Denver Balkan folk inspired band DeVotchKa will two shows (November 3-4) @ The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO. The Black-Tie Masquerade Ball will also feature the Slavic Sisters Macabre Circus Sideshow, death defying aerialists and exotic belly dancers, and a late night burlesque DJ whiskey bar. Tickets are available here.
Phish
2023/07/30
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
If you play all the right notes, then the songs will sound quite good.
Mike Rutherford
Phish
2023/07/29
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Watch 10,000 Maniacs perform the Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen classic Because The Night. Recorded for MTV Unplugged in New York on April 21, 1993.
Leeds based noisy garage punk rockers Thank go all out on Dead Dog In A Ditch, a continuation of the band's longtime fascination with human cruelty and stupidity. Singer and guitarist Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe explains: "Writing this tune I asked myself two questions: 1) How many other good lyrics does this song need in order to justify repeating the fun alliterative phrase "dead dog in a ditch" a whole bunch of times? 2) What if 'Let's Find A Cop' by Whatever Brains and 'Keep Those Bristles Clean And Closed' by Jeromes Dream were the same song?"
Cramming all of that into a two minutes and change song was a challenge, but with avant-metal legend Steve Myles on drums keeping everybody on his toes they made it just in time. The video was shot by Aeris Houlihan.
Phish
2023/07/28
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Vancouver based garage soul octet The Vanrays channel the classic sound of Stax on their new album Put It Out. It is smooth, but it has an edge (and even some righteous anger). Blue-eyed soul - white artists playing a predominantly black form a music - was a big thing in the mid-Sixties and it made all the way into the Eighties when bands like Culture Club and Dexys Midnight Runners gave the genre a much needed shot in the arm. It is an underground genre nowadays - go check out Scottish Red Hearted Vibrations for a prime example.
The Vanrays have been listening carefully to their peers, bringing in a trumpet, a saxophone and last but not least an organ, but they are not plagiarists. They are obviously very much in love with the genre: good time music that does not pass over the bad things in life. Recorded in fits and starts - they started just before the pandemic hit - the band has succeeded to make an album that sounds like it was recorded in the round during a handful of inspired sessions.
English shoegaze band Waves of Dread are painting with broad strokes on their new single Motion, building a wall of sound that has the vocalists having their work cut out for them to be heard. A bit of industrial has found its way into their sound, as a counterpoint for their dreampop leanings. It is a dense listening experience, but it opens up after a couple of repeats.
Oakland lo-fi garage rock duo B. Hamilton think outside the box on their new EP Other Lives of Magic and Wonder and Whatever. They included a cover of Wand'rin' Star and wrote a song inspired by Tyler Wagner. They try to get away from the usual fare, without foregoing catchy melodies and danceable back beats.
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Parks' at ease vocal delivery is in full force in I Bought a Lottery Ticket, sounding like a cross between Gerry Rafferty and Jim White. Drummer Raj laid down a twisted groove for Kyle Thinks a lot of Very Cool Thoughts. The duo enlisted the help of Joel Robinow for a bit of piano and singer Rosie Steffy, who sprinkled a couple of choice notes on top of Rhododendrons and Daisies.
Phish
2023/07/26
TD Pavilion at the Mann, Philadelphia, PA
French-American dark wave band Deleyaman are promoting the release of their latest album The Sudbury Inn with a couple of shows: "By cherry-picking from the classic texts Deleyaman has given them as new lease on life. If only a small percentage of the listeners will hit the bookshops after hearing the album, it is mission accomplished for a band that is not afraid to offer a challenge as a means of showing the beauty of literature by means of carefully crafted music".
Phish
2023/07/25
TD Pavilion at the Mann, Philadelphia, PA
Chicago alternative rock band Midwestern Dirt are in a happy sad mood on their new single Sun's Going Down, reliving a Summer romance that didn't really take off, but became the source for bittersweet memories. With a recurring guitar motif as the main engine it will go down with fans of The Decemberists and Tame Impala - the song title is a nod to that band's Sun’s Coming Up. It is a track from their new album Twilight at a Burning Hill, due for release on August 18.
