Sooo, what have I been listening to as of late…..?
Well, for starters and definitely a no-brainer, I have been gobbling up the new Buffalo Tom release, Quiet and Peace by the plateful. Released as an early present on Christmas Eve 2017 to all those Pledge Music band donatees and finally released to the masses earlier this month with some extra bonus tracks, my Boston heroes have proven once again that they still have a lot of shake left in their tush with this solid release. Such stand out tracks like “All Be Gone”, the Big-Star-ish flirtations of “Roman Cars”, “Freckles” to 1998’s Smitten feel of “Least That We Can Do” and the Brit-Pop lyrical positivity of “Slow Down”, there are many great tunes to be found here that blend well with the rest of their discography. My pal Jerry Lardieri of NJ sensation The Brixton Riot is going to guest spot a more in depth review of album in the near future (right Jerr?).
So what else, oh….been becoming re-acquainted with Memphis, Tennessee’s “alt-country” kings, Lucero, especially since missing a recent acoustic gig by front-man Ben Nichols at Garwood, NJ’s Crossroads recently. I find myself returning to such great records as 2009’s 1372 Overton Park and 2002’s Tennesseemore often.
Also lately (re-) discovering Gainesville, Fla. punk-n-roll heroes, Hot Water Music in a major way. Heard a lot about them over the years and took a dive with their album A Flight and a Crash (2001) back in the day , which in hindsight, was the wrong place to start. After multiple false starts, I hastily and unfairly chalked up the band as meh and moved along. And then with a lot of nudging from Snapcase front man Daryl Taberski, I slowly discovered the absolute beauty the band has to offer with such records as Caution(2002), No Division (1999) and their first release Finding the Rhythms(1995), which kicked my ass upon first listen on a 7 mile weekend run. Their latest offering, Light It Up (2017) rocks and they even release a couple of awesome live albums (Chicago and at their hometown Hardback Cafe) the same year. Not sure what took so long but I am now an official convert!
Unfortunately The latest Superchunk, What A Time To Be Alive (2018) is predictable, quick and uneventful, at least for me. Some songs like “Lost My Brain” and title track aren’t too shabby, but I’ll take Foolish (1994), And Here’s Where the Strings Come In (1995), even Majesty Shredding (2010) over this new offering.
The latest offering by ex-Gaslight Anthem front-man Brian Fallon, Sleepwalkers (2018), is pretty decent. The three singles released up to the album debut, “Forget Me Not,” See You On the Side” and “If Your Prayers Don’t Get To Heaven,” all solidly rock, but other tracks like “Etta James”, “Little Nightmares” and “Her Majesty’s Service”, to name just a few, all hold their weight. Fallon sounds much more comfortable and confident with this sophomore effort when compared to his premier solo efforts Painkillers(2016), which is a great album, but does sound like he is trying to find his footing at times.
Tripped over a cool Spotify Sessions with Weezer playing a number of acoustic tracks that span their career. After last years disastrous release, Pacific Daydream, it is refreshing to hear their old songs stripped down. I love the band best when they stop trying so hard to not take themselves seriously.
Also rocking out to The Bouncing Souls a lot these days and good timing with the recent acoustic set announced at Crossroads recently. This awesome club just 15 minutes from my house is having a lot a great shows lately….Dag Nasty (with Shawn on vocals) is coming up on March with three nights with The Menzingers a few weeks ago…with more punk-based shows to come!
I am sure this going to sound very “America-centric” but when I think of straight edge, posi-core bands the last place I tend to think is well….nowhere else on the planet except for the USA, which is clearly my bad. But the genre is internationally alive and kicking and in full force, especially in the UK and especially in cities like Manchester where bands like The Smiths, Oasis, Joy Division and The Stone Roses come to mind but not bands like Insist. Such bands are bringing back the posi-core sound of 80’s and 90’s which is definitely a breath of fresh air with so many American bands beating the dead Hate Breed horse to death with the dark, metallic flirtations and modulated vocals, all while draped in black clothing.
