As the music community eagerly awaits the first national label release from our homegrown stars, they are teasing us with a new song and a cool new video.
The band, led by singer/songwriter and guitarist Alynda Lee Segarra, has had a meteoric rise from their humble beginnings just a few years back. A new chapter starts February 11, 2014 when ATO Records, the home of Dave Matthews, Alabama Shakes, Drive-By Truckers, and My Morning Jacket, releases Small Town Heroes.
A few telling measures of their success—their first Jazz Fest performance was on the tiny, hidden-in-the-grandstand Lagniappe stage. Their next was the opening act on the massive Acura stage. This past summer, they impressed the notoriously picky crowd at the Newport Folk Festival.
David Allan Coe is one of the most fascinating—and notorious—figures in country music. Sent to reform school at age 9, he spent most of his next 20 years in correctional facilities, at one of which he received musical encouragement from Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. He has lived in a hearse parked outside the Grand Ole Opry, worn a mask and gone by the name The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy, written both racist and anti-racist songs, been a member of a no-joke one-percenter motorcycle club, and has been known to hurl angry obscenities at audiences made up primarily of kindly senior citizens due to sheer shitfacedness.
Oh, and when the IRS took Coe’s house, he moved into a cave. That’s right, a cave. In Tennessee. Rent was dirt cheap and the bats were housebroken.
And did I happen to mention Coe wears a three-foot blonde wig? And he’s been known to perform The Dead Kennedys’ version of his own “Take This Job and Shove It” at shows? And that he’s rapped? Shit, about the only thing David Allen Coe has never done is kill anybody, although if asked he’ll tell you that he has.
I dare you: Come up with a more interesting bio than that, and I’ll demand that you kick me in the ass like Spın̈al Tap’s Artie Fufkin. Okay, so there’s the infamous Spade Cooley, the Western Swing musician who killed his second wife in front of his daughter and barely escaped the electric chair. But he never lived in a cave, and the same goes for those legendary country characters Jerry Lee Lewis and George Jones, and I’m sorry, but if you haven’t lived in a cave you simply haven’t lived that interesting a life.
For those of us who grew up listening to “Hair Metal” and love the glory days of the Sunset Strip, we have a savior of sorts, and they call themselves Steel Panther. Michael Starr, Lexxi Foxx, Stixx Zandinia, and Satchel ( I know, it’s like just Satchel?) are keeping a lost art alive and well, while taking excessiveness to a whole new level and reminding us all how ridiculous hair metal became at times.
Legend has it that Steel Panther were on the brink of signing the largest record deal in history back in the ’80s. All the major labels came to their showcase one night in LA, but the band never showed up. According to Dee Snider, their manager told them to be at the showcase, and they mistakenly thought he said to go out and get shit-faced. The labels ended up signing Jane’s Addiction, and the rest is history.
Fast forward 20 years, and what has been hailed as the greatest album ever created resurfaces at Universal Republic. It turns out that the band is alive and well, ready to stage the greatest comeback of all time. They released their debut Feel the Steel in 2011 to critical acclaim and quickly followed up with 2012’s Balls Out.
Every time J. Roddy Walston came down on his piano at Union Transfer last week, I thought he was going to split his head open. I’m extremely glad he didn’t because Walston and The Business is a show that I recommend any rock and roll lover go see.
With a thunderous piano, a sharp lead guitar, a bouncing rhythm section, and a whole lot of hair, J. Roddy Walston and The Business is everything that’s missing in rock and roll today. The Tennessee-based quartet delivered an epic set in Philadelphia that kept the crowd jumping up and down with the beat for the entire show. New or old songs, the crowd didn’t seem to care, they just wanted everything out of the performance they could get.
I can honestly say that J. Roddy did not let anyone down except for those who wanted to see and hear less than the loud and ragged rock and roll consistently blowing through the speakers.
We’ve got something for you to be thankful for this Thanksgiving: a pair of tickets to see MGMT when they stop by DC on Tuesday, November 26.
Since the success of their first full-length album Oracular Spectacular in 2008, MGMT has quickly become a big-name indie-rock band. From the start, MGMT was recognized as an “Artist to Watch” by Rolling Stone and have since made it on several Top Ten lists, including Last.fm’s, Billboard’s, and BBC’s. Two years after their debut, the band received Grammy nods in the categories of “Best New Artist” and “Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals” for their single, “Kids.”
Adding to their successes, MGMT has opened for Sir Paul McCartney and has toured with fellow indie-rockers of Montreal. September brought the release of the band’s self-titled, third studio album. To promote the new record, the indie-rockers are currently on tour, making a stop at DC’s DAR Constitution Hall on Tuesday, November 26, and we’re giving away a pair of tickets.
