Blackmore's Night - Secret Voyage CD Review

Blackmore's Night has now been together for an uninterrupted 11 years, which is longer than Ritchie's original tenure in either Deep Purple or Rainbow. Secret Voyage is the group's 7th studio album and it was released on the SPV record label last month.

Secret Voyages follows in the spirit of the band's 2006 release The Village Lanterne as the tracks are a combination of the medieval renaissance music that Blackmore's Night started out with in 1997 crossed with Joe Lynn Turner-era Rainbow. As on old Rainbow fan, it is nice to hear Ritchie bring a heavier sound back into his music.

For anyone who has been keeping up with Blackmore's Night, there are no real surprises on this disc. On the rock side, "Locked Within The Crystal Ball" is a strong first single. This disc also includes covers of Rainbow's "Rainbow Eyes" (originally sung by Ronnie James Dio) and Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love". On the renaissance side, Ritchie and Candice rework traditional folk melodies from France (“Gilded Cage”), Russia (“Toast To Tomorrow”), Germany (“Prince Waldeck’s Galliard”) and England (“Peasant’s Promise”).

While this disc doesn't stray far from the established Blackmore's Night sound, Ritchie's guitar work continues to be stupendous and the heavier sound that has been drifting into the last few BN releases may start converting a few Rainbow fans.

Links:
Blackmore's Night Website

Magic Bullets - Live at Piano's, NYC 8-7-08 + Exclusive Interview

San Francisco's Magic Bullets made their East Coast debut earlier this month with a two-night stand at Piano's. After catching the band's live show, I can see why they have been selling out clubs on the West Coast. The band plays incredibly catchy post-punk style tunes that could almost be mistaken for one of the early 90's Britpop bands.

The band released their debut CD, A Child But In Life Yet A Doctor In Love, early last year and are going into the studio later this year to record their followup. The band has released the first single "Upstairs Room" from their forthcoming disc (entitled Young Man's Fancy) which is currently available from iTunes.

The band was kind enough to let me film some of their set at their second show at Piano's. Here is a live version of "Upstairs Room" along with a post-show interview with Phil (vocals) and Nathan (bass).



Magic Bullets are back home in San Francisco and their next show is September 3rd at The Rumble @ Harlot.

Links:
Magic Bullets' MySpace Profile

Kings of Leon Release First Video, "Sex On Fire", From Their Forthcoming CD

Kings of Leon's new disc Only By The Night drops on September 23rd. The band just released the first video, "Sex on Fire" from this release.

Kings of Leon - Sex On Fire


The band released the first single, "Crawl", from this upcoming release a few weeks ago and this tune has been in the band's live set for a number of months.

"Sex on Fire" was debuted live at the All Points West festival a few weeks ago and someone captured the performance on video.



Kings of Leon are playing Webster Hall on September 23rd with The Whigs and tickets are $36.00.

Links:
Kings of Leon's Website

Ten Shekel Shirt Release New CD "Jubilee": Exclusive Interview with the Band

On August 19th, Ten Shekel Shirt released their third CD Jubilee (Rounder Records). Vocalist/songwriter Lamont Hiebert had taken some time off from music prior to this release to form Love146, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to help end child slavery and exploitation.

Jubilee is very accessible musically (Snow Patrol is a good point of comparison) but the lyrical themes are pretty heavy. Lamont breaks down each song on one of his MySpace blog posts and here are a few excerpts.

Daylight
A guy recently told me that he liked my old songs better. He said the old ones made him feel good while the new songs made him think about others. I took it as a compliment.

Although I cut my teeth in the music industry on "worship music" I believe it is dangerous and unhealthy to be self-absorbed with vertical religion. I often warn faith-based audiences that if we hold our hands in the air for too long we become spiritually constipated. Conversely, if we strive to be about God's business without His influence of love, forgiveness, justice, mercy, compassion, etc… we soon become burned out and bitter.

Jubilee
The origin of the word Jubilee has nothing to do with a wedding anniversary or a schmaltzy Las Vegas show. It has everything to do with the emancipation of slaves and the celebration of freedom and justice. When I wrote the title track, Jubilee, I combined that ancient meaning of the word with this true story of a teenage girl rescued from slavery and her first moments in a safehome.

