John Cale & Band: "Live" (Rockpalast 1983/84) CD Review

Rock “stadium” shows are always a bit of a dicey proposition as rarely will a promoter select a cohesive lineup of bands whose music gels together. This two disc set of John Cale’s 1983/84 performances at Rockpalast start with his 1984 appearance and the other bands on the bill that night were Huey Lewis & the News, Chalice and Level 42. While both Huey Lewis and Level 42 were huge acts at the time, it seems like a very odd pairing with John Cale as the headliner.

With the 1984 show, John Cale took the stage at 3AM on the morning of October 14th and played an angry and raw seventeen song set. Allegedly, Cale was c*ked to the gills at the time he took the stage and he plays stinging and emotive versions of “Fear is a Man’s Best Friend” and “Streets of Laredo”. He totally deconstructs “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Waiting for the Man” and ends the set with a moving version of “(I Keep a) Close Watch”. It is a brilliant performance that shows that rock music doesn’t have to be bombastic to make an impact. While Cale’s setlist spanned his solo career to-date, this may be the only opportunity that one has to hear tracks from Cale’s 1984 release Caribbean Sunset, as this disc is still out of print. There are also two unreleased tracks that are part of the set – “Autobiography”, which I don’t think was played after the 1984 tour and a cover of The Doors’ “Love Me Two Times” (which is appended to “Pablo Picasso”).



CD1 (1984):
"Autobiography"
"Ooh La La"
"Evidence"
"Magazines"
"Model Beirut Recital"
"Streets Of Laredo"
"Dr. Mudd"
"Leaving It Up To You"
"Caribbean Sunset"
"The Hunt"
"Fear Is A Man's Best Friend"
"Heartbreak Hotel"
"Paris 1919"
"I'm Waiting For The Man"
"Mercenaries (Ready For War)"
"Pablo Picasso > Love Me Two Times"
"(I Keep A) Close Watch"

John Cale - vocals, guitar, piano
David Lichtenstein - drums
Andy Heermans - bass
David Young - guitar

The second show was recorded on March 6, 1983 at Zeche, Bochum and this performance was just John Cale solo with a guitar and piano. As compared with the 1984 Rockpalast show, Cale seems to be in a nicer mood and even talks to the audience here and there between songs. For this show, Cale has selected a mellower set of songs, which include a few from his first solo disc Vintage Violence. While this 22 song set starts out with a minimalist interpretation of songs from Cale’s back catalogue, the emotive power that dominated the 1984 show first starts to surface on “Guts” but Cale doesn’t starts building to a throat-shredding howl until “Cable Hogue” and, by the time he reaches “Fear Is a Man’s Best Friend”, his voice is completely raw.





CD2 (1983):
"Ghost Story"
"Ship Of Fools"
"Leaving It Up To You"
"Amsterdam"
"Child's Christmas in Wales"
"Buffalo Ballet"
"Antarctica Starts Here"
"Taking It All Away"
"Riverbank"
"Paris 1919"
"Guts"
"Chinese Envoy"
"Thoughtless Kind"
"Only Time Will Tell"
"Cable Hogue"
"Dead Or Alive"
"I'm Waiting For The Man"
"Heartbreak Hotel"
"Chorale"
"Fear Is A Man's Best Friend"
"(I Keep A) Close Watch"
"Streets Of Laredo"

Links:
John Cale

Tu Fawning - Download "Anchor" from Upcoming Sophomore CD "A Moment" (City Slang)

Tu Fawning return this May with their sophomore release, A Monument. While the band retain their trademark sound in Corrina Repp’s formidable voice, the swampy blues-guitar howls are now replaced by a newfound love for vibrant percussive mania. A more ample use of keyboards have steered the band past the morbidly dark vaudevillian vibes of their 2010 debut album Hearts On Hold, and these new songs are even more focused and pointed than ever. A Monument delivers a set of dense, romantic, and highly energetic songs that fully represent Tu Fawning’s powerful live show. And on A Monument, this sparkles through on every track.

Tu Fawning has also announced the first dates of an upcoming headlining tour this summer. The band will launch the tour with a hometown show in Portland at Holocene on June 8th and continue down the west coast, also performing in San Francisco and Los Angeles. More dates will be announced soon.

Led by Corrina Repp and Joe Haege (31Knots), Tu Fawning expands upon the dark, vaudevillian vibes of their 2010 debut LP Hearts On Hold with A Monument. The album marks the first release written and recorded collaboratively as the four-piece of Repp, Haege, Liza Reitz, and Toussaint Perrault, who came together shortly after the duo of Repp and Haege returned from Tu Fawning's first tour. A Monument is steeped in the band's love of music from around the world, and wastes no time making its impact with the dynamic opening trio of "Anchor", the warped R&B/soul cadence of "Blood Stains", and the moody and sensual "Wager". The spooky theatrics of "Build A Great Cliff" and the choral loops and scaling of "Skin and Bone" segue into the mesmeric second half, which closes with the epic "Bones".



The songs of A Monument were found in the practice recordings made by Haege, or in Perrault's home-recorded demos, and - in addition to the usual guitars, keys, horns, and drums - feature instrumentation such as a ragini, a tuned-down marching band drum, old '80s synths, and South American chant samples turned into chords. Repp's formidable, smoky voice leads the charge throughout, at once ethereal and earthly.

Tu Fawning recorded A Monument with friends at Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, CA, and at Type Foundry in Portland last summer, with some additional recording at Menomena's Justin Harris' house - all factors that lent a warm, familial feel to the recordings.

Links:
Tu Fawning

The Skabbs - "Idle Threat" CD Review (Jackpot Records)

You have to love a band that formed around the goal of making music that sounded “less gross than Foreigner”. The Skabbs were a “Class of ’77” West Coast punk band that was making jagged “disaffected with the world” punk right around the same time that similar-minded (though not necessarily similar sounding) bands like Black Flag were first starting out. Adding to the comparison, The Skabbs went into the studio to record with producer Spot right around the same time Black Flag recorded “Nervous Breakdown”.

According to the band’s bio, The Skabbs “were (are) a punk rock or new wave band formed in 1976 or 77. Four guys from Torrance (aka: Lawndale, CA) convinced a uniquely talented guy named Steven J. Salazar (of South Pasadena) to join their already established "band" as lead singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. Over the next year or so, Salazar wrote a large quantity of songs for The Skabbs, performed with them, had the time of his life and then died. Eventually (thirty years later) we thought, "who else is gonna play this stuff?". Ultimately, the four of us decided to play Steve's songs again.”

In the disc’s liner notes, the band describes The Skabbs’ concept as “[d]umb guys who can’t play their instruments very well and don’t care if anyone likes them or not”. This comment doesn’t do the band justice as their music fits well alongside with DIY punk bands of the time and the bands that followed. There isn’t a core Skabbs’ sound but, on many of the songs, the band combines quirky and jittery rhythms with the start-stop playing that was the hallmark of a number of the SST bands that sprouted up in later years. Just to confuse things though – on other tracks, the band sounds closer to acts like The Dickies (“N-N-N-Nervous”) or The Avengers (“Long May She Wave”, “Who Killed the Kennedys”). Adding to the disc’s punk charm, these rehearsal tracks were recorded on a open mic two-track reel-to-reel so there is a lo-fi “ragged but right” aura (which sometimes borders on the demented) to these songs. There isn’t a lyric sheet with the disc but, of what I can hear, lyrical themes range from ‘typical’ teen angst nihilism to socio-political punk.

Fans of old-school SoCal punk are going to want to pick this one up.



The Skabbs have started playing live again though, based on their current set of tour dates; it looks like they are just playing local and weekend shows.

The Skabbs Tour Dates
April 14th - Suzy's Bar & Grill, Hermosa Beach, CA
April 21st - Permanent Records, Eagle Rock, CA (In-Store Set for RSD @ 6PM)

Links:
The Skabbs

First Aid Kit Start US Tour @ Webster Hall on March 28th / US TV Debut on Conan on April 16th

Stockholm, Sweden's First Aid Kit are confirmed to make their U.S. television debut April 16th on Conan, in support of their acclaimed sophomore album The Lion's Roar, which was released January 24th via Wichita Recordings.

Leading up to the performance, First Aid Kit will travel cross-country on their North American headlining tour, which begins on March 28th at Webster Hall in New York, NY and wraps up on April 18th at Slim's in San Francisco, CA. The tour includes multiple sold out dates - Washington, DC, Toronto, ON, Chicago, IL, Minneapolis, MN, and Seattle, WA - as well as shows in Boston, MA and Portland, OR that have been upgraded to larger venues due to demand. First Aid Kit will also perform at the Coachella Music and Arts festival on April 15th and 22nd, and are confirmed to support Wild Flag at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on April 19th. In late July, the band will perform at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.

The band's North American trek comes on the heels of their tours in Europe, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, the majority of which were sold out plays (including Stockholm, Berlin, Paris, and all UK shows). First Aid Kit will return to the stage overseas this summer for six shows supporting Jack White, who produced and released the band's Third Man Records Blue Series 7-inch single in January 2010. A full itinerary is below.



First Aid Kit Tour Dates:
MAR. 28 -- NEW YORK, NY -- WEBSTER HALL
MAR. 30 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- BLACK CAT (SOLD OUT)
MAR. 31 -- PHILADELPHIA, PA -- UNION TRANSFER
APR. 2 -- BOSTON, MA -- PARADISE ROCK CLUB
APR. 3 -- MONTREAL, QC -- LA SALA ROSSA
APR. 4 -- TORONTO, ON -- THE GREAT HALL (SOLD OUT)
APR. 6 -- CHICAGO, IL -- LINCOLN HALL (SOLD OUT)
APR. 7 -- MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER (SOLD OUT)
APR. 10 -- VANCOUVER, BC -- VENUE
APR. 11 -- SEATTLE, WA -- THE CROCODILE (SOLD OUT)
APR. 12 -- PORTLAND, OR -- WONDER BALLROOM
APR. 15 -- INDIO, CA -- COACHELLA
APR. 18 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- SLIM'S
APR. 19 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- EL REY THEATRE*
APR. 22 -- INDIO, CA -- COACHELLA
JUN. 22 -- LONDON, UK -- HAMMERSMITH APOLLO**
JUN. 25 -- AMSTERDAM, NL -- HEINEKEN MUSIC HALL**
JUN. 26 -- BERLIN, DE -- TEMPODRUM**
JUN. 27 -- COLOGNE, DE -- E-WERK**
JUL. 2 -- PARIS, FR -- L'OLYMPIA**
JUL. 5 -- HAMBURG, DE -- DOCKS**
JUL. 28 -- NEWPORT, RI -- NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL
* supporting Wild Flag
** supporting Jack White

Links:
First Aid Kit

Rooftop Runners - "We Are Here" CD EP Review

Canada-to-Germany transplants Rooftop Runners are releasing their debut EP “We Are Here” – a disc of dark and melancholy torch songs with a slow-burning dance club beat - on April 3th. Rooftop Runners is composed of brothers Benedikit and Tobias MacIsaac, who are no strangers to the performing arts as they are respectively an internationally acclaimed choreographer and dancer.

The band describes their music as trip-pop…while this label makes me think of post trip-hop bands like Sneaker Pimps and Alpha, Rooftop Runners’ music is more atmospheric than ambient and it is carried soulful falsetto vocals and minimalist instrumentation comprised of slinky bass beats, brooding electronica and dissonant guitar work. All-in-all, “We Are Here” is closer in sound and spirit (as the lyrics are equally as dark as the music) to Soft Cell than one of these later-period bands.



Links:
Rooftop Runners

Public Image Limited - "Live at Rockpalast 1983" DVD Review

I just finished a review of Michael Schenker Group’s Rockpalast show and what MSG has in common with PiL is that both bands are led by mercurial leaders who change lineups as often as they change shoes. This particular Public Image Limited show was filmed Halloween night in 1983 with the short-lived “cabaret band” lineup. To put some context around this, bassist Pete Jones had left the band in early 1983 and guitarist Keith Levine had left (or was fired, depending on whose story you believe) prior to the band’s Japanese tour. As such, drummer Martin Atkins and producer Bob Miller recruited local NYC musicians Lou Bernardi (bass), Joseph Guida (guitar), and Tom Zvoncheck (keyboard) for the Japanese tour. Zvoncheck left the band prior to the band’s subsequent European tour (to work with BOC’s Albert Bouchard) and he was replaced by Arthur Stead (Frehley’s Commet, Foreigner, etc.) for the European tour which included this Rockpalast show. The “cabaret” tag was given to the band as Atkins had them wear tuxedos on the Japanese tour.

From my perspective, this lineup of the band gets unfairly blamed for the band moving its sound in a more commercially accessible direction. Like many of the bands who recorded in the 80’s, keyboards are prominent in the mix and the band plays with a rock-oriented polish that is comparable to Gang of 4’s evolution once Dave Allen left the band. All-in-all, this 13 song (60 minute) show is very solid and the crowd responds in full pit/pogo mode on the percussive rock-oriented tracks.

PiL gets the crowd moving with an opening 1-2 punch of “Public Image” and “Annalisa” but numbers like Metal Box’s “Chant” seem to take the fight out of the crowd. Lyndon doesn’t allow these slower moments to linger though and, in this case, he fired the crowd back up with a slick run-through of “Anarchy in the UK”.



John Lydon isn’t quite as obnoxious at this show as when I saw the band on the 1982 tour but he does get off a few audience-baiting zingers. He starts the show doing his spastic cheerleader dances and tries singing from in front of the security barricade for “Annalisa”, which nearly got him pulled into the crowd. There is a minimal amount of mugging for the camera with the cockeyed stare that John used to use with Pistols and a few comments about being bored and wanting to go home. Aside for blowing a few “snot rockets” at the audience, John is reasonably well behaved.

The bonus segments on the disc are interesting but somewhat of a mixed bag. There are a few classic one-liners during Lydon’s interview with Rockpalast host Alan Bangs (“I’m an egomaniac – I love being adored”) but, for the most part, John looks bored and abruptly ends the interview with the comment “Is that it?” as he gets up. The two rehearsals tracks “Annalisa” and “Chant” are both interesting but the audio comes through the soundboard and it sounds as through the mix is being balanced during the recording (i.e., there are missing and/or too loud instruments in parts of the audio and Lydon’s vocals are inaudible during the first minute of “Annalisa”).

Set List:
Public Image Limited
Annalisa
Religion
Memories
Flowers of Romance
Solitaire
Chant
Anarchy in the U.K.

Encores:
(This is Not a) Love Song

Low Life
Under the House
Bad Life
Public Image II (Second run-through)

Just to make a couple of comments about the set list, “Under the House” is particularly impressive as I don’t think I’ve seen this song performed live before so it was fascinating to watch Bernardi and Guida take up positions on opposite sides of the stage and join Atkins on percussion while Lydon wails away. Some of the “oddities” about the set list are that the band opens and closes with spirited run-throughs of “Public Image”. They also leave the stage after “(This is Not a) Love Song” and house music comes over the PA (obviously someone in production thought the show was over) but Lydon quickly returns to the stage with the comment “Turn that tape off!”.

