Monthly Archives: April 2019

TVD’s The Idelic Hour with Jon Sidel

By Jon Sidel | Published: April 12, 2019

Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

I’m just a lonesome l.a. cowboy / Hangin’ out, hangin’ on / To your window ledge, callin’ your name / From midnight until dawn / I been smokin’ dope, snortin’ coke / Tryin’ to write a song / Forgettin’ everything I know / ‘Til the next line comes along / Forgettin’ everything I know / ‘Til the next line comes along

For me as a parent of two kids, there comes a time when your “lil one” starts their journey toward his or her own musical taste. Most of us “rocker dads” try to steer the kiddies clear of music that makes us nutz, but…good luck on that.

From my experience, I feel comfortable saying that most kids leave pop music by 12 years old. My Jonah recently spilt pop for hip hop at age 10. Although hip hop radio is very repetitive, we’re happy to be leaving the pop world for hip hop, and to be honest there have been quite a few hip hop charms of late.

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TVD Live: Mott the Hoople ’74 at the
Keswick Theatre, 4/8

By Roger Catlin | Published: April 12, 2019

Mott the Hoople always seemed the kind of band that would implode at any moment, and such was the case when they pulled into New York in the middle of their 1974 U.S. tour, becoming the first rock band to play a week on Broadway. That achievement didn’t pay off for the band (any more than introducing Queen to open their shows that year did). And by the end of the year, they were done.

Now, apropos of nothing but a random 45th anniversary of the album they had out at the time, The Hoople, the band is back playing the U.S. for the first time since then. Only eight stops were scheduled for the beloved glam band—the connective tissue between T-Rex and the New York Dolls. Who among the 1,300 at the 1928-era, 1,300-capacity Keswick Theatre in Glenside, PA, near Philadelphia Monday would have expected this great good fortune, to see this storied band once more in 2019?

Mott the Hoople had reunited famously only once, a decade ago, for a couple of shows at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. That one featured the earlier version of the band whose names were memorable from being part of the lyrics of its “Ballad of Mott the Hoople”—Verden Allen, Mick Ralphs, Overend Watts, Dale ‘Buffin’ Griffin. That lineup didn’t include two who were part of the ’74 Broadway stint (and the subsequent live album issued that year), ex-Spooky Tooth guitarist Ariel Bender and pianist Morgan Fisher.

But the two were on hand for the 2019 touring band, officially being called Mott the Hoople ’74, adding quite a lot, with Fisher doing a lot of tuneful musical introductions to some songs (including a teasing approach to “All the Way from Memphis”), and Bender taking off on some extended solos (although going bare-chested at 72 may not be the greatest idea).

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TVD Live: Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets at The Hamilton, 4/7

By Roger Catlin | Published: April 12, 2019

Nick Lowe is calling his tour with Los Straitjackets the “Quality Rock & Roll Revue” and it’s no idle boast. The cool, memorable songs of Lowe with his smooth, elder statesman air, combined with the funhouse snarl of the twangin’ Straitjackets, in their Mexican wrestling masks and goofy stage presence, makes for pretty well-balanced entertainment. With Nashville singer Dawn Landes rounding out the bill as opener at The Hamilton Live in DC, it made for a pretty satisfying evening.

The quality descriptor, though, probably originates from Lowe’s 2013 Christmas album Quality Street, the subsequent holiday tours for which also involved Los Straitjackets, who had a couple Christmas albums of their own. When the band recorded its own instrumental tribute to Lowe, What’s So Funny About Peace, Love And… two years ago, it was practically a job application to become a permanent backing collaborator with the English songwriter.

And while their stage union surprisingly tended to slow down formerly breakneck gems like “Heart of the City” and “I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock ’n’ Roll”), their entwined touring by now has resulted not only in finding Lowe songs that bring out the best of each act — “Shting-Shtang” among them — they are also creating new recordings that show how well their shared sensibilities — and love for classic ’50s pop and rock — have meshed.

