The Queens Death and the Fallout For Musicians

 I’m reading lots of different opinions on the cancellation of gigs this last weekend. Many people understood and accepted it whilst others have become very angry and are demanding compensation.

I think this discussion is far more nuanced than some people realise.

We musicians are at the bottom of a very precarious food chain. Entertainment is a luxury. It’s the first thing to be kicked into the long grass when the shit hits the fan. Pubs, restaurants, bars etc have faced unprecedented hardship over the last few years and it shows no sign of letting up any time soon.

Pubs are shutting at an alarming rate. The cost of energy is making this winter seem insurmountable for a great many venues and that's a scary prospect for a lot of us. Therefore I appreciate the anger at having a gig cancelled over the death of someone you don't even know but we have to be understanding of the circumstances.

Pubs don't tend to cancel events for the sake of it. They weigh up their options and the pros & cons. Will the neighbours get upset and complain? This can lead to the cancellation of all entertainment at their venue. Will the punters not turn up or get offended? This can lead to a loss of revenue and therefore again, the cancellation of all entertainment.

We musicians rely on venues to support us. Venues rely on punters to support them. We must be flexible and understanding.

I'm not saying that we should charge less or play longer sets etc but a little understanding of the pressures faced by everyone will certainly help in getting us ALL through this tough time.

Yes of course there will always be venues that will try and rip you off but then I've seen plenty of bands who charge for their services and really shouldnt. There's always a few bad apples but let's all make sure that we aren't one of them.

Sorry for the epic nature of this but I feel it needs to be said.

A little more love and a lot less hate.

Cheers, Milo x

Lockdown Thoughts From A Musician

 Well it looks like we might soon be getting back to an actual normality after 16 months of absolute shite. Fingers crossed we shall be gigging to full (standing) houses again and being able to walk around without someone shouting "MASK!!!" every couple of seconds.

As a musician it's been a very rough time. I realise that many people have suffered losses far greater than mine and the thoughts of a person who still has his health, family and friends isn't of any great importance but there we go. Everyone has been put through the wringer (with the exception of Jeff Bezos) and it's worth remembering that the great majority of us suffer in silence. For every person using social-media as therapy, there are many more people putting on a brave face and ploughing on like everything is fine.

Small and medium sized venues have been devastated. Musicians have been forced to do online busking just to pull in a few shekels and still a great many people view what we do as a hobby. Not a real job. I can't tell you how angry this makes me feel. Government has thrown the entire industry under the proverbial bus.

Because of this, some of our old venues, pubs etc. have made the tough decision to scale back their live music programme. This is completely understandable. On the other hand, there are certain venues who have decided to cut their budget and try to get the same performers for (in some cases) half price. This is a total kick in the cannisters for anyone who's been struggling recently. One can only assume that these places are also paying half price for their booze and only paying the staff a similar cut price rate....

...somehow I doubt it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm hugely appreciative of every venue that books me and I would be nothing without you but to simply halve my worth because I'm only a musician is bullshit. Surely it would be better for everyone to have half as many gigs but pay the right money?

After all, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

I'm sure there are a great many people with differing opinions and I absolutely accept that but I feel I should let my point of view be heard. 

Thank you for listening x

PS. Go and find me on Instagram, FB, YouTube etc. Please like and subscribe and all that stuff. It all helps in lieu of gigs x

Keep On Keeping On

It looks like Neal Casal killed himself. If you don't know who Neal is it will only take a cursory search to discover he was a musician who covered a lot of ground. A guitarist who played with a great many bands and a singer/songwriter who wrote some beautiful songs.  He was 50 years old. He had just performed at a very large music festival this weekend. He has fans all over the world and yet he decided for his own, personal reasons that it was better if he ceased to be. That the world or at least HIS world was better without him in it.
I'm not a fan of these "repost to show someone is listening" memes that do the round on Facebook. The bottom line is that sometimes it doesn't matter if somebody is listening. The bottom line is that you feel so sad that you can't carry on. That you have nothing more that you can give. You have done all that you can.
We must change our attitude to sadness. We must not put all mental health problems in the same basket. We must learn to recognise the difference in people's suffering. We must appreciate, understand and most of all accept the fact that there are people in this world who are sad. There's no rhyme or reason. There's no logical answer. There is however, the ability to understand and we can help by understanding the person. We can help by recognising and being considerate. We can appreciate and love people and make them aware of it. This doesn't just pertain to those in an extreme mental state but to any other human being. We are a compassionate species and we must make sure that even the most sad, lonely, upset and emotionally troubled are aware of that.
Chin up x

