May 31, 2020

Daniel Ruiz: Diamond Fanged Black Feline

The majorrity of the songs on the Diamond Fanged Black Feline album by Barcelona based singer-songwriter Daniel Ruiz will be familiar ro those who been following his regular single releases. Bookended by the two parts of the instrumental title track he describes his afterhours adventures, where women pop up on his radar and a cat stares him down with ill-concealed contempt. Longing and subsequent loss are his main themes and the sole previously unreleased song My Girl's an Ocean Away once again follows that template.

Ruiz recorded most of it in his apartment, playing all the instruments himself. Saxophone player Arnau Abadal was on a hand to add an extra layer of melancholy. As a chronicler of night life He can stand his ground, with his husky delivery and a lower baritone register that is tailor-made for telling sad tales.

Words about music (537): Neil Young

I don't look at a knife the way I used to. I'm more aware of what it is. I think twice. This is a key finger. It's in every chord.

Neil Young

May 30, 2020

Karl Blau & The World of Dust: Blue Herons

Three years ago American indie musicians Karl Blau (The Microphones, Laura Veirs, Earth and LAKE) and shared the bill with Dutchman Stefan Breuer (The World of Dust, Combo Qazam, Lost Bear) at a gig in a windmill in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Breuer had been a longtime admirer of Blau's work and they kept in touch.

Since they are always busy doing countless projects it took awhile to turn their regular talks into a collaborative project of sorts. Blue Herons, a split 7" with Blau's take on the Pounding Serfs'song Slightly Salted and The World of Dust's The Life of Gods, is their first release. Both tracks are about places of residence and the need to feel safe there. In Breuer's case he looks back at both Hoograven, a place that made him and his family extremely uncomfortable, before finding peace in Bilthoven. Blau grew on Samish Island, a former island in Washington, that is shaped like the head of a blue heron, which made a good title for this special pairing of lo-fi underground folk artists who are joined at the hip through their music.

Elephant Stone: "American Dream" video

Rishi Dhir, leader of Canadian psychedelic raga rockers Elephant Stone, has made a video for American Dream, a song he recorded on his own while in solitude: "He can't wrap his head around the American health insurance system and the blatant incompetence of the guy who is president right now. The dream has become a nightmare and Dhir's soft spoken accusations are mixed with wonder and disbelief". He filmed the clip in the garage, with his son in front of a green screen. Yes, it's a nod to the classic Bob Dylan video for Subterranean Homesick Blues.

May 29, 2020

Broeder Dieleman: De Liefde is de Eerste Wet

Dutch folk musician Broeder Dieleman used old stores to create new stories for his De Liefde is de Eerste Wet (Love is the Fisrt Law) album. Inspired by the colourful cut outs made by the wandering 19th artist Jan Huijszoon - Jan de Prentenknipper - who used it as a motto for his art, Dieleman also picked up a pair of scissors to create art pieces in a similar vein.

Written in the dialect of his native Zeeland he sings about making music (Plaatsbepaling), makes a plea for taking it slow (Jaagpad - with a rhythm that sounds a lot like Dylan's on his Desire) album, and revisits am ancient Biblical tale in Jakobsladder, a story about a shepherd who sees angels going up and down a ladder.

Johnny Dowd: "Hope U Don't Mind" video


Johnny Dowd has posted a video of him playing Hope U Don't Mind at home. It is a song he used to play a lot with his band, until he got sick of it, but he felt that he could dig it out again.

» johnnydowd.com

May 28, 2020

Sothiac & Paul Jolly: Superluna

Superluna is a two-part soundscape (or phases) composition recorded during lockdown in London by Pat Moonchy, Paul Jolly and Lucky Liguori. Based on drones, floating wordless vocals and free-jazz they conjure up the dark blue indigo of the night, with a giant moon as the sole source of light. It is a hauntingly beautiful piece of avant-garde that should be experienced using a pair of top of the line headphones in one, undisturbed sitting. Sound master Todd Tobias was in charge of the mixing and mastering, creating the perfect balance between clarity and intensity.

New Luna: Prunus

Manchester based indie rockers New Luna slowed it down a bit for their new single Prunus, a song about being vulnerable - a decidedly uncool concept in lad culture, but more often than not a must for an artist to get it right. Shards of Radiohead abound in this sometimes rough sounding track with gentle vocals.

May 27, 2020

Steve Dawson & Funeral Bonsai Wedding: Last Flight Out

photo: Matthew Gilson

The words on the three windows of a florist shop in Chicago struck a nerve with Steve Dawson and gave him the name for his new band Funeral Bonsai Wedding. With vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, drummer Charles Rumback and bassist Jason Roebke, regulars on the Windy City jazz scene he released a self-titled debut album in 2016, For the new album Last Flight Out they upped the and used the services of Quartet Parapluie, an seasoned all-female ensemble who played with Belle and Sebastian and Iron & Wine.

