Music from My Mailbox and Other Important News

OK. Important things going on, so please don’t skip the first part of this post. I have slightly less than a month left on my web host. When that time is over, I am not planning to renew. What that means to you is, in all likelihood, I will bring this blog to an end. I’ve learned to never say never, but I’d say there is about a 99.9% chance Licorice Pizza will cease operations in about a month.

The reason for this decision is two-fold: First, while Dreamhost is an excellent host, I do pay quite a bit for that service. Quite frankly, I have never donated to anyone else’s blog fund and don’t feel you need to contribute to mine. This is something I do for fun and if you’re going to pay for my fun, well, there are other things you can buy me. But understand it’s not just about the cost of the host, which brings me to my second point:

I have been at this for four years and my interest has waned a bit, although I still go on posting jags once in a while (see last month). I can tell by the quality of some of the posts I’ve made recently that I’m forcing them and I don’t want to continue doing that.

Although this post has been on my mind for some time, it makes me a bit sad to actually write it. I may at some point decide I miss doing this and I’ll start up again. In the meantime, I assume that once my host expires, so does access to anything on that host. I encourage you to look back over the past couple of years for anything you wanted to hear but put off listening to. If you find something that is no longer available, drop me a note and I’ll do my best to re-up it.

I’ve started a Tumblr page, in case I feel like there’s something I need to say. You can up music on those pages, but you can’t share it, which is a disadvantage of sorts. Feel free to check it out if you care to; there’s not much there now but I may get more active with it in the future.

As always, follow the links for more information....

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Indie / Alternative
From: Vermont, USA
Band MySpace
Things I Never Needed (acoustic).mp3

Soft Tags
Indie / Shoegaze
From: Portland, Ore.
Band MySpace
The Pine Barrens.mp3

22-20s
Alternative
From: United Kingdom
Band MySpace
Latest Heartbreak.mp3

Ashton Nyte
Alternative / Folk / Indie
From: Johannesburg, South Africa
Band MySpace
Jennifer.mp3

Horrorfall
Electronica / Industrial / Shoegaze
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Necroplasm Fix.mp3

Nada Surf
Rock / Indie / Pop
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Electrocution.mp3

The Constellations
Psychedelic / Ghettotech / Showtunes
From: Atlanta, Ga.
Band MySpace
Setback.mp3

Kyp Malone (TV on the Radio)
Acoustic / Indie
From: United States
Band MySpace
Frog Went a-Courtin’.mp3

Nadia Kazmi
Pop / Rock / Soul
From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Band MySpace
Mother.mp3

Burnt Ones
Minimalist / Psychedelic / Thrash
From: Indianapolis, Ind.
Band MySpace
Gonna Listen to T. Rex (All Night Long).mp3

The Public Good
Rock / Powerpop / Indie
From: Washington, D.C.
Band MySpace
My Pre-existing Conditions.mp3

~~~~~
(pictures, top-to-bottom: Grace Potter, Horrorfall, Nadia Kazmi)

Labels: "alternative", acousticness, electronic, folk, indie, pop muzik, rock

posted by aikin @ 12:02 PM 3 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

This seriously has to be one of the largest mailbox dumps I’ve ever done. Sixteen songs – and that’s after I deleted a good number I didn’t want to post. What’s funny is I started off thinking this was going to be an unusually small post because I had to go through about 20 e-mails before I ran across something I liked and wanted to post.

Like always, I was happy see big names like the Dead Weather and MIA reaching out to bloggers to help promote their respective albums. I’ve seen both of these tracks posted on other blogs the last few days, so I apologize I’m a little slow getting them to you.

Besides the Dead Weather, of course, some other tracks you should pay particular attention to: The Ex-Girlfriend’s Club and Best Coast both fit loosely into the garage / psycho-fuzz genres I like and can recommend.

A lot of bands sending out music seem to be shooting for summertime pop-hit type of stuff. Sometimes that can come across like they’re trying too hard, but the couple I picked here – The Like and Sonny and the Sunsets – are bearable, if not downright decent. The Like also went for a purposefully lo-fi sound, recording their album direct to analogue tape.

Finally, I usually shy away from remixes, but I went with this remixed cover of Ice T’s “Colors,” from the movie of the same name. I was just talking with someone the other day about the 1988 flick, a classic directed by Dennis Hopper and starring Robert Duvall and Sean Penn. If I still have the soundtrack, I may get that up as an OST OCD post soon.

Like always, follow the links for more info.

The Dead Weather
Rock / Blues / Gothic
From: Nashville, Tenn.
Band MySpace
Die By the Drop.mp3

Sonny and the Sunsets
Indie / Beach-Pop
From: San Francisco, Calif.
Band MySpace
Too Young To Burn.mp3

Pearly Gate Music
Tropical / Concrete
From: Seattle, Wash.
Band MySpace
Big Escape.mp3

MIA
Other
From: London & Southeast U.K.
Band MySpace
XXXO.mp3

Ganglians
Showtunes / Celtic / Roots Music
From: Sacramento, Calif.
Band MySpace
My House.mp3

Pete Covington
Alternative / Psychedelic / Pop
From: New South Wales, Australia
Band MySpace
Balloons.mp3

The Like
Pop / Garage
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Fair Game.mp3

Sleigh Bells
Electronic / Rock
From: Brooklyn, N.Y. & Florida
Band MySpace
Infinity Guitars.mp3

The Ex-Girlfriends Club
Garage / Rock / Glam
From: Portland, Ore.
Band MySpace
Your Prescription.mp3

Lana Del Ray
Glam / Surf / Hawaiian
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Diet Mtn. Dew (demo).mp3

Yelawolf
Hip Hop / Ghettotech / Southern Rock
From: Gadsden, Ala.
Band MySpace
Good to Go (ft. Bun B).mp3

DJ Troublemaker / King Fantastic
Punk / Funk / Crunk
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Colors (Ice T cover).mp3

Best Coast
Surf / Pop / Gospel
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Far Away.mp3

Katelyn Dawn
Indie / Pop / Acoustic
From: Toronto, Canada
Band MySpace
Puzzle Pieces.mp3

Luna is Honey
Pop / Rock / R&B
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Who Wouldn’t.mp3

Lisa Jaeggi
Soul / Folk / Freestyle
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Oh Lady You Shot Me!.mp3
~~~~~

