Music from My Mailbox

This month has probably been the most prolific month for me since I’ve started this blog. I’ve blasted out 20 posts (21 counting this one) and cleared out my mailbox three times. By my own low standards, that’s amazing. I think I deserve a vacation.

Items of note for you to note: Amanda Zelina makes a third appearance on these hallowed pages. This go ‘round, she has released an album of gritty blues under the name The Coppertone. It’s very much in the vein of the Dead Weather. I’ve liked everything I’ve heard from Amanda and this is no different.

When I opened the e-mail from These Guys and read all the typical raves, “These Guys are the second coming, blah, blah, blah,” I almost hit delete and just moved on. Instead, something made me click the link to watch the video for “Pete’s Sweet Sixteen.” It is just auto-tuned, cross-dressing hilarity: “You’re like a sister to us, bro.” I can’t let you miss out on this.

In a similar vein are the Deli Boys, whose indictment of Sex & the City culture is neatly wrapped up in “P.R. Girls.”

And if you’re tuning in for some regular ol’ rock ‘n’ roll, try Shellshag, The Enthusiasts, or Tomorrow’s Tulips. You know I ain’t gonna steer ya wrong.

As always, follow the links for more information.

The Coppertone
Blues / Rock / Soul
From: Ontario, Canada
Band MySpace
Nighttime Wishes.mp3

Thought
Rock / 2-Step / Funk
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Echka (I Like to Party).mp3

Shellshag
Punk / Rock
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Crashing Rockets.mp3

PackFM
Hip-Hop / Rap
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
I F*cking Hate Rappers.mp3

These Guys
Rock / Comedy / Grunge
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band Website
Pete’s Sweet Sixteen.mp3

The Enthusiasts
Garage / Blues / Pop
From: Ardsley, N.Y.
Band MySpace
In the City.mp3

Hot Hot Heat
Indie / Minimalist / Showtunes
From: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Band MySpace
Zero Results.mp3

Moving Castles
Indie / Rock / Progressive
From: Tyler, Texas
Band MySpace
Wives (You’re Near Me Always).mp3

The Deli Boys
Electro / Crunk / Comedy
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
P.R. Girls.mp3

Thank God
Punk / Experimental / Jam Band
From: Columbia, Atlanta, Charleston
Band MySpace
Ice Age.mp3

Monarques
Pop
From: Portland, Ore.
Band MySpace
Angel Eyes.mp3

Tomorrow’s Tulips
Minimalist / Pop / Shoegaze
From: Costa Mesa, Calif.
Band Myspace
Eternally Teenage.mp3

~~~~~
Pictures, top-to-bottom: The Coppertone, These Guys, The Deli Boys

Labels: "alternative", blues, comedy, hip-hop, indie, rap, rock

posted by aikin @ 1:11 PM 0 Comments

R.I.P. Dennis Hopper, Gary Coleman, and Art Linkletter

It’s one of those weird coincidences that celebrity deaths seem to come in threes. Last year Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon passed within two days of each other – Michael and Farrah on the same day. Now, over the past four days, we’ve lost Art Linkletter, Gary Coleman, and, today, Dennis Hopper.

Hopper, 74, died of prostate cancer; Coleman, 42, after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage; no specific cause has been given for Linkletter, who was 97 years old.



The idea that death comes is threes is an old superstition, extending to the idea that death in a family or community comes in threes and that bad luck in general comes in threes. A book titled “How Did It Begin” explains that the superstition of three may have started with British troops in the Boer War who thought it bad luck to light three cigarettes from one match.

Some miscellaneous thoughts on the latest three stars:

Inverting a famous line of dialogue spoken by Peter Fonda in “Easy Rider,” Manohla Dargis wrote of Dennis Hopper in The New York Times:

Dennis Hopper – actor, filmmaker, photographer, art collector, world-class burnout, first-rate survivor – never blew it. Unlike the villains and freaks he has played over the decades – the psycho with the mommy complex in “Blue Velvet,” the mad bomber with the grudge in “Speed” – he has made it through the good, the bad and some spectacularly terrible times. He rode out the golden age of Hollywood by roaring into a new movie era with “Easy Rider.” He hung out with James Dean, played Elizabeth Taylor’s son, acted for Quentin Tarantino. He has been rich and infamous, lost and found, the next big thing, the last man standing.

