CDs, LPs & DOWNLOADS
Chris Robinson Brotherhood Betty’s Blend’s, Volume Two: Best From The West (Silver Arrow)
From the very beginning of track one, I
knew this was my kind of music. “Burn Slow” has an almost Pink Floyd feel to it - moody and ethereal. Recorded and engineered by the Grateful Dead archivist Betty Cantor-Jackson, this seven-song collection was recorded throughout The CRB’s 2014 summer tour of the west coast. Every track here is a treat, from “Rosalee”
to “Shore Power,” recorded at Terrapin Cross- roads in San
Rafael.Besides the CRB origi- nals, the band covers The Grateful Dead’s “They Love Each Other” and “Driving Wheel” by Tom Rush, both of which have been high- lights of the band’s recent shows. Betty’s Blends, Vol. 2 released by Robin-
son’s own label imprint, Silver Arrow Records, as a limited edition release with only 2000 2-LP sets, 2000 CDs and 2000 down- loads available. Of course, this will come as no surprise to Robinson fans, who have al- ways appreciated his organic approach to the recording and release of his music. My advice is, get the music - LP, CD or download while you can. This is one release you just don’t want to miss out on.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
The Marcus King Band Soul Insight (Independent Records)
All of us here in the Greenville-Spartan-
burg, SC area are mighty proud to claim Mar- cus King and his band as our own. Most of us of a certain age remember when it was King’s dad, Marvin King, that we were going out to the clubs to watch and listen to. Fact is, Greenville’s King family have long been one of the most well loved and respected musical families in the Upstate. I first saw Marcus jamming with his dad
several years ago when he was just a kid, and after moving to Spartanburg four years ago, I didn’t hear much from him. That is until my stepson Ben called me one night a couple of years ago raving about having seen the Mar- cus King Band at The Handlebar. The band quickly became his and his wife Austin’s fa- vorite. No small wonder. This band is tighter than the crawl space underneath a mill house. Now, if you have not yet had the pleasure
of hearing these guys - and make no mistake, it is an aural pleasure - think of a blend of Gov’t Mule, Derek Trucks and North Missis- sippi Allstars, all rolled into one smoking group. Besides the 18-year-old Marcus King on
lead vocal and guitar (you’ve never heard more mature vocals from an under-20 rocker) there’s Anthony House on bass and Jack Ryan on drums. The sound is augmented by
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