Eilen Jewell: Sea of Tears

photo: Jennifer Lucey-Brzoza

Eilen Jewell might well be the best Boston based singer right now. Her third album Sea of Tears has written instant Americana classic all over it, with ten originals and three choice covers. She sings totally at ease backed by her trusty cohorts Jason Beek (drums, harmony vocals), Jerry Miller (electric, acoustic, and steel guitars) and Johnny Sciascia (upright bass). Vintage rock 'n' roll mixed with rockabilly, country and jazz are bursting at the seams - it sounds like a long lost early Sixties album.

Eilen Jewel sings like as well-rested Dusty Springfield, while guitar player Jerry Miller comes up with licks that are halfway between Hank B. Marvin and John Fogerty. Quentin Tarantino should hear this one it, and hopefully use a couple of tracks in one of his future films.

Sea of Tears is released on Signature Sounds.

Tracks:

1. Rain Roll In
2. Sweet Rose
3. Shakin' All Over
4. Sea of Tears
5. Fading Memory
6. Nowhere in No Time
7. I'm Gonna Dress in Black
8. One of Those Days
9. Final Hour
10. The Darkest Day
11. Everywhere I Go
12. Codeine Arms

» eilenjewell.com

Equifunk 2009: a music fest in The Pocono Mountains

Food, drink and live music in an intimate setting, that's Equifunk in The Pocono Mountains - Friday September 4 & Saturday September 5. A music outing for the whole family with The Radiators and The New Mastersounds:

An intimate two-day festival at Camps Equinunk and Blue Ridge in The Pocono Mountains. On Friday and Saturday evenings, there will be live music featuring two sets with The Radiators and a special Saturday late show with The New Mastersounds. Various sports and outdoor activities are available during the day or relax at the resort style pool. Evenings begin with an outstanding barbecue dinner, followed by a full night of music at our outdoor arena under the stars. Price of admission includes accommodations in beautifully renovated bunks. All meals and beverages (beer, soft drinks) included. Just 2.5 hours from NYC (20 mins. from Callicoon, NY). Kid friendly - nanny services available.

MP3: Radiators - Paint It Black
(live at the Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA - 2004/09/11)

» equifunk.com

Simple Minds: Graffiti Soul

Charlie Burchill, Jim Kerr, Mel Gaynor, Eddy Duffy - photo: © David Ellis

Scottish band Simple Minds defined the early Eighties sound. Singer Jim Kerr had the power (and pathos) to reach the other side of the field of an open air festival, and guitar player Charlie Burchill came up with wall-to-wall hooks and riffs. In those day they didn't just "promised you a miracle", they delivered. In business since 19y7 Kerr and Burchill are still here, with a rhythm section that can play the oldies and new stuff.

Graffiti Soul is a big sounding album. Kerr has his signature baritone, not as overpowering as it used to be, but his voice has deepened over the years. The main theme is travel - the band keeps reaching for the stars and most of the songs get off the ground without a hitch, especially Rockets and the title track. The sole clunker is Blood Type O, a rather lifeless ditty that should have been saved for a B-side.

Graffiti Soul is released on Universal Music. Also available as a deluxe 2CD. The bonus disc is filled with cover songs that find the band playing the songs of their heroes in a laid-back mood.

Tracks: Moscow Underground Rockets Stars Will Lead The Way Light Travels Kiss & Fly Graffiti Soul Blood Type O This Is It Shadows & Light Rockin' In The Free World

Deluxe edition Moscow Underground Rockets Stars Will Lead The Way Light Travels Kiss & Fly Graffiti Soul Blood Type O This Is It Shadows & Light Bonus disc Rockin' In The Free World Song From Under The Floorboards Christine Get A Grip Let The Day Begin Peace Love And Understanding Teardrop Whiskey In The Jar Sloop John B

The Simple Minds will be on tour in the UK later this year, with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark as a support act.

• 11/30 Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena
• 12/02 Birmingham, LG Arena
• 12/03 Manchester, MEN Arena
• 12/05 Sheffield, Arena
• 12/06 Cardiff, International Arena
• 12/07 London, Wembley Arena
• 12/11 Glasgow, SECC
• 12/12 Aberdeen, Exhibition & Conference Centre

» simpleminds.com

Gov't Mule 2009 torrents: 2009/07/15 Apple Valley

photo: Chris Rushin mule.net

Gov't Mule
2009/07/15
Weesner Amphitheatre
Apple Valley, MN

Set 1

1. Zoo Jam
2. Soulshine
3. She Said, She Said >
4. Tomorrow Never Knows Jam
5. Wandering Child
6. Larger Than Life >
7. If 6 Was 9 >
8. Larger Than Life
9. Gameface
10. No Need To Suffer
11. When Doves Cry >
12. Beautifully Broken >
13. When Doves Cry >
14. Beautifully Broken

Set 2

1. I'll Be The One Blue Sky Tease
2. Banks Of The Deep End
3. Trampled Underfoot
4. Fallen Down >
5. The Other One Jam >
6. Drumz > with Warren, Jorgen and Danny on percussion
7. Drums >
8. Kind Of Bird
9. Thirty Days In The Hole Can't Find My Way Home intro key tease
10. E: Into The Mystic >
11. Soulshine Reprise

» Grab your torrent

Live Jambands in Holland #110: Little Feat Haarlem 2009-05-05

photo: Chris Cafiero

Episode 110 in the podcasts section Live Jambands in Holland. Little Feat 2009-05-05 show in Haarlem:

Live Jambands in Holland #110:
Little Feat
Bevrijdingspop
Haarlem, The Netherlands
2009-05-05 (click to download)
Running time: 37:07 -- 128 kbit

