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• By Alan Richard
• Jun 3, 2021
• 11 min read

JOHN PAUL KEITH: THE RHYTHM OF MEMPHIS

Updated: Aug 1, 2021

When John Paul Keith moved to Memphis, he had no idea how far down the city’s deeper-than-deep well of music, creativity and inspiration would reach into his rock ‘n roll soul.

Over the years, J.P. (as many of his friends call him), has soaked up every muddy drop of rhythm and soul the city—and his many musician friends and surviving Memphis music legends—have taught him.

“Sixteen years later, I’m still here, and it’s definitely been a life-changing experience,” J.P. said in an interview. “It has deepened my knowledge of where American music comes from—and what it means to be influenced by that music and what it means to be a student of it.

"And how powerful music is, and how important it is.”

That musical wisdom is reflected on The Rhythm of the City , J.P.’s latest album and his love letter to his adopted city.

From the opening notes of Art Edmaiston's and Kirk Smothers’ dual saxophones and the album’s first track, “How Can You Walk Away?”—and the song’s music video, shot at Paula Raiford’s Disco and other spots in downtown Memphis—the record runneth over with the city's vibes.

Throughout the album, J.P. weaves Buddy Holly-like singing and guitar parts influenced by bluesman Albert King and many others, with the horn section of veteran Memphis players, Edmaiston, Marc Franklin and Archie “Hubbie” Turner, who’ve played with some of music’s best.

Franklin and Edmaiston arranged the horns on different tracks, a twist on the Memphis Horns and the sounds they and larger ensembles made at Stax and Royal Studios.

Sisters Tierinii Jackson and Tikyra Jackson from the band Southern Avenue sing backup like modern-day Ikettes.

J.P. is joined by his regular rhythm section of drummer Danny Banks (who also plays with Nicole Atkins) and Matthew Wilson (who plays with John Nemeth) on bass. Al Gamble of St. Paul and the Broken Bones plays the keys.

On the title cut, J.P. sings amid a beat from the street and multiple musical breakdowns full of horns and his soul-fire guitar solos:

“Where I live there’s just something in the water

Where I live there’s music in the air…

My heart beats to the rhythm of the city

I move my feet to the tempo of this town

Lord, how I love the sound.”

Rhythm of life

One of those Memphis legends whom J.P. has gotten to know, the great Howard Grimes—known for his perfect grooves on the famous recordings by Al Green, Ann Peebles, Willie Mitchell, Denise LaSalle, O.V. Wright, Syl Johnson and others at Royal Studios and many recordings at nearby Stax Records—inspired the title and several tracks on the new album.

One day in downtown Memphis, J.P. heard Al Green’s “Love and Happiness” from a passing car, a song marked by Grimes’ unforgettable performance with the Hi Rhythm Section.

“At the time I was only living a few miles from Royal Studios,” where that song and many other soul classics were recorded, J.P. said. “Howard Grimes’ drumming personifies to me something about Memphis. It’s just this presence, and his beat, it’s his pocket, it’s his groove.”

He decided that Grimes’ groove would be the foundation of his new album. “It’s like hearing the voice of someone you know,” he said.

A few years back, when producer and bassist Scott Bomar was at his Electraphonic Studios producing R&B legend and former Hi Records songwriter Don Bryant was working on his first album in about 50 years., J.P. began writing more soul-oriented songs to try and land a cut on Bryant’s album.

Instead, he ended up with a strong batch of soul-oriented material that led to The Rhythm of the City . It was during those sessions, though, when J.P. first met Mr. Grimes.

Mr. Bryant is best known as co-writer of “I Can’t Stand the Rain.” That 1974 classic was sung brilliantly by Mr. Bryant’s wife, Ann Peebles, on what could be the funkiest, hi-hat-filled three minutes in American music, played by the Hi Rhythm Section, with Mr. Grimes on drums and the timbale in the song's famous opening.

John Lennon called it one of the best songs ever made.

Bryant “still sings ‘I Can’t Stand the Rain’ in the same key his wife sang 40 years ago,” J.P. said.

Just recently, J.P. left a copy of The Rhythm of the City on Mr. Grimes’ front porch in case he hadn’t yet heard the new album his sound inspired.

“He’s one of the greatest session musicians in American history,” J.P. said. “The influence of his sound, you still hear it every day. I remember being in a tapas bar in Bilbao, Spain. A song comes on, and there’s Howard.”

One day last year, photographer Jim Herrington came to Memphis from Nashville to shoot images for J.P.’s new album cover.

“We drove by Royal and some of the neighborhood, and I said I think Howard lives around here somewhere,” J.P. recalled. “And no sooner had I said it, he came out his front door.”

They stopped to say hello and snapped a photo with Mr. Grimes in his front yard. (Grimes releases his autobiography, written with Memphis author Preston Lauterbach, on July 1.)

“Howard is a really deep person and a really kind of heavy thinker, and he can be very profound,” J.P. said. “It like getting an audience with an elder master of his craft.

“We felt like maybe he blessed our photoshoot.”

Another highlight of J.P.'s new album is “The Sun's Gonna Shine Again," a horn-laden number perfect for the summer of a waning pandemic written with Bomar. To my Carolina-raised ears, it's a reminder of 1960s beach music of groups like Chairmen of the Board. The beat hearkens back to Howard Grimes’ grooves on Al Green’s “What Is This Feeling” and Eddie Floyd’s “On a Saturday Night” recorded at Stax.

“It’s definitely offered in the spirit of tribute,” J.P. said. “I’ve talked to Howard about that groove but it’s a very distinctive pocket he played on those tracks.”

The song also was inspired by the 60s soulful-surf music of Lovin’ Spoonful, The Young Rascals and Memphis’ Box Tops, J.P. said.

He played sitar on the track as a tribute to the late Reggie Young, a Memphis native and guitarist who played on countless classics at Chips Moman’s American Sound Studio in Memphis and became a regular session player in Nashville for decades. Young played sitar on songs like The Box Tops’ No. 1 hit from Memphis, “The Letter,” and B.J. Thomas’ “Hooked on a Feeling.”

Another cut on J.P.'s new album, “Ain’t Done Lovin’ You Yet” is more of a folk-rock song, with J.P. on 12-string guitar. “On that one, I have that power-pop influence for sure,” he said.

The move to Memphis

Raised nearly 400 miles east in Knoxville, Keith’s accent is a bit more Appalachian mountain than Memphis drawl.

He grew up in Knoxville’s then-vibrant power-pop music scene, led by the band Superdrag. As a teen, J.P. moved to Nashville for about five years. His band, The Nevers, signed with Sire Records, a major label.

“I learned a lot from that, but they never put the record out, so I was kind of in limbo for a few years and eventually gave up on the Nashville thing,” he said.

He wandered on to Memphis in 2005, knowing well of the band Big Star’s legacy that inspired R.E.M. and many alternative acts, having met Big Star’s Jody Stephens years earlier at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin.

“I didn’t move here to play music,” J.P. said. “I moved here because I have a sister here. I had nothing else to do and had no plan.”

When he first arrived, he lived down the street from the old Hi Tone Café’ on Poplar Avenue, a building that once housed Elvis Presley’s karate dojo. Better known as the city’s best rock club at the time, Elvis Costello even taped a concert film there.

It’s also where Keith met Jack Oblivian , leader of the garage-punk group The Oblivians. By 2008, he was joining Oblivian on tour.

“I started playing guitar for Jack, touring Europe every couple of years. That’s how my whole career in Europe started,” J.P. said. He now regularly tours overseas on his own.

(Later at the old Hi-Tone, J.P. opened for the likes of Leon Russell, Charlie Louvin, and Junior Brown at the club, and where a band that Keith had joined called Snake Eyes, led by the legendary Jim Dickinson, performed a few times before Dickinson’s death.)

Oblivian introduced him to producer Bruce Watson, who’d helmed projects of many older blues legends at Fat Possum Records in Mississippi. J.P. signed with Big Legal Mess Records, which Watson co-owned, and started a nice run of solo albums.

After his 2009 debut, Spills and Thrills , J.P. released The Man That Time Forgot in 2011, a terrific record produced by Watson and incorporating the sounds of from 1950s rockabilly, the early rock 'n roll of Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers, 1960s pop and punk influences like The Ramones. The songs have J.P.’s hooks that often seem familiar and simple-but-clever lyrics on tracks such as “Never Could Say No” and “You Devil You.”

J.P.’s 2013 album, Memphis Circa 3 a.m. , produced by Roland James at Sam Phillips Recording Studio, draws from early rockabilly, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and electric blues on tracks like “True Hard Money,” “New Year’s Eve,” and “Baby We’re a Bad Idea.”

Then came 2018’s Heart Shaped Shadow with fellow guitarist Will Sexton , which took J.P. in a more soulful direction, with shades of Roy Orbison at times, before diving even deeper on the new album.

Rockin’ on Beale

Another of J.P.’s bands took root in that same era.

“Through all of that, I eventually met Amy LaVere ,” he said. “She was touring a lot of the time. I was playing a lot of the time (out of town),” and both artists wanted another band separate from their solo work.

Along with drummer Shawn Zorn, the duo started Motel Mirrors in 2013, garnering acclaim from critics. At first, it was an attempt to “gin up some more work,” Keith said, a cover band performing old rockabilly tunes as duets.

Later, guitarist Will Sexton also joined Motel Mirrors after he wed bassist LaVere.

Following a self-titled EP in 2013 and the 2018 album In the Meantime , Motel Mirrors’ latest is an EP of rockabilly songs called Gotta Lotta Rhythm that’s only recently been released on vinyl in the U.S. after it came out overseas in 2019.

The newest Mirrors album features one J.P. original, a remake of the Mirrors’ own “Meet Me in the Corner,” along with cool rockabilly covers of tunes sung by Patsy Cline, Gram Parsons, Jimmy Reed, Wanda Jackson, and unheralded rockabilly legend Glen Glenn.

Only in recent years did J.P. begin playing on Beale Street for the first time, some 90 years after legends such as Robert Johnson and B.B. King first appeared on the fabled avenue of the blues. Now more of a tourist draw, Keith took the opportunity to learn more of the Memphis songbook.

“You can’t really provide an overview of the Memphis songbook without soul music obviously and blues, too,” he said.

“I took that seriously, and it was a great exercise for me as a musician,” J.P. continued. “I think I’ve got the only band (at that time) on Beale Street doing ‘Ring of Fire’ with horns. I don’t even know if there’s a band in Nashville doing it with horns.”

For Heart Shaped Shadow , J.P. began to write more songs with horns in mind, then leaving it to arrangers like trumpet player Marc Franklin and Art Edmaiston to do their thing.

“It’s really a thrill, it just illuminates your music and a whole new way,” he said.

Speaking up, speaking out

Keith has become vocal politically in person and on social media after police violence and disturbing trends in American society have emerged.

“I did a lot of soul searching this year, as a lot of people did, and I decided to do that song and perform it” at an online fundraiser that Third Man Records held for Marquita Bradshaw’s campaign for Congress last year.

