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stevecanmakeanythingnerdy · 4 years ago

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Battle #10

Beastie Boys: Licensed To Ill ( Side 1 )

Vs.

Slade: Rogues Gallery ( Side 2 )

Beastie Boys: Licensed To Ill ( Side 1 )

The Beastie Boys were an American hip hop group from New York City formed in 1981. The group was composed of Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass) and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar, programming). Originally The Beastie Boys were formed as a four-piece hardcore punk band, the Young Aborigines, in 1978 by Mike D (vocals), MCA (bass), John Berry (guitar) and Kate Schellenbach (drums). The6 were on a thrash hardcore and metal comp, but achieved local success with the 1983 experimental hip hop single "Cooky Puss", and soon after, the Beastie Boys made a full transition to hip hop. I would say it’s a decision that definitely was in their favor. It’s a case for “the right place at the right time”. Hip Hop was exploding in NYC in the early 80s and by the time the mainstream came around, these 3 white guys could hold their own in a predominantly black genre. I don’t mean that to sound racist, but it was quite rare to see any white rappers, let alone rappers at all on MTV. That all changed in 1986 when acts like Run DMC, Kool Moe D, and LL Cool J were smashing stereotypes and combining rock riffs and samples with sick rhymes and showing the masses a new medium. And these beastie boys were paying attention. When this album came out, it didn’t take long for it to begin charting. Blistering hits like “Rhymin’ and Stealin’” with it’s crushing tempo and vocals in the round ( which would become the Beasties classic signature style). Strangely pirate themed as well. “The New Style” describes exactly what all of this set up was about and the samples are very ample for example (#seewhatididthere) nice switch up with the “ummmmm DROP!” Centering around the classic Zeppelin riff is “She’s Crafty” followed quickly by “Posse in effect” - a tale about being a cool dude with a big crew- very important for the 80s. They have a rhyme with Abe Vigota in this one (Godfather reference surely) for crying out loud!!! “Slow ride” has another badass switch up and “Girls” (a beasties classic subject : laydeeeeees) is just an awesome song. The latter being the most formulated of all of their songs. Very standard rhythm and rhymes. As if this album couldn’t get any better, the next song, and essentially the launch pad for their entire career is “Fight For Your Right”. It sounds political, but rest assured it’s a cause you want to join. This song became an anthem for every teenager and college kid in 1986-87 (and continues through today, really) and between the radio airplay and video presence on MTV, you couldn’t escape the beastly power (#seewhatididthere) they had unleashed. Who doesn’t know that chord ringing out followed by “Kick it!” I love that it’s buried on the A side too. The record company executives missed that one! And that’s just Side One! The flip has equally impressive hits like “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn” and “Brass Monkey”. A virtual hit machine! What you have to understand is just how groundbreaking this album really was though. For the time it really was light years ahead and the fact they could actually play their instruments paid off well on later releases which nod to their roots. They were truly innovative and master craftsmen at carving out a niche in a newly developing genre. Iconic is an understatement. Fun facts : the tail of the plane says “eat me” backwards.

Slade: Rogues Gallery ( Side 2 )

Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton and they rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s. You know, Ziggy Stardust and all...they achieved 17 consecutive top 20 hits (!) and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The British Hit Singles & Albums names them the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles. That’s there...in the U. S. they are a bit more obscure, but you would instantly recognize tunes like "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" and “Cum On Feel The Noize” - more famously (stateside anyway) done by Quiet Riot. Sorry. Not their song. It belongs to these Glam rock champs of the early 70s. In fact, Slade Alive and Slayed? are considered two of the greatest glam rock albums ever. They really were equally well known for their outlandish outfits and I have no idea what the misspelling is all about, but it runs rampant throughout their early catalog. The rise and fall (and eventual rise again) of Slade is an interesting one. They were doing quite well, charting and finding success in the U. K. But were disappointed that they were not achieving notoriety in the U. S. So they did what any band would’ve done and they moved to the U.S. and basically started over from the ground up. They did so for about 3 yearsbut to no avail. They just didn’t chart or have much interest here. So they went back home...only to find that Punk Rock had taken over the airwaves in 1977. This led to further “failures” by not charting or keeping relevant...it also didn’t help that they kind of alienated their existing fans by moving to the USA. Poor Slade. But wait! There’s more! Right around the punk rock phase there was also an onslaught of British Heavy Metal, and Slade picked up their battle axes and went to war. By the apex of the heavy metal invasion, Quiet Riot had released their version of the aforementioned earlier Slade hit. This coupled with the band finally getting the recognition they deserved caused the labels to take notice and sign them. Their first single to reach American charting was “Run Runaway” which saw extensive airplay on MTV. The band had finally come full circle. The roller coaster continues from that point up and down and they faded and were rediscovered several times between then and now, and they’re still active! This is a band that’s been playing since 1969!!!! I think that just Slade is Crazee now!! (#seewhatididthere). So this is their 12th album, 1985’s Rogues Gallery. It contains the minor hit “7 Year Bitch” which makes me think that someone did them wrong. It’s a poppy mid tempo tune, but as you can guess, not terribly friendly. “I’ll be There” is not a Jackson’s cover and is in fact, VERY Irish sounding. A lot of Scottish flair on this one...like there might as well be bagpipes! A bigger sound and some harmonies too. Not to far removed from a current act like Mumford and Sons honestly. Too looooooooooong though. Trim it!! “I Win, You Lose” has an emphatic and orchestrated feel. Some of the rock seems to have vacated in these earlier tunes. Big solos but still lackluster somewhat. I think we lose... “Lock Up Your Daughters” has to be a barn burner with a title like that, right? Well, it is. Finally, THERE are those A/C D/C riffs we all love so much! This one shreds and it’s tight and treacherous (just like your daughter! OH! #seewhatididthere (Sorry...too far?)) *ahem* “Time to Rock” is another return to form with stadium shaking beats (come on this is a group that practically invented these kind of songs!!) BIIIIG sounds, THIS is Slade! Whistle-core outtro is a bit strange. A Rogues Gallery of sounds mayhaps? And a sidebar: These dudes seem quite fond of hats. They remind me of a more rock oriented Big Country on this one. Other Slade albums are better, and this is right in the middle of their mellowed out phase.

So The Beastie Boys may be licensed to Ill, but the only thing that is sick, is their music. (#seewhatididthere) BBs took 23 minutes to burn 151 calories over 7 songs. They burned 21.57 calories per song and 6.57 calories per minute. The6 also earned 16 out of 21 possible stars. Slade came out of retirement with a Rogues Gallery of songs and sounds. They belted out 5 tunes over 21 minutes and burned 132 calories in the process. They burned 26.4 calories per song and 6.29 calories per minute, earning a total of 11 out of 15 possible stars. In today’s battle, the Beastie Boys passed the mic, rhymed AND STOLE (#seewhatididthere) today’s prize.

Beastie Boys : “Fight For Your Right”(Cliche I know, but I HAD to go with this one. You get it all: the rock, the rap, the humor...THIS IS THE FRICKIN’ BEASTIES!!!)

https://youtu.be/eBShN8qT4lk

#Randomrecordworkoutseasonseven

#Randomrecordworkout

#randomrecordworkout #randomrecordworkoutseason7 #vinyl #80s #80s music #records #80's music #beastie boys #slade #working out

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caveartfair · 6 years ago

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Billionaire Tom Hill Shares the Stories behind Five Beloved Works in His New Museum

Portrait of Tom Hill by M. Sharkey Studio. Courtesy of M. Sharkey Studio.

On an abnormally warm morning this week, art collector J. Tomilson Hill was standing in the Hill Art Foundation, the brand new, two-story, 6,400-square-foot private museum in a building right beside the High Line in Manhattan’s Chelsea art district. The billionaire hedge fund manager, who goes by Tom, was sporting one of his typically snazzy tailored suits and slicked-back hair, and was beaming, clearly in thrall with the classy new digs for his trove of masterpieces.

“We wanted it to feel like almost a home—we didn’t want it to feel like a gallery, per se,” Hill said standing at the center of the space, which opens to the public Saturday. “You can sit here and have a conversation. It’s not a gallery. It’s the antithesis of a commercial space.”

