar: More Primitave Sounds from the Bay

    By cobwebsandstrange on 7/30/10 11:57am
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    With the death of Jack Rose and a momentary cessation to the endless John Fahey re-issues, it might appear that the American Primitive Guitar feeding frenzy the occurred a few years back is at an end. Of course, Leo Kottke still tours on a regular basis, but there aren’t really any other high profile acts like that working this music any longer.

    To stave off complacency, though, Tomkins Square Records began a series of compilations detailing acoustic guitar players residing in the Bay with 2006’s Berkeley Guitar. That first offering focused on just a few players, but its newly released companion piece, Beyond Berkely Guitar, features a handful of folks and almost as many different perspectives on the style.

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  • Sacramento, California - Alive with Musicals!

    By colormejosh on 7/28/10 8:50pm
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    The capitol city of Sacramento, California comes alive during the summer with the California Musical Theater and Music Circus back to back musical productions.


    One of my personal favorites Oklahoma! is currently playing (July 27 - August 1).

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  • TWOFR: Rev. Gary Davis x Brad Barr

    By cobwebsandstrange on 7/23/10 7:07am
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    Rev. Gary Davis

    Manchester Free Trade Hall, 1964

    (Document Records, 2007)

    When blues moved to urban areas, like Chicago, the focus became blues shouters or those that simply hollered. Well, the Reverend is not from the city, but in stark contrast to Skip James, Davis possessed a guttural grunt that could very probably not be replicated. Through his catalog, as he aged, listeners can hear how his voice progressively became more and more intimidating and gruff. Although on later sides, as on the Biograph ’71 releases, Davis seems almost dazed and out of touch with his art. The Manchester show provides us with a glimpse into the Reverend’s powers shortly after his re-emergence from obscurity.

    Firstly, it must be noted that the recording itself is of a higher quality than might be expected. And while, surely, it’s not perfect – it’s relatively clean, in a dusty blues sorta way. Davis’ sets were able to run from overtly religious in tone to irrefutably secular. Here though, listeners aren’t offered the charming religiously flavored tunes, but instead the recording begins with a song that the Stones as well as Fred McDowell played, “You Got to Move”. While not the strongest version put to disc, it’s strong enough not to obviously point to the aging of a master.

    The guitar and vocal powers of this original purveyor of blues do show ware occasionally as on “Cocaine Blues”. But given the subject matter, it seems oddly befitting. There are a few instrumental tracks that serve to further illustrate Davis’ age – but really even at this point of his life, the Reverend’s stronger than countless rockers who ape his cool that it doesn’t really matter. Included amongst these instrumentals, and the closer to this set, is a Scott Joplin number, “Maple Leaf Rag”. It’s a charming and stately way to close an evening, while a flaw or two is apparent,

    again, it’s the Reverend, so it really doesn’t matter.

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  • Three Albums from Fleetwood Mac that Don't Suck

    By cobwebsandstrange on 7/8/10 6:37pm
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    Mention Brit rock act Fleetwood Mac and there should instantly be the sound of unfettered moans hinting at the broad perception of the band as a cheeky, female fronted pop act. That last bit’s true, but the band didn’t reach that point until at least the mid point of its career.

    An initial clutch of records finds Fleetwood Mac, as helmed by Peter Green, mining straight blues for a few albums before moving on to an amalgam of bucolic sounds and stoned revelry. Of course, the quick transitioning between approaches didn’t result in the strongest albums recorded during the sixties, but each of these four initial discs is better than what your mom would rock out to while making dinner – for the most part.

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  • Tony Williams: His First Outing

    By cobwebsandstrange on 7/5/10 7:32pm
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    Tony Williams is easily one of the top five most important drummers to record in the second half of the twentieth century. To deny that is to be a fool. It’s that simple.

    Basically a child prodigy, Williams began recording during his teenage years with his first being Grachan Moncur III stultifying Evolution. Earning the spot on that album, Williams had already cemented the trajectory his career would follow, being associated with some of the most open minded players in the genre.

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