Paddy Moloney, 1938-2021: R.I.P.

Paddy Moloney, the Uillean Piper and leader of the Irish roots band The Chieftains, has passed on at age 83.
A funny anecdote - - when my son was an infant, I used to play Mike Oldfield records all the time on the stereo. Two of them featured Uillean Pipe solos by Moloney. When the sound of the pipes began, my son would screw his face up and scream. Don't know why.

I've Never Karaoked...

...but a band at a local venue is asking for volunteers to sing Tom Waits songs, and I'm tempted to give it a try. My problem is that I don't have the necessary years of cigarettes and bourbon required to pull off Waits's gravelly shouting without my being reduced to a coughing fit. I even know what song I'd choose, and for a little bit of showmanship I'd take a swig from a hip flask before starting to sing. Here's what I'd choose:



Lyrics:

Anywhere I Lay My Head (Waits)

My head is spinning round, my heart is in my shoes, yeah
I went and set the Thames on fire, oh, now I must come back down
She's laughing in her sleeve boys, I can feel it in my bones
Oh, but anywhere I'm gonna lay my head, I'm gonna call my home

Well I see that the world is upside-down
Seems that my pockets were filled up with gold
And now the clouds, well they've covered over
And the wind is blowing cold
Well I don't need anybody, because I learned, I learned to be alone
Well I said anywhere, anywhere, anywhere I lay my head, boys
Well I gonna call my home

Tift

Folk/Americana singer Tift Merritt was born in Houston, Texas, but was raised in Raleigh, NC. She's multi-talented - - writes songs, sings them, plays guitar, electric guitar, and keyboards. She's sexy and cute, rather than sexy and beautiful, if you can discern the difference, with a breathy voice and a feminine vulnerability that is endearing. She spent a bunch of years living in NYC, until she became pregnant with a daughter; after the birth she returned to NC, desiring to raise the little girl in a more relaxed atmosphere. Currently Tift is a single mom, raising the little girl by herself and taking her along to the occasional live music gigs - - Tift's touring schedule has been curtailed by motherhood, to a large degree.

Here's a few of my favorite Tift Merritt songs. We'll lead off with a paean to a mill town that died when a highway bypassed it:



Next, "All the Reasons We Don't Have To Fight." A bittersweet relationship song.



Next, the very first Tift Merritt song I ever heard, and instantly fell in love with: Trouble Over Me, from her breakthrough album Bramble Rose:

Here's one from 2017, Heartache Is An Uphill Climb, filmed in Wilson, NC, during a parade, Tift seemingly frightened by the climbing of the water tower - - I'd have been scared shitless, myself:



Tift also has a fondness for Motown-style soul, shown here in Good Hearted Man:



Finally, Tift doing her trademark song Bramble Rose, her sweet vulnerability on full display as she sings the song solo. The guitar, a Martin parlor guitar - - OOO-series, I'd guess - - is capoed up to sound almost like a mandolin. Tift has said that this song is a favorite with Eagles member Don Henley, who has played it in concert.

Mel Tillis, 1932-2017: R.I.P.

Mel Tillis, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and a Florida native, has died at age 85.

Tillis was born in Pahokee, Florida, near Lake Okeechobee.

His best years were the 1970's. He was a stammerer, which he worked into his road show - - his musicians would helpfully finish his sentences and he would yell "Shut up!" Like many individuals with stammers, it would vanish when he sang. It also vanished if he had memorized his lines, as in a film cameo he did in the Burt Reynolds film W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings, where he played a gas station attendant.

The second concert I ever went to was a Mel Tillis concert with my father at the old Alligator Alley basketball arena at the University of Florida.

Here's one of his early 1970's hits:

Malcolm Young, 1953-2017: R.I.P.

The rhythm guitarist for AC/DC has died after a years-long battle with dementia. Here's the family statement that was published on Facebook:

It is with deepest sorrow that we inform you of the death of Malcolm Young, beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother. Malcolm had been suffering from Dementia for several years and passed away peacefully with his family by his bedside.

Renowned for his musical prowess Malcolm was a songwriter, guitarist, performer, producer and visionary who inspired many. From the outset, he knew what he wanted to achieve and, along with his younger brother, took to the world stage giving their all at every show. Nothing less would do for their fans.

Malcolm is survived by his loving wife O'Linda, children Cara and Ross, son-in-law Josh, three grandchildren, sister and brother. While thanking all for their overwhelming support and heartfelt condolences, the family ask that you respect their privacy during this time of heartbreak and grief.

For those wishing to send messages to the family please visit the Sydney Morning Herald Malcolm Young Memorial website which will be available next week.

The family have asked instead of flowers to send donations to The Salvation Army.

Don Williams, 1939 - 2017: R.I.P.

One of country music's greatest vocalists, with integrity as deep as the ocean, has passed away after a brief illness.

He was my ex-wife's single favorite artist, and she played his LP's incessantly while we were married. I liked him myself.

