Burning Dervish

The most famous of the original three Isle of Wight Festivals ended on this date in 1970. Over the course of three days a crazily diverse who's who of that era's best bands played, including Leonard Cohen, Miles Davis, The Doors, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Free, Gilberto Gil, Hawkwind, Jethro Tull, Kris Kristofferson, Moody Blues, Supertramp (!), Sly & the Family Stone, The Who and of course Jimi Hendrix. And probably double that number of acts...The Who are largely considered to be the highlight of the festival but I couldn't pass up posting this segment of Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox wailing on "Machine Gun", one of my favorite late-period Hendrix pieces...

...the Beatles played their final concert as a touring band at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, ending the show with their version of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally".

Of course the band went on to achieve a few more milestones over the subsequent four years...It has been said many times by people a lot more eloquent than I am but it is just mind-boggling that the music encompassing Revolver thru Let it Be was released in a span of four years (and even more amazing when you consider that they were effectively finished with the recording of Let it Be in 1969). Oh and the oldest of them was 30 and the youngest 27 in 1970...

It will be interesting to see what kind of crazy stuff EMI has planned for the 40th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper's next year...They've managed to find some fun things to do with Pet Sounds, a record they have repackaged and reissued to death, so hopefully we can count on some cool goodies...

Yeah, ok, he is an idiot, but that hardly makes him unique as a rock star!

Let's celebrate all things idiotic about Gene, on this, his 57th birthday by focusing on this particular episode we found in his Wikipedia entry, under "Other Media Appearances"...

"A February 4, 2002 interview on the NPR radio show Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Gene Simmons at one point said to Gross, "If you want to welcome me with open arms, I'm afraid you're also going to have to welcome me with open legs," to which Gross replied, "That's a really obnoxious thing to say." Filled with similar unpleasant responses from Simmons, he refused to grant permission for the interview to be made available online at NPR. However, some unauthorized transcripts are available."

And here are two:

Transcript of Gene Simmons and Terry Gross, host of NPR's Fresh Air. Originally broadcast on February 4th, 2002

and the audio files: Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four.

And just to prove there is just enough adolescent left in me, here's my favorite part of the exchange:

"Terry Gross: Um, just one more question before we wrap up.

Gene Simmons: As many as you want.

Terry Gross: I would like to think that the personality you've presented on our show today is a persona that you've affected as a member of KISS, something you do on stage, before the microphone, but that you're not nearly as obnoxious in the privacy of your own home or when you're having dinner with friends.

Gene Simmons: Fair enough. And I'd like to think that the boring lady who's talking to me now is a lot sexier and more interesting than the one who's doing NPR. You know, studious and reserved, and -- I bet you're a lot of fun at a party."

Ha. Happy Birthday, Gene.

Joseph Hill, lead singer of reggae legends Culture, passed away suddenly while in Berlin, Germany on the band's current European tour.

There is an informative and comprehensive obituary from the Jamaica Observer here. I am not going to come up with anything better than that so I'll just take a moment to say that it is sometimes tough being a music fan of a certain age...seeing the artists you love and admire get older, wondering who's next. The coming 5 - 10 years are going to be particularly tough as a lot of the greats go from their 50s and 60s to their 60s and 70s (and by the way, how frigging old is Willie Nelson at this point? That will be a huge loss).

So my message is a pretty simple one: don't take these cats for granted. Don't wait any longer, go see them while you can. A lot of these artists are playing clubs and theatres these days, even some of the big guys. I saw Culture in a small club a few summers back and it was deep. Even seeing the Stones at Roseland in NY or the Tower Theatre in Philly...Dylan you can catch in a nice theatre...Hot Tuna, Paul Kantner, Burning Spear, etc etc. These are all important artists that don't require fighting your way through a stadium or festival field to see up close.

So anyway, I'll get off the soap box. Go see some live music and fire one up for Joseph Hill, his bandmates and his family. Sorry no MP3 today, I am not near my music collection...

Peace out.

Amazon's giving sites like this one a fun way to feature products that our visitors might be interested in and make a little scratch in the process.

The Burning Dervish Amazon Store lets us set up a little mini-Amazon store on our site. We're using it to feature CDs, DVDs, books and magazines related to the posts on our site.

If you're inclined to shop through our link we'll make a couple of percent which will go toward server bills and such.

Check it out. Thanks.

