With the aid of his trusty trombone, Troy Andrews has built a persona and reputation as Trombone Shorty, a prolific New Orleans virtuosic musician who has played around the world representing his city and its colorful range of music.
Shorty leads the Orleans Avenue band with an electric charm and an heightened musicianship that speaks through his solos and melodic themes alike. This year, he released his 9th studio effort, the funk-fueled Say That To Say This. Out on Verve Forecast Records, Andrews describes the album as “James Brown mixed with The Meters and Neville Brothers, with what I do on top.”
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue are coming to the 9:30 Club on New Year’s Eve on the last of a three-night stint at the club. We have tickets to give away so that you can ring in the new year in New Orleans style.
“The first memory I recall (must have been about age 5 or 6) of vinyl was my parents’ collection. They had a record player and their records stored in an armoire under the TV set in the living room. I remember hearing the Tale of Peter Rabbit and noticed the other records in the collection. I remember being just fascinated looking at the collection for the first time.”
“They had the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Rolling Stones, Carly Simon, The Beach Boys, and few others. They would play those records from time to time and I have such a special connection / vivid memory because I remember right around that time was the first time I felt mesmerized by instruments—I recall looking at the records and watching a classical violinist in a small symphony of sorts on TV. I was so excited. I remember trying to get my mom’s attention and was asking her about it—that’s when I first felt a true connection to music. I felt some unexplained urge that I wanted to play too but didn’t really realize what it was at that age.
The first record I ever bought was a used Nirvana record called Verse Chorus Verse. I bought the record at Rhino Records in Westwood where I worked for a short time before they closed their doors and went out of business.
Tonight, the New Mastersounds guitarist will be performing with a killer cast of local musicians. Expect to see Kyle Roussel on keys, James Singleton on bass, and Jermal Watson on drums.
I had the good fortune to check out Roberts’ performance the first night of his month-long residency at the Maple Leaf Bar. The band was different, he had Eric Vogel on bass and Nigel Hall on keys, but the groove and the licks were unlike most in attendance had heard with the exception of sporadic local performances by the New Mastersounds.
Roberts has a technique that may confound many guitarists. Even though I was up front and center in the intimate Maple Leaf, I was left with the impression after the set that he plays without a pick. I even asked him if the great Snooks Eaglin inspired him (Snooks was another guitarist who left other guitarists confounded.)
What do you get when you take some dirty tequila, vintage vinyl, a southern belle, a bucketful of sin, and douse them atop the Record Parlour in Hollywood, California?
You may remember her from The Bachelor… how could you forget the infamous rose ceremony serenade that kept her on the tip of tongues for weeks on end? Sweet and sultry, the seductress sang flowery songs of romance into the British Bachelor’s ear more than once over the course of Season 12.
Well, Ashlee’s all grown up and you’ll find her crooning a much sassier tune. On December 15th, her album release party will be hosted by The Record Parlour. Equipped with a new single, the ladies anthem “You Only Want Me When You’re Wasted,” a better, badder Ashlee is damn sure to be kicking up the dirt again.
Complete with ambient decor and a whole lot of lustful attire to round out an already sonically decadent performance, you won’t want to miss this naughty night. If you think she sounded good when broadcast across the nation, try her on vinyl.
The rapidly growing festival, which is scheduled for March 21-22, 2013 at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans, will feature headliners the Flaming Lips, David Guetta, Ellie Goulding, Kaskade, Zedd, Chromeo, Explosions in the Sky, Tyler the Creator, Phantogram, Pusha T, The Glitch Mob, Danny Brown, Seth Troxler, and Wavves.
BUKU, now in its third year, is expanding its offerings to include some of today’s most sought-after acts spanning the electronic, hip-hop, rock, pop, and indie genres.
Local talent will also be on the bill. Among the initial announcements are performances by Big Freedia, Generationals, Gravity A, and Big History.
“My interest in vinyl started pretty late. I have always been a huge fan of music and have always explored new artists but I never really cared about the medium with which I listened to the music through. To me it seemed like it was all going to end up on my iPod anyway, so it didn’t really matter; however, when I started learning more about the music I was listening to at the time, artists like DJ Shadow and Four Tet, I realized that the unique sound these producers had came directly from the use of vinyl in their music.”
