Saxophonist John Ellis has deep roots in New Orleans. He is now a well-regarded player on the New York scene, but stays connected to the Crescent City through his work with Double Wide. Charm, their third album, drops tomorrow.
Double Wide is a super group of sorts with a local rhythm section—Jason Marsalis on drums and Matt Perrine on sousaphone. Gary Versace is on keys and accordion and Alan Ferber, a killer trombonist who appeared as a special guest on the group’s second release, Puppet Mischief, round out the group under the leadership of Ellis.
I have written before about the two previous Double Wide albums, mentioning the circus music-like vibe of some of the songs and the fun-loving approach the band takes to the groove. I feel the same way about the new album.
Thursday has once again winged its way along the week to settle in the very reality that you’re experiencing now. Which means it’s time to stop what you’re doing and check out the latest podcast from A Badge of Friendship.
Now that the gang are back together, they’re celebrating the City Of Angels with a LA special. Not that it needs explaining, but that means all the music and guests are Los Angeles based.
The guests that have flown in via telephone to join the trio on the phone are De Lux, a band Claire and Paul fell in love with while over in the US, the editor of Buzzbands LA, Kevin Bronson, and the wonderful Zeena Koda—who you will no doubt recognise from The Litterbox Podcast or Boxxtalk.
Music heard live on the show cannot be heard on this podcast but check out the tracks featured on this week’s show below:
The currently active Scottish act Close Lobsters emerged in the guts of the 1980s as one of the earliest signings to Fire Records. Said label is also still in existence and having a boffo 2015, with part of their continued success stemming from due attention to back catalog. To elaborate, Firestation Towers: 1986-1989 is Fire’s expansive assemblage of Close Lobsters’ initial output, matching two full-lengths with a singles collection. Copies of the Record Store Day 3LP remain available and the CD edition is out September 18th.
Close Lobsters formed in 1985 with Andrew Burnett on vocals, Tom Donnelly and Graeme Wilmington on guitars, Andrew’s brother Robert on bass, and Stewart McFayden on drums. The next year they earned a spot on C86, the movement-defining comp issued by the weekly UK periodical New Musical Express.
“Firestation Towers” is the track, a sub-two minute spurt of urgent jangle and slightly lethargic voice landing squarely within the parameters of what constitutes the C86 sound. Quickly signed to Fire, the two sides of their debut ’86 single, “Going to Heaven to see if it Rains” and “Boys and Girls,” possessed a level of energy certain indie pop associates lacked and evidenced substantial writing ability.
1987 was a fertile period. The “Never Seen Before” EP’s title cut sports Postcard-style chime swagger with complementary bouncing bass notes and on 12-inch includes “Firestation Towers” and “Wide Waterways,” the latter a shrewd cover of a song by Peter Perrett’s Velvet Underground-infused pre-Only Ones band England’s Glory.
Youth market fuels the vinyl boon: “Independent Record Pressing is an attempt to solve one of the riddles of today’s music industry: how to capitalize on the popularity of vinyl records when the machines that make them are decades old, and often require delicate and expensive maintenance. The six presses at this new 20,000-square-foot plant, for example, date to the 1970s.“
Steven Wilson is often dubbed the hardest working musician in the world of progressive rock: “Owning vinyl is like having a beautiful painting hanging in your living room. It’s something you can hold, pore over the lyrics and immerse yourself in the art work. I thought it was just a nostalgic thing, but it can’t be if kids too young to remember vinyl are enjoying that kind of experience.“
Tidal’s New Strategy Is Selling Overpriced Prince CDs: “But hey-if your business is having problems, go ahead and try something new.”
Turntable Lab have designed the ultimate record player stand: “If you’ve ever been frustrated with where you store your vinyl or turntable, the good minds at Turntable Lab may have just made your day.”
Vinyl records spin back into popularity in Winnipeg: “Jeremy Dalman can easily put thousands of songs on his iPhone, but when he sits down to listen to music, he’s spinning vinyl. ‘I like having the physical copy of the album rather than just having it on my phone or laptop,’ said 19-year-old Dalman, who was shopping for vinyl records at Blaine’s music and book store on Saturday.”
Boom in vinyl business sends record companies scrambling: “The comeback of vinyl records is going nowhere but up, industry watchers say, to the point that the popularity of vinyl is causing some companies to dust off old machines to keep up with the demand of pressing records.”
