@ The Echoplex

1154 Glendale Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90026



The son of the great R&B bandleader Johnny Otis, singer/multi-instrumentalist Shuggie Otis was surrounded by a dazzling blend of influences when he was growing up a wunderkind guitarist. But Shuggie ultimately outdistanced even his dad by virtually inventing his own soulfully groovy form of R&B in the '60s and '70s, creating a kind of psychedelic pop that proved an obvious inspiration many years later for Prince and Lenny Kravitz. A song like "Strawberry Letter 23," from Otis' landmark 1971 album, Freedom Flight, still sounds fresh today, as the singer walks merrily through a blissful garden of bell-like chimes and flurries of intricately whirling, almost proglike guitar. The reclusive musician rarely performs, which makes tonight's gig a very special occasion.

— By Falling James

Price: $25

http://www.voiceplaces.co...1937003-e/

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

This sounds heavenly.

Unfortunately I won't be able to make it tonight.

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

I was listening to Freedom Flight and Inspiration Information earlier today. I hope at least a review of this gig turns up online somewhere.

...

I was just about to ask if you were catchin' it...

...

Too much work tonight.

And yeah, hopefully there'll be a decent review by somebody tomorrow.

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

Bring it 2 Seattle!!!!

Any word about his elusive "Magic" song(the outtake from Inspiration Information)?

I remember some talk about the song being released via Epic records back in april with a deluxe edition of the album, but true to form, nothing came out of it - unless I'm missing something.

Shuggie Otis
The Echoplex
12-5-12

I have a couple of words for those who staggered out of the Shuggie Otis show less than an hour into the proceedings, politely holding the door for the like-minded strangers streaming behind them: Screw you. What did you show up expecting to see? Did you want to hear a barrage of 40 year-old hits played by a preserved soul legend? Or something approaching reality? Did you want a set that pulled together influences both new and old with an emphasis on a long-term legacy with a nod towards the ticket-buying public? Or a soulful time capsule that bowed to songs that 90% of the audience wasn't alive to appreciate when they first hit the airwaves?

Shuggie Otis is Los Angeles music royalty. His father, Johnny Otis, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 90, was an R&B legend who helped bring the world Etta James and the Hand Jive while his father-in-law, Gerald Wilson, is an encyclopedia of the most important developments in jazz since 1939. Shuggie's performance last night hovered somewhere amid the past the future, acknowledging his soulful heritage while dipping into a blues-drenched familiarity that united father, son and holy ghost.

Otis is now 59 and has only released 4 LPS, unofficially announcing his retirement before the age of 25. The Brothers Johnson covered "Strawberry Letter No. 23" in 1977, solidifying Otis' closest claim to a radio hit. Since then he has lived a life of obscurity and a couple of failed comeback attempts.

Har Mar Superstar had this tweet less than an hour into the show:

@harmarsuperstar: RT if the Shuggie Otis show ruined your life tonight.

Ruined your life? Why? Cause he didn't play Strawberry Letter No. 23 for twenty minutes? Or because he wrestled with a faulty amplifier?

For much of the first half hour, Otis stood with his back to the stage, fiddling with a giant stack of amplifiers. He addressed the crowd a couple of times, blaming his underwhelming performance on a poor guitar sound. It seemed like a cop out. He even interrupted a tune midway to announce "You should get your money back." This is the last thing a paying audience wants to hear and, indeed, at this point it felt like all was lost. Had Otis left the stage at that point, the crowd would have quietly walked off. But he didn't.

For the full review: http://blogs.laweekly.com...5_2012.php

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

Got my ticket to see Shuggie in Brighton (UK) on the 10th of May. Really looking forward to this!

theAudience said:

Shuggie Otis
The Echoplex
12-5-12

I have a couple of words for those who staggered out of the Shuggie Otis show less than an hour into the proceedings, politely holding the door for the like-minded strangers streaming behind them: Screw you. What did you show up expecting to see? Did you want to hear a barrage of 40 year-old hits played by a preserved soul legend? Or something approaching reality? Did you want a set that pulled together influences both new and old with an emphasis on a long-term legacy with a nod towards the ticket-buying public? Or a soulful time capsule that bowed to songs that 90% of the audience wasn't alive to appreciate when they first hit the airwaves?

Shuggie Otis is Los Angeles music royalty. His father, Johnny Otis, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 90, was an R&B legend who helped bring the world Etta James and the Hand Jive while his father-in-law, Gerald Wilson, is an encyclopedia of the most important developments in jazz since 1939. Shuggie's performance last night hovered somewhere amid the past the future, acknowledging his soulful heritage while dipping into a blues-drenched familiarity that united father, son and holy ghost.

Otis is now 59 and has only released 4 LPS, unofficially announcing his retirement before the age of 25. The Brothers Johnson covered "Strawberry Letter No. 23" in 1977, solidifying Otis' closest claim to a radio hit. Since then he has lived a life of obscurity and a couple of failed comeback attempts.