~~~~~

Number One on ChartAttack.com’s “Ten Reasons Gary Coleman Was Cool” list:

Coleman made cameo appearances in several music videos going back to the early '90s. Some notable ones include Raging Slab’s “Anywhere But Here,” Kid Rock’s “Cowboy,” and Moby’s “We Are All Made Of Stars.”

~~~~~

Art Linkletter’s biggest successes came mostly before my time, but I’m familiar with “Kids Say the Darndest Things,” the Bill Cosby-hosted TV series based on Linkletter’s books. Linkletter was also a passionate anti-drug activist – his daughter, Diane, jumped to her death in 1969, an act Linkletter said was caused by her LSD usage.

Today’s music is a seeming bizarre mix of things, but trust me when I tell you I will relate it all back to our topic: “Born to Be Wild,” of course, was made famous in Easy Rider; “Cowboy” I explained above. (That video is here); “We Love You; Call Collect” is an appeal to an erring daughter to return home. Linkletter recorded the song with Diane, ironically, just a few months before her death.

Born to Be Wild.mp3 ~ Steppenwolf
Cowboy.mp3 ~ Kid Rock
We Love You; Call Collect.mp3 ~ Art and Diane Linkletter

Labels: classic rock, current events, hard rock, rap, Uncategorizable

posted by aikin @ 6:30 PM 0 Comments

‘Between the Lines’

Speaking of unpacking my old flannel shirts, Stone Temple Pilots are back. Again. But unlike previous efforts at reconciliation, they seem for real this time, having released on Tuesday the eponymously named Stone Temple Pilots.

After splitting in 2003, STP reunited five years later for a North American tour. The band continued together in a sort of half-hazard manner, playing festivals, battling their record company, and weathering a Weiland solo album and tour.

Finally getting it all back together last year, STP did a short tour, then went almost immediately into the studio and recorded the tracks that would make up Stone Temple Pilots. The new songs have the feel of a classic STP album, from the grungy, hippy feel of the opening track, “Between the Lines,” to the oddball closing track, “Samba Nova.” In between is the grunge/pop/hook-filled-whatever-it-is you’ve come to love from STP.

One thing that I never even considered as I listened to this disk is that STP was taking a country music approach to the album. Songs such as “Hickory Dichotomy” and “Huckleberry Crumble” “really are a lot of country riffs, but in typical STP fashion we stepped into some other areas,” guitarist Dean DeLeo told MusicRadar.com. “It's amazing how if you were to present [“Huckleberry Crumble’s”] opening riff on a Tele really clean, it's almost a country riff. But if you present it with a Les Paul through a Marshall, it takes on this whole different thing.”

STP resume their current tour June 5 in Irvine, Calif. For more tour information, etc., check out their Website. What? No Florida dates? lol

This is a live version of “Between the Lines,” the first single and song one on side one of Stone Temple Pilots. It was included as a bonus track on the version of the CD I got.

Between the Lines (live).mp3

Labels: grunge, new stuff

posted by aikin @ 7:00 AM 0 Comments

‘If You Want Some True Lovin’, Make Sure Her Eyes Are Brown’

Even if you’ve never heard it, there’s something instantly familiar about the Swingin’ Neckbreakers’ “Brown-Eyed Girl.” Maybe it’s the sludgy riffing, maybe it’s the heavy garage sound, maybe it’s just that it kicks so much ass it sounds like something you must have heard before.

Actually, if you’re tuned in to your rock history, you’ll know the Neckbreakers’ “Brown-Eyed Girl” is a cover of the closest thing to a hit John Fogerty’s pre-CCR band, the Golliwogs, ever had. (On a side note, and aptly enough, the Golliwogs’ song charted highest here in Miami.)

As far as the Swingin’ Neckbreakers’ version, I had no idea until recently it had been around since their second album, 1995’s Shake Break. When the Neckbreakers originally released that disk, they were just coming off a tour behind their debut, Live for Buzz. Returning home after the European leg, they went straight into the studio. Still riding the momentum from the successful tour, they blasted out an album showing how far the band had come in two years. All Music Guide described Shake Break as “a straightforward brand of rock ‘n’ raunch that critics hate but nonetheless resonates perfectly with the average Joe who just wants to shake it down.”

