This is Jerry Lee Lewisand the Memphis Beat with special guest Carl Perkins recorded live at the Wembley Arena, London, on Friday 17th April 1981.
In the 1960s, Lewis's attempts at a comeback as a rock and roll performer had stalled during four years with Smash Records until he began recording country ballads. He had already recorded a country-oriented LP for the label Country Songs for City Folks. In 1968, his single "Another Place, Another Time" became a Top 10 success and led to a string of Top Ten singles including the 1968 number-one country single "To Make Love Sweeter For You" that brought Lewis renewed stardom among country music fans, much like that which ex-rockabilly Conway Twitty began to cultivate during that same time. His shift to country reflected the fact that he had grown up listening to the Grand Ole Opry. Jerry Lee Lewis's country hits during this period include "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)", "She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me)", "She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye", "Once More With Feeling", "There Must Be More to Love Than This", "Touching Home", "Would You Take Another Chance on Me", "Me & Bobby McGee", "Think About It, Darlin'", "Sometimes a Memory Ain't Enough", and "Tell Tale Signs". Lewis's singles and albums were issued on Mercury records instead of Smash from 1970 on.
Jerry Lee Lewis's renewed popularity encouraged Sun International Inc. to issue previously unpublished recordings dating from 1963 including "Invitation to Your Party", "One Minute Past Eternity", "I Can't Seem To Say Goodbye" and "Waiting For A Train" on singles that also did well on the country music charts in 1969/70. Lewis's successes continued throughout the decade and he eventually began to re-emphasize his rock and roll past with hits like his 1972 revival of The Big Bopper's rock classic "Chantilly Lace" and "Drinkin' Wine Spo dee-o dee" as well as looking at middle age with the 1977 "Middle Age Crazy". In 1979, he signed with Elektra Records and had his last major country hit with 1981's "Thirty-Nine and Holding." The song was featured in this concert recording along with a number of 'The Killers' classics.
Source: FM Radio broadcast.
Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@192kbps
Genre: Rock and roll, country, rockabilly.
Set: Full set.
Set List:
01. I Got a Women (band)
02. Ain't Livin Long Like This (band)
03. Keep My Motor Running 2:24
04. Middle Age Crazy 3:17
05. What I'd Say 4:37
06. Over The Rainbow 4:42
07. Folsom Prison Blues 4:55
08. High School Confidential 2:13
09. Thirty Nine and Holding 3:25
10. Great Ball Of Fire 1:44
11. Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On 5:01
12. Medley with Carl Perkins - Matchbox 4:23
13. Whole Lotta Shakin' 0:14 Blue Suede Shoes 1:50
This is The Flying Burrito Brothers performing live at the Seattle Pop Festival held at Woodenville, Washington on July 27th 1969 (tracks 1-15) and additional material from a gig in Wynona, Minnesota in May 1970 (tracks 16-21).
This bootleg was called "The High Lonesome Sound of The Flying Burrito Brothers" and was originally released on Gold Standard (Scorpio Records).
The history of the Flying Burrito Brothers is long and checkered. The definitive line-up began with two ex-Byrds, Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, and soon added a third, Michael Clarke. Both Gene Clark and David Crosby guested on recordings by the Burritos. Gene Parsons and Skip Battin would play with subsequent incarnations of the group. Indeed, the band went through a ridiculous number of iterations over the years, many of which had only the most tenuous of connections to the definitive Parsons-Hillman line-up. Ironically, even Gram Parsons had a fairly flimsy claim on the name when he took it over from a group of his former band mates in 1968.
As 1969 wore on, the Burritos came apart. Chris Ethridge left in the fall, so Hillman moved over to bass and Bernie Leadon, also late of Dillard & Clark, joined up on guitar. Parsons seemed less interested in working with his own band than on hanging out with the Rolling Stones, in town for several months to mix Let It Bleed (London, 1969). Hillman said of this period, "After that brief initial burst, Gram and I just couldn't seem to hook up again.. Burrito Deluxe [(A&M, 1970)] was written and recorded without any of the feeling or intensity of the first album, and it seemed that we were walking on different roads.
This bootleg captures the changes going on within the band during 1969/70 with Chris Etheridge being replaced by Bernie Leadon on bass by the time of the Wynona tracks,and the departure of Gram Parsons early in 1970. Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke and Sneaky Pete Kleinow perform on all the tracks.
Source: Soundboard.
Sound Quality: Good to very good mp3@320kbps
Genre: Country Rock.
Set: Full set Seattle (1-15), plus additional Wynona live tracks (16-21).
Set List:
1. Close Up The Honky Tonks 2:40
2. Dark End Of The Street 3:54
3. Sweet Mental Revenge 3:15
4. The Image Of Me 3:22
5. Christine's Tune 5:34
6. Sin City 4:09
7. Man In A Fog 2:47
8. Wake Up Little Susie 3:11
9. You Win Again 3:38
10. We've Got To Get Ourselves Together 3:44
11. She Thinks I Still Care 5:29
12. Sweet Dreams Baby 2:55
13. Lucille 2:37
14. Take A Message To Mary 3:07
15. Train Song 3:28
16. Lazy Day 4:03
17. 100 Years Ago 3:09
18. My Uncle 3:02
19. High Fashion Queen 2:12
20. Cody Cody 3:03
21. Wild Horses 6:21
This is The Rolling Stones live at Leeds University, England back on the 13th March 1971. The concert was broadcast by the BBC and it is most likely missing a few songs from the full performance.
The concert was released as a bootleg under the title 'Get Your Leeds Lungs Out', and this version is from a CD released on The Swinging Pig boot label (TSP-CD-030) that surfaced in 1989.
Greg Prato from the All Music Guide had this to say about the remastered version of this recording - Get Your Leeds Lungs Out! is from the U.K. leg of the Sticky Fingers tour back in 1971. The Stones are inspired throughout, so the whole show is one big highlight, starting with the smooth country of "Dead Flowers." Also included is a fiercely swinging take of the Jagger-attitude testimony, "Bitch," a slower and more spacious "Satisfaction," and a version of "Brown Sugar" that is no less sleazy and lustful than the original. Keith Richards and Mick Taylor show why many Stones enthusiasts considered this lineup their best, as the duo spin and weave their guitar lines together and trade off solos with each other throughout the show.
