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Limited Time Offer: Always on My Mind / The Last Day, by The Rest

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Readers, The Rest have a present for you: two of their songs, downloadable for free at their bandcamp, until Halloween. This offering is particularly special as these songs were, along with the rest of their upcoming record, almost lost when their hard drive crashed and were resurrected only with the help of black box technology.

The name of the salvaged record is SEESAW, and it will officially be out in 2012; until then, there are two songs from it to enjoy. Always on My Mind is dreamy, heavy, and crunchy at the same time. (Honestly, my first reaction was This is like a big bubblebath of noise. I may or may not be a weensy bit over-fond of fuzzy guitars.) The Last Day is a hair lighter and a shade bouncier, but no less delicious.

As a preview of what to expect, here is The Rest with Modern Time Travel (necessities), from their first record, Everyone All At Once:
 
http://youtu.be/QYwu_Zum-hs

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Take That Hovercraft Straight To Paris: Holy Ghost Station, by Dustbowl Revival

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Good morning, NTSIBbers. Today I would like you to meet Dustbowl Revival, a roots/jazz collective from Venice, California. They recently put out a record called Holy Ghost Station, and if you like your bluegrass to have some jazzy swing, this record is for you.

Also, if we have any swing dancers in the audience – or people that love swing dancers and want to provide them with snazzy new music – I am reliably informed that Dustbowl’s tunes are, in general, ideally suited to the St. Louis Shag, the Collegiate Shag, Balboa, and the Jitterbug. Furthermore, Lowdown Blues, one of my favorites, is perfect for the Lindy Hop.

Zach Lupetin, founder / ringmaster of the Revival / Collective, was kind enough to answer a few questions about the group:

What inspired you to delve so deeply into this particular era / genre of American music?

I’d say first, I started writing songs when I was in high school and my father (a great blues harp player in Chicago who often plays with Dustbowl when he’s in town) was blasting a lot of big band, blues and early rock n’ roll – British invasion stuff. My mom was heavy into the sixties folky scene and Patsy Cline and those country artists that had crossed over.

In college it sorted started seeping in and I had some friends in a band there that pushed me to look earlier, which sort of started a love-affair with close-harmony bluegrass and jug-band style tunes, Dixieland, that playful Fats Waller piano boogie and the earliest form of all – the church music and Mahalia Jackson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and so forth.

I lived in the Village in NYC for a little while and there is this crusty old bar called Arthur’s Tavern on Grove and there is a Dixieland band that has played ever Monday night for the last 59 years or something absurd. Old cats who can really blow. Something about that sound, the raw happiness in it, that really stuck in my mind – not sure why. It’s like seeing into a past life or something. You’re deep in it without any real reason to be.

Seeing what C.W. Stoneking and The Del McCoury-Preservation Hall Jazz Band are doing combining roots and pre-war jazz forms really got me going. The band has been together for over three years now and keeps getting bigger.

Do you ever go out on tour, or is it a strictly catch you in Los Angeles kind of affair?

The band is a bit of a large gang (usually 7-9 of us at a time) so extensive touring has not quite happened. Though we have played a good deal in San Francisco and the Bay as well as Seattle, Anchorage, Chicago, and San Diego.

The LA area is so diverse that it’s easy to fall into a nice rhythm of playing clubs and events here. I’ve traveled extensively in Europe and lived in Prague for a bit so I’d love to bring the group across the pond – would be a blast.

How many of you are there, exactly, and who plays what in the band as of right now?

Our core instrumentation is usually: acoustic guitar (Z.Lupetin), mandolin (Daniel Mark), fiddle (Connor Vance), trumpet (Matt Rubin), trombone (Ulf Bjorlin), clarinet (Nate Ketner), a gal singer (Caitlin Doyle) (plus washboard), drums (Josh Heffernan), upright bass (Austin Nicholsen + often we have a gypsy guitar player (Ray Bergstrom), blues harp (JT Ross), tuba, banjo (Matt Breur) accordion (Gee Rabe) and pedal steel.