“As a musician trying to make music on the computer, the practicality of vinyl was something you couldn’t beat. I didn’t have enough money to buy nice studio gear, but I had enough to start a small collection of vinyl records to begin sampling from.
Since then I’ve started looking for records based on their use to me as a producer. The more obscure an album is, the better. Often times all I was looking for was a small portion of music where there might be an instrument alone that I could rip off the recording and manipulate on my computer.
“We had the great pleasure of working closely with an incredible director, Marta Dymek on this video.”
“It was somewhat of a serendipitous pairing between the song and Marta’s concept, which she had brewing for a while, waiting for the right opportunity. I’d been a longtime friend and fan of Marta’s work for years and one day we got to catching up. I shot her the rough mixes of our EP back before it had been released. Then we had a moment that went approximately like:
Marta: Dude, The Salt. MUSIC VIDEO. Me: Dude, YES.
Graceful, I know. And then we went straight into caffeine-induced, full fledged brainstorm mode on how we could make it happen. We made a crowdfund and presold the album to push the video as far as we could go. We had such humbling support from the community, friends, and local artists volunteering talent toward helping us to make it happen. I can’t even begin to explain how grateful I am.
Fa, la, la, la, la, it’s holiday time again and what better way to celebrate than with FYM Productions‘ EIGHTIES MAYHEM—Super 80’s Holiday Extravaganza Dance Party! Last year’s holiday party was such a blast, they’re doing it again. Let’s get festive!
If you’re into B-sides and lost ’80s gems come early; doors are at 9:30. The bangers start a bit later and the party is in full swing by 11. You can expect to hear everything from new wave to alternative to brit-pop to hair metal amongst your fave ’80s pop hits.
Here is a list of 7 Holly Jolly ’80s Holiday Jams we will be spinning on Saturday:
Chromatone’s latest EP “Touchdown” is a pure pop offering with a silky smooth injection of soul. His most recent single ‘Flyin,” taken from the EP, has already amassed 150,000 views in 4-weeks and it’s clear the people want their pop—and Chromatone is making it his mission to give the people what they want!
The EP kicks off with “Alien,” which is also the next single set to be released from “Touchdown” in January 2014. The track is awash with slickly produced sounds and melodies, like a hodge-podge of pop noise with Chromatone’s vocals holding everything in place. The most irksome element of “Alien” has to be the very outdated 90s orchestra hit sound that can be heard throughout the chorus.
It’s second track “Flyin,'” that really knits the whole EP together, by far the strongest track and a damn fine pop song. Natty Speaks features on both this track and “Alien,” and although his contribution was probably needed on “Alien,” “Flyin'” could have done without Natty’s interruption—this is a great track on its own. Ending with “Joyride,” we get back to the more generic dance pop of the ’90s, however, Chromatone slows the pace here showcasing his RnB roots.
Live at the Cellar Door is the latest entry in Neil Young’s Archive Series. While it’s certainly a must for his hardcore fans, the set is also engaging enough to be of interest to more casual listeners. Recorded late in 1970 shortly after the release of After the Gold Rush, it paints a vivid portrait of an essential rock figure before his fame had been completely established.
Neil Young’s edging up on a half century of artistic vitality. Unsurprisingly, it’s a run of productivity that features an unusual number of highpoints along with a sprinkling of a few rough patches, but while far from unprecedented his stature ain’t exactly typical either. Most musicians are lucky if they remain relevant for five years, much less across the span for five decades. And from this vantage point it can be a little difficult to remember that in a solo context Young underwent a substantial period of development.
The studio albums do bear this out, and yet because of their status as the early and quite successful motions of a true great, this growth can still be easily misplaced. For instance, his at times very strong but ultimately less than classic ’68 solo debut Neil Young is often overlooked, with the omission perhaps reflective of its lack of chart status upon release.
It came directly after the ending of Buffalo Springfield and prior to his first great solo disc, ‘69’s Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, and those who do engage with Neil Young, this writer included, often chalk up its minor qualities to errors in judgment related to presentation and production. Giving the record a fresh listen bears out these assumptions.
The first time I saw Black Joe Lewis was at a Christmas party at the Granada Theater in Dallas about six or seven years ago. He wasn’t signed to a label, and I remember my friend Mike Schoder, who owns the venue, was raving about this new guy from Austin who sounds like James Brown crossed with the White Stripes. I was completely blown away. With his band The Honeybears, these guys combined blues, soul, and garage rock into one hell of a powerful live show.
