Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones!

[Note: New Music Musings, my weekly look at newly released music, will resume next Saturday]

Who would have thought we’d ever see a Rolling Stones tour sponsored by AARP? I don’t mean this in a disrespectful way – after all, I’m a member of the club, and it’s safe to assume so are most other Stones fans in the U.S. For non-American readers who may not be familiar with it, AARP (formerly known as American Association of Retired Persons) is a non-profit, non-partisan interest group focused on issues affecting people age 50 and above. Mick Jagger (80), Keith Richards (80) and Ronnie Wood (76) certainly have reached a stage in their lives by which I hope I’ll be long retired, but that doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten how to rock. The Stones’ remarkable ongoing ability to deliver a great rock & roll show was on full display on Thursday evening (May 23) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

Like the recent Neil Young & Crazy Horse gig I attended, my decision to see the “greatest rock & roll band in the world” was driven by nostalgia and, yes, the thought this could be the last time – no pun intended! Yet another similarity was an uncertain weather forecast that until the night before included a high chance of late afternoon/evening scattered thunderstorms with possible hail and strong wind gusts. In the end, time was on my side and other attending folks, and the weather gods were kind. I guess unstable weather conditions during what used to be fairly safe seasons of the year have caught up with open air shows – something that going forward I’ll have to factor in when deciding whether or not to purchase concert tickets for certain venues!

It’s hard to believe Thursday evening’s show happened nearly five years after my previous Stones concert in August 2019 at the same venue. I had seen them first in October 2005 at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pa. In addition to Jagger (lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, percussion), Richards (guitars, backing and lead vocals) and Wood (guitars), the Stones’ line-up included Chuck Leavell (keyboards, backing vocals), Matt Clifford (keyboards, percussion, French horn), Tim Ries (saxophone, keyboards), Karl Denson (saxophone), Darryl Jones (bass) and Steve Jordan (drums), as well as Chanel Haynes (backing vocals). I don’t quite understand why Leavell and Jones haven’t become official members, given their long tenures of 41 and 31 years, respectively!

The official members of The Rolling Stones (from left): Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards with Steve Jordan in the background. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

While the Stones have called it the Hackney Diamonds Tour in a nod to their most recent studio album from October 2023 I reviewed here, it was really more of a greatest hits set, mixed with three songs from Hackney Diamonds and a couple of deeper cuts. But this didn’t make me angry – in fact, I loved the variety, and it was evident the audience shared my sentiments! The setlist mostly drew from Stones albums released between the mid-’60s and the late ’70s, such as Aftermath, Beggars Banquet, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St. and Some Girls. The only exception apart from Hackney Diamonds was Tattoo You (1981). There were also a couple of non-album singles.

Before getting to some Stones music, I’d like to acknowledge talented opening act Jon Batiste, a New Orleans pianist and vocalist who blends jazz, soul, pop, gospel, and R&B. He has recorded and performed with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson, Ed Sheeran and Lana Del Rey, and together with his band Stay Human could be seen each night as bandleader and musical director on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from 2015 to 2022. Some of Batiste’s best-known songs and renditions include Freedom (2021), It’s Alright (2022) and I Need You (2021).

After Batiste’s outgoing and groovy 45-minute opening set and a short break it was time for The Rolling Stones. Appropriately, they charged out of the gate with Start Me Up. Credited to Jagger-Richards as usual, the lead single from their August 1981 album Tattoo You has become a staple of their live shows. Seeing one of my all-time favorite bands again made a grown man cry – okay, not literally, but I can’t deny it was an emotional moment!

It’s Only Rock & Roll (But I Like It) perhaps best embodies why I’ve loved the Stones for 40-plus years. The classic title track of their October 1974 studio album once again is credited to Jagger-Richards, though then-new guitarist Ronnie Wood contributed to it. Notably, the song’s basic rhythm track came out of a jam session with Wood and his Faces bandmate drummer Kenney Jones, along with Jagger, David Bowie and bassist Willie Weeks. Richards subsequently added some guitar overdubs.

