Aquarium Drunkard

Sly & The Family Stone’s catalog got the standard reissue treatment last month. The discs come complete with cleaned up sound and (the now requisite ) extras tacked onto the end on every album. It’s also a fine time to append your vinyl copies if you hadn’t already done so. More […]

It’s no mystery I am a longtime fan of the music of Daniel Hutchens and his band Bloodkin, with Eric Carter. I put their catalog right up there with the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Alejandro Escovedo and Steve Earle in terms of truly capturing the nuances of humanity, both the light and the […]

The original Modern Lovers were not together very long. In fact, they did not remain intact long enough to see the release of their first album, the absolute classic LP The Modern Lovers. Recorded in 1972 and released in 1976, the album was wayyy ahead of it’s time, influencing punk, post-punk and new […]

If you tune into my radio shows, or podcast, you may very well recognize the Eshete & Beqele song “Temeles” off of Ethiopiques Volume III. It’s funky.
Kicking of with a blast of horns that would make bandleader Fred Wesley proud, the track quickly dives into its snake charmer funk vibe, coming up for air […]

While Stop All That Jazz may not be Leon Russell’s best album, it is the first Leon Russell album I heard outside of his work on Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen (which was my fathers all-time favorite rock & roll album).
Being the shit-hot session man — and bandleader — that he was, Russell’s own […]

I intentionally posted this drop-dead, badass soul jam yesterday - sans editorial commentary - for a reason: I thought the album art alone was enough to pique your curiosity. Apparently it did judging by these two readers comments. If you have not already grabbed this one, do it now.
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“Straight out this song is […]

This set was originally shared by the always excellent Big O magazine in January. If Big O is not yet on your radar, do check them out as they consistently unearth interesting live recordings and rare finds. Also, how great/frightening is the above photo of Will Oldham?
Bonnie “Prince” Billy & The Harem […]

Move over Clientele.  Yesterday on Little Radio we re-aired the Aquarium Drunkard show’s year anniversary show with special guests The Switch. If you did not catch it live, either time, you can download the podcast version here.
Besides playing live upstairs in the loft studio, the band took turns guest DJ’ing. Included among the […]

For displaced Southerners, the 1984 documentary, Athens, Ga: Inside/Out, is both the cause and cure for homesickness. Available on DVD, the film documents the Athens, GA music scene of the mid ’80s, and in the process captures some truly historic performances; one being (reportedly) R.E.M.’s first performance of “Swan Swan H” in a deserted […]

In association with Zealous Records, An Aquarium Drunkard will be giving away three copies of the Soul Sides blog-curated compilation Soul Sides Vol. 2 :: The Covers. Like Volume I, this comp is a solid addition to any enthusiast of old funk, soul and r&b’s collection. Each track has been hand selected, […]

I finally had a chance to take in a St. Vincent show in its entirety, last week at Largo, when the multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter opened for John Vanderslice before rushing out the door to catch a flight to support the Arcade Fire. In a word, her performance was breathtaking.
Deftly moving from confessional singer-songwriter fare on […]

Sunday afternoon, I had a chance to pick up the new two disc, posthumous, Elliott Smith release New Moon, and, as expected, it is comprised of excellent material. Unlike 2004’s From A Basement On A Hill, New Moon is culled from Smith’s early-mid ’90s lo-fi material that did not make the proper albums of […]

Ryan Adam’s ninth solo joint, Easy Tiger, hits the retail shelves June 26th — expect a review, here on the Drunkard, a few weeks prior to the release date.
Earlier today a friend inquired as to the origins of the track, “What Sin Replaces Love,” Adams and The Cardinals played on Henry Rollins IFC show a […]

Augie March are finally releasing Moo, You Bloody Choir here in the States in August. I’ve had a copy of the Australian group’s 2006 LP for nine months, but have been hesitant to write about it on these pages, as the going import rate at Amazon is a hefty $26.00 all the way to $66.00 […]