Can't Stand To See You Go

Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - The [Temporary] Farewell Party for Blind John Johnson That He Wasn't Even At

So here's the story, short version: Blind Johnny's spending the summer in Washington, D.C. on business, so he and I knocked out a few shows before he left. Johnny ended up having to hop on an earlier leavin' train than he originally thought, so after putting together a killer set (the first one he's done entirely by himself), he didn't even get to be at the helm to see his baby come to fruition. It is what it is, I suppose. I held it down for him pretty well, though, or so I'd like to think. I even threw in a few little gems of my own ... ever thought you'd see AC/DC in a true blues setlist? Yeah, didn't think so. Here's the set:

Intro: Robert Johnson – Cross Road Blues

Led Zeppelin – Hats Off To (Roy) Harper / Led Zeppelin III [for Cliff ... finally]
Chuck Berry – No Particular Place To Go
Howlin’ Wolf – Sittin’ On Top of the World
Elmore James – Baby, Please Set a Date
Jimmy Reed – Can’t Stand To See You Go
Otis Rush – I Can’t Quit You, Baby / The Complete Cobra Sessions
The Rolling Stones – Prodigal Son / Beggars Banquet
Jimmy McCracklin – Take Care of Yourself

First Break – 12:30 AM

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – Please Don’t Leave Me
Louisiana Red – Leaving Town
T-Bone Walker – Left Home When I Was a Kid
Walter Horton – Leaving In the Morning
Roosevelt Sykes – The Train Is Coming
AC/DC – Ride On / Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

Second Break – 1 AM

Charlie Patton – Down the Dirt Road Blues
Mississippi Fred McDowell – The Train I Ride
Clutch – Gravel Road / Robot Hive/Exodus [for Chandler and the boys … told you Clutch ruled!]
Elmore James – Take Me Where You Go
Memphis Slim – I Feel So Good
Down – Where I’m Going / Down II: A Bustle In Your Hedgerow
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – I Put a Spell On You

Third Break – 1:30 AM

Peetie Wheatstraw – Working on the Project
Charles Brown – Driftin’ Blues
Muddy Waters – Baby, Please Don’t Go
Cecil Gant – I’ll Remember You
B.B. King – Baby Get Lost / Blues Is King
Elmore James – One Way Out
The Black Keys – Grown So Ugly / Rubber Factory

Hope you guys enjoyed it. The next two weeks will more than likely just be us kicking out the jams at random as we get geared up for some really, unbelievably mind-blowing stuff. Seriously, stay tuned ... we're talking multi-week themed show arcs. More on that to come. You really don't want to miss what we've got in store for this summer. I know that sounds like the standard fare of your average hypeman, but I'm serious - this is the pinnacle of creativity, of blues, and of my musical experience. It's going to be a hot summer if there ever was one. I can't divulge any details just yet, but we should be announcing something pretty soon. Stay tuned.

Just a couple housekeeping things really quick. First, in the tradition of my being a fan of collectives and revolving-door collaborations, I want to introduce another bluesman who'll be coming into the fold and hangin' around from time to time, "Chillin'" Willie James Chill. He's done a great job already in Blind's absence, and I look forward to his continued impact. Great and different things come from great and different minds. Also, Chill started a MySpace account for our show, so you can find us here. It's sort of the same idea as this blog, only you can add us as a friend over there, and check out other awesome WRAS shows on our Top Friends. Put us on your Top Friends (as adolescent as that sounds)!

Until next week ... stay positive.

Shoeless Kay Staps

Pickin' the Blues

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - The Best In Blues Guitar

This week was simple, too ... we wanted to highlight some awesome blues guitar. In no way did we want to fall in to the death trap of the subjectivity of a countdown, or even try to label someone as "the best." Like with anything else music, or art in general, it's simply a matter of opinion. We just played some of our favorite songs by some of our favorite artists so that we could hear some of our favorite licks. The only central idea was to keep it centered on pickers. Here's the set - the guitarist we were showcasing is highlighted in yellow.