And then it was time for the man with the pirate laughter to sing a couple of songs on lead vocals, as has been custom at Rolling Stones shows. Vocally, Keith Richards ain’t no Mick Jagger, but I’ve always dug his somewhat unpolished voice. Here’s I Got the Silver, the first of two songs Thursday evening, which Richards performed on lead vocals. The country blues is off the November 1969 Let It Bleed album – the first song at the time featuring Richards on lead vocals throughout. Also, check Woods on acoustic slide guitar!

There were so many great songs the Stones played Thursday evening, which made it hard to pick what to capture. Before getting to Gimme Shelter, I’d like to acknowledge their great rendition of Miss You, a song that generally isn’t among my favorites. Among others, the extended version featured neat solo action by Jagger, Daryl Jones and Karl Denson on harmonica, bass and saxophone, respectively. Gimme Shelter, another track from Let It Bleed, was one of the songs during which Chanel Haynes got to showcase her incredible vocal pipes – driving the audience gaga without the artist of the same name!

After about 1.5 hours, the Stones closed their official set with another goodie and long-time favorite: Jumpin’ Jack Flash, a non-album single the Stones released in May 1968. At the time, Rolling Stone magazine characterized the classic as “supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London.” Some folks regarded it as a return of the Stones to blues-oriented rock following their excursions into baroque pop and psychedelia, which for the record I generally dig.

Then Mick Jagger thanked the audience, wished New Jersey a good night, and walked off the stage, together with his bandmates. But the lights didn’t come on, a sure sign an encore was to come. And it did. Here’s the first, Sweet Sounds of Heaven. I think the ballad is a highlight from the Hackney Diamonds album. Once again, Chanel Haynes shined! Of course, the audience still wasn’t quite satisfied. Can you guess what the second and final encore was? 🙂

It’s stunning to realize the first Rolling Stones tour of the U.S. happened 60 years ago. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were 20 at the time. Ronnie Wood who must have been a 16 or 17-year-old teenager just started his career, playing lead guitar in British R&B group The Birds – not to be confused with U.S. band The Byrds. After stints with the Jeff Beck Group and Faces, Wood began recording and touring with The Rolling Stones in 1975 before becoming an official member in April 1976.

Obviously, time hasn’t stood still, but Jagger, Richards and Wood were still bringing it. I thought Richards had a better night than 5 years ago at the same venue. Woods was in great shape as well, easily matching his performance from August 2019. Jagger continued to display his age-defying energy, working that stage like he was a 20-year-old! I must also commend the other musicians who were a hell of a backing band. Last but not least, I’d like to call out one last time Chanel Haynes who became an official member of the touring band last year – a terrific addition!

Chanel Haynes & Mick Jagger

Here’s the song line-up from Thursday evening:

Setlist:
• Start Me Up
• Get Off of My Cloud
• Shattered (tour debut)
• Angry
• It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (but I Like It)
• Wild Horses (fan-voted song)
• Mess It Up
• Tumbling Dice
• You Can’t Always Get What You Want
• You Got the Silver (Keith Richards on lead vocals)
• Little T&A (Keith Richards on lead vocals)
• Sympathy for the Devil
• Honky Tonk Women
• Miss You
• Gimme Shelter
• Paint It Black
• Jumpin’ Jack Flash

Encore:
• Sweet Sounds of Heaven
• (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

After playing another gig at MetLife Stadium tomorrow night, the 16-city Hackney Diamonds Tour next travels to Orlando, Fla. (June 3); Atlanta, Ga. (June 7); Philadelphia, Pa. (June 11) and Cleveland, Ohio (June 15). The tour is set to conclude on July 17 in Santa Clara, Calif. The full schedule is here.

Last but not least, I’m leaving you with a Spotify playlist that mirrors Thursday night’s show.

Sources: Wikipedia; Rolling Stones website; Setlist.fm; YouTube; Spotify

Happy New Year!

It’s hard to believe we’re in 2024! To me it simply doesn’t feel like another year just passed. Anyway, I’d like to keep this post short and wish all of you a happy and healthy new year. Thanks again to all my followers and other visitors for reading and commenting, and I look forward to more mutual fun this year.

Given the topic of this blog, of course, I had to come up with something related to music and the occasion. Following is the appropriately titled Happy New Year. Written by Joe Luke, the song was released in November 1953 by country blues singer-songwriter and guitarist Lightnin’ Hopkins as the B-side to the single Merry Christmas – groovy stuff and my kind of music to kick off the new year!

