Joan Osborne – Shake Your Hips
Shake it Joan…
Fred Eaglesmith – “Betty”
One thing I’ve quickly found about Canadian singer/songwriter Fred Eaglesmith is that he has a hell of a lot of great songs. As I skip around his catalog on Spotify (sorry Rdio, you ain’t stocked on your Fred), I’m constantly floored by another knockout tune. The latest to catch my ear is “Betty,” from Fred’s latest album 6 Volts.
It’s not only the hard luck story of Fred’s lady, who has skipped town with Fred’s gun, leaving him to wonder what it is she’s running from: “Is it the money / Is it the drugs / Is it somebody that you used to love”; but it’s also the bad ass rhythm and cadence of his vocal delivery. It just sounds so…COOL (for lack of a better word).
Fred. He’s bad ass.
Buy 6 Volts
on Amazon.
Grandaddy live at the Independent in San Francisco (8-12-2012)
One of may favorite bands from the 90’s and early 2000’s days of yore is Grandaddy. I consider The Sophtware Slump to be a masterpiece with its futuristic space-pop, bleepy, bloopy and utterly beautiful vibe.
After a 6 year hiatus, Jason Lytle and the band have reformed for a small tour around California and Europe. As is usually the case, there is no Phoenix date scheduled, so I must live vicariously through the magic of the interwebs.
This past Sunday, the band followed up their festival appearance at Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park by playing a late night gig at the Independent in San Francisco. A kind person, “cuthere,” recorded the performance (with the blessing of the band). I thank cuthere, and you will too…
Check out this Stereogum link for pictures from the night.
Grandaddy
The Independent
San Francisco, CA
August 12, 201201 Intro
02 El Caminos In The West
03 Now It’s On
04 Yeah Is What We Had
05 Summer Here Kids
06 Fare Thee Not Well Mutineer
07 The Crystal Lake
08 My Small Love>
09 Levitz>
10 Chartsengrafs
11 The Go In The Go-For-It
12 AM 180
13 Lost On Yer Merry Way
14 Jed’s Other Poem (Beautiful Ground)
15 Laughing Stock
16 Stray Dog And The Chocolate Shake
17 Hewlett’s Daughter
18 Here (Pavement Cover)
19 (break)
20 He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s The PilotFred Eaglesmith – “Shoulder to the Plow”
Fred Eaglesmith continues to wind his way into my musical psyche. His 2008 album, Tinderbox, is getting repeated spins in my corner of the world. Here’s a standout track, “Shoulder to the Plow.”
Band of Horses ‘Mirage Rock’ due Sept 18th
Another killer album cover from Band of Horses. I was excited to read the band’s Facebook post tonight announcing the new album, Mirage Rock, which is due September 18th.
They’ve also unearthed the new single, “Knock Knock,” complete with a video by resident photographer Christopher Wilson.
You can pre-order Mirage Rock here.
My Cross To Bear – Gregg Allman’s Book
This one was so good, I almost started it right over again.After losing his dad as a very young kid (a senseless murder victim, no less), and then his brother, legendary slide guitarist Duane Allman in 1971 (when Gregg was just 23), Gregg persevered and carried on the musical torch – taking the Allman Brothers Band to greater heights as well as embarking on a successful solo career.
It hasn’t been easy, obviously. Gregg writes openly about his struggles with drugs and alcohol, his many failed marriages (that’s 6, folks), among them the one and only Cher.
But it’s all about the music, and thanks to the book, I’m diving deep into Gregg’s solo stuff and some of the deeper Allman Brothers Band cuts. Gregg’s 1973 debut, ‘Laid Back,’ is stellar, as is the The Gregg Allman Tour record, which was recorded on the Laid Back tour in 1974.
By the way, Mati Klarwein created that trippy Laid Back cover. He also painted the covers for Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew and Santana’s Abraxas records, among a bunch more.
Great rock n’ roll read. Pick it up…
Amazon: My Cross to Bear
Brandi Carlile – “Oh Dear”
Oh dear. A rush of goosebumps, the welling of tears in the eyes. That moment when you become aware of a special connection between you and a song, and all external noises and worries go quiet. That moment when every ounce of focus – heart, soul and mind – is between you and the song, and you have the sublime pleasure of reveling in its beauty.
This a capella performance of “Oh Dear” by Brandi Carlile and her band worked that magic on me when I watched this ACL performance sometime last year. Everything about it is perfect to me: all the harmony parts, the placement of each character in the group, Brandi’s animated expressions… and – her VOICE. Oh dear oh dear. The pristine falsetto, the inflections, and the purity.
This simply knocked me out.
(ACL has wiped this video clean from the internet. I’ll get it back up if I find it!)
The District Attorneys – “Cherry Glow”
Heard this tune by Athens, GA group The District Attorneys on my road trip back from Colorado (istening to The Loft on SiriusXM). Instant like.Chorus sounds a tad like Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” no?
Recap: Los Lobos at Ovations LIVE! Showroom, June 15th
Have I ever mentioned that I love Los Lobos? I have? Well, I’ll say it again: I love Los Lobos. Last night, they stopped into town at the Wild Horse Pass Casino outside Phoenix, playing the relatively new and impressive Ovations Live Showroom (pat-on-the-back mention: no money spent on gambling!).
There are few things in this life that I enjoy more than listening to and watching David Hidalgo, Cesar Rojas, Louie Perez, Steve Berlin, and Conrad Lozano play their music (not to mention new drummer Enrique “Bugs” Gonzalez – whose infectious energy clearly rubbed off on the rest of the band).
The diverse crowd was charged up (plenty of quality people watching, both inside the showroom and especially outside in the smoky expanse of the casino floor), pretty ladies were dancing in the aisles, and all was right with the world…
Set List…
Los Lobos
Ovation Live Showroom
Wild Horse Pass Casino
Chandler, AZ
June 15, 2012La Pistola y El Corazon
Las Ojos de Pancha
Arizona Skies >
Borinquen Patria Mia
Teresa
Sabor a Mi
Shakin’ Shakin’ Shakes
The Neighborhood
Chuco’s Cumbia
Come On Let’s Go
Wicked Rain
Yo Canto *
Papa was a Rolling Stone > *
I Can’t Understand > *
Oye Como Va *
Volver Volver
BerthaEncore:
La Bamba >
Good Lovin >
La Bamba* Marcos Reyes from War on percussion
Alice Cooper’s Elvis Story on That Metal Show
I’m not a huge metalhead, but it’s hard not to get sucked into That Metal Show when I come across it on VH-1 Classic (which is often the case on weekday mornings before work). Hosts Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson are crazy about metal – and with their lively discussions, album & artist list rankings, and the variety of guests they bring into the studio for interviews – it’s hard not to get caught up in their passion for the music.
Last week, Alice Cooper dropped by the show for an interview, and he told the best Elvis Presley story involving Vegas, Linda Lovelace, Chubby Checker, and a loaded snub-nosed .38. It’s a great interview all around, but if you want to skip straight to the Elvis story, go to 20:35.
Get More:
That Metal Show