First Listen: Tea Leaf Green
Recalling shades of perennial Ickmusic faves Band of Horses, Tom Petty, and Wilco, Bay Area band Tea Leaf Green landed in the inbox for a first listen of the first single from their new release Raise Up the Tent. Vivid and funky, the tune evokes the scents and sounds of summer. Produced by David Lowery (Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven, Counting Crows), if this is any indication of what’s on the rest of the record I can’t wait to hear it.
In the meantime check out the single with me.
Tea Leaf Green – Red Ribbons (MP3)
Buy Raise Up the Tent: Amazon | iTunes
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
The Tea Leaf Green is currently spreading the love across the country and the tour dates are after the jump.
Missed the Boat!
Hearing a song like this makes me think I should own a lot more Modest Mouse. “Missed the Boat” is just a great song. And that’s James Mercer from the Shins providing the background vocals.
I’d post the Mp3, but this is Sony/BMG, and it’s Modest Mouse’s latest album. The internet police suspended my site a few weeks back, so I give you the YouTube video. Paranoid? A tad.
Sorry co-workers – our evil corporate web site blocker will ensure we don’t enjoy this quality tune from our office chairs.
Vid…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8tOpdH8qC0 336 278]And hear the full track streamin’ on Last.fm.
Extreme Returns
So what’s thirteen years, multiple musical ventures, bad blood and feuding between brothers? For the members of Extreme it appears that it’s not much more than a very long summer vacation. Now before you go judging or recalling their pigeonholing hit “More Than Words” know that this is an older, wiser and slightly disenfranchised Extreme. Not willing to join the reunion circuit, the band has recorded a new record (their fifth) and is headed out on tour starting next Tuesday.
You can check out the first single “Comfortably Dumb” from Extreme’s new record Saudades de Rock at Ultimate-Guitar.
Tour dates after the jump.
Elvis-lution
When it comes down to it, it’s true – Elvis IS Everywhere.
Had a chance to hear Mojo Nixon hosting his radio show on Sirius Outlaw Country, and he played this tune of his from 20 years ago. So don’t get mad at Mojo when he calls Michael J. Fox the “Anti-Elvis” – it was 1988. It was Family Ties and Back to the Future era. Was Alex Keaton the Anti-Elvis?
Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper – Elvis is Everywhere (mp3)
Buy Bo-Day-Shus!!!
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Hard Promises
Not since my little spiel about side two of Tattoo You have I delved into my all-time favorite albums. Tom Petty has a wealth of amazing albums on his resume, and though Full Moon Fever almost takes top billing, I have to rank 1981’s Hard Promises as my favorite. It’s all about time and place and memories.
When this album came out in May of 1981, I was a 10 year old kid, and had just discovered the beauty of the record store. Hard Promises and ZZ Top’s El Loco were the first two albums I remember buying on my own (with good ol’ Mom’s money, of course). Over the course of the summer of 1981, this album was played from start to finish in my room I don’t know how many times, and every song seeped into my impressionable musical vault.
“The Waiting” was the album’s biggest hit, reaching #1 on the new Billboard Rock Charts, and #19 on the Hot 100 Singles chart. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The album has the first Stevie Nicks/ Petty duet, “Insider”, the killer slow funky shuffle of “Nightwatchman”, the vivid storytelling of “Something Big”, and the list goes on.
Here’s how the album panned out…
Side one
- “The Waiting” (Tom Petty) – 3:58
- “A Woman in Love (It’s Not Me)” (Petty, Mike Campbell) – 4:22
- “Nightwatchman” (Petty, Campbell) – 3:59
- “Something Big” (Petty) – 4:44
- “Kings Road” (Petty) – 3:27
Side two
- “Letting You Go” (Petty) – 3:24
- “A Thing About You” (Petty) – 3:33
- “Insider” (Petty) – 4:23
- “The Criminal Kind” (Petty) – 4:00
- “You Can Still Change Your Mind” (Petty, Campbell) – 4:15
I remember reading an issue of Rolling Stone over the summer that featured Tom on the cover. It was on an airplane, we were off to vacation somewhere. In the article, Petty was describing his battle with MCA Records to keep the price at $8.98, rather than the $9.98 that MCA preferred (Steely Dan’s Gaucho and the Xanadu soundtrack had been the first two to be bumped up to the higher price). Petty went as far as to threaten MCA with naming the album Eight Ninety Eight, and after some wrangling, MCA relented and Petty got this wish. On the plane, I read the interview, and remember reading some F bombs, and feeling like I was getting away with something as my parents sat next to me. Rock n’ Roll!!