Based on Discogs, the producer was Bob Shad, who in 1964 founded his own label Mainstream Records. Later on he, among others, produced the eponymous debut album by Big Brother & the Holding Company, Janis Joplin’s first album.

The following Spotify playlist includes the above and a few other songs for the occasion. And, yes, they’re all titled “Happy New Year”!

Sources: Wikipedia; Discogs; YouTube; Spotify

Country Blues on Steroids? Damn, You Better Believe It!

When I first came across The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band in April 2021, I knew right away they are a pretty unique act. Not only was I struck by their neat musicianship and lively brand of blues, but I also immediately loved their great sense of humor. To say I was excited when I got a ticket in April to see them is an understatement. Last Thursday (August 17), showtime finally had arrived, at Lizzie Rose Music Room, an intimate nonprofit living room style venue in Tuckerton, N.J. And, damn, what a ball it was!

Before getting to the show, I’d like to provide a bit of background. To start with, the The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band actually are a trio. But they’re big damn good, featuring, you probably guessed it, Reverend Peyton (lead vocals, guitars, harmonica), his wife Washboard Breezy Peyton (washboard, percussion, vocals) and Sad Max Senteney (drums, percussion, vocals). The brilliant names already tell you these guys gotta be fun!

Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band in an abandoned warehouse (press photo)

‘But wait a moment’, you may wonder, ‘no bassist?’ No problem! Rev. Peyton’s thumb armed with a pick comes to the rescue and does so with remarkable agility. When introducing the band during the gig, Peyton also noted it’s quite economical since he doesn’t have to pay a bass player. As a retired bass player, I was like, ‘gulp’, but the man had a damn good point!

The Big Damn Band were born in the early 2000s. While recovering from hand surgery for tendonitis, which had forced Peyton to stop playing guitar, he met Breezy. Not only did they realize their shared love for the blues, but also for each other, which eventually led to getting married in June 2003. Together with Peyton’s brother Jayme, who had also played in Peyton’s first band Drive-Thru, they decided to form the original incarnation of the Big Damn Band.

A souvenir from last Thursday night: A vinyl edition of Dance Songs For Hard Times, the Big Damn Band’s most recent album from April 2021

After heavy touring, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band self-released their first album The Pork ‘n’ Beans Collection in 2004. Two more self-releases followed before they signed a deal with a punk label called Side One Dummy. Their first release for it was The Whole Fam Damily in August 2008. Subsequently, they formed their own label, Family Owned Records, and are currently being distributed via Nashville-based Thirty Tigers.

What can I say about the Big Damn Band’s music before giving you a few actual samples? Basically, it’s country blues on steroids. Picture Robert Johnson meets George Thorogood. D-d-d-d-damn! Breezy’s washboard adds a cool percussion to the mix. The trio’s sound is rounded out by time keeper Max Senteny who has been their drummer since Poor Until Payday, their ninth full-length album that came out in October 2018.

Hand-written setlist the Big Damn Band kindly allowed me to grab

I’d say it’s about damn time to turn to some damn good music. Let’s kick it off with Ways and Means, a tune from the Big Damn Band’s above-mentioned most recent album Dance Songs For Hard Times. The tune “was written for all those folks who have the moves, the style, the substance, the talent, but maybe not the seed money or the famous last name,” Peyton notes on their website. “All those people who had to work extra hard because they didn’t get to start way ahead. Folks who have been playing catch-up since they were born and had to get really good just to make it to zero.”

Something For Nothing is off the Big Damn Band’s August 2012 album Between the Ditches. According to Wikipedia, it debuted at no. 2 on the Billboard Blues chart and is their most commercially successful album to date.

About at the half point of the set, Breezy and Max walked off the stage, leaving Rev. Peyton for some solo action and an impressive demonstration of his fingerstyle guitar-playing. I know it may be a bit geeky, but as a retired hobby guitarist, I found it fun to watch and couldn’t resist capturing it. Check out his demo of Peter Gunn starting at around 2:25 minutes. It’s really cool.