This version of “Brown-Eyed Girl” is a perfect example of the Swingin’ Neckbreakers taking in their classic heritage, cranking the volume until the speakers crack, then spitting it back at you.

Brown-Eyed Girl.mp3

Labels: covers, garage rock

posted by aikin @ 7:00 AM 0 Comments

Time to Get Out the Flannel

Soundgarden’s reuniting and the Melvins are releasing their 20th album next week. It’s starting to look like a good thing I didn’t throw out all of my old flannel shirts.

I just got an email last night announcing the June 1 release of The Bride Screamed Murder. Fortuitously, “The Water Glass,” which will be the first single from the upcoming disk, accompanied the message.

A mostly instrumental track, “The Water Glass” blasts right at you with serious riffage and heavy drums. About halfway through it takes a turn for the weird as the band breaks into a military marching cadence that sounds like maybe Adam Ant had decided to grunge it up a bit. It's twisted, but it has grown on me the more I've listened to it.

The Melvins are hitting the road in support of The Bride Screamed Murder, kicking off their tour June 1 in San Diego, Calif. Surprisingly */sarcasm*, I see no Florida dates on their schedule. To see if your city has been included, you can drop by the Melvins’ MySpace page.

The Waterglass.mp3

Labels: grunge, new stuff

posted by aikin @ 7:00 AM 0 Comments

Jewel’s ‘Needle and the Damage Done’

I like to – every now and again – throw a curveball at you with something I post. I sure don’t want you getting bored or complacent and thinking you can tune in any ol’ time and just pick up some oddball garage rock or a classic rock ROIO.

Hence today’s post.

I know very little about Jewel. I’ve heard the song that made her famous: “You Were Meant For Me” (ha! Tell me that song’s not in your head right now!); I know she can yodel; and I know she’s really attractive. Beyond that, I dunno....

So it came as a surprise to me to learn that she regularly performs the Neil Young classic “The Needle and the Damage Done” when she plays live. I found out about this yesterday, when Jewel was on the Howard Stern show. At Howard’s request she played her version of the song he said “wrecks him every time.”

Without a doubt Jewel brings something different to her version of “Needle.” She doesn’t have the intimate feeling of loss that drove Young to write the song, but she struggled a lot on her way to where she is and I have no problem with her putting her own emotions to such a heavy song.

To my knowledge, although Jewel regularly performs “The Needle and the Damage Done” live, it has never been officially released. The track here is a YouTube rip – it is not from the Stern show, btw; I don’t know where it was recorded. On a quality note, I’ve found some new software that pulls stuff from videos at a higher bit rate, bringing a slightly better sound than previous YouTube stuff I’ve posted.

The Needle and the Damage Done (Neil Young cover).mp3

Labels: acousticness, covers

posted by aikin @ 7:00 AM 2 Comments

Nudedragons Live in Seattle, pt. 2

Alright, then. As promised, part two of the Nudedragons April 16 set at the Showbox Theater in Seattle. This half includes an extended version of “Slaves and Bulldozers” as well as a cover of the Doors’ “Waiting for the Sun” to wrap up the show.

Beyond their August appearance at Lollapalooza, Soundgarden have no definite tour plans. According to a Billboard article the band is considering offers to appear at as-yet-undetermined U.S. and European festivals. However, the article continues, “a tour routing is still a work in progress, due to [drummer Matt] Cameron's prior commitments to play with Pearl Jam in the spring and summer.”

Nothing to Say.mp3
Loud Love.mp3
Blow Up the Outside World.mp3
Pretty Noose.mp3
Outshined.mp3
Slaves and Bulldozers.mp3
Encore:
Get On the Snake.mp3
Big Dumb Sex.mp3
Waiting for the Sun (Doors cover).mp3

Remember I mentioned yesterday that the zip sets were divided differently than the posted sets. Anyway, the second part is right here.

Labels: covers, grunge, live music

posted by aikin @ 7:00 AM 0 Comments

Nudedragons Live in Seattle, pt. 1

Oops!

