David Jones of the Monkees passed away earlier in the week at the age of 65. Growing up as a suburban latch key kid in the 1980s, I was lucky enough to have gotten into the Monkees TV show when it started to re-air during that time in the afternoon. This was far before I knew anything about music history, or cared about issues of authenticity, or made judgements about the value or relative worth of music. The Monkees introduced me to a world of 1960s pop music, and most of my current pop sensibilities come from being a fan of their extraordinary music. I have to admit that Davy was never my favorite in the group. I always gravitated towards Michael & Mickey’s tunes more than any other. I even liked Peter’s quirkiness over the smoother charms of Mr. Jones. But as I reflect back on things, I really appreciate Davy’s vocals, how perfectly phrased ever thing is, and I recognize that Davy was likely the most talented of the bunch. I also have to admit that that Davy Jones’ shuffle is a move that I still occasionally break out into when listening to 60s music. Here are a few of my favorite Monkees’ moments featuring Davy Jones, may he rest in peace.

This doesn’t come from the show, but instead from the film Head, which is exhibit A for me in why the Monkees should be more highly regarded than they were. The film is a 60s psychedelic trip and not at all the kind of thing you’d expect from a “pre-fab” pop group. I could never imagine any of today’s stars producing something so incredibly bizarre and self-deprecating as this film. It does contain a moment of pure entertainment courtesy of Davy Jones and Mickey Basil (Yes, THAT Mickey!) with this dance sequence for “Daddy’s Song,” which also proves that Davy could do a lot more than his signature shuffle.

“Valleri” is one of my faves from the tail end of the TV show. I’ve always thought this must have been one of the final videos that the group cut together because there just seems to be a lot of tension between them, but Davy shines, as usual, with a very cool bit of TV magic that allows him to float away from the group as he starts to go into the second verse.

Bar-none this was my favorite Monkees song and moment from the original TV show, until I found out what the song actually was about in my adult years…Despite being “potentially” inspired by a Hell’s Angels train, the song is a pure pop gem, with a little bit of bite courtesy of Harry Nilsson’s lyrics. Every thing just melts away though when you watch Davy dance and goof around with a dancer whose name I’ve never been able to track down.

In some ways this is the quintessential Davy song from the series, since EVERY episode found him falling in love with some new girl, generally being the problem that the other boys in the band had to solve. It’s also a really fantastic vocal performance, I’ve always loved his phrasing in the chorus and the whispery “Darling…I Love You” at the end.

For most people THIS is the quintessential song from Davy, and perhaps from the group too (though “I’m A Believer” might be as big), It’s not a song that I’ll be playing in my mini tribute to Davy Jones this weekend as Melting Pot returns, but it’s certainly the song that he’ll be remembered by most of all. Plus it gives us some of the best examples of that signature little finger popping shuffle that Davy Jones. That pure joy in performance is how I’ll always remember him.

The Dirty Three – Rising Below

Seems fitting to do this post on Leap Year day, since it’s been just about as rare to have new music from Australia’s the Dirty Three. For the past couple of months I’ve been dying to post something about this new LP, waiting for the release date to finally come. It’s been quite a long time since the last album, Cinder, was released, but the band is back with Toward The Low Sun out now on Drag City. Still comprised of founding members, Jim White, Mick Turner and Warren Ellis, the band doesn’t necessarily stride into any new territory, but they certainly don’t need to. When you have a sound as emotionally deep and perfect as this, all you need to do is turn on the microphones and record. Thankfully the band is back together and playing with renewed vigor, touring their native lands and making trips to a variety of festivals. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that they make their way here to LA and into our studios for a interview and performance!

Yet another legendary performer gracing us here in Los Angeles, Roky Erickson, founder of one of the greatest garage bands of all time, the 13th Floor Elevators, will be in town March 1st performing at the El Rey theatre. I actually have SEVERAL pairs for this show, so if you and a group of friends want to go, courtesy of Melting Pot, make sure to e-mail me at michael[at]meltingpotblog.com by 5pm on Wednesday for your chance to win tickets to see Roky Erickson!

Here’s the classic from the 13th Floor Elevators, quite possibly the best 1960s garage song of all time, “You’re Gonna Miss Me”…always blows my mind, when I see clips like this, just how amazing 1960s TV actually was:

As amazing as “You’re Gonna Miss Me” is, I think I dig this track even more from the band, especially because of just how crazy that electric jug sounds on this track:

Now, here’s an example of what the man sounds like today, with still quite a lot of fire on one of his signature tunes, “Two Headed Dog”!

Michael Davis, bassist for one of my all-time favorite bands, The MC5, passed away last week from liver disease.  Given the fact that so much of the attention on the Motor City boys was on guitarists Wayne Kramer and Sonic Smith, or on vocalist Rob Tyner, it might be easy to forget just how important the rhythm section was to one of the most influential Rock’n’Roll outfits of all time…Here are just a few reminders.  Expect to hear several of these when Melting Pot returns to the KPFK airwaves on March 4th.

“Future/Now”

One of the few times where Davis’ bass leads off the tune, and it really sets the tone for one of the MC5’s toughest grooves:

“Over & Over”

Another track from the band’s final record High Times, and another song where Davis’ bass features prominently in the mix and the sound:

“I Believe To My Soul”

Recorded live at the Grande Ballroom in 1968, with Davis’ fuzzed out bass much more prominently featured in the mix than on the Elektra album…this is probably how the band should have sounded on their debut.

Part of the Daptone family and featuring members from their esteemed groups, The Budos Band plays a funky instrumental brand of African inspired psychedelic spooky funk. As you’d expect from Daptone, their sound is meant to move and groove and they’ll be doing just that here in Los Angeles this Friday at the Echoplex where they’ll be performing live. If you’d like to go courtesy of Melting Pot, e-mail me at michael[at]meltingpotblog.com by 12noon Thursday (as in Tomorrow!) for a chance to win tickets!

Here’s a rather slick Spaghetti Western style music video for their song “Unbroken, Unshaven” that gives you a sense of their style and what you’re in for on Friday night!

Baloji feat. Blitz the Ambassador, Joya Mooi & Freddy Massamba – Indépendance Cha-Cha (Remix)

Intrepid listeners may recall me raving about this album from Congolese singer/MC Baloji last year. It was released overseas in 2010, but it’s FINALLY getting a stateside release this year, with different packaging and a few remixes. Seems like there’s a good chance there will be additional remixes to follow later in the year, but for now, this VERY different version of “Independence Cha-Cha” will tide us over until we get some proper new music from one of the most exciting African artists in quite some time.

…Just so you can see exactly how different this remix is, here’s a smashingly good video for the original, also found on this album:

Art Don’t Sleep strikes again with the latest in their Homage series, this time with a monster bill featuring Venice Dawn and William Hart of the Delfonics starting off the night, the legendary DJ Spinna on the decks and the mighty Hypnotic Brass Ensemble with Kelan Phil Cohran, all performing live at Exchange LA this Thursday, Feb. 23rd! Local cats will be spinning on this night too, including Expo, Rani D, Anthony Valadez and Seano. Be sure to peep Expo’s exceptional HBE mix right here. This is NOT a night you want to miss…you can go courtesy of Melting Pot if you win these tickets, make sure to e-mail me at michael[at]meltingpotblog.com before 12noon on Wednesday to get your chance to win!!!

Here’s a teaser of HBE with Phil Cohran, “Black Boy” gives us a sense of what the upcoming collaboration between father and sons will sound like:

“War” remains my favorite track from Hypnotic, still one of the best things I’ve heard in the 21st century:

Here’s the first video from Something About April, for “Lovely Lady” featuring Dennis Coffey on guitar, and surely a bit of what to expect when William Hart of the Delfonics performs with Venice Dawn:

Here’s a little tour of DJ Spinna’s studio and record collection from the man himself:

And a little taste of his work on the 1s and 2s:

Ray Barretto – Cocinando

All week long my wife and I have been listening to these classic recordings from the Fania All Stars. Originally released on two separate “Live At the Cheetah” LPs, the music is collected together along with the DVD of the film Our Latin Thing (Nuestra Cosa). I’d seen bits and pieces of the film over the years, but never got a chance to see the whole thing until this set arrived just ahead of our fundraiser. It’s a really fascinating document, less a concert movie than almost stream of consciousness film-making. Though the performances are what draw you in, it’s the scenes on the streets of New York that stick with you, whether it’s the street party featuring Larry Harlow’s Orchestra, Ray Barretto yelling out “Tamarindo” as he gets a tasty treat and even serves some up, A santeria ritual, or just regular folk singing and dancing with mountains of style. Definitely one of the highlights of my current fundraiser package. On this 40th Anniversary edition they include a couple of bonus tracks, including Ray Barretto’s “Cocinando” the mid-tempo latin groover that starts off the film…speaking of which, if you’ve never seen the film, here’s a taste of how everything begins: