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AIR DATE: JANUARY 30, 2021

Set 1

Sudanese-American artist Ahmed Gallab, aka Sinkane, is a multi-instrumentalist with a lot of different projects going on. Back in 2014, I saw Gallab play an energy packed show a Baby’s All Right with an opener I’d never heard before. Helado Negro took the stage and really blew me away with his stage presence and soulful music. He has such an intriguing live show with his Tinsel Mammals.

On Sinkane’s 2012 album Mars, he explores a lot of different sounds including his influences in kraut-rock. On his song “Love Sick,” Gallab quotes “Spoon” off the album Ege Bamyasi by CAN.

In 2017, Gallab let the Atomic Bomb! Band with fellow musicians Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, Pat Mahoney of LCD Soundsystem, Money Mark of the Beastie Boys, Lekan Babalola, and Jas Walton of Anitbalas. Taking part in many of the performances was co-founder of the Luaka Bop label, David Byrne. The Atomic Bomb! Band was a musical exploration and tribute to Nigerian funk musician, William Onyeabor.

Set 2

In David Byrne’s 1986 feature film True Stories, Pops Staples played the role of voodoo practitioner Mr. Tucker and sang the song “Papa Legba.” The posthumous album Don’t Lose This was produced and finished by Jeff Tweedy and Staples’ daughter, Mavis Staples. On Tweedy’s album Sukierae, Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig – frequent guests of Mavis Staples on stage – sang backing vocals for many tracks. Wolfe and Laessig front the band Lucius.

Set 3

When looking into collaborations of David Byrne, I was surprised to find that he did a duet called “God’s Child (Baila Conmigo)” with the late Selena on her hit album Dreaming Of You.

Another big Byrne collaboration came in 2012 with Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, on the album Love This Giant. This is an excellent record showcasing a lot of different instrumentation including a large brass section being used in very interesting ways.

St. Vincent is one of my favorites. Her ability to not only shred on guitar but also play it in unique ways is really a thrill to listen to. Her latest album MASSEDUCTION was produced by Jack Antonoff who has made a name for himself working with artists like Taylor Swift and Lana Del Ray. Antonoff himself has a number of side projects such as Red Hearse and Bleachers.

Set 4

A 2020 quarantine surprise, Bleachers came out with a single called “chinatown” that featured guest vocals by Bruce Springsteen. No stranger to the big sounds of reverb on drums and synthesizers, Springsteen split from the E Street Band in 1987 to record Tunnel of Love. On that record, E Street Band drummer, Max Weinberg, played his Ludwig drums, a brand also played by John Bonham of Led Zeppelin.

Set 5

There are plenty of storylines and documentation of Led Zeppelin stealing songs from blues artists. “In My Time of Dying” is one of them. The earliest recording I could find was Blind Willie Johnson’s version, which is titled, “Jesus Make Up My Dyin’ Bed.” His version features some haunting steel guitar. When asked why he never covered the song, Eric Clapton said, “One of his [Blind Willie Johnson's] songs that I would like to have done is 'Nobody's Fault but Mine', but it is almost impossible to play. I dare you to find a slide player who can do that!”

Clapton may not have covered that track, but he did an entire album paying tribute to Robert Johnson called, Me and Mr. Johnson, in 2004. This album had a packed group of session players including Steve Gadd, Kim Keltner, Pino Palladino, and Doyle Bramhall II. Bramhall, son of blues musician Doyle Bramhall, played lead and slide guitar on Clapton’s album. He has a number of solo albums, including 2001’s Welcome.

On this record, Bramhall brought in drummer Susannah Melvoin. She was once engaged to Prince and cowrote a number of songs with him, including “Starfish and Coffee” from Sign O’ The Times.

 
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