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 ShowBruce’s Opener in Berlin: “When I Leave Berlin”
This Boss guy sure knows how to endear himself to a crowd, doesn’t he? Last night in Berlin, Bruce kicked off the show with “When I Leave Berlin” by British folk artist Wizz Jones. I’ll admit to knowing next to shizz about Wizz, but turns out he’s one of the most revered, influential folk artists to come out of the UK. “When I Leave Berlin” was the title track of his fourth album released in 1973.
Not sure how the song got on to Bruce’s radar. It’s likely that he’s a Wizz fan, or maybe just as likely he Googled “songs about berlin” a few days before the gig? Who knows? Bruce does, actually.
But at any rate, watching this video earlier today was the first time I’d knowingly heard the tune. And the warm, heartfelt spirit that emanates from Bruce to the Berlin crowd was enough to put a smile on my face and a mist in my eyes. Maybe it’s the combined macht of my Bruce fandom and my German heritage, but it sure is a beautiful thing to behold…
Los Lobos: Live at the Furthur Festival, 1996
The first time I saw Los Lobos live was August 4th, 1996 as part of the Furthur Festival, launched by Bob Weir and Mickey Hart (two surviving members of the Grateful Dead) the year after Jerry Garcia’s passing.
Along for the short summer tour was Ratdog (Weir’s band), Mickey Hart’s Mystery Box, Los Lobos, Hot Tuna, and Bruce Hornsby.
Phoenix was the last stop on the tour. It was August. It was hot. And I was there.
The Los Lobos set sparked a lifetime love of the band for me. The set was only 45 minutes long, but the rich and eclectic nature of the music reeled me in. Rock n’ roll, blues, traditional Mexican, a Hendrix cover, and of course what I came to know as their signature Dead cover of “Bertha” (done better than any band outside of the Grateful Dead).
So I was stoked to come across this short but power-packed set (not to mention it’s a soundboard recording) from that very hot summer day in 1996, and I’m excited to share it with you all.
Los Lobos: an American treasure. And they’re still out on the road. I’ll be catching them again in a couple of short weeks – June 15th at Wild Horse Pass Casino here in the Phoenix area. Life’s too short not to.
Los Lobos
August 4th, 1996
Desert Sky Pavilion, Phoenix
Furthur Festival (last show of the tour)Download ZIP of the whole set.
Angel Dance
I Walk Alone
Evangeline
Revolution
Spanish Castle Magic
I Got to Let You Know
Los Ojos de Pancha
I Got Loaded (w/ Lovelight verse)
Mas y Mas
Bertha (w/ Pete Sears on keyboards)Diamond Rugs
If that crazy bastard John McCauley is involved, count me in. John’s main gig is Deer Tick, but he’s also popped up in a couple of indie supergroups: Middle Brother (along with Delta Spirit’s Matt Vasquez and Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes) and, most recently, Diamond Rugs, featuring members of other bands like Los Lobos, Dead Confederate, and the Black Lips.
The bare bones, stripped down rock n’ folk vibe is prevalent in the record. John’s signature snarl shows up on songs like “Gimme a Beer,” “Call Girl Blues” (killer horn riffs by Lobos’ Steve Berlin and Deer Tick’s Robbie Crowell, presumably), and the killer holiday-themed ballad “Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant” (John’s good at those tear jerkers when he wants to be).
Another cool thing about this record is new exposure to some of the other guys. Ian Saint Pe of the Black Lips opens the album with a great one, the punked out, sneering “Hightail.” The tune pulled me right into this record…
“Blue Mountains” is one of Ian’s others songs that I really like. I like his laid back, sing/talk style.
And then there’s “Country Mile,” sung by Dead Confederate‘s Hardy Morris, which jumps between fuzzed out psychedelic rock and country blues. There’s all sorts of cool instrumental shit going on in this one – pedal steel, guitar and keyboard effects – particularly in the last minute or so of the song…
Add this to the list of albums that gets better with each listen. The contributions from all of these guys makes for a diverse experience that has you finding something new to like each time around.
Diamond Rugs will play The Late Show with David Letterman on June 25th. You can pick up the record on Amazon here… Diamond Rugs
Live Dead on YouTube: 3-28-81 at the Rockpalast Festival
There’s an insane amount of live Grateful Dead shows on YouTube these days, and I’ve fallen hard into the rabbit hole the past couple of weeks.I’ve spent some time traveling back to the late 80’s at Alpine Valley (to think I was a clueless 18 year old just 45 minutes away at this moment), the early 90’s at the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in Las Vegas (where I saw my final Dead show), and most recently – today in fact – over in Germany at the 1981 Rockpalast Festival.
The show really takes off midway through the first set, with the run of “Sugaree”, “Me & My Uncle”, “Mexicali Blues”, and the funky disco-jamming of “Shakedown Street.”
Here’s the Dead at the Rockpalast Festival in March 1981 – all three hours and twenty-two minutes – featuring a guest appearance late in the show by a Mr. Pete Townshend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldse7hpLphY