Brooklyn based eclectic avant-garde band Emergency Group recorded two covers for Aquarium Drunkard's The Lagniappe Sessions: Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 16 1st Movement (MP3) and Last Exit' Prayer (MP3). About the latter:
We’re huge fans of Last Exit, the 1980s free-jazz/metal “supergroup” composed of Peter Brötzmann, Sonny Sharrock, Ronald Shannon Jackson, and Bill Laswell. They’re easily one of the most aggressive and unfriendly-sounding bands of all time. “Prayer” is the opening piece from their sole studio album, Iron Path. That record is still in print courtesy of ESP-Disk, though Last Exit’s live albums are also worth seeking out wherever you can find them. We kept our version of “Prayer” fairly loose and tried to bring our own atmospherics and textures into the interpretation. RIP Peter Brötzmann.
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Arthur Alexander has unveiled a video for Humming Blues In Four, a track from his new album ...Steppin' Out!: "As a founder member of two legendary power pop bands - Sorrows and The Poppees in the late 70s, he brought ace melodies into the punk scene in New York. Fast forward a couple of decades and he is still rocking out. (...) Alexander is ageing well and changes are that is already writing the next one". The video was produced and directed by Michael Bublenko.
» Arthur Alexander on Facebook
HCTF review of ...Steppin' Out!
Country noir musician Jim White will fly out to Europe for a lengthy tour in October and November. Prepare for a night of storytelling songs and off-kilter anecdotes.
Live dates:
Phish
2023/07/23
St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater At Lakeview, Syracuse, NY
Phish
2023/07/22
The Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
For the love song is never truly happy, it must first embrace the potential for pain. The writer who refuses to explore the darker regions of the heart will never be able to write convincingly about the wonder, the magic and the joy of love for just as goodness cannot be trusted unless it has breathed the same air as evil.
Nick Cave
Watch Concrete Blonde members Johnette Napolitano (vocals) and James Mankey (guitar) tackle the Leonard Cohen classic Everybody Knows. Recorded live for Night Music TV show on December 10, 1990.
Australian dreampop duo Nausicaa are looking for a place to get away from the hustle and bustle on their new single Crystalline to fully enjoy new found love. Guitarist Dave Haack weaves a tapestry of slow moving notes, a Summer breeze set to music. Singer Kristen Hodgson's whispered vocals should go down well with fans of Dead Can Dance and Cocteau Twins "Turn my love // Into mirrored pieces// Like all the stars // That hold your heart together".
Phish
2023/07/21
The Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett has launched a new podcast, Shred With Shifty. In Episode 1 he talks with Rush maestro Alex Lifeson. The main focus lies on the Limelight solo.
Tape Op has posted a new episode of their DISCussion podcast series. They get on the phone with an artist or producer to discuss an album they love. In episode 35 mastering engineer Heba Kadry talks about Abdou El Omari's Nuits D'Été album.
Last year English folk singer-songwriter William William Rodgers created a mockumentary, The Lost Tapes, about his made-up life in California in Laurel Canyon in the 70s. It will be shown again @ Artefact in Birmingham on July 29.
» William William Rodgers on Facebook
HCTF review of Four Nights at the Hotel Rodgers.
No one has to tell singer and multi-instrumentalist Arthur Alexander how to write a catchy song. As a founder member of two legendary power pop bands - Sorrows and The Poppees in the late 70s, he brought ace melodies into the punk scene in New York. Fast forward a couple of decades and he is still rocking out. His solo album ...Steppin' Out! pays tribute to the sounds that he grew up with: synth pop ((She's A) Red Hot Lover), psych-tinted New Wave (Ashes), blues (Humming Blues In Four) and a bit of jazz and swing (Oh Lulu, Won't You Be My Girl).
Fans of Sorrows will appreciate his reworked version of It's Not Love Anymore from their Love Too Late album. The record company fucked up big time when they hired session players to "sweeten" the sound. It was not until 2021 that the band got it right with the release of Love Too Late... the real album. Alexander's solo version is stripped down to a blues rocker with a spot on harmonica part courtesy of Brian Connie. ...Steppin' Out! celebrates old school craftsmanship. Alexander is ageing well and changes are that is already writing the next one.
