Stronger Than a Cup of Coffee (LevonHelm Edition): This ain’t no regular joe – Percolatin’ with Levon
Up on Cripple Creek
Jan 28
Up on Cripple Creek
Jan 28
Jan 26
The second date my wife went on was on August 27, 1999 in Boston, MA to see the Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band reunion tour. It was my second Bruce show of the their Boston stand and my wife’s first Bruce show ever. By the end of the night, she was swooning and well on her way to my front seat … and is still there near 10 years later (we met at a Tom Petty concert a month earlier).
Jan 4
Have you blown-out all your New Year’s resolutions already?! Are you still strapping on the feedbag and avoiding the gym? Are you still smoking butts like a prisoner with a life sentence? Are you still building a house of maxed out credit cards ready to crash into a debt landfill? Yes, you say…to all three? Good: fuck resolutions.
Resolutions lead to failure. How many people actually make good on their resolutions? I don’t have an official count, but my guess is that the answer is, not many. OK, OK, that doesn’t mean making resolutions is a bad idea. Maybe I should say, fuck unrealistic resolutions.
I make resolutions, too; fortunately I tend to be one of the “not many”. Why am I a “not many”…I don’t make unrealistic resolutions. I make tough ones, but not man on the moon or break the four minute mile resolutions. Keep it simple and doable and by December 31st, you may actually accomplish your goals.
How about if we set a simple and doable resolution for 2011 together? You’re in? Cool. OK, here is my suggestion: In 2011, together, we will listen to more awe-inspiring, chicken-skin inducing, bow-down music. Like I said: doable. This one is a bonafide winner. We can’t miss!
Lately I have been trying out a new gimmick segment on The 6149 called, “Stronger Than a Cup of Coffee”. One morning I couldn’t get my train on the tracks, even after a couple cups of coffee. When ever I am in jam, I turn to music for inspiration; thus, the “Stronger Than” segment was born.
In the two “Stronger” postings, I usually highlight three songs. This post contains only one song…because it need only contain one song. This is an bow-down live performance for the ages: Neil Young & Crew tsunami Saturday Night Live in 1989 with wipe-out “Rocking in the Free World”.
This is legend and for good reason. How does a group of guys go from standing still to whirling dervishes instantly?! “Explosive” doesn’t come close to describing this performance.
Immediately the rhythm grows roots and gets deep. Check out Steve Jordan on the skins. He is one of curent music’s unheralded stars. He pounds, thumps, wails and punishes the beat with those tree trunks he is wielding. Fellow X-Pensive Wino, Charley Drayton, looks like a primal scavenger stalking the stage searching for bass lines to plonk on. Crazy Horse Mach 2 member Poncho glues the song together so not to let reckless abandon take over.
Watch at 2:50 when Neil starts out on his first guitar solo. He heads straight from the drum riser to lock horns with Jordan. All of a sudden he spins and with that crazy Neil-Face on, he leaps off the riser and stomps that Shakey-American Indian-Tribal-Dance that is seemingly controlled by his squelch-fest guitar solo.
At 4:30, with Charley and Poncho still doing their prowling and anchoring the groove, Neil sets flight on his second guitar solo. I love this solo. I always think of it as inside-out. I can’t even tell you what the fuck that means! That solo seems to be smirking at me. I also love the way Neil marches to the front of the stage to take off. Afterwards the three fiddlers meet in the middle and cavort like wild banshees.
OK…now go watch this. There is more footage on here as well. At 5:35 Neil does a solo “Needle” and at 7:36 the partners in crime are backing Neil on “No More”.
What do you think? Is this a doable resolution we set? Like I said, we can’t miss…especially not with performances like this. Let me know if you have the chicken-skin after watching.
Buckle-up..
p.s. Love Neil’s Elvis t-shirt
Dec 30
Leon Russell
When I saw that Leon was going to be playing in London, I shit my pants. I couldn’t buy my ticket fast enough. LEON RUSSEL in London and I was going to be there. Hot damn. The Jazz Cafe is a legendary club that holds 500 people max. I got there extra early and ended up standing 3 feet from Leon. He played all of his hits, a few hits from Bob Dylan and The Stones ( a killer “Wild Horses”) and he played like man on the verge of a comeback.
“I really don’t have a lot of talents. I can cook, and I can fuck, and I can sing. And I’m proud of all of them
Dec 28