Thursday, September 14, 2006

Lou Reed's Rocky Mountain Way

The Rocky Mountain News is stoked about Lou Reed's upcoming appearance at the Telluride Blues (!) Festival. Here's some of what they have to say:

"Even if he hasn't had a new studio album in three years, you can find new Lou Reed recordings and performances. Recently he has worked with everyone from The Strokes to Jack White's new group The Raconteurs, as well as soul legend Howard Tate.

'I'm a working musician. I like to play. It's what we do. I've been a big fan of Howie Tate forever. I was at a show, I forgot what club it was. . . . Later on they got in touch with me about Howard doing one of my songs. I was very, very thrilled. That's how that happened,' says Reed.... "

"Reed is on other recordings as well, including Rogue's Gallery, a double-disc collection of sea chanteys and pirate songs; Reed contributes an eerie reading of "Leave Her Johnny." 'How do you like the sound I'm singing to?" Reed demands. [I love that he "demands" it. -JH] It sounds like a low keyboard part.

'It's a guitar,' Reed says triumphantly. 'Yeah. It's a thing made by Electro Harmonix, naturally. One of the young guys turned me onto it. It's called The Hog. That's what's doing that. It sounds like some astonishing electric church organ or something. It's a big, big sound.' Reed has always been into technology."

In case you hadn't heard, Advanced Artists are always into new technology. Playing a blues festival isn't too bad either.

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