Words about music (524): Christine McVie

The old Fleetwood Mac was much better; they did some beautiful and, to my mind, very authentic blues. Chicken Shack did pretty well in Europe, but after I left, it was over.

Christine McVie

Rory Gallagher: stream "Souped-Up Ford" from "Check Shirt Wizard - Live"

Stream Souped-Up Ford, a track from the new Rory Gallageher live album Check Shirt Wizard - Live. The fast-paced blues rocker was recorded at the Brighton Dome on January 21st, 1977. The album will be released on March 6th as a 2CD and 3LP set.

» rorygallagher.com

The Stooges: Fun House 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

Have money to burn? Rhino is doing a 50th anniversary deluxe edition of Fun House, the much revered album by The Stooges. The box set will contain 15 X 180-gram LPs (the original album itself is released as a 45 RPM 2LP), two 7" replica singles, a few posters and a rather slim book (28 pages). The set is supposed to contain all the notes of the sessions for the album plus Have Some Fun: Live At Ungano's, previously a Record Store Day release in 2015.

Lian Ray: A Game

French singer-songwriter Lian Ray has unveiled the fourth single from his upcoming debut album Rose, out on March 13 via Snowstar Records. He found love, but she ran away. Not sure if she is serious of that she is just messing with him: "Can I play with you / Can I hurt you too?" He is in pain, but there is also a glimmer of hope. Spoiler: the album is about reconnecting with his big love, so after being down and out there is a happy ending to his arduous journey through heartbreak and life-threatening addiction.

Trey Anastasio: four symphony shows

Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio will perform four shows with a full orchestra in June. Petrichor might happen and maybe even Tine Turns Elastic (the jury is still out on that one).

Live dates:

• 06/17 Kennedy Center Music Hall – Washington, DC
  (with National Symphony Orchestra)
• 06/20 Tanglewood – Lenox, MA
  (with Boston Pops)
• 06/23 Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts – Philadelphia, PA
  (with Philadelphia Orchestra)
• 06/26 Meymandi Concert Hall – Raleigh, NC
  (with North Carolina Symphony)

» trey.com

Cover Me: Lazy

Watch Jimmy Barnes and Joe Bonamassa tackle the Deep Purple classic Lazy. It can be found on the 2012 tribute album Re-machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head.

» jimmybarnes.com
» jbonamassa.com

Dramamama: End Of The Line

Estonian melodic rockers Dramamama capture their love for the Beatles on their new single End Of The Line. Recorded in Nashville @ Loud Recording Studio with Jake Burns acting as producer. It is a first teste from their forthcoming album Uphill Battle, out on April 21.

Laying down their music in the States had been in the cards for years. The seeds were sown when bands guitarist Laur Joamets moved there in 2013. Fie years later Mikk Tammepõld (vocals), Viljar Norman (bass) and Ott Adamson (drums) finally decided that the long-distance relationship needed all four members to be present in the same room to make it work. They went for a classic rock radio-friendly sound with an early Seventies feel.

The Tape Op Podcast: Annie Clark

Tape Op sat down with Annie Clark, better known as musician St. Vincent, and producer. She was in charge of the recording of the Sleater-Kinney’s comeback album The Center Won’t Hold and bonded with engineer Cian Riordan:

From the early days of touring with indie luminaries The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens, to releasing six albums as St. Vincent and recently wrapping up production on a record for Sleater-Kinney, Annie Clark is much more than a modern-day guitar hero. Her left-of-center approach to songcraft, joined with a unique sonic aesthetic, has made her a reckoning figure in contemporary music. Cian Riordan met Annie last year while engineering Sleater-Kinney’s album The Center Won’t Hold, while Clark produced. The two of them ended up forging a great producer/engineer rapport and have been working on numerous recording projects since then – mostly at Annie's home studio in Los Angeles. They joked about the creative mind-meld they had developed from spending so much time working together, so it seemed like a natural fit for Cian to interview Annie for Tape Op. Enjoy!

