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The Wind-up Birds: Talking Back All the Time

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While we moan like owt then this good shop shuts
Well take the blame
No you don’t have the guts
While we moan like owt then a good shop shuts
We’d take the blame if we had the guts
For the money we never spent
The times we never went

This is how The Land, the first full-length album from Leeds, England-based band the Wind-up Birds, opens: with an indictment that blankets us all who have popped around to the nearest discount megastore in the name of convenience and saving a buck, then proceeded to moan about what a shame it is when a good locally-owned store is forced to close. You know right off that if The Land is going to leave you feeling anything, “comfortable” will not be among the emotional options.

The Wind-up Birds – named for Haruki Murakami’s novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle – have been playing together for nearly a decade, and perhaps it’s best that they waited so long to get their first full album together because this is a strong showing. While the intense “There Won’t Always Be an England” is the immediate favorite for me, I’d hasten to point out the greatness of tracks like “Nostalgic for….”, “No People Just Cutouts”, the first single “Cross Country”, and so on.

 

 

Songs like “Good Shop Shuts” – quoted at the opening of this post – and “There Won’t Always Be an England” are written at a local level, they translate easily to American ears and can make you feel both better and worse that the problems in your backyard mirror problems in the backyards of people an ocean away, and that it’s not just you who is fed up to the back teeth with blind jingoism.

 

 

And behind the words, a musical frontline that many might mark as “post-punk” but the band have dubbed “noisy pop”, “cos in our heads we are making pop music, songs that people can sing and dance to, just a bit noisier.” But the emotional outcome is much closer to punk than ABBA, tattered and angry, and by no means mindless or bubblegum.

 

 

Everything about this album is compelling. Eat it up.

 

The Wind-up Birds Official Website

The Wind-up Birds @ Bandcamp

The Wind-up Birds @ Facebook

 

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Second Line Jazzband: St. James Infirmary

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I’m just going to say this up front: You can’t have a second line with a stand-up bass and a full drum kit. That being said, I’ve been up in the New Orleans vibe lately, so this rendition of the classic “St. James Infirmary” by Swedish group Second Line Jazzband is hitting me in my sweet spot. The clearly accomplished musicianship backs a soulful delivery by guest vocalist Daniel Lemma, and I like the way the structure of the song parallels the progression of a jazz funeral/funeral-with-music by moving along slowly and solemnly until they “cut the body loose” and dance down the road.

Listen and download:
SECOND LINE JAZZBAND (w. DANIEL LEMMA) | “St James Infirmary” (2012) by birdswillsingforyou

 

Second Line Jazzband Official Website

Daniel Lemma Official Website

 

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A Good Read, a Good Listen, and a Good Drink: The Payroll Union

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

Is it right to describe someone’s voice as “woody”? (Another hurdle: is it possible to do so without calling a particular Monty Python’s Flying Circus sketch to people’s minds?) Because I realize that is what Pete David’s voice makes me think of: a dark, polished wood. Perhaps mahogany or a particularly richly-hued and knotty cherry. It’s pleasing to the senses, but its many rings and swirls have stories tucked into them.

So, too, could be described the music of Pete David’s band, the Payroll Union. I’ve heralded the Payroll Union here before for their instantly-effecting music and the rich history that makes up the bulk of the stories told in their songs, and I’m happily anticipating their first full-length album, slated for release this autumn. The band is offering a free track from their forthcoming album, one new track each month, at their site (click “free song” in the header) through September.

Today, Pete shares a few recommendations with us.

 

“Mary Lamson” – The Payroll Union

 

Good Read:
1776 by David McCullough
I’m currently in the middle of The Civil War, Shelby Foote’s epic narrative and though it’s engrossing, he still doesn’t beat David McCullough for bringing history to life. McCullough’s research, his even-handedness and his economy of words all combine to create an incredibly vivid picture. He is able to give such a strong sense of presence to history and show how extraordinary – and in some cases, unlikely – events were. For this reason, I’ve chosen 1776, his book on events of the Revolutionary War during that year. You understand why New York delegates to the Continental Congress were wary of supporting the Declaration of Independence as 30,000 troops gradually sailed towards their city. They would have been hung as traitors, if caught. To give that figure some context, Philadelphia was then the largest city of the thirteen colonies, with a population of around 30,000. The sense of fear and trepidation is brilliantly conveyed by the author. Ultimately, McCullough’s skill is in presenting ‘his’ characters as real people and not just impressive figures. Washington, Howe, Greene, they all emerge with their flaws and strengths painted without – seemingly – any great bias.

