Monthly Archives: June 2015

In rotation: 6/18/15

By TVD HQ | Published: June 18, 2015

Capricorn Records office building purchased by Macon businessman: “The Capricorn Records building has been a magnet for rock ‘n’ roll stars, such as the Allman Brothers Band, the Marshall Tucker Band and Stillwater…”

Jimmy Page Previews Final Zeppelin Reissues, Closes Band Vault: “As far as the studio side of things [goes], this is it,” the guitarist says

Pavement Kick Off Vinyl Rarities Compilations With ‘Slanted’ Outtakes: ‘The Secret History Vol. 1’ will collect B-sides, unreleased sessions, Peel sessions and live recordings

In tandem with our partners, Som Records and DC Soul Recordings, we’re pleased to announce that the DC Record Fair returns to Penn Social on Sunday, August 9 for a “Dog Days of Summer Edition.” Watch this space for details and DJs to come!

“Newly remastered versions of Van Halen II, Women and Children First, Fair Warning and Diver Down will be released on July 10th…In order to produce the original sound the band intended, Bellman cut straight from the quarter-inch, original analog tapes for CD; for 180-gram vinyl; and for the digital version…”

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TVD Live: Hamell on Trial at Big Andy’s TV House, 5/9

By Michael H. Little | Published: June 17, 2015

So there I was, in Northwest Washington, DC sitting on a sofa Big Andy’s living room on Saturday, May 9, 2015, witnessing the miraculous. Namely, the great Ed Hamell of Hamell on Trial and it was a privilege to watch him perform in a space so small. Why, it could hardly have been more intimate if we’d all taken off our clothes like the guy in Hamell’s wonderful song, “First Date.”

Hamell, in case you’re not acquainted with his work, is one of the most idiosyncratic figures on the indie scene. He’s an anti-folk folkie who can play his old Gibson at about 1,000 mph, a teller of filthy jokes who is dead serious when it comes to the state of the world and its myriad casualties, and a survivor of drug addiction who still loves whores and other down-and-outers and insists upon achieving career success on his own terms, which is why he was playing Big Andy’s living room instead of Madison Square Garden. Oh, and did I happen to mention he takes his 13-year-old son Detroit on the road with him, and even brings Detroit to the front of the stage to tell a few jokes? Hamell is truly one of a kind; a compassionate man who loves to tell his audiences to go fuck themselves, and a cynic abounding with empathy. And it’s all in good not quite clean fun, as are many of his most noteworthy songs, such as the wonderfully bilious “I Hate Your Kid.”

The first thing you learn, watching Hamell, is that he loves to tell jokes, interrupts his own songs to tell jokes, and works jokes into his songs. He also interrupts his tunes to tell hilarious true stories, about his old drug buddies and their misadventures, which include smoking cat litter in the hopes that it was a rock of crack even though they knew damn well it was kitty litter, or finding a suitcase floating at sea filled with white powder, which they snorted without effect until they found a medallion certifying the contents as the remains of some cremated somebody.

Posted in TVD Washington, DC | 2 Comments

TVD Premiere: Charlie Sayles, “Laughin And Grinning”

By Mike Olinger | Published: June 17, 2015

Mouth harp pioneer Charlie Sayles exemplifies the last of the blues “journeymen.”

Charlie Sayles has blown his harmonica all over the world—from London to Shanghai and even on the stage at Carnegie Hall. His unique style, gleamed from his journeys to New York, St. Louis, and Atlanta has been documented by the Smithsonian in an effort to capture the last soundbites of the authentic blues journeymen.

We have the pleasure of premiering the lead single “Laughin And Grinnin” from Sayles’ forthcoming album—due in stores on July 1. The song and accompanying album manages to leapfrog the derivative slump blues has found itself in by the sheer authenticity that Sayles brings to the table.

The seasoned “journeyman” avoids the standard clichés, going for the gut with clever couplets, off kilter rhythms, and a raw performance worthy of his legacy.

Charlie Sayles Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp

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Conan: Herculean Doom Metal from Liverpool

By Jon Pacella | Published: June 17, 2015

The genre of doom metal has just undergone a serious upgrade courtesy of the U.K.’s Conan. The trio from Liverpool, England are best known for their herculean sound and guitars tuned so low that they may have quite possibly summoned the Old Gods from the deep, bringing about the end of all mankind.

Both their live shows and their latest album, 2014’s Blood Eagle, have been hailed by critics and fans alike—of which I am both. Their set was one of the more sonically powerful sets at Psycho California this year—their heavy chords like iron shaking the rafters of the venue. Amidst the chaos of the fest in Santa Ana, I had a chance to break away for a few minutes and talk to vocalist-guitarist Jon Davis and drummer Rich Lewis about all that is Conan.

