The latest Podrophenia is up for download and features the twin team-up of harmonica legend West Weston (who's played with Wilko Johnson, Roger Daltry and Muddy Water's son Mud Morganfield) - and friend of Hendrix, Doug Kaye.
Both West and Doug bring in some faves to play from their impeccable record collections. All here for your listening ears...
The Podrophenia David Woodcock Debut Album Special is now up for download, and yours to fill up on for free.
What a peach of a treat we had as Dave joined us live in the studio for salty stories (fish and chip horrors) and nimbly-fingered spectacular tracks from the album, as well as playing some listener requests..
And joy of joys - Ma Woodcock joined us by phone for tech advice, and to choose her fave Dave W tune.
All this and a pop up appearance from Mark Vidler of Go Home Productions.
Saturday from 7, it's likely to be an unscripted playlist of big 'n' beaty bouncers winging in everything from garage to glam, big beat to beatleg remixes to glam stompers and stampers
Sunday from 4, the award winning Martin McNeill is back for is every third Sunday, I'll be parked up at the bar rooting through blues, funks and soul - but trying to work in some never-before-played tunes...like..
So, here we are - twelve months on from this and a run of extra miles clonked on the biological clock.
Instead of a mix of the years top tunes we've run out previously- this year, I'm submitting for your listening ears - the Podrophenia Annual 2012.
It's a best of year edition where Piley, the Podrophonic Listening Squad and myself - pick 'n' mix our favourite albums, singles, books, gigs and events of the last year.. With Podrophonic salutes and shouts going out to TV Smith, Thee Faction, Eight Rounds Rapid,Hello Phones, Zoë Howe and Syd Moore with Best Single and Best Album nods going to Blow Up records - but what for?
Out in Finland last month, sharing a bill with Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter and playing to crowds of around four thousand - Steve 'West' Weston scales down his hooting 'n' tooting this weekend as he brings his blues-blasting band The Bluesonics to The Railway on Sunday from 4:30
Buzz yourself to the bottom of this post and you'll catch Steve as the harp player of choice for Mud Morganfield/Muddy Waters Jr (Muddy's eldest son). A platinum plated endorsement in anyone's Book of The Blues.
But, harmonica aside Steve's also a boogie woogie piano man and a dab-hand on the Hammond. At the last couple of Sunday Session's we've managed to catch a natter exchanging Hammond faves Booker T (me), Henry Cain (Steve).
So buckle up as, today's preview tunes for this Sunday's playlist come to you hand-picked by Steve 'West' Weston..
Whoops - we've had some technical grumbles with last week's Podrophenia Poolcast (based around this poster) and featuring a live session from Dave Woodcock. So refreshed, retweaked and re-upped, fill your flippers with...
Aye Carumba amigos - how about this for a for two-fisted find - not uno, but dos Spencer Davies ditties given a hot tropical going over by way of this collection of samba stompers and shakers.
Picking up from Tuesday's funky run-out, today, I'm pitching in a 22 track, 70 minute mix whisking together all shades of soul, funk and groovy doings. Heavy-handed Hammond,
New Orleans grinders, mod stompers, Jamaican moogie-woogie and Latin flavoured
wig-outs. Mostly fitted around the letter 'F' wrapping up with two fast and furious and finishers. And a first in this neck of the blogs - funky country. Literally!
Dial in below to fill your fruity boots....
Dial F for Funky
Or to back track and catch up Tuesday's Radio Podrophenia (the letter F) dig in here..
Back in Feb, I had a nip along to catch The Bongolian and Big Boss Man live over Highbury way. A full tilt, roof-raiser of a gig, with groovy doings so hot, hard and heavy it was near impossible to leave. Having had The Bongolian's new album Bongo's for Beatniks doing the loop for the last week or so, I can see entirely why I missed the midnight train to Chalkwell.
Blasting off with front end so fast, furious and high firing that it speeds from the speakers like a greyhound out of a trap, literally not missing breath or beat between the first two tunes and scene-setting for an almost unrelenting racy pace. Clattering carnival percussion and New Avengers bass lines bounce about under a bubbling spectrum of the thickest synth sounds. A pulsing patch-panel of oscillation and phase that seems to have been grabbed and grafted from the Starsky and Hutch titles or the same sound gallery visited by Billy Preston, Jean-Jacques Perrey and the BBC Radiophonic workshop.