(pictures, top-to-bottom: Dead Weather, MIA, The Like, Lana Del Ray, Best Coast)

Labels: "alternative", acousticness, blues, covers, electronic, folk, funk, garage rock, glam, hip-hop, indie, Jack White, pop muzik, RnB, rock

posted by aikin @ 6:02 PM 1 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

I just realized that the last time any of you heard from me I was on my way out of town to see BugGiRL. For all any of you know I never made it back. But I did. The BugGiRL show was great – they gave it their all despite the small crowd. If you get a chance, definitely you need to see them live.

I’ve really had a lack of posting inspiration lately, so I thought the best solution would be to hit up the mailbox. It turned out there were a few gems hidden there. Straight away I need to mention Long Island’s Roast Beef Curtains. The band’s name alone is hilarious if you realize what exactly a roast beef curtain is. Besides that, there are the lyrics to “5th Base Girl”: “My fifth-base girl likes Diet Coke and glory holes.” I actually laughed out loud the first time I heard that.

The Burnt Ones wear their Johnny Thunders influence proudly, with reverby, echoey vocals and the almost patented Johnny Thunders lo-fi recording style. As a matter of fact, I like these guys so much I tossed in a bonus track, a cover of Motörhead’s “Damage Case,” which was a special Record Store Day download.

A couple of other things: I saw Ke$ha on SNL last night and I wasn’t really impressed. I’m sure she’s this summer’s Kelis. The Clucks’ cover of “Tik Tok” is interesting and at least as good as the original. Also check out garage rockers Thick Shakes for more of that tasty lo-fi rock ‘n’ roll I know you love.

As always, follow the links for more information

Thick Shakes
Garage / Punk / Pop
From: Jamaica Plain, Mass.
Band MySpace
(Baby) You’re a Starfish.mp3

Midnite Theory
Alternative / Hip Hop / Other
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Angel On Sunset.mp3
** now with correct links! **

Clucks
Indie / Rock / Garage
From: Seattle, Wash.
Band MySpace
Tik Tok (Ke$ha cover).mp3

The Roast Beef Curtains
Reggae / Dub / Punk
From: Long Island, N.Y.
Band MySpace
5th Base Girl.mp3

The One AM Radio
New Wave
From: Los Feliz, Calif.
Band MySpace
Credible Threats.mp3

Norman
Indie / Folk / Rock
From: Willamette Valley, Ore.
Band MySpace
Hell, If I Love.mp3

Terese Taylor
Experimental / Black Metal / Folk Rock
From: San Francisco, Calif.
Band MySpace
My Shine, Doesn’t Shine.mp3

The Futureheads
New Wave / Indie
From: Sunderland, UK
Band MySpace
Struck Dumb.mp3

