Blues and Daily News (To be Released 10/28/14) Blues and Daily News is a duo collaboration between California guitarist Ross Hammond and Philly drummer Grant Calvin Weston (Ornette Coleman, John Lurie, James Blood Ulmer). The record was spearheaded by Weston's "Dining Room Sessions" drum recordings, in which he improvises different recordings of drumbeats and then sends them out to artists to make music to. Weston sent Hammond a drum track, which Hammond turned into "Little Watermelon Head" with the help of an acoustic guitar and an IPad. More tracks were sent and the end result is this duo record. The music encompasses the common ground between Weston and Hammond, who have played together several times during Hammond's East Coast tours. Blues, Funk, Soul, Free Jazz and Rock are represented here with a vengeance. The music, although overdubbed is heavily improvisational, with spontaneous chord melodies and a "Ready, Fire Aim" approach. Along with the guitar and drum tracks, there are samples of Weston's processed trumpet, thrift-store baselines, youtube samples of news broadcasts and a snippet of a Muhammad Ali speech. The two spirits of the players are well represented here. And this record is proof that musical connections can span across coastlines. credits releases 28 October 2014 Ross Hammond-Guitar Grant Calvin Weston-Drums