Father of funk sax and ghostly country

I've been interviewing some amazing people lately. Just this week in the Union-Tribune, I had a couple of stories: one on funk pioneer Maceo Parker and the other on New Mexico's Handsome Family.

If you get a minute, check out the stories:
For Parker, the funk retains its charm

By Chris Nixon

January 22, 2004

Always styling with the suit and tie, always exuding old-school professionalism, always brimming with rhythm and soul, funk sax master Maceo Parker remains an icon in the music world.

With his signature recipe of "two percent jazz, 98 percent funky stuff," Parker is a funk-music originator while incorporating hip-hop, jazz and soul to keep his sound inventive and original.

Along with Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley, Parker helped establish the horn section as an essential piece of the funk orchestra. Starting with the classic James Brown groups of the 1960s, Parker brought his syncopated, jazzy style of sax playing to JB's music for more than two decades.

In the mid-'70s, Parker and his cohorts Ellis and Wesley hooked up with Bootsy Collins' Rubber Band and George Clinton, performing the crazy interstellar funk of Parliament-Funkadelic.

"I do use a little bit of both George and James Brown's music," said the gravel-voiced Parker. "James Brown's music is sort of my music too, because I was there when we first recorded it. I enjoyed all the time I spent, not only with those two guys, but Bootsy (Collins), too. So I get a little bit from each one of them."

Not only did Parker gain musical knowledge from the funk legends he's worked with, he also learned how to lead a band. In his own band – an outfit he's led since the early '90s, Parker takes lessons from both Brown and Clinton.

The Maceo Parker band always hits the stage in full suit and tie, drawing on Brown's sense of professional behavior. But he allows for individual freedom and expression in the music, taking a cue from Clinton's free-spirited anarchic Parliament/Funkadelic groups with incendiary live performances.

"George is really loose: You don't have to conform to anything," said the 60-year-old saxophonist, finding the middle ground between Clinton and Brown. "You don't have to be color-coordinated. His whole concept is 'Life ain't nothing but a party.' All of that is totally different than James Brown. You almost have to be in uniform. Most of the songs are pretty much the same every night."

Parker's solo releases, "Roots Revisited" (1990) and "Mo' Roots" (1991), found Parker exploring his jazzy side, while subsequent albums (1998's "FunkOverload," 2000's "Dial: M-A-C-E-O" and 2003's "Made By Maceo") focused on funk. Parker appeared as a guest with a staggering array of artists, including Ani DiFranco ("To the Teeth"), Prince ("Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic"), Living Colour (Time's Up), Dee-Lite ("Word Clique" and "Infinity Within") and Keith Richards ("Talk Is Cheap").

Through collaborations and constant touring, Parker remains devoted to his craft: "I still love the work, I love my job and I love the people. At the same time, it gets a few bills paid as well. We have six kids, so there's always something to pay for."

One of Parker's sons, Corey, has taken up the family trade. Corey provides rhymes and hip-hop flavor to his dad's stage show, touring with Parker's talented band.

"Most bands have a singer and maybe a few horns, but (Corey) brings the whole rap thing into the mix," said Parker, obviously proud of his son. "He has a lot of fun with it. It's definitely in his blood. He's got the bug, so he's going to be onstage, whether if it's with me or doing his own thing."

Parker's recent work helps complete his resume.

"If there's any void in my career, playing recently with Prince has really filled any gaps for me. Performing with him and seeing how he goes about his business is – how do they say it on TV these days? – it's 'priceless.' "

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.


And the Handsome Family:

COUNTRY HIGHWAY
Handsome Family takes its own path to get to the root of roots music

By Chris Nixon

January 22, 2004

minimalist approach to American roots music, full of ghostly imagery and dark harmonies. Mark Owen

Their spooky old-time harmonies and ghostly country stories make the Handsome Family's music an odd blend of early 20th-century folk and modern imagery.

Hailing from Albuquerque, N.M., the husband-and-wife duo creates roots country music straight out of a Victorian gothic novel or a Charles Addams cartoon, telling stories about haunted Wal-Marts and bottomless pits.

Beginning their career together almost a decade ago, the Handsome Family combines the songwriting style of the Carter Family, bittersweet melodies and DIY acoustic music for a beautiful, surreal late-night walk through the cemetery. In the current world of pop star debutantes Beyoncé and Britney, the Handsome Family's rustic tunes sound more genuine than ever.

