The Comet Is Coming: Tiny Desk

Since you, dear friends, trust my musical explorations, I know you remember my recent post about Shabaka and the Ancestors: Soul Jazz For The End of Days.

Between Shabaka and the Ancestors, Sons of Kemet, and The Comet is Coming, I dig the musical universe of Shabaka Hutchings in a way I have dug a musical universe in quite a while. While Shabaka and the Ancestors scratch my soul/spiritual-groove-roots-jazz itch, The Comet Is Comet channels my Quarantine angst with electronics, pulsating beats and skreeking skronks and some of the most evocative playing I’ve heard in a while.

The group’s Facebook page says:

“The Comet is Coming to destroy illusions. It will manifest new realities, perceptions, levels of awareness and abilities to coexist. It is a musical expression forged in the deep mystery. It is the overcoming of fear, the embracing of chaos, the peripheral sight that we might summon the fire.

Through the transcendent experience of music we reconnect with the energy of the Lifeforce in hope of manifesting higher realities in new constructs. Because the end is only really the beginning.”

Late last year, the group recorded an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, performing tracks from Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery.

Setlist:

1. "Super Zodiac"

2. "Summon The Fire"

3. "Blood Of The Past"

Musicians:

• King Shabaka: saxophone;

• Danalogue: synthesizer;

• Betamax: drums

• Visit the official Shabaka Hutchings website.

• Visit the official website for The Comet Is Coming.

• Follow The Comet Is Coming at Facebook.

• Visit The Comet Is Coming’s Bandcamp page.

• Purchase The Comet Is Coming’s Music at Amazon.

• Visit Shabaka and the Ancestors’ Bandcamp page.

• Follow Shabaka and the Ancestors at Facebook.

Sahel Sounds presents "Music from Saharan WhatsApp 03 by Jeich Ould Badou

Over the past couple of months, I have been pleased to pass along the announcement that 10 years later, the Sahel Sounds was following up their fantastic Music From Saharan Cellphones compilation with the ground-breaking compilation, Music from Saharan WhatsApp.

“For the year of 2020, Sahel Sounds presents "Music from Saharan WhatsApp." Every month, we'll be releasing an EP from a musical group in the Sahel. Every album will be recorded on a cellphone, and transmitted over WhatsApp, and uploaded to Bandcamp - where it will live for one month only. Available for pay as you want, 100% of the sales will go directly to the artist or group. After one month, the album will be replaced by another one, until the end of the year.”

The label says of this third installment:

“This month we go to Mauritania to one of the premiere players of the tidnit, Jeich Ould Badou. Coming from a hereditary family of musicians, Jeich's tidnit (the Mauritanian lute) is updated, with built in phasers and pre-amps. Jeich is well known in Nouakchott, where he regularly gigs in weddings and invitations. Here he presents a series of WZN recordings, instrumental classic Mauritania music, for dancing: three songs recorded at home with the drum machine, and one live invitation recording with percussion.”

credits

released March 16, 2020

Jeich Ould Badou - Tidnit
Boss DR-770 Drum Machine (Tracks 1, 2, 3)

Recorded by Jeich Ould Badou on iPhone 7, March 2020
Album Art by Christopher Kirkley

Gratefully Dead With Pigpen

I started a mix of some of my favorite Pigpen Grateful Dead tunes in 2019 around the time of his birthday (09/08) with the plan of posting it at the anniversary of his death (03/08). A few months ago, I finished the mix I wanted to post, did some quick artwork if anyone wanted it. And then I forgot about it. And March 08 came and went and the post sat in my Drafts. So here it is.

These are some of my favorite Pigpen Grateful Dead. Tracks. What are some of your favorites?

