18 year old blues whiz kid Oli Brown came to Ardent Studios with his band (The Oli Brown Band) this week to record and perform live as part of our Ardent Sessions series. The band came to Memphis all the way from The UK to take part in The International Blues Challenge, taking place on historic Beale Street throughout this week and into the weekend.

Check out breakthruradio.com on Monday for the full Ardent Sessions podcast, and in the meantime, check out the band's Web site at www.olibrownband.com.

Check out this month's edition of The Ardent Sessions featuring the Chicago-based band Canasta. Their orchestral pop is a treat for the ears! Don't miss it!!

Setlist
01:04 An Apology
05:29 Heads Hurt Better
13:23 Shadowcat
23:11 Chicago Slow Down
30:14 Impostors
36:52 Sympathetic Vibrations
42:38 Microphone Song

Canasta Live Dates
Feb 23, 2008 Bela Dubby Cleveland, OH
Feb 27, 2008 The Uptown Bar Cafe Minneapolis, MN
Feb 29, 2008 Stetson Chapel Kalamazoo, MI
Mar 1, 2008 Beat Kitchen Chicago, IL
Mar 6, 2008 The Bog Chicago, IL
Jun 13, 2008 Flatlander's Lincolnshire, IL

www.canastamusic.com

Check out Canasta's account of their experience coming to Memphis:

Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 5:45pm. Another rainy night in Chicago as I pick up Matt and head out to meet the rest of the band in South Loop. We've got an early morning tv spot in Memphis awaiting us at the end of our 8 hour haul. We spend a good portion of our trip discussing the future of our new album. The car radio is never turned on, odd for a rocknroll band, but Canasta never claimed to be typical.

They only thing left to do was to eat some Memphis BBQ (vegetarian BBQ in the south?) and head home. Memphis, you're amazing, thanks for the good times. Give us your number so we can call you sometime.

Session Info:

Check out The Oli Brown Band, fronted by 18-year-old blues prodigy Oli Brown, on a special edition of The Ardent Sessions.

Playlist
00:45 Open Road
08:48 Played by the Devil
13:02 Love's Gone Cold
23:18 Complicated
31:19 New Groove
36:37 Jam
49:48 Keep On Believing
57:05

Oli Brown Upcoming Stops:
Feb 8, 2008 The Blues Bar Harrogate London
Feb 15, 2008 The Nags Head High Wycombe, London
Feb 16, 2008 The Cellars @ Eastney Southsea, South London

Session Info:

via Paste Magazine

Back in the day, The Beatles conquered planet Earth with their catchy, well-crafted tunes and their boyish good looks. Today, saying that they have been successful is a rather massive understatement, as their music has found its way into the amniotic fluid of pop culture. But, wherein lies the challenge when you've already reached the vast majority of the world?

When it comes to The Beatles, the answer to that question is space. Indeed, the iconic band's music has been selected to be sent out into the final frontier. Yesterday at 7p.m., for the first time ever, NASA beamed out a radio song into the celestial unknown. Appropriately, the musical gem that was been selected for this journey was none other than the Beatles' "Across the Universe."

"Send my love to the aliens," was the message Paul McCartney sent to NASA regarding the project. Unfortunately, any existing E.T. life will have to have to wait 431 light years before they can hear the sweet sway of the tune, seeing as its destination (Polaris, AKA: The North Star) is so far away.

Meanwhile, on the terrestrial side of the atmosphere, the group is being further immortalized by the legendary Stax Records. On Feb. 26, the label will put forth Stax Does The Beatles. The cover album features the likes of Booker T. & the MG's, Isaac Hayes, The Mar-Keys and an unreleased version of the late Otis Redding's rendition of "Day Tripper."

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is celebrating Black History Month with a slate of programs focused on Stax Records, the racially integrated label in Memphis, Tenn., whose roster included Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and Booker T. & the MG's. All events are free with a reservation; call 216-515-8426. Here's the schedule:

7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6: Rob Bowman, author of "Soulsville, U.S.A. -- The Story of Stax Records," and former Stax publicist Dean Parker deliver a lecture titled "Telling the Stax Records Story" in Case Western Reserve University's Clark Hall, Room 309, 11130 Bellflower Road, Cleveland.

7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11: The film "Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story" screens at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, 1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., Cleveland.

4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13: Ashley Davis, artistic director of the Stax Music Academy, speaks at the Rock Hall, as part of the "Teachers Rock" series for elementary and high-school teachers who are looking for ways to integrate popular music into their lesson plans.

7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20: Al Bell, former owner of Stax, discusses his career, as part of the "Songwriters to Soundmen: The People Behind the Hits" series at the Rock Hall.

7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27: Jason Hanley, manager of the Rock Hall's education department, examines classic Stax recordings in a "Rock and Roll Night School" class at the museum.

In the photo, L to R: Devon Allman, Javier Vargas, engineer Jason Latshaw.

Spaniard and bluesman Javier Vargas returned to Ardent Studios this month to work on his third album with us, to be titled Flaminco Blues Experience. Jason Latshaw engineered the mix with Jason Gillespie assisting. Devon Allman returned for a guest vocal.

Javier has worked with us twice before, first tracking and mixing his 1995 release Texas Tango (with Jim Gaines producing) and then mixing 2005's Love Union Peace with John Hampton.

For more info, visit Javier's Web site at www.vargasblues.com

It's almost time for the Second Annual Six Degrees of Memphis SXSW Day Party and Official Showcase - and YOU'RE invited!

The show was so much fun for everyone involved, half of the city will be following us to Austin for our second SXSW show coming up on March 14th, and this year we have been invited to participate in an official showcase. If you were around last year you might remember the Stax showcase being the toast of the festival, we hope to keep the momentum going with the stellar line-up we have planned.

The radio show has now reached a listenership in the millions, and so this year we've decided to bring twice as many musicians, all with their own unique sound.

Holly Cole - 12:15 PM - She's not the jazz singer, you guys! She's the sweet siren of Memphis where she mixes folk, country and rock to sing of love and nostalgia. Cole exudes a mysterious sexuality from the stage, but her beauty is easily matched by her talent - the total package indeed!

Two Way Radio - 1:15 PM- "The band's sound is lush and layered both in the studio and on stage, and their songs are dense, often whimsical, and, in a tradition that runs from the Beach Boys through Neutral Milk Hotel, often structured like minisymphonies." - Commercial Appeal

Blair Combest - 2:15 PM - "Blair Combest is one of Memphis’s most gifted songwriters and one that you will, hopefully, get to know more about as time goes on. The Dylan comparison is obvious and you can’t ignore it, but it’s really not intentional on Blair’s part — that is his natural singing voice. But you know, if you’re a singer who, even accidentally, is going to sound like the greatest songwriter of the 20th century, you’d better be as good of a songwriter as Blair Combest is." - Loudersoft

Antenna Shoes - 3:15 PM - Tim Regan's versatile workmanship and songwriting skills take center stage under the aegis of his new bag, Antenna Shoes. Songs culled from new inspirations, old dreams and ancient sagas form the backbone of Antenna Shoes' Generous Gambler. (You might know Tim from his other projects) - he's the keyboardist and co-lead singer in the Memphis-based neo-psychedelic outfit Snowglobe and a member of Austin's chipper twee popsters Oh No! Oh My!. - Brad Bailey

Giant Bear - 4:15 PM - "Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention reincarnated as a modern day folk pop powerhouse." Cincinnati City Beat

Jump Back Jake - 5:15 - "At a glance, Jake Rabinbach doesn't exactly make you think of Memphis soul. With his scruffy beard and curled locks, he conjures the image of a young Bruce Springsteen or a midperiod Bob Dylan rather than Otis Redding or Al Green. But Rabinbach's overriding passion for Memphis' musical traditions brought him from the East Coast to the Mid-South...Rabinbach's voice, although certainly inspired by a legion of legendary R&B crooners, possesses its own unique charm." - Commercial Appeal

Are you still movin' and groovin'? GREAT! You're ready to head to the night time show!

Via Freep:

At 65, music icon Isaac Hayes has done it all and then some. In the '60s, he was one of the chief architects of the Memphis soul sound, writing and playing on countless tracks for the Stax-Volt label. His own solo career includes such best-selling albums as "Hot Buttered Soul," "Black Moses" and the 1971 Oscar-winning score for the film "Shaft." Hayes' multihyphenated career also includes much work as a humanitarian, actor, literacy advocate and Scientologist. Then, of course, there's his unforgettable stint as the voice of Chef McElroy on Comedy Central's "South Park." He quit "South Park" in '06 because he didn't like the cartoon show's completely irreverent attitude toward religion, including his own. The upcoming film "Soul Men" will feature Hayes back on the big screen. He'll play himself in a music comedy that will also star Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac.

(HOUSTON, TEXAS) - February 21, 2008 -Iconic trumpet player and former B.B. King Band Leader and arranger, Calvin Owens died early this morning.

A native Houstonian, Calvin "The Maestro" Owens' recording credits included work as an artist and producer for Memphis' Kiondict Recording Company, A & R director/studio musician for Peacock Recording Company locally and as an arranger for A & M Recording Studios in Los Angeles. He founded the Sawdust Alley Preservation Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to blues preservation

Owens was a fixture at SugarHill Studios, beginning with the Gold Star era recording in the late 40s with Blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins and in the early 60s with singer Joe Hinton. He returned to the studios in 1994 recording parts of "True Blue", and would record and mix another eight Blues albums, two Spanish-language albums and one Hip-Hop album with Chief Engineer and longtime friend, Andy Bradley. Those albums included: "The House is Burnin'" (2002) a remixed/remastered version of "True Blue" (2005), "Keeping the Big Band Blues ALIVE" (2005), "I Ain't Gonna Be Yo' Dog No Mo'" (2006), his Hip-Hop album "Say Boy How You Do That Thing?" (2006), "Es Un Amor Legendario" (2006) and remixing "That's Your Booty"(release pending). In 2007 he released "Houston is the Place to Be" and his final Spanish-language album, "La Mujer Que Canta Blues" featuring Evelyn Rubio.

Owens arranged and played on countless releases including Trudy Lynn's "I'm Still Here" (2006) and Johnny Bush's acclaimed 2007 release, "Kashmere Gardens Mud". He also arranged two tracks and played on three tracks of the forthcoming Johnny Bush album featuring Willie Nelson and Ray Price. Owens was heralded by many and worked with musicians spanning a spectrum of genres. Among his recordings you will find tracks featuring Shelly Carrol, Otis Clay, Archie Bell, Arnett Cobb, B.B. King, Conrad Johnson, David "Fathead" Newman, Marvin Sparks, Keith Vivens, Barbara Lynn, Pete Mayes, and Rue Davis.

Andy Bradley said, "My heart is heavy with the loss of one of the most talented musicians and a very dear friend. Personally and professionally, I will miss his enigmatic spirit. May his memory live on through his resplendent music."

Ardent's own Curry Weber is in Australia this week, on tour with Australian Idol superstar Guy Sebastian. From Curry's blog:

Hello all from Canberra, Australia!!...the first official stop on Guy Sebastian's Memphis Tour. We arrived late yesterday evening due to thunderstorms in Sydney but have settled down nicely despite the jet lag. After talking with Titus (Guy's Manager) earlier today, I was stoked to be participating in the Soul Lounge. According to Titus, the warm up shows in Sydney were a huge success and if they are any indication of things to come, it will be a great tour. He said their phones have been ringing off the hook. I guess when you combine great Australian talent and great Memphis talent...you've got a show to be reckoned with.

At about 5pm this evening, the first Soul Lounge was a success!!! Unexpectedly, it was just me and Guy on the stage. I opened the session with a short history of Ardent Studios and myself, followed by a Q and A with the audience and a couple of short songs performed by Guy, Carl Dimataga and Gary Pinto. There were probably about 100 folks in the audience tonite and they expect triple the number in Melbourne tomorrow. The Sydney show however, is supposed the biggest and best.

Lastly, tonite at about 9pm the band hit the stage. I'm not going to try to explain how great it was to see and hear it. The band was on fire and so were Guy and his background singers. The theater had very few empty seats (and the ones that were empty accounted for all the folks down on their feet dancing near the stage!!!) I am grateful to be a part of this tour and can't wait till tomorrow nite in Melbourne!!!! SEE YA!!!!!

Stay tuned for more from Curry's adventures overseas, or check out his blog at http://www.myspace.com/curryweber!

(1) in a b l u e moon
if youre out of your mind
(in a good way)
you might happen upon
the nocturnal sorrento
who plays a cheap tiesco
&
paints
"angels and sh*t" . . .

it was back in 1992 when sorrento picked up then*girlfriends paint brush
& these days his artwork can be found throughout the country
from sun studios to the rocknroll hall of fame
as well as in the homes of the beautiful people
(and notsobeautiful if you count keith richards).
he paints musicians
and
he plays music -
you cant get any more mu*si*cian*ly than that.

See the Photos on Culture Grits