Now here's a guy who has had a career...Ginger Baker, who was born this day in 1939..he shares a birthday with Gene Roddenbery, except Gene was already 18 when Ginger was first in nappies...

Ginger's run would have been noteworthy enough had it ended when Cream's did in 1968...but he kept making music, from Blind Faith, Ginger Baker's Air Force, Baker Gurvitz Army, Ginger Baker's Energy, Ginger Baker Trio (with bassist Charlie Hayden and Bill Frissell on guitar) to Hawkwind, Atomic Rooster, Public Image Ltd, and Masters of Reality. Oh yeah, and the records under his own name...And after all that, the Cream reunion shows of the last few years. Nothing like finishing what you started...Dig a list of his projects here.

Happy Birthday, Ginger!

Ginger Baker, Satou
from Horses and Trees

Art.com is giving sites like this one a fun way to feature products that our visitors might be interested in and make a little scratch in the process.

The Burning Dervish Art.com Store lets us set up a little mini-Art.com store on our site. We're using it to feature posters, photos and wall art related to the posts on our site.

If you're inclined to shop through our link we'll make a couple of percent which will go toward server bills and such.

Check it out. Thanks.

We received a dispatch from the crew at Easy Star Records alerting us to a big new release they have hitting the streets featuring the East Star All-Stars on August 22...Radiodread, "The Complete Reggae Version of Radiohead's OK Computer".

If you harbour even a hint of skepticism, we are armed and ready to convince you that you need to score this one...first, why listen to what I say? Jeff Tamarkin (who has managed to write authoritatively on topics from the Jefferson Airplane to regional music from all over the world) over at the All Music Guide gushes, "It couldn't have been easy, but the All-Stars make it sound so. Each tune is reconsidered on its own terms...". Second, have a look at some of the cats Easy Star recruited to lend their talents. I just won't be convinced that Sugar Minott, Horace Andy or Toots and Maytalls would be involved if this thing weren't deep...

Still need more? There is a pretty cool e-card available streaming some of the tracks. Even better, you can get a taste for less than a buck at iTunes by downloading "Let Down" featuring the aforementioned Toots and the Maytals.

One other thing, they are throwing a record release party in Manhattan next week, on Thursday, August 24th, from 7-10 pm at Kush Lounge, 191 Chrystie St (between Rivington and Stanton). Go show some love.

Pre-ordering the record this week will impact first week's sales numbers and the higher those are, the more coverage and support the trade will throw behind the release, meaning more people get exposed to some high quality jams. It is really amazing to see how simple it has gotten for music-lovers who are willing to spend a few dollars on great material can help it grow and reach more people.

Dig Cuban music and mambo? Old-school ska? Drinking and dancing?

Answering "yes" to any or all of the above makes you a prime candidate to own this record...I read a review a few weeks back and finally got around to downloading it from eMusic this weekend. Great, slamming jams with a little tongue-in-cheek humour thrown in. The band itself is a melting pot of players from around the world but you don't need to question the authenticity of the resulting music, though, these guys are immersed in the source material that inspires their unique take. Their website has all the details..

Ska Cubano, Soy Campesino
from Ay Caramba

Seems such a grand pronouncement for such a chill character, doesn't it? Well, today's Knopfler's birthday: August 12, 1949 - homeboy's pushing 60!

Haven't really kept up with his music since a record he made in the late 80s (I think, maybe early 90s) with Chet Atkins. I went through a pretty heavy Dire Straits phase way back when...and I hear the new record with Emmylou Harris is great. She's one of my favorites, need to pick that up...Here are some places online to check in with for Knopfler info:

• All Music Guide


• Google


• Mark's official site


• Wikipedia


• YouTube

And of course, today's MP3...

Dire Straits, Water of Love
from Live at the BBC

So you dug the Burning Dervish IM icons? Well, by popular demand we are also making available a Window and Mac system icons, suitable for files and folders. Dress up your desktop today! Click here to download the zip file which contains the icons for both operating systems. Enjoy!

Lively up your IM identity with BurningDervish.com IM icons available for Windows and Mac users. Download the ZIP file with both versions

After almost a week and a half of posts illustrating Jerry's many musical sides we're wrapping up our tribute with some words from the man himself...

Jerry Garcia ruminating on what the 60s meant to him
from A Talk With Jerry Garcia

Having veered off the beaten path of GD posts let's check out another of Garcia's extracurricular activities...from something like late-1969 through 1972 Jerry played on a fairly regular basis with organist Howard Wales.

