Pick Six is a half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view.
Doug Hassman of Minneapolis:
1 Mike Campbell Instagram. This feed is full of his love for and mastery of the electric guitar (he's formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and currently with Fleetwood Mac and Dirty Knobs). Playing a variety of songs and styles from different rooms in the beautiful home, he manages to be funny, soulful and even a little wise.
2 Zeppo. Five top-notch local Minneapolis musicians have put together one monster of a Led Zeppelin tribute band. Driven by drummer Noah Levy, they offer authenticity and sheer power. What a big rush.
3 Larkin Poe, "Self-Made Man." Rebecca Lovell's powerful, stirring vocals and sister Megan Lovell's sensational slide guitar more than carry these mostly old school blues rock songs. With Texas guitar virtuoso Tyler Bryant playing back to back solos with Megan, "Back Down South" is a perfect example of why the electric guitar just won't go away.
Jon Bream of the Star Tribune:
1 "Red, White, Black and Blues," fans.com. Promoter Peter Shapiro and drummer/producer Steve Jordan put together a fabulous 20-hour collection of live clips (from TV shows and concerts) of Black musicians from various genres and decades. The run of Missy Elliott, Donna Summer, Bettye LaVette, Leontyne Price, Marva Whitney, Merry Clayton, Nina Simone, Nancy Wilson and Odetta was a perfect prelude to Little Richard.
2 Erykah Badu, New York Times interview. The iconoclastic neo-soul star explains her "Badu World," livestreaming elaborate concerts from home and selling merchandise like vagina-scented incense. This mesmerizing creative is always into something new, unconventional and compelling.
3 Academy of Prince. For its third annual weeklong Twin Cities workshop for teens, organizers Heidi Vader and Willie Adams went virtual, with Purple musicians helping on songwriting and recording. I was honored to speak about Prince's social commentary songs.
