Category: Music

Late Nite at the PB Pub Presents: Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington and his orchestra playing this awesome tune in 1943.

“It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” is a 1931 composition by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Irving Mills, now accepted as a jazz standard. The music was written and arranged by Ellington in August 1931 during intermissions at Chicago’s Lincoln Tavern and was first recorded by Ellington and his orchestra for Brunswick Records (Br 6265) on February 2, 1932. Ivie Anderson sang the vocal and trombonist Joe Nanton and alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges played the instrumental solos. The title was based on the oft stated credo of Ellington’s former trumpeter Bubber Miley, who was dying of tuberculosis. The song became famous, Ellington wrote, “as the expression of a sentiment which prevailed among jazz musicians at the time.” Probably the first song to use the phrase “swing” in the title, it introduced the term into everyday language and presaged the Swing Era by three years. The Ellington band played the song continuously over the years and recorded it numerous times, most often with trumpeter Ray Nance as vocalist.

Late Night at the PB Pub – Special Memorial Edition Presents: Teddy Pendergrass

This one’s for Teddy:

Such a young age…. a great loss for R & B…:

Teddy Pendergrass, who became R&B’s reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed, died Wednesday at age 59.

The singer’s son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died at a hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had “a difficult recovery,” his son said.

“To all his fans who loved his music, thank you,” his son said. “He will live on through his music.”

Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down in the 1982 car accident. He spent six months in a hospital but returned to recording the next year with the album “Love Language.”

He returned to the stage at the Live Aid concert in 1985, performing from his wheelchair.

Pendergrass later founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, an organization whose mission is to encourage and help people with spinal cord injuries achieve their maximum potential in education, employment, housing, productivity and independence, according to its Web site

via Soul Singer Teddy Pendergrass Dies in Pa. at 59 – ABC News.

Thoughts and Prayer for the Pendergrass family.

Late Night at the PB Pub Presents: The Who

One of my favorite clips from the late 1960’s. I don’t care what your politics is, this is just plain cool.

A bit of tech stuff here; it is obvious from this clip and it has been verified, that Pete Townsend’s Guitar amp was malfunctioning during this performance. It kept cutting in and out. So, he just trashed the guitar and closed the show. Jimi Hendrix saw what he did and took it even further. Needless to say Jimi’s sounded better.

Bonus Video! Here’s Jimi’s “upstaging” of Pete at the end of his performance at the same show:

Looks on the faces of the people, after Jimi destroys his guitar are absolutely priceless. 😀

Happy New Year 2010!

Happy New Year – 2010!

Happy New Year 2010!!!

May everyone who reads this Blog have a happy…and yes, Safe New Year!

….and in that Spirit…. a new blog location! For the Other McCain… Click here to go to his NEW site!

(Edited horribly embarrassing typo! Happy New York?!?!?! Good Lord…. )

Update: Somehow, this video just fits for some reason. Consider this my New Years wish:

Late Night at the PB Pub Presents, Frausun

First of all, let me say, that the following is NOT my kind of music at all. But this fine gent contacted me and asked to put it on my blog.

Here is the press release in full:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

12/30/2009 Dallas, TX: Frausun, the old-world, experimental, gothic music project by Kurtz, has just released their first music video about spousal abuse in Muslim marriages called “Thunder in Your Veins.” The single is off of their new album “1000,” which debuted in late October.

Inspired by such musical influences as Dead Can Dance, Death in June, Peter Murphy, and David Bowie, Frausun is a one-man project representing the masculine expression of feminine energy, hence the name Frau (Woman) Sun (Male Strength). Kurtz, the sole performer of the group, is influenced by a variety of literary sources, from Kate Chopin and Keats, to Nietzsche and William S. Burroughs. The songs cover a variety of subjects from Tibetan Sky Burials and Goddess worship, to female empowerment and Alchemical love.

Kurtz was motivated to begin his project after reading a story about a woman killed in Afghanistan for being too “westernized.” Her crime was wearing lipstick.

“Thunder in Your Veins” tells the story of a woman who endures physical and mental torture at the hands of her husband, justified by his faith. Seeing no way out but death, she takes his life and walks free to help other women in their pain.

“I want my music to be a call for revolution. If just 1% of the women who saw the video and their reaction was to unite, putting knives to the throats of their abusers, then I know my work has succeeded.”

Music samples and the video can be experienced at www.frausun.com. Kurtz can also be reached at 214-883-3277 or thunderinyourveins@yahoo.com

With that, here is “Thunder in your veins”