Also included are sidemen Bobby Keys (saxophone), Jim Price (trumpet), and Nicky Hopkins (piano), who help augment the compositions. "Let It Rock" is a forgotten Stones cover of a Chuck Berry song (it was only issued as a B-side to "Brown Sugar" and has never been included on any of their compilations) that turns out to be a good old rowdy rave-up. The problem with Get Your Leeds Lungs Out! is that it contains a total of six songs that were issued (in quite similar versions) on the official live album Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out just two years prior.
If the overly produced and studio-enhanced Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out leaves you feeling a bit cold, hunt down a copy of the rough and rocking Get Your Leeds Lungs Out! - Revisited to cure your blues.
Source: FM Radio Broadcast
Sound Quality: Very good mp3@320kbps
Genre: Rock, rock and roll, blues rock, rhythm and blues, blues.
Set: Broadcast part of set.
Set List:
1) Dead Flowers
2) Stray Cat Blues
3) Love In Vain
4) Midnight Rambler
5) Bitch
6) Introduction
7) Honky Tonk Women
8) Satisfaction
9) Little Queenie
10) Brown Sugar
11) Street Fighting Man
12) Let it Rock
Background: We received this from Bedroom Community recently - We’re super excited to finally be able to shed some light and sound on our newest signing, Puzzle Muteson. Puzzle is the alter ego of an enigmatic songwriter from the Isle of Wight, rendering his music in a tremulous tenor over a finely spun web of finger picked guitar.
After obsessively listening to his raw tapes, Valgeir Sigurðsson and Nico Muhly nurtured the songs that now inhabit his debut recording, titled En Garde. The album will be released in Europe on June 6th 2011 and rest of world on June 7th!
We know you’re anxious to hear what this mysterious man sounds like, and so have decided to give you a sneak peak in the form of his first single, "En Garde"!
2011Candy Says: This is one album we shall be looking out for in June, gentle acoustic guitar and stunning vocals ride above some background strings, what a great teaser of things to come. Listen:En Garde. Web:Facebook.
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Background:Gauntlet Hair is a relatively unknown pair of dudes who are named Andy and Craig, from the small-ish (23,000 population) Colorado town of Lafayette. The pair garnered a fair amount of attention after being part of the Rhinoceropolis-curated block of Denver-based bands that played at the post-SXSW Mexican extravaganza MtyMx.
The band’s track “I Was Thinking…” is a pretty insatiable guitar stomp that throws some R&B and soul into the lo-fi revival pot, mixing heavily-reverbed guitars with a simple, but undeniably booty-shaking beat. Add in some Animal Collective-style vocal melodies and you’ve got something pretty fantastic.
Tour Dates
06-02 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater *
06-04 Iowa City, IA - The Mill *
06-05 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall *
06-06 Chicago, IL - Metro *
06-07 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop *
06-09 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
06-10 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg *
06-11 Philadelphia, PA - Theater of Living Arts *
06-12 Washington, DC - 930 Club *
06-14 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club *
06-15 Montreal, Quebec - Le Tulipe *
06-16 Toronto at Phoenix Concert Theatre *
* Supporting The Dodo's
2011Candy Says: Guitar stomp it most definitely is, with atmospheric vocals and layers of sound, the energy just sets the whole thing off. Listen:I Was Thinking. Web:MySpace.
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Background: Led by Sam Sundos, The Sundelles combine the west coast vibes of their California roots with the loneliness of the East Coast which the band now calls home. Sundos formed The Sundelles, the name a nod to Phil Spector girl groups, in garages all over southern California.
In 2008, Sundos moved to New York. Calling on friends, Davey Sarantos and Trevor McLoughlin to follow, The Sundelles finally had a set line up and spent the following year polishing their live act while playing every show New York had to offer. The Sundelles never lost focus on melody, hooks, or the art of pop songwriting and began self recording demos in 2009 and self released their “Dead Youth” 7” in early 2010.
The Sundelles wrote and recorded the songs on their debut album, Georgia Swan, in early 2010. They entered into Studio G and invited Tony Maimone, of Pere Ubu fame, to take on production of their first record. The songs on Georgia Swan became lush, spacious, and polished; a sound that Sundos had been chasing since the founding of the band. Georgia Swan runs just over thirty minutes with ten songs; a hallmark of growth and a tribute to the Sundelles roots.
The Sundelles have been writing songs for themselves since the beginning but always with the intention of attracting those who appreciate the purity of pop music. Matty McLoughlin from the Soft Pack plays lead guitar on "Can't Win" as well as few other tracks on the album.
2011Candy Says: Uplifting indie pop and rock that has a hint of summer about it. Listen: Can't Win. Web:MySpace.
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Background: The multi-talented, multifaceted Kenny Love admits that he enjoys composing, recording and producing equally because each contains its own unique and separate element and experience. His choice of music for his own listening pleasure is jazz, and he describes his personal genre as Jazz/World Hybrid, stating “My sound was developed after I discovered the amazing 'coloring' that can be affected and executed via inverted 7th, 9th, and 11th chords within a musical composition.”
Jazz/World recording artist Kenny Love has worn many hats in the musical arena -- international radio/video promoter, media publicist, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist. His foray into the world of music began at the tender age of four when, as he recalls, “A miniature trumpet was casually removed from my grasp (and lips) during preparation for a March of Dimes parade as a result of my having failed to cause it to transmit sound, although I was huffing and puffing quite professionally.” This would later become the first instrument for which he received formal training and ultimately mastered.
A native of Texas, Kenny received musical training from 1970-1976 while in elementary, junior high, and high school, eventually adding the bass guitar, strings, piano, and an extensive study of music composition to his repertoire. He also spent two years at Prairie View A&M University in Texas as a Music Education Major. At the completion of his sophomore year, he joined and spent four years in the Army, after which time he became an independent recording artist.
Kenny performed with several bands in Texas and Germany over the years, including The Lights of Soul (1976), Instant Function (1976-1978), Just Us & Duane (1982), High Rise (1984-1985), Nightwynd (1987), and The Wall of Jazz (2009). Kenny has released several independent single recordings that received both international radio airplay and print media coverage.