Tracks:

1. Fat Man In The Bathtub >
2. Get Up Stand Up > Fat Man In The Bathtub
3. Let It Roll
4. Dixie Chicken >
5. key solo >
6. Dixie Chicken

Taped and Transferred by Chris Cafiero, Little Feat Archivist
Schoeps CMC6/MK4v(ORTF) > V3 > Sound Devices 722 (16/44.1)
Transfer: SD 722 > Firewire > CD Wave > Flac Frontend > FLAC16 > Nero 6 > Plextor PX-716A
HCTF notes: Foobar2000 v0.9.6.6 (convert to single WAV file) > NeoAudio 9.9.9 (MP3 conversion) > Audacity 1.2.6 (cut DJ intro and outro, applied crowd noise fades) > Mp3Tag 2.37a

A note from Chris Cafiero:

2nd Show of the evening, thanx to the police escort the band was able to navigate the busy streets of Haarlem with ease after the show in Amsterdam. The evening was over at Midnight. 45 min set to close the BPOP 2009 Festival in celebration of Liberation Day in The Netherlands.

» littlefeat.com

The Atlantic Manor: Slow Drugs and Other Sorrows

Miami songwriter R. Lee, mastermind of The Atlantic Manor is firmly rooted in the underground. releasing DIY albums since 2001. His new one is called Slow Drugs and Other Sorrows, a musical journey through the horrors of addiction. It's so lo-fi that it actually might hurt you ears a times, overwhelming you like a tidal wave and it will get you hooked but in a good way.

R. Sell plays guitar and sings, with J. Bjel taking care of the drums and keyboards. Recorded quickly without overdubs the nine songs on this album take you on a trip to the back alleys of the scene, the part that's not about the bliss of the rush, but about scoring and coping wit the every day angst ghat comes with it. Slow Drugs and Other Sorrows is a sparse album that is harsh and tender. R. Sell obviously cares about his subject matter and he needs only a few words to tell a story. Recommended if you can handle the bleak stuff of Nico.

Slow Drugs and Other Sorrows is released on his own label Do Too Records. Buy it from CD Baby.

Tracks:

1. Truant Heart
2. Do You Still Have A Heart
3. Slow Drugs and Other Sorrows
4. Weekend of Full Moons
5. A Silent Moment
6. Fire In The Sky
7. Bad News For The New Scene
8. Dark Eyes
9. (hidden track): How Great Things Begin

» theatlanticmanor.com

Chickenfoot: Chickenfoot

When four reputed musicians start a new band just for the hell of it, the fun factor comes first and the music often suffers. Chickenfoot is Michael Anthony (bass), Sammy Hagar (vocals), Joe Satriani (guitar), Chad Smith (drums), all guys who don't have to proof anything and have been breathing rock for decades. Their self-titled album is filled to the rafters with loud anthems which will make you pump your fists in the year. Satriani took care of the music, often emulating the tone of George Harrison, and Hagar supplied the lyrics. He is no poet, but he knows what works: a little sex, a bit of hard luck, raising hell, and a ballad.

The big suprise is Chad Smith, who lays down a rock solid straightforward back beat, on which the rest of the band can build and expand. Is Chickenfoot a whim of four guys with a little spare time on their hands? If so, this album is a loud footnote in their careers, deserving to be heard, but not essential by any means. It will while away the hours on a long drive.

Chickenfoot is released on earMusic.

Tracks:

1. Avenida Revolution
2. Soap On A Rope
3. Sexy Little Thing
4. Oh Yeah
5. Runnin' Out
6. Get It Up
7. Down The Drain
8. My Kinda Girl
9. Learning To Fall
10. Turnin' Left
11. Future In The Past

The First Editions of the Chickenfoot CD & LP packages have been printed with a non-toxic Thermochromic ink. Simply, the ink reacts to heat and changes it’s appearance above and below 84ºF /29ºC. For example; If the package is at a general room temperature (around 73ºF) and is touched by a warm body part (above 84ºF) the ink will appear transparent at the point of contact. Once the surface of the ink returns to a cooler temperature (below 84ºF) it will return to it’s original opaque black color.

Video: Chickenfoot - Oh Yeah

» chickenfoot.us
» myspace.com/thechickenfoot

Roger McGuinn: live in Utrecht, The Netherlands 2009-07-15

Live @ Tivoli, Utrecht, The Netherlands 2009/07/15. Photo: HCTF

Roger McGuinn played at the Tivoli, Utrecht, The Netherlands - 2009-07-15. He used a 7-string Martin for the acoustic songs.

» More photos on Flickr
» mcguinn.com

Gov't Mule 2009 torrents: 2009/07/14 Kansas City

photo: Chris Rushin mule.net

Gov't Mule
2009/07/14
Crossroads K.C.
Kansas City, MO

Set 1

1. Pygmy Twylyte > Blind Man In The Dark
2. Lola Leave Your Light On >
3. Mother Earth
4. Lively Up Yourself
5. Empty Pages
6. Little Toy Brain
7. Mr. Big
8. Thorazine Shuffle

Set 2

1. Jam >
2. Sweetleaf >
3. War Pigs
4. Almost Cut My Hair
5. Effigy >
6. Folsom Prison Blues Jam->
7. Drums
8. Effigy->
9. I'm A Ram > 54-46 tease
10. Bad Little Doggie
11. How Many More Years > Higher Ground Jam
12. E:Out Of The Rain

» Grab your torrent

The Steepwater Band: "At The Fall Of The Day" video

Power trio The Steepwater Band have made a video for At The Fall Of The Day. a track from their Grace and Melody album.

