(As subject material goes, violence, in songwriting, is about as seminal as they come. In light of the recent outcome of the Oscar Grant case J. Neas reflects on similar past events and the songs they inspired. Chime in below in the comments.) Oscar Grant, a 22 year-old black man, was fatally shot on New [...]
Tomorrow, during the first hour of the AD show, we are airing the Deadly Syndrome’s Aquarium Drunkard session. Highlighting yet another side of the Los Angeles based group, the three tracks are available for download below with the videos after the jump. Be sure to catch their contribution to L’Aventure as well. MP3: The Deadly [...]
I nicked this Grizzly Bear cover of Paul Simon’s “Graceland” several weeks ago from the gents over at IGIF. Here, in place of Simon’s mid-80s Soweto fetish, we have Daniel Rossen’s multi-tracked rendering that falls more in line with haunted Dixieland gothic than Manhattan world beat. Listening to this reminds me that while Grizzly Bear [...]
Inhabiting a zone somewhere between the Band, Bill Murray, Crazyhorse and early Jacket, “Johnny Utah,” the first track off Futurebirds’ Hampton’s Lullaby (out July 27th), finds the band continuing down the path of their self-released EP, tempering some of the noise, sweet enough to make your mama cry. Futurebirds are presently on the road continuing [...]
Ron Davies “It Ain’t Easy” — accept no substitutes. Often covered, but never topped. Kicking off Davies 1970 LP Silent Song Through The Land, the track, aided and abetted by Leon Russell, begins the mysterious, and brief, career of the, then, twenty year old Davis. The A&M Records’ Silent Song Through The Land, and it’s [...]
“If you like Andy Warhol and say that you don’t like pop country, you’re kidding yourself.” An odd statement, I realize, but a touch of context: my friend Jonathan was espousing his respect for modern pop country music as slavish devotees to the perfect pop song. “Verse, a sweet chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus and [...]
That hair…those suits. Freely giving fashion tips to Elvis (yes, you can applaud/blame Wayne for the whole jumpsuit/cape era) perhaps Cochran really was the White Knight of Soul. And even if he wasn’t, he came damn close as this collection (at 24 tracks) suggests. MP3: Wayne Cochran :: Sleepless Nights MP3: Wayne Cochran :: Goin’ [...]
Betty Davis’s funk banger “If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up,” culled from her 1973 self-titled LP. I caught this jam at a party last weekend, hearing it for what must have been the first time in over a year. There is a reason Betty, Miles Davis’s second wife, is credited with greatly [...]
Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 26 (SIRIUS), and channel 43 (XM), can now be heard twice, every Friday – Noon EST with an encore broadcast at Midnight EST. SIRIUS 148: Jean Michel Bernard – Generique Stephane ++ Thee Headcoatees – Meet Jacqueline ++ Dr. Dog – The World May Never Know ++ [...]
Lord Huron is the L.A. based recording nom de tune of Benji Schneider. More aligned with the pastoral folk of Heron and Pentangle than the canyon fuzz of Laurel, Huron’s three track EP is a very welcome addition to soundtrack the balmy Angeles nights ahead. Look for live dates soon. MP3: Lord Huron :: The [...]
