Download: Mississippi Man Mixtape

Entrance – “Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor” (From Wandering Stranger)
Guy’s cover of this classic is one of my favorites ever. The way his voice is sometimes off makes it so much more tangible. It doesn’t feel like someone recording in a studio but rather sounds like someone singing in your living room. The fact that Mississippi John Hurt is credited for first recording this song doesn’t hurt either.

Avi Buffalo – “What’s In It For?” (From Avi Buffalo)
This is a band that we’ve know for a few years now and they never cease to amaze us. This song is such a beautifully written song and Avi’s guitar playing is just incredible. I just got their debut LP and it’s wonderful. Definitely go see them if you get a chance!

The Growlers – “Soul Of Coral” (From Greatest Hits)
I remember going to a Growlers show at some awful dive bar in Fullerton a few years ago and thinking that this band was it. Turns out, I wasn’t far off and Brooks’ voice is still one of my favorites in town. Just make sure that if you’re going to take any psychedelics, you don’t venture into the front of their warehouse. You will be changed.

Grandaddy – “Crystal Lake” (From The Sophtware Slump)
Grandaddy has always been music I listen to by myself when I’m on a road trip. The best places to listen to it are on Highway 1 somewhere between San Luis Obispo and Monterey. You won’t regret it.

The Kinks – “Death Of A Clown” (From Something Else By The Kinks)
The simple melody and harmonies of this song are what make it for me. Dave and Ray Davies have the best talent for writing simple yet super effective songs that make you want more. I think a lot of bands could take examples from them.

Dark Dark Dark – “That Light” (From Love You, Bye.)
Gypsy. Pure and simple. I’ve heard they used to sail down the Mississippi and stop off at different places, set up, and play music. Gypsy.

The Seeds – “Can’t Seem To Make You Mine” (From The Seeds)
The bass and drums groove really hard in this song. And the guitar is super trebly which I think is perfect. It has such a different guitar part in it that I can never get enough of.

The Strange Boys – “Woe Is You And Me” (From The Strange Boys And Girls Club)
I’m usually not a big fan of the new garage genre but when I first heard the Strange Boys, I just really liked Ryan’s voice. He has a weird tone that I really dig. This song is a rad, high energy song that echoes some Dylan.

The Mumlers – “Red River Hustle” (From Thickets And Stiches)
This is a band that uses horns better than most any other band I’ve heard in a while. Their arrangements are really simple but their use of horns and some interesting beats make them a must-listen. Another band you have to see live to get the full experience.

The Rosewood Thieves – “Los Angeles” (From The Decker House EP)
We toured with them about a year ago now and during that time I gained a huge liking of their entire catalog. Their songs are really easy to have a drink and dance to which is always a good thing.

Velvet Underground – “After Hours” (From The Velvet Underground)
It’s so hard to pick a Velvet Underground song but they’ve been on constant rotation on my record player for so long that I had to put one on here. This song is a good one to end the mixtape on. Maureen Tucker’s singing is so innocent and child-like on this song that it’s impossible not to like.

But now the bands need a place to host this show. Can you come to the rescue? Help! Houses, venues, galleries, astral bodies, or boats, let this magical night be yours….Contact Daiana, if you can save this show from not happening.

Download: Mississippi Man “Ricochet”

(from The Snake Oil Salesman available now from Mississippi Man)

Mississippi Man is well on their way to releasing their second EP but first they’re testing out new tunes every Monday at their November residency at the Silverlake Lounge. In between writing songs and writing residency diaries, singer and guitarist David Knight speaks about how fast the band is moving and what he misses most about the deep South. This interview by Britt Witt.

How long have you been playing the harmonica?
David Knight (guitar/vocals): I’ve been playing the harmonica since I was 10 but I didn’t really figure out how to play until I was 17 or 18. So four or five years. I definitely don’t sit down and practice—I’m not that great of a harmonica player but I can get around alright!
Who writes your residency diaries?
David Knight: I wrote the first one. We’re actually doing a residency diary thing for webinfront.net. We write once a week. I’ll probably write most of them. It’s supposed to be a diary about the residency each night. I like to write—nothing professional but I do enjoy writing. I guess its one of my strong points. It’s just something I guess I’m good at that I don’t really use.
What kind of new songs are you playing?
David Knight: Actually, it’s kinda funny—most of the songs we are playing now aren’t actually on the Snake Oil Salesman EP. We write songs really quickly and that EP came out like six months ago, so most of our stuff is all new. I think we’re working on getting money to go in and record a new EP in January at Red Rocket’s Glare—that’s where we recorded the first one. We have two vocalists—me and Luke—and we usually write together. I think something kind of unique about our band is that we have two songwriters. Most bands will have one songwriter that will tell everyone what to do—which is cool too!—but I like the way that Luke and I can just get together. Right now we’re just selling the EP that we released earlier, and then we’re planning on having a limited run of vinyl for our next EP. A lot of bands now are kind of shunning CDs now because all CDs are good for nowadays is for people to take home and put on their computers and have it on their iPod. We know a bunch of people that just buy vinyl nowadays—including myself. I think if you like collecting music, vinyl is way cooler than having a little CD, you know?
Have you ever traveled to the deep South?
David Knight: Not a bunch of times but I’d say five or six times. I’ve been to pretty much all the states—Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia. Out of all the states, I think Georgia is probably my favorite—Georgia and Tennessee. I can’t really put my finger on why I like them. I went to school in Kentucky, which isn’t really the South—people that live there don’t say it’s the South but I say it’s the South because it’s South! I just wanted to get out of California for a bit. The people there are much different, I think—everything is much slower-paced. Here everything is going on at the same time—it’s crazy. But I love it here—I’ve lived in California for my whole life.
How did it happen that five guys from Orange County all like country blues? Who is your favorite blues musician?
David Knight: This is a hard one! If I had to pick one, it would probably be Skip James. But there are so many that I love—Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. And there’s a lot of different types of blues too, like there’s the Chicago blues which is the more electric stuff and then there’s the deep south stuff which is more acoustic. I like it all though. If I had to pick, I’d probably pick the Chicago. But that’s just because its more electric, I like that. As far as the feel of the music, I’d probably pick the southern blues. We have a lot of different influences, though. Blues is just one of our influences and then me and Luke listen to a lot of sixties like British pop—the Zombies and the Kinks. So it gives our music kind of a cool sound but sometimes it can be difficult to pick out what we want the song to be—what the finished product should be like. But I think it’s cool.

MISSISSIPPI MAN IN RESIDENCY EVERY MONDAY IN NOVEMBER AT THE SILVERLAKE LOUNGE, 2906 SUNSET BLVD., SILVERLAKE. FREE / 9 PM / 21+. TONIGHT MISSISSIPPI MAN PERFORM WITH THE FLING, MAKE MOON AND THE SILENT COMEDY. FOLDSILVERLAKE.COM. MISSISSIPPI MAN’S THE SNAKE OIL SALESMAN IS AVAILABLE NOW FROM THE BAND. MYSPACE.COM/MISSISSIPPIMANMUSIC.