Tracklisting:

Next Time You See Me

Mr. Charlie

Easy Wind

Hard To Handle

Turn On Your Love Light

Smokestack Lightning

Hurts Me Too

Big Boss Man

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Source Material:

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Here is where each track came from if you’re interested in that sort of thing:

Next Time You See Me: “Hundred Year Hall” (04/26/72: Jahrhundert Halle Frankfurk, Germany)

Mr. Charlie: Europe ‘72 (disc two)

Easy Wind: Workingman’s Dead

Hard To Handle: “The Honky Chateau” (06-21-71 )

Turn On Your Love Light: “Hundred Year Hall” (04/26/72: Jahrhundert Halle Frankfurk, Germany)

Smokestack Lightning: History of the Grateful Dead, Vol. 1 Bear's Choice (02/08/70)

Hurts Me Too: Europe ‘72 (disc two)

Big Boss Man: Skull & Roses

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• Download the mix as individual files including jewel case artwork.

• Visit the Grateful Dead’s official website.

• Follow the Grateful Dead on Facebook.

• Follow Grateful Dead on Twitter.

• Stream the entire show at Live Music Archive.

• Purchase Grateful Dead music on Amazon.

• Purchase A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead by Dennis McNally at Amazon.

• Purchase The Dead book: A social history of the Grateful Dead by Hank Harrison at Amazon.

Giant Sand, Live at Mad Dog Studios/The Atlantic Session (01/30/90)

I don’t know if it’s still around, but when we lived in KY (roughly 2002-2005), I was part of The Sandman Series. This was a CDR series of bootlegs organized by Jim Blackman and Howe Gelb. Basically, the way it worked was that CDRs were sent out to “seeders.” I was a seeder. The seeders committed to recording and mailing the CDRs to a certain number of people (I think it was around 10 but I really don’t remember). I seeded several different discs, but the one I still return to most was called The Atlantic Session.

The core group (at that time) of Howe Gelb, John Convertino and Joey Burns recorded this set as a demo for Atlantic Records at Mad Dog Studios in CA. It was never officially released until the Sandman Series helped bring it to the light of day. As the name suggests, this is a studio recording. The band is tight and the tunes are bitchin.

The set is available at the fantastic Archive.org.

Dive right in.

• Visit Giant Sand/Howe Gelb’s official website.

• Follow Giant Sand at Facebook.

• Follow Howe Gelb at Facebook.

• Visit the Archive.org page for the show.

• Browse all posts marked “Giant Sand” here at Holiday at the Sea.

• Purchase Giant Sand music at Amazon.

Huntingtons: "Muerto, Carcel, O Rocanrol"

During the summer between 6th and 7th grade, a friend gave me an unmarked cassette. He had an older brother who listened to a lot of different music. Anyway, not only was the cassette unlabeled, it was so worn that it was no longer even clear which side was A or B. Nor did my friend care to tell me what was on the cassette. He just said: “Listen to this, it’s my brother’s current favorite band.”

That night when I went to bed, I put it in my little boombox and pressed play while I got right up next to the speakers because I didn’t have earphones and I didn’t want to get in trouble for listening to music when I was supposed to be going to sleep. This was my introduction to punk rock.

I now know that my entry was Side B of Social Distortion’s classic Mommy’s Little Monster. But I didn’t know that at the time. I just knew that this was music whose immediacy I related with. The angst and what seemed to me to be a quagmire of suburban-consumerist-apathy.

That entry led me to bands like T.S.O.L., The Damned, The Vandals, J.F.A., Decsendents, Dead Kennedys, The Misfits, The Exploited, and too many others to mention, though, in one way or another, many of them all seemed to pay homage in some way to The Ramones. That’s not to say that there were a lot of bands intentionally trying to sound like the Ramones, it was just that the Ramones had put something into the DNA of punk rock in a way that it was difficult for many bands not to owe something to the Ramones. But, then again, of course, there were bands that were intentionally trying to sound like the Ramones.

Is it possible to write about Baltimore punk band Huntingtons without referencing The Ramones? Probably, but this is not that piece. The band has worn their affections on their sleeves and they’ve never been shy of their love for The Ramones. The Hungtingtons not only released an album of Ramones covers called (tongue-in-cheek?) File Under Ramones that was so convincing that Joey Ramone picked them as his backing band for two shows at the legendary CBGBs.