On a pair of fun EPs, the latest of which is “Trombone” on YepRoc, they provided timeless sounding ballads like “Blue on Blue” as well as super well-chosen oldies, like “Raincoat in the River,” an obscure single from Aussie rocker Dig Richards that fits right in the knowing Lowe groove.

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TVD Radar: 70 years
of Prestige Records celebrated by Craft Recordings

By TVD HQ | Published: April 12, 2019

VIA PRESS RELEASE | 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of Prestige Records, one of the most revered jazz labels in the world. Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, Prestige was at the forefront of modern jazz, releasing sessions from some of the most influential names in music, including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Stan Getz, and Sonny Rollins. To honor the history of this pioneering label and its exceptional output, Craft Recordings will release a variety of content throughout the year, including deluxe box sets and vinyl reissues, as well as video content and curated playlists.

Kicking off the campaign is a new box set, Coltrane ’58: The Prestige Recordings (5-CD & digital formats available now, and 8-LP out on April 26th), which chronicles the saxophonist’s breakout year. Featuring all 37 tracks Coltrane recorded as a leader or co-leader for Prestige in those twelve months, Coltrane ’58 captures the artist in creative high gear—developing the signature improvisational style that journalist Ira Gitler famously dubbed “sheets of sound.” The newly remastered release includes extensive liner notes from GRAMMY® Award-winning music historian Ashley Kahn, plus images of rare ephemera and historical photographs of the saxophonist and his collaborators. Special Coltrane ’58 bundle packages featuring a limited edition Prestige t-shirt are available exclusively via the Craft Recordings online store.

A newly curated playlist, Prestige 70: Jazz Classics, has also just launched. Currently streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and YouTube, the playlist features a handpicked selection of 70 classic tracks from the label. With titles from the likes of Kenny Burrell, Rusty Bryant, Red Garland, and Coleman Hawkins, as well as iconic takes from John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, and Thelonious Monk, the collection showcases not only the timeless appeal of Prestige’s music, but also the importance of its catalog to the development of modern music.

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Our French Quarter Fest picks for the Weekend, 4/13–4/14

By Jay Mazza | Published: April 12, 2019

You think you have conflicts at the Jazz Fest with a mere thirteen stages? Now try studying the French Quarter Festival with its twenty-two stages set to roll on Saturday and Sunday. The weekend has a full slate of acts for every musical taste. Here are our Saturday picks. The full schedule is here.

Get started bright and early in the picturesque heart of the French Quarter when clarinetist Tim Laughlin kicks off the Jackson Square stage. A protégé of master clarinet player Pete Fountain, Laughlin plays some of the best traditional jazz around town and around the world.

The middle of Bourbon Street might seem like a strange spot to catch one of the best guitarists the city of New Orleans has ever produced. But Carl LeBlanc (pictured) has been holding down a spot on the tourist street during French Quarter Fest for years. He is as versatile a player as you’re ever going to hear. He counts the late great banjo player and guitarist Danny Barker as one of his mentors. And believe it or not, it will probably be less crowded than at the big stages on the riverfront.

The Jack Daniels stage is one of the best additions to the stage lineup at FQF and they have great music each and every day. One band not to miss is Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers. Led by saxophonist and vocalist Aurora Nealand and featuring ace players all around, they play a sort of New Orleans-centric rockabilly. Their sets are highly entertaining and usually have some underlying theme with spoken word segments and theatrics.

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Graded on a Curve:
Love and Rockets,
Express

By Michael H. Little | Published: April 12, 2019

Bauhaus was so “Goth” even vampires wouldn’t listen to ‘em–they found ‘em “too depressing.” Take my vampy pal Vlrich. We were at this lame art school party in Philly one night when somebody put on “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” Vlrich just sighed, turned to me and said, “Jesus, what does an undead guy have to do around here to hear some Foghat? Seriously, this song makes me want to walk into direct sunlight.”