Primus: second show in Denver added to A Tribute to Kings tour

Experimental avant-funk metal trio Primus have added a second show in Denver, C0 @ The Mission Ballroom on August 4 to A Tribute to Kings tour during which they perform the classic Rush album A Farewell to Kings in its entirety, followed by sy a set of their own material. Support act: Wolfmother.

» primusville.com
» rush.com

Stephen W Tayler: the Innerviews interview

Few people can hand over a resume as great that is as awe-inspiring as this man: producer, mixer, engineer, composer, and visual artist Stephen W Tayler sat down with Anil Prasad for in-depth Innerviews interview (20000 words!). He has an key factor in getting the sound right for artists such as Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Gong, Jethro Tull, Rush, and Tina Turner.

Dési Ducrot: Strong Hearted Woman

It's been awhile for Dési Ducrot to release something new. Her new single Strong Hearted Woman is a mix of electronics and country - with a shout out to Stand By Your Man to show her respect. Ducrot always finds a way to pair genres that are considered to be miles apart. If the rest of the songs she is currently working on for her new album, it will be at least as good as her debut In Too Deep.

» Dési Ducrot on Facebook

HCTF review of In Too Deep.

Fool's Union: I'm Givin'

Hamilton based quartet Fool's Union cite Oasis as major influence, but heavy Seventies rawk takes precedence on their latest single I'm Givin', a blend of full throttle blues rock with a bit of glam for the guitar effects. Someone must have really messed things up in the relationship department and the "fuck you" in the lyrics sums it up rather bluntly. Penning a loud anthem as a means of getting closure is not exactly a new idea, but it can't be beat as a means of cathartic release.

Phish 2020 Mexico run SBD + torrents: Cancun 2020/02/23

Official Mexico 2020 poster by Victor Melendez

Phish
2020/02/23
Moon Palace, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Set 1:

1. Crowd Control
2. Farmhouse
3. Breath and Burning
4. Divided Sky
5. Meat
6. Everything's Right
7. The Squirming Coil
8. Wingsuit
9. David Bowie

Words about music (523): Lindsey Buckingham

I can't judge myself by 'God Only Knows.' No one writes songs as good as that.

Lindsey Buckingham

Phish 2020 Mexico run SBD + torrents: Cancun 2020/02/22

Official Mexico 2020 poster by Victor Melendez

Phish
2020/02/22
Moon Palace, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Set 1:

1. Willin'
2. Tube
3. Evening Song
4. Set Your Soul Free
5. You Sexy Thing >
6. 46 Days, Waste >
7. Your Pet Cat
8. Tweezer >
9. Manteca >
10. Makisupa Policeman[1] >
11. Twist

Red Hearted Vibrations: I'll Be On The Mountain

Glaswegian rock band Red Hearted Vibrations are back with a put down power ballad. I'll Be On The Mountain starts up softly, builds up to towering crescendo before coming full circle to a quiet coda.

Getting even through music is the perfect way that the former subject affection is that "there will be a day, when you will look around // and Iʼll be on the mountain // youʼll be on the ground". Whoever fucked over songwriter Scott Brown, it's now out in the open for the world to hear.

Phish 2020 Mexico run SBD + torrents: Cancun 2020/02/21

Official Mexico 2020 poster by Victor Melendez

Phish
2020/02/21
Moon Palace, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Set 1:

1. Turtle in the Clouds
2. Shafty ->
3. Plasma ->
4. Shafty ->
5. Plasma >
6. The Lizards
7. Bathtub Gin ->
8. Shafty ->
9. Bathtub Gin >
10. Blaze On[1]
11. Sea and Sand
12. Possum

LIJO: "Stranger Danger" video

Watch the new LIJO video for her latest single Stranger Danger: "a song about expecting the unexpected when in a relationship. A bit of friendly advice that there is no need to lash out ("Are you a dog that barks at strangers?⁠ "), but embrace the quirks and oddities that life is likely to come up with". The clip was made by Desirée Coumans.

Ubiquitous Meh!: "Smoke Life" video

Luke Richards has posted a video for Smoke Life, the new single by his solo project Ubiquitous Meh!. He plays freak folk with New Wave bass and dry percussion. It must be first for a clip to feature footage of the Concorde, carnarval and skiing, but his off-kilter vocals and lo-fi keyboards keep it all together.