We even had a bagpipe once! We act as a collective so we are constantly having new musicians in the area come in and out.

Thanks Zach!

Now, as examples of the Dustbowl Revival’s groove, I give you my absolute favorite song of theirs, Le Bataillon. Be sure to listen carefully to the lyrics, as they are amazing and kind of trippy:

Le Bataillon by dustbowlrevival

And also some video:

"Riverboat Queen" performed by The Dustbowl Revival live at the Echoplex

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Feel Bad For You, October 2011

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The October installment of the Feel Bad For You mix is here, with contributions from music makers, pushers and lovers. Free for you to stream or download and enjoy while imbibing the libation of your choice.

Nota bene: Due to an oversight, my contribution was not included this month. If it had been, you’d be hearing Little Walter’s “Juke” in this mix. Take your grievances to Matt.

 

 

Download

Title: For Stormy
Artist: Chelsea Crowell
Album: Crystal City (2011)
Submitted By: Mando_lines
Comments: For Stormy is an instrumental track off of Chelsea Crowell’s upcoming record, Crystal City. The song originally had lyrics, but Ms. Crowell made the decision to jettison the lyrics and had her producer, Loney Hutchins, play lap steel in place of her vocal track. A Tennessee thunder storm (and tornado siren) are in the background, if you listen closely. Conveniently, the siren was in the same key as the song.

Title: Twilight On Sometimes Island (SoulQuest 17)
Artist: Lil’ Cap’n Travis
Album: Twilight On Sometimes Island (2007)
Submitted By: Erschen
Comment: Love me some Pedal Steel

Title: Fortune Cookie
Artist: Los Straitjackets
Album: The Further Adventures of Los Straitjackets (2009)
Submitted By: @popa2unes
Comments: Everyone’s favorite Mexican wrestling mask-wearing, Chuck Taylor-clad, surf and garage instrumental rock band, we had these guys play at a traditional Hot Rod Show I was involved with a couple summers ago, they know how to have a good time and get everyone dancing.

Title: Townsend, TN
Artist: The Royal Court of China
Album: Self-Titled (1989)
Submitted by: toomuchcountry
Comments: The Royal Court of China was a Nashville-based, Elliston Place/Rock Block staple band in the late 1980s who later took a shot at the big time with a relo to LA. Bands such as The Questionnaires (featuring great songwriter Tom Littlefield), Government Cheese, Will & The Bushmen (fronted by Will Kimbrough), and RCC were among the second and larger wave of memorable bands that followed the original Nashville rockers, Jason & The Scorchers. The band got its name from a magazine interview with Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers. In the interview, the two of them mentioned that they had rejected RCC as a name for their name and instead chose The Firm. RCC’s second album, Geared & Primed, was hard-edged and included their only hit – Half The Truth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4JNLthoQRU). But their first and self-titled release included a wider range of guitar playing, a mandolin, some slide to give it a distinctly-Nashville touch, a few more harmonies, and this instrumental named for one of the most beautiful, tranquil parts of East Tennessee.

Title: Hobo’s Blues
Artist: Paul Simon & Stéphane Grappelli
Album: Paul Simon (1972)
Submitted By: Phil Norman | @philnorman
Comments: I’ve been on a Paul Simon binge lately, and I was already thinking of submitting a gypsy jazz track when I remembered this little ditty with the master himself, Stéphane Grappelli.

Artist: Japancakes
Song: Only Shallow
Album: Loveless (2007)
Submitted by: Corey Flegel (This Is American Music)
Comments: featuring Pedal Steel God John Neff of DBT before he was
John Neff of DBT…always a badass.

Title: Drivin’ South
Artist: The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Album: Radio One (1989)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: What else is there to say?

Title: Maggot Brain
Artist: The Volebeats
Album: Bloodshot Records: Making Singles, Drinking Doubles (2002)
Submitted By: Truersound
Comments: in the pantheon of great rock instrumentals, Funkadelic’s maggot brain is certainly near the top. This is a killer version with some absolutely necessary steel guitar.

