Friday, June 29, 2012

The Bottle Cap Rockets - First Seven

Al Gross (Lead Vocals, Lead & Rhythm Guitar),Yeurgen Renner (Drums), Chris Wolfer (Bass and backing vocals)

Look for a new Ep 'First Seven' to be released in July '12
The Bottle Cap Rockets is a New Jersey based three piece Indie Rock group formed by
Singer/Songwriter & Guitarist Al Gross. Al has sold a number of his works to Universal Music for use in movies and TV. His songs have been placed in several major pictures including the Academy Award winner “Monster” starring Charlize Theron along with placements in several popular TV shows including “Monk”, “The Osbournes” & “Cold Case”.


Bottle Cap Rocket’s music has a vintage quality but the band has it’s own fresh and current sound. Roots Rock influences can be heard in several numbers. A few tracks travel in a more bluesy direction and then comes the British Power Pop. It takes some confidence and musicianship to rip away the layers of complication in a world where this style of music has been left out in the cold for far too long. Bottle Cap Rockets practice the philosophy of “less is more.”
This three man band needs to be enjoyed LIVE. Look for their EP First Seven slated for release in July 2012 as well as three summer shows.


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Maynard and the Musties - Cheap Cigar


The lazy Susan of Musties includes Joe Maynard guitar, vocals; Naa Koshie Mills, fiddle; Jacques-Maurice Botton, lead guitar, vocals; Dikko Faust, trombone; Alan Young, bass; John McQueenie, Chet Hartin drums; Pierre Scoffoni, drums; David Gould, drums. The album, 'So Many Funerals' had Jim Thomas on Drums; Dennis Shealy, bass; Ryan Adams, lap-steel & piano on Elvis Museum

Maynard and the Musties is a Country-Folk-Rock-Americana Brooklyn band by way of Nashville:
Maynard moved to New York City from Nashville in 1981 to attend art school. He quickly adjusted into the freaky surroundings of the then dilapidated and vibrant New York art scene, and was a painter for well over a decade. Gradually his art became full of words and he found himself simply writing fiction and publishing a couple of xeroxed "zines." He then found himself working at Christies Auction House, and finally in the book department of that glitzy establishment, where he no longer had time to finish his increasingly lengthy fiction pieces. He had always played guitar, if poorly, and songs were generally quicker to write. The guitar was also a comfort zone, reminding him, in a fuzzy, romanticized way, of his childhood in Nashville.

Cheap Cigar released February 2012



The Musties are a nexus of friends, largely in the book or publishing or printing trade... and one used to be a librarian. Most are also southern transplants (one being from the south of France). Naa Koshie Mills, ex-librarian, New Orleans ex-pat, walked into Maynard's book shop that he once had in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. They instantly hit it off, and have been friends and musical collaborators for about 8 years, once calling themselves The Millerite-Redeemers. Maynard and Mo Jepson have known each other since the 1990s. Maynard watched Mo's progressive musical ventures, No No Bun Bun, singing solo at open mics, and later the band Mr. MacGregor. At one point Mo asked Maynard if he wanted to come to a Mr. MacGregor rehearsal and play songs with them. Together with Naa Koshie, and the late, great Drew Glackin, Maynard and the Musties were born.




Soon after, Maynard sought out his own band, as the MacGregor fellers were increasingly unavailable due to marriages, babies and such. Then, he found Dikko Faust, a letter-press printer he had known for years, had indulged himself as a middle-age crisis gift to himself, trombone lessons. Formerly a percussionist, one will notice in Cheap Cigar noises emanating from the trombone section, that one would normally not expect (Miles of Broadway, Marfa, 17 Broken Candles). From playing gigs with Jeph Duarte and the Newton Gang, Joe added the Newton Gang's Chet Hartin at bass, and later brother Gordon Hartin on steel. He also added longtime friend John McQueenie as part time drummer, stealing him away from his Jazz project, Combat Jazz, where McQueenie plays saxophone. They also added Pierre Scoffoni on drums, who came to New York from Aix-en-Provance for grad school at NYU.

