Scoop! - All the news on Was (Not Was)
Sweet Pea Atkinson’s New Album set for 9/22/17 Release! - September 1st, 2017
A wonderful bit of news shot at me by Google Alerts indicates that Sweet Pea’s long, long, long awaited new album is due for release on Blue Note Records September 22!
Read about it and pre order on the Blue Note site:
SWEET PEA ATKINSON’S LONG-AWAITED NEW ALBUM “GET WHAT YOU DESERVE” SET FOR 9/22 RELEASE
Sweetpea Atkinson to Release Solo Album in March 2015 - February 23rd, 2015
Looks like we have something to look forward to next month!
It seems that The Boneshakers, with Randy Jacobs and Sweetpea Atkinson are teaming up for a mini tour with Powerhouse saxophonist Mindi Abair in the coming months. Check Randy’s site for tour dates here: http://www.randyjacobs.com/boneshakers/
As great as that is, the more exciting bit is in the press releases for the events which indicate Sweetpea will have a new solo album out in March. Here’s a typical release, and one I hope to be able to go to in April:
http://www.jazziz.com/event/mindi-abair-and-the-boneshakers-feat-sweetpea-atkinson/2015-04-23/
Other’s have indicated that the album will be release on Blue Note Records which makes a lot of sense 🙂 So far nothing more official on that.
Spend ‘An Evening with Don Was’ notes - April 2nd, 2012
From fellow fan Robert Silverstein:
For context, here’s a link to the concert: Spend ‘An Evening with Don Was’
The show took place in a mostly full theater. Gary Graff gave an enthusiastic introduction to Don Was (noting that to fully describe DW’s accomplishments would take up most of the evening.) DW came out with an acoustic guitar and sang “Somewhere in America There’s a Street Named after My Dad” solo, a beautiful haunted version with occasional strumming of the guitar (as he noted to Gary Graff, “I’m not a folk singer”). He then sat down in a chair at the side of a stage, next to Gary Graff, and they had a conversation about his early interest in music. Then he brought out the other 2 members of the Saturns, his high school group, and the 3 of them played “If I had a Hammer” all on acoustic guitar. It turns out that a good portion of the audience were fellow graduates of DW from Oak Park High School class of 1970 (including Steve Brown, who put his hands on Zaz’s neck that day in the park!). After more conversation he brought out Was (not was):
- Dave McMurray-tenor and soprano sax
- Randy Jacobs-guitar, backing vocals
- Luis Resto-keyboards, accordion
- Donald Ray Mitchell-vocals
- Sweet Pea Atkinson-vocals
- Terry “Thunder” Hughley-drums
- and of course, Don Was-bass
- (DW noted later that David Weiss was supposed to have been there, but “was stuck in Mexico”)
first set:
- Hello Operator
- Where Did Your Heart Go?
- Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone (great work by Dave McMurray on soprano sax)
second set:
- How the Heart Behaves
- Mr. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (per DW originally composed with Bob Dylan as “Shirley Temple Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” to be pitched to Paula Abdul)
- 11 Miles an Hour
third set:
- From the Head to the Heart (sung by DR Mitchell, with DW on piano, Luis Resto on synth, Terry Thunder on drums, there’s a similar version on DW’s My Damn Channel)
- Out Come the Freaks (lead vocals by Terry Thunder)
- Knocked Down, Made Small
between the sets there was more conversation with Gary Graff which I won’t try to reproduce. A few highlights:
DW’s new post as president of Blue Note Records
Bonnie Raitt’s management would have dumped DW (“for a real producer”) from the Nick of Time project if she had signed a record deal before he finished the project.
it was Milli Vanilli that had their tape break in the middle of song during the Club MTV tour.
When Gary Graff asked him about future plans, Don mentioned that he is writing songs with David, and eventually would like to do another WNW album. If Ididn’t mention this, he was very complimentary of David Was’ lyric writing, when Graff asked him if it was difficult assembling musicians to make the first WNW album, he said that the quality of David’s lyrics made it easy to attract quality musicians to the project.
He also mentioned that they knew the 6 record stores in Detroit that reported to the dance charts, and a calculated effort was made to buy up the first record (the first 12 inch, I think) at those stores to get the record on the charts. They were then pleasantly surprised that it became a club hit in England.
It was a great evening of music and conversation, I’m happy to have been there.
