Sadly, this is George Clinton’s “Farewell Tour”. At 79 years old, he thinks it’s a bit time to settle down, but not before giving his fans one last “give up the funk” party to end all parties. Clinton has been at this game of out-of-this-world performances since the ’70s, creating hybrid music that encompasses rock, funk, Motown, heavy metal, hip-hop, and soul all while exploring various electronic sound technologies and lyricisms. He relishes in blurring the lines of White & Black music, as music knows no racial division. Clinton is a songwriter, rapper, producer, and Captain of The Mothership. He has developed an influential and eclectic form of performance that incorporates the ideas of futuristic vibes, outlandish fashion, psychedelic culture, and surreal humor.
As I walk into Petaluma’s Mystic Theater, I hear this in passing, “The Mothership has landed!” That statement is pertaining to the show at hand with the master of all things funky and freaky, George Clinton and his new generation of Parliament Funkadelic. Let’s just say that the psychedelic circus has come to town with all its wacky, high-energy glory, and I was there to witness the magic. Sadly, this is George Clinton’s “Farewell Tour”. At 79 years old, he thinks it’s a bit time to settle down, but not before giving his fans one last “give up the funk” party to end all parties. Clinton has been at this game of out-of-this-world performances since the ’70s, creating hybrid music that encompasses rock, funk, Motown, heavy metal, hip-hop, and soul all while exploring various electronic sound technologies and lyricisms. He relishes in blurring the lines of White & Black music, as music knows no racial division. Clinton is a songwriter, rapper, producer, and Captain of The Mothership. He has developed an influential and eclectic form of performance that incorporates the ideas of futuristic vibes, outlandish fashion, psychedelic culture, and surreal humor. Clinton is touring with, literally, a new generation of PFunk that includes his son and daughter, many of his grandkids and kids of PFunk alumni. Now, forgive me for being unclear on a few things here. Truth be told, I have no idea who everyone onstage was or what their names were, as it was too hard to keep track. But at any given moment, the stage was filled with up to 20 people including two guitarists, three backup singers, keys, drums, bass, sax, a ton of MC’s and rappers and Mr. Clinton himself, all giving it their all as they bounced, danced, twerked, and interacted with each other while blasting us with tightly played music. It was pure chaos in the best sense of the word. There were sexy costumes, sequins, guitar-shredding-hair flips, sexual innuendo, platform shoes, the sharing of joints all amid a swirl of active antics on stage. The band continually gave high fives, fist bumps, and handshakes to the crowd throughout the night. MC’s came and went, rapping and rhyming to the PFunk beat. Mics were pointed to the audience, and copious amounts of sing-alongs were had during significant hits such as “Give Up The Funk”, “Flash Light”, and many covers of well-loved hop-hop and soul tunes. Featured also were many new songs from Clinton’s latest studio album Medicaid Fraud Dogg, which brings PFunk into the 21st century with current themes lyrically and wicked funk-rock beats. The racially mixed crowd smiled and smiled and smiled, while much hooting, hollering, and cheering ensued. There was true love from the players to the audience. Because of his ailing health, Clinton spent much of his time sitting midstage in a chair, but when he got up to sing or dance around with his band, his life force came shining through, and you could tell his spirit was right where it belonged, regardless of what his body tells him. His smiles and laughter from the stage all gave the idea of a man who has had it all, gave it his all, and is now reigning high in his Mothership. He is the rightful King of Funk, a true showman who has been WOWing crowds for decades. So I wish him well in his retirement, though I must admit, I highly doubt I am the only one who hopes that retirement does not last.