Title: A New Life
Artist: Willy Vlautin & Paul Brainard
Album: Northline (Soundtrack To The Book) (2008)
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: Love Willie Vlautin’s writing for Richmond Fontaine and his books are equally fantastic – the book and soundtrack idea works wonderfully well.

Title: Into the Lungs of Hell
Artist: Megadeth
Album: So Far, So Good… So What (1988)
Submitted By: Gorrck
Comment: Having sent instrumentals the last 2 months, this actually was a challenge this month. Pulled up Glenn Miller’s “Goin’ Home” — way too mellow and sad. Fired up some Xavier Cugat and remembered I had a cover of Ray Charles doing “One Mint Julep”. Then I realized I submitted the Cugat in 2008. Dammit. So here’s some Megadeth. Enjoy!

Title: Ghost Song
Artist: Slithering Beast
Album: Werewolf Ballads (2006)
Submitted By: bootlegend (In My Basement Room)
Comments: One of my favorites from a criminally underexposed band out of Louisville.

Title: Arkansas Traveller
Artist : Norman Blake
Album: Live At McCabes (1976?)
Submitted By: Bowood
Comments: This could be why I play guitar, or it could be why I don’t.

Title: Stairway to Heaven
Artist: Rodrigo y Gabriela
Album: Rodrigo y Gabriela (2006)
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz

Title: Bombs Over Baghdad
Artist: Outkast
Album: Stainonia (2000)
Submitted By: Autopsy IV of ninebullets.net
Comments: Bob your head. Rag top.

Title: Squid Omelet
Artist: The Queers
Album: Grow Up (1990)
Submitted By: annieTUFF
Comments: Ok, so when I think instrumental I automatically think surf music. and I LOVE surf music. Dick Dale and the Dale Tones, The Ventures, Frogmen, Sentinals, The Rumblers, Beach Boys (although honestly I don’t listen to them as much as the others I’ve mentioned). I could go on and on about surf music. BUT I wouldn’t have ever gotten started listening to surf music if it weren’t thru a weird backdoor way of getting exposed to it, thru punk. So, I decided to put up the song that got me started really listening to surf instead of one of the other surf bands I mentioned. The Queers are a great band that are pretty heavily influenced by surf music, and you can really hear it in their songs, I love them. Although I had heard surf before I didn’t really appreciate it until after getting into punk. Confused now? Me too. By the way, this song ends kind of abruptly, because it’s supposed to lead right into the next track…so this might not really be the greatest pick for a random mixtape….but I’m telling a story with this song, so, suck it.

Title: Good Grease
Artist: Mark III Trio
Album: Single
Submitted By: @mikeorren
Comments: Off a great bootleg instrumental soul compilation that sadly seems to be unavailable on now. The comp disc was called “Bucket o’ Grease”

Title: Si Paloma
Artist: Sun Kil Moon
Album: Ghosts of the Great Highway (2003)
Submitted By: Trailer
Comments: I’m not a big fan of instrumentals, but that’s the theme…so here’s a submission from one of my favorite albums of all time.

Title: Moanin’
Artist: Ray Charles
Album: Genius + Soul = Jazz (1961)
Submitted By: Adam Sheets

Title: Cissy Strut
Artist: Butch Cassidy Sound System
Album: Butches Brew (2004)
Submitted By: noteethleroy

Title: Peace in Mississippi (Jimi Hendrix cover)
Artist: Earth
Album: Pentastar: In the Style of Demons (1996)
Submitted by: TheSecondSingle
Comment: Stoner rock at its best. This may not be most people’s cup o’ tea, but you have to admit: it’s pretty badass.

Title: Green Onions
Artist: Booker T. & the M.G.s
Album: Green Onions (1962)
Submitted By: TheOtherBrit
Comments: Thanks to TheSecondSingle for the inspiration via spotify!

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Scott H. Biram: ‘Til I Hit That Open Road

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“In England, last year we were over there, and my friend John from the Black Diamond Heavies – well, you can’t have no pocket knife in England, and we were partyin’, and he was yelling at these old geezers about something or they were yelling at him. They saw he had a pocket knife in his pocket, and they told one of the bobbies outside, and they took him to jail. And we said, ‘Is there anything we can do?’ And they said, ‘No’, and I said, ‘Well… okay!’ And we went back in and started dancing again, and my friend was in jail.