2011Candy Says: This is just so cool. Kenny takes music in a number of jazz orientated directions, this is just one example of his talents and a very fine one at that. Listen: KuPaa. Web:Official.
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Background:Armand Margjeka was born in Tropoja, an Albanian town at the foot of the Alps. “Tropoja was one of the most isolated villages in an isolated country,” Margjeka says. The communist regime he grew up with was oppressive, but somehow a mix tape of American rock’n’roll found its way into Margjeka’s hands. “Maybe my sister brought it back from University, I don’t remember, but hearing Elvis, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard changed my life.”
That tape sent Margjeka on a journey of discovery. He eventually moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where he's spent time writing, performing and producing. After a 2 year period with the alt country outfit Buffalo Black, Margjeka steps out with Margo Margo, his first solo album. A few months in the making, the album includes bedroom recordings and performances cut in Nashville with seasoned session players.
2011Candy Says: This gentle flowing song is both soothing, melodic and develops as it goes. It builds in a manner that makes us want to go back to the beginning and listen all over again (and again). Listen:Alive. Web:Official.
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Background - and we quote... Although it has taken longer than I expected, I love how this album came together - in bits and pieces. These songs were recorded by Secondstar all over the place - in my bathroom, in noisy bars, in friends' closets - some in Brooklyn, some in California - and somehow it sounds like we're all right there.
For example, 'Ships At Sea' has a simple piano part that was recorded at my local bar. A friend let me drop by in the afternoon one day, and i setup a mic right by the piano. The ice machine and a/c are crunching away in the background somewhere. And the female harmony is my friend Erica singing in my bathroom. Vive le DIY!
Other songs have a similar story, of pieces cobbled together over time. The songs themselves echo themes of love and loss but what was especially unexpected in creating this album was the harmony that comes from working with great friends. I really want to thank Aaron and Max for keeping the faith, and for making it all come together. 'Feets' is the latest release from Secondstar, a Brooklyn-based folk-pop band. The album was recorded in Brooklyn and California.
2011Candy Says: We featured Secondstar a good year or so ago and this latest offering is extremely pleasing. A nice story above on how the album developed and whats more important is how it sounds, which is really good as far as Beehive Candy are concerned. Listen: Crooked As Crows. Web:Bandcamp.
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Background:Ellen Once Again is a singer/songwriter and musician from Texas. Her blend of soul, folk and pop vocals blend effortlessly to make a sound that is vintage without sounding dated.
Known for her soulful heartfelt singing, positive lyrics, beautiful personality and infectious smile Ellen is inspired by Ingrid Michaelson, Lauryn Hill, Sara Bareilles, Adele, Corinne Bailey Rae & Stevie Wonder but maintains her own "quirky" musical identity.
Though she has been a musician since the age of 12—playing in church and the occasional gigs—Ellen has finally decided to pursue a career in music. “It describes who I am,” she says describing the meaning behind her stage name. “I feel like I’ve been doing other stuff but I’ve always come back to music because this is really what I want to do.” True to her word, Ellen spends the majority of her time writing, recording and teaching music to children.
Currently in the process of recording her as yet untitled debut EP, Ellen has received critical acclaim for the few songs she has leaked online. The fun but socially aware “Plastic Land” (Save Me) and “Spreading the Love”—the latter of which she will be shooting a video for—are just two examples of what Ellen has in store.
Ironically, Ellen’s fan base has grown exponentially thanks to tech bloggers. Her husband, full time supporter and part time producer Andre, introduced Ellen to the iPad in an attempt to convince her that his gadget addiction was actually useful. Over the Christmas break the couple used a few iPad apps (Pianist Pro, Nano Studio and Bebot) and an iPhone 4 to shoot and edit her first video. The experiment quickly went viral, garnering over 20,000 views on YouTube. The video featuring Ellen singing covers of “Hey Soul Sister” / “New Soul” was picked up by a number of blogs and lauded as an innovative use of the technology.
Ellen plans on continuing to embrace her new found blog fame by making more videos. However, traditional music is still her first love. Armed with songwriting ability, a serious passion for music and a dream, Ellen Once Again is a name fans will soon be repeating again and again.
2011Candy Says: I love this song which reminds me of a fairground ride and smiling faces (to be specific!). We might be chasing rainbows ourselves soon if it makes you feel this good. Listen: Chasing Rainbows. Web: Official.
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Background: From the ever wonderful Paper Garden Records 'Lovely Hearts Club' we once again quote - We first heard about Seattle's Tea Cozies from Mighty Tiger and became instant fans! So much so that we invited them to play our Lovely Hearts Club SXSW Day Party at Uncorked!
We all had so much fun that we felt compelled to give those of you who missed out, an internet introduction to these female-fronted garage rockers. The video for their new track, "Dead Man's Sister" features dancing aliens, ray guns, disco balls, and some serious video production. Tea Cozies will be releasing a two song single on the 16th April 2011 for Record Store Day!
2011Candy says: OK so we are suckers for female fronted garage rock bands, just send us a photo and we will love you. Turns out the music is superb so double delight on our part. Listen:Dead Mans Sister. Web: Official. Video HERE.
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Background:The Glass Canoe was formed in spring of 2009, spending a little over two years writing and molding demos which would eventually become their debut album, Chimera. Chimera was mostly recorded at home in North County, San Diego, CA.
Being labeled as “Psychedelic Pop”, The Glass Canoe focuses heavily on melody and atmosphere. They are influenced by all types of genres and styles, and are always trying new ways to experiment with their music. The band is continually writing and recording ideas for new albums and live shows.
2011Candy Says: This has a really good mix of synth and guitar tracked music with some fine vocal harmonies building over the music, another band that confirm it pays to experiment with different styles. Listen:First Ideas. Web:Bandcamp.
