#terrywilson

[dovescandycoatedreality]

are we the hunters...or are we the prey?

[vickiabelson]

Teresa James & Terry Wilson Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson

They may sing the blues but they sure make me happy. Grammy nominees Teresa James and Terry Wilson treated us to our first live mini-concert in Game Changers history. And it was spectacular! With their brand new album of reimagined Beatle songs, With a Little Help From Her Friends, which debuted at #9 on the Billboard Blues chart at the fore, the last third of the show was devoted to cuts from said album, and one of my favorites of theirs, Don’t Make A Habit of It. Joining them was longtime Rhythm Tramps guitarist Billy Watts (Eric Burdon, John Mayall), and drummer, Richard Millsap (currently touring with John Fogerty). Special thanks to Louie Kovic for making it happen. 

Celebrating Teresa’s nomination for Contemporary Female Blues Artist of the Year, from The Blues Foundation, we talked their early years in Texas, separately and eventually together. Terry, who goes back with my beau, 50+ years, then London calling and forming Back Street Crawler with Paul Kosoff (Free) and John Bundrick (The Who), to playing with Eric Burdon, which Teresa eventually did as well. There were lots of bands, sessions, and tours for both, with parenting taking precedence for a number of years, limiting Teresa’s roading for a spell. She recorded with Eric Burdon, Spencer Davis, Tommy Castro, Stephen Bruton, Randy Newman, Neil Diamond, and many others and performed with Levon Helm, Lloyd Jones, Delbert McClinton, and Eric Burdon & the Animals to mention just a few, and did many before-mentioned sessions. 

A gifted and proficient songwriter, composer, producer, and bassist, Terry never stops working and creating. Numerous albums for different artists are currently in the works and another upcoming kick-ass studio album with Teresa and the Rhythm Tramps will drop in September.

Teresa James and The Rhythm Tramps play regularly in LA. For upcoming shows, music, and access to all things James/Wilson visit  TeresaJames.com

These folks are the real deal. The music, the songs, that voice. WOW! I could listen to them all day. And many days, I do! 

Teresa James & Terry Wilson Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson

Wed, February 15th, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET

Streamed Live on The Facebook

Replay here:

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : Westworld (1973)

Before it was a blockbuster HBO original series, Westworld led a very different life.  Michael Chricton was a novelist looking to expand into the world of film, with Westworld being his writing/directorial debut.  The film served as an homage to a dying genre, a signal of what was to come, and a groundbreaking film of a scope that the creators could not imagine.

Peter Martin (Richard Benjamin) and John Blane (James Brolin) are visitors to the the Westworld section of a famous amusement park run by the Delos corporation.  The park is made up of three sections (Romanworld and Midievalworld being the other two) where guests intermingle with androids programmed to serve their deepest carnal desires, be it crime, violence or sex.  Guests are given specialized weapons that allow them to act out against the androids without fear of harming one another.  Blaine, a common visitor to the park, is doing all he can to make sure first timer Martin enjoys himself and gets the full experience.  This particular visit, however, happens to coincide with park malfunctions and androids that begin to act in an autonomous matter, harming guests and staff.  Martin becomes the target of a particularly vicious android cowboy dawning all black (Yul Brynner).  What was meant to be a relaxing vacation becomes a much more visceral experience than intended.

Westworld famously holds the title of being the first major motion picture to incorporate digitized images.  While the computer readouts and Brynner-vision may look rudimentary by today’s standards, those images were very distinct and arresting looks at the time.  Computers were not what they are today back then, and rendering these images took considerable time combined with a very unique skill set.  The look was clearly effective, as both the computer readout style and android vision were famously emulated in countless films to follow.

