Archive for the 'Musician Reviews' Category
Arc Angels
Author: Butler Bad
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 »
read comments (0)Alexi Murdoch
Author: Butler Bad
Alexi Murdoch is a singer/songwriter who self published his 2003 EP “Four Songs” which ironically, had four songs on it. In 2006 he released his debut album “Time Without Consequence”. In 2009, in a rare display of accessibility, he toured the Unite States. It certainly appears that Mr. Murdoch is pacing his musical output. Read the rest of this entry »
Bon Iver
Author: Butler Bad
Bon Iver made a huge impact on the 2008 musical scene with the release of “For Emma, Forever Ago” a haunting little acoustic gem with raw emotional power. A limited number of copies, (500), were released independently in July of 2007. The album was recorded in a cabin deep in the Wisconsin woods. Early in 2009, he released “Blood Bank” a four song EP that compliments the style of his debut but manages to distance itself enough to be a separate piece of work. Read the rest of this entry »
Berlin poses with a neon copy of his Dean bass. A sweet sounding instrument as evidenced on his new album, "High Standards".
There used to be a blogger I worked with a while ago. Anthony Medici, whom I admired for his tenacity, work ethic and integrity. I especially respected him once he started to take on the major jazz publications and took them to task! He also had some harsh words for a local public radio outlet near his hometown (Washington DC area). But he knew his stuff about jazz, and were he still working for the blog, I would ask him to review Jeff Berlin’s new disc, and most likely ask him to do this interview.
It isn’t as though I am totally foreign to Berlin’s work. I was first exposed to Jeff Berlin during his tenure with Bill Bruford’s fusion band, Bruford in the late 70’s. Having recently purchased the “Bruford – Rock Goes To College ” DVD, I was able to watch a young Jeff Berlin toss around riffs with the likes of Bruford, Allan Holdsworth, among others.
Berlin has come a long way…
DANGER DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! BOULE REVIEWS BELEW’S “e”! DANGER, DANGER!!!
Author: Jeff Boule
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…
Walt Wilkins
Author: Butler Bad
Walt Wilkins is one of the finest singer/songwriters that you have never heard. You may have heard his songs on the radio sung by the likes of Pat Green, but chances are; you haven’t heard Walt. He is currently working a group of singer/songwriters dubbed “The Mystiqueros” Read the rest of this entry »
Coachella 2010
Author: Gabriel Barrio
Such was our discourse, a lengthy journey that would tear at our seams and restore our souls. It took 636 miles to reach this destination, this divine spot. Each mile counted was one in waiting, an eagerness accompanied each mile closer. The trek was arduous and most tiring, leaving with such little sleep and arriving at 3:40 in the morning to meet a line of cars entering the campgrounds. Bumper to bumper traffic more reminiscent of daytime gridlock in major metropolises than anything else. After many hours sitting in a line of cars as people of many ages imbibed spirits, beer, wine, and smoke we had arrived at our humble campground inebriated, the sun rising as we put up our tent. We had finally reached our destination, and this would be an indicator of the days to come. We had laid our weary heads down, we had arrived at Coachella. Read the rest of this entry »
1974's Todd (l) and 1981's Healing (r)
The grand folks at Rundgren Radio (the illustrious Doug Ford and iridescent “Cruiser Mel”) are doing it again, only this time, we’re on the inside, blogites!!! You’re going to get a regal preview to what is GUARANTEED to be as entertaining as previous Peter Gabriel tours (his latest being of little interest to me as I prefer Gabriel to rock and power through grandiose shows, not just him, a piano and orchestra, it does NOT top he and his daughter singing suspended upside down and being able to circle above the circular stage for his previous UP tour).
Rundgren and company will entertain the hell out of you for less than half the price of a Gabriel show OR EVEN LESS!
Jason Isbell (Formerly of Drive-By Truckers)
Author: Butler Bad
Jason Isbell is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Alabama who was an integral part of the Drive-By Truckers for 6 years and three albums. He was with the Truckers from 2001 -2007 and released his first solo album “Sirens of the Ditch” in 2007.