» steepwater.com
» myspace.com/thesteepwaterband

HCTF review of Grace and Melody.

moe.down 2009: Ani DiFranco, Cake, Umphrey’s McGee ... moe.

Jam band moe. has annnounced the line-up for their 10th annual moe.down festival at the Snow Ridge Ski Resort, 4173 West Road, Turin, NY - September 4, 5 and 6.

• moe.
• Ani DiFranco
• Cake
• Family Groove Company
• Lynch
• Matthew Sweet
• Method Man and Redman
• My Dear Disco
• Nate Wilson Group
• Okemah
• Ominous Seapods
• Sam Bush
• The Heavy Pets
• The London Souls
• The New Mastersounds
• Umphrey’s McGee

MP3: moe. - The Pit
MP3: Umphrey's McGee - Higgins

» moedown.com

Assembly of Dust: "Edges" MP3

New York roots rock band Assembly of Dust continue their freebie scheme. They have upped Edges (featuring banjo master Béla Fleck), a track from of their forthcoming album Some Assembly Required.

MP3: Assembly of Dust - Edges

All previous freebies are still available for download.

» aodust.com
» myspace.com/assemblyofdust

Van Ghost: Melodies For Lovers

Michael Berg, Jen Hartswick, Dan Wean, Mike Poupko - photo: Adam George

Michel Berg is, as they say, only human. The Chicago concert promoter had been securing live slots for upcoming bands and all the other artist hoopla for over a decade, but something was missing in his personal life: the spotlights. He wanted to be on stage himself. He had played acoustic guitar in the past and he picked up his instrument again. Fast forward to inception of his band Van Ghost in 2007, a pedal steel powered soft rock band, who have just released an album called Melodies For Lovers.

The trouble with promoters is that most of them are only looking for radio friendly music to get a break at fame and fortune. And Melodies For Lovers is just that, never mind the cooperation of one Jennifer Hartswick (member of TAB) and Rocco Labriola serving up sweet pedal steel licks. Van Ghost is stuck in the middle-of-the-road, where the competition is grueling and where a sound of your own is frowned upon. Every now and then there are promising moments like Do It For You (a violin adding color), the urgency of the lyrics in Lessons and the soulful keyboards and horns funk in I Found Out. Scrape the barrel to find another song and it could have been a nice four track EP.

Van Ghost:
Michael Harrison Berg: guitar, vocals
Jennifer Hartswick: vocals, trumpet
Cory Healey: drums
Rocco Labriola: pedal steel
Dan Wean: guitar
John Cwiok: electric bass

Melodies For Lovers is released on Split Red Records.

Tracks:

1. It All Leads Here
2. Summer Promise
3. Do It For You
4. Everyday Music
5. Wednesday
6. Hurry Up
7. On The Way Home
8. Through The Years
9. So Far Away
10. Satisfied
11. Nothing To Lose
12. Lessons
13. I Found Out
14. Coliseum

Live dates:

• 07/26 Wicker Park Fest (w/ Junior Boys, Company Of Thieves and Backyard Tire Fire) Chicago, IL
• 07/29 Union Hall. Brooklyn, NY
• 07/30 Metronome, Burlington, VT
• 08/01 Appalachian Brewing Company, Harrisburg, PA
• 08/02 North Star Bar, Philadelphia, PA
• 08/23 Hoxeyville Music Fest, Cadillac, MN

» vanghost.com
» myspace.com/vanghostchicago
» archive.org/details/VanGhost

Gov't Mule 2009 torrents: 2009/07/12 West Mansfield

photo: Chris Rushin mule.net

Gov't Mule
2009/07/12
Renaissance Theatre
West Mansfield, OH

Set 1

1. crowd
2. Brand New Angel
3. Mr. High & Mighty
4. Bad Man Walking
5. Little Wing
6. Rocking Horse
7. Thelonius Beck
8. Monkey Hill She's So Heavy outro
9. Fool's Moon
10. In the pines
11. About A Girl (Where Did You Sleep Last Night tease)

Set 2

1. Crowd
2. Whiter Shade Of Pale
3. Is It My Body
4. Need Your Love So Bad 1st Time Played
5. Left Coast Groovies
6. Drums
7. Patchwork Quilt
8. Slackjaw Jezebel
9. Mule->
10. Catfish Blues->
11. Whole Lotta Love->
12. Mule
13. E: Wasted Time (Warren Haynes solo)
14. Can't You See

» Grab your torrent

Trey Anastasio: "Time Turns Elastic" in NYC 09/12

Trey Anastasio performs Time Turns Elastic in New York City with The New York Philharmonic, September 12.

The New York Philharmonic will give the New York premiere of Time Turns Elastic - a work for vocals, electric guitar, and orchestra composed by Trey Anastasio, lead singer and guitarist of Phish, and his longtime collaborator, Don Hart - at Carnegie Hall, Saturday, September 12, 2009, at 8:00 p.m. An Evening with Trey Anastasio and the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Asher Fisch - a benefit for the Kristine Anastasio Manning Memorial Fund and the New York Philharmonic - will also include orchestrations of classic Anastasio songs.

» trey.com

The Lost Fingers: Lost In The 80's

Canadian jazz swing trio The Lost Fingers from Quebec are into reconstructing middle-of-road Eighties floor fillers. It works at times, it sucks at times and listening to a full album of that stuff in one session is a bad idea. Lost In The 80's contains the good (Billie Jean, Tainted Love, Black Velvet), the bad (Touch Me), and the ugly (Incognito and - wait for it - Careless Whisper). They have tried some AC/DC as well, but You Shook Me All Night Long) is more likely to send you back to sleep.

Byron Mikaloff, Alex Morissette and Christian Roberge can obviously play, but it would be a nice idea for them to get off the novelty act wagon and play their own stuff - or at least some less obvious stuff from a decade that is best described at the Dark Ages of popular music. They named themselves after Django Reinhardt for fuck's sake, so they should know how it can be done.

» thelostfingers.com

Gov't Mule 2009 torrents: 2009/07/11 Kettering

photo: Chris Rushin mule.net

Gov't Mule
2009/07/11
Fraze Pavilion
Kettering, OH

Set 1

1. Thorazine Shuffle
2. Time To Confess
3. Painted Silver Light
4. Don't Step On The Grass Sam
5. Many Rivers To Cross
6. Kind Of Bird
7. Bad Little Doggie
8. No Quarter

Set 2

1. Red House
2. Brighter Days
3. Like Flies
4. Drums
5. Hunger Strike >
6. Dear Mr. Fantasy >
7. Hunger Strike
8. Blind Man In The Dark (w/ Ain't No Sunshine vocal intro)
9. E: Soulshine

» Grab your torrent

Gong: new album "2032" drops 09/21

Old psychedelic rockers never die, they make new albums, continuing the sagas they started in the early Seventies. Gong picks up the story line of the Radio Gnome Trilogy with the release of 2032 on Monday 21st September 2009 on the band's own label G-Wave.

The band line-up on the album includes Daevid Allen (guitar, lead vocal): Steve Hillage (lead guitar), Gilli Smyth (Space Whisper and poetry), Miquette Giraudy (synthesiser), Mike Howlett (bass), Chris Taylor (drums), and Theo Travis (sax and flute).

Tracks:

1. City of Self Fascination
2. Digital Girl
3. How To Stay Alive
4. Escape Control Delete
5. Yoni Poem
6. Dance With The Pixies
7. Wacky Baccy Banker
8. The Year 2032
9. Robo-Warriors
10. Guitar Zero
11. The Gris Gris Girl
12. Wave And A Particle
13. Pinkle Ponkle
14. Portal

The band is on the road for an extensive tour of the UK and mainland Europe.

» planetgong.co.uk

Her Vanished Grace: gig at The Delancey, NYC 07/18

Live at Pianos, NYC - 2008/10/18. Photo: Lito Vales

Dream rockers Her Vanished Grace is playing at 9 PM at The Delancey (168 Delancey St, btw Clinton and Attorney St, New York, NY 10002) Saturday July 18th. Most of the set will consist of songs from their latest album Blue.

MP3: Her Vanished Grace - Sirens

» hvgrace.com
» myspace.com/hvgrace

HCTF review of Blue.

Gov't Mule 2009 torrents: 2009/07/10 Des Moines

photo: Chris Rushin mule.net

Gov't Mule
2009/07/10
Simon Estes Ampitheatre
Des Moines, IA

Set 1::

1. I'm A Ram
2. Larger Than Life
3. Have Mercy On The Criminal
4. Banks Of The Deep End
5. Get Behind The Mule
6. Streamline Woman
7. Lola Leave Your Light On
8. I Think You Know What I Mean >
9. When The Levee Breaks >
10. I Think You Know What I Mean

Set 2:

1. Million Miles From Yesterday
2. Temporary Saint
3. As Long As I Can See The Light
4. Game Face >
5. Mountain Jam tease
6. Drums
7. Child Of The Earth
8. Mule

» Grab your torrent

Gov't Mule 2009 torrents: 2009/07/05 Rothbury Festival

Warren Haynes with Scott Tournet - photo: Chris Rushin mule.net

Gov't Mule
2009/07/05
Rothbury Festival
Rothbury, MI

One set show.

1. Rothbury Rumble >
2. Brand New Agel
3. Streamline Women
4. I Can't Quit you Baby
5. How Many More Years (Higher Ground tease)
6. Don’t Step On The Grass Sam
7. Patchwork Quilt
8. Sugaree
9. Find The Cost Of Freedom *
10. Ohio *
11. Fallen Down >
12. The Other One jam
13. All Apologies
14. I'm A Ram

* w/ Grace Potter and Scott Tournet

» Grab your torrent

Todd Rundgren: dates added for "A Wizard A True Star" shows

Todd Rundgren had added additional dates for the performances of the complete A Wizard A True Star album:

• 09/06 Akron, OH - Akron Civic Theater
• 09/07 Akron, OH - Akron Civic Theater
• 09/09 Stamford, CT - Stamford Center For The Performing Arts Palace Theater

2010:

• 02/06 London, UK - HMV Hammersmith Apollo
• 02/08 Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Paradiso

» todd-rundgren.com
» myspace.com/toddrundgrenmusic

Tom Wilkes: 1939-2009

Tom Wilkes, designer of classic album coverds is dead at 69. He took the photo of Janis Joplin for her Pearl album a few hours before shed died of an overdose.

Tom Wilkes, a Grammy Award-winning art director and album cover designer whose work included albums for the Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Neil Young and other music legends, has died. He was 69.

Wilkes, who was diagnosed with a form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) in 1999, died of a heart attack June 28 at his home in Pioneertown, Calif., said his daughter, Katherine Wilkes Fotch.

» More in the LA Times
» wilkesworks.com

John Cale: "Fear" photo shoot outtake

Cover photo shoot outtake for the John Cale album Fear.

(Thanks: Gary Fox)

Felix Da Housecat: He Was King

Felix Da Housecat is a big name in the dance world. His new album He Was King was supposedly inspired by Elvis and his all time hero Prince, but there isn't much rock 'n'roll on it. It's al about the back beat being pushed inside the listeners skull, blanketed with female whispering. It might work when played loud before a pill popping audience lost in strobe lightning. Don't play it home - you might get bored beyond belief. "We All Wanna Prince," he says. In your dreams, Felix.

