skip's blog

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posted by skip heller @ 7:44 PM 0 Comments

a favorite california song

Recently, Stan Ridgway joined my fan page on Facebook. he's a nice guy, and he and I have played a bit together, but I've never lost sight of how great his best work is.

"Lonely Town" is one of my favorite records ever. The guitar solo at the front is by (wup!) Stan. Drink this in -- this is the best. As California songs go, this one is on the Mt Rushmore with "Ol' 55", "Border radio" and "White Girl."

Dig infinity, kids. Stan is the goods.

Labels: stan ridgway

posted by skip heller @ 11:10 PM 0 Comments

i base my life on his teachings

Those of you who saw me opening for Candye (Kane) might recall that I opened my set with this song.

Mose Allison was the guy who -- more than any other single figure -- brought jazz into the picture for me. As a teenager, he became the guy whose ability to mix Hank Williams and Percy Mayfield with Monk and Errol Garner gave me some context for what I loved and how I loved it. And after spending a couple weeks talking to blues fans and realizing he's not as well-known in that world as I'd have hoped he'd be, I figured I'd give the major shout out.

Mose is 82 (he shares a birthday with Dave Alvin, 11/11) and is still playing and singing on a high level. He just put out a new record, produced by Joe Henry, and I don't really think it makes much difference, because Mose is Mose no matter how he is produced. He's himself, and his body of work is one of the most honest, organic, and perfect of anyone I can name. Right up there with Willie Nelson and Taj Mahal.

If you know about Mose, you know what this clip will be. If you don't... Well, you will.

Labels: Imose allison

posted by skip heller @ 12:12 AM 1 Comments

the video

posted by skip heller @ 1:01 AM 0 Comments

Agile, Mobile, and Hostile

Andre Williams' Rise and Fall Recounted in Documentary - Spinner

totally worth watching. andre is one of the important guys, and his story is above and f--king beyond interesting.

posted by skip heller @ 12:10 AM 0 Comments

part one of the skip documentary

At some point this'll get done.

Labels: skip

posted by skip heller @ 6:08 PM 4 Comments

categories are harmful if you're any damn good

I hate categories. The only workable system of musical order is the
alphabet. Is this guy a blues singer? Country? Singer/songwriter?

I've asked the same about Mose Allison, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles,
Lalo Guerrero, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Taj Mahal, Terry Adams,
Richard Thompson, and just about anyone else who does intelligent
music.

As this film attests, the question isn't new. The problem is that
nowadays, you get these weird, awful words like "eclectic",
"musician's musician" etc, and they marginalize great music.

This is Jimmie Rogers. He sold millions of records during the
Depression (the first one, not this one), and he recorded with country
guys, Hawaiin musicians, Louis Armstrong, the Carter Family, and more.

I'm convinced that he'd be unsignable today, just because he covered
so much ground by virtue of his own musical nature. And he was one of
the greatest things to ever have happened, right up with Louis
Armstrong and Leonard Bernstein. And I'm convinced that -- had he
lived a few years longer -- he would have been to country music
approximately what Stokowski was to orchestral music.

posted by skip heller @ 9:07 PM 1 Comments