At the tender age of 12, she was sold to a brothel by her stepfather. After 4 years of unspeakable violence, cruelty and shame she was rescued and brought to a safehome our charity (Love146) supports. The first moment she entered the home she noticed a small picture of Jesus on the wall. When she saw it she fell down and wept in utter relief and astonishment. She then explained that while she was in captivity she would often dream of being in a safe place and that in those dreams she would picture that face.

I had the chance to catch up with Lamont and guitarist Johnny Rodgers on the day that the album was released. We talked a bit about the new disc, the inspiration behind it and what's going on with Ten Shekel Shirt.



Ten Shekel Shirt is currently out on a lengthy tour and they have a date at First Baptist Church in Queens tomorrow night. Here are the band's tour dates for August/September.

Aug 30 2008 8:00PM, First Baptist Church, Queens, New York, New York
Sep 12 2008 8:00PM, Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, Florida
Sep 14 2008 7:00PM, Harriet Himmel Theater, West Palm Beach, Florida
Sep 17 2008 8:00PM, Southern CT State University, New Haven, Connecticut
Sep 19 2008 7:00PM, FBC, Portland, Maine
Sep 27 2008 7:00PM, Matsqui Centennial Auditorium, Abbotsford, British Columbia

Links:
Ten Shekel Shirt's MySpace Profile

The Jesse Lynn Band is Playing The Bitter End Tomorrow Night

Teddy Williams from Automatic Children turned me on to Jesse Lynn and it was a great recommendation.

There isn't much of a bio on Jesse's MySpace page but there are a couple live tracks streaming on the page. Jesse plays piano/keyboard and if you check out the track "But Here I Am", you will hear that Jesse has somewhat of a Norah Jones vibe. Other tracks like "Citywise" are more in the Tori Amos/Fiona Apple vein.

It should be a good show and tickets are only $10.00.

Woodhands - Live Footage and Interview from Silent Barn, Queens 8-16-08

Woodhands was in town last weekend for one of Todd P's shows at the Silent Barn. The band's debut disc, "Heart Attack", was released in Canada earlier this year (on Paper Bag Records) and the disc was released in the States yesterday.

Here is part of a live clip of "Can't See Straight" along with a post-show interview with the band.



The band puts on a wild live show and they say on their MySpace page that their goal is "emotional, sweaty dance floors". The band is back in the States for a show in Chicago at The Empty Bottle on September 5th but no East Coast dates have been announced.

For anyone not familiar with Woodhands, check out I Wasn't Made for Fighting. There are also a number of other tracks from Heart Attack streaming on the band's MySpace profile.

During the interview, Dan mentioned that the band was just in NYC to film a video for the "I Wasn't Made For Fighting" and the band just posted a link to a fan-made video for the song.



Links:
Paper Bag Records

Sonic Youth Play Final Show at McCarren Pool on Saturday, August 30th

There are still tickets left for the final show at McCarren Pool this Saturday with Sonic Youth.

Sonic Youth is playing with Wolf Eyes, Times New Viking and Vivian Girls. Doors open at 4PM and tickets are $35.00.

Green Point Wines is one of the sponsors of the event, and the profits from every glass of wine sold go to The Open Space Alliance, a nonprofit responsible for the preservation and renovation of Brooklyn parkland and open spaces.

Links:
Sonic Youth's Website
The Open Space Alliance's Website

John Joseph: Playing Cro-Mags Set at Dr. Tom/Walter Ryan Benefit Show + Second Video from Book Reading at The Delancey

On September 27th, the NYHC is coming together for a benefit show at Studio B for Dr. Tom and Walter Ryan (Subzero/Merauder). John Joseph is playing a Cro-Mags set and other bands on the bill include Sick of It All, Jasta and Murphy's Law.

The NYHC community has always come together to help out someone in need and, from what I've heard, Dr. Tom and "Monsta" Ryan really need our support. Come on out to the show, sign up for Moli (click on the poster), make a donation. Every bit helps...



While on the subject on John (Joseph)...I finally located a misplaced video where I filmed some of John's book reading at The Delancey back in June.



