Mandolins On TV - Advance Notice

[Schlegel]

So many "maybes" turning out to be "nopes" ... I'm pretty sure these are "probably nots" but possibly of interest to some.

6/9 - Conan: Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal
6/9 - Jimmy Fallon Late Night: Steve Martin, Paul Simon *
6/10 - Craig: Theresa Andersson (for those interested in how loopers work in a live solo performance)
6/11 - Conan: Neko Case

* In the dead of night (3 AM here), NBC replays shows from the week before. This is well worth catching - er, recording and watching later - if only for the jam between Steve and Paul, which is more like real back porch pickin' than just about anything I've ever seen on TV.

Doesn't Neko Case play a tenor guitar?

[journeybear]

Doesn't Neko Case play a tenor guitar?

I think so, but not always. Wouldn't know how it's tuned anyway. Seems lately on TV she's been playing rhythm on electric guitar. Ani DiFranco also plays steel tenor guitar sometimes. I think she was inspired by my example. Hey, it could happen!

[journeybear]

Monday 6/15
Conan: Spinal Tap
- Unplugged, could include mandolin
Tuesday 6/16
Today: Hank Williams Jr.
Jimmy Fallon: Hank Williams Jr.
- More likely he'll have a fiddle in the band, but you never know ...
Letterman: D: Ian McLagan w/ The Bump Band
- No MC, but some hereabouts expressed interest ...
Wednesday 6/17
Tavis Smiley (PBS): Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
- Zero MC, but this is one of rock 'n' roll's greatest songwriting duos, and the stories they could tell ... and some of their songs do get bluegrassasized from time to time.

[Dan Hoover]

flipping through channels last night,on PBS,is History Detectives..this was about a Josh White guitar,ok..but she paid a visit to a little old store in Staten Island...and there were glimpses...enough to make me say "hey"...thought it was interesting...check it out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2dXwZ5beQ0

[Caleb]

I think so, but not always. Wouldn't know how it's tuned anyway. Seems lately on TV she's been playing rhythm on electric guitar.

She has some sort of electric Gibson SG tenor guitar also. It's the only one I've ever seen like it. She's one of the most interesting people out there today in contemporary music, in my opinion.

[journeybear]

flipping through channels last night,on PBS,is History Detectives..this was about a Josh White guitar,ok..but she paid a visit to a little old store in Staten Island...and there were glimpses...enough to make me say "hey"...thought it was interesting...check it out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2dXwZ5beQ0

Yep - that's a repeat, and a good'un. When I saw that a few months ago I immediately notified my jug band buddies, who really appreciated all that.

She has some sort of electric Gibson SG tenor guitar also. It's the only one I've ever seen like it. She's one of the most interesting people out there today in contemporary music, in my opinion.

Neko Case is indeed very interesting, though I wonder if she isn't repeating herself. I haven't gotten the last couple of CDs for some reason, though her TV presence is increasing. The songs I've heard lately seem to follow a similar stylistic format, or maybe it's just her vocal style has gotten instantly recognizable to me, but somehow she's starting to sound a little predictable - and as always, the lyrics are pretty abstract. I dunno. This hasn't gotten to the point for me that Melissa Etheridge did, whom I liked OK until I saw her live, and realized every song's dynamics followed the same formula - effective but repetitive, esp. in large doses. I dunno. I'll always tune in, though, as it's only the people who are trying to push the boundaries that actually will. She's just been singing on TV lately, no guitar. I keep hoping ...

Oh, and BTW - in a bit of a surprise, Spinal Tap were back to their former selves on Conan last night, plugged in and bewigged. Mandolins on TV, sort of in the waning phase, until next Wednesday ...

[journeybear]

A pretty mixed bag this week. The only mandolin appearance is a good one - a repeat of Steve Martin's 5/25 appearance on Ellen DeGeneres Show. There are some interesting shows on PBS, both two hours long, probably no MC. Check your local listings for PBS broadcast times; they vary widely. I use http://www.zap2it.com/

6/24
PBS: 'The Music Instinct: Science and Song'
How and why music penetrates the brain and the emotions.

6/25
Ellen: Steve Martin

6/26
PBS: Pete Seeger: The Power of Song

[Mike Bunting]

I didn't see here any mention of Mike Compton On the Tonight Show, June 23, backing up Elvis Costello.

[journeybear]

You mean Conan. I'll take your word for it. When he was on Letterman on 6/4 he didn't have a mandolinist, so I didn't mention this week's appearance. Of course, you never know what he's gonna do.

[Mike Bunting]

Oops, I was correcting while you were posting, yes, Conan on the tonight Show.

[journeybear]

No prob. I'm glad you rang in. My sources just give me the name of the group or, in cases like this, the star.

[mrmando]

Wouldn't know how it's tuned ["it" being Neko Case's tenor] anyway.

Neko tunes DGBE.

[journeybear]

Neko tunes DGBE.

Huh! Baritone ukulele tuning. How about that?

Baritone ukulele was Joni Mitchell's first instrument, I think Neil Young's too, and even Jimi Hendrix started on uke - but boy oh boy is that another thread!

[Don Grieser]

Elvis Costello is supposed to be on the Tonight Show on the 23rd (tomorrow) with Mike Compton on mandolin.

