Wanna Be Basquiat

One-woman band Surma image-checks Jean-Michel Basquiat and takes dystopia to new levels in this tune and video.

When the Levee Breaks

An old Led Zeppelin classic has been refigured for the present. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the original inspiration for the song by Kansas Joe McCoy and Mephis Minnie. Led Zeppelin brought the song back to the public consciousness with a roar.
Here, in a brand-new version, John Paul Jones of the Led Zeppelin heads a group of musicians, Playing for Change, who recast the tune with the inundations climate changge will be bringing.
If the song and video goes viral, we’ll never hear the opening drum beats the same way again.
In a cool moment just about a minute into the video, Stephen Perkins loses the mallet end of a drumstick. I had to look twice to catch it, it happens so quickly, and the editor shifts to another musician. The organization, recording and editing behind a recording like this is a massive task.
By the way, Playing For Change has become one of my favorite international gathering of musicians. They have a raft of tunes to sample. Just type “playing for change” into your search engine.

If it keeps on rainin’, levee’s goin’ to break
If it keeps on rainin’, levee’s goin’ to break
When the levee breaks, I’ll have no place to stay