Installation view of Christopher Wool, Untitiled, 1993, at “Maybe Maybe Not: Christopher Wool and the Hill Collection,” at the Hill Art Foundation. © Christopher Wool. Photo by Matthew Herrmann. Courtesy of the Hill Art Foundation.

Hill has spent his entire career in what could be called the most commercial space: Wall Street. After earning a mention in the classic business book Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco (1989) for his role in the bidding war for RJR Nabisco in the 1980s, he took over Blackstone’s hedge fund division in 2000, and soon made it the number-one shop of its kind, with $53 billion in assets by 2013. At that point, Hill had more than $500 million in Blackstone stock—Forbes currently puts his net worth at $1.5 billion—and his tenacity as a collector of modern and contemporary art is legendary. Over the course of decades, he has built up holdings of artists such as Pablo Picasso, Cy Twombly, and Francis Bacon, as well as Old Master paintings, Renaissance bronzes, and rare religious objects.

But now that he’s handed over the reins to Blackstone’s hedge fund, he plans to spend a lot of time at his foundation’s headquarters in the Getty, a new building on the corner of West 24th Street and 10th Avenue designed by Peter Marino in his trademark, sleek, black-and-white style. The location is unbeatable. Through the foundation’s floor-to-ceiling windows, I saw tourists on the High Line close enough to get a clear view of its inaugural show, “Maybe Maybe Not,” a grouping of works by Christopher Wool—all pulled from the Hill Collection, apart some new photographs lent by the artist—along with a simpatico Robert Gober sculpture and a Giuseppe Piamontini bronze of Prince Ferdinando di Cosimo III on a bucking horse, which looks sensational among the abstract paintings.

Hill and his wife, Janine, have been collecting work by Wool for decades—they staged the artist’s first show in Asia last March—and are still making major purchases. One of the most jaw-dropping works in the show is an untitled, 10-foot-tall, enamel-on-linen treasure purchased just last March at Sotheby’s in London, with dealer Andrew Fabricant emerging as the winning bidder on Hill’s behalf with an offer of £9.1 million, or £10.4 million ($14.5 million) with fees.

Installation view of Christopher Wool, Untitled, 2007, and Untitled, 2015, at “Maybe Maybe Not: Christopher Wool and the Hill Collection,” at the Hill Art Foundation. © Christopher Wool. Photo by Matthew Herrmann. Courtesy of the Hill Art Foundation.

Hill plans to have a new show at the foundation about every six months. And now that he’s stepped away from Blackstone, he’s ready to focus full-time on programming for the Hill Art Foundation, which he runs alongside director Sarah Needham. It will have free admission and be open five days a week, a non-commercial counterpart to the mega-galleries increasingly dominating the Chelsea landscape—nearby blocks will soon be home to new museum-sized complexes for Pace, Hauser & Wirth, and David Zwirner. Hill’s foundation will also have space for educational programming; he is on the board of a Catholic middle school in East Harlem, and plans to have the students come down on field trips.

“It’s fun because we get to do whatever we want,” Hill said. “We’re already thinking about the next show. We have another 80 of our Wools that at some point we have to show, but we’re going to give Christopher a rest for a while.”

Speaking with Hill, it’s immediately clear just how much thought and passion he puts into into each and every purchase. On the occasion of this weekend’s grand opening, Hill picked five works from “Maybe Maybe Not: Christopher Wool and the Hill Collection” and discussed how he acquired them and why they’re important to him.

Christopher Wool, Untitled (SPOKESMAN) (1989)

Untitled, 1989. Christopher Wool Hill Art Foundation

“I’ll never forget the Richard Armstrong line from when we started out early to collect Christopher,” Hill began. “I said, ‘Richard, how did you understand in the late 1980s and early ’90s just how important Christopher Wool is?’ And Richard said, ‘I’ve studied abstraction, and what Jackson Pollock started, Christopher Wool is ending—with an exclamation point.’ [Wool] is very much in the tradition of abstract painting. Even a nine-letter painting like that, it’s how the words array, how they line up. It’s an abstraction, you see the paint dripping down. We have another nine-letter painting, called Untitled (PRANKSTER) (1989), [that] we showed in Hong Kong. But this one—I first saw this in the drawing form, and then a friend of mine bought it, and I saw this painting in her house. And with art, if you’re patient, often things come your way, and so it was about two years ago, Lawrence Luhring calls me up and says, ‘Tom, that painting, if you want it….’ and I said, ‘Okay!’” “That’s a long time to wait,” I observed. “It’s a particularly long time to wait,” Hill continued, “because I bought my first nine-letter painting a long time ago, and the difference in the price was, wow! But sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.”