“I was proud of that,” J.P. said, “and then Scott Bomar said, ‘Let’s cut that on Don Bryant.’”

When he showed up at the studio, J.P. discovered Grimes was there to play drums—the first drummer J.P. would accompany since the pandemic began. The musicians cut the basic track live, while the horns and the great Rev. Charles Hodges’ organ parts were added later.

“A World Like That,” a socially conscious, midtempo 70s-throwback soul cut with a beautiful horn-section refrain. It’s a meaningful and departure for Bryant, whose songs are more often about love and heartbreak:

“Smoke in the streets and faces disguised

Hands in the air and tears in our eyes

I don’t want to live in a world like that.”

“I got the idea for that song after Ferguson, which has been five or six years” ago, J.P. said. “It’s made me reevaluate what it is I’m trying to do with songwriting. Like if you can’t write about those things, if you’re not trying to address the reality of life… and the world you live in, what are you doing?

“Especially as a white man with a platform playing music derived so heavily from Black music. I feel like white artists have a responsibility to be informed about where their music originally came from and whose music it really is.”

Otherwise, playing Memphis music can become only nostalgia, J.P. contends, and he sees it as much more than that.

“It’s serious. This stuff is serious. People are harmed by politics,” he said. “And music matters, culture matters. It changes people’s minds about things.”

Thriving and surviving

Gigs have begun to return slowly for J.P., who did a series of recent weekly, socially distanced shows at Memphis’ B-Side club.

He’s planning a belated album-release show with a full band—Memphis horns and all—at the club in July.

“The entire live music industry is in a state of chaos,” J.P. said. “It was hard before the pandemic. It was almost impossible … and so any musician who comes out the other side of this really wants it really bad.”

Still, he considers himself one of the fortunate, although he longs for a return to his usual tour circuit across Europe.

“There are a lot of people wondering if they’re even going to have careers anymore. A lot of people have had to get out of it in 2020,” he said. “There is a real musician economy here. That’s one reason I’ve been able to live here and thrive.”

“There’s a lot going on, and it does feel like Dan Penn said about Memphis—it’s got the best recording air there is.”

J.P. recalled when Chicago singer-songwriter Kelly Hogan of The Flat Five was visiting Memphis and he took her by Bomar’s studio.

Of course, something cool was going on inside.

“They were working on the previous Don Bryant record, and they had The Masqueraders” in the studio, he said. A classic Memphis soul group who sang on many records made at Chips Moman's studio.

“They were just in there doing their vocals around one mic, old-school,” J.P. recalled. “And that’s a very common experience—and I lived in Memphis for a decade before I knew who The Masqueraders were.”

“No matter what kit it’s on, he sounds like himself its unmistakable,” he said. “It’s like the records you love coming to life.”

Where magic happens

That was only glimpse of the Memphis music scene, as artists there know. Hip-hop musicians and pop stars like Bruno Mars still record at Royal Studios. Matt Ross-Spang is finishing construction of his new studio at Memphis’ incredible Crosstown Concourse.

There are “entire scenes here in Memphis rap that are entirely centered around Instagram or Tiktok that people in my scene may not even know about it,” J.P. said. “That can exist on the one hand, and then you have this thriving roots scene. I don’t know of a city except for maybe New Orleans that has this diversity of style.

“Memphis has never been a town that has respected genres," he said. "That’s the whole story of Memphis music.

J.P. has stayed afloat by selling the new album and other music from his considerable catalogue on Bandcamp. The Rhythm of the City’s first vinyl pressing sold out almost entirely through Bandcamp.

“Almost all of the revenue goes to the artist“ he said. “Bandcamp is the most artist-centered business model I’ve seen, and it has helped me survive 2020. I mean literally—and it’s not just me.”

J.P. also began a subscription starting at $5 a month through which he releases new music, video conversations and lost recordings from his long career.

“I have a group of really intense fans that really want to hear everything I do, and it’s a great creative outlet because it’s given me incentive to go through my boxes of music I’ve made over the years” to find things he wants to share, he said.

Whatever’s ahead, J.P. is grateful to have landed in Memphis’ rich music scene that now informs every part of his life and music.

“There’s just something here, and when you go into the studio here, the culture is very relaxed and very familial,” he said. “But on the other hand, they have this foundation of being total bad-asses and being totally disciplined, serious musicians. And that’s magic.”

John Paul Keith’s belated album-release show with a full band is scheduled for July 17 at B-Side Memphis and will be livestreamed. J.P. also will be the host of a Sun Records tribute show at the Guest House at Graceland on Aug. 10, and he performs at the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, on Aug. 27.

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A World Like That: Live at B-Side

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A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, singer, songwriter, and guitarist John Paul Keith is a 17-year veteran of the Memphis music scene. During that time, he’s released five critically acclaimed solo albums, including his latest, 2021’s The Rhythm of the City , which American Songwriter called “one of the finest and most genuine roots albums of the year.”

In February 2021, Memphis soul legend Don Bryant recorded “A World Like That”, written by John Paul Keith and released as a single by Fat Possum Records. It wasn’t the first time Don Bryant cut a John Paul Keith tune; JPK contributed “One Ain’t Enough” for Bryant’s Don’t Give Up on Love , which was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2018 Blues Music Awards. 

In addition to his own albums, John Paul has collaborated on two EP’s and an LP from Motel Mirrors, his roots side-project with Amy LaVere and Will Sexton.