Love and Rockets, different story. Once they’d parted ways with Peter Murphy (Bauhaus’ resident Count Dracula and architect of their patented “more embalmed than thou” sound) Daniel Ash, David J, and Kevin Haskins decided to risk sudden death (or at the very least skin cancer) by venturing intrepidly into the sun, and its glorious rays so boosted their collective mood they settled upon a “revamped” (sorry) sound–one that was brighter and psychedelia-tinged and didn’t induce suicidal ideation in people who are already dead.

Indeed, the first time Vlrich, who spent a perfectly happy adolescence in the Hanseatic League port city of Rostock, heard “Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man)” he exclaimed, “This song makes me want to party like it’s 1549!”

Vlrich’s favorite Love and Rockets LP (and mine!) is 1986’s Express. The band’s sophomore long-player boasts a diverse set of songs not one of which sounds like it was recorded in a Transylvanian castle during a violent electrical storm. It’s got some creamy dream pop and a Temptations’ cover and one tune that’s all snaky Arabian and another tune that reminds me of Pink Floyd and is so good they do it twice and yet another tune about a train or maybe LSD–who can tell with these guys?

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In rotation: 4/12/19

By TVD HQ | Published: April 12, 2019

Alton, IL | Record Store Day in Alton stays loud: Jacoby’s Grassle saves live music on annual day of tuneage: …One of the highlights for the local music scene on Record Store Day has been the live performances at Slackers. However, due to the recent move to Alton Square Mall and the timing of Easter Sunday, live music on Record Store Day almost didn’t happen in the city. So Joshua Grassle, Jacoby Arts Center’s proactive plan-man, partnered with Score Records and Slackers to bring the first Record Store Day after-party, ensuring a home for live music in Alton on the annual day of tuneage. “Normally I help Slackers with live music for Record Store Day,” Grassle said. “However, they just moved in Alton Square Mall and won’t be able to have live music this year, and Score Records wanted to have live music but their space is small to have a band. So we decided at Jacoby Arts Center to work with both stores to put together an after party.”

NZ | Record Store Day 2019 Highlights: If you looked at every Record Store Day event on this Saturday 13th April all at once it would leave your head spinning, so we’ve done you a solid and compiled a few highlights of what’s happening across Aotearoa. For those of you planning a full day of it, don’t forget to give your finger tips a break every half an hour to avoid vinyl blisters – safety first. We’ll be out and about in Auckland on Saturday, and we’d love for you to @undertheradarnz in your RSD Instastories so we can share your vids, live vicariously, and pretend we jetted around to every event in the country. Get amongst it and support your local record store!

Youngstown, OH | Annual Record Store Day to take place Saturday: Record Store Day 2019 will take place Saturday at independently owned record stores around the Valley and around the world. The annual event was started in 2008 in the U.S. and has spread to the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Australia, Spain and Poland. The purpose of Record Store Day is to bring together fans, artists and thousands of independent record stores. Each year, a number of records are pressed specifically for the day. This year, Pearl Jam has been selected as the official ambassadors of the event. This year’s releases include 500 releases. Some of the releases include a special picture disc release of “Bohemian Rhapsody: The Original Soundtrack;” and KT Tunstall will release the re-edition of her 2018 album “WAX” called “Extra Wax.”

Mold, UK | Mold’s Vod Music gets in the groove for its tenth Record Store Day: Record Store Day is the one day of the year that unites more than 250 record shops in the UK and thousands globally. It’s a celebration of their independence, unique culture and the art of vinyl. Set up in 2007 to champion independent record shops, 12 years later it’s still going strong as it celebrates not only the businesses that have stood the test of time but also the new generation of shops who have just opened their doors. Hundreds of recording artists support the event by releasing exclusive vinyl records. This year includes releases from the likes of IDLES, Grandmaster Flash, The Rolling Stones and Courtney Barnett, with free live performances and parties also taking place up and down the country. “It’s brought me happiness running a record shop. I mean, I think it’s a dream job!”