He Was King is released August 25th.

Tracks:

1. We All Wanna Be Prince
2. Plastik Fantastik
3. Kickdrum
4. Do We Move Your World
5. We
6. Spank U Very Much
7. Do Not Try This At Home
8. Turn Me On A Summer Smile
9. Elvi$
10. LA Ravers
11. Machine
12. He Was King

» myspace.com/felixdahousecat

Live Jambands in Holland #109: Little Feat Amsterdam 2009-05-05 (part#02)

photo: Jo Dewit

Episode 109 in the podcasts section Live Jambands in Holland. Part #02 of the Little Feat 2009-05-05 show in Amsterdam:

Live Jambands in Holland #109:
Little Feat
Melkweg
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2009-05-05 (part#02) (click to download)
Running time: 38:20 -- 128 kbit

Tracks:

1. Willin' >
2. Don't Bogart That Joint >
3. Willin'
4. Rag Mama Rag
5. Dixie Chicken >
6. Key Solo >
7. Dixie Chicken
8. E: Oh Atlanta

Taped and Transferred by Chris Cafiero, Little Feat Archivist
Schoeps CMC6/MK4v(ORTF) > V3 > Sound Devices 722 (16/44.1)
Transfer: SD 722 > Firewire > CD Wave > Flac Frontend > FLAC16 > Nero 6 > Plextor PX-716A
HCTF notes: Foobar2000 v0.9.6.6 (convert to single WAV file) > NeoAudio 9.9.9 (MP3 conversion) > Audacity 1.2.6 (crowd noise fades) > Mp3Tag 2.37a

Little Feat played two shows in Holland on May 5th. The second show in Haarlem is up on July 17th.

» littlefeat.com

The Lonely H: "The Singer" video

Rockers The Lonely H have made a shoestring budget video for The Singer. They are on tour promoting their Concrete Class album.

» myspace.com/thelonelyh

HCTF review of Concrete Class.

Phish: Fall Tour Dates Rumor Mill

The Phish rumor mill is in full swing. The only confirmed shows happen 10/30-11/01 at what's commonly described as the Save The Date Festival.

People supposedly in the know, close to the band, insiders at ticket services and such, have been collecting dates for a Fall tour. The following shows might happen. Nothing definite.

• 11/20 US Bank Arena - Cincinnati, Ohio
• 11/21 US Bank Arena -Cincinnati, Ohio
• 11/24 Wachovia Center -Philadelphia, PA
• 11/25 Wachovia Center -Philadelphia, PA
• 11/27 Times Union Center - Albany, NY
• 11/28 Times Union Center - Albany, NY
• 12/02 Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
• 12/03 Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
• 12/04 Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
• 12/05 John Paul Jones Arena - Charlottesville, VA

Zechs Marquise: Our Delicate Stranded Nightmare

Zechs Marquise smiling in Amsterdam, march 2009

Zechs Marquise took the "look how creepy we are" image a bit too far when they picked the cover art for Our Delicate Stranded Nightmare album. Led by Mar Volta member Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez this prog-rock band from El Paso, TX, opted for a dark image to draw the attention of unhappy kids who can't stand their life, their parents and most of all the other kids in school.

With compositions named Strapped to the Mast and The High Anxiety Arkestra the punter in the record store looking for left field improvised instrumental stuff will most likely decide to buy something else. Which is a shame, because it is a actually quite good. Black Art Dub might even become a minor club hit, Sirenum Scopuli comes with a Seventies guitar with Procol Harum organ sounds and Attack of the 40 ft Wave will appeal to Trekkies and other sci-fi freaks. Pick this up if you like King Crimson and the early Pink Floyd sans Syd Barrett albums.

Zechs Marquise:
Marfred Rodriguez-Lopez, Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez, Matthew Wilkson, Marcos Smith

Our Delicate Stranded Nightmare is released on Rodriguez Lopez Productions. The European version is available on RLP/Willie Anderson Recordings. USA release date: August 25th.

Tracks:

1. In Strange Love
2. MagMar
3. Mistress Abyss
4. The High Anxiety Arkestra
5. Chase Scene
6. Rotten Candy
7. Attack of the 40 ft Wave
8. Pigeon Shit
9. Lady Endless
10. Strapped to the Mast
11. Sirenum Scopuli
12. The Sounds of El Morro
13. Wahaka Chop
14. Black Ark Dub
15. Our Delicate Midnight Opera

Live dates:

• 07/17 Meridian - Houston, TX #
• 07/18 House of Blues - New Orleans, LA #
• 07/20 Club Firestone - Orlando, FL #
• 07/22 Culture Room - Ft Lauderdale, FL #
• 07/23 Firebird - Jacksonville, FL
• 07/24 Jannus Landing - St Petersburgh, FL #
• 07/25 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA #
• 07/26 Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC #
• 07/28 Recher Theatre - Towson, MD #
• 07/29 Theatre of the Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA #
• 07/31 Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY #

w/ RX Bandits

» zechsmarquise.com
» myspace.com/zechsmarquise

Gov't Mule 2009 torrents: 2009/07/07 Peoria

photo: Chris Rushin mule.net

Gov't Mule
2009/07/07
CEFCU Center Stage
Peoria, IL

Set 1

1. Hammer And Nails
2. Thorazine Shuffle
3. The Shape I'm In
4. She Said, She Said > Tomorrow Never Knows*
5. Birth Of The Mule
6. I'll Be The One$
7. Slackjaw Jezebel

Set 2

1. Bad Little Doggie >
2. Mr. High And Mighty
3. Catfish Blues
4. Brighter Days > Drums
5. I Believe To My Soul >
6. 30 Days In The Hole >
7. I Don't Need No Doctor >
8. Mule >
9. I've Been Workin' >
10. Superstition >
11. Mule
12. E: callback / banter
13. It's My Own Fault
14. Soulshine

* w/ Tax man & Norwegian Wood teases
$ w/ Blue Sky tease

» Grab your torrent

Freddy Jones Band: tour dates

Yet another band is back from the dead with a tour. The Freddy Jones Band from Chicago shaeed the bill with Phish, Widespread Panic and Sheryl Crow back in the day.