"(The old songs) make you feel like somebody understands where you're coming from," said lyricist Rennie Sparks during a recent phone conversation from their home in New Mexico, which doubles as the couple's recording studio.

"When you hear someone singing about being 'Bootylicious,' most of us can't relate," she said. "Maybe for a few fleeting seconds at a time have I felt that way. But you listen to a Carter Family song, and I feel like I know these people and I know what they're feeling. It's much closer to the experience of being alive."

Added Brett Sparks: "All of our pop heroes are so young. Beyoncé's like 22 years old, and she's basically controlling the world with her mind and her strange little songs. When we found country and folk music, it made a lot of sense to us. It made a lot of sense to Rennie especially, because she's more of a short story writer than a poet or a conventional rock lyricist."

Following in the footsteps of traditional American song crafters, Brett and Rennie recorded six of their seven full-length albums (one live club recording) in a home studio. They also tour alone, mostly as a duo, keeping things simple and letting the songs speak for themselves in the live context.

The Handsome Family used to tour with its own van, but as Brett put it: "We beat the hell out of it." So now they rent, joining soccer moms across America in their love for minivans.

"It's totally rock 'n' roll when we pull up to a show in a minivan," said Rennie, good-naturedly poking fun at herself.

The couple performs together, writes songs together, tours together and lives together, which can be good for the creative process but can put a strain on the relationship.

"It's nice to work together," said Rennie. "We end up working on things that neither one of us would (create) on our own. I think we end up with something different this way."

"People say, 'Never work with your spouse,' " said Brett, starting a volley of words between the couple. "So that's another experiment we're working on."

Rennie added: "Not only do we work together, we sometimes spend months together where we're never separated unless one of us is in the bathroom."

"Thank god for bathrooms," quips Brett.

With the release of 2003's "Singing Bones," the duo (married for 15 years) strums their way into the listener's heart, providing a testament to the power of exquisite minimalism. A quiet symphony of singing saws and simple songs, "Singing Bones" might be the antidote to the current abundance of dancing Britneys and bouncing Beyoncés.

In contrast to clear-eyed, honest traditional folk music, pop divas seem ridiculous.

"We listen to a lot of what (writer) Greil Marcus would call 'old weird America,' " said Brett. "We listen to a lot of the old music. I don't think it's weird because it's old. I just think it's weird. You could call it O.W.A."

Rennie: "As opposed to N.W.A.: new weird America."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.

shuttlecock ballyhoo and other true stories

Honestly, I'm a little bored with the title "freelance writer." I've been working sans regular paychecks for a modicrum of freedom during the past three months, so I should be able to dictate my job title, right? Henceforth, I shall refer to myself as "expert towel boy, soft-shoe specialist, tuneful laundry engineer, geriatric cat caregiver and badminton critic at large." I appreciate you granting the first of what is sure to be a long list of wishes, cn

'We worked our way up through the trenches'

Had a great time over the holiday, hung with friends from all over in Punta Banda, 15 miles south of Ensenada in Baja California. As Bukowski would say: "To all my friends..."

I wrote up a little article for the Union-Tribune on San Diego band Counterfit. They're real good, so if they come to your town check them out.

Here's the article:

Counterfit, Jan. 15, 2003 -- Union-Tribune

January and February are going to be busy months. Here's a rundown of the articles I have planned tentatively: Greyboy All Stars, Travis, The 88, The Shins, Rickie Lee Jones, Starsailor, P.O.D., Bob Weir/Ratdog, A Perfect Circle, The Crystal Method and Flogging Molly. Great bands, all of them.

I just added my top albums from 2003 along the left-hand rail of this page. You may have to scroll down a bit. Let me know your thoughts and your picks. Cheers, cn

Standing in the shadows...

The Funk Brothers -- legendary Motown house band featured in the 2003 documentary "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" -- bring their show to the Belly Up Tavern on Saturday. I had the chance to talk recently with both Jack Ashford (Marvin Gaye's favorite percussionist) and Allan Slutsky, the writer who tracked the Motown musicians down after living in obscurity for decades. Due to the efforts of Slutsky, the men who make up the Funk Brothers now tour regularly. On this go 'round, Joan Osborne and Darius Rucker help out on vocals. Here's the preview article I wrote for the San Diego Union-Tribune:

HOUSE BAND NO. 1

At the Belly Up, a chance to stand in the shadow of Motown

By Chris Nixon

December 25, 2003


History has a way of burying genius, letting the winners and corporate bosses take the spoils – and the credit. Studio musicians, toiling away and creating music in anonymity, don't often get the spotlight, and more importantly, the recognition they deserve.

