Beehive Recommends - King Wilkie

OK it's a double header today, with a second Beehive Candy recommendation, and this is superb (I know, in my opinion).

A little record label called Casa Nueva based in Boston, USA, recently put out their first release, King Wilkie Present: The Wilkie Family Singers by the acclaimed Brooklyn-based stringband King Wilkie.

I'll quote the press release because as I listen again to the album now, this kind of summarises matters..

"It’s a cinematic concept album, consisting of songs written and recorded by the fictional, dysfunctional Wilkie family as part of a music therapy program spearheaded by the mysterious Dr. Art. This haunting backdrop is brought to life with music that draws from clattering, rustic stringband sounds, while adding more contemporary and eccentric overtones – from shimmering electric guitars to wheezing, Salvation Army brass. Special guests include Robyn Hitchcock, Peter Rowan, Abigail Washburn, Sam Parton (The Be Good Tanyas), David Bromberg, and John McEuen".

Or to put it another way, it's a good listen, with some very talented support along the way.

Listen:

King Wilkie - 'Hey Old Man'



MP3: HERE.
Website: My Space.
Purchase: King Wilkie

It's great when a new band come along and grab your attention on the first song, OK they have been around a while but this is all new to me and hopefully some of you will enjoy the discovery as well....

Beehive Recommends - First Aid Kit

A quick update on one of my favorite new bands First Aid Kit.

The band are touring throughout August and have just launched their new website This Is First Aid Kit.

They are also recording and filming various covers following on from a very feisty version of Fleet Foxes 'Tiger Mountain Peasant Song' some months back.

You are invited to suggest songs for them to perform and can do this through their website.

So far covered are Buffy Sainte-Marie's classic 'Universal Soldier', Johnny Cash's 'Walk The Line' and most recent a version of Graham Nash's 'Simple Man'. All can be viewed and listened to over at their new site.

Listen:

Tiger Mountain Peasant Song:

MP3: HERE.

From the debut 'Drunken Trees' EP check out the excellent 'Cross Oceans'.


Finally if you are at an event that includes First Aid Kit on the bill, don't be surprised if they turn up elsewhere for an impromptu session this summer!

Beehive Recommends - The Dimes

I may be a little late in on The Dimes, who are based in Portland, Oregon, and made quite a splash with their 2007 debut release, The Silent Generation, getting praise and from everyone from SPIN and Magnet Magazines... to USA Today and NPR... and a ton of blogs including Large Hearted Boy, KEXP, Three Imaginary Girls, Pampelmoose and many others.

Having received some promo material back in June, I kinda lost site of this one until I decided to spend some time going through each mail, and am I pleased I listened to their 'New England' EP !

Based on real stories and events born of and around Boston, Massachusetts, the four song EP is rich with texture and a consistent pastoral thread, complete with mandolins, acoustic guitars, stomps, claps, banjos, melodicas and more pop-laden harmonies than you'll know what to do with.

The record reveals a glimpse of the latest material from The Dimes, as they wrap up a new full-length record based of the same themes, due out August 2009. The New England EP also contains a special John Lennon cover of Watching the Wheels - a song that is near and dear to Dimes singer-songwriter, Johnny Clay's heart.

Listen:


MP3: Save Me, Clara
Web Link: Official Site , My Space.
Buy: The Dimes

On a separate note Beehive Candy will present new music recommendations on a rolling basis from now on, rather than monthly(ish) compilations, The Dimes seem a great place to start!

Nick Lowe - Live In London 2001.

This is the second Nick Lowe concert to appear on the Beehive, this one some sixteen years later, and it's a superb concert Live at the London Palladium, back on October 14th, 2001.

Source: Soundboard

Sound Quality: Very good stereo MP3@192kbps.

Genre: Pub Rock, New Wave, from rock to country to soul to pop.

Set: Full concert performance.

Set List:

01 Intro By Robert Elms
02 Let Things Slide
03 Intro by Nick Lowe
04 What’s Shaking On The Hill
05 Half A Boy
06 Has She Got A Friend
07 Faithless Lover
08 Man I’ve Become
09 True Love Travels On A Gravel Road
10 I Live On The Battlefield
11 You Inspire Me
12 Cruel To Be Kind
13 Indian Queens
14 Let’s Stay In
15 Band Introduction
16 Wildest Dream
17 I Knew The Bride

Band Line Up:

Nick Lowe - rhythm guitar, bass guitar, vocals
Geraint Watkins - keyboards
Robert Trehern - drums
Steve Donnelly - lead guitar

Links: Official site HERE. Wikipedia piece HERE.

Comments: This concert was part of the promotion for the then new 'The Convincer' album. It contrasts dramatically with the 1986 gig previously featured, this is considerably more laid back, much less pub rock or rockabilly and far more lounge lizard, that said, it still has some mid tempo rockabilly moments.

The Palladium is a venue more usually associated with theatre and musicals, Nick seems to use it well to his advantage with a comfortable and intimate feel.

In my opinion it is a must have for any Nick Lowe fan, and an excellent introduction to his more recent works for those unfamiliar.

Download link - either click on the above picture or go to comments below.

Buy - MP3's at Amazon.co.uk - Nick Lowe

Ry Cooder - The Record Plant, California, 1974

This is Ry Cooder performing live at the Record Plant, Sausalito, California, USA, on the 7th July 1974.

This recording is from KSAN's broadcast series, and is also available in the excellent Wolfgangs Vault.

Ry is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in the American roots music, and, more recently, for his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries. Ry Cooder was ranked number 8 on Rolling Stone's "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

Ry remains one of the very few studio icons who has gained the reputation as a "musician's musician."

Source: Pre FM Master.

Sound Quality: Extremely good stereo mp3 @320kbps.

Genre: Rock, roots music, folk, blues, soul, and more.

Set: Complete performance

Track List:

1. Police Dog Blues
2. FDR In Trinidad
3. If Walls Could Talk
4. Tamp Em Up Solid
5. Ax Sweet Mama
6. Billy The Kid
7. Vigilante Man
8. How an A Poor Man Stand Such Times & Live
9. Tattler
10. Comin In On A Wing & A Prayer
11. Alimony
12. Teardrops Will Fall
13. I’m A Pilgrim

Band Line Up:

Ry Cooder - guitars, vocals, mandolin
Russ Titelman - bass
Jim Keltner - percussion, drums
Milt Holland - percussion, drums
Bobby King - backing vocals
Gene Mumford - backing vocals
Cliff Givens - backing vocals

Links: Ry Cooder Non Such Records HERE.

Comments: This is how Wolfgangs Vault describes the setting and the performance.

Ry Cooder was promoting his third solo album, Paradise & Lunch, which most critics still regard as his best LP to date.

Personable, humorous, and unquestionably talented, this intimate performance by Cooder is a long lost gem in his long and well-celebrated career. He performs a wide spectrum of material that includes covers and originals from his then-current and previous Warner Brother's albums.

Whether it's a Depression-era styled blues classic, such as "Police Dog Blues," or Little Miton's "If The Walls Could Talk," Cooder is a master at the craft of blending smooth vocals and tasteful guitar licks around a compelling storyline song.

If you don't love the characters he sings about, you are bound to love his true musicianship, which has graced hundreds of recordings by the likes of James Taylor and The Rolling Stones.

I listened to this again yesterday, it may seem along way from more recent material and yet it is easy to imagine Ry doing a set like this anytime.

Reloaded - 29/May/2015 - download link in comments. 

Purchase: MP3's (Amazon.co.uk) - Ry Cooder