Burnt Ones
Minimalist / Psychedelic / Rock
From: Indianapolis, Ind.
Band MySpace
Gonna Listen to T-Rex (All Night Long).mp3
Bonus: Damage Case (Motörhead cover).mp3

~~~~~
(pictures, top-to-bottom: Thick Shakes, The Roast Beef Curtains, Terese Taylor)

Labels: acousticness, covers, folk, garage rock, indie, new wave, pop muzik, rock

posted by aikin @ 1:29 PM 2 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

Happy SXSW week to you and yours. Once again I will not be attending, although I recently wondered if I could have gotten a record label or PR firm to cover my airfare and bar tabs while I whore myself for whatever bands they have in attendance. On the other hand, I harbor a dislike for much “indie” music and can see where it may have ended up as a “Fear & Loathing on 6th Street” type of occasion. “We were somewhere over Louisiana when the drugs began to take hold...”

Anyway, as you might guess, my inbox was full of notices about appearances at SXSW. Probably the majority of the bands in today’s post will be there, but I can’t be arsed to dig up schedules for you. If you like the band and you’re going to be in Austin this week, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.

This is a pretty small inbox purge because a lot of the stuff I received was electronica or whiney, self-indulgent indie/emo stuff or some mash-up/remix of the two genres, and I’m really not in the mood to hear that.

The top stuff today is easily The Choke and The Ex-Girlfriend’s Club. Both bands bring the garage rock sound that I so enjoy. Also, if you think back to my last mailbox post, you’ll recollect Pack A.D. Well, as the fates would have it, The Choke are on tour with Pack A.D. You’ll definitely want to check out that bill if they come to a town near you. The Koot Hoomi track comes from a Hall and Oates tribute album the group did. It’s called The Dark Side of Hall and Oates and is bizarre enough that it warranted inclusion here.

As always, follow the links for more information.

The Choke
Garage / Punk / Soul
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Tuff Kids.mp3

Shaka Ponk
Rock / Electro / Experimental
From: Berlin, Germany
Band MySpace
Do.mp3

Cary Ann Hearst
Folk Rock / Southern Rock / Roots Music
From: Charlotte, S.C.
Band MySpace
Are You Ready to Die.mp3

April Smith
Melodramatic Popular Song / Pop / Folk Rock
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Movie Loves a Screen.mp3

Koot Hoomi
Experimental / Indie / Acoustic
From: Tempe, Ariz.
Band MySpace
Maneater (Hall and Oates cover).mp3

The Ex-Girlfriend’s Club
Garage / Rock / Glam
From: Portland, Ore.
Band MySpace
Devil Eyes.mp3

~~~~~
(Pictures, top-to-bottom: The Choke, April Smith)

Labels: acousticness, covers, electronic, folk, garage rock, glam, indie, pop muzik, rock

posted by aikin @ 12:40 PM 0 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

I figure the last day of the month is as good a time as any to dump out the mailbox. Start fresh next month and all that.

A lot of stuff from bands that are going to be at SXSW next month. I’ll be not attending again this year, so who plays or doesn’t play isn’t going to much affect me. Just send me good music if you want me to post it. Kthx.

I’m gonna jump right in with my pick of the litter. The Pack A.D., from the home of the 2010 Winter Olympics, are a duet – guitar and drums a la Jack and Meg – and take a similar, garage/blues approach to their music. Singer Becky Black has garnered more than a few comparisons to a certain legendary 60's whiskey-throated blues shouter. I really liked this band and look forward to hearing more of their music.

A couple of other things that are interesting: Patrick Bower’s “The Dark Lord (of Love)” has a weird, dark sound to it and made me want to hear it more than once. Moneybrother’s “Born Under a Bad Sign” is another of those tracks I almost passed on, but, after a couple of listens, decided to include. It’s a sort of poppy, dancey, type of thing. Maybe like something from the first Killers album or something. Just know that it’s not a cover of the Albert King classic.

The very last song on today’s list, “Sleepwalking,” I decided to include sight unseen. That is to say, I didn’t even care if the music was up to my usual rigorous standards. Everything Is Made In China, or EIMIC as their friends call them, come from Russia. When was the last time you heard a Russian pop band? Exactly. So they get a mention just for that.

As always, follow the links for more information.

