The church is now in session.

[CEB]

Old McDonald, Bill Champlin, and Nashville's Tim Akers.

 

[video:youtube]

[Theo Verelst]

What a crappy sound for such a pretense, and I feel quite a misrepresentation of some (recognizable) gospel and rock licks. Wouldn't ever be my church, favorite rock band, humble but capable music stars, or what ever. That's for sure. I'd prefer to call it crap, but maybe I can't get away with that, it's sure what I thought, honestly, really.

[wmp]

Brother Theo,

 

With all due respect (don't you just love that expression?), please shut the µck up. You're harshing my buzz. Bigtime.

 

CEB, that's my favorite flavor. Thanks for posting that!

 

Two keyboard players up front, giving piano and organ the full attention they deserve.

[Theo Verelst]

No way !

[wmp]

How about if I say pretty please?

 

Pretty please?

[HAMEGZ]

Brother Theo,

 

With all due respect (don't you just love that expression?), please shut the µck up. You're harshing my buzz. Bigtime.

 

CEB, that's my favorite flavor. Thanks for posting that!

 

Two keyboard players up front, giving piano and organ the full attention they deserve.

 

 

And looks like a third keyboardist to the left behind the guitar player??

[timwat]

Very nice. Thanks CEB for throwing this up here.

 

And Theo, really poor form. If you don't dig it, that's your right - just move along. There's no point shitting on someone else'e thread.

[CEB]

...

 

And Theo, really poor form. If you don't dig it, that's your right - just move along. There's no point shitting on someone else'e thread.

 

That is OK. Every forum has a village idiot.

[mcgoo]

What a crappy sound for such a pretense, and I feel quite a misrepresentation of some (recognizable) gospel and rock licks. Wouldn't ever be my church, favorite rock band, humble but capable music stars, or what ever. That's for sure. I'd prefer to call it crap, but maybe I can't get away with that, it's sure what I thought, honestly, really.

 

Theo- I just dare you to try this: feel first, analyze later. Crank the music, close your eyes & let that inner animal come out!

 

An academic approach to listening to this kinda music just misses the point.

[midinut]

Thanks for that. Made my afternoon.

[spazzkey]

Thanks for that. Made my afternoon.

 

 

morning in my case

 

one of my favorite mcdonald doobie tunes - reminded of seeing him in the dukes of september lineup last year - and being impressed with the physicality of his playing - he struck me as a bear manhandling his instrument - phenomenal!

 

and in this clip it's interesting to see how deep his left hand is in the lower registers - you think he's eq'ing the low frequencies out, or is the bass player out of luck?

[RudyS]

I really did not know McDonald also played piano. Such a voice and also playing keys. Wow. Sounds great!

[mcgoo]

I really did not know McDonald also played piano. Such a voice and also playing keys. Wow. Sounds great!

 

Go back & listen to his era of the Doobie Bros. He radically changed the sound of that band- they went from guitar heavy to keyboard heavy. They returned to their original form when he left. Great feel, tasty playing.

[CEB]

He is a good keyboardist. Mike was local before moving to California. Interesting piece of local music lore is when he played with the Guild he didn't sing many tunes because his voice was too high. I don't know if this is fact. Before my time. It is just one of those music traditions. Funny because he moved to Cali and became one of the most prolific pop vocalist of his generation.

 

The man can play keys as well as Akers who is a longtime goto Nashville session artist. Most of you probably know Champlin from playing with Chicago.

[GovernorSilver]

I really did not know McDonald also played piano. Such a voice and also playing keys. Wow. Sounds great!

 

Oh yeah he's a player! I was so happy when I finally learned how to play his opening piano riff in "Minute By Minute". The McDonald-era Doobie Brothers was part of my childhood soundtrack. Guitarists hate that era, keyboard players love it - go figure, lol. Sweet rendition of "Takin' It To The Streets" (another Doobie Bros hit), btw.

 

He also did double duty in Steely Dan as backup vocalist/keyboardist.

[Dave Ferris]

Mike's a much better player then he personally lets on to be. He's super humble about his piano skills, almost to the point of being apologetic. But the guy is a MF in his genre, that should go without saying at this point in time.

 

What a fool believes in Db is still no easy part to pull off without some shedding....not to mention singing lead on it at the same time.

 

We graduated from the same HS--McCluer in Ferguson/Florissant area of St. Louis. Mike was a year older then me. Used to see him at the old Castaways in Ferguson with Jerry Jay & the Sheratons and Blue.

http://stlmusicyesterdays.com/Blue.htm

http://stlmusicyesterdays.com/Jerry%20Jay.htm

This was before the Guild turned Thursday night into an institution at Collinsville Park Ballroom.

 

When Mike joined them, the Guild kinda had a lot of their vocals covered with the tunes they were doing that they knew went over well. The Lang brothers--Jim & Rich were the founders and did a lot of the vocals as well as Tom Kelley. Mike was icing on the cake.

http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com/Guild.htm

 

I enjoyed the clip, always great to see Mike.

[CEB]

Thanks Dave.

[Steve Nathan]

Brother Theo,

With all due respect, please shut the µck up.

 

 

That's Tim's band

tim akers and the smoking section

Tim's a great player (and good friend) and his band is full of top session players.

 

And looks like a third keyboardist to the left behind the guitar player??

