Technically summer isn’t over yet, right? So let’s kick off the week with a fun summer jam from the soulful Candi Staton. This version of “Heart on a String” is from the 2011 Americana Music Awards and features an all-star band led by the one and only Buddy Miller.
Monday Morning Video – Sam and Dave
Let’s have a soulful start of the week courtesy of R&B legends Sam and Dave.
Mayer’s Playlist for Summer 2022, Part 2
Nobody’s Coming to Get You, Fantastic Cat (from the Blue Rose Music release The Very Best of Fantastic Cat) It takes some chutzpah to call your debut album “The Best Of” but Fantastic Cat darn sure deliver the goods with their first album. The group’s four singer-songwriters, each talented in their own right, come together […]
Monday Morning Video – The Dales
I kicked off my weekend with a fine set from L.A.’s The Dales. The trio’s sound is defined by their immaculate harmonies, which were on full display at the show. The set featured songs from the group’s forthcoming Multi Trick Pony. Among the songs on the album is “Jar of Hearts”, co-written by The Dales’ […]
Monday Morning Video – Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe took advantage of an off night while touring with Elvis Costello (“Elvis has a more leisurely work ethic”, he quipped) to play a small club in Queens, New York City. Backed by the mysterious Los Straightjackets, Lowe reminded why he is a revered pop songwriter. The set list included lots of Lowe classics, […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Summer 2022
Clean Getaway, Caroline Spence (from the Rounder Records release True North) Caroline Spence looks at relationships from a myriad of perspectives on her wonderous new True North. “Blue Sky Rain” and “Clean Getaway” focus on their failure with a thoughtful clarity. “You never see it coming, only see it pass,” she sings on “Blue Sky […]
Monday Morning Video – Don Covay
The video quality may be less than stellar but the performance is spectacular. Here’s legendary R&B singer Don Covay, with Ron Wood on guitar, performing “Somebody”.
Monday Morning Video – Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan
Let’s kick off the week with two blues legends: Stevie Ray Vaughan and one of his heroes, Albert King. Here they jam on King’s classic “Born Under a Bad Sign”.
“Good Day” – a Premiere from Calling Cadence
Los Angeles-based Calling Cadence have been a pleasant earworm for my this year. The songs on their debut album are acoustic-based but with an inherent funkiness that comes from smooth organ and electric piano and plenty of bass grooves. And then there are the vocals of band leaders Oscar Bugarin and Rae Cole, each strong […]
Monday Morning Video – Jason Molina
Jason Molina left us way too young back in 2013. Nonetheless, the prolific songwriter left behind a tremendous catalog, including the brooding – and wonderful – “The Dark Don’t Hide It”. Here are two versions of Molina performing the song – one solo and one with Magnolia Electric Company.