Steve Dawson is from the Americana country rock school, so getting into a jazzy crooner mode is way outside his comfort zone, but he pulls it off with flying colours. His storytelling capabilities made an easy transfer to the lush, orchestrated songs, flawlessly arranged by Jason Adasiewicz. His vibraphone is often the lead instrument, its tinkling sound leading the way.

Hypergear: What Are We Going to Do with These? (Suffering: A Guide for Empathy)

Italian alternative electronic rock trio Hypergear is now a solo act. Singer and guitarist Sascha Giordano cites differences in "priorities" as the main reason in a vlog. The departure of his band mates did not slow him down that much and the 3-track EP What Are We Going to Do with These? (Suffering: A Guide for Empathy) is the last stop before the release of a full album.

May 26, 2020

Peter Gabriel: Rated PG reissue

The Peter Gabriel album Rated PG was released as a limited-edition picture-disc LP for Record Store Day in 2019. The album collects songs he wrote for soundtracks. It quickly sold out, but it will become available again in June:

On 12 June, we will finally release the CD and black vinyl edition of Rated PG.

We know many of you have been wondering where this release has been, but much like the ‘Book of Love’ the reasons for the delay are long and boring. Suffice to say, we’re sorry for the wait.

HCTF interview: It's Karma It's Cool

English upbeat power pop quartet It's Karma It's Cool recently released their first full-length, Woke Up In Hollywood. Lead singer James Styring kindly answered some questions via email about the recording sessions.

The listening experience of an album is quite different from an EP. Did you spend much time on the sequencing?

"Yes, I think it's important to keep the interest throughout an album. It's a journey and you have to pace it right. You can detract from some great songs if the sequencing is wrong. I always try a few alternatives, before deciding on the final running order. I think it's similar to putting a set list together for a show, you need to grab an audience's attention from the start and keep them with you till the end."

May 25, 2020

Mihail Doman: Rebirth III

Romanian composer Mihail Doman has shared another part of Rebirth album, an assemblage of tracks inspired by the current turmoil, captured in a mix of electronics and modern classical music. He releases them as separate tracks and sharing them for free to those who sign up for his newsletter. Rebirth III slowly builds up to a subdued crescendo, a foreboding of what he has in store for the next one.

Black Sugar Transmission: "This Is Crazy Town" video

Watch the new Black Sugar Transmission video for This Is Crazy Town, a track from the forthcoming The Flowering album. Andee Black captured the Zeitgeist of New York with his glam influenced electro-rock guitar skills on top of a stark rhythm.

The Flowerin will be released in the first week of June as the second part of a trilogy of albums. The CD version will be housed in a box, which will be shipped with part threei in the Fall. Pre-order via his website.

» blacksugartransmission.com

May 24, 2020

Velocihamster: First Tube

Milwaukee, WI based Velocihamster may well be the world's only lap steel metal band. Founded by musician/producer Sean Williamson they fuck up familiar instrumentals in a good way. Their latest single is a cover of the Phish track First Tube: dark, intense, and stripped from the happy overtones of the original.

Words about music (536): Sandy Denny

I mean, I like doing universities and colleges as well but it’s better like in a concert hall with all the comfortable seats and all those kind of things. People like relaxing to listen rather than sitting on the floor and getting uncomfortable and having to shift every five minutes.

Sandy Denny

May 23, 2020

Kaki King: "Teek" video

Guitar virtuoso Kaki King posted a homemade video for her new composition Teek. The ambiguity of the title - it can mean in good health and to continuously and intentionally confuse someone with the goal of getting on their nerves - is a perfect fit for these weird times. From her Facebook:

My first homemade music video! I made this during quarantine when I didn't have access to any of my talented video friends. So I used what I did have: a children's train track, a go pro taped to the engine, some lights, and basically a bunch of stuff that I'm always surrounded by at home. It was probably far too ambitious to make a one take video alone, but I had fun playing with trains and toys and pictures and editing with some old video software. I liked the pace of the train and how it worked with the tempo of the song, but over time I began to love/hate the repetitiveness of it all. As I watched the train go around and around I saw each day passing much like the last, and began to felt almost strangled by the safety of my home, my stuff. There are some obvious metaphors in the video but mainly it's just me, my space, my junk, the endless passing of time..

Teek is a track from her new album Modern Yesterdays, due for release this Fall.

» kakiking.com

HCTF review of Live at Berklee.

Daniel Ruiz: Caught Between a Wall Made of Ice and a Silent Goodbye

Barcelona based singer-songwriter Daniel Ruiz can't believe his luck when he finds himself in bed with the subject of his desire, although he soon realizes that it might not last. His ability to describe yet another change meeting and wrap it in a sad blanket of guitar and keyboards will be the envy of aspiring writers, who only end up with a splitting headache in stead of great song, when they tried to follow his recipe.