In terms of style, the juxtaposition of classic film styles such as westerns, medieval tales and Roman epics with pure science fiction works surprisingly well for the limits of the day.  The science in the film is convincing enough for the narrative, and the auxiliary parks have enough resemblance to their respective times to serve their functions.  The film really soars as an homage to the death of the western.  Yul Brynner was cemented in iconic status by the time of this film’s release, and his role was meant to be a stamp of approval for the western elements, adding an air of seriousness so that the comedy was not too far in the arena of camp.  The gun violence shots are taken straight out of the Sam Peckinpah playbook.  Once the trope-ish elements spill out of their natural elements, things really start cooking.

This film is clearly more about the idea and spectacle than the acting, with the majority of the cast serving as people used to give the park a grander scope and scale.  With as many as people as possible filling the roles of guests and staff, Westworld the park is able to serve as the star of the film.  That being said, James Brolin is wonderfully entertaining in his facsimile of a counter-culture Jon Wayne (even down to his character name).  Richard Benjamin plays the fish out of water turned hardened warrior extremely well.  Yul Brynner nails his role as the heartless, nameless android threat, adding a true sense of dread as the walls start to close in.

Compared to the HBO series, some would be quick to say that this film has not stood the test of time.  The lion’s share of the show’s season one ideas, however, have direct roots to this film and its sequel (maybe Futureworld will find its way to the blog one day).  The film is a fun relic of the times, and if not taken too seriously, an interesting idea with execution beyond that of a first time director.

[budaallmusic]

Lyn Christopher ‎– Lyn Christopher #ParamountRecords 1973 🇺🇸 US Accordion – #RonFrangipane Arranged By – #AlGorgoni Bongos, Congas – #JimmyMaelen Drums – #AllanSchwartzberg , #TonyBraunagel Flute [Solo] – #LouMarani Guitar – #BobMann, #HughMcCracken, #JimmySmith, #TerryWilson Keyboards [Electric] – #MikeMontgomery, #PatRebillot Saxophone [Solo] – #GeorgeMarge Synthesizer [Moog] – #JimmyRobinson, Mike Montgomery Organ [Calliope], Harmonium, Marimba – #RonJohnsen Organ [Hammond & Yamaha] – Mike Montgomery, Ron Johnsen https://www.instagram.com/p/B_H_B9gJv_v/?igshid=j1nyuhsd89xz

[societyofillustratorsla]

SILA @ Comic-Con: http://si-la.org/open-booth-2616-comic-con/

[vickiabelson]

Today Live! They may sing the blues but they sure make me happy. Teresa James and Terry Wilson were 2019 Grammy nominees with a just dropped new album of reimagined Beatle songs, which debuted at #9 on the Billboard Blues chart, and are currently celebrating Teresa’s nomination by the Blues Foundation for Contemporary Female Blues Artist of the Year. 

From Houston Texas, Teresa and Terry are in perfect harmony on and off the charts. With the voice of a knowing angel, aided by brilliant songs and instrumentation, these two deserve every award and accolade. Great to sit down and listen to, and even more fun to witness live, with their band, Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps, they’re always kick-ass on fire. 

Teresa’s recorded with Eric Burdon, Spencer Davis, Tommy Castro, Stephen Bruton, Randy Newman, Neil Diamond, and many others. She’s performed live with lots of other artists, including Marcia Ball, Levon Helm, Lloyd Jones, Delbert McClinton, and Eric Burdon & the Animals to mention just a few.

The Rhythm Tramps is made up of world-class players that have toured or recorded with Eric Burdon & the Animals, Bonnie Raitt, Delbert McClinton, Jimmy Reed, Lightin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Vaughan, Johnny Nash, Smokey Robinson, Tom Jones, Tower Of Power, just to name a few, and their songs have been recorded by many other artists.

Thrilled to sit down again with these two, it’s like going home. They go back decades with my beau, have all performed together in my living room and I’ve seen them live innumerable times. A special treat this day, they’re gonna play us some cuts from, With a Little Help from Her Friends. Having listened and sung along (badly), I’m so excited to share them and this FAB new music with you. 

Teresa James & Terry Wilson Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson

Wed, February 15th, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET

Streaming Live on The Facebook

Daily by Toni Vincent & @peter_and_paul_ Cartoons