17 posts tagged with blues by flapjax at midnite.
Displaying 1 through 17 of 17.
Hobo Blues
Ever since I first saw John Lee Hooker's utterly captivating, almost terrifyingly powerful performance of it, I've been a lover of this song. RL Burnside covered it as well. This is my humble (and following those two performances, I really mean that) offering, from a little house in the hills of Nagano prefecture, Japan. Video here.
New Ways To Tell Old Lies
This is about that weirdo gazillionaire creep who wants to be president. Video of this same performance at YouTube or Vimeo.
Trying To Boogie
From deepest Ikebukuro, in the heart of downtown Tokyo, it's the Smoke Benders, trying our damndest to boogie, y'all. Video here.
Down the Road
Breaking out ye olde Hungarian mouth bow once again for this little number, recorded live at gaijin haunt What the Dickens in Ebisu, Tokyo, on the first day of May in the year of Two Thousand and Eleven. Video here.
Baby Please Don't Go
Live in deepest Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Accompanying myself on my Hungarian mouth bow. Video here.
Watched You Drive Away
Just in under the wire for September's "transpo" Challenge theme.
Last Kind Words
Those familiar with relatively obscure early blues, and/or those who've seen the R. Crumb documentary Crumb might know this one, originally recorded in 1930 by Geeshie Wiley. Here's the Ghost Steppers (duo incarnation) performing the tune on August 16, 2010. The one-year-old who was gleefully running about the room and occasionally trying to ascend to the stage may occasionally be heard in this recording. He was damn cute. Video at YouTube.
Show Me the Way to the River
Another tune from the same recent Medicine Bone show as this one, with special guest Ken Kawashima on harmonica. Video at YouTube and Vimeo.
Lonely Teardrop
From a recent live show with my band, Medicine Bone. The key we did this in wasn't the best for me, so I ended up kinda screaming it. And the recording is dirty and clipping. So, it turned out just about right. Oh, and the best thing is that old buddy Ken Kawashima (hear him with me here, here and here) was in town and graced us with some of his superb blues harpery. Video at YouTube and Vimeo.
Riding Your Train
Relaxin' at home with my new Marron Glacé Guitar, a diddley bow which was given to me recently by the maker, Mr. Tim Can. Thank you, Tim! Sometimes one string is all you need! Video of this same performance at YouTube.
Burnside
Another live recording from my new band, Medicine Bone (previously). This is one of band-mate Ken Shima's songs, which he's singing here. I'm on walking drums. I love drumming to this tune. Video of this same performance on YouTube.
Sitting On Top of the World
This is my other brand new band, the Ghost Steppers. We do old-time, early blues, jug band, mountain music: all traditional stuff, no originals. Here's our rough-and-ready take on an old favorite, originally written and recorded by the Mississippi Sheiks, that's been interpreted by many, many folks over the years. I've changed the lyrics a bit (maybe more than a bit) but that's part of the longstanding folk tradition, of course. Video of this same performance at YouTube here.
I'm Worried About You
Here's my new band, Medicine Bone, from our official first gig at Velvet Sun in Ogikubo, Tokyo, February 27, 2010. Ken Shima is on guitar, and sings plenty of his own tunes in the band too: it's a collaborative effort. This is one of my tunes, though, a blues. Video of this same performance at YouTube.
[more inside]
Blue Train (the slow one)
I loved baby_balrog and his band's rollicking original of this tune. For this cover, I figured I'd take the train down another track: slowed way down (down on the ground), stripped way down (just vocal and strumstick), and with a little different shade of blue for the engineer's hat.
Bridge In The Sky
Fellow wants to cross a bridge, but it floats up into the sky. Woman comes along but she turns into smoke. Fellow throws a fistfull of dirt in the air, gets a new idea, goes and does some other stuff. Then there's a happy ending. Written for the "bridge" challenge, but I reckon you knew that already. Guitar by Ken Kawashima, who can also be heard here and here. Lyrics inside.
Until You Sever The Snake
Written and recorded for the serpentine challenge now underway. My buddy Ken Kawashima brought in the North Mississippi blues riff and yours truly did the rest. Apologies to animal rights advocates, but some snakes were severed during the recording of this song. Had to be done. [lyrics inside]
Lexington Avenue Line
In a departure for me, this tune features no percussion, synths, jaw harps, scrap metal or hand held mini-vibrators, but is simply accompanied by... an acoustic guitar. Radical, huh? Anyway, as you might guess from the title, the tune is a kind of meditation on New York City. Hope you enjoy.
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