BMU 2 - Jerry Garcia & John Kahn

Guitarist Jerry Garcia and bassist John Kahn played in a few different kinds of bands making alot of really creative music together over their years. But together, acoustically they created their own mutant form of acoustic jam music, a kind of folk de-evolution, dis-assembling or deconstructing some old (and some new) folk standards as well as a few Grateful Dead songs and covers over the course of two short sets before bringing them back to a logical conclusion organically (most of the time). Up until recently there hasn't been any official release of this influential duo save for the platter of nice-quality soundboards floating around for the last few years. You can now get Marin Veterens Memorial Auditorium - 2/28/86.

Below is a video of the two at Marin Vets several months later - 11/4/86

Jerry Garcia & John Kahn - 'Deep Elem Blues' - 11/14/1986

With this podcast I've tried to collect a group of their songs from several solid sources that aren't usually heard in collections, or if so at least something special. I hope you enjoy! Next Black Mountain Underground will be another mix collection.

DOWNLOAD BMU podcast 2 - Jerry Garcia & John Kahn

1) INTRO>

2) It Takes a Lot to Laugh/Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – Oregon St. Prison/Salem, OR – 5/5/82

3) Catfish John/ Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – S. Eugene Aud/Eugene, OR - 6/6/82

4) Stagger Lee/Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – Beacon Theater/NYC – 4/21/82

5) Russian Lullaby/Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – Neighbors of Woodcraft/Portland, OR – 6/4/82

6) She Belongs to Me/Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – Catalyst/Santa Cruz-10/16/85

7) Gomorrah/Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – Neighbors of Woodcraft/Portland, OR – 6/4/82

8) Going, Going, Gone/Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – Beacon Theater/NYC – 4/21/82

9) Spikedrivers' Blues/Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – Ritz/NYC – 1/27/86

10) Bird Song/Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – Ritz/NYC – 1/27/86

11) When I Paint My Masterpiece/Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – Catalyst/Santa Cruz-10/16/85

12) Fennario/Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – Hartford, CT – 11/26/84

13) Simple Twist of Fate/Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – Ritz/NYC – 1/27/86

14) Good Night, Irene/Jerry Garcia & John Kahn w Dr. John/keys – Beacon Theater/NYC – 4/21/82

15) OUTRO>

BMU No.1

Here is the first podcast of Black Mountain Underground, a 'Mix' show featuring many different artists put together in a way that is (hopefully) pleasant to the ears. The songs are sourced from my collection as well as legitimate bit torrent trading websites and my group of tape trading friends that turn me on to good things. This show will start off with a few solo songwriter performances and move on to include a recent Bob Dylan soundboard, J.J. Cale and even Morphine before veering through some bluegrass, folk duets and finally another soloist to lead us out. I come back at the end of the podcast to talk a bit about what you've heard.

Next Black Mountain Underground will be focused on the live output of Jerry Garcia & John Kahn who performed acoustically together as a duo in the 80's. There are more 'mixed' shows, a look at more of those recent Bob Dylan soundboards and even a show devoted to my music. So sit back and enjoy Black Mountain Underground, number one...

1) INTRO>
2) Flashback Blues/John Prine – Studs Terkel Show-1970
3) In Tall Buildings/John Hartford – Telluride Bluegrass-8/85
4) I’ve Been Down Before/Gillian Welch – Black Briars/Glasgow-10/96
5) Buckskin Stallion Blues/Townes Van Zandt – Down Home/Johnson City-4/18/85
6) If I Was The Man That You Wanted/Lyle Lovett – Anderson Fair/Houston-1986
7) A Break in the Clouds/Jayhawks – Chicago-7/9/3
8) Little Black Sandals/Sia – KCRW Santa Monica-10/25/07
9) When the Deal Goes Down/Bob Dylan – London 02-4/25/09
10) Goin’ Down/J.J. Cale – Ella Gurus/Knoxville-6/3/90
11) Brothers in Arms/Mark Knopfler – Melk Weg/Amsterdam-9/27/07
12) Comfortably Numb/Van Morrison – Stockholm Jazz Fest-7/19/08
13) Cure For Pain/Morphine – Rennes, FR-12/4/93
14) High on a Mountain Top/Del McCoury – Grass Valley, CA 6/13/97
15) Where the Wild River Rolls/Hot Rize – Boulder Theater-3/25/90
16) Midnight on the Stormy Deep/Doc Watson & Bill Monroe – Bean Blossom workshop-6/21/69
17) Been All Around This World/Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – Catalyst/Santa Cruz-10/16/85
18) Last Fare of the Day/Richard Shindell – McCabes/Santa Monica-9/24/4
19) OUTRO>