School Days (R.I.P. Chuck Berry)

When I was in my first year of secondary school we were all tasked with giving a presentation on something. It could be anything we wanted so being of that age i chose guitars. I couldn’t actually play the guitar back then but that wasn’t the point, I was still obsessed by them.

As i gave my talk, the picture I showed to illustrate my love of guitars and guitarists was Chuck Berry. It was a great photo of him wide-eyed with a terrible multi coloured shirt and his trusty 345 around his neck. That photo basically became the template for my whole career as a musician.

A lot of guitarists work backwards to Chuck via the Stones etc. but i didn’t. Even before I learned to play, I loved his songs. His riffs, his lyrics, his stagecraft and that tempo. That awesome rock and roll shuffle. He was the man.

Later on as I got into more music from the 60s it became obvious the huge influence he had. I remember watching the woodstock movie and spotting half a dozen Chuck Berry guitar solos.

When ‘Hail Hail Rock & Roll’ came out I rented it a dozen times from the video shop. Finally I had a chance to watch his fingers and learn some of it. It also made me realise that he wasn’t the nicest chap in the world but I shrugged this off as i was only about 12.

Anyway, my point is that whether you like him or not, if you think his music is old-hat, even if you’d be happy to never hear a bad pub version of Johnny B Goode again; we can all agree that popular music as we know it would not exist without him. 

Hail Hail Rock & Roll indeed x

A Whimsical Top Ten of 70s Rock

As some of you may know, I can sometimes be found singing in a 70s rock band. I've been doing this for nearly ten years and in that time we have pretty much stuck to the well known classics. Give the audience what they want as opposed to maybe what we'd like to play. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm an entertainer and I'm being paid to entertain. What does cross my mind is what 70s rock I would sing if I had the choice?
It's a pretty huge field and many would argue that the 70s was rocks greatest and most prolific decade. With that in mind I shall delve in and see what I come up with.

1. That's All You Need - The Faces

When Rod was still cool. The Faces were a pub band par excellence and they wore their laddishness with pride. Guitars were often out of tune, songs often sped up and it sometimes sounded like they were making it up as they went along but I doubt they cared. I certainly don't. This particular track from A Nods As Good As A Wink is typical Faces. Ronnie Wood and Ian McLagan weaving in and out and then the whole thing finishes up with steel drums. Lovely.

2. I'll Be Creepin' - Free

Before you say anything, I know this came out in 69 but I couldn't give a monkeys. It's a bloody great song by a bloody great 70s band so it's going on the list. Paul Rodgers is the greatest vocalist in rock and with Paul Kossoff they had the greatest white true blues guitar player of the era (I'll probably get some flack for that). When I was a kid I had a VHS of various Free live performances and it made a huge impression on me. My laughably limited guitar playing skills are based almost solely on Mr. Kossoff.

3. 30 Days In The Hole - Humble Pie

Humble Pie seem to be kind of ignored nowadays which is a real shame. I must admit that I'm not a fan of all their stuff but when they got it right they were excellent. This is from after Frampton quit and Marriot became the main man. I'm still amazed a man can sing that high. Bloody unfair!

4. Tell The Truth - Derek and The Dominos (All Things Must Pass version)

A track that had it's roots in Claptons time with the Delaney & Bonnie band. It goes along at a fair old lick and I can imagine with all the cocaine flying around back then, it probably got even faster on occasion. I saw Clapton a few years back and he opened with it, which was a nice surprise.
This version has the added bonus of George Harrison and Dave Mason on guitar.

5. Lawyers, Guns & Money - Warren Zevon

He didn't just do 'Werewolves of London' you know. Zevon is a great writer and this is one of my favourites. "Send Lawyers, guns and money. The shit has hit the fan", is as relevant now as it was then. There's something very evocative about the whole record. It's got a great 70s feel.