 

Blair Masters. Another of Nashville's best

 

We graduated from the same HS--McCluer in Ferguson/Florissant area of St. Louis.

 

Didn't Dave Hungate go to that school too, or was he just from somewhere near there??

 

A pretty fertile area for musical talent if you ask me

 

I really did not know McDonald also played piano.

 

I know most folks around here only take notice when chops and speed are evident, but take a listen to his playing on "I Can Let Go Now" (maybe one of the 10 best songs ever written imho). His performance is a subtle masterpiece of taste and nuance, flat out perfect for the lyric and emotion of the song. His singing ain't too shabby either

[Bif_]

Just bought two tickets today to see Michael at the Louisville Palace two weeks from tonight with the wife. (a birthday gift for her)

 

Really looking forward to it.

[timwat]

but take a listen to his playing on "I Can Let Go Now" (maybe one of the 10 best songs ever written imho).

 

Steve, I know that track well. It breaks me every time I listen to it. Agreed the musicianship on that track is transcendent. Yes, maybe one of the 10 best ever. How does someone write something like that?

[ksoper]

What a crappy sound for such a pretense...

 

The pot calls the kettle black. Happy holidays.

[Dave Ferris]

We graduated from the same HS--McCluer in Ferguson/Florissant area of St. Louis.

 

Didn't Dave Hungate go to that school too, or was he just from somewhere near there??

 

A pretty fertile area for musical talent if you ask me

 

No, he's not from St. Louis. Although Chuck Sabatino, vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist was a classmate of Michael at McCluer HS.. They also sang together ; first in Jerry Jay (if you go on that site and look at those old pictures...Chuck is the short guy.) and then later Chuck was in Michael's band. Chuck Sabatino passed away tragically in '96 at the way too young age of 45 from a stroke.

 

I've posted this here before...sorry for the OT. Chuck is the Danny Devito looking guy singing 2nd lead and on keyboard. Incredibly powerful voice. To this day I've heard only a handful, with a non-opera background, that had that strong and thick a voice.

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=875bfgkCCGc

 

Yes it was (and still might be...I'm just not up on the hot youngin's coming up) a very fertile area for talent.

 

Imo two of the greatest musicians to come out of St. Louis (aside from Miles..and that was E. St. Louis) were the Kennedy Brothers. Ray & Tom. Piano and bass respectively. They were both almost freaks of nature they were that good.

[Outkaster]

Pretty cool. He has a great feel, man oh man.

[wmp]

I finally got my speakers and computer set up again and made time to listen to the whole clip. A couple of times. That's the $#!t, right there. I've known that Michael McDonald can play since the Doobies. I had to try covering that stuff. He's got one of the most distinctive voices I've ever heard. I know Bill Champlin from The Sons of Champlin. An early influence. I didn't know he played with Chicago. Shows what I know.

[Steve Nathan]

No, he's not from St. Louis.

I was pretty sure he was, but maybe it was just nearby.

A little Googling reminds me his dad was a prosecutor and later a US Congressman from the Lincoln County area. After that, he was appointed a Federal Judge in St. Louis, so Dave definitely grew up in that "fertile delta" or close to it.

[Tobias Åslund]

I just love this song - thanks for sharing!

 

...and Theo, I just feel sorry for you...

[Dave Ferris]

No, he's not from St. Louis.

I was pretty sure he was, but maybe it was just nearby.

A little Googling reminds me his dad was a prosecutor and later a US Congressman from the Lincoln County area. After that, he was appointed a Federal Judge in St. Louis, so Dave definitely grew up in that "fertile delta" or close to it.

 

Steve, I guess I meant to say -in the time I was active in St. Louis before I moved to LA- from around 1968 to '79- I'd never heard his name mentioned with the rock bar band scene or jazz crowd. So that's not to say he wasn't doing shows at the Muny Opera or the very little studio work that was there, which is a whole other scene.

 

But in general that whole St. Louis & S. Illinois area was a pretty small scene. Usually you knew who *the guys* were. But maybe he's younger then me and did stuff around there after I left. But I thought by that time he was involved with the Toto thing.

 

edit-Actually he's older then me... So quite possible he was doing gigs around town before me. Or he didn't even gig around St. L. and just got outta there at a young age for greener pastures. Looks like he was in the One O'Clock band at N. Texas State in '70, so obviously he had his sh*t together at a young age...unlike me.

[Mr. Nightime]

Finally got the chance to hear the original video.

 

Very humbling. What great players having a great time.

 

Theo, kindly clear the crap out of your ears, open your mind, and just LISTEN. This is a good examples of masters at work, and you should be learning from them, not judging what you obviously cannot yet understand.

 

CEB, thanks so much for posting that. I loved it.

[Mr. Nightime]

Finally got the chance to hear the original video.

 

Very humbling. What great players having a great time.

 

Theo, kindly clear the crap out of your ears, open your mind, and just LISTEN. This is a good examples of masters at work, and you should be learning from them, not judging what you obviously cannot yet understand.

 

CEB, thanks so much for posting that. I loved it.

[Mr. Nightime]

Finally got the chance to hear the original video.

 

Very humbling. What great players having a great time.

 

Theo, kindly clear the crap out of your ears, open your mind, and just LISTEN. This is a good examples of masters at work, and you should be learning from them, not judging what you obviously cannot yet understand.

 

CEB, thanks so much for posting that. I loved it.