To encourage social distancing we created a list of blues documentaries (and a James Baldwin collection) you can watch right now for free! I’ll be creating more lists as I find more. I have not watched majority of these in full and plan to over the next weeks. If folks are interested we can have […]
Blues Documentaries for Social Distancing! Read More »
When we think of the Blues the first places that come to mind are always the delta and Chicago. And although that’s not wrong, Blues music was played regionally in many parts of the country. One place with a rich Blues history is California, with the creation of West Coast Blues. This blues has a
Today I often hear complaints from older adults about “the youth” and their music. Today’s music is so dirty! Let’s take off our nostalgic glasses and look at some Hokum blues. What is Hokum Blues? Hokum, a term that is debated on it’s origins, is a style or performance, where the distishgishing factors are sexual
it’s never about food Read More »
The current artist series to combat to popular myths that blues is dead, or that it is no longer Black. Obsidian has picked 5 artists of varying ages to highlight, all with very different sounds. Artists that can still be found today! Consider checking them out, buying a CD and adding them to your que
5 current blues artists you should know : part 2 Read More »
Music is the heartbeat of Black American culture. Right up there with church, and dancing. I LOVE all of the music that has come out of our culture. I always find it a bit distressing when people who dance to our music say “I love blues but I’m not really into hip hop/rap” or ”
So, you love blues but not Hip Hop (Soul, R&B, Funk, or other Black musics) Hm. Read More »
5 current blues artists you should know Most fan of blues know of the classic artists of the genre, think BB king, Robert Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson, and Koko Taylor. Many blues fans also know of their local favorites but don’t know the current, young and talented blues musicians around. When many of us think
5 Living Blues Artists You Should Know Read More »
Blues is an old genre of music and often, with our current ears and sensibilities, some songs’ content sounds creepy, in poor taste, or even simply dark. It happens so often that I have a playlist of songs that I only share with others in very specific contexts. To be honest, I’ve felt mildly ashamed
“Good Morning Little School Girl” – Creepy or Sweet Read More »
EDITORS NOTE: This is one of the first articles by Obsidian Tea from before it was even named that. With the shift over to the new site, it had been lost to time. Besides some light edits enjoy some vintage Obsidian Tea about Ma Rainey and keep learning about her. I’m honored to be starting
Ma Rainey- One of the Famous Blues Women Read More »
Often when we think of Piedmont leaves we think of West Virginia’s hills and men. The simple fact is Blues is not only men’s music. The women play their own Blues just like the men did. A slight difference comes into how they approach that music. The woman’s Blues is lighter was a slight
A short Video on Women in Piedmont Read More »