» Ubiquitous Meh! on Facebook

HCTF review of SouthWay Gothic.

Phish 2020 Mexico run SBD + torrents: Cancun 2020/02/20

Phish
2020/02/20
Moon Palace, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Set 1:

1. Torn and Frayed >
2. Ghost >
3. Free
4. Shake Your Coconuts[1]
5. Victim
6. The Moma Dance >
7. Gotta Jibboo
8. Shade
9. The Landlady >
10. Destiny Unbound
11. Steam >
12. Crosseyed and Painless >
13. Run Like an Antelope >
14. Cavern >
15. Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 1 >
16. Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.

Wildgroei: Ik ging er op staan

Dutch experimental pop duo Wildgroei are breaking all the rules on their debut EP Ik ging er op staan ("I stood on it"). Stefanie Janssen and Martin Boorwater bonded over a shared love for new wave, opera and triphop. The words flows freely on top of an eclectic amalgam of supposedly random sounds, nifty guitar hooks and muffled percussion.

Janssen sings like a improvising beat poet, moving from pop and rock to spoken word, while Boorwater uses every trick he knows as a longtime producer in trying to keep up. It is a friendly tug of war with no clear winner. Accessible avant-garde that leaves the listener wanting more.

Lauren Ruth Ward: Water Sign

LA based rock singer Lauren Ruth Ward has released Water Sign the lead single of her second full-length Vol. II (out on March 13). Ward's signature hoarse delivery is in full swing, proudly claiming that she can cope with her own demons without any help. Nice touch changing the perspective from herself to the on-lookers she is pushing away so vehemently.

Primus: A Tribute to Kings tour

Experimental avant-funk metal trio Primus will perform the classic Rush album A Farewell to Kings in its entirety during their A Tribute to Kings tour. All three band members are huge fans of the Canadian prog trio. The tour should have happened last year, but they could resist the opportunity to join Slayer on their final shows. Bass player and singer Les Claypool in Rolling Stone:

Well, we had talked about doing an album in its entirety a while ago. Frog Brigade did Pink Floyd’s Animals in its entirety years ago, and it was an insane amount of work but it was also incredibly gratifying. We did the Willy Wonka thing with Primus, and we’d always talked about potentially doing Hemispheres because that was my first concert, and it may have been Ler’s [LaLonde] first concert too, actually. And when it finally came down to it, we started looking at the different records and settled on Farewell to Kings.

Sugar Blue: Colors

Changes are that harmonica master Sugar Blue will be forever associated with the riff that he played on the Rolling Stones' Miss You in 1978. He was invited back to help out on their Emotional Rescue and Tattoo You. Blue, born James Whiting, was also a sideman for Willy Dixon and Frank Zappa. As a solo artist he rose the fame in the early Eighties and with a few decades as a performer and recording artist he knows the blues inside out. His latest album is names Colors, an apt title for the optimism that flows through the songs.

He looks back on his life, with a sense of humour (Dirty Ole Man and Downhill) and pulls off a festive cover of The Beatles' Day Tripper. Having fun is key on this album, while he wails away on his harp and sings his heart out, with his kick-ass band tearing it up. Colors is a slice of classic Chicago electric blues and most of it was recorded in the Rax Trax studio. As a dare try to find out where which songs were laid down in Shanghai (that one is easy in fact), Milan and Johannesburg. Blues is an universal language, resonating all over the globe and not giving a shit about borders.

Trey Anastasio Band: tour dates

The Trey Anastasio Band will do a short tour in May and June, playing theaters with rather good acoustics.

Live dates:

• 05/22 MECU Pavilion, Baltimore, MD
• 05/23 Stone Pony Summerstage, Asbury Park, NJ
• 05/24 Stone Pony Summerstage, Asbury Park, NJ
• 05/26 The Strand, Providence, RI
• 05/28 Thompson's Point, Portland, ME
• 05/30 Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands PAC, Canandaigua, NY*
• 06/02 Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI
• 06/05 Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA
• 06/06 Jacob's Pavilion at Nautica, Cleveland, OH

*w/ Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

» trey.com

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: North American tour dates

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have announced a North American tour. Tickets go on sale Friday 21 February at 10am local time. The current schedule allows for quite a few extra shows. Expect second shows in NYC and LA.