Hangovers are less of a pain when they find you in her bed
Laying next to her skin carefully wrapped in her black negligee
And if Jesus died for my sins he would be very glad that he didn’t die in vain
Because lust is a powerful thing and I’m afraid I can’t help myself
From crawling out of my misery towards the edge of her dress.

May 22, 2020

HCTF premiere - Black Moon Book: "You Are Just Not Alone" video

Chicago singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Mark Lofgren (The Luck of Eden Hall, The Thin Cherries) goes solo for the first time since the release of his The Past Perfect in 2014. Using the Black Moon Book moniker a new album will be released on June 12. Lead single You Are Just Not Alone is part bedroom pop and part psychedelic rock, a soft-spoken, comforting song for all the lonely souls. As a professional editor he could create the video all by himself. His album is available for pre-order here.

» markalanlofgren.bandcamp.com

Steven Wilson & Tim Bowness: The Album Years podcast

Besides listening to music, talking about music is the next best thing. Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness have launched a new podcast, The Album Years. In the first episode they discuss records by that were released in 1980, inclduign ones by Paul McCartney and The Durutti Column:

On The Album Years podcast, long term friends, collaborators and music nerds Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness discuss and bicker about their favourite music released during the golden album years, which they reckon to be from around 1965 to the end of the millennium. Each episode focuses on a single year picked at random. At the end of each episode they pick their personal favourites and the album they think had the most long-term impact on music.

The Album Years is available for streaming via a wealth of podcast platforms.

» stevenwilsonhq.com
» timbowness.co.uk

May 21, 2020

Big Stir Singles: The Sixth Wave

The Sixth Wave, the latest addition to CD series compiling the Digital Singles Series by the folks at Californian power pop label Big Stir Records, is another treasure trove of songs by bands from their roster. Starting out innocently enough the songs get more serious as the contributions from the social distance era enter the ring - Door by Paula Carino and Earn Enough For Us by Glowbox, dealing with loneliness and money trouble respectively. The Accepted Time by The Corner Laughers was written way before the shit hit the fan, but now the lyrics have a whole new meaning.

All worries aside The Sixth Wave is first and foremost a celebration of melodic, psych pop in all it guises: the deviant No by The Walker Brigade, the garage rocker Go For A Ride by Trip Wire, the chugging weirdness of Automatic Caution Door by Dolph Chaney, the don't give fuck attitude of Big Bang by Jim Basnight. As per usual all the A-sides are followed by the B-sides in the same running order. The choice for a song to be designed as either side is arbitrary. There are no throwaway filler tracks. This compilation is a gateway to bands you might not have heard of before. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised.

Starlight Girls: Get Right

It's been four years since Brooklyn retro-pop band Starlight Girls released their Fantasm album, but now they are back with Get Right, the lead single for the upcoming EP Entitled, out on June 8. Their overall sound hasn't changed that much - maybe it's a little rougher around the edges - and now that they have grown into a sextet there is more room to stretch out. Indie baroque peppered with vaudeville and a surprise country & western popping up at the end. The video was directed by lead singer Christina Bernard.

May 20, 2020

HCTF's Guilty Pleasures: M - Pop Muzik

Watch the promo video for Pop Muzik, a novelty New Wave hit from 1979 made by M, a project by English musician Robin Scott.

» M on Wikipedia

Flying Horseman: Hotel

Belgian art-rock quintet Flying Horseman have released the experimental funk single Hotel, a track from their forthcoming new album Mothership, out on June 12 via Unday Records. Led by Bert Dockx each band member brings something special to the music, creating a sound that is unique and very much their own.

» Flying Horseman in Facebook

May 19, 2020

Pocket Knife Army: "Way Too Early" live in the studio

Dutch electronic pop duo Pocket Knife Army have released Way Too Early for "one new song each month" challenge. Desirée Coumans and Erwin Tuijl recorded this in the middle of the night. Ubanble to sleep they wrote a lullaby of sorts to help them cope. The clip is compilation of footage that they had lying around.

» Pocket Knife Army on Facebook

HCTF review of Time Will Tell.

The Bullfight: new multimedia project "L'étranger Noir"

Rotterdam based folk noir band The Bullfight have announced a new multimedia endeavour, L'étranger Noir, the follow-up for their critically acclaimed Eggs & Marrowbone - The art of the Murder Ballad project.

L'étranger Noir pays tribute to the films, posters and books of the 1940s and 1950s about murky detectives, corrupt cops, femmes fatale, sex, violence and betrayal. The band invites other artists to contribute short stories, paintings, and poems. They will write a new album that will be released via Brandy Alexander Recordings as part of a package with a book and art prints.