Taking a comfort break away from the swish-hipped fruggery, The Bongolian's Dream and The Ballad of Lily Kensington are The Persuaders holidaying on the riveria with Harry Palmer.While the Quinn Martin epilogue that is Tortoise Walk is a Scaramanga anthem engineered for the scale of a Pinewood sound stage. A stomping finale so fruity and fat-backed it's almost 3D.
But here's the clincher: the beats are so bulked up, the tempo so hot-wired and the full-fat frug-outs so hot footed, our two tots - who now listen almost exclusively to Tinchy Striker, Tiny Tempest and the ear-grinding, electro-swirl that is Dubstomp or somesuch - actually ask for this album by name.
From The Bongolian's collection of synth grooves for speed freaks - distilling it down to a single track is a tough call, but one that's a thumbnail summary of all Bongo's For Beatnicks dragster boogaloo is about is ....
Whipping along with the speed of a seafront breeze, Southend's David Woodcock maintains the sort of sprightly, high-firing work rate you rarely find amongst contemporary singer/songwriters. One minty new tune gets posted on Soundcloud every week for free download. Aside from the weekly freebies, live-wise he's a consistent performer - slotting in solo shows, pitching up with his signature tinkles, tickles and vocals ad-hoc at local shindigs or as the keyboard component of Southend legends The Seasiders.
Yet, on top of this bookings-busting schedule David has still found time to write and release a new album Splinters – rendered and recorded in his bathroom and the local pub (The Railway). It's a self-assembled construction, built around a rolling repertory of duets, team-ups and co-writes, pulling in players and contributors from Southend's bubbling and buoyant music scene: Dave Dulake, Fi Jacobs and Kelly Buckley (supplying lead vocals on Gentlemen To Lech}
Splinters songbook of choppy time changes, melancholy sketches and uptempo tear-ups has the loose-limbed vibe of a late-hours lock in. Something like eavesdropping on an end of evening session (with pint mugs on the piano) - while Ronnie Lane, Jarvis Cocker and Graham Coxon go heads together on boozy, crowd rousing choruses of heartbreak and hometowns. All clicked and captured with a Ray Davies take on everyday detail - topped off with the production touch of a new wave knees up.
If you're in town this weekend - get yourself to Denmark St to catch Dave in action with The Seasiders at their first Blow Up show...
Well boys, girls bloggers and blogettes we're away for a week and bit. Rolling round the Cotswolds and revisiting sunny Stow and its surrounding areas. Already I'm mentally stretching out at the very thought of doing a smart right into Burford 'Gateway to the Cotswolds' and leaving all the usual fuss and faffery over the hills far way.
Although, one event that could have kept me anchored back in Southend happens this coming Sunday, when, local keyboard whiz kid and compositional pixie David Woodcock unwraps his third album Splinters at The Railway Hotel..
Splinters will be showcased with an afternoon of live music where Dave will be joined by the album's collaborators for live run throughs of his 15 newly minted tunes. I'm unable to get Splinters in my mitts until we're back, but both of Dave's previous outings Homemade and kitchen Sink will be packed in the holiday napsack.
So while we're away from home and way out west - I'll leave you with you a song about our home town - a sort of Blur, Kinks and Madness stomper framed around an actual Southend street.
And yes all David Woodcock songs really are this good..
Perhaps it was Chas Hodges honky-tonking roof-raiser at The Railway a couple of weeks back, but I've been on something of a buzz for Jump Blues and Boogie doings lately. Louis Jordan, Sunnyland Slim and Frank "Sugar Chile" Robinson have all been beating eight to the bar round at our juke joint..
One tune never that fails to put some zip in your zoot suit or a tap in your spats comes from our old chum Smiley Lewis, writer of One Night (raunch version) and name-checked on the first podcast from Piley and I. (See if you can spot the lyrical connection with Tuesday's Eno post)
Questions starting 'where were you when'? for me anyway, are usually answered 'in bed actually'. I'd just woken up when mum broke the news of John Lennon's murder. A very grim start to the usual school shuffle and shunt. Even 'Hairy Cornflake' DLT had the good sense to drop the wackery for one morning, and the Not Not the Nine O'Clock News tribute of a non-comedy ending: fade to black and In My Life soundtracking the credits was pitch perfect.