Christopher Wool, Untitled (2007)

Christopher Wool, Untitled, 2007. © Christopher Wool. Courtesy of Luhring Augustine.

“This was in the Guggenheim Museum’s retrospective [in 2013–14], and it was up the ramp, and after the retrospective, I found that it was owned by [Benedikt] Taschen,” Hill said. “Taschen has a history of buying great works and doing major catalogues, and then sometimes deciding to part with them. So when this came up for auction at Sotheby’s, I got it, and a friend of mine was the underbidder—he lost out, but he ended up buying the next one that came up, also at Sotheby’s. He has about six Christopher Wools. What you find is, there’s almost a community among the museum people, including the curators like Katherine Brinson and Richard Armstrong, including Neil Benezra. I remember I was on the board of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden when the Hirshhorn bought its first Wool, and it was Neil Benezra, who was the deputy director and now runs SFMOMA, who said, ‘We are buying this picture.’ That was 1995, ’96. Benezra pounded the table.…Anyway, this painting, sometimes you get fixated about a work, but if you’re patient, sometimes good things happen.”

Christopher Wool, Untitled (2015)

Christopher Wool, Untitled, 2015. © Christopher Wool. Courtesy of Luhring Augustine.

“This was in the Bushwick show at Luhring Augustine,” Hill recalled. “Christopher wanted to keep this painting. I talked to Roland [Augustine] and Lawrence [Luhring], and they said, ‘He tends to keep one painting from each show, and it’s this one’—but that’s the one painting I wanted! But he did sell it. And I said, ‘Christopher, what inspired you around this painting?’ And he said he gets a lot of inspiration from music, and not just film, but also experimental films. And he said, ‘There’s this scene in [the 1990 film] Goodfellas,’ and I said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘Yeah, there’s a scene in Goodfellas where the guy that they thought was dead was in the trunk of the car, and they go to his mother’s house and she’s cooking an Italian meal and in the middle of the meal they hear thumping—because the guy’s not dead, they didn’t finish him off. And during the meal there’s a black cat, and he’s walking back and forth.’ And Christopher said, ‘In this, I’m thinking about convergence, and not necessarily a cat, but about things coming from different angles, and surprises. And in the movie, they go and put a bullet in the guy’s head and then they go on!’ And this is a completely new direction for Christopher, and what you’re gonna see at Corbett vs. Dempsey in Chicago (where a Wool exhibition opens on Friday) carries on with a lot of Rorschach blots. And this was, as you know, prominent in Hong Kong, it was the first thing that you saw. Christopher wanted it there.”

Robert Gober, X Pipe Playpen (2013–14)

Installation view of Robert Gober, X Pipe Playpen, for “Maybe Maybe Not: Christopher Wool and the Hill Collection,” at the Hill Art Foundation. © Robert Gober. Photo by Matthew Herrmann. © Hill Art Foundation.

“I asked Christopher, because we have a lot of Robert Gober’s work, and so I said, ‘How would you feel about having Gober?’ He said, ‘Oh, you know, I’ve collaborated with him extensively,’ and so he said, ‘Yeah!’ But he got to choose which work, and so it’s the first thing you saw on the left—and it was the first thing you saw at the Museum of Modern Art’s Gober retrospective. I saw it at the Museum of Modern Art, and it was owned by Bob, it was in his own personal collection. We collect in the bronze area a lot of crucifixions, we have a lot of Old Master paintings with crucifixions. My wife is a devoted Catholic, I converted. And we have a grandson, so there’s the concept of a playpen. And then the pipes running through it, you have a prison. And at the edges of the pipes you have flesh because it’s curved, like skin. To me, it’s just very moving.”