Before Peyton’s band mates returned to the stage, it was time for a great solo rendition of If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day by one of Peyton’s key influences: Robert Johnson. He recorded it in San Antonio, Texas in 1936 as an adaption of Rollin’ and Tumblin’, a delta blues first recorded by country blues guitarist Hambone Willie Newbern in 1929. Check this out!

You Can’t Steal My Shine is the great opener of Poor Until Payday, the Big Damn Band’s ninth studio album and the predecessor to Dance Songs For Hard Times.

Last but not least, here’s the finale of the regular set, a one-two punch of traditional gospel tune This Little Light of Mine and Rattle Can, another tune from Dance Songs For Hard Times. As Rev. Peyton played the first couple of bars, I thought of Purple Haze.

The regular set was followed by Two Bottles of Wine as an encore. That track is from their April 2010 album The Wages.

The Big Damn Band who recently returned from Europe are continuing their tour of the U.S. all the way until early December. Upcoming dates include Hamilton, Ohio (August 24), Logansport, Ind. (August 25), Morgantown, Ind. (August 26), Springfield, Ill (September 1) and Emporia, Kan. (September 2). The full schedule is here. If you like what you saw here and get to one of their gigs, I’d highly recommend The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. You’re gonna had pretty damn good time!

Sources: Wikipedia; Apple Music; The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band website; YouTube

The Sunday Six

Welcome to the final Sunday Six of 2021 – can’t believe I’m writing this! To those celebrating, I hope you had a nice Christmas and are still enjoying the holiday season. To everybody else, hope you’ve been having a great time anyway! Today, this weekly recurring feature is hitting a milestone with its 50th installment. It’s another eclectic set of music touching the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and 2021. Ready for the last mini music excursion of the year? Let’s do it!

Frank Zappa/Pink Napkins

I’d like to start today’s music time travel with an artist I never thought I’d feature. While I recognize Frank Zappa was widely acclaimed, except for the weirdly catchy Bobby Brown Goes Down, I always found it difficult to listen to his music and never warmed to him. That being said, I’ve always known he was a pretty talented musician. When my streaming music provider served up Pink Napkins the other day, I was immediately intrigued by this guitar-driven instrumental. And, yes, I was quite surprised to learn I had just listened to Frank Zappa! Pink Napkins is from Son of Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar, the second in a series of three all-instrumental albums released in May 1981, which subsequently appeared as a box set in 1982. It’s a very improvisational collection of what essentially are guitar solos. While hey there, people, you may wonder, wonder, why Zappa released a massive collection of guitar solos, dare I say it, I actually dig Pink Napkins!

Pink Floyd/Stay

Next is what I would call a deep track from Pink Floyd’s catalog. Stay, co-written by the band’s keyboarder Richard Wright and guitarist David Gilmour, was included on the group’s seventh studio album Obscured by Clouds that came out in June 1972. It was the soundtrack for a French motion picture titled La Vallée and directed by Iranian-born Swiss film director and producer Barbet Schroeder. Among others, he’s known for directing Hollywood films Barfly (1987) and Single White Female (1992). While Obscured by Clouds didn’t match the chart performance of the group’s two preceding records Meddle and Atom Heart Mother, it still reached a respectable no. 6 in the UK. By comparison, it remained, well, a bit more obscure in the U.S. where it stalled at no. 46. This was in marked contrast to Pink Floyd’s next album The Dark Side of the Moon.

Little Richard/Good Golly, Miss Molly

Okay, boys and girls, it’s time to get movin’ and groovin’ with some killer classic rock & roll by the great Little Richard: Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like to ball, whoo/Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like to ball/When you’re rockin’ and a rollin’/Can’t hear your momma call…Even though I’ve listened to Good Golly, Miss Molly countless times since I first heard it 40-plus years ago, I’m still amazed by Richard’s energy. This man was a force of nature and an incredible performer. Good Golly, Miss Molly was co-written by John Marascalco and producer Robert “Bumps” Blackwell. It was first recorded by Richard and appeared as a single in January 1958. It was also included on Richard’s eponymous sophomore album released in July of the same year.

The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band/Ways and Means

Let’s keep rockin’ and jump to 2021 and The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. If you happened to read part 1 of my recent year-in-review feature, you may recall the name of this unusual country blues trio, which has been around since 2003. Ways and Means is the opener of Dance Songs for Hard Times, the trio’s energetic 10th studio album that came out back in April. Check out the official video, which is fun to watch. These guys are just amazing! Peyton is a really talented guitarist, and his singing ain’t too shabby either – my kind of reverend!