Links:
Public Image Ltd.

Huntress: Win a Pair of Tickets to Paganfest 2012 @ Gramercy Theatre on March 31st

Win a pair of tickets to see Huntress at Gramercy Theatre on March 31st. The band is playing on the Paganfest America 2012 tour, which features Turisas, Alestorm, Arkona and Huntress.

Drop me an email at Mike.BrooklynRocks at Gmail Dot Com with the subject "Huntress Tickets" and a winner will be chosen at random. Be sure to include your first and last name in the email as tickets will be at will-call.



Huntress was birthed in the underground of Highland Park, California, clawing at the roots of heavy metal. Lead singer Jill Janus is an operatic banshee with an unparalleled four-octave range and lust for the occult. Born and raised in the Catskill Mountains of New York, she toured Europe as a teenage opera starlet. Upon her return to the States, Janus embraced Manhattan nightlife, creating Felliniesque cabarets and parties in a nihilistic club scene. Years later, Janus moved to Los Angeles and began the gestation period of Huntress. In 2009 she met underground metal band Professor. The universe spread her legs and delivered Huntress to Janus, combining former members of Professor, Dark Black and Skeletonwitch.

The powerful pentad signed to Napalm Records in November 2011. They unleashed their first music video for “Eight of Swords” in October 2011, directed by Simon Chan of Artificial Army. The song was produced and engineered by Chris Rakestraw of Sunset Lodge Recording in Silverlake, CA. Rakestraw will also produce their debut album, slated for release Spring/Summer 2012 on Napalm Records.

Links:
Huntress

Jonquil Plays Glasslands on April 2nd with Keep Shelly In Athens

Last month, Oxford quartet Jonquil released their full-length debut Point Of Go and, more recently, the band just finished a series of high-profile shows at SXSW. Following SXSW, Jonquil is kicking off a short US tour starting in Chapel Hill, NC on March 21st and the local tour stop is at Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn on April 2nd. At Glasslands, Jonquil is playing alongside Keep Shelly in Athens and New Moods. Tickets are $15 and doors are at 8:30PM.



Point Of Go emerges as a glimmeringly positive step in a new direction, a record that is, in the words of the band, “far more poppy and accessible” than anything they’ve previously written. Recorded over a six-week period in a farmhouse studio it takes the band’s summery flourishes and intricate guitars, and strips them back to a set of immediate, direct pop songs. With influences rooted firmly in the past – from Fleetwood Mac to The Smiths, Chic and Earth, Wind and Fire to Arthur Russell – the quartet’s LP is an exercise in classic pop sensibilities held up by a modern backbone.

Links:
Jonquil

Dead Fame - "Frontiers" CD EP Review / Shows at Lit Lounge & Pianos in March/April

Richmond post-punk band Dead Fame released their debut EP “Frontiers” early this year which shows the band’s sound firmly rooted in the darkly melodic melancholia of bands like Joy Division and The Chameleons. Dead Fame started in 2009 when synthesizer player Christopher DeNitto reunited with former band mate, guitarist KC Byrnes and duo slowly found additional players to give the group a “live band” sound. The group is fleshed out by bassist Sadie Powers, drummer Eric Klemen and singer/lyricist Michael Means. Given that Dead Fame is Eric and Michael’s first band, the group’s debut EP is strikingly mature.

The five songs on “Frontiers” all run about 4 minutes in length and the disc’s clean mix brings the band’s edgy drive quickly to the surface. The disc was produced by Cam DiNunzio [of Heks Orkest, Denali and others] at Black Iris Studios and he did a wonderful job of balancing all of the instrumentation. There isn’t one instrument that stands out over another but I was especially taken Eric Klemen’s innovative drumming and Michael Means’ world-weary, almost British-sounding vocals.

Adding to the music, Michael Means’ lyrics are detailed and interesting: “As far as lyrics go, it is usually several "pictures" or contexts that feed into the lyrics. It seems to be that several ideas always go spinning around, interacting with each other, leading to the lyrical fabric for each song, with the music helping to spark or trigger many of those ideas and pictures. So for instance, "Glass Jacket" isn't about one thing - it’s more contextual, with various themes working off the other to create an overall effect. ” (from Magazine33's 2011 interview with Dead Fame).

The disc starts out strong with the dark and raw sounding “Frontiers” which starts with prominent keyboards and a pulsing bassline before heading into a big chorus. This track is followed by the edgy Chameleons sounding “We Can Run”. The band changes pace on the slow burning “Glass Jacket” but keep the high-energy and drive consistent across the disc. What makes Dead Fame exciting is that they have been able to put their own personal imprint on a well-traveled genre.



Dead Fame is playing two local shows at the end of the month. The first is at Lit Lounge on March 31st and the second is at Pianos on April 1st. At the Lit Lounge show, Dead Fame is playing with Praha Depart (from Japan), Keeps (NYC), and Good Morning Valentine; Cover is $6. At the show at Pianos, Dead Fame is playing with Autodrone, Star Fawn, and Labirinto and cover is $8.

Links:
Dead Fame

King's X Offer 1991 Concert Recording to Fans Who Donate To Help Jerry Gaskill's Medical Bills

As Jerry Gaskill continues his recovery from a heart attack suffered late last month, King's X are offering a download of a previously unreleased 1991 concert to fans who donate money to help offset the drummer's medical and personal bills.

Available for download via the Molten Music website ( click on the poster), Burning Down Boston: Live at The Channel is a 90-minute, 13-song concert recorded at the height of the band's 1990 tour in support of Faith Hope Love. In addition to purchasing Burning Down Boston, donations can also be sent to Jerry Gaskill c/o World Entertainment Inc., P.O. Box 3095, Sea Bright, NJ 07760.

Jerry's medical condition is improving - he is no longer in ICU, but is still hospitalized battling pneumonia. He can sit up, and is showing signs of recovery that have his family and the band encouraged.



Links:
King's X

Michael Schenker Group - "Hard Rock Legends Vol. 2" (Live at Rockpalast 01/24/81)

The opening of the Rockpalast vaults is exciting as this German TV program has been broadcasting full-length live performances from an eclectic range of artists since 1974. One of the first releases out of the vault is a concert from Michael Schenker Group (MSG) which was recorded in Hamburg on January 24, 1981.

This 60 minute live disc captures MSG during their peak early years and the timing of this concert catches the band squarely between 1980’s The Michael Schenker Group album and 1981’s MSG follow-up. Aside for vocalist Gary Barden, the lineup from the first disc had already transitioned out so, this time out, the lineup is filled out by UFO bandmate Paul Raymond (keyboards, rhythm guitar), Cozy Powell (drums) and Chris Glen (bass). Of the disc’s eleven track, seven are drawn from The Michael Schenker Group album and the remaining four come from Schenker’s most recent stint with UFO.

After braving Michael’s “Live and Drunk” 2007 tour and being somewhat bored by The 30th Anniversary Concert: Live in Tokyo, this Rockpalast concert helps me remember why I liked the band in the first place. The early lineup of MSG was a great hard rock band and MSG, at their peak, could rival the Strangers in the Night lineup of UFO. This live recording shows Barden’s voice and Schenker’s playing in top form, both of which are complemented by Cozy Powell’s phenomenal drumming.