Intro: Robert Johnson – Cross Road Blues

B.B. King – 3 O’Clock Blues (with Bobby Bland) / Together For the First Time ... Live!
T-Bone Walker – You Don’t Love Me / The Complete Imperial Recordings 1950-1954
Billy Gibbons: ZZ Top – Jesus Just Left Chicago / Tres Hombres
Elmore James – The Sky Is Crying / Greatest Blues Hits
Son House – Pearline / The Original Delta Blues
Duane Allman: The Allman Brothers Band – It’s Not My Cross To Bear / The Allman Brothers Band
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Texas Flood / Texas Flood

First Break - 12:30 AM

Albert King – You Sure Do Drive a Hard Bargain / King of the Blues Guitar
Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown – Cross My Heart / Chess Blues Guitar: Two Decades of Killer Fretwork
Lightnin’ Hopkins – Moanin’ Blues / The Very Best of Lightnin' Hopkins
Freddie King – Tore Down / King of the Blues
Howlin’ Wolf – I’ve Got a Woman / More Real Folk Blues
Albert Collins – Cold, Cold Feeling / Ice Pickin'

Second Break - 1 AM

Jimmy Page: Led Zeppelin – I Can’t Quit You Baby / Led Zeppelin I
Buddy Guy – Tramp / Sweet Tea
Muddy Waters – Forty Days and Forty Nights / Muddy Waters: The Essential Collection
Jimi Hendrix – Red House (Live at the New York Pop Festival, Randall Island, July 17, 1970) / Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection
Jack White: The White Stripes – Catch Hell Blues / Icky Thump

Third Break - 1:30 AM

Lonnie Johnson – Broken Levee Blues / Hot Fingers
Johnny Winter – Leavin’ Blues / Livin' the Blues
Steve Gaines: Lynyrd Skynyrd – Ain’t No Good Life / Street Survivors
Eric Clapton: Cream – Born Under a Bad Sign / Wheels of Fire
Duane Allman: The Allman Brothers Band – Hot ‘Lanta / At Fillmore East

Talk about a blast to play ... we were jammin' so hard in the studio it was unbelievable. The newness of having the privilege of hosting this show is still far from wearing off ... I'm already looking forward to next week. Also, as we mentioned at the end of the show, there are so many other guitarists we didn't get a chance to highlight, so I just want to take a second to list some other guys we very easily could have featured: Otis Rush, Hound Dog Taylor, Leadbelly, Pee Wee Crayton, Earl Hooker, Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson, Ry Cooder, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Junior Kimbrough, Derek Trucks, Big Bill Broonzy, Charley Patton, Robert Nighthawk, Shuggie Otis, Luther Allison, Warren Haynes, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lonnie Brooks, Robert Cray, Robin Trower, Elvin Bishop, J. Geils, John Mayall, Taj Mahal, Smokin' Joe Kubek, Mick Taylor, Chuck Berry, and so many more.

Also, I want to put it out there that I'm the one who gave ol' Johnny a copy of Take a Walk on the Dark Side. ha

We've got something special planned for next week, so be sure to tune in again. Until then ... stay positive.

Shoeless Kay Staps

Taking a Walk on the Dark Side

As Shoeless mentioned at the end of his post, I, the Blind (not truly blind) John Johnson would be leaving some after-show thoughts. Although my partner in crime left a very detailed story of our first show, I'll do my best to add my two cents here and there...

I must say that I am still a bit shocked as to how we pulled this off. Your new Crossroads hosts are fairly new to the radio world...I got my spot as a DJ on WRAS back in January, while Kay Staps started in March. But I believe it was our dedication (not to mention our affinity for public speaking) that helped us keep this show rollin' that was brought back by popular demand.

When Mr. Steadman asked me straight up "You think you're going to be ready to take over in a few weeks," I replied with a hurried but positive "YES." We had been sitting in on his show for a few weeks and graduation was right around the corner for Matt. Shoeless and I had been passed the mighty power that the blues contains...now it was just time to come up with a plan.

Seeing as Kay Staps had a bit of a head-start on me on the background in blues (give or take a few years...), I needed to do my homework. And damn, did research help. From reading online blogs, to historical features, to books analyzing rock, blues, and how they all came to be, it was a matter of being prepared for the show. (For the record, I recommend Take a Walk on the Dark Side: Rock and Roll Myths, Legends, and Curses by R. Gary Patterson. The work itself is a tremendous compilation discussing the eerie side in the world of rock and roll.)