John Paul also appeared on the tribute album Red Hot: A Memphis Celebration of Sun Records , with proceeds going to St. Jude. In 2017, he had the honor of performing with ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Roy Orbison. That same year, his song “Afraid To Look” was featured in the Paramount film Downsizing , starring Matt Damon and Kristin Wiig.

When he’s not on the road, JPK can often be found playing Memphis classics alongside his own originals on Beale Street with a crack 6-piece band with horns. In December 2019, John Paul was the host and musical director of the Elvis: A Christmas Peace concert at the SoundStage at Graceland, performing Elvis Presley’s favorite holiday and spiritual music, and in January 2020 he paid tribute to Sun Records with a special concert at the Guest House at Graceland for Elvis’ 85th birthday.

John Paul Keith completed his latest headlining tour of Europe in 2022, traveling to nine countries and 26 cities. He is currently at work on his new album.

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Best of Moscow by high speed train

By shuguley , February 15, 2014 in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

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Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.

Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?

My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

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If you are considering this on the 2015 June Baltic cruise on Voyager; my suggestion is don't. There is so much to do in St. Petersburg and although a train is one of my favorite ways to travel the time would be far better spent in St. P.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, this would be on the Voyager during the 2015 season but not yet sure exactly which cruise.

We did the Moscow excursion "on a different luxury line", but from your brief description it sounds very much like the same trip, so I will operate on that assumption. It is a VERY long day! We left the ship at 5:30 AM and returned at 12:30 AM. The highspeed train trip is comfortable, and while they call it "Business Class" it does not compare well to the equivalent class on say Rail Europe. When we did it in 2011, we did have highspeed both ways, and the trip back seemed much longer as the adrenaline and excitement had worn off!:D

Moscow itself is not that terribly different from any other big city in the world, but this Cold War kid never thought he would ever stand in Red Square, never mind walk the grounds of The Kremlin, or tour The Kremlin Palace, or see (but not visit) Lenin's Tomb, or visit The Armoury. But he did, and he loved every minute of it! Yes, it is a long day, and you barely scratch a scratch on the surface, but it is worth it. There is a tremendous amount to see in St. Petersburg, but every Baltic cruise goes to St. Petersburg, so you can go back if you choose to. Not every cruiseline offers you the chance to see Moscow.

I have not personally done this tour, but our last time in St Petersburg, the private guide that we hired for a day was leading the regent tour to Moscow on the high speed train the next day. He said it was way better than the previous alternative, which was flying to Moscow and back. He said that you actually got to Moscow faster because you didn't have to deal with airline checkin etc. it did seem like a very long day to me, and there is so much to see and do in st. Petersburg that I didn't consider doing it.

countflorida

We toured to Moscow from St. Petersburg via the hi-speed SAPSAN train last September, from a Baltic cruise on the Oceania Marina. You need to have a two-night, three day port call in St. Petersburg to take this tour because the tour typically leaves the ship around 5:00 - 5:30 AM and doesn't return until after midnight the next day. We didn't take the ship's tour; we made private arrangements with TravelAllRussia for three days of touring, the first and third days in St. Petersburg and the second day the tour to Moscow by train. Our cost for the private tour for three days was about the same as what the ship charged for the excursion to Moscow alone. There are a number of private tour agencies that operate in St. Petersburg and offer the Moscow train tours; we would strongly recommend them over the ship's tours.

All three days had private guides with car and driver. The second day, the driver picked us up at the ship and took us to the train, but we were alone on the train, and met in Moscow by the guide on the station platform. After our tour and dinner, we were brought back to the train and after the return train trip met by the driver and taken back to the ship. Because you are alone on the train you must have your own Russian visas.

If this is your first visit to St. Petersburg, I would agree there is much more to see there. We found Moscow somewhat a disappointment, particularly Red Square. The Kremlin and the cathedral in Red Square were also worth seeing. But the best thing we saw was the Moscow subway! I worked for the Washington Metro system back in the 1980s as it grew from 40 to 80 miles and although I was in the computer area, I learned a lot about the challenges of running a subway system. We used the Moscow system to get across the city from where we had dinner to the train station, and I was amazed at the cleanliness', speed of operation, the short headways maintained, and the courtesy of everyone involved. A very impressive experience!

We had been to St. Petersburg before, and so had the time to take a day and go to Moscow. Also, I really like trains, and the SAPSAN is a German train set running on Russian rails. Seats are like first class domestic air, spacious but not too plush or comfortable, but with enough room. Not too much recline, and almost 8 hours on the train in two shots is a lot for an old man. They come through and sell drinks, candy, etc. but the sellers don't speak English and no one around us helped, so we had just poor coffee once coming, and brought stuff with us for the trip back. Not too much to see from the train either, particularly on the return when it is night the whole way.

If you decide to go, take a private tour and avoid the overly expensive ship's tour. I'm glad we did it, but wouldn't bother to repeat the tour; we've seen Moscow.

Thanks so much to all of you for the thorough and thought insight. Yhe information you have provided is most helpful.

countflorida: Your detailed post is very helpful. We are not quite ready for a Baltic cruise but should do so within a year. Time enough to do our pre travel research, bookings and visa gathering.:) Thank you!

Emperor Norton

Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.   Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?   My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

I did this on Seabourn. IMO DONT. Take Aeroflop (er Aeroflot). The train has non folding seats where you are literally knee to knee with your fellow passenger (facing each other). Further they don't believe in air conditioning. It's also the worlds slowed bullet train. I think I would have found more enjoyment wandering around the St. Petersburg and Moscow airports.