Hey, we’ve got a twofer going today! A double-shot, if you will. And the two records come to you from Anton Newcombe, of Brian Jonestown Massacre’s label, A Recordings. They are the most recent releases from the excellent label and are sure to please any heady, psych-leaning listeners out there.
First up is Brooklyn’s own Weird Owl with their “Healing” EP, which I have personally been digging a lot for the past couple of weeks. And when writing about Weird Owl, as opposed to speaking about them, it’s nice to not have to explain or over-annunciate the band name to differentiate between them and Weird Al.
This killer EP comes as a double 10-inch—one is dayglo yellow and the other is dayglo pink! Here’s what Anton Newcombe himself has to say:
For Elvis Aaron Presley, 1973 was a crossroads. He was in the midst of a career resurgence kick-started by the television special Singer Presents Elvis (aka, the ’68 Comeback Special), fortified by a string of hits recorded at Memphis studio American Sound (“In The Ghetto,” “Suspicious Minds,” “Kentucky Rain”) and kicked into the stratosphere by a return to live performance after a decade mired in formulaic, unsatisfying films.
Indeed, 1973 was the year of Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite, a live concert television special broadcast in over 40 countries which later became a best-selling double LP. In the show, Elvis offered undeniable proof of his performing prowess, backed by a crack band including Telecaster master James Burton, heavenly vocalists The Sweet Inspirations, and driven by indomitable drummer Ronnie Tutt. He was also basking in the glow of two hit documentaries, Elvis: That’s The Way It Is (1970) and Elvis On Tour (1972), which offered indisputable proof that The King was in command.
However, despite outward appearances, all was not well for Presley in 1973. He was deeply depressed over his divorce to Priscilla Ann Presley, which was in its final stages. Friends and colleagues commented on his weight gain, which would ebb and flow until his death four years later. Also, it was alleged that his prescription drug dependency, which began during his Army tour of duty in Germany, had become increasingly problematic. Finally, he was at odds with his manager, “Colonel” Tom Parker, who seemed to care more about his prodigious gambling debts than he did about developing his client’s career.
Greater Manchester’s most in the know radio host Shell Zenner broadcasts the best new music every week on the UK’s Amazing Radio and Bolton FM. You can also catch Shell’s broadcast right here at TVD, each and every Thursday.
“Tonight I’ll be reminiscing about some of my psychedelic festival adventures this year by airing my interview with Aaron from Peaking Lights from Liverpool International Festival Of Psychedelia, and my Record of the Week is a pick from an artist who played both Austin Psychfest and Angers Psychfest—Elephant Stone, with their album of the same name.
Wedged around a playlist of brand new music, it’s the escape your ears need. FREE YOUR EARS!” —SZ
In 1969 four guys, namely Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, and Malachi Favors, took a trip to Paris. Once there they became the Art Ensemble of Chicago. In striving to attain the goal of “Great Black Music” and refine the concept of “Ancient to the Future,” they have given us many important works. A particularly fine one is their first under the moniker, A Jackson in Your House.
A Jackson in Your House embodies an unusually high number of interesting discussion points. It might seem odd to begin with a survey of the company that initially released it, but doing so greatly illuminates one of the numerous challenges jazz musicians faced throughout the form’s development, an issue that was deepened when the music resided in the commercially thorny region of the avant-garde.
The album was put out by the French imprint BYG as part of their now celebrated Actuel series of free jazz recordings, a discography that sits alongside that of the American label ESP-Disk as the biggest repository of the movement’s development in its first fifteen years. It’s no surprise they were both independents. Where Impulse, Atlantic, and to a lesser extent Blue Note, Verve, and Savoy all contributed to the early documentation of avant jazz, they were all cautious over their offerings.
However, ESP-Disk and BYG jumped into the fray headfirst, frequently pressing up records of vital historical importance that the big boys wouldn’t deign to touch, which is the main reason they’re so beloved by free jazz fans today. Unless they know the whole story, in which case the adoration very likely comes with a major sticking point; in both cases the artists largely never got paid.
“It’s all about tickling people’s musical g-spots with the sound.” —Congo Sanchez
Herb Records is the brainchild of DC-based percussionist Congo Sanchez. The first album from the label—Herb Records 2013—released last week, includes the musical works of Sanchez, Hydrophonics, and Groove Status. Together, the trio compiled a signature mix of electronic dub, trip-hop, ragga, shoe-gaze, and moombahton (to name a few).
