Monthly Archives: August 2019

PHOTOS: RACHEL LANGE | The Independent Minded podcast features conversations with indie artists in the music and entertainment business.

Pop culture legends “Weird Al” Yankovic and Henry Rollins, indie icons CAKE, Gogol Bordello and Mike Doughty, and up-and-coming indie artists The Districts and Vagabon talk about their experiences in the business, their inspirations and passions, and their recent projects.

The podcast is hosted by Ron Scalzo, an indie musician and radio producer with 9 self-released albums and an independent record label of his own, Bald Freak Music.

JJ Wilde, Episode 103 | Episode 103 features Canadian indie rocker JJ Wilde. JJ talks about why rock isn’t dead, tour lessons, leaving the working world behind, and the best burger she ever ate. Songs from JJ Wilde featured on the podcast include “State of Mind” and “Gave It All.” Find out more about JJ at jjwilde.com.

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“A hoarse dork” was Village Voice scribe’s description of George Harrison upon the release of 1974’s Dark Horse, but I disagree–guitarist/vocalist Harrison may be my least favorite Beatle, but his voice isn’t hoarse–it’s a 98-pound weakling. What else do I have against poor George? Well, his songs are limpid pools of jello, his soggy spiritualism gives Eastern religion a bad name, and he’s been known to play the gubgubbi. Oh, and have I mentioned he’s more than a tad… boring?

On his star-studded third solo LP, Harrison wimps his way through 10 flaccid songs, declines to show off the formidable guitar chops he brought to the Fab Four, and fails to show even the slightest flashes of the songwriting genius responsible for such delicate and lovely gems as “Something” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” When the best a former Beatle can come up with is a dopey (and only mildly enthusing) New Year’s Eve singalong called “Ding Dong, Ding Dong,” that former Beatle is in definite need of a shot of steroids.

Yes, steroids. George is like that concave-chested high school nebbish who still manages to get the girls; he has his charms, but they’re ineffable, apparently. Whatever do his fans hear in his thin-as-the-veil-of Maya voice? And his limpid and wispy songs, which so obviously need to hit the gym and develop some muscle? It’s a mystery is what it is, like Stonehenge or the final resting place of Jimmy Hoffa.

Dark Horse is a bloodless affair and as light as a balloon; as for its maker, his chief desire appears to remain as unnoticed as possible. And the same goes for his cast of superstar tag-alongs; with the exception of the ubiquitous Billy Preston on keyboards and Tom Scott on sax, they too seem to be doing their best to disappear into the wallpaper. “Ding Dong, Ding Dong,” for example, features the impressive guitar talents of Ron Wood, Alvin Lee, and Mick Jones, but you’d never know it by listening to it. All you can hear are those damned bells.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | The Stax Label & Studio House Band that defined the sound of Southern Soul—a collection of 29 singles recorded for Stax includes hits “Green Onions,” “Boot-Leg,” “Hip Hug-Her,” and “My Sweet Potato.”

With apologies to groups like The Meters, Bar-Kays, and Average White Band, when it comes to all-time great instrumental R&B bands, for most folks Booker T. & the MG’s represent the gold standard. And with good reason…or, actually reasons! First of all, as the house band of the hallowed Stax label and studio, The MG’s pretty much invented the sound of Southern soul, playing on records by everybody from Otis Redding to Wilson Pickett to Carla Thomas. Second, on their own as Booker T & the MG’s, they came up with some of the most indelible instrumental jams of all time, including—but by no means limited to!—“Green Onions.” And, third, each member of the band was an absolute monster on their instrument, to this day revered and copied by untold numbers of musicians.

