8 Tracks

My blogging mentor from Garden Grass and Crap introduced me to the website 8tracks.com - where you can create and post an eight song mix of songs either from your own computer of from their collection of songs uploaded from other users. My first mix includes some Townes, Nina Simone, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Lee Dorsey and the Grateful Dead. Check it out here: http://8tracks.com/deadmusicsociety/deadmusicsociety-s-august-2010-mix.

UPDATE: I have since added a second mix - all songs from movie soundtracks. Boom: http://8tracks.com/deadmusicsociety/at-the-movies.

If you are on 8tracks let me know!

Beck does INXS (and others)

In my opinion Beck.com is one of the best time wasting sites on the internet right now - and I should know, I waste a lot of time. Beck hasn't bothered to release a proper album in awhile, instead he is recording one-off songs for movies and collaborating with everyone under the sun in his 'Record Club.' This club is a rotating cast of musicians (e Thurston Moore, Wilco, Tortoise as well as lesser known studio guys) who come together to do weird remakes of old albums.

After spending my 'lunch break' binging on a bunch of these videos - I was surprised to discover that my favorite might just be their cover of INXS' album 'Kick'. I don't remember much about INXS but I know their lead singer died (in a pretty sketchy and sad way)...the good news is that this means that it is fair game for me to post the following kickass video:

Record Club: INXS "Need You Tonight" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

The Baby Huey Story

Sorry for the complete lack of action around here. Things have been busy to say the least - but enough about that.

Any music blog about dead musicians is obligated to talk about Baby Huey. I don't know a ton about him beyond what I read at allmusic.com - check his entry here. He weighed nearly 400 pounds, 20 of which must have been his afro. He worked with Curtis Mayfield, sang like a funkier Otis Redding or Sam Cooke and only put out one album - which was not released until after his death at the age of 26.

The music speaks for itself - get it here.

Bobby Charles

To continue with my theme (that would be the "Waaaah I'm missing JazzFest" theme) here is the great 1972 self-titled record by the late Bobby Charles. Bobby was a singer and songwriter born and raised in rural Cajun country in Louisiana (making him less of a New Orleans guy than our last couple subjects) - Bobby had 'bayou water running through his veins.'

He is also well known for his association with The Band. He makes a brief appearance on 'The Last Waltz' and lived in Woodstock for a time. His 'Bobby Charles' LP was co-produced by Rick Danko and John Simon and features most of The Band and Dr. John as well. It fits well with the records The Band were putting out at the time, but with Bobby's distinctive Cajun voice leading the way. AllMusic.com (in typical AllMusic.com fashion) calls it "Swamp Pop." I just know it is fun to listen to and wish I around for the good times these guys had when they recorded it.

Bobby Charles died at home in Louisiana earlier this year.

Snooks Eaglin

Wanted to keep up the New Orleans theme in honor of Jazzfest. Here are a couple albums from another Crescent City legend - Snooks Eaglin:

"New Orleans Street Singer" (Smithsonian Folkways 1959)

"Soul's Edge" (Blacktop 1995)

Snooks was a blind guitar player and singer who had a reputation for being a bit wild. The two records above are good examples of what he sounded like early vs. late in his career. The Smithsonian Folkways album is just Snooks with an acoustic guitar singing his demons away. You can picture him on North Rampart street playing for change. The other record is with a full band - its lively and more of what Snooks came to be known for in the later years of his life. He just passed away last year and many parts of the 2009 JazzFest seemed like a tribute to this blues master.

Get a taste of Snooks through this non-video YouTube clip - the NOLA classic "St James Infirmary"...chilling

The Funky Lee Dorsey

Well it's April (just about) and that means it's time to start thinking about the greatest music festival of them all, New Orleans Jazz Fest.  It breaks my heart to say it but I can't make it this year.  To make up for it I am determined to listen to a ton of funky, soulful music from that fabulous city.

Let's start with the great Lee Dorsey.  The fact that Dorsey never became a household name outside of New Orleans is a damn shame.  Besides having one of the most soulful and joyful voices in modern music, Dorsey was known to be one of the warmest, nicest guys in the music business.  Before (and after) his music career he was a car mechanic and the story goes that he was discovered by a talent agent who was in a fender bender while traveling through New Orleans.  Lee crawled under the car and began singing to pass the time while he worked, banging on the under carriage of the car for rhythm.

Check out this amazing record from 1970 "Yes We Can and then Some"  - it was produced by another one of my all-time favorites Allen Toussaint, who also wrote most of the tunes.  Even though they weren't in the studio at the same time as Dorsey, The Meters also appear throughout the record.  The highlights (for me) are "Yes We Can," the original "Sneakin Sally Through the Alley" and what might possibly be my current favorite song "Lonely Avenue." 

I will dig up some more Lee Dorsey soon but this album is a great place to start - a truly timeless record that is soulful without being sappy and funky without being over the top.  Enjoy it and think New Orleans.

Pigpen

March 8th marked the anniversary of the passing of the great Ron "Pigpen" McKerran, one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead. Pigpen was the heart and soul of the original Dead lineup and in his prime he was in many ways their leader. As Pigpen's health began to decline the band started to leave their blues roots behind a bit (though the blues always remained a big part of the Dead's music).

In the years before he died Pigpen put in some work on a solo record that never got released. Thanks to the magic of the internet you can hear it right here, it's called "Bring Me My Shotgun" - which is awesome.

"Pigpen was and is now forever one of the Grateful Dead"

Mark Linkous

Sad news over the weekend.  Mark Linkous, better known as the musician Sparklehorse, died at his own hand.  Mark was a gifted singer/songwriter and producer who created dark and beautiful music.  As a producer he had a gift for bringing out the best in his collaborators as demonstrated on the albums he did with Daniel Johnston and his recent collaboration with Dangermouse (and David Lynch sort of) Dark Night of the Soul.  

I loved his music and he will be missed by MANY.

 

The Late Great Townes Van Zandt

Post #1 -

We start with one of my favorites. Townes Van Zandt was a country-folk singer/songwriter/poet/drifter/troublemaker who created some of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching, "cry in your whisky" songs that you will ever hear.

For my money, Townes is up there on the short-list of 'greatest songwriters of all time.

His demons and exploits were well documented and many - they also contributed to his death.

The Townes legend has only grown since his 1997 death

(becoming the subject of a couple of

documentaries and a brilliant Steve Earle tribute album helped too - get that record here: Townes)

A few years before his 1997 death Townes released "The

Nashville Sessions."

It was recorded back in 1974 and is well on the 'country' side of things - fine by me.

Get it here: The Nashville Sessions

Enjoy!

Art is long and life is short

I know your type. You are probably thinking "What's this all about? It's late. I have been looking at computers and tvs and things all day - why should I keep looking?" You've scoured the dregs of the internet and you ended up here - The Dead Music Society.  

The Dead Music Society was created to celebrate some of our favorite artists who are no longer around.  Some you may know, some you wont.  

The point here is not to be morbid but to remind you to give these folks another listen because we think they made some great Art while they were here.

There is a favorite quote of mine, that I will borrow (steal), that will act as our motto:

"Art is long and life is short and success is very far off"

We hope you enjoy what you hear and read here...Much more to come.