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Background: He’s quite dry, and quite sardonic. Perhaps even a little tough to know; not because he’s closed, but just understated. Singer/Songwriter Danny Django is one of those genuinely humble, genuinely interesting guys with guitars who has something worthwhile to say, and is taking the time to say it. With a gritty Americana Blues Rock sound placing him in league with Cat Stevens, Neil Young, and Tom Petty, Danny Django is the voice of a generation ago set in modern times. Basically, Woody Guthrie with a band and digital audio gear. The message of these greats is imbued in Django’s work as well, with the quest for peace, love, and the common good setting the course for his songs and stories.
It’s not surprising, and very likely not coincidence, that the name Django is derived from the European Gypsy vernacular meaning “I awake.” Django’s bent in songwriting is towards songs that explore how to live life rather than merely endure it, while expressing a benevolent concern for humanity. “It may sound like corny hippiedom, I know, but beyond the darkness of our condition nipping at us most of the time it seems so positive to think about us all getting along, solving our problems onstructively, listening to each other and being quick to forgive.” This outlook permeated his music from the start, along with that fierce self-reliance of the American man.
Just prior to the beginning of his recording career however, his body and the world around it chose to press its limits upon him in a most terrifying and malicious way. Django spent 2003 fighting Thyroid Cancer; fighting, and beating it, and has been in full remission for 8 years with no relapse. While his person is not defined by cancer, the impact it had on him is undeniable. “It changed my priorities. I was beginning to wake up and focus on what will last before my diagnosis, but fighting and beating cancer definitely fast-tracked it. It galvanized my need to make music, and to use it to pursue peace and understanding in the world.” From his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Django began single-handedly performing all duties on his albums Soul Traces (2003), Cosmic Wheel (2005), and Touch the Sky (2007), including songwriting, performing all instruments and vocals, engineering, and even propelling the single “Jennifer” from Cosmic Wheel to become a high-selling track on iTunes.
Now almost 10 years into his career as a songwriter and recording artist, Django has created Child Indigo, his fourth full-length studio album. Some things have remained the same, like signature songs riddled with signature hooks, his signature jangle guitar-based sound, and his signature philosophy on life and death. “Dealing with life and death are usually sub-plots in my music,” he states plainly, and the songs of Child Indigo plainly reflect. Some things have changed, however. Most notable among them are the inclusion of fellow musicians for the first time on any of his albums. Adding to Django’s performances on Vocals, Guitar, Bass, and Harmonica are Sophia Tucker on Vocals and Keyboards and Alexandre Lira on Drums, Percussion, Guitar, Bass, and Vocals.
Fittingly, Child Indigo explores and celebrates the unique ability to change and heal the struggles of life that is held by those who have been pressed up against death. Django’s dry insight and frank optimism are laid out in “Eternally,” “What Life’s About,” “I Blame You,” and “A Survivor.” Making this record met both emotional and creative needs for Django. “I had a real need to make this record. After years of success as a songwriter and producer confined by the needs of the market, I needed the freedom to be creative and make the music I needed to make.” And that’s just what he did.
2011Candy Says: If you have read the background bio above you will have an idea of what you are in for from. Danny has his comparisons however there is clearly enough of the individual within the music and some great songs to check out. Listen:I Blame You. Web:Official.
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Background: White Belt Yellow Tag are essentially the creation of Justin Lockey (ex Yourcodenameis:Milo) and Craig Pilbin, who formed in 2008. Lockey had built up a reputation as one of the UK’s leading new band producers having worked with White Lies and Late Of The Pier. With unashamedly big, anthemic, booming pop personality, their sound has been met with critic-slaying acclaim. It’s two guys who like massive sounding music. And they aren’t alone.
Self produced and mixed by Chris Potter (The Verve, Blur), further endorsing their audible caliber. Craig’s soaring vocals have already earned comparisons to Mark Hollis from Talk Talk and Ian McCulloch. The addition of Tom Bellamy (a multi-instrumentalist formerly of The Cooper Temple Clause) as a full-time member on drums has furthered the bands expansive sound.
While their debut album 'Methods' saw it's release in the UK in summer 2010, on May 10, White Belt Yellow Tag are releasing their US debut EP, "You’re Not Invincible" through MB3 Records. The four-track EP features the tracks You’re Not Invincible, Remains, Pictures All The Same and You’re Not Invincible (Losers Remix).
What started the uk frenzy with WBYT is “You’re Not Invincible” a tune that Zane Lowe discovered on the bands myspace and started playing the demo version on his Radio 1 Show. Once "You’re Not Invincible" EP was released Zane gave it the accolade "hottest track in the world"after it had won 'Fresh Meat'.
2011Candy Says: The band sound powerful and the music would be comfortably at home performed live in a stadium. Rock without pretense, sometimes that's enough! Listen: Remains.Web:Official.
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Background: Some partnerships just work, even if it takes time. Eight years in the making, the debut album by Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat is a special thing, full of gorgeous, jazz-inflected love songs fleshed out with a mixture of spoken word pieces and vocals delivered in Aidan's distinctive rhotic singing voice.
Wells is the Scottish multi-instrumentalist, composer, leader of the Bill Wells Octet and collaborator with The Pastels, Isobel Campbell, Future Pilot AKA and many more. Moffat is a man of many projects, whether his solo material released under his full name Aidan John Moffat, his band Aidan Moffat & the Best-Ofs or, in a former life, his experimental work as L Pierre, Lucky Pierre and his long history as one half of iconic Scots duo Arab Strap.
The pair first met back in Moffat’s Arab Strap days in – predictably – a pub, when Aidan and bandmate Malcolm Middleton invited Bill to play piano on their “Monday At The Hug & Pint” album. “I wasn't sure what they thought of my music but I had been a fan of Arab Strap from the first time I heard them, and I’d been especially endeared since the day they were called ‘a disgrace to Falkirk' by the Provost at the time,” says Bill.
It’s then that the duo first started work on “Everything’s Getting Older”, recording first single, (If You) Keep Me In Your Heart, in 2003. Having resolved to make an album, it was to be a long time in the making. “I didn’t want to rush it at all,” says Aidan. “I have a great love and respect for Bill’s music, so it was important to me that I try my absolute best, and that takes time.”