Blunt Mechanic
Indie / Folk / Punk
From: Seattle, Wash.
Band MySpace
Less Beat.mp3

Becca
Rock / Pop / Acoustic
From: Portland, Ore.
Band MySpace
Kickin’ & Screamin’.mp3

Nick Jaina
Folk / Pop / Indie
From: Portland, Ore.
Band MySpace
Sleep Child.mp3

Cast Spells
Acoustic / Country / Folk
From: Chicago, Ill.
Band MySpace
Pioneer Scalps.mp3

Patrick Bower
Indie / Folk / Pop
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
The Dark Lord (of Love).mp3

The Pack A.D.
Garage / Rock / Punk
From: Vancouver, Canada
Band MySpace
Crazy.mp3

Resonant Soul
Alternative / Rock / Indie
From: Toledo, Ohio
Band MySpace
House of the Rising Sun (Animals cover).mp3

Velvet Davenport
Psychedelic / Pop
From: Minneapolis, Minn.
Band MySpace
Get Out.mp3

The Dig
Rock / Indie / Pop
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
You’re Already Gone.mp3

Shellshag
Punk / Rock
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Resilient Bastard.mp3

Friday Mile
Indie / Rock / Pop
From: Seattle, Wash.
Band MySpace
FYI.mp3

Moneybrother
Rock / Pop
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Band MySpace
Born Under a Bad Sign.mp3

EIMIC
Rock / Other
From: Moscow, Russian Federation
Band MySpace
Sleepwalking.mp3

~~~~~
(Pictures, top-to-bottom: Becca, The Pack A.D., Shellshag)

Labels: "alternative", covers, folk, garage rock, indie, pop muzik, pop-punk

posted by aikin @ 12:02 PM 1 Comments

Music From My Mailbox

Cleaning out the mailbox for the first time this month. Once again I let it get full enough that I could skip over most of the really wretched “indie” stuff and the various remixes of songs I’ve never heard of. Something I saw for the first time is an email from a band’s promo person directing me to another blog to download the music. I can’t tell if that’s lazy promotional work or outstanding blog work.

A pretty fair amount of rock comes up with this purge: Burn the Evidence, Throwing Seven, and Gangcharger all crank up the electric guitars and pay homage to some combination of Metallica and Jesus and Mary Chain. Karnivool was kind enough to send me an actual CD. Their music is reminiscent of Tool – very much prog-metal. If you’re into that, you’ll definitely want to check Karnivool.

One song I almost passed on, but ended up liking after a couple of listens, is Paper Tongue’s “Ride to California.” It’s almost-but-not-quite rap-rock, which isn’t yet far enough in our past to make us nostalgic. The singer screams like a rocker, but the music, which emphasizes electronics over guitars, keeps this track from lapsing into Limp Bizkit territory.

As always, follow the links for more information.

Karnivool
Rock
From: Perth, Australia
Band MySpace
Set Fire to the Hive.mp3

Visqueen
Rock
From: Seattle, Wash.
Band MySpace
Beautiful Amnesia.mp3

Borrowed Eyes
Folk Rock / Indie
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Slaves.mp3

The Soft Province
Indie
From: Canada
Band MySpace
One Was a Lie.mp3

Twin Tigers
Rock / Shoegaze / Tropical
From: Athens, Ga.
Band MySpace
Passive Idol.mp3

City Light
Indie / Alternative / Rock
From: San Francisco, Calif.
Band MySpace
Someday Maybe.mp3

Paper Tongues
Rock / Electronic / Hip Hop
From: Charlotte, N.C.
Band MySpace
Ride to California.mp3

Dana Falconberry
Visual / Tropical / Melodramatic Popular Song
From: Austin, Texas
Band MySpace
Singing Lullabies.mp3

Throwing Seven
Alternative / Post punk / Experimental
From: Los Angeles / Inland Empire, Calif.
Band MySpace
Let it Bleed.mp3

Gangcharger
Visual / Experimental / Rock
From: Denver, Colo.
Band MySpace
Apparition.mp3

King Khan and the Shrines
Psychedelic / R&B / Hardcore
From: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Band MySpace
Land of the Freak.mp3

Burn The Evidence
Alternative / Rock / Metal
From: Worthing/Brighton Area, U. K.
Band MySpace
New Disease.mp3

~~~~~
pictures, top-to-bottom: Visqueen, Twin Tigers, Dana Falconberry, King Khan

Labels: "alternative", electronic, folk, garage rock, hip-hop, indie, rock

posted by aikin @ 3:52 PM 0 Comments

Madame Pamita's Parlor of Wonders

Performance artiste Madame Pamita one-ups Jack White for minimalization on her latest release, Madame Pamita's Wax Works. The erstwhile Pamela Moore recorded the album directly onto a wax cylinder, giving her music a sound that hearkens back to the turn of the last century.

The songs are a lo-fi, bare bones antithesis of the slick, overproduced music we’re usually forced to swallow, complete with enough pops and clicks to make you think you’ve accidentally put on one of your grandfather’s old 78s. But while she has taken an extreme retro approach to recording, Madame Pamita puts a modern edge on it by singing about the virtues of sex, drugs, and the power of positive thinking.