Given the strength of the band’s performance, it is hard to pick one or more “standout” tracks as I’ve done with other reviews. The crowd responds strongly to the UFO tracks “Lights Out” and “Rock Bottom” but Schenker and the band sound great on the MSG tracks as well. Of the solo tracks, “Armed and Ready”, “Lost Horizons” and the instrumental “Into the Arena” are probably my favorites due to Schenker’s stellar guitar work.

Michael Schenker Group - Markethalle Hamburg, Germany, Jan. 24, 1981
Armed and Ready
Cry For The Nations
Victim Of Illusions
Natural Thing
Feels Like A Good Thing
Into The Arena
Rock Bottom
Lookin’ Out From Nowhere
Lost Horizons
Doctor Doctor
Lights Out

Links:
Michael Schenker

Deathamphetamine - "The Lost Album" CD Review / Show at Saint Vitus on May 17th

Boston’s Deathamphetamine is one of the more unique bands that I’ve heard in a while as their music blends grindcore and death metal with a bit of thrash thrown on top. Adding to the band’s sonic attack is remarkable clean production which highlights solid guitar riffs and solos along with hints of melody beneath the grime and grind.

The Lost Album is the band's first full length cassette release, a concept album about an apocalyptic future where all of their cynical paranoid conspiracy theory lyrics turned out to be true. In real life the original masters of this album were stolen during the recording process before they could be completed. So the concept of the final version ties the real and fictional events together, a story where the recording is finally found in the future by the last man left on a hostile mutated Planet Earth.

The disc starts with a short track, “The Story So Far”, which sounds like a worn-out horror movie sound-effects tape on its last legs before the music settles into the core sound of the disc. The second track, “1-1-2-3-5”, starts with some grinding riffs before the dual death and black metal vocals kick in amidst the blast beats. “Losing It All” shows the band bringing a bit of crust punk into the mix with some hoarse and clean gang vocals along with clean thrash guitar riffs and solos. “The Black Moment” is the closest thing to a rock track on the disc and it has a melodic guitar & bass driven build-up to where the death metal vocals kick in. “More Sauce for the Goose” is a solid hardcore number that breaks toward the end of the track for a brief movie soundtrack interlude. “Stalinizer” brings some falsetto (Rob Halford style) vocals into the mix and the disc goes out with “The Last Man” which is a fully-developed metal/rock track that grinds to a halt for a final run through a different snippet of broken film soundtracks. As much as the band is all over the place stylistically, The Lost Album comes off as a cohesive body of work.

The Lost Album is available as a digital download or on a limited edition cassette, which is available in four different colors from Obscenity Cult Records.

Deathamphetamine are playing St. Vitus Bar in Brooklyn on May 17th. (No information about the show is posted yet)



Links:
Deathamphetamine

Iron Claw: Scotland's "Lost Pioneers of Heavy Metal" Releases New Single 'Final Hours'

Capping off a year that found Scotland's Iron Claw being hailed as the Rock n’ Roll comeback story of the Decade, Iron Claw has roared back to build upon the momentum and notoriety gained in 2011.

From 1969 to 1974 Scottish Heavy Rock band Iron Claw plowed across theUK, blasting out relentlessly heavy doom-laden, heavy blues rock. In and out of the recording studios, the band never officially released an album, but the bulk of their recorded output finally saw the light of day in 2009, released as a self-titled CD by Rockadrome. 35 years had passed since their last recording, but it was as if time had stood still. 2009 found a hungry audience, salivating at the heavy riffs and earthshaking rock that was Iron Claw. Stunned by the overwhelming response, the lads of Iron Claw started talking and soon, the band had reformed to work on new material. The buzz began to build.

Rightly hailed as one of the silent legends, the pioneers of British Heavy Metal and Hard Rock, with their Ripple Music debut, A Different Game, Iron Claw proved that their role in Rock History shall never go unspoken again. A hard biting, bluesy album found the band re-energized and vibrant on their first ever official releases.

After separating with vocalist Gordon Brown, Iron Claw conducted an extensive, nationwide search to find their new lead singer, Dumphries native, Gary Hair, then immediately ducked into the studio to put their new vocal chords to work. Now, having emerged fully refreshed, revitalized and a bit meaner, Iron Claw are ready to unleash their new single, "Final Hour" onto a rock-loving world. As bassist Alex Wilson puts it, Gary brings a "heavier direction to the band, more hard rock energy and passion. This should mark a return to an even heavier, rockier Iron Claw sound." A sound befitting of a band that has rightly become legendary among underground metal fans.



Links:
Iron Claw

Fear Report - "Pandemic" CD Review (Soul on Loan Records)

You can generally tell a lot about a band by the company they keep. Brooklyn hard-rockers Fear Report just played a show at the Trash Bar, opening for Crooked Man (which is the new project from Candiria’s John LaMacchias and the band now includes Fran Mark on drums). I also saw vocalist Dan O’Berry’s previous band, Maniacal Plan, who sounded similar to Fear Report perform at L’Amour a few years back.

Fear Report’s debut full length, Pandemic, dropped last month and the 13-song (51 min) disc derives its sound from the modern rock/alt-rock sounds of the middle 90’s. This new disc follows the band’s 2009 three song demo, “Theory of Threes”, which Gears of Rock described as “Chock full of hook-ridden guitars whose homogeneous mix of gunk and gleam captures the distinguished Seattle vibe while chunky rhythms aplenty keep the attack just menacing enough to allow melody to seep through”.



Personally, I think Fear Report sounds closer to bands like Fuel and Chevelle than the Seattle grunge sound as, while Fear Report can build up a solid head of noise, they don’t succumb to the post-Zeppelin bombast of bands like Soundgarden nor the lo-fi, near out-of-control punk aesthetic of other bands from the 90’s Seattle scene. At its core, Pandemic is a guitar-rock album and the band’s two guitarists alternate between crunchy riffs and clean solos. Adding to this is Dan O’Berry’s whiskey-blues vocals and a rhythm section that thunders along in lockstep with the rest of the band. The end result is a mature set of songs that both transcends the limits of any individual genre and are more-than-ready for FM-radio play.


Fear Report's next local show is April 13th at Arena Lounge (80-12 51st Ave) in Queens.

Links:
Fear Report

School of Seven Bells Post Remix from REWARDS (aka Aaron Pfenning) / Cover of Siouxsie's "Kiss Them For Me" out Apr. 20th

Vagrant Records just posted free download of a new School of Seven Bells remix on Soundcloud. This one comes from REWARDS, NYC producer and former Chairlift member Aaron Pfenning, and is a great take on SVIIB's "The Night." The original version of "The Night" (also posted above) is the lead track on SVIIB's new album Ghostory which just debuted last week and is available through iTunes, Amazon and all the traditional outlets.

To celebrate the release of Ghostory, School of Seven Bells played back-to-back sold out shows at Mercury Lounge.



School of Seven Bells will be releasing an exclusive 7” for Record Store Day on April 21. The new 7" will feature the band's unique take on Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Kiss Them For Me,” as well as an unreleased SVIIB studio track called “When She Was Me.” These limited-edition tracks (only 1,000 7” singles will be pressed) will be available digitally on April 24 as well.

Links:
School of Seven Bells

The Hounds Below: Post "For You and I" from Forthcoming Full Length / Show at Music Hall of Williamsburg with The Cribs

DOWNLOAD: The Hounds Below - "For You and I"



The Hounds Below have announced multiple performances at next week’s SXSW (South By Southwest Festival) in Austin, TX. Made up of Midwestern music notables, the band includes Jason Stollsteimer (who launched his former band The Von Bondies to global recognition) as well as Jesse Shepherd-Bates (bass), Griffin Bastian (drums) and Skye Thrasher (guitar). The Hounds Below are also announcing U.S. dates as main support for The Cribs (dates below). The U.S. dates will be immediately followed with a month long headlining tour of Europe in May (dates to be announced shortly).

