...to the Sublime

Happy Mother's Day to Margarita!

Margarita Rios Garza was 20, and a recent mom to my oldest brother, when they moved in 1946 from her hometown of El Paso to San Antonio, near my dad's birthplace. El Paso is a world unto itself, and so South Texas music and culture was a curiosity for her. She talks about going to clubs and being highly amused by the couples dancing al estilo tacuachito. Tacuache is Spanish for possum, and folklore is that's what the couples resembled as they clenched tightly and scurried quickly across the dance floor to rancheras and polkas. She still lives in San Antonio, and dancing Tejanos still make her laugh. (This one is by the legendary Little Joe y La Familia.)

 

Download 01 Margarita

 

A Lobos Family Reunion

Last Saturday night at the Greek Theatre, Los Lobos hosted a show that brought together a lot of old friends. The evening started with a nod to youth, as Mariachi El Bronx opened the show. They're not from the Bronx, and they're not really mariachis. But they do play mariachi music--very well, in fact--sung in English. And their members include one of David Hidalgo's sons, Vincent. Up next was X--the band that, like Los Lobos, started their career on Slash Records. And then The Wolves took the stage, and soon began the parade of guest artists: Neko Case, who sang harmony on a couple of songs and took a nice solo turn on "One Time, One Night"; Alejandro Escovedo, whose friendship with Los Lobos goes back to his days with Rank and File, performed a lovely rendition of "Rosalie," from "By the Hand of the Father"; Flaco Jiménez (accompanied by Max Baca of Los Texmaniacs) came out and did "Margarita" and "Volver, Volver"--closing the distance between the West Side of San Antonio and the East Side of L.A.; then there was an unannounced guest: Dave Alvin of The Blasters--another band that goes way back with Los Lobos. Dave performed "Fourth of July," and then brought out his brother, Phil, who sang a rockin' Spanish version of "Marie, Marie." The Lobos' set was typically eclectic and wonderful. They paired their own "Dream in Blue" with "Forty Thousand Headmen" by Traffic. One of the highlights for me was a song David Hidalgo (above) and Louie Pérez wrote for "Canto"--the second album by Los Super Seven. I'm not sure how often they include this song at Lobos shows, but it sure was nice to hear. Here's the studio version:

Download 01 Teresa

(photo by Ed Boswell)

Louie Pérez: Memories of Levon Helm

Three weeks ago, Los Lobos played the last Midnight Ramble hosted by Levon Helm at his barn-studio in Woodstock. That was divinely appropriate since the Wolves and Levon's old group, The Band, shared the same deep passion for American roots music. The photo of Levon's drum kit was taken by Louie Pérez, who graciously shares this remembrance of an earlier visit with Levon:

It was a cold snowy night in 1991 when David Hidalgo and I arrived in Woodstock. We’d flown in to spend a week writing songs with some of our all-time heroes for an upcoming record. We had just thrown our jackets over a chair when the phone rang. I picked up the receiver and the voice on the other end said, in an uncompromising Southern jangle, "Hey Louie, its Levon Helm. Welcome to Woodstock!" Before I could get in a word, the voice continued: “Can you do me a favor? Could you and David pull on your boots and put on your coats and come over to my house for a taco plate?” Twenty minutes later we were winding down a narrow country road in an early '80s Caddy driven by the man whose signature vocals made The Band immediately recognizable to every man, woman, perro y gato. We spent the rest of the night in his honored company, eating Fritos smothered in meat sauce, switching channels between the Gulf War and “Old Yeller” on the TV set in his living room. For my dinero, he was the connective tissue that held together one of the most evocative aggregates in music history. He moved us all with his heartfelt song and grooved us till the bovines came home. Any drummer worth his weight in drumsticks would die for his pocket. For me and David, he was more than an inspiration. He was a friend and nobody could have asked for a more caring and soulful one. I’ll never forget the image of him, after dropping us off at our doorstep, bellies full and sides aching from a evening of too much laughter, his arm extended out of the Cadillac’s driver's side window, waving as he drove away into that white winter night. See you later, hermano. We’ll love you forever.

The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Drew | Myspace Video  

 

Janis on My Mind

Listening to Brittany Howard and the Alabama Shakes prompted me to pull out Janis Joplin's final album, which was released in January, 1971--three months after her death. Honestly, I wasn't a fan of Joplin's most intense histrionics, but on "Pearl," producer Paul Rothchild reined her in a little and the result was some wondrous rock-soul. This is my favorite cut, which features Bobby Womack playing acoustic guitar on the song he wrote. And for good measure, I've included Womack's original.

Download 09 Trust Me

Download 2-16 Trust In Me

 

Shout Bamalama!

Just when the music world seems a little stale, along comes a band like the Alabama Shakes. Fronted by 23-year-old singer/guitarist Brittany Howard, they play a brand of hard-edged soul that sounds like an updated version of Big Brother & the Holding Company. In fact, Janis Joplin is one of the singers to whom Howard has been compared, along with Tina Turner. I also hear a little Amy WInehouse in her too. But Howard is clearly an original. She told the New York Times she doesn't embrace the neo-soul label. This is simply what came out of her after a childhood of listening to soul music at her grandmother's house. Their full-length debut was released this week. Get it. Now.

Download 05 You Ain't Alone

Life Begins Anew

 

Ah, another season is upon us....

Straight Outta Portlandia

Get past the odd name of Portland band Y La Bamba and you'll find a cool outfit fronted by Luz Elena Mendoza, a bilingual singer who's the daughter of a Mexican immigrant. In English she sounds a little like Sinead O'Connor; in Spanish, like a sweeter-voiced Lila Downs. Their new album, "Court the Storm," was produced by fellow Portlander Steve Berlin of Los Lobos. And it's all good. Portlandia, indeed.

07 Viuda Encabronada

JB, In All His Twisted Glory

This long-in-the-works biography of James Brown has finally arrived--and it was worth the wait. Written by my friend, the much-respected journalist RJ Smith, "The One" is a deeply-researched and beautifully written book. It perfectly captures the complex, thievin', deceivin', walkin', talkin', contradictory genius that was James Brown. He went through musicians almost at the same rate as he went through women. One of my favorite chapters details the time when Brown's original band walked out on him while on tour. They were tired of the constant abuse, the low pay, and not getting proper credit for the songs they created together in the studio. (Brown could neither read nor write music and often came to the studio with just a riff or a rhythm in mind.) Knowing this day was coming, Brown sent an airplane to CIncinnati to pick up a band of young musicians who had been hanging around King Studios, where Brown recorded. That band was anchored by two siblings: the guitarist Catfish Collins, and his brother William--a bassist who later came to be known as Bootsy. And this was one of the first songs they recorded:

Download 2-02 Sex Machine

A Classic Duo: Byrne & Veloso

It was through the compilations of Brazilian music on David Byrne's Luaka Bop label that I first heard Caetano Veloso and I was immediately hooked on the beauty of his voice. Nonesuch Records started releasing Veloso's albums in the U.S., and every one has been a gem. Back in 2004, Veloso did a multi-night residency at Carnegie Hall and invited Byrne to join him for one night. It's unclear what took so long for the recording to be released (Byrne says it was "record business nonsense"), but nevertheless it has finally arrived and it's fantastic. Here's a tease:

Download 14 Dreamworld_ Marco De Canaveses

A Grand New Voice: Bhi Bhiman

I first learned about this young singer-songwriter from a recent New York Times album review. And then he happened to be perfoming last week at a nearby club, where I picked up his CD. And ever since it's been on heavy rotation here at Sublime HQ. For several days I wracked my brain trying to think of who this fantastic blend of folk-country-blues reminded me of, but no one immediately came to mind. And then it finally hit me: Ted Hawkins. Never mind that Bhiman is still in his 20s(!), or that his twang is a bit of an affectation (he grew up in St. Louis as the son of Sri Lankan immigrants!!), his clever, literate lyrics and great guitar-playing make him a true troubadour. This is my favorite song from the album. Love the tempo changes and the way he quotes Don Gibson's "I Can't Stop Loving You," which was made famous by Ray Charles, whose classic C&W albums I suspect Bhiman has been listening to. Anyway, buy this album. Now. It's great, beginning-to-end. Money back guaranteed. 

Download 02 Time Heals