Throughout most of the 60s Wales was a sideman and session player for acts as diverse as Ronnie Hawkins, the Four Tops and James Brown. I am not sure how comprehensive it is but there is a list of his touring and recording credits on this page that will give you a sense of the scenes he was into.

This jam, from Jerry and Howard's sessions at the Matrix, is a slow burn. Gets nice and out there, too.

In terms of his side projects, Jerry's work was never again as adventurous as it was through the mid-70s. The studio records become more pop-flavored and produced. As you'd expect, the live stuff stayed interesting, through several versions of the Jerry Garcia Band line-up (which by the time of Jerry's death had a nice gospel, R&B sensibility) and various forays into bluegrass and acoustic music.

This track just reeks of its era. Soulful, psychedelic and more. The whole album is worth picking up.

Howard Wales & Jerry Garcia, Venutian Blues
from, Side Trips, Vol 1

Let's go in a different direction today.

As if Jerry's 30-year output with the Grateful Dead wasn't enough of a career achievement, he also found time to make some killer music, live and on record, with a variety of players.

David Grisman is one cohort who, especially for the last 4 or 5 years of Jerry's life, really created an environment for him to produce some great music. Physically and psychologically away from the Grateful Dead machine, the music was quieter but no less rich. To the listener, most of the music they recorded together conveys a genuine sense of warmth, virtuosity and most importantly, relaxtion.

Jerry Garcia & David Grisman, Milestones
from, So What

From one scorcher to another...that's been the weather report around here recently. How about another scorcher to go with the hot days and nights..?

Grateful Dead, Cumberland Blues
from Palladium, Hollywood, CA, August 6, 1971

Stay tuned tomorrow thru Wednesday...the final three days in our tribute to Jerry Garcia will bring some great stuff...

I knew once I got here I couldn't leave...back to the future in 1974!

Today's post in our Nine Days of Jerry series is a smokin' China Rider from the Civic Arena in Philadelphia on this date in 1974...

Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower inta I Know You Rider
from Civic Arena, Philadelphia, PA, August 5,1974

Four days was too long to wait to post something from 1974...to atone for this transgression we'll post a double dose. The show these two tracks are taken from took place at the Civic Arena in Philadelphia, PA.

This was the fabled "Wall of Sound" era for the band, when they toured with a 75-ton, custom-designed and built sound system. The technical details of the system and its sonic capabilities really were astounding. There is a dedicated section in the band's Wikipedia entry describing the Wall.

If you saw the Dead in 1973 or 74 I would love to hear from you about the experience. Please leave us some feedback in the comments. Tell us about the show, the scene, etc. Thanks.

Grateful Dead, Scarlet Begonias and Let it Grow
from Philadelphia Civic Arena, August 4, 1974

Robert Christgau, the venerable rock critic, spent the month of June going out every night to a live show in NYC. 32 shows in 30 days to be exact. He saw all or part of 61 acts. Check out his great chronicle of the month from the Village Voice.

Today's tribute post is a live track of the Grateful Dead live at the Starlight Theater in Kansas City, MO, on August 3, 1982...

August '82 goes down as one of those revered runs that appear in clusters throughout the band's history: May 1970, March 1973, May 1977, June 1985, Spring 1990 and several others...lots of great mid-western amphitheatre shows on this particular run, places that would be regular stops for years...

What salute to Jerry would be complete without a hot Shakedown? So here's one...

Grateful Dead, Shakedown Street
from Starlight Theater in Kansas City, MO, on August 3, 1982

Each year, lots of Deadheads and music fans have Jerry Garcia on the brain the first week or so of August. You see, his birthday was August 1, 1942 and he died August 9, 1995. There are probably festivals, events, tributes and burn sessions in his honor going on all over the place this week and next...

Jerry's music and his interesting take on life and reality inspired me a lot over the years - still does, in fact.

With that in mind, and in addition to our usual missives, we're going to honor his memory and contributions with a series of posts called "Nine Days of Jerry".

The first post was simply a birthday greeting, today let's get into the music.

We were trolling the Live Music Archive for shows the Dead played on this date over the years and found one from Colt Park, in Hartford, CT from 30 years ago. I didn't attend this show (I was but a wee lad) but it has the nice connection for me of being a show from my home state and in a city in which I saw Jerry many, many times.

Grateful Dead, Wharf Rat
from Colt Park, Hartford, CT, August 2, 1976