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TVD Live: Mark Eitzel, Living Room Show, Wheaton, MD, 4/5

By Roger Catlin | Published: April 11, 2019

PHOTO: MARK HOLTHUSEN | It was billed as a living room concert, and the entire Mark Eitzel tour dubbed “Living Room Tsunami.” So it was a little bit surprising when the secret DC area location, once payment was made, turned out to be an Irish bar in Wheaton, MD.

It could have been another barroom show except that the house concert vibe prevailed—a rapt, absolutely silent crowd hanging on his every word; even the bartenders refraining from clinking glasses or turning on blenders for the duration of the early evening performance.

Eitzel for his part began the show in comfortable chair surrounded by a couple of guitars, a rug at his feet, by switching on the stage lights himself from a wall switch behind his head. From there, he dived into the kind of soulful, expressive singing that marked his work since the days of American Music Club.

At 60, with his newscap and dark beard, he certainly looked at home in the Irish barroom appointed with wood and Guinness mirrors, a fake fireplace flickering in the corner. And nothing seemed missing from his rich, aching voice, made even more effective by the fact that it was unamplified for the whole of the 14-song session.

The lingering regrets in his haunting songs remained as well, from the opening “Western Sky” to the intimacy of “All My Love” (and its lyric “I’ll be the match that holds your fire”). Those were both songs from his days with American Music Club, whose music dominated the show. But he also sang mournfully of the abusive relationship described as a chain in the newest song, “Nothing and Everything,” oddly the only selection from his latest album, 2017’s Hey, Mr. Ferryman.

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TVD Radar: Anthology Recordings’ Sad About The Times in stores 5/17

By TVD HQ | Published: April 11, 2019

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Anthology Recordings (Mexican Summer’s reissue arm home to releases and compilations from Pharoah Sanders, Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes, Paul Major’s Feel the Music and Unusual Sounds) announce a new compilation called Sad About The Times out May 17. The new release explores North American ’70s FM from folk, soft rock, West Coast jangle, power pop and more. Sad About The Times is a companion piece of sorts to Anthology’s V/A – Follow The Sun, which focuses on ’70s FM through a distinctly Australian lens.

Sad About The Times was compiled by Mikey Young (Total Control / Eddy Suppression Ring) and Keith Abrahamsson (Founder / Head of A&R at Anthology Recordings). Young explains the new compilation, “For nearly all my 41-year-old life, my most constant joy has been to find new music to love. My next move is usually to force the people around me to listen and hope they feel the same joy. Teenage friends and crushes didn’t care at all about the knowledge I was imparting or the mixtapes I was laboring over, I’m pretty damn sure. City life was a little more receptive, though dj’ing what I heard as totally life changing, life affirming jams at bars to dudes requesting GnR didn’t always make it feel so. The occasional radio show gives me an outlet to continue sharing tunes but sometimes that feels like firing noise into a blackhole filled with all the other bazillion archival radio streams.

Doing these comps with Keith seem like the logical progression of what I’ve always loved doing. They are the most tangible, most fulfilling experiences I’ve had discovering and sharing music. I’ve learnt a ton and heard songs that make me feel as ecstatic as I did when I first heard songs that made me feel ecstatic. That’s maybe the best thing about doing these, realizing that can still happen.”

You are alone in a hot tub on a warm summer night back in the ’70s. Scarcely a week earlier she was right there with you, laughing, gazing at the stars, the FM radio playing the top pop hits as you frolicked in the gurgling water. Now she’s gone. Really gone.

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TVD Radar: Link Wray lost tracks, 7-inch single in stores 4/13

By TVD HQ | Published: April 11, 2019

VIA PRESS RELEASE | “He’s the king. If it hadn’t been for Link Wray and “Rumble,” I’d have never picked up a guitar.” —Pete Townshend

Dan Auerbach’s label, Easy Eye Sound, will release two previously lost and unreleased tracks from the archives of the legendary Link Wray, “Vernon’s Diamond” which was recorded between 1958-59 at the Broadway Recording Studio in NYC and “My Brother, My Son” recorded in 1970 at Fred Foster Studios in Nashville, TN, as a 7-inch vinyl on Record Store Day 2019. All profits from sales of the 7-inch will benefit a planned Link Wray Statue in his home state of North Carolina. You can find more information about this release here.

