A few music tidbits for today. First of all, in case you missed it a while ago, Anti- Records artists Son Little and the legendary Mavis Staples have teamed up to create a nifty EP called Your Good Fortune. I was recently accosted by a guy on the subway who saw me carrying my bass. He claimed he filled in once with the Sex Pistols. When he saw my Squier imitation jazz bass, he pointed out that the 70s are coming back.
That’s certainly true in the resurgence of certain R&B and funk artists among those Brooklyn kids lately — Charles Bradley, George Clinton, and Wanda Jackson still perform. But I think Staples has been the most interesting in terms of picking collaborators. While Staples’ work with Tweedy has produced some great gospel-like albums, her work on this EP allows her to stretch back into the soul category she conquered when she was younger. Staples’ depth of experience brings Little’s spare compositions to life. I hope there’s a full album down the pipeline for the two of them — they’re a great match for each other.
Mavis Staples — Official, Purchase from iTunes, Purchase from Anti- Records, Bandcamp
Secondly, if you haven’t blown your music budget for the day, New York-based singer-songwriter Charles Ellsworth has started his own Not a Kickstarter to fund his next album. For $10 or more you can get his entire back catalog (33 excellent folk songs!) and help him make more music.
Ordinarily I’d embed the video/plea and while it’s clever and it’s worth your time, here are some examples of what your $10 will get you.
Charles Ellsworth — Official, Facebook, Purchase from Charles Ellsworth