Phish
2023/07/19
Live Oak Bank Pavilion At Riverfront Park, Wilmington, NC
As a songwriter, Jonathan Spottiswoode should have gotten the same recognition that is bestowed on Rufus Wainwright, Ray Davies, Randy Newman, and ... wait for it ... Leonard Cohen, many, many years ago. Until that day finally arrives, he will have to make do with being New York and London's best kept secret. As a modern day troubadour and focal point of Anglo-American septet Spottiswoode & His Enemies, he has been a critic's darling for twenty odd years, but the world at large fails to take notice.
His new unplugged solo album I Have So Many Friends can serve as a crash course for those who want to catch up, featuring reinvented songs for his back catalogue plus a healthy dose of brand new material. Recorded at Studio 42 in Hildesheim, Germany with Jonny Gee (double bass, vocals), Matti Müller (guitar, vocals) and Angi Stricker (vocals, percussion) he breezes through the tracks: from an upbeat version of Mummy's Got Strange Friends to issuing a stern warning about a dangerous Fox News television host (Don't Fall In Love With Laura Ingraham), and donning the perspective of a woman fleeing from the horrors of the Napoleonic Wars.
Phish
2023/07/18
Live Oak Bank Pavilion At Riverfront Park, Wilmington, NC
Belgian noise rockers The Guru Guru have made a video for their new single Saint-Tropez, a track from their forthcoming new album Make (Less) Babies. Riding on top of a grunge-inspired guitar motif they poke fun at first world problems after facing a series of financial setbacks. The clip was made by Senne Driesen.
The members The Garment District, a psych pop band led songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jennifer Baron, sound unashamedly retro on their new single Left on Coast. With tons of echo and reverb, they channel the leftfield sound of the late 60s: dreamy vocals having a gentle tug of war with distorted guitar, and cheesy but effective organ.
The intro lasts a little over 90 seconds, which will annoy all the honchos pointing angrily at the "best-practices in the age of streaming" notes. They are wrong. You can't rush quality. It is a first taste from their new album Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of the World.
Jonny Strykes, nom-de-plume of Nashville-based musician and producerJon Loyd, set up shop @ Rapport Records to record three stripped down songs for Stripped Strykes Vol. I: Painted Love, Love In Your Eyes, and Save Yourself. These back to basics renditions - piano and vocals - were pretty much how these songs were written, so he could relax and have only a bit of studio trickery added to his voice. Quiet intensity captured by a couple of fly-on-the-wall cameras.
HCTF review of the Painted Love EP.
James Sardone has been singing and playing guitar in a lot of indie bands - Brickbat, Burnley Brothers, The Jimmy Nations Combo, Loose Jets - but now he is coming into his own as a solo artist. His new EP Colors finds him exploring different moods. The Wilmington, North Carolina based musician has a soft spot for English bands like Echo and the Bunnymen and their sound is all over the melancholic Colors Of Your Brain and his cover of Blondie's Dreaming - he slowed it down quite a bit, thus making it a sad song as opposed to the disco approach of the original. His urge to rock out gets an opportunity to shine in Life of Love, with a walking bass line as an added bonus.
On the flip-side of the vinyl, there is room for two danceable remixes, courtesy of indie R'n'B duo De La Noche. Robert Rogan and Brian Weeks came up with a radio edit that is aimed at adventurous DJ's with a short attention span. The full version is a classic old school 12" remix that keeps going for 11 minutes without running out of steam.
Phish
2023/07/16
Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, Alpharetta, GA
Two worlds meet on L(oo)ping. Rone, stage name of French electronic music producer Erwan Castex, is still reeling from the performances at the Auditorium de Lyon in December last year when he teamed up with fellow electronic musician Cesar Urbina, the Orchestre National de Lyon and the Chamber Choir Spirito for two nights of orchestrated versions of his compositions, with conductor Dirk Brossé keeping it altogether. Arranger Romain Allender brought his A-game writing the score of the orchestra. The live album L(oo)ping is a flawlessly produced condensed souvenir of two shows wherein the sum was greater than its component parts.
