Like everyone, I too have been spending a mind numbing amount of time indoors consuming entertainment. Of course I love movies, but over the years I’ve found video games to be far more interactive and a much more effective way to suspend my disbelief. One game I recently tried was Ori and the Will of the Wisps. It’s a platforming adventure in which you play a guardian spirt (yes I just typed that) and story aside, the game just looks and sounds amazing.

At the center of your journey is an excellent soundtrack, created by Gareth Coker. He was educated at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the University of Southern California. His work continues to inspire and although he has already received various accolades, I expect even greater things from this talented composer.
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“A Shine Upon Inkwater Marsh” perfectly captures the varied landscape and terrain you traverse. It’s a wonderful mix of familiar and magical, with a sense of danger and that love of adventure we all adore. ​

Tomorrow is the season finale of Better Call Saul and while the show not only carried along the stellar acting and direction left behind by Breaking Bad, fans of the series have also raved about its excellent use of music.

Enter this week’s track. Originally recorded in 2015 for the series, this version of the theme song is from Little Barrie’s 2017’s Death Express. While the original perfectly captured that bluesy, neo-psychedelic vibe, this one takes it up a notch to something much more bombastic, rocking, and even funky.

Little Barrie is an underrated group and Death Express is an overlooked gem of an album. If not for the tragic passing of drummer Virgil Howe (the son of Steve Howe, guitarist from Yes and Asia) right before their tour of this album, I wonder if this group would have achieved greater popularity. Then again, their sound might be too genre bending or challenging for the mainstream to enjoy.
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For those of you who loved The Meters and the psychedelic side of the 60’s, Little Barrie, and more specifically their 2017 album Death Express, are for you. 

We lost another landmark musician last week with the passing of Bill Withers. He was most known for his smash hits, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean on Me,” “Use Me,” “Lovely Day,” and “Just the Two of Us.” He was also known for joining forces with members from the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band while living in LA.

Withers was originally from Slab Fork West Virginia, and considered a late bloomer to the music business as he first spent nine years in the US Navy and another six working in assembly plants. In fact, he was so concerned with the instability of the music biz, and the importance of keeping his “day job,” that the cover photo from his debut album was actually taken during his lunch break at the Douglas Aircraft Company where he made toilets for their 747s.

“Three Nights and a Morning” was one of these early recordings while he was working at the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was recorded and released in 1967 on Lotus Records with an extremely limited release. It’s an early example of the musical diversity that Withers possessed and reflective of the Rock'N'Soul sound that swept the nation during the mid to late 60’s.
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I still love his second album Still Bill. It’s the perfect mix of excellent songwriting and fantastic funk. His music will forever be cherished and he will be greatly missed.