Maynard had briefly met Eric "Roscoe" Ambel, as he is co-owner of The Lakeside Lounge where they often play, but had also long admired Roscoe's work with the obvious big acts such as Joan Jett and Steve Earle, but foremost was a fan of his production work with The Blood Oranges and Chip Robinson, who was a a close buddy of Maynard's late roommate Drew Glackin. (Roscoe and Chip did a very eloquent and memorable dobro and guitar duet at Drew's memorial). After hearing Chip's record Mylow, Maynard was certain that he wanted to work with Roscoe. Maynard emailed Ambel, and Ambel scheduled a lunch meeting at Cowboy Technical, where they listened to Tom Waits and talked about music, gear and studio logistics. As coincidence would have it, Ambel moved into Maynard's neighborhood about 3 blocks away, and lunch meetings are now a fairly regular thing. Maynard thinks of Ambel as both a coach, friend, and pretty much a member of the  Musties. Ambel's influence has been huge, including suggestions at rehearsals, suggesting gear and whatnot, and describing the band as such: "You've got your rhythm section, consisting of Joe, drums and bass, and your weirdos: Naa Koshie, Mo and Dikko." Also a big mentor over the years has been Mike Randall, a writer and film maker who Maynard knows from his 'zine days. Randall, a bonafide music school graduate, has an encyclopedic knowledge of country music and country guitar riffs.
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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Muddy Roots Music Festival 2012 Cookeville,TN 8/31-9/2

The Muddy Roots Festival 2012 will take place August 31st-September 2nd, at the June Bug Ranch in Cookeville, TN, where it was held the previous two years.

Muddy Roots Music festival final lineup! Dr. Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Little Jimmy Dickens, Don Maddox of the Maddox Brothers and Rose, Wayne Hancock, Bob Wayne, Dale Watson, Reverend Horton Heat, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Legendary Shack Shakers,  ANTiSEEN, O'Death, Derek W. Dunn, James Leg, The Dirt Daubers, The Defibulators, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Joe Buck, Konrad Wert, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Valerie June, Cutthroat Shamrock, Hillbilly Casino, Last False Hope, J.B.-Beverly The Wayward Drifters, The Dad Horse Experience, The Calamity Cubes, The Cheatin' Hearts, Slim Chance and the Can't Hardly Playboys and more!

Ticket Pricing 
Muddy Roots Music Festival 2012
Last Purchase Date: Aug 30, 2012 11:30 pm CDT  87.80   
Muddy Roots Festival 2012 Last Chance Pricing
Last Purchase Date: Aug 31, 2012 11:30 pm CDT  93.04    
Order Tickets here
Here's an hour and a half of Muddy tunes to listen from this years bands/artists, at the bottom of the page get the 2011 Muddy Roots compilation free downloads.

Download Muddy Roots 2011 Compilation Volume 1 here..... Click me
Download Muddy Roots 2011 Compilation Volume 2 here..... Click me
Download Muddy Roots 2011 Compilation Volume 3 here..... Click me
Don't forget, Visit Muddy Roots web site often
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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Popa Gots A Funk

The Braxmatics are Meltron, The Fugitive, Acematic, Mick, MamaJama, Flash Gordon, The AB Girls

Yeah, Poppy gots a funky side, complete and separate from my hygiene. I have a cousin in the Seattle bands  Cascadia '10, Soul Senate and Kissing Potion (stay tuned for more bouts dem) he keeps the funkoglobin flowing through my arteries. Seattle has funk to spare and some. Here's some quintesoulicious funk from Seattle's The Braxmatics
The Braxmatics have been spreading their quasi-organic Seattle funk-rock since 2007 leaving volleys of craters in their wake, dropping rhythm bombs that make you shake, the kind of joy only ruckus can make, however you vote there is no debate, this sound is 100% real-impossible to fake, come catch the spectacle we will create, before it slips away and is too late, we'll travel on to another state, of mind we'll find and will await, the next dimensional phase let's calculate, this quantum physical postulate to propagate and pro-create the harmonious unison to reverberate... 


Acematic With a somewhat demented enthusiasm and a little help from the musically-charged Braxton DNA, Ace leads the Braxmatics with volleys of tonal assaults and freestyle stage antics. The hypo-manic and unpredictable front man is known to change songs onstage to match his exacting standards. One never knows if he will break new ground, or just a nose (knows....) In the beginning was Santana, Otis Redding, Steely Dan; later came Zap & Roger, Ohio Players, and Cameo. But never, mind that. Its a new thing now. 


Meltron has been a performing vocalist since 2000 and a percussionist since 2008. Inspired by artists such as Nina Simone, Muddy Waters, Etta James, and Aretha Franklin, she got her start as a singer in the blues tradition. She continues to write and perform music in a bluesy vein with another Seattle band, Smoke and Honey, which has been likened to Cowboy Junkies. When she's not hitting the tambourine on stage, you can find her hitting things at Cappy's Boxing Gym, or hitting the books at University of Washington.
Flash got enough flash for all.
The Fugitive We really don't know where this guy came from. We figure he's running from someone, somewhere or somewhen. We don't know what color his eyes are (or if he even has them.) We do know that his funk comes from some deep smelly recess that can be traced to Bootsy Collins, James Jamerson, Larry Graham...and this guy? We're just hoping he doesn't have to skip town so he can make the next show. Sister Drummer got serious about the kit while living in New Orleans nearly 20 years ago. With influences like The Meters, James Brown, Parliament Funkadelic, and Stevie Wonder, she likes her grooves up-beat, funky, and firmly in the pocket. Throw in shades of Motorhead and ramp it up. You can find her shakin' it to Eldridge Gravy and The Court Supreme in Seattle, WA.


The AB Dancers Gotta see it to believe it. These Braxton sisters will get your motor running.
Follow on Twitter
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Circa Survive New Release "Violent Waves' Announced


Philly Rockers Circa Survive formed in 2004 after Anthony had an epiphany while on a layover in Phoenix – despite the fact that his band Saosin was close to success, he knew he would be miserable if he returned. When asked about his decision to leave home he said, "I left primarily because I didn't want to sign to a major label in that band." Green also said that another reason for leaving Saosin was because he was very homesick and missing his family. Green returned to Colin Frangicetto, a friend with whom he had "jammed" during his stay, and they decided to begin recording and recruiting. Thus, Circa Survive was born. The band consists of vocalist Anthony Green (the former singer of Saosin) Colin Frangicetto, Brendan Ekstrom, Nick Beard, Steve Clifford.

Their first album, Juturna, was released on April 9, 2005, by Equal Vision Records, and received mixed, yet mostly positive, reviews. However their second album, On Letting Go, released on May 29, 2007, met widespread critical acclaim.
Their third album, Blue Sky Noise, was released on April 20, 2010, on Atlantic Records to even greater critical acclaim and mainstream success, with still one of my favorite rockers the fantastic single 'Get Out'

Circa Survive - Get Out.mp3

Today they announced the release of their fourth album ‘Violent Waves’ will drop August 28th. Starting now you can pre-order "Violent Waves" directly from their website. The digital version is only $5. They have tried to make it as affordable as possible and hope you'll help them by spreading the word to your friends and families.
Colin Frangicetto is also an amazing up and coming artist, check out his work here.

Get the New Single 'Suitcase' in exchange for an addy





Give em a follow on Twitter 
Tour Dates:

08/24/12              Union Transfer  Philadelphia, PA
08/25/12              Union Transfer  Philadelphia, PA
09/13/12              Toad's Place       New Haven, CT
09/14/12              Terminal 5           New York, NY
09/15/12              House of Blues  Boston, MA
09/16/12              Rams Head Live                Baltimore, MD
09/18/12              The NorVa          Norfolk, VA
09/19/12              Amos' Southend Music Hall         Charlotte, NC
09/21/12              Center Stage      Atlanta, GA
09/22/12              Beacham Theatre            Orlando , FL
09/23/12              Revolution          Ft Lauderdale, FL
09/26/12              Cannery Ballroom            Nashville, TN
09/28/12              House of Blues  New Orleans, LA
09/29/12              House of Blues  Houston, TX
09/30/12              House of Blues  Dallas, TX
10/02/12              Emo's East           Austin, TX
10/03/12              Sunset Station   San Antonio, TX
10/05/12              The Marquee    Tempe, AZ
10/07/12              Fox Theatre        Pomona, CA
10/10/12              Club Nokia LA Live           Los Angeles, CA
10/11/12              The Regency Ballroom   San Francisco, CA
10/12/12              Wonder Ballroom            Portland, OR
10/13/12              The Showbox SODO       Seattle, WA
10/15/12              In The Venue     Salt Lake City, UT
10/16/12              The Summit Music Hall  Denver, CO
10/18/12              Granada               Lawrence, KS
10/19/12              Cabooze On The West Bank        Minneapolis, MN
10/20/12              Vic Theatre         Chicago, IL
10/21/12              The Crofoot        Pontiac, MI
10/24/12              House of Blues  Cleveland, OH
10/25/12              Town Ballroom  Buffalo, NY
10/26/12              Westcott Theater            Syracuse, NY


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Monday, June 25, 2012

The Peculiar Pretzelmen - Deeper, Darker, Weirder and Wicked Good


If Mark Twain and Edgar Allen Poe had collaborated on a story about traveling American musicians, they couldn't have imagined ‘The Peculiar Pretzelmen.’  Deeper. Darker, Weirder is their mantra as they travel horse and cart across the country, bringing their blend of Jazz, Cemetery Blues and Avantmercanna Folk to the masses.  They did three sessions for Couch by Couchwest this year from Stranger Factory in Albuquerque, NM. Check out their discography on bandcamp, wicked good.

Hammer Nails download Dead Head download

3/16/2012 #CXCW The Peculiar Pretzelmen –The Grackle
3/17/2012 #CXCW The Peculiar Pretzelmen Heart Attack and Gone to Jericho
3/17/2012 #CXCW The Peculiar Pretzelmen Gone to Jericho



Fuliginous Concretions EP released 29 February 2012 
The Peculiar Pretzelmen on this recording are:
M. Incroyable
Deacon
Riverboat Gambler
with assistance from the talented
Charming Charles
Lady J Dallas


“Imagine if you will, Tom Waits meets the ghost of Spike Jonze in some deep-south cemetery. In his 1930′s era step-side pickup truck he has a trash can with lid, some chains, buckets, skillets, a washboard, kid whistles, an accordion, a saw, banjo and an old guitar. They light some candles and maybe a couple kerosene lamps and evoke a nightmare circus dance of the dead to rattle the bones of the living.” – Paul Hupert (The Alchemist)

“[The Peculiar Pretzelmen] play a murky, hard-to-categorize blend of blues, folk, rag and rock — a little like the Dresden Dolls if you plucked them out of Weimar cabarets and deposited them in a dusty bankrupt carnival on the wrong side of Saturday night.” – Chris Parker (Colorado Springs Independent)

“one of the best albums Waits never made.” – Bizarre Magazine, UK

Check em out on Facebook, Twitter, Bandcamp
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Sunday, June 24, 2012

New Release: Tuba Skinny - Rag Band



Todd (Winfield Newton Burdick III) - Tuba
Ryan Bear- Banjo / Vocals
Erika Lewis - Vocals
Barnabus Jones - Trombone
Robin Rapuzzi - Washboard
Shaye Cohn - Trumpet

Tuba Skinny is a New Orleans band that takes its listeners back in time to the traditional jazz and blues music of the nineteen twenties and thirties. The members have been playing together since 2009 they have release four albums in as many years. Their newest 'Rag Band' dropped yesterday 6/23/12. You know this kind of roots music tickles my fancy, have a listen maybe it will tickle your's too.! 15 rad trad songs, you'll feel like you're on the streets of New Orleans.




More Amazing Videos here!

2011's Garbage Man

2010's Six Feet Down

2009's Tubaskinny



Upcoming Shows:
7/6-7/15, Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy
7/31, Tuesday at the Jalopy Theater, Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY. with Little Brothers, 8pm
8/02, Thursday at Barbes, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY
8/03, Friday at The Towne Crier, Pawling, NY. Opening act Dan Lavoie. 8:30
8/04, Saturday at the Rosendale Cafe, 434 Main St., Rosendale, NY. 8pm
8/05, Sunday at Wild Hive Farm Cafe & Bakery. 2411 Salt Point Tpke., Clinton Corners, NY. 4-6pm
8/10, Friday at Radio Bean, 8 N. Winooski Ave. Burlington, VT. 8-9:30pm
8/14, Tuesday at Two Brothers Tavern. 86 Main St. Middlebury, VT. 6-8:30pm
8/15, Wednesday at the Main Street Museum. 58 Bridge St.White River Junction, VT. 8-11pm
8/17-19, Portland, Maine-TBA
8/24, Friday at the Lilypad 1353 Cambridge St. Inman Square, Cambridge, MA.
8/25, Saturday at Dreamland, Oak Bluffs, Marthas Vineyard.
8/29, Wednesday at Roots Cultural Center, 276 Westminster, Providence, RI.
8/31, Northampton, MA-TBA
9/4, Philadelphia, PA-TBA

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Obits are Killer

Rick Froberg/Sohrab Habibion/Greg Simpson/Alexis Fleisig

Obits, a band based in Brooklyn make great blues punk rock music. Consisting of indie-rock veterans, Lead singer and guitarist, Rick Froberg, is a Southern California musician who has played in Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes and a few other bands and his fellow Obits bandmates, Sohrab Habibion, Greg Simpson and Scott Gursky
“We’re not into innovation as a band,” says Froberg, “I think innovation is overrated and an overestimated quality. Anything that’s going to be original is going to happen without your control. Things that make your band sound like you, are things you wouldn’t be able to change anyway. We just go ahead and play the stuff we like, and we don’t worry about originality per se, because that takes care of itself.”
Having spent the spring storming Europe they return home for a few shows in August before heading off to Australia.

Obits- Shift Operator.mp3
Obits - You Gotta Lose.mp3
Obits - Two-Headed Coin.mp3
Obits - Pine On.mp3


"Killer" from the 3/29/11 album Moody, Standardand Poor - SP857




FULL LENGTHS
I BLAME YOU
MOODY, STANDARD AND POOR
SINGLES
ONE CROSS APIECE
I CAN'T LOSE
LET ME DREAM IF I WANT TO

Upcoming Tour Dates

Friday, August 3, 2012
Red 7 Patio (TX), Austin TX all ages!
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Marquis Theater, Denver CO all ages!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Alex's Bar, Long Beach CA
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Annandale Hotel (Sydney), Annandale Australia
Friday, August 24, 2012
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne Australia
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Jive, Adelaide Australia
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Zoo, Brisbane Australia

Get Social

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Wolf & Cub - Shut Me Out/Got Nothing Coming


Joel Byrne - vocals, electric guitar, percussion
Joel Carey - drums/percussion
Wade Keighran - bass guitar
Marvin Hammond - drums/percussion, saxophone

If you are unfamiliar with Wolf & Cub now’s your chance to rectify that. Wolf & Cub are a band from Adelaide, Australia. Three of the original members hail from Port Augusta, South Australia. Their music is predominantly psychedelic with elements of Rock.

The band formed in 2002. Joel Byrne, Adam Edwards and Thomas Mayhew moved to Adelaide after finishing high school. Adam and Tom met Joel Byrne through his younger brother Luke who said his older brother just sat in his room all day playing guitar. Joel Byrne and Joel Carey met at university. Later when Joel Byrne brought Joel Carey to a jam the foursome decided to form a band.
In May 2007, the band announced on their MySpace page that drummer Adam Edwards had left and that they were looking for a new drummer: On 8 July the band announced that they had found a new drummer, Marvin Hammond, from Adelaide band Artax Mission.

The Adelaide group, who launched themselves onto the Australian music scene back in 2004 with their self-titled EP, which featured Thousand Cuts, a track that went on to get remix treatment by Paul Epworth in what is one of the producer's defining moments. But the last we've heard from them is via their second album Science And Sorcery in 2009.
Says, Joel Byrne "I'll be the first to admit that we aren't the most prolific band going around. I mean, we're looking at 9 or so years together with only two albums and a couple of eps to show for it. What can I say? Making albums is tough. This year though, it seems like we're getting our shit together."

In February of this year they released - Double A Side Single “See The Light // All Through The Night”



In May of this year they released - Double A Side Single "Shut Me Out // Got Nothing Coming" as a FREE Download


Follow on Twitter Facebook Youtube Soundcloud
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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Stop and smell the flowers Kompaniet - "Vi i dalen"


Jens Persholt - lead vocals/guitar
Tina Olsson - lead vocals
Karl Johansson - guitar/harmonica
Sebastian Nordström - bass
Adam Jönsson - drums
Alex Lindroos - keys
Pontus Enberg - percussions
Emilia Magnusson - vocals
Linnea Storm - vocals

I don't know too much about this band, their from Sweden and make groovy Psychedelic Blues/Folk/Rock music, found out about them about two months ago and have been monitoring via Facebook and YouTube as they posted songs from their new album. Well now they have released their whole debut album "Vi i dalen" on bandcamp for 20 SEK ($2.8275) kick back, light one up and take a journey, see you on the other side.
Kompaniet is the shining and colorful flower that came from a seed that germinated for a long long time. In early 2011, Kompaniet started to look and sound like it does today - psychedelic gusts combined with blues and the unavoidable folk-ish style that simply is in our Swedish genes is what creates our sound. And on top of that, classic rock 'n roll. It can't get any better. Quite a selfish and impressive thing to say considering we've grown up with the jantelag, isn't it?