The Presidents Of The United States Of America: raising funds for vinyl release of self-titled debut album

Energetic rock trio The Presidents of the United States of America are no longer a working band, but they won't miss the opportunity to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their self-titled album. They have launches a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for a long overdue vinyl release (fact check: it was released on vinyl in Europe 1995 and by a label in Spain as well). Their home market had to make due with CD's and cassettes.

We are post-rock-band. While we remain friends and enjoy frequent lunches together, we have no label, no management, no infrastructure, no "team". That's OK though! We don't need any of that stuff!*** Thanks to INTERNET and whatnot the music is out there for anyone who wants to hear it (that's my vague understanding of INTERNET.)

Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls: tour dates

London based Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls have announced a ton live dates, playing shows in the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy promoting their Shake Them Rattlin’ Bones album: "a steaming broth of cabaret, blues, ska, Veudeville, voodoo and skiffle. Horror stories are the main course, with a side orders of sex, trouble, and all-night parties".

Billie Williams: "You" video

Watch the new Billie Williams video for You, a funky blues track from her Hell to Pay album: "All anger and politics aside she is powerful singer, who can bring the house down and commandeer the spotlights amidst the members of her kick-ass band. Hell to Pay is entertainment with a message. She doesn't take shit from anybody, but she knows damn well that, in order to get people to listen to the words, getting them to dance and singalong as well is a sure fire recipe to capture their attention".

The clip was directed by William Murray.

» billiewilliamsmusic.com

HCTF review of Hell to Pay.

Honey Lung: Be My Friend

Fuzzy shoegaze quartet Honey Lung wave their lo-fi flag on their new single Be My Friend, while they tackle existentialism and youthful uncertainty about trying to impress someone in the lyrics - timeless subjects served on a plate of scuzzy guitars and in-your-face bass and drums. Singer Jamie Batten insist it's all ironic and a bit of fun. Yeah, right. The London band make feeling down sounding quite good.

Cover Me: Fast Enough For You

Watch Holly Bowling tackle Phish classic ast Enough For You live @ Whisper Dome in Schenectady, NY - October 21st, 2018.

» hollybowling.com
» phish.com

M. Lockwood Porter: on tour in The Netherlands

Americana singer-songwriter M. Lockwood Porter will be playing four shows in The Netherlands. All shows are free. He has packed plenty of merch to buy.

Live dates:

• 18 Utrecht, Netherlands @ Tivoli Vredenburg
• 20 Bergen, Netherlands @ Taverne
• 21 Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Hostel ROOM
• 22 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Café Keppler

» mlockwoodporter.com

LIJO: Stranger Danger

photo: Desiree Coumans

Dutch avant-pop singer LIJO mixes the sound of Weimar Republic cabaret and modern electronics on her new single Stranger Danger, a song about expecting the unexpected when in a relationship. A bit of friendly advice that there is no need to lash out ("Are you a dog that barks at strangers?⁠"), but embrace the quirks and oddities that life is likely to come up with.

Words about music (522): Billie Holiday

I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. That's all I know.

Billie Holiday

Sabatta: "Prized Possession" video

London rockers Sabatta have made a video for Prized Possession, a track from their latest album Misfit Music. Not your typical sugar-coated Valentine song, but an intense, loud rock tune with plenty of swagger. The clip was directed by Victoria Rio (Pulp Productions).

Ella van der Woude: "Strange Dreams" video

Watch the new Ella van der Woude video for Strange Dreams, a track her Solo Piano album: ""Van der Woude's touch is always gentle and confident, playing softly as not to disturb the neighbours. She captures the various moods that came to her mind as she contemplated moving on to another, bigger place of residence. (...) It is an update of the classic Romantic approach, with forays into modern classical music".

The clip was made by Nicolas Sedlatchek.

» ellavanderwoude.com

HCTF review of Solo Piano.