Not that metallic hardcore is bad, in fact I recently discovered Brooklyn’s Incendiary with their latest release Thousand Mile Stare which has very in your face Inside out/Rage Against the Machine groove/vocal metallic vibe.
Speaking of new bands that are replicating the awesome sounds of yesterday, Los Angeles’ Fireburn is another “Super Group” and the legendary Bad Brains reincarnate for a new generation of kids with their hardcore punk/reggae dub sound. But despite the glaring similarities, the former still refreshingly rock.
I also finally got around to listening to the band Bane (I know, weird right?) and love their debut record, 1998’s Holding This Moment.
One band/album that I always missed and could never find for years is BL’AST “In My Blood” (1987) which use to kick me square in the balls every time my younger self listened to it. It sounded so later Black Flag-ish too the point that Henry Rollins and Greg Ginn allegedly hated them so much that the latter still released iton the infamous hot mess label, SST Records. Lo and Behold, it is apparently Dave Grohl’s (yeah, that fucker) favorite record too from back in the Scream days and he remixed it a few years ago, stripping it down to what BL’AST would sound (driving and loud) and releasing it under the name Blood!I may give Grohl shit but man, he and the band teamed up and nailed this project perfectly with this re-release. Check out this cool video of the project and original recording below.
My other pal, Mark Segal (of NJ powerhouse, Atom Driver ) turned me on to the Brooklyn punk sensation The Royal They with his own recent Reviewstalker.com review. Holy fuck moly this band is good and their latest release, Foreign Being has already made it on my top of 2018 list.
Finally, more Brooklyn bias as power duo Tuffy returns with another killer release, Lighting Things On Fire with 15 songs of witty, indie pop brilliance. Like her days of Bear Trap, I can listen to front woman’s Yasmin Dalisay sing soft and sultry all day….
Until next time, enjoy the Spotify Playlist below with songs from the bands above ! xoxo
I’m guest blogging for the review stalker while he’s away on vacation. My summer holiday has consisted of me sending my son off to sleep away camp which gave me the opportunity to see more rock shows since he was born 13 years ago! The season has offered the usual summer touring from bands from now and then with many noteworthy free shows all over the New York City area.
Many of the nights have been spent reliving several harmonious music memories seeing mostly older acts and hearing songs from my youth. Over a 6 week period I took in performances from The Zombies, She & Him, Camera Obscura, The Rascals, Leon Russell,Cheap Trick, B.B King, James Hunter Six, New Order, NRBQ, Bob Dylan, Wilco (w/ special guest Ian Hunter) and a tribute to Big Star. Combined these acts performed a myriad of unforgettable classic songs including “She’s Not There”, “Sunday Girl’, “People Got To Be Free”, “The Letter”, “September Gurls”, “Delta Lady”, “Surrender”, ‘Blue Monday”, “All The Young Dudes” and so many more.
The Letter from the Big Star Tribute in Central Park on June 30
The Dylan/Wilco show was billed as the AmericanaramA fest and went down on the Hoboken pier on July 26. That was appropriate since days later and blocks away, the home of American music Maxwell’s was closing their doors.
All The Young Dudes-Wilco w/ Ian Hunter, James Mastro, Warren Haynes & My Morning Jacket on Hoboken Pier on July 26
I was fortunate enough to have had the venue be a big part of my life throughout some of my formative years in the mid-‘80s where I attended more shows there during that period then any other rock club. I hadn’t had the chance to make it back throughout the month for the final shows so it was imperative that I venture back to Hoboken one last time for the closing festivities on July 31.
The celebration started off with a block party that had 11 street closed off with beer and food stands. Raucous party tunes blared throughout the street as various DJs from the club’s 30 plus years (Guy Ewald, Charles Charas, Gaylord Fields, Vince Brnicevic, Billy Miller, Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan) took turns spinning records while the crowd built up throughout the evening to pay their respects to the club. Hundreds of people were packed into the bar spilling onto the street. Both the Individuals and the Bongos were booked to close the back room. I was lucky enough to pick up tickets for the earlier set from the Individuals. The band was in fine form and had a blast playing as one of the final bands on the Maxwell’s stage. They brilliantly recreated the sound of the early ‘80s NYC rock club scene. I stood there and realized, this is the sound that’s categorized as post-punk. I flash backed to watching bands in that same room and other NYC area clubs in the ‘80s. I realized after seeing so many remarkable bands, hearing various legendary songs and reliving magical music moments over this summer season this tiny back room of a bar/restaurant was where so much of ’80s music was born influencing me and so many others.