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The Ugly Club To Release Debut LP July 13th


Ryan Egan – Vocals, guitar, percussion.
Joseph Stasio – Guitar, vocals, percussion, engineering, mixing.
Taylor Mandel – Keyboards, rhodes, piano, trumpet, melodica, percussion.
Rick Sue-Poi – Bass.
Ryan Mcnulty – Drums, percussion.
Sara Salermo – Back up vocals tracks 3, 4, 8, and 9

New Jersey’s psychedelic indie-rock quintet, The Ugly Club, will be releasing their debut full-length album, You Belong To The Minutes, on July 13th. 


About the LP, Egan tells us, “Having the opportunity to show people this record is definitely the most monumental point in our career. This is the first time that we have an art piece that truly represents the band and will set the precedent for the future of our sound.”

Fearlessly honest and unwaveringly persistent, The UglyClub, has been operating for nearly two years with such a force that the band has become impossible to ignore.  Formed in 2009, The Ugly Club consists of Ryan Egan (vocals/guitar), Joseph Stasio(vocals/guitar), Taylor Mandel (keyboard/piano/trumpet/melodica), Rick Sue-Poi (bass) and Ryan McNulty (percussion).  Following the success of their debut EP, Visions of Tall Girl, The Ugly Club’s fans have been hungry for more of their unique, infectious sound. Even hungrier to deliver, The Ugly Club began a Kickstarter campaign to help fund a full-length album. The band’s devotion to their fans and vice versa became evident when the campaign raised more than double its goal, making the release of You Belong To The Minutes a celebration for the band and fans alike.


Digital Album: Pre-order of You Belong To The Minutes including immediate download of 2 tracks in your choice of MP3 320, FLAC, or other formats. A link to the complete album will be emailed to you the moment it’s released.


Since the humble beginnings of The Ugly Club in various small towns throughout central New Jersey, the band has had high aspirations and an unfaltering vision of their career path.  Two self-released/produced EPs deep, the band has independently toured the east coast playing notable venues and festivals like SXSW in Austin, TX and has received praise from publications like The Music Slut, Absolutepunk.net, Forbes.com, The Deli Magzine & countless others.  “If White Arrows were the hardest working ‘official’ SXSW band, The Ugly Club was the hardest working ‘unofficial’ band,” says Mike Henneberger of Stages & Stereotype.com, regarding the bands’ tireless efforts busking, promoting and playing gigs during music week.  With the help of both DIY marketing and free-download distribution, the bands’ previous release, Visions of Tall Girl EP has surpassed 100k downloads worldwide.


Visions of Tall Girl available for free download.


Follow on twitter and Facebook to stay up to date


Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Stream -Trent Dabbs New Album 'Future Like Snow'


Trent Dabbs is an American singer-songwriter who was raised in Jackson, Mississippi, but has been based in Nashville for his professional career. He co-founded the musical collective Ten Out of Tenn in 2005. Dabbs has released six solo albums and a self-titled collaboration album with Ashley Monroe since his move to Nashville.
Growing up in the rich literary and religious environment of Mississippi, and then moving straight into the country-soaked musical world of Nashville, Trent Dabbs has many stories to tell. Like Flannery O’Connor with her short story collection, A Good Man Is Hard To Find, Dabbs pieces his own spiritual and relational questions into well crafted folk-pop albums. The ghosts of Johnny Cash, old gospel-choirs, Neil Young, and Nick Drake are heard roaming the halls of Trent’s songs.
His latest Album ‘Future Like Snow is out today and available for purchase on iTunes.