» thebullfight.nl
» L'étranger Noir in Facebook

HCTF review of Eggs & Marrowbone.

The Rev: Behind the Song Episode 1 - Whiskey Rebellion

Watch Eric Meyers, main man of country outlaw band The Rev, discuss the recording of Whiskey Rebellion with Josh Rozenboom,engineer at SoundBetter in Chandler, AZ. They dig deep, explaining the tracking process, giving space to all the instruments, the march drum intro by Chris Chambers, the improvised vocal part laid down by Ciera Elizabeth and much, much more.

» musicbytherev.com

HCTF review of the Whiskey Rebellion.

May 18, 2020

Combo Qazam: Flight Music

Dutch indie quartet Combo Qazam offer an adventurous mix of analog and digital on their debut album Flight Music. The band is the brainchild of four youngish veterans of the fertile greater Utrecht area. Ab Al-Tamimi, Gino Miniutti, Arno Breuer and Stefan Breuer have lost count, but claim to have 80 years of experience in 40 bands. They share an instant musical connection with the ability to switch tempo within the blink of an eye.

Pigeonholing their sound is next to impossible - try post-retro progressive Krautrock. They write songs about physics, predatory birds, the shallowness of social media, the godfather of Communism, and the sound of firearms. While they have cast their net far and wide really wide for the lyrics, the music itself is free-flowing, pushed forward by shifting, yet consistent, propulsive rhythms.

Westerman: The Line

English musician Westerman sings about do's and don'ts on The Line a track from his debut album Your Hero Is Not Dead, out on June 5th via Play It Again Sam. Values seems to be shifting all the time, making it hard to get a grip. His vocal range allows him to project his mixed emotions, going through hills and valleys. He is one of the rare singers who are capable to harmonize with himself. A wonderful piece of laid-back anxiety, that will appeal to the mainstream as well as the music geeks.

» westerman.world

The Fierce & The Dead: "The Wait" live @ Shhh Festival

In 2012 Matt Stevens and Steve Cleaton, the guitarists from The Fierce & The Dead played at the Shhh Festival in London. Watch them perform The Wait, a track from their If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving To Morecambe album.

» fierceandthedead.com

May 17, 2020

Cover Me: Echoes

Watch Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela tackle the Pink Floyd classic Echoes as part of their Lumbini Sessions.

» rodgab.com

Words about music (535): Igor Stravinsky

To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also.

Igor Stravinsky

May 16, 2020

Pocket Knife Army: Soopfest 2020 Dragon Soop Virtual Festival live video

Dutch electro-rock duo Pocket Knife Army performed at the Soopfest 2020 Dragon Soop Virtual Festival. Desirée Coumans and Erwin Tuijl keep it harsh, abrasive, and utterly danceable.

» Pocket Knife Army on Facebook

Sunflower: Better Days

Sadness and joy are fighting for dominance on Better Days, the debut single from Australian melodic rock band Sunflower. Founded by Kahlia Ferguson (The Fergies) and singer/songwriter Lawson Doyle (Port Royal) the Brisbane based band take the Australian basic philosophy of "no worries" to heart, proclaiming it all will work out fine in the end. Inspired by the mellow mood of early Seventies US West Coast rock their optimism is a bit naive perhaps, but it sounds pretty damn good.

May 15, 2020

BOAT: "Loneliness Kills" video

Tacoma / Seattle based rockers BOAT have made a video for on their new single Loneliness Kills, a track from their new album Tread Lightly, out on Magic Marker Records. Lo-fi, rambling garage rock with a great hook, the kind of track that would have been played to death in the jukebox era.

» BOAT on Facebook

HCTF review of Be As Good As You Want To Be.

Phish: new archival release Santa Fe '93

Another archival Phish release is available for streaming and download: Santa Fe '93. This one is special, because no known audience recording of this show circulates among fans, so getting a soundboard recording is considered to be a real treat:

On March 8, 1993 Phish returned to the Land of Enchantment for their fifth New Mexico show and their only play at the former Sweeney Center - a convention center ballroom with a capacity of about 1200. Tapers were scarce in the region and the 1993 show was no exception. The lack of an audience recording has rendered it a mystery to fans until now.

HCTF premiere - Combo Qazam: "Logorrhea" video

Dutch indie quartet Combo Qazam have unveiled a video for Logorrhea, the third single from their upcoming debut album Flight Music, out on May 20 via Tiny Room Records . Logorrhea is defined as "a tendency to extreme loquacity", in other words not being able to shut up while not saying much. Is it about the shallowness and fake realities on social media then? Yes, it is. The message is wrapped in an off-kilter mix of post-punk. Krautrock and dance, on top of a groove that you can dance to while contemplating the lyrics. The clip was made by Mark Jennings.