If anybody missed it, I also did an interview with John before his book reading (see previous post).

Links:
John Joseph's MySpace Profile

The Residents Announce New CD and NYC Tour Dates

The Residents are back with their first NYC tour since the 2002 Demons Dance Alone tour, which played three nights at The Warsaw in Brooklyn.

The new CD is entitled Bunny Boy and it hits the streets on September 2nd. You can pre-order through The Residents' record label, Ralph America (link below). Bunny Boy "centers around an eccentric character, the bunny boy, whose search for his missing brother compels him to post videos on the internet as a "cry for help." As the story evolves, it opens up to interaction between the bunny boy and his audience, causing the narrative to twist and turn in odd and unpredictable ways. Spanning a gap between insanity and self realization, the loony, but affable bunny boy soon finds himself pursuing a goal no less vital than saving the world from Armageddon."

If you haven't seen The Resident's videos about the adventures of Timmy, you probably need to move quickly as I understand that they will be coming down to make room for the new Bunny Boy videos.

The Residents' Bunny Boy tour plays The Blender Theater @ Gramercy on October 9th and 10th. Tickets are $40.00.

Links:
RalphAmerica (The Resident's Record Label)

Holy Trinity River (HTR) - "Let It Die" EP Review

This release caught me out of left-field as I haven't heard a good cow-punk band in years.

HTR are Dallas-to-Brooklyn transplants and their sounds fits in there with the 'first-wave' cowpunk bands like Green on Red and The Divine Horsemen. The band arrived in Brooklyn in 2005 and recorded their first EP, Cause/Solution, with Ellis Traver at Brooklyn's Loiter Studios. The band just released a new four-song EP, Let It Die, which was produced and engineered by Richard Lloyd.

Let It Die is a great slice of whiskey-soaked cowpunk and Richard Lloyd's production is near-perfect. The band doesn't loose any of the overall grittiness of their sound but Lloyd's production brings out some great guitar licks which is complemented by steady-on bass work and I really love the snare drums. All four tracks from the new EP are streaming on the band's MySpace page (link below) and the standout track is "The Shaker".

Here are HTR's upcoming shows:
Aug 20 2008 8:00PM, Maxwells, Hoboken, New Jersey
Sep 12 2008 8:00PM, The Castle in Hell Brooklyn, New York

Links:
HTR's MySpace Profile

After the Jump Presents Free Longwave Show on Friday

Longwave is playing the official after-party for the Regina Spektor/Albert Hammond, Jr McCarren Pool concert. This is a free show and Alberta Cross is opening. The show is at the Music Hall of Williamsburg and doors open at 9:30PM.

Longwave also announced a release date of November 11th for their follow-up to 2005's There's A Fire. The upcoming disc is entitled Secrets Are Sinister and it will be released on Original Signal Recordings. For anyone who wants an advance listen, there are a number of tracks from Secrets Are Sinister streaming on Longwave's MySpace profile.

"[T]he new album was recorded predominantly by the band in their Brooklyn studio and with the help of producer Peter Katis (The National, Tokyo Police Club, Interpol) at his Connecticut studio. Secrets Are Sinister expands on the band’s trademark sound: atmospheric, arena-sized guitars still build to an epic swell while the band’s penchant for dreamy landscapes now gives way to an equally dynamic but louder, noisier, and more driving sensibility. Hailed in the past by magazines ranging from Rolling Stone to Nylon to Alternative Press, Longwave returns with their most varied and accomplished work to date, from the shimmering “Sirens In The Deep Sea” to the thundering, Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, MGMT, Sleater-Kinney)-produced “Life Is Wrong” to the hopeful title track."

Joel Auge - "On The Blue" CD Release Interview, NYC 8-8-08

Last Friday, Integrity Music artist Joel Auge was in town to promote his debut CD On the Blue. The disc dropped in July and the first single, "So Deep In Love", was selected as an iTunes Discovery Download. iTunes said "Auges' mixture of worship music and emotional alt-rock rings makes a solid case for being one of the highlights of 2008. The album mixes up folk and pop with piano pop and Auges' own transcendent vocals."

Joel and I had a chance to talk about the new CD, his beliefs and the inspiration behind the CD and what his plans are for the rest of the year.



