G Love and Special Sauce – Coast to Coast Motel

I remember the first time I saw G Love and Special Sauce back in 1994.  Their self-titled debut album had just dropped, they were getting a lot of good press and the streets were hungry for what they were laying down.  We managed to get tickets to catch their show at the American Legion Hall on Highland, just south of the Hollywood Bowl.

After getting over my initial shock at what a broad spectrum of Angeleno’s had shown up for the show,  and being a little pissed that my key chain pocket knife had been confiscated at the door, the band pretty much proceeded to blow my mind. I’ve seen a lot of shows in my day…and only a very few rank up there in the “Freakin’ Amazing” category…but this was one of them.  The energy in the room that night was unparallelled.

I got on the horn the next morning to alert my friends in the Bay Area of what was coming, exclaiming:

“G Love is coming!!!  Get tickets now!!!”

They had no idea what I was talking about, or who G Love was…but I gave them my personal musical guarantee (I don’t give that out very often) that their money and time would be well spent… after which, they all agreed that I had been correct on all counts. 

Because G Love puts on a helluva show.

The band consists of G Love, (a Philadelphia native whose real name is Garrett Dutton III) on harmonica, vocals and guitar; Jimmy “Jazz” Prescott on stand up bass, and Jeffrey “Houseman” Clemens on drums.  Their sound hovers in a twilight area where blues, hip hop, folk and jazz all combine into an entirely new animal.  And after their audacious debut, it was thought they might be the second coming.

The following year, the band had gone to New Orleans to record the follow up album titled “Coast to Coast Motel,” and when it was released it fell flat. 

I was puzzled…and confused. 

I would read the bad reviews, go back and listen to the album again.  Were they listening to the same album I was?  What the hell was going on?  Where did my drink go?  A few people liked the LP, but it seemed to get no press.  I would drop it at parties and people loved it, but none seemed to know about it.  It made no sense that an album this good had pretty much gone unnoticed.  WTF?!?

Even more confusing was the almost complete absense of any of these songs from G Love’s live show.  I collected his live tapes for a while and you were hard pressed to find any “Coast to Coast” material on any of them.  Did he really want to sweep this under the rug?  I never got to ask him.

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The band had matured in sound, pulling more from New Orleans funk and folk roots while still retaining their original hybrid aesthetic.  The songs like ‘Kiss and Tell,’ ‘Soda Pop’ and ‘Sweet Sugar Mama’ are literally dripping with soul and a laid back good time funk that catches you off guard.  And the New Orleans vibe pours out so think, you’d think you were at Mardi Gras.

Once again, the critics missed the boat on this one.

But now you don’t have to.

Lone Star – Original Soundtrack

There’s actually two different kinds of soundtracks out there.  Some are original scores to the film by a certain composer (Lord of the Rings,) and the rest are collections of actual songs either new or old.  Musical scores are okay, but really when’s the last time you pulled out the score from Blade Runner to throw on at a party(aside from you, Pete)?  And then there’s music soundtracks which, for the most part, are usually for shit. 

The labels and studios seem intent on using the movie soundtrack format to promote new songs from horrible artists, i.e.: anything that has a sticker on the CD that says “Featuring the New Hit Single from Crazytown!” Or you get a creatively defunct top 40 classics mix, ala Forrest Gump that you could hear just by turning on the local oldies station. 

A good soundtrack, on the other hand should both accentuate the mood of the film, help drive the story, and be a little creative in it’s selection.  Notable examples of this are the brilliant soft-rock of The Virgin Suicide’s soundtrack, any of the Tarantino soundtracks (he’s like the soundtrack king,) or most recently Juno (which has me on a serious folk kick right now.)

Of all the soundtracks I own though, few hit the target quite like the Lone Star Soundtrack.  The movie takes place in Rio County Texas near the Mexican border, and like the location,  the collection of music walks a multifaceted line between the two countries.  With it’s mix of norteno, country, blues, and folk it puts you not just into the film, but into a feeling. Like sitting on a porch in the hot summer night and listening to the radio coming from a nearby bodega.

You have to love the amazing harmonica of Little Walter on tracks like ‘Boogie,’ or the mournful wail of Little Willie John on ‘My Love is.’  Apparently using the word “Little” in your name was much more popular back in the day than it is now.  Also there are standout tracks from Lucina Wiliams, Fito Olivares, Lydia Mendoza as well as some magificent loose score work by Duke Levine.

Some of the sound quality is a bit scratchy here, but in a way that I think adds to the listening experience.  That and they used a lot of old stuff with questionable source formats like 45s.

Just so you know, this is a John Sayles movie…and John Sayles is a badass.  He writes, directs, produces and edits all his own movies.  That means no one fucks with his shit and it turns out exactly how he wants it.  And I have a feeling this soundtrack was the same way.

Below, you’ll find a video for Fito Oliveras version of ‘Juana la Cubana’ which is also in the film.  Ignore the visuals, because the sound will give you a good idea of the flavor. (but you don’t have to ignore the dancing girls!)

The Heavy – Great Vengeance and Furious Fire

Oh man…this is what I needed.

Before I go any further on this I demand you click on the album image above, open a second tab, and check out this group’s website, because it has a really great music video for ‘That Kind of Man’ and will add a funky sountrack for you as you read this post. 

DO IT!  DO IT NOW!!!

Ahhh…now isn’t that better.  You hear that?  That sound of new music being dropped?  I love that sound!

I threw this down at a party last night and had people trying to guess what it was.  I got predictions like Lenny Kravitz, Curtis Mayfield, and drums that sound like Led Zeppelin.  Jimi Hendrix got votes, as well as Mark Ronson and Soulive, which only goes to show the range of musical influences you get in The Heavy’s new album “Great Vengeance and Furious Fire.”

The streets are hungry for this, and it hits like thunder.

Other high porints are ‘Coleen,’ with it’s awesome horn section and stomping beat, or the smooth soul of ‘Who Needs Sunshine.’

The five piece band from Western England has been working hard in the last year and it really shows.  The single first single appeared at the beginning of 2007 and the album dropped back in October, so shit has only recently started to filter down to the states.  I wish I had more to tell you about them but since they’ve only been around for a year, there isn’t much out there…yet.  But if you want to rock your next house party, grab this immediately and start spreading it around.

John Lee Hooker – Free Beer and Chicken

I like the Blues more than most do and I have made it a hobby to collect as much as possible, although my taste has always leaned towards the old stuff. 

I was browsing the hallowed pages of DustyGroove one day when they put up this 1974 John Lee Hooker album that I had never heard of…and I was intrigued enough to buy it. 

True to their review, this album doesn’t sound like his others.  It’s raw…dirtier, and far funkier than any of the rest.  Driving drums and fuzzed out guitar riffs all over the place.  I especially love ‘Make it Funky’, ‘714 Blues’ and “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.’  Just so you know, the version on this album is better than the video below, but that was the closest thing I could find.  I added the better version below.  Ha! Take that mediocrity!

This is the shit pure and simple.  The only album I know of that comes close is Etta James ‘ Come a Little Closer.’ (I’ll save that for a later post)

So, do yourself a favor and check it out…if you can find a copy.