Tag Archives: Rock

Wet Willie: Keep on Smilin’

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wetwillie_keeponsmilinFunky southern rock and soul from 1974

Wet Willie hit simultaneous commercial and artistic high points on this 1974 album, their fourth of seven for the Capricorn label. The Mobile, Alabama band cuts a funkier, more gospel-inspired groove than its label mates, which included Southern rock standard bearers like the Allman Brothers and Marshall Tucker Band, and their songs are more lyrically focused and concise. Singer Jimmy Hall has a rich, punchy delivery that often soars in a preacher’s shout, and the backing vocals of the Williettes give the group the Southern edge of Stax and Muscle Shoals. The album’s single, “Keep on Smiling,” offers a lasting message of optimism with a memorable rhythm guitar riff, sweet harmonica solo and a backing choir that lifts the song to the heavens. Though it was the group’s only trip to the pop top ten, it was far from the album’s only jewel, as the opener provides a warm celebration of country life, and the James Brown horn funk “Soul Sister” gives the Williettes a chance to step up front. Hall also sings blue-eyed soul, such as the homespun ballad “Alabama,” and digs deep on the mid-tempo “Lucy Was in Trouble.” The group’s follow-up, Dixie Rock, continued in the same vein, and the pair of albums were issued as a two-fer. If you dig the studio works, you should also check out the group’s live album Drippin’ Wet for a taste of their jams. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

The Smithereens: Meet the Smithereens

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smithereens_meetthesmithereensSharing the thrill of the Beatles’ arrival in the U.S.

Though no one could ever capture the visceral thrill of first hearing Meet the Beatles, the Smithereens have waxed a record that shares the feeling U.S. fans get every time they crank up the fab four’s Capitol debut. The songs, vocals, harmonies and guitars all resound with the wave of energy brought to U.S. shores in 1964, and though Meet the Beatles was neither the Beatles first album (the UK Please Please Me holds that distinction), it was very much the record that introduced the Beatles to the U.S. The album isn’t even an album in the conventional sense of having been produced in a single, related set of recording sessions. Instead, Capitol manufactured Meet the Beatles by trimming away cover versions, collecting originals from the Beatles second album (the UK With the Beatles) and adding U.S. singles sides. In doing so they squeezed the essence of the Beatles originality into twelve tracks.

The Smithereens’ recreate the album’s original twelve track running with faithful cover versions. Pat DiNizio’s voice is thicker than McCartney’s and Lennon’s, and it keeps him from breaking free with the youthful exuberance that could elicit deafening shrieks from 15-year-old girls. On the more wounded numbers, such as “This Boy,” “All I’ve Got To Do,” “Not a Second Time,” and George Harrison’s “Don’t Bother Me,” he finds a fit. Paul McCartney’s obsession with music hall tunes rears its head with “Till There Was You,” and though the fifty-something Pat DiNizio isn’t as starry-eyed as the 20-something McCartney, it still hurts. There’s no denying the love and craft in this tribute, but with the original so readily available, this is mostly the province of Smithereens loyalists. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

The Wanteds: Failure Looks So Good

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wanteds_failurelookssogoodCathartic, hard-charging indie guitar rock

This Portland band was originally a one-man project of singer-songwriter-guitarist Tommy Harrington. His debut, 2004’s Let Go Afterglow led to extended solo touring, but unexpected fatherhood and a regression into drugs shelved the project until Harrington was able to get clean and refocus. Gathering together a bass player and drummer, Harrington self-produced this nine-track release, combining hard-charging guitars and brutally personal lyrics. A few of the tracks, particularly the opener, recall the guitar textures and cathartic fire that fueled U2’s early, pre-messianic, albums. Harrington frees himself of childhood trauma as he flays his brother with the album’s title phrase, “failure looks so good on you,” and retraces the steps of his recovery in the daily commitments that keep an ex-addict anchored. As a songwriter, he keeps his sleeves rolled up so you can see the scars, and his guitar is a good match for the ferocity of his words. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Ladysmith
The Wanteds’ Home Page
The Wanteds’ MySpace Page

On Tour: Scott Miller

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In support of his new release For Crying Out Loud, former V-Roy Scott Miller hits the rails for an East Coast tour.