Madame Pamita and Peter Dilg spent two days last year recording the 13 songs on this album, “using absolutely no electricity during the process... what you hear is the recording exactly as it was performed, with the same vitality and exciting recklessness of the early days of reproduced sound.”

Madame Pamita live is a combination old-time medicine show and musical performance. She tells fortunes, does tarot readings, and plays a mix of rural blues, jug band, and proto-jazz songs, both original and traditional.

You can download her album at a name-your-own-price cost from her Website (I’m sure the irony’s not lost on her). There are also several other performances you can download for free.

While you’re at her site, there is an interactive talking spirit board page. Ask a question and the spirits will give you the answer. Apparently I will have no romantic luck again this year. And if interactive Web pages aren’t enough, you can also contact Madame Pamita through her site and arrange a personal reading.

The first song, a version of Blind Willie McTell’s “Your Southern Can is Mine,” was traditionally recorded – it’s from a session at KXLU. The second is an example of the Wax Works style. Check this stuff out, particularly “He’s in the Jailhouse Now.” It’s very cool in how retro and minimal it is.

My Southern Can is Mine.mp3
He’s In the Jailhouse Now.mp3

Labels: folk

posted by aikin @ 7:01 AM 1 Comments

'Let Me Die in Southern California'

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Southern California. I grew up there and as we sometimes do, I took it for granted. I spent 30-some years there and missed a lot. In my mind, I’ve missed living there, but I doubt the reality matches my memories. And barring some drastic change in economics (the U.S.’s; California’s; mine), I doubt I would move back there anytime soon.

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been back there at all, and those trips had been for deaths of family members, so not really vacations. Due to the modern wonder of the Internet, I've recently reconnected with some old friends who still live there and I’ve also made a couple of new friends out there, so I plan on going out for a real visit sometime in the next few months.

That all said, it was by virtue of its title alone that The Voyces’ new song, “Let Me Die in Southern California,” caught my eye when it hit my inbox the other day. I’ve listened to the song several times since – it’s undeniably catchy, with a hummable tune. More than that, it seems to have an underlying darkness: “Those big bright lights that sometimes seem so pretty / Lose every bit of allure / When you feel the weight of the world.”

I think every good California song should be about either mindless summertime fun (i.e. almost all old Beach Boys songs), or about the decay behind the façade (i.e. almost all Eagles songs). The Voyces, who are originally from Southern California have come up with a classic in the vein of “California Dreaming,” complete with beautiful harmonies and visions of the sun setting over PCH as trash and bodies rot in ditches alongside the highway.

“Let Me Die in Southern California” is the first single from their upcoming album of the same name. The disk will be out September 28 on Planting Seeds/Darla Records. For more info, check The Voyces’ MySpace.

Let Me Die in Southern California.mp3

Labels: folk, new stuff, singles

posted by aikin @ 12:27 PM 1 Comments

Stuck on 17B - Day Two

I left home with friends; told my mother “I was going to a concert.” By Sunday, she had me reported as a missing person. I was one of the “mud sliders.” Oh what a feelin’. I just wanted to see Janis J. She was sooo great. We survived on the “grub” we took with us. We found people who didn't mind sharing food for some tent space to sleep and get out of the rain for a little while. I love seeing the look on peoples faces when I say, “I was at Woodstock.” Good people, good music, good memories. ~ Joni, Philadelphia, Penn.

I got pneumonia, and I got knocked up at 15. But it was the best high of my life! ~ Karen, Memphis, Tenn.

Born in New York, my sister got her license and off we went. Got stuck in the mud in some field. She kept covering my eyes with her hands because of the naked people. Boy, were our parents mad because they had to come pull us out of the mud. ~ Judy, Little Chute, Wis.

One of the most terrifying things was the predominant sound of helicopters. When you’re on acid, right in the middle of Vietnam, it was really bone chilling. We thought they were going to start dropping napalm – and of course, we believed the Government was quite capable of that shit as well. ~ David Dalton, former Rolling Stone writer.

Saturday on Yasgur’s farm started just after noon with Quill and ended sometime early Sunday morning following The Who’s set. In between were several of the greatest bands of not only that era, but of decades to come: CCR, Janis Joplin, Santana, and the Grateful Dead.

The Dead’s appearance has become notable as one of their worst performances ever, due to technical and substance problems. They turned in a five-song set, hour-and-a-half set, including a 50-minute version of “Turn On Your Lovelight”.

What’s referred to as “The Abbie Hoffman incident” is maybe the most memorable from a performance that Roger Daltrey has called “The worst gig we ever played.”

Hoffman attempted to go on stage just after the band played “Pinball Wizard.” He grabbed the mic and began to yell, “I think this is a pile of shit! While John Sinclair rots in prison....”

Already annoyed with the presence of the camera crews on stage, Pete Townshend cut Hoffman off: “Fuck off ... fuck off my stage!”

Accounts vary as to whether Townshend hit Hoffman with his guitar or merely bumped into him; regardless, he quickly ended Hoffman’s attempt at a revolutionary statement to the Woodstock Nation. Townshend said, “I can dig it,” but moments later added, “The next fucking person that walks across this stage is gonna get fucking killed!”

Day Two performances
Quill
Keef Hartley Band
Country Joe McDonald
Fish Cheer / Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag.mp3
John Sebastian
I Had a Dream.mp3
Santana
Jingo.mp3
Canned Heat
Going Up the Country.mp3
Mountain
Theme for an Imaginary Western.mp3
Grateful Dead
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Born on the Bayou.mp3
Bad Moon Rising.mp3
Janis Joplin with The Kozmic Blues Band
Work Me, Lord.mp3
Piece of My Heart.mp3
Sly & the Family Stone
I Want to Take You Higher.mp3
The Who
We’re Not Gonna Take It.mp3
Abbie Hoffman Incident.mp3
Underture.mp3

Labels: classic rock, current events, folk, hard rock, live albums, live music, rock

posted by aikin @ 12:15 PM 0 Comments

Stuck on 17B - Day One

Like the rest of the free world, I’m spending this weekend nostalgizing about Woodstock. Never mind that I was five years old at the time and lived at the opposite end of the country. I’m sure that, had I known about Woodstock, I would have said to my parents something along the line of, “Look, you know that bicycle I’ve been saying I wanted for my birthday? Well, I’ve got a different idea....”

Growing up in a time where there is a Fest this and a Fest that, it’s hard sometimes to understand the cultural significance of Woodstock. I’m not going to get into a whole dissertation, because that would be well beyond the realm of this blog. In 2001, Dr. Michael Doyle, at the time an assistant professor in the history department at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, published a 12-page paper titled “Statement on the Historical and Cultural Significance of the 1969 Woodstock Festival Site.” In that paper he wrote:

The myth of Woodstock is that in a time of military conflict abroad, racial and ethnic strife at home, when a deep social division known as the “generation gap” separated parents from children, a half a million mostly young people removed themselves from proximity to these conflicts and went “back to the garden” to “try and set [their] soul[s] free.” Attracted by the largest lineup of popular music talent ever showcased at one venue, these young people endured inclement weather, and critical shortages of food, water, shelter, dry clothing, and sanitation facilities; in sum, most of the basic necessities of life. Despite these hardships, for three days they lived peaceably in a state of harmony and love, sharing what limited resources they had with one another (my emphasis).

The sharing, the community, the peace, the love; if anything, that would be the significance and the legacy of Woodstock. That people could come together and be together and get along. In a country reeling from an unpopular war and a generation gap never before seen, that was a powerful statement.

There are reams and reams of books, articles, Web pages, etc., on Woodstock, so I won’t go on any more about the history or whatever its significance was. For the next three or so days, I’m going to post some music from the bands and artists that performed at the festival. I won’t be able to post stuff from everyone, because I couldn’t find music from all of the bands. I drew from various sources, so in some instances the sound quality won’t be so great, but overall it’s mostly pretty good.

Day one kicked off at 5:07 p.m., with Richie Havens taking the stage. Sweetwater were supposed to be the opening act – and were supposed to have gone on at about 3:00 – but got waylaid in traffic. A very pregnant Joan Baez was the last act of the night, taking the stage at about 1 a.m.

Day One performances:
Richie Havens ~ Freedom.mp3
Swami Satchidananda ~ gave the invocation for the festival
Sweetwater
The Incredible String Band
Bert Sommer
Tim Hardin ~ If I Were a Carpenter.mp3
Ravi Shankar
Melanie ~ Beautiful People.mp3
Arlo Guthrie ~ Coming into Los Angeles.mp3
Joan Baez (w/Jeffrey Shurtleff) ~ Drug Store Drivin’ Man.mp3

Labels: classic rock, current events, folk, live albums, rock

posted by aikin @ 9:49 AM 0 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

Some pretty tasty things in this go ‘round of the Licorice Pizza mailbox purge. There’s a cover of an old Sweet song and the first single from a garage band super group.

