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.                               May Blitz- Squeet From: S/T- [ Vertigo, 1970]     The old adage "You can't judge a book by it's cover" holds true in many cases, none more so than for this British classic rock band's cover artwork for their debut album. I remember working at Musi...

                                            The latest edition of I Hear a New World is available to listen to here, and to listen\download at http://ihearanewworld.podomatic.com/. This episode features more stacks of wax from my ever expanding collection of gems. Artists that were featured on this edition include Ali Farka Toure, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Electric Flag and Miles Davis. I feel that this mix expertly juxtaposes light and dark elements, giving you upbeat tunes to hum along with as well as more moody detours into psychedelia and fusion. I Hear a New World- Stacks of Wax Vol.15 1) Manitas De Plata- Fandango- 2) Glen Francis- Hold My Hand 3) Lucille Span- Women's Lib 4) Miles Davis- John McLaughlin 5) Electric Flag- Flas...

This post has been in the forefront of my mind, but somehow didn't get posted before July 1st. As I have been mining through my seemingly endless archive of new music, it is evident that 2012 has already been a fantastic year for music.  I have narrowed it down to fifteen records that made the cut so far, and I have only represented albums that were released from January through June. Unfortunately, this meant that certain albums like Aesop Rock Skelethon,  Beak -S-T and Mission of Burma Unsound  didn't make the cut, but they will more than likely have a spot on the year-end list. This list is also not comprehensive, as it does not feature singles, compilations or reissues that were released this year.  What I am featuring here is a distillation of the year's full-length records according to my taste, so this will not necessarily appeal to everyone, though it does feature a diverse ...

Summer has been in full bloom in Portland since the first week of July, so my time on the computer has been sporadic at best. Recently, I caught Bettye Lavette at the Riverfront Blues Festival, and witnessing this soul diva groove to the music and belt out old and new tunes with such enthusiasm was an awe-inspiring experience. I left feeling that there are artists out there who really feel each and every note that they are singing, who live and breathe each chord progression as it unfolds in front of the audience. They aren't in it for the money, fame or adulation, though I'm sure they aren't going to turn it down.  This is simply a passion that runs deep in their blood and surges through them, never letting up until they have created music that resonates in their soul. This is why I am so passionate about live music. There is something about the sound, the vibrations, the groove, the beats, the melodies and the chord progressions that keep me c...

I am thrilled to announce that I have received my first Paypal donation from a friend and regular visitor of the blog who goes by the moniker "No head". Since I hadn't been regularly checking my PayPal balance, I only recently discovered that he had made this donation. Thanks to this donation, I am well on my way to reaching my goal of being able to provide a better quality podcast to the listeners. Many thanks to No Head for his generous donation, and I hope that more listeners will follow suit and contribute so that I can purchase equipment that will improve the sound quality of the podcasts. If you would like to contribute, click here  and then click on the PayPal donate button on the right side of the page. After doing so, a new page pops up that asks you to enter an amount, and to login to your PayPal account. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also make a donation as a guest with your debit or credit card. Please understan...

To those of you who had given up hope that I would ever show up around here again, you can rest assured that I am back in time to infuse you with an infectious mix of summery songs. Things around here have been busy to say the least, but I have been spending a lot of time listening to all kinds of music, selecting and sequencing tracks for the summer mix and catching the occasional live show. I hope that there are at least a few of you who still check in every now and then to see what's going on here. On the horizon is a new series focusing on live shows,  themed-mixes that have been placed on the backburner for awhile, a new I Hear a New World podcast and a round-up of my favorite records of 2012 so far. Most of the songs from this year's summer mix were comprised of tracks that didn't make the cut from previous years, though this doesn't mean they were any less deserving of inclusion.  This is an eclectic mix to stay true to the natu...

I was hoping to post a rare Neutral Milk Hotel or Jeff Mangum live show with this post, but due to time constraints this will be forthcoming. Tonight marks the first time that Jeff Mangum, the reclusive songwriter and front-man for Neutral Milk Hotel, has graced Portland with his presence in over a decade. According to the Crystal Ballroom website, both shows have finally sold out. Don't count on there being any scalpers hanging out in front of the venue either as Jeff Mangum requested a stringent ticket policy where tickets are only being issued to showgoers on the evening of the show, and no advance tickets are available for those who have tickets to attend both nights. I plan on getting there a little bit before the doors open to secure a choice spot by the far left side of the floor by the windows. Well, not much can prepare you for a show like this. Technically, I guess you could say that I have been preparing for this ever since I ...