Ventresco Axelrod & Foss live @ the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair

Here's the main reason why I made it to this year's Haight-Ashbury Street Fair:

On Friday night, the young ragtime/jugband singer/guitarist Meredith Axelrod gave me a call to let me know that she, Craig Ventresco and Bill Foss would be playing a short set on the Masonic stage. I had been awaiting a local opportunity to get some b-roll footage of Meredith playing with her jug band, and finally I had it. It tightened up my weekend schedule, but it was well worth it.

Consider this a sneak peek at my upcoming Parlour to Parlour series on Popdose. Meredith will actually be featured in the second episode, and some of the footage from today's set will be spliced in there somewhere. But here, for your pleasure, is a full performance of a hit tune from -- wait for it -- 1875! No, that's not a typo. "Carve Dat Possum", according to Wikipedia, was written by Sam Lucas, and was "very popular" in its day.

This tune does not feature Meredith playing her jug, but it does include Bill on Mandolin and Craig (who has a humorous little quip at the end of the tune) on guitar. Since Meredith's vocals aren't clearly audible in some spots, here are the lyrics to "Carve Dat Possum." Someday I gotta try this dish:

Possum meat is good an' sweet
Carve him to de heart,
I always finds it good to eat,
Carve him to de heart.

Chorus:
Carve dat possum!
Carve dat possum!
Carve dat possum!
Oh charve 'im to de heart!

I retch up an' pull him in,
Carve him to de heart,
Dat ol' possum 'gin to grin,
Carve him to de heart,

De way I cooked dat possum sound,
Carve him to de heart,
I fust parboiled, den baked him brown
Carve him to de heart,
I put sweet potaters in de pan,
Carve him to de heart,
De sweetest meat in all de lan'
Carve him to de heart.

Steve Taylor live @ the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair

I was rushing on my way out of the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair when I turned the corner onto Cole Street and saw this dude singing and playing an electric piano in a shady spot next to some port-a-potties. The cover of his CD sitting atop his keyboard caught my eye, and it was just enough for me to realize: holy shit, it's Steve Taylor!

I gave his album Has the Size of the Road Got the Better of You a mostly favorable review in last September's issue of West Coast Performer Magazine, being that I really dug his early '70s pop style. His piano playing and voice were unmistakable, and of all the places to find him, there he was, next to some johns as opposed to getting paid to play on one of the main stages. This injustice better be corrected next year!

Steve graciously allowed me to tape him (yes, I just so happened to have my camera on me, how convenient). Here he his performing his song "Felicity," which is the second tune on the above mentioned album. Enjoy!