The Mamas & The Papas/Monday Monday

After two high-energy tunes, I’d like to slow it down a little with some beautiful sunshine pop from the ’60s. For the purposes of this feature, the tune really should have been titled “Sunday Sunday”, but I’ll gladly go with Monday Monday. The third single by The Mamas & The Papas, released in March 1966, became the L.A. vocal group’s only no. 1 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100. Written by the group’s leader John Philipps, aka Papa John Phillips, the tune was a big hit outside the U.S. as well, reaching no. 2 in Austria, Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands; no. 3 in the UK; and no. 4 in Australia, among others. Monday Monday was also included on The Mamas & The Papas’ debut album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears from February of the same year. I’ve always loved their beautiful harmony singing.

Bonnie Raitt/You

I’d like to wrap up this installment with one of my all-time favorite artists: Bonnie Raitt. Since I was introduced to her with Nick of Time in 1989, I’ve come to love her music and amazing slide guitar-playing. I also finally had a chance to see her in August 2016 in New Jersey. If you’re curious you can read more about the show here and watch a clip of the entire gig, which is still up! For this post, I’ve picked You, a beautiful tune from Raitt’s 12th studio album Longing in Their Hearts that appeared in March 1994. The song was co-written by John Shanks, Bob Thiele and Tonio K. (born Steven M. Krikorian). Bonnie Raitt will tour in 2022. Man, would I love to catch her again – we’ll see whether conditions are going to responsibly allow it!

Last but not least, here’s a playlist with the above tunes!

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube

The Year That Was – Part 1 of 2

After feeling a bit lukewarm initially about the thought of looking back at 2021, a year I’d rather forget in many regards, I’m glad I decided to proceed. After all, there was lots of great new music – music that undoubtedly helped me cope with challenges this tiresome pandemic presented.

This review is split into two parts. Part 1 revisits my favorite 2021 albums I covered during the past year. Part 2 presents highlights from Best of What’s New, my weekly recurring feature looking at newly released songs. While it would have been easy to feature some of the same artists in both parts, I deliberately avoided overlap.

Altogether, I reviewed more than 20 albums over the past 12 months. After excluding archives releases, such as Neil Young’s Carnegie Hall 1970 and Young Shakespeare, and reissues like Tom Petty’s Angel Dream (Songs and Music from the Motion Picture “She’s the One”), I narrowed the list to 17 albums. Following are six I like in particular.

Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band/Dance Songs for Hard Times

Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band is an unusual country blues trio, and it’s not only because of their funny name. The group, which has been around since 2003, consists of Josh “The Reverend” Peyton (guitar, lead vocals), his wife  “Washboard” Breezy Peyton (washboard) and Max Senteney (drums). Notably, they don’t have a bassist. Peyton, a great guitarist, compensates with skillful fingerstyle playing that includes the prominent use of his thumb to play bass lines. Dance Songs for Hard Times, the trio’s 10th full-length album, was released on April 9. You can read more about it here. To get an idea, check out the amazing Too Cool to Dance and tell me this doesn’t rock!

John Hiatt with The Jerry Douglas Band/Leftover Feelings

One of my big “discoveries” this year is John Hiatt, an artist whose name I’ve known for 30-plus years but had not started to explore until earlier this year – well, better late than never! On May 21, Hiatt released a great collaboration album with Dobro resonator guitar master Jerry Douglas. They were backed by Jerry Douglas Band members Mike Seal (acoustic and electric guitar), Daniel Kimbro (bass, string arrangements) and Christian Sedelmyer (fiddle). You can read more about Leftover Feelings here, which was recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio B during the Covid shutdown. Here’s a little sample: Mississippi Phone Booth, written by Hiatt.