Muerto, Carcel, o Rocanrol is the band’s first new music in 17 years and their 23rd release in all. Though the band has gone through a series of lineup changes over the years, the sound has remained consistent and this time around the band is made up of: Mike Holt (vocals/bass) Jonathan “Cliffy” Walker (guitars/vocals) Josh Blackway (guitars/vocals) and Chris Eller (drums).

The album charges out of the gate with the title track, letting you know exactly what themes we’re going to explore.

On the couch at 9:30,
Can’t keep my eyes open any more
Got no interest in the TV
Might be new, but I’ve seen it all before

Took a listen, to your playlist,
Tried my best, but man, it’s not my thing
The Modern Royals might get your worship
but if you ask me J is still the king

It’s fine by me to not agree
and I’m aware
but I’m too old to care

How do punks grow up? Maybe punk rock was never meant to grow up? The Huntington’s new album clings to the angst and energy of youth but sees through weary eyes. Time takes its toll and weighs us down. Alcohol reliance comes up several times, leading one to wonder just how autobiographical the lyrics might be. These is still fast-paced pop-punk but it’s seen too much to pretend to be carefree. But neither does it take itself too seriously. The band’s press release reflects on the title’s significance:

“Muerto” (Dead) is where the band could have been, had they given up on their career completely in 2005, when they played a “final show”. “Carcel” (Jail) is where they would be had they continued using the same 3 chords, playing the same small clubs, covering endless amounts of Ramones songs and never branching out or taking risks. “O Rocanrol” (Or Rock-N-Roll) is where they are: doing what they want, when they want, and doing it louder, faster, with more attitude and a deeper meaning behind the songs.”

My favorite track “Not Penny’s Boat” looks soberly at growing old, admitting that sometimes life is hard and doesn’t seem to make sense.

“Can’t focus on what I can’t change
Got too much on my mind
Been wasting too much time
Today, I put hope in the wrong place”

“Remember when we said
that we’d never do it any other way?
But now, looking through the looking glass,
it seems too late.”

The band recently released “Thank God For The Bomb” as the second single along with a short documentary about the song and the album. Again we hear the angst of aging punks trying to reconcile growing up in a genre that doesn’t want to.

“Met so many people
Been so many places
But the end is always near
So we press on
’Till it’s all gone
Thankful for the ones who’ve carried on

There’s no worry about tomorrow
Tomorrow’s just another day
It’s ours; we take it where we want to
There’s never been a price to pay
We’ll be OK”

We press on, thankful for the ones who’ve carried on.

Catch the band out on tour:

• 2/7 - Baltimore, MD @ Zen West

• 2/8 - Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club

• 2/29 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Bourre

• 3/28 - Washington DC @ the Velvet Lounge

• 4/1 - Baltimore, MD @ the Ottobar

• 4/25 - Philadelphia, PA @ Connie’s Ric Rac

• 5/23 - Wilmington, DE @ 1984

• 7/16-19 - Bergamo Italy @ Punk Rock Raduno

• 8/7-8 - Frostburg, MD @ Savage Mountain Fest

• Follow The Huntingtons at Facebook.

• Purchase Huntingtons merchandise at Store Frontier.

• Follow the Huntingtons at Instagram.

• Purchase Huntingtons music at Amazon.

Janes Addiction 1989

Here is video of a full 1989 set from Janes Addiction. Need I say more? Nothing’s Shocking had already been released and the band was on the rise. The video’s Youtube page provides the following credits for this show:

“Goldenvoice Productions April 29, 1989. Director: Richard Alan White. Production: Paul Tollett, Gary Tovar, Ted Gardner. Location: John Anson Ford Theater. Hollywood Hills. The Seventh show of Seven in a row from 1989. Authorized by Goldenvoice, Ted Gardner, Jane's Addiction.”

