Sunday, November 28, 2010

Citay: "Careful With That Hat" from Dream Get Together

One of the best things I heard in 2010, from one of the best albums... They're really putting a lot of good things together: psychedelic, yeah, but with some great melody. And the guitars: rhythm, lead, it's all very good.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Old Stuff Friday: The Band - "King Harvest" and "Long Black Veil"

Great footage, great songs... Makes me wonder how much more great unreleased Band material there might be, even beyond the 2005 box set A Musical History...



Website for A Musical History: thebandmusic.net

Website for the Band and individual members' projects: theband.hiof.no

Jimi Hendrix: "Bold as Love", Instrumental from 1967

There's a new compilation of unreleased Hendrix material, West Coast Seattle Boy. I didn't realize there was a box set, just got the single cd, it has a nice home recording of "Tears of Rage" and some other good moments... but this is actually from the box set Jimi Hendrix Experience, the purple box set that came out several years ago... and is one of the most amazing things I have ever heard.



Website: JimiHendrix.com

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Retribution Gospel Choir: "Hide it Away"

Features Alan Sparhawk of Low, but this definitely rocks more than anything I've heard from Low... They're on Sub Pop, and their second album, Retribution Gospel Choir 2, came out in January 2010.



Website: Retribution Gospel Choir

Dry and Heavy: "Less is More"

If someone told you there was such a thing as Japanese dub, what would you think? Well, you don't have to wonder any more... Of course, Dry and Heavy is the name of an album by the great Burning Spear.

Discovered this about 10 years ago, have enjoyed it ever since. There are live videos of them playing Hawaiian rock festivals, but apparently they aren't recording anymore... at least not as a group.

If you like reggae or dub, highly recommended.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The High Dials: "The Holy Ground" and Anthems for Doomed Youth

This video is to a song from their previous disc War of the Wakening Phantoms, which was very high on psych content and terrific. This is a real good band...



They've got a new disc out: Anthems for Doomed Youth. Just heard a track and look forward to getting this one. On Rainbow Quartz, great psych/power pop label.

Here's a preview track off the new disc, from their website:

What You Call Love Is A Lie by The High Dials

Website: TheHighDials.net

Monday, November 22, 2010

Wow and Flutter: "The Puget Sound"

Heard this on KEXP, and I have to say that it is new to me even though it appears they've been around quite a while. Even if I had heard this band before, they did not make the proper impression... so I've got some good music to discover, apparently. New album is Equilibrio!



Website: Wow and Flutter

KEXP Song of the Day Feature: Wow and Flutter: "The Puget Sound" Live on KEXP

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Black Mountain: "Stormy High" and "The Hair Song"

Live video from "nuflicks.de" posted at Youtube. Their latest record is Wilderness Heart... second video is a song from that record, which came out in September.

Stormy High:



The Hair Song:



I like this band. What's that "They're trying to sound like Led Zeppelin"? More bands should try to sound like Led Zeppelin.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Old Stuff Friday: I Like Guitars

Lead guitar, rhythm guitar, solos... I really enjoy good guitar playing. Hope you like these, too. But if you dislike solos, you might want to look away:

Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child



Funkadelic: Maggot Brain



Grateful Dead: Cumberland Blues



Stevie Ray Vaughn: Little Wing

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Allman Brothers: In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Whipping Post, Southbound

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Christmas Island: "Blackout Summer"

San Diego band... their sound is not original, but it IS time-tested. Little bit of Jesus & Mary Chain, little bit of Feelies... good stuff. Plus they're on In the Red records (home of good garage/noise-rock bands like The Reigning Sound, Dirt Bombs, Vivian Girls, etc).

Last album is Blackout Summer, here's a live video of the title track:



Website: Christmas Island

Monday, November 15, 2010

The Mantles: "Situations/Disappearing Act"

Credit to "seetheleavesblog", which puts up a lot of good music... man, I really like this band.



Website: Mantles Myspace

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Oranger: "Target You By Feel" and "Mike Love, Not War"

I wish this band was still recording... if anyone has any news about Oranger or its members, please spill it.



"Mike Love, Not War" is the first song I ever heard by Oranger... something led me to pick up the disc Doorway to Norway, most likely a review in Pop Culture Press.

Guided by Voices: "Titus and the Strident Wet Nurse"

From a 2001 show...



Also recommended, stonedcomedianringo's YouTube channel: stonedcomedianringo

The Soft Pack: "C'mon"

San Diego indie rock/punk band, looks like this came out early in 2010. What I've heard I like, and the folks at Grimey's all appear to like it a lot...