The next morning, he came swaggering up. He said [adopts rough, John Wesley Myers voice], ‘Man, that’s the nicest jail I ever spent the night in. But they took my coon dick bone!'”1

This is the story behind the centerpiece song of Scott H. Biram’s new album Bad Ingredients. Aside from memorializing John Wesley Myers’ confiscated good luck charm, the boogie woogie rockin’ “I Want My Mojo Back” also pays tribute back down the line to Lightnin’ Hopkins and the whole mojo hand tradition.

 

 

Though known as a punk-blues songster, Biram tends to draw on a variety of forms, from blues to bluegrass to country to metal and other points between. And while that remains true for Bad Ingredients – his almost out-of-place cover of Bill Monroe’s tender “Memories of You, Sweetheart” being the most obvious example – this is probably Biram’s bluesiest album to date. From the fiery, highly idiomatic “Dontcha Lie to Me, Baby” to the stellar “Born in Jail” with its slow hip-drag groove to the slinky Lightnin’ Hopkins cover “Have You Ever Loved a Woman?” and on, this album is made for a sweaty juke joint. Though, as ever, it is indelibly stamped with Biram’s ornery, furious brand of passion.

And it’s just damn good. This is one of those rare albums where I can’t pick one favorite track because so many of them are excellent (aside from ones mentioned, “Just Another River” and “Victory Song” also vie strongly for attention). If you’re already a Biram admirer, this album, which drops tomorrow, is a given. If you’re uncertain, watch that video posted above, get the song download below and be convinced.

 

 

As ever, Scott H. Biram is touring, and you should not miss the opportunity to see him live.

Oct 14 2011 Riley’s Tavern – Hunter, TX
Oct 27 2011 Sam’s Burger Joint – San Antonio, TX
Oct 28 2011 Triple Crown – San Marcos, TX
Oct 29 2011 Scoot Inn – Austin, TX
Nov 5 2011 VZD’s – Oklahoma City, OK
Nov 7 2011 Bender’s Tavern – Denver, CO
Nov 8 2011 Belly Up Aspen – Aspen, CO
Nov 10 2011 Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
Nov 10 2011 Heavy Metal Shop (FREE INSTORE) – Salt Lake City, UT
Nov 11 2011 Trap Bar at Grand Targhee Resort – Alta, WY
Nov 12 2011 The Palace – Missoula, MT
Nov 15 2011 Media Club – Vancouver, BC CANADA
Nov 16 2011 Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
Nov 17 2011 Dante’s – Portland, OR
Nov 18 2011 Humboldt Brews – Arcata, CA
Nov 19 2011 Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA
Nov 20 2011 The Satellite Club – Los Angeles, CA
Nov 22 2011 Casbah – San Diego, CA
Nov 23 2011 Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ
Nov 26 2011 The Mohawk – Austin, TX

Scott H. Biram Official Website

 

 

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Tour Alert: Colour Revolt / Empires

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Empires, of Chicago (and yes, still the Scrappy Little Band of My Heart) are teaming up with Colour Revolt, of Oxford, Mississippi and visiting some cities  this fall. I can’t get to their Brooklyn show – law school is once again interfering with my rock and roll lifestyle – but I encourage all y’all to go and check them out.

