Mark Your Calendars . . .

Got the latest "Upcoming Shows" email from 1% today. Here are the highlights:

Tuesday, February 2nd @ Slowdown - Umphrey's McGee
Monday, February 8th @ Slowdown - North Mississippi Allstars
Monday, February 8th @ The Waiting Room - Dr. Dog
Wednesday, March 31st @ Slowdown - Bassnectar
Sunday, April 18th @ Slowdown Ani DiFranco
Sunday, April 25th @ The Waiting Room - Yeasayer

Looks like the North Mississippi Allstars and Dr. Dog shows are on the same night. Now I enjoy the Beatles as much as the next guy, but I think I'm going to have to go with the NMA on this one.

I'm guessing Yeasayer got your attention. Hopefully their show won't suck as bad as their latest album. Seriously, what the fuck is the story behind "Ambling Alp"?

Finally, Ani is coming at the end of April. Who knows, if you play your cards right maybe you could be the next dude to frantically drive her to Planned Parenthood.

"Boom. Roasted." - Michael Scott

Hill Country Revue

To build on Rusty's "Trace That Tune" post, here is some Hill Country Revue. A few years back, North Mississippi Allstars teamed up with R.L. Burnside for a Bonaroo show. It was well received, so they made a live album out of it. Here are some (if not all?) of the songs that came of the collaboration.

From the North Mississippi cotton fields to The Black Keys

Driving late at night last Sunday back from Kansas City, this song by The Black Keys came up on shuffle:

"Busted" appears on "The Big Come Up," The Black Keys' debut album released on May 14, 2002. According to the copyright registration document, band members Daniel Auerbach and Patrick Carney claim authorship credit. The date of creation is listed as "2002."

It was years before, back when I had the pleasure of living with ol' Mandermate and Dusty at 42nd and Burt. Countless albums graced the halls of that easter egg of a mansion. Day and night music played to inspire morning madness, afternoon antics and nighttime none-of-your-business. I was introduced to a LOT of new stuff. But there a few albums came into my life at that time that will stay in my head 'till my dying days. One of them was "Shake Hands With Shorty."

"Shake Hands With Shorty," by the North Mississippi Allstars came into my life during the summer of 2004. It was released on May 9, 2000. Among others, "Po Black Maddie" struck a chord:

One can only imagine that it struck a chord with The Black Keys, too. Though the lyrics are different, it's clear that the music in both songs is the same. If we were to stop there, it might lead you to believe that The Keys had outright copied The Allstars. Fortunately, I didn't stop there.

[This episode of Trace That Tune brought to you by Budweiser Beer. An American classic.]

Turns out, the liner notes for Shorty give credit to R.L. Burnside for "Maddie." Born in 1926, Burnside learned to play blues from Fred McDowell (interestingly, it turns out that Muddy Waters was his cousin-in-law). Burnside didn't start recording until the late 1960's. Even then, it wasn't until he signed with Fat Possum Records in the 1990's and partnered with Jon Spencer (of Pussy Galore fame) and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion that he started gaining national attention.

Burnside first recorded "Poor Black Mattie" in 1967(8) with George Mitchell. The song appears in "First Recordings," released in 2003 . When asked about the song, Burnside had this to say:

RL Burnside - Blues Story - Poor Black mattie
by fredozydeco

So, a Black Keys song sounds a lot like a North Mississippi Allstars song, which was originally recorded by a guy who calls the song "old tractor drivin' blues." As far as I can tell, it's unclear whether Burnside originally wrote the song, or if he heard somebody else drivin' and a singin'. Given Burnside's extensive sharecropping experience, either story's possible.