Indeed, by the time the mid ‘60s rolled around, bands on both sides of the Atlantic wanted to sound like Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Al Jackson, Jr, and Lewie Steinberg (replaced about halfway through this collection by the great Donald “Duck” Dunn). And what was that sound? Well, a typical MG’s tune started from the bottom-up, resting on the rock-solid drumbeat of Jackson and the in-the- pocket bass work of Steinberg and, later, Dunn, over which keyboardist Jones and guitarist Cropper traded slinky and/or stinging licks. But these cats weren’t just riff- happy groove masters; Jones basically codified the classic Hammond organ sound and Cropper’s guitar tone remains the Holy Grail of anyone who’s ever picked up a Fender Telecaster.

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Spritzer is the recording moniker of Matt Meade, who rose to prominence as one of the principal songwriters of NYC-based Friend Roulette. Feeling the pull to expand his repertoire, Meade began huddling with a broader circle of musicians, refining his bedroom pop productions.

“Get Me Out” is a lush, dreamy number, and certainly touches upon a deep dissatisfaction with surface level relationships that often occupy our lives. According to Meade, “‘Get Me Out’ is a song about the heat in August making everyone a little Hellish. I was thinking a lot about this Sartre idea that ‘Hell is other people.'”

Of late, Meade has been focusing on Spritzer more as a recording project, working from his ever-evolving home studio and recording most of the instruments himself. The live band consists of James Preston, Kyle Olson, and most recently Matt’s brother Bob Meade on congas and pandeiro. “The addition of brother Bob is steering the band in a more tropical direction taking influences from samba, bossa nova, and cumbia,” Matt attests. “We’re finally leaving behind the insipid indie rock that was starting to bore me to tears.”

“I didn’t grow up listening to vinyl. I was a child of the ’90s and CDs. My Discman and my big notebook of CDs was how I consumed my music collection. But after college, living in New York City, I moved in with my boyfriend and he had a turntable. At the same time, I started a job at Nonesuch Records, who were quick to jump into the vinyl revival, and I was lucky enough to get to take home some copies of the latest releases.”

“It was a brand new world of listening for me. I was nervous at first of how to place the needle, how not to scratch the vinyl, how to carefully return it to its sleeve, and how to keep our growing collection organized alphabetically. The effort required gave the act of listening a sense of attention and additional care that seemed to be missing from my Discman, iTunes library, computer or phone.

My new favorite pastime was bringing home a cheap bottle of Campo Viejo Rioja from the corner liquor store, picking out a record, placing that needle down, cozying up on the couch with the sleeve and taking in the artwork, musician and songwriting credits. Connecting names to instruments, seeing who played on multiple records, who wrote songs for various people…it only deepened my tangible connection to the album itself.

It’s how I discovered Rodney Crowell wrote, yet again, one of my favorite songs from an Emmylou Harris record, “You’re Supposed to be Feeling Good” (from Luxury Liner). It’s how I learned about Jerry Jeff Walker’s record Ridin’ High where he covers many of his friends songs from Chuck Pyle’s “Jaded Lover” to Guy Clark’s “Like a Coat From the Cold.”

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Expanded 40th anniversary edition, featuring newly discovered live tracks and notes from Pentangle bandmate (and Avocet collaborator) Danny Thompson.

Bert Jansch was often quoted as saying “I’m not playing for anyone, just myself” and this feels no more apparent than on 1979’s Avocet, his beautifully meditative paean to British birds. This isn’t to say that Jansch was throwing commercial success to the wind, or was unaware of his audience, more that this album feels like a uniquely personal reflection of him. (The subject of British birds is one that Jansch held close to his heart. Indeed, just preceding this album was his 1978 split 7” single with Shirley Collins – with proceeds in aid of the RSPB).

For fans of Jansch this is often the album that is singled out as his best work. The freedoms of a post-Pentangle career are much in evidence; folk rock and even trad folk give way to an album that is not only without lyrical accompaniment but really quite orchestral, classical even, in its composition. There are surprises in particular in ‘Lapwing’ (a dirge-like waltz that wouldn’t be out of place on a Nils Frahm album) and ‘Bittern’ (which speaks of Arthur Russell’s more experimental pieces).