In addition to making some great music, Joel's a warm and funny guy to talk to. Check out this video of Joel attempting to purchase his CD from a bookstore on its release day.



For anyone that hasn't heard "So Deep In Love", the tune is streaming on Joel's MySpace Profile and there is a bizarre fan-made video on YouTube that sets the audio track to a picture of the American flag. I guess the videographer didn't realize that Joel is Canadian...

Fans of British piano-pop (Coldplay, Keane) would do well to give Joel's music a listen.

Calico Horse - Mirror CD Review

I'm still playing catch-up with some CDs that slipped through the cracks as I was trying to get my life in order a few months back. (Apologies to Banter Records and the band...)
San Diego's Calico Horse evolved out of singer Emily Neveu's previous band The Clock Work Army after recording sessions with this band collapsed. According to the San Diego Reader, Emily told the Reader in an email that “members of the band are leaving me...[a]s the founding member of the band and the main decision maker, I have decided to change the [band’s] name, to complete the new record myself and release it. A new name has not been chosen quite yet. This all has happened so quickly that I haven't had time to come up with anything, sadly.”

Fast forward a year and both the band's name and sound has changed. Calico Horse released their debut CD Mirror in late June on Banter Records. Gone is Clock Work Army's post-punk agit-pop and it has ben replaced with an ornate goth-pop sound (Awake In The Clouds is pretty representative of the tracks on this disc)

Overall, Mirror has a dark feel to it but it isn't quite goth. A number of songs have upbeat rhythms and Emily's clear vocals leave the listener with somewhat of a "whistling in the graveyard" experience. A number of the song titles, lyrics and effects add to the overall "graveyard" experience. There are songs like "Happy Placebo Syringe Day" which starts with a children's class reciting the "Hail Mary" and ends with Emily singing about people laying side-by-side in wooden boxes. "Father Feed Me" is a somewhat 'upbeat' piece that starts with the lyric "My father is dead and gone, He sold his soul for bread. I'm marked to walk the earth...". The piano instrumental "Interlude 5" is pure spook-house music. At this point...I'm sure that you get the idea that this isn't a jolly band.

That being said, this is still great late night listening and the disturbing aura of this disc is really no different than listening to the Velvet Underground (I'm specifically thinking of "The Gift") or similar. The band is currently playing around California and have talked about a national tour later this year.

Links:
Calico Horse's MySpace Profile
Calico Horse's Website
The Clock Work Army's MySpace Profile

Do Unfinished Albums Really Leak? My Views on the Buckcherry and Guns N' Roses Leaks...

Just to put some context around this post, I'm still playing catch-up with some releases and just got around to listening to the new "leak" that surfaced in June of nine tracks from Guns N' Roses' forthcoming Chinese Democracy CD.

With the new Buckcherry "leak" having been traced back to the band's manager, this seems to prove a point that I made about a year ago re: the Spring '07 "leaked" Chinese Democracy tracks. (see previous post)

I STILL don't believe that these types of leaks are anything more than attempts by someone in or associated with the band to generate publicity. I think the Buckcherry "leak" is a closed case so we won't go down that path. Can you really tell me that, when major labels are starting to send music bloggers watermarked CDs (to tell where any potential leaks are coming from), finished studio tracks continue to 'drift' out of the Guns N' Roses camp and no one has any idea who the source is. I just don't buy it...

If this happened once or twice, I would consider the possibility that the leaks are coming from disgruntled ex-employees or members. Now that June's "leak" marks the 6th or so leak since last year...what is the reality of the situation?? Are there mysterious men from Spain uploading tracks from a seemingly endless master reel (see Idolator for details) or is this a planned attempt at viral publicity??

