State Radio is a sociopolitical Boston based trio that has three full length albums, several EP’s, and a small number of live albums to their credit.  Chad Urmston, formerly of Dispatch, is the singer and primary songwriter.  If you are a fan of the Showtime comedy “Weeds”, you might be acquainted with their song “Keepsake”.   It appeared in the season three finale. Read the rest of this entry »

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Joseph Arthur is the singing /songwriting protégée of former Genesis front man and current world music guru Peter Gabriel.  Arthur was the first American recording artist singed to Gabriel’s Real World Records. 

 His 2000 release Come to Where I Am and the opening slot on tours with Ben Harper and Gomez helped Arthur attain a larger fan base.  He also briefly toured Europe with R.E.M. in 2004.  Read the rest of this entry »

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There is a nagging suspicion that these recurring themes I hear in music lately are no accident, but play into
the hands of a generation without direction, nothing of its own but hopelessness. All these purported advances in musical style are not braving a new world but are borrowed from our most colorful decade the 80’s.  The 80’s bred some sort of
strange postmodern musicianship that had previous generations scratching their heads. Read the rest of this entry »

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Erin Ivey hales from Austin, Texas and is one of the city’s beloved folk artists.  She was voted one of the city’s top 4 unsigned artists in 2007. 

Erin Ivey is a new artist for me as I just heard her for the first time on Dec. 20^th when she opened for Joe Purdy.  Her amazing voice, both haunting and angelic with a touch of sensuality, and quirky stage banter immediately endeared her to the sold out crowd.  She played for about 45 minutes and immediately after the show, I bought all of her music.

Since 2007, Erin has independently released and toured behind her first full-length album (The 11th Floor) and two EPs (Austin Lullabies and the Sweet Little). 

Her single “Chocolate” is an infectious little number that has her voice dripping over her guitar. 

On Erin’s “Sweet Little” EP, she does an amazing cover of Radiohead’s “Climbing Up the Walls”.

Check out Erin Ivey at www.erinivey.com

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX7BqCWAKC8

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMz201u8das

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“Corn Flakes With John Lennon” by Robert Hilburn (Rodale)

For more than thirty years, Robert Hilburn was not only the music critic and editor of “The Los Angeles Times,” but his interviews, reviews and artist profiles have also been featured in numerous other publications throughout world. Seduced by music at a very young age, Hilburn was particularly keen on the country and rhythm and blues sounds of the late forties and early fifties. He was a teenager when rock and roll came crashing through the gates, and was immediately drawn to this energetic new form of music. While Hilburn’s taste in music sways heavily towards the mainstream side of the dial, he approaches his subjects with an extra keen eye. He remains objective and his intelligent observations definitely provoke food for thought. Read the rest of this entry »

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One Day as a Lion is the musical collaboration and eponymous debut EP of acid tongue, fire and brimstone, anti politico Zack de la Rocha (Rage Against the Machine) and drummer Jon Theodore (Mars Volta).  Read the rest of this entry »

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Spoon is an indie rock band that hails from the great city of Austin, Texas.  Formed and co founded by Brit Daniels and Jim Eno in 1993.  Early musical comparisons to The Pixies and Sonic Youth quickly subsided as they began to define their own sound, a blend of sophisticated, guitar driven pop/post-punk that rocks.

Spoon’s career can be likened to that of a slow boil.  They have seven full length albums and an equal number of EP’s and received critical recognition for their work but have received little radio play along the way.  This might, in part, be related to the label issues that plagued them in the early years.  The irony of this is that there music has found it way on a litany of television shows that include the following: The Simpsons Veronica Mars, Bones, The O.C., Scrubs, and How I Met Your Mother.  Spoon also appears in the movies 17 Again, Cloverfield, and I Love You Man.

Their music is inventive and ambitious yet accessible. Their albums are consistently tight, usually containing ten or twelve well crafted tracks and clocking in around the forty minute mark. 

Spoon Discography

Check out Spoon at www.spoontheband.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro95Ns58qSE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqPfCoAp_O0

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: DUE TO A SITE MALFUNCTION, A PHOTO OF THE BOOK COULD NOT BE UPLOADED.

Once upon a time, there was a band nobody heard of.  The people HAD actually heard this band many times.  MTV, they were the backing band for Meatloaf’s massive debut album.  This band and many members of Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band formed that famous backing troupe.

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For movie fans there is Sundance.  For sports fans there is the Super Bowl.  For us music nerds, there is the Grammys.  Actually — you know what…scratch that.  For the most part, we were all equally outraged (or at least should have been) by what transpired at this past year’s awards ceremony.  In a perfect world, the Grammys should be able to accurately inform the nation of which artists are currently trending and deserve recognition for their efforts.  Here in the real world, we were just told Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” was the best album of 2009.  Hmm…

There is a light at the end of the tunnel for music geeks everywhere, though.  No, I’m not talking about those of us that are obsessed with Rihanna or that think Drake is the man.  I’m talking about the select few that view music as a complete and utter obsession.  Those of us that still go to our favorite record stores and buy albums.  Those of us that still play in bands even though we know we really can’t afford it.  For us there is the South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas. Read the rest of this entry »

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Jeffrey Foucault is an insightful singer/songwriter who creates roots music that strikes with a surprising intimacy unveiling layers of wisdom and wonder.  A Wisconsin native cut from the folk troubadour cloth, Foucault has built an independent career touring extensively in the United States, Canada, and the UK. Read the rest of this entry »

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Jay Farrar (Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo) and Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service) teamed up to write and record an album for the documentary “One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur”.  While originally set to record a few songs, the process and collaboration was so fruitful that it turned into a full length album which is named after the movie.

