Sierra Center Stage; The Ford Brothers

Welcome to Sierra setter's recorded live in a big room at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico California featuring intimate performances and interviews with legendary masters of our city. You say. This week Sierra center stage features an incredible performance from the Ford brothers as Mark had and Robin electrified the stage with their brand of blues rock. Music A. Blues guitar you think of Freddy Aubrey and you think of Robin. When you think of the harp you think of sonny. You think a brownie. You take up the Walther's big a little and you think of Mark. You know when you think of drummers you think the same way you think of Pat Ford and when you take up the big package you think of the band known as the Ford brothers blues man. And I give to you now.

Are you still going to be. So so. Cold.

9.

9. 9. 9.

9. 9. 9.

9. 9 on. Mark. And I really we're close. You know when we were kids we shared the same room you know and a lot of connection that's you know

only siblings can have. And he gets such a kick out of what's going on around him you know. And that's kind of infectious. Mark's a very cool guy. And the thing about Rob and his music is somewhat hard. We had bedrooms you know next to each other and you could hear Robin in there in the middle of the night working on a song. It would just be in his head he couldn't he'd have to work on it to get it out of his head and go to sleep or there'd be some Bloomfield licks on the way had to know how to do it. He's working on an entirely. Fine tune

don't you. Go on for an hour

on you

have to can you

in other. Words. Bring it. Back from. A position ship it is almost unparalleled as a young teenager to play with Miles Davis who played with Joni Mitchell. He's played with George Harrison all three of those performers require him to play totally completely different styles and yet he was accepted at that level on each of those styles. But when he plays with his brothers. He plays with Patton mark. Though

he's a 50 year old veteran of the guitar who has played with the masters. What you're seeing is a little kid playing guitar in Ukiah once again and it shows the watch as they watch themselves on stage the three of them lock eyes with each other and they've gone home again and they're just playing the blues and it's wonderful to watch. Can you. See. My own dreams. Do somebody a man

can be an evil. Man. Rather than me.

He. Can. Be I mean. You can. Don't.

Know. You can do. Own. 9.

9. 9. 9. 9 9 in

the. Town. You can.

I. Can be around. Every Sunday even you can see. Me. Using. Your.

I'm. You. Know. I'm. Not you I'm you your

eyes you. Get. To. Me. You.

Really want to. Write a record that was not a blues record. I wanted to write a record that was you know a little more open conceptually which I'm happy to say. It did turn out that way. But the very first thing Michael said was I've got this idea for a kind of a blues. And he explained he had the title nothing nothing and nobody. Talked about you know what he was thinking about. That's my first thought was you know I don't write a blues with Mike McDonald to write something else. But we just we decided to just run with it you know. And I actually came up with the first line of the song and I'm a father to my children my husband my wife Michael said seems I've been something to

somebody every day in my life. And I said this is part of the master plan. And he said it don't do much to preserve a man. And then I'd like to see what it feels like to be nothing and nobody. Literally went like that we traded lines and that first verse was like we wrote two minutes just like that. And then you know we kind of got down into it and started tossing lines around and it's literally I've never written a song like that before where I mean it just went back and forth. Couldn't believe it was great. And it wound up going on the album when I wake up in the morning. My bedroom over there I turn and look out and I'm looking out into my garden and I woke up one morning and I rolled over and looked out and it was just this beautiful sunny morning. And then I looked over I looked at Cheryl and she was laying there with a smile on her face she was still asleep smile on her face. And then the song starts woke up this morning looked at my baby she gave me a great big smile she didn't smile

but it rolled out of bed and said We go outside a little while and a song just goes on and as I sat down to start to write it because I just went here's this song. Then it was just it was just fun writing it. I only had a few things I had to work for. You know what else what else is just fun and wonderful about my life. Taking a ride in my MGB. You know the top is down the wind blowing through my hair. The words were just coming without even having to think about it. It was I think the worst of that song really kind of sums up my life. You know it's it's going to be another fine day isn't there. I'm not saying things don't get tough. Sometimes I feel I've had enough. Most days everything's going. To be great

to see you. Do you do. You. You said you

were too. YOUNG TO DO. YOU ARE GOING TO LEARN TO BE YOU.