I’ll get right to my pick of the month, which is “Bow Down and Die,” from The Almighty Defenders, the aforementioned supergroup. It’s a funny thing because when I first read the email, I thought these guys had potential to suck. Wrong I was. Their debut album isn’t due until September, but this preview of the collab between the Black Lips, King Kahn, and Mark Sultan, is some wonderfully grungy gospel.

Somewhat in the same vein is the Generationals, whose “When They Fight They Fight,” reminds me much of the old girl groups. I’m hearing a lot of groups tending back toward the old-school sound, which pleases me. I’m more than sick of the over-hyped electronica. Just pick up a guitar and play. There are a few of those types here today, such as Dala and Cory Chisel.

One other band that needs some special mention is The Lonely H. They’re bringing a sound that would not at all be out of place on a 1970's FM radio dial. And I mean that in a good way. Check ‘em out. There are also a couple bands here that I may have posted before, but as long as they’re sending me decent music, I’m going to share it.

As always, follow the links for more information.

Generationals
Indie
From: New Orleans, La.
Band MySpace
When They Fight, They Fight.mp3

Citay
Happy Hardcore / German pop / Soul
From: San Francisco, Calif.
Band MySpace
Set Me Free (Sweet cover).mp3

Floating Action
Other
From: Black Mountain, U.S.
Band MySpace
50 Lashes.mp3

The Almighty Defenders
Garage / Rock
From: Beverly Hills, Calif.
Band MySpace
Bow Down and Die.mp3

The Lonely H
Classic Rock / Americana / Indie
From: Port Angeles, Wash.
Band MySpace
Diggin’ a Hole.mp3

Will Dailey
Rock / Acoustic / Roots Music
From: Boston, Mass.
Band MySpace
Colour of Spring (Talk Talk cover).mp3

Dala
Acoustic / Indie
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Band MySpace
Anywhere Under the Moon.mp3

Emmy the Great
Chinese traditional
From: U.K.
Band MySpace
She Almost Had a Baby (Simon Raymonde mix).mp3

Charlie Morris
Blues / Acoustic / Americana
From: St. Petersburg, Fla.
Band MySpace
Stagger Home to My Baby .mp3

Japandroids
Garage / Rock
From: Vancouver, Canada
Band MySpace
Young Hearts Spark Fire.mp3

Radical Sons
Indie / Rock
From: St. Louis, Mo.
Band MySpace
All Signs Show.mp3


Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons
Americana / Folk / Neo-Soul
From: Appleton, USA
Band MySpace
Born Again.mp3

~~~~~
(Pictures, top-to-bottom: Generationals, The Almighty Defenders, Dala, and Japandroids)

Labels: alt.country, folk, garage rock, indie, pop muzik, rock

posted by aikin @ 3:30 PM 0 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

Hey – this is my second mailbox dump this month, not including the things I’ve posted individually. You can’t say I’m not right on top of things!

Alongside the something-for-every-taste-bud tracks, there are a few goodies here: Telling on Trixie and Ash are both solid “indie” bands; the songs here are catchy and stuck in my head even after the first listen.

The Rest is soothingly creepy. They kind of remind me of a lo-fi Jesus and Mary Chain. My pick of the litter is Radical Sons, out of St. Louis. They sound a little like the Strokes’ first album and I like the subject matter of this track (“I’m feeling nostalgic for things I’ve never known).

In any case, there is plenty of variety – give this stuff a listen and, as always, follow the links for more info.

Cas One
Hip Hop / Soul / Rap
From: Evansville, Ind.
Band MySpace
Masked Moniker.mp3

Radical Sons
Indie / Rock
From: St. Louis, Mo.
Band MySpace
I’m So Sick of The 21st Century.mp3

them:youth
Indie / Electronic
From: London and the Southeast United Kingdom
Band MySpace
F.R.A.N.C.E..mp3

Will Dailey
Rock / Acoustic / Roots Music
From: Boston, Mass.
Band MySpace
How Can I Make You Happy.mp3

The Rest
Pop / Soul / Tropical
From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Band MySpace
Drinking Again.mp3

Solid Gold
Tropical / Black Metal / Chinese pop
From: Minneapolis, Minn.
Band MySpace
Bible Thumper.mp3

Ash
Indie / Rock / Alternative
From: Downpatrick, Ireland
Band MySpace
Return of White Rabbit.mp3

Lori Lieberman
Folk / Indie
From: Santa Monica, Calif.
Band MySpace
New York Mining Disaster (Bee Gees cover).mp3

All Smiles
Minimalist / Other / Rock
From: Portland, Ore.
Band MySpace
The Ones I Want to Live.mp3

Telling on Trixie
Rock
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Crash Me Up.mp3
~~~~~
(pictures, top-to-bottom: Radical Son, The Rest, Lori Lieberman)

Labels: "alternative", electronic, folk, hip-hop, indie, new stuff

posted by aikin @ 7:11 PM 0 Comments

Joe Pug's 'Nation of Heat'

Let me blaspheme right now and get it out of the way. I only recently became a fan of Joe Pug, but upon my first several listenings to his Nation of Heat EP I had one thought in mind: Dylan-esque. High praise maybe, and it’s yet to be seen if his career can span 40-some-odd years, but I like the way he has started.