Southern Avenue/Be the Love You Want

Southern Avenue, a five-piece from Memphis, Tenn., are one of my favorite contemporary groups, blending blues and soul with contemporary R&B. Founded in 2015, this great band features Ori Naftaly (guitar), Tierinii Jackson (lead vocals), her sister Tikyra Jackson (drums, backing vocals), Jeremy Powell (keyboards) and Evan Sarver (bass). On August 27, their third album Be the Love You Want came out. While it feels like a bigger and more contemporary production compared to the band’s first two records and there’s a guest appearance by pop artist Jason Mraz, at its core, this still sounds very much like Southern Avenue’s music I’ve come to love: A tasty blend of blues, soul, funk and gospel, combined with elements of modern R&B. You can read more about it here. And here’s Push Now.

The Wild Feathers/Alvarado

The Wild Feathers, formed in Nashville, Tenn. in 2010, combine elements of country rock, southern rock, classic rock, blues and folk with multi-part harmony singing – a quite attractive combination! The group’s current lineup includes founding members Taylor Burns (guitar, vocals), Ricky Young (guitar, vocals), Brett Moore (guitar, mandolin) and Joel King (bass, vocals), together with Ben Dumas (drums). On October 8, they released their fifth studio album Alvarado. According to an exclusive preview by American Songwriter, The Wild Feathers wrote and recorded the album in a small cabin located an hour northwest of Nashville, the same place in which they conceived predecessor Medium Rarities. You can read more about Alvarado here. To get an idea, I give you Side Street Shakedown, a great rocker co-written by King, Young and Burns.

The Brandy Alexanders/The Brandy Alexanders

The Brandy Alexanders are a psychedelic pop-rock band from Canada, which was formed in 2016. The members include brothers Alex Dick (lead vocals, guitar) and Daniel Dick (keyboards), along with Sean Shepherd (lead guitar), Zack Vivier (bass) and Robbie Cervi (drums). They were discovered in 2019 by Renan Yildizdogan, the founder of independent label Gypsy Soul Records, who saw the group at a local performance venue in Toronto and subsequently signed them. On December 10, The Brandy Alexanders released their eponymous debut album. For more on that, click here. And here’s the great-sounding opener Ceiling Fan, Man. 

Neil Young & Crazy Horse/Barn

Neil Young has been on a roll this year. In addition to the aforementioned solo releases from his archives, he put out Way Down in the Rust Bucket, another excellent archives release of a 1990 live concert with Crazy Horse. Speaking of Young’s longtime backing band, there was a record with new songs, Barn, his 41st studio release and 14th album with Crazy Horse. It appeared on December 10 as well. Recorded in a converted barn high in the Rocky Mountains, Barn sounds charmingly ragged, relaxed and spontaneous – like classic Crazy Horse! Click here for my album review and check out Heading West!

Additional 2021 albums I’d like to at least briefly acknowledge include Exit Wounds (The Wallflowers), Many a Mile (Blue Rodeo), Long Lost (Lord Huron), Dirty Honey (Dirty Honey) and The Battle at Garden’s Gate (Greta Van Fleet). Stay tuned for Part 2 of this year-in-review feature, which will include songs from these artists.

Sources: Wikipedia; American Songwriter; YouTube

The Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band Release Damn Good New Album

To anyone who knows me and my music taste, perhaps it was predictable that I would follow up my latest Best of What’s New installment with a dedicated post on The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. The energetic music by this unusual country blues trio, which released their new album Dance Songs for Hard Times on Friday, April 9, is just too damn good to do otherwise.

In case you didn’t read my aforementioned post, the trio has been around since 2003 and consists of Josh “The Reverend” Peyton (guitar, lead vocals), his wife “Washboard” Breezy Peyton (washboard) and Max Senteney (drums). Notably, they don’t have a bassist. Peyton, a great guitarist, compensates with skillful fingerstyle playing that includes the prominent use of his thumb to play bass lines.

As noted on the band’s website, Dance Songs for Hard Times was written during the dreadful pandemic and reflects the ups and downs life can throw at you. To start with a story that has become all too familiar, COVID-19 completely derailed the band’s touring schedule. Pre-pandemic they played a whooping more than 250 dates per year. Added to this were a lingering illness affecting Peyton’s wife – possibly an undiagnosed case of COVID – and a cancer diagnosis for his father. On top of all, bad weather knocked off power for multiple days at the Peyton’s 150-year-old log cabin in Southern Indiana – jeez!

