Tuesday, 20 October 2009

Beehive Recommends - A Variety Of Acts & Styles !

Right then ! The inbox has been filling up with some great new or newish artists and albums so here is a quick pick of the best that has taken my attention in the last few days...

Kicking Off with Bottle Up And Go whose 'darker louder' hi energy blasts into your ears from the opening chord. Their Press says 'Crush up some shards of broken whiskey bottles and colorful confetti and put in a cannon and what bursts out is the raucous, uncaged bunch that is Bottle Up and Go. Comprised of singer and guitarist Keenan “Hot Pants” Mitchell, drummer Fareed “The Prince” Sajan, and saxophonist accompanist Andrew Carrico, Bottle Up and Go are a two-and-a-half-piece, lo-fi blues-punk band from primitive Brooklyn, NY'. Not a bad description at all!

Listen:



Website: MySpace.
Buy/More: (Mp3's at Amazon)Bottle Up & Go

Also heralding from NYC are Jupiter One who are currently touring with Regina Spektor (until the 12th November). The band have an excellent new album called 'Sunshower' in fact as I type I am enjoying a mixture of great and quite catchy indie pop and rock tunes that make up this new release.

Their biography reads - A Sunshower can be a rare occurrence, but when these opposing forces meet, magic and allure is in the air. This is exactly why Jupiter One chose the title (inspired by the Japanese short film, Dreams, by Akira Kurosawa) for their newest Ryko release, which hit the streets on September 15. Their far-out freshness mixed with timeless musical inspirations meshes together in a bittersweet indie-pop rock concoction—produced by the group and noted engineer Chris Ribando (Diamond Nights, The Black Crowes, The Fever).

This young quartet consisting of K Ishibashi (lead vocals), Zac Colwell (lead guitar), Dave Heilman (drums) and Pat Dougherty (bass), has a knack for unifying their contemporary style with a range of musical influences. Sunshower is the result of Jupiter One's experienced ear. For instance, the dancefloor-friendly “Simple Stones,” filled with handclaps and soulful riffs, boasts a bass line for all ages while blending ‘80s Rolling Stones and MGMT. The epic opener “Volcano” resurrects the youthful spirit of the Beach Boys with The Flaming Lips, while delivering one of the disc’s best choruses. And if Ishibashi conjures The Shins on “Find Me a Place,” then he drops vintage, finger-picking folk on “People in the Mountain”. Lastly but certainly not least, their current single “Flaming Arrow,” a shimmering acoustic folk tune, shoots through with a bumping bass line and New Orleans inspired drum groove. This genre-bending approach creates a hook-heavy opus well suited for our A.D.D. times.

Listen:



MP3: HERE.
Website: MySpace - Official.
Buy/More: Sunshower

OK so we are definitely stuck in New York at the moment indeed back to Brooklyn for Peter Squires whose debut album 'Woe Is Me' contrasts totally with the above featured bands. Stripped back to guitar, vocals and a littler percussion his indie folk sound is both as refreshing as it is intelligent. His press rightly states - Peter’s direct and honest vocal delivery will make you think of contemporaries like Kimya Dawson and Luke Temple… or even legacy artists like Cat Stevens or minimalist composer Steve Reisch subtle productions while playing with emotions in the way Morrissey would or The Cure. Each song creaks beyond your shield and into your soul creating an album that is all heart, laid bare for our aural pleasure. The up-front honestly, heart on a sleeve Woe Is Me was recorded in Peter Squires Brooklyn bedroom. This stark look at one man’s journalistic view of heartbreak, complete with dark imagery and tender moments too, leaves us listeners with some amazing folk gems.

Full of soul, fear, laughs, tears, broken dreams – Woe is Me is the perfect album for your own woe’s, your own story, your own life as you choose your own adventures.

Listen:



MP3: HERE.
Website: Official
Buy/More: Check out his website above you might be pleasantly surprised.

Saturday, 17 October 2009

James Taylor - Amsterdam 1986

This is a really fine concert recording of James Taylor back in 1986 a period in which he had put many of his personal problems of the early eighties behind him and was back on form both with albums and live concerts. The previous December he had married actress Kathryn Walker and in this concert he comes across as upbeat and enjoying himself.

From the Carre Theatre, Amsterdam, Netherlands on the 24th March 1986 this is James Taylor with a superb group of musicians and singers.

Source: Soundboard.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@192kbps

Genre: Country, Folk, Rock.

Set: Full set.

