Owsley, 1965-2010

The Semantics- "The Sky Is Falling" (YouTube stream)

Pity the power poppers. In spite of trafficking in the most instantly accessible music imaginable, very few listeners have favored that style since the '70s. Although he was in the fabled group The Semantics (don't miss "The Sky Is Falling") and worked alongside Amy Grant for years, my introduction to Owsley didn't come until I heard his fine 2003 album The Hard Way. It would have sounded good in 1973. It will still sound good in 2023. The native Alabaman complains about the musical landscape in this live performance from 1999. Owsley died last week.

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Here's my review of the American Jazz Museum's tribute to Duke Ellington. It featured Clark Terry and Alaadeen.

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Drummer Morris Pert has died. I went through a Brand X phase when I was fourteen. What was I thinking?

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Demencha.com offers a mixtape of summer-oriented throwback jams by the likes of Jodeci, Aaliyah and Brownstone.

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Yes, I'm watching Treme. And I'll confess that the Nightingales' "Just a Little Overcome" was new to me. This guy is blogging the series' music.

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Kansas City Click: I'll be joining Billy Stritch, Marilyn Maye, Marion Meadows and Jessi Colter (!) for the Thursday film premiere of Kansas City Jazz & Blues: Past, Present and Future at the Gem Theater.

Merle, the nice guy who works the door at Knuckleheads, is the recipient of an organ transplant. The two-day MerleJam begins Friday. Ray Wylie Hubbard headlines.

"Charlie, Last Name, Wilson" headlines at Municipal Auditorium on Saturday.

German Lizarraga Y Su Banda Estrellas De Sinaloa are at Memorial Hall on Sunday.

Will Talib Kweli redeem himself Monday at the Midland? I'm still mad at him for the weak effort he made in Kansas City last year.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)