Jonny Be Good! Jonny Lang Be Great!
Quintessential Jonny Lang
It was cold, gray and a little windy, but at least it didn’t rain! Chesapeake Blues Festival rocked the shores of Sandy Point Park Sunday; oh wait! That was all thanks to Shemekia Copeland and headliner, Jonny Lang, www.jonnylang.com
I’d like to thank Shemekia for her boisterous performance, 30 years young and sounding like an old school pro… I also wanna thank her for the wonderful lyrical content of her songs; “I ain’t gonna drink your dirty water now more, you can serve fiery water from a golden tongue. Ouch! Or “Why would you bring a new love around so soon, why rub salt in my wounds?” Sing it sister! You’re a ghetto child, no doubt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDjT4sk-Fd0&feature=related). She sang this with no mic, and could still be heard from at least 30 yards back!
Too bad she wasn’t given more time, replacing the whack “Blood Sweat 7 Tears.” The sad excuse for a jam blue band. Basically a watered down variation of Blue Traveler. For some reason they kept doing Neil Diamond-style ballads. I thought I was at a blues concert, not in Caesar’s Palace in Vegas.
Shemekia Copeland
Thank goodness I had something to look forward to, Jonny “too hot to handle” Lang. No introduction, just straight into his set, kicking off with a medley of “On The Otherside Of The Fence,” “Don’t Stop for Anything” off his most recent album “Turn Around (2006)”and “Get What You Give” off his 2003 release “Red Light.”
Looking much older than the last time I saw him live at Tampa Theater, more filled out like man (but still lean), unlike the scrawny Jonny of five years ago… But still has that distinct soulful voice born to a kid who was Grammy-nominated by age 15! I mean, he’s only around 28 now; been in the game for a minute …
Seriously, how does he sound so pained and aching?
Leaving To Stay
Jonny makes a rather seamless transition from “Red Light” to a Bob Marley’s “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” making me think I must have heard this rendition before. He shreds like no other on “Anything Is Possible,” with such intensity without loosing himself, although I’m convinced when he goes into this other state, he’s possessed by that guitar.
Mostly blending one song into another, not much talk, except to graciously thank his fans who stayed out in the cold (till dark) of mid-May (?) to see him.
A moving “Leaving To Stay,” that made me wanna float away, “I’ve heard a lot of stories, but my prayers have been ignored … I’ve been waiting in the wings between the ocean and the shore, but this time I’m leaving to stay…” - beautiful.
Eventhough he did an encore, it wasn’t enough… 90 minutes just the beginning when someone so talented is leading a band of funky, bluesy-ness.
Jonny B Oh So Good!
Till next time Jonny, come and get me if it’s the last thing you do.
crowd, bundled and ready and waiting for Jonny... Bay Bridge backdrop
Can’t beat that scenery, if only the sun could have cracked the sky.
Clear winner@ Battle of the Bands
The Method rocked out at Contential, and it was clear within the first few licks of the band’s set they should open for Blues Traveler at the 2009 Celebrate Fairfax, June 6. And, so they will! Thanks to the voters who put in their two cents … They were the most likely candidate with a tight band sound that made you want to bob your head, kinda wish you knew the words to the songs, and maybe, even dance, groove… Honestly for a first listen (I have no previous knowledge of any of the battle bands), when Method’s set ended, I wanted to hear more … Too bad for the others, good luck guys. www.themethodmusic.com
The mp3s on the site don’t seem to resonate with my memory of the show, hmm? These must be new songs.
Say it ain’t so, Opie is a playa!
Just caught wind of the “Blame It” video by Jaime Foxx and was stunned to see Mr. Ron Howard, at the tender age of 55, masquerading as a playa in the entourage of Foxx, waltzing into a nightclub, dimmed with red lighting… Yes, Ronnie Howard, aka., Opie, Richie Cunningham of “Happy Days,” was having a happy night up in the club! I rubbed my eyes a few times, blinked, but I wasn’t dreaming, Ron was still there, throwing up his glass of Cristal in the company of none other than Jake Gyllenhaal, Quincey Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. I mean, that’s who you’d expect to be hanging out into the wee hours of the night, right?
This was indeed an odd gathering of friends out partying with the ladies, dancing and winking into the camera while Foxx and T-Pain sang about blaming clubbing behavior on the alcohol!
So who will Mr. Howard blame it on? I guess it’s never too late to be a playa… If you didn’t know, now you know… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mRhMIzyhRE
Sexy new release from Maxwell … Yes, yes, yes!
