Have you ever read a book and then almost immediately wished you could un-read it? That’s what happened to me when I read Scar Tissue, an autobiography from Anthony Kiedis, the lead singer of The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Bottom line: he should stick to performing in a band.
The book is called Scar Tissue because the better more fitting title wouldn’t fit on the outside cover: I Took Tons Of Drugs, Had Sex With A Lot Of Models And Groupies, And Occasionally Sobered Up Enough To Sing In A Band.
Mr. Kiedis spends 455 long-winded pages talking about his debauchery, and about 10 pages talking about his sobriety. And occasionally they overlap. Here’s a (thankfully) brief passage that gives you a few clues about the type of person we’re dealing with – the “meeting” he mentions is an AA meeting:
Did you follow that? AK cuts the line (because he’s like this guy) to chat up a “extra-fine girl” at a club (she lives with Paris Hilton and a lesbian Playboy centerfold, btw), one who had a dream about them being together, and she becomes “his girl”… until he goes to an AA meeting a month later and sees his ex, who he points out in his flashback was a leech. And he winds up making out with her. Classy!
Save yourself the time and trouble, don’t read this dross. Here’s an Amazon review that sums it up quite nicely:
Met some old radio buddies last night at a free outdoor concert in downtown Cincinnati. The headliner was The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. And damn were they good!
You can be a three-piece and be a Big Damn Band when you play like they do. Reverend Peyton is a killer guitar player, his wife Breezy plays washboard, and drummer Ben plays a kit that has an upside down pickle barrel on it.
Not quite sure how to describe their music… it’s “old-timey” but newfangled. It’s bluesy, but it’s a highly caffeinated version of the blues. Here’s the blurb from their bio:
The Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band has always been strong on authenticity, playing music that blends blues, ragtime, folk, country and other traditional styles with the sleek modern energy of do-it-yourself, homespun, punk fueled rock.
Yep, that sounds about right.
Reverend is from Brown County, Indiana, the least populous county in the entire state. Nashville, Indiana is in Brown County, and for more than 25 years it housed the Little Nashville Opry, an Indiana venue that hosted hundreds of legendary country music stars. The Reverend and his Big Damn Band could teach the folks in “Big Nashville” a thing or three about authenticity.
Here’s the Rev playing 18 different instruments during John Henry:
And here’s the band raising a little hell:
The band puts on a fantastic, high energy show, so if you ever get a chance to meet the Reverend Peyton, it’ll do your soul a lot of good.
NPR Music has a couple of fine forthcoming albums streaming right now on their “First Listen” page.
One is from an Australian guitar-drums duo called Hockey Dad. It’s fun, punky pop.
The other is from a Portland band called Blind Pilot. Even if you don’t care for their music, you have to admire the fact that they did a couple of tours traveling by bicycle.
Last weekend, I made my 3rd consecutive yearly pilgrimage down to Louisville, KY for the Forecastle music festival. I love the setup (it’s downtown at Waterfront Park, so the Ohio River serves as the backdrop for 3 of the 4 stages) and usually the lineup of performers is right in my musical sweet spot.
It’s three magical days of binge-listening, a smorgasbord of sweet sounds. Highlight of the weekend was probably the trifecta of acts that wrapped up the festival on Sunday evening: Death Cab for Cutie, Brandi Carlile and Ryan Adams, back to back to back. But Saturday had an impressive run too, from The Arcs to Dr. Dog to Local Natives to Sylvan Esso to the Alabama Shakes. Friday was pretty darn killer too, especially Phosphorescent and the Avett Brothers.
There were a few times when I thought “I’m too old for this all-day outdoor music thing”… but then I’d see a band that really impressed me and get a second wind. I like Forecastle as much for the up-and-comers as for the bands I already know and like. Folks like Alex G, Caveman, Future Thieves, The Suffers, Bully and Anderson East.
The Suffers, a soulful 9-piece from Houston, TX
Phosphorescent
Bully
Anderson East had a killer set.
The always-amazing Brandi Carlile and her equally-amazing band.
Can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2017. Sign me up!
I recently watched the documentary “Keith Richards: Under the Influence” on Netflix and highly recommend it.
Ol’ Keef has a face that “looks like 30 miles of bad road” as my friends in Arkansas used to say. He’s abused his body with every substance known to man… and probably a few that haven’t even been discovered yet. Yet he keeps on kicking. If you watch the documentary, you realize that part of that stems from the fact that he still has a childlike wonder at the magic of music. When he talks about being drawn to Mick Jagger at a train station when they were both teenage students, it was because Mick was carrying albums by Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters… and you can tell Keith is still excited about those artists.
In some ways it’s a shame that the great R&B and blues artists from the U.S. had to be “repackaged” by British rock and roll bands. But as Buddy Guy mentions in the movie, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and other blues loving bands gave those older artists a second chance at success.
Kevin Sullivan on Life advice from a man who lived it: “A good one Damian. Bring our lens into focus after the long weekend or our long life journey.” Jul 7, 09:38
Thomas Kuhl on We’re alive, because nothing happened.: “That is why we should celebrate every day when our feet hit the floor. Another to enjoy and share with…” Jun 25, 04:33
Thomas Kuhl on We’re alive, because nothing happened.: “This simply explains why we should celebrate every day our feet hit the floor. Another day to enjoy and share…” Jun 25, 04:31
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