You don't have to be willing. To actually do

this. To. Most players today have a choice of tone sailor tone or they use

sort of the Chicago sound or the Mississippi saxophone sound that has a deep rich tone to it. Mark takes it to the next level which shouldn't surprise us. Mark uses facts music qualities that can give it a bell like tone a lovely almost a flute like tone and then used in contrast with the acoustic to Chicago and the effects sound gives you a sound is totally unique to him. It was obvious that Mark was going to be just like Robin and Mark and play a lot of instruments and play them well. I mean he's I think he's I think he's an incredible songwriter. I mean I think Mark is just as bad as Rob is only one key thing

for me to be an other thing

for the

for. My. Poor parents I really refrain from using the harmonica guitars and everybody coming over and every band rehearsing there in our garage or our living room. My brother Steve when he was he was the oldest brother he was a really good singer and he just loved music and so when when he was there he was always instigating something happening even if he wasn't involved. You

know he just loved hearing it. And yeah my parents pride. I look back and it's not like me with my house today where I have a music room separate from the house where my son could go out and beat and the rest of us could live in peace and quiet lives. You know he had it easy in my household there were three of us boys making noise and we all had our own record players playing music. He was kind of like a little kid. He really was maybe as far I guess some like youthful certainties but he acted like I remember going to Disneyland with him once when he was you know like 60 something and he was more of a child than any of us. I mean the way he is running around doing the Haunted Mansion you know when he was just like was really like a big kid so he was so proud. You know when we called our band the Charles Ford van and when he'd come to the shows he was like God you know he just He'd come in and and the boys and everybody wanted to meet Charles horn. So I know it was

really special for him. He was very proud. To us. Chris's family because he has not only respect what we have done and respect where he's done because we just think he's as bad as he gets. Honestly I mean if you ask me who I think is the baddest blues cat on the planet today straight up cannot in the face blues. And I'm going to say Chris Cain that's not slight in any of the other guys. But if I got to pick one I'm going to say Chris. And so not only is there that equal respect but there's just a familial thing. There's just something about how we both know what it is and where we came from and how we got there and just one thing

when. You don't in

you were hearing the blueprint for the first time was completely cathartic kind of experience. I was playing guitar. I had my own small group you know old school band junior high school I think I was probably in junior high and I first heard that record and the Prior to that it was the Beatles and The Rolling Stones. I had been drawn more towards the R&B you know when I heard it always but when I heard the Butterfield Blues Band I mean it was so powerful so

powerful to be hearing guys really playing the heck out of their instruments which you didn't really hear without bands. You know so much they weren't so much great players as you know great concepts and good songwriters and some good singers but these guys are playing you know the guitar and the blues harmonica in a way that was shocking and that for me that's where I got my direction as a guitar player certainly. And I would have to say musically if it continually resurfaces no matter where I go from you know in my musical journey it always comes back to that in some way for you. To.

Hear you. You are. Going to hear me for you. Do you

do. That.

Me. Me Me Me Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me

me. Me. To experience more of the art center stage visit Sierra center stage dot

com for additional interviews and performances Plus a schedule of upcoming television shows and performances. So you are at center stage dad. Next year are center stage four brothers and a blues reunion of the original family band featuring Marc Ford on harmonica that Ford on drums and guitars. Robin. A. BBC World News is brought to you by W Y W New York

funding for this presentation has been provided by the Freeman Foundation of New York Stowe Vermont and Honolulu. The Newman's own foundation and the John D and Catherine team MacArthur Foundation. The former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko apparently poisoned in London has died college in Baghdad at an indefinite curfew follows the worst violence in three years. Grief and anger in Lebanon. The burial of your mouth turns into a political rally. And Iran will give you any inspectors access to wreck all that equipment from two of its nuclear sites. Hello and welcome to BBC news for me. I will would say it is the former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko who believed he'd been poisoned after meeting two Russians in a London hotel has died. A spokesman for University College Hospital where he was being treated

made this tape and. We're sorry to announce that Alexander Litvinenko died at University College Hospital. At 9:21 on the 23rd of November 2006. He was seriously ill when he was admitted to use th. On Friday November 17. The medical team at the hospital did everything possible to save his life. On Sunday evening he was transferred to the intensive care unit. They could be closely monitored and receive any critical. Thought. We. Needed. Every avenue was explored to establish the cause of this condition. And the matter. Is now an ongoing in