As more frequent visitors of the blog know, I really dig Larkin Poe, an American blues and roots sister act of singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Rebecca Lovell (lead vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo, violin, piano; programs drums, bass and arrangements) and Megan Lovell (harmony vocals, lapsteel, dobro). Not only do I admire their instrumental skills and harmony singing, but I also find their energy and enthusiasm infectious. To me, they truly represent what music should be all about!
This version of Lenny Kravtiz tune Fly Away, released on October 9, will be included on Larkin Poe’s next studio album Kindred Spirits, a collection of acoustic cover versions scheduled for November 20. As Rebecca and Megan explain on their YouTubechannel, the album was inspired by positive reactions to their cover video series they started in 2015. I could watch these two women for hours, as they strip down songs like Steppenwolf’sBorn to be Wild, Kansas’Carry On Wayward Son, Joe Walsh’sRocky Mountain Way and ZZ Top’sSharp Dressed Man, to name some of their more recent additions.
Kravitz, who wrote Fly Away, first recorded the tune for his fifth studio album 5 that came out in May 1998. The tune was also released separately in December that year as the record’s fourth single.
Following is the track list for Kindred Spirit, which will appear on Larkin Poe’sTricky Woo Records imprint, as reported by JamBase:
Today, Joe Walsh turned 72 years old. So I thought it would be appropriate to post some music from one of my favorite rock guitarists and came across the above great clip of Rocky Mountain Way.
Apparently, the footage was captured in 2012 during an appearance on Live from Daryl’s House, a web series-turned TV show featuring Daryl Hall, his backing band and great guests like Walsh. It’s just fun to watch these top-notch musicians in action.
Co-written by Walsh and the members of his then-band Barnstorm (Joe Vitale, Kenny Passarelli and Rocke Grace), Rocky Mountain Way was included on the band’s second album The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get released in June 1973. You wouldn’t know from looking at the sleeve. The band’s record company decided to market the album as a Joe Walsh record.
If you feel like reading more about Walsh and his music, you can do so here.
Light of Day Winterfest includes benefit concerts in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia
Listening to my favorite music live is an experience I greatly enjoy. I find it even more powerful when it also involves raising money for an important cause, such as fighting hunger, poverty or disease. Last Sunday, I attended a Light of Day Winterfest 2019 event at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, N.J. It was part of a series of regional concerts conducted between January 11 and January 21 to raise money for Parkinson’s disease and other related neurodegenerative disorders. My mother-in-law has had Parkinson’s for more than 10 years, which gave the event additional special meaning.
The annual series of concerts is the key fundraising vehicle of the Light of Day Foundation. According to its website, the New Jersey-based nonprofit funds research into possible cures, improved treatments and support for people living with Parkinson’s and related diseases and their caregivers. The foundation was established by music industry veteran and manager Bob Benjamin and some of his friends in 1998, shortly after he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Light of Day is the title of a song written by Benjamin’s friend Bruce Springsteen for a 1987 motion picture with the same name.
The annual concerts have been held since 2000. Over the years, they grew from a one-day event in Asbury Park to a 10-day series of concerts held in different locations. In addition to the Jersey shore town, which remains the main hub, LOD Winterfest 2019 includes shows in Montclair, N.J., New York City, Philadelphia and Rockland County, N.Y. Light of Day concerts have also expanded beyond the U.S. to Canada, Australia and Europe. The most recent overseas shows took place in England, Germany, Switzerland and various other European countries in late November and December 2018.
Apart from Bruce Springsteen, who has appeared at various Light of Day concerts, other performers over the years have included prominent music artists, such as Southside Johnny, Jakob Dylan and Gary US Bonds, as well as numerous lesser known local artists. To date, Light of Day has raised more than $4.5 million for its support to find a cure for Parkinson’s.
Following are some clips I captured from the event, which mostly focused on tributes. I’d like to kick it off with The Bell Bottom Blues, a Jersey band that captures music by Eric Clapton. This includes his solo career and his work in bands like Cream, Blind Faith and Derek And The Dominoes. Here’s one of my favorite Cream tunes, White Room, from Wheels Of Fire, Cream’s third studio album released in August 1968.
Bob Burger & Friends played a great Tom Petty tribute set. Burger is a singer-songwriter, who according to his website has about 40 published songs to his credit. He has opened for other artists like Meatloaf, Robert Palmer, Hootie And The Blowfish and Southside Johnny And The Asbury Jukes. Among others, Burger was joined by some of his band mates from The Weeklings, a tribute to The Beatles that apart from renditions plays originals inspired by The Fab Four. Here’s Refugee, which Petty recorded with The Heartbreakers for their excellent third studio album Damn The Torpedoes from October 1979.
Next up: CSN Songs, a great tribute to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. On their website, the seven-piece band characterizes itself as the only national CSN&Y tribute show of its kind. CSN Songs does a beautiful job at replicating CSN&Y’s four-part harmony vocals. Here’s their rendition of Woodstock, the classic Joni Mitchell tune CSN&Y recorded for their second album Déjà Vu that came out in March 1970.
The last band I’d like to highlight is Best Of The Eagles (BTOE). Previously, I had seen a couple of other Eagles tribute bands. While they were pretty good, BTOE has been the best so far. According to their website, BTOE were founded in 2012 by guitarist/vocalist Joe Vadala and a group of professional New Jersey musicians. In addition to Eagles songs, they also played Don Henley and Joe Walsh solo tunes, including a blistering rendition of Rocky Mountain Way. Here’s their take of Witchy Woman from the Eagles’ eponymous debut album released in June 1972.
During the current concert series the Light of Day Foundation aims to reach the $5.5 million mark in total fundraising. The schedule of remaining LOD Winterfest 2019 events is here.
Sources: Light of Day Foundation website, Wikipedia, The Bell Bottom Blues Facebook page, Bob Burger website, CSN Songs website, Best Of The Eagles website, YouTube
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