Tedeschi Trucks Band Openers at Sunshine Music Festival

[Feature image courtesy of Rick Munroe from the 2018 Sunshine Music Festival in Boca Raton]

In addition to their own outstanding music and the Allman Brothers Band songs they incorporate in their setlists, Tedeschi Trucks Band have always had a knack for selecting amazing covers from across musical genres and time periods.

For five years, two of the first TTB performances each year were at the band’s own curated Sunshine Music Festival, one in Boca Raton and the other in St. Petersburg during the middle weekend of January. At the shows at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg, the band always chose the set opener carefully.

For their set 2014, the band selected the title track from the recently released album Made Up Mind, TTB’s second studio album. The 2017 edition began with “Laugh About It,” a track from their third studio album, Let Me Get By, issued in August of 2016. 

 

The other three openers bear further discussion. In 2015, TTB blasted off with “Are You Ready,” a killer track from Sly and the Family Stone’s sophomore effort, the amazing Dance to the Music, simply overloaded with great music, including the title track, “Higher,” and the titanic “Dance to the Medley: Music is Alive > Dance In > Music Lover.” (Not many 12-minute funk tracks back in 1968.)

“Are You Ready” fits perfectly into that groove, with the call-and-response vocals of males asking “Are you ready?” and the females responding in kind. The song is tailor-made for Susan Tedeschi, Mike Mattison, and Micky Rivers. This is Sly and the Family Stone through and through, especially in the lyrics. This video comes from the 2016 Beacon run.

Are you ready (are you ready)?
Are you ready (are you ready)?

Don’t hate the black
Don’t hate the white

If you get bit
Just hate the bite
Make sure your heart is beatin’ right

How’s your backbone
How’s your eye?
Add some bottom on mighty tight

Groovy people how do you do?
Let me dedicate my fuzz to you, wooh

Are you ready (are you ready)?
Are you ready (are you ready)?

Are you ready (are you ready)?
Are you ready (are you ready)?

 

In 2016, TTB chose a tune Betty Harris recorded in 1969 called “There’s a Break in the Road.” It was her 15th and last single in a career that began in 1962 and peaked early with a hit cover of Solomon Burke’s “Cry to Me.” In 1964, she changed labels to Sansu and began working with Allen Toussaint, the author of the song. She was a true soul belter, but she retired in 1970; she did return to some performing in the middle 2000s.

“There’s a Break in the Road” features her incendiary vocals. Most women you have heard cover this song adopt her approach. The drums are completely badass, and the feedback throughout is fascinating. It’s another perfect vehicle for Susan Tedeschi in the same vein as “”I Pity the Fool” and “Little by Little.” She has been covering this song since before she recorded it on her 2008 album Back to the River.  This video features Harris with TTB from 2015!

Everybody find they own thing and I guess you think you found yours
Your new thing’s supposed to burn so hot, nothing like it ever before
Like the last year’s model you put me down, handled me like a used car
And when you misuse the one that’s been so good to you I don’t believe you get far

’Cause there’s a break in the road, there’s a break in every road
I got mine, you’ll get yours, there’s a break in every road
You just dog me around, treat me like dirt, you don’t care how much I hurt
But there’s a break in the road, there’s a break in every road

You were the only man who could turn me on and make a bad girl out of me
Made me do things I never dreamed of now you want to set me free
Out in the cold I’m left alone while you galavant with your new girl
Down worry lane you tell them all like you ain’t got a care in the world

But there’s a break in the road, there’s a break in every road
I got mine, you’ll get yours, there’s a break in every road
Riding high with your bad self but it’s the woman that carry the load
I’m gonna tell ya, there’s break in every road

There’s a few things you don’t understand about life and the things you do
Same game you ran on me, somebody’s gonna run it on you
And there are newcomers gonna pull that heart, gonna wash away all of my  tears
Well you need a new pair of windshield wipers ’cause you’re not seeing things too clear

But there’s a break in the road, there’s a break in every road
I got mine, you get yours, there’s a break in every road

 

The final year of the Sunshine Music Festival (2018) found TTB starting their set with a brilliant song from the best Stevie Wonder album you might not know (yet), Music of My Mind. This was the 1972 album that started a string of five stunning recordings (with Talking Book, Innervisions, Fullfillingness’ First Finale, and Song in the Key of Life). Wonder plays ALL the instruments and handles ALL the vocals, except for one guitar solo and a trombone solo on the track TTB selected: “Love having You Around.”