While his wife rested and recovered, Peyton wrote the album’s songs in near darkness. “It’s been a struggle the entire time,” he explained. “Nothing’s been easy. Other than the music. The music came easy.” Given all of that rather bleak context, you might expect to hear a downcast album. Not so! “I like songs that sound happy but are actually very sad,” Peyton noted. “I don’t know why it is, but I just do.”

It’s also notable that at the suggestion of Nashville producer Vance Powell, who has worked with the likes of Chris Stapleton and Jack White, production relied on analog eight-track recording. Peyton’s vocals and guitar-playing were captured live in the studio, and overdubs were kept to a minimum. Together with the use of Peyton’s 1954 Supro Dual Tone electric guitar and other “old” gear, this gives the album a great vintage sound. Let’s get to some music!

Here’s the opener Ways and Means, which nicely sets the mood for the entire album. Peyton’s guitar playing is really impressive, and his vocals neatly fit the songs. “‘Ways and Means’ was written for all those folks who have the moves, the style, the substance, the talent, but maybe not the seed money or the famous last name,” Peyton stated. “All those people who had to work extra hard because they didn’t get to start way ahead. Folks who have been playing catch-up since they were born and had to get really good just to make it to zero.” And all of that is packaged in upbeat music. The video is also fun to watch!

On Rattle Can, the band is pushing the pedal to the metal. Peyton sings in such rapid fire motion that it’s difficult at times to understand the words. An excerpt: I need the whole enchilada, I need the whole shebang, just a little taste won’t do/ I need the whole enchilada, I need the whole shebang, just a little taste won’t do /I need the whole enchilada, I need the who shebang, I need all the marbles too/I need the whole enchilada, I need the whole shebang, just a little taste won’t do/rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle, shake, shake/Shake it like a rattle can, baby, oh yeah…

Here’s Too Cool to Dance, the tune I highlighted in my previous Best of What’s New. I guess it was just too cool to skip! “I was thinking about all the times where I’ve been somewhere and felt too cool to dance,” Peyton noted about the song. “I didn’t want to be that way. Not being able to do anything last year, I had this feeling of, ‘Man, I’m not going to waste any moment like this in my life – ever.'” Another engaging video to watch. The energy is just infectious!

Time to slow down things a little with No Tellin’ When. The words make it pretty clear what the tune is about. No tellin’ when, no tellin’ when/No tellin’ when I’ll see my mom again/No tellin’ when, no tellin’ when/No tellin’ when I’ll see my mom again// No tellin’ when, no tellin’ when/No tellin’ when I’ll get to work again/No tellin’ when, no tellin’ when/No tellin’ when I’ll get to work again…

Let’s do one more: Nothing’s Easy but You and Me. I wonder what that song is all about! 🙂 Bills keep coming like a freight train running/Bills keep coming like a freight train running/Back it up mama it don’t cost nothing/Bills keep coming like a freight train running/Nothing’s cheap and nothing’s free/Nothing’s easy but you and me…

“Despite the hardships of this moment in history, it created this music that I hope will maybe help some people through it,” Peyton summed up the album. “Because it helps me through it to play it.” The band’s website also revealed some other positive news. After undergoing surgery, Peyton’s father was declared cancer free last year. The band has also been able to stay connected with their fans and make some money through a page on Patreon, a service to support musicians and other artists through recurring monetary contributions in exchange to gaining access to exclusive content created by the artist.

Sources: Wikipedia; The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band website; YouTube

Of Slides and Bottlenecks

The sound of a well played slide guitar is one of the coolest in music in my opinion. I’ve always loved it. It’s also one of the most challenging techniques that requires great precision and lots of feeling. You can easily be off, which to me is the equivalent of a violin player who hasn’t mastered yet how to properly use the bow or a trumpet player who is still working on their blowing technique – in other words real torture, if you miss!

I thought it would be fun putting together a post that features great slide guitarists from different eras. Before getting to some music, I’d like to give a bit of background on the technique and a very brief history. More specifically, I’m focusing on slide guitar played in the traditional position, i.e., flat against the body, as opposed to lap steel guitar where the instrument is placed in a player’s lap and played with a hand-held bar.

