Various Artists “Tribute to JJ Cale Volume 1: The Vocal Sessions” (ZOHO Roots 201007)

Boasting a loyal fan following and seriously respected by fellow musicians, JJ Cale is certainly worthy of a tribute album. Born in Oklahoma, the singer, songwriter and guitarist migrated to Los Angeles in the sixties, where he formed a band called The Leathercoated Minds that recorded an album for the Viva label. Titled “A Trip Down The Sunset Strip,” the disc mainly consisted of psychedelic garage rock hits of the day, and went onto become quite a collector’s item. 1970 saw Eric Clapton cover JJ Cale’s “After Midnight,” which topped the charts and duly provided the fledging artist with widespread recognition. Since then, the two musicians have frequently worked together, and in 2008, their album, “The Road To Escondido” won a Grammy. Swarms of other performers have rendered JJ Cale’s tunes as well, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Dylan, Santana and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tony Dancy (l), Craig Fairchild (c) and Lanny Hale (r) are the Tygers in human form.

In my course of searching for that ever-elusive new music, sometimes you come across something unique, different, and if you’re lucky, sometimes you come across something with a gimmick to latch onto.

Never mind two!

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Arc Angels are the phenomenal but short lived blues/rock band that formed in Austin, Texas in the early 90’s.  The band was a virtual who’s who of the Texas music scene and was comprised of two home grown guitar talents Doyle Bramhall II and Charlie Sexton as well as drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon both of whom played in the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan’s band Double Trouble.  The ARC in the band name is a reference to the Austin Rehearsal Complex where the band members first got together and jammed prior to releasing their self titled debut album. Read the rest of this entry »

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The live album is always a risky proposition.  In years past, it was the other give up album (hello Greatest Hits) that was done to fulfill the contract with the record company.  Not to say that there have not been great live albums but there have been some less than stellar albums that have not quite stood the test of time (“Frampton Comes Alive” anyone?). 

I think, as music has progressed, the live album was a great way for bands to better connect with their audience.  Some bands have earned the reputation as a great “Live” band and the live album was just an obvious avenue for them.  Artists like Phish and The Dave Matthews Band have more live albums in their discography than studio albums.  In 2000 Pearl Jam, in an attempt provide their fans with a better quality and affordable live recording, recorded all of their concerts. 

So, here is a list of great live albums.  This is by no means a list of the greatest live albums, but merely an installment of great live albums. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Big To-Do is the highly anticipated, recently released album by Drive-By Truckers.  The album is solid and Trucker album fans will not be disappointed.  However, there were a few surprise on this album that seem a bit of a departure from their previous work. Read the rest of this entry »

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Sorry, my copy of Belew's e was written all over... BY THE BAND!! (Reprinted with permission from Adrian Belew Presents)

Hi!  Remember me?  I’m the guy who broke the story that King Crimson was rumored to be over because a player in the scenario affixed situations to realities and created a rumored scheduling rift between when Fripp had wanted to do Crimson dates and the subject of this review, the Adrian Belew Power Trio had dates scheduled during that time.  When Fripp became aware of the scheduling rift, he took it as Belew not being as committed to KC as Fripp would have wanted.

Or so it is alleged.  I am not sticking my neck onto that chopping block again…

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Monsters of Folk is the self titled debut album of the musical collaboration of Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), M. Ward, and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes).  The album was released in 2009 but the group was percolating back in 2004 while in a mixture of stages of touring with their respective band or as a solo artist.  Due to the diverse schedules and the artist’s core projects, it took almost five years to wrap up the album.  Read the rest of this entry »

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BOSCH are (from l to r) Christopher Brown, Charles Greenleaf, and Kevin Sims. I dig `em daddy-o!

I find it hard to find new music I LIKE.  Yeah, yeah, there are satellite channels, pay-radio, web-radio, TV “music” channels, friends, etc.  But just because there are multiple sources of input does not necessarily yield categorical output.

I like BOSCH.

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For those of you not aware of this, I have the unique fortune of having two very good friends in some influential situations.  The first person I met, then had the great fortune to re-connect with, is author, musician, promoter, and more, Billy James.  The second of these unique folks is Doug Ford of RundgrenRadio.com.

But this blog isn’t about Rundgren (I’ll wait for the cheers to subside).

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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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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…

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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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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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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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Here at MYSBLT and The Princeton Record Exchange, we cannot tell you how excited we are to bring to you our second issue in the feature: Bands to Watch in 2010. I was lucky enough to sit down with Los Angeles band, The Local Natives, before their show in Boulder, Colorado, on December 1^st. As it so happens, I met with the band the eve after they had announced signing with New York indie rock mega-label Frenchkiss. Going backstage with the band before they opened for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, we discussed their music, signing with Frenchkiss and the upcoming debut release Gorilla Manor. If you have yet to hear their tunes, you can expect to be blown away. The Local Natives are MYSBLT’s second act in our feature: Bands to Watch in 2010, and I thank them for welcoming me and my cameras backstage.

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In this issue MYSBLT: Music You Should Be Listening To:

We are proud to bring you the first installment of a double feature: Artists to watch in 2010. I’ve been lucky enough to sit down with two acts that represent the bright and promising future for independent music. Up first is Indiana’s own soul-rocker, Jenn Cristy. She’s been building her musical resume since 2000 and has recently generated quite a buzz as the Jenn Cristy Band has released their third album, Hotel Confessions. I recently met with the front woman whose motto, “Less Diva, More Rock!” sums up her sound perfectly. In a basement coffee bar in Bloomington, Indiana, we discussed her impressive history in music, influences and the new album. MYSBLT is proud to feature her as our first act to watch in 2010 and we can’t wait to see the great things she has in store for us.

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In this issue of Music You Should Be Listening To:

We’ll take a wondrous musical journey with New York based band, Alberta Cross. I’ll discuss their September release Broken Side of Time, as well as their recent set in the Daytrotter studios.  In one word… Amazing!

We’ve also got some big news this week including not one but two upcoming releases from New Jerseys own, Real Estate. In the next 30 days the band will release their highly anticipated debut album as well as a brand new EP.  Jack White is also making headlines as he gears up for a new project featuring one very unlikely pairing. He’ll put his producing skills to the test as he once again teams up with a rock and roll icon.

Finally, I’ll let you in on the upcoming schedule for MySBLT. On the docket we have the first in a series of interviews with up-and-coming bands as well as a few concert reviews. Big things, they are a-coming! Read the rest of this entry »

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