The songs they came up with over that considerable period of time began taking on a theme: aging, and within it freedom, fatherhood and responsibility. “I don’t really live [a hedonistic] kind of lifestyle anymore,” says Aidan, formerly acquainted with the kind of wild times described in Arab Strap’s debut ‘The First Big Weekend’. “I still go out as much as a dad can, but I’m not really interested in writing about that kind of thing now. My mid-life crisis is due in a decade or so, so maybe I’ll get a second wind then.”
Written by bouncing files back and forth, with some ideas fleshed out at the East Kilbride Arts Centre, the album was recorded at Chem 19 in Blantyre and Ca Va in Glasgow. “The process was practically identical to how I worked with Malcolm in Arab Strap, although there was no fighting,” says Aidan. “If Bill and I disagreed on something, we had a discussion, whereas as Malcolm and I usually had a shouting match and then went in the huff for an hour.”
The pairing was marked with a special Valentine’s Day show at London’s Bush Hall, where Aidan also appeared as Aidan John Moffat and Aidan Moffat & The Best Ofs. “There’s a certain degree of irony here – I don’t believe in Valentine’s Day at all, it really is a lot of pish,” says Aidan, “…but I do believe in love.”
2011Candy Says: This is just incredible. Storytelling with a rawness. It's like being engrossed in a good book, oh just check it out! Listen:Cages. Web: Chemical Underground.
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Background: The people have spoken and Beast Make Bomb came out victorious over 1000 other bands entered in Converse’s “Get Out of the Garage” competition. Female-led punk band Beast Make Bomb earned themselves a spot at the Rolling Stone SXSW showcase, sharing the stage with Queens of the Stone Age, J Masics (Dinosaur Jr.), The Black Angels, and more.
Their new EP, Sourpus, follows up their critically acclaimed freshman effort, Skinny Legs. Beast Make Bomb describes themselves as “a marriage between punk attitude and pop sensibility”. Their live shows convey these thoughts exactly. They play tightly knit punk songs with the perfect amount of messy rock exploration, catchy guitar riffs, and melodic female vocals. “Coney Island” off their new EP, is reminiscent of Camera Obscura’s early work and “Rough It Out” shows hints of hair-tossing, Brazilian girl-rock outfit C.S.S.
Hailing from all over the country, Beast Make Bomb calls NYC its home playing local Brooklyn hot-spots and historic Manhattan rock/punk venues. Their sound lies firmly on the pulse of rock and punk in a city known for spawning the pioneers of both. After sharing the stage at SXSW with some of the best in the business, they will be playing a slew of dates with the likes of Tokyo Police Club, Cold War Kids, The Whigs, and more.
2011Candy Says: Cool refreshing NYC punk meets pop in a stylish mix of tight vibes and superb vocals, this band just leave me feeling really upbeat and at my age that's some challenge! Listen:Coney Island. Web:Official.
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Background: Featured on Beehive Candy one year ago The Lonely Forest recently unveiled a new song, "Coyote," as the KEXP Song of the Day. The song is taken from their new Trans Records label debut Arrows, which has been in stores since March 22nd. Critical acclaim for Arrows in advance of the release includes praise from Nylon, which posts, "We are in love with The Lonely Forest. Listen to them now!" and Alternative Press, which calls Arrows "the band's most self-assured album yet." Meanwhile, NPR's Song of the Day hails the band's previous single, saying "'Turn Off This Song' serves as a catchy call to arms, not to mention one of the best and most honest slices of pop music around."
The band is embarking on an extensive North American tour supporting The Joy Formidable. Trans Records is the new label headed by Chris Walla, guitarist and producer for Grammy-nominated rock band Death Cab for Cutie, who found The Lonely Forest's music so compelling he made the band his label's very first signing. Walla produced and engineered Arrowsat Sound City studio in Los Angeles, Tiny Telephone in San Francisco and his own, Portland-based studio, Alberta Court. He also mixed three tracks-"Be Everything," "Turn Off This Song And Go Outside" and "I Don't Want To Live There." The balance of the album was mixed by John Goodmanson (Girls, Nada Surf, Weezer).
"The Lonely Forest proves to me," says Walla, "In a time full of throwbacks and references and meta-references, that nothing can beat a focused, bulletproof guitar rock band with amazing songs. I didn't start a label for nothing."
2011Candy Says: One year on for Beehive Candy we revisit The Lonely Forest and are so pleased we have. The featured track has elements of Coldplay in my head, however at a level and energy that leaves me feeling positive and wanting more. Listen:Coyote. Web: Official.
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Background:German Error Message began in 2004 as the solo bedroom-recording project of Louisiana native Paul Kintzing. In late 2008, after several musical and stylistic transition periods, German Error Message released a self-titled EP. In early 2010 German Error Message released a full-length, To Carry Alongside, a work that signified a solidification of sound, and a movement in a more defined direction.
In January of 2011 German Error Message released SPPLIT, a 6 song split EP with longtime friends and sometimes-collaborators The Widowers. In mid-February, Kintzing released After The Warmth, a record that continued in the stylistic vein of previous releases while further refining and developing a soon-to-be signature sound.
Composed by Kintzing, and occasionally assisted by a group of friends, German Error Message makes lyrically driven bedroom indie music, combining delicate walls of sound with personal metaphorical and symbolic lyricism and diverse instrumentation. German Error Message creates songs that exist in a realm of feeling that is all their own. To date, the band has hit the blogosphere, garnering praise, and comparisons to bands like The Microphones, Bon Iver, and Iron and Wine, and was featured on a year-end list for 2010.
2011Candy Says: This is a charming featured song and sometimes charming is one hell of an achievement. We bet you play this at least twice here (and then hopefully support German Error Message as the bands name is worthy of a little extra attention regardless of the great music). Listen:We Arose.Web:Bandcamp.
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Background: Having been in constant creative demand for over 17 straight years, pop-punk uber-band Bowling for Soup clearly has no problem kicking out fresh songs, ridiculous videos, and album after album of music that sets the bar for their genre. Even after nearly two decades together, some things are the same. They still call Denton, TX home, they still are putting out an avalanche of new music every year, and they’re still the guys you’d cut class with to get a beer and a Hot Pocket. For a band that has had only one personnel change in 17 years, which is a remarkable feat by any standards, it’s clear that the team stays tight and that ain’t gonna change. As much as things are the same, however, recent times have brought massive changes for Bowling for Soup, and some things are very, very different and completely awesome.
