String Cheese Incident - Black and White

String Cheese Incident (no source for the bands name has been disclosed) is a great jam band from Colorado. Their music strongly is influenced by bluegrass sounds, as well as forays into rock, calypso, country, funk, jazz, Latin, reggae, and occasional psychedelia. The band is a great live band and has toured extensively.

In 2003, they sued Ticketmaster to retain control of their own ticket sales and won, siting violations of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. This was a key in future lawsuits against Ticketmaster.

String Cheese Incident broke up in 2007, performing many farewell concerts. The Band Members have gone off on many solo projects like The Kyle Hollingsworth Band, EOTO, Panjea (with Keller Williams) and the Emmitt-Nershi Band. However, the band has reformed on occasion, and will play this year's Rothbury Music Festival in July. They recently played an unannounced sound-check at the Ogden Theater in Denver on June 24.

Black and White is a jam tune off their 2001 release Outside Inside.

Breaks Co-Op - The Otherside

New Zealand band, Breaks Co-Op, released their first album in 1997. After that, band members Zane Lowe and Hamish Clark both left New Zealand to pursue other interested.
In 2004, they reunited, wrote new material and released their second album, The Sound Inside, which produced the song The Otherside, which was a #1 hit and Song of the Year in New Zealand. The band relocated to the UK and released the album on parlophone records.

Nitin Sawhney - Falling

Nitin Sawhney has a very eclectic history. Growing up in Rochester, Kent, England, he studied piano, classical and flamenco guitar, sitar and tabla. He attended Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School (where he was the victim of racial persecution), leaving there and studying law at Liverpool University for a short time.

It was during this period that Sawhney met up with an old school friend, acid-jazz keyboard-player James Taylor. Sawhney then toured as part of The James Taylor Quartet and led him to form his own band, The Jazztones. He also joined forces with tabla master Talvin Singh to form the Tihai Trio.

After dropping out of university, Sawhney became and accountant, but the draw to music was too much of a distraction and he quit and moved to London. He and Sanjeev Bhaskar created a comedy team, The Secret Asians and developed a BBC radio and then and award winning TV show on BBC TV called Goodness Gracious Me. It was after this that he refocusing on music, beginning his solo career in 1993.

Falling is off his 6th album, the 2003 release, Human. It was an album where Sawhney focuses more on a trip-hop sound.

Midlake - Roscoe

Denton, Texas based band, Midlake, was formed in 1999 by a group of jazz students at the University of North Texas. Their music consisted of funk/jazz explorations heavily influenced by Herbie Hancock then moving more toward a more indie-rock sound.

Roscoe is a lo-fi indie-rock turn off the uniquely named release, The Trials of Van Occupanther. Midlake doesn't jump out and make you say Wow, but their music has a quality that make you go back and listen again and build up an appreciation for it.

Michael Jackson - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough

Michael. We'll miss you. Nothing else needs to be said.

Joss Stone - Tell Me 'Bout It

Joss Stone burst onto the scene with her 2003 release, The Soul Sessions produced by the legendary Betty Wright and with soul/funk legends Benny Latimore, Timmy Thomas, and Little Beaver. She was only 16 years old at the time and had won the BBC Television talent show Star for a Night. London-based producers Andy Dean and Ben Wolfe saw her at a charity event afterward and were so blown away by her voice they contacted S-Curve Records founder and CEO Steve Greenberg and convinced him to fly her to New York to audition. She sang Otis Redding's (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", Gladys Knight & the Pips' "Midnight Train to Georgia" and Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". She was signed on the spot.

Tell Me 'Bout It off her third album, Introducing Joss Stone, is a strong soul funk tune that shows what she can do when she belts out her soulful voice.

Paul Simon - Kodachrome

Today's Hump Day Retro Closet track is brought to you by Kodachrome. Kodak recently announced that they will no longer manufacture the iconic film that, as Paul Simon said "gives the nights bright colors, gives the green to summer, makes you think all the world's a sunny day." Well, Mama took it away.

Paul Simon is as iconic as the film he sung about. Writing, playing and recording music for over 4 decades, first with Art Garfunkel and as a solo artist. Way too much to write about Simon in this simple post.

Kodachrome is off his #1 1973 solo release There Goes Rhymin' Simon. The song was not released in the UK as the BBC did not play it, due to copyright regulations. In the US, Kodak required that Simon note on the album that Kodachrome is a trademark of Kodak.

DeVision - Unputdownable

De/Vision is a synth-pop band from Darmstadt, Germany. Originally formed as a quartet in 1988, they became a trio and and are now a duo of Thomas Adam and Steffen Keth. The majority of the band's lyrics are in English, but they have had some songs in German.

Unputdownable is an excellent track off their 2004 release 6 Feet Underground.

Shivaree - Goodnight Moon

Shivaree took their name from a noisy mock serenade for newlyweds. Originating in the San Fernando valley, Shivaree is made up of Ambrosia Parsley (vocals), Danny McGough (keyboard), and Duke McVinnie (guitar). While McGough and McVinnie had a prior musical background touring and playing with many artists, Ambrosia, left home at age 13 to travel the county and pursue her love of music before meeting up with McGough and McVinnie.

They gain their inspiration from primarily Southern ideas and memes, and cite William Faulkner as an influence. Goodnight Moon, off their I Oughtta Give You a Shot in the Head for Making Me Live in This Dump debut release, is also included as the ending credits in Kill Bill 2 and a few Dawson Creek episodes.

Chuck Prophet - Summertime Thing

Chuck Prophet was originally a member of the rock group Green on Red, with whom he toured and recorded in the 1980s. During this time he developed into a great songwriter. Alejandro Escovedo, Solomon Burke, Heart, Kim Carnes, Peter Wolf, Kim Richey, Carter's Chord and Kelly Willis have covered his compositions.

Prophet has released many solo albums, switching record companies several times. He even parted with New West Records in 2005 after a restaurant tab argument involving an extra order of garlic bread.

Summertime Thing is off his excellent 2002 release, No Other Love.