Say what you like about his Legend - and we have done here - but if Lennon's Jukebox is any sort of indicator of his record collection, it appears to sort of haul that would get the knowing nods from music snobs and pop purists alike. This portable jukebox (a Swiss KB Discomatic) was originally loaded with 40 of Lennon's favourite singles for taking on tour with The Beatles and later updated with newer tunes. Peeping at the playlist (with track titles scribbled in Lennon's hand writing) of mod, soul, Motown, pop and rock n roll - all the inspirations, influences and building blocks of The Beatles fall into place.
Click to zoom in for full details
Rhythm, riffs and top line melody seem to be the unifying themes, which makes sense given Lennon's role as the Fab's rhythm guitarist and vocalist. Like many writers in rock's aristocracy (Bowie, Dylan, Macca, Roger waters, Keef) Lennon was a non-virtuoso. Musically he plays a mid-field position where the shape of the song is more important than the solos.
How do you rate yourself as a guitarist? Well, it depends on what kind of guitarist. I'm okay; I'm not technically good, but I can make it fucking howl and move. I was rhythm guitarist. It's an important job. I can make a band drive. Rolling Stone interview 1971
But, getting back to the jukebox, most of the Lennon's hand-picked singles were collected and compiled for a (deleted now, and selling for silly money prices) double CD in 2004 and the subject of a South Bank Show special. Scanning the panel above reveals a tune or two missed from the CD: one being a new-to-me Booker T stomper, which isn't a million miles from this Lennon riff
Stepping Out appears on the CD as Paul Revere, but my guess would be given the JM and C scribbled notes, that it's the John Mayall and Clapton tear up (available here)as Clapton's thick fuggy Beano tone also seems to be the source for Lennon's guitar sound on Abbey Road
So tomorrow I will be tipping my hat and a raising a glass to the memory of John Winston Ono Lennon, who thirty years on from his tragic and senseless death is still tuning me into new music. And as a footnote, looking at the tracklist of 'bankers' on the CD, I'll bet he would have made a rocking DJ ..
From The South Bank Show: Bobby Parker's Watch Your Step, with Lennon expanding on how The Fabs recycled the song for several Beatles bits.
PS - if you've got half a mill' to spare why not punt in a bid on Mark Chapman's Lennon signed copy of Double Fantasy. Hopefully though Yoko will bag it, and keep the bloody thing out of the public domain once and for all
Un grand merci is due to Will from the wonderful World of Kane for pitching this sprightly slice of French library music onto my wavelength. Two minutes of high-kicking, fast-fizzing riffing, perfect for some sort of explosive show-opener coreographed for that lot atop the page - or someone who lives in a house like this..
Jack Arel is one of France's most prolific library composers, with pieces occasionally making UK TV screens soundtracking The Sweeney and The Prisoner. On the 27th of this month, a double CD set of Arel originals and remixes finally ships to these shores, having been released in France last year - you can test de goût a few and read his full history at the Jack Arel Myspace site
For more sons français, you really must get your mitts on Blow Up's Exclusive Blend Volume 3. A rue-rocking comp of hits, highlights and secoueur de jambe trawled from the vaults of France's Telemusic library, that includes this free-wheeling pépite from Bernard Estardy.
Well that's almost it from me for this decade..Happy Christmas, Feliz Navidad and Mele Kaliki Maka to everyone who's chipped in with contributions, comments, recommendations or link ups. And a discreet nod to those stealthy footed silent types who read but never write..
I say almost, as I'll be back on the 31st. Having been asked to do the tunes for a New Year's shinding, I've rattled up a roll call of 'bangers', 'bankers' and rootin' tootin' tunes - running to a total four CDs worth. Tune in New Year's Eve and you can grab the full set for a limited period only...
So that'll be me blogging off, logging off and leaving you with two tunes used in the last poddy - The Ventures (soundtracked our cracker test) and Big Tiny Little (the piano madness used to close the 'cast). So until then, have yourselves a swinging little Christmas playmates and go easy on the scoops and stodge.. Big Tiny Little - Tiny's Christmas Medley
If you haven't checked it out yet, you must get your snow-boots over to Fades In Slowly, where Adam has created a 'bloggers of the world unite' selection box in the style of Peely's festive 50 with between tune links from St John of Peel...