At the core, Bowling for Soup is still Jaret Reddick, Erik Chandler, Gary Wiseman, Chris Burney, and 3 generations of loyal, ravenous fans. As of Fall 2009, though, the partner no longer at the party is Jive Records. Jive and the guys parted ways on good terms, but sadly just four weeks after the release of Sorry for Partyin’. Away with the label went all promo plans for the album, and no single from the record was ever released to radio. Though they were shell shocked, the decision not to slow down was obvious. Rather than spend a couple years trying to get ownership of Sorry for Partyin’ from Jive so they could release it themselves, Jaret locked himself in a room for a month and wrote the songs that have become their latest release, Fishin’ for Woos.
Available worldwide on April 26th, 2011, Fishin’ for Woos is their response to being label-free for the first time in years and deciding to go balls out as an independent band with a mind-blowing fan base. “The only pressure we felt was not to make a record just to fill the space and keep things moving,” says songwriter/front man Jaret Reddick. “It had to be just as real as everything else we’ve done.” It worked. Fishin’ for Woos is the classic Bowling for Soup sound and energy, led by marquis tracks “S-S-S-Saturday”, “Girls In America”, “I’ve Never Done Anything Like This” featuring Kay Hanley of Letters to Cleo, and “Turbulence” featuring Gabriel Mann, who is 1/4 of The Rescues and composes the music for mega hit TV show Modern Family. Also making its full-production debut is “Guard My Heart,” which will make legions of fans very, very happy. Written by bassist Erik Chandler for a film called Sardines, the rough demo was leaked to fans online in 1997 and became a monster favorite around the world.
2011Candy Says: Come on it's Bowling For Soup, what can we say that has not been said before, just how long can these folk keep on form and with this level of power? Wonderful! Listen:S-S-S-Saturday Web: MySpace.
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Background: I know nothing about Ghost Animal beyond the fact that they are a Portland based band who recently appeared at SXSW. From Oreganlive.com I also learned that Ghost Animal have only been around for a year, and both members of the group, guitarist/vocalist Michael Avishay and drummer Marisa Rowland, have been squeezing music in between their studies at Reed College. Apparently the SXSW performance was their first festival appearance and they were stunning!
2011Candy Says: Like I said above I know so little about Ghost Animal, however this just strikes a chord with me and hopefully a good few other visitors to our little world. Listen: Young and In Love. Web:Bandcamp.
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Background:Sunday Lane is not your typical singer/songwriter who left Middle America for the City of Angels. A classically trained pianist, she writes articulate lyrics about social injustices in our society, young love, and growing up. Her soulful approach to songwriting expresses the depth of her musicianship.
“I am most in my element when my hands are on the keys,” says the 20-year-old Tulsa native. After receiving tons of critical acclaim in her home state, Sunday Lane decided to pursue the only career path that made sense… music. She is currently attending the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. Sunday has been playing some of the most sought after venues in Los Angeles and winning over new fans nationwide. Her debut EP, Bring Me Sunshine, displays her ability to write relatable songs with idiosyncratic phrases. With a new music video for her song “Won’t Go Back Down” and her EP available of iTunes, sunshine is definitely in Sunday Lane’s future.
2011Candy Says: How many times can I get away with saying something like "a breath of fresh air"? Oh well I have and I mean it! Sunday Lane remember the name and check her out some more if you like this little taste of her songwriting skills and delivery. Listen:Heavy Heart Heavy Hands. Web: Official.
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Background: "Ambitious rock collection favours both quantity and quality...a remarkable body of work." - Rolling Stone
"The band entire commands a special attention from the room’s eyes and the air seems momentarily hung for the release of that all-important downbeat." - Time Off
The attitude that Drawn from Bees bring to their music-making is anything but ordinary. They chose to initiate their musical journey with the statement of a four-album concept box set in their first two years. Australian radio taste maker Richard Kingsmill recognized the potential of the band soon after the release of their debut album The Boy and the Ocean and he featured two songs from the EP on his flagship Triple J radio show.
Touring Australia at length to maximize this early exposure, Drawn from Bees soon had industry and fans alike anticipating their sophomore release, And the Blind Shall Lead the Way.Lead single “Long Tooth Setting Sun” was added to rotation on several radio stations in Australia, as well as gaining radio play on notable USA stations such as Indie103.1, KNRK, WCNR, WXPN, as well as stations in the UK, Finland, Poland and Germany.
Drawn from Bees’ live shows in 2009 mirrored their success on the airwaves, with the band undertaking several support tours and gaining a highly coveted spot on V Festival after a talent scout spotted them at a show. This success was followed by slots at the Brisbane Valley Fiesta and Sounds of Spring Festival. The band closed 2009 with their third studio release, The Sky is Falling, which also enjoyed national airplay with singles, “Cables in the Sky” and “Bus Now.”
Last year saw Drawn from Bees released their fourth album, Fear Not the Footsteps of the Departed, to critical acclaim, including four-star reviews in The Australian and Rolling Stone Magazine. The band immediately set their sights on the international stage, travelling to Los Angeles, Hong Kong, London & Perth to play at various international showcases and touring across the UK. Drawn from Bees undertook another series of shows across Australia before rounding off the year with a high-impact performance on New Year’s Eve at Woodford Folk Festival.
2011Candy Says: The platitudes above are deserved, reminds me a little of Midnight Oil (unplugged?), Drawn From Bees fly the 'down under flag' with confidence and quality that deserves respect. Listen:Long Tooth Setting Sun. Web:MySpace.
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Background: Last month saw the latest release in the February Records free digital singles series. Baltimore-native and current Manila, Philippines resident Abby Mott released "Can't Come Back." Abby Mott has an unmistakable voice and a soulful, hooky songwriting style.
Her songs are a unique combination of Americana, indie pop, classical and blues, cleverly arranged with imaginative lyrics. Mott's twangy vocals bring to mind Jenny Lewis, Neko Case or even Zooey Deschanel. This single is unlike anything February Records has released so far.