They recorded three new studio tracks in 2008 and added ten live versions from their back catalog to come up with an albums worth of music entitled Time Well Wasted. Versatile players, middle-of-the-road lyrics.

Live dates:

• 07/29 Belly Up, Aspen, CO
• 07/30 Three20south, Breckenridge, CO
• 07/31 Steamboat Springs Ski Area, Steamboat Springs, CO
• 08/01 Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
• 08/27 WorkPlay Theatre, Birmingham, AL
• 08/28 Chastain Park Amphitheatre, Atlanta, GA
• 08/29 Charlotte Fillmore, Charlotte, NC
• 08/30 3rd and Lindsley Bar & Grill, Nashville, TN
• 11/27 Park West, Chicago, Illinois

MP3: Freddy Jones Band - One World
(WXRT St Patty's Day Live Broadcast 2007/03/16)

» thefreddyjonesband.com
» archive.org/details/FreddyJonesBand

John Cale: "Helen Of Troy" photo shoot outtake

Cover photo shoot outtake for the John Cale album Helen Of Troy.

(Thanks: Gary Fox)

Rachel Taylor Brown: Susan Storm's Ugly Sister and other Saints and Superheroes

Rachel Taylor Brown from Portland, Oregon, has a thing with doomed superheroes of nearly every persuasion, especially if they are officially approved saints according to the Catholic Church. Throw in a quite horrible death et voila: inspiration for a song. Her new album Susan Storm's Ugly Sister and other Saints and Superheroes switches between comic books fantasy characters - Miss Storm is The Invisible Woman of The Fantastic Four and - and gory church lore like the story of Zoe of Rome, who was strung up from a tree using her own hair after which her tormentors started a fire under her.

Pretty horrid, but Rachel Taylor Brown convinces the most when she uses her own imagination. Bruce Wayne's Bastard Son, a juicy tale about the really sleazy illegitimate offspring of Batman. Her music has been compared with Tori Amos, but while the latter is busy sliding to into self-parody Rachel Taylor Brown is at the top of her game.

Susan Storm's Ugly Sister and other Saints and Superheroes is a self-released album. Buy it from CD Baby.

Tracks:

1. Susan Storm's Ugly Sister
2. Ambush Bug/Reduviidae
3. Lonely Galactus, the World Eater
4. Bruce Wayne's Bastard Son
5. Zoe of Rome
6. Teresa Benedicta Also Edith Stein
7. St. Fina
8. Giovanni Bernardone (St. Francis)

» racheltaylorbrown.com
» myspace.com/racheltaylorbrown

Assembly of Dust: "Straight" MP3 Assembly of Dust

New York roots rock band Assembly of Dust continue their freebie scheme. They have upped Straight (featuring singer Theresa Andersson), a track from of their forthcoming album Some Assembly Required.

MP3: Assembly of Dust - Straight

All previous freebies are still available for download.

» aodust.com
» myspace.com/assemblyofdust

Polly and the Billets Doux: Fiction, Half-Truths and Downright Lies

photo: Alexandra Hill

If you need a little melody, turn to Polly and the Billets Doux, a UK quartet fronted a husky sounding lady, who rides shotgun on double bass. This is a band using vintage guitar tones and deceptively simple sounding drums. The debut album Fiction, Half-Truths and Downright Lies is filled with the kind of muisc you want to hear in small halls where the audience has the decency to shut up and listen to the music.

The sound is a blend of jazz, folk and gospel, with the vocalists alternating between call-and-repsonse and harmonizing. Polly and the Billets Doux are not about the latest fads and in-the-studio wizardry, but about expanding the songbook of standards.

Polly and the Billets Doux:
Polly Perry: vocals, double bass
Andrew Steen: electric / acoustic & slide guitar, harmonica, vocals
Daniel Everett: electric & double bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
Ben Perry: drums

Fiction, Half-Truths and Downright Lies is released on Bleak Mouse Records. Release date: August 10th.

Tracks:

1. Follow My Feet
2. To Be A Fighter
3. Charmed
4. The Cup and the Lip
5. I Would Ask
6. The Rounder
7. Don't Trouble Trouble
8. Lead Me On
9. The City and the Sailor
10. Back To Earth

UK live dates:

• 07/12 The Cellars, Portsmouth
• 08/01 The Tower Arts Centre, Winchester
• 08/02 Harbourside Festival, Bristol
• 08/05 Firefly, Worcester
• 08/06 The Porter, Bath
• 08/08 The Tower Arts Centre (w/ Black Lodge Band), Winchester
• 08/22 Plum Jam Festival Worcester
• 09/06 Folk Festival, Burnham-on-Sea
• 09/06 The Folk House, Bristol

» pollyandthebilletsdoux.co.uk
» myspace.com/pollyandtheband

Heartless Bastards: tour dates, Sweet Tea side project

photo: Felicia Graham

Heartless Bastards' singer Erika Wennerstrom started a side project called Sweet Tea with Alex Maas of The Black Angels. They performed the Cash/Carter calssic If I Were A Carpenter at the Austin City Limits TV Show earlier this year. The recording is now offered as free download. Fat Possum will release the first Sweet Tea single digitally later in July, comprising the studio version of If I Were A Carpenter, and the Ray Price classic Crazy Arms." A collector's, limited edition white vinyl 7" will be made available in both band's websites and at live shows later in the year; it will hit stores nationwide Sept. 1st.