This debut venture adds yet another unique layer to the DC music spectrum, a reflection of the diverse demographics of the mid-Atlantic. Chatting with Sanchez, he gives me the rundown on his music, his latest venture, and the tour.
Sanchez, Hydrophonics, and Groove Status originate from Richmond, VA, an incubator for musicians ranging from Pat Benatar to D’Angelo. Like the femme rocker and buffed-out neo-soulster, the men of Herb Records show and prove a streak of individuality native to the Capitol City. Given the multi-hyphenate musician’s eclecticism, adapting sounds comes to him as naturally as a drumbeat. “I’ve used a lot more drum samples than I did before because I’ve been DJing a lot and…working along the lines of the DJ producer.”
The previous album featured more live instruments. Herb Records 2013 is not so much a contrast as it’s the next artistic challenge for the trio.
At only 21 years of age, Sky Ferreira has experienced many different sides of the arts world through music, modeling, and acting. Taking opera lessons at age 13, she soon began maintaining a social media presence online. A YouTube video caught the attention of Swedish production duo Bloodshy and Avant of Miike Snow, who then decided to work with her.
With two EPs already under her belt, Ferreira finally has a full-length to add to the catalogue. Night Time, My Time was released this year to positive reaction. “Over her brand of synth-pop, layers of guitars add some texture, making her an interesting bridge between pop and indie rock,” wrote music critic Allan Raible for ABC News. Having already been slated to open for Miley Cyrus on her upcoming Bangerz tour next year, great things are to be expected from this rising star.
“‘True’ is all about the things you can count on to change and the things that will remain static.”
Nature, and our daily walks with our dog, and human nature, equally influenced the writing of this song. The second verse with its references to guns was written after the Sandy Hook elementary school tragedy.
When it came to laying the song down we knew that resonator guitar was the right sound for the track and built the recording around its warmth and presence.
‘True’ reminds us of the ’70s folk and singer/songwriter vinyl we grew up on.”
—Ari Shine and Adrienne Pierce
We’re delighted to premiere “True,” the first single from The Royal Oui’s self-titled, full-length debut which will land on store shelves on February 11, 2014.
Join the fine folks from the MotherShip Foundation, organizers of the Mid City Bayou Boogaloo, tomorrow evening at The Pearl Wine Co. in the American Can Company for a benefit to re-tree Bayou St. John. Ed Volker and Trio Mollusc are the musical entertainment.
The fundraiser and auction benefits the Restore the Bayou Canopy Campaign, an effort to replace the Bayou St. John oak trees lost to Hurricanes Katrina and Isaac. Tickets, which include wine and food, are $50 for individuals or $75 per couple—with one hundred percent of the proceeds benefiting the Restore the Bayou Canopy Campaign.
Two days after the fundraiser, the MotherShip Foundation will plant three large live oaks along Bayou St. John, made possible by funds generated from the annual Mid City Bayou Boogaloo, Office Ready, and other supporters.
Atom Eye is one woman on a mission to create beautiful, vast and mysterious soundscapes, and with debut album The Otoloith Sessions due out this month, she’s making a name for herself in the avant-garde scene.
Her music is serene, atmospheric, and dark all at once. It takes a musician with real skill to create these intricate emotional changes within each track, Elsie Martins is really one to watch.
Atom Eye debuted last year, releasing the “Trilogy120” EP. This was just the start for Elsie and since then she’s taken a massive break to concentrate on the true art of experimentation, pushing her boundaries, creating unique stories with sound.
Albert Collins hailed from Texas, and he had the blues. His biggest fame as a guitarist came during the 1980s but his tenure as a performer and recording artist spanned all the way back to the late-‘50s. Truckin’ with Albert Collins, which is freshly available on 180gm vinyl from the Friday Music label, serves up a very nice collection of his mid-‘60s work, and its chapter one in the story of a major electric blues figure.
It was a long run of albums for Alligator that finally brought Albert Collins sustained and much deserved recognition, but prior to his association with that long-serving Chicago-based indie he’d already achieved the status of a Texas master. Along with T-Bone Walker, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Freddie King, and Lightnin’ Hopkins, Collins is an essential component in the Lone Star State’s post-World War II blues progression, and his pre-Alligator material reveals an artistry that thrived on versatility and yet was also quite focused.
However, noting the man’s rise in stature via Bruce Iglauer’s label shouldn’t suggest that Collins was doing his thing under a shroud of total obscurity during the ‘60s, or conversely that the ascension via Alligator was instantaneous (far from it; it was only in the late-‘80s that he was able to pay someone else to drive his tour bus.) The guitarist certainly had his moments during the ‘60s blues boom, and the record that established him as a force was his single for the TCF/Hall label “Frosty.”