2011Candy Says: I like Abby Mott and sincerely hope as many people as possible get to hear her, and that's on the strength of hearing just two songs from her. Listen:Elika Ray. Web:Official.
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Background: NYC's neo-grunge trio, Baby Teardrops bring a new dimension to a fan-favorite track, "Smooth Sailing Ahead" by committing the song's larger than life idea to film. The video, directed by Serg Soza with cinematography by Andrew Lyman-Clarke, takes front man Matthew Dunehoo's "rosier than possible" mantra and puts it in motion. Shot on the streets of New York, the video follows Dunehoo as he walks, observing others as he repeats "smooth sailing ahead". Says Dunehoo, "I play the central character and in his open state of consideration and constant reiteration of the idea that everything will be OK, he seems to be open to radical circumstances going on around him. It's as if others can tell that my character is possessed of something they can't quite put their fingers on, in the midst of their own nonsense." The video is available now HERE.
"Smooth Sailing Ahead" can be found on Baby Teardrops' latest release, X is for Love,which comes out April 12th 2011, and which also includes our featured song below.
2011Candy Says: Because Beehive Candy can get a little mellow to quickly these days bands like Baby Teardrops are mandatory listening. Sometimes you just have to ROCK! Listen:Banged In The Heart. Web: Official.
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Background: I love it when a record company are genuinely excited about a new artist or recording. Then when you listen yourself, you understand that they were not hyping the material but are indeed just getting excited over something new and worthy of some real support.
Case in point! From Indiecator Records regarding Code Pie - Love Meets Rage is one of those rare records that stopped us in our tracks the first time we heard it. As we grew to appreciate every one of its contours that awe only increased as we discovered it’s wealth of ingenuity. Of course you’re used to reading such effusiveness from overexcited labels bigging up their acts but we think you’ll be just as blown away as us when you hear this gorgeous album. Over 10 tracks Code Pie engagingly switch tact, genre and momentum but somehow it feels like a natural progression. There is a little adventure around every corner and each one is embellished with the sort of sucrose melody that will have you returning time and again.
2011Candy Says: Have been streaming this new album today and hope that some of you remember that Beehive Candy introduced you to Code Pie as our credibility rating can only rocket skywards. Quietly confident they will breakthrough this year, lets just hope so. Listen:North Side City View. Web:Official.
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This is Jimmy Cliff live in concert during a tour supporting the release of his 1982 album 'Special'. This recording is from a concert in Kansas City, MO, USA on the 9th October 1982 and features six of the eleven songs on the 'Special' album.
Jimmy Cliff was born in Somerton District, St. James, Jamaica. He began writing songs while still at primary school in St. James, listening to a neighbour's sound system. In 1962 his father took him to Kingston to go to Kingston Technical school where he ended up sharing his cousin's one rented room in East Kingston. He sought out many producers while still going to school, trying to get his songs recorded without success. He also entered talent contests. "One night I was walking past a record store and restaurant as they were closing, pushed myself in and convinced one of them, Leslie Kong, to go into the recording business, starting with me," he writes in his own website biography. After two singles that failed to make much impression, his career took off when his "Hurricane Hattie" became a hit, while he was aged 14.
It was produced by Leslie Kong, with whom Cliff remained until Kong passed away in 1971. Jimmy Cliff's later local hit singles included "King of Kings," "Dearest Beverley," "Miss Jamaica," and "Pride and Passion." In 1964, Jimmy Cliff was chosen as one of the Jamaican representatives at the World's Fair and Cliff soon signed to Island Records and moved to the UK. Island Records initially (and unsuccessfully) tried to sell Cliff to the rock audience, but his career took off in the late 1960s. His international debut album was Hard Road to Travel, which received excellent reviews and included "Waterfall" (composed by Nirvana's Alex Spyropoulos and Patrick Campbell-Lyons), which became a hit in Brazil and won the International Song Festival. "Waterfall" was followed in 1969 by "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" and "Vietnam" in 1970, both popular throughout most of the world. Bob Dylan called "Vietnam" the best protest song he had ever heard. Also during this period, Cliff released a cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" as a single, but it was not included on his Wonderful World, Beautiful People album.
Source: Soundboard.
Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps
Genre: Ska, reggae, roots.
Set: Full set.
Set List:
01 Originator (4:39)
02 Give The People What They Want (5:56)
03 Turn The Tables (6:21)
04 Roots Radical (4:42)
05 Treat The Youths Right (4:34)
06 Rock The Children (6:48)
07 Music Maker (7:04)
08 Many Rivers To Cross (4:35)
09 Special (6:44)
10 Peace Officer, Are You A Warrior (7:00)
11 Love Is All I Have To Give (7:43)
12 The Harder They Come, They Harder They Fall (5:54)
This is Tim Buckley performing just four songs at the Denver Pop Festival held at the Mile High Stadium, Denver, USA on the June 28th 1969.
Tim Buckley's short life is well documented, so a little about the actual Denver festival. The Denver Pop Festival was a three-day music festival promoted by rock promoter Barry Fey (Feyline) on June 27-June 29, 1969 which was largely overshadowed by Woodstock two months later. Unlike the free-form happening in upstate New York, the Denver festival had the full support and local resources of a major city, taking place in Denver Mile High Stadium. There were high expectations for the Festival; it was commonly called the "First Annual" Denver Pop Festival. The peak attendance was estimated at 50,000.
Frank Zappa is credited by some with inventing the audience wave during his set. He actually selected sections of the stadium (audience) to each make different odd sounds and gestures. He then composed a "tune" on his "crowd instrument".
Throughout much of the festival, a crowd gathered outside the venue and demonstrated against having to pay to hear the acts. They also tried to breach the gates and security fences. The Denver Police were forced to employ riot tactics to protect the gates. On the second day the battle between gatecrashers outside the stadium and the police suddenly affected those inside. With a combination of shifting wind and re-thrown canisters, tear gas suddenly swept over the crowd. The seats emptied into the concourses and onto the field.
