Blake Mills

A couple more recent podcast appearances by Blake on his own (am glad that I was recently hipped to Pablo Held via his interview only a few weeks ago with Chris Weisman, who gets appropriately bigged up at a certain point here): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ4r60YFacc

...and Guitar Moderne, who I'm glad have made the move to posting video interviews since I've enjoyed their old-school blog/website print interviews w/ adventurous guitarists in jazz and beyond for a while now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CTwGbXkw0o

enjoying this record but Just Wrong is by far the standout. And I wish that Chris Dave beat on it lasted a little longer than four bars but I guess that's the concept lol

As far as Blake, ingenious guitar player, once in a generation, and of the type that I feel a little like the universe doesn't even quite know what to do with. Surprisingly good songwriter for an instrumentalist of his stature but still not a *great* songwriter, like hasn't quite reached that Hendrix level of being able to write a really good single that's also a guitar vehicle (although If I'm Unworthy is a pretty decent stab at it).

I also feel like he gets kind of put in the American Roots/Blues festival music box because that's the box he can be marketed in, and it's a really boring box and I wish there was a better place for him to fit. Like his playing style is not overly reverent, and I wish the same was true of the total package he is sold as, if that makes sense.

I think he could be marketed better in jazz or experimental electronica circles. I know he doesn’t fit either but there’s enough sound design to fit better in there than in the roots/blues circles. He’s closer to say Brian Eno than Jeff Tweedy at least on record.

Yeah. The new record does kind of seem like it's pushing in that direction -- no "hey man you like Elmore James?" vibes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri-pr4Egzng

love this new track, pretty tremendous extended guitar solo. looking forward to the new album, which is a collaboration with chris weisman (a pairing that makes a whole lot of sense)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGIt3EL1He8

i feel pretty optimistic about this album

nice

gives me a little of a milton nascimento vibe (other than the understated singing)

pretty wonderful record

I put it on quietly yesterday morning and it seems extremely juicy, looking forward to spending some time with it.

One listen so far. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting a continuation from Mutable Set but that’s what this. After his first two albums I find it interesting how much he’s settled into this very subdued kind of sound. He likes to meander and simmer. I like it, but as with Mutable Set I definitely need a few more listens.

I've been absolutely obsessed with this LP. So, so deep musically. Can't decide between Mutable Set and this. They're both stunning.

It has a song called “Wendy Melvoin”?

Apparently she plays some guitar on the record.

Cool!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPVw3sFaVKY

Great deep dive on the Pablo Held podcast for the new LP!

Absolutely absurd...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N77uVZSdLRE

Yeah these live duo versions are really nice...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB4j4dqa_JU

^Thanks for the share. Man, "Unsingable" is gorgeous!

He was part of the “Brandi Carlile and Friends” concert at Hollywood Bowl over the weekend. She brought him out and he played what I believe is a new song —
It has a line something like “things are always clearer when everything’s fucked”. It was just him and his guitar, plus a drummer and Brandi singing backing vocals.

I am really not one to be awed by a “virtuosic” guitarist… but I am in awe of Black Mills. His technique was brilliant and he was so locked in with the drummer. I don’t know how to explain it but his way of playing just exposed how much space there is within a measure of music. He was so effortless and unpredictable, yet the song itself was very muted and relaxed. And can I just say there were 16,000 there—and none of them came to see Blake Mills do one of his own songs—but they were rapt watching him play. The confidence he had to play so quietly in front of such a massive crowd! He was impressive.

Found it, of course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvC3jlZ8ftk

While I’m at it, major props to Brandi Carlile who has to be one of the most generous and egoless performers I’ve seen. This was her show and she brought out guest after guest and just allowed each person to showcase themselves. She never once tried to insert herself into anyone’s performance beyond some basic backing vocals. And even when Joni Mitchell came out, she just seemed totally concerned that Joni was taken care of, everything else came second.

Unsingable is a real tune isn’t it? Love that rendition above

Thanks pgwp, that's great. That's "Press My Luck" off Jelly Road btw.

I was listening to his first interview on Pablo Held's podcast, where he goes through the Pino Palladino album, and he took great pains to say how uncomfortable he is in any "jazz" context, how he barely understood the chord structures on that record (his chord parts when they played live were just upper extensions, not the actual chord being split up among different instruments). Obv he's being humble but the whole thing was really interesting, and it was nice to go back to that record.

I went back to Jelly Road this morning and connected with it more deeply than I had earlier this year, though it’s still my least favorite of his. And I realized that, yes, “Press My Luck” was there all along.