NEW MiSSiSSiPPi FRED McDOWELL RECORDiNGS!

Good ol' Jeff Konkel at Broke and Hungry Records (whose entire catalog you should own or be ashamed of yrself) just turned me on to the premier release by North Carolina's Devil Down Records called Mississippi Fred McDowell : Come and Found You Gone- The Bill Ferris Recordings.  Recorded over the course of a night in August of 1967 with the assistance of Mr. McDowell's wife Annie Mae and Napoleon Strickland. This is an all acoustic set recorded at the home of a friend of the McDowell's. A field (sans field) recording with all the inherent sounds of life one would find in that type of situation. This recording shines and breaths and welcomes you into the room to sit and hear the north Mississippi master up close and very personal. Close your eyes and, like a 3D movie, you'll feel you can reach right out and touch Mr. McDowell's slide hand as it glides and grinds up and down the neck his acoustic and feel his breath in the mic. Eighteen tracks including an interview with Bill Ferris and a spirited conversation between Mr. and Mrs. McDowell. 

From the Devil Down Records site:  
     These recordings are different from any other of Fred McDowell due to their very nature: rather than conducted with the production of a record in mind, the recordings were made casually over the course of a night. McDowell is here heard at his best, relaxed and energetic, performing many of his most famous songs as well as songs never before heard. With his foot tapping on the hardwood floor and laughter in the background, “Come and Found You Gone” brings the listener into that hot night in August, 1967, immersing them in the world of the blues house party, and guiding them through the night as it unfolded… The 18 track album includes a 16 page booklet featuring liner notes from blues researcher and Rolling Stone Magazine top 10 Professor Bill Ferris, Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars, and leading French blues scholar Vincent Joos. This booklet also contains a dozen award-winning photographs taken by Bill Ferris in 1970 at Otha Turner’s 4th of July picnic in Potts Camp, Mississippi. 

This is an essential recording that I know all my friends will love. 

Mississippi Fred McDowell- Letter from Hot Springs MP3

Get it: 
Support the label and Buy Direct // CD Baby // iTUNES 

NEW H0LL0WBELLY ViDEO ~ DOWNRiVER (Please adjust speaker settings to LOUD!)

Excellent video from yr man H0LL0WBELLY with back up on washboard by UK wunderkind Bluesbeaten Redshaw.  

  BUY Punk, Northern and Blue!

Greenbelt Festival 2010 perspectives

 

Greenbelt is always a sea of surprises and stimulating encounters... 2010 was another great year and re-inforces my determination to never miss it!

Here are my initial responses:

Highlights:
1) Fr. Richard Rohr on the church
2) Watching the preview of the film 'Africa United'
3) Revd. Dr John Smith's talks which emphatically restated Greenbelt's original vision(s)
4) Shlomo's mainstage mini-set
5) The start and end of the communion service (i.e. unaccompanied singing with no band)

Surprises:
1) Giles Fraser on The English Civil War and the future of the Church of England
2) Martyn Atkins on Methodism and discipleship
3) Foy Vance bumped up to a mainstage set
4) How many talks I managed to attend!
5) Bumping into Clare Short and having a good chinwag

Lowlights:
1) The weather prior to the festival during set-up and the cold in the evenings!
2) Rock band style music in parts of the communion service
3) Many of the mainstage music acts
4) Confetti cannon during the communion service
5) Sensing 'beer and hymns' becoming more organised

Despite being involved as a contributor this year I did manage to attend a couple of Tweetups and was delighted to commune with some of my virtual 'friends' yet missed others altogether. Otherwise it was great to bump into friends from across the years and actually meet, for the first time, folk that I knew about and that knew me too, but until now...!

However, I do think Greenbelt needs to look carefully to ensure that aspects of the original vision that are still valid and distinctly 'Greenbelt' as some of this is in danger of being sidelined. I don't doubt the Greenbelt 'powers' will already be aware of this so I am not going to witter on here!

Greenbelt is for everybody... unless they're not keen on a bit of heaven?

Here's a perspective from a first time visitor: Do Christian Music Festivals Make You Want to Switch Religions?

And on the Greenbelt Blog today a gorgeous poem: 'If heaven (2)' by Rosie Miles

MR. TATER THE MUSiC MAKER NEEDS YOUR HELP! Please retweet/repost

photo by DJ Hillfunk

Message from Jeff Konkel @ Broke And Hungry Records: "Anyone who's spent much time in Clarksdale, Mississippi, will be very familiar with Foster Wiley, better known as "Mr. Tater, the Music Maker." Tater is the last of the Delta street musicians. In recent months he's had some serious health concerns. Yesterday (9.01.10) he was airlifted to Methodist University Hospital in Memphis. Please keep him in your thoughts and be sure to check out his Facebook page for up-to-date information." 

Per his FB page as of 09.02.10:  

Mr Tater is at Methodist Hospital in Memphis, in the ICU at Tower 422. The info I got is that "His Condition is guarded, his vitals are stable, and he is resting"

YOU can help Mr. Tater by purchasing his CD The Best Of Mr. Tater  via Cathead Delta Blues And Folk Art. Contact Roger Stolle : Roger at cathead dot biz

Mr. Tater The Greatest Music Maker Alive 

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