With Kerouac’s connection to jazz, both Farrar and Gibbard seem to be an odd choice to write and represent the spirit of Jack.  However, given the tragic nature of the book and Kerouac’s immersion into the depths of alcoholism and debilitating depression, Farrar with his naturally dour vocal styling and proclivity to writing deep emotionally damaged lyrics was a competent selection, while Gibbard seemed an awkward fit with his more melodic voice and previous synth heavy work with The Postal Service.  Read the rest of this entry »

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This year’s top ten list is a bit late.  I will confess that I have been busy setting up a new business venture that is finally starting to provide its own sustainability.  It involves people and things I am not allowed to elaborate on.  While it is something I love to do, it is not music related directly.  Therefore I feel this is an incorrect forum for this and subsequently no need to go into the details.

If you remember last year’s Top Ten, we certainly stirred up some controversy regarding the omission of a certain electronic guitarist due to a scheduling snafu.  For those of you who don’t remember, and due to the fact that their scheduling snafu affected shows that were due to happen this year, that same omission is applicable again this year.  That and the fact that a certain omitted electronic guitarist was asked by a member of the Montreal Gazette about the incident that occurred right here on the blog earlier this year.

So read on, get angry, write me nasty comments and tell me I do drugs and I should be sued for libel.

Been there, done that…

Read the rest of this entry »

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Brooding guitar strings and loves lamentations as told through the expressions unique of Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s. The band hails from the ordinary land of Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana contributed to the music world with the musical stylings such as Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon and Axl Rose from Guns and Roses to name a couple. The band formed in 2005 when Richard Edwards and Chris Fry met in a pet store and became friends. What ensued would be musical releases that are a throwback to emotion in music and a rhythm unforgettable. They have released a number of noteworthy records to date, The Dust of Retreat released in 2006, The Daytrotter Sessions EP released in 2008, and Animal and Not Animal which were both released in late 2008. The band is on Epic Records which is home to other notable artists such as Fiona Apple and Modest Mouse. However, the latest and most awakening artist at the moment on the label has to be Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s. Read the rest of this entry »

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Them Crooked Vultures is the musical love child of Led Zeppelin and Nirvana consummated in the California dessert. The group was conceptualized in the mid 00’s but did not officially form until 2009.  Their self titled debut album was released in November 2009.

 The musical triumvirate, which I think sounds cooler than super group, of John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Dave Grohl ( Nirvanna & Foo Fighters), and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) play bombastic guitar driven rock that is in your face and unapologetic.  This is to say, they play rock music as it should be played.  Read the rest of this entry »

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As with every year, the first moments are spent looking back at the success, defeats, and…er…peculiar moments of the past year. One this same note, I will use this time to look on a particular moment in 2009 that, for me was its highlight. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Rockets “The Rockets”/”No Ballads” (Renaissance Records 160)

Not to be confused with the Los Angeles band that later changed their name to Crazy Horse, this particular group came from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1972 by drummer Johnny “Bee” Bandajek and guitarist James McCarty, who earlier had made their claim to fame with Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, The Rockets cut a total of five albums during the course of their existence. Although the band was hot stuff on a local level, they received only pockets of airplay elsewhere. “The Rockets” and “No Ballads,” which were released on RSO Records in 1979 and 1980 respectively, definitely rank as the band‘s best work. Now available on one compact disc, both these albums are ripe for rediscovery. Clinging fast to their Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels roots, the band practiced a festive brand of high energy blue-eyed soul music. Read the rest of this entry »

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Have you ever discovered a feeling and thought, “holy %^&*, I’ve gotta tell EVERYBODY!” Well, I just got that feeling, so I hope you like them too. Give it up for Pomplamoose:

http://www.youtube.com/user/PomplamooseMusic

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In this issue of Music You Should be Listening to:

Welcome to 2010! The Indie music world has been gearing up for these first couple months and MYSBLT is all a buzz for things to come. New Years Eve is one of the best nights for hearing good music, but only if you are willing to spend a little extra. So I will let you in on the secret to dropping less coin without sacrificing good tunes. For those of you who have been on the edge of your seats waiting for the new Vampire Weekend album, I will let you know what I think of my first couple listens. Want a hint? I am not happy. On the side of recent news, the Coachella 2010 lineup has been announced and we finally have news from the guys at Brand New who have been tormenting their fans with the possible release of God and the Devil on vinyl. And finally, MYSBLT will pay its last respects to indie garage rock mastermind Jay Reatard who tragically passed away on January 13^th at the age of 29.

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Formed in 1965, The Doughboys released two singles, “Rhoda Mendelbaum” and “Everybody Knows My Name,” that have since become favorites with record collectors from here to eternity. Steady gigs provided the Plainfield, New Jersey band lots of exposure, making them a local sensation. It was a sad moment for many when The Doughboys called it quits as the sixties bled into the seventies, but thankfully the members of the band continued playing music. Bassist Mike Caruso took the session route, working with Jimi Hendrix, for instance, while lead singer Myke Scavone joined Ram Jam, who netted a top forty hit with “Black Betty,” and drummer Richard X. Heyman launched a solo career that has resulted in a truckload and a half of critically acclaimed power pop discs. Read the rest of this entry »

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Various Artists “Where The Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968” (Rhino Records 519759) 

If there was ever a time in rock and roll when the rock really rocked and the roll really rolled, it was the mid to late sixties. Because the music was still relatively young, there were no preconceived notions to be had, nor was there such an obsessive emphasis on image and marketing as there is today. Enthusiasm and experimentation reigned supreme. Some of the most thrilling sounds spawned during this period stemmed from the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, and here’s a box set, four discs in all, that guides the listener on a mercurial voyage of what was happening then. Christened after Dick Clark’s television show of the same name, “Where The Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968” contains a whopping one hundred and one tracks, which are split between famous faces and obscure acts. Read the rest of this entry »

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