Jeff Beck: UK tour in May

Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck has announced nine UK shows. The tour kicks off in Glasgow and ends with a 2-night stand @ Royal Albert Hall in London. He will be joined on stage by drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist Rhonda Smith and cellist Vanessa Freebairn-Smith. A new studio album is supposedly in the shops later this year, his first since 2016’s Loud Hailer.

Anton Barbeau Présente: Kenny vs Thrust

Anton Barbeau w/ Kenny - photo: Julia VBH

Psychedelic power pop singer and multi-instrumentalist Anton Barbeau has made his mark on both sides of the Atlantic in his storied career, so it makes perfect sense that he recorded one half of his new album with his Stateside band, Sacramento's Kenny, and the other half with a UK one, Oxford's Thrust (perhaps better known as Charms Against The Evil Eye). Now living in Berlin, but mostly found in recording studios or on stage, he has created a huge and eclectic discography that secured his place in the acid pop pantheon with the likes of Andy Partridge, Robyn Hitchcock, and Julian Cope. His way with words and sharp ear for hooks and melody made him a musicians' musician and the subject of a vocal cult following.

On Kenny vs Thrust Barbeau returns to the heyday of Seventies rock, using the classic format of a rock quartet with two guitars, bass and drums, augmented by a slew of guest musicians to add extra textures and sounds. Most of the songs are not new as such. Barbeau dug deep in his back catalog to find gems from his past bands and projects, rearranging them or putting them upside down completely. His lone protest song Land of Economy, with the great line "sing me a song without a chorus // I wanna know who killed the forests", gets a full-on Paisley underground treatment, while Beautiful Bacon Dream is transformed into a sleazy, psychedelic come hither invitation.

The Decemberists: 20th Anniversary Tour

The Decemberists will celebrate their 20th anniversary with a Summer tour in North America. Twenty Years Before The Mast – The Decemberists 20th Anniversary Tour kicks off in Missoula, MT on July 28. Fruit Bats are the support act.

We’ll be indulging liberally in the discography from every era of the band, from the indie to the outie, from the DIY (Do It Yourself) days to the SEDIFY (Someone Else Does It For You) days — the hits, the not-so-hits, and the ones in between. Every era of Colin’s facial hair will be well-represented, have no fear!

Close Lobsters: stream three songs from new album "Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols"

Scottish jangling rockers Close Lobsters have waited 31 years to come up with a their third full-length album. Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols will be released by Last Night From Glasgow (UK) and Shelflife Records (USA) on February 28. They started recording in 2014, during one of their short-lived reformations, but now they are back and they intend to stay. Three more tracks can be streamed: Johnnie, Bird Free and Godless.

Black Sugar Transmission: "Don't Blame The Horse" video

Watch the new Black Sugar Transmission video for Don't Blame The Horse, a track from the forthcoming Wandering Into The Bullseye album. It's a dark and jagged electro-rock track - a warning not to blame the beast when he seems to be wandering of course. The USA is in a flux and Andee Black is not afraid to speak his mind, obviously disaffected by the reign of 45 and his cronies.

Wandering Into The Bullseye will be released later this month as the first part of a trilogy of albums. The other two, unnamed at this stage, will be available in the Summer and the Fall. The CD version will be housed in a box, which will be shipped with part three. Pre-order via his website.

» blacksugartransmission.com

HCTF review of In The City's Arms.

Ella van der Woude: Solo Piano

photo: Nick Helderman

Swiss-Dutch composer Ella van der Woude lived in a tiny house (only 15 square meters) in Amsterdam for a couple of years. Somehow she managed to fit a piano in there and record an album. Solo Piano is a love letter to this cramped, but cozy place. When listening closely some of the noises from the bustling city can be heard as well, as she laid down her intricate compositions during her late night recording sessions.

Van der Woude's touch is always gentle and confident, playing softly as not to disturb the neighbours. She captures the various moods that came to her mind as she contemplated moving on to another, bigger place of residence. Solo Piano flows at a leisurely,pace an album that should be listened to in one, undisturbed sitting. It is an update of the classic Romantic approach, with forays into modern classical music. Recommended if you like Wouter Dewit.