Enter the Funk Brothers: 13 studio musicians who changed the face of American pop music. As payroll employees for Motown Records, these musicians were a part of more No. 1 hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined.

The Funk Brothers included some of Detroit's best musicians, and their story has remained untold for nearly half a century until this year's documentary film "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" shed some light on the musicians who created the famous "Motown sound."

"It really was like a factory," said Funk Brothers percussionist Jack Ashford from his home in Memphis, Tenn. "We would show up at 10 in the morning and go through the charts for the day– I got paid $10 a song. Some days we would record six or more songs, so it was good pay for that time."

Part documentary, part performance film, "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" tells the story of the Motown musicians through stories and the memories of the men who lived the music. The one-hour-and-48-minute movie has the feel of an American "Buena Vista Social Club," giving long-overdue notoriety and exposure to talented and influential musicians.

But the film – the brainchild of transcriptionist Allan "Dr. Licks" Slutsky – almost didn't get made.

Like many things, the cinematic retelling of the Funk Brothers' story came down to one thing – money.

"Well, the whole process took 17 years," said Slutsky recently. "The book started as a collection of (Funk Brothers bassist) James Jamerson's transcriptions. When I started talking to James' wife, Anna, she introduced me to all the guys and I started finding that it was a bigger story. After the book came out, I was chasing money around for a decade to make the film."

During the process, Slutsky lost a longtime friend to pancreatic cancer, but the break through came soon after his friend's death.

"My best friend from college – he was the kind of guy who'd call everyday and offer his support for the film – died from pancreatic cancer a few years ago," said Slutsky. "My other friend from college was sitting next to a gentleman reading my book at the funeral. Turns out, this guys is a volunteer fireman who sold an idea for a product and was now a billionaire. He ended up financing the movie. So I guess my friend gave me a little gift on his way out."

In addition to the documentary aspect of "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," the movie includes a reunited Funk Brothers performing Motown hits in front of a live crowd, with guest vocal spots by Chaka Khan, Ben Harper, Bootsy Collins, Montell Jordan, Meshell Ndegeocello, Joan Osborne and Gerald Levert.

Things went so well that the unheralded house band for Motown Records hit the road in support of the stunning documentary. The current tour includes a New Year's show with the Dead (the surviving members of the Grateful Dead), proving Motown's widespread appeal.

And the upcoming Belly Up show Saturday night provides a rare opportunity to see these living legends live on stage, along with Joan Osborne and Hootie & The Blowfish lead man Darius Rucker on vocals.

"The Motown tunes are truly America's music," said Ashford. "This music means a lot to people. And it means a lot to us, too. So to have people come up after our gigs and tell how much it means for them to hear us play live, it's just an amazing experience after so many years."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.

Them Changes -- quarter-year catch up

I logged the last transmission over four months ago, so obviously a lot has changed for me. The past two months in particular have been some of the most enjoyable during my adult years from a career perspective. For quite some time, I'd been feeling clausterphobic and imprisoned by the grind of the daily commute, jacking myself upon coffee to make it through the day, the days passing as I sat in my cubicle, feeling drained and non-human in my interactions with co-workers and certainly with my girlfriend Lisa. I was losing my sense of direction, the days a haze of wrestling with technology more than purely writing. It was time for change...

So I gave my notice and ventured into the unstable world of freelance writing. It's been an uncertain time: financially mostly. When I started freelancing (my last day at SignOn was Oct. 3), I had this image of jumping off a cliff and learning how to fly on the way down. I'm durprised at how little I can live on. I love being able to cook again. Being able to take time to craft a piece if I feel its necessary or worthy. Being able to enjoy the beautiful SD weather. I am truly a lucky man.

So I've been writing for the San Diego Union-Tribune, CMJ magazine, Anthem magazine and SignOnSanDiego as Chris Nixon; for Fahrenheit San Diego as Ingrid Domingues and Jeb Stewart for CityBeat. More on the names later.

