Time for some digital Dick diving!

"Say what?" I hear from our loyal readers.  You want us to do what with what?  I can't tell you how disappointed I am that everyone's mind immediately heads for the gutter instead of, for example, to their bookshelves to re-read Fitzgerald's Tender Is The Night.  But the real reason for my post has nothing to do with your base desires or your reading list.  It is to inform you that one of my favorite bands, in fact the band whose 2013 album was my album of the year (link), have scrimped, saved and stolen the coffee fund at Chapter Music to fund a trip to the United States.  The first date is September 19 in Los Angeles, and a list of shows and venues is provided below with, in some cases, links for ticket purchases.

I've already spilled a month's supply of digital ink extolling this Melbourne-based project, and those who are interested can use the search function on this page to find it.  But I'll point out that in my view Rupert Edwards (guitar, vocals), Alistair McKay (guitar, vocals), Steph Hughes (drums, vocals), and Al Montfort (bass, vocals) may some of the most charming, grounded, evocative and engaging guitar pop available today.  And to entice you to consider attending one of the shows on the tour (and/or buying some of their music, I've provided a little digital Dick Diver concert below.  So relax and listen to some Dicks at work.

First up is the B-side from their recent No Name Blues 7" for North American label Fruits & Flowers.


Next we have three songs from their excellent 2014 LP, Calendar Days -- the title track, "Water Damage", and "Alice.






"Time Life Life" is from a 2012 compilation for the band's Australian label, Chapter Music.



And I'm closing with two wonderful tracks from their first LP, New Start Again.  They are the first two tracks from the band that I heard, and I hope you like them as much as I do.




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Friday 19th September –
LOS ANGELES–
at Jewels Catch One
w/ Bouquet and Tortured Genies

Saturday 20th September
SAN FRAN
at Makeout Room
w/ Greg Ashley

Sunday 21st September
OAKLAND
w/ Michael O + Odd Hope
https://www.facebook.com/events/1451328215132203/

Monday 22nd September
DAVIS
at Third Space
With Michael O and G Green
https://www.facebook.com/events/1516920961858527/

Tuesday 23rd September
PORTLAND -
House Show! (address oncoming)
w/ Woolen Men and Shelley Short/Jack Lewis collab

Wednesday 24th September
SEAVIEW (At the beach! Near Portland)
at the Sou Wester
with Michael Hurley and Shelley Short
(and it's the launch of the Sou Wester's new SPA!)
https://www.facebook.com/events/689069101174308/

Thursday 25th September
NEW YORK
at CAKESHOP
w/ Final Bloom, Sapphire Mansions and The New Lines

Friday 26th September
NEW YORK
at DEATH BY AUDIO
w/ PC Worship, Free Time and Guerilla Toss

Saturday 27th September
PHILLY -
at Boot and Saddle
with Dark Blue

Sunday 28th September
PITTSBURGH
at Gooski's
with The City Buses

Monday 29th September –
DETROIT
at UFO Factory
w/ The Feelings

Tuesday 30th September
NASHVILLE -
at FooBar
w/ R Stevie Moore and The Stevens

Thursday 2nd October
CHICAGO -
at The Burlington
Noise in My head book launch
w/ xNOBBQx and X Wave
https://www.facebook.com/events/682251805191497/

Friday 3rd October
MINNEAPOLIS –
Hexagon Bar w/ The Velveteens + others
(presented by F Scott Fitzgerald Society)

REVIEW: The Chills - Somewhere Beautiful

Is Somewhere Beautiful a compilation of alternative takes, a greatest hits collection or a concert album?  The answer is "yes".  The album is a recording of a private concert performed at a joint birthday/New Years Eve party in Queenstown, New Zealand in 2011.  But who cares about labels?  This is a new record from The Chills, one of the most iconic and mercurial of the New Zealand bands known for the "Dunedin sound".  For the uninitiated souls asking "who are The Chills", the long answer would be to name the many musicians who have been members over the years, list the starts and stops, the tours and the crashes.  The short answer is that The Chills are Martin Phillipps and whomever he has gathered under The Chills banner.

We've been without a new album from The Chills since 1996, but Martin's Far South label now has partnered with Fire Records.  Eventually, there will be new material from the band (and Fire Records already has released the single Molten Gold), but the first fruit of the partnership is Somewhere Beautiful.  And while it may seem like a strange choice to some, I think it is perfect.  Potential new fans are exposed to 20 comprehensive reasons why they should look forward to future material from The Chills. We existing fans are able to collect beloved songs in a slightly different version than our treasured studio recordings.  In particular, this collection presents the songs of one of guitar pop's most talented songwriters in the rawer, harder edged format typical of a live concert.