Fast forward several years and three albums later they continue to do just that. Touring in support of their latest release Electric Slave, Black Joe Lewis has dropped the Honeybears and taken the guitar up a notch. “Electric Slave is what people are today, with their faces buried in their iPhones and the only way to hold a conversation is through text,” Lewis explains in the album’s press release. It’s bound to be on many end-of-year top album lists and rightfully so. It’s a bit less heavy on the funk but still a formula for sounds that only Lewis is capable of.
This night at the Fillmore, though, would be a different type of show as Lewis had broken his foot and was kicking out the jams from a chair. Nonetheless, it didn’t seem to faze the audience or the energy in the legendary ballroom. Highlights from the show included the new single “Come to My Party” as well as classic material “Sugarfoot” and the crowd pleaser, “Bitch, I Love You.” Another highlight was the surprise guest on tenor sax, Steve Mackay (Stooges, Violent Femmes), who stepped in for a few.
Known for their work in soundtracks and having more lineup changes than one can count on two hands, Italian progressive rockers Goblin are finally bringing their live show to North America for the first time ever. It just happens to include a stop at the 9:30 Club this week.
Often compared to the likes of other progressive music giants such as Genesis or King Crimson, Goblin rose to fame through frequent collaboration with Italian horror filmmaker Dario Argento. They contributed many recordings to his films, while struggling to keep a consistent lineup and remain credible. Having had on-and-off reunions since 2000, a latest incarnation in the band is ready to venture into North America after forty years of playing.
This tour will see the band perform all of their classics, including selections from the scores of Deep Red, Suspiria, Tenebrae, Roller, and more. Other famous scores that have never been played live before will be dug out from the vault to treat audiences on every North American date.
Goblin will be taking the stage at 9:30 Club on December 13, and we have a pair of tickets to send you on your way to take in this progressive rock spectacle.
Vincent Vocoder Voice is your darkest nightmare and most secret of thoughts, he dares to make music that reflects the inner psyche and explores the deepest corners of the human soul.
His self-titled debut album is out now on Brighton based Sonic Anhedonic Recording Co. and it’s one of the best alternative art rock records you’ll hear this year.
Many have already compared VVV to bands like the legendary Cardiacs and The Icarus Line, but The Paper Chase are probably the closest comparison, especially in VVV’s more “melodic” moments. Speaking of the melodies, they’re always tinged with a haphazard darkness, wonderfully brought together by this genius mind. ‘MEMEMEMEMEMEMENOW’ is probably the best example of this, a beautiful song when you scratch beneath its twisted surface.
I saw the Doobie Brothers live a long, long, time ago. It was an afternoon show at a suburban amphitheater, and I smoked a shitload of what I thought was pot but turned out to be PCP. And before long all the Doobies were 9-feet-tall and changing colors like chameleons, and played every single song at about 300 mph, in effect inventing hardcore. Or at least that’s how I remember it. That PCP was some good shit. I recommend it to everybody.
Nobody pays much attention to the Doobies nowadays, except to laugh at them. I know I laugh at them; I can’t even hear their name without cracking up. They were, even during their heyday, the least hip and most faceless big-name act in rock, and since then they’ve become the punch line to a joke that goes something like, “Why did the Doobie Brothers cross the road? To get away from the Doobie Brothers.”
Unhip and faceless the Doobs may have been, but back in the day they were big—scary big, in fact—with rock’s protletarian audiences (i.e., the same folks who loved BTO, Grand Funk, etc.). This can be attributed to one of two things. Either The Doobie Brothers were a pretty decent rock’n’roll band, or the musical wasteland of the early to mid-seventies left rock fans so hard up they were reduced to lapping up all manner of crapulous corporate swill, including the Dööbiemeisters.
I may be the only one, but I think it’s high time for a reassessment of the Doobie Brothers. And since their career was so neatly bifurcated into pre- and post-Michael McDonald periods, I decided it would be only fair to review 1976’s Best of the Doobies, which while skewed toward the band’s earlier work includes two McDonald-era songs, although it omits (because they were, duh, released later) such McDonald hits as “What a Fool Believes” and “Minute by Minute.”
Press Play is our Monday morning recap of the new tracks received last week—provided here to inform your vinyl purchasing power. Click, listen, download.