PHOTOS: BRIGID GALLAGHER | Finding its new Chicago home in Douglas Park, Riot Fest returned this year with an all-star lineup to definitively close out the Summer. While the festival focuses mainly on punk acts, it boasts a surprisingly diverse lineup of metal, ska, reggae, and hip hop acts, and the fans are happy to indulge in the variety of genres. For many of the bands that may have had their heyday a decade or two ago, it’s great to see their excitement playing in front of crowds magnitudes larger than their normal club shows.
Due to difficulties with the Humboldt Park community (which hosted the previous 3 Riot Fests), including its frustrations with the condition the park had been left in and the already growing gentrification concerns, Riot Fest was forced to move to Douglas Park in Chicago’s west side. And unfortunately for the second year in a row, rain storms leading up to the fest created wet and muddy conditions for the duration of the weekend. Luckily the concert hours were mostly clear and sunny, so morale and excitement remained strong.
The new fest grounds were considerably smaller than the prior versions at Humboldt Park, but the layout also allowed fans the ability to bounce between the stages far more easily than in previous years. The downside of this spacing was the frustrating sound bleed between the stages at various times throughout the weekend, but the organizers definitely laid out the festival the best way the space would allow.
Talk about your bad mojo. It would be hard to find a band with as tragic a back-story as Badfinger, not one of whom, but two, of its original members hanged themselves. And this despite a string of at least five timeless tunes, and plenty of other good songs to boot. The problem is that corrupt management—in the form of the New York mob-connected Stan Polley—made off with the bulk of the band’s profits, leaving Badfinger’s members practically penniless. It proved to be too much for the band’s songwriting team, Pete Ham and Tom Evans, leaving Badfinger to be remembered as much for its morbid history as its status as a great power pop band, England’s answer to The Raspberries.
The quartet formed in Swansea, Wales in 1961 as The Iveys. After much struggling they found themselves part of Apple Records’ stable of artists and hit pay dirt with “Come and Get It,” a Paul McCartney written and produced record, at which juncture they changed their name to Badfinger, supposedly after an early iteration of “With a Little Help From My Friends” entitled “Bad Finger Boogie,” so named because an injured McCartney was reduced to using one finger. They then proceeded to produce a number of hits, but saw no money, and their subsequent career saw them become pop stars without a dime to call their own.
But what a legacy they left behind! It’s not all here on Timeless… The Musical Legacy (you owe it to yourself to also check out 1990’s The Best of Badfinger, Vol. 2, which includes such great tunes as “Just a Chance” and “Shine On”) but it’s a powerhouse record nonetheless, and convincing proof that Badfinger was more, and much more, than the band that brought us the delectable “Day After Day.”
“When I was a kid, tapes were a big thing. The first tape I wore out from repeated listening was a compilation of oldies that included The Beach Boys, the Shangri-las, Leslie Gore, Bobby Darin. I loved that tape. I was 6 or 7.”
“When CDs started to take over from tapes in the nineties, my friends and I would go to our local record store, A&B Sound or Sam The Record Man, and look around to buy our latest favourite band’s album, mostly discovered from watching music videos or listening to the radio. I got into classic rock and vinyl when I was 16, and my boyfriend and I would go hunting for old classic records to play on our turntables that we found at garage sales.
We always chose old ’70s amps and speakers and turntables that were under $20 and that meant they were usually enormous and heavy (and possibly not working). I listened to a ton of David Bowie, The Police, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac.
The young Mr. Adam Cleaver is back with his brand new EP “Man or Beast” and yes, you should be excited. Since the release of his first single, “The Salt Mine,” Cleaver has gone from strength to strength creating alternative-folk gems and each track on his EP reflects exactly that.
Opening title track “Man or Beast” is out now and there’s a hell of a video to go with it as well. The track captures your attention right from the offset—filled with roaring percussion, bass and anthemic riffs, “Man or Beast” is a treat for the eyes and the ears.
Next track, “The First” starts off simply with a delicate acoustic intro and Cleaver’s haunting falsetto coming into play beautifully. Add to that some luscious harmonies, followed by the rest of Cleaver’s flawless backing band coming in to create an effortlessly powerful layer of sound.