Said Dan Auerbach of Wray’s importance, “I saw him play in Cleveland at the Grog Shop, and he blew my mind. To get the chance to put out unreleased songs on Easy Eye Sound is amazing and a dream I never thought was possible.”

The story of “Vernon’s Diamond” is as fascinating as the man himself. During the late months of 1958, Link was in New York for a gig and tracked the song at Broadway Recording Studio which was cut live to 45 acetate disc. The disc sat, unrecognized and gathering dust, on a shelf for 60 years before being recently rediscovered. Keeping with Link’s practice of re-naming versions of his music throughout the years, “A Cook for Mr. General” transformed into “Vernon’s Diamond.” Then, recorded again later, was renamed one more time and became Link’s “Ace of Spades.”

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Our French Quarter Fest picks for Friday, 4/12

By Jay Mazza | Published: April 11, 2019

PHOTO: DEREK BRIDGES | Friday at the French Quarter Festival finds the annual free festival, which started in 1984 as an attempt to get locals back into the historic district, opening up a bunch more stages before the weekend. Much of the musical action moves to the downtown end of the French Quarter on the grounds of the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the old U.S. Mint. Here are our picks for Friday. The full schedule is here.

Choices abound before noon. Jackson Square features the great New Orleans singer John Boutte. The Tropical Isle Hand Grenade stage hosts a new Mardi Gras Indian tribe on the scene, the Nation of Gumbolia, and singer/songwriter Alex McMurray (pictured) is on the Jack Daniels stage.

At 2:15 PM, a special treat for brass band fans is in order when the New Orleans Nightcrawlers reconvene. The band features some of the best horn players in the city. Most of the musicians are so in demand with their main gigs that performances by the Nightcrawlers are relatively rare. Expect a tribute to the dearly departed sax man Eric Traub, who was a founding member of the band.

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Graded on a Curve: New in Stores for April 2019, Part Four

By Joseph Neff | Published: April 11, 2019

Part four of the TVD Record Store Club’s look at the new and reissued releases—and more—in shops for Record Store Day this Saturday, April 13, 2019. Part one is here, part two is here, and part three is here.

NEW RELEASE PICKS: Elkhorn, Sun Cycle & Elk Jam (Feeding Tube) Elkhorn is the guitar duo of Drew Gardner on Fender Telecaster and Jesse Sheppard on 12-string acoustic; they have three prior releases out, starting with their self-titled 2016 effort on Beyond Beyond is Beyond, and now here’s two more, released simultaneously but separately via one of the current scene’s best (and most prolific) small labels. If you’re excited for some electric-acoustic duo interplay, that’s exactly what you’ll get on Elkhorn’s prior records, but here they are joined by Willie Lane on third guitar and Ryan Jewell on drums and tabla, the impulse to add players first documented last November on CDR (in an edition of 50 and still available digitally). The presence of supplementary hands is felt here, but especially so on Elk Jam.

On Sun Cycle, the duo interplay is still very much discernible, with Sheppard coming from an American Primitive place and Gardner exploring lysergic plains reminiscent at times of raga rock and unsurprisingly ’60s San Fran. Gardner’s background in avant-jazz (having played with John Tchicai and Sabir Mateen) combines well with Sheppard’s dexterous fingerpicking to ensure that the outward-bound travels never meander or for that matter simply spin wheels while navigating out of a psychedelic rut. The lack of vocals is also a major plus. The Bay Area vibe is particularly strong on Elk Jam, with the title of the LP inspiring thoughts of Elkhorn releasing it as a free album a la Moby Grape’s Grape Jam. They didn’t, but I can’t imagine psych fans being the slightest bit disappointed after dropping cash for both of these. A/ A

