Tag: blues

Today’s Theme Music

I’m thinking about the blues today. One, I like the blues. Two, lotta people suffer the blues during the holidays.

I’m a mixed media presentation on the holidays and the blues. Adulthood and cynicism squeezed the holiday cheer right out of me despite some terrific childhood memories. I know many suffer depression or the blues during the holidays. I can’t speak directly to Kwanzaa, Solstice or Hanukkah. Nobody I know openly celebrates Kwanzaa. My Jewish friends celebrate Hanukkah without any expression of the blues. I celebrate Solstice, and it’s too joyful to feel blue.

But around Christmas Eve, the blues creep into my thoughts because I can’t go back to more wonderful times, to that time when I was an innocent and celebrated Christmas without addressing larger world issues. Memories of that time feed impressions that this era seems like a faux celebration. Along the way, I’ve learned, the blues never hibernate, and they sure as hell never die. All you can do is cope.

Here’s Otis Spann with ‘The Blues Never Die’, to remind us of that. Happy friggin’ holidays.

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Today’s Theme Music

This isn’t a theme song. I could tell you that I chose this song because it’s rainy, cold and foggy outside. Or it’s Thursday and this song fits Thursday’s vibe.

It’s none of that, though. I just like the blues, Albert King, and this song. Play it. Listen to that playing and singing. Appreciate it and play it back in your head later.

Here’s the late Albert King with ‘Born Under A Bad Sign’. 

 

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Today’s Theme Music

I’ve seen this song performed by Taj Mahal, one of the co-writers and many others, but this Blues Brothers cover is best known. It’s a good bluesy song to carry your water through the day. Enjoy ‘She Caught the Katy’.

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Today’s Theme Music

Bad news out of the political and economic jars dissipated my early morning dream-induced exuberance. Then Tucker attacked Meep and an epic cat fight erupted. Tucker refuses to be rehabilitated. His aggressiveness stresses us out and forces us to segregate him from the rest.

Bottom line: I’ve got the blues. Numerous ways to cope with the blues exist. I drink beer, wine, vodka, whiskey and scotch but I don’t do it in the morning. I’m not going to do it while in a funk. I did that when I was younger. I’ve learned not to. Mostly. I still trip now and again.

The best way to deal with the blues is some blues music, writing, coffee, and solitude. That’s my method. Your method may differ.

Today’s blues: ‘Ball and Chain’, belted out by the composer, Big Mama Thornton, with Buddy Guy on guitar. This is a recording from 1970. I love finding pieces like this on the net and witness such performances. I consider this one of the finest effects of our burgeoning technology.

Hope you enjoy it.

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Today’s Theme Music

How about a little Dirty Mac today? Mitch Mitchell, John Lennon, Keith Richards (on bass!) and Eric Clapton, from The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, 1968, introduced by a young Mick Jagger. Oh, the hair, the youth, the beat, the playing!

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Today’s Theme Music

The ol’ mental juke box is full of songs today. Yes, I still use a juke box in my head. I like the sound of the coin dropping through the mechanism.

I was going to use ‘The Sky Is Crying’ but discovered this video of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble and Jimmy Vaughn performing ‘Texas Flood’ at the 1989 Presidential Inauguration Concert. Funny seeing SRV in some semblance of a tux. And there he goes, showing off, playing his guitar behind his back.

Crank it up, sit back and sing along.

 

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Today’s Theme Music

A series of dreams battered me like a line of thunderstorms. Winds blowing strong and steady, whistling around windows and eaves, brought up tornado memories. Only been in two or three but they have a memorable sound.

Songs were featured in my dreams but after hearing the wind and rain, I went with ‘Stormy Monday’. Many great covers of this T-Bone Walker song are out there, but I went with a sentimental favorite. Here is the Allman Brothers Band performing ‘Stormy Monday’ from their album, ‘At Fillmore East’.  Crank it up.

 

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Today’s Theme Music

Getting ready to write? Or do anything else? Sometimes you need your mojo.

Time to get that mojo working. Maybe Muddy Waters can help. Sing along with the chorus – “Got my mojo working.” Feel free to move around and dance.

Get your mojo working. Go write, edit, whatever, create a better life.

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Today’s Theme Music

Ah, a simple offering today. I’ve not known this song long but it’s taken a place in my virtual jukebox.

The song is ‘The Blues Don’t Care’ by Frank Bang and the Cook County Kings. I’ve added writing verses:

The blues don’t care how many words you wrote

The blues don’t care if you’re published or not

The blues don’t care if you’ve written all month

The blues don’t care if can’t write at all

I need to amuse myself somehow.

 

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