Countflorida,

This is a little off topic,, however we had planned a river cruise in Russia but decided we would rather stay on land and have booked about two weeks with Travel-All-Russia using the private guide and driver. I'm curious as to how you found them as a tour company.

The guides they provided were fine. We had a different guide each of the days in St. Petersburg, but both were flexible, pleasant, knowledgeable and spoke English very well, as did the guide in Moscow, incidentally. She was a bit aloof, distant, not too friendly, but otherwise fine. In fact, she was the one who suggested taking the Metro, which unexpectedly became one of the highlights of the Moscow excursion. If I have a complaint with AllTravelRussia, it is with their plan and its execution (more later).

I had requested emphasis on World War II (in Russia, the Great Patriotic War) sites and info. In scheduling us, they weren't careful about dates and a couple of the sites we wanted to see were scheduled on the third day, after we'd been to Moscow. But both sites were closed that day of the week, and that info was readily available, right on web sites describing them. Also, the included meals (lunches in St. Pete, dinner in Moscow) were not what we asked for: light meals with some choices, so we could avoid things we didn't like and choose things we did like. My request was ignored; we were given full Russian meals with a fixed menu, no choice. On the first day, a fish dish was the entre, but I am allergic to fish. Fortunately, I had the e-mail I'd sent with me and showed it to the guide, and she was able to change my entre to chicken, which was very good actually. But we didn't want a 3-4 course lunches or dinner (in Moscow). We had the guide drop the lunch the third day, although we never got any credit or refund. But, particularly in contrast to the ship's tours, the prices were so reasonable we didn't worry too much about it.

The people who were on the ship's tour to Moscow saw us boarding the same train for which they were forced to queue up and wait on the way back, and asked us what we had done. I was candid and open so they were not happy when I explained what we had arranged and particularly what it had cost. Also, when we returned to the ship, we found they had laid on a late supper for those who had gone to Moscow, so up we went and had something. Well, it turns out the late supper was supposed to be just for those on the ship's tour, but we and others on 'independent' tours, there were a dozen or more of us, crashed the party, actually got there first, and they didn't realize it until the larger group arrived and there weren't enough tables/places set. By that time, the 'independents' had all gotten served and were eating; what could they do?

A couple from the larger group sat down with us and asked us about our tour, and they were the ones I told about our arrangement and its cost. They turned to others who’d been with them and announced the details, loudly enough so the whole room heard, which started a lot of bitching and complaining. I gathered they weren't very happy with the ship's tour to begin with, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. We finished up and beat it out of there, but overheard later that one of the excursion staff came to check on something and ran into a real mess. I caught a cold on the trip, which forced me to bed the second day following in Tallinn, so by the time we reappeared we heard about the contretemps' but apparently no one recalled who started it, thankfully.

Because of what happened to us, I would probably not use AllTravelRussia if I were to go again, or if I did, I would be sure to get confirmation of every detail of the tour. They do have good reviews generally, and we were certainly helped by their visa department and liked the guides and drivers. Their weakness, I say now with full 20:20 hindsight, is that once the sales person who plans the tour, sells it to you and collects your money, he (or she) transfers the plan to their Russia office for implementation; there is no follow-up to make sure it gets done right. And that is where our problems arose; we paid for a custom tour but got a standard package with a few destinations switched, and no one checked them out, even to see when they were open the day we were scheduled to go. If you check every detail that’s important to you, it should be OK, but that’s a hell of a way to have to do business, in my opinion.

Thank you for the 20/20 hindsight observation on your Russian tour operator, and better priced than the ship's excursion cost.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

We had the same experience as you so far as price. We originally booked a Viking Cruise but, hearing some things about the river cruises that made us unhappy, looked into other options. T-A-R cost the same or less than a cruise and had us in hotels for 11 days. We opted for the private tour. They have three tour levels, based on hotels. We originally opted for the four star as it did not cost much more than the three star hotels. Finally we decided to throw it all in and upgraded to five star. In Moscow we will be at the newly opened Kempinsky which is two blocks from Red Square. In St. Petersburg it is the Grand Hotel Europe, one of the most vaunted luxury hotels in Russia. Location is important for us as the tours use up only part of the day so being in the center of everything for our independent touring is important. As with many other cities, the less you pay, the farther out of the center of town you are.

We have been working with our salesman in D.C. and he seems to get back to us with the changes we want. He recently returned from Russia so is up on everything. When I asked they said they paid the full TA commission if I wanted so I got my usual TA on board so he is watching our back and giving us that extra level of comfort. He also set up our air, which I know pays him little or nothing, and got us business class for much less than T-A-R wanted for economy, though it took working for a while with a consolidator. He's happy to get his 10 percent on this trip without having booked it. He also took care of the trip insurance. We've been doing a lot of research on the CC sister site Trip Advisor and will write a report there. We will, I guess, become a source of info for CC members after having spent 5 days in Moscow and 6 in SP.

• 4 months later...

scubacruiserx2

Anybody considering a day trip to Moscow from St. Petersburg on the Sapsan may want to look at our travelogue filled with pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1927687

Very informative. Thanks dor sharing. Jeff

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Inside Jimmy Buffett’s Tribute Concert: McCartney, Margaritas, and One Hell of a Parrothead Party

By John Lonsdale

John Lonsdale

“Good evening, Hollywood-fucking-Bowl!” Paul McCartney exclaimed to the flock of Parrotheads gathered before him. A sold-out crowd had assembled in the famed Los Angeles venue on Thursday to celebrate the legacy of Jimmy Buffett at “Keep the Party Going,” a laid-back, one-night-only tribute show full of eclectic guests.