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Blues artist Katie Knipp knows how to multi-task, and we are talking about that in the biggest sense of the phrase, being both an active mother of two small children as well as blowing up her musical career in a major way. Knipp hails from Sacramento and is fast becoming one of the Bay Area’s darlings in blues, having her most recent album, “Take It With You” land at #9 on the Heat Seekers charts and #10 on Billboard’s Blues Album chart ( of which she shared chart space with other blues masters such as Buddy Guy and Kenny Wayne Shepard,) “I almost passed out!” Knipp states upon hearing how her album was doing, “Then I was quickly brought back to Earth by needing to clean up my 2 year old’s vomit about a minute later.” Such is the life of a rock star mom, glory amid the day-to-day stresses of maternal duties. “It’s a daily struggle”, says Knipp, “but I am learning how to prioritize every single minute. “ It’s also worth mentioning that Knipp’s album was on the ballot for a Grammy nomination, and although that fell through and she didn’t make it to a nomination, she feels like the nod from the Grammy organization was a serious gift to her career, stating, “The experience of being on the ballot for nomination consideration was extra special. The radio support for my album has also meant so much to me, especially overseas, as it has translated to more direct sales of my CDs and downloads online.” Knipp takes her music seriously, writing songs that span the gamut of blues-inspired subjects such as murder, abuse, war, drugs, sex, and psychotic love. She sings these songs with great exuberance, allowing her deep, powerful, rich and full voice to be the muse of the lyrics, punctuating each verse with a syrupy vibrato, juicy howls, fierce moans, or a “fuck you” attitude, all controlled with sheer brilliance. Her 4 prior albums all convey the struggle and the joy of singing the blues. “Blues has always felt best in regards to my singing style, very freeing. I remember early days of open mics as a teenager and just getting a blues song out there felt like a sigh of relief.” Knipp has worked very hard to get to where she is, and she is grateful for her musical career. She has a degree in opera, of which you can tell by her full-throated singing style, and in conjunction with her love of piano and Dobro, Knipp has created the sound she has become known for. “I cherish every moment and just feel completely grateful. I definitely feel pressure to always do better than my previous albums, but it’s a good kind of pressure because all it really comes down to is the desire for constant growth. Music is so wonderful that way because you can never stop growing your craft on different instruments, styles, and writing.” Being a woman blues performer is a different journey than that of the male performers, it shouldn’t be that way but it is. Being a woman has its own strengths and Knipp is making it work for her, “All the nominees in my category for Grammys were men. It sure would be nice to change that the next time around,” she states of the male/female imbalance of power in the music industry. “I want to empower girls to go for it, which is why I volunteer for Girls Rock Sacramento every summer. Being a woman onstage makes me automatically struggle a bit more with vanity than I would like. I worry a little too much about my weight along with everything else. The average human tends to look before they listen.”
It’s been her strong drive and deep appreciation of her audience that makes creating music so fun for her. Performing and recording are two very different experiencing, but Knipp enjoys both. “Recording tends to be a bit more challenging because there is no audience energy/communication transfer, but it’s nice to be able to do a second take.” As far as her live performances go, even amid the stage fright, she loves the energy and vibe of being onstage, “I feel like a kid on a trampoline. It’s wonderful, and I always want to bear hug every single person afterward. That being said, I do also have more moments, especially with high-pressure solo opening act gigs for famous people like Jimmie Vaughan, Robert Cray, and Joan Osborne, where my stage fright can kick in pretty brutally. No one seems to notice, but it sometimes feels like I might pass out. I am learning to deal with it as best I can through mediation so I can HAVE FUN!” Knipp is in the planning stages for her next studio album in the fall. She wants to continue to create music that resonates with her soul with lyrics that express her personal truth. She is a woman on the go, climbing the ladder of musical success on her own terms and with her own vision intact. John Doe's set list, HopMonk Novato, 8.6.18 That piece of paper that often lays below they players on the stage may seem like nothing much, just a bunch of words and notations that is often soaked with booze by the end of any given night of music. But alas, it is so much more than that, as it is the coveted Set List, and it’s presence to both musician and fan is incredibly important. To the musician, the set list for any given performance can help them remember what songs to play, in what order and in what key. Sometimes notes are added as to who sings or plays during that song. The set list can be a constant reminder of what to do so that they can focus on playing the music without thinking “Oh Shit, what’s next?” Set lists are not always followed exactly, for example troubadour folk singer Ramblin’ Jack Elliot often does set lists, but usually doesn’t follow them. He jumps around, singing songs that may or may not be on the list, often taking requests from the audience or completely ignoring a song he was set to play in lieu of another.
To the fan, the set list is often a prize fought over at the end of a show. It’s a keepsake for the experience one has, a memory for what was played during shows, a treasure that says “I was there! I was witness to this night!” If the list was handed to the fan directly from one of the musicians, it is even more of a gift, as that brief interaction with a favorite musician is noteworthy to any fan of their music and can add to the story.