He also has the side project Sugar and the Hi- Lows with Amy Stroup they released an album in February which is also available on iTunes

Have a listen: 


'Future Like Snow' Sampler via Noise Trade

 You can get the Ten Out Of Tenn compilations via Noise Trade

  

New Music Seminar Presents Christopher Paul Stelling & The Dead Exs


This Wednesday Night Christopher Paul Stelling will be playing The New Music Seminar at Cameo Gallery, located behind the Lovin' Cup in Williamsburg with our good friends The Dead Exs



Songs of Praise and Scorn, which was released on February 12th,  he recorded the entirety of it in a 200 year old funeral home in Louisville, Kentucky.  Sounds eerie as hell, right?  According to him, “Yeah it was creepy, it’s a fucking 200 year old funeral home; it was just unsettling enough that it was fun to work at.”

Christopher Paul Stelling has been kicking around under the radar between Daytona Beach and New York City for years, apparently working on his craft until he felt the time was right to sign a deal. Judging from his material and performance, and the confidence with which he presents the songs on Songs of Praise and Scorn, the time may have been long past.
With occasional female harmonizing and violin, Stelling has put together an album that will hopefully draw people to live performances where they can see what a real self-contained, modern-day troubadour looks and sounds like. Songs of Praise and Scorn is a fine way to introduce someone who should be a voice to be reckoned with in the years to come.


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The Dead Exs (blogged previously here and other places on this blog if you wish to search) have new music coming out very soon....I have stuck it in my ears and it is going to be a killer follow up to their 2011 Debut album 'Resurrection,' which if you haven't gotten yet, I suggest you do. 'Name your price.' They have been playing these new songs at all their shows recently so you are guaranteed to hear these great new tunes on Wednesday night.





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Benjamin Henderson - Fortunes

Photo by Ian Healy

Hat tip to River City Extension for the heads up. 

"Benjamin Henderson is a bandit with a heart of gold. He steals strums, styles and stories from the past and sets them free to dance the good dance, night after night, venue after venue. His charm, powerful voice and musical ability will allow him to get away with it for years. No matter the setting or with what ensemble, Henderson always delivers a passionate and palpable energy to the listener. He trades EPs and goose bumps for five dollar bills. With Get Me Wrong, his follow-up to last year's Dirty Birdies, Ben has accumulated a hefty load of kudos and a chain of followers. His fans show up to watch his rock band, The Good Hustle, or his collaborations with other local all-stars, and local press tries hard to put into words something about Ben Henderson's muse, his connection to the cosmos, his believability and the passion behind his words and music.

Ben can do Americana. Ben can do Floyd. He can match soaring melodies with angular waltzes, and open his diary over a simple blues. Ben's solo act fulfills the promise made a generation ago by Cat Stevens, Neil Young and James Taylor. One man can walk onto a silent stage, with an acoustic guitar, and wield all of the emotional and dynamic power available to a master musician and storyteller. Ben in an ensemble is a wonder to watch, as his strength and energy are not contained by any half, third or quarter of a stage. It turns into a near-athletic event. Ben attempts to bury drumsticks into floor toms, rip the strings off of his electric bass, and destroy the poor SM58 in front of him. His bandmates have no choice but to follow the leader, and the air molecules in the room have no choice but to shake as they will rarely shake again."
Fortunes - Released June 14th ‘12
Get Me Wrong - Free for an addy



Upcoming Shows *June 20 Seattle, WA Barboza *June 22 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court *June 23 Denver, CO Marquis Theatre June 24 Lawrence, KS Jackpot Music Hall *June 26 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry June 27 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern *June 28 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection June 29 Pontiac, MI The Pike Room *June 30 Akron, OH Musica July 2 Pittsburgh, PA Altar Bar


Monday, June 18, 2012

Stream: Black Pistol Fire - Big Beat '59


Black Pistol Fire features Kevin McKeown on Guitar/Lead Vocals and Eric Owen on Drums. The two have been friends since kindergarten and began playing music together when they discovered a shared passion for rock and roll music in high school. The two have been playing together for 11 years, the last 3 of those in Black Pistol Fire.

Black Pistol Fire is a Canadian Rock and Roll duo that split’s time between Toronto, Ontario and Austin, Texas. Their wild and energetic rock-and-roll sound has been described as a mix of classic southern rock and garage punk, garnering comparisons to early Kings of Leon, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Black Keys, and Clutch. It's clear that the band's sound spans many different eras and sub-genres, relying on a classic rock and roll sound that has been updated for our modern times.