Someone sent me this brand new Soundgarden recording last week and it’s been sitting on my desktop since, where I almost forgot to post it.

When Soundgarden split up in 1997, it seemed pretty unlikely Seattle’s godfathers of grunge would ever reunite. “I haven't received any phone calls from anyone in Soundgarden about a reunion since we broke up, nor have I called anyone,” Chris Cornell said in 2007 interview with MTV News. “We were happy with how it ended. There was no unfinished business.”

Before and since, various other members of Soundgarden had also nixed the possibility of a reunion. However, in March 2009, Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd teamed with Tad Doyle (of Tad fame) to perform a handful of Soundgarden songs at a Tom Morello show. Then in October, Cornell joined his three former bandmates at a Pearl Jam show, where they played together on “Hunger Strike.”

Then came a New Year’s Day tweet from Cornell: “The 12-year break is over and school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!” Since, the band has been in a flurry, rehearsing for their upcoming headlining slot at Lollapalooza, and possible U.K. festivals.

On April 16, the band played what Cornell called “a rehearsal, really” for about 1000 fans at the Showbox in Seattle. The show was billed under the pseudonym “Nudedragons,” an anagram of Soundgarden. I have no idea of the original source for this, but it sounds like an audience recording. On a scale of 1-5, I’d put the sound quality at about 3-3.5. The band sounds great and you might even forget Chris Cornell put out an album like Scream.

Since there are 19 tracks, I’m going to split this over two posts and of course I’ll zip up each post for your shopping convenience. (Because of RapidShare upload limits, the two zip files are going to be split differently than the two posts – just be sure to tune in tomorrow and you’ll get everything.)

Intro.mp3
Spoonman.mp3
Gun.mp3
Searching With My Good Eye Closed.mp3
Rusty Cage.mp3
Beyond the Wheel.mp3
Flower.mp3
Ugly Truth.mp3
Fell On Black Days.mp3
Hunted Down.mp3

Unzip part one here.

Labels: grunge, live music

posted by aikin @ 10:08 AM 0 Comments

A Historical Recreation?

I went yesterday and bought a copy of the newly reissued Exile on Main Street. Even though I have a couple CDs of outtakes from the Exile sessions, I wanted to hear how those tracks cleaned up.

Those of you familiar with the Exile session bootlegs know that many of the tracks are either basic, rough tracks or just instrumentals. For the re-release Jagger added vocals to some tracks. He mentioned to Larry King (part one of the interview is here) that he had to write lyrics for a couple of the songs, but didn’t say which ones.

While most of the “new” songs sound like they fit perfectly with the original material, there are a couple where Mick’s voice sounds, as Charlie Watts told Rolling Stone, “like it was recorded yesterday.” The track “Plundered My Soul,” for example, sounds like it could just as easily have came from A Bigger Bang.

No one has been secretive about the Stones enhancing these tracks for the Exile re-release. Engineer Bob Clearmountain told Rolling Stone he electronically “tweaked” Jagger’s voice to make it sound more like it had four decades ago. Jagger even got Mick Taylor to participate in the effort.

I like that some of the leftovers from the Exile sessions are finally seeing commercial release. I’m just not sure if I like that they’ve basically been recreated. Like when I used to go see a historical building and find out the only thing original is a scrap of wallpaper encased behind glass and hanging on the wall of a “historically accurate” recreation. These 10 “new” tracks are at least as good as anything the Stones have released recently, but I do get the feeling I’m listening to a historic recreation, rather than to tracks that have just been cleaned up for release.

The song I have today comes in two versions, which should pretty much sum up what I just said: The first one, which is titled “I Ain’t Signifying,” is from a boot called I Gave You Diamonds, You Gave Me Disease. It is completely unadorned, starting as a bluesy shuffle, gradually picking up steam until the end, where Mick Taylor steps out front for a solo.