BTW, Terry “Thunder” Hughley is the drummer for the Detroit jazz/rock/funk institution The Sun Messengers, and plays with DW at the Concert of Colors revue he organizes every year in Detroit.
Excellent radio interview with Don on WDET - March 14th, 2012
From last year:
Don Was Interviewed for Ann Delisi’s Essential Music
Music legends from the Stones to Bob Dylan call on producer Don Was for expert guidance - July 15th, 2011
There are kids who want to grow up and become rock stars.
And then there are the Don Fagensons — the ones whose visions of musical glory lie amid the microphones and mixing boards of a recording studio.
Read more at Detroit Free Press
David Weiss Writes - July 15th, 2011
Brother David is writing a blog – You can read it at Play Goes Strong
Live At Red Rock Rocks Lounge Las Vegas NV - September 4th, 2010
The band will be apperaing at the Red Rock Rocks Lounge Las Vegas NV Sat, Oct 16, 2010 10:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased here
The charmed musical life of Don Was - May 28th, 2010
A Rolling Stones fan’s idea of heaven would be something like living in the skin of Don Was. The bassist and record producer was, for years, a huge Stones fan, having seen them live countless times, including as a kid during the group’s first wave of British Invasion popularity in the 1960s.
Then, in the early 1990s, Was — who appears with his band Was Not Was at the Santa Cruz Blues Festival on Sunday — became the Stones’ record producer, and has helped them shape their studio sound ever since, producing every studio album since 1994’s “Voodoo Lounge.”
“I got the best seat in the house,” he said.
More @ Santa Cruz Sentinel
Luis Resto - May 12th, 2010
Luis Resto has a new album on Orchide Records titled “Combo De Momento”. It’s a vinyl only release and there’s a video for one of the songs on YouTube
Here’s some other Luis links:
Luis’ Facebook Page
Luis’ MySpace Page
Follow Luis on Twitter
Luis on SoundCloud
Thanks go to Freddie Brooks for the information.
Was (Not Was) releases career collection ‘Pick of the Litter’ - February 24th, 2010
A review of Pick of the Litter 1980-2010, an interview, and some history from the Detroit News
David Was Interview - February 9th, 2010
A long interview with David appears in issue five of “Wheel Me Out”
Pick of the Litter 1980-2010 Now available at Amazon - December 3rd, 2009
Pick of the Litter 1980-2010 is now available on pre-order from Amazon.
Track List:
1. “Wheel Me Out” (1980)
2. “Out Come the Freaks” (7” Version) (1981)
3. “Tell Me What I’m Dreaming” (1981)
4. “The Sky’s Ablaze” (1981)
5. “Should I Wait – Sweet Pea Atkinson (1982)
6. “Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like a Rubber Ball (1983)
7. “Walk the Dinosaur” (1988)
8. “Spy in the House of Love” (7” version) (1988)
9. “Dad I’m in Jail” (1988)
10. “Somewhere in America There’s a Street Named After My Dad” (1988)
11. “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” (Promo Edit Single) (1990)
12. “I Feel Better Than James Brown” (1990)
13. “I Blew Up the United States” (1990)
14. “Semi-Interesting Week” (2008)
15. “From the Head to the Heart” (2008)
16. “Hello Operator . . . I Mean Dad . . .I Can’t Even Remember Who I Am” (Rehearsal Version) (1989)
17. “Shake Your Head” (Steve “Silk” Hurley Remix) featuring Kim Basinger and Ozzy Osbourne (1992)
18. “Elvis’ Rolls Royce” featuring Leonard Cohen (1990)
19. “Zaz Turned Blue” featuring Mel Tormé (1983)
WAS (NOT WAS) TO RELEASE THREE-DECADE RETROSPECTIVE SET, ‘PICK OF THE LITTER (1980-2010),’ ON FEBRUARY 23, 2010 - December 3rd, 2009
Was (Not Was), dubbed “the funkier art-funk band” by The New York Times, have spanned three decades with their mutant mix of jazz, rock, R&B and funk. On February 23, 2010, Micro Werks will release Pick of the Litter (1980-2010).
Was (Not Was) at The Newport Jazz Festival - May 15th, 2009
Reports indicate that Was (Not Was) will be at the Newport Jazz Festival May 16/17 2009.
New Gigs - May 7th, 2009
Was (Not Was) descend on Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way in Santa Cruz, for shows at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $20 in advance at moes alley.
