• Funk

    New Philly Phunk: The Blue Method

    I’m liking a CD I was recently sent, by Philadelphia funk outfit The Blue Method. Catchy, hooky, fun-kay music. They’re releasing their second album, Kill the Music, Vol. 2, later this month. If you’re in the Philly area, go to the World Cafe on Saturday, June 23rd for their CD release party.

    Dammit I know my funk, and these boys got it! They lay it down thick, my friends, and that’s a beautiful thing. From the head bobbing “Get Back Home” (below), to the laid back groove of “…And How Does That Make You Feel”, to the retro power soul of “Spinnin” (which you can hear on their MySpace site), to their tribute to the Godfather of Soul in “Let Me See You”, I know a lot of you out there will enjoy this.

    Check out their links below and pick up their new CD when it’s available….

    The Blue MethodGet Back Home (The Bounce) [mp3]

    The Blue Method’s Official Site | MySpace

  • Prince

    Prince: Buy My Smell!


    photo by Richard Avedon for Rolling Stone #429

    Here’s something I could not be less enthusiastic about: Prince will be releasing his new fragrance, 3121, on 07-07-07! Ssssnnnnnniiiffff…. owwwwwaaaaa!! Yip yip – yooooooo! And he’s marking the occasion by playing an exclusive mini concert on the 8th floor of a &@# Macy’s department store! $250 gets the first 1,400 people the Ultimate Prince Xperience: a ticket to see Prince at Macy’s in Minneapolis, a bottle of his perfume, and a ticket to see him at the Target Center that night.

    Perfumes, Macy’s, multi-thousand dollar tickets to see him play in the Hamptons … jeez P, just release an album and go on a normal tour ferchrissakes. You’re losing me here…

    Sorry, I may be bitter that I won’t be in London this summer for his 21 night stand. To give some credit where credit is due, he has kept those ticket prices low at a respectable 31 pounds.

    He’s also playing seven nights at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood next month, but that seems to be a more exclusive / VIP affair. Tickets prices are rumored to be not so respectable to common folk like many of us. Still waiting to see ticket info (and not looking forward to finding out).

    Take it, Fela…

    Fela Kuti w/ Ginger Baker – Ye Ye De Smell (mp3) – from Live!

    About the Eau de Purple (from this article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune):

    Purple reigns over all of the senses for Prince. The artist-musician has created a fragrance for women, called 3121. The name matches the name of his Las Vegas club and most recent album title, and it originates from the address of a home he rented in Los Angeles.

    The perfume will be launched on July 7 (7/7/7) at 12 a.m. with a 24-hour online charity event, including a Prince performance. Watch and buy at www.3121perfume.com. 3121 will also be available at select Macy’s stores. Prices start at $31.21 and go up to $70. Seven percent of sales will be divided between seven charities. It’s clear Prince likes numbers (and colors and symbols).

    The bottle is purple, and cut in the shape of an emerald-cut diamond. The 3121 logo is 22K gold.

    The scent is floral with many undertones. It probably does smell like purple.

  • Live,  Punk

    Live: Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, 1999

    cover of the book Redemption Song

    I. Am. A. Slow. Reader.

    I’ve always enjoyed reading books. But damned if it doesn’t take me an eternity to read one. Especially over the last decade, as the internet has consumed any free time I previously devoted to books. And maybe it has something to do with reading right before bed. Four, five pages and I’m too tired to go on.

    So my intent is to do my first book review, since I was just sent Chris Salewicz’s new book, Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer. But since it may take me while to get through it, I wanted to at least make you good people aware that this book is out there. Chris Salewicz was a music journalist in the seventies, covering the exploding punk scene for several publications, and befriending many of the bands, including the Clash – so he has a unique insider’s perspective on Joe Strummer.

    Joe’s been gone for more than four years now. He left us too early at the age of 50. Shitty thing is, he was just hitting his stride again with the Mescaleros. After a long hiatus, he had formed the band in the late 90’s, and released Rock Art and the X-Ray Style, their debut album, in 1999. A tour followed, and as you’ll hear, Joe was back in prime form. With healthy doses of Clash favorites, old reggae songs, and new Mescaleros tunes, the live shows were great.

    Interspersed between the songs is the classic Strummer stage banter. Before launching into Toots & the Maytalls’ “Pressure Drop”, he introduces it this way:

    “We’re doing it by a Clash arrangement where we fuck the whole song up completely. But what can you do? I’m a great believer in tradition.”

    Enjoy the show. I should have a quality book review to you by, oh – let’s say, Christmas.

    Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros
    Theater of the Living Arts
    Philadelphia, PA
    November 24, 1999

    Download ZIP (mp3)

    Intro
    Shouting Street
    Diggin’ The New
    X-Ray Style
    Rock The Casbah
    Ishen > Brand New Cadillac
    Tony Adams
    Trash City
    Nitcomb
    The Road To Rock n’ Roll
    White Man In Hammersmith Palais
    Safe European Home
    Yalla Yalla
    Rudie Can’t Fail
    London Calling
    Pressure Drop
    Tommy Gun
    Island Hopping
    Forbidden City
    Junco Partner
    Straight To Hell
    I Fought The Law
    Bankrobber
    White Riot

  • New Orleans

    Kermit Ruffins Cooks!

    Kermt Ruffins

    A fixture in the New Orleans music scene, both pre and post-Katrina, is Kermit Ruffins. Every Thursday night, a club in the Bywater section of town – Vaughan’s – becomes Kermit’s place. The fact of the matter is that every Thursday, Kermit cooks. And I’m speaking literally and figuratively. Sure, Kermit cooks on stage with his band, the Barbecue Swingers. But when he’s not on stage, Kermit’s cooking outside – off the back of his red pickup truck. He sets up his barbecue, and grills it up for anyone who’s hungry. How cool is that?

    Kermit Ruffins is a trumpet player, and started off as an original member of the Rebirth Brass Band. He and his high school buddy Phillip Frazier co-founded the group in 1982. Ten years later, he formed the Barbecue Swingers. Not surprisingly, Kermit’s biggest influence is another pretty decent New Orleans trumpet player: Louis Armstrong.

    A few weeks ago, a reader friend of mine, Cove, was nice enough to have Kermit sign his new CD for me at one of his Vaughan’s gigs. Many thanks, Cove. I’ll be back to the Big Easy for next year’s Jazz Fest, God willing, and you will certainly be seeing me scarfing down some quality Kermit Ruffins barbecue outside of Vaughan’s on a Thursday night!

    Kermit’s new CD, Live at Vaughan’s, comes highly recommended. It’s bursting at the seams with that New Orleans flavor: the great music, the rich atmosphere, the boisterousness. Support Kermit and pick one up today…

    Kermit RuffinsHide the Reefer (mp3)

    BUY his new CD, Live at Vaughan’s: on Amazon | at the Louisiana Music Factory | on iTunes

    Check out his Basin Street Records profile.

    Live at Vaughans

  • Pop

    Ickmusic Live: Gary Numan 1980

    gary numan

    I know very little about Gary Numan. I’ve always been a fan of “Cars”, but beyond that, not much exposure to ol’ Gary. But I’m always seeking to paint in the bare spots of my musical canvas (like that?), and God knows, we all need to take a trip back to 1980 once in a while for some classic synth-heavy new wave.

    So a quick Numanology…. born Gary Anthony James Webb in Hammersmith, West London in 1958… Put together a band in the late 70’s called Tubeway Army… 1979’s The Pleasure Principle included his biggest hit, “Cars” – and was completely devoid of guitars… two of his biggest influences: David Bowie and Marc Bolan… he’s a flying nut, and was once arrested in India for “spying” during a flight around the world… he’s seen a resurgence in his career over the last decade, as time and perspective have him labeled by some as the “godfather of electronic music.”

    Enjoy the show…

    Gary Numan
    Live in Santa Monica, CA
    BBC Rock Hour, broadcast September 7, 1980

    Airlane
    Me I Disconnect From You
    Praying To The Aliens
    M.E.
    Films
    We Are So Fragile
    Are Friends Electric?
    Conversation
    Metal
    Cars
    I Die, You Die
    Down In The Park

    Gary Numan’s Official Site | MySpace

    Buy 1980’s Telekon

  • Jazz

    Electric Miles – London, 1971

    miles davis 1971

    Allow this to push you into the week in mind blowing fashion…

    Miles Davis
    Royal Festival Hall, London
    November 13th, 1971

    1. Directions
    2. What I Say?
    3. Sanctuary
    4. It’s About That Time
    5. Honky Tonk
    6. Funky Tonk
    7. Sanctuary

    Lineup:

    Miles Davis (tp)
    Gary Bartz (soprano & alto sax)
    Keith Jarrett (keyboards)
    Michael Henderson (bass)
    “Ndugu” Leon Chancler (drums)
    Charles Don Alias (percussion)
    James Mtume (percussion)

  • Giveaway,  Oldies,  Pop

    Warmth of the Sun Giveaway

    This Tuesday, Epic will release ‘The Warmth of the Sun’, a retrospective of three decades of Beach Boys music chosen by the Boys themselves – yes, even Brian Wilson (along with Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and Mike Love). To complement the release, there’s an 11-part series of free podcasts filled with interviews and quality Beach Boys tuneage being released over 11 weeks. You can subscribe to them in iTunes.

    So naturally, it’s time for another Ickmusic give-it-away! A comment below puts you in the running. Pretty simple, hey? As always, points for originality. And extra points to anyone who can throw Brian Wilson and “warmth of the sun” into a limerick.

    The Warmth Of The Sun (CD and Digital Album)
    1. All Summer Long (new stereo mix)
    2. Catch A Wave
    3. Hawaii
    4. Little Honda
    5. 409
    6. It’s OK
    7. You’re So Good To Me (new stereo mix)
    8. Then I Kissed Her (new stereo mix)
    9. Kiss Me, Baby
    10. Please Let Me Wonder (new stereo mix)
    11. Let Him Run Wild (new stereo mix)
    12. The Little Girl I Once Knew
    13. Wendy (new stereo mix)
    14. Disney Girls (1957)
    15. Forever
    16. Friends
    17. Break Away
    18. Why Do Fools Fall In Love
    19. Surf’s Up
    20. Feel Flows
    21. All This Is That
    22. ‘Til I Die
    23. Sail On, Sailor
    24. Cool, Cool Water
    25. Don’t Go Near The Water
    26. California Saga (On My Way To Sunny Californ-i-a)
    27. California Dreamin’
    28. The Warmth Of The Sun

    Buy The Warmth of the Sun

    Subscribe to the Podcast Series.

    Check out the Beach Boys Official Site.

  • Rock

    If I Was an Angel

    Here’s a nice tune by NYC-based Rogue’s March. Led by gravelly-voiced singer Joe Hurley, the band has been packing them in at the Mercury Lounge and the Bowery Ballroom for years with their fusion of Irish-country-punk-ruck. They take the tempo down a bit for this one…

    Rogue’s MarchIf I Was an Angel (mp3)

    Buy Rogue’s March music | check out their Official Site.

  • Miscellaneous,  Prince

    Ick’s Odds and Ends

    towel
    My name is Prince, and I can wear a towel on my head and still be cool.