The Guzzlers: 20 Pints To Cherbourg

Irish punk folk duo The Guzzlers came up with an old school drinking song for their debut 20 Pints To Cherbourg. Brothers Tom and Cian O'Dowd had a gig on a ferry, providing entertainment for the clientele with ther music, but they were subsequently fired when they helped themselves to too many alcoholic beverages.

On the plus side: it inspired them to write this tune, a rowdy singalong about bad decisions and not giving a damn. The video was filmed at The Jacaranda in Liverpool, as part of their 20 Bars Campaign doing pop up shows all over town.

Patto: Hold Your Fire

English band Patto fell through the cracks with their amalgam of blues and jazz, which made them outliers as progressive and hard rock were gaining traction. They released three albums in quick succession in the early 70s, before it fell apart. Their second album Hold Your Fire is considered as the highlight in their career and it became a musician's favourite long before the press or radio jocks caught up (with the notable exception of John Peel who did play it).

With the great Ollie Halsall on guitar and vibraphone and singer's Mike Patto impressive vocal range the band's rhythm section could throw those two any tempo and they would be there to catch on instantly. For its reissue the people at niche label Think Like a Key once again used the services of retired sound engineer Prof Stoned, who did a fine job indeed. The inclusion of couple of outtakes - why they shelved Bad News back then is a mystery - and alternate takes/mixes gives the listener a fly-on-the-wall perspective as the band worked out what a track needed. This version of Hold Your Fire sounds fresh and not dated at all - that's what being of the forefront of mixing genres can do.

J Mau & The Kiss Off: Poison

LA punker Justin "J Mau" Maurer goes outlaw country with his new band The Kiss Off. With Cynthia Herrera (bass), Jairo Gabriel (guitar) and Christopher Michael (drums) he has cooked up a three chords wonder for their first release, Poison, a murder ballad that gets darker as the song progresses.

They took a healthy dose of honky tonk, added some surf and garage rock, stirred it vigorously and then served it when it was still steaming hot. The video was made by Zache Davis and Marta Ribate Gracia-Davis.

Elephant Stone: Everything Evil

Canadian psychedelic raga band Elephant Stone are back with a new single, Everything Evil, a fast paced rocker that gets the job done in a little less than two minutes. It is a first taste from their new album ASHA, due for release on August 28th via Elephants On Parade/Little Cloud Records. It is available for pre-order here. The video was made by Vincent Gauthier.

» elephantstone.ca

The Claypool Lennon Delirium: Meat Machines

The Claypool Lennon Delirium have unveiled Meat Machines, another track from their upcoming third album - a concept one - The Great Parrot-Ox and The Golden Egg of Empathy, due for release on May 1st via ATO Records. Les Claypool and Sean Lennon share a love weird tales and this one pegs humans not as persons with their own identity, but as food. The album comes with 24-page comic book created with director and drawing maestro Rich Ragsdale, who also made the video.

The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy, is a cautionary tale of what could be in store for humanity if we continue to favor machines over men. It is a tale of a technocracy eclipsed by paperclips; a young man destined to unravel the fabric of his father’s folly, and a sacred feathered Goddess (played by WILLOW), who holds the egg-shaped key to their future.