Broeder Dieleman: Nieuw Raam

Dutch folk musician Broeder Dieleman has made a video for his new single Nieuw Raam (new window). Besides the obvious opportunities this purchase has to offer, he alos used to create a new perspective on life in general. The clip, made by Jonathan Sipkema and Dieleman, features calligraphy, a recurring theme on his new album De Liefde is de Eerste Wet.

May 14, 2020

John Peel: Peel Sessions online

Dave Strickson has made a page listing as wealth of Peel Sessions. Fabled English DJ John Peel was the initiator of the program where band of their songs live, often before they even had a record contract. And if they were lucky (and interesting enough) they were invited back. His beloved Undertones are there with five sessions, but also John Cale, Joy Division and Yo La Tengo. More seesions are added every now and then to this treasure trove of live music.

It's Karma It's Cool: Woke Up In Hollywood

English upbeat power pop quartet It's Karma It's Cool are quick to release their first full-length Woke Up In Hollywood, the follow-up for the Hipsters and Aeroplanes EP. Preceded by the Wooden Buddha b/w Ghosts of Rome single they basically followed the same recipe, albeit at a more leisurely pace (Back In '78 and American Sushi). The band's signature word play looms large in Our Love Is An Amplifier and Bubblegum Monsters.

Power pop as a genre is about jangling guitars, playing catch with the vocals and James Styring nasal delivery serves as a counterpoint for the sunny side up sound of the 6 and 12-string guitars. Being English they could not resist to sneak in a bit of Ska and brass into New Age Eve, making it a hybrid of genres that is pretty damn catchy. Woke Up In Hollywood is slightly more polished than their debut EP, but the spontaneity is still there. And when they take it slow in Battle Of Burnt Out Bliss, they could even win over diehard Smiths fans. God knows they have been in dire need of something good to listen to.

May 13, 2020

The Fierce & The Dead: Let's Start A Cult Podcast Episode 5

English instrumental prog experimentalists The Fierce And The Dead have started a podcast. In the fifth episode of Let's Start A Cult (named after a track from their Spooky Action album), Matt Stevens and Kev Feazey go back to a special day during the recording sessions for that album.

» fierceandthedead.com

mtf8: Regress

NYC Gothic rock act mtf8 has released Regress, the second part of an EP trilogy. The groundwork for these tracks was laid many, many years ago, but life got in the way and the project came to a standstill. The successor of Rebirh finds him in the darkness, slowly making his way back to the light, with Goddess dedicated "to the one who tried so hard to rescue my former self."

With wall-to-wall synths and surprisingly gentle piano as the main instruments the tracks were once again recorded with Charlie Nieland acting as producer. It is a true labour of love that took quite some time to fully develop while they worked hard @ Capture Sound Studios in Brooklyn to create a the moods and sounds they were striving for. All that hard work paid off in spades. Regress is bleak and beautiful, the vocals sounding more confident (Nineties Bowie comes to mind). Demons are faced, good and bad memories pop up, and traumas are exposed.

May 12, 2020

Cover Me: Working Class Hero

Watch Marianne Faithfull tackle the John Lennon classic Working Class Hero, live @ Sessions at West 54th in New York on April 15, 2000. The track was included on her comeback album Broken English and it became a live staple and fan favourite during her concerts since then.

» mariannefaithfull.org.uk

Arthur Nasson: Unglued

Multi-instrumentalist and producer Arthur Nasson is a hidden treasure. He has created a great body of work, but somehow the general public still refuses to notice his knack for writing borderline psychedelic pop songs. His latest is called Unglued and chances are that is yet another release that will be championed by the critics and the cognoscenti, but fail to reach a bigger audience. The Boston-based musician won't let that stop him though, persevering in creating high quality music on a shoestring budget.

» arthurnasson.com

May 11, 2020

LIJO: Soopfest 2020 Dragon Soop Virtual Festival live video

Dutch avant-pop singer LIJO performed with cello player Mirthe de Jonge at the Soopfest 2020 Dragon Soop Virtual Festival. No audience for obvious reasi=ons, but they managed to make it sound intense and engaging.

» thisislijo.com

The Prog Report: Prog From Home concert

The folks of The Prog Report were the initiators for the Prog From Home webcast on May 9, featuring a wide variety for artists performing from the comfort of their own home. Nearly three hours of music in all. The show was "in support and celebration of doctors, nurses, first responders, health-care workers, and all affected by the current global crisis".

Some highlights from the show then. Yes, Here Comes Was played, with Randy McStine and Adam Holzma doing the honours. The Fierce & The Dead's Matt Stevens and Kev Feazey performed a stripped down version of Ark. Dani Rabin from jazz-rock band quartet< strong>Marbin showcased hi uncanyn dexterity with Nauges. And of course it makes sense to end the concert with Jellydish classic I Wanna Stay Home, performed by Mike Portnoy with Melody Portnoy, Jason Falkner and Roger Manning Jr..

The Corner Laughers: Temescal Telegraph

Californian power pop quartet The Corner Laughers always had a healthy dose of folk into their songs. The band's songwriter and singer is a versatile ukulele player and this instrument is all over the songs on their new album Temescal Telegraph. Nature in all its facets and the passing of time are the main themes, with optimism and genuine worries playing catch. Changeling and The Accepted Time are like two sides of the coin, with the former being the younger version of the latter. They revisited two songs from Karla Kane's King's Daughters Home For Incurables, The Lilac Line and Skylarks of Britain, giving them the full band treatment and enhancing the latter with an extended psychedelic coda.

Temescal Telegraph has West Coast written all over it, with its bright sound and crystal clear production. Accessible yet intricate and thoughtful songs, whose layers become more clear and mesmerizing after each listen - the musical equivalent of a kaleidoscope.

May 10, 2020

Daniel Ruiz: Her Purple Dress with Thin Black Stripes

Barcelona based singer-songwriter Daniel Ruiz once again describes a chance meeting with an evasive femme fatale on his new single Her Purple Dress with Thin Black Stripes, sharing a drink in a bar before they go for a walk in the rain. He is able to tell a story with just a few words, as if asked to draft the script for a short movie. Saxophone player Arnau Abadal was on a hand to add an extra layer of melancholy.

Words about music (534): Glyn Johns

No one should ever underestimate the influence that Pete Townshend has had on popular music. There is no question in my mind that both he and The Who were every bit as influential as The Beatles and the Stones as the UK invasion took America and the rest of the world by storm. He was equally as innovative as a musician and lyricist, finding a way to state the feelings of the mod generation he and the band represented. The combination of these four unlikely cohorts interpreting Pete’s writing was something to behold, each of them contributing in his own original way. The seemingly uncontrolled explosion of energy they produced, glued together by exceptional musicianship..

Glyn Johns

May 09, 2020

The Fierce & The Dead: "I Like It I'm Into It" live @ RoSFest

English instrumental prog experimentalists The Fierce & The Dead have posted a video of them performing I Like It I'm Into It @ RoSFest in Gettysburg, PA, a track from their album Live USA 17: "Hitting the Americans over the head with post-rockers like Spooky Action and the towering power of Truck and soothing them with the pastoral The Wait and a superb rendition of the complex Andy Fox they build their set like a classic English mansion: balanced, yet with plenty of hidden rooms and weird details".

» fierceandthedead.com

HCTF review of Live USA 17.

Johnny Dowd: "We All Get There Eventually" video


Johnny Dowd has posted a video of him playing We All Get There Eventually at home. It is a song he used to play a lot with his musical partner Kim Sherwood-Caso.

» johnnydowd.com

The Noodle Boys: Volume 5

Canadian indie band The Noodle Boys channel the jangling sound of the latter day UK New Wave on their new single Volume 5. Guitar fans should take note of the lengthy call-and-response interlude between Juliano Boss and Brad Long before singer Brett Frigon comes in to bring the track home safely. Bass player Chad Neald keeps it all together, with a stoic yet fluid rhythm.

May 08, 2020

Sewage Farm: "Nothing" video

English garage rock power trio Sewage Farm have made a video for Nothing, a track from their new album Songs About Nothing: "Not many bands can sound muddy, lo-fi and crystal clear simultaneously, but these guys are on top of things to keep it together and bring it home without dropping the ball".

» Sewage Farm on Facebook

HCTF review of Songs About Nothing.

The League of Assholes: Unplugged

The League of Assholes return with another musical collage - a wild and exhilarating rollercoaster ride instigated and stitched togetherr by Marcelo Radulovich. Unplugded is an ironic title for this harsh, wild and exhilarating ride that will have supporters of the orange one reaching for their 2nd amendment amenities or at least have them painting signs with brain dead slogans.

The members of the League have no need for rallys or meetings - they find each other in cyberspace by word of mouth and anybody who is willing and able to pitch in with some noise, playing an instrument, a tape recording with some random quotes can contribute to another episode of polymorphous, polyphonic mayhem. Anarchic avant-garde that celebrates art at its most unhinged and free.

May 07, 2020

Phish: "Ghost" live @ Lucerna Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic 7/6/1998

Watch Phish perform Ghost live @ Lucerna Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic on July 6, 1998. They were being followed by a camera crew for their Bittersweet Motel documentary, but this particular show did not up being used in the finished movie. The footage has been re-edited and sounds and looks a lot better than other circulating versions of this clip.

The full Prague show was finally released on CD via LiuePHish in 2008.

» phish.com

Subterranean Street Society: live stream concert

Subterranean Street Society, the folk project led by Amsterdam based Danish singer-songwriter Louis Puggaard-Müller, will be doing a full band live stream concert on Friday 8th May. They will be broadcasting on the 'net from the empty theatre De KOM in Nieuwegein at 8 PM (Amsterdam time).

A real show isn't anything without interaction so we've tried to come up with the next best thing. During the livestream we will have a phone-number on screen via which you can reach us. This will be an opportunity to talk to you guys directly and take any questions you might have. We will have an operator on stand-by. For our international fans you also call via Whatsapp or Telegram. Obviously we will take some calls live into the stream!

To top it all off we've been working on new material and will present a brand new song that we wrote apart from each other in quarantaine.

May 06, 2020

Ask Eddie Kramer about recording Jimi Hendrix

Producer and engineer Eddie Kramer will be answering questions about recording Jimi Hendrix on May 7, starting at 6pm CDT. Kramer worked closely with Hendrix during his lifetime and also on many of the posthumoues releases, most recently the Songs For Groovy Children: The Fillmore East Concerts box set.

» Eddie Kramer on Wikipedia
» jimihendrix.com

Florian Schneider: 1947-2020

Florian Schneider, co-founder of the highly influential German band Kraftwerk, died a week ago, aged 73. He had a private burial. He was a pioneer of electronic music, a key factor in the rise of the use of synthesizers and computers to create left-field dance music. From The Guardian:

Born in 1947, Schneider was the son of Paul Schneider-Esbelen, a noted architect who designed Cologne’s airport. Schneider first played music in various groups while studying in Düsseldorf, beginning in a band called Pissoff. Operating in the experimental, open-minded rock scene dubbed “krautrock” in the British press, he formed the group Organisation with Ralf Hutter, the pair later forming Kraftwerk in 1970.

Ella van der Woude: download sheet music for "Prélude Au Réveil d’Une Ville"

Swiss-Dutch composer Ella van der Woude has posted the sheet music for Prélude Au Réveil d’Une Ville, a track from her Solo Piano:

According to the internet, playing piano relieves stress, enhances split concentration, improves neural connections, strengthens hand muscles, improves the language skills, stimulates the growth hormones and helps accepting criticism gracefully. So go practice! I'm available for constructive feedback if you can deal with it gracefully.

» ellavanderwoude.com

HCTF review of Solo Piano.

McStine & Minnemann: Program

Randy McStine (Lo-Fi Resistance) and Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats) have teamed up for a collaborative rock album, due for release on July 3rd. They share a love for wide range of artists (XTC The Knack, Queen, and Frank Zappa) and they added their own twist to it in the album's lead single, Program, a song that is both a celebrating and showing concern about modern day technology. Videographer Christian Rios came up with the concept for the video.

Tracy Shedd: Mantra

Tracy Shedd offers a bit of optimism on her new single Mantra. Slowcore indie fans are blessed with a longer attention span and they will have no trouble immersing themselves in these eight minutes of sonic bliss. Shedd is looking to the future, when the dread of the COVID-19 pandemic has lifted. The video is a compilation of faded footage from yesteryear.

May 05, 2020

HCTF premiere - Black Friars Social Club: Ballad of a Jr Hitman (lyric version)

Black Friars Social Club is a project based in Chicago founded by singer and songwriter Mark Panick. The members share a love for folk music. Their first single, Ballad of a Jr Hitman, is a tribute to Panick's brother, who was part of kids gang in the Windy City: “When Jay was in 6th grade he had this kid gang, they called themselves The Jr Hitmen and they had it printed on the back of their Members Only jackets. We never let him live that shit down. Jay understood the southside Chicago habit of derision as an expression of love”.

The sad and beautiful melody gets stuck in your head instantly, as if the vibe of the Irish pub where the band founded, wanted to be preserved the music. The bar was owned by a fireman and it burned down... The animated video was put together by visual artist Blair Gauntt and filmmaker David Anderson.

Phish: Summer Tour 2020 Rescheduled to 2021

It comes as no surprise that jam band Phish have rescheduled their Summer tour. All dates have been moved to next year, with the exception of the two shows in Piedmont Park in Atlanta, GA. More about those asap.<>

Due to the ongoing pandemic, we sadly have made the difficult decision to reschedule Phish’s entire 2020 summer tour, now moving to the summer of 2021. We’ve been as excited as ever to play music for you all, and are so heartbroken to postpone these dates. The health and well-being of Phish fans, our touring crew, and the communities in which the band plays is our top concern.

May 04, 2020

Anton Barbeau & Kenny: "Land of Economy" video

Psych pop outfit Anton Barbeau & Kenny have posted a video for Land of Economy, a track from the Anton Barbeau Présente: Kenny vs Thrust album. Barbeau doesn't write that many protest songs, and he could not resist throwing in the smart line "sing me a song without a chorus // I wanna know who killed the forests". They shot the clip at the tiny stage of Melon Ball, in Davis, CA, and used footage of Reno by night.

» antonbarbeau.com

HCTF review of Anton Barbeau Présente: Kenny vs Thrust.

Elephant Stone: American Dream

Rishi Dhir, leader of Canadian psychedelic raga rockers Elephant Stone, recorded the new single American Dream on his own while in isolation. He can't wrap his head around the American health insurance system and the blatant incompetence of the guy who is president right now. The dream has become a nightmare and Dhir's soft spoken accusations are mixed with wonder and disbelief.

May 03, 2020

Dead Pony: Everything Is Easy

photo: Daniel Blakek

Glaswegian post-punkers Dead Pony throw themselves into garage rock mode for their new single Everything Is Easy, a raucous tune about the simple childhood beliefs that - in hindsight - were hopelessly naive. Fuzzy guitars, some feedback, instantly daneceable rhythm and the snarling vocals of singer Anna Shields, make this reality check a joy to endure.

Cover Me: Barracuda

Watch drummer Brooke Colluci and guitarist Moriah Formica tackle the Heart classic Barracuda.

» Brooke Colluci on Instagram
» moriahformica.com

Words about music (533): Glenn Hughes

I was never in fear of the Hendrix’s greatness, I was just grateful that he opened the door for us all. He was gentle and so kind and he played with such fire. There will never be anyone like him again.

Glenn Hughes

May 02, 2020

At long last: herecomestheflood.com

At long last Here Comes The Flood has secured the rights for the domain name it should have acquired years ago.

No need to update your bookmarks. All content from werksman.blogger.com is directed automagicallu.

The Fierce & The Dead: Show Me Devon: Live At Kozfest 2019

When English instrumental post-rock quartet The Fierce & The Dead hit the stage @ Kozfest 2019 on Buttermead Farm in Willingcott Hill on June 26, 2019, it was a special moment for guitarist Matt Stevens, They were booked to perform on the 2018 edition, but on the day they were were scheduled to play he was being treated for cancer. This might explain the added level of intensity that is apparent during this show as if they were making up for lost time. The show is now available on the new live album Show Me Devon: Live At Kozfest 2019 (their third in concert recording so far). They left the in-between songs banter in place this time, making it a real-time snapshot of the band who finally got their long overdue recognition as a major player in prog loving circles.

The setlist leans heavily on the tracks from their most recent studio album The Euphoric and its predecessor, the Magnet EP. The band knows these tracks inside out, giving them ample opportunity to stretch things out a a bit, honoring the tight but loose approach, while laying down a groove in weird time signatures. Show Me Devon: Live At Kozfest 2019 is a worthy, no frills companion to the more succinct Field Recordings (live) and Live USA 17 albums. It is a honest document of them making new friends and fans by delivering an in-your-face live show.

Morgendust: Alien

Dario Pozderski, bass player with Dutch Eighties inspired rockers Morgendust was forced to flee his country Bosnia, with only his backpack and instrument (in two pieces). He found his bearings in Zwolle, replied to an ad for a band who needed a man to hold down the bottom end. Fast forward to 2020 and two of those musicians are still with him.

Robert Fripp: Music For Quiet Moments series

Guitar maestro Robert Fripp has launched Music for Quiet Moments series: instrumental soundscapes will be put online every week for 50 weeks on his YouTube channel. The first one, Pastorale, was recorded in Mendoza - June 3rd, 2007.

May 01, 2020

Johnny Dowd: It Was a Very Good Year


Johnny Dowd has posted a video of him singing It Was a Very Good Year, the classic written by Ervin Drake and made famous by Frank Sinatra. Dowd makes it his own, with a deadoan delviery on top of a lo-fi percussion and assorted sound and purrs and bkeeps.

» johnnydowd.com

Red Hearted Vibrations: Wildfire

Glaswegian rock band Red Hearted Vibrations are still in power ballad mode with their new single Wildfire, with the token screaming guitar solo and ... wait for it ... a keyboard solo as well. The lyrics paint a dark picture, coming straight out of the fantasy genre that now has become a reality: "Lost and all alone, an amber blaze and molten stone // We’re taking life for granted, they’ve had and lost a home // A city of plants and trees, darkened by the smoke // The spread of mankind’s disease, tearing flesh from bone". It's a bit over the top for sure, but it sounds great. Back in the day these would have been the cye for the audience to lift their lighters in the air as a gesture of appreciation.