Har Mar Superstar had this tweet less than an hour into the show:

@harmarsuperstar: RT if the Shuggie Otis show ruined your life tonight.

Ruined your life? Why? Cause he didn't play Strawberry Letter No. 23 for twenty minutes? Or because he wrestled with a faulty amplifier?

For much of the first half hour, Otis stood with his back to the stage, fiddling with a giant stack of amplifiers. He addressed the crowd a couple of times, blaming his underwhelming performance on a poor guitar sound. It seemed like a cop out. He even interrupted a tune midway to announce "You should get your money back." This is the last thing a paying audience wants to hear and, indeed, at this point it felt like all was lost. Had Otis left the stage at that point, the crowd would have quietly walked off. But he didn't.

For the full review: http://blogs.laweekly.com...5_2012.php

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

Ouch...

Shuggie Otis was a guitar wunderkind?

How so? Anyways, I've always thought his unsung hero-ness

was a tad bit overrated.

duccichucka said:

Shuggie Otis was a guitar wunderkind?

How so? Anyways, I've always thought his unsung hero-ness

was a tad bit overrated.

Get the F*** outta here wit that shit!!! When he did those albums he was a kid, so yeah he was a wunderkind on the guitar and proficient on several other instuments. People love to tear another down when they're trying to get their thing on.

sunlite said:

duccichucka said:

Shuggie Otis was a guitar wunderkind?

How so? Anyways, I've always thought his unsung hero-ness

was a tad bit overrated.

Get the F*** outta here wit that shit!!! When he did those albums he was a kid, so yeah he was a wunderkind on the guitar and proficient on several other instuments. People love to tear another down when they're trying to get their thing on.

I don't think Frank Zappa would ask him to play for him if he was indeed overrated without any depth or substanse to his talent.

But the man is known only among internet browsers and serious music lover, how the hell is he overrated?

[Edited 12/8/12 3:21am]

He aint overrated...He's getting the props he deserves.

Shuggie Otis' efforts are frustrated at Echoplex

Shuggie Otis plays at Echoplex in a rare appearance, ahead of a reissue of "Inspiration Information," but has amp trouble. The performance never gains momentum.

Sometimes things fall apart. It's an unfortunate part of the deal. Just because music happens doesn't always mean it happens right, on schedule or as planned. Feedback happens. Budding genius is quashed by forces outside of one's control.

Unfortunately, Shuggie Otis at the Echoplex on Wednesday never really got going. Even if the efforts were often valiant, a bum amp and an uncertain performance hobbled the underground soul legend's return.

The hurdles proved so obstructive that at one point he stopped playing a song midway through as the band was trying to build momentum and said, "If this show don't start now I'm outta here. You should get your money back." He was noticeably upset; this was a hometown crowd, and members of his family were attending.

Otis is, after all, part of the DNA of Los Angeles music, a member of a family whose patriarch, the late Johnny Otis, helped invent rhythm & blues in Los Angeles. The son, a prodigious guitarist who joined his father's band at age 12 and went on to play with, among many others, Etta James, Frank Zappa and Bobby Bland, is best known for "Strawberry Letter #23," the song that funk band the Brothers Johnson took to the charts in 1977.

But to a whole different demographic, Shuggie is the creator of "Inspiration Information," the bedroom funk classic from 1974 that features quiet, introspective jams that live in that sweet world where Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder collide. Made when Otis was in his early 20s, it's a nearly perfect record, and is being reissued by Sony in 2013. This rare appearance was a way of teasing the release.

Otis understands this, and he and his seven-piece band — which featured percussion, keyboard, brass, bass and guitar — attempted to focus on that work from the start. The troubles began before the first note rang, though, as the singer and guitarist, 59, spent a torturous 15 minutes fiddling with a refrigerator-size guitar amp before finally kicking into the title track from "Inspiration Information."

Things were definitely not right, even if the polyrhythmic funk workout offered a little relief — as did a nice rendition of the trippy "Aht Uh Mi Hed."

From there, things collapsed over a rough, unendurable period in which his band pushed onward while Otis, his back to the audience, worked on his amp. His guitar sounded like it was being tortured as he tried to solo, his oft-graceful blues runs drowned by noise. Every hint of momentum was denied.

Songs we wanted to love, delivered by an artist many of us loved and had waited years to see, died in front of us. He and the band did salvage the evening for a nice version of "Strawberry Letter," but it wasn't enough. It's a testament to Shuggie's hold on people that the crowd, though confused, urged him forward at every turn. And politely applauded when they had every right to revolt.

In the end, Otis and band delivered enough to make a case against refunds — but just barely.

Blame? Who knows? One fan audibly suggested that this stuff should have been addressed at sound check. Maybe, but so what? Failure strikes at the best, and would-be feats of flight have been known to crash before they get a chance to soar.

http://www.latimes.com/en...4830.story

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records