Historic 1974 reunion tour is released online along with thousands of rare rock, folk and jazz concerts

Bob Dylan and The Band in historic reunion tour 1974 (photo Jim Summaria creative commons)

Wolfgang’s Vault has released four concerts from the 1974 tour of Bob Dylan and The Band that are free to listen to on the web or on an iPhone with their WVIP membership.

In 1974 Bob Dylan, the voice of the sixties generation, had been laying low in Woodstock New York since 1967. His albums after the motorcycle accident had been different, not the “wild mercury” sound of Highway 61 and Bringing It All Back Home.
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Blues guitarist hired by Daniel Lanois finds himself in the middle of the contentious recording session that produced a Dylan classic

Gypsy Blood by Mason Ruffner

Updated Bangkok Jungle – Occasionally we got the odd star or name came through, and this Sunday about 7, the big wooden doors swung open and in came a lean, lanky 40-something with a guitar and gritty determination writ all over his face.

Ignoring the crowd and the bar, he came right up to the stage, handed me a business card and asked if it was an open floor and could he play. Sure I said, eyeing his card as he spoke. ‘Mason Ruffner – Guitarist’ it said. Name didn’t mean a thing to me at the time and I welcomed him and asked him to wait his turn, “You’ll be up soon enough” and he headed to the bar and quietly waited his moment.
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Motorcycle accident doesn’t stop Lanois from finishing CD he was mixing the day of his accident

Blurt – “Black Dub, led by producer Daniel Lanois, will release their debut Jive album on November 2. Black Dub – rock, symphonic soul and deeply dubby -Lanois on guitar, New Orleans virtuoso Brian Blade, who has performed with such jazz titans as Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, on drums, the vocals of Belgian born Trixie Whitley, the 22-year-old daughter of the late, great Texas bluesman, Chris Whitley, and rounding out the quartet is famed Louisiana bass player Daryl Johnson.”  Read the rest of this entry »

The genius of Ray Charles from Brazil 1963. One more time baby one more time. What’d I say

Rewind – trying to make it through the week with a little performance

Stephen Pate, peforming on Victoria Row - come on down Tuesdays for lunch Noon to 2 PM

Each day is a challenge for someone who has a disability. How we see ourselves is mostly personal perception.

I am fortunate that I can walk a little and still do manual tasks. Other disabled people can do more or less.

Every person with a disability is just like me, trying to cope, to get by and make some sense of life. Actually, we all are doing that only some people can accomplish more in the same time.

When I wrote Tenth anniversary of being disabled and loving it , it was early in the day, early in the week and natural optimism prevailed. The second part of the story was written a day later but by then I was struggling at 11:30 AM to muster the energy to finish it.   Read the rest of this entry »

The next Orwell Blues jam will be held Saturday July 17th from 7:30 pm until 11 pm in the Orwell Corner Community hall

Orwell Hall, home of the monthly Orwell Blues Jam

The joint will be jumping Saturday night as usual on the third Saturday of the month.  The map to the Community Hall in Orwell, PEI follows the story break.

The jams held this year have been great. Everyone is welcome either as a player or part of the audience. There is no admission charge.

The jam has been a great opportunity for blues fans to share in a friendly setting. The only requirements to attend are an enjoyment of blues music and a willingness to share your talent with others.
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Canada exports the blues (not available on PEI) to Denmark July 5, 2010

Colin Linden, Stephen Fears and Tom Wilson, aka Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, are over in Europe with Elvis Costello, Pavement, Motorhead, Jack Johnston, Prince and Patti Smith. Oh yes, and 80,000 crazy Europeans according to Tom Wilson but you know he exaggerates.  The boys continue to be one of Canada’s most flamboyant and fun blues, alt-country, unrepentant folk rock groups – or somewhere in between those labels.

iPad Report Card – Almost perfect device for watching purchased videos marred by lack of stand

Improvised iPad Stand - Jonas Brothers SOS

The Apple iPad is not much fun browsing for videos, which is a pastime for many people. iPad fails to deliver great video experience The iPad is much better at watching videos purchased from the Apple iTunes Store.

The screen size is perfect for personal watching and the screen resolution more than adequate. The iPhone / iPod Touch screen is too small. This one is just right, although fingerprints need to be cleaned often.

Needs a stand

What isn’t perfect is holding the iPad in your hands for any length of time. The thing needs a stand to keep it upright not laying flat on a desk or table.

The picture on the left is my ISP Improvised iPad Stand – propped between the computer monitor and keyboard.  Future Shop thought stands would be a good idea but didn’t stock them.  Seven DIY iPad Stands for Six Bucks or Less has some good suggestions Steve Jobs should have thought of before he shipped the iPad.  Read the rest of this entry »

One of the first country singers to blend country and black blues died 77 years ago on May 26th, 1933

Fans of country music and the blues remember the early death of Jimmy Rodgers, The Singing Brakeman, on May 26, 1933. He was one of the early white performers to mingle the blues and country music, although not the first.

Bob Dylan is quoted as saying “Jimmie Rodgers combined the elements of blues and hillbilly sounds before anyone else had thought of it. His plaintive voice and style would outlast them all.”
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John Lee Hooker at the Montreal Jazz Festival 1980

John Lee Hooker (1917 – 2001) was one of the great blues performers of the post war period. His style has been called primitive because he eschewed fancy guitar licks for a rhythm driven combination of boogie woogie and delta blues. Hooker was known for changing rhythm during his songs which worked for him but drove less experienced backing players crazy. His hits include Boogie Chillin, Boom Boom and One Bourbon One Scotch and One Beer.

Bob Dylan was befriended by John Lee Hooker in 1961 when Dylan first arrived in New York. Hooker gave Dylan a spot in some of his shows, one of the first breaks Dylan had in the Big Apple.

Downchild, Bruce Cockburn, Catherine MacLellan, Colin Linden, Martin Sexton, Lynn Miles and other featured in free mp3s

The 40 year career of the Downchild Blues Band, now just Downchild, is featured in their new CD I Need A Hat.  True North Records are giving away one mp3 from the CD along with 11 other artists (video after the break)

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Woody Guthrie wrote the blues song but it took Ry Cooder to make it sound like the blues

Ry Cooder is a guitarists guitar player. His style is so tasty and light it’s a delight to hear. He was the real guitarist behind the movie Crossroads and played that exquisite duel with Steve Vai. While Cooder has never been a hit-maker, his recordings are treasured by his fans. Ry Cooder sings the blues so that the sting of the message is almost hidden. The understated vocal competes with his slide playing and keeps to the song from being in your face.
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