The spirit of the season and a Christmas tingle finally took hold over the weekend. Fired by a medley of : the New York Dolls tinsel, glam and glitter at Friday's gig - how loud? Choco Girl popping by with homemade cards and crocheted tree trims. Piley, Coops and Marmite dropping round to record the Christmas podcast. A trip to my favourite pub decked out in festive finery and a rewatch of Scrooged starring NY Doll David Johansen as the cab-driving, stogie-chewing Ghost of Christmas past. All lit by a low-lying golden December sunlight.
All of which means it’s time to unwrap some winter warmers and set the yule blog ablaze by way of a blugrass shinding on Christmas Time's A Comin, and a ragtime tear-up on the jolliest, jauntiest version of Here Comes Santa Claus The Grascals - Christmas Time's A Comin'
So what's new on the Big Boss Menu? Full English Beat Breakfast, that's what. An all you can eat buffet of gut-busting beats, full fat fruggery, hot footed floor-fillers and continental flavours from the Latin vibes of Full Brazilian to the Riveria cool of Black Eye and C'est Moi's. FEBBis an urelenting rush of concorde riffing, jazz percussion and neatly-trousered,swish-hipped shakedowns, served spry, crisp 'n dry from the deep funk fryer.
But, more than this, it's almost a soundtrack for tomorrow's world where sci-fi goes spy-fi and the Men from U.N.C.L.E boogie down with Booker TonBeat Breakfast, while Clown Face comes across like George Clinton jamming with George Jetson.
If retro-futurist flavours and finery tickle your taste buds you really must have a munch on Big Boss Man's Full English Beat Breakfast. It's an album that's been sizzling away on my stereo since being released, and, being the cheeky blogger I am, thought I'd fire a few questions BBM's way.
How would you describe Full English Beat Breakfast and the Big Boss Man sound to anyone who hasn't heard the band.
The Big Boss Man’s sound is a cauldron mix of a Bongo-Hammond-Fuzz-Boogaloo Party in Timothy Leary’s head.
The new album has an inter-continental flavour and a menu of Latino tempos, Euro-vintage synth shufflers and sci-fi meets spy-fi. Was there a masterplan of varying the vibes - and how do you write, as a band or does someone bring in a riff or fully formed track.
No master plan, but we do have many influences the world over; 60’s Funk, ye-ye, Psyche, cool movies, anything groovy! Some of the tracks on 'Full English Beat Breakfast' are written by Nass on his own, some with Trev, and some with Trev and the Hawk. For a few tracks we had a band party – filled the place with grog and set up the 8-track recorder.
I read there were scenes of Big Bossmania in Russia - what's the story
The first time we went to Russia, to Moscow, we were invited by Art Troitsky – the Russian John Peel. Then more recently we did a mini-tour of Tinkoff Brewery/music venues which was mental, the kids had never heard our sort of Hammond-groovyness so it freaked them out. We had to take quite a few internal flights on very historic aeroplanes – which was not for the faint hearted!
Fantasy jam band. If you could jam with anyone (dead or alive), who would you choose and why.
Here’s who we want in our fantasy jam band and crew: Jimmy McGriff & James Brown (playing avant-garde)at the Hammond Organ, Ray Barreto : Congas Buddy Miles: Drums, Bernard Purdey: Drums Tito Puente: Timbales James Jameson: Bass Jimmy Smith: Vocals Cissy Houston and The Sweet Inspirations: Backing Vocals Lee Perry: Sound G Fawkes: Lighting Billy Idol: Tour Bus Driver Bob Marley: Catering Pussy-Cat Dolls: Roadies Bez: Runner G Haystacks + B Daddy : Security Peter Grant : Management Shakira: General Assistance
Any favourite fry-up cafes, and are you a brown or red sauce person Sauce: both+ English mustard Cafes: Tasty Shop – Bristol, Tasty Plate-Newbury, Tasties – St. Paul’s,
Bristol.