I’m over joyed and extremely excited to hear new music from Maxwell this morning while driving to work. Mister Sexy man himself is gracing the airwaves with his delicious voice! It’s been too long since the fortunate one has been out of the music since, fading away after such success with his last work, “Now.”
Where has his been exactly? Not sure, but can’t wait to hear the rest of the forth-coming album “Black Summer’s Night.” Having seen this beautiful specimen on stage at Hard Rock Live – Orlando and most recently on his last tour stop in Richmond, Va., I can attest that “Black Summer’s Night” will be more like a “Midnight Summer’s Dream,” from which I will not want to awake. Check it out! http://www.musze.com/
Kings of Leon were smokin’
If you wanted small talk or musical antidotes from KOL during Friday night’s show at the GMU – Patriot Center, you were outta luck… These Kings weren’t boasting about their meteoric rise to fame, but rather kept their heads down and pounded out a 100-minute set that had their fans on their feet throughout.
That Caleb Followill (could he be anymore sexy?), what a voice! More intoxicating live than through my iPod earbuds … Caleb vocals bellow over top heavy electric guitar rifts, numbing bass lines, sounding haunting, wrenching and endearing all at once. Something about his tone, just stays with you … makes you wonder how does he feel after releasing such intense melodies?
Matthew Followill’s lingering end to KOL’s “Cold Desert,” evoked Prince’s ”Purple Rain,” solo; odd, I know, but true… Any essence of pop is extinguished and flat out trampled on when the band of brother’s (Nashville-natives) soulful, Southern rock influences shine through when they barrelled through a set from their earlier albums of which are more dark and brooding than “Only By The Night.” Of course, the band’s stand-out tracks from that album, “Sex on Fire” and “Closer,” drew lengthy cheers and singing-a-longs from the audience.
Returning for a 30-minute encore, if you could call it that. Really, it was the second set after a 5-minute break, but who’s counting? KOL was steaming and loose, so they let it all hang out for a bit, launching a spiraling series of songs that thrashed with hypnotic, trance like splendor. The amazing technicolor light show, definitely played a part in creating that wonderland.
The witching hour arrived and KOL retired from the stage as unassuming upon which they arrived; single file into the dark.
Hello All!
This is my first offical entry to my blog, Music2MyEarz. After much prodding from outside sources, I’ve decided to launch a blog about my musings on music; live or otherwise recorded – thus fulfilling my person goal of bringing more music into my life and sharing it with the world.
Stay tuned – Mary**
Maxwell’s “Blacksummernight;” is a midsummer night’s dream
July 20, 2009 at 1:32 am (albums, artist, commentary, reviews) (blacksummernight, Maxwell, music, new album, pretty wings)
I have to admit at first listen I was skeptical. Me, a true Maxwell fan; who still has hopes of marrying him, or someone like him … I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the album since it was so different than “Now,” which I’ve been playing for years. But different is always good, because that means I haven’t heard the sounds he is jamming with, and I needed to retrain me ear to the tune of him. There’s more rawness, a more unfinished sound through out the album, with the exception of the first single “Pretty Wings.”
The smooth soulfulness of Maxwell’s voice is just oh so satisfying… You believe him on “Love You,” when he belts, “Let me be anything you want me to be; Honey let me show you; let me love you now.”
Please do!
Take “World Stops,” one of my favorites… Maxwell’s falsetto floats above the jazzy bass and simple guitar melody. He’s careful not to overpower his words. You hear very clearly those Maxwell harmonies, giving off a tripling effect with his voice. He does the same on “Bad Habits.” Hmmm, what kinda bad habits you got Max?
Break us off a little sumthin sumthin …
Maxwell goes through many emotions, bouncing between his throaty voice and falsetto. So expertly done on several tracks; reminiscent of how he sang on the “Now” album. I want to repeat “World Stops” so I can really feel what he feels and believe in what he believes; the thought that when you’re with the one you love you can stop the world from spinning. Sounds a little Beatles-esque, I mean, all you need is love, right?
He keeps the uptempo feel, grooving with more prominent instrumentation that reminds me of the first time I saw Maxwell on stage at HardRock Live, Orlando… He only slows down long enough to let his love go on “Pretty Wings.”
If you can catch him live, do it. You won’t be disappointed! But if not, the album will suffice.
http://www.myspace.com/maxwell
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