Stream new album Big Beat '59





Saturday, June 16, 2012

The Owsley Brothers - Dark, Saturated Cobolt Blues

Photo By Sharra A
Jerad E. Reynolds(Guitar, Vocals)/BWise(Guitar)/John Tally (Drums)

Previously featured on Popakazooza Volume 2 and Rock Mix Volume 4The Owsley Brothers recently released a full length album of smash the beer cans on the garage floor blues called 'Colbalt' which fittingly is chemical element atomic number 27 and one bad-ass color blue. Eleven whiskey drinkin, lo-fing, reverb soaked  gems of dark dirty nasty freakin blues. Pour three fingers, open the garage door and blast it to the neighbors. Get it for low low price of five buckeroos.



What started off as a solo project of multi-instrumentalist J.E. Reynolds has now blossomed into the Owsley Brothers debut EP Pure Lust. Reynolds was raised in the foothills of Southeast Kentucky, where he fell under the spell of both Pre-war American Music & Punk Rock. After relocating to the Florida Panhandle he honed his instrumental and vocal chops touring the region with neo-bluegrass acts; WaCo Ramblers & the Tennessee Firearms. The Owsley Brothers showcase his darker punk & blues underbelly: pounding drums, soulful vocals, reverb drenched guitars and undeniably catchy hooks. Leaked tracks from Pure Lust have attracted much attention & glowing reviews of blog community stalwarts; Indie Rock Café, Review Stalker, Mad Mackerel, Faronheit & Sonic Masala. The songs on this EP are charmingly lo-fi, each track draws the listener in, transporting them to a place where the past and present collide. The Owsley Brothers are garage-blues from the dark side, a complex, genre-bending puzzle that is immediately listenable.



Get these free on their bandcamp page




Friday, June 15, 2012

Nikki Sue & The Bad News - Lower Places

Nikki Sue – Guitar, & Vocals/Ben Hutcheon – guitars/Anthony O’Connor – Drums/Steve Salerno - Bass

Readers of this blog will remember Nicki Sue and the Bad News from thier Couch by Couchwest session where they delighted with 'Bridge By The River' from thier EP 'Ancohored' and also featured here on Popakazooza Vol. 2 and Garden State Mix Vol. 2 about that time they were getting ready to release a new album 'Lower Places' which is available via bandcamp name your price (see below)
Couch by Couchwest Session


Nikki Sue & The Bad News are a female fronted indie rock powerhouse with a bit of a twist. Their range of influences is wide and varied: from Buddy Holly to Johnny Cash to Billie Holiday to Neko Case. This band certainly give nods to their predecessors and contemporary influences while adding their own personal twist. Setting their sound apart, Nikki Sue & The Bad News focus on raw emotional (even at time confessional) lyrics and dynamic vocals, twangy guitars, jazz influenced bass, and a foot tapping rhythm section. Having lived all over the world but definitively hailing from New Jersey, Nikki Sue’s magnetic stage presence in combination with a sea of passion behind every song and catchy-as-all-heck riffs win over any crowd, any day, anywhere.


Lower Places



Nikki Sue currently plays both acoustic and with her full band, Nikki Sue & The Bad News, all over the New York, Brooklyn, New Jersey, Pennsylvania area with frequency and enthusiasm. Nikki Sue began playing guitar in an all-female punk rock band, after which she then moved on to a play various instruments in indie rock bands. Briefly after stints in many bands and earning a college degree which she has no use for, Nikki Sue pushed it all aside to live on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. While on a wild journey on the other side of the pond, she started intricately crafting folky songs and found her destined place as a vocalist for the first time in her musical career, however, she still needed convincing because the thought of being in the spotlight made her weak in the knees (in a bad way). After returning back to the US and showing her closest friends and confidants what she had been working on, she was given the push she needed to peruse this course further. Long time friend Tim Lastfogel talked the apprehensive Ms. Nikki Sue into recording a quick acoustic demo, completed in one afternoon in a walk-in closet and distributed it around the local scene. Before long, floods of emails and calls came in requesting performances.

Since then Nikki Sue has played everywhere and anywhere from basements, to multi-day festivals and conferences, to country BBQ hoe-downs, to record stores, to quirky bars, to rooftops, to blues roadhouses, to wild biker bars, to piers overlooking NYC, to fundraisers and charity events, to art shows…. you get the point! Everyone in the band brings their own style and influence to the table to create a genre defying sound all their own while simultaneously bonding over their extreme love for music and obsession with sharing it with the world.

Their debut EP 'Anchored' is available as a free download.


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