Chardonnay + Alison = Bliss

After some great west coast crab and an incredible Californian chardonnay, I am left listening to more bluegrass (go figure?). As I mentioned, if you haven't heard Alison Krauss, you need to. She has a remarkable voice, and the best backing band in the biz. Here's Alison and Union Station (featuring Dan Tyminski and Ron Block). Enjoy and relax - it's the weekend!

My Deep Dark Musical Secret

Here's the LATE edition of Friday Night Happy Hour Video Date with Pete.

I have a deep secret. I listen to a lot of Bluegrass. In fact, I listen to it every day. What I have come to love most is the outstanding musicianship of many of the players. To quote Wikipedia, "Bluegrass music has attracted a diverse and extremely loyal following worldwide. Bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe characterized the genre:Scottish bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin'. It's Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It's blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound. It's plain music that tells a good story. It's played from my heart to your heart, and it will touch you. Bluegrass is music that matters."

Oh Carol!

Welcome to the November 12th edition of "Friday Night Happy Hour Video Date with Pete". I am in the middle of enjoying four days off, and I have earned my happy hour after a busy day of house organization. Now on to the details: The dichotomy between camaraderie and competition between the Stones and The Beatles has always fascinated me. While the Fab Four were considered somewhat risqué in the early 60's, they were still a relatively shining example of youth as compared to the Stones, who were the absolute epitome of the "bad boy" image. Yet, each group respected the other for their obvious talents. I remember seeing a picture taken during the recording of Sergeant Pepper's, where Mick Jagger sits looking up at Paul McCartney, who is conducting a symphony orchestra for some backing tracks. The look in Mick's eye was one of pure adoration and amazement.

Tonight's track is from 1964 and features the original Stones lineup (including Brian Jones who died tragically in 1969). Although it's a dub (as many live performances from this era were), I love the video as it shows the youthful Jagger, the ever-solid Wyman, and a host of fans who end up hurling chairs onto the stage as the band exits behind the mains. Enjoy and post your comments please!

Heart to Heart

Happy hour has begun and that means it's time for your weekly video date. I caught this performance pretty soon after it was taped and was quite blown away. Heart is definitely one of the bands that we all grew up with. When The Knots recorded last year at Mushroom Studios, it felt kind of weird being in the same control room where Dreamboat Annie was captured so long ago. Both Ann and Nancy Wilson are still touring, and although the backing band has changed, the true essence of Heart still remains. They can be mellow, dreamy and ethereal - and then kill it with "Barracuda" or a cover of a Zeppelin song, all in one concert. Here, they play one of my favourite songs by Elton John - and their version may just rival the original. Enjoy "Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters". Have a safe weekend.