As enticement, I give you some video. First up, there’s Empires, with Spit The Dark, from Howl, the first song they wrote as a band:

http://vimeo.com/7093690

 

And then Colour Revolt, with Eight Years, from their new record The Cradle. It’s the story of eight years playing together – the highs, the lows, the sublime, and the totally, grossly ridiculous:

Colour Revolt "8 Years"

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The Felice Brothers / Nicole Atkins and the Black Sea / Diamond Doves, Webster Hall, 9/29/11

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It’s been almost approximately a year since I last saw the Diamond Doves (formerly the Dearland in Elvis Perkins and Dearland, now doing their own thing) and in that time they’ve changed: they’ve become tighter and more focused, and their drums are bigger and louder and roll like mighty waves.  They were good before, but they’re better now. I’m also pleased to report that they are still making the hipsters dance. Here they are in action:

 

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Next up was Nicole Atkins and the Black Sea. I (once again) had never heard them before and had no idea what to expect. Ladies and gentlemen: this band rocks. Nicole Atkins has an amazing voice – powerful, flexible, commanding, and sultry at the same time – and she and the band bring some serious jams. If you haven’t experienced them yet, you should get on that right away.

 

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And then there were The Felice Brothers, who are on tour right now. The crowd was a little bit flat at first – some of them perhaps hearing songs from Celebration, Florida live for the first time – but they perked right up and made the floor vibrate with their joy when the band launched into familiar favorites like Run, Chicken, Run, White Limosine and, of course, Frankie’s Gun.

The one I was waiting for, though, was River Jordan. It’s one of my favorites, mainly for the steady, thudding, mournful drums; the line about Fuck the House of Blues; and also the point near the end where either the band cuts Ian Felice loose or he breaks free, but either way he’s soaring.

This time it came at the end of the main set, and it was spellbinding, all the way down to the last two minutes or so when various band members stopped playing and walked back into the wings, until it was just the drums ringing out under the lights.

They came back, of course, and the mood changed. They did a cover of Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town that made that song expand and thrum with new energy, followed by a raucous rendition of Helen Fry, and then the show really was over. These are some of the pictures I took during the festivities:

 

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And here is one more of the Diamond Doves (& friend), in their capacity as the Felices’ horn section:

 

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Southern Independent, Vol. 3

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Shooter Jennings and the crew at Give Me My XXX are on a roll, and the latest Southern Independent compilation may be the best yet. Not only do they have a team-up from Waylon Jennings and the Old 97s, a song off of Scott H. Biram’s upcoming album, Bad Ingredients (a song inspired by a true life incident involving John Wesley Myers), my favorite Austin Lucas song and a great Brett Detar song, but there is some goddamn hip hop! A great track from Waylon Jennings’ grandson Struggle, along with Yelawolf, featuring a sample from Waylon’s “Outlaw Shit”.

You can get it all for free by signing up over at Give Me My XXX.

Here’s the tracklist for further enticement:

1. The Other Shoe / Waylon Jennings & The Old 97’s
2. I Want My Mojo Back / Scott H. Biram
3. Officer Guererro / Lucky Tubb
4. What Happened Last Night? / Amanda Shires
5. Another Love Song / Ted Russell Kamp
6. To The Victor Go The Spoils / Have Gun Will Travel
7. Run Around / Austin Lucas
8. Hard Times / Tyler Childers
9. Nola / High or Hellwater
10. Gettin’ By / Six Shot Revival
11. Lesson In A Bottle / Blackberry Smoke
12. The Devil’s Gotta’ Earn / Brett Detar
13. Jumping The Sharks / Carter Falco
14. Heaven Anywhere / Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real
15. Outlaw Shit / Struggle feat. Yelawolf

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Rockhall Nomination for 2012

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When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum was newly-established and first began inducting musicians, writers, producers, etc., back in 1986, the pool of contenders was like the selections in a really good candy store, and the first class of inductees was pretty much unfuckwithable. Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sam Cooke, Little Richard, the Everly Brothers, Robert Johnson, Jimmie Rodgers, Sam Phillips, Ray Charles, Jimmy Yancey, John Hammond, Alan Freed… it’s difficult to even place that list in a hierarchical order. And the inductees kept being good for several more years.

But in recent times, just knowing the nominees are about to be announced makes me cringe. A little piece of my soul shrivelled up when ABBA was inducted, and don’t even get me started on Neil Diamond. But who am I to say these music creators who make my skin crawl don’t deserve a place in the Incongruous Semi-Pyramid on the Lake? I realized that I was rejecting these artists based on personal preference when I attempted to debate with someone that his disdain for the choice of Public Enemy as a representative of the best of rock was wrong-headed. Yes, hip hop is not, specifically speaking, rock, but neither is soul, and I would volunteer to smack anyone who would deny the rightful place of Otis Redding in those hallowed halls.

