This must be a record, nearly a month to post a gig review. I have my reasons for the ‘slight delay’ and I will post this and be damned, given that the raison d’etre for this blog was always supposed to be as my own gig diary and compendium. Anyone who wants to glance over …
http://www.ledzeppelin.com
Monday night on Halloween eve’s eve, Seattle’s Triple Door hosted the illustrious and legendary Robyn Hitchcock. Although Hitchcock was posted as the headliner, this really was a stellar line-up of bands, all of whom are legendary in their own right (such as the Young Fresh Fellows, who are local legends). Peter Buck (of REM fame …
After our High Noon show at the Keystone Berkeley in late July, 1981, Mickey Hart told the rest of the band “Anyone who wants to go, we’re heading over to the Hell’s Angels’ clubhouse in Oakland”. I followed the others in a caravan to somewhere in Oakland. We all pulled into a corner parking lot. …
Tomten’s new video for the single “So So So” from the album Wednesday’s Children. Directed by Jacob Rosen.
In his first official (legally licensed) cover, L.A.’s underground Hip-Hop-meets-everything dynamo Anacron takes The Virgins breakout hit “Rich Girls” to new heights; re-working the producing, playing, and performing of the hit tune in a typically atypical fashion that’s already been labeled “better than the original” by many. Wrangling every live instrument and programming tool within …
After she left Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll recorded a solo album in 1969 (also titled 1969) with Chris Spedding on guitar, future husband Keith Tippett on piano, and Soft Machine‘s horn and woodwind players. Recorded by Eddie Offord, it’s a delightful slice of English progressive pop/jazz. – Pat Thomas is the author of the recently …
Happy Birthday to Sylvia Plath, one the literary obsessions of my youth, Steve Wynn turned me onto Peter Laughner decades ago, he said “this guy’s songwriting reminds me of you” and handed me a cassette of Laugnhers’s solo LP. I’m a little less obsessed with Plath these days, but I did buy a CD of …
Not that I have anything against bluegrass (a lot of which I love), but this banjo riff is closer to something you might hear from Andy Partridge and XTC than Union Station. Another terrific acoustitristic song from my favorite brother, Mark Horton. – Rich Horton
In some ways, this video for “Amigos” reminds me of the classic old short film, Baptism: Sacrament of Belonging. Sure, there’s more tequila in the new version, more heaving bosoms and squirming thighs, but the message of acceptance is essentially the same.
Steve Gans has said “there are two kinds of music: the kind you’re introduced to as a teenager, and everything else.” Quite true. I’ve been watching musical guests on SNL for decades, from the beginning to the present, and the two most memorable for me are still performances by Elvis Costello and the Specials which …
Youngblood Hawke’s upcoming show at The Crystal Ballroom on November 20th is a 94/7 “I Saw Them When” event, and the show only costs $.94! The band is on tour in support of their self-titled debut EP which came out in August. A full-length album will follow early next year. http://youngbloodhawke.tumblr.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH1caVBApj4
Midnight Magic is gearing up to release their debut LP, Walking the Midnight Streets, on 11/13. They’ve earned praise from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, SPIN, KCRW & more, and have shared stages with the likes of The Rapture, Cut Copy, and Holy Ghost. Members of Midnight Magic have also played in various DFA bands, including the …
This video has a ponderous history lesson at the start, but be patient, because this Hendrix-like version of “Ghost Riders in the Sky” is worth the wait. http://www.dickdale.com/
This vid too has taken the country by storm.
This video was trending hot in the US today:
“You Don’t Own Me” was a great pre-feminist pop nugget from 1964. But it’s ironic now, nearly 50 years later, that we need reminders from a song this old. Then again, Lesley Gore was ahead of her time. – Rich Horton
A bit stiff, a little corny… but what a piece of rock history, televised. The Ventures‘ rock ‘n’ roll version of “Walk, Don’t Run,” which had debuted on Seattle’s KJR radio, was on fire in 1960. “Walk, Don’t Run” was hardly epic or complicated in design, but in the hands of masonry workers-turned-guitarists Bob Bogle …
New Depeche Mode:
Here’s a catchy and surprisingly rockin’ version of “Along Comes Mary” performed by the Association at the Monterey Pop Festival. http://youtu.be/7g23arjqsjQ
There is a music gene in the human genetic code that contains an understanding of music. Sometimes it shows up in a family of non-musicians, sometimes it’s passed down through generations. It makes learning music easy. Becoming a musician still requires a lot of hard work, but those who have this gene have a big …
Here’s another band that I met while driving around Portland, Glassbones. Or at least I met the singer-guitarist, Colin, who is truly a nice fellow. He mentioned he’s a cook by trade. (He’s hot, he plays in a band AND he cooks, ladies. For what more could you possibly ask…) They released an excellent album …
Here is a previously unreleased early 70’s Van Morrison recording, never been issued, (yanked from several releases), Van says, “It’s hard to work out why you didn’t put something out at the time. Usually it felt like it didn’t fit… When I was with Warner Brothers they were very minimalist.” – Pat Thomas is the …
Loving this Moby Grape family tree, gig list and discography website, it’s a truly fine thing….. http://www.chickenonaunicycle.com/Moby%20Grape.htm – Pat Thomas is the author of the recently released work, Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975
I’m going to try to live today, as I do every day, according to the principles set forth by Jimi Hendrix in Axis: Bold as Love. – John Roderick [John Roderick will be performing with friends at the Showbox in Seattle on Oct. 29. Follow him as he tweets his wisdom @johnroderick.] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xTcLrTabS4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6kicCnvPC4
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour released their sophomore album in January to praise from NPR and the New Yorker to Rolling Stone and SPIN. Known for their contagious energy and catchy pop hooks, they’ve had songs featured in an iPod commercial, a global Heineken campaign, and on a handful of hit TV shows. Go here for …
A few weeks ago, I was driving around Portland and met a very nice fellow, Andy Strange, bass player for Portland’s crime-a-billy band, The Strange Tones. They play a fun mix of Americana, blues and surf. Last year they put out a fine Christmas album which never got the publicity push it needed because Andy …
With her combination of profound lyrics, haunting melodies, and radio-friendly hooks, there is no music like that of singer/songwriter Lorelei Carlson in today’s music industry. She is intriguing listeners with her unique flavor of indie pop on her new EP, 20mg, which displays an alternative, yet universal appeal that reflects her cosmopolitan upbringing in cities …