Gospel Blues WUSB Special, 22 July 2007

Bob Longman, WUSB 90.1 fm/wusb.fm — Sunday
7/22/07 — 12:30-2:30 pm

The Lord Will Make a Way — Mighty Sam McClain
I Want to Be Ready — Holmes Bros.
If I Fall — Doug Wamble
Death Don’t Have No Mercy — Jorma Kaukonen
Soon My Work Will Be All Done — Gary Davis
Can’t Nobody Hide — Blind Willie Johnson
Nobody’s Fault But Mine — Toby Walker — Just Rolled In — N
If You See My Savior — Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
John the Revelator — Son House
Keep the Faith — Johnny Rawls & the Rays
Shaky Ground — Glenn Kaiser/Darrell Mansfield
Farther Along — Mike Bloomfield
Hallelu Hallelu — Rory Block
A Friend Like Lonely Jesus — Gary Davis
Woke Up This Morning — Ruthie Foster
Feel Like Going On — Ruthie Foster, Pat Boyack
Read Way Back — Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith
Just Keep Goin’ On — Dan Smith
Take Your Burden — Washington Phillips
Take Your Burden to the Lord — Joseph Spence
Shadow of Doubt — Tinsley Ellis — Moment of Truth — N
Where Shall I Be — Mississippi John Hurt
Take My Hand — Blind Boys AL & Ben Harper
Without the Help of Jesus — Blind Boys AL
Death Don’t Have No Mercy — Marie Knight — Let Us Get Together — N
Witness — Mighty Sam McClain
Be With Me Jesus — Sam Cooke & the Soul Stirrers

http://www.spirithome.com/

Notes on local live music events

I’ve been at two local live music events this summer, with another one coming next week (the Riverhead Blues Festival). Some quick notes :

(1) You know you’re old when the people who are 10 years younger than you look old.

(2) There is a race gap in these events. Not on stage : that’s fairly well integrated. But there are usually more African-Americans on stage than in the crowd. Part of that’s #3 below. But is that all there is to it?…

(3) These events are really for guitar-based rock audiences. Sure, there’s some electric blues and soul, but that’s in guitar-rock’s roots from the start and have always been present at these festivals. But the heart of it is album rock. Understandable : their sounds 30+ years ago created most of the festivals. Yet it is an aging sound, now mostly for 35-55-year-olds. (At least one group, the Defibrillators, has fun with that.)

(4) Two main products : guitar-rock and beer. Oh – and two others : beer bellies and thick thighs.

(5) These fans do bring their kids, and there’s always the kid who’s up front below playing their toy guitar like the musician on stage. The 5-year old boy on Friday was especially into it. I expect to see his first album available for download soon.

http://www.spirithome.com/