More and Moore Music!

Don’t forget music-lovers, I have a host of product out there: including 2 full albums as digital downloads, “The Long Walk Home” and “The Songwriter Diaries” COMPLETELY FREE! Plus, available to buy from Shop:Kev,  My DCFC tribute CD “Fan Fayre for the Commons People”, and my latest CD, the 18 track “Blue Odyssey”.

Click on the picture links to explore, listen, download and buy!

Kev Moore

MLK Day

 

Outside the Lorraine Motel- now the Civil Rights museum, Memphis

It hardly seems possible that one year ago, on Martin Luther King day, we stood in line to visit the Civil Rights museum in Memphis, on the site of the Lorraine Motel where he was assassinated. It was a profoundly moving experience, and we felt honoured to be there.  Here’s the song from my album “Blue Odyssey” that I was inspired to write that day – Long Black Ribbon

Long Black Ribbon

So we rolled up to Memphis, January 15
well this was one thing that I really had to see
everybody there, paying homage to the man he was

It was along black ribbon
stretching down the street
Filled with the people to honour his memory
Everybody came to honour the man and his cause

As we went into the museum
I began to feel our shame
Learned about Harriet and the underground train
Learned about a lady by the name of Rosa Parks
How a young girl’s courage finally lit the spark

It was a long black ribbon
Down through history
Filled with the people who wouldn’t let it be
Everybody came to honour that man, that cause

I made the journey
Through the Lorraine Motel
Paused in 306
And the balcony where he fell

Ray fired the bullet, and he thought his deed was done
But they only shouted louder
“We shall overcome”

It was a long black ribbon
Hear the people sing
The times they were a-changing thanks to Martin Luther King
Everybody came to honour that man, that cause

Words and music © Kev Moore 2010

Blue Odyssey Featured on Friday in the DET

You can read the whole article by following THIS LINK to the Derby Telegraph Website

Kev Moore

The Blue Odyssey rolls on….

 

Have car, will travel......

My new album was featured last week on Sunshine Sonny Payne’s King Biscuit Time down in Helena, Arkansas, and next week, I hope to have a couple of tracks aired on BBC Radio Derby when they run my interview with Colin Bloomfield that I did recently on my last UK visit. If you want to buy a copy, it’s easy – just visit our online shop – MIKISMART and place your order, and before you know it, this 18-song, 75 minute disc will be winging it’s way to you via the miracle of snail-mail!  It comes in a beautifully packaged 6 panel digipak, designed by MIKI.

I thought I’d publish an unseen photo from the trip that inspired the album. This was taken just down the street from Sun Studios in Memphis, and seems very fitting for anything to do with Blue Odyssey – me with a blue Buick!

Kev Moore

We’re going Santamental!

 

Only 5 Euros for a limited time only........

....when you buy THIS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Call it the spirit of the season, call it whatever you like, but here at Moore music towers, we’ve decided to make a special Christmas offer to all Rams Fans, in honour of the release of my new album and the resurgence of DCFC, and Mr. Common’s goalscoring prowess.

Yes, if you buy my new CD Blue Odyssey, you will be able to purchase my DCFC album Fan Fayre for the Commons People for just 5 Euros! This offer only lasts until Christmas, so get busy! If you’ve already got a copy, this is a great opportunity to buy one for a loved one, or even your wife!

(N.B. This offer does not apply to the Limited “Red Dog” edition)

Just go to MIKISMART, order in the Blue Odyssey CD + Fan Fayre CD window (where the Mikismart link takes you)

UP THE RAMS!

Kev Moore

Blue Odyssey: Release date set for October 31st!

My new album, Blue Odyssey, goes on sale at the end of this month – but you can pre-order it NOW by visiting MIKISMART,  and get yourself a FREE download of my song “The Turre Stomp” into the bargain!

Weighing in at 18 tracks spanning over 75 minutes and presented in a quality full colour 6 panel digipak, I’m really proud of it. To order from our online shop it costs just 10 euros + 3 euros p&p.

