Arkabilly Music: Sun Ra Meets Moon Mullican?

It's back to Portland this Friday for a return engagement at Duff's Garage, a wonderful club I always enjoy visiting. We had a full house last time at Duff's, and we're hoping for another good turnout.

This time around I'll have Jimi Bott on drums, Don Campbell on bass, Paul Brainard on guitar, and the Mythocratic Transformation Horns (Joe McCarthy on trumpet, Brad Ulrich on baritone sax and clarinet, and Dan Fincher on tenor).

To hear a little sample of what we sounded like last time, go here. Yeah, I know: the piano's way back in the mix, but you can sure feel the groove.

As far as what's new in our show, folks can expect to hear a lot more more of the Sun Ra material people seem to like so much. And we're bringing back some of our oldies, including 1948 (Vanport Flood), because people keep requesting them. Plus I've been spending a lot of time listening to Memphis Slim at the Gate of Horn, one of the greatest blues albums ever made.

Ok, Portland -- hope to see you there!

Art, Protest and the Press

In an essay arguing that "artists have a duty to dissent," a self-described "marketing strategist" makes the following point:

" ... the art community, as a counterpart of the press, has been given special rights written into the Bill of Rights, known broadly as freedom of the press ..."

Really? So Picasso was a kind of Heidi Collins? Rene Magritte was the Wolf Blitzer of Belgium?

It's not that I don't think artists have a right, or even a duty, to protest ... but surely their freedom to dissent doesn't derive from defining art as some sort of appendage to journalism.

Does it?

Still Worried About the World

David Vest
"Worried About the World (feat. Paul deLay)" (mp3)
from "Way Down Here"

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

A Portland Date at Duff's Garage

Had a ball at Sunbanks! Now it's time to head on down to Portland for my show Friday night at Duff's Garage. I'll have Chris Miller with me on guitar (fresh from his tours with Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas and other greats). Plus the Willing Victims and the Mythocratic Transformation Horns.

Some "secret" surprise guests are expected as well. I know one thing: a good time will be had by all!

Sunbanks Weekend

I'm off to play the Sunbanks Blues Festival on Saturday. My show starts at 4:30 p.m. I think it's really cool that people can now buy Day Passes at Sunbanks!