August 24th gig at The Palms: STEVE CROPPER IN THE HOUSE!!!

I'm just' sayin'... a central Soul Music Legend of our time. Certainly one of my all-time guitar heroes.

Above: Whoa, nailed that shot! :) You live for those...

For those few in need of some bkg, a short excerpt from his rap sheet:

A founding member of Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Stax's house band, Steve Cropper, along with Booker T. Jones on organ and piano, bassist Duck Dunn, and drummer Al Jackson, Jr., went on to record several hits. As a house guitarist, he played on hundreds of records, from "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay", cowritten with Otis Redding, to Sam and Dave's "Soul Man" (earning the famous shout of "Play it, Steve!")

Cropper's fame was not limited to the United States. The Beatles favored Cropper's playing and his production on Otis Redding records. In fact, John Lennon and Paul McCartney made tentative plans to record in Memphis to work with the guitarist...

Besides his influential work with the MGs, Cropper co-wrote "Knock On Wood" with Eddie Floyd, "In the Midnight Hour" with Wilson Pickett, and "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" with Otis Redding. His partnership with Redding was particularly fruitful; "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of the Bay" alone has been played over six million times, making it the sixth most-played song of all time (and the ASCAP catalog's second most).

Dave Hart (Pointer Sisters) had come in to open for Jerry. He then later got to blow chromatic harp while Steve Cropper played his axe. We laughed: "He played my fuckin' guitar, man!"

I'd be sealin' those strings in a baggie and labeling it, bro'.

What can I say? Other than to note that, Steve's Hall of Fame status notwithstanding, he's one of the friendliest cats I ever met. No pretense, nothin' but the Real, just a cat who loves good music. He was hollerin' at me from his seat at the table behind behind mine, callin' me by name during the show (and we'd only just been introduced for the first time by Blaise). He hung in the lounge long after the show was over, just talking it up with everyone.

Unreal.

SAY IT LOUD!



LOL! More to come after I crash and cop some Zzzzz's, I got a late start blogging, and I have 167 raw shots total on the night. Lots to still go through, but it's almost 4 a.m., and I'm gettin' tired. Stay tuned...
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TUESDAY, BACK AT IT

Got a lot of shots last night. Interesting, given that about a third of that crappy-in-the-best-of-circumstances light grid is now defunct, and also that they'd removed the large backdrop neon "Lounge" sign (interesting also that they've removed the Zowie Bowie elevated stage; we're now back where we were, about 2 feet lower).

Photos from a great hang, randomly...

Above, I resisted the temptation to crop this one of Jamie. The asymmetry and excess headroom are interesting in this case (I'm usually the anti-headroom dude).

Above, Gil during "dueling trumpets" in "Negrita," with his new Stealth Trumpet, which sucks in and dissipates all ambient light, LOL!

Below, Steve and Skip Weiser (trombonist, Wayne Cochran & The CC Riders).

What a great night!
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UPCOMING

Tonight, my friend, jazz guitar monster Robert Conti at Brendan's Pub in the Orleans, 8 pm. Free show. I'll be there to cover it.

Then, Tony Davich and Phoenix:

THIS THURSDAY, AUG. 27

PHOENIX
returns to their old stomping ground when they perform at
ROK VEGAS
THE NIGHTCLUB AT
NEW YORK-NEW YORK HOTEL & CASINO
LAS VEGAS.

2 SHOWS
Doors open at 10:30PM
Come on out and help us rock the house!

Also, don’t forget:
we are at Roxy’s Lounge in
Sam’s Town on a regular basis.

Check our website for dates and show times
(www.PhoenixRockBand.com).

ALSO:

Hot Club of Las Vegas this Friday at The Bootlegger (click the image to enlarge)...

and, ALSO...

Jerry Lopez appears with Clint Holmes this Fri, Sat, and Sun at the Suncoast for a show entitled "An Evening of Romance."
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