LIC Radio

Gil Scott-Heron Brett was back with me today and he brought some really good stuff to the table today. As we both seem to reacting to the current climate by vacillating between anger and bemusement, we discussed music that served as forms of protest of social comment. We were both of a mind that protest music needed to have “teeth,” and that passive messages of togetherness are insufficient to affect meaningful change. (Who knows? I may feel different tomorrow.) We also continued our conversation from the last time we did a show together about inspiration vs. cultural appropriation in music, particularly when it came to “folk” music styles such as the blues, and the point where “influence” becomes straight-up plagiarism. We did not play any Jimmy Page, but you can bet your ass he was referenced. And yes, I have been putting off doing laundry, so there was no was soft cotton underwear between my sensitive parts and the rough denim of my Levis.   Click here to check it out: LIC Radio...

              Terry Reid, 1973 Photo by Ian Dickson Upon returning from a tour in the UK, Aretha Franklin reportedly said: “There are only three things happening in England: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Terry Reid.” The person who hipped me to Terry (I think some time in 2007) dropped that little nugget on me. All I could think was that he was in pretty good company. Doing a deep dive into his catalog, as well as archival live recordings, I discovered an un-parallelled artist. A songwriter who could be wistful, yearning, and humorous at the same time, and a vocalist was powerful, emotive, percussive, with just the most inventive phrasing I had ever heard. News came down that he passed away yesterday and obviously, I had to pay some sort of tribute. I hope the songs that I played whetted the appetite of anyone listening who was not previously familiar with this incredibly underrated artist. What else? There was a “What’s New, Pussycat?” med...