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Well here we have it–a band that makes me want to build a wall on our northern border. Nickelback is the foulest Canadian export this side of bovine semen, and I’m calling for an immediate embargo.

Before we begin, let me just state for the record that I’m no moral crusader. I’ve been known to disparage bands that espouse moral causes (e.g., Fugazi), and to applaud bands that advocate drug and alcohol abuse, sexual perversion, and setting forest fires.

But I’m making a special exception for Chad Kroeger and Company. Mind you, it’s not primarily their music that offends me. It’s vapid stuff, and no better or worse than the shite produced by Maroon 5, 3 Doors Down, Papa Roach, Creed or any number of other bands. I hear it and I turn it off and half the time I don’t even know it’s them. I just feel nauseous.

No, Nickelback beats the competition hands down on the sexism of their lead singer. Kroeger’s misogyny is so nakedly repellent it makes AC/DC look like Andrea Dworkin. I listen to him and think, “Where’s Valerie Solanas when we need her?”

It’s important to distinguish between Kroeger and someone like, say, the late Anal Cunt frontman Seth Putnam. Putnam’s work was repugnant at many levels, but he thought of himself as a comedian working a vein of very black humor, even if most people (and rightfully so) didn’t get the joke. Kroeger isn’t joking, and would no doubt be offended if you were to call him a woman-hating putz.

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Alt-pop songstress Louise Smith, aka EVER, follows up her debut single “Bloom” with another gorgeous track to close out the summer.

Instantly relatable and sonically enchanting, “Close” finds EVER venturing further into alterna-pop territory in an organic and effortless way. Even in the relative infancy of her career, the young songwriters displays an innate sense of melodic individuality that sets her apart from her contemporaries, crafting a distinct sound that’s both warmly comforting and refreshingly innovative. It’s also perfect road trip music, relentlessly pulsing forward while conjuring up a unique atmosphere of expansiveness.

According to Smith, “Close’ is a playful story about being in a relationship bubble when you’re far from home. “I wanted to capture that sense of losing time when you’re wrapped up in the intensity of a trip, whether it’s sorting out your problems and differences, or enjoying every second of each other’s company. I spent a lot of time getting this track correct with the right energy to match the lyrics, but I feel we’ve struck the perfect balance.”

Broken Fall is the latest release from the improvising duo of Kid Millions, aka John Colpitts, and Sarah Bernstein. Across its seven tracks, she saws the violin and vocalizes while he batters the drums but good; together they heave forth a sound of wild abstraction drawing upon the traditions of experimental noise, free rock and avant-garde jazz. Heavy, lithe, raw and spirited, it’s out August 30 on vinyl and digital through 577 Records.

Kid Millions has drummed in a whole lot of contexts and has amassed an ample discography. In addition to handling the rhythms for experimental rock vets Oneida, he operates the bountiful solo project Man Forever, is half of the Oneida splinter duo People of the North with Bobby Matador, and has collaborated on record numerous times with Borbetomagus saxophonist Jim Sauter and as Fox Millions Duo with Guardian Alien drummer Greg Fox.

And of course, he’s half of Broken Fall’s powerhouse gush alongside violinist-composer-improviser-poet Sarah Bernstein. Originally from San Francisco, the NYC-based multitasker Bernstein has considerable varied credits solo (Exolinger), duo (Unearthish), trio (Day So Far, Iron Dog, Sarah Bernstein Trio), and quartet (Veer Quartet, Sarah Bernstein Quartet), plus a wide range of chamber works (from violin solo to large ensemble to orchestra) and film scores.

Amongst the descriptors Bernstein employs to communicate her thing: avant-jazz, experimental pop, and noise. And so, a seeming natural fit with Colpitts, with the fruits of their pairing abundant of Broken Fall. Actually, those hip to Tense Life, Millions and Bernstein’s prior collab for 577, which came out in 2017 on cassette in an edition of 50 (still available digitally on Bandcamp), were cognizant of their creative harmoniousness already.

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