Nonsense: Bli-Blip / Ts Tsa Cha

Skavoovie and the Epitones: Bli-Blip

Skavoovie and the Epitones: Ts Tsa Cha

[purchase]

Two nonsense songs from from Ripe, the out-of-print 1997 sophomore outing from a primarily instrumental swing/ska band Skavoovie and the Epitones: a delightful cover of an old Duke Ellington big band tune, done up right with horns, funk, and a slight caribbean lilt, and a pretty crazy original jam named after the scatsinging produced by the band's "singer".

For full disclosure, I should note that my brother is on lead trumpet here, but that's no reason to sell the music short: the boys were signed to Moon Ska Records before they graduated high school, recorded three strong selling albums and toured the US and Japan at the peak of the nineties third-wave ska revival, and after a ten year hiatus, have been slowly working on their fourth album since February.

The Bountiful Feast: Cornbread

Band of Heathens: Cornbread

[purchase]

Skavoovie and the Epitones: Cornbread

[purchase]

Tim O'Brien: Cornbread Nation

[purchase]

The house is starting to fill up with the smells of thanksgiving preparation: right now, there's butter and onions in the frypan, pecans and apples chopped fine beside 'em, and a bowlful of cornbread crumbled on the counter, all of them ready to be turned into the very best kind of stuffing. To honor my favorite part of the coming feast, here's a few great cornbread songs: bluesy americana from The Band of Heathens, fine slow-cooked ska from Skavoovie and the Epitones, and Tim O'Brien with some signature bluegrassy funk, all in tribute to this most earthy and old-school of southern soulfood staples.

PS: In the name of full disclosure, I should point out that my brother was the trumpet player for Skavoovie and the Epitones.

PPS: on a related note, head on over to Cover Lay Down for a second helping of Tim O'Brien, plus a few more coversongs on harvest, farming, and other elements of pre-table food production.