“I had the great pleasure of knowing Jimmy , and like everyone else on the bill tonight, I said, ‘This is one great man.’ He was generous. He was funny. He’d done just about everything in his life,” McCartney said, before launching into “Let It Be .” It was a song that McCartney said he’d played for Buffett at his home during the final week of his life. Buffett died in Sept. 1, 2023, at 76 after a battle with Merkel cell skin cancer.

Along with the stacked musical lineup, “Keep the Party Going: A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett” featured introductions — some via video, some in person —  from Dolly Parton, James Taylor, Woody Harrelson, Pat Riley, and Dave Matthews. Harrison Ford was there in the flesh.

“There is no other way to say it: There will never be another like Jimmy,” Ford told the crowd, before introducing the Zac Brown Band as “one of Jimmy’s favorite and most-frequent collaborators.” The group jammed through the new track “Pirates & Parrots,” out April 19, and their collab with Buffett “Knee Deep,” with Brown literally taking off his pants to play the song in shorts and a tee backed by Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band.

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“Jimmy enjoyed living life more than any person enjoyed living life,” the country star said. “I can remember we were hiking one day and we were heading up this vista and we started talking about music and songwriting and our careers and his life and my life, and death. And, ‘You know, Eric,’ [Jimmy] said, ‘Guys like us, we don’t really die.’ He said, ‘because the songs live forever.'”

“And this one will,” Church said, as the opening chords to “Son of a Son of a Sailor” rang out over the Bowl and an image of a sailboat drifting along the water was projected on a screen behind the musicians. Later, a projection of the Arc de Triopmhe appeared behind Jackson Browne as he sang his stirring rendition of “He Went to Paris,” one of Buffett’s greatest cuts from 1973’s A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean .

In the latter half, the set list shifted to songs that Buffett wasn’t exactly known for: Snoop Dogg took the stage for a performance of “Gin and Juice,” alongside psychedelic visuals of Buffett in the 2019 Matthew McConaughey film The Beach Bum . And Pitbull appeared to perform his own “Don’t Stop the Party” before being joined by Jon Bon Jovi for “Thank God & Jimmy Buffett.”

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For the home stretch, Don Johnson — no stranger to pastels and warm-weather vibes from his Miami Vice days — called to the stage “a bunch of guys [they] used to hang out with back in the day” and introduced the Eagles . Led by Don Henley and Joe Walsh, the California icons played their own miniature set featuring Henley’s “The Boys of Summer” and the band’s “Take It to the Limit” and “In the City.” The Eagles hung around to back up McCartney on the Beatles’ “Let It Be.”

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“Jimmy Buffett, get a big kick out of this,” McAnally said. “Raise a glass, show ’em how to do it.”

Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show Set List

“It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” – Coral Reefer Band “Grapefruit – Juicy Fruit” – Jake Owen “Pencil Thin Moustache” – Coral Reefer Band “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” – Kenny Chesney “Back Where I Come From” – Kenny Chesney “One Particular Harbour” – Angelique Kidjo “Pirates & Parrots” – Zac Brown “Knee Deep” – Zac Brown “Son of a Son of a Sailor” – Eric Church “Volcano” – Timothy B. Schmit “Tin Cup Chalice” – Brandi Carlile “Come Monday” – Brandi Carlile “Cheeseburger in Paradise” – Coral Reefer Band “He Went to Paris” – Jackson Browne “Bubbles Up” – Coral Reefer Band “Southern Cross” – JD Souther “Why Don’t We Get Drunk” – Coral Reefer Band “Gin and Juice” – Snoop Dogg “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” – Jake Shimabukuro “Don’t Stop the Party” – Pitbull “Thank God & Jimmy Buffett” – Pitbull and Jon Bon Jovi “Fins” – Sheryl Crow “A Pirate Looks at Forty” – Jack Johnson “Brown Eyed Girl” – Zac Brown and Dave Grohl “The Boys of Summer” – Eagles “Take It to the Limit” – Eagles “In the City” – Eagles “Let It Be” – Paul McCartney , Eagles “Margaritaville” – Coral Reefer Band and Company

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East Coast Tour Starts Now

October 16, 2013 by JPK

Tell a friend! Details here .

10/17 - Nashville, TN - Grimey’s (In-store, 6PM) 10/17 - Nashville, TN - Stone Fox (10PM) 10/18 - Knoxville, TN - WDVX Blue Plate Special (Noon) 10/18 - Knoxville, TN - The Well (10PM) 10/19 - Silver Spring, MD - Quarry House Tavern 10/20 - Dallastown, PA - Beer Mongers (early show) 10/21 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar Upstairs (early show) 10/23 - Long Branch, NJ - Brighton Bar 10/24 - New York, NY - Bowery Electric 10/25 - Brooklyn, NY - Rock Shop 10/26 - New London, CT - 33 Golden Street 10/27 - Pittsburgh, PA - Howler’s Coyote 10/28 - Morgantown, WV - Gene’s 10/29 - Huntington, WV - V-Club 10/30 - Asheville, NC - Double Crown 10/31 - Charlotte, NC - Milestone Club 11/1 - Macon, GA - Hummingbird 11/2 - Atlanta, GA - Star Bar

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Music and Concerts | Review: PinkPatheress vibes with an adoring…

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Music and concerts | review: pinkpatheress vibes with an adoring crowd at metro.

This is no exaggeration: PinkPantheress is a star. She is an outright, undeniable and effusive music star. That was more clear than ever during her sold-out show Wednesday night at the Metro.