Good Listen:
Tonight’s the Night, Neil Young
There’s plenty of good recent music I’m listening to at the moment – Slim Cessna’s Autoclub, Neva Dinova, Waters – but there are only a handful of albums I consistently return to and one I’ve recently put on the player again and have done for the past 11 years, is Neil Young’s Tonight’s The Night. A couple of years ago, I finally got round to getting it on vinyl and it’s given me another burst of enthusiasm for what is probably – if I really had to pick one – my favourite record. To describe it as ragged would be an understatement. The vocals, cracked and drunk, are beautifully broken; guitars crash and tumble; piano keys are clumsily tinkled. It swells around you in a similar way to Exile On Main Street, but Tonight’s The Night is both drunk and sad. This is an album about grief, and the sense that the band are on the edge of falling apart pervades the whole record. I love Neil Young, and he has consistently made great records, but none better than this.

 

 

Good Drink:
Timothy Taylor’s Landlord
No doubt about this one. My desert island beer is and always has been Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. Full, hoppy but not overpowering and a perfect 4.3% ABV. Every pint is deeply satisfying. Tastes great from a bottle too, which has, on the label, a lovely picture of a jolly, bald, rotund man (presumably the landlord) grasping firmly a tankard of the foamy beverage. Great beer from one of the many great Yorkshire breweries.

 

“Jake the Pistol” – The Payroll Union

 

The Payroll Union @ Bandcamp

The Payroll Union @ Facebook

 

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Kojo “Easy” Damptey: A Revolution Full of Uncertainty

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Arriving in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to study chemical engineering at McMaster University, Kojo “Easy” Damptey noticed obvious differences between his new northern home and his birthplace of Accra, Ghana, Africa, like the overwhelming cold. But a perhaps more affecting difference he found was in the people.

“In Ghana there is a proverb that states ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, this is the driving force for most communities back in Ghana,” Damptey says. But in Canada, he found people kept to themselves, “black people would only interact with black people, Italians would socialize with Italians, etc.” Even something as simple as a ride on public transit, where most Ghanaians are open to personal interaction, became an illustration of social divides as most Canadians seemed hesitant to interact. (This is, at least, Damptey’s experience and points out that others have had different experiences, but I think most Canadians and Americans reading this find truth in his assessment.)

But Damptey found connections with like-minded people through his discovery of FruityLoops and MPCs (MIDI/music production centers). As he began to produce beats like those of the hip hop artists he had listened to in his youth – DMX, Nas, Tupac Shakur – he became involved with other musicians at his university, musicians who were playing instruments and touring. He was then inspired to teach himself piano, which Damptey says, “took years, but eventually I pulled through.”

Broadening his artistic skills and drawing on his hip hop influences as well as soul and reggae influences, Damptey began collaborating with other artists, including Kae Sun, whose Damptey-produced album Soliloquy album won Rap/Hip Hop Recording of the Year in the 2006 Hamilton Music Awards.

Now Damptey has self-released his own EP, The EP – available via Bandcamp and iTunes. An artist of strong social conscience, Damptey highlights issues of immigration, apathy, and a common factor he finds between the people of Ghana and the people of Canada, poverty and the struggle to find jobs and support families.

“All these issues are complex issues that are never discussed out in the open unless it affects someone we know. My aim is to bring these issues to the forefront so we can talk about it and hopefully find a way to deal with it in our society,” Damptey says. “I would like people to listen to the words, ponder over the words, and realize we are all connected in the world by the choices we make everyday.”

 

 

When first listening to The EP, I was struck by Damptey’s soulful approach to hip hop beats and the large amount of heart poured into the music, words, and vocals. The track “Africa” is easily my favorite on the ep, inspiring me to play it repeatedly the first night I listened.

 

 

Damptey’s future holds a collaboration with hip hop group Canadian Winter (Daylight Robbery, due out later this year), as well as a documentary centering on the efforts of Hamilton community organizations, agents and low-income leaders to provide a living wage for all Hamilton citizens.

 

Kojo “Easy” Damptey Official Website

Kojo “Easy” Damptey @ Bandcamp

Kojo “Easy” Damptey @ Twitter

 

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Give: T-Model Ford

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Stolen wholesale from Deep Blues:

UPDATE! The good folks at SavingCountryMusic.com have set up a PayPal button for donations towards T-Model’s care. You’ll find it in the top right corner of their page. Thanks Triggerman!

 

T-MODEL FORD HEALTH UPDATE via Roger Stolle:
Hi y’all. I just talked to T-Model’s wife Miss Stella. As many of you know James “T-Model” Ford has unfortunately suffered another stroke over the past week. He is to undergo angioplasty and start physical therapy “soon.” Since the medical bills are adding up, and he is currently unable to work/play, the Ford family is seeking donations to help with expenses. At 91 years old, T-Model is one of the last Delta bluesmen of his generation. He’s also a heckuva tough old dude, and as he sings, “Nobody Gets Me Down!” Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers, and send him a little something if you can. (Red Paden is also talking about trying to put together a blues benefit for T down the road, so stay tuned on that.) Thanks.

SEND DONATIONS DIRECTLY TO BANK:
James Ford
Routing# 084205708
Account# 4700445890
Planters Bank
424 Washington Ave
Greenville, MS 38701
PH: 662-335-5258
FX: 662-378-4429

OR MAIL CARDS, CHECKS, ETC. TO HOME:
James Ford
443 South 7th Street
Greenville, MS 38703

photo credit: Lou Bopp

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Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires: Everything You Took

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Lee Bains (of the Dexateens) and his new band the Glory Fires rolled out their debut, There is a Bomb [sic] in Gilead, this week. I dig this country-tinged southern soul track “Everything You Took”.

 

 

You can download a full live show, from a March 23 performance at the Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, just by clicking this link.

You can also catch them on the road right now, including a stop at the much-loved Deep Blues Fest in Minnesota (the return of the original!) in late June.

May 17 – Oxford, MS – Proud Larry’s
May 18 – Little Rock, AR – White Water Tavern
May 19 – Batesville, AR – Lucero Family Picnic w/ Lucero, Shooter Jennings
May 24 – Mobile, AL – Alabama Music Box w/ Nightmare Boyzzz
May 25 – Tuscaloosa, AL – Green Bar
May 26 – Athens, GA – Caledonia Lounge
May 27 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl w/ Glen Iris / Dirty Souls
June 21 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
June 24 – Rock Island, IL – Daytrotter Session
June 26 – Madison, WI – Mickey’s Tavern
June 27 – Milwaukee, WI – Quarter’s Rock’n’Roll Palace
June 28 – Minneapolis, MN – Palmer’s Bar
June 29 – Bayport, MN – Deep Blues Fest

 

Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires Official Website

Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires @ Alive Records

Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires @ Facebook

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A Good Read, a Good Listen, and a Good Drink: Daniel Knox

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

 

I am pleased to have the king of sardonic heart taking part in this series. Sardonic heart? you ask. Yes, because while Daniel Knox will make you laugh – if your humor is of a certain darker inclination – if you dig further down, you will find deep and jagged truths that might catch you on their barbs as they cling to your clothes with their familiarity. Yes, the world is broken, and we’re broken in it, but sit here a while, and we’ll share a grim laugh together.

 

 

Good Read:
Ask The Dust by John Fante
The most prominent in a series of novels about Fante’s alter-ego Arturo Bandini. I love all of Fante’s work but I’ve read this book more times than I can remember. Bandini is pure ego and contradiction, cursing someone and admiring them in the same breath. His writing style is full of a rambling honesty that doesn’t hold back. Anyone who has ever tried to write or create something will recognize Bandini’s courage and doubt as their own.

“The Road To Los Angeles” makes a good companion to this, as does “Dreams From Bunker Hill” which Fante wrote blind and limbless from his deathbed.

There was a piece of shit movie made of “Ask The Dust” in 2006. Don’t even bother watching the trailer. It’s the worst.

Good Listen:
“Gondola No Uta” (from Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru) by Traditional.
I’ve always favored voices with character over ones with skill. I work as a projectionist and this song from the end of the film “Ikiru” always made me run out to the balcony to take it in whenever it showed. His voice is so small and on the verge of cracking, but I can’t imagine it sung better.

 

 

Good Drink:
I quit drinking a few years ago but not out of any great dramatic epiphany. I knew I was either bad at it or too good to keep going. But the best times I had were drinking alone and getting lost.

I used to drink the hell out of scotch but if I had to recommend a drink recipe to anyone it would be this:

wake up disoriented on a winter morning when you have nothing to do
take a box of DayQuill® gelcaps
follow this with a bottle of vodka
close your eyes
open them and you will be outside
now you are on a bus
sit on the back middle seat where it is warm and slightly elevated
feel the arms of the bus wrap around you as the city you live in passes both very fast and very slow all at once
show up someplace you haven’t been before.

 

Daniel Knox Official Website

Daniel Knox @ Tumblr

Daniel Knox @ Twitter

Daniel Knox @ Facebook

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Saturday Matinee: The Beastie Boys

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In continued tribute to Adam “MCA” Yauch, who died yesterday after a three-year battle with cancer, I’ve dug up a couple of interviews with the Beastie Boys, one a 1987 appearance with Run-D.M.C., and the other a 2009 interview (separated into two parts), promoting Hot Sauce Committee Part One and a batch of album reissues, including the 20-year reissue of Paul’s Boutique.