Since his debut release, Jason formed a band that is comprised of Matt Pence of Centro-Matic and some other Alabama musicians. The band is dubbed “The 400 Unit” which is a reference to the psyche ward of an Alabama hospital. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit released a self title album in 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
Monsters of Folk
Author: Butler Bad
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 »
Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO)
Author: Butler Bad
Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) is the hippie, trippy, California band that brings the good time vibe to everything they play. The band was fashioned by high school buddies Zach Gill, Steve Adams, Dan Lebowitz. They all contribute to vocal responsibilities and play an array of instruments.
They grew into a nine-piece band featuring a brass section and dubbed themselves The Animal Liberation Orchestra and the Free Range Horns, they began receiving considerable attention in the Santa Barbara area with their exciting live shows. Read the rest of this entry »
Freewheelin’ with Dylan – A Sixties Memoir
Author: Bob Bembridge
Mention folk music today, and many Americans would think of the 2003 movie spoof, A Mighty Wind.
Yet the folk music revival of the late 1950s and early 1960s was a powerful influence on American youth. Folk music nourished college kids who rejected the mainstream pap offered by Frankie Avalon and Connie Francis. Read the rest of this entry »
BOSCH ARE MORE THAN GERMAN CAR PART MANUFACTURERS. MUCH MORE!
Author: Jeff Boule
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.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This blog has been reposted due to a site malfunction.
How about a little fanfare, fans? Not only did we get a first look at Rundgren’s Johnson EP, how it’s doing sales wise and the Tour for it during our last blog, but this week we are privy to some dynamite EXCLUSIVE info about a NEW promotional tour. But the NEW tour is promoting OLD albums. Albums? Plural? Let’s look back to look ahead!
Bat For Lashes (Astralwerks)
Author: Gabriel Barrio
Pour a cup of coffee, walk into the den, dim early morning light trickles in through the bent blinds as my cat wraps himself around my leg. Pull a fresh new vinyl out of its sleeve, place it on the table, and pull the needle close, let it fall onto the grooves, pure energy releases and suddenly music fills the room. Ambient sounds at first, then synths accompanied with vocals ethereal. A beautiful female voice escapes through the speakers and bends your ear, reminiscent of Bjork as the hook does just that, reel you in. A beacon of light shining through the wash and tide of music mediocre. Read the rest of this entry »
Joe Purdy
Author: Butler Bad
Joe Purdy is an anomaly in the current music industry scene. He releases, writes, produces, and sings everything himself. Not signed to a major label, an indie label, or any label at all. His music is not sold in any record store. Purdy has been offered a major label contract on numerous occasions and he’s turned them down every time. With ten albums behind him, songs on several of TV shows (Lost, Grey’s Anatomy) and two commercials (Kia & Dawn) it would appear that his lack of a label has not hurt his ability to make a living or make incredible music. Read the rest of this entry »
Rundgren meets Robert Johnson and takes it to the bank! Photo courtesy RundgrenRadio.com / Doug Ford
I keep telling you people, and you just don’t listen to me. Well maybe now, you brave blogites are forging new paths, lighting out for new territories, peering into crevices where few have crept before. Rundgren has returned to his blues-oriented roots and revived 12 of Blues legend Robert Johnson’s (now royalty-free) songs, 3 of them in a downloadable EP, live and hopefully an album!
And according to Amazon Blues charts, Todd Rundgren is finally getting his due.
Bob Schneider
Author: Butler Bad
Bob Schneider is an Austin based singer/songwriter who has been in a smattering of bands before going solo in 1999. He began his solo career under the name “Lonelyland” which he dropped as a performer but used as the title of his major label debut.
Bob’s musical catalog includes nearly twenty albums, eight of which are solo albums and several with his various bands, all of which are legendary in the Austin music scene of the 90’s, The Scabs, Joe Rockhead and The Ugly Americans. Read the rest of this entry »
State Radio is Calling All Crows!
Author: Butler Bad
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 »
Joseph Arthur
Author: Butler Bad
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 »