The musically (and grammatically!) cleaned up “I’m Not Signifying” retains the blues, but adds Nicky Hopkins’ piano as well as Mick on harmonica. Taylor takes a slide solo in this version, but it’s pushed back under a layer of horns.

I Ain’t Signifying.mp3
I’m Not Signifying.mp3

Labels: classic rock, outtakes, rereleases, Rolling Stones

posted by aikin @ 6:25 PM 0 Comments

‘I’m Crazy ‘bout You Baby, But Baby You’re Crazy’

Holy shit.

If you guys aren’t yet aware of Nick Curran, I need you to sit up and listen to what I’m about to lay on ya.

Like so much of the newest / oldest / coolest stuff I hear these days, Nick Curran came to my attention via Little Steven’s Underground Garage. As soon as “Baby You Crazy” blasted through my speakers, I was hooked by the guitars, the horns, and the boogie-woogie piano, all of it distorted and all of it sounding like it was 100-percent lifted from 1950’s jump blues via the Cramps via the Ramones with T-Bone Walker sitting in for Johnny. If I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn the song was coming from some crusty half-century-old vinyl.

“Baby You Crazy” – and for that matter, the entirety of Curran’s latest album, Reform School Girls – is just so ridiculously good I don’t even know where to start. It transcends boogie-woogie or rock-a-billy and becomes Little Richard reborn in the body of a 32-year-old white guitar player from Maine (I know Little Richard is still alive, but just stay with me on this). I downloaded Reform School Girls from eMusic and – seriously – this is the first time in I don’t know how long that I listened to a CD, played it again, then played it again. And it’s still in my CD player waiting for another spin.

Just listen to this.

Baby You Crazy.mp3

Labels: psychobilly, rockabilly

posted by aikin @ 7:00 AM 2 Comments

Ronnie James Dio: 1942 - 2010

I had no sooner finished yesterday’s post than I went to one of the forums where I hang out and read about the passing of Ronnie James Dio. His death had been mentioned the previous day in the same forum, so I wasn’t sure if this was another rumor or if it were, in fact, true.

Sadly, it was true. His wife, Wendy, posted the following message on the Ronnie James Dio Website:

“Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.”

No cause was given in the announcement, but Dio had been suffering from stomach cancer, and recently his band Heaven and Hell canceled its summer tour because of his health.

By way of tribute, I found a couple of tracks spanning Dio’s career. This version of “Man on the Silver Mountain” is an epic, 14-minute version, showcasing Richie Blackmore’s guitar prowess as well as Dio’s vocals. It comes from an album called Rainbow: Live in Munich 1977. The recording is from a show taped for the German TV show Rockpalast, and was heavily bootlegged, eventually seeing commercial release in 2006.

“Neon Knights,” of course comes from Heaven and Hell, Dio’s 1980 debut with Black Sabbath.

The last song, “Rainbow in the Dark,” is from Dio’s classic 1983 album, Holy Diver. In October 2005 he performed the album live in its entirety and, the following year, released the show as the Holy Diver Live album. You can hear the strain in Dio’s 63-year-old voice, but he still delivers a performance the youngsters can only hope to match.

Throw some metal today in memory of one of metal’s greatest front men, Ronnie James Dio.

Man on the Silver Mountain (live).mp3
Neon Knights.mp3
Rainbow in the Dark (live).mp3

Labels: current events, guitar heroes, metal

posted by aikin @ 7:00 AM 1 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

Armed Forces Day

I think it’s pretty cool that there’s a day set aside each year just to recognize what is arguably Elvis Costello’s greatest album.

Oh c’mon! I’m just kidding. I served my time in the U.S. military and I know what Armed Forces Day is. It’s probably too late in the day for most of you to run out and do anything to mark the occasion, but just take a sec this evening and appreciate the men and women who are serving in the Armed Forces.

Some background, in case you don’t know: On Aug. 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department – the Department of Defense.

