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Instore: John Houx & Birds Fled From Me

This Friday, Miguel has coordinated one of his terrific in-stores. Come down and see John Houx and Birds Fled From Me (features Rachel of Sleepy Sun) at 5:30pm on Jan. 8th.

John Houx
The vegan son of a cowboy, John Houx is named for his great-great, the notorious robber of Wells Fargo Stagecoaches. Carrying on the family tradition, this younger Houx (pronounced “Who”) was shooting guns at two years old and teaching himself to read at three, but his many speech impediments made him indecipherable to the outside world for a decade. After running away from school and the ranch he became a rock-n-roll gypsy teen, travelling the West in buses with MTV-arena-rock friends, then went East alone with only a suitcase and a magic old parlor guitar from under a bed. By the time he caught a ride to New York City in 2007, he was a hobo without shelter, possessions or even original songs, but within months knocked over the folk and “Antifolk” scenes with a flood of plain-spoken and timeless new writings in his singular voice.

John now lives in Harlem where he is known as “Snowflake,” recording his nightly dreams and studying a 1939 Boy Scout manual. He has played 46 states and half of Europe with the likes of The Mountain Goats, Alela Diane and Great Lake Swimmers and his full-length debut, JOHN HOUX’S GREEN PERIOD, was recorded in one night and independently released in June 2009.

Birds Fled From Me
The name Birds Fled From Me is taken from a Pablo Neruda poem, and it suits the sound of Rachel Williams well. Beautifully romantic, at times dark and longing but always moving, the alternative folk-pop of the young singer/songwriter is imbued with the same delicate passion and graceful lyrical strolls as the works of the famed Chilean writer. The girl feels and will make you do the same.

http://www.myspace.com/johnhoux
http://www.myspace.com/birdsfledfromme

Goodbye: Willie Mitchell

Al Green may have eventually made it without Willie Mitchell guiding hand, but the two are directly intertwined, its impossible to separate Al Green’s sound without thinking of Willie Mitchell. Nor would Wu-Tang’s GZA’s signature song “Liquid Swords” have its dark guitar opening without Mitchell’s “Groovin'”. Take a moment, and revisit Rev. Green today, and honor a soul legend.

Best known as the man who signed Al Green to Hi Records and as the producer of Green’s most popular records, Willie Mitchell had a successful recording career of his own during the mid-’60s before meeting Green. Born on March 23, 1928, in Ashland, MS, Mitchell was raised in Memphis, TN, and began studying music and arranging at an early age, taking up the trumpet at the age of eight and learning from pianist Ozie Horn (as well as drawing from such influences as Roy Eldridge and Harry James). After he was discharged from the Army in 1954, Mitchell moved back to Memphis, where he soon became a popular, local trumpet-playing bandleader — including Elvis Presley hiring the big band to play several private parties. By 1959, Mitchell had turned his attention to studio work and he signed on with Hi Records; he is often credited as being the creator of the oft-copied and instantly recognizable Hi sound (churning organ fills, sturdy horn arrangements, a steady 4/4 drumbeat, etc.).

Throughout the ’60s, Mitchell became a popular concert attraction on U.S. college campuses and he scored several moderately successful soul/dance hit singles, issuing a steady stream of solo releases for the Hi label. When the founder of Hi Records, Joe Cuoghi, died in 1970, Mitchell suddenly found himself in charge of the label. What could have been a turbulent transition turned out to be a smooth one: a year before Cuoghi’s passing, Mitchell had signed an up-and-coming soul singer named Al Green to the label. Under the guidance of Mitchell, Green’s career would soon skyrocket and he became one of the ’70s top soul artists with Mitchell co-producing and engineering all of Green’s albums from 1970 through 1976 (the singer’s most successful period), as well as such classic Top Ten hit singles as “Tired of Being Alone,” “Call Me (Come Back Home),” “I’m Still in Love with You,” “Here I Am (Come and Take Me),” “Let’s Stay Together,” “You Ought to Be with Me,” “Look at What You Done for Me,” “Let’s Get Married,” and others.

CONTEST: Street Dogs

Hopefully you had a New Year’s resolution of seeing more live music. For the fan of Boston-punk, here’s a chance to get jump start on your promise to yourself. We offering a pair of tickets to see the Street Dogs on Saturday, January 2nd at Downtown Brew at 7:30. The show is all ages. Scroll down to enter to win.

Street Dogs:

The Dropkick Murphys formed in predominantly Irish South Boston, fusing hardcore street punk with an ever-increasing amount of Celtic folk influences, like a harder-edged and more street version of the Pogues. The Dropkick Murphys’ lead singer was the fierce, gravelly Mike McColgan. Following that band’s first album in 1998, Do or Die, McColgan (a veteran of the first Gulf War) left the Dropkick Murphys to join the Boston Fire Department. Ties between the Boston Irish community and the local fire department run deep, and being a fireman has long been one of the most prestigious jobs in South Boston, but by 2002, McColgan returned to music, forming the Street Dogs.