Tom Petty, Rolling Stone # 348, July 1981 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – A Woman in Love (It’s Not Me) {mp3}
Buy Hard Promises
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“Insider” video…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZZn8RMNBhg 336 278]
Ickmusic’s Friday Five: July 18, 2008
Is it really Friday already?
I’ll admit that I got through the first 4 hours of my work day without even realizing what day it was. Time flies, or so they say. Now if one of you could kindly point me in the direction of where this “they” sit I’ll be on my way. Oh, this baseball bat in my hand, it’s… um, a gift. That’s it, a gift for “them”. In keeping with what I’m now dubbing “The Theme Days of Summer” I’ve cobbled together the following playlist to reflect my current mood with hopes of pulling some uplifting tunes to pass the hours until I’m free to count down to Monday. That said, here’s the playlist for this Friday:
Match ANY of the following conditions
NAME contains Work
NAME contains Time
NAME contains Passing
NAME contains Quick
NAME contains Slip
NAME contains FlashThis pulled about half the amount of tracks as last week‘s playlist.
For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s how it works: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five with some words for each track.
Then it’s your turn! You can play along with the themed playlist or just share the first five of your shuffle, either way the fun is in playing musical voyeur for the day.
That said…
Here are this week’s tracks:
1. The S.O.S. Band – Take Your Time (Do It Right) (from The 70’s Preservation Society Presents Disco Fever)
Now there is nothing like a little slice of premium 80’s funk (I do realize this particular track is a 1979 vintage) to kick off a Friday Five. More and more lately I’ve been a sucker for the likes of The S.O.S. Band, The Dazz Band and The Brothers Johnson. If anything this one was too short and went by to quickly, so I’m going to do something I rarely do and listen to it again.
You know you ought to slow down
You been working too hard
And that’s a fact
Sit back and relax a while
Take some time to laugh and smile
Lay your heavy load down
So we can stop and kick back
It seems we never take the time to do
All the things we want to, yeahYeah, that’s the stuff…okay, next!
2. Prince -Let’s Work (from Controversy)
Now I don’t want to go ruining this by saying something, but this is a turning out to be one funky five. While Controversy was never my favorite Prince record, it does contain quite a few of my favorite individual tracks. I mean come on, who can resist “Do Me, Baby”?
3. The Black Crowes – Sometimes Salvation (from The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion)
It might not be funky, but this is damned soulful. I’ve had an odd love/hate relationship over the years with The Black Crowes. To me, this is where they shine. Soulful, Bluesy and with a passion that seems to play hide and go seek with every other record they release. This one is brilliant though, and I’m enjoying hearing it after a long while.
4. The Meters – Love Slip Upon Ya (from Fire on the Bayou)
And right back to the funk, bubbling up from the Louisiana Bayou. I had the pleasure of seeing The Meters live a few years back at the “From the Big Apple to the Big Easy” benefit show at Radio City. So funky.
5. The Dave Matthews Band – Stay (Wasting Time) (from Listener Supported)
Recorded September 11, 1999, this was the second live record that Dave and the Band released and to me really captured the essence of the live DMB experience at the time. Featuring “The Lovely Ladies” this down-tempo version of their funky as hell New Orleans tribute is a perfect coda on today’s Friday Five, cause don’t it make you wanna stay?
Okay, now it’s your turn, what’s wasting time with you this Friday?
Jon and Roy
The Canadians keep comin’ hard with the quality tunes. Jon and Roy hail from Victoria, British Columbia. Their latest album is Another Noon – and it’s great. Warm, laid back, and inviting acoustic roots music.
They scored pretty big for an indie outfit by getting the title track on a new Volkswagen commercial (I think Wilco gave VW ads that instant indie cred). If you dig Citizen Cope or Jack Johnson’s vibe, definitely check out Another Noon.
The standout track for me after a couple of listens is “Oh Please”. It’s like drifting on a cloud. Close your eyes and escape for three and a half minutes.