(From GunsNRoses.US) Here is a blow-by-blow history of the Chinese Democracy leaks:
"In September 2003, radio DJ Eddie Trunk played a new Guns N' Roses song titled "I.R.S." on his syndicated radio show Friday Night Rocks with Eddie Trunk. The band's management issued a cease-and-desist order against Trunk, leading him to strip replays of his broadcast of both the song and references to it. In February 2006, full studio demos of the songs "Better", "Catcher in the Rye", "I.R.S.", and "There Was a Time" leaked online. Brian May confirmed on his blog that he recorded guitar for the "Catcher in the Rye" demo in 1999. On February 20 2007, a new version of the song "Better" was leaked onto the Internet. The song was confirmed real by Dizzy Reed. However, he also said it is not the final studio version. The next day, March 29, 2007 a full studio version of the song "Madagascar" leaked onto a GN'R fan website and is still in circulation. On May 4, 2007, three more tracks leaked from "Chinese Democracy"; the albums title track "Chinese Democracy", "The Blues" and an updated version of "I.R.S." All three tracks had previously been played live and the track "Chinese Democracy" had been partially leaked in March. An updated version of "There Was a Time" was along the 4 songs sent and was leaked on May 6, 2007. On June 2008, a set of nine songs were released online, including never-heard-before demo version of Prositute, Rhiad and the Beduins and If the World."

If the above wasn't funny enough, here is the latest leak (from July):

Sunn O))) Announces 10th Anniversary Show at the Knitting Factory (NYC)

SUNN O))) has announced four live performances in the United States, to recognize the 10th anniversary of the band and to coincide with the recording of the first album...The GrimmRobe Demos.

SUNN O)) will be playing material from GrimmRobes exclusively and the show will feature SUNN O)))'s core members Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson ONLY. The band's press release says "No guests, no vocals, no keyboards."

Here is the list of shows:
10/10/2008 Safari Sam's - Los Angeles, CA w/John Weise, more TBA
10/12/2008 Berbati's Pan - Portland, OR - Fall Into Darkness Fest
10/15/2008 Knitting Factory - New York, NY w/Tony Conrad, Thou
10/16/2008 First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA w/Thou, more TBA

Tickets for the Knitting Factory show are $15 in advance.

Links:
Stephen O'Malley's Website
SouthernLord's MySpace Profile

Earth - The Bee Made Honey In The Lion's Skull (Southern Lord) CD Review

Here is a clear sign we are in a recession -- there is a limited edition Earth Live CD (from the band's 2006 tour with Sunn O))) that has been available for sale on SouthernLord.com for more than a month. A year ago, the disc would have sold out within days and been on eBay with a 200-300% markup. This hits close to home as I would like to own a copy of the disc but just don't have the extra cash to buy it now.

I know that Earth's current disc has been out since February but a few major-league crises resulted in a few discs slipping to the bottom of the review pile. Everything is moving forward again but...it is insanely hard to get caught up once you fall behind.

Earth has essentially been touring on this disc since 2007 so the material is very familiar to me. I know this is somewhat of a contradictory statement but Earth played 5 of the 7 tracks from this disc at their show at the Bowery Ballroom last summer (see previous post for set list and pictures).

I'm one of the people who bought Earth's first disc because of Kurt Cobain's involvement so I have been watching Earth's evolution with great pleasure. The feedback and dissonance of the early releases is all but gone by this time and this release is very accessible. By this, I don't mean that this disc will likely get commercial airplay but The Bee... fits well alongside releases from bands like Pelican and Isis.

With this release, Earth has completely shaken the 'doom' label and it may be pushing it to call this 'drone'. The seven tracks (almost an hour) on this disc seem to form one complete story. The all-instrumental CD has typical languid Earth tempos and, while the music is somber, it is almost cheery. Each song has the space in which to breath and each note is heard in its crystalline beauty. The disc almost has an ambient quality but both the individual songs and the disc as a whole are a lot more structured than most ambient bands. The only potential "weakness" of this disc is that, as a cohesive body of instrumental work, this isn't the sort of release that you are going to drop on to listen to one or two tracks.

In looking at Earth's MySpace page (link below), things seem fairly quiet for the band. If you are in the Pacific Northwest, Earth have some Seattle and Portland shows scheduled for September.

Links:
Earth's MySpace Profile
Southern Lord Records

Geoff Koch - Exclusive Interview and Live Footage from Crash Mansion, NYC 7-26-08

St.Louis-based singer/songwriter Geoff Koch was in town at the end of July, playing shows at The Living Room and Crash Mansion. Geoff is touring behind his forthcoming disc If It Feel Good, Don't Do It and I caught up with him at Crash Mansion for a brief pre-show interview. Geoff was kind enough to also let me film part of his live set.

