Weekend Warrior Report

Been going to a lot of outdoor concerts while the weather has been decent...

Last week got a great big dose of blues with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge...

It was the 35th Anniversary of the SF Blues Festival on the Greens at Fort Mason...

Of course I was thrilled to catch some Allen Toussaint, including his delightful performance of this song ( Play Something Sweet aka Brickyard Blues) that was a hit he produced in the 1970's for Scotsman Frankie Miller and also Three Dog Night...

I found Toussaint's version at eMusic, on a compilation called Bluesiana Hot Sauce

Allen Toussaint - Brickyard Blues

One of the highlights of the SF Blues Fest was finally seeing the tiny lil septuagenarian lady known as Sugar Pie DeSanto up onstage in action. She participated in an open ended jam with the ancient Jimmy McCracklin, and Joe Louis Walker with occasional Nick Lowe/Commander Cody/Elvis Costello sideman Austin DeLone on piano.

Sugar Pie ( born Umpeylia Marsema Balinton in 1935) was lively and risque, hiking her dress up and she is best known for recording lotsa stuff for Chess/Checker back in the day. Etta James is in fact Sugar Pie's younger cousin, and Sugar Pie wrote many tunes recorded by etta and other artists for Chess. She also did some funky stuff in the 70's for Bay area indie labels, including her manager's Jasman records, who have a video clip of her rocking on the site.

Here's Sugar Pie from a 1972 Jasman single, now included on an awesome Luv' N Haight / Ubiquity compilation called "Bay Area Funk 2"

Sugar Pie deSanto - Straighten it Out With Yo Man


Her history stretches back a ways, her first record came out in 1955, and she indeed was the only female who appeared at the American Folk Blues Festival Euro tour of 1964. It was a concert tour concert that hit Germany and featured performers such as: Howlin' Wolf, Hubert Sumlin, Sonny Boy Williamson, Clifton James, Sugar Pie DeSanto, Lightnin' Hopkins, Sleepy John Estes, Sunnyland Slim, John Henry Barbee...

Here is Sugar Pie DeSanto from that amazing 1964 tour in a jam with Sunnyland Slim, Hubert Sumlin, Willie Dixon, and Clifton James singing her then single about wearing her "slip-in mules", as opposed to some then in vogue "high heel sneakers"...

Sugar Pie DeSanto w/ Willie Dixon etc - Slip-In Mules

A few week sback i was privy to a semi private intimate concert by Michael Franti for a tent full of Yoga Jammers on the Sunday following the monumental 10th anniversary of his Power to The Peaceful concert in Golden Gate Park. The first Power to The Peaceful was set for 9-11 ten years in Dolores Park, and was to draw attention to the pending execution of Pennsylvania convict Mumia Abu Jamal. I remeber a few hundred folks in the sunshine, well this year organizers claimed some 50,000 attendees.

here's Franti from a record that came out in 2006...

Michael Franti + Spearhead - Time to go Home

The track featured below has appeared in different forms on both the stay Human album, and even the acoustic collection, Songs from The Front Porch, but here it is again. This time this poetic jam is featured here as heard on a new compilation. This is the 8 minute Bass Nectar Mix of Skin On The Drum from the 'Caravan of Light' collection that was just released this week by Lua productions...


Michael Franti + Spearhead - Skin On The Drum ( Bass nectar mix)

Michael Franti & Spearhead
"Skin on the Drum" (mp3)
from "Caravan of Light - Incantation"
(Lua Productions Ltd.)

More On This Album

Anyhow...

Friday, I hear da legendary pirate rawker Jon Langford is in town with The Mekons and also performing with The Sadies....

Here's Langford, solo, from his Gold Brick collection releasedd via Ryko in 2005

Jon Langford - Anything Can Happen
Also on Friday night I might just sneak in a visit to see perennial jamsters Mother Hips are at the Bay Meadows race track

Mother Hips - Time We Had

The Mother Hips
"Time We Had" (mp3)
from "Kiss The Crystal Flake"
(Camera Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album


I'll perhaps beef up this entry later, and provide some highlights of the stuff i'll be checking out this weekend at not so strictly bluegrass if I have time, likely including Nick Lowe, Blasters, Knitters etc...

but I gotta go right now y'all...

happy hour duty calls...