Christopher Wool, three monotypes over photogravure, all untitled (2014)

“These usually are in East Hampton, right in our bedroom,” Hill explained. “Christopher said, ‘I want those,’ so I said, ‘Okay, you got ‘em!’ But I can’t wait to get them back to East Hampton.”

from Artsy News

#Artsy News

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musicoccurred · 8 years ago

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The Music Occurred Interview: Jason Mingledorff

Who: Jason Mingledorff Band: St. Paul & the Broken Bones Instrument: Saxophone

Jason is the badass sax player you see honking on the right side of the equally badass SPBB horn section. He has quite the musical pedigree and we're thankful for the opportunity to chat. Thanks Jason, let's do this.

MO: I see you're in New Orleans now, but from Montgomery originally, is that correct? JM: Yes, I grew up in Montgomery and went to the University of Alabama before moving to New Orleans.

MO: How did you end up in New Orleans? JM: I moved there to go to graduate school at the University of New Orleans, where I got a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies and studied under Ellis Marsalis. I actually didn't get accepted to the program at first, but I fell in love with the city and moved there anyway. After a semester of taking some undergrad classes, I was able to re-audition for the grad program and luckily got in. MO: Ellis Marsalis is the patriarch of a legendary jazz family, what was it like studying under him? JM: Studying under Ellis Marsalis's jazz program was fun and challenging. He had a definite philosophy of how he wanted the program run, and although I didn't take personal lessons with him, his influence permeated the program. However, I must say that my undergraduate experience at Alabama was even more impactful on me. The wind ensemble conductor, Gerald Welker, and the Jazz Band director, Steve Sample, both demanded excellence and still have a lasting influence on me. I feel really fortunate that Loyola University, where I've been teaching for 10 years, offers the best of what I remember getting at both UA and UNO.

MO: Is the Sax the first instrument you learned to play? JM: Like many kids, I studied piano when I was young, but in 7th grade, when it came time to choose an instrument to play for band, I picked the tenor sax (mainly because it looked cool and shiny with all those buttons). I still think it looks cool, I guess.

MO: Do you come from a musical family? JM: My dad's parents were quite musical. They had a gospel quartet way back when, and once they even backed up Elvis Presley at the Ryman Auditorium. When I was a kid, they owned a piano shop, and my grandmother used to play in the window of their store. They were big fans of Hank Williams, partly because my grandfather grew up in a double next to Hank in Montgomery. He used to say that Hank would hang out drinking on the porch all the time and taught him his first chords on the guitar. So, family get-togethers usually involved playing and singing music, and always included a few Hank Williams songs.

MO: What music was playing around the house growing up? JM: We usually had pop radio on. I still remember the station, WHHY-Y102, because I listened to the radio ALL the time. I have great memories of listening to soul music as a kid every day at lunchtime during preschool. I would only eat PBJs for lunch (still love them) and they "punished" me by making me eat lunch in the kitchen with the cooks and janitor. I felt like Brer Rabbit because I loved eating my PBJs and listening to the radio with them every day. I also used to be a huge KISS fan as a kid, then became obsessed with Michael Jackson and Prince, then went a few years listening to nothing but gospel music. MO: Can't go wrong with any of that. I love Prince and old gospel music.

MO: Do you remember your first paid gig? JM: I was in high school (Jeff Davis HS) and my band director put together a little group for some type of pageant. I remember thinking that since I got paid, I was now technically a professional musician.

MO: First band? JM: My first year of college, I joined The Grounders, which was a popular cover band in the early 90s. I'll never forget my first gig with them - it was at The Nick, in Birmingham. MO: Long live the Nick, every city has to have a grimy rock club.

MO: One of my favorite things about following you on social media is your love of art. Every tour stop you hit the museums, tell us a little about your passion for it. JM: Yes, I got the art bug a while back. I remember seeing a special on PBS in college about art by this nun named Sister Wendy. Her love of art was kind of infectious and pretty much got me hooked. The guys kind of tease me by asking me during soundcheck, "So, what museum did you go to today?" I definitely feel the need to go out and see what each city I'm in has to offer. Otherwise, it's just another gig in just another bar or theater. Sometimes I'll run into Paul at a museum, which is kind of funny. We're like, "Look who it is! Long time, no see!" I have absolutely no visual artistic talent, btw. Browan is actually a fine artist and I'm quite jealous that he can paint and draw such beautiful stuff. MO: Browan is a pretty incredible artist, I love his work, and especially his Jason Isbell album covers.

