WFMU's Beware of the Blog

People who died (Part Two) " Sonny Sharrock-Guitar Genius"

You may think you know all about electric guitar and the incredible variety of music that has been created with it, but if you aren't familiar with Sonny Sharrock you're about to discover one of the most unique and expressive artists ever to wield a Les Paul (plugged into a Marshall Stack of course.) Countless people around the world have made music with these tools but few ever manage to carve out a style and a sonic niche that is truly their own. You can get the important biographical info here so there's no need for me to repeat all that but I think one of the most significant facts regarding the origins of his style is that if not for asthma, he probably would have been a tenor sax player. He just figured out a way to do that on guitar. He forged his sound in the free jazz heyday of the sixties and it's no surprise that Pharoah Sanders was one of the first people to give Sonny a shot on a record (Tauhid.) What isn't as obvious is that he also served a stint in Herbie Mann's band-not necessarily the first guy you think of as far as Herbie's smoother sound goes. When I interviewed Herbie at the Montreal Jazz Festival in the mid nineties he told me that he hired Sonny "to be his John Coltrane."  Makes perfect sense to me. Check out this priceless clip:

People who died (Part One) "The Metal Majesty Of Barry Stern"

Unfortunately, when it comes to musicians, the cliche about "only the good die young" seems to be all too true. I thought I'd write a few posts about some of those under-recognized ones who really made an impression on me and whose work is definitely worth checking out if you're not too familiar with it. Barry Stern was a Chicago area drummer and singer who was best known for his work in the bands Zoetrope and later Trouble. The former was an amazing, underrated metal powerhouse who combined a wicked thrash groove with hardcore elements and superior song-writing. They called it "street metal." Barry was a key element as he was both their drummer AND lead singer, something pretty rare in that style. I recently found this clip of "Indecent Obsession."  

The clawhammer genius of Al Tharp

You know how it is when you go see this band that you're sort of interested in, but maybe not really sure, and then they turn out to be surprisingly amazing and afterward you end up buying everything you can get your hands on by them and becoming a total fanatic? Then you're kicking yourself for not having been hip to them before you had the chance to see them live or maybe even hang out with them and have some kind of cool adventure? That's kind of how I feel about the banjo workshop I attended a few years ago when New Orleans roots musician Al Tharp came to town. I had just been learning clawhammer style for less than a couple of months when my teacher suggested I go. Before I go any further here's a clip of Al:

In case you're wondering, clawhammer banjo is the style where the player strikes downward on the string with the edge of his nail (as opposed to an upward pluck) and is really a very old style of playing that goes all the way back to Africa and reveals the instrument's origins on that continent. It's very, very different than the more well known bluegrass banjo sound known as Scruggs style where the strings are plucked with metal fingerpicks. Al Tharp is truly a clawhammer master and, more importantly, has just about the most original take on this sound that I have ever heard. He did spend time deep in the Appalachians, learning first-hand from masters like Tommy Jarrell and Lee Hammons but I think one of the things that really helps make his style as ridiculously funky as it is, is the fact that he has now lived in New Orleans for some time and has thoroughly absorbed the deep roots of the region. He takes Cajun fiddle moves and mixes them with the second line and out comes something that no one else does. Here's Al playing the old-time standard  "John Henry." (MP3) I think his thumb has a lot to do with it-the way he just pops it so hard and relentlessly, as well has his smooth, four-on-the-floor footstomps which almost sound like a techno bass drum. Speaking of which, a bit of Al's playing found it's way into part two of Buck 65's magnum opus, internet giveaway "Dirtbike."   "Square Dance" (MP3) By the way, faithful followers of the WFMU blog might recognize the voice heard at the end of the track... Basically, ever since I went to Al's workshop I've been trying really hard to catch some of that sound-with varying degrees of success. I sure wish I had another chance to sit down and get some first-hand pointers but at least I have my recording of the workshop that a fellow attendee slipped me. Hope you dig hearing this very funky man. Here's one more taste:"Boatin Up Sandy." (MP3) Enjoy!

Greatest video ever?

Back in the late eighties I found myself working at MusiquePlus in Montreal, the Quebec version of MTV. There, not only did we have access to the standard new video releases of the day, but also a library full of an amazing videos from Quebec, France and other Francophone sources. Many treasures indeed but, in my mind, nothing has ever come close to the majesty of Pierre Nadeau's "Girls Boys." Years from now, when civilization has crumbled and our Ape masters ask "what was the video age all about?" this will be the answer:



I know what you're thinking: all this plus Simmons drums and a Korg keytar as well? I know-it boggles the mind. My favorite part is the big chorus after the breakdown (about 3:27) where Pierre is rocking out heavily with the keytar: folks this is how it's done! There's a bit of a followup story to this video. A few years ago MusiquePlus featured it in a show called "DollarClip" where they ended up doing a re-make in the vein of the "Becoming..." shows ie: "Becoming Pierre Nadeau." They called it "Dans Le Speedo de Pierre Nadeau." They ended up tracking him down and he was very good natured about his belated recognition. There's a two-part documentary on this (in French) on Youtube which can be seen here and here.