“This is the day on which we have the welcome opportunity to pay special tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces ... to all the individuals who are in the service of their country all over the world,” wrote the New York Times in a 1952 article. “Armed Forces Day won't be a matter of parades and receptions for a good many of them. They will all be in line of duty and some of them may give their lives in that duty.”

But I do have a song from Elvis Costello’s 1979 Armed Forces album. Or actually it’s a track that was originally included on a bonus 45 that came with the vinyl release, then added onto the CD re-release.

Watching the Detectives (live).mp3

Labels: holiday, live music, punk

posted by aikin @ 6:25 PM 0 Comments

Frank Frazetta: 1928 - 2010

I heard this morning about the death yesterday of artist Frank Frazetta. If you’re a comic book aficionado, you might know Frazetta from his work in that field. I learned about him from seeing his art on the cover of Conan the Barbarian paperbacks, then later, on the cover of Molly Hatchet albums.

As an aspiring artist, I was intrigued by not just the detail in Frazetta’s work, but the figures he portrayed: Vikings, warriors, barbarians – the lot of them seemingly coming from post-apocalyptic times despite their own ancientness. It was not just what he drew, but the way he drew it that I wanted to emulate.


I’ve moved on from my aspirations, but I see Frank Frazetta’s influence in any number of contemporary artists, particularly in the science fiction / fantasy genres. Artists such as Boris Vallejo, who has also done illustrations for Conan novels; and Ken Kelly, who, along with Conan art, did the covers for Kiss’ Destroyer and Love Gun albums, are keeping alive Frazetta’s larger-than-life fantasy ideals.

For more information about Frank Frazetta’s life and career, you can click over to the N.Y. Times obit, or to Frazetta’s Wiki page.

Tonight’s music has really nothing to do with Frank Frazetta other than it was his painting “The Death Dealer” that graced the cover of Molly Hatchet’s 1978 debut disk. The Death Dealer is arguably one of Frazetta’s most well known pieces, spawning all manner of merchandising, including action figures, novels, and comic books. But for me it’s always the cover of Molly Hatchet and the door that opened up a new world of art to me.

Bounty Hunter.mp3

Labels: classic rock, current events

posted by aikin @ 7:28 PM 2 Comments

AC/DC - Live on BBC, 1976

All right, all right – settle down. I know that you, my faithful readers, get tired of me posting music only I find interesting. But how fun would things here be if all I ever posted was Zeppelin boots?

In appreciation of your patience, I found an old AC/DC live recording for you; something originally broadcast by the BBC back on July 8, 1976. The location was the Paris Theatre in London, which the Beeb used to use for live performances. AC/DC were on their first tour of the U.K., the “Lock Up Your Daughters” tour.

The sound quality here is very good. The performance of the band itself, though, is an interesting contrast to the AC/DC that would appear a couple of years later on the If You Want Blood live album. The audience here is sedate, almost polite, and the band itself rips through the five songs mostly staying faithful to the album sound and with little of the snarl of later performances. You’d think they were trying to make a good impression or something.

A couple of the tracks performed at this show, “Soul Stripper” and “Baby, Please Don’t Go” were released on AC/DC’s debut Australian album, but didn’t show up here in the States until the 1984 ’74 Jailbreak. Also be warned that you’re going to hear Pete Drummond chat between each of the songs.

Pete Drummond Introduction.mp3
Live Wire.mp3
It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll).mp3
Soul Stripper.mp3
High Voltage.mp3
Baby, Please Don’t Go.mp3

Labels: AC/DC, Australian, live music

posted by aikin @ 7:00 AM 3 Comments

Free Cigarettes for Drunken Minors

Yesterday, while I was looking for info about the Living Deadbeats, I noticed one of their MySpace “friends” was a fellow Vancouver-based band called Free Cigarettes for Drunken Minors. I’ve mentioned before that I’m a sucker for a cool band name, so I had to see what was going on there.

What I found was guitarist Kara Beaner and banjo player Dirty Swagger, who together play what they call a “rotten brand of country punk.” They’ve also described themselves as “the Eurythmics of the drunk rawk scene.”