L(oo)ping is a true collaboration between electronic and neo-classical music. Rone has done a lot of film soundtracks and ballet scores, so the storytelling approach was already in there. Now with a full orchestra firing on all cylinders, his compositions have been upgraded to an immersive listening experience where string, brass and percussion add depth and warmth that should be enjoyed in one sitting.
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.
Plato
Phish
2023/07/15
Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, Alpharetta, GA
Canadian blues band The History of Gunpowder have posted a video of them playing Untitled #751, recorded during the sessions for their new album at the Weird Church in Cumberland, BC. The full movie is titled Swallows and will debut on the big screen at the Rio Theatre in Vancouver on September 1st, 2023.
Phish
2023/07/14
Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, Alpharetta, GA
London based singer-songwriter Garlen Lo had the audacity to write a sequel to the Kinks classic Waterloo Sunset, wondering if the lovers Terry and Julie lived happily ever after (spoiler: nope). He plays softly, using an acoustic guitar, basic percussion. some noises from the big city, as well as acting as his own backing vocalist. And yes, there are a few familiar notes in there as well. It was gamble, but it is a winner.
Dutch singer Ismena is coming up for air after going through a bad patch on her new single This Time. The hurt of a breakup she described on her previous release Damage is still festering, but there is light at the end of the tunnel: "This time I'll be fine on my own". Producer Ivy van der Veer helped her out on bass and a bit of additional guitar.
Two mini albums by English off-kilter lo-fi band Ubiquitous Meh! have been released together on vinyl via FatCat Records: Songs Wrought Wrong and Fecund With Love. Organ driven weirdness that will bring life to any party as well serve as a 100% guaranteed repelent for unwanted stragglers and boring relatives.
Claudio Cataldi has put together The Age of Nova, a special album for 19th Dream of Dr Sardonicus Festival. The singer-songwriter from Palermo, Sicily is firmly ensconced in the bluesy, psych-pop of the late 60s, albeit with a modern twist like relying on drum programming for the back beat. The songs were recorded all over the place (the UK, the States, Australia and Italy) and over a prolonged time frame (2015-2022). Despite all that the album sounds like it was captured in one particularly inspired session.
The Age of Nova is an intimate record, with a prominent role for acoustic and electric guitar. Cataldi chooses his effects with care and never lets them get in the way of the core of his songs. He keeps his distance, but offer a glimpse of what makes him tick every now and then as well. He is fully aware that he is catering to a niche audience, but it is big enough to keep him in the mood for creating and exploring. Start with the delicate interplay between a ukulele and cello in the short and sweet instrumental The Wooden House. If that doesn't do the trick one's open minded music lover license will be revoked.
Phish
2023/07/12
Orion Amphitheater, Huntsville, AL
Dutch harpist Remy van Kesteren will release his new album Muses on August 25. It contains 10 inspired reinventions of tracks by composers and bands that have inspired him. Van Kesteren casts a wide net: Erik Satie, Muse, Radiohead, Jean Sibelius... Aphex Twin is even honoured twice.
Muses will released via Snowstar Records (vinyl, CD, digital). It is available for pre-order here.
English psych-rock duo Exit Kid take the safe route on their new single Classic Lie, a mainstream, close to pop song about trying to make themselves look better, especially online where social media pretty much dictates that everything and dandy. Adding a bit of studio banter is a nice touch, but it can't save the track from a "mostly harmless" tag.
Phish
2023/07/11
Orion Amphitheater, Huntsville, AL
BBC6 has shared the first four episodes of 8-part podcast about The Rise and Fall of Britpop to commemorate the 30th anniversary. Listeners have to confirm that they are over 16, because of swearing and such. And get past a PG lock screen. Auntie is turning into a prude again. On the upside: it is a rather good revaluation of Cool Britannia and its soundtrack. Here is the blurb for Episode 1 - Oh Well Whatever, Nevermind: The Birth of Britpop:
What was life like before Britpop? Join Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley as they rewind the tape to hear how the UK sounded at the start of the 90’s.