The songs take you on the same journey I made through the music heartland of America earlier this year, geographically and chronologically, the lyrics describing my experiences and the people I met along the way, with guest contributions from musicians from Arkansas, Ohio, Georgia, and London – not to mention legendary King Biscuit time presenter “Sunshine” Sonny Payne.

Order yourselves a copy now!

Kev Moore

How did that happen?

Josh Rowand

I was working yesterday on “XXX”. quite an involved track for the Blue Odyssey project, and I was kind of hitting a wall with it. I sat there noodling about on the guitar, and a riff came to me. By the end of the afternoon, I had another song for the project, appropriately entitled “Blue me away”!

I really feel the creative juices flowing right now, it’s great. I need to try and squeeze this onto the album, it’s looking like it will clock in at just under 80 minutes, which is the absolute max for a single CD, so any other ideas I have will have to wait for the next one!  The lyrics fit right in to the theme of the album – this one is about watching the bands down on Beale Street in Memphis during the International Blues Challenge, and in particular one guitarist who caught my eye (or should that be ear?) playing with the Nico Wayne Toussaint Band – Josh “Pitbull of Blues” Rowand.  He really had all the chops, and it’s always a pleasure to listen to someone who really knows their instrument.  He used the old trick of playing a solo with a bottle of beer, so I wrote that into the storyline of the song, I take him a beer, and instead of drinking it, he plays the solo with it!

I can’t claim to come anywhere near the standard of Josh’s playing, and although I got to compliment him on his set, I didn’t get to buy him a beer in real life, but well, if you’re reading this mate – you inspired a song!

Kev Moore

Here comes the Sun

For Miki and I, Sunday was just exactly that – SUN day. The day we would make our way to that unassuming building on Union Avenue, where Sam Phillips distilled what the world came to know as Rock’n’Roll.  For all the history, I wasn’t sure how this would work as a ‘tour’.  Studios from the 40’s and 50’s by their very nature were simple affairs,  so I didn’t think I’d be walking away with any more than a “bin there, done that”. How wrong I was.

From the moment we walked into the reception, which was a memorabilia-ridden 50’s style coffee shop, with an impressive 50’s style record shop in the back, we knew this tour was a good idea. The vibe in the place was just right, and we paid our money and waited our turn.

We were led up a narrow staircase into a room lined with glass display cases, containing amazing ancient recording devices, including an RCA lathe with a shiny uncut piece of vinyl on it. We saw Sam Phillips’ tape machine on which he recorded anyone and everyone.  Our guide for the tour was Cody, and I have to say right here, he was a star. He sounded genuinely enthusiastic, he was clear, concise, funny, and most importantly, brought the story of Sun Studios to life. Without him, it would have been the poorer.

I was incredibly moved by the tale of The Prisoners, who were actually prisoners, brought under armed guard and chained together around a single microphone to record “Just walking in the Rain”.   As the track played, haunting and beautiful, I could picture the scene.

We heard how Ike Turner’s band struggled up to Memphis, six in a car, with all their gear on top, and how the guitar amp fell off!  The speaker had two big holes in it, and when they arrived, they stuffed some newspaper in it, and used it for the session. The distorted sound it gave made “Rocket 88” the first genuine rock record with fuzz guitar. the track pumped out around us as I stared through the glass at the actual amp with the newspaper still stuffed into the speaker cone. History in my face.

Of course, inevitably, we came to the story of Elvis. What I learned was that perhaps the most influential person in the history of Rock was Marion Keisker,  Sam Phillips’ secretary. It was she that was on the front desk when a shy 18 year old Elvis walked in, pretending he wanted to record a song for his mum.  In those days, tape was expensive, so people who wanted to make a record for themselves paid their couple of dollars and had to record it in one take, directly onto the disc. Any mistakes were recorded for all time. If you didn’t like it, you poaid for another go!  And then, there it was, crystal clear, the young Elvis, singing “My Happiness” – his very first recording. Sam Phillips wasn’t in that day, nor was he impressed when Marion kept pressing him to take another look at this shy kid.  He hated the kind of ballady pop that My Happiness represented. A year would go by before events would conspire to bring Scotty Moore and Bill Black, guitarist and baassist respectively, into Sun to have a go at recording something. They didn’t have a singer on hand, and once again it was Marion who pushed Sam to get Elvis in.  Would you believe it, when Scotty and Bill asked this kid what songs he knew he suggested My Happiness once again! After a long day, Sam poked his head around the door and told them to call it quits. Elvis, panicking tried to play every style he knew – remember, he was influenced by country, blues, everything that was happening on the Memphis scene, and gyrating wildly, he launched into an Arthur Crudup blues song, “That’s alright Mama”. Scotty and Bill joined in, fooling around, playing wildly. Sam was stopped in his tracks. He asked them to get organized around the mikes so he could record it properly. This moment, this exact moment, was the birth of rock’n’roll, the creation of an entirely new genre, the  perfect amalgam of disparate styles. It is perhaps the single most important event in recording history. It cannot be overstated.

