Tag Archives: Booker T

Video:Too Short, Booker T at the 2011 Roots Grammy Jam

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People are posting videos of the Roots 2011 Grammy Jam on that site’s message board. Above is video of Too Short, and Booker T getting down with the Roots.

MP3, Interview: Nick Tolford & Co.

MP3: End of the Night

Nick Tolford and Company are like Columbus’s version of The Commitments. A bunch of young, (mostly) white people bringing rockified soul music to the people. Except Tolford & Co. write their own tunes that rival stuff sung by mostly dead Motown guys. This Saturday at Carabar the band will release their much anticipated debut, Extraordinary Love. Tolford was kind enough to give me a little window into his world — a world of Ray Charles, The Misfits, Booker T, MF Gnar and “Bed Intruder.”

Back when you were playing in the Slide Machine, did you always have the idea for this band in the back of your head? Did you think you could pull it off?
I don’t know if I thought I could “pull it off,” but I always did solo stuff on the side of whatever band I was in at the time. I feel like the ball really got rolling once I got a band together and got more than just my input on the songs.

Were you surprised when friends and even strangers started rallying around you and even asking if they could join your band?
I was definitely surprised at the reaction I got from the demo songs. I wasn’t really expecting people to take notice at all.

Did you grow up listening to guys like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding?
My father always used to play old Motown and Stax stuff and I have always been most interested in vocal melody in songs. People like Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, among many others, really know how it works. Soul isn’t all I listened to though. When I was 11 I heard the Misfits for the first time and that had a pretty huge influence on me. During my junior high and high school years, skateboarding and everything on Fat Wreck Chords carried me through.
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Photos: Booker T, Nick Tolford & Co. in Columbus

Booker T. Jones, Nick Tolford & Company
Lincoln Theatre I Columbus, OH
May 1, 2010
(Also see Andrew Patton’s review)

Lots more photos Continue reading

Review: Booker T, Nick Tolford & Co. in Columbus

Saturday night (May 1) marked the conclusion of the Jazz Arts Group‘s 2009-10 Inside Track concert series at the Lincoln Theatre with a much-anticipated appearance by soul legend Booker T. Jones and his band. Though the buzz for his appearance itself was plentiful, the addition of local openers Nick Tolford & Co. seemed to contribute additional interest, visibly making the show more appealing to a slightly younger demographic. These factors combined for an exciting, well-attended show that won the audience over. (Check out Kim Rottmayer’s photos here.)

Nick Tolford & Company’s set was a quick and fiery runthrough of the best of their soulful rock ‘n roll. The band was a bit nervous as they opened for one of their heroes but overcame any stagefright to deliver a solid set. In their allotted 30 minutes, Tolford and band performed with enough reverence and joy [insert pic of smiling Mike O here] to win over many concertgoers who would have never been otherwise exposed to their music. The JAG should be recognized for providing this outlet for local musicians, as Mojoflo’s recent set opening for Trombone Shorty gave them similar exposure, including my parents’ introduction to the band. Continue reading