In 1985, “Unabomber” became a household name, the Regan Era was in it’s full-fascist swing, there were over 4 billion people on the planet and John Cougar Mellencamp introduced the world to his eighth studio album Scarecrow which gave a musical reflection of world events and the corporate hold we were now under. The American Dream was crumbling into dust and there was need for a voice during that time to show us the light while explaining what was going on. With the Scarecrow album, Mellencamp stayed close to his musical Americana roots while moving to a more political direction with his songwriting. In particular, he gave voice to the plight of the American farmers fighting to save their farms, expressing their burdens in songs like "Rain on the Scarecrow" and "You've Got to Stand for Somethin' Marin County guitarist and songwriter Danny Click decided it was high time to create a live show around Scarecrow, as the album still holds ground in this day and age. Click grew up in Americana farmland, so he understood directly the plight of the agricultural hell many farmers were experiencing in the 80’s. “Everything on the album is true of how the farmers felt about what was going on with the farmland”, says Click. “It’s a statement to what was wrong with the world at the time. It’s sad to see that it’s all still wrong 34 years later” With a plethora of amazing Marin County talents, including vocalist Susan Zelinsky, percussionist Robin Goodrich, guitarist Erik Schramm, accordion player Wendy Fitz and guitarist Dave Sampson, along Click’s regular backing band The Hell Yeahs, (vocalist Lyn Carpenter-Engelkes, guitarist Jon Mitguard, violin player Adrienne Biggs, bassist Mike Anderson and drummer Rob Hooper), Click gave the album a tremendous reboot recently at San Rafael’s Terrapin Crossroads to remind us all of the preciousness of Scarecrow. “When I first heard the record it was a visceral thing for me; the songs, the tones, the way the guitar playing was approached”, says Click. “The drum sounds were huge. It was a wonderful performance by a band at its height.” Click and company played the album in it’s entirely from first to last song with great regard to what Mellencamp was trying to get across to the listener. From the opening song “Rain On The Scarecrow”, with Goodrich hammering a beat on an actual anvil to portray the workaday-vibe of the album, the band channeled Mellencamp while staying true to their own individuality as a band. One could tell from the players onstage that they truly enjoyed the songs and music Mellencamp created, laughing, dancing around as they made the songs their own. The album is not all political, and Click made sure that he made light and fun with great songs like “Small Town”, “Lonely Ol’ Night” and the epic anthem and usually misunderstood song “R.O.C.K In The USA” that tells the story of how rock and roll emerged in America, and how those now infamous musicians stated in the song were not afraid to take personal risks for the sake of their music and therefore became a strong influence on the next generation. Second set was pure “Danny Click”. His music in general is very much in line with what Mellencamp was doing, hard-driving Americana rock and roll. His shows are normally filled with ruckus guitars and poignant songs, including his mainstays “Wait My Turn”, “Everything’s Alright” and “When I Get Drunk”, showcasing his stellar playing as well as the solid groove he has with The Hell Yeahs. Showcasing Scarecrow was a brilliant move, it’s an album that needs to be heard again and again in understanding how the world is at unease but we have a choice in how we handle that. Says Click “The album stands alone as one of the most real honest rock ‘n’ roll social political directors ever made for me. Everything Mellencamp is singing about on the record is still true, but it’s only worse now than it was then. So like the song says, we’ve got to stand for something or we’re going to fall for anything.” Ah, the guitar, such a fabulous instrument, so versatile and emotive. When placed in the right hands the guitar can sing, squeal, moan, groan and wail. It can pierce your heart, your soul and your whole being with the right combination of strings. The guitar is sexy and can make you feel things your mom told you not to feel. When one bares witness to a true master of the guitar at work, one can experience God; and so, with that preface, I introduce to you blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa. Bonamassa is not one of those “I am gonna shred so hard and flaunt my ego through my fretboard” kind of guitarists, he’s a classy guy with decades of technical guitar and instrument experience behind him. His precise playing, his focused noodling and his passion for the guitar places him a cut above other guitarists of his stature. He is a true aficionado and self-professed gear nerd. My understanding is that his gear, vintage guitar, and amp collection needs it’s own building and has been affectionately named the “Bona-seam”. His recent 2-night stint at Oakland’s Paramount Theater Of The Arts was a classic blues-rock show and Bonamassa used the art-deco backdrop of the Paramount to showcase many guitars from his collection. When I say, “He’s a classy guy”, I mean that in many ways, from his tailored