Reese McHenry, No Dados (Suah Sounds) Lovers of gal-throated hard-edged garage-based belting should step right up to this one. Chapel Hill, NC-based McHenry’s second album after prior experience with the Dirty Little Healers delivers a powerful kick, but it’s also an inspirational story, as it documents McHenry’s return to the musical path after being diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation and suffering a near-fatal stroke (followed by a series of smaller ones). It was a tough road back, but Bad Girl, cut with backing from Spider Bags, solidified her return, and No Dados extends the positive trajectory. Her band this time is out is Raleigh’s Drag Sounds, who tear it up like experts, but it’s McHenry’s show all the way; compared to Janis J., contempos Shilpa Ray and Neko Case also came to mind, and that’s wonderful. A

REISSUE/ARCHIVAL PICK: Griot Galaxy, Kins (Third Man) This gleaming nugget of underheard jazz history intertwines some sturdy threads. They feature a three-sax lineup of Faruq Z. Bey (tenor and alto), Anthony Holland (alto and soprano), and David McMurray (all three), this configuration bringing the World Saxophone Quartet to mind. But with bassist Jaribu Shahid and drummer Tani Tabbal on hand, there are aspects reinforcing the influence of the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Sun Ra. Additionally, they dish some killer post-Ornette free-bop, and as Shahid plays electric as well as acoustic bass, unusually appealing jazz funk. If you’re thinking Kins is all over the place stylistically, no. If the seed of Afrofuturism is planted in your mind, that’s a most emphatic yes. Altogether delightful. A

Cheap Trick The Epic Archive Vol. 3 (1984-1992) (Real Gone) I’m gonna make it plain. The music collected here is not the music I think of when I think of Cheap Trick, and I do think of them, if not daily, then with some regularity, for when they were on top of their game, they were a great fucking band. This is not to say that some of this doesn’t jog the memory banks. Of course, “The Flame” does (I’d rather it didn’t, though it’s not a bad song), and so does their association with Up the Creek, a 1984 raunch comedy, essentially a pale imitation of Animal House. I recall Cheap Trick’s theme song being the best thing about it (I mean I guess so; it’s been a while). Overall, this is a mixed bag of ups (they seem to be having a good time) and downs (a few songs are near dud-like). Kinda like life in general. B

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In rotation: 4/11/19

By TVD HQ | Published: April 11, 2019

Charleston, SC | What to look out for this Record Store Day: It’s that magical time of year again when local record stores are flooded with special vinyl and cassette issues from hundreds of artists. Lucky for Charleston, Monster Music & Movies is in on the official international event, with a delicious mix of new music flooding its doors every day in anticipation. The West Ashley store will open its doors bright and early, at 8 a.m. for us super nerds, and day-long festivities shall ensue. Look forward to live music from noon until 7 p.m., a food truck rodeo, jump castle, and Monster’s famous sidewalk sale (cheap vinyl lovers, here’s lookin’ at you). Food trucks include Greek’n Out, Dough Boyz, Krystyna’s Polish Food, Annie O Love Granola, and Bottleneck Coffee (free coffee for the first 100 people in line 7-8 a.m.). A few CP music writers recently sifted through the official Record Store Day release list (you can too at recordstoreday.com) and narrowed down the titles they’ll be on the hunt for come Saturday.

UK | Record Store Day: 20 exclusive releases to look out for: Classic vinyl reissues, limited collectors’ editions and unreleased recordings from Fela Kuti, Prince and David Bowie join rare pressings by the Prodigy and the Notorious BIG this Saturday. Cissy Houston – Cissy Houston, The Grammy winner’s second album, which features a heartfelt cover of Be My Baby, is being reissued on vinyl for the first time in four decades. Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch – Twin Peaks: Season 2 music and more. David Lynch is overseeing this vinyl reissue of the soundtrack to Twin Peaks’ second season, which will include a 24-page collectors picture book featuring stills from the cult classic show. Robyn – Body Talk, The Swedish star’s euphoric dance floor fillers, including the original and the undeniably supreme version of Dancing on My Own, will be available on limited edition white vinyl…

