There is something to be said about the marriage of experience and youth. It usually results in wisdom–or at the least a sort of magic. And magic is what seems to be coming from the new band, Donna Jean & the Tricksters. The experience comes from Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, known best for her harmony voice… Continue reading Donna Jean & The Tricksters: Coming Full Circle
San Diego-based rock band Dirty Sweet has been heavily touring the US and Europe, turning audiences onto their latest release, Of Monarchs and Beggars. The five-piece blues-infused rock band offers original lyrics, intricate guitar riffs, and melodies that somehow have a familiar feel to them. Not a tribute band that tries to recreate a classic rock… Continue reading Dirty Sweet Pumps Out Irresistible Blues-Based Rock
I left Appalachia’s Country Music Hwy., (via Flatpick KY), for Rt. 66. It was Labor Day Weekend and I was going to Asbury Park, NJ, a town made famous by Bruce Springsteen and others. I was going to see Soozie Tyrell, of the E-Street band, along with 9 other bands play over the weekend. There… Continue reading El Diablo, Brian Mitchell
As burlesque bumps, grinds and laughs its way back in vogue, the art of its’ golden eras, from Nouveau to the 50s, shimmies in alongside it. Montmarte had Lautrec, (or, perhaps more appropriately, his now lesser known but then more famous mistress, model and contemporary, (though not necessarily in that order), Suzanne Valdon.). The Neo-Burlesque… Continue reading The Apple of the Big Apples' Eye
My Grandmother, Edith Bissette, grew up in a musical family in rural Virginia and North Carolina in the 30s and 40s as the changes Mike Seeger describes were taking place. She expands on what Mike describes above as she tells us not only what the advent of radio was like in the rural South, but… Continue reading My Grandmother: Music in the Rural South, 1930s-1950s
Mike Seeger has helped bring the music of the rural South to popular attention. He did this as a folk musician in the 60s, bringing traditional musicians not yet well known to the forefront of popular attention and continues to do so through performances and archive work today. It is in part through his influence… Continue reading From Appalachia to Folk & Traditional Music Festivals Past and Present: The Mike Seegers' Unique Lifes' Work
Recently, Ivan Neville commented, “Derek Trucks is a happening deal. He’s the best guitar player I’ve heard in years.” And, he’s absolutely right. It is praise such as that, coming from his musician peers, that has followed Derek Trucks‘ entire life. Touted as a genius guitar virtuoso when he wasn’t out of high school, Trucks… Continue reading Derek Trucks Band
Grateful Web recently caught up with Ivan Neville while he was in Maryland. The phone interview had to be postponed for two hours while Neville enjoyed some crab cakes, reputed to be the best in the country. “I’m in Baltimore ” he said. “You’ve got to have crab cakes, and I want to give them… Continue reading Dumpsta-Divin' with Ivan Neville
British-born keys player Jon Cleary now makes New Orleans his home where he has immersed himself in a social structure that lives and breathes music. He offers a unique perspective on the cultures that produced New Orleans popular music. “In New Orleans, music is such an important part of the culture here,” says Cleary. It… Continue reading Jon Cleary On New Orleans Music: Part Two
Jon Cleary’s upbringing, amid a family of musicians in England, clearly put him on his lifepath. He was destined to be a musician. “There was never any question,” he says. “That was all I really ever wanted to do.” His family, however, weren’t just players, they were avid enthusiasts and collectors. “Everybody in the family… Continue reading Jon Cleary On New Orleans Music: Part One