MO: Being in an international touring band must seriously get you into the best museums around, what's the best bucket-list piece you've been able to see on tour? JM: Oh, there's a room of JMW Turners in the Tate Museum in London that I got to see this past year that I've been wanting to see for many years. I've toured with different bands throughout Europe for 20 years, so fortunately I've been to most of the museums I've wanted to see. The Uffizi Gallery in Florence (with Botticelli's Birth of Venus) was probably the one I was most excited about. Nowadays, I just get deep pleasure out of unexpected surprises, not knowing what I'm going to find.

MO: I'm getting pretty deep into jazz after years of flirting with it, I know you got to play the same festival or two as Kamasi Washington, what are your thoughts on that guy? JM: I had never heard of him before, and one day Paul was playing his new record backstage. I was listening closely and was impressed with how this sax player was developing a musical idea and how ambitious everything sounded. I asked who it was, and that's the first time I ever heard his name. I love how Kamasi is bringing the energy of late 60's post-bop and avant-garde jazz to modern day ears. He has a great band that knows how to groove as well as stretch out and hold its listeners' attention.

MO: Who are your jazz guys? JM: I definitely gravitate towards tenor sax players. Sonny Rollins and Stan Getz are probably my favorites. I know they are quite different, but they both have had long, fruitful careers filled with experimentation, growth, and lovely melodies. I love that they each weren't afraid to take chances and constantly evolved as improvisers. John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Michael Brecker are other faves. As far as current players go, Donnie McCaslin (who was on David Bowie's last album), and Joshua Redman are always inspiring. I also have a great love for rhythm and blues saxophonists like Lee Allen, King Curtis, and Plas Johnson.

MO: I've seen you play a couple different instruments, for the gear heads out there can you do a quick rundown of your touring and studio setup? JM: I don't usually obsess over gear, and usually stick with what I have for a long time, but here you go: My tenor sax is a 65 year old Buescher 400 "Top Hat and Cane", although I'm getting my Conn 10M "Naked Lady" overhauled and will likely start bringing it out. It was made in the early 40s (Dexter Gordon played one!) and I look forward to playing it again. I love the sound of those old American made saxs. I've been playing a Peter Ponzol mouthpiece on tenor for quite a while. My baritone sax is a Yamaha, which makes the best horns currently being produced, in my opinion. My baritone mouthpiece is a Lawton, which is made in London. My flute is the same flute that I bought at Arts Music Shop 25 years ago when I was in college - a silver-plated Emerson. I also have a Yamaha clarinet that I played on "Sea of Noise" (on "Crumbling Lightposts" I layered 5-6 tracks each of flute, clarinet, and bass clarinet), a Selmer Mark VI alto sax, and a Yanagisawa soprano. For reeds, I've been loyal to D'Addario on all my horns for as long as I can remember.

MO: Were you in the original SPBB lineup? JM: Nope. Since I've been living in New Orleans, I've been playing in bands from there. I've been lucky enough to play with some great bands from there, including Galactic, Dr. John, Harry Connick, Jr., Mem Shannon, Better Than Ezra, the New Orleans Nightcrawlers Brass Band, and Papa Grows Funk. MO: Can you elaborate on some of your previous bands? JM: I played with Galactic the first two years they began touring. Ben Ellman, their current sax player, and I used to work together in a sax repair shop and he would do the west coast tours with Galactic and I would do the east coast tours. We'd alternate Colorado tours and play together in New Orleans. After we recorded Crazyhorse Mongoose, the band realized that it sounded totally different with me than with Ben, and had to make a decision on what sound they wanted. At the time, I was disappointed that they didn't decide to just keep both of us, but everything works out for a reason. My style ended up being a perfect fit for Papa Grows Funk, some of whose members were a big influence on Galactic (Stanton Moore used to set up Russell Batiste's drums for him and come to our gigs to listen to Russell). Papa Grows Funk was a five piece "all-star" band that recorded 5 albums and stayed together for 13 years. When we broke up in 2013 (around the same time the Broken Bones formed), some Tulane guys decided to make a full length documentary on the band and are almost finished with it. It's called "Do U Want It" and will be coming out later this year.