"For You And I" which will appear on the band’s debut album (to be released summer 2012) recently premiered with a non-album version on Consequence Of Sound (link above). The song is an example of the band’s synthesis of 90’s alternative pop and 50’s troubadour rock and dollops of elements in-between.

Formed over three years ago, The Hounds Below organically grew their fanbase through touring, DIY single releases and working out their material in the live setting before recording. With that mentality, the quartet has been able to complete numerous U.S. runs along both coasts and Canada as well. Their formidable live show has seen them share stages with such acts as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Airborne Toxic Event, The Heavy, The Black Angels, The Raveonettes and Fountains of Wayne.



TOUR DATES:
3/15-- Austin, TX/SXSW-- Camel Party (@Emo’s East)-4:00pm
3/16 --Austin, TX/SXSW-- The Side Bar-2:00pm
3/16 --Austin, TX/SXSW-- Texas Jumpsuit Party (@Lovejoy’s)-4:30pm
3/17 --Austin, TX/SXSW-- 40 Watt Party (@The Side Bar)-3:30pm
3/17 --Austin, TX/SXSW-- Do 512 (@The Rooftop)-1:00am
4/9 --Chicago, IL-- Schuba’s (with The Cribs)
4/10 --Pontiac, MI-- The Pike Room (with The Cribs)
4/11 --Toronto, ON --Lee’s Palace (with The Cribs)
4/13 --Brooklyn, NY --Music Hall Of Williamsburg (with The Cribs) [Tickets are $20]
4/14-- Boston, MA-- Brighton Music Hall (with The Cribs)

Links:
The Hounds Below

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's: "Rot Gut, Domestic" CD Review / Show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 11th

PREMIERE: Margot & The Nuclear So And So's - Shannon - RCRD LBL

Prozac Rock by MargotCloud

Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s are releasing their fifth disc, Rot Gut, Domestic, on March 20th via the band’s Mariel Recording Company label. Rot Gut, Domestic is the Nukes' rawest take on their evocative, soaring brand of guitar-centric pop. Singer/songwriter Richard Edwards wrote Rot Gut, Domestic over 26 days in Pismo Beach, CA last spring. Plagued by chronic stomach pain, he'd headed to Pismo Beach - which had become a somewhat mythical place for the band, a respite of calm and healing where they'd somehow always been drawn - following the last days of the band's touring around Buzzard. The album was conceived as the second installment of the band's 'panic pop' trilogy, Edwards composing a new set of songs about Midwestern fringe characters set to his skewed version of the pop music on which he was raised. Upon returning to his current hometown of Chicago, IL, Edwards and the rest of the band headed into Electrical Audio studio with producer/engineer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Bill Callahan, The Walkmen). The Nukes churned out these 12 resounding tracks over 10 days in July before Congleton returned to his Dallas, TX studio to mix the album.

Margot & The Nukes shook up its lineup and almost completely abandoned its chamber-pop roots with 2010's Buzzard (called "masterpieces of controlled tension" by SPIN). Rot Gut, Domestic shows the band continuing to move down the same gritty alcohol-fueled path to the gutter, with twisted tales of self-loathing, serial killers and urban paranoia. On opener "Disease Tobacco Free", the band builds up a wall of sound and Edwards sings at the higher end of his register which leaves the track sounding like Radiohead off on a NYC bender. "Books About Trains" is a tale of urban paranoia with a big guitar sound that hits its overloaded peak and comes crashing back down to Earth. "Shannon" is more sludgy and psychedelic than the first two tracks but, a the same time is more melodic with some nice backing harmonies – yet again though this song builds right up to the edge of the cliff with its tortured backing vocals before it comes crashing down. "Prozac Rock" is the disc’s big ‘radio single’ (if there were still such a thing) with its pulsing bass lines, razor-tight harmonies and exploding choruses. If this wasn’t enough, the band shifts gears on "A Journalist Falls In Love" which is a shimmering love ballad about a serial killer (“I know I’ve killed a few / but none of those women were you”). Seemingly out of left field, there is even a track about Eastern European basketball star Arvydas Sabonis which utilizes a verse-chorus-verse song structure with some very melodic hooks.

The disc ends with the gothic “The Devil” and the piano ballad “Christ” (“Jesus breaks your heart every night when he doesn’t come”). On the last, alcohol-filled night in Pismo, Edwards wrote “The Devil” and “Christ” in succession, and scribbled “rot gut, domestic” on the cover of his notebook and “panic pop” on the back. In the morning, he hitched a ride back to his adopted hometown of Chicago with a Bible salesman who told him, “Times have gotten bad.”



Margot & The Nuclear So and So's Tour Dates:

March
31 – Columbus, Ohio @ LC Pavilion

April
1 – Akron, Ohio @ Musica
3 – Grand Rapids, Mich. @ Pyramid Scheme
4 – Ann Arbor, Mich. @ The Blind Pig
5 – Toronto, Ontario @ The Garrison
6 – Buffalo, N.Y. @ The Ninth Ward
7 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Brillobox
9 – Hamden, Conn. @ The Space
10 – Boston, Mass. @ Middle East – Downstairs
11 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
(Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 DOS - support acts are Ezra Furman and Writer)
12 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ First Unitarian Church
13 – Washington, D.C. @ Rock and Roll Hotel
14 – Chapel Hill, N.C. @ Local 506
15 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Exit/In
17 – Orlando, Fla. @ The Plaza Live
18 – Tampa, Fla. @ Crowbar
19 – Tallahassee, Fla. @ Club Down Under
20 – Birmingham, Ala. @ Bottletree
21 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Masquerade

Links:
Margot & The Nuclear So and So's

WATERS Plays Sold-Out Show at Webster Hall on March 29th / Live HearYa Session Tracks Posted as Free Download

DOWNLOAD: WATERS - "Take Me Out to the Coast"
DOWNLOAD: WATERS - "For the One" (Live HearYa Session)

On the heels of a European tour supporting Nada Surf, WATERS has announced their 2012 SxSW schedule. The band will perform eight times over four days at the Austin festival next week; a full schedule is below that offers ample opportunity to catch WATERS' blistering live show.

Today, HearYa blog posted their live session with WATERS, recorded in Chicago in late November during the band's tour supporting Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Three live versions of debut LP Out In The Light (September 2011, TBD Records) tracks - "Take Me Out To The Coast", "Ones You Had Before", and "For The One" - can now be downloaded as free MP3s.

Before heading to Austin next week, WATERS will perform at the Clift Hotel in hometown San Francisco this Saturday night, March 10th, as part of the hotel's Clift Sessions presented by IAMSOUND series. The show is open to the public and free with RSVP (21+, doors 9pm, showtime 11pm). Following the band's SxSW run, they will hit the road to support Delta Spirit beginning March 19th in Little Rock, AR, and running through May 12th in Solano Beach, CA. The tour includes a sold out show at Webster Hall in New York, NY, on March 29th.

