Back in February Chris Chamness appeared on Down Home Cookin ‘, my weekly radio show on WDBX FM in Carbondale, Illinois. We talked about his life and music, and he shared some of his songs. It turned out to be over twenty minutes of really good radio. And you can check it out below. Click on the arrow.
May You Still Believe
12 MarMaybe watching cable news makes it seem like there’s no hope: Democracy, justice, progress, escaping ecological calamity, even human decency are lost causes. But writing off all hope for everything good and/or hopeful is a self-fulfilling prophecy, that’s obvious. So, may you still believe. Here’s the words to a song about all that (with an mp3 below them):
MAY YOU STILL BELIEVE
WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG
YOU SAID LOVE WOULD FIND A WAY
TO BRING PEACE ON EARTH
SURE AS DAWN COMES EVERY DAY
BUT NOW YOU’RE GROWN
WATCHIN THAT CABLE NEW
AND SEEIN HOW THINGS ARE
SURE GIVES YOU THE BLUES
CHORUS:
MAY YOU STILL BELIEVE
MAY YOU STILL BELIEVE
DESPITE ALL THE NEWS YOU RECEIVE
MY FRIEND–MAY YOU STILL BELIEVE
IN SCHOOL YOU PLEDGED
YOURSELF TO THE LAND OF THE FREE
ONE LAND UNDER GOD–JUSTICE AND LIBERTY
NOW STEAD OF BLACK
AND WHITE THERE’S SHADES OF GRAY
WHAT’S JUST AND WHO IS FREE
SOME DAYS YOU CAN’T SAY
CHORUS
YOU SAY THAT GOD
IS WHERE WE GO AND ALL COME FROM
YOU SAY THAT GOD IS LOVE
AND GOD’S RULE ONE DAY WILL COME
YET MADMEN BATHE IN BLOOD
TO PLEASE THEIR GOD
AND ASK GOD TO BLESS THEIR
CRUSADE OR JIHAD
CHORUS/REPEAT CHORUS
Check out the recording:
Regina Zavala & Stick Gilbert on WDBX
1 SepIn 2017 Regina Zavala journeyed to Carbondale from her native Honduras attend Southern Illinois University. She almost immediately joined into the local music scene. Her vocals, guitar works, and songwriting turned heads, and her charm made her friends everywhere. In Time she transferred from SIU to University of Texas, where she earned a Masters degree. Then she made us all glad by finding work around here and returning.
Again she lit up the local scene, and we enjoyed that for a good year. The time came recently, though, when she felt the need to return to her homeland. We all wish her the best there, and hope we’ll see her again. I’m happy that not long before her departure, she stopped by WDBX along with her good friend Stick Gilbert for a farewell performance, on Down Home Cookin’. A recording of the show is right below, and I hope you’ll check it out. You’ll be glad you did.
Kent McDaniel
Dog & Cat by Dan Marsh
20 JulI’m posting Dan Marsh’s album, Dog and Cat here, with his permission. I love the album and want people to be able to find it. Dan wrote the songs, and it’s him doing the singing and playing the rhythm guitar. The album was produced by Brad Belt, who’s also playing lead guitar and singing some of the harmony vocals.
Dog and Cat copyright 2010 Dan Marsh.
Dog and Cat
10 JunThis is a video of my wife Dorothy and I playing “Dog and Cat,” a song written by our good buddy, Dan Marsh. We originally recorded this for #closedmicnight, a weekly project by Carbondale musicians, which is raising money for local charities and nonprofit groups. We love this song.
Here’s Dan’s version of the song from his album. (You may notice a couple small changes to the lyrics we made.)