It reminded me that there were so many punk and new wave spin-offs incubated and championed at Maxwell’s. Alt-country, grunge, power pop, roots rock, college rock, garage, paisley underground, shoe gazing and the most peculiar named genre, indie rock were all heralded there. That ubiquitous tag came from the countless acts that recorded for scores of independent record companies. Twin Tone, SST, Slash, Homestead, Enigma, Dolphin, Frontier, K Records, Ace of Hearts and Hoboken’s own Coyote and Bar/None were just some of the bigger players in the growing soon to be coined “alternative” music business.
Adding to the sounds and styles were cities and towns the labels and music originated from. Musicians arrived from all over the USA. They piled in vans and drove miles to play at the club. Some performed at Maxwell’s numerous times over several years. They traveled from Los Angeles, Portland, Minneapolis, Athens, Boston, Seattle, Chapel Hill and many other American regions. The list of acts I’d seen (or heard from the front bar!) is endless and in no particular order.
The Replacements, The dbs, Husker Du, X, Alex Chilton, Meat Puppets, Long Ryders, Pylon, Dreams So Real, Tommy Keene, Young Fresh Fellows, Redd Kross, Gun Club, The Three O Clock, Jason and the Scorchers, The Dream Syndicate. Dumptruck, Miracle Legion, Del Fuegos, EIEIO, Soul Asylum, The Chesterfield Kings, Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper, Game Theory, Let’s Active, The Neats, Ben Vaughn Combo, Leaving Trains, Guadalcanal Diary. The Minutemen, Rain Parade, Green on Red, The Wipers, Daniel Johnston, Camper Van Beethoven, The Bodeans, 10,000 Maniacs, Beat Happening, Rank and File, The Lyres, Dinosaur Jr, Galaxie 500, The Morrells, True Believers, Fetchin’ Bones, Big Black, Southern Culture On The Skids, House of Freaks, Naked Raygun, Salem 66, Big Dipper, The Dead Milkmen, The Dogmatics, Swimming Pool Qs, Drivin’ N Cryin’, Green River, The Flies, Pontiac Brothers, Giant Sand, Scruffy The Cat and many others.
Some bands traveled from overseas: Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians, The Go-Betweens, Hoodoo Gurus, The Lime Spiders, The Fall, The Mekons to name a few.
And then there were those from the NY/NJ metro area that kept the venue thriving as opening acts for many out of town bands or headlining the club and packing it with their family, friends and fans:
Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, The Feelies, Mofungo, Syd Straw, The Nightmares, The Raunch Hands, The Wygals, The Clintons, Pianosaurus, Laura Cantrell, The Scene is Now, Deep Six, The Last Round Up, World Famous Blue Jays, Beat Rodeo, Gutbank, The Vacant Lot, Fleshtones, Das Damen Del-Lords, Hugo Largo, The Raybeats, The Golden Palominos, Phantom Tollbooth, The A-Bones, Crazy Sunday, Chris Stamey Group, Soul Attack, The Ambivalent Brothers, House of Usher, Leap of Faith, Fish & Roses, Winter Hours were just some of the local names that kept the scene and spirit alive.
There isn’t one room in the NY metro area that could boast all of these accomplishments showcasing quality music with integrity for over three decades.
It was a space and a moment in time that will never be recreated. I feel lucky to have been there when both the club and I were coming of age. It’s bittersweet that Maxwell’s is gone but its legacy will continue to live on through the music and the influence it had on a vast group of music fans that sometimes fit into a small room with a legal capacity of 200 people.