WATERS tour dates:
MAR. 14 -- AUSTIN, TX -- BREW EXCHANGE
(Satellite LA and Popantipop present Seanow! - 5:30pm set)
MAR. 14 -- AUSTIN, TX -- RED7
(Sony Electronics/RED Official Showcase - 9:30pm set)
MAR. 15 -- AUSTIN, TX -- BEAUTY BAR
(HearYa presents SxSWeetland - 2:25pm set)
MAR. 15 -- AUSTIN, TX CHEERS
(The Treehouse Diddly - 5:45pm set)
MAR. 16 -- AUSTIN, TX -- PECKERHEADS
(My Old Kentucky Blog Party - 2pm set)
MAR. 16 -- AUSTIN, TX -- W HOTEL
(Nylon Magazine Party - 5:30pm set)
MAR. 16 -- AUSTIN, TX -- HGTV STUDIO
(HGTV Official Showcase - 9pm set)
MAR. 17 -- AUSTIN, TX -- PECKERHEADS
(Baeble Music Party - 5pm set)
MAR. 19 -- LITTLE ROCK, AR -- REVOLUTION MUSIC ROOM*
MAR. 20 -- ST. LOUIS, MO -- THE OLD ROCK HOUSE*
MAR. 21 -- MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- FINE LINE MUSIC CAFÉ*
MAR. 22 -- MILWAUKEE, WI -- TURNER HALL*
MAR. 23 -- CHICAGO, IL -- METRO*
MAR. 24 -- INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- RADIO RADIO*
MAR. 26 -- CLEVELAND, OH -- BEACHLAND BALLROOM*
MAR. 27 -- BOSTON, MA -- PARADISE ROCK CLUB*
MAR. 29 -- NEW YORK, NY -- WEBSTER HALL* (SOLD OUT)
MAR. 30 -- PHILADELPHIA, PA -- UNION TRANSFER*
MAR. 31 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- 9:30 CLUB*
APR. 2 -- CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA-- JEFFERSON THEATER*
APR. 3 -- CARRBORO, NC -- CAT'S CRADLE*
APR. 4 -- ASHEVILLE, NC -- GREY EAGLE TAVERN*
APR. 6 -- NASHVILLE, TN -- CANNERY BALLROOM*
APR. 7 -- ATLANTA, GA -- THE MASQUERADE (Hell Stage)*
APR. 9 -- BIRMINGHAM, AL -- WORKPLAY THEATER*
APR. 10 -- NEW ORLEANS, LA -- ONE EYED JACKS*
APR. 12 -- HOUSTON, TX -- FITZGERALD'S (Upstairs)*
APR. 13 -- AUSTIN, TX -- EMO'S EAST*
APR. 14 -- DALLAS, TX -- GRANADA THEATRE*
APR. 30 -- SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- URBAN LOUNGE*
MAY 1 -- BOULDER, CO -- FOX THEATRE*
MAY 2 -- BOISE, ID -- THE NEUROLUX*
MAY 4 -- SEATTLE, WA -- NEUMO'S*
MAY 5 -- PORTLAND, OR -- WONDER BALLROOM*
MAY 6 -- VANCOUVER, BC -- ELECTRIC OWL*
MAY 8 -- SACRAMENTO, CA -- ACE OF SPADES*
MAY 10 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- FILLMORE*
MAY 11 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- THE MUSIC BOX (Henry Fonda Theater)*
MAY 12 -- SOLANO BEACH, CA -- BELLY UP*
* supporting Delta Spirit

Links:
WATERS

Butchers & Bakers Play Union Pool on March 29th - Last Show Before Heading into the Studio for New EP

Butchers & Bakers used to be four guys, all of whom sang (sort of) and many of whom played guitar, often at the exact same time, very loudly. They are now four people, based in Brooklyn, only one of whom sings. Rebecca Keith’s voice sounds kind of like Grace Slick and kind of like Glenn Danzig; sometimes she plays keyboards too. Founding members Chris Asta and Mike Morini play guitar and drums, and newest member, bassist Hank Baker, was given automatic admission to the band because of his last name. Butchers & Bakers are two native New Yorkers (one uptown, one downtown), one part Eastern Mass, and one part Western Mass.



Butchers & Bakers are playing a show at Union Pool on March 29th with The Homophones and Wojcik. The Homophones are coming up from Philly and this will be Wojcik's first show back from SXSW and Europe-- she'll be reunited with her drummer after playing without him in Austin and abroad.

Links:
Butchers & Bakers

Spiritual Beggars - "Mantra III" CD Review (The End Records)

Spiritual Beggars’ third disc Mantra III (1998) is a well-crafted halfway point between the psychedelia of Another Way to Shine (1996) and the hard rock/grunge of Ad Astra (2000). For this release, I think the closest point of comparison is The Battle Rages On- era Deep Purple as the addition of prominent organ / mellotron from newcomer Per Wiberg adds a “Jon Lord” feel to the songs. Adding to the Deep Purple comparison, vocalist Spice utilized a gruff “Ian Astubry” vocal style on Another Way to Shine but leans more toward clean bluesy leads this time out which sound similar to Ian Gillan.

The disc starts out on an off-beat note with “Superbossanova” which is an instrumental bossa nova piece (as if it would be something else given the name of the track) before kicking into “Homage to the Betrayed”, which is a hard rock number built around a riff-based groove and a big bottom end. This track is fairly indicative of the overall sound of the disc as it has more energy and drive than Another Way to Shine and there are shades of the arena rock (“Homage to the Betrayed”, “Land of Prozac”) that took full form on Ad Astra. Breaking up the core sound of the disc, in addition to the opening track, is “Inside Charmer”, which starts with a bossa nova intro before going into a Rod Evans style 60’s psychedelic stoner track. The band really hits their groove on the numbers that sounds as though they could have come from Deep Purple’s catalogue. Tracks like “Euphoria” and “Sad Queen Boogie” make me shocked that I never heard this disc at the time it was originally released. The band even pulls off an extended Deep Purple-like instrumental jam on the track “Mushroom Tea Girl” and doesn’t let the track sag at any point over its 8+ minute running time.



The original issue of this disc was 12 tracks (54 minutes) but addition of three bonus tracks to this reissue takes the running time to 70 minutes. “The Band is Playing” is a Southern boogie number, “Redwood Blues” is a guitar-based blues grind and the disc closes with an alternative mix of "Euphoria".

Links:
Spiritual Beggars

Spineshank Announce New Album, "Anger Denial Acceptance", due on June 18th on Century Media

Grammy-nominated alternative-metal act Spineshank have reunited after a six year hiatus and are back full force and completely rejuvenated. The band have inked a worldwide deal with Century Media Records for the release of their new album, Anger Denial Acceptance, that will be released in North America on June 19 and in Europe on June 18.

"We're very excited to be on a great label like Century Media," comments guitarist Mike Sarkysian. "Aside from being the premier label for rock and metal, the seem to really understand our vision and are as excited as we are about taking Spineshank to a whole new level!"

Anger Denial Acceptance will be the band's fourth album and follow up to their 2003 release, Self-Destructive Pattern. "This is by far the proudest I have ever been of any Spineshank record," says Sarkysian. "Anger Denial Acceptance is the darkest and the most honest this band has ever been."



Spineshank - vocalist Jonny Santos, drummer Tommy Decker, guitarist Mike Sarkysian and bassist Rob Garcia - have sold over 300,000 albums with their three previous releases on Roadrunner Records and have played alongside System of a Down, Slipknot and many other notable acts. The band have held chart topping radio hits and even received a Grammy nomination for the single "Smothered". With the release of Anger Denial Acceptance and extensive touring plans around the album, Spineshank will reestablish their place in the world of rock in 2012.

Links:
Spineshank

All Pigs Must Die Kick Off March Tour @ Knitting Factory, Brooklyn on March 9th

Massachusetts' riff-murderers All Pigs Must Die will embark on their latest cross-country killing spree with Narrows, the bands SXSW-bound for several massive live assaults on the legions swarming through Austin next week.

