Delta Magic

By 1960, leagues of mop-haired Brits and American garage-rockers had latched onto the music of the Mississippi Delta. The timeless, emotive, sometimes haunting and painful, religious-tinged blues, jazz and gospel of impoverished black men and women is one of the most enduring parts of the American musical canon.

This incredible music and the incredible musicians that wrote and performed it are unparalleled in musical history. They have been revered, imitated, copied and adored by countless millions. But, they have also been overlooked by recent generations.

As the magical musical explosion of the 1960s and 1970s came to an end, rock n' roll began to be thought of as a white contribution to American music. As most of us should know, this couldn't be further from the truth. There were many things and many people that brought us what we needed to make rock n' roll.

There are dozens and dozens of people who should be noted here. Each with a story to tell. Each responsible for seminal works that will stand the test of time.

To highlight a few: Lightnin' Hopkins, Big Bill Broonzy, Jimmy Rushing, Big Joe Turner, Willie Dixon, Josh White, John Lee Hooker, Mississippi John Hurt, Elmore James and Muddy Waters. So far, I have not encountered a bad record by any of these cats. Nary a bad song, in fact! (With the exception of some of John Lee Hooker's late collaborations with rock icons in the late 70s and early 80s).

In other words, if you're interested in the music of bands like: Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers, ZZ Top, Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Steve Miller Band, The Grateful Dead, or The Beatles then you should know that those bands essentially started playing music because of their love of American blues music. In many cases, they covered blues songs and just added distortion or fuzz to make it a bit different. I guess you could say that they actually "covered" the songs in extra sound to differentiate. There were and still are hundreds of other bands that grew up listening to black American music and then decided to form a band to make music that mimicked it.

I am not saying that these bands are not good bands or that they cheated their way through music, just that their influences are essential knowledge for the casual listener as well as the rabid fan!

Rewind: What galaxy is this?

As often happens in our narrow corporate music landscape, incredible bands get overlooked. The 90s saw the merging of two worlds: the defiant underground and the corporate music machine. This happened in the 80s too, but to music with no staying power. Suddenly, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and countless other would-be underground sensations signed to majors and we had "alternative" music.

Somewhere in all the confusion, below the radio waves, a handful of yet still defiant bands languished in self-imposed obscurity recording for DIY labels. Often, these bands made seminal albums that influenced their fellow DIY compatriots as well as their cousins that had made the leap to a major.

One band that I have been listening to again lately is Galaxie 500. Despite the easy-to-forget name, these guys made careful, enduring classics with the patience and vision of a big time band. Sounding almost like a cross between Magnetic Fields and the San Francisco psychedelic era. Their debut, Today, is a shimmering, display of thoughtful, yet childlike, dream pop. The album sucks you in and takes you on a calm, yet inspired journey through foggy, dreamlike soundscapes that, once it ends and you emerge from the fog will leave you yearning for more.

The focal point of the album is the angsty love song 'Tugboat'. This song could have easily been a college smash. It has just enough pop sensibilities to grab your attention, but also it has enough whirling, swirling, glittering guitar layers to keep the average shoegazer busy. It's hypnotic and accessible at the same time.

I spent the latter half of the 90s digging up these types of bands that no one ever heard of and wouldn't have had the patience to get into anyway. There are countless gems that I could have highlighted, but this one is what's comin' out of my speakers. If, like countless millions, you've never heard of these guys give this one a try.

I got that Cissy Strut

I've been hittin' re-wind again lately and revisiting all the things that paved the way to hip-hop. The Meters laid down one of the funkiest tracks ever produced with their 1969 classic instrumental 'Cissy Strut' from the debut album!

This thing comes sliding in with a gentle 'yea' before completely 'funkifying' you and then just keeps the groove rolling for three tight minutes. These guys set the stage for New Orleans R&B and Funk and were followed by notable acts like The Wild Tchoupitoulas and others.

I bet you know this groove even if the name doesn't ring a bell. Dig it up regardless, because funk never felt so good!

The Return of the Walkman?

I got rid of my Walkman years ago and have never looked back. It was a crude device and antithetical to dedicated music listeners. In fact, I haven't even thought of my old Sony Walkman whose hinges had broken and buttons were stuck or missing. I hadn't thought of it until last summer when I found a band called The Walkmen.

I picked up their third album A Hundred Miles Off and have been reliving some of my favorite bands ever since. The Walkmen create a sonic landscape that evokes images of bands as disparate as Pavement and Joy Division.

This album, from Warner offshoot Record Collection Music, is a thoroughly enjoyable listen with bracing stops and starts as well as lingering, spine-tingling, droning, shards of atmospheric feedback. At times, the singer, Walter Martin, recalls fellow New Yorker Paul Banks of Interpol. No deeper comparison of the bands should be made as their styles differ drastically. Where Interpol's songs all have radio potential, The Walkmen take the extra sonic step to avoid airplay.