Eclectic Grooves

It is once again time for me to reach back in the refrigerator for some "choice cuts". Each time, I will be featuring sizzling and succulent morsels that are grabbing my ear right now that range from funk to country, from afro-beat to garage rock, etc. Sometimes there will be a theme to these songs that ties them all together in a nice bow, but other times the songs featured will just be a musical hodgepodge of eclectic delights. Without further ado, lets see what "choice cuts" the vinyl butcher has prepared for us today. Luther Allison- Bloomington Closing- Early Version #1 (Bonus track from CD Reissue) From: Luther's Blues [Motown, 2001] As I was shuffling through CD's to play in my car the other day, I stumbled upon this Luther Allison reissue from 2001. Back when I was working at Music Millennium, I was turned on to countless blues artists by Bill Rhoades, the resident blues expert and finest harmonica play...

Considering the generous amount of feedback I received from the readers on the last post, I have decided to keep the heart of Eclectic Grooves pumping with as much new music as your ears can handle. I've got some amazing stuff coming down the pipeline in the next couple weeks, so please keep checking back on a regular basis. Today, I am posting a re-up of a record that was first posted on Eclectic Grooves way back in April of 2007. Rather than retread familiar ground, I am going to direct you to the original posting of my review for Johnny Jenkin's stone-cold psychedelic blues classic Ton Ton Macoute. For those of you who aren't interested in checking out the original post, I will say that this version of "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" was sampled by the Dust Brothers on Beck's highly regarded anthem for the alternative nation, "Loser". Click here to download Ton-Ton Macoute I am working on a new Plain Brown Wrappers post, and despite the suggesti...

To my utter amazement, the streets of Portland were completely covered with snow before I stumbled out of bed this morning. According to my calculations, it has snowed about three or four times every winter that I have lived here, so it caught me off guard. My girlfriend Verity was born and raised in Oregon so it is an exciting thing for her whenever it snows in Portland. Since I am from the chilly midwest (Peoria, IL to be exact) I don't get nearly as excited as she does about the magical white powder that falls from the skies. Nevertheless, we ventured outside to experience a winter wonderland filled with youngsters snowboarding and sledding down the steep hills of our neighborhood park. I thought that I was well prepared for the treacherously cold weather, but I could have used a face mask to block the cold wind that was slapping me in my face. Apparently, temperatures are expected to remain cold throughout the week with a high likelihood of more snowfall by Wednesday. Damn, I j...

I am incredibly excited to announce that Cicada Omega, Portland's rowdiest bunch of rabble-rousers, are set to celebrate the release of their debut record These Bones. Come one! Come all! Get to Dante's at 8:00 on June 6th for the opening bands Sasparilla and Bark Hide and Horn to hear them in all their glory. But make sure you stick around for Cicada Omega's juke-joint blues mixed with spirited gospel sing-alongs guaranteed to get you up out ya chair. In fact, you won't need chairs at all during this performance. You can take my word for this! History of Cicada Omega Daniyel, Barry and Salim from Cicada Omega were in a band called Big Spider Tribe somewhere around 2001. After this band broke up, Barry recruited Dave to play drums in a band called Land Between the Lakes. While playing with the Land Between the Lakes for a couple months, Dave began playing in another band called the Kentucky Snakehandlers with John Murphy from Big Spider Tribe. The Kentucky Snakehandlers...

Classic Blues from Smithsonian Folkways I figured that I would shake things up a little bit by posting this compilation of raw and gritty blues. Smithsonian Folkways, long revered for releasing amazing compilations of classic blues, folk, international and bluegrass, have really pulled out the stops here. Classic Blues is a diverse collection of timeless blues featuring Mississipi Delta, Chicago, St Louis and Southwest styles. Artists on here range from popular virtuosos such as Big Bill Broonzy, Memphis Slim and Son House to lesser known dynamos such as Cat Iron, K.C Douglas and Vera Hall. After listening to this record on repeat for three weeks now, I can't seem to get these tunes out of my head. If you are new to blues music or are just interested in checking out some great toe- tapping tunes from some of the major trendsetters in blues music, you will love this collection. Highlights for me include the lyrically playful country blues number "Mule-Ridin Blues" by Big ...

Happy 4th of July to everyone who recognizes the 4th as a holiday! About a week ago, someone requested that I post a very rare Howlin' Wolf album. Ask and ye shall receive. Here is a review I posted during March on Ear Fuzz that hopefully gives you an idea of what it sounds like. Howlin Wolf was persuaded to record This is Howlin' Wolf's New Album for Cadet Concept in 1969. This label also released Muddy Water's Electric Mud which has a similar electric rock-n-roll blues sound designed to pull in bigger audiences for both bluesmen. Wolf's opinion of this record was emblazoned on the cover in bold letters- This Is Howlin Wolf's New Album. he Doesn't Like It. He Didn't Like His Electric Guitar At First Either. The idea of creating this album came to Marshall Chess after he toured with the Rolling Stones and realized that they were making money off of the blues legends who influenced them. He brought in the same band that was used in the Electric Mud sessio...

Howard Tate- Get It While You Can, 1995, Polygram I don't have a wealth of time or energy, but I wanted to post some new tunes on here. One of my friends mentioned to me that he would like to see more funk or soul on here. So, I'm pulling this one out of the archives. I had never heard of Howard Tate before his long lost classic S/T album from 1972 was reissued in 2001. Get It While You Can was originally released in 1966, but it was reissued on Polygram in 1995. Howard Tate possesses one of the most incredible falsettos in the soul pantheon and his lyrics cut to the bone with gritty tales of love and loneliness. Prolific and talented artists such as Janis Joplin, B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix have covered his songs to great effect. With a spectacular rhythm section and horn charts to boot, Tate seriously brings the funk on Get It While You Can. I have posted a review from Amazon.com. The greatest soul singer ever to fall below '60s pop radar, Howard Tate remains a tantalizi...

Johnny Jenkins- Ton Ton Macoute, 1970, Capricorn Johnny Jenkins recorded this legendary funk-inflected swamp blues album in 1970 at the ripe age of 31. Jenkins was a huge influence on the playing of Jimi Hendrix and on Ton Ton Macoute, Jenkins concocts a heady brew of Hendrix-flavored psychedelia mixed with gospel, delta blues and swamp rock. Beck liked the sound of his rendition of the Dr. John classic "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" so much that he sampled the infectious drum beat for his hit song "Loser". On "Sick and Tired" Johnny really funks it up with an infectious mix of wah wah guitar, tight beats and gutsy vocals that really make you believe in the power of soul. Other standouts include the psychedelic gospel soul of "Voodoo and You" and the wonderful organ and slide guitar driven "Leaving Trunk". Check out this underappreciated classic in all it's glory while the getting's good. Get it here Apryl Fool- S/T, 1969, Label ...