The vibe is incredible, another magical selection for this incredible band to cover. When Tedeschi began singing, “Every day I want to fly my kite, And every day I want to fly my kite, And every day I want to get on my camel an’ ride, Uh yeah” my brain went into orbit. WOW! You KNOW the band crushed this one! This link is for the entire St. Pete show (credit to Garran Petrie)!

Please
(Mama, mama, mama)
Mama, mama, baby
Baby, baby, baby, oh mm
(Mama, mama, mama)
(Baby, baby, baby)

Every day I want to fly my kite
And every day I want to fly my kite
And every day I want to get on my camel an’ ride
Uh yeah

Every day I want to shake your hand (yeah, yeah, yeah)
For in the world makin’ me a better man
An’ every day I want to get on my camel an’ ride
(On my camel ride, on my camel)
Oh baby

And when the day is through
Nothin’ to do, I sit around groovin’ with you
And I say it ’cause I love having you around
And I say it ’cause I love having you around, Yeah

Everyday I wanna be your friend, (be your friend)
‘Cause you have stuck with me through thick and thin
An’ every day I want a smile in your lovely brown eyes
(Smile at your lovely brown eyes)
Oh yeah

Every day I’m gonna give my share,
‘Cause I know your gonna take me there, (hey, hey)
An’ every day I want to get on my camel an’ ride, uh
(Get on my camel)

Uh, and when the day is done
Nothin’ to do, spend all my time just loving you
An’ I say it ’cause I love having you around, mm baby
And I say it ’cause I love, oh having you around
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Mm, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

An’ in the end I know you’ll be with me
‘Cause you made my soul so free, (so everyday)
An’ every day I want to get on my camel an’ ride
(On my camel)
Eh, yeah

And when the day is through
Nothin’ to do, spend all my time just lovin’ you
An’ I say it ’cause I love yeah having you around
(Love having you around)
And I say it ’cause I love having you around yeah, yeah, yeah
An’ I say it ’cause I love having you around (having you around baby)
And I say it ’cause I love -can’t you hear me people?- (having you around)
Can’t you hear me people? Oh no
(And I say it ’cause I love having you around)
Can’t you hear me say it?
Can’t you hear me say it baby?
And I say it ’cause I love having you around
(An’ I say it, I say it, oh baby, baby, baby baby, baby)

Baby, baby baby (say it, say it, say it)
Baby, I say it ’cause I love having you around (say it, say it baby)
An’ I say it ’cause I love (say it, keep saying, say it again)
Having you around (say it, say it, just say it, say it, baby)
An’ I say it ’cause I love (say it, an’ I keep saying it, I keep saying it)
Having you around (yeah, yeah)
(And thank God, for the one you love)
I love having you around (thank God, for the one you love)
An’ I say it ’cause I love (thank God, for the one you love)
I love it, no, no my baby, baby, funky, funky, funky, yeah
(Let me play, we just say, let me play)

And when the day is done (yeah)
Nothin’ to do, spend all my time making loving you
An’ I say it ’cause I love having you around (having you around)
An’ I say it ’cause I love having you around
An’ I say it ’cause I love having you around (my baby)
An’ I say it ’cause I love having you around
An’ I say it ’cause I love having you around
Baby stay stay right here, need you here, keep you right here
An’ I say it ’cause I love having you around

alright
Ain’t got the words

The preceding has been put here on tape
To let you all know
That I say it to her because I love her,
Can you dig it? Can you get to that?
Even when she’s messin’ around
He likes having her around even when she’s messing around

Which is very often, that’s what she’s doing

 

 

 

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