The singer and producer, born Victoria Walker, performed an hour-long set featuring a bevy of hits and deep cuts from her first two albums, 2023’s “Heaven knows” and 2021’s “to hell with it.” And the adoring audience ate up every single second of the show, the latest in her Capable of Love tour.

The concert was divided into five acts including an encore. Each act was introduced with a voiceover that sounded pulled from a fantasy movie. Surprisingly, despite the small size of the Metro, the show’s conceit worked. One could imagine, in a few years, her stage shows expanding to include more sets and elaborate backdrops. But for the time being, last night’s setup was more than fine.

During some of PinkPantheress’s early-career shows she performed by herself. For this tour, she’s accompanied by a full backing band and a DJ. This new touch certainly elevated the live experience, adding more heft and a bombastic element to the songs she self-produces. The drums hit harder. The synths were sharper. And Walker sounded as sweet and sprightly as ever.

The show opened with “Break It Off,” an early single and fan favorite drenched in drum ‘n’ bass rhythms. In a nod to her past performances, the artist carried her purse on stage with her, a gesture that has gone viral in the past and elicited loving laughs from her fans. Phones were up and recording within a few seconds of the show beginning, but that didn’t seem to be a distraction for PinkPantheress. At one point, she even posed for a selfie from the stage with a group of fans. Audience interactions were plentiful.

Electronic musicians are often stereotyped as being cold or singularly focused on producing their tracks during their live shows. But this was not a problem for PinkPantheress, who oozes charisma and cheekily interacts with her audience after nearly every song. After noting there was a “good crowd here today,” she complimented an audience member and said, “This outfit is serious!”

Moving about the stage in a simple long-sleeved black top with billowing hair during popular songs like the single “Mosquito” from “Heaven Knows,” audience members at the front of the room often shrieked with glee. Honestly, it was a delight to witness! This close bond with the audience also translated to a bevy of gifts, which were given to the musician throughout her show, including a horse mask (“I love you for that,” she said), a My Chemical Romance T-shirt (Walker is a fan) and many, many signs.

Despite all of this, or maybe because of this, the show really worked. “The energy of the crowd!” she exclaimed at one point. “It feels like I don’t have to do too much. Like we’re just vibing.” Walker has created a sound that is familiar but distinct. She joked that her fans are either drum ‘n’ bass-heads or K-pop lovers, with a few who fit somewhere in between. And much like the sound of her music, she has attracted an audience that is solely hers.

I don’t think I had felt or seen that kind of devotion from an audience toward a performer since I attended Beyoncé‘s Renaissance World Tour in 2023. It seemed like every audience member knew every word of every song, and they did not hold back singing it. Some songs, like viral hits “Just for Me” and “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” obviously received the most and loudest love. But other “Heaven Knows” songs like “Bury Me” also had many fans.

The room was diverse in race and gender and style, with folks decked out in everything from basketball jerseys and baseball caps to fluffy, neon raver boots and low rise jeans. Digital cameras were aplenty. The Y2K feels were as present in PinkPantheress’s music as they were in the accoutrement of the audience.

But most importantly, folks were genuinely excited to be there, and Walker was genuinely excited to perform. A man next to me was on FaceTime with a friend throughout the show who was not able to acquire tickets. It was clear to those in attendance, and those at home that you just had to be there to know how special this show is truly.

As the evening’s final act began, Walker jokingly expressed her gratitude for the room. “I don’t steal, you guys,” she said about the many gifts she’d received that evening. “Only hearts.”

Britt Julious is a freelance critic.

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Review: sibling pop band ajr put on a fun show in st. paul, but not a good concert.

After rising from New York City street buskers to national club and festival giggers over the past nine years, sibling pop band AJR came to Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday practically screaming, "And now we are arena rockers!"

The band of brothers — Adam, Jack and Ryan Met — brought a large and impressive stage production with them to St. Paul, one loaded with clever visual stunts and a sprawling, kaleidoscope-like array of lighting. They also brought out an excited, youthful audience of more than 12,000 fans, a surprisingly high turnout for a cultishly loved act whose name still might get first mistaken for a discount airline.

There was one key missing ingredient in AJR's big coming out as an arena-rock act, though: the rock.

Of course, nobody expected these three ultra-straitlaced dudes — who sing about playing with toys ("Don't Throw Out My Legos") and have a song in a Wendy's commercial ("The Good Part") — to come out and crank it like Rage Against the Machine.

But between all their cuddly and cutesy songs and all the attention to staging and visual trickery, the "concert" seemed less like a rock show and more like a Disney Broadway staging — or even like a slightly more grown-up version of Nickelodeon's "Yo Gabba Gabba!" tour, which many of the attendees might've seen as toddlers 14 years ago.

The cartoony showmanship was apparent right away in the opening song, "The Maybe Man." About 10 stage crew members appeared at different spots of the big stage dressed like lead singer Jack Met, so it wasn't clear who the real Jack was at first. It helped that all the would-be Jacks' faces were shrouded by an Elmer Fudd-style, floppy-eared winter hat of the style that even most Minnesotans consider too goofy to wear, but the real Jack proceeded to wear it all night.

There were many more optical illusions like that army of Jacks to come. The real Jack performed as if falling through the sky in "Touchy Feely Fool." Then another fake version of Jack appeared as a shadow on the video backdrop to compete in a drum-off with him during "Bang!" No kidding, the prerecorded drum parts clearly topped Jack's live drumming.

There were a lot more prerecorded tracks used, too. In what are otherwise pretty simple, jangly, Ed Sheeran-on-Red-Bull pop songs, AJR heavily employed background vocals and other electronic enhancement alongside other instruments such as violin and trumpet — a mix that sometimes sounded overcomplicated and not well mixed at all.

Amid all the flash and showmanship, though, the Met boys stayed humble and sounded all aw-shucks between songs as they talked about playing to a full arena on tour.

"I truly don't know how this happened, how we got here," Jack Met told the crowd. "It's because of you."

Adam Met recounted their previous Twin Cities gigs at venues including the Garage in Burnsville and the Armory in Minneapolis. He forgot to mention them playing to a smaller crowd at the COVID-clouded Basilica Block Party in 2021 , though.

One of the more straight-up emotional and touching moments of the show came when Ryan Met sang the three-part chronicle of a failed relationship, "Turning Out." That abruptly gave way to one of the goofiest parts of the 100-minute show, when Jack and the rest of the band appeared high up in the nosebleed seats with other band members to perform their viral hit "World's Smallest Violin" while seated between fans.

It seemed like every time AJR's performance started to gain a little unfettered concert mojo, the musical energy came to a halt for another gimmicky showman stunt.

The sharpest lull came when the brothers gave a loooong demonstration about how they produce music at home right after playing the night's most high-energy tune, the politely groovy rouser "Burn the House Down." How rocking was the rockiest song of the night? On a scale of 1 to 10, it was about a 311.

Compared with AJR's ultra-cheery vibe, opening act Dean Lewis came off like something of a party pooper.

The Australian pop strummer — a little more soulful and a lot more dramatic than AJR — played an inordinate number of heartache-y downers in his 10-song set. One was a genuine tearjerker that discernibly impacted the many early arrival fans, "How Do I Say Goodbye," written about his ailing father. "Half a Man" and a couple more edged on whiny, though, with his sometimes pitchy, crackly voice adding a wince factor.

Dean was quite a fun charmer between songs, though, and threw in covers of Taylor Swift's "Cruel Summer" and the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" to lighten the mood with big audience singalongs. He also mentioned he's going out on his own after the AJR tour — but he, too, forgot to mention the Basilica Block Party, which he's slated to hit Aug. 2 .

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney’s sons just re-wrote history together 

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John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney ’s sons – James McCartney and Sean Ono Lennon – have teamed up for a new song , Primrose Hill.

Sir Paul and the late Linda McCartney’s son James, 46, and his ‘good friend’ Sean, 48 – the only son of Lennon and Yoko Ono – have co-written the track in what is the first Lennon-McCartney collaboration in over 50 years.

Taking to social media announcing the release of Primrose Hill alongside an eerily familiar picture of the pair, James wrote: ‘Primrose Hill is here! Today I am so very excited to share my latest song co-written by my good friend @sean_ono_lennon.

‘With the release of this song it feels like we’re really getting the ball rolling and I am so excited to continue to share music with you.’

The song’s cover is a cartoon verison of the iconic bench at the top of Primrose Hill in North London with its stunning view out to the city.

Released on Friday, the track’s melody is reminiscent of the pair’s fathers’ style with its effortless catchy chorus and the echo of a Lennon-like falsetto.

‘I had a vision as a child in Scotland, on what was a lovely summer’s day,’ James wrote in an April X post ahead of the song’s release.

‘Letting go, I saw my true love and saviour in my mind’s eye. Primrose Hill is about getting the ball rolling with me & finding this person.’

Sir Paul also took to social media to promote his son’s song, as he said: ‘My son James has a new song out called Primrose Hill – check it out! And lots of love to Sean Ono Lennon who co-wrote the song.’

James has been involved in his father’s solo projects in the past, working on Flaming Pie and Driving Rain.

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In his own career, James previously released a four-track EP called Available Light in 2010, his debut album titled Me in 2013, and his latest work – The Blackberry Train – in 2016. Primrose Hill is his first release since then.

Meanwhile, Sean’s solo debut, Into the Sun, was released in 1998, while he also worked with Ono and formed a band, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.

He released Friendly Fire in October 2006 and went on tour with it.

In 2014, the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger released their most successful album titled Midnight Sun, and Sean went on to tour with the likes of the Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, Beck, and Florence and the Machine.

Fans were loving Primrose Hill, as pilatesadventure_ness took to James’ Instagram announcement and wrote: ‘Beautiful. You can certainly hear the influence of Paul and John, but it’s also your own sound. Love it.’

‘Now this is fantastic. I bet John is smiling from ear to ear and so happy. Life truly does come full circle. God Bless,’ commented Karen Cunningham.

‘Never thought I see another Lennon and McCartney original 🔥’ raved gi1pp.

To go alongside the release of Primrose Hill, James is holding a contest asking couples to submit videos between 1 to 3 minutes long which capture the ‘essence of love’ while showing their favourite location.

The competition says videos should show couples engaging in activities while Primrose Hill plays as the background music.

Each submission will be judged on creativity, emotional impact, visual appeal, and alignment with the theme.

If they win, couples will have the opportunity to feature in the official music video for Primrose Hill, with additional prizes including signed albums, exclusive merchandise, and personalised messages.

The deadline is in two days time on April 19.

Lennon welcomed two children before he was shot in 1980 outside his residence in New York City.

Sean is Lennon’s only child with Yoko, now 91. Lennon also welcomed Julian Charles John Lennon, 61, with ex-wife Cynthia Lennon.

Sir Paul is dad to fashion designer Stella McCartney, 52, filmmaker Mary McCartney, 54, and artist Heather McCartney, 61, who – alongside James – he shares with his late wife Linda McCartney.

Later in life Sir Paul welcomed Beatrice McCartney, 20, with ex-wife Heather Mills.

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