6. Just Got Paid - ZZ Top

From the righteous album Rio Grande Mud comes a tune with shit-ton of attitude. I love Frank Beards drumming on this. He's a very underrated drummer old Frank. He's the very powerful engine room for one of the all time great three-pieces. I love how they go off at a tangent for the slide solo and then just pull it all back in with that bad-ass riff.
Under no circumstances should you ever listen to Joe Bonamassa's version. It's an abomination.

7. Feelin' Alright - Joe Cocker (Mad Dogs & Englishmen version)

Another great 70s live album. Apparently Cocker was extremely strung-out during the tour but it doesn't show. The band lead by Leon Russell is on song and the diverse range of material makes the album a real one-off. I almost went with 'Space Captain' but I decided that this just pips it to the post because of the guitar solo. If only my band had ten backing vocalists.....

8. Rock & Roll Doctor - Little Feat

I love Lowell George so much. His voice, his slide playing, his dungarees etc. This band had a dirty funk thing going on that I really dig. A lot of very good musicians at the top of their game. No real show-boating but plenty of cool playing. The Waiting For Columbus live album is well worth a few hours of your time. Try and find the expanded, two disc version.

9. Alabama - Neil Young

I was thinking of going for 'Southern Man' but then I remembered this one. This guitar intro has been reused thousands of times but still sounds fresh. Neil is one of those guitarists that you can spot within seconds. He's certainly not the best guitarist ever but who cares? No one else sound like him and that's never a bad thing.

10. Magic Bus - The Who (Live at Leeds)

If there's one thing that this list shows, it's that the live albums often had the best versions. It's certainly the case with this absolute beauty of a track. I doubt any other band will have the power of the Who in their pomp and if you need an example it's right here. I remember my dad sitting me down to play this to me and I was overwhelmed. I loved it even before Moon comes crashing in with those huge drums but when he does.......*gasp*

Honorable mentions to....

I Just Want To Celebrate - Rare Earth

Funky and dirty and all kinds of low-down. It's suffered a bit recently because of its overuse in films and TV ads but it remains a killer track.

Chest Fever - The Band

A wonderful organ intro by Garth leads in to one of the few riff songs in the Bands catalogue. When it was played live the intro would go on for bloody ages so I'd actually plump for the studio take on this one. Having said that, the Last Waltz is another of the truly great live albums/films of the 70s and if you don't already own it, why not?!?!?

I have added these tunes (I had to substitute Neil Young as Alabama isn't available) to the Spotify playlist that can be found here. https://open.spotify.com/user/milospilo/playlist/0yjKElH3UbGkCcKmfzEVPC

A Whimsical Top Ten of Country Rock Songs

Oh this is going to be fun. Country Rock, Americana, Roots Rock, Southern Rock, there are many different names for a style that really shouldn't have a name. It's not one genre so much as a feel or sound. I'm sure everyone has their own opinion of what constitutes 'Country Rock' so all I can do is put forward my personal take on it. Hope you like it.

1. Can't You See - Marshall Tucker Band

I had an early introduction to this as a family friend worked for Capricorn records, to which the Marshall Tucker band were signed. We therefore had a lot of Capricorn albums kicking about. This was the opening track on side one and it really grabbed me. The soft/hard dynamics of it. It's a country ballad with rock guitars and flute. It really shouldn't work but does. It's also great fun to play live.

2. Over My Shoulder - The Jayhawks

Tomorrow The Green Grass is such a great record. It's got the sound that I've always heard in my head. The producer was George Drakoulias who was also responsible for the first few Black Crowes records so I guess I can lay the blame for the sound in my head squarely at his door.
The Jayhawks had such a great organic quality. It was indie, it was country, it was rock, it was really good stuff.

3. Real Live Broken Fingers & Broken Guitar Strings - Lucinda Williams

My younger sister and I have both worshipped at the altar of Ms. Williams for a great many years. There is something brilliantly tough and bruised about her writing. She also has a knack for finding kick-ass musicians to give her songs the requisite balls. This song just sounds like she couldn't give a fuck but really needs to tell someone anyway. It has the awesome Doug Pettibone on guitar which gives it huge bonus points. Dig when that tremolo pedal kicks in :)

4. Free To Go - Neal Casal

A hugely underrated singer and songwriter who spends most of his time as a sideman nowadays. This is from way back when he first started out and his love of all things Laurel Canyon shines through. The pedal steel and Hammond organ combination give it such a great vibe. You'd never guess it was recorded in the mid 90s.

5. Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones

A lot of people argue that the Gram Parsons version is better (strangely no one ever argues the case for the Susan Boyle version) but as far as I'm concerned this is still the definitive take. Jagger's vocal is totally on point, Mick Taylor sprinkles the song in countryfied guitar fairy dust, and the rhythm section are just the right side of falling apart. Just like all the best Stones songs. The fact that so many country artists have subsequently covered it tells you how completely right the Stones got it.

6. Thank You Girl - John Hiatt

John Hiatt, Ry Cooder, Jim Keltner and Nick Lowe. Now that right there is a fucking band. This is such a great fun track from one of my favourite albums. I almost went for 'Tip Of My Tongue' but I figured this list needed a few more upbeat songs. If you don't own this album, you really owe it to yourself to seek a copy out. I promise you won't be disappointed.

7. Calico County - Steve Earle

I really like Steve's later stuff and this particular track is a belter. I think his voice has got better with age. It sounds like he really knows what he's talking about. It's got venom and I totally dig that. The guitars sound like they were recorded in someones garage. It's the sound of a band having great fun with a simple riff.

8. Let There Be Rock - Drive-By Truckers

A brilliant story song with a killer riff. If anyone wants to know what modern southern rock sounds like, just play them this. The Truckers have a superb back catalogue and are highly prolific. Every one of their albums has a few absolute gems on it and this one (Southern Rock Opera) has more than most. It's one of those songs that when it finishes, you immediately want to put on again.

9. Dont Wanna Know Why - Whiskeytown

Lovely harmonies and counter melodies on this one. A real shame that Whiskeytown never got the recognition they deserved. Their albums are a gold-mine of great songs. Their arrangements were always spot on and they didn't seem to care about fitting in to any genre. I'm gutted that I never got to see them live. One can only hope for a reunion one day.

10. Midnight Rider - Allman Brothers Band

This is such a cool song. What a groove. Duane and Dickey sound absolutely perfect on the guitars and the vocals just float on top. It's impossible to listen to this without imagining driving along with the top down and some big sky above you. Duane Allman was one of the greatest losses to music and especially guitar since Hendrix. God knows what he would have gone on to do had he lived more than his meagre 24 years.

Honorable mentions to...

Drunken Poets Dream - Ray Wylie Hubbard

Everyone should know who Ray is. He's one of the great troubadours of American music. His lyrics are funny, sad, honest and heartbreaking and usually all in the space of one song. Another great example of tight'n'sloppy playing. It sounds like the band could fall apart at any moment but you know that's exactly what they want you to think.

Straight To Hell - Hard Working Americans

This is a cover of a tune by another great southern band Drivin N Cryin. I really like Todd Snider's voice on this. It's a pretty simple three chord tune but the lyrics are great and the band really make the most of it. The live version is an absolute peach.

I've made a Spotify playlist of all the songs I've talked about in these recent blog entries. Please go and have a listen and let me know what you think.
https://open.spotify.com/user/milospilo/playlist/0yjKElH3UbGkCcKmfzEVPC

A Whimsical Top Ten of Blues Songs

Following on from the runaway success of my earlier post (a whole 20 people visited the page) I have decided to continue with the next chapter.
This one is going to be much tougher. I know a lot of blues musicians and I know a fair amount of blues. I can't think of any other musical form that can be so divisive while being so limited. Most blues tunes consist of three or four chords (ok, passing chords, substitutions blah blah blah) and most conform to one of a few set patterns BUT (and it's a big but, fnarr fnarr) it's how you use those limitations that matters.
This list is purely personal and I'm sure everyone has their own opinions and that's a great thing. Please share them with me. I'm always open to new blues.

1. Hush Hush - Jimmy Reed

Jimmy Reed is the king of the shuffle. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of bands that can properly play a Jimmy Reed shuffle. Lots try. Lots fail.
This groove is just so bad-ass. Tight, sloppy, groovy, nailed-on shuffle. You could study music for a thousand years and still not get it right.