Slide guitar is a technique where the fret hand uses a hard object called a slide instead of the fingers to change the pitch of the strings. The slide, which oftentimes is a metal of a glass tube aka “bottle neck,” is fitted on one of the guitarist’s fingers. Holding it against the strings while moving it up and down the fretboard creates glissando or gliding effects and also offers the opportunity to play pronounced vibratos. The strings are typically plucked, not strummed with the other hand.

The technique of holding a hard object against a plucked string goes back to simple one-string African instruments. In turn, these instruments inspired the single-stringed diddley bow, which was developed as a children’s toy by Black slaves in the U.S. It was considered an entry-level instrument played by adolescent boys who once they mastered it would move on to a regular guitar.

Clockwise starting from left in upper row: Sylvester Weaver, Robert Johnson, Elmore James, Brian Jones, Mike Boomfield, Muddy Waters, Duane Allman, Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder and Derek Trucks

The bottleneck slide guitar technique was popularized by blues musicians in the Mississippi Delta near the beginning of the twentieth century. Country blues pioneer Sylvester Weaver made the first known slide guitar recording in 1923. Robert Nighthawk, Earl Hooker, Elmore James, Muddy Waters and other blues artists popularized the use of slide guitar in the electric blues genre. In turn, they influenced the next generation of blues and rock guitarists like Mike Bloomfield (The Paul Butterfield Blues Band), Brian Jones (The Rolling Stones), Duane Allman (The Allman Brothers Band) and Ry Cooder.

Time for some music. Here’s Sylvester Weaver with the instrumental Guitar Blues, one of the earliest slide guitar recordings.

One of the masters of Delta blues who prominently used slide guitar was Robert Johnson. Here’s the amazing Cross Road Blues from 1936 from one of only two recording sessions in which Johnson participated. If you haven’t heard this version but it somehow sounds familiar, chances are you’ve listened to Cream’s cover titled Crossroads.

Are you ready to shake it? Here’s smoking hot Shake Your Money Maker written by Elmore James. James released this classic blues standard in December 1961.

The Rolling Stones were fans of the Chicago blues. One of their blues gems featuring Brian Jones on slide guitar was Little Red Rooster, which they released as a single in the UK in November 1964. It was also included on their third American studio album The Rolling Stones, Now! from February 1965. Written by Willie Dixon, the tune was first recorded by Howlin’ Wolf in October 1961.

Next is Walkin’ Blues, which The Paul Butterfield Blues Band covered on their second studio album East-West from August 1966, featuring Mike Bloomfield on slide guitar. The tune was written by Delta blues artist Son House in 1930.

In May 1969, Muddy Waters released his sixth studio album After the Rain. Here’s slide guitar gem Rollin’ and Tumblin’, which was first recorded by Hambone Willie Newbern (gotta love this name!) in 1929. It’s unclear who wrote the tune.

Here’s one of the greatest slide guitarists of all time: Duane Allman with The Allman Brothers Band and One Way Out. This amazing rendition appeared on an expanded version of At Fillmore East released in October 1992. The original edition appeared in July 1971, three months prior to Duane’ deadly motorcycle accident. Co-written by Marshall Sehorn and Elmore James, the tune was first recorded and released in the early to mid-’60s by Sonny Boy Williamson II and James.

A post about slide guitar wouldn’t be complete without the amazing Bonnie Raitt, an artist I’ve dug for many years. Here’s Sugar Mama, a song co-written by Delbert McClinton and Glen Clark, which she recorded for her fifth studio album Home Plate from 1975.

Let’s do two more tracks performed by two additional must-include slide guitar masters. First up is Ry Cooder with Feelin’ Bad Blues, a tune Cooder wrote for the soundtrack of the 1986 picture Crossroads, which was inspired by the life of Robert Johnson. This is a true slide beauty!

Last but not least, here’s Derek Trucks who is considered to be one of the best contemporary slide guitarists. Trucks is best known as an official member of the Allmans from 1999-2014 and as co-founder of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, which he formed together with his wife Susan Tedeschi in 2010. Here’s a great live performance of Desdemona by The Allman Brothers, featuring some amazing slide guitar playing by Trucks. Co-written by Gregg Allman and Warren Haynes, the tune was included on the band’s final studio album Hittin’ the Note that came out in March 2003.

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube