In House #1686: Live Music In the Region Tonight Featuring Dr. John, Blind Boys of Alabama, and John Hammond

Once again, it's a veritable wealth of live music in the region tonight, all of it falling on the same date as has generally been the case as of late. Perhaps the highlight of these offerings is the legendary Dr. John playing Salt Lake City's Red Butte Garden. The former Mac Rebbenack, in fact, has a new recording to support out on Blue Note. Mercenary, so named in part because it's made up almost entirely of songs composed by tunesmith Johnny Mercer, is an impressively solid collection of interpretations from Dr. John and his band, the Lower 911. It's not just up to the musician's legacy, it might actually add to it, as the doctor injects his own brand of New Orleans funk and soul into classic American Songbook tunes like "Blues In the Night," "Come Rain or Come Shine," and "Moon River."

Dr. John

Elsewhere, the Rebirth Brass Band (speaking of New Orleans) play Salt Lake City's Twilight Concert Series with opener John Hammond at the Gallivan Center. The bill is just the latest in an impressive summer of shows at the Gallivan Center, which concludes next week. A bit closer to home, the Blind Boys of Alabama play the Driggs Outdoor Concert Series in downtown Driggs, ID. The appearance is surely a coup of sorts for the series' organizers, whose goal seems to be to attract recognizable touring names. The Blind Boys' most recent effort is last year's Atom Bomb.

In House #1686.
Airdate: 8/17/06
Focus: Performances in the region tonight featuring Dr. John, Blind Boys of Alabama, and John Hammond with the Rebirth Brass Band. Plus new music from Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint, Peter Mulvey and more.



PLAYLIST

In House PODCAST #158