Jon and Roy – Oh Please (mp3)
Official Site: http://www.jonandroy.ca
Buy Another Noon:
Magic Tour Highlights, including Tom Morello with the Boss
On April 7th, 2008, my wife and I sat in Anaheim’s Honda Center, watching as Bruce Springsteen brought out Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine to sit in with him and the Band on “The Ghost of Tom Joad”.
Nine minutes later, the crowd was a frenzied, jaw-dropped mass, cheering madly for Tom Morello. The guitar solos that Tom whipped up for the occasion were nothing short of amazing.
Today, everyone else can see and hear what the Honda Center crowd saw, as well as a few other highlights from Bruce’s still-going-strong Magic tour. On iTunes, the tracks are available in both audio and video.
100% of the proceeds go to the Danny Federici Melanoma Fund, in honor and memory of the late E Street-er.
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‘Magic Tour Highlights’ Track Listing
1. “Always A Friend” (performed with Alejandro Escovedo)
Recording Date: 04/14/2008 (Houston, Texas)
2. “The Ghost of Tom Joad” (performed with Tom Morello)
Recording Date: 04/07/2008 (Anaheim, California)
3. “Turn Turn Turn” (performed with Roger McGuinn)
Recording Date: 04/23/2008 (Orlando, Florida)
4. “4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” (Danny Federici’s final performance
with the E Street Band)
Recording Date: 03/20/2008 (Indianapolis, Indiana)Northern Exposure: Tagaq
Bizarre, diverse, expansive, extraordinary, sensual and provocative, the sophomore release Auk/Blood from Canadian artist Tagaq brings to mind a flurry of metaphors that all lead to the summation of a single word; Unique. As an experience I can only liken it to the first time I heard Sigur Rós or Dead Can Dance, stylistically this is profoundly and utterly unlike anything that I’ve ever heard before. There is a familiar quality in the textures, organic and primal and yet this is far from familiar. Dynamic to the point where you sometimes have to strain to discern the whisper, and intense to the point of rapture (go ahead and try not to get completely lost in the seduction of “Hunger”), Auk/Blood leaves no corner of the subconscious unturned.
Tagaq is vocalist/Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq Gillis, together primarily with violinist Jesse Zubot and featuring guest vocals from Mike Patton, rapper Buck 65 and beat box artist Shamik Bilgi. Auk/Blood is due to be released July 29th – until then, check out the track “Fire ~ Ikuma (feat. Mike Patton)” and let us know your thoughts.
Sorry for the file mix up, but it should all be better now!
Tagaq – Fire ~ Ikuma (feat. Mike Patton) (MP3)
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
The Boxing Lesson’s Wild Streaks & Windy Days
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon spent almost 30 years on the Billboard charts, until just a couple years ago. With a sound that has so pervaded music and popular culture, it’s surprising that there aren’t a lot more bands like Austin’s The Boxing Lesson, who are not afraid – at all – to let the listener know where Waters, Gilmour, and company stand in their book.
Pink Floyd’s shadow looms large over their new record, Wild Streaks & Windy Days. But that’s not to say that TBL are a Pink Floyd knock off band. Plenty of tracks stray from the Pink: “Hanging With the Wrong Crowd” starts out like Joe Jackson’s “Steppin’ Out”, then morphs into a neo-Zeppelin riff. “Brighter” is a hard driving chunk of power pop. “Dance with Meow”‘s cool drums and synths steer the tune into some futuristic sonic landscape.
But like I said, Pink Floyd may lurk in the shadows on certain tunes, but their presence is undeniable in songs like “Muerta”, the title track, “Lower”, and (obviously) “Dark Side of the Moog”.
The cover art sums it up well. With the omnipresent synths running their course through the album, the fuzzed-out power chords, and the ode to Floyd, the album takes the listener on a journey through the ether.
There will never be another Dark Side of the Moon, but it’s nice to hear it directly influence a band as we near the 2010’s.
The Boxing Lesson – Lower (mp3)
Buy: Wild Streaks & Windy Days
Web Sites: TBL’s MySpace | YouTube Channel | Imeem
Gigs:
July 18 – Emo’s – Austin,TX w/ The Warlocks
July 24 – Doublewide – Dallas,TX (w/Mostly Bears)
July 26 – D-Fest (The Continental stage) – Tulsa,OK
Aug 17 – Emo’s – Austin,TX w/A Place to Bury Strangers
-Midwest Tour TBA Soon –
Sept 20 – Pecan Street Festival (Main Stage) – Austin,TX
