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From the December Issue of MOJO
New picture of WW Jr on the reviews page of this site!
Site Updated 7/02/08
CHIEF DIATRIBES
Check the link below to see a clip of "Georgia Pines" with special guest Buddy Buie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YpVtW4cKvo
Finally!...
A small break in the recording action to update our sites.. If some of our regular site visitors are wondering what's going on at Playground.... here's the deal..
Since the last change of tunes on our MySpace, We have recorded 6 sides on Zayn Jones. Zayn is stationed at Eglin and is a very talented singer, songwriter. Zayn has since been scheduled to ship out for a years duty in Korea.. but he recorded some great tunes with Clayton here at Playground.."Heartaches and Hangovers" as well as "Here's to Another Lonely Night" are my personal favs.. HEY.... Tim McGraw.. Looking for your next hit? Zayn Jones is your man... for further info contact the Janitor at Playground..
Mason Arnold was in with 3 new tunes.. we brought down David Adkins from Dothan and Mississippi Bobby Maxwell from Memphis, the Right Reverend WW Meigs from the Boggy Bayou out to play the drums and tracked the tunes...
Maxwell stayed on for an additional week and we recorded two of his new hits that are so hot we can't disclose the names for fear of plagiarism.
While Max was here we finished up a new album on "Mr. Lonely"..... in fact I just finished the mixing last night... You ask "Mr. Lonely"?... Who the heck is "Mr. Lonely"? "Mr. Lonely" hails from the Emerald Coast somewhere west of Crestview ... This is some panhandle hillbilly honky-tonk that you MUST pat your foot to.
In Fact...this is a 12 song must listen... you'll either love it or hate it... no in between... no in between!
More on "Mr. Lonely" at a later date...
During the "Mr. Lonely" sessions we used Coconut Radio's Steve and Sue to help augment the Chief's masterful production... Steve played the mandolin and Sue played the violin on several cuts. Coconut Radio has a project in the works and hopefully we can get it out before the tourist season is over. They have some really cool tunes and are great folks...go see 'em play live if you get the chance.
The Waco Ramblers are still burnin' up the road, exciting and delighting crowds everywhere. Go see 'em while you have the opportunity.. Check the Waco site for their dates
www.wacoramblers.com. I know they are back at the Station Inn in Nashville July 26th or 27th... they are also in Birmingham in July.. Oh hell .. just check the website... Get out and Support the Waco Ramblers ... you'll never be disappointed!
The Rabbit Factory Soul Review is bustin out with Shows in New York and Chicago to promote the new Wiley and the Checkmates CD "We Call It Soul" The record was cut here at PRS in Feb. 07.. recorded 24 trk analog. The dates are July 6th and 14th , I believe, (better check the site
www.myspace.com/therabbitfactorysoulrevue for the details. David Adkins from Dothan and Ed Kollis from Nashville are playing on selected cuts of "We Call it Soul"... order it online now.. Party Time!!!!
PONDEROSA STOMP '08
Report for SS
From: The Playground Team
We just returned from the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans. We were only able to make day 2, but on day one it seems like William Bell was the hit of the day.
On day 2
The Hi-Rhythm section was as usual smooth and in the groove. It was a bit unusual, as all of the Hodges Brothers were there with Howard Grimes, in other words no substitutions.. They did have an additional player or two, but the core rhythm section was doing what they do best. They were backing Syl Johnson who did a fine job playing most all of his own lead guitar with Teenie playing the motif figure and rhythm. Teenie was in fine form leading the band of brothers. All still in fine form
Jay Chevalier was on another stage and did a couple of performances with Michael Hurtt and the Haunted Hearts Band. "Louisiana's Last Rockabilly" looked great and performed 2 great sets. We just loved his Gold suit!
On the Parish stage Rabbit Factory hosted a Southern Soul Review which included Wiley and the Checkmates, Ralph"Soul" Jackson, Roscoe Robinson and Herman Hitson. The Checkmates backed all of the artists on the "Soul Revue". This was a great showcase, presented very well. The revue was emceed by Matty from the Checkmates throughout the entire show. Using his own rhyming prose for each artist, the revue was seamlessly tied together. Wiley performed several songs off his new recording "We Call It Soul" to the crowds delight. (BTW this is record everyone should buy) The Checkmates, from Oxford, Mississippi, brought the delta soul and R&B groove with them. They were fantastic backing the artists on the Soul Revue.