Here is the opening track -


The Chills played earlier this year at a celebration for the Dunedin Botanic Garden.  Here are some clips over one of their best known songs, "Pink Frost" -


One of my favorite songs on the album is "Rolling Moon".  Here is a live version from '85 -

Pop music at its best is an experience of the moment, a spontaneous eruption of talent and inspiration interacting with the listener.  This is what a live album can deliver better than a professionally massaged studio album, and Somewhere Beautiful is a soaring testament to live albums.  It is available now from Fire Records on CD or vinyl.

In addition to Martin Phillipps, the current version of The Chills is Erica Stichbury, Oli Wilson, James Dickson and Todd Knudson.

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Fire Records page for album

REVIEW: Various Artists - Alive At The Deep Blues Fest

We've been listening to these great Alive/Naturalsound artists all of 2012 - each album has its own pleasures, but what unites them, in my mind, are a joy in playing and the serious chops that are hallmarks of great blues and rock and roll.

Back in the summer, seven members of Alive's roster joined 19 other bands for a summer BBQ festival in Bayport, MN and the results were recorded and, fortunately, produced into an album by Jim Diamond. Here's the tracklist:

River Water - Buffalo Killers  
It's a Shame - Buffalo Killers  
There is a Bomb in Gilead - Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires
The Red, Red Dirt of Home - Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires
Traveling - Brian Olive  
Bonelle - Brian Olive  
Hold On Me - Radio Moscow  
Little Eyes - Radio Moscow  
24 Hour Blues - Left Lane Cruiser  
Rambling on My Mind - Left Lane Cruiser  
Three More - John The Conqueror  
Be your own Invention/Stranger Dig - Henry's Funeral Shoe
Henry's Funeral Shoe - Henry's Funeral Shoe

From the psychedelia of Buffalo Killers (expansive, sweet-sounding) and Radio Moscow (heavy, raging), to Bains' roaring gospel/blues-based Southern rock, to Olive's mix of blues and sweet SoCal pop, Alive embraces variety. Here's Brian Olive:



Left Lane Cruiser, John The Conqueror and Henry's Funeral Shoe are playing hard blues, and it really shines through in a live setting. Here is the Welsh brother duo Henry's Funeral Shoe:

This is a record that happily does double duty: It's a great document of what sounds like one of the best summer music festivals I've ever heard of, but it's also a really good label sampler. If you're still looking for a way to spend that iTunes or Amazon gift card, this record is a good option, and it will open up seven other worthy possibilities...

Here is a free download of a live version of The Buffalo Killers' "It's A Shame" from the Fest:

Rocksteady's Seattle concert pick of the weekend

My concert pick of the weekend is the show at The Comet Tavern on Sunday night.  The bill includes local band Koko and the Sweetmeats and San Francisco's The Mallard.  The opening act is Telemesser.

Koko and the Sweetmeats play a tasty brand of psychedelic blues/garage rock, and you can try a bit from their show last fall at the Columbia City Theater:




The Mallard released one of my favorite albums of the year so far, Yes On Blood, and play a surfy garage rock with delightful sonic embellishments.




I hope everyone has a good time.  However, do not buy Greer too much beer if that neighborhood of Capital Hill is scheduled for trash pick up the next day.  Trust me on this.

Black Whales -- Video Release Party Tonight

Seattle psych/powerpop group Black Whales is headlining a show at Neumos on Capitol Hill in Seattle tonight to celebrate the release of their new video for "Elephant #2". The song has been included on KEXP's Music That Matters Podcast and is included on Black Whales' June LP, Shangri-La Indeed.

The band plays a great, crunchy brand of rock and are an entertaining live act. Any locals should consider this event a great way to kick off the year.

Especially for those who can't attend, here is the video:


By way of background, here is a link to our June review of the album.

