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Homegrown
Happenings
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Edited
by Marcie Vogel
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Change is good……change is good…..this is something I've been telling myself over and over again for quite some time now - but especially in the last month. I'll cut right to it and announce that The Home Grown Music Network is moving. Ayup. We found out about it sort of quick-like (but NOT as quick as say, um, a fire) and have been preparing for it since. So, with 60,000 new catalogs delivered amongst 1,000s of CDs coming in - I look around me and wonder where to start. Change is good. We're not moving that far but moving a business is major moving. Wish us luck and if any of you find yourself in Greenville, NC, this month come on by and help us pack one up (a box that is). Here's our new 411:
Leeway Productions / The Home Grown Music Network *Please make a note of the above info* Needless to say, the Festival Review I promised last month got lost in the moving priority shuffle and will appear here next month. Thank you for being patient and understanding. I included a GREAT music review/outline this month so check it out down near the bottom. Any of you going to Jazzfest the 2nd weekend drop me an email (Marcie@homegrownmusic.net) and let's meet up! Mmmmm….Nawlins……mmmmm...Jazzfest! (I need Oysterhead Tix!!!! Please help me out) We've been hard at work here at HGMN HQ making improvements (thanks to YOUR suggestions - keep them coming!) and getting ready for FESTIVAL SEASON! Our website has a new look! Cruise by and enjoy the changes: http://www.HomeGrownMusic.net Our Spring/Summer 2000 catalog is here! Look for yours in the mail soon! If you have moved or changed your mailing address please email us at catalog@homegrownmusic.net and include both your old and new addresses. Or you can call us at 1800 6LEEWAY (leave your name and snail mail info). What's new? by: Bryan Rodgers (bryan@homegrownmusic.net ) Day by the River - "Watermarks" CD - This Athens, GA band's last release is a sprawling testimonial to the open-ended jams and congenial, effervescent aura that typified their music. The MP3 encoded CD contains over FOUR HOURS of live music, including many special acoustic performances. Note: This CD cannot be played in a conventional CD player. System requirements are a Pentium or PowerPC processor with at least 8 MB of RAM, and a sound card capable of playing files in MPEG Layer III format. $11.00 Lake Trout - "Alone at Last" CD - Recorded at Trax in Charlottesville, VA on December 9, 1999, this long-awaited third release from Baltimore's finest provides on CD the live fireworks and overwhelming experience that their fans hold so dear. Featuring DJ Who on turntables and their trademark blend of funky house, acid jazz, fusion, and urban rhythms, the band stomps through 9 original songs and numerous open-ended jams that truly personify the statement found inside the CD: "Whatever happens, happens". $12.00 Inasense - "Get Your Shinebox" CD - C Lanzbom and Inasense return with their third studio release. This disc is full of the rhythm-heavy, eastern-tinged blues-rock that is the band's signature sound, but also boasts a fuller, more robust sound thanks to the production and engineering work of Mark Ambrosino. Special guests include Perry Farrell (Jane's Addiction) and T Lavitz (Jazz is Dead). $12.00 Entrain - "All One" CD - The title of this Boston-based sextet's newest CD is definitely representative of the melting-pot sound they have captured on this release. The 12 tracks on the album utilize reggae, ska, jazz, rock, and funk styles, often mixing all the elements together. What emerges is a delightful, thumping, percussion-based sound with fun, accessible melodies and vocals. $12.00 John Brown's Body - "This Day" CD - The best reggae band around returns with their third release. This time around, they've taken their uplifting roots reggae to new plateaus via the addition of more percussive rhythms and intense use of the studio. The result is a full-bodied, resounding album with lyrical integrity that opens the mind. Home Grown Network member! $14.00 Snake Oil Medicine Show - "Hi-Speed Highway Parade" CD - The third release from this zany outfit is a true winner! Rarely does a band so perfectly capture their sound, personality, and ideas as SOMS does on this disc. From the hoedown beginning to the funky finale this disc is a true representation of what this band is all about: creative anarchy, a wry sense of humor, psychedelic mountain music, and booty-shaking delight. $14.00 Blind Man's Sun - "Live from the Moon" CD - The songs on this release from the now-defunct New Jersey group were chosen from a show at New York City's Elbow Room on October 28th, 1999, which ironically was the band's last performance. The complex intricacies and improvisational styles on this disc will forever stand as a reminder that "The Sun" was a phenomenal band to witness live. $12.00 The Guy Smiley Blues Exchange - self-titled CD - Sink your teeth into this amazing avant-garde blend of brassy salsa, New Orleans jazz, cocktail lounge exotica, and straight up FUNK! This Nashville-based group of talented multi-instrumentalists winds through a number of varying styles on this CD as they "exchange" blues for joyous, clever jazz/funk. $12.00 Either/Orchestra - "More Beautiful than Death" CD - This CD will become a full-time resident in your stereo! An ensemble of phenomenal players cruises through 9 tracks of incredible jazz encompassing many unique rhythms, sometimes funky, sometimes classic, and often a mix of the two. This disc is without a doubt one of the best modern works of jazz to date. $12.00 Matt Butler - "The Redwood Project" CD - This earthy, percussion-driven suite has rapidly become a favorite at Home Grown Headquarters. Percussionist Butler and his many collaborators create an ambient journey through the sounds and atmosphere of an ancient forest. Featuring performances by Greg Anton of Zero, didgeridoo master Stephen Kent and members of the band Jambay. A portion of proceeds from CD sales is contributed to The Environmental Protection Information Center, which strives to protect the coastal ecosystems of Northern California. $15.00 Rockin' Teenage Combo - "6/4 Getaway", "Mr. Birdy's Fryday", and "Songs from the Smoking Section" CDs - The wonderful CDs from this talented Seattle band are now available through Home Grown. They aren't teens. They aren't strictly "rockin'". What they are is an incredibly diverse trio playing everything from spacey, experimental jazz jams to creative funk/rock compositions while covering all ground in between. Mix in a touch of drum-n-bass sounds and a new style is created that will delight jazz, rock, funk, and ethnic music fans alike! $12.00 - $14.00 Galactic - "Late for the Future" CD - Everyone's favorite funksters return with their 3rd studio offering. This disc contains the same Grade-A funk you would expect from Galactic, but with a bluesier, crunchier feel afforded by distorted guitar licks, fierce, stomping rhythms, and the House Man's growling vocals. It's just so good! $16.00 John Scofield - "Bump" CD - The maestro returns with a new band and breaks new ground once again. Scofield's trademark squawking, free-flowing jazz guitar gets a massive funk boost from Mark DiGliantoni (formerly of Soul Coughing) on keyboards and samples, Eric Kalb (drums) and Johnny Durkin (percussion) of Deep Banana Blackout, and Chris Wood (bass) of Medeski, Martin, and Wood, plus others. $16.00 The Flying Neutrinos - "I'd Rather be in New Orleans" CD - Just in time for Jazzfest! Get in that down-home Delta frame of mind with lyrics inspired by the heady atmosphere of New Orleans. This disc features the haunting early-blues vocal stylings of Ingrid Lucia and a smokin' four-piece jazz band that will whisk you back to the heyday of the Crescent City! $13.00 Gov't Mule - "Life Before Insanity" CD - The definition of "power trio"! Warren Haynes, Matt Abts, and Allen Woody add this new studio disc to their impressive and steadily growing catalog. Expect a whirlwind of blues-powered songs and mighty, earth-shaking performances that hypnotize as well as energize. $16.00 Liquid Soul - "Here's the Deal" CD - This stellar jazz/funk/fusion outfit's third release finds them in a relaxed, playful mood. Don't let that fool you! When this band relaxes, songs tend to get stretched out, and Liquid Soul discovers new forms of music on a less intense scale than their first two releases. Innovative playing is the key here, as the band colors each musical moment with wide, patient strokes. $15.00 Back in stock: The Recipe - "Love-Marble Hoe-Down" CD - After a 5 month absence, the debut from these masters of the hillbilly jamboree is now back in stock! Features such concert staples as "Aurora Borealis", "Spill", and Out of the Rain". $12.00 Keller Williams fans, now hear this: There are no plans to produce more of Keller's first CD, "Freek". That means when they're gone, they're gone! So make sure you give us a call (1-800-6LEEWAY) and get this future classic in your collection before it's too late! Home Grown Helpings: From: Dregan6922@aol.com My name is David Regan and I am contacting you from Charleston, SC in hopes of obtaining some fine music for our college radio station. Mark Bryan of Hootie and the Blowfish and myself have helped to launch the first ever college station in Charleston. We made our first internet and campus broadcast during March15-17 and the response was tremendous. On April 17, we will be submitting our application to the FCC for a low frequency station and should be on the actual airwaves by August. Until then, we are working hard to create a diverse and fun music catalogue that all students can work from. We will continue to broadcast live on the internet and on campus in order to weed out weaker DJs and to be a top-notch station by August. We have two big fundraisers right now at the Music Farm, Charleston's premiere music venue (1000 capacity). April 15 is our big one with Hootie and the Blowfish. This concert covers our initial startup costs, but we need your help to create the finest music catalogue on the East Coast. If you are interested, please send your music to me, the station's acting Music Director:
David Regan Also, I am the music editor at the College of Charleston Newspaper. If anyone is interested in having me cover a show or listing a date, finding a place to crash, or reviewing a CD, please let me know. I'd be happy to oblige. And if anyone is interested in helping raise money for the station, we have a bluegrass bash May 27 at Cumberland's in Charleston. The 3 bands have not yet been announced. Thanks for your time!