Ticket prices were $6 per day, or $15 for all three days (Fri, Sat, Sun). On Sunday, after all possible tickets had been sold, the promoter announced from the stage that he was declaring it a "free festival". Other bands appearing included - Three Dog Night, Iron Butterfly, The Flock, Poco, Johnny Winter, CCR, Joe Cocker, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Source: Audience.
Sound Quality: Very listenable (both in clarity and for it's age) mp3@128kbps
This is Gary Moore live at the Hammersmith Odeon, London back on the 11th February 1984.
As no doubt you will be aware Belfast born Gary Moore sadly passed away last month at just 58 years of age.
In a career dating back to the 1960s, Gary Moore played with artists including Phil Lynott and Brian Downey during his teens, leading him to membership with the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy on three separate occasions. Gary Moore shared the stage with such blues and rock luminaries as B.B. King, Albert King, Colosseum II, Greg Lake and Skid Row (not to be confused with the heavy metal band of the same name), as well as having a successful solo career. He guested on a number of albums recorded by high profile musicians, including a cameo appearance playing the lead guitar solo on "She's My Baby" from Traveling Wilburys Volume Three.
Since his death, many fellow musicians have commented on Gary Moore's talents including Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bob Geldof, Roger Taylor, Brian Downey, Ricky Warwick, Glenn Hughes, Bryan Adams, Henry Rollins, Scott Gorham, Ignacio Garay and many others.
Fans have called for popular magazines such as Classic Rock, Guitarist and Total Guitar to do tributes. Twitter was flooded with tributes from fans for several days after the news was revealed.
This is part of a concert from 1984 recorded by the BBC and broadcast on BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) Germany where this copy was sourced.
Source: FM Stereo Broadcast.
Sound Quality: Very good MP3 @192kbps.
Genre: Blues-rock, hard rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz fusion.
Set: Broadcast part of set.
Set List:
01 - Wishing Well
02 - Murder In The Skies
03 - Shape Of Things
04 - Cold Hearted
05 - Don't Take Me For A Loser
06 - Empty Rooms
07 - End Of The World
08 - Back On The Streets
09 - Nuclear Attack
Background:Dub Is A Weapon Make Psychedelic Studio Sounds Breathe Fire on Vaporized and on Tour, April 2011 - "It can't be done, man!" That's what Dave Hahn, mastermind behind Dub Is A Weapon, heard when he first floated the idea of a live dub group, as he and his mates listened to some prime 1960s King Tubby cuts in the band van. "Everyone seemed to think you could only do dub in the studio," Hahn recalls.
Hahn set out to prove them wrong, with skills learned live and on the road, and with help from a Jamaican beatnik percussionist, an old high school friend, and young upstarts from the Brooklyn scene. Together they've honed their live take on the genre's spaced-out grooves, a sound felt in full force on Vaporized (Harmonized Records; April 26, 2011) and on stage on their upcoming March/April tour.
Hahn had been kicking around the New York music scene for a while. He'd played ska with The Slackers and the Stubborn All-Stars, and Afrobeat with Antibalas. He worked as a dub engineer for the Easy Star All-Star's Dub Side of the Moon tour. But he wanted to make a dub record of his own: The music had the modal appeal of Coltrane, but was built for the dance floor. "Dub hooked me in," explains Hahn. "It really reminded me of modal jazz with its static harmony, which gives musicians lots of freedom to explore and encourages listeners to contemplate what musicians are thinking about. At the same time, dub and reggae are dance music, even if you have that same meditative quality."
This perfect mix of pensive and driving rolls through Dub Is A Weapon's music. Hahn finds dub inspiration everywhere: in the complex interlocking grooves he mastered with Antibalas, the intense snowfall on Hokkaido, or in a simple melody plunked out on a piano. He crafts a bass line, then builds from there. The vibe is trippy, but with a fire and edge that give Dub Is A Weapon's music real punch. This is music for serious dance floor moves, not spacey evenings on the couch.
Witness the funky polyrhythm of tracks like "Turbulence," with its dubbed-out, 3-against-4 beat and Ethiopian-inspired waves of brass. Or "Turmoil," with its dueling bass lines, shifting sections, and blissed-out solos. Hahn saw "Forwarding Home," featuring vocals by Rob Symeon as a round, swirling around rich modal melodies and guitar licks that flirt with both major and minor moments. Through it all, a powerful stream of dreamy, gritty effects flows in and out.
Figuring out how to make psychedelic studio sounds burn up the dance floor took years of experimentation, of trying things on the fly in illegal Brooklyn loft nightclubs or on tour as Lee "Scratch" Perry's backing band. Eventually, Hahn got it: He wasn't leading a band, he was riding the faders. "At first I really struggled with getting the band to create dub that felt as powerful as what I could create in the studio. I finally figured out I had to think of each musician as a fader on the mixing board, cuing them to drop out and come back in so I could replicate the dub mix I had in mind."
To make dub happen live, Hahn worked with a shifting group of friends, including bassist Dan Jeselsohn from the New York's Mephiskapheles to jam and record with him at his Greenpoint, Brooklyn studio. Soon a multigenerational core of strong musicians emerged. These included percussionist Larry McDonald, who had played on several crucial Bob Marley cuts in Jamaica and had since backed up American icons from Taj Mahal to Gil-Scott Heron to Bad Brains-moves that earned him the sometime nickname of "Original Beatnik." Ben Rogerson, equally at home on the bass or guitar, was a friend of Hahn's since high school when they played in the jazz band together. Drummer Madhu Siddappa and Hahn met at a mysterious rehearsal session with Lauryn Hill, who came in, tried some songs, and wandered out. Sax ingénue Maria Eisen joined the group straight out of college.
Vaporized captures the group's diverse energy in a way that mirrors their live shows. The band played and did the dub effects live, with next to no overdubs or post-take tweaking, at a studio run by a friend, the sound engineer for reggae band John Brown's Body. "It's like a jazz record from 1950s," notes Hahn. "We did a couple takes of each song, then picked the one that sounded best. We laid the stuff down and made it happen." - "It's like hearing us live," he continues, "when you can feel all the drama of dub as parts come in and out. That's what's exciting about our music: We never play things the same way twice."
2011Candy Says: OK I have a fondness for reggae and dub and this is just superb, not to