Mt. Pleasant, MI | Music store to celebrate growing sales of vinyl records: Brian Hanson can’t quite put his finger on why he’s selling so many vinyl records, but he said he thinks it has something to do with records offering a different musical experience to people who’ve never had it. “We treat music like potato chips,” said Hanson, owner of B’s Music, 613 N. Mission St. “It’s everywhere.” That ubiquity comes courtesy the ease of streaming digital copies of music, and allows people to experience music easily, sometimes to the point of no personal investment. He said that applies to himself, like when he catches himself yelling at his Alexa to stream music for him. “I think vinyl is removing music from the background,” he said. It gives people a chance to sit down and really experience the music in a format that even after all the years offers the best experience.”

AU | ARIA celebrates Record Store Day with new vinyl album chart reflecting boom in LP sales: The resurgence of records has the music industry spinning around, with ARIA reintroducing a top 100 vinyl album chart this week to coincide with the annual Record Store Day celebrations. As tens of thousands of music fans prepare to trawl through the racks of their local record store on Saturday, ARIA reveals vinylphiles are embracing new releases on the shiny black plastic as much as they replenishing their collections with classic albums. While Queen’s hit collections were among the most sought-after records in 2018, new releases by Australian artists including Gang Of Youths, Tash Sultana, Skegss and four albums by psychedelic rock heroes King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard factored in the top 50 albums.

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Our French Quarter Fest picks for Thursday, 4/11

By Jay Mazza | Published: April 10, 2019

PHOTO: BRADEN PIPER | The Vinyl District is once again happy to be a media sponsor of the French Quarter Festival, which has come to be known as the biggest free festival in the south. Opening day has a limited schedule with only six of the over twenty stages that will be open on Saturday and Sunday presenting music. But what a schedule it is. Here are our picks. The full schedule is here.

Galactic is one of the best-known local touring bands and their renown has only increased with the band’s recent purchase of Tipitina’s. Incredibly, they have never played FQF. That drought of funk ends at 3:45 PM when they precede the mighty Rebirth Brass Band on the main Abita Beer stage.

Early in the day, Funk Monkey, a side project of two of the members of Bonerama, kicks off the music on the same stage at 11 AM. Kermit Ruffins (pictured) and the BBQ Swingers follow at 12:35 PM.

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TVD Radar: In The Garage: Live Music from WTF with Marc Maron – Vol. 1 in stores 4/13

By TVD HQ | Published: April 10, 2019

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Boston’s legendary Newbury Comics and Record Store Day have teamed up with Tito’s Vodka to release In The Garage: Live Music from WTF with Marc Maron – Vol. 1, available at participating record stores this Record Store Day, Saturday, April 13th. The album marks the first title on the new Record Store Day label, and proceeds will benefit Musicians on Call.

Ahead of the release, Newbury Comics threw a party on April 6th in honor of its 41st birthday and the day having been recently proclaimed as “Newbury Comics Day” by Boston City Mayor Martin J. Walsh. Held at Newbury Comics’ newest location at 348 Newbury Street, the in-store event was a wicked good time featuring performances by Jeff Tweedy, Keytar Bear, and a DJ set from 7L & Esoteric (of Czarface). In addition, Newbury Comics and Record Store Day presented Musicians on Call with a check for $5000, the funds raised through the sold-out pressing of the inaugural RSD Records album.

Founded in 1999, Musicians on Call brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities in 17 locations across the United States, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, and Boston, the latter of which is home to Newbury Comics and once home to Maron, who attended college at Boston University.

“Across the country, we’ve seen the incredible benefits of bringing live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients,” said Pete Griffin, Musicians On Call President & CEO. “We rely on the support of the music community to help us continue to make a difference in the lives of patients. That’s why are so grateful to Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Record Store Day, Newbury Comics, and Marc Maron for recruiting this incredible roster of musicians to help amplify our mission, allowing us to deliver the healing power of music to even more patients, families and caregivers.”