In 1969 key Muscle Shoals/FAME Studios session man and esteemed songwriter Spooner Oldham relocated to Los Angeles; the only full-length released under his name arrived three years later. Those anticipating a soul banquet are likely to be perplexed or even frustrated, for the album travels through country-tinged singer-songwriter territory with detours down the middle of the early ‘70s road. Intermittently satisfying and consistently intriguing, it stands more as a casual immersion into a long gone milieu than as an accurate barometer of Oldham’s abilities; Pot Luck sees LP/CD/digital reissue on September 18th by Light in the Attic.
Performer on stone killers by Arthur Alexander, Jimmy Hughes, Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin, and Wilson Pickett, co-writer of highlights from Joe Simon, The Sweet Inspirations, The Box Tops, and James and Bobby Purify, and inductee to numerous musical Halls of Fame, Spooner Oldham’s reputation as an integral architect of the Southern USA’s 20th century sound won’t diminish any time soon.
While the Alabama/Tennessee output will surely remain his crowning achievement, Oldham’s move to Los Angeles is a tad less celebrated. Well-known are his contributions to LPs by Rita Coolidge, The Everly Brothers, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Jennifer Warnes, Roger McGuinn, and Maria Muldaur, but less enthused over is Oldham’s tenure with the Producer’s Workshop of Hollywood, CA.
That’s because the joint’s activities, mainly supporting a bevy of non-threatening entertainers including Lawrence Welk, Ginger Rogers, The Lettermen, and The McGuire Sisters, regularly traverse the period’s Middle of the Road. Mayhaps you’ve heard of Liberace? Well, Oldham helped provide the backing on his 1970 hippening-up attempt A Brand New Me.
Here are the most expensive and outrageous record players on the planet: “We’ve dug through the internet to find the most eccentric and unaffordable record players out there. Featuring a motor used in space and floating records, some of these players are still in production and others are exclusively in the price range for either an oil tycoon or Kanye West.”
Turntables for Beginner Vinyl Enthusiasts: Ranking 5 Models, “When choosing between the following five models, it’s largely a question of what features you’re looking for. We tested each turntable with a mid-level Yamaha stereo receiver, a pair of bookshelf speakers, and a 10-inch subwoofer — all about 10 years old, none fancier than any novice might own.”
Vinyl LP Frenzy Brings Record-Pressing Machines Back to Life: “Independent Record Pressing is an attempt to solve one of the riddles of today’s music industry: how to capitalize on the popularity of vinyl records when the machines that make them are decades old, and often require delicate and expensive maintenance. The six presses at this new 20,000-square-foot plant, for example, date to the 1970s.”
Alastair Goodland: Support our local stores, “I do support local business. But, I’d rather drive to Auckland and put money in the pockets of genuine Kiwi businesses that care about what they do than give it to the alternative.”
All hands on the record decks at The Stomach: “If vinyl records are what spin your world, then the Black Plates: Palmerston North Record Fair might be just your thing. Organised and held at The Stomach in Palmerston North, manager Matt Davies said it was the first of its kind to be held in the city for about four years and would offer people the chance to pick up some great new and used vinyl records.“
German heavy metal legends The Scorpions kicked off the US leg of their 50th anniversary tour last week at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion in Boston. I was in town for a speaking gig at Inbound15 (Hubspot’s annual gathering of marketers), and I always bring my gear hoping to shoot at least one show on the road. This worked out perfectly because I haven’t seen the Scorpions since… shit, I don’t think I’ve ever seen these guys live. Metal bucket list checked.
I grew up listening to these guys in the ’80s and throughout the ’90s (holy shit, I feel old) and who in the hell could tell that Rudolph Schenker started this band back in 1965. It’s unreal to see how well these guys look and how incredible they sound. This was absolutely one of the coolest shows I’ve seen so far in 2015. Rudolph Schenker, vocalist Klaus Meine, guitarist Matthias Jabs, bassist Pawel Maciwoda, and drummer James Kottak show no signs of slowing down—and in fact I think they could easily do this a few more times if they wanted to.
The Scorpions’ 18th album of original studio material, Return to Forever was released last week as well. The album features songs that were started in the 1980s, around the time of the band’s masterpieces, Blackout and Love at First Sting. What started as outtakes turned into a brand new record that captures the magic of the band at their prime and translates perfectly today.