Set List:

01 Close Your Eyes
02 Something in the Way She Moves
03 Sweet Baby James
04 Wondering
05 Up on the Roof
06 That's Why I'm Here
07 Only a Dream in Rio
08 Don't Let me be Lonely Tonight
09 Handyman
10 Walking Man
11 Country Road
12 Your Smiling Face
13 Long Ago and Far Away
14 Millworker
15 Traffic Jam
16 Sea Cruise
17 Everyday
18 Only One

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments:

James mentions his Rio concert from January 1985 during this gig, years later he reflected that this was a significant turning point for him in becoming energised again in terms of performing and recording. He also mentions how good the venue is. The Carre Theatre is possibly the most famous theatre in Holland and dates back to 1887 when in it was initially a circus venue. See you learn something when you drop by the Beehive!

Download link in comments below or click on the picture.

Buy: Mp3's at Amazon.co.uk James Taylor

Beehive Recommends - The Wooden Sky

The Wooden Sky undertook a month-long tour entitled “Bedrooms and Backstreets” in August, The Wooden Sky are now eager to share their experiences with audiences everywhere. With the help of producer and director Scott Cudmore, a documentary capturing the beautiful and strange reality behind the unconventional tour is being released in ten parts, with Part One & Two accessible now on Vimeo.com.

When the Wooden Sky embarked on their summer tour beginning in Guelph, Ontario on July 19th, they were ready for the excitement and uncertainty they’d be sure to face along the way. Avoiding traditional venues and performances, the band continuously pleased crowds while performing old favorites along with new tunes from their album “If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone” (released on August 25th with Black Box Music/Fontana North). The documentary reveals personal insights of the Canadian musicians as they performed in unique locations, such as the hull of a boat, a canoe against rocky mountains in Banff, a gondola at the top of Whistler, and within a giant field of beautiful sunflowers.

Take a listen to the excellent 'Something Hiding For Us In The Night' from The Wooden Sky.

Listen:
Something Hiding For Us In The Night



MP3: HERE.
Web Site: MySpace.
Buy: Wooden Sky
Watch: A Documentary In Pieces.

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

Jethro Tull - Switzerland 2005

This is hardly an exclusive for this site however this was a really fine concert by Jethro Tull, and I thought it well worth a share here. There is a pro shot DVD of this in circulation however if you are happy just to listen then, this is a good audio copy of the show. This then is Jethro Tull live at Estival Jazz, Piazza Della Riforma, Lugano, Switzerland back on July 9th, 2005.

Source:
Soundboard.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo.

Genre: Folk rock, progressive rock, blues-rock.

Set: Full set.

Set List:

01 Announcement (0:52.73)
02 Aqua Intro (0:21.20)
03 For A Thousand Mothers (4:49.17)
04 Nothing Is Easy (5:39.43)
05 Jack In The Green (3:08.01)
06 Serenade To A Cuckoo (3:56.28)
07 Beggars Farm (5:55.36)
08 Boris Dancing (3:56.58)
09 Weathercock (4:54.12)
10 We Five Kings (3:49.45)
11 Up To Me (4:07.74)
12 Boureè (6:15.52)
13 Mother Goose (6:39.50)
14 Empty Cafe (2:23.10)
15 Farm On The Freeway (7:07.39)
16 Hymn 43 (4:20.40)
17 A New Day Yesterday (6:09.56)
18 Budapest (11:25.06)
19 Aqualung (10:33.19)
Encore :
20. Locomotive Breath (5:40.27)
21. Protect And Survive (1:03.02)
22. Cheerio (2:00.50)

Band Line Up:

Ian Anderson - Vocals , flute , guitar
Martin Barre - Guitars , mandolin
Doane Perry - Drums , percussion
Andrew Giddings - Keyboards , accordion
Jonathan Noyce - Bass

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments: Having previously featured a show by Jethro Tull from way back in 1969 when they were fundamentally still a blues rock band, the contrast with this gig is obviously substantial. However surprisingly both gigs feature the song 'Nothing Is Easy' albeit very different versions.

Download link in comments below or click on the picture.

Buy: Mp3's at Amazon.co.uk Jethro Tull

Natalie Holmes - Kramon feat. Meredith Adelaide - Kerala Dust - Rachael Sage and The Sequins

Natalie Holmes - Bird Song. Alt-pop artist Natalie Holmes is set to release her highly anticipated second album, Opposite Day, on 17/10/25....