While contemplating this weekend’s concert by the Avett Brothers (please see below), I got to thinking about the use of the kazoo in contemporary music. The list isn’t long, but here are the top five songs in this rather specialized niche, in ascending order.
5. “Alligator” – Grateful Dead
4. “”Calm, Cool and Collected” – Rolling Stones
3. “You’re Sixteen” – Ringo Starr
2. “The Rapper” – Jaggerz
1. “Crosstown Traffic” – Jimi Hendrix
Ticket Alert
If your family is anything like mine, the emails and texts regarding holiday plans have already begun. Here’s an idea: take the gang out to see Texas treasure Robert Earl Keen and his “Lights, Camera, Christmas!” production on Thursday, December 19, at the House of Blues. Presales are up now, with the general sale set for Friday. Hey, it beats sitting through another football game with Mee-Maw and Uncle Cletus. And Keen will probably pull out his holiday classic, “Merry Christmas from the Family,” which anyone who grew up in Texas can relate to in a big way.
This just in: Graham Nash (the “N” in CSNY) will be at The Heights Theater on Friday, April 11, for “More Evenings of Songs and Stories.” Nash has the songs, and he definitely has some (incriminating) stories. Presales start today, with the general sale on Friday.
Concerts This Week
Who doesn’t like to plug in, crank up the amp and jam on some Jimi Hendrix licks? Er, nobody. That’s why the Experience Hendrix concert on Thursday at the Bayou Music Center promises to be so much fun. The tour, organized with the involvement of the Hendrix estate, features different players at each stop, and it appears that the Houston lineup will include Eric Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Dweezil Zappa among several others. I know that we’re supposed to protect our ears and all, but I hope this show is really loud.
The season is winding down at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, but it will still be a busy weekend. Neotraditional country artist Jon Pardi gets things rolling on Friday, followed by ‘80s boy band Boyz II Men on Saturday. Am I going to take the cheap shot here? Yes. Yes, I am. More like Boyz II Grandpaz! OK, there, it’s out of my system. On Sunday, Meghan Trainor takes the stage, and we can be assured that the show will be all ‘bout that bass, with no treble. As for midrange, we’re still waiting on a statement from Ms. Trainor’s office.
After starting out as a hard-rocking band called Nemo, the Avett Brothers made a fateful decision to incorporate folk / roots influences into their music, adding instruments like banjos, cellos (celli, if you prefer), fiddles and kazoos (“The D Bag Rag”) to the mix. Fortuitously, the brothers’ change in musical direction occurred right about the time that the Americana genre started to become a “thing,” resulting in great commercial success. The Avett Brothers will perform on Saturday at the Smart Financial Centre in support of their latest release, The Avett Brothers. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: The brothers’ 2004 album Mignonette was named after a yacht which sank in the late 19th century, leading to cannibalism among the survivors. “Donner, part of two? Donner?”
Norah Jones continues to expand her musical horizons on Visions, a new album which includes heavy R&B and soul influences in addition to her jazz foundations. Of course, Jones has always been artistically adventurous. For an example, check out the Little Willies, a side project Jones started in 2003 to play country classics by Willie Nelson, Hank Williams (senior, that is) and Townes Van Zandt. Jones will perform on Tuesday at the 713 Music Hall.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