How’s Psycho California going so far for you guys?

Jon Davis: It’s been great! We almost felt like we couldn’t settle down before we got here and we went onstage pretty much straight away. We’re looking forward to relaxing and having a few beers.

Sounds excellent. Do you think the set went well?

JD: Oh yeah, I think so. [to Rich Lewis] What’d you think?

Rich Lewis: Yeah, we had a great sound on stage and I think we played pretty cool.

Pretty good crowd reaction?

RL: Yeah, yeah. It was good watching them and sort of putting it back in.

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The Best of Shell Zenner Presents

By Shell Zenner | Published: June 17, 2015

Greater Manchester’s most in the know radio host Shell Zenner broadcasts the best new music every week on the UK’s Amazing Radio and Bolton FM. You can also catch Shell’s broadcast here now every Wednesday at TVD.

“We have a Manchester tipster this week! Mike Emerson returns with a hot tip for us! On the bandstand this week, Little Comets talks support acts and more!

Brighton has a bit of a reputation for rock, right? Theo Verney is a shining light in both realms and he’s chatting to me on this week’s show about his forthcoming EP.” —SZ

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Graded on a Curve: Tropical Disco Hustle Volume Two

By Joseph Neff | Published: June 17, 2015

Soul Music of All Diasporas! That’s the calling card of Cultures of Soul, a label operated by Deano Sounds out of Boston, MA, and a large portion of his venture’s output is devoted to international surveys of original disco. Illuminating an earlier era of idea exchange amidst distinct geographical flavors, the sum has been listenable as well as informative; available now on CD and 2LP is Tropical Disco Hustle Volume Two.

By my count Cultures of Soul’s disco comp tally is up to five; one Brazilian, two Hindi, and now two from the Caribbean region. Never did I think I’d be inundated with the impetus of so much ‘70s rump shaking, and the endeavor has proven surprisingly successful. That’s in part due to a sustained curatorial point of view highlighting subtle detours from formula while documenting a worldwide dance imperative. I’ve no idea how much more is in the pipeline, but the series has yet to falter.

Wild Fire, Trinidadian stars of the first Tropical Disco installment, open Volume Two. “Try Making Love” gathers a standard disco template, deepens it with a killer bass line, and lends uniqueness through crisp hand drums and ample spacey guitar. The lyrics take the titular advice and kinda drive it into the ground (or deep into the mattress, as it were), but that’s not really a weakness in dance floor-inclined stuff; “Try Making Love” topped the chart in Trinidad for six weeks.

The funkiness of “The Dealer” is more lyrically elaborate, presenting a storyline of an itinerant character hustling to make ends meet by acquiring and selling materials big and small. An interesting portrait, but closer to the disco norm is “Dance with Me,” a fairly typical gyration motivator loaded with electric keyboards and a dash of synthetic strings.

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In rotation: 6/17/15

By TVD HQ | Published: June 17, 2015

Play De Record Vinyl Series: the home of largest vinyl plant in the world, “If you were to pick through your records right now, there’s a really good possibility that more than a few of them were crafted in the small Czech village of Lodenice…Out of the 9 million records bought in the United States last year, over half of them were from Lodenice…”

Global record release day shift prompts record store response: “…The global change, which will be put into practice July 10, is described by the IFPI as a way for stores to take advantage of the increase in retail traffic and impulse buying that occurs during the weekend. Sales statistics may back up the IFPI’s logic, but A2IM’s Department of Record Stores still wants to offer customers a reason to come to the record store at the beginning of the week—their answer is Vinyl Tuesday…”

Canadian-owned CD/DVD/Vinyl Record retailer coming to North Bay: “Sunrise Records is opening a store at Northgate Shopping Centre…”

London’s Newest Record Shop Might Also be its Most Secret: “Another day, another new record shop opens in South London. OK, so Sacred Grooves has actually been open since March, but surely that just proves how hush-hush they’ve been. With no online presence to speak of and open just one day a week, Sacred Grooves is one of the capital’s best kept secrets and the forth record shop to open in Peckham in the last year…”

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TVD Live: Courtney Barnett with Chastity Belt at the 9:30 Club, 6/14

By Roger Catlin | Published: June 16, 2015

PHOTOS: RICHIE DOWNS | How can a sneer, a riff, and a witty turn of phrase sound so fresh? They’ve been crucial ingredients for great rock for decades but Australia’s Courtney Barnett makes it sound new again with her disarming, offhand style.