Tracklisting:

1. Up the Beach

2. 1%

3. Idiots Rule

4. Whores

5. Had a Dad

6. Mountain Song

7. Ted, Just Admit It...

8. Thank You Boys

9. Standing in the Shower... Thinking

10. Bobhaus

11. Pigs in Zen

12. Summertime Rolls

13. Ocean Size

14. Trip Away

15. Jane Says

• Visit Jane’s Addiction’s official website.

• Follow Jane’s Addiction on Facebook.

• Purchase Jane’s Addiction’s music at Amazon.

Les Filles de Illighadad at Chicago Music Exchange

You already know that I dig Tuareg music (browse tagged posts here). I featured the song ““Jori” by Les Filles de Illighadad on Episode 46 of The Global Elite Music Radio Podcast Supershow and have followed the group ever since. Les Filles de Illighadad join Tartit as the number of women Tuareg led groups continues to grow.

As noted in my original post: The group’s Bandcamp page says:

“Sublime recordings from rural Niger. Two very different sides of Tuareg music - dreamy ishumar acoustic guitar sessions, and the hypnotic polyphonic tende that inspires it. Guitarist Fatou Seidi Ghali and vocalist Alamnou Akrouni lead the troupe, named after the village.”

She Shreds recently partnered with Chicago Music Exchange to invite Les Filles de Illighadad to play at CME’s showroom, and to talk with Fatou Seidi Ghali. Watch the fantastic performance here and head over to She Shreds to read the interview.

• Visit the group’s profile at the Sahel Sounds website.

• Follow the group at Facebook.

• Purchase the album at Bandcamp.

• Listen to “Jori” by Les Filles de Illighadad on Episode 46 of the Global Elite Music Radio Podcast Supershow.

Kikagaku Moyo / 幾何学模様 Live At Highway Holidays

Kikagaku Moyo / 幾何学模様 recently posted a great live session for Highway Holidays.

We featured the song "Kogarashi” by Kikagaku Moyo / 幾何学模様 from the 2016 album House In The Tall Grass on Episode 10 of the Global Elite Music Radio Podcast Supershow.

In that post, I noted the band as “Fine purveyors of psychedelic rock from Tokyo, Japan” who has “has quickly garnered international attention.” That about sum it up.

I was able to see these guys live in March of 2019 and all I have to say is that if you get a chance to catch this band live, I highly recommend it. Watch the great live set here.

• Visit the group's official website.

• Follow the group on Facebook.

• Follow the group on Twitter.

• Purchase the group's music at Bandcamp.

• Purchase the album at Amazon.

Sampling The Samples

In college, my friend Jeremy introduced me to a band from Boulder, CO called The Samples. Named in honor of being so poor that they ate free samples from the local grocery store, the band combined rock, reggae and folk and were widely considered part of the “jam band” scene, even touring with the HORDE festival, though they were never quite a “jam band.”

The rest, as they say, was history. I was hooked. told everyone about them. I made mix tapes of them for people. I collected live shows. I wore their shirts. I traveled to other cities to see them. They provided the soundtrack to a good chunk of my life. And then, as the lineup changed and the band seemed trapped in a specific sound and the lyrics seemed to lose inspiration, I gradually forgot about them. But then the other day, Relix posted about a free livestream of a Samples show and it brought back a flood of musical memories.

Stream The Samples Live at Fox Theater on 1994-01-16. This set includes Boyd, Leroi, and Carter from the Dave Matthews Band, one of my favorite songs, “Little Silver Ring,” and an absolutely killer version of “Feel Us Shaking.”

I don’t know what year it was, but the band put out a profile/tour documentary on VHS, which of course I owned. Now, thanks to the beauty of the Internet, you can watch “Ten Wheels” right here. It’s just under 30 minutes and gives you a great idea of the band during their heyday, after original member Charles Hambleton had left the group, but otherwise features the core lineup of Sean Kelly (Guitar/Vocals), Andy Sheldon (Bass/Vocals), Jeep MacNichol (Drums/Vocals), and Al Laughlin (Keyboards/Vocals).