Bowery Electric: CBGB's Exile X-Mas Jahn Xavier with Lenny Kaye, and Tish & Snooky
Here’s a very special Christmas Playlist treat straight from DJ Tone. Once upon a time there was a little club called CBGB’s OMFUG which was owned and operated by Hilly Kristal. He developed a home where a legacy of bands that defined NYC’s underground music from The Ramones, Blondie to the The Patti Smith Group could perform. Every month these wayard punks that defined an era of music get together once a month. Punks in Exile from that little club with the amazing sound system. I was lucky to play the stage myself at least a dozen times and be a witness to later era bands who graced the stage from Jesus Lizard, Sonic Youth and Bongwater to name a few. The was a iconic cultural destination. I swear everytime I walked by the place there were always tourists taking photos in front. I’d say they enjoyed quite the walk-in crowd. Anyway, here’s a playlist from our own DJ Tone who made this holiday mix called “Carols Buddies Goodfortune Bounty and Much Joy to celebrate the Holiday Season in EXILE at Bowery Electric this past week. We’re 99% certain that all the bands on this playlist played CB’s or at least in Shane Macgowan’s case he at least had a drink there.
As the year and this decade winds down it’s a new habit in my life to see who’s passed on to the other side. Morbid I know but at the same time it gives me inspiration to enjoy interacting with my own family when I can and everyday extraordinary people. Someone once said to treat every moment and thing as it happens as a minor miracle. The musicians music people listed here either touched some aspect of music and if you take a moment to appreciate their achievements through to their demise. Their existence will have touched you too. Even if it is for thirty seconds. Some from this listing I don’t even have music for. For the brevity I apologize. You have the internets at your disposal.
Jay Reatard (Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.) – Died January 12th 2010 in Memphis, TN, from cocaine toxicity with alcohol as a contributing factor. He really was a established self recorded 29 year old garage rock artist who was prolific with his synth band Lost Sounds, his solo singles that were put out by Matador, to his lo-fi label Shattered Records. He contributed to a number of side projects to a great genre of music. His last record was little more mature in varied instrumentation but still keeping with the spirit of self-recorded music. Short songs for short attention spans. Here’s one. Download:It Ain’t Gonna Save Me From Watch Me Fall (Matador)
Dannie Flesher was the Co-founder of Wax Trax! Records passed in Hope, Arkansas, U.S. of Pneumonia of January og 2010. He was 58 years old. His label partner Jim Nash originated the store in 1970’s in Ohio before moving to 2445 North Lincoln Ave in Chicago which released recordings by Brian Eno, Ministry, Coil, Controlled Bleeding, Strike Under, Sister Machine Gun, Front 242, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Divine and The KLF. Nash died in 1995 and the label folded soon after but both left behind a legacy of industrial music that started many a career in the dark genre to it’s commercial success. Here are just a few of the groups and music this label inspired. MP3 DOWNLOADS: Megalomaniac (Bomb) MP3 K. M.F.D.M. Mix By Excessive Force U-Men by Front 242 from the CD Geography (Wax Trax! 1988) The Missing by Ministry from Land Of Rape and Honey
Iain Burgess (December, -11-2010) passed away in Florida, of Pulmonary embolism was a super well know Producer and a workhorse behind many 90’s bands. To name a few he worked with Big Black, Cows, Poster Children, Naked Raygun, Effigies, Bhopal Stiffs, Solient Green And Shellac, Ministry, Bloodsport, The Defoliants, Pegboy and whole shit load more so check out a pretty good list on Brooklyn Vegan ». MP3 Downloads: Jordan, Minnesota by Big Black from Atomizer 39 Lashes(Jesus Christ Superstar Cover) MP3 by the Cows from Sexy Pee Story Heave Ho MP3 By Cows from Cunning Stunts She Walks by the Poster Children from Flower Power (1991 Frontier reissue originally released on Vinyl in 89. The first four songs from this record were tracked by Albini the rest of the tracks by Burgess.
