Super Chikan! True Delta is a snapshot of the blues scene in Clarksdale today, as seen through the lenses of Daniel Cowen and his documentary team.  It asks the question: As the older players pass on, is there a torch to be passed to a younger generation of artists? And what will the blues of the new generation of players sound like, considering a culture that is quite different from that of the older players? "The torch will be passed but it will be a different torch." "A blues man in his eighties grew up in a world that was ...

@ Bandcamp //  Facebook // CDbaby // iTunes // Amazon // ReverbNation “This is the best clawhammer banjo music I have heard in the modern era.” -Triggerman Lone Wolf OMB (that's One-man band to you) aka Bruno Esposito, is a fascinating guy. One of those people you just love talking to because they've been around, they've seen some things. He's the son of Italian immigrants, was born in Peru and raised in Florida. He used to own a pizza joint in Costa Rica. His speaking voice is straight-up deep NYC. He tells me that his grandfather had a hell of a whistle ...

@ Bandcamp // Facebook They look like a bunch of nice ex-AV nerds but they rock it down and out like it's goin' out of style. Bless this post-Black Keys punk/rock-infected-blues era!  The kids are singin' like they went to sleep listening to Danny Auerbach records thru an old transistor radio hidden under their pillow.  And that's ok. There is enough lost in that translation that Charlie Patton's War glows blue and bright in the hot hard baked Indiana night.  <a href="http://charliepattonswar.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-russian-recording">Live at Russian Recording by Charlie ...

1985-1990: Model 500 - Classics by Miles Bowe on 01-09-2012 It is a valid argument that most popular electronic music – in clubs and on the radio – can be traced back to techno, the creation of which can be credited to three high school friends. With an equal appreciation for the club music of the time and artists like Kraftwerk, these kids became immortalized as powerful innovators: The Belleville Three. This is a famous story, and one that you might already know. What many do not know is where to find an entry point when checking out Detroit techno. Enter Model 500 ...

It's not that unusual. Last year Jack White locked down a string of high-profile musical collaborations, and he has evidently chosen his next unlikely partner: Welsh crooner Tom Jones. Consequence of Sound points to a password-only report from Mojo Magazine revealing Jones will participate in Third Man Records' Blue Series of 7-inch singles, whose previous contributors include not only Insane Clown Posse , but also Stephen Colbert and John C. Reilly. Picturing White, with his monochromatic fashion sense, sitting in his Nashville studio across from the oft-unbuttoned-silk-shirted Jones is worth a thousand words. Jones' photo has yet to be added ...

Product Details Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Da Capo Press (September 2, 2003) Language: English ISBN-10: 0306812967 ISBN-13: 978-0306812965 Book Description (from Amazon.com) Francis Davis's The History of the Blues is a groundbreaking rethinking of the blues that fearlessly examines how race relations have altered perceptions of the music. Tracing its origins from the Mississippi Delta to its amplification in Chicago right after World War II, Davis argues for an examination of the blues in its own right, not just as a precursor to jazz and rock 'n' roll. The lives of major figures such as Robert Johnson, Charlie ...

Peyton on Patton is Reverend Peyton from Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band’s take on the music of Charlie Patton. It’s mostly just him and either his resonator guitar or banjo. The session was recorded in mono with one microphone. And it has that earthy sound you can only get from such a setup. This came [...]

Chicago Sun-Times : The aura of a shaman surrounded any given appearance by blues legend David “Honeyboy” Edwards. He often favored creased, pinstriped suits because he fit so well into dignity. He had soft and easy cheekbones that were curtains to an enduring soul. Mr. Edwards died of congestive heart failure early Monday morning in his South Shore apartment. He was 96 years old… WBEZ : Honeyboy Edwards’ roots went back as far as famed blues musician Robert Johnson all the way to Muddy Waters. Edwards left his Mississippi home at the age of 14, ending up in Chicago. In 2008, Edwards ...

From the Chicago Tribune : David "Honeyboy" Edwards, a bluesman who was a living, breathing link to blues legend Robert Johnson, died early Monday morning of congestive heart failure while resting at home, according to the performer's official website. He was 96. Born in 1915, Edwards left home when he was 14 years old, to perform with Big Joe Williams. It was a life on the road that the classic Delta blues player continued right up to April of this year, when his health took a turn for the worse. His last live outings were in Mississippi, on April 16 ...

Ok let’s get straight to the point with Dave Cloud & The Gospel of Power . The elephant in the room here is that although everyone must be thinking about but nobody is going to flat out say is "hmmm, doesn’t this sound a hell of a lot like early Captain Beefheart." Various music writers in the press have tried to steer us away from these magic band comparisons by bringing up names such as Tom Waits and Neil Diamond strangely enough but let’s all hold our hands up and let the Trout Mask slip a little, this is ...

@ Facebook // OnLine // Label // AMAZN mp3 - vinyl // iTunes I've been listening to the new Rev. Peyton album Peyton On Patton.  Mostly a solo affair, Peyton pays true tribute to his hero, and the true King of Delta blues, Peyton's hero, Charlie Patton.  I could go on but, honestly, the etymology of old school Blues is not my baileywick.  However, it is that of our friend Jeff Konkel, the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer (CCBW) at Broken and Hungry Records . Our man in charge of the only blues label that still matters had this to say about Rev. Peyton's ...

(This interview first appeared on my other blog, Sixeyes) Devendra Banhart is a young man who comes to us from Texas by way of Caracas, Venezuela. Barely reaching into his middle twenties with long spindly fingers, Banhart has already carved out a mythic niche for himself through shamanic charisma, child-like artistry, and media hysteria. A potent combination that if befell a mainstream performer, would either kill them, or brand them the next Elvis. Banhart is far from the mainstream current, you'll find him floating on his back in a tiny, rocky stream, slipping over the rocks like a long ...

The Reverend Peyton (minus the Big Damn Band) recently covered Charlie Patton's "Jesus is a Dying Bed Maker" at the legendary Dockery Farms in Mississippi. The track is from Peyton's upcoming album Peyton on Patton which can be pre-ordered from the Side One Dummy Records online store . The video can be seen below.

In a seven-part series, Guardian and Observer writers are trying to tell the history of modern music. Today they pick 50 key moments in world and folk music – but what did they miss? • See the interactive timeline • Listen to the Guardian's world and folk playlist on Spotify • Make your own world and folk playlist on Spotify • Get the playlist data So this is where is gets really hard: boiling down more than a century's worth of music into 50 key moments – using terms that are themselves highly contested. The starting point, given the criteria, could only be to ...

Sir Douglas Quintet, 1965 L-R: Doug Sahm: vocals, guitars, fiddle, arrangements Augie Meyers: organ Johnny Perez: drums Jack Barber: bass Frank Morin: saxophone, percussion, harmony vocals Huey Meaux died a week ago today (April 23, to be precise) at the age of 82, the last 15 years of which were spent behind bars. We don't need to immerse ourselves in the specifics of his internment, but I will quote the great prophet, Richard Pryor : "Thank God we have penitentiaries." It's not lost on me that I wrote about the unique Meauxjeaux behind Doug Sahm and the Sir Douglas ...