[contextly_auto_sidebar id="mbl7Kvnu4O02Y4xkk8gCu7d8lD7hlfYk"] THERE'S been a lot of talk about Mr. Wonder lately, largely because of the recent concerts. It reminds me of what may be my favorite Stevie song, from a record my parents had when I was a kid and which I pretty much wore out. Cool that he is tipping his hat to another piano player. I've only seen Stevie play once, at the 80th … [Read more...]
Bettye LaVette on the Holidays
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="J8WVzCkdtyD5fR74qCUxJ2DbI1pZxyrk"] I CAUGHT the soul singer in a playful mood the other day when I called to talk to her about a tradition she took seriously. LaVette chose to talk about her zealotry for celebrating Christmas and other holidays. She went off on a number of tangents, and covered the whole emotional range we associate with the blues. Here's part of … [Read more...]
The Soul of Bettye LaVette
HERE at The Misread City, we’re longtime fans of the LA-based biographer and ghostwriter David Ritz. Many of you know his work – his definitive biography of Marvin Gaye, Divided Soul, and his "collaborative autobiographies" of Ray Charles, Jerry Wexler, Cornel West, and many others. He’s among the most productive and genuinely soulful people we know. (Ritz is, among other things, a former student … [Read more...]
Conference for Aspiring Musicians
NEXT week ASCAP will hold a conference dedicated to beginning and mid-career musicians and songwriters: The I Create Music Expo, held at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel, will school them in the business side of things and in staying afloat during a very tough time in the industry. It's an especially tough time for aesthetes and introverts: The current climate requires a strong degree of … [Read more...]
Billy Bragg and Mavis Staples at UCLA
FRIDAY night at Royce Hall saw an unlikely double bill, with British folk-punk hero Billy Bragg playing a full set mixing politics and pop before soul goddess Mavis Staples, who channels the spirit of the black church and the civil rights movement.This incongruous pairing ended up being a blast, though the two may have more in common politically than musically. (Both artists have also, of, course, … [Read more...]
Otis Redding Live on the Sunset Strip
Perhaps the most exciting development in West Coast culture this week is the release of one of the greatest R&B records I have ever heard – Otis Redding Live on the Sunset Strip. It should be equally appealing even to people who know classics like Redding’s Live in Europe and other, shorter recordings of these April 1966 dates at the Whisky a Go Go.Peter Guralnick, in his masterly Sweet Soul … [Read more...]