2. Mojo Hand - Lightnin' Hopkins

Another example of sloppy tightness. This is one of my favourite tunes of all time. The lyrics are all kinds of menacing and the guitar playing is spot on. I love the way Lightnin' uses his right hand in such a laid back way. I've tried to play like this and discovered I can't. Mainly because I'm not Lightnin' Hopkins.

3. On The Road Again - Memphis Jug Band

This is a great tune. Full of movement and a great central riff. The chorus is a blinder and it amazes me it hasn't been covered more. You can just imagine someone like Levon Helm laying down a tight drum beat behind it. I like a lot of jug band stuff because I grew up on it but it seems to be treated as the comedy sidekick of more 'serious' blues. I think that does the music a massive disservice. Open your ears and minds and give it a go.

4. Milk Cow Blues - Sleepy John Estes

I bloody love Sleepy John. Put his records on and you can hear the licks, phrases and style that so many later blues players would absorb in to their own music. Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, Bob Dylan and many others owe a big debt to him. I could have picked any of his stuff so I recommend you find an album and just put it on from start to finish.

5. Freddie King - Takin' Care of Business

Freddie King is the main man of electric blues, as far as I'm concerned. My uncle Rob gave me a cassette of his when I had just started learning the guitar and I listened to it constantly until my walkman finally chewed it up. His style was so cool. Far more direct than the Jazz or Soul leanings of many of his contemporaries. He's also one of the main reasons I play a Gibson semi. (The fact it's black is because of BB King)

6. Boomers Story - Ry Cooder

Ryland P Cooder has the sort of back catalogue that requires constant attention. I could have chosen something from 'Into The Purple Valley' or 'Paradise and Lunch' but this is the song and album I probably listen to the most. I love the songs and I love his guitar sound. What I wouldn't give to be able to make a guitar sing and growl like Ry.

7. Big Mammas Door (Might Return) - Alvin Youngblood Hart

Something a little more up to date. This song is the opening track on an album that all blues guitar players should own (Motivational Speaker) and what an opener it is. Open G dirty guitars giving it the big'un over the old train shuffle beat. What is there not to love about this tune? Dirty dirty dirty.

8. Done Changed My Way of Livin' - Taj Mahal

Two for the price of one because you not only get the awesome Taj but also Jesse Edwin Davis on the guitar. Another hard one to narrow down but I love the tempo and feel on this one. Not to mention Davis' cool-as-fuck guitar playing. The first three Taj Mahal albums (and the Risin' Sons album too) are great blues introduction. Laid back, cool and totally down with it. My favourite albums to play along with.

9. Scratch My Back - The Fabulous Thunderbirds

A bit of a cheat as this way I get to indirectly include Slim Harpo as this is a cover of one of his old tunes. I love the Fabulous Thunderbirds and I'm one of those rare people who loves Jimmie Vaughan more than his more famous brother. This band had that Texas, slicked back shuffle thing going on.
Although I don't know many blues players who wouldn't want to be in the Thunderbirds, I doubt many could resist the temptation to over play. That's the secret. Never over egg the pudding.

10. Hard Again - Muddy Waters

Sod it. I can't pick one track from this genius album. Johnny Winter on guitar, Pinetop Perkins on piano, James Cotton on harp, the list goes on. Not only does this have the best title of an album ever, it also shows just how powerful a force of nature Muddy Waters was.
If ever you want to feel ten feet tall and bad as can be, just pop this on your iPod and step out your front door. Chest beating, strutting blues at its best.

Honorable mentions to...

One Kind Favour - BB King

A timely reminder of why everyone loves/loved BB. This T Bone Burnett produced album sets him up with a killer backing band and strips away all the Las Vegas bullshit. The result is a truly joyous noise.

The Bright Lights E.P. - Gary Clark Jr.

Give it fifteen seconds and you'll know exactly why.

Thanks for reading. Please leave any comments and suggestions below.

I've made a Spotify playlist of these and the tunes from my previous list for you to listen to here https://open.spotify.com/user/milospilo/playlist/0yjKElH3UbGkCcKmfzEVPC

Enjoy!