Mark Linkous – Died March 6th 2010 in Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. of apparent Suicide. This Alternative rocker was Born 1962 and was a Singer, guitarist and producer and the creative force behind Sparklehorse. His music was dark, sad and wonderful at the same time. It’s A Wonderful Life MP3 title track by Sparklehorse Angel’s Harp (featuring) Black Francis MP3 from collaboration record with Dangermouse Dark Night of the Soul.
Alex Chilton – Died March17th 2010 in New Orleans, LA, from a heart problem. William Alexander Chilton) was born Decemebr 28th 1950, in Memphis, TN, and most notably known as the Guitarist and singer from Big Star. Although not popular at first he influenced more pop rock artists than one could ever count including Jon Auer and Paul Westerberg. Andy Hummel also passed July 19th in 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. of Cancer. He was 59 years old rocker Born in Valley Forge, Penn. Was Bassist and was a member of Rock City, Icewater and Big Star!
Thirteen MP3 by Big Star from #1 Record/Radio City(1972). Chris Bell has a composer credit on this even though Chilton had written the song some 6 years earlier after seeing The Beatles play. “Rock ‘n’ roll is here to stay”. Alex Chilton by The Replacements
Jim Marshall Photogrpaher, Died March 23rd 2010 in New York, NY.He was Born 1936 in Chicago, Ill., U.S. His photos include some of biggest rock icons from the 60’s and 70’s including: The Who, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix (burning his guitar), The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash (throwing the finger- photo is the one above), Cream, Velvet Revolver, Otis Redding, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Lenny Kravitz and a ton more. His black and white work is great. I almost bought a print 15 years ago from a gallery in San Francisco but did not have a place to honor it enough back then.
Ronnie James Dio (Ronald James Padavona) – Died 5-16-2010 in Houston, TX, U.S. – Stomach cancer. He played all sorts of genres from Rockabilly, to Rock to Metal. Born 7/10/1942 in Portsmouth, NH, U.S. – Sang and played bass and trumpet and was a member of The Vegas Kings who became Ronnie And The Rumblers who became Ronnie And The Red Caps who had a couple hits “Lover” and “Conquest”. He also had Ronnie Dio And The Prophets, The Electric Elves who were renamed Elf who had a couple hits called “I’m Coming Back for You” and “Ain’t It All Amusing”. He played in Rainbow with songs like “Stargazer” and “Love Live Rock n’ Roll” and then what most people know him as the Black Sabbath singer after Ozzy he sang on “Neon Knights” and “The Mob Rules”.
Phil Petillo (Dr. Phillip J. Petillo) – Passed away this past August 13th 2010 at his work shop in Ocean New Jersey. He was 64 years old. He was Born in Jersey City, NJ and was Luthier and inventor and Proprietor of Petillo Masterpiece Guitars which he opened in 1966. His customers included Bruce Springsteen, Meatloaf, Nils Lofgren, Tom Petty, Keith Richards, Ricky Nelson, Herb Ellis, James Taylor, Gene Simmons, Sting, Jim Croce and Tal Farlow to name a few. Official Facebook page and memoriam run by his son David Petillo » who runs the business these days. Tremendous loss to the world. I had a bunch of conversations with him and his son David this past summer of 2010 in preparation to interview him for mini documentary series I’ve been working on called Create or Else. On top of being known as guitar tinkerer he’s also quite the engineer and has number of patents under his belt. I can’t get into some of them but lets just say it had to do with solving our energy crisis. That is where the story got interesting for me and my team I would to catch-up with his legacy very soon.
Captain Beefheart (Don Glen Vliet) (aka Bloodshot Rollin’ Red) – Died December, 17th 2010 in California, of Complications from multiple sclerosis. To say he was an Experimental Rock, Blues Avant-garde musician would be understatement. Once the disease took over he turned to painting as a form of expressing himself until he could not do it any more. That’s how I want to go.(i think) Check out Hollywood Reporter Obituary » they do a finer job of getting into the details of his life. The music he made was extraordinary here’s just one sample. Enjoy. Electricity from Safe as Milk (1967)
For more death tracking check out the Dead Rock Star Club where some of our info was borrowed from.
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