Herman Hitson had a great set.. BUT it seems as if Ralph "Soul" Jackson was the crowd fav. Interacting with several of the scantily clad New Orleans gals, He had the crowd in the palm of his hands. Alex Chilton accompanied the Checkmates on guitar for this performance. Ralph introduced Alex in the middle of his show and tried to get Alex in the spotlight.. telling the audience that he had sung "The Letter" but Alex graciously declined any further recognition.
Roscoe Robinson followed Ralph with his smooth delivery singing some of his biggest hits and wooing the audience at the end of the set with accapella falsetto vocal licks, before the Checkmates came back in and closed the show.
This is a revue that could play almost anywhere and delight crowds.. approx 2 hours in length, each artist does 4-5 songs and the band does some instrumental highlights in between. The Checkmates are JD Mark, Matty Crockett,Matt Patton and Anthony "Amp" Wortham. Wednesday night .. they were the hardest workin band in show biz. They were also accompanied by a fantastic horn section from Memphis.. sorry I don't know their names.. just too old to remember..They all did an exquisite job bringing Southern Soul to New Orleans.
Hats off to record moguls John and Derek for being able to pull this off with the Ponderosa staff!
Reporting live from Valparaiso,
The Playground Team
Mason Arnold and Mississippi Boby Maxwell decsended on PRS last week.. We Brought down David Adkins and Brian Boydston from Dothan along with Warren Meigs from Niceville and cut some Mississippi Swamp Tunes.
We're looking forward to recording Country artist Larue McKinney. Larue has some great songs and a great voice.
WILBUR NEWS
WWjr project is complete and sent to press! Release date is like May15th for "MR. REDBUD" by Wilbur Walton Jr. featuring David Adkins.
We were busy mixing the new Wilbur Walton Jr songs so we couldn't make it to Austin this year for South By Southwest.. but congratulations go out to our extended families who had great shows there.. This includes Amy LaVere, Eli Reed and the Truloves, Alison Heafner and Robert Nix, The Dexateens, Wiley and the Checkmates and Ralph "Soul" Jackson.. I'm sure that I've left someone out.. I'm sure the Allstars had a great show.. I know Luther is off to tour with the Black Crows
www.wacoramblers.com This is a hard workin' Band.. Let's give them our support! These guys are leading the charge. Call your college radio stations and request THE WACO RAMBLERS! Make posts on your favorite music blog and talk about the Ramblers..Let's work the MySpace pages for all of our groups here on the Coast. Anyone who would like to work on the Ramblers "street team" should give us a call at PRS or drop a message to the Ramblers at www.myspace.com/wacoramblers . We're going to see some great things from these guys!
PRS PIKS
"We Call It Soul" Wiley & The Checkmates on Rabbit Factory
"A Voice From The Shadows" Mary Gresham on Soulscape UK
UPCOMING SESSIONS
Mr. "Hot Dice" singer songwriter Mason Arnold from Jackson, Mississippi, along with partner Mississippi Bobby Maxwell.. in soon!
Well, I am currently listening to the Playground Series Vol. 2 which for now we are calling "Lost Soul"... Let Me tell Ya ......MORE funky SOul from VaLpArAisO.. too many cuts to include on one CD unless we decide to go BluRay... Tiny Watkins, Reuben Howell,Count Willie, Len Wade, The Dudes, Judy Harris, Jimmy Gresham, Skip Easterling and More...
Check out Southern Music on the internet 24/7 at the Mighty Field of Vision.. www.mightyfieldofvision.com .. you never know what you'll hear and it's always interesting.
New Transfers: Len Wade, The Tikis, Big Al Downing, Tiny Watkins, The Spidels, Ronnie Self, Jay Chevalier, Concrete Bubble..The Truths..Cosmic Bean, Skip Easterling.. Meat Rack Tavern.. H.Y Sledge.. several tracks..demos on 2 trk. More... Cudzue, Marianne Cooper.. Larry Shell and the PLAYGROUND RHYTHM Section, with Kent Phillips, RJ Benninghoff, John Rainey Adkins and David Adkins.
I continue to find very interesting funk and soul tracks so there will be more volumes of Playground Soul. I have recently discovered tracks by the John Rainey Adkins band. John Rainey led the "Candymen" who played with Roy Orbison for so long. I have also found several tracks on Wilbur Walton Jr. who started the "James Gang". Other recent finds and transfers are H.Y. Sledge and the Reuben Howell tracks we are working on are dynamite.