Britpop emerged at a very specific time in British History, recession and war had dominated the headlines, the Iron Lady left Downing Street for the final time and the UK’s music scene was fractured. Rave was still in relatively rude health, terrifying the tabloids and the parents of teenagers, Morrissey had felt the wrath of music fans after appearing on stage in a Union Jack, and the Manic Street Preachers were bringing their own unique blend of rock n roll to the world. But there was one genre that dominated the airwaves and co-opted the ears of the UKs Youth... Grunge.
Brighton based shoegaze trio Ciel have shared a video for So Scared, a track from their new EP Make It Better: "Hiding behind a wall of fuzz gives them some kind of false safety, but they are fully aware they have to show themselves eventually. (...) With these four crunchy happy-sad bangers they proof that rambling garage power trios have a bright future. Plus it will offer some solace as well pointers to anyone who has eyes on a prospective signifant other". The clip was directed, shot and edited by Craig Murray.
Belgian noise rockers The Guru Guru have made a video for their new single Lotta tension, the lead single from their new album Make (Less) Babies. Not as hectic as their previous output, but they can't resist speeding up as the track progresses. The clip was made by Senne Driesen & Dries Fagniart.
Phish will webcast the shows of their Summer tour via LivePhish in HD and 4K. Various bundles are available. The tour kicks off in Huntsville on July 11.
Live dates:
Cheltenham is a city that is known for its Regency architecture and being host to tons of high brow cultural festivals. It is also home to Cult Trexy, a heavy metal/ nu-core/ punk band set on letting the world know that there is also a vibrant underground music scene, wherein anger supersedes well-behaved dressing up and banter.
Their new single Head High is a harsh call-to-arms, with an almost orchestral keyboards part leading up to Rage Against The Machine-inspired mix of screaming and spoken word. This is the king of noise that most visitors of the Cotswolds would have not signed up for, but it is really refreshing to say the least.
I have never got fed up of The Stooges and The Velvets – they’re the anchor really. I mean there were loads of bands that made us wanna make music, but I think those two bands – the last pieces of the jigsaw was those two bands, when it all started to make sense. We knew we wanted to make music, but had no idea how. With The Velvets and The Stooges it was like “oh, right, now I get it” kind of thing.
Jim Reid
Brighton based shoegaze trio Ciel tackle the tried-and-true subject of making a move with a person they want to get close to on their Make It Better. Hiding behind a wall of fuzz gives them some kind of false safety, but they are fully aware they have to show themselves eventually. Singer Michelle Hindriks isn't afraid to do so. She connected with her future band mates via a Facebook group, while she was living in the Netherlands. Her leap of faith as the front woman did get noticed by the folks at Auntie Beeb pretty quickly.
With these four crunchy happy-sad bangers they proof that rambling garage power trios have a bright future. Plus it will offer some solace as well pointers to anyone who has eyes on a prospective signifant other.
Watch the 4k version of the video made by American heavy metal band Disturbed made for their cover of the Simon & Garfunkel classic The Sound Of Silence in 2015.
North Carolina based pop rocker Chris Church has unveiled a video for One More Chance To Get Over You, a track from his latest album Radio Transient: "[He] mainly writes about relationships, especially the ones that end badly - a well that never runs dry. It is a safe choice, but also a tough one, because it means that a subject that has been covered ad nauseam has to be cut down to its core in order to find a new approach. He passes with flying colours and he has created an album that should be played with the top down on a sunny day on a highway of your choice".
HCTF review of Radio Transient.
Somewhere in rural Oregon is a source for creating soft spoken folk rock. Singer and guitarist Myco Stassens (vocals, guitar) and niece Meadow Stassens (banjo, vocals) tpped into that when they started Najas. Their debut single Gift Horse is a tale about a hand-me-down, old mare, trying to run away from death, a textbook example of story telling without a gratuitous Hollywood ending. They name Elliott Smith and Nick Drake as their influences, which is quite accurate. Their voices blend together in a way that will strike a chord with fans of The Saxophones.