Vampyros Twist is a cracker - have BBM ever considered covering an entire soundtrack and which would you choose : The Italian Job, Vampyros Lesbos, Get Carter or something else of your choice..
Vampiros Lesbos would be good, but we have been working on our own film 'Get the Vampiros Italian Lesbos Job'
Have you ever DJ'd and what are your banker tracks
We all DJ a bit (except Des) Hawk: Tainted Love – Gloria Jones Nass: Any Meatloaf or All About my Girl – Jimmy McGriff Trev: Charge! –Dreams Band
Are you purist about equipment - is vintage best, and have you bagged anyebay bargains, or own a cherished or collectable piece of gear. Hawk – I just cover everything in Leopard skin to hide any disgrace. Nass: Hammond D100, Yamaha L45, Farfisa Compact Duo, Wurlitzer EP200
(electric piano) Hofner Clavinet, Korg Mono-polly, Yamaha CS15, Leslie 122, Roland 101,
Rhodes 73, Elka Rotary cabinet X 2, Leslie 147, + 825, I could go on!
The band have played at Blow Up's new location 4 Denmark St - where youaware of the venues Rock pedigree - (formerly Regent Sound Studios where the Stones, Hendrix, and Stevie Wonder recorded)
We rocked out the last time we played there, maybe it was the spirit of Hendrix jamming with Lil’ Stevie and the Stones that took us over
Where and when can we expect to see BBM on tour and any plans for Southend dates...
We play Camden Zoo on 13th Nov, Mr Wolf’s in Bristol on 21st Nov, Maybe New Years eve in Moscow (to be confirmed) then in February we tour France and March 1 to 14th we tour Spain. Paul from Blow Up was thinking about having a new Club night in Southend, so hopefully we’ll make it there next year if not before.
And how about a taste test of Full English Beat Breakfast?
Phil 'Wolfman' Harvey plays the ex-Island Records studio piano, now at Reazor in Putney - Photo by Bleech.
We've said before, how satisfying it must be for highly polished pianists to breeze away at the keyboard. Galloping or gliding through cascades and clusters of fluid-fingered key strokes and free flowing notes. Today's FF features several shades of glowing genius : heavy handed hammond, Jack-be-nimble piano and a continental combo of both..
Enri - The perfomer Hammond anthems just don't come no funkier - and wait for those punchy trumpets at the one minute mark. Stomping.
The Keith Mansfield Strings - Soul Thing More hooky horns (with a touch of The Kinks Lola about them) and the slick-fingered style of Keith Mansfield - King of the London Swingers..
Bernard Estardy - Vertigo Leitmotiv Bernard grunts, groans and generally yelps his way through this high speed shuffle, that keeps tapping up the tempo, but, feels about two minutes too short to me
To walk into any packed pub with a piano, dust off the lid, roll up your sleeves, crack those knuckles - then knock out this fire-fingered piece of piano hammering magicness..
Oh dear, works getting in the way again - so this weeks FF may be short on text but hopefully tall on tunes - anyway it gives me a great excuse to post one of the finest pieces of youtubery I've ever found.
'A trip to the lights'- a homemade work of genius that's spliced together from the hits and highlights of Beardfreaks1969's dear old grandad's cine films - retromatic footage of coach outings, Piccadilly trips and vintage tear ups have been reworked into a 3 minute masterpiece soundtracked with Jackie Mitoo's 'Juice Box'.
It's worth noting the volume of frown free faces in the film. I really don't think you'd get that today.
View from our upstairs window last Friday..
So what's new on the Big Boss Menu? Full English Beat Breakfast, that's what. An all you can eat buffet of gut-busting beats, full fat fruggery, hot footed floor-fillers and continental flavours from the Latin vibes of Full Brazilian to the Riveria cool of Black Eye and C'est Moi's . FEBB is an urelenting rush of concorde riffing, jazz percussion and neatly-trousered, swish-hipped shakedowns, served spry, crisp 'n dry from the deep funk fryer.
Phil 'Wolfman' Harvey plays the ex-Island Records studio piano, now at Reazor in Putney - Photo by Bleech.
To walk into any packed pub with a piano, dust off the lid, roll up your sleeves, crack those knuckles - then knock out this fire-fingered piece of piano hammering magicness..
