DAVE MASON MAY BE one of classic rock's unsung heroes. As a teenager in the 1960s, he co-founded Traffic with Steve Winwood and recorded with Jimi Hendrix, the Stones and George Harrison. In the '70s, he scored a handful of hits as a solo artist, and two decades later, he joined Fleetwood Mac.
"I was fortunate to be around and get next to some significant people," the guitarist says of his career. "It was a learning experience."
Despite an impressive resume, Mason says it has become difficult for older musicians to get material out to new fans. "In the media, they're not exactly clambering for 63-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guys, no matter how good the music is," he explains.
Continue Reading "Classics, Straight Ahead: Traffic Co-Founder Dave Mason Tunes Up for a New Tour" »
IF YOU HAD guessed that Julian Marley was trying to say something with the title of his latest record, "Awake" (Ghetto Youths), you wouldn't be wrong.
"It's the awakening," the 34-year-old Marley said. "All of the songs on the album have some kind of awakening vibes. 'On the Floor' is a party kind of song where you've got to be awake. It's kind of a motivating album, positive vibrations. This album comes like a cup of coffee to me. The idea, the concept [was:] what name could centralize this whole album so you can get one message."
Continue Reading "Positive Vibrations: Julian Marley, 'Awake'" »
WHETHER FOR HEALTHY, social status or just sheer taste, D.C. loves its veggies. The love may be there, but finding a new place to satisfy that herbivorous urge isn't always easy.
Katt Hull has been a vegetarian on and off for about five years; her teetering is because of "the lack of good food options." But she has taken a liking to Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant, which she first visited before going meatless.
"The menu is unbelievable," said Hull. "If you close your eyes you'd think [General Tso's Surprise] is the real thing. It's the most unique vegetarian restaurant."
Marissa Valeria of Rockville is also on the Chinese bandwagon because "they make it so easy." Valeria frequents the Vegetable Garden for its carved and curled shiitake mushrooms with asparagus. But according to Valeria, the "best vegetarian food in the universe is El Tamarindo." Growing up in Wheaton, Valeria became accustomed to eating pupusas and finds its bean-and-cheese version the best in the area.
Continue Reading "Still Searching for a Vegetarian Heaven: Go Veg in D.C." »
AS A FIRST-rate jam band guitarist, Mark Karan was always prepared to handle any musical situation, whether that meant filling Jerry Garcia's giant shoes in the post-Grateful Dead band the Dead or playing long, winding, on-the-fly solos in Bob Weir's Ratdog. But one thing he wasn't prepared for was the throat cancer diagnosis he was saddled with in 2007.
Soon after the diagnosis, Karan found himself off the concert trail and in and out of hospitals. Fans rallied, raising $5,000 through Dead.net, and eventually, Karan rallied — and changed his direction in life. Instead of staying a sideman, he stepped into the spotlight and recorded his first solo CD, "Walk Through the Fire." He also launched his first solo mini-tour, which brings him to the State Theatre fronting the band Jemimah Puddleduck.
"You get news that you have a potentially fatal disease and it makes you examine what's going on," Karan explains. "And you start thinking, 'Wow, this death thing that they're talking about — this limited time on the planet — it's real.'"
Continue Reading "The Road To Recovery: The Dead's Mark Karan" »
ADAM FRANKLIN HAS always sounded reserved, even when his previous band, Swervedriver, was crushing psychedelic riffs that sounded like The Stooges and Hawkwind engaged in a cosmic joy ride.
But with his new solo record, "Spent Bullets" (Second Motion), he's finally nailed his laconic post-Swervedriver voice.
Perhaps it was because Swervedriver's 2008 reunion tour went so well, or that his Magnetic Morning project with Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino was so well received, but Franklin's songwriting on "Spent Bullets" is as confident as it is consistent, presenting 10 mostly midtempo songs that capture his folky, dreamy melodies and quietly soulful voice.
"Various people have said — and I agree — that it's good that the whole album has a consistent sound," Franklin said. "But the songs are from various periods — some of the songs are quite old — but somehow it all kind of all falls into place thematically. ... But you never know quite how it's going to turn out: You start recording and there's one song you think might be the main song, then it falls by the wayside. Then another song that you think is a complete throwaway comes up at the last minute."
When Swervedriver was on hiatus, Franklin started recording and touring under the name Toshack Highway — mostly because he felt odd about being a solo artist.
"When you go out under your own name — it feels a bit strange," Franklin said. "That's partly why I went for Toshack Highway initially, but then I thought people didn't remember the name Toshack Highway. And basically when you're a band on the road, and you're at a truck stop, sitting down getting your coffee, and the waitress comes over and says, 'Hey, are you guys in a band?' And we say, 'Yeah, we're in a band.' And she says, 'What's the name of the band?' And it seems weird to say, 'It's named after him.' Now we can say, 'It's named Bolts of Melody.'
So, you named your backing band based on the fear and loathing you'd receive from truck-stop waitresses?
"I suppose so," Franklin laughed.
Express did manage to get the reserved Franklin to open up a bit with a track-by-track tour of "Bolts of Melody."