What you get is an acoustic duo that has been together since the mid-90’s, entertaining the masses with tastefully twangy tunes such as “Hard Luck Motherfucker,” “Whiskey Demons,” and today’s selection, “Hangover.”

You can also get more information about Free Cigarettes for Drunken Minors from their MySpace page. (Taken out of context, that sentence sounds like either the worst or the funniest PSA ever.)

Hangover.mp3

Labels: alt.country, punk, rockabilly

posted by aikin @ 10:24 AM 2 Comments

Do the Living Deadbeat

When you think of a band called the Living Deadbeats, you might expect howling psychobilly. What you get, though, is distorted guitars and cranked up garage rock.

Pete Fiend, the Living Deadbeats drummer, dropped me a note a while ago, inviting me to check out their music. I liked it a lot and told him so, and he was kind enough to send me a copy of the band’s self-titled EP. The four-track disk simply oozes classic influence: a sort of violent collision between Detroit and late 70’s era L.A. punk. Singer Lindsay Kasting has a little of that Exene Cervenka thing going on; the rest of the band picks up somewhere between the Stooges and the Detroit Cobras. These comparisons are especially apt when you listen to the live tracks posted on the band’s MySpace page.

There’s scant biographical info on the Living Deadbeats. And other than a show tonight at Chateau Noir in Vancouver, I can’t give you any other dates. All I can suggest is that you check out their music and keep your ears open for much more from this band.

The Living Deadbeats (theme).mp3

Labels: garage rock, punk

posted by aikin @ 11:37 AM 1 Comments

‘Five Years, My Brain Hurts A Lot’

Today marks a dubious sort of anniversary: It was five years ago I pulled into Miami to take up permanent residence. While for some this city is dream vacation destination, the reality of living here can be a whole different animal.


I don’t want to get off into the various reasons I dislike living here; just know that I do. Why stay, you may reasonably ask. Well, I have a job and in this economy that’s as good a reason as any. And as long as that continues to be true, I’ll continue to suck it up and live in Miami.

The lyrics of this Bowie song, the opening track from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars aren’t all true to my situation, but some of them are. Or maybe the song’s theme of pending destruction fits. Either way, it’s still a cool song.

Five Years.mp3

Labels: classic rock, glam

posted by aikin @ 7:00 AM 0 Comments

‘This Song Makes The Car Look That Much More Badass’

I may have mentioned once or twice my distaste for bands who sell their music for television commercials and/or theme songs. I’ve long held the belief that those songs are sacred and should be treated as such. But in a perverse twist of logic, I like when I hear something new and appealing, no matter the source.

Such is the case with the song “Light of the Morning,” which is currently in play on advertisements for the 2011 Ford Mustang. The first time I heard “I wanna see you in the morning...” and the power chord-filled, start-stop, classic rock crunch, I no longer cared about the Mustang (which I’ve always found uncomfortable to drive anyway) but I had to know where the music was coming from.

With some crafty googling, I soon found out the band is Band of Skulls, a fairly new quartet from London. “Light of the Morning” comes from their debut Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, which they released in March last year. Although it got generally positive reviews, the album didn’t exactly fly off the shelves, not even making the British charts until this past February.

“Light of the Morning” hasn’t been officially released as a single, but in an era where government radio doesn’t play unproven artists, this commercial may be the break Band of Skulls needs.

In light of my past comments, “Light of the Morning” has also caused me to rethink my whole hatin’-on-songs-in-commercials thing. There’s always the possibility that a 13-year-old somewhere is turning on an episode of CSI, hearing the theme music and thinking, This band is fucking amazing; who is it?

Light of the Morning.mp3