With the tour kicking off in Brooklyn this Friday they will crush their way south towards the SXSW festivities. All Pigs Must Die will perform next Thursday with CTTTOAFF, The Atlas Moth, Kill The Client, Mutilation Rites, more, on Friday they'll storm at the Southern Lord/The Power of the Riff showcase with Ringworm, Black Breath, Narrows, Enabler, Ken Mode and more, and on Saturday a free Death Comes Ripping day party with Ringworm, Kill The Client, Ancient VVisdom, Primitive Weapons, Mutilation Rites and others. Sunday will see APMD invading Dallas for Brofest, performing with Off!, Balaclava, Coliseum, Full of Hell and tons more before touring their way back home via a few stops throughout the Midwest.

All Pigs Must Die - March Tour Dates:
3/09/2012 Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY w/ Narrows (Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 DOS)
3/10/2012 Great Scott - Allston, MA w/ Narrows
3/11/2012 DC9 - Washington, DC w/ Narrows
3/12/2012 Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC w/ Narrows
3/13/2012 529 - Atlanta, GA w/ Narrows
3/15/2012 Club 1808 - Austin, TX @ SXSW w/ CTTTOAFF, The Atlas Moth, Kill The Client, Mutilation Rites, more
3/16/2012 Scoot Inn - Austin, TX @ SXSW TPOTR/Southern Lord showcase w/ Ringworm, Black Breath, Narrows, Enabler, more
3/17/2012 Longbranch Inn - Austin, TX @ FREE SXSW Death Comes Ripping day party w/ Ringworm, Kill The Client, Ancient VVisdom, Primitive Weapons, Mutilation Rites, more
3/18/2012 Club Dada - Dallas, TX @ Brofest w/ Off!, Balaclava, Coliseum, Full of Hell, tons more [info]
3/19/2012 Dickson Theatre - Fayette, AR w/ Narrows
3/20/2012 Fubar - St. Louis, MO w/ Narrows
3/21/2012 Subterranean - Chicago, IL w/ Narrows
3/22/2012 Now That's Class - Cleveland, OH w/ Masakari



A group committed to uncompromising sonic warfare, All Pigs Must Die explode on God Is War, the album's sound and lyrical content assaulting the listener in a fury of death-filled anthems. Their upbeat flurry is slowed only for the occasional snail-paced buildup of mammoth riff tension, the rush of obvious hatred for humanity relentlessly displayed through it all. Recorded and mixed by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou's God City Studio (Black Breath, Nails, Black Cobra, Disfear) in December, the tone of God Is War is as foreboding as the music itself. All Pigs Must Die contains vocalist Kevin Baker (The Hope Conspiracy), drummer Ben Koller (Converge), guitarist Adam Wentworth (Bloodhorse) and bassist Matt Woods (Bloodhorse).

Links:
All Pigs Must Die

Fastway - "Eat Dog, Eat" CD Review (out April 10th on MVD Audio)

Wow…I haven’t thought about “Fast” Eddie Clarke in years so it is somewhat of a surprise to see a new Fastway disc drop in 2012. Eat Dog, Eat (MVD Audio), Fastway’s seventh disc, is the band’s first disc of new material since 1990’s Bad Bad Girls. This disc wisely goes back to Clarke’s hard-rock roots (completely skipping the AOR sound of the band’s previous two albums).

This time out, Clarke is joined by bassist / vocalist Toby Jepson (Gun, Little Angels, Dio's Disciples) and drummer Matt Eldrige and trio has a sound that is comparable to FM-radio blues-rockers like early 80’s Bad Company or Sykes-era Whitesnake and one can even hear a bit of Jimmy Page’s guitar sound in some of the songs (“Deliver Me”, “Sick as a Dog”). After doing some research as to what “Fast” Eddie has been up to these past twenty year, I found that he reactivated Fastway in 2007 with Jepson joining on vocals shortly thereafter and the pair has been working on the material for the new disc these past few years. Toby said: "We have collaborated closely on all aspects of the recording, specifically wanting to create a performance based, un-apologetically raw album that was song driven and above all made with passion. This we did, eschewing multi layered, heavily edited recording in favour of the simple 'warts and all' dynamics. I think the results are real. We hope you do to."



Picking up on Toby’s comment, the raw production on Eat Dog, Eat’s eleven tracks (48 minutes) highlights both strong song writing and the musical virtuosity of this power trio. Jepson’s melodic, bluesy vocals are reminiscent of David Coverdale’s but (thankfully) don’t include Coverdale’s tendency to hit some disconcerting high notes. Clarke lays down some grinding blues riffs and his guitar leads are clean, memorable and delivered without any of the bombast or unnecessary ‘flash’ that plagued bands in the later part of the 80’s. Eldridge pounds away on the drums in the front of the mix but the focus of this disc is on the guitar and vocals. The full-range of instrumentation and vocals are equally highlighted in the production and ten of the disc’s eleven tracks are based off of a dirty blues-rock core. The last track, “Dead and Gone”, is a pre-‘hair metal’ rock ballad that is close in spirit to Def Leppard’s “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak”.

Fastway fans will welcome the return to the sound of the band’s first two discs and this new disc should also strike a positive chord with fans of the early 80’s British hard-rock genre.

Links:
Fastway

Abandon Jalopy (Brad Smith / Blind Melon) - "Death and Joy" CD Review

I’m going to start this review by noting my biases so that anyone reading this can decide if they want to keep reading…

I saw Blind Melon on the MTV 120 Minute Tour and absolutely despised them. After the “No Rain” bee-girl video came out, I felt completely justified in my opinion. Having said all that – Blind Melon bassist Brad Smith’s second solo disc (released under the name Abandon Jalopy), Death and Joy, is a strikingly honest, well-crafted disc and his music straddles the line between John Mayer-ish ‘singer / songwriter’ and 90’s “Modern Rock”.

Brad Smith released his first solo disc (as Abandon Jalopy), Mercy, in 2002 and, after a decade of pursuing other projects that included the band Unified Theory along with a short-lived Blind Mellon reunion, Smith’s second Abandon Jalopy disc dropped last month. Brad said “after Blind Melon ended the second time, it left me with a lot of songs on the burner and something to say. So I coaxed myself— ‘Come on, Brad, get the Jalopy out of the garage!’ It seems as if there were always reasons not to pursue AJ, but at this moment, I’m like, ‘I’ve made a record, I’m going to tour’". For this disc, Smith is joined by a stack of guests which include Blind Melon guitarists Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn, Unified Theory vocalist Chris Shinn on backing vocals (who sounds remarkable like Shannon Hoon) and Hoon’s daughter Nico Blue Hoon, who sings backing vocals on the song “Love Has A Way”.

Across the eleven tracks on this disc, the lyrics are fairly introspective. Smith said: “I wrote this song called ‘Death and Joy,’ and it’s about family and growing up, and realizing that life is one of those spots right in the middle of death and joy. You’re not always elated, and you’re only dead one time. So life is really like all these little small things that at the time, don’t seem to really mean that much. I just had an epiphany about what life is, and it made me relax and appreciate what is happening right now, with me and my family and upbringing. ‘I Won’t Be the Same’ is definitely about Shannon [Hoon, Blind Melon's original/late singer]. I don’t think there’s any mystery there. I have a feeling that for each of my AJ records, there’s going to be one song on there about Shannon, just because I think about him every day.”