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Concert Review: The Posies, with Star Anna & The Laughing Dogs and Curtains for You

THE POSIES
The newly renovated Neptune Theatre in Seattle's University District hosted The Posies Saturday, November 19, with supporting acts Star Anna & The Laughing Dogs and Curtains for You. I'll address the headliners first. From time to time one reads of The Posies being a power pop act, or a pop act. But for me, their set was a satisfying reminder that The Posies are a rock band, albeit a rock band with very well developed pop sensibilities. The band was a four-piece, with Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow--both excellent, and enthusiastic, guitarists--ably supported by a bass player and a drummer. And with the bass was well up in the mix, a mic inserted in the kick drum, and Jon and Ken providing a near constant electric assault, the Neptune was rocking. That isn't to say that The Posies eschewed their well-renowned vocal harmonies, or that there were not some quieter moments. But for most of the evening the harmonies rode a very robust musical wave.

I didn't try to keep track of a setlist, but I recall that we heard tracks from the newest album, Blood Candy, as well as Frosting on the Beater standards "Solar Sister" and "Flavor of the Month". Frosting on the Beater is a favorite of mine. Not only was the music first rate, but along with Teenage Fanclub's slightly older A Catholic Education and the somewhat later early albums by The Delgados, we could enjoy rock with pop vocal stylings and clever songcraft. However, the one of the true joys of The Posies is that they continue to refine and evolve, and the concert would have felt incomplete if the evening had just been a nostalgia exercise. And since the live version of a song rarely sounds the same as the studio version, I was especially happy to hear recent songs that I'd only hear on CD before the evening. Rest assured, they sounded great.

The Posies set was more than generous. I think it clocked in at 1:45, with a short break after about an hour. It is hard to pick out highlights, but I particularly enjoyed "Flavor of the Month", "Solar Sister" and "She's Coming Down Again". And it was a nice change of pace when only Ken and Jon were on stage to sing together, as it gave the harmonies a bit more space.

The Posies still put on a good rocking show, and I was amazed at how well they transition between songs and blend together with no obvious communication. You'd be well advised to consider them if they are appearing in your neighborhood.

STAR ANNA & THE LAUGHING DOGS
I reviewed this band's most recent album a few months ago, so I was interested in hearing them live. I walked away even more impressed with their live show than I was with their very good album. Star Anna's vocal delivery is a stunningly good, and the band is excellent, individually and as a unit. The band consists of a drummer, bass, keys, and lead guitar, with Star Anna playing the guitar on many tracks as well (for the record, the line-up is Star Anna, Justin Davis, Travis Yost, Keith Ash, and Ty Bailie). The sound generally is a country-noir rock sound. But it seems to me that the set rocked out more than the album, which pleased me and provided the perfect warm up for the headliners. If this band has the ambition, and necessary bit of luck, I think folks outside of the Pacific Northwest will be hearing a lot from them.

CURTAINS FOR YOU
The first band, Seattle’s Curtains for You, were completely unknown to me, and I'll have to admit that I didn't pay a lot of attention to them during their first few indie rock standards. They were energetic but I didn't feel very connected to them. However, a few songs further into the night I began to enjoy their performance. All are very good musicians: Peter Fedofsky (keys, vocals), Mike Gervais (lead guitar, vocals and some sax), Matthew Gervais (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Dave Lawrence (drums), and Nick Holman (bass, vocals and some horn). As their set evolved, they demonstrated vocabulary of musical expression far beyond that of an indie pop band. To be fair to these guys, and since I'm based in Seattle, I'll have to give them another look.

Concert Alert: The Posies at Seattle's Neptune Theatre

Rocksteady74's Seattle concert pick for this weekend is The Posies, supported by Star Anna & The Laughing Dogs and Curtains For You, Saturday November 19 at the Neptune Theatre. Why that concert on a good weekend for concerts? I'm glad you asked. There are three reasons.

Reason One: For over two decades, as The Posies and separately as solo artists and with other projects, Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow have been making intelligent, soulful and sincere fusions of rock and pop. Their energy and passion for music and refusal to stand still artistically keep them relevant and entertaining. As a case in point, consider their fine album from 2010, Blood/Candy.

Reason Two: The Posies will play their seminal album Frosting on the Beater in its entirety Saturday night. Yes, "Dream All Day", "Flavor of the Month", "Solar Sister", "Burn & Shine" and the rest of that album will be on the setlist.

Reason Three: Rocksteady74 loves The Posies. The opportunity to see them in Seattle is too good to pass up.

Location:
NEPTUNE THEATRE
1303 Northeast 45th St
Seattle, WA 98105-4502
Doors at 8:00pm; show begins at 9:00pm

The concert is presented by STG (Seattle Theatre Group). The link for the concert is provided below.

The Posies' Website
Seattle Theatre Group page for concert