Then it was time to make the setlist. I must admit - even after we chose our direction on how to run the show, choosing the songs was quite an arduous task. Who should we focus on? Who are we forgetting? What songs are worthy of radio play. Equipped with hard drives large enough to hold enough music to supply Crossroads for the next five years, it was a matter of trial and error.

For instance, most blues songs in general are rather short. Short and sweet. Like 2-4 minutes, unless it was a live or improvised track, so there was the though of beefing up the playlist to be on the safe side. And as we learned, in between the calls and the breaks, you can never have too much music for a specialty show.

After a few hours of reviewing music and listing possible tracks to play for the night, Shoeless and I worked out the breaks and such. We worked out all the kinks, and then it was go-time...as soon as our playing materials worked themselves out. Alas, all was good and well - we ran a good amount of the songs from a IPod, but not to worry. We had our fair share of vinyl to use (especially The Allman Brothers Band - Live at the Fillmore East...).

I won't go much into the setlist, since that's been covered, but I will say this. The "freedom" of running a specialty show, especially Crossroads, is fully expressed in the enjoyment of ad-libbing during breaks and enjoying the beautiful music pouring out over the speakers and onto the airwaves. As I learn more about the blues that night, I noticed that my apprehension for the genre lessened more and more. I guess I was wrapped up in knowing all these albums (and some artists, of course). In the end, I just got a better feel for the music and how it connected to my life and others. We're all going to go through hard times. Plain and simple. I gotta tip my hat (if I can find it) to Papa Mahan for his own personal and heartfelt blues story of his life. There's someone who understands the blues all too well.

Music aside, talking on-air created great euphoria for me. I have been off of the graveyard (2-6AM) shift for a good minute - at least since mid-March, when my co-host of this fine show relieved me of my nocturnal duties. Classes kept me from supplying the good people of Atlanta with music for two hours a week, during the daytime. Tuesday night was my return and oh, was it a return indeed. There are many good things to come of this show. Now, it's on to coming up with next Tuesday's set...the work never stops.

Hope my post didn't seem too much of a ramble. But for the future, like Shoeless also said, we'd love to hear from the fans! Any ideas on what themes we should use to formulate shows, suggestions for artists or songs, or even small segments would be greatly appreciated.

In the coming weeks, we'll be working on adding more to this blog. I'll post some blues-related videos, news, and whatever media I may find relating to Crossrads. Even though I'll be away in D.C. for an internship, missing about 8 shows, you'll still hear from me, whether it be on the blog or a call I make to Shoeless in the studio.

Thanks again for all the calls and texts of appreciation from Tuesday night/Wednesday morning...Papa Mahan, Milo, Kiera, and Laine. Your support is greatly appreciated and all of it will give us the confidence to carry on doin' what we do best.

Until we meet again at the Crossroads...

Blind John Johnson

Blues 101 [Our First Show!]

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - First Show!!! / "Blues 101"

For our first-ever set, we decided to keep it pretty simple. We didn't want to overextend ourselves or pretend we're ready to flex our muscles with this, so we decided to fall back on the same thing students always fall back on - the five-paragraph essay. That's right ... intro, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion (which we decided to leave alone, because this is only the beginning). For the first "paragraph," we wanted to briefly introduce ourselves with some of our personal favorites in a fairly representative sample of what we want to play. Following that, we wanted to start things right: on a front porch somewhere in the Delta or along the bayou (and, more specifically, Mooringsport, Louisiana, since we started the set with Leadbelly). The set consisted of the kind of music that Alan Lomax scoured the deep South looking to record with his Library of Congress equipment. Thank the sweet Lord he did. With the next set, we wanted to "plug in" and sit down at the front table of the dark, sweaty, smoky, one-room jook joint, next to the sweet, sultry, smoking amps of mid-twentieth-century electric blues powerhouses such as T-Bone Walker and Buddy Guy. Finally, we wanted to end our "lesson" with a nod to the worshippers at the Clarksdale throne - whiskey-bent rock-n-rollers that have knelt at the crossroads from the seventies until now, giving the blues a lean, raw, muscular shot of life in a world that's nearly forgotten where it's come from.

