When I started this foolishness, this blog, at the urging of my friend Travis, in his mind it was simply a way to promote my show on WOOL-FM, to talk about the music, the songs, the important stuff. I subsequently took that idea and twisted it and ran with it, using the blog and the show to espouse my lefty views, to address controversial (mostly) issues, and to tie them to the show's weekly theme. This week, a return to the original purity of intention.
On Tuesday, after my show, Travis and I are heading down I-91 to Northampton, MA, to the hallowed Iron Horse Music Hall to see David Lindley, stringed-instrument wizard and sideman extraordinaire. You've heard him, even if you've never heard of him. I would guess that, for most of us, the first exposure would have been the opening fiddle notes of The Youngbloods' classic "Darkness, Darkness;" most familiarly, though, he was Jackson Browne's sidekick and lead guitar and lap-steel (among other stringed instuments) player on Browne's first four albums. I first saw him on the "Running On Empty" tour, at the Orpheum Theater in Boston in 1977. That album was probably the first time any of us heard Lindley sing, too; on "The Load Out/Stay," Lindley's is the falsetto star turn that culminates the increasingly high-pitched series of verses in the "Stay" portion: Browne to Rosemary Butler to Lindley.
David Lindley is a gnomish figure, dressing, at his shows, at least, almost entirely in polyester, using the cheapest guitars Sears sells, just for their sound and what he can do with them. His muttonchop sideburns, which put Neil Young's to shame, have long since turned white (the guy's 70, after all), although his long and curly hair has, for the most part, remained dark. His travels around the world have led to his introduction to, and subsequent mastery of, such exotic instruments as the oud and the bouzouki, among others. He's appeared on nearly countless albums, hired string-slinger to the stars; as is so often is the case, those behind the scenes are responsible for the reputations of the folks with the great name-recognition.
Here's the playlist, then; the first batch is Lindley accompanying those of, perhaps, greater renown, while the second is Lindley on his own:
Darkness, Darkness The Youngbloods
Stay Jackson Browne
Sing My Songs To Me/For Everyman Jackson Browne
Face Of Appalachia John Sebastian
Yodelling Song Tanita Tikaram
Coming Back To You Jennifer Warnes
World Outside Your Window Tanita Tikaram
Pictures Of You Rory Block
It's A Big Old Goofy World John Prine
Save The Last Dance For Me David Bromberg
Heart Like A Wheel Linda Ronstadt
Simple Man Graham Nash
Wild Tales Graham Nash
Grave Concern Graham Nash
Scattered Taj Mahal
Nothing Like A Hundred Miles James Taylor
Monkey Wash, Donkey Rinse David Lindley
Tu-Ber-Cu-Lucas And The Sinus Blues David Lindley
Pay The Man David Lindley
Ain't No Way David Lindley
7/8 Suite II David Lindley
Gimme Da'ting David Lindley
Do You Wanna Dance David Lindley
Tiki Torches At Twilight David Lindley
Jah Reggae David Lindley
Talk To The Lawyer David Lindley & El Rayo-X
Premature David Lindley & El Rayo-X
Mercury Blues David Lindley & Ry Cooder
Jesus On The Mainline David Lindley & Ry Cooder
Hope to see you Tuesday, noon till two, on Wool FM, 91.5, WOOL.fm on the webs--or at the Iron Horse Tuesday eve.
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