~~~~~
(note: the title quote is from a comment on the Mustang commerical’s YouTube page.)

Labels: garage rock, rock, TV

posted by aikin @ 9:00 PM 2 Comments

‘Hustle and Cuss’

I think the Dead Weather’s Horehound was one of last year’s underrated releases. As far as Jack White projects go, anyway. He put himself out of the spotlight and managed to put together a band that turned in a great gothic blues project. At the right time of night and in the right frame of mind, the album remains one of my go-to disks.

There hasn’t been much news lately about the Dead Weather, so I was surprised to hear that they have a new disk, Sea of Cowards, due out later this month (May 11, here in the U.S.). And I was happily surprised that the news of this upcoming album was accompanied by an early release.

“Hustle and Cuss” stays true to the ethic of the Dead Weather with Alison Mosshart’s more grittied-up vocals backed by Jack Lawrence’s jazzed up bass line. This is the second release from Sea of Cowards (“Die by the Drop” was released in late March). Both songs show the group growing in maybe the direction the White Stripes would have taken as a four- rather than two-piece, giving Jack White room to expand the garage blues that are his hallmark.

It might be time to stop thinking of the Dead Weather as Jack White’s other, other band and start thinking of them as the band he has grown into.

Hustle and Cuss.mp3

Labels: blues, garage rock, Jack White, new stuff

posted by aikin @ 8:28 PM 0 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

There is, if I say so myself, some pretty high-power stuff in this purge of my mailbox. Big names like Julian Casablancas, MIA, and Atari Teenage Riot don’t usually go to the blogs to promote their wares. I like it.

Speaking of MIA, “Born Free” is sort of unusual territory for this blog. I liked “Paper Planes” – the mix of the Clash, gunfire, cash registers, and MIA’s original style made it interesting and new. “Born Free” continues in a similar vein with an intermingling of styles – rock, hip-hop, etc. Also, the video, if you haven’t seen that, is worth your time. I’m sure her intention is some deeper message, but it’s like a more violent version of the South Park “Gingers” episodes. You can see it on her MySpace.

Some other key tracks: Semi Precious Weapons seem to be some sort of mad mash up of Hanoi Rocks and Lady Gaga. Whether these guys can extend the act into a career remains to be seen, but “Magnetic Baby” is a glam-ish song that isn’t going to make your head hurt.

Scott Morgan is a Detroit rock legend whose band The Rationals had the MC5 open for them and almost landed a young Iggy Pop as their drummer. He also formed Sonic’s Rendezvous with Fred “Sonic” Smith and Scott Asheton. “Fallin’ For You” continues the legend with a nice slice of Motown rock ‘n’ soul.

And I gotta show a little local love – AluKarD come from here in Miami. Don’t let the “rock / hip-hop” tags fool you: There’s no Limp Bizkit going on here.

As always, follow the links for more information.

AluKarD
Rock / Alternative / Hip Hop
From: Miami, Fla.
Band MySpace
44 Kaliber Love Letter.mp3

Julian Casablancas
Rock / Alternative
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Old Hollywood (live).mp3

MIA
Other
From: London & Southeast U.K.
Band MySpace
Born Free (album version).mp3

The Pipettes
Pop / Powerpop / Glam
From: United Kingdom
Band MySpace
Stop the Music (Will Eastman remix).mp3

Semi Precious Weapons
Visual / Garage / Rock
From: Brooklyn, United States
Band MySpace
Magnetic Baby.mp3

DeVotchKa
Indie / Rock
From: United States
Band MySpace
Clockwise Witness (live).mp3

Scott Morgan
Soul / Rock
From: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Band MySpace
Fallin’ For Ya.mp3

Atari Teenage Riot
Electronica / Experimental / Hardcore
From: Berlin, London, Tokyo, New York
Band MySpace
Activate.mp3

The Joy Formidable
Other / Other / Other
From: United Kingdom
Band MySpace
Whirring.mp3

Inside the Black
Rock
From: Hollywood, Calif.
Band MySpace
Adult Movies.mp3

~~~~~
Pictures, top-to-bottom: AluKarD, Semi Precious Weapons, The Joy Formidable

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

posted by aikin @ 9:06 PM 0 Comments