The Heartless Bastards keeps themselves busy on the road, including support slots for The Decemberists:

• 07/06 Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall @
• 07/07 Fayetteville, AK - George's Majestic Lounge @
• 07/10 Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre *
• 07/11 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre @
• 07/31 Jersey City, NJ -Liberty State Park - All Points West Music & Arts Festival
• 08/02 Montreal, Quebec - Osheaga Music and Arts Festival
• 08/03 Toronto, Ontario - Kool Haus &
• 08/05 Madison, WI - Orpheum Theatre &
• 08/06 Chicago, IL - Metro w/ Decemberists (Offical Lollapalooza Aftershow)
• 08/07 Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza! Exact day and time TBD
• 08/08 Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room &
• 08/11 Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre &
• 08/14 Pittsburg, PA - Byham Theatre &
• 08/15 Schwenksville, PA - Philadelphia Folk Festival
• 08/16 Holyoke, MA - Mountain Park &
• 08/25 Salt Lake City, UT - Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre #
• 08/26 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory #
• 08/28 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre #
• 08/29 Jacksonville, OR - Britt Fest #
• 08/30 San Francisco, CA - Golden Gate Park- Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival
• 10/03 Austin, TX - ACL Festival

* w/ Andrew Bird
@ w/ Jenny Lewis
& w/ the Decemberists
# w/ the Avett Brothers

» theheartlessbastards.com
» myspace.com/heartlessbastards

HCTF review of Heartless Bastards: The Mountain.

The Low Anthem: Oh My God, Charlie Darwin

photo: Johanna Neufeld

Providence, RI, trio The Low Anthem are the kind of band will go down in history with rave reviews and moderate sales. Their album Oh My God, Charlie Darwin has just been reissued and remastered (by none other than Bob Ludwig).

They are a band filled to brim with smart-asses, all members have been studying classical composition and Jocie Adams worked on a infrared spectrometer for NASA. The risks of their music becoming intolerably geeky have been side-stepped with confidence. They are a folk band that can play soft - Charlie Darwin gives Antony and The Johnsons a run for their money, rant and rave - the bluesy stomper The Horizon is a Beltway, and put on a mean face for harp-driven southern rocker Champion Angel. Their cover of Jack Kerouac's Home I'll Never Be (first picked up by Tom Waits) might well become the standard for future interpretations.

The Low Anthem:
Ben Knox Miller, Jeff Prystowsky, Jocie Adams

Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is distibuted through released on Nonesuch Records. Buy the CD or LP through the band's website. Hand-painted silkscreen cover.

Tracks:

1. Charlie Darwin
2. To Ohio
3. Ticket Taker
4. The Horizon is a Beltway
5. Home I'll Never Be
6. Cage The Song Bird
7. (Don't) Tremble
8. Music Box
9. Champion Angel
10. To The Ghosts Who Write History Books
11. OMGCD
12. To Ohio (reprise)

Live dates:

• 07/18 Ottawa Bluesfest, Ottawa, ON
• 07/25 Wiggins Park - XPoNential Music Festival, Philadelphia, PA
• 08/01 Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI
• 08/04 Club Cafe $, Pittsburgh, PA
• 08/05 The Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, OH
• 08/06 Locals Only (Art & Music Pub) $, Indianapolis, Indiana
• 08/07 The Summit %, Columbus, OH
• 08/08 Lollapalooza, Chicago, Illinois
• 08/08 Hideout - Lollapalooza Afterparty $, Chicago, Illinois
• 08/10 Southgate House %, Newport, KY
• 08/11 The Basement %, Nashville, Tennessee
• 08/12 Grey Eagle Tavern %, Asheville, North Carolina
• 08/13 Local 506, Chapel Hill, NCa
• 08/15 Ottobar %, Baltimore, MD
• 08/16 Philly Folk, Philadelphia, PA
• 08/26 Bell House, Brooklyn, NY
• 08/27 Narrows Center For the Arts, Fall River, Massachusetts
• 08/29 Plymouth Waterfront Festival, Plymouth, Massachusetts
• 09/05 Electric Picnic, Stradbelly
• 09/06 Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK
• 09/07 Oran Mor, Glasgow, UK
• 09/08 Cluny, Newcastle, UK
• 09/09 Glee Club, Birmingham, UK
• 09/11 End Of the Road Festival, Larmer Tree Gardens, UK
• 09/12 End Of the Road Festival, Larmer Tree Gardens, UK
• 09/13 Bestival, Isle of Wight, UK
• 09/15 Atomic Cafe, Munich, Germany
• 09/16 La Salumeria Della Musica, Milan, Italy
• 09/18 Broftabrik, Frankfurt, Germany
• 09/19 Gebaude 9, Koln, Germany
• 09/20 Lido, Berlin, Germany
• 09/21 Knust, Hamburg, Germany
• 09/23 De Duif, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 09/24 Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium
• 09/25 Doornroosje, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
• 09/26 La Maroquinerie, Paris, France
• 10/02 Austin City Limits, Austin, TX
• 11/20 Royal Theatre - Crossing Borders, The Hague, The Netherlands
• 11/22 Arenbergschouwburg - Crossing Borders, Antwerp, Belgium

% w/ Langhorne Slim
$ w/ Joe Pug

» lowanthem.com
» myspace.com/lowanthem

Jon Lord: 40th anniversary of the Concerto in Dublin

Jon Lord has announced a special show in Dublin celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Concerto for Group and Orchestra:

On September 24, Jon Lord will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Concerto for Group and Orchestra by performing the piece in Dublin, Ireland with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
Also planned for the show are pieces from Jon Lord’s solo career and a couple of Deep Purple songs including an orchestral version of Child In Time.