Without further ado, our first-ever set is as follows:

Lead-In: Robert Johnson - Cross Road Blues

SET I: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BLUES
B.B. King – Sweet Sixteen (parts 1 & 2) / The Ultimate Collection [one of Shoeless's favorites]
Son House – Death Letter / The Original Delta Blues
The Allman Brothers Band – Statesboro Blues / At Fillmore East [for Shoeless's dad Kenny]
The White Stripes – Stop Breaking Down / The White Stripes [for Dr. John Huston]
Marva Wright - Let the Good Times Roll / Bluesiana Mama [by request, for Milo]

First Break - 12:30 AM

SET II: THE ROOTS
Leadbelly – DeKalb Blues
Elmore James – Shake Your Moneymaker
Charlie Patton – Runnin’ Wild Blues
Peetie Wheatstraw – Shake That Thing
Son House – John the Revelator
Lonnie Johnson – Stay Out of Walnut Street Alley
Roosevelt Sykes – All My Money Gone Blues
Mississippi Fred McDowell – Some Day Baby
Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup – Cool Disposition

Second Break - 1 AM

SET III: GOIN' ELECTRIC
Freddie King - Going Down / The Best of Freddie King
Muddy Waters – Got My Mojo Working / The Essential Collection
T-Bone Walker – Heartache / Blues Love Songs
Buddy Guy – Baby Please Don’t Leave Me / Sweet Tea
Jimmy Witherspoon – No Rollin’ / The Best of Jimmy Witherspoon
Shuggie Otis – Sweet Thang / Inspiration Information [from Blind Johnny, for Laine]

Third Break - 1:30 AM

SET IV: MODERN MASTERS
Mark Lanegan – I’ll Take Care of You / I'll Take Care of You
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Mississippi Kid / Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd
ZZ Top – Just Got Back From Baby’s / ZZ Top's First Album [for Magnolia]
The Black Keys – thickfreakness / thickfreakness
The Allman Brothers Band – Stormy Monday / At Fillmore East

Drew, The DJ who comes in after us, asked if we had any songs left over, and we answered with a resounding "YES." We ended up having to cut between fifteen and twenty songs of our own music, and didn't even get to one of the requests we had (which, by the way, if you're reading this and you ever figure out which Elvis song you wanted to hear, let me know. I spent forty-five minutes poring over every charted hit to Elvis Presley's name, to no avail). Filling requests was awesome, but one of the first lessons learned (other than "be prepared for anything") was that (a) it's better to have too much than not enough, but (b) it's good to have a specific contingency plan in face of time restrictions. We were well-prepared, but we can only do better. Enough behind-the-scenes; what I really want to say is this:

I absolutely cannot thank you guys enough for the outpouring of love last night, especially with all the phone calls. We knew going in what huge shoes we had to fill (this show was brought back by popular demand, after all ... people have high expectations). Special shout-outs are definitely due to Milo and Papa Mahan for all their support - of us, of Crossroads, and of 88 in general. Also, thanks are due to Dr. John Huston, who reignited my long-lost love of the blues with a simple, lo-fi Jack White interpretation of Robert Johnson's "Stop Breaking Down Blues." Taking Dr. Huston's Intro to Guitar class was one of the best academic decisions I have ever made ... it has forever changed my approach as a listener and lover of music. I hear and feel it differently now. Most importantly, though, thanks are due to Ten Gallon Matt. We are truly standing on the shoulder of a giant following your lead, and I can only hope that we do half the job you've done. It was such a blast getting to know you as we made our way to this point (this crossroads ... ?). Come back and visit often, and bring your beard.

Last night was one of the most intense communal and musical experiences of my life, and it let me know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'm where I'm supposed to be right now. I was on a high for hours after leaving the studio, and didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I got to share some of my all-time favorite songs, songs I've held dear to my heart for years, with everyone for miles and miles who cared to listen. Music and people - there are hardly any greater things to me.

If you have any questions or requests or just want to say hi, leave us a comment or drop us a line at shakeandbake88@gmail.com. We want to hear from you! This show literally would not exist today were it not for its listeners, so the more feedback, the better. What did you like? What did you not like? What do you want to hear more? Less? Let us know. And most importantly, be sure to keep tuning in - we've got lots in store for you. Expect some words from Blind Johnny in the next couple of days ... I know he's as excited about this as I am.

I love you guys. Until next week ... stay positive.

Shoeless Kay Staps