Here's a short compendium of some of the articles I've written in the last couple of months:

Skydiver, September Localese -- Union-Tribune

Raveonettes, Oct. 2, 2003 -- Union-Tribune

Lake Trout, Oct. 9, 2003 -- Union-Tribune

Califone, Oct. 16, 2003 -- Union-Tribune

John Reis/The Sultans, Oct. 23, 2003 -- Union-Tribune

The Deftones, Oct. 30, 2003 -- Union-Tribune

Skydiving feature, Oct. 2003 -- SignOnSanDiego

Robert Walter/DNA-1, November Localese -- Union-Tribune

Chris Robinson, Nov. 13, 2003 -- Union-Tribune

Hot Club of Cowtown, Nov. 27, 2003 -- Union-Tribune

Exile on Kettner, Dec. 18 -- Union-Tribune

FAHRENHEIT

San Diego Indymedia, Oct. 13, 2003 -- Fahrenheit

The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower, Nov. 13, 2003 -- Fahrenheit

The Viewmasters, Nov. 20, 2003 -- Fahrenheit

Kalle Lasn Q&A, Nov. 26, 2003 -- Fahrenheit

San Diego Indymedia, Dec. 3, 2003 -- Fahrenheit

North Park Deli review, Dec. 3, 2003 -- Fahrenheit

San Diego Indymedia, Dec. 3, 2003 -- Fahrenheit

Super Cocina, Dec. 11, 2003 -- Fahrenheit

CITYBEAT

Broken Social Scene, Nov. 19, 2003 -- CityBeat

'The Complex'

I just re-listened to the radio show which I hosted today (if you read below, you'll see my rant on radio). On second listen, it' didn't sound as horrible as the actual experience. This is a common occurence for performers. Thinking back to the days when I used to jam percussion on stage, the experience of being on stage often clouded my perception of how things actually sounded.

This phenomenon works both ways really. Sometimes it doesn't feel good on stage, but you listen back later and the performance sounds better than you thought. Conversely, you can come off stage feeling great, but when you take a listen afterward it sounds terrible. This is why there are so many terrible musicians torturing innocent audiences out there: they have no idea how badly they sound. Ditto for karaoke. It has something to do with focusing on your own feelings and perceptions instead of seeing and hearing the reality of the situation. When you're on stage, you are the center of attention and sometimes the reality never sinks in.

It's the same with a radio studio. They're usually plain rooms with microphones. Not much to focus on, except for your perception of your performance. In short: I thought I sucked today, but on second listen it didn't sound as terrible as I thought it would.

This is all over-analyzing, but isn't that what blogs are for? (I picture Stevie Wonder holding hands with Elton John singing "That's what blogs are for..." Stevie and Elton are always there to back me up when I need them.)

Speaking of complex, the Blue Man Group is playing San Diego this weekend and hopefully I'll get a chance to check them out. I talked about this concert during this week's radio show, so that's what made me think of it. Anyway, I wrote up a profile for SignOnSanDiego, so take a read through if you have a minute or two. Cheers.

Rock the radio spot

For those of us who worship the written word, the gift of gab comes slow like maple syrup on a cold winter day. I've been working with my co-workers at SignOn to develop a weekly radio show. It's called Entertainment Live. The show broadcasts live on this Internet radio station called World Talk Radio. It's also archived so listeners can go back and check out old rants.

Today (Thursday), I played host to the show for the first time. Switching gears from writing to talking coherently is tough, but life unchallanged is bland like baby food. The show offers no editing, only your thoughts and thinking on your feet. The trick is filter the random stuff on the fly, like mental gymnastics for the random at heart. Somtimes you're just stuck with vowel movements. Anyway, if you want to hear a writer stumble and bumble his way through his first hosting experience, check this out.

Suzanne Vega and Eels

So now I have this thing up and running, there's a lot to catch up on. A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to talk with Suzanne Vega. You can listen to sound clips from the interview at the above link. Despite my froggy voice and the early hour, it came out nicely. You can also read the story that came out in the Union-Tribune's Night&Day section.

This past Monday, I had the opportunity to talk with Eels lead singer E (again if you click through, you'll see audio links from the interview). I laughed constantly through our short 10 minute phone interview, as you can hear in the clips. He's a funny guy, in a deadpan kinda way. The Eels story will appear in the print edition of the Union-Tribune on Thursday Aug. 14. The band's San Diego show takes place at 4th & B downtown on Saturday, Aug. 16.

You can hear clips from a bunch of interviews I've done at SignOnSanDiego's Nixon Tapes.