JM: Playing with Dr. John (known in New Orleans as Mac Rebennack) was always a memorable experience. He is the REAL DEAL. He has his own language and has this attitude that makes you just wanna be around him. He usually just used horns when he was home, although he would sometimes tour with one of the greatest bari sax players in the world - Ronnie Cuber. Those were big shoes to fill. I'll always remember playing on Mac's Grammy winning The City That Care Forgot record and premiering the Locked Down album with him at SXSW, which featured bari sax as the only horn. After his musical director, drummer Herman Earnest, passed away around 5 years ago, he changed up his whole band. I hear he's using New Orleans musicians again and hope to play with him again soon.

MO: How did you join the Broken Bones? JM: Two years ago, when SPBB played at Tipitinas in New Orleans, one of the bands I play in, King James and the Special Men, opened up for them. Al Gamble used to have a trio that my old band, Papa Grows Funk, used to do shows with when we would come through Memphis. He remembered me from then and asked if I played baritone sax. I spent a few years playing bari with Dr. John, so I told him, "Most definitely!" He said they were thinking of adding a sax, so I stuck around to hear the band. Not only did they blow me away, I had an overwhelming feeling that the type of soul music they were playing was something I grew up with, it was home for me, and I immediately felt that I should be in this band. Coincidentally, we realized that night that Al and I went to Alabama at the same time. I would say that getting the gig was definitely helped by me having grown up in Alabama. That shared experience of our home state is an important part of who we are as a band. So I have Al to thank for getting me in the band, or on those rare tough days, I joke that I have Al to blame. MO: On that note, Al Gamble, Memphis and Alabama legend plays keys for you guys, I'm a huge fan of his other work, what's it like playing with him? JM: It's great having an elder like Al teach us kids how they used to play back in the day. Haha, I kid, of course, because Al is kind of my kindred spirit in the band. We are about the same age and both have 3 kids and have both been in this business a while longer than everyone else. He gets such amazing sounds out of the organ and is so tasteful. It's a real treat sharing the stage with him every night.

MO: How are the horn arrangements created in the studio, is it all written/charted out? JM: We usually write the parts together in the studio or in rehearsal. Even if someone jots something down, we usually end up changing things around. Both Allen and Chad have great taste and are very musical, so it makes things easy. We all have a similar philosophy about horns and aren't really moved by horn parts that are too complicated and complex. It's nice playing parts that we all have a hand in creating, it makes them feel like ours. On some songs the horn part is written along with the song and is an integral part of it. On other songs, we came up with the horn part after everything else was recorded.

MO: What about live? There's more jams than on the records (by the way that new horn feature in your show is spectacular). JM: Yes, and thanks. Chad and I both love to improvise and the whole band felt that the show could use some more of that to change things up. Me and Chad's "duel" is one of my favorite parts of the night because I never know what's going to happen.

youtube

MO: I've interviewed some of your bandmates, Browan and Chad previously, when did you feel the explosion happen with SPBB? You guys went from small bars/clubs to theaters pretty damn fast. JM: Well, the first weekend I played with the band ended with a stadium show opening for The Rolling Stones, so I didn't really experience those small shows with the band in those early days. However, my previous band was together for 13 years, and we spent a lot of time touring the country in a van playing small clubs, so I can certainly appreciate how we've been touring now.

MO: What's the best moment of being in the band so far? Stones? International traveling? JM: For me, the best moments are individual moments during shows when I get goosebumps and the crowd is going crazy and feeling it also. Recording "Burning Rome" all together live to tape was pretty special. That first Birmingham show I did with them at Sloss Fest was also pretty memorable.

Thanks Jason that was awesome.

You can catch Jason spreading the Sax love with St. Paul & the Broken Bones in a town near you. Tour Schedule

-JS

#interviews #spbb #musicoccurred #sax #soul

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