It’s only been a couple of years since Pug decided to be a musician, throwing in the towel on college and moving to Chicago from North Carolina. He played his first headlining show last May, at Chicago's legendary Schuba’s Tavern. Two weeks later he released Nation of Heat.

Barely a year later, Pug is scheduled to play several summer festivals, including Bonnaroo next month and Lollapalooza in August. He’s also touring with Steve Earle for several dates this summer, including a June 18 show at the Crighton Theatre in Conroe, Texas, which will be the only time you’re going to hear me say I wish I still lived in Conroe.

An October appearance on NPR brought high praise for the 23-year-old singer/songwriter: “Not only does [the] Chicago-based singer have a beautifully mature voice, but the lyrics...possess wisdom seemingly beyond his age.”

Absolutely. When I first discovered Pug, and started looking for more information and music, I was surprised to learn he was so young. Pug is working on his debut full-length, which will be a sort of litmus test as to whether he can sustain the buzz from his EP. Comparisons to Bob Dylan and Josh Ritter tend to put a lot of pressure on a person, but I like this guy’s music and hope he can pull it off.

Hymn #101.mp3
Nation of Heat.mp3

Click over to Joe Pug’s MySpace for his summer tour dates and other things you need to know.

Labels: alt.country, folk

posted by aikin @ 11:11 AM 1 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

Time again for the purging of the perpetually packed Licorice Pizza mailbox.

It seems like there are more and more two-piece bands these days. Maybe it’s the economics of maintaining a four- or five-piece group; maybe it’s just a trend, I dunno. The lack of a stage full of musicians isn’t keeping the duos from putting out some decent music, as you’ll find here with Dynasty Electric and The Boy Least Likely To. And what’s cool is that these bands play totally different styles of music, so it’s not like they’re derivative or stuck within one genre.

I was surprised (to say the least) to see the single from Wendy & Lisa show up in my mailbox. I say that because as former protégés of Prince, they don’t seem like they’d need to go the indie promotion route. But I’m glad they did and I’m happy to share this song with you.

My pick of the week (month? whatever) has to be Children. They’re not really ghettotech or Japanese classical, but straight-ahead, guitar-driven heavy rock. And lastly is Sweden's very own Kaka. I included it because I detected some Adam Ant influence. I'll let you decide for yourself on that one.

As always, follow the links for more info.

The Traditionist
Indie / Folk / Experimental
From: Huntington Beach, Calif.
Band MySpace
Driftwood Doll.mp3

Love Like Fire
Rock / Indie
From: San Francisco, Calif.
Band MySpace
Signs.mp3

Wendy & Lisa
Pop / Funk / Other
From: United States
Band MySpace
Niagra Falls.mp3


Clara Bellino
Pop / Soul / Indie
From: San Francisco, Calif.
Band MySpace
Potential Criminal.mp3


Trey Green
Rock / Comedy
From: Boston, Mass.
MySpace
Mad Crush.mp3

Children
Ghettotech / Healing & Easy Listening / Japanese Classic Music
From: New York, NY
Band MySpace
Power Spirit.mp3

Grand Lake
Indie / Rock / Other
From: Oakland, Calif.
Band MySpace
She’s a Hater.mp3

Milophobia
Alternative / Alternative / Alternative
From: Edinburgh, UK
Band MySpace
Soul in a Soulless City.mp3

The Boy Least Likely To
Alternative / Pop / Country
From: United Kingdom
Band MySpace
Saddle Up.mp3

Pree
Indie / Glam / Americana
From: Washington, D.C.
Band MySpace
In the Parlor.mp3

Dynasty Electric
Psychedelic / Electro / Rock
From: Brooklyn, NY
Band MySpace
One Small Push.mp3

Kaka
Pop
From: Sweden
Band MySpace
What a Frame.mp3
~~~~~
(photos, from top to bottom: Love Like Fire, Trey Green, Milophobia, and Dynasty Electric)

Labels: "alternative", folk, glam, indie, metal, rock, soul

posted by aikin @ 5:48 PM 2 Comments