On Geoff's new disc, he is playing with an all-star line-up which includes former members of Uncle Tupelo and Tin Machine/Nine Inch Nails. The new disc is available through Geoff's MySpace page and will be available via iTunes and CD Baby in the near future. For anyone not familiar with Geoff, his music should appeal to fans of Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, Ryan Adams and Big Star.

Here is the first part of the interview/live performance...



...and here is the second part (which includes a Big Star cover).



Geoff seems to be permanently out on tour so I'm sure he will be back in NYC soon. Here are his upcoming tour dates:
Aug 21 2008 9:00PM, The Neutral Ground, New Orleans, Louisiana
Aug 22 2008 9:00PM, TBA,Baton Rouge/Hammond, Louisiana
Aug 23 2008 9:00PM, Artmosphere, Lafayette, Louisiana
Aug 25 2008 7:00PM, Momo’s, Austin, Texas
Aug 26 2008 9:00PM, Ruta Maya, Austin, Texas
Aug 27 2008 8:00PM, White Rock, Dallas, Texas
Aug 28 2008 8:00PM, Red Cup, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Aug 30 2008 11:00PM, House Show, Springfield, MO

Links:
Geoff Koch's Website

The Golden Hands Before God... - Here CD Review

Every now and then, the name of a band perfectly describes their style of music. The full name of this band is The Golden Hands Before God Conducts Incredible Magic Band & The Spirits and the band plays blissed out psychedelic music.

The band draws upon a diverse range of sounds which include the psychedelic drone of bands like Spacemen 3 which is then combined with the pop sensibilities of bands like Jesus and Mary Chain, Mazzy Star and Darker Day-era Connels. The disc's leadoff track "One Fine Morning" sets the tone for this EP and here is a video of the band performing the song live in their hometown of Windsor, Ontario.

The Golden Hands Before God...One Fine Morning


The cut that is getting the most buzz from this release is "Communist Blues", which perfectly captures the 60's/70's classic rock sound. On this track, the band breaks from the layered psychedelic sounds of some of the previous tracks and lays down some ripping Dylan-ish "Subterranean Homesick Blues" style guitar work.

The new EP Here was released in Canada last week on Pop Echo Records and there will be both a US release and tour later this Fall.

Links:
The Golden Hands Before God's MySpace Profile

Motel Motel: Exclusive Interview & Live Footage from Piano's, NYC 8-7-08

Motel Motel played Thursday night at Piano's and put on a fabulous live show. After listening to the tracks on the band's MySpace page, I had earlier described their sound as alt-rock meets alt-county but, now having caught the band live, I don't think this description does the band justice. Eric (vocals/guitars) described the band's sound as "schwag rock" and that is probably a better descriptor. Live, the band showcases a wide range of influences but the music never careens out of control.

At the show on Thursday, the room was full and the band got the crowd dancing (which is always an accomplishment in New York).

I had the chance to catch up with the band before their set for a brief interview...



...and the band was kind enough to let me film some of their set.



Motel Motel's debut disc, "New Denver", is available via CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon and through the usual CD subscription/download services (Rhapsody, Napster, etc.)

Links:
Motel Motel's MySpace Profile
Motel Motel's Website

The Shanghai Restoration Project Plays the Canal Room on August 13th

At the end of July, I had the chance to catch up with Dave Liang, who is creator of The Shanghai Restoration Project (TSRP). TSRP was inspired by the 1930's Shanghai jazz bands that combined traditional Chinese instruments with Western jazz and then combined this fusion with divas singing in Chinese. According to Dave, this style of music disappeared around World War II.

In celebration of the Beijing Olympics, The Shanghai Restoration Project are playing two shows. The first show was earlier this week at the Viper Room in Los Angeles and the NYC show will be at the Canal Room on August 13th. At the shows, Dave will be playing piano along with the tracks, there will be a number of guest vocalists and the music will be synchronized to old and new footage of Shanghai.



Tickets for the show at the Canal Room at $12 in advance.

Links:
The Shanghai Restoration Project's Website
The Shanghai Restoration Project's MySpace Profile