Shinjak’s Listening Lounge » 2008

Vacationing In July

July 28th, 2008

Sorry for the lack of updates in the last couple of weeks. I’ve been on vacation in the lovely mountains of Western NC/Eastern TN for the last week+. But as always, my ears have not been on vacation. So stay tuned for some exciting music coming to a listening lounge near you real soon.

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Directions - Miles Davis

July 11th, 2008

Which came first? Infrared Roses or Bitches Brew? Regardless, in the fall of 1993 the ink on my high school diploma was still drying as I drove off to attend college. Not only had I graduated from high school, but I had also graduated from the music that represented so well the turmoils of being a teenager. I started listening to more progressive rock (as opposed to classic 60’s & 70’s rock) consisting of Rush, Jethro Tull, EL&P, David Bowie, etc. I had a mixtape of these bands that I played until the cassette literally fell apart. As my musical tastes were becoming more mature and eclectic, little did I know that certain listening choices were about to guide my musical tastes for the next decade.

Somewhere in this time frame, I was going to the local library a lot and listening to tons of jazz. Stanley Clarke’s self titled debut album got checked out numerous times, as did Theolonius Monk, Coletrane, and Miles Davis. Imagine the stares I got as I rode through town in a bright green car with “Vulcan Princess” blaring at full volume. Good times.

My brother was always (and still is) a musical adventurer. He would see an album, say “hey that looks good”, and snatch it up. On one fateful day in late 1993, one of those musical adventures would lead him to buy “Infrared Roses” by the Grateful Dead. That same day, my own musical journey changed forever.

But that is not what this post is about. It’s about directions. Infrared Roses changed my perception of music (without chemical enhancement). I was convinced this was the theme track for the apocalypse. Music was no longer about structure. It was about raw energy and emotion, creation bottled in the moment. I was consumed by it, and I had to have more.

One day while browsing through the used jazz cd’s at the locally owned record store (remember those?), I came across a cd with an interesting title. “Bitches Brew”. Hmm, it was by Miles Davis, and the record store dude recommended it. It had to be at least listenable. I took it home and began listening to it. I’m not sure that I instantly fell in love with it. Music like this can be intimidating. But over the coming months and years, I would once again become consumed by music so powerful that it changed my perceptions forever. I realized now that music could become the ultimate expression of human existence. That, my friend, is some powerful mojo.

I’m not going to try and chronicle the long and often troubled career of Miles Davis. But I do know that he and the Grateful Dead often played to the same audiences throughout the 70’s. Here are some songs from Mr. Davis and his Sextet, sharing the marquee with the Grateful Dead, played at the Fillmore West in April of 1970:

April 9, 1970 Fillmore West - San Francisco, CA

Miles Davis - Miles Runs The Voodoo Down

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew

Check out Black Beauty recorded around the same time.

Bitches Brew isn’t quite as approchable for me as it once was. Maybe the hectic pace of modern life makes it diffciult to absorb music this profound. But it left me with a new outlook on music and led me in new directions.

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Red White And Bluegrass Festival, Morganton, NC July 1-4

July 1st, 2008

First lets clear up something. I’m not a bluegrass fan. I can tolerate it in small doses occassionally. But to listen to it for extended periods of time gets my rubber bands in a knot. However, I am a fan of free community supported music celebrations featuring artists performing original music. (Organizers of Hickory’s Oktoberfest please take note.) Being the only festival of this type in the Unifour area, I’m going to be covering each day’s activities and music line up and showcase one artist from each of the four days.
So much for good intentions.

In it’s fifth year, the Red White And Bluegrass Festival is a four day event presented by the Morganton Parks & Recreation Department featuring free concerts, music vendors, instrument vendors, food, fireworks, and all the good things associated with a hometown fourth of July festival.

The lineup this year is pretty impressive with a good mix of local, regional, and national recording acts. While all of the bands feature pretty traditional bluegrass fare, some of the bands rise above the rest in their mastery of the art form. Here is the linup for Tuesday, July 1st:

Tuesday July 1st:

2:30pm Bruce Moody
3:30pm Strictly Clean And Decent
4:45pm Jeanette Williams Band
6:00pm Walkin’ Home
7:15pm Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice
8:30pm Grasstowne
9:45pm Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers

Apparently, not many bluegrass artisits have made the full fledged jump into online sales yet. That being said, mp3 samples are few and far between for most of these artisists. In some cases, a myspace link will have to suffice to satisfy your ears.

Grasstowne (playing tonight at 8:30pm, so hurry up and get ready!) is up first. Hailing from Knoxville, TN Grasstowne is a relatively new band comprised of three bluegrass veterans combined with two talented newcomers. 2008 saw the band receiving a SPBGMA award for album of the year for their debut effort, The Road Headin Home. Here is a clip of Grasstowne playing at the 2007 IBMA awards:

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