Tickets are priced at: €15, €25, €30, €35, €40 (Concession: €13, €22, €27, €32, €36).

» jonlord.org
» en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concerto_for_Group_and_Orchestra

The Chasms: Advance Paranoia, Advance

Fender Bass VI Baritone guitar and some pedals

UK band The Chasms locked themselves in a barn to record Advance Paranoia, Advance, an experimental post-rock album celebrating dark toned drones. Hints of The Gift (Velvets) mixed with Sonic Youth.

Mostly instrumental with snippets of spoken word this music is the antidote for a glorious summer day. The warm sounds of the baritone guitar are more stifling than soothing, while the Westobe I Thunder bass goes straight for your guts. The drums couldn't be more basic - just a floor and a snare.

The Chasms:
Richard Quirk: baritone guitar
Mike Seed: drums, vocals
Simon Pott: bass guitar

Advance Paranoia, Advance is offered as a free download. Limited supply of physical CDs:

We also have some limited CD copies of 'Advance Paranoia, Advance' for sale for the unbeatable price of just 1p, that's inexpensive, not cheap. There is also no extra postage.

Tracks:

1. I Couldn't Walk
2. I'm Here To See The Clouds of Blood
3. Cosmos Collapsing
4. Knoxville Blackout
5. Come In Sunray Major
6. Raymonds Index of Spirits
7. Advance Paranoia, Advance

» thechasms.co.uk
» myspace.com/thechasms

Into The Great Wide Open: 3 days of indie music in The Netherlands

Three days of exquisite indie music on a Dutch island. The first edition of Into The Great Wide Open on Vlieland, September 4-6.

Confirmed artists:

• Emiliana Torrini
• The Veils
• Alela Diane
• Johan
• Lay Low
• Efterklang
• Kyteman’s Hiphop Orkest
• Múm
• Lucky Fonz III
• NO Blues
• Meindert Talma plays Tamango
• Françoiz
• Breut
• The Wave Pictures
• Diego’s Umbrella
• Lykke Li
• Fink
• Art Brut
• Red
• Snapper
• Th’ Legendary Shack*Shakers
• Riverboat Gamblers
• Kim Janssen & LPG & audiotransparent & Awkward I
• Most Unpleasant Men
• The Golden Glows (playing Alan Lomax’ prison songs)
• Wildbirds & Peacedrums
• DJ Derek

» intothegreatwideopen.nl

Live Jambands in Holland #108: Little Feat Amsterdam 2009-05-05 (part#01)

photo: Jo Dewit

Episode 108 in the podcasts section Live Jambands in Holland. Part #01 of the Little Feat 2009-05-05 show in Amsterdam:

Live Jambands in Holland #108:
Little Feat
Melkweg
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2009-05-05 (part#01) (click to download)
Running time: 39:33 -- 128 kbit

Tracks:

1. Two Trains >
2. Rocket In My Pocket
3. Cat Fever
4. All That You Dream
5. Spanish Moon >
6. Skin It Back

Taped and Transferred by Chris Cafiero, Little Feat Archivist
Schoeps CMC6/MK4v(ORTF) > V3 > Sound Devices 722 (16/44.1)
Transfer: SD 722 > Firewire > CD Wave > Flac Frontend > FLAC16 > Nero 6 > Plextor PX-716A
HCTF notes: Foobar2000 v0.9.6.6 (convert to single WAV file) > NeoAudio 9.9.9 (MP3 conversion) > Audacity 1.2.6 (crowd noise fades) > Mp3Tag 2.37a

Little Feat played two shows in Holland on May 5th. Part #02 of the Amsterdam show is up Friday July 10th, the second show in Haarlem is up on July 17th.

» littlefeat.com

Medeski Martin & Wood: Radiolarians III drops 08/04

The third installment of The Radiolarian Series will be released on August 4th, 2009. The New York jazz rock trio Medeski Martin & Wood recorded it in November 2008 and it's the final part of the "write and practice > perform only the new material > record" scheme.

Live dates:

• 09/11 The Mann Center – Philadelphia, PA
• 09/12 Boykin Ball – Acme, PA
• 09/13 Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH
• 09/15 The Cannery Ballroom – Nashville, TN
• 09/16 Bijou Theatre – Knoxville, TN
• 09/17 Workplay Theater – Birmingham, AL
• 09/18 Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA
• 09/19 Neighborhood Theatre – Charlotte, NC
• 09/20 The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
• 10/02 Austin City Limits – Austin, TX

» medeskimartinandwood.com
» myspace.com/medeskimartinandwood

Pixies: European "Doolittle" tour dates

The Pixies play Europe in October, performing Doolittle in full, celebrating the album's 20th anniversary.

• 10/01 Dublin, Olympia, Ireland
• 10/02 Dublin, Olympia, Ireland
• 10/04 Glasgow, Secc - Hall 4, UK
• 10/06 London, Brixton Academy, UK
• 10/07 London, Brixton Academy, UK
• 10/08 London, Brixton Academy, UK
• 10/09 London, Brixton Academy, UK
• 10/11 Frankfurt, Jahrhunderhalle, Germany
• 10/13 Amsterdam, Heineken Music Hall, The Netherlands
• 10/14 Brussels, Forest National, Belgium
• 10/15 Paris, Zenith, France

The pre-sale for all shows starts July 3rd.

» myspace.com/pixies