Casey Van Beek and the Tulsa Groove have donned masks and socially distanced themselves to create their own episode of Working From Home, the streaming series sponsored by Little Village Foundation and the Arhoolie Foundation. This episode features Casey Van Beek on bass and vocals, Tulsa Groove members Jared Tyler on acoustic guitar and backing vocals, Seth Lee Jones on slide guitar and guest Jake Lynn on drums and backing vocals.
The Tulsa Groove is a clutch of gifted musicians who have played with music icons including Leonard Cohen, Eric Clapton, Linda Ronstadt, and Bonnie Raitt. They weren’t thinking in terms of the Top 40 on the Americana charts when they gathered to play. They just wanted to make the music they loved.
But that’s why the unique, nonprofit record company, Little Village Foundation, is around—to seek out quality music that is in danger of being overlooked. The result was the CD, Heaven Forever, and not only has it been on the Americana charts for several months, it has garnered praise like this: “The sultry, laid-back Tulsa groove — familiar to so many of us by way of JJ Cale and Eric Clapton records — is as resilient as ever…Settle back in and enjoy.”
Vintage Guitar applauded in its coverage (and will be presenting a video soon), Bluegrass Situation was pleased to premiere a track, and roots music fans from as far away as Europe reached out and cheered, along with blues and (Grateful) Dead Head websites.
It’s real American music, and people are enjoying it thoroughly. For more information about Casey (vocals, bass), Walt Richmond (producer, various instruments) and the rest of the Groove, as well as the record company, go to www.littlevillagefoundation.com
The Working From Home series has presented i-phone recorded live shows representing Mariachi, blues, Hindi-blues, gospel, Tex-Mex, and Cajun styles and is surely the most diverse series around. The musicians get to play, and you get to reward them; a true win-win.
Again, that’s www.littlevillagefoundation.com or www.arhoolie.org. and the episode becomes available on both of those web sites beginning on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.
In these very strange times, more than ever, people need music.
