Monday, January 19, 2015

Scott Morgan is Back

                                                       
2014

Music in Review

…or else

 

Writing about notable events in American music is like kissing the Donkey’s ass too often. Take a look at the Country Music Awards; which one is better, which one is best. There is the CMA, ACM and the CMT and they all have their own websites. You need to grease a lot of palms to stroke it good. You may notice that in most of these country superstars are good looking, slender and down home nice, especially those dudes who wear a cowboy hat and play electric guitar. The country musicians who back it all up never miss a beat or a squeal and provide just the right amount of synth colorations to make it sound pretty. The sledge hammer, rock & roll rhythm section is an integral part of overall sound yet it’s buried in the mix, go figure.

So, from my perspective as a working class curmudgeon the current status of popular music in general is a shambles. It is all pre-empted, co-opted, and recycled.   How many times can you listen to Pharrell William’s song Happy without getting a sour tummy? He sings it like he means it…

It might seem crazy what I'm about to say

Sunshine she's here, you can take away

I'm a hot air balloon, I could go to space

With the air, like I don't care baby by the way

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you know what happiness is to you

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

 

 

I don’t buy it. Like Madeline Albright says “the world is a mess.” And as music became a distraction instead of platform for truth, peace and beauty we seem to be recreating the bread and circuses of the ancient Roman Empire. We are insular and beaten down and the world refuses to wake up. It’s a weird alchemy that reduces music to notes without a deeper meaning. Deciding not to scalp the enemy is a step in the right direction and I think we can find it across the world, in pockets of enlightenment where music and the arts flourish. We have it here in the Great Lakes Bay Region of Michigan.

Venues have dried up a bit yet the survivors keep pumping out great music from notable bands. The Hamilton Street Pub is # 1 in my book, great food and drinks and even better music. Motts Place is a newcomer in the area but they hit the road running by booking Sprout & the Orange, John Krogman, Matt Besey and others. The Baywood Lounge is coming into it’s own as a venue that cares about good music. They might book Matt Besey and follow-up with Day 8… very cool. Bemos is my favorite people and they book the best bands around. They are the anchor for Bay City’s music scene along with favorite son Andy Reed.  We are kindred spirits and it feels real good whenever I get a chance to talk with Luann or Andy… because it’s real.

The musicians are the seasoning in the stew. They make it all work despite long hours and little reward. John Krogman is forever a dreamer and he keeps on playing beautiful original music with a message. Zydeco Ziggy and White Crow are an inspiration to us all, digging deep into the caves and crevices of ancient acoustical music that gives voice to the everyman. Honesty Elliot, Mani Layne and Dani Vitani are simply incredible, blending their strong, soaring voices into a heavenly elixir. They should be superstars. Mel Curry and Michelle O’ Neill are quietly taking the scene by storm, their rich voices blending perfectly and providing the backdrop to the everyday people that support the acoustic rhythms and harmony that provide us all with a sense of our homeland. Jazz and blues have been resurrected from the ashes and the Phoenix has risen. Larry McCray just released a fabulous new CD and he’s gigging locally. We need Larry McCray, he’s the new messiah of the blues and he wears it well. Donny Brown opened up the Red Room and proved to be more than a Freshmen. He’s a great singer, songwriter and a talented multi-instrumentalist

Donny Zuzula and the Tosspints create some of the most dynamic and daring music on the planet. His lyrics give you an idea of his existential angst. Zuzula means what he says and he will step up and step in it when something sucks. He famously confides “you can’t fix suck.” Bryan Rombalski along with Ryan Fitzgerald and Loren Kranz shifted Three Worlds into high gear. The energy and mastery is breathtaking. Kedree Young and Kyle Mayer are performing solo on a regular basis and they still fill up the tank to take Thick as Thieves on the road. Thank god. My vote for the most engaging and original artist is Tim Avram and his band the Mongrels. Avram has become an auteur of the dark side of life, vampires and deep cesspools pain. The abyss calls but Avram won’t give it his face, he knows better. He has already crafted an album of punk classics to be added to the Mongrels’ catalog. I can’t wait to get my filthy mitts on that little treasure trove of truth from the dark side of the street.

The are two extraordinary bands that left an indelible mark on my senses and set me free. I felt like I did when I first heard the Bossmen and the Byrds at Daniels Den in 1966. First off is Greta Van Fleet. This quartet of teenage rockers has the goods, from their age to their looks and their awe-inspiring mastery of craft. These teen wizards channel Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin yet they have their own unique sense of who they are. It seems as if they are wise beyond their years yet they are supported by good management and an extended family that cares. This is a band that has a chance to make it beyond the corridors of Mid-Michigan. Good luck and good sailing boys. The next artist is the legendary Scott Morgan. His rise to fame with the Rationals and the Sonic Rendezvous Band was nothing less that spectacular. Morgan’s extraordinary soulful voice helped the world wake up and embrace peace and harmony. He joined up with the Sights, another great Detroit Band and began gigging in earnest. He made a recent stop @ White’s Bar and put on a performance of a lifetime. His set list included three of his Rationals’ hits I Need You, Guitar Army and Respect. But his show promised and delivered so much more including Nutbush City Limits, Barefootin’, Mississippi Delta, Shake and Bring it in on Home to Me. Along the curves and crevices Morgan channeled Sam Cooke, Otis Reading, Tina Turner and the Staple Singers. It was an incredible gift of music. It took my breath away!

In the name of peace and love…

Bo White

 

 

 

 

 

 

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