All posts by Hallgeir

Kris Kristofferson, List

Playlist: 20 Overlooked gems from Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson beer breakfast
“…beer for breakfast”

 

20 Overlooked gems from Kris Kristofferson

Kristoffer “Kris” Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936)  songwriter, musician, actor, and former soldier. He is best known for writing and recording such hits as “Me and Bobby McGee”, “For the Good Times”, “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night”. Kristofferson is the sole writer of most of his songs, and he has collaborated with various other figures of the Nashville scene such as Shel Silverstein. In 1985, Kristofferson joined fellow country artists Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash in forming the country music supergroup, The Highwaymen. In 2004, Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He is also known for his acting work, including starring roles in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and A Star Is Born, the latter for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.

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Blues, Film, Rolling Stones

Classic Documentary: Bill Wyman’s Blues Odyssey

blues odyssey

Classic Documentary: Bill Wyman’s Blues Odyssey

“I discovered music during my teenage years and after I joined the Air Force, I found that I loved music that had its roots in the sound of Black people from the Southern states.

The way I learnt about their music seemed to echo the way their forebears had taught them: it was about tradition, a tradition passed on by word of mouth. I have learned so much from the Blues, and have come to realize that there is much more to the Blues than people think.”
– Bill Wyman

Bill Wyman’s personal tribute to the music and musicians that inspired him to pick up a bass guitar and become a founder member of the ‘Greatest Rock’n’Roll Band in the World’, The Rolling Stones.

Bill personally interviews such luminaries as BB King, Buddy Guy & Sam Phillips, in a global journey documenting the history of blues music, this documentary is essential to anyone who has either purchased the book or has an interest in exploring the story & journey of blues music narrated by an ex-member of The Rolling Stones, the band who did so much to introduce the music to the mainstream audience.

Bill Wyman has a deep and sincere love of the blues and it shines through in this great docu. He is a life-long fan/disciple/collector of blues music, and a true expert on this genre. Here we get almost two hours with great music clips and interviews from this important musical history.

Bill Wyman’s Blues Odyssey (Complete documentary):

– Hallgeir

Blues, Music Calendar, Sound

March 30: Happy 70th Birthday Eric Clapton

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eric clapton

 I am, and always will be, a blues guitarist.
~Eric Clapton

“I found my God in music and the arts, with writers like Hermann Hesse, and musicians like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Little Walter. In some way, in some form, my God was always there, but now I have learned to talk to him.”
~Eric Clapton

….Paul Simon writes great songs. George Harrison great songs, a lot of people, Eric Clapton produces wonderful music.
~Bob Dylan (Press Conference, July 1981)

Robbie Robertson inducts Eric Clapton Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000:

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Bob Dylan, Cover versions

Noah Gundersen and David Ramirez – Girl from the North Country (BobDylan)

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girl

Noah Gundersen and David Ramirez – Girl from the North Country (BobDylan)

Noah Gundersen (born May 31, 1989) is an American indie folk singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington, and founder of the band The Courage. He also made one of the best albums in 2014, Ledges (we had it at number 16 at our year-end list).

David Ramirez is also a singer-songwriter (from Austin I think), Ramirez’s career has spanned 2 full lengths and 3 EP’s.

“I grew up on 90’s alternative radio. It was fun and easy. In college someone gave me a Ryan Adams record, which led me to discover folks like Bob Dylan.”
– David Ramirez

Noah Gundersen and David Ramirez perform Girl from the North Country live and in one-take for an upcoming release of SerialBoxTV. Filmed at the Fremont Abbey in Seattle, Washington:

So good!

– Hallgeir

Books, List

The 10 Best Memoirs Written By Musicians

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music books

The 10 Best Memoirs Written By Musicians

When musicians decides to write their memoirs they are often uneven (this is a kind statement). They often struggle to give words the life that do in their songs, this “new” format may not come naturally to them. That said, many of these men and women have great stories to tell and often provide compulsive reading. They do stumble in their wording and structure from time to time, but the stories are compelling and they succeed in capturing the spirit of their cultural moment with astonishing insight.

These twelve ten books are great examples of how it can be done if the authors manage to adjust to the new form. They are good period, not because they are written by famous artists, but because they reflect all the creativity, movement and human drama you’d expect from people driven by art. We kept it to memoirs, so no fictional prose (sorry, Nick Cave), no poetry (sorry, Patti Smith and Leonard Cohen), there are some of the books that touches different genres but all these books are mainly memoirs.

They are not necessarily the best biographies about artists written (although sometimes they are) but they are the best books written/narrated by the musicians themselves!

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