Me with Elvis's microphone

As we walked through Marion’s office, and into the studio, we were played a recording of the very first time this song was played on the air. The DJ played it 19 times , one after the other, and the world would never be the same again.  As I stood in this completely authentic, unchanged studio, with this song playing around me, shivers coursed up and down my spine. I touched the microphone Elvis used here, I heard about the ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ – when Sam Phillips had the tape running for an hour and a half as Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johhny Cash and Elvis recorded together.  It wasn’t until after Elvis’s death that Phillips revealed its existence, as Elvis was contracted to RCA when he ‘accidentally’ recorded him!

This studio launched the careers of all of these people not to mention a guy called Roy Orbison. It is truly the birthplace of rock’n’roll.  It had lain unused, abandoned for 25 years, and was lucky to have survived being demolished and turned into a McDonalds – but it  wasn’t – and I’m lovin’ it!

Kev Moore

Gibson Guitar Factory

 

Memphis boasts an impressive ‘to do’ list, and one item on that list that we ticked off yesterday was a visit to the Gibson guitar factory.  This is the newest of three Gibson factory, and has been in Memhis for around 9 years. It is dedicated primarily to the production of semi-hollow and hollow body electric guitars. The one exception being the arctic white Les Paul. This is manufactured here because of their state of the art air filtration and exhaust system. It helps keep the pristine Les Pauls dust-free during manufacture, as the slightest blemish would show up on its pristine finish. 

We entered a giant lobby, where the reception desk had as a giant backdrop a40 foot replica of BB King’s “Lucille” guitar. The area also boasted an impressive display of three grand pianos in red, white and blue around an American flag. There was also of course the obligatory shop, filled with expensive delights. Yours truly bought a modest glass slide!

We started the tour by filing past around 25 beautiful examples of the craft, ranging from the ES-120, through various versions of the 335, the Les Paul etc.  Then it was on to the factory floor, where we learned about the wood selection process, some from around the world, some home grown, such as the poplar. We saw the humidity tent, where the air was kept moist to prevent the wood from drying out.  We saw how they “sandwiched” the wood with three layers, then put the arc on the tops with a special press. The whole manufacturing process was extremely interesting. Although there is a great deal of automation, it struck me that the key points in assembly required the human touch, and the precision (no Fender pun intended!) of this work was astounding. Special tools to check the neck relief as it is carefully planed by hand for just the right fit. A room where women (chosen becausew they are more accurate with this kind of work) razor off the lacquer from the binding of every guitar by hand, keeping it exactly a quarter inch all round.

The guy who applies the stain to the body is amazing. Apparently, his skill is such that he can airbrush one in 5 minutes. Staring with a light coat, then a slightly darker one, then a very dark one, to capture that signature ‘sunbnurst’ look we all know. They are then ready fopr the lacquering process.

The lacquer process was amazing. A total of 8 coats per guitar, but 6 hours has to be allowed between each coat. After 4 coats, the lacquer is too smooth to accept the remaining coats, so the guitaris taken back a stage and roughed up with a sander again. Then the next 4 coats are applied, with the same 6 hour intervals. The resultant final coat has an orange peel like quality, so it is taken and sanded smooth. This gives it a very dull finish, so then the polishing begins. It is a painstaking process which results in the beautiful finishes we musicians ofetn take for granted.