MP3 | Heart in Harm’s Way

May 9 NEW ORLEANS, LA Amtrak Station, 5:30 p.m. (full band)
May 13 GREENVILLE, SC Handlebar (solo)
May 15 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA Gravity Lounge (solo)
May 16 WASHINGTON, DC/ALEXANDRIA, VA Iota (solo)
May 17 EASTON, MD Night Cat (solo)
May 19 PHILADELPHIA, PA World Café (solo)
May 20 NEW YORK, NY The Living Room

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On Tour: Radio Moscow

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In support of their second album Brain Cycles, this hard-rocking Iowa power trio will be touring Europe throughout April and May.

MP3 | Broke Down

Apr 15 @ Sala Stereo – Alicante, Spain
Apr 16 @ Savoy Club – Gijon, Spain
Apr 17 @ Helldorado – Vittoria, Spain
Apr 18 @ Rock Sound – Barcelona, Spain
Apr 19 @ Durango Club – Valencia, Spain
Apr 21 @ La Mecanique Ondulatoire – Paris, France
Apr 22 @ Inside – Dortmund, Germany
Apr 23 @ Roadburn Festival – Tilburg, Germany
Apr 24 @ Db’s – Utrecht, Netherlands
Apr 27 @ MFK – Strasbourg, France
Apr 29 @ Clubkeller – Frankfurt, Germany
Apr 30 @ Queen Days Festival – Rotterdam, Netherlands
May 1 @ Klub 700 – Orebro, Sweden
May 2 @ The Garage – Oslo, Norway
May 5 @ The Duchess – York, UK
Mat 6 @ Cluny – Newcastle, UK
May 7 @ The Globe – Cardiff, Wales
May 8 @ Mr. Wolff’s – Bristol, UK
May 9 @ The Luminaire – London, UK
May 12 @ Bohemien – Bari, Italy
May 13 TBA – Tuscany, Italy
May 14 @ Magnolia – Milan, Italy
May 15 @ Stoned Hand Of Doom Festival – Rome, Italy
May 16 @ Festintenda – Mortegliano, Italy
May 17 TBA – Rovigo, Italy
May 19 @ Rock Palace – Madrid, Spain
May 20 @ Mardi-Gras – La Coruna, Spain
May 21 @ Orfeau Club – Velo, Portugal
May 22 @ Plano B – Porto, Portugal
May 23 @ Castrus Bar – Foreas, Portugal
May 25 @ Rockadelic – Gandia, Portugal
May 27 @ Gallion – Lorient, France
May 28 @ Heretic – Bordeaux, France
May 29 @ Astrolabe – Orleans, France
May 30 @ Festival Mixed Up – Beauvais, France
May 31 @ Art Rock Festival – St Brieuc, France

Scott Miller: For Crying Out Loud

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scottmiller_forcryingoutloudPop, rock, country and blues from former V-Roy

From the top: this is not Scott Miller of Game Theory (or the Loud Family), nor is it the Scott Miller who’s self-released five blues albums throughout the last decade, nor the Scott Miller who played drums for Agent Orange. It is, in fact, the Scott Miller who sang, played guitar and wrote songs for the late ’90s power-twang band, the V-Roys. Since the group’s demise, Miller’s been recording solo albums and performing with a revolving aggregation called the Commonwealth. After three studio releases and a live set on Sugar Hill, this self-released album features a similar blend of country and rock influences, though with acoustic power chords mostly replacing electric.

The album opens with the ranting anthem, “Cheap Ain’t Cheap (For Crying Out Loud),” expressing a sideways anticipation of the New Depression. The album’s up-tempo numbers include driving acoustics, New Orleans-tinged country-rock, and the Blasters’ styled roots of “Claire Marie.” These are interwoven with singer-songwriter tunes that include the Celtic harmony duet “I’m Right Here, My Love,” sung with Patty Griffin, and the solo closer, “Appalachian Refugee.” The acoustic works turns darker on the expose “Sin in Indiana,” and the low twanging “Double Indemnity” harbors noirish secrets in its blue notes.

