virginia tech Archives - Pizza, Rock and Roll and a Life's Journey

Two bands that I have seen a number of times are the Neveille Brothers and Little Feat. Each time has been a memorable event. All members of these bands give their all in concert. Night after night. From city to city all accross the USA and the world.

While both groups have received a fair share publicity, they are both well out of the mainstream. If you are not familiar with them, I urge you to check out their music. You will be pleasantly surprised. And while their recorded music is good, they really shine when playing live.

Their music is spicy and complex. They share a certain brotherhood of the beat.

They both have incredible sounds and much of their music is based on complicated rhythms. They have it down. And when you listen to them you just can’t keep from moving and grooving. Little Feat’s rhythm section is bolstered by Sam Clayton on congas, Kenny Gradney on bass and Richie Hayward playing the drums. Little Feat is one mean rhythm machine.

The following video is from a concert in Montreux, Switzerland July, 8, 1990. The Nevilles were in town and decide to sit in.

The Nevilles spread the gospel of New Orleans music. And indeed each o their shows has a Mardi Gras spice to it. The Neville’s have been around for a long time and the core of the band is made up of brother’s Art, Aaron, Cyril and Charles. As a amtter of fact each time I have seen the Neville’s it seems there are other members of the family who join in and add to the musical gumbo.

You can visit their website and get more tastes of the Neveille Brothers, here. The sweet voice of Aaron is also a great feature of this band. But they do rely on the backbone rhythm in their music.

What can I say about Little Feat? One of the best Rock and Roll bands in the world. I did get a chance to meet the entire band during a concert at Virginia Tech in the late 70’s. But that story is for another time.
Grab some Little Feat music, here and Neville Brothers music at this link.

Here is a great DVD the legendary Neville Brothers are joined by an extraordinary group of musical guests for an exciting, once in a lifetime musical event filmed live at the famed Storyville Jazz Hall in New Orleans.

Discover some Little Feat at with this tid bit. One of my favorites. Waiting for Columbus:

Rock on,

albert

A little known fact about me, is that I spent a few years as a DJ. I didn’t work at a top 40 station, rather the music that I played had meaning for me in my life. Music was such a part of me I wanted to share the soundtrack with whoever would listen.

And what a soundtrack it was.

My first radio show was broadcast on the Virginia Tech College radio station in Blacksburg, Virginia. I was basically able to play anything I wanted, with few limitations. My experiences there were incredible life lessons that have stayed with me to this very day.

Later, I would get a job on a commercial radio station in Montpelier, Vermont. The station, WNCS, was one of the very few which would broadcast all types of music from reggae to hard rock and everything else in between. This was not your typical radio format.

I had a number of highs and lows while I worked there including the time I accidently shut down the entire station. That was a very low point. But somehow I survived. I never made it to the big time of professional radio, but believe me I had lots of fun in the process.

One of the DJ’s tricks, was to put on a 10-15 minute song so you could make a cup of coffee or do some planning for the rest of the show.

What follows is a live cut from one of my mainstay artists, Neil Young.. This particular recording is from the archives of the great music promoter, Bill Graham. The archives are contained in Wolfgang’s Vault, an incredible music resource.

Hey, go make a cup of coffee or do some planning as you listen to one of my favorite songs of all time. The recording has a real garage band feel to it. That is part of its appeal…

These days a lot of my planning is how to increase the size of my list. I found a great resource for you.

Check it out, here.

Be well,
albert

Pizza, Rock and Roll and a Life's Journey

"What a long strange trip it's been…"

Tag Archives: virginia tech

Little Feat and The Neville Brothers…Hey Pocky Way