Dave Regan From: ccberry@frontier.net Hi! We have a small bar & restaurant outside of Durango, CO. We are interested in having great music and The Home Grown Music Network has the type of music we are looking for. Dexter Grove played at our place a couple of weeks ago and we all had a wonderful time. We want more!! Please send press kits and such and thanks a lot for your help.
Charlie & Cathie Berry One of our new HGMN Reps will be offering his thoughts on music you should check out if you like today's Jam/Improv Music. With his first installment - I proudly bring you Adam's suggestions. Marcie From: GeminiBros@aol.com Hello readers. My name is Adam Rosenberg, I am a new HGMN Repand I am a music junkie. No, this isn't Listeners Anonymous. If you don't want any more music to buy then stop reading right now. I've noticed there are a lot of people out there who have dug themselves into a nice little niche listening to one band or another and, in the process, have closed their minds to the virtually endless supply of good music out there. This drives me nuts... I can't listen to the Grateful Dead or Phish or the Disco Biscuits or any number of other current bands all day with no variety. I spent several years working in a used CD store and amassing a collection of well over 1,000 CDs, not including what I trade with. I'd like to share my collection with everyone out there in the hopes that someone stumbles onto something they've never heard before. I love to blow people's minds with music that is brand new to them. So here we go, my friends. Please be aware that everything printed below is merely the opinion of this writer. If you disagree with me or find me to be incorrect about something, by all means let me know via e-mail. I enjoy discussing music, even more so when I am shown a new perspective on things. Well, that said, here you go.... My first selection to share with you all is Lonnie Smith's (now DR. Lonnie Smith) "Live At Club Mozambique". I recently replaced a lost copy of this and have been talking it up a great deal, so it's been on my mind. I love everything about this album! Lonnie Smith is a masterful organ player from the late '60's/'70's so-called "groove" jazz movement. This particular title was reissued by Blue Note as part of their "Rare Groove Series" in 1995. Why they held it back for so long is truly beyond me. Aside from Lonnie on the organ, we see a still fairly young George Benson on guitar, Dave Hubbard on tenor sax, Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax, Joe Dukes on drums, Gary Jones on conga, and Clifford Mack on tambourine. With the exception of Smith and Benson, most of these players remain in relative obscurity to this day, but on this date they burn with the heat of the sun. Though Smith and Benson are the highlights of this record special attention should definitely be given to Hubbard and Cuber, both of whom blow their hearts out to make up a stellar horn section. Not a single song on this record can be considered a ballad or even a slow blues. There is absolutely no fooling around on this date; these are all burners and MAN do they make you wanna get down and groove. They pretty much go back and forth between straight-ahead bop-styled jazz and the more popular (at the time) soul-jazz grooves. The last two tracks of the CD are covers. The first, Sly & The Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" actually disappointed me somewhat as compared to the rest of the record. The interpretation seemed (to me) too focused on the vocal element of the tune. Perhaps it's just that such a vocal-driven song doesn't transfer well in this kind of setting. That's not to say that the track is bad in any way... it just left me somewhat disappointed. The following track however, more than makes up for that. It starts off with a slow little groove that! makes you think the band is going to end on a slow note. Not true at all. After about thirty seconds, the drums kick in with a driving force that propels the whole band into a lightning-fast rendition of Miles Davis' masterpiece "Seven Steps To Heaven". Now I am a die-hard fan of Miles. I've collected well over 80 of his recordings. I've never heard him do ANYTHING like this with this tune. For a solid four and a half minutes the band just burns through this at what is undeniably the most up-tempo tune on the record. And then, all of a sudden, they drop the tempo down and seamlessly move into a much slower beat that lacks the drive that kicked off the tune but more than makes up for it with a heavy swing feel. They continue this until the end when they move back to the quick tempo, only to have the music suddenly dissolves and end with these wild, high-toned organ washes by Lonnie. This record ends and leaves you drooling for more. There's no need to restart it though, you've got the next selection all lined up. Let's turn to the page of Miles Davis and look at "The Complete Concert 1964", which is a two-CD fusion of the two vinyl releases "My Funny Valentine" and "Four & More" (both of which are from the same show). Here we see an early formation of Miles' 2nd Classic Quintet. You have a rhythm section featuring Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. Next to Miles, on sax, is not Wayne Shorter (who eventually be the fixture in this position for the 2nd Quintet) but George Coleman. There are very few words to be used when describing this show. Everything on the 2 CDs is split up very nicely; on the first disc you are given the ballads from the show and on the second, the burners. I have never been a huge fan of the slow jazz ballads, but there's always been a soft spot in my heart for Miles Davis efforts with them. His horn speaks to me, as it does many other. His is not an instrument... it is a natural extension of his voice. When he plays a ballad, he sings with a voice unrivaled. Opening the disc are a pair of standards, "My Funny Valentine" and "All Of You". Led along by the masterful basswork of Ron Carter the band slides smoothly through the tunes. These first two songs are a half-hour of music on their own and are dominated mainly by Miles. Next George Coleman starts things off and sets a good tone for the beautiful "Stella By Starlight". The disc closes with a simmering "All Blues" followed up with "I Thought About You". Words cannot express how remarkable this band is... it simply must be heard to believe what these men were capable of. The second disc allows more of the band to stretch their ability (whereas the first disc focuses mainly on the horns). A rousing "So What" starts things off. I've always loved this song. Such a simple melody taken so far out, only to come around again back to that simple two-chord jump. They continue on with scorching renditions of "Walkin'" and "Joshia", followed by "Four", "Seven Steps To Heavem", and finally "There Is No Greater Love" to end things off. To me, this particular disc exemplifies the best of Miles' most well-known lineup. Though Wayne Shorter is conspicuously absent, the band plays with a fire that has been very rarely repeated. There is actually a funny story attached to this show which somewhat explains the unquenchable fire driving the musicians on this recording. As the story goes, this performance was a benefit show (the proceeds went to a variety of places) with the intent of fighting racism in the South. Miles, who had always been very proud of his black heritage, decided to show his and his group's support for the fight by taking a stand. In a show of support, he waived the fee normally charged for hiring his band, wanting the money instead to help the cause. And being the unique soul that he was, he never asked nor told his sidemen what he was doing. He was the star and he was the one with the money, so it was not a big deal to him. However, the band was not apt to losing their payment for such a major concert appearance. As a result, arguments ensued back stage. As Miles is quoted in his autobiography (and later in the liners for this show), "when we came out to play, everybody was madder than a motherfucker with each other and so I think that anger created a fire, a tension that got into everybody's playing, and maybe that's one of the reasons everybody played with such intensity." The man speaks the truth. The band did indeed play with a hot fire that night, forever sealing it as among the greatest performances in the history of jazz music. For my final selection I'm going to move away from jazz a bit and open up to you all one of the classic funk bands of all time. I am, of course, referring to The Meters. They are a phenomenal band out of New Orleans featuring (originally) Art Neville on keys, Leo Nocentelli on guitar, George Porter Jr. on bass, and Zigaboo Modeliste on drums They are best known for classic tunes such as "Hey Pocky Way" and "Cissy Strut". Here I will look at my personal favorite of their studio albums, "Look-Ka Py Py". This is some mean, dirty, in your face funk. The unbreakable rhythm section of George and Zigaboo create relentless grooves throughout with rhythms that remain solid and NEVER stray from the beat (as they do on all other records). There is very little to be said about The Meters. If you want some serious funk, you need look no further than right here. These are not the James Brown or P-Funk grooves you're thinking of. This is what people are referring to when they talk about "dirty" funk. It is the very lack of heavy textures that makes this music stand out so far ahead everything similar. With just four men, one per instrument, you get unbreakable grooves that just don't quit Next month I plan to diversify the styles of music a little more, but I've just been listening to a lot of jazz and funk lately. Feel free to send me any comments or questions you may have (as well as any complaints). I look forward to letting you into my head next month when I return with more music for y'all. Enjoy your April, friends! Be well everybody! |
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