Miller can seem like a glass-half-empty romanticist; blowing blue harmonica as he declares his faults on “Let You Down” and shying away from opportunity on “Heart in Harm’s Way.” But the sentiments are coy in their hope that honest declaration and cautious refusal will ward off imagined disasters; think Nick Lowe, Ben Vaughn and Tom T. Hall (whose “I Can’t Dance” is covered here). Miller transitions smoothly between pop, rock, country and blues, and though at time you’ll wish he’d alight on one for more than a song at a time, the next tune always sweeps you away. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Heart in Harm’s Way
Scott Miller’s Home Page
Scott Miller’s MySpace Page

Willie Nile: House of a Thousand Guitars

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willienile_houseNile spins another rock ‘n’ roll classic

Talk about a second wind. Fifteen years after his previous studio effort (1991’s Places I Have Never Been) Nile summoned a life in rock ‘n’ roll as the musical language for his hometown love letter, Streets of New York. Nile seemed to be aging forward and backward at the same time, writing lyrics from the perspective of middle-age and setting them to the fevered musical roots of youth. He was streetwise and urban, a rebel and a student of musical history who could channel the original energies of rock’s founders without sounding retro. Last year’s Live from the Streets of New York flashed back to his breakthrough with a supercharged release party’s live run through.

Nile’s Benjamin Button-like excursion towards the verve and uncensored creativity of youth continues with House of a Thousand Guitars, featuring a dozen songs that capture both the heart of rock ‘n’ roll and the depth of middle-age. The disc opens with a lyrical tribute to Nile’s predecessors that compels his bandmates to sing along on the chorus. The baritone riff that opens “Run” is just one indication that Nile has a universal rock ‘n’ roll fever for the call of guitar, bass and drums. Here again the chorus is catchy enough to sing on its first pass, but the hooks are sticky enough to hum the rest of the day. The rocking continues with the apocalyptic “Doomsday Dance” before Nile catches his breath on the ballads “Love is a Train” and “Her Love Falls Like Rain.”

If there’s a weakness to this album, it’s that some of Nile’s similes are well thumbed, but even these familiar turns are refreshed by the fervor of his vocals, the emotional swell of his melodies and the powerhouse playing of his band. Nile writes brooding and fist-pumping love songs, aware of both the costs and the returns of relationships. The balance sheet on “Now That the War is Over” is more one sided, enumerating with sad clarity the emotional and physical wreckage of armed conflict.  The album closes with an end-of-the-night lullaby inspired by his adopted metropolis, “When the Last Light Goes Out on Broadway.”

All of the promise that Nile showed in his 20s and 30s now seems like an apprenticeship to the blossom of his late 50s. He writes in his title song of a place where “they say there are no broken strings / just some busted hearts and a bee that stings,” and it’s clearly a place he’s not only been living but helping to maintain. Streets of New York may forever remain his artistic pièce de résistance, but with House of a Thousand Guitars he’s served notice that there’s still more rock and roll to be sung. Mark this one down for your end-of-the year best-of list. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Doomsday Dance
Willie Nile’s Home Page
Willie Nile’s MySpace Page

Radio Moscow: Brain Cycles

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radiomoscow_braincyclesBrain melting heavy blues-psych guitar rock

Iowan Parker Griggs returns with Radio Moscow’s second album of power-trio electric blues. The trio here is one of instruments rather than players, since Griggs accompanies his bluesy psychedelic guitar leads by pounding out flamboyant, full-kit drumming. He’s surprisingly accomplished at both, and with bassist Zach Anderson (replacing the debut album’s Luke Duff) and the magic of overdubbing, the duo brings to mind the heavy sounds of Hendrix, Cream, Blue Cheer, Jeff Beck, Montrose and other pre-metal hard rockers. If anything, Radio Moscow’s gotten heavier, riffier in its tuneage and flashier with its rhythms. Though he was no slouch on the group’s previous album, Griggs’ sounds like he’s been practicing his drumming.

