The great actor Robert Mitchum was born on August 6, 1917. When Mitchum was on the silver screen, he was one of the coolest men on the planet. Unfortunately, he is less remembered for his cool laid-back singing, which is one part of his career that fascinates me. I proudly own his CD of calypso music, just as I have several of his films.
Mitchum, of course, is in some great movies, a few of which I have had plans to write about for some time. But for today, we will remember his cool singing style with his rendition of “Little Ole Wine Drinker Me” from 1972, where he asks for rain in California “so the grapes can grow and they can make more wine.” I will drink to that.
What do you think of Robert Mitchum as a singer? Leave your two cents in the comments.
The festival — which brings together a range of musicians covering heavy metal, hip-hop, alternative rock, dance, etc. — was created in 1991. MTV.com has the dates and times for many of the big acts at this year’s Lollapalooza.
The Onion AV Club recently presented this cover of The Band’s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” as part of its Underground series. Here, Glen Hansard is joined by Lisa Hannigan, who is touring with Hansard, and John Smith to sing the song at Chicago’s Architectural Artifacts, a museum and store.
In the first part of the video before they sing the song, Hansard talks about the first time he heard “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and how he always remembers that moment in his life when he thinks of the song. Check it out.
“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” which evokes the waning days of the American Civil War in the South, first appeared on The Band’s self-titled album in 1969. Since then, there have been a number of live versions released by The Band, including on The Last Waltz (1976), and the song has been recorded by other artists, including a hit version by Joan Baez in 1971. As in the case of the artists in the video above, Baez does a great cover on the song, but the definitive versions remain with Levon Helm’s lead singing with The Band.
Even though the songwriting is officially credited to Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm later noted that he helped with the research and the writing. Whether or not he wrote the song, it became his song when he sang it. Apparently, Helm never sang the song again after his performance at The Last Waltz, shown below when all the people were singin’.
What is your favorite version of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Last night in Gothenburg, Sweden, E Street Band history was made as Bruce Springsteen performed “Jungleland” for the first time on the new tour without the late Clarence Clemons. But the family name lives on as Clemons’s nephew — and new band member — Jake Clemons carried on the family tradition of evoking the pain and joy of the song. Below is his solo in “Jungleland,” which was the next-to-last song of the night (you may watch the entire song from a much further distance here):
“Jungleland will forever be associated with the Big Man Clarence Clemons, but it would have been a disservice to him to abandon the great song after his passing. Although we already had seen Jake play the song with another band in another setting, Springsteen did the right thing by waiting a short time and then bringing the song back with Jake as an unexpected surprise. As you can see in the video, at the end of the big solo, the crowd shows its appreciation. It was a bittersweet moment, as everyone was happy for Jake but also sad to be reminded of Clarence’s absence.
There is only one thing to do in the face of such sadness in life. Pause for a moment, and then get up to dance to the show closer “Twist and Shout.”
What do you think of the new “Jungleland”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Check out this music from Ariel Abshire, a young singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas. Her website puts her in the “Americana” genre, noting some similarities to the likes of Jenny Lewis, Neko Case, and Nicole Atkins. She’s performed at shows that also featured Jerry Jeff Walker and Robert Earl Keen. Her voice has appeared in movies, video games, and even a cartoon. Give her a listen and decide for yourself. On the following tracks, you might hear a little high lonesome sound on “Nothing New,” while “No Great Pretender” evokes the pop sensibility of some of Jewel’s best songs.
Her debut album Exclamation Love (2008) came out when she was seventeen, and her second album came out last year, Still So New (2011). Check out Abshire’s website for more information and videos, which you can also catch on YouTube, like this live performance of Lady Gaga’s “Speechless.” The blog Cat 5 has a good article about her too. Keep an eye out for this rising star.
What do you think of Ariel Abshire’s music? Leave your two cents in the comments.
