Various Chicago One Stop: Staff picks Vol. 1
Aestuarium ringleader Jamie Hodge put on his Indiana Jones socks and searched out blazing funk […]
Aestuarium ringleader Jamie Hodge put on his Indiana Jones socks and searched out blazing funk hidden under Midwest soil. The gems he uncovered are presented as a triple 7″ wax pack. Hot damn, what gems they are! Joey Irving sounds like a falsetto-rocking Timmy Thomas. The beeping organ opening on “What’s the Use” stirs ears into hypnotic motion. Wayne Carter is a cat that’s been rocking his Hammond at the Holiday Inn for 35 years-his two fiery blues burners leave tears shuffling down cheeks in dancing shoes. Finally, Sugar Hill is a heavy combo led by a 14-year-old wailing her heart out over soulful grooves. Why these songs never became R&B classics will baffle any open ears. Chicago One Stop is a testament to how much utterly funky, unheard music sits collecting dust across America. Now if only Jamie would turn us on to his record-digging sites.