(I won’t get into my torturuously conflicted feelings on the very idea of the Rock and Roll Museum, but if you’d like to play at home, you can begin by combining the fact that the Rockhall is one of my favorite places to visit in the world [I’ve been there approximately seven times and my first visit was six hours long] and my strong identification with John Lydon’s observation that something honoring the true heart of rock music should not resemble an ancient mausoleum.)

So, what do you think readers? What would be your criteria for inductees? Can you remain objective about such an emotional art form?

Here’s this year’s list of nominees, followed by a few videos from some of my favorites.

· Beastie Boys
· The Cure
· Donovan
· Eric B. & Rakim
· Guns ‘N Roses
· Heart
· Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
· Freddie King
· Laura Nyro
· Red Hot Chili Peppers
· Rufus with Chaka Khan
· The Small Faces/The Faces
· The Spinners
· Donna Summer
· War

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Official Website

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Nick13 / Brett Detar, The Bell House, 9/24/2011

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When I last wrote about Brett Detar (formerly of The Juliana Theory) I had just listened to his new solo record and loved it. Last Saturday night I got to see him sing some of those songs live, and it was fantastic.

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It was just him and his guitar (and later banjo), so the songs – with the exception of Cocaine Whiskey and Heroin – were at times little slower and more subdued than on the record, but they were no less lovely for being stripped down. He has a big powerful voice and it was a pleasure just to listen to him sing.

Anyway, here’s one more of him, this time with the banjo:

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Next up was Nick13, formerly of Tiger Army, who I had never heard before in either of his incarnations – Tiger Army happened while I was in cultural exile – and thus had no idea what to expect.

I realize this has become something of a trend with me. I promise I do go to concerts where I am familiar with the work of all of the acts ahead of time! It’s just sometimes (okay, often) I’m perfectly content to go on a voyage of discovery.

And as for Nick13, I am once again happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised.

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For those of you who have heard of Tiger Army and are wondering how the new sound compares, I have since corrected my deficiencies and can tell you that what he is playing now is really, really different. The psychobilly has left the building.

The new sound is – well, it’s kind of old, in the sense that it harkens back to what country sounded like in the middle of the 20th century. My reactions were basically We play both kinds, country and western, though referencing the score of Greater Tuna, not Blues Brothers, and also He’s like Gene Autry with neck tattoos.

Though I do also have to say that he’s less tinny and schmaltzy than Gene Autry, or at least, Gene Autry as presented by Spotify. There’s definitely some punk and/or rock sensibility swirling through everything as well, but it’s subtle – just enough to give the rhythm a little bit of kick.

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Mostly I thought the music was sweet, and kind of gentle, but most certainly not dull. I put his CD in my iPod, and while it’s only been in rotation for a couple of days, I can tell it’s the kind of thing I will be returning to at the end of long days and when exams are making me crazy. It’s also music I will play for my parents, as I think they might enjoy it.

If you would like to check both Nick13 and Brett Detar out for yourself, the tour is still on the march, and will be making stops across the Mid- and South-West through early October.  If they’re coming to your town and you have the evening free, go down and visit with them. I promise it will be a good time.


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He-Chaw Frunk: What?

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One of the biggest perks of this music blogger gig is getting to be friends with some really talented people. Case in point, they of the band name that people are never sure they’ve heard correctly, He-Chaw Frunk. Not only are they as local to me as you can get, but they have a dark musical sensibility that moves me. Here they are playing one of their original songs, “Time”, at Brothers Lounge.

 

 

How about the vocal chords on Chris Bishop? And that beautiful guitar-playing from Sasha Kostadinov? And the slinky groove held down by Matt Rusincovitch and Mark Slater?

Check out more of their songs and live videos at the He-Chaw Frunk website, and if you’re in the Cleveland area, be sure to catch them live.