Category Archives: dusty fingers

Mayer Hawthorne’s Dusty Fingers

By will | Published: January 11, 2010

Days after signing to Stones Throw, DJ Haircut and Peanut Butter Wolf are in the parking lot outside Dam-Funk’s club night in Culver City waxing intellectual about LA, the long shadow left by DJ Dusk, the Tamla record label and Haircut’s forthcoming Detroit soul project for Stones Throw, Mayer Hawthorne and the County.

Mayer Hawthorne’s coughing his way through a singer’s cold and riding shotgun across the Bay Bridge for a sold-out show that night at The Rickshaw Stop. It’s six hours to show time and the Mayer’s doing what he always does when he’s gotta minute: dig for records. The crew at Groove Merchant treats him like family; not some land-locked star who needs reminding of his roots, just another record geek. In seconds, he’s back behind the counter, digging through the rare stuff, the shit you gotta know about to lay your dusty fingers on.

Hit the jump to hear all the fine finds from Mayer’s dig.

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Dusty Fingers: Mississippi Records

By will | Published: October 14, 2009

As a rule, I’ll believe anything an employee of Amoeba Music tells me, music related or otherwise. So when several Amoebites listed “anything from Mississippi Records” atop their “music we like” lists, I went running, headphones in hand.

Turns out Mississippi Records was started in 2003 by two guys, Warren Hill and Eric Isaacson, who share a passion for digging up rare 78’s and re-releasing them on vinyl for a price most folks can afford, 10 bucks.

Today, their output consists of over 40 vinyl pressings; with titles ranging from a 1968 concept album about the life of Malcom X, to the very first recordings of original blues man, Skip James, originally from 1928.

“A Little Bit of Hurt” is 12th in the label’s cassette-only compilation series, and it’s reel-to-real sin-soaked confessions, unanswered prayers and lonesome cries for forgiveness.

Side B (is a good place to start)

Side A (features rare recordings of Sam Cooke & Marvin Gaye)

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Dusty Fingers: David Axelrod “Songs of Innocence”

By will | Published: September 16, 2009

Not to be confused with President Barack Obama’s Senior Advisor, David Axelrod is a living legend in the world of jazz-funk and hip-hop.

Axelrod began his career in the early 60’s as a producer for Capitol Records working with artists such as Cannonball Adderley, Lou Rawls, David McCallum, and the Electric Prunes. From 1968-1980 he released 9 solo albums, but became depressed when they weren’t met with the recognition or financial success he thought they deserved.

It wasn’t until 1996 when DJ Shadow released his trip-hop classic Endtroducing that he was rediscovered among a new generation of DJs and producers. Shadow’s powerful track “Midnight in a Perfect World” features a sample from Axelrod’s song “The Human Abstract” off his 1969 album Songs of Experience that made beat miners’ heads spin. Since then, nearly all of his records have been re-released and David Axelrod is finally getting the recognition and cash he deserves.

Today the list of Axelrod sampling artists inclues: Dr. Dre, Lauryn Hill, Jurassic 5, Eminem, Mos Def, Common, Pete Rock, Acelayone and Lil’ Wayne–who looped Axelrod’s “Holy Thursday” for the most creative cut on his Carter III album, “Dr. Carter.”

David Axelrod – Holy Thursday

Lil Wayne – Dr. Carter

Download David Axelrod’s 1968 album, Songs of Innocence here

And a big thanks to longtime YT family, Clark, for the post

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Passion Pit’s Dusty Fingers

By will | Published: August 3, 2009

It’s always fascinating to see how the people in an “it” band react to the flurry of fair weather friends, bandwagon fans and lofty comparisons thrown at their feet. It seems inevitable that those at the center of that attention change as their daily reality changes. I’ve seen plenty of examples of this, having met artists as early fans of their music and then noticed a huge shift after their success (see Cool Kids). But after meeting Michael and Nate of Passion Pit, I had to revisit the formula.

After tinkering with old tape machines and making a $12 offer on a $200 Casio keyboard, the pair went downstairs to get even with awful album covers and point out atrocities against pop music: a term they are proud to say defines the band’s sound. “We just love writing pop” says Michael Angelakos, with the confidence of someone who recently became comfortable with the term. But Michael’s songs, at the lyrical level, are more than bright falsetto and candy-coated hooks. They are about what all great pop songs are about–girls. One girl in particular, who Michael says he’s still friends with, and I believe him. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d ditch his friends or find cooler ones because a few bloggers think his shit don’t stink.

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Esser’s Dusty Fingers

By will | Published: July 30, 2009

Esser’s Dusty Fingers from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

I’d seen plenty of pictures of Esser in magazines and on blogs but seeing his hair up close was still a surprise. Trying not to ask him about it, we smoked cigarettes outside Rooky Ricardo’s Records on Haight street during a brief break from his whirlwind promo tour of the US. He seemed pretty nervous at first, like he wasn’t yet used to the idea of being a public figure and having people care about what you say just because you’re you. But all that changed as soon as his fingers touched vinyl, something came alive in him, he started gushing with stories about growing up in Essex, learning music from his Dad, discovering music on the internet, the impermanence of music today and the creation of his debut album. Dusty Fingers is meant to show the artist as a fan, and Ben Esser is a superfan.

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Melanie Fiona’s Dusty Fingers

By will | Published: July 15, 2009

Melanie Fiona represents the next chapter in a storied history of female soul singers to possess the passion, power and grace to lift the spirits of the musical hopeful with the simple sound of her voice. But God given ability aside, Melanie is most importantly, an avid music maniac! Dusty Fingers, the newest series in the Yours Truly canon, is set inside San Francisco’s best record stores, and is meant to demonstrate that all artists are first and foremost, fans.

Melanie and I met at Rooky Ricardo’s Records, home of the finest selection of 60’s and 70’s Northern Soul, Disco, Blues and Oldies 45’s and LP’s. Once inside, the conversation quickly turned to Sam Cooke, an early idol of Melanie’s and a singer she recently honored with a cover of “Cupid” from her latest collaborative mixtape with ?uestlove.

Melanie Fiona-Cupid

In this clip she did not draw back her bow, but she did burst into some bars from “You Send Me” right in the middle of the store!

Then she spotted “Off the Wall” on the shelf. This was shot months before Michael’s untimely passing, but once MJ came up, Melanie began to dance and beam about him: “Anything from ‘Off the Wall’ comes on and I can Moonwalk…when you hear that OOOOOO, anywhere you are, when a Mike record comes on the tone is set.”

Part 1 of our 2 part Dusty Fingers series with Melanie concludes with a heated discussion of her live performance, something I very much look forward to seeing soon.

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Pop Levi’s Dusty Fingers

By truly yours | Published: June 29, 2009

The first thing Pop Levi looks for in every record store is Sun Ra. Apparently, only one collector in the world has every Sun Ra recording ever released. Pop’s personal record collection is in the care of a ‘little bunny’ back in LA. He misses his collection more than the town. During Pop’s visit to Aquarius Records in San Francisco, he spoke on the genius of R. Kelly, the darkness in Fleetwood Mac, and then offered a song for the girls that terrify him.

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