Splatters
Freedom
Anyone who has heard the music of Woodstock remembers his clarion "Freedom, freedom..." so whose music is better to begin a column about some of the excellent musicians whose U.S. air-time has been reduced by the strictures of todays' recording and radio monoliths?
Yes, gentlemanly Richie Havens, his glorious playing and voice, and his ability to compose songs that tune our soul strings is there to enjoy:
http://www.richiehavens.com
Shut up, Tommy
No, please, speak again...
How many of us have an ongoing dream that the Smothers Brothers and PBS or Comedy Central will bring back a regular show featuring that duo's marvelous ability to serve up news as an in-the-face cream pie? Talk about people who can dish up the sweet humor of reality and you'll have to include the Smothers Brothers, Roger Deitz, John Stewart (preferably spoken), some of the Mad TV song and jump-rope parodies, plus a few other stand-outs among the choice ones.
For the Smothers Brothers go to:
http://www.smothersbrothers.com
Amid the Layers
Did you find wisdom in the songs of the Incredible String Band? I can recall seeing teen friends' mouths drop open, and "woowwwwwww" flow out -- and that wasn't even when they were high, despite it being the 60s! Last year they once again toured, and Robin Williamson has never stopped playing some amazing old folk music of the British Isles. For a rebirth that has me wanting to hear their latest music.
http://www.incrediblestringband.com . .
In Her Words
Although Michelle Shocked refers to herself as a blues person, her range is to music what well-done fusion food is to cuisine. She also isn't one to hush her spoken words: "The main revolution I'd like to start is just getting people to play their own music." and "Mainstream media would convince you that there's commercial culture and that's all -- but this other music is still here".
http://www.michelleshocked.com
Destined to Be Wild
Perhaps the songwriter who spoke most to the surprising changes in my life had been Wendy Waldman, so you can imagine how happy I was to learn that she is back. If you haven't found her, yet, DO.
http://www.bryndle.com/site/wendy.html
Rock Hard
With the deaths of that magnificent guitarist and seaman, Sterling Morrison, and smokey voiced Nico, the Velvet Underground left us, but you will find this site to be a comprehensive jewel whether you found the Velvet Underground in the late 60s or after. This is THE group that led to so many later hard rock variants.
http://members.aol.com/olandem/vu.html
Somebody's Warping Your Mind
Did you think that Sam the Sham and Pharaohs have been only about "Little Red Riding Hood"? Shame! They also recorded milk-out-your-nose hilariously true-to-life songs about real issues like El Toro del Goro, the peace-loving bull who will give the conceited a whack in the rear-o, the grammatically correct "I Wish It Were Me" about the ways that those who bemoan the influences of others tend to be people who themselves want do some molding but in a different direction, "I'm in with the Out Crowd", and more. Want to see what is in their past and their future plans?
http://www.samthesham.com/
http://www.robert-kruse.com/samudio/intro.html
You Can Get Anything You Want
Well, not quite, but what an intriguing site Arlo Guthrie has! Sadly, the jukebox was down when I was there, but I sure do plan to go back!
http://www.arlo.net
While Internet music has not yet reached the point where you can truly get anything you want, it is moving in that direction, opening up possibilities and floating us all along in a broader river every year. More and more, musicians who aren't in the top pop 40 now sport sites that have audio and video clips. When their recording companies come yet more to the realization that this is not only an ideal sampling mode but also a sales tool there will be more. Streaming digital audio allows people anywhere to hear unusual radio stations they normally would never find (from university stations, to the music of many countries, to WFMU, and on).
Meanwhile, a person can always go to Amazon to play a number of music clips that otherwise are hard to find. Life gets a lot more interesting every day, and that is what having such sites available is ultimately about -- finding what YOU want instead of what you are told that you should want, and in the case of this note also finding those who are missed.
So, what musicians do you miss?