We really enjoyed this peek into the world of guitar manufacture, and I’ll certainly look at my own collection with new eyes when we get home.

Kev Moore

A Gathering of the Blues – The International Blues Challenge in Memphis

We have been extraordinarily lucky with our timing on this trip, being in Nashville for the Colgate Country showdown final, and now, being in Memphis for the International Blues Challenge – an amazing gathering of hundreds of blues bands and musicians from all over the world, playing over several nights in all of the venues of Beale Street. Simply buying a $10 dollar wristband gained you entry at will to any and all of the venues to watch the competition unfold. Each band has the task over two nights, of  ‘winning their venue’ and then progressing to the grand final at the Orpheum theatre. 

Words can hardly describe how I felt as I stepped onto Beale last night, it was alive with blues afficianados, wandering from club to club, or simply hanging in the streets soaking it all up.  I opted to start the night in BB King’s – the legendary bluesman’s original club, where I chugged down a beer and a Beale street sub sandwich while I watched Ali Penney and the Moneymakers and The R & K  Brew Co.   The standard was high, and I looked forward to the rest of the night, opting to head out of BB’s and into the Superior, two doors down.  There I saw a few numbers by Art Harris and the Z – tones, who were more of a swing outfit, boasting a huge double bass, theatrically manipulated by its owner, and sax, and certainly had the house rocking.

Next up was a return to the Rum Boogie Cafe, where Miki and I had eaten the other night.  The place was absolutely bouncing, courtesy of the Nico Wayne Toussaint Band, who were absolutely  ripping the place up, the best band I saw all night, great blues harp from front man Nico, a man possessed, dressed in a red suit and bizzarely reminiscent of the late British actor Leonard Rossiter, dancing like a dervish, ably assisted by his band, and a sh*t-hot guitarist to boot. They had the audience in the palm of their hand, and I will be surprised if they don’t win their venue this week.  They take the stage again tomorrow night, and I hope to be there.

Nico Wayne Toussaint at the Rum Boogie Cafe

They were followed by the Crossroads blues band, with a frontman also dressed in red , topped by a red fedora, making him look a little like Junior Wells in Blues Brothers 2000.  Their guitarist wasn’t up to the standard of Nico’s and their set was a little slow to get going, but their ‘me and baby brother’-style funk-tinged closer was excellent. For my taste, a full set of that stuff would’ve been great.

I headed further down Beale into the Hard Rock Cafe where I grabbed a coffee to offset the beers, unsure of the driving regs over here, and caught a few songs by Cee Cee James. Her band was pretty good and her voice, every now and then strayed into Janis territory. I felt that when she pushed it she sounded pretty good, but it’s not easy singing like that! The band that followed, Jen and Tonic,  really didn’t do it for me, so I drained the coffee and headed to Alfred’s.

I was just in time to see a band who I thought was the  Thornetta Davis band take the stage, but as Thornetta herself has pointed out to me, I was completely wrong, it was someone else!   As they spoke before starting it sounded like a couple of them were English, but they were introduced as from somewhere in the States. In any event, the girl vocal just didn’t work in a blues format for me at all, and I was out before the second chorus. I missed the Thornetta Davis band because the evening was running late at Alfreds, but you should check out her album on the link she provides in the comments on my follow up article over on Cafe Crem.

As I walked up the street, I poked my head in Rum Boogie, Club 152, Superior, as artists continued to give their best. Blues filled the night air, and I felt the ghosts of Memphis walking Beale proudly, surveying the keepers of their legacy.

A final stop at BB’s before driving home and I managed to catch a band called  Blackburn – who were indeed three brothers from Toronto and a black bassist – amusingly introduced as their ‘brother from another mother’!! I only stayed for one song, but I certainly want to check them out next time.  The guitarist attacked his Strat with a Townsend-style  frenzy chopping out great blues-funk chords that cut through you like razor-wire. Great stuff.

As I walked off into the night, I felt like I’d been dipped in a great vat of Blues Gumbo, filled with every variety of the genre, every influence from far and wide, all brought together here on this street which taught the world that black and white could not only live together, but make sweet music.

Why not read about the Second night of the challenge over on Cafe Crem?

Kev Moore