The 26-year-old from Melbourne has sold out about every show she’s ever had in D.C. back from when she played DC9 to the Black Cat to this weekend’s big two night stand at the 9:30 Club.

By now she’s got such a command of what she’s doing she’s also incorporated her equally formidable skills in graphic arts that have made her album covers and posters so charming, creating (or at least overseeing) a kaleidoscope of swirling, personalized designs projected behind her trio—hand-drawn abstractions that accelerate as her band speeds up.

While her command empowers female fans glad to see a woman lead the way with guitar and smart lyrics, it’s still apparently an adjustment to some rock dudes, apparently, one of whom bellowed between songs in Sunday’s show: “Are you married?”

Barnett gave him a quizzical look. It was as odd as when somebody asked earlier how Bonnaroo was. “Fun,” she said, with the same odd look. “Thanks for asking.”

But marriage?

“It’s not that kind of show,” she said, pricelessly.

Posted in TVD Washington, DC | 1 Comment

TVD Live: Spoon at
the Newport Music
Hall, 6/12

By Mike Scherf | Published: June 16, 2015

PHOTOS: ORIANA BELAVIC | Let’s spend a few paragraphs getting some obvious stuff out of the way before I dig into what this review will really be about.

Spoon is a fantastic band. Like really, really great. Their discography is nearly impeccable, they sound awesome live, the whole band is loaded front to back with incredible musicians, and Britt Daniel is an all-world front man. They also seem like generally awesome people and go out of their way to keep their vinyl discography in print and at a low cost.

You should go see Spoon live. Their set last Friday in Columbus was great and that’s even with the first quarter of the set being completely marred by guitar issues. Daniel’s guitar straight up didn’t work and the lead guitar was all messed up too. They were visibly frustrated and were understandably a little sloppy through the first three or four songs, but when things pulled together, they were a treat.

Back to Britt Daniel for a second—the guy has something timeless about him. From the way he physically looks to the way he delivers his vocals, he just seems like a rock star through and through without coming off as a pompous jerk. He held his guitar high in the air and pointed at the crowd, and at that exact moment the house lights flick on and the audience roars. That’s a mastery of the moment to get a crowd whipped into a frenzy.

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Galactic launches Pledge Music campaign for Into the Deep

By Jay Mazza | Published: June 16, 2015

Everybody’s favorite funky soul band—or is it soulful funk band?—just finished putting the last touches on their new record Into The Deep which comes out on July 17, 2015. But before they put it out into the world, they wanted to make it available to fans of the band before it is available to the public.

Pre-ordering gets you instant access to one of the brand new tracks, “Right On,” as well as exclusive updates and additional content. Check out one of the new tracks after the jump.

The group is also adding some very cool limited-edition items and experiences that fans have been clamoring for including turntable mats, signed vinyl and CDs, drum heads, meet and greets, lessons, and more.

Posted in TVD New Orleans | Leave a comment

Nalani & Sarina,
The TVD First Date and Premiere of the new EP “Scattered World”

By Special to TVD | Published: June 16, 2015

“I guess you could call us ‘old souls.'”

“Even though we’re only 21, there’s been a record player in our family’s living room our entire lives and we were still using cassettes into the 2010s, although mostly for recording lessons and/ or new songs.

A couple of years back, we finally stumbled upon the albums that went with the turntable; classics by artists like Carole King, Paul Simon, and Judy Collins and we were hooked. We began venturing out to local record stores, our favorite being the Princeton Record Exchange in Princeton, NJ, and found some really cool records including Herbie Hancock and James Taylor.

Soon, friends and fans found out about our new obsession and began buying us LPs by our all-time favorites such as Ray Charles and Sam & Dave. And our “vinyl obsession” was most recently fully satisfied when our dear friend and legendary music critic Dave Marsh invited us to help him “clean out” some of his storage space. Boy, did we make a killing! A bunch of classics—Elvis, Bruce, B.B., Dylan, Jackson Browne albums as well as a number of box sets, including the legendary Phil Spector box.

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UK Artist of the Week:
The Dirty Blonde

By Zara Hoffman | Published: June 16, 2015

The Dirty Blonde are a Glasgow-based four piece who have got some serious, good old-fashioned indie/rock vibes going on and we love it.

Their latest single “Goodbye: Tiny Fractures” begins with a rather catchy, toe-tapping indie guitar jingle before it breaks out the distorted guitar in the chorus and the guys totally rock out. Lead singer Danny Gallagher’s voice suits the more rockier side of the track perfectly, with his voice not sounding far from the likes of Dave Grohl—there’s some serious grit and husky goodness going on.