blue suit, slicked-back hair and constant use of sunglasses to his appreciation of his backing band that enfolded him with such a force of sound, and that sound cradled the listener as well as shook them to the core. Bonamassa’s band is filled to the brim with incredible international talent including Nashville recording legend Michael Rhodes (bass), Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and member of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Reese Wynans (piano/organ), Paulie Cerra (sax), Lee Thornburg (trumpet), and Jade MacRae and Juanita Tippins who delivered powerhouse vocals and synchronized dance moves for every number. Bonamassa opened the night with a few songs from his latest release Redemption. As the first hints of the rocking “Evil Mama” started, the crowd went wild. The high energy progressed with“ King Bee Shakedown” then on to the gentle and heart-breaking beauty of “Self-inflicted Wounds” his voice full, soulful, and deep. By the time he was finished with the searing blues groove of “Sloe Gin”, only halfway through the show, Bonamassa received his first of 4 standing ovations from the audience. The 2 hours performance showcased more of his original music and lyrics including “Just ‘Cos You Can Don’t Mean You Should”, “This Train”, and “How Deep This River Runs”, with the only cover being a sexy and seductive version of “I Can’t Quit You Babe” that put the Led Zeppelin version to shame. The evening’s music ended with “Woke Up Dreaming”, Bonamassa alone on stage with an acoustic guitar that his hands rode like a bucking bronco, fingers so fast and precise that it was magic to witness. The whole band then rejoined Bonamassa as they said farewell to us all with “Mountain Time” with its gorgeous lyrics that state “And she takes me somewhere, And it's good to be there, And she pulls me into her bright golden wing.” With those lyrics in mind, I sit in wonder of how similar feelings have been created inside my heart and head upon seeing Joe Bonamassa live. He took me somewhere, it was good to be there and he pulled me all into his bright golden wings, all with his wondrous guitars. Rewind: It’s 1998 and I am in Amsterdam for the second time. As I sit in one of the cities famed “coffee houses”, high on hash and space cake, music comes on over the speakers and I pause amid the smoky conversations around me and listen closely. Something about what I am hearing affects me deeply. It began with these deep beats that set a hypnotic groove then segued into mind-blowing wah-wah guitar riffs. And then this chocolate-syrup voice starts in, all silky smooth and warm, and it carries me on a river of sound. The album I was hearing for the first time in my stoned-out state of mind was Big Calm by the British trip-hop band Morcheeba, and from that moment on I was obsessed with their music. Morcheeba, in my mind, is Old School. Founded by guitarist Ross Godfrey, his brother producer/DJ Paul Godfrey, and singer Skye Edwards, the longevity of their sound has been blazing the pathway for mixed-genre electronic music since the mid-1990s. Over the last 25 years, the tumultuous history of Morcheeba included Edwards leaving in 2003, which led to the Godfrey brothers to utilize other singers. Eventually, everything fell apart in 2014 when Paul Godfrey left, leaving Ross Godfrey to reboot their music as Morcheeba with Edwards joining on as singer once more. With nine studio albums under their belt, including the 2018 release Blaze Away, the band continues to create incredible down-tempo grooves that ease your mind and energize your body. The current lineup of the band also includes Edwards’ husband, bassist Steve Gordon, as well as her son, drummer Jaega Mckenna-Gordon, with Dominic Pipkin taking on keyboards and electronic gadgets.
Chemistry is an interesting thing. There are those moments in time, like when you are watching some musical act on the stage, where you discover that you can’t take your eyes off the music makers before you. You are mesmerized by their presence as you can literally see the energy flowing through those before you as they produce sounds that positively affect your brain. In the case of Bay Area musicians Danny Uzilevsky and Essence Goldman, the energy you may witness between them is sizzling, palpable and truly magical. With the duo’s newest venture, Johnny & June Forever, Uzilevsky and Goldman embody the music created by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, but they do it in a way that is not about “doing covers” or even “paying tribute”, but about fully making the music their own by channeling the forces that Cash and Carter used themselves in performing songs. Goldman and Uzilevsky came together when Goldman recorded her latest album in 2018 at Uzilevsky’s studio, Allegiant Records in San Anslemo, CA. A sparking fire was ignited around shared lyrics and chords, a magnetic energy acknowledged, and the two began a magical musical journey with the first notes sung in harmony. Both Goldman and Uzilevsky are incredible songwriters in their own right, but when a few Cash/Carter songs were sung, the pair knew they hit on something great and decided to embark on bringing those old school country songs to life with their project Johnny & June Forever: The Greatest Love Story Ever Sung.