[journeybear]

Duly noted. And, as it turns out, that will be two nights in a row a mandolinist will appear on The Tonight Show. Yes - about two minutes into Pete Yorn's performance the camera panned over to show his keyboardist was playing an f-style! Don't know his name, couldn't see the make, but he did a nice bit of crosspicking on the red-to-black sunburst before switching back to his keyboard. This ought to be available at hulu.com in a day or two, as often is the case with NBC clips.

I'm sure Mike will be more prominently featured.

[journeybear]

Well, Mike was there, as promised, but he didn't get to do much. Most of the fill work and the lead were provided by a fiddler, whom I didn't recognize. Jim Lauderdale played guitar and sang, as he had when EC was on Letterman - that appearance also featured some nice slide work on a National steel guitar instead of fiddle. Anyway, nice to see such a fine mandolin on TV, a rare occurrence.

[GVD]

That was Stuart Duncan on fiddle who got the only break and even it was very short. This was another in long line of big name acts who appear on the tonight show with a stellar acoustic backing band only to not let them really do anything. I remember seeing Dolly Parton on the tonight show during one of her BG phases. She had Thile, Douglas and some other great musicians backing her and not one of them got to take a break. Hell if they're only going to let them play rhythm they may as well have me in the band!

[GVD]

..about two minutes into Pete Yorn's performance the camera panned over to show his keyboardist was playing an f-style! Don't know his name, couldn't see the make, but he did a nice bit of crosspicking on the red-to-black sunburst before switching back to his keyboard...

I don't know what kind of pickup that guy was using but until they panned over I didn't know that was a mandolin playing. Not a very natural sound to me at all.

[journeybear]

Some interesting stuff coming up, though mostly repeats. Conan O'Brien has been the host of The Tonight Show less than a month and he's already taking a vacation - wish I had his contract! The good news is they're showing some good reruns - like Green Day, John Mayer, Taj Mahal and Bonnie Raitt, and Neko Case.

6/29
6:35 AM HBO Comedy - One Night Stand: Flight Of The Conchords (no MC, but hilarious)
Letterman: Steve Earle (R)
6/30
Ellen DeGeneres: Bette Midler, Pink, Hans Klok - from Las Vegas last fall; in the middle of the interview Bette reaches behind the couch and pulls out a ukulele, does "The Glory Of Love;" Hans Klok does a great magic segment
7/1
Conan: Taj Mahal and Bonnie Raitt (R) - great version of "She Caught The Katy"
7/2
C: Neko Case (R)

7/9
Letterman: Levon Helm
Conan: Playing for Change (this has been mentioned, a video of street performers around the world singing "Stand By Me;" I think this is related, though unsure how)

Where's the MC? Well, apart from Levon Helm, there isn't much coming up, unless you think Sugarland's appearance on Soundstage this weekend counts - some strumming, no picking. Also on PBS - Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes. There may be a mandolin or two in performance excerpts in this documentary. Check your local listings for broadcasts.

[fishdawg40]

In my area this week a Nova special will be on PBS that is about music/brain. Oliver Sacks is the host. Here's the link - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/musicminds/.

And I just started getting Woodsongs Radio Hour on one of my PBS stations. Great stuff. I think Del McCourry Band will be on early Sunday morning (7/5).
Here's the list of TV and radio affiliates http://www.woodsongs.com/affiliates.php. Or you can watch it on the web.

[journeybear]

I see Dr. Sacks is working with the FMRI, as were the researchers in 'The Music Instinct: Science and Song.' There was a segment of 60 Minutes last night about the FMRI being used to read thoughts. A test subject was shown 10 images, the machine compared the brain's responses to ones in its database, and correctly identified each one. Pretty spooky. Big Brother doesn't watch PBS much, but he's checking this out ...

[journeybear]

This week, some PBS rebroadcasts: Sugarland on Soundstage (I have never seen Kristian do any lead work, and it is an Ovation, but it's still a mandolin on TV); and the documentary "Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes," in which Andy Stein can be seen (but not heard) playing a mandolin about halfway through, for maybe five seconds. The film focuses more on GK than PHC, and never explains the red shoes, and GK hardly ever smiles, but it's got its moments.

7/7
Conan O'Brien: Andrew Bird (I mention this because he has the most eclectic intrumentation approach I've seen this side of Feist, so who knows?)
7/9
David Letterman: Levon Helm
Jimmy Fallon: Steve Martin and Paul Simon (repeated yet again; no mando, but banjo)
7/14
David Letterman: Wilco with Feist (speaking of which ... probably not, but who knows?)

[journeybear]

You know, as broadcast time approached, it occurred to me that they would be doing "Tennessee Jed," so Levon would be playing drums, not mandolin. Sho nuff. Still, it was a good version, and there was indeed someone named Helm playing mandolin - his daughter Amy. Of course, it couldn't be heard, suffering the same fate that acoustic instruments usually receive on TV, along with the rhythm guitar and standup bass. But Larry Campbell did a fine job on slide, so there was that.

[Michael Gowell]

I couldn't hear her either, but I thought I saw a pickup cable trailing from her mando's endpin.

[journeybear]

I couldn't hear her either, but I thought I saw a pickup cable trailing from her mando's endpin.

Oh, I'm sure she was plugged in, just buried in the mix. So it goes for acoustic instruments. First time I saw Beth Orton, opening for Lucinda Williams at Roseland in NYC, I was astonished at how well I could hear her guitar, and she was fingerpicking mostly. I went up to the soundperson after her set and thanked her profusely, and told her exactly why. I hope she understood how rare and appreciated her work was.