THE SOFT PACK "C'mon" MUSIC VIDEO from VIDEOTHING.COM on Vimeo.


Website: The Soft Pack Official Website

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Sharon Van Etten: "One Day"

Static video with lyrics in the comments. She's got a striking sound, but none of the live videos did justice to it, I thought...



Here's a live in-studio performance from KEXP...

KEXP 90.3 FM - Live Performance: Sharon Van Etten on 11/10/2010

Website: Sharon Van Etten

Friday, November 12, 2010

Old Stuff Friday: More Cowbell Edition (aka The King Size Electric Institute)

I got a fever, and the only prescription...

Tito Puente, "Oye Como Va"



Chambers Brothers, "Time Has Come Today"

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Wilco, "Casino Queen"



Guided by Voices, "Rhine Jive Click"



Thursday, November 11, 2010

Jeff the Brotherhood: "Heavy Days"

Couple of brothers from Nashville, getting some good press all over the place these days. Here are a couple of videos from thetripwire.com.

Acoustic, at home (love the throwback Sounds cap):



Live, plugged in:



These guys rock pretty hard. One of Nashville's finest rock acts.

Website: Jeff the Brotherhood Myspace

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Shellshag: "Resilient Bastard"

Sounds good, sounds real good. Found via Indie Surferblog...

Here's the video:



Website: http://www.starcleaner.com/

Guided by Voices: "Game of Pricks"

Live in Detroit, 10/30/10 on the current GBV Classic Lineup Reunion Tour. Striped pants and all...



Website: http://robertpollard.net/

Buddy Guy: Living Proof

Buddy's got a new album out: Living Proof, and what I've heard so far sounds great... here are two videos:

"Best Damn Fool," live in 2009:



"Stay Around a Little While," with BB King (from the new album):



Website: http://www.buddyguy.net/

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Vox Von Braun: "Julia"

Pretty good rock band from Netherlands. Of the four P's, they hit on three (psych, pop, punk). Currently playing with Teenage Fanclub and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club over there later in November, that should help them with exposure... anyone who likes those two better-known bands should give these folks at try. This song is from their album Something Ain't Wrong, and I heard them on an old KEXP podcast.



Website: Vox Von Braun Myspace

Friday, November 5, 2010

Old Stuff Friday: Friends of Tom Dowd

One of the greatest documentaries ever made is Tom Dowd and the Language of Music. Tom's career in music is truly amazing. From the Wikipedia biographical entry:

"Dowd took a job at a classical music recording studio until he obtained employment at Atlantic Records. His first hit was Eileen Barton's "If I Knew You Were Comin', I'd Baked a Cake." He soon became a top recording engineer there and recorded popular artists such as Ray Charles, The Drifters, The Coasters, Ruth Brown and Bobby Darin, including Darin's famous rendition of Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht's "Mack the Knife". He captured jazz masterpieces by John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker. It was Dowd's idea to cut Ray Charles' recording of "What'd I Say" into two parts and release them as the A-side and B-side of the same single record.

Dowd worked as an engineer and producer from the 1940s until the beginning of the 21st century. He recorded albums by many artists including Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Derek and the Dominos, Rod Stewart, Wishbone Ash, Cream, Lulu, Chicago, The Allman Brothers Band, Joe Bonamassa, The J. Geils Band, Meat Loaf, Sonny & Cher, The Rascals, Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, Kenny Loggins, James Gang, Dusty Springfield, Eddie Harris, Charles Mingus, Herbie Mann, Booker T. and the MGs, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Joe Castro.[3] Dowd received a Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in February 2002."

A few of Tom's musical colleagues:

John Coltrane: Naima



Ruth Brown: Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean



Ray Charles: What'd I Say?



Allman Brothers: Whipping Post



Lynyrd Skynyrd: Free Bird



Website: Tom Dowd and the Language of Music

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Gregg Allman: "Come and Go Blues"

Very excited about the forthcoming album Low Country Blues, due out mid January 2011... T Bone Burnett went through a huge stack of old blues songs, and he and Gregg selected an album's worth. Especially excited to hear Gregg cover Skip James. I was reminded of this, one of my favorite Allman Bros. songs:



I could listen to them all day.

Website: Gregg Allman

Radio Dept: Heaven's On Fire

From their 2010 release Clinging to a Scheme.



Website: The Radio Dept

Monday, November 1, 2010

Walking Concert: "Audrey"

Singer/songwriter for this band is Walter Schreifels, who used to be in Rival Schools and Quicksand. This is a real good song from a real good album, Run To Be Born, released in 2004. Check it out...



Walter's blog is pretty well-written, if you like that sort of thing: Walter Schreifels Blog