Longevity in a band is somewhat of an anomaly. So when a band finds itself in its 25th year of being a band, it’s cause for celebration. Guitarist Murf and vocalist Chris Matthews met over 30 years ago and established a strong musical connection within their friendship, and in 1993 both men created the Novato-based hard rock band Flanelhed. “I had no idea the longevity of this,” says Matthews, “At that time, I wasn’t really thinking about where we were heading. I just thought ‘this looks fun, I’m gonna do this.’ ”
The Flanelhed history in a nutshell: the band gigged, put out many albums and changed various members throughout the years, but they persevered with a lot of hard work, a continued refining of their sound, and a fine-tuning of their chops. Along with drummer Evan Frank, who returned to the band in 2008 after originally joining in 1998, and with the recent addition of bassist Jeff Cox, Flanelhed has a solid lineup that still creates the explosive sound they have become renowned for. Says Murf, “When Chris and I started writing songs together, the creative momentum started to flow and the music scene was really happening. I was motivated to keep going.” øoI grew up in the era where MTV actually played music videos, yes, its’ true! My generation was at the forefront of experiencing music in a whole new format, visually as well as auditorily. For the first time, songs were interpreted for us via the video story lines and we became familiar with the faces of the musicians that created the music. It was a wondrous time that created a new world of bringing music to your eyes that continues to this very day. With the current fluctuations of today’s music business, it’s an open playing field for anyone with talent, but that playing field is FILLED will competition, so bands and musicians need to stay on top of their game, often doing things on their own yet in their own way. SF indie-rock band Milk For The Angry (guitarist/vocalist Dana Lindström, drummer Cole Bailey, bassist Kyle Stringer and guitarist Jackson Langford) is just such a band doing things their own way, and you can see the fire under their talented tushie begin to ignite as they reach for the stars. Milk For The Angry’s premier video release just hit most formats of social media (Die MTV, DIE!) and they are killing it with that video of their newly released song, “Snake Eyes”. The men in Milk For The Angry are a rambunctious group in general, youthful and filled with energy for their psychedelic-punk music. “Snake Eyes” is a great peek into that energy as the band pounces and bounces their way through the song that speaks the story of bad things going wrong like a pit of snakes, if you will. In the DIY manner that Milk For The Angry usually relishes in, the video is all self-created. Filmed by Will Ruston around San Francisco as well as in Lindström’s studio, the band, Lindström and Ruston all helped make the video of fun romp. “Our workflow is that I come up with the ideas, take care of all the logistics, pick him (Ruston) up in the morning and be done with filming by the night,” says Lindström. “Then we go to his house and edit it together. We work well together and it’s always a lot of fun” But it’s also a ton of work, continues Lindström, “There was lots of preparation for this video, like painting all the eyes on painters drop cloth, rounding up all the lights, having to get an AC unit to combat the intense heat, ordering toy snakes (which “star” in the video) and hand painting them to cover up the original and ugly chartreuse color, digging a hole for the snake on twin peaks, and putting in (snake eye) contacts for my first time ever!” Hard work and a lot of time and energy aside, Milk For The Angry came out with a super fun video, so you better check it out for yourself! This interview with Chris Robinson first appeared as a short Q & A in the February 2019 edition of Marin Magazine. Here it is in its entirety, chocked-filled with more of the fun conversation I had with him in December of 2018.
Chris Robinson, rocker, songwriter, and front man for his bands Green Leaf Rustlers and Chris Robinson’s Brotherhood, (and formally of the Black Crowes), has finally found a home amid the soft, rolling hills of Marin County. His move here 6 years ago was prompted by a need to have change of pace and find a place better to raise his kids that wasn’t amid the chaos of Los Angeles or New York. His time here has been idyllic as well as musically prosperous, and when his tour schedule allows, he nestles into his West Marin home to find the peace he deserves. Carolyn: In my opinion, Marin is something special; Mount Tam, the open space, and the musical history all somehow seep into our souls to create a deep love for this place. What was your reason for deciding to move to this amazing place and has living in Marin changed you in any way? Chris: When I moved here a few years ago it just seemed like a good change from Los Angeles. I wanted to have the wealth of a community that I never had. I'm from Atlanta and I didn't have it there. I lived in New York, I lived in Los Angeles and I had great friends but never a community. I love having that in my life. Marin is also nicer too. Just the land itself and the vibration of the North Bay is something that I've been searching for my whole life. I’ve been lucky enough to travel around the world, but to finally be in Marin is like, “Oh wow!” I've been looking for this spot for a long time. Carolyn: What are some of your favorite Marin places to hang out in or activities you do when you're not on tour? Chris: I really like being in West Marin. I love going to the Italian restaurant in Point Reyes Station, Stellina. I like going all the way out to the lighthouse. Nick’s Cove is cool, too. I like being outdoors and hiking, and having access to all this beautiful nature is something that I really, really, really like. Fairfax is like “going to town” and if anyone needs to find me I’ll probably be at the Good Earth, like everyone else. I do love the chicken wings at the Iron Springs and if we're gonna be having a fancy night, we'll go to Sushi Ran or something in Sausalito. |
AuthorCarolyn McCoy Archives
March 2024
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