Daniel Ruiz: The Velvet Lynx

Barcelona based singer-songwriter Daniel Ruiz came up with a horror story for his new single. The Velvet Lynx is a ferocious prowling the streets of a village, obsessed with "keeping a perfect score" (do the math). And he is not alone either: "Diamond fanged black feline // The children weep as the sun sets behind // The mount in which it’s said resides // The Velvet Lynx and his thousand sisters". Ruiz uses his signature gravely voice, with saxophone player Arnau Abadal nailing the tone of Roxy Music's Andy Mackay.

HCTF premiere - Patsy's Rats: Looking at Yr Phone (from Typical Girls Volume Five)

Leave it to the folks at Emotional Response Records to assemble another choice collection of all female and female-fronted garage bands for Typical Girls Volume Five, due for release on February 21. Listen to Portland's Patsy's Rats tearing it up with Looking at Yr Phone, an amalgam of the Velvets' sense of rhythm and bubblegum pop with a bite.

Subterranean Street Society: "Twelve Steps" Dutch album release tour

Indie folk singer and guitarist Louis Puggaard-Müller will hit the road with his Subterranean Street Society project to promote the release of Twelve Steps, a concept album about his father descent into alcoholism. Joost Koevoots plays drums and Ivo Schot takes care of the bottom end on bass.

Alberteen: performing @ BBC6 Fresh On the Net Live in London

English rhythm & noir band Alberteen have just announced that they will be playing their first 2020 show in London on April 26 as part of Fresh On The Net. Some of the new songs from the album they are currently working on, Mercury 13, will make it into the setlist. More details and tickets info soon.

Alberteen play the first show of 2020 for BBC6 Fresh On the Net Live in London, Sunday April 26. One day festival with 20 bands and artists and all free. We’ll be playing a selection of tracks from Metal Book and Miss World plus new songs from our forthcoming album Mercury 13. Details to follow soon

Thyla: Everything at Once

photo: Sapphire Needham

Brighton based indie quartet Thyla are all about building dense walls of sound on their Everything at Once EP. Singer Millie Duthie is left to her own devices to climb them, while singing her heart out. They only take a breather during December, a consolation for Duthie's sister, who went through some very serious emotional issues.

Thyla have a tendency to bite off more than they can chew, but kudos for their unabated enthusiasm and passion. They have listened closely to their predecessors, most notably Echo & The Bunnymen and Texas. The successful to climb to Lenox Hill is proof that post-punk as a genre is still alive and kicking.

Words about music (521): Jody Stephens

I think there’s a certain charm about having had no commercial success, At the end of the day, though, it’s the music. People slowly getting turned on to the music. It’s a find. It’s not something they heard on the radio or through some marketing campaign.

Jody Stephens

The Maureens: on tour in Spain

Dutch melodic rock quartet The Maureens head down South to Spain in March to promote the vinyl release of their Something in the Air album on Meritorio Records: "a power pop gem, a seamless jigsaw puzzle of lush melodies and intricate musicianship. Recommended if you like-minded Dutch artiste like Yorick van Norden, Tim Knol and Daryll-Ann. And if those names don't ring a bell, Big Star should".

The Rev: Rain Like Wine

Outlaw country rockers The Rev sing the praises of staying in when the rain is pouring down, using it as a great excuse to have another glass of wine with your loved one. Rain Like Wine is definitely old school, with choice finger picking and lush background vocals. Down home chill out music performed with gusto.

How to play "Truck" by The Fierce & The Dead

Matt Webster of Let’s Play All has posted a "how to" video for Truck by English instrumental prog experimentalists The Fierce & The Dead. The guitar tab is 100% accurate. The band's guitarists Matt Stevens and Steve Cleaton double checked it.

Phish: webcasts of Riviera Maya shows in Mexico

The four Phish shows at Riviera Maya in Mexico (February 20-23) are offered as pay-per-view webcasts. 4-night passes or single shows in HD. Download and T-Shirt bundles are available.

» livephish.com

Johnny Dowd: house concert in Washington, DC

photo: Paul Needham

On April 3 Americana outsider Johnny Dowd plays a a house concert @ Qing Dynasty row house in Petworth, NW Washington DC as part of the Lucky Penny House Concert Series. Michael Edmondson might join him to add extra noise guitar.