Welcome to Black Mountain Underground

Hello, and welcome to Black Mountain Underground. I have been a music ‘enthusiast’ (geek) for as long as I can remember hearing music, starting with the radio or my burgeoning vinyl collection that ensued soon after hearing music and understanding that you could buy it, take it home and listen to it as much as many times as you like. I became a tape trader, starting with the most obvious at-the-time, the Grateful Dead…but my love for Jerry’s guitar playing mushroomed into rock like The Allman Brothers Band and Hendrix (soon to expand) and also bluegrass, namely Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley…later everything I heard and liked which is a list too large to number here but usually fell within two groups: 1) amazing instrumental performances and 2)emotive songwriting (or hopefully both). I try to keep my mind open to good new things, but I like what I like.

Through the years I fell deeply into that world, eventually getting equipment and taping my own shows which would range from Bob Dylan to the many folk shows that I either attended or did sound for at a prominent Bethlehem, PA folk club which included stuff like Bill Morrissey and John Gorka (amongst many others). As I became more of a professional musician myself, I found myself able to record some of the acts I would open for. So my personal collection grew through the years up until the advent of the bit torrent world when everything just exploded. I’m the type of guy that finds peacefulness in the rifling through of first vinyl and then the CD's, whether that be in a store or someone’s collection. Now, because of some fine bit torrent trading sites out there, I can do that in the privacy of my own home for hours in the middle of the night (imagine how peaceful I feel now).

Back in recording school, in the summer of ’82, we had a guest speaker talk of the coming digital age, how digital sampling would be responsible for our brains having to ‘fill in the spaces’ that would be left in the transfer from analog to x’s & o’s and generally the end of society as we know it…now that may have come to pass to some degree and I am still a big fan of analog recording, but we as a society are dealing this with digitalization anxiety fine, and now tapers and tape traders such as myself can post recorded events to all instead of just those who have something to trade back- you used to have to know the right people to acquire a great many of the things now found with a few clicks. Personally, I think we as tapers and music enthusiasts are in a golden age and so, for those of you music lovers out there perhaps somewhat like me, I present Black Mountain Underground, a ‘radio show’ podcast for those who like finding hidden treasures, different versions of things already dear, or even something completely and surprisingly new and maybe a little more. From my personal collection and the shows found on a handful of trading sites I frequent, I will attempt to compile a literate show of musical gems, perhaps put into a context that goes down nicely and perhaps elicit fond memories and a pleasant demeanor. Some of the shows will be a mixture of different artists’ performances and some will adhere to the spotlight of one. I’ll also be posting collections of my own music from time to time, but I won’t be presumptive enough to include that in mix tapes of other artists save for the show’s theme music I’ve written and recorded my self. You can still hear some of the original 160 episodes of Black Mountain Underground I did for my friends over at Homegrownmusicnj.com over the past few years in rotation, and a lot of those shows also featured studio material from legitimate releases but here in the blog world I’ll stick to only allowed traded material and recordings I’ve made myself. Perhaps you’ll hear something here that will inspire you to find the whole show or purchase things from an artists released catalog which I heartily encourage. Please remember that I actually own most of these artists' official material as well, and I do believe that is the most important stuff, so go out and buy it if you can. But until then, sit back and enjoy Black Mountain Underground....it's coming!