Sheer Mag is one of the coolest band names you could think of, conjuring up both the term “sheer magnitude” as well as an image of shiny, sheared-off magnesium wheels from some cut-rate auto store. It simultaneously suggests both the inherent metal punch of the band and the screaming cheer above it all.
Formed at SUNY Purchase and settling in Philly, Sheer Mag is a quintet often lumped with punk if only because its hooky songs are punchy and full of rapid fire assault. With its soloing and solid crunch, a kind of a sass to the power chords, the sound though sits on more classic pilings though. Thin Lizzy is in the neighborhood, I guess. But when I wondered why Phil Lynott’s Irish band got so often mentioned in conjunction with the band, I realized it’s the autosuggestion of the band’s rather amateurish adaptation of their angular logo.
Tough to tell if the logo is ironic or not; the band certainly doesn’t follow through with the requisite leather or streaming long hair for that matter.
In their driving, sold out show at DC9 September 10, brothers Kyle Seely (lead guitar) and Hart Seely (bass) in their short hair and T-shirts look like they might be refugees from some frat band that just hit upon something that sounds so cool they’ll find out where it goes. The crunchiness and tight focus of the band pays homage to the ’70s hard rock but the speed and catchiness of the short songs are all about punk energy and drive.
Brianna Lea Pruett, the gifted and sensitive singer-songwriter, has passed away. Prior to the news making its way to our office, we took note of a curious spike in readership for her “First Date” feature from 2013 of which we were delighted to publish then—and with which we recall her fondly today. —Ed.
“Falling in love with vinyl was something that happened for me in the early 2000s as a teenager when I rummaged through the family garage and found Leonard Cohen’s Songs From A Room, early Doors, a large Moody Blues collection, Linda Ronstadt, a spotless Roberta Flack in the shape of a black piano, and bands I had never heard of like Sopwith Camel.”
“Playing these and Billie Holiday on many repeats was my romance, respite, and delightful discovery. I really felt cool talking about all my new music knowledge to my friends.
The act of putting a record on, the time it takes to attend to changing it from side to side, the crackle and occasional cleaning that’s necessary, all create a loyalty and feeling of relaxation for vinyl enthusiasts. I love shopping at the smallest, boutique record stores on tour. You see some very interesting places that way. Sometimes they have tea, or pets, or wifi, or good stories.
“Hey! My name is Ellen, I’m a 21-year-old college dropout from Connecticut currently living in Boston, MA. Actually as I write this right now, I’m on tour in Champaign, IL waiting to play a benefit for a queer homeless youth center. Myself and my band are gonna be on the road for the next two and a half weeks (we’re already a week in) supporting my first full length record, Dry Food.“
“It’s the first time I’ve ever had a really serious release, including a physical vinyl pressing and it’s been really remarkable to see the response from pre-existing/new fans to this development. On top of this, hearing my music in the warm vinyl format was a really dreamy experience, having never really heard my songs in that format in the past besides one 7” I had released last year.
To be honest, before I signed with Exploding In Sound Records back in 2013, vinyl wasn’t entirely on my radar. I had never bought a player (or at least a functioning one, I bought one online once and it came broken, which was super discouraging and put me out of $100 when I couldn’t return it). I was super into CDs all throughout high school, as my car only played CDs, so I developed a collection of those as opposed to vinyl starting at 16.
You may already know Andrew Mitchell as the guitarist in Idlewild’s current line up or as front man for The Hazey Janes. Well, we’re here to tell you that he’s decided to release a debut album that’s very close to his heart, under alias Andrew Wasylyk.
The album, Soroky is named after his grandfather Iwan Wasylyk’s home town in Ukraine and is quite a departure from Andrew’s usual sound—or at least the sound he’s been so adept at dishing out in one of his many band projects.
There’s a tenderness to his voice that straddles the line between heartfelt rock ballad and musical theatre which we’re certainly not complaining about. Recorded on the Isle Of Mull (which appears to be a hotbed for emerging Scottish artists at the moment), the album will be dropping on November 6th, so keep your eyes and ears peeled.
Andrew is currently gearing up for a UK tour—which you can check out here on his Bandcamp—and you can follow him on Twitter.