The Dirty Blonde are formed of two brothers, Danny (lead vocals and guitar) and Paddy (bass and vocals) Gallagher (yes, we noticed it too). The lads came from a musically encouraged family and were surrounded by music from a young age. When Dean Canale (drums) and David Rybacki (guitar and vocals) came into the mix, The Dirty Blonde was born and the boys haven’t looked back since. After doing the rounds in Glasgow and around the UK, the boys were able to use the money they’d earned to set up their own rehearsal and recording studio and they are now ready to rock.

“Goodbye: Tiny Fractures” is out now via Two States Recordings. Keep up to date with the band on Facebook.

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Graded on a Curve:
Rob Mazurek / Exploding Star Orchestra, Galactic Parables: Volume 1

By Joseph Neff | Published: June 16, 2015

Groundbreaking cornetist, composer, improviser, and bandleader Rob Mazurek is busy amassing one of the most impressive discographies of the 21st century, and a main thread in that value belongs to his consistently evolving Exploding Star Orchestra. Galactic Parables: Volume 1 is an expansive, beautifully designed 2CD/3LP set marking the Orchestra’s 10th anniversary and corralling a pair of live performances of the titular science-fictive suite. In detailing the boldness of Mazurek’s vision it’s likely his best to date; it’s out now on Cuneiform Records.

As many of last century’s noteworthy artists reach their autumnal years, the flow of announcements and obits of their passing has increased in frequency; last week we lost one of the very greatest in the Texas-born sax-theorist Ornette Coleman. Obviously, it can be easy to lose track and not properly absorb individual significance as these notices pile up.

On the other hand, a person can become overwhelmed with the belief of golden days slipping away and therefore neglect to keep tabs on contemporary strides in respective fields. In a fit of frustration or bout of depression, a mind might declare a once esteemed genre as effectively dead; this is a regular occurrence in jazz, an art form that’s contended with accusations of decline since the 1930s, if not earlier.

Rob Mazurek undercuts the notion of jazz’s expiration by working so diligently he makes busy musicians look like a bunch of lazy shits. He emerged in the mid-‘90s, first as leader and shortly thereafter as founder of the Chicago Underground Collective with guitarist Jeff Parker and drummer Chad Taylor, an entity debuting on record as an Orchestra but more common in Duo and Trio configurations that stretched into the current decade.

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In rotation: 6/16/15

By TVD HQ | Published: June 16, 2015

Eagles fan opens new vinyl record shop complete with Crystal Palace Park turnstile: “…Chris Winter, 56, has opened Turnstyle Records, in Streatham High Road, Streatham, to try to swim against the tide of music stores shutting down across the capital. The name comes from a cast iron turnstile he bought from the shop’s previous owners in its incarnation as a vintage emporium…”

Kenosha retailer stays in the groove: “…John Galgano has been watching the record business spin for decades, from 78 rpm records in juke boxes to brand new vinyl re-issues for an enthusiastic young audience. His father Tony owned Galgano Records at Armitage and Pulaski on Chicago’s northwest side for generations, so John was born into the business…”

Arthur Russell collaborator launches Kickstarter campaign for vinyl pressing plant in Brooklyn: The Brooklyn Vinyl Works aims to “make record manufacturing more accessible” “If successful, Brooklyn Vinyl Works will run 24 hours a day. Members of the public will also be able to visit the plant and watch the vinyl pressing process through a specially constructed glass wall…”

Q&A: Jam 88.3’s Russ Davis On Releasing A Pinoy Indie Vinyl Record, And Hosting This Generation’s Version Of NU’s ‘In The Raw’: If you’re a fan of Filipino indie music, you’ve most likely heard of this little gem

Posted in A morning mix of news for the vinyl inclined | Leave a comment

TVD Live Shots: Royal Blood and Mini Mansions at the 9:30 Club, 6/10

By Richie Downs | Published: June 15, 2015

British power-duo, Royal Blood invaded the 9:30 Club last Wednesday night to play for a packed house and gave the DC audience a taste of what this musical pair from Brighton has to offer.

The formula has been done before—two band members, a guitarist and a drummer, with one of them (or both) covering vocal duties. With large scale, internationally known acts such as The White Stripes and The Black Keys operating under this model, you would think this setup would fall into the category of “having been done to death”—but the reality is that it’s actually quite the opposite. With less happening on stage and fewer individual players in the overall mix, the listener is forced to hear the personality and musical tone of just the band’s 2 players.

After all, music is sometimes at its best when it’s in its simplest form and often it just takes 2 players to get the music and the sound to where it should be. This is certainly the case with Royal Blood who are raising the bar and elevating the “simple” standard by a measurable volume.