Jazz fusion prog rock trio The Aristocrats have six more shows in Italy to the second leg of their European tour in the Fall. Two tracks from the forthcoming fifth studio album - Hey... Where's My Drink Package? and Sergeant Rockhopper - have been road tested in the first leg and it is likely that there will be more of that when they resume playing in October.
Singer-songwriter Spottiswoode will release his new I Have So Many Friends album on August 1. He revisits a couple of tracks from his back catalog and added a bunch of brand new songs, all recorded "unplugged" @ Studio 42 in Hildesheim, Germany. Jonny Gee (double bass, vocals), Matti Müller (guitar, vocals) and Angi Stricker (vocals, percussion). The title track has gotten the video treatment. It has a Latin vibe, a relaxed backing for his tongue-in-cheek, but heartfelt lyrics.
Bass player Edward Pond and Neil Leyton picked where they left 25 years when they returned to writing songs for their art rock band The Conscience Pilate. And just like in the old days the influence of glam rock is still at large. Their new single Army of Devils is a serious guitar rock song about not giving in to the little voices in their heads - wisdom comes with age. After releasing just one album in the late Nineties, they are ready for the second act, with Michael "Mick" Mckenzie (guitar) and Justin "Juice" Kadis (drums) helping out to capture the sound of the 70s on analog tape.
Dutch musician Benjamin van Vliet has released Life That Wills another single from his new album Changelings by his one-man project Microwolf. Romke Burger added a flute, Harold Konickx handled backing vocals, and Joachim Badenhorst supplied the subtle percussion. It is a piece of lo-fi avant-folk about coming to grips with being a father.
Brooklyn based post-punk Two-Man Giant Squid always love to sneak in a bit of psychedelic rock into their songs. Their new single Progress covers all the bases: snarling vocals, swirling guitar drenched in effects, and first and foremost an abrasive attitude to make sure they come off as being cooler than most other people. They can bottle anger really well, but listen more closely and find that they are likely to own all the albums by Love and that West Coast melodicism has wriggled its way in.
Ruben Block, singer and guitarist with Belgian power trio Triggerfinger, will be on tour later this year to promote his solo album Looking To Glide.
Four years in the making, Anemoia is the most daring composition that foursome Peninsula have come up with. It is a sprawling ambient meets post-rock excursion, nodding to Pink Floyd and Mike Oldfield. There is even a blink-and-you'll miss-it Jeff Wayne inspired guitar. They go through nine distinct yet seamlessly connected sections, thereby creating a soundtrack for an abstract, animated movie that needs to be made someday. If anything Anemoia is a celebration for crystal clear guitars playing catch, with keyboards, bass and percussion stepping into the limelights every once in a while.
With a sidelong running time of a little over 25 minutes, the band manages to grab the listener's undivided attention: headphones bliss that warrants many revisits in order to get immersed in the carefully balanced production, courtesy of Tom Blackford and all four band members. Fans of early Porcupine Tree will love it. Anemoia means cherishing false memories - "nostalgia for a time or a place one has never known". It is an apt name for a longform piece of music that pays tribute to a bygone era wherein musicians were willing able and able to stretch out and take riks at a leisurely pace.
Vancouver based rock quartet SLIP~ons peddle a kind of high energy power pop infused loud music that would have made big in the late 70s. Imagine a hybrid of Cheap Trick and Bachman Turner Overdrive. Their Heavy Machinery EP is filled to the rafters with good time stuff - albeit with plenty of dark overtones in the lyrics - that will induce head banging and high fives when performed live. Stand-out tracks are the pummeling Mosquito (skip the "clean" version, no one needs pandering to the bigots) and the title track.
The four musicians have clocked tons of mileage in various bands in the Canadian rock scene. They have learned that the best way to keep enjoying themselves is doing with they like best: playing in-your-face rock music to shout at the heavens and having a whale of a time simultaneously.
As a roadie for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, I learned that I should give up being a guitar player.
Lemmy
