Richard Hawley Friday 01/06/2012 Pocklington Arts Centre

Another pretty @$%&! amazing gig - fourth row this time - although the place was so small about 200 seats we were about half way back in the stalls - within two days he was playing to a crowd 100x bigger in Barcelona - nursing a broken leg

I have been listening to Richard Hawley's weekly rockabilly programme on radio 2 - he talks a lot of sense and has a good understanding of rock n roll.

G

I think his family are steeped in blues / rock - his Dad provided backing bands for the real blues legends that came over in the mid 60s - his Uncle is Frank Wright ex Dave Berry & The Cruisers and still gigging in 2012 - Verden has the tale of taking the Hammond up the stairs at Island - I'm sure I read somewhere that Richards Dad did something similar with a purple Marshall stack for one Jimi Hendrix...

Feel a bit guilty now as I haven't tuned in for the Radio shows

you can probably catch the last one on iplayer. But on previous programmes he has mentioned his dad and uncle and credited them for giving him his musical awareness.

G

Gludgie,

I was listening to Richard Hawley a few weeks ago on the radio, he is a real musician who blow me away with his knowledge. You have certainly put me on to him.

Had a great Sunday afternoon at the Caravan Music Club in Oakleigh, Melbourne, watching Vika & Linda live. I used to see them a lot years ago in Melbourne and Sydney but today was the first time I have seen them for a while. Great voices, great show and really nice girls to talk to.

Vika and Linda are two half-Australian, half-Tongan sisters and they have been members of or backing singers for artists such as The Black Sorrows, Paul Kelly, The John Butler Trio and many others as well as being solo artists in their own right. They mix rhythm and blues with gospel and it is through watching them that I became aware of The Staples Singers, Mahalia Jackson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe amongst others. I am not a religious person but I love gospel music

The attached is an old clip of theirs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz2-m3AM ... el&list=UL

Two of their classic songs are the self-written 'Grandpa's Song' and 'If I Could Start Today Again' - a song that Paul Kelly wrote especially for Vika.

And another great Vika & Linda song which I meant to add, performed at the MCG in 1998.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE3Y11SSIpk

Chuck Prophet may have won over some new fans when he played at the Haight Street Festival yesterday, but I'm not one of them.

I've heard raves about Prophet and aware a lot of people like him. There are other artist I would rather spend my time following. The problem with Prophet is that he is not that original at all. He has a great band and they are the cream of the crop. Prophet isn't that original. Too often I felt like I was watching a tribute bar band recreate to early Allman Brother guitar jams on Live at Fillmore East. The other issue I had with Prophet was when he did a song that was a complete ripoff of the Velvet Unground's, White Light, White Heat. I believe he changed the chorus to Bright Light, Big city and stayed true to the VU original arrangement. The rest of the time I found his music uninspired. A lot of people enjoyed his set and had a great time. I kept checking my watch hoping his set would end.

The Nerve ... local punk band. Nice to see a band that is angry and express the target of their anger.

The Tubes ... okay for an open street fair. Set watered down so it wouldn't offend too many people. The place to see The Tubes let it rip are the Brookdale Lodge shows.

Saw the Scorpions on Saturday at Shoreline. Gotta love the Scorps. Great show, good visuals, and fun. Always great to hear and sing along with 20,000 other fans on Winds of Change. Had so much fun I decided to head out to Las Vegas and see them on the 20th again.

It's "White Night, Big City" (about the riots post Dan White's acquittal for murder). Can't see how something as sometime languid as Prophet's song, with what sounds like a time change or two in its midst, is a "complete ripoff" of one of the VU's finest exploits of straightahead amphetamine-driven proto-punk. I'd suggest that Prophet's song is closer (and possibly deliberately so) to Jimmy Reed's "Bright Lights, Big City" for a start. Unless you're referring to the simple repetetive piano line occasionally heard, which could just as easily be a "ripoff" of I Wanna Be Your Dog or All The Way From Memphis or at least half of Little Richard's or Jerry Lee Lewis' early output...

Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express - Saturday @ the Novato Art & Music Frestival. Once I noticed CP was playing only a short 35-minute set at the Haight Ashbury Street Fair, I decided to blow that off in favor of a single complete set in Marin County. And I'm glad I did. Chuck and the band kicked ass for almost two hours - churning out amazing renditions of many of his finest songs.

Winning over fans was not a problem in Novato, as it seemed everyone knew the songs and sang along to every one of them. He's one of the great songwriters of his generation - a true original. That's why others seek out his expertise. If you're familiar with his material, you already know this. A great California afternoon was had by all.



Really? Obviously you weren't paying attention or your ears were still screwed up from the crap you listened to on Saturday night.

Jelly,

I do not mind hearing musical influences regardless of who it is. What I didn't appreciate about Prophet was his ripping off White Light, White Heat and then the Duane and Dicky clone solo didn't make it any better for me. Prophet has a great band but they didn't ignite my interest.

Andy,

What makes shows so good in Marinated County is that serious audiences who know their music make shows really good. Prophet has a fan base that love his music, but I'm not one of his fans. And his ripping off the Velvet Underground and not try to cover his tracks didn't impress me.

And whats the matter with Kraut Rock? Must be because Winds of Change doesn't praise that tripple B grade actor who tries to take credit for bringing down the Berlin Wall.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and speak for somebody else, but I think both Andy and I are trying to work out how "White Night, Big City" is a "complete rip-off" of "White Light, White Heat".
Specifics would be nice. Pretty please.

As soon as he began playing White Night Big City my gut went ... oh this sounds like White Light White Heat. and when I heard the chorus I just cringed and thought ... ripoff! I went with my gut at the time I heard it. A tempo change doesn't mask the influence. I just didn't hear much of a distinction between the two songs.

http://s90.photobucket.com/albums/k274/ ... =slideshow

Here is my photobucket of the 2012 HSF.

The only thing those two songs have in common is the word white in their titles. Nothing else - not the tempo, lyrics, chorus or subject matter. If you choose to hear something that's not there, that's your issue. You're welcome to your opinion of CP, he's not everyone's cup of tea, but to say he ripped off the VU is just a display of musical ignorance. CP's new album Temple Beautiful is one of the best rock and roll pieces ever written about San Francisco. Unfortunately it does take a true native to pick out all the references to The City. If you like I can help you with that. Then you can help me with your native Bon Jovi. Not!

As usual, nice photos Kevin.