Here's probably his greatest song, as close to a universal prayer as has been ever written:



Thanks for all the great music, Don.

Music Recommendation: Outlaw Ritual

Found via this article from The Truth About Knives. Bass player Olivia Garriga makes apprentice-quality hand-forged knives. Guitarist/one-man-band Mat Hagar has a street preacher's voice similar to that of William Elliott Whitmore. Together they form Outlaw Ritual, currently based out of Knoxville, TN.

Here's a few videos:







Here's a pic of one of Olivia Garriga's handforged knives, available for sale at the Outlaw Ritual website:

I'd be strongly inclined to buy that knife myself if I had the available funds.

Gregg Allman, 1947-2017: R.I.P.

Story.

The hard-partying rocker very nearly made the Biblical three score and ten years.

Thanks for all the great music. Hope Duane's waiting at the gate for you when you arrive.

Must Be Nice To Have Enough Money To Alienate Half Your Audience

Todd Rundgren becomes the first rock star or celebrity (that I am aware of) who has now publicly stated that Trump supporters are not welcome at his shows.

4Chan will see this as a challenge, of course.

Tift Merritt

Part 6 of my series on female vocalists features my beloved Tift Merritt. I've featured her here before, but it never hurts to get her more exposure. She's a military brat and a NC native, although I believe she lives in NYC now. She's incredibly talented, being a great songwriter, singer, guitarist and keyboard player. She has a feminine vulnerability that the other women I've linked don't. She does a lot of soul/Motown-influenced pieces.

Beth Orton

Part Four of a series of posts on female vocalists more people should be aware of. Here's Beth Orton, the only UK vocalist among this group:

Kathleen Edwards

Part 3 of a series of posts featuring female vocalists I think more people should be aware of. Here's Kathleen Edwards:

Neko Case

Part 2 of a series on women singers. Here's Neko Case, who has the best set of pipes among the women I'll be linking:







Has that honky-tonk Patsy Cline vibe really working, huh?

Eilen Jewell

Here with the first in a series of posts of favorite female vocalists. These are women that don't get much radio airplay on broadcast radio, but probably do pretty well on the satellite channels. I'd be willing to bet most of you haven't heard of them before.

First up is Eilen Jewell. She has some great drawling vocals, smart songs, and a great band behind her, especially her guitarist, who is playing a Gretsch Eddie Cochrane guitar in these videos:









Hope you enjoy it!

Guy Clark, 1941-2016: R.I.P.

This cursed year in which all our best music artists die claims another legend:

NASHVILLE — Guy Charles Clark, the gravel-voiced troubadour who crafted a vast catalog of emotionally charged, intricately detailed works that illuminated and expanded the literary possibilities of popular song, died in Nashville on Tuesday morning after a long illness.

Clark, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer, had been in declining health for years, including a lengthy cancer battle. He was 74 years old, and the author of 13 compelling studio albums.

Clark lived in Nashville but wasn't really a country artist per se, he dwelt in that land that isn't quite rock, isn't quite country, isn't quite folk, that has become known as alt-country or Americana music. Quirky stuff; here's a sampling:





And a concert favorite, "Randall Knife," about a knife owned by his father which, at this moment, probably is still on his home workbench, momentarily forgotten:

He had a workbench because he was a working man in addition to being a working musician; he was a skilled luthier, and made his own guitars.

Let's hope he's greeting his father in Heaven right now, and giving a hug to his old friend Townes Van Zandt, who proceeded him by a dozen years.

Musical Interlude.

Melody Gardot.

Basically she's lived two lives, one previous to and one after being struck by a car while bicycling. The accident left her traumatized both physically and mentally, but she's been able to overcome it through music. She's a good 'un:

Johnny Cash Would Have Been 84 Today.

Here's John from the end of his career, a heart-rending song from the Grammy Award-winning album Unchained:

He's From North Florida, But He Ain't No Redneck

"Tom Petty regrets promoting Confederate flag."

Proudly waving his freak flag, instead.

C'mon, Tom. You don't have to live like a retardee.

Film Composer James Horner Dead In Plane Crash?

Looks like it.

Classical music abandoned the public long ago, even before the end of the 19th century, going off in various strange directions that the public wasn't willing to follow. With the advent of moving pictures and especially the beginning of "talking" films with dialog, musical soundtracks became an important component of the industry, and film composers supplied the beautiful melodies that the public had been missing.

Horner is (was?) a prolific composer, with over 100 film scores to his credit, and a bunch of awards, also, including two Oscars.

Probably my favorite work of his was Braveheart.

Jean Ritchie, 1923-2015: R.I.P.

She helped keep the tradition of the Appalachian Dulcimer alive, and was a wonderful preserver of old folksongs.



I acquired a dulcimer in my senior year of high school - - 1980 - - and there were very few books on the instrument back then, among them was Jean Ritchie's, which I think I still have in my library somewhere. Haven't touched the dulcimer in years, it sits in its case atop my dresser, made by Dorsey Williams of Jefferson City, Tennessee.