The group didn’t do many official music videos, but they did do one for “Every Time,” from the fabulous album The Last Drag, which was featured at the end of the “Ten Wheels” documentary.

The documentary also features snippets from this video: “When It’s Raining.” Sean Kelly says of the making of this video: “We made this video on top of some building in Denver. Five more seconds on that roof and we all would have been struck by lightning. My hair was starting to show static electricity which is usually right before you get hit! Another lucky day.”

• Visit The Samples official website.

• Visit the Samples’ page at the Live Music Archive.

• Support the Samples at Bandcamp.

• Purchase the Samples music at Amazon.

Artist Spotlight: Letta Mbulu

This artist spotlight originally posted January 18, 2019 on the dearly missed Global Elite Music Radio Podcast Supershow site.

One of the joys of doing a project like the Global Elite Music Radio Podcast Supershow is discovering new artists we didn’t yet know we loved.

We featured Letta’ Mbulu’s track “Kukuchi” on Episode 32 of our very own podcast. We were so smitten with Mbulu’s music that we wanted to give you, the fine people of the Internet, more Mbulu. So we put together an hour-long mix of some of our current favorite tracks.

If you don’t yet know Mbulu, allow us to introduce you.

Letta Mbulu (pronounced "let-ah" "em-boo-loo") was born in Soweto, South Africa in 1942 and remains a towering figure in South African music. Doug Payne says in his online biography of Mbulu:

Still in her teens, Letta began touring outside of Africa with the musical "King Kong," which ran for a year in England following a highly successful two-year run in South Africa. When the tour ended, she returned to South Africa but soon the policies of Apartheid were to force her to leave her native land for the U.S.A.

She arrived in the United States in 1965 and quickly befriended such fellow South African exiles in New York City as Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela and Jonas Gwangwa - all alumni of the "King Kong" musical. Performances at New York's famed Village Gate club began to attract attention to her talents, particularly from jazz legend Cannonball Adderley, who invited her to tour with him (which she did throughout the remainder of the decade). 

To put Mbulu’s career and influence into perspective, Strange Sounds From Beyond says:

the South African vocalist released her first LP in the same year The Beatles released The White Album. She is the towering figure of South African singing – the proud matriarch of a strange, soulful, synth-powered hybrid of US and South-African influences. Along with the 12 LPs carrying her own name, she’s worked with jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, calypso icon Harry Belafonte, and even Michael Jackson on “Liberian Girl”.

According to South African History, Mbulu was also an accomplished actress who appeared “in the film Roots for which she received an Emmy award. Her other screen appearances include A Warm December with Sidney Pottier and The Colour Purple. She is also a founding member of the South African Artists United (SAAU) an organisation which was established in 1986.”

Allmusic quotes Quincy Jones as saying: "Mbulu is the roots lady, projecting a sophistication and warmth which stirs hope for attaining pure love, beauty, and unity in the world."

If you don’t know her yet, it is our pleasure to introduce you to the music of Letta Mbulu. If you already know her, please enjoy this mix and we’d love to hear your favorite tracks.

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Tracklisting:

1. Hareje *

2. Kukuchi #

3. Noma Themba *

4. Jigijela (Don't Throw Stones) @

5. Zimkile *

6. I Need Your Love @

7. Mamami #

8. Aredze ^

9. Afro Texas *

10. Ade #

11. Qonqoza (Knock) @

12. Kube *

13. Gumba-Gumba #

14. Macongo @

15. Olu Ati Ayo #

16. Melodi (Sounds of Home) @

17. Never Leave You *

Though there are many terrific albums by Letta Mbulu, for this mix, I focused on the following four albums (use the symbols to see which song is found on each album):

@ Letta (Chisa, 1970)

* Naturally (Fantasy, 1972)

^ I’ll Never Be The Same (1973)

# Letta Mbulu Sings/Free Soul (2005)