Blues Blast Magazine review of Tawl Paul’s That’s Just How I Am
24 AprIn its latest ( 4-23-20) issue, the well known e-zine Blues Blast reviewed Tawl Paul’s album That’s Just How I Am, which was released around the start of 2020. Here’s the review:
CD: 12 Songs, 42 Minutes Styles: Blues Covers, Traditional Electric and Acoustic Blues Perhaps no other musical genre is more intertwined with longevity than the blues. Rock has long verged from the path Elvis Presley and the Beatles trod. Country sounds less and less like Jimmie Rodgers and more and more like Luke Bryan. Move over, Madonna: Billie Eilish is fast becoming the Queen of Pop. In the blues world, however, the Waters are still Muddy and BB still reigns as King. Masters and originators are venerated, emulated, and invoked at every turn. Even Chicagoland’s Tawl Paul, on his latest CD, tips his hat to such greats as Bobby Charles (“Walking to New Orleans”), Hambone Willie Newborn (“Rollin’ and Tumblin’”), Richard M. Jones (“Trouble in Mind”), and John Prine (“Hello in There). The vast majority of these covers work – six in total – but some, such as “Autumn Leaves,” are a tad chaotic. The ensemble of artists is top-notch, and even though Paul’s vocals show his age, he remains a contender. His original work, such as “Baldheaded Blues” and the title track, are remarkably catchy. Growing up on Chicago’s South Side, Paul Frederick got hard by the blues and soul, falling in love with them. He grew up to serve with the Army in Vietnam, then came to Carbondale in the early 1970s to attend college. Soon afterward, he joined a band and discovered two things: He was born to sing, and Carbondale was his home. For fifty years, he’s sung the blues, making himself into one of the local scene’s most revered performers. He’s enriched Carbondale so much that in 2013, Mayor Joel Fritzler declared June 23rd Tawl Paul Day. On top of that, local bar PK’s now holds an annual Tawl Paul Weekend every June in his honor, with local music greats coming out and alumni returning in droves to pay homage. Along with Tawl Paul (vocals) are Kent McDaniel on guitars, bass and finger snaps; drummers Kegan Doty, Chris Butler, and Alpha Stewart; Mike Arthur and Mel Goot on keyboards; Dorothy McDaniel on flute and bass; Chris McKinley and Kathy Livingston on harmony vocals; Lew Hendrix on banjo, and John Temmermen on sax. “Baldheaded Blues” comes first out of Paul’s original material, a spot-on Chicago-style shuffle. “I’ve got these lines in my face, but I sure ain’t over that hill,” he tells a prospective lover with cheeky charm. Mel Goot’s piano keyboards are a hoot, as is Kent McDaniel’s guitar. “Big Jim” is a lot grittier and a little bit wittier, a ballad about another denizen of Chi-town’s South Side. The title track has an earworm refrain: “Hello, sir or ma’am. That’s just how I am.” Do people change? Maybe so or maybe not, but in the end one’s true character shines through. When local blues icons like Mr. Frederick continue to proclaim their love for the music and the fans who make it all possible, it often has more impact on a community than a CD by a household-name artist. Let’s hope Tawl Paul keeps it up for years to come! Reviewer Rainey Wetnight is a 40 year old female Blues fan. She brings the perspective of a younger blues fan to reviews. A child of 1980s music, she was strongly influenced by her father’s blues music collection. |
On DBX
11 AugHere’s a vide of Dorothy McDaniel, Stick Gilbert, and me (Kent McDaniel) jamming live on WDBX 91.1. Carbondale. Rolling with some Jimmy Reed.
Hash’s Faves: Jefferson Airplane
5 Aug
This post is reprinted from News From The Trenches, a weekly newsletter of commentary from the viewpoint of a working musician published by Chicago bassist Steve Hashimoto. If you’d like to start receiving it, just let him know by emailing him at steven.hashimoto@sbcglobal.net.
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Write-up from C’dale Times
3 AugHere’s an article Carbondale Times ran about Dorothy and me back in June. We appreciate it, and like the new merging of Carbondale Nightlife with Carbondale Times.
The McDaniels make downtown Carbondale debut at PK’s
By Dakota Holden
updated: 6/22/2018 5:44 PM
The McDaniels will make their debut at PK’s in Carbondale June 23. The blues and rock will start at 9 p.m.
The McDaniels are Kent (guitar, vocals) and Dorothy McDaniel (bass).
Kent McDaniel originally performed in Carbondale in the 1970s with The McDaniels Brothers Band, splitting shows with Shawn Colvin, opening for Earl Scruggs, and often sharing the stage with Tawl Paul. The McDaniel Brothers were a PK’s regular, playing every Thursday night until Kent moved out the region.
Kent moved to Chicago in 1980. He tells Nightlife he bumped into Dorothy riding the train into the loop. She was going to her oboe recital, and he was on his way to see Koko Taylor. They decided to attend both events with each other. They later married and started a family of their own. They have been playing music together ever since as The McDaniels. In the past year, they both moved to Carbondale.
“No matter where I lived, I have always searched for a place that felt like home,” Kent says. “When I moved back to Carbondale, it finally felt like home.”
Since their return, they have hosted and performed on WDBX, played small shows at Tres Hombres and Celebrate 618, and now PK’s for their first full-length show.
The McDaniels have an interesting combination of influences. Dorothy grew up playing with a strong classical background, teaching Kent theory and how to read sheet music. In return, he taught her the art of improvisation and memorization of music.
The McDaniels have been working with Jim Foerster at Mole Hole Studios on new music and are excited to release their recordings. Their song “When the Blues Come Knocking” features B.B. King-style rhythms and tasteful leads as well as beautiful background vocals.
The McDaniels’ debut will feature guests including Stick Gilbert (percussion), Lew Hendrix (banjo) and Tawl Paul. It also happens to be Kent McDaniel’s birthday that night, so make sure to give a proper Carbondale welcome.
Music is available through kentmcdaniel.bandcamp.com.
Who: The McDaniels
When: June 23
Where: PK’s