Jack Poels: In de achtertuin

Jack Poels, the leader of Dutch Americana band Rowwen Hèze, will release his debut solo album Blauwe Vear on March 27. In a change of pace from the Text-Mex and polka commonly associated with his band, it will be mostly acoustic, with just his guitar and voice as the main instruments. As per usual his singing in the Limburg dialect, the language of his native province. The second single In de achtertuin ("in the backyard") is a song about his son who just left the house for his first big trip to Korea. And while he is OK with that, Poels hopes to see him again soon so that they can pick up the conversation.

Drivin' N Cryin': Paste session in Atlanta, GA

Atlanta roots rockers Drivin' N' Cryin' paid a visit to the Paste Studio in their hometown on January 24 and played four songs. Three from their latest album - Live The Love Beautiful, Ian McLagan, and Step By Step - before wrapping up the set with the Rolling Stones cover Jumpin' Jack Flash.

Port Almond: tour dates

photo: Alessandro Belleli

Norwegian musician Rune Simonsen takes Port Almond project on the road for a short tour in March , prior to the recording sessions for a new studio album, the much anticipated follow-up for theself-titled debut album that was released in 2018: "Simonsen incorporates bits of jazz, post-rock and ambient - dreamy with an edge. Simonsen doesn't shun noise, besides going for muffled trumpet and brushes".

John Cale: headlining the Nublu Jazz Festival in São Paulo

John Cale is one of the headliners of the Nublu Jazz Festival in São Paulo, Brasil (March 12-15). Exact date and more details TBA.

» John Cale on Facebook
» John Cale tour dates

Sean Roberto: In a Daze

Sean Roberto tried a lot of things to make a living, before reinventing himself as a musician. He tried his hand at film making, videography, and even pro wrestling writing. As a Las Vegas resident the lure of show biz proved to be irresistible and he recorded an EP in his own home. The songs are out tune at times and unbalanced, but his single In a Daze ain't half bad. It's a sad piano ballad with an afterhours vibe and it's easy to picture him staring in his glass in a sketchy bar, with a neon sign that has been malfunctioning for years.

» seanroberto.com

Johnny Dowd: house concert in Haverhill, MA

Live in vicinity of Haverhill, MA? On March 7 Americana outsider Johnny Dowd plays an intimate show in someone's house. Inquiries via email. with any luck he might play some of the stuff he is working on for his next album.

"The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" illustrated

Designer Nathaniel Barlam has finished his mammoth project to illustrate the Genesis album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway in full. He stitched all previous clips together to make an epic video that runs for an hour and a half. It helps if you are familiar with the story and background of one of the corner stones of progressive rock.

Cover Me: Roxanne

Watch Royal Blood tackle The Police classic Roxanne @ Live Lounge for Fearne Cotton and BBC Radio 1 - February 2015.

» royalbloodband.com
» thepolice.com

HCTF YouTube playlist

Stay in the loop with the latest videos that were posted on Here Comes The Flood. Use the YouTube playlist.

Charmless i: Superhero

Dutch alternative rock quartet Charmless i honour the classic three minutes single format. Their latest is called Superhero, a blend of upbeat garage and the melodic sensibilities of Johnny Marr. They added just enough distortion on the vocals to make it sound like a blaring, beat-up transistor radio. This band lets rip, with a rawk guitar leading the way. A fist-pumping anthem that deserves to be played at top volume.

» Charmless i on Facebook

Sunshine Boys: Infinity Girl

photo: Peter Kuehl

Chicago power trio Sunshine Boys consists of three musicians who can hand over lengthy resumes as members of countless bands in the Windy City indie scene. Their latest single Infinity Girl sounds like R.E.M. in a power pop mood, with plenty use of "fuck" and "fucking" to make sure that will have zero airplay on mainstream radio. No biggie - it will find its way to a plethora of playlists.

Words about music (520): Charlie Watts

I didn't know what the hell Charlie Parker was playing... I just liked the way he played.

Charlie Watts