Continue Reading "Liner Notes: Adam Franklin, 'Spent Bullets'" »
JOHN SCOFIELD'S INTRICATE guitar playing has accompanied jazz legends such as Chet Baker, Charles Mingus and Miles Davis throughout his more than 30-year-long career. But for his 36th solo album, "Piety Street" (Decca), Scofield had to do something he's not used to: simplify.
"I played simpler because the music requires that," Scofield said. "It's hard to play simple, but it's also been a joy [and] also an eye opener: oh yeah, this deep music doesn't have to have a lot of notes. Also when you play less notes, the shading and the vibrato and the phrasings, they become more important. Those are real subtleties that don't come across in jazz. I love the vocal quality."
It's refreshing to hear Scofield, 57, playing such soulful, natural tones — a stark contrast to his more adventurous fusion work and his traditional bebop. "Piety Street," released last month, is a gospel and blues album at its core, but it's also something Scofield's been working toward his entire career.
"I think all of this is part of something that I've been looking for and part of just my whole career of mixing jazz and blues," he said. "It's been trying to get to something that's natural and vocal-like and there's this great blues guitar tradition that I'm part of that when I play straight-ahead jazz gets tucked away."
IT TOOK AN infuriating incident with United States customs officials for Molotov's sole American band member to spark the concept for the group's most popular song, "Frijolero." During a visit to the U.S., the Michigan-born, New Orleans-raised Randy Ebright had his half-Mexican daughter hassled by immigration officers in Miami.
"It was, like, it was soooo out of the ordinary that an American guy would be with a Mexican woman," says Ebright, drummer for Molotov.
The band is one of Mexico's most beloved, praised for its rapid-fire rap, big volume funk, metal and high-energy performances, as well as its biting tongue-in-cheek explicit bilingual lyrics targeting corruption and social injustice on both sides of the border. "I just couldn't believe they would treat my daughter that way because she wasn't full American."
WE'LL KEEP IT SHORT and sweet: Losing weight, saving money and learning a new language are old hat. This year, resolve to challenge your palate and try something new. We have a handy checklist for adventurous diners to refer to over the course of 2009, with options here for vegetarians as well as carnivores. Happy eating!
MEAT PROTEIN
Zombie Feast: There are brains on the menu at Bistro D'Oc. Sauteed with shallots and capers, the dish-that-was-a-lamb's-cerebrum is available as a special roughly every other week; call ahead if you want to make sure the organ's on the menu.
» 518 10th St. SE; 202-393-5444. (Metro Center)
They Promised Me Tapioca: Black pudding, aka blood sausage, is made from ground meat and filler cooked with blood until it congeals. CommonWealth's version uses oats, bacon, onion and garlic, and served it with their Butcher Breakfast, along with eggs and four other servings of pig.
» 1400 Irving St. NW; 202-265-1400. (Columbia Heights)
Have a Ball: Until Jan. 25, Firefly's serving up Rocky Mountain oysters in celebration of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "Over the River, a Work in Progress" at the Phillips Collection. The exhibit traces the artists' attempt to suspend fabric panels over the Arkansas River in Colorado. Apparently, this tenuous link to the Rockies isn't enough to get the "oysters" flying off the shelves, says chef Danny Bortnick. "I think people come here with the intention [of ordering it] and then they back out."
» 1310 New Hampshire Ave. NW; 202-861-1310. (Dupont Circle)
Continue Reading "Do Your Dining Right: New Year's Adventures" »
JIM NORTON LIKES water sports — and we don't mean boating.
The funnyman isn't afraid to share his many unique interests with the public, either, whether on the "Opie and Anthony" radio show, as author of the New York Times best-sellers "Happy Endings: The Tales of a Meaty-Breasted Zilch" and "I Hate Your Guts," or as the host of his own HBO show and specials.
All of Norton's addictions, afflictions and peccadilloes are explored with ruthless glee, which makes for amazingly honest, laugh-till-you-cry comedy, but it must be awkward during family get-togethers.
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE has never been about stability. In fact, it's always been the opposite. The band's lineup can change on any given day based on where it's playing and who's available.
Leslie Feist, Metric's Emily Hanes and Jason Collett are just a few former members. But don't confuse the word "former" with "ex." While none of those three are currently touring with the group, if you turn up to the right show, they could appear — it's part of the Toronto indie-rock band's collective spirit.
At the helm are Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew, who along with drummer Justin Peroff, are the only constants throughout the band's career. After 2005's self-titled album, Canning and Drew took a bit of a break from being a band, focusing instead on solo records. The albums, Drew's "Spirit If ..." and Canning's "Something for All of Us," were released in 2007 and 2008, respectively, under the name "Broken Social Scene Presents ..." Full BSS-backed tours followed and now the band is on the second leg supporting Canning's record.
Express talked to Canning about the band's current tour, the "Broken Social Scene Presents ..." series and the ups and downs of playing in a rotating collective.
Continue Reading "Unified for Now: Broken Social Scene's Brendan Canning" »
Addison Road