Musically, most of the songs sound like they have their roots in the “modern rock” sound of the 90’s. The disc starts with “Up Til Now” which is an alt-rock number with a shuffling beat and I can’t shake the comparison to Dada’s “I’m Going to Diz Knee Land” when listening to “Black Cloud”. Tracks "All the Way" & "Love Has A Way" are stripped down semi-acoustic affairs that Smith delivers in a style similar to John Maher; “Dragonfly” starts with Smith rapping over a funk beat before heading into the alt-rock body of the song and “Death And Joy” and “Summer Don't Leave” are psychedelic numbers with strong guitar lines, heavy reverb and a pulsing beat.

Smith said “This is my second record in ten years, and I plan on releasing these pretty regularly now. I have enough confidence, I feel like I have enough to say. I like the idea of being completely independent of other band members. This is something I want to leave behind for the world. It might be an overly romantic view, but it’s really the only thing that I have to contribute to the world that’s worth anything. When you get older, you start thinking about, ‘How are you contributing to the world or society?’ Abandon Jalopy is probably my best foot forward, in that regard.”

Given that Smith was one of the principal songwriter for Blind Melon, I may have to go back and give them another listen.

Links:
Abandon Jalopy

The Nico Blues Release "Die Happy" EP As A Pay-What-You-Will Download

The Nico Blues are a last wave rock band from New Jersey. Their new EP "Die Happy" was released on February 29th, 2012 and was recorded, produced, and mixed in the band's basement. In reviewing the new disc, JerseyBeat.com said "This is a band that segues seamlessly from starry-eyed psychedelic shoegaze (“Dementia In Three Dimensions”) to rootsy Americana with a twangy, toothsome crunch (“Melodic Death Jam”) to earwig melodic pop (the Minneapolitan “I Could Be Your Pet,” equal parts Soul Asylum and Replacements.)"

The first full-length album titled Blame the Boredom, Blame the Basements was released on their own Tiny Giant Records imprint in June 2010. In true DIY spirit, The Nico Blues book all of their own shows and have organized bands in the community through the Tiny Giant Artist Collective, which they co-founded. As a result, they have gained a devoted regional following.

Upcoming Shows:
March 11 - Sunrise Festival - A Benefit for Japan, Public Assembly, Brooklyn
* Show is all ages and runs from 2PM - 11PM; Cover is $5 before 5PM and $10 after

March 18 - Webster Hall, NYC (call before heading out - show isn't listed on Webster Hall's site)

Links:
The Nico Blues

No Bragging Rights - SoCal Hardcore band Plays The Morgan in Brooklyn in April with Lionheart and Naysayer

SoCal melodic hardcore band No Bragging Rights are playing a month long coast-to-coast tour which wraps up next month with a run down the East Coast (with a stop in Brooklyn on April 12th). This is a run-up to the band playing the New England Metal & Hardcore Festive in Worcester, MA on April 22nd.

No Bragging Rights released their last disc, Illuminator, about year ago on BLKHeart Group and the disc was recorded in San Marcos, CA with Daniel Castleman of Lambesis Studio . According to guitarist Christian Lee, the top three fan favorites from this most recent disc are: “Blind Faith”, “And They Threatened Us With Fire”, and “Empire: Disarray.”



No Bragging Rights are playing The Morgan in Bushwick on April 12th along with Naysayer, Lionheart and Meruader. The show is all ages and tickets are $12. The Morgan is located at 25 Bogart St, Brooklyn, NY 11206-3805.

Links:
No Bragging Rights

Lost Horizon - "Awakening The World" CD Review (The End Records / Music for Nations)

Pulling another disc off the stack of recent reissues of Music for Nations’ back catalog, Lost Horizon’s debut album, Awakening the World (originally released in 2001) is a ten song blast of bombastic Swedish power metal. With the shirtless, sword-and-sorcery cover shot, it is hard not to make immediate comparisons to Manowar, which is a valid reference point, but Lost Horizon also incorporate elements of the American power metal scene into their music.

Where the band breaks from the power metal stereotype of dragons and wizards is that they cite the disc as “breed[ing] a spiritual aspiration, which leads to the great gathering…we want the people to start thinking about the world and themselves”. The band members are credited as Transcendental Protagonist (guitars and synths), Cosmic Antagonist (bass), Preternatural Transmogrifyer (drums) and Ethereal Magnanimus (vocals); “spiritual titles that reflect characteristics in the band member’s personalities”.

While Lost Horizon doesn’t break any new ground on this disc – it is surprisingly strong for being the band’s debut. The reason for this is that the members of Lost Horizon had played together as Highlander (the same band spawned HammerFall) and, accordingly to drummer Christian Nyqvist , “the first album songs were composed a very long time ago, they were written between 1991 and 1994, I think. They (the old songs) even have new lyrics, arrangements… so there are almost ten years between the composition of the album and the release of it.”

This is the sort of disc that would have been huge in the US given the right promotion as the band’s brand of proggy power metal along with vocalist Daniel Heiman’s controlled but soaring vocals will be immediately recognizable to fans of bands that range from Dream Theater to Iron Maiden without them ever having to have heard this album prior. There are seven songs on the disc (along with three brief instrumentals) and all of them feature an Iron Maiden style galloping bass and guitar riffs, breakneck drumming and clean, soaring guitar leads. Principal songwriter / guitarist Wojtek Lisicki adds restrained keyboards to some of the tracks which gives additional depth to the band’s sound, without overpowering it. Given the depth of musicianship, songs like “Denial of Fate” and “Sworn of the Metal Wind“ could easily have become power metal anthems. Most of the songs "burn hot" and run just over five minutes but the album closer (ignoring the instrumental outro “The Redintegration”) “The Kingdom of My Will” drags in parts as it runs 9+ minutes.



In an interview with Metal Reviews, Lost Horizon said “You've probably noticed that the songs [on Awakening the World] are in a specific order, there's no coincidence, we've thought about the way we'll place them, because we have a defined pattern in our minds, so that people listen to our album from the beginning to the end as opposite of some records when people play the tracks randomly. We really wanted to be more like an experience, like a theater experience, you sit down on a comfortable chair and get great impulses from the record. “

Links:
Lost Horizon

The Kickback (Chicago's Answer to The Walkman) are Recording Daytrotter Session in Advance of Full-Length CD / March Residency at Schubas in Chicago

"We recorded this after our fans helped us win a Deli reader's poll and got us some free studio time. The song was originally supposed to be a take on the song "Route 66" for a Red Bull tour diary, but they didn't seem to be down with our turning it into a six-minute ramblethon and not really using the words, and we can't really blame them. But they still suck. Thanks for making this yours." -- from The Kickback's Bandcamp page

Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "If your only exposure to the Kickback is via its recordings, including a dynamic, well-recorded, exquisitely arranged and very dramatic new disc called the 'Great Self Love' EP currently streaming on its Myspace page, you might think that guitarist-vocalist Billy Yost and his drummer brother Danny have escaped the usual sibling drama. But since the group, which is completed by guitarist Tyler Zee and bassist Zachariah Verdoorn, immigrated here from South Dakota last summer, the stories have begun to spread about its explosive live performances, with the members cheerfully owning up to the occasional broken chairs and bloody knuckles."



The Kickback made their SXSW debut last year but this year the band is playing a March residency starting March 5th at Schubas in Chicago. In a recent interview with Glide Magazine, the band was asked about the upcoming residency and said "Every show will be a little bit different, and the last show we’re going to perform our forthcoming LP in its entirety with a Craigslist Orchestra featuring a group of fantastic people who were willing to come and record brass and sax for our LP for nothing more than the joy of doing it. But each night will be something different, and that’s what’s most important to us. "

Links:
The Kickback