If you want more Beastie Boys’ video action, check out the Canal de nutri871’s YouTube channel. It’s a treasure trove of live clips, interview clips, etc., separated into eras, including the Beasties on Yo! MTV Raps in 1989.

 

 

 

 

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Two Man Gentlemen Band: We’re gonna get our stomachs pumped!

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First, I’d like to offer my sincere gratitude to the Two Man Gentlemen Band for writing and recording the song “Tikka Masala”, for it is that song that finally dislodged Hall and Oates’ “Sara Smile” from my brainpan after a three-day residency. (I will admit to unironically enjoying a healthy portion of the Hall and Oates menu, but “Sara Smile” has never been a part of that portion.)

 

 

The first few notes you hear from the Two Man Gentlemen Band may have you bracing yourself for yet another “old timey” band, but just relax and listen. Be suitably impressed by the clean, skilled musicianship. Then be charmed by the cute, sly lyrical content (check out “Prescription Drugs” to hear where I pulled this post’s headline form) and the cheerful, winking personality. Finally, notice how you can’t keep your toe from tapping. You might have shimmied in your chair just a little, too. That’s the well-rounded experience of the Two Man Gentlemen Band.

 

 

The new TMGB album, Two at a Time, is a pure experience by design. Not only does the music contain references to and evolutions of pre-war pop, Les Paul-style guitar dreaminess, and swing music spirit (among other inspirations and influences), but the album was recorded on vintage equipment in glorious mono in straight-up one-shots with no overdubs or digital engineering, and the album art was created without the help of computers, as well, utilizing hand-set lettering, linotype and offset printing, and photos taken with good, ol’ film. I reiterate: this album is a well-rounded experience, polished with care and presented with love and, one assumes, more than a little bit of pride.

Two at a Time is available in LP, CD, and, if you must, digital formats at their Bandcamp site. They’re also embarking on some summer coast-to-coast touring, so check them out in your town if you can. Word on the street is that you won’t be disappointed. (Check their website for more details.)

05/03/12 Davis, CA Sophia’s Thai Kitchen US
05/04/12 Ukiah, CA Ukiah Brewing Company & Restaurant
05/05/12 Weaverville, CA Mamma Llama US
05/06/12 San Francisco, CA Amnesia US
05/16/12 Knoxville, TN Jig and Reel US
05/17/12 Bristol, TN 620 State US
05/18/12 Asheville, NC Altamont Brewing US
05/24/12 Portland, OR Duff’s Garage US
05/25/12 – 05/26/12 Port Angeles, WA Juan De Fuca Festival of the Arts US
05/26/12 Seattle, WA Conor Byrne Pub US
05/28/12 Burbank, CA Joe’s Great American Bar & Grill US
05/31/12 Casper, WY The Attic US
06/01/12 Fort Collins, CO Road 34 US
06/02/12 Casper, WY Private Event US
06/03/12 Denver, CO Hi Dive US
06/08/12 Lexington, KY Cosmic Charlies US
06/09/12 Chattanooga, TN Riverbend Festival US
06/10/12 Chattanooga, TN The Honest Pint US
06/12/12 Frederick, MD Cafe NOLA US
06/13/12 New York, NY Joe’s Pub US
06/14/12 Cambridge, MA Regatta Bar US
06/15/12 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall US
06/17/12 New York, NY Private Event US
06/21/12 Hampton, VA The Tap House US
06/22/12 Kill Devil Hills, NC Outer Banks Brewing Station US
07/12/12 Grand Rapids, MI Founder’s Brewing Co. US
07/14/12 – 07/15/12 Harbor Springs, MI Blissfest US
08/03/12 – 08/05/12 Happy Valley, OR Pickathon US
08/09/12 Cambridge, MA Club Passim US
08/10/12 Barnard, VT Private Event US
08/17/12 Annandale-on-Hudson, NY Spiegeltent at Bard College US
09/22/12 Berryville, VA Watermelon Park Festival US

 

Two Man Gentlemen Band Official Website

Two Man Gentlemen Band @ Bandcamp

Two Man Gentlemen Band @ Facebook

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Boom Chick: Shake Can Well

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I’m late in posting about this, but you should know that Boom Chick have a limited edition 7″ vinyl and download available, comprising their songs “Shake Can Well” and “Sweaty Dress” with bonus track “Sharkbite”. I caught these kids at Deep Blues Fest last year, and they were a wonderful surprise. Engaging and hard-rocking, the two-piece draws influence from the blues, obviously, but they also display a big love for early r&b and rock ‘n’ roll, even writing songs about Bo Diddley.

Check out the session they did with Alive & Breathing late last year.

 

“Shake Can Well”

 

“Cryin’ Rooster”

 

The 7″ is available from their Bandcamp site. Check out tour dates, photos, and more at the official Boom Chick website.