Radio Moscow is a heavy-jam powerhouse, with many of the tracks clocking in at 4- and 5-minutes, and the studio-effect heavy “No Good Woman” stretching to over eight, including a (flashback alert!) minute-thirty drum solo. Griggs serves as the band’s vocalist, singing through processing that sounds like a Mellotron, but the lyrics mostly serve to keep the guitar solos from running over one another. It’s best to approach the band as an instrumental combo, with the scattered vocals as texture. The singer who could actually front this torrent of sound (rather than stand by and occasionally lob lyrics into the quieter parts) would just end up distracting from the group’s tight, gutsy interplay of guitar, bass and drums.

The tight, heavy riffs bring to mind early UK prog-rock and metal bands like King Crimson, Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come and Black Sabbath, but generally without the lengthy excursions into jazz-styled jamming. Available on both CD and vinyl (but sadly not reel-to-reel tape), this should really be heard at maximum volume through classic 1970s speakers such as Altec Voice of the Theater A7s and a suitable cloud of smoke. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Broke Down
Radio Moscow’s Home Page
Radio Moscow’s MySpace Page

Enter the Haggis: Gutter Anthems

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enterthehaggis_gutteranthemsCeltic-flavored rock from Toronto

This Toronto quintet has been kicking around for nearly ten years, releasing CDs and touring clubs and festivals with their Celtic-flavored rock. There are tin whistles and bagpipes here, but they’re threaded into guitar-bass-and-drums that rock in 4/4 time as well as spicing up hearty jigs and reels. Purists may puzzle over the band’s eclectic influences, but their anthems and love ballads fit easily into the current streams of rock, pop and country. The combination of fiddle, electric leads and power chords on “The Death of Johnny Manning,” for example, isn’t far from what Nashville’s producing these days. Other tunes will remind you of more riotous fellow travelers such as the Pogues and Dropkick Murphys, and old-timers will hear echoes of 1970s Irish rockers Horslips.

The band writes about their travels, memories and interior philosophical monologues, but they’re most regularly inspired by their homeland. They profile farmers battling invasive oil companies, ruddy coastal fishermen, and northern musical pioneers, representing a stalwart side of the Canadian character typically lost in pop culture shorthand. The band’s live performances have honed a group sound that transcends their individual performances. There’s a pair of instrumentals that drives this home, but even the vocal tracks stretch out far enough to show the group’s musical wares. Enter the Haggis treads a middle ground between Celtic tradition and punk-excess, combining the flavors of the former with the rock ‘n’ roll energy of the latter. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | The Little and the Leaves
Enter the Haggis’ Home Page
Enter the Haggis’ MySpace Page

The Beau Brummels: The Beau Brummels

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beaubrummels_beaubrummelsFine 1975 reunion album from 1960s legends

After helping usher folk-rock onto the pop charts during their 1960s run on San Francisco’s Autumn records, and branching out more experimentally on albums for Warner Brothers, the Beau Brummels finally came apart in the wake of 1968’s Bradley’s Barn. This reunion session, recorded in 1974 and released the following year, is a surprisingly fine album, avoiding the temptation to wallow in nostalgia and also the inclination to fully contemporize the band’s sound. Which isn’t to say that the group didn’t update their music; the engineering is very clean, the arrangements lightly softened, and some of the guitars adopt a then-contemporary tone, but the core of the band’s ethos is still heard: Ron Elliot wrote a strong album, Sal Valentino’s vocals retained their emotional quiver and the group’s complex harmonies, missing on their last few albums, were as fetching as ever. This isn’t the raw invention of their earlier work, but the group’s artistic spark was still very much alive. The 1970s touches are light enough to keep this an earnest progression of the band’s original ideas, but different enough to signal something more than a rehash for cash. The country influences with which the group ended the first part of their career (recording for Owen Bradley in Nashville) can be heard in several songs, but the album also succeeds with ballads and mid-tempo rock. It’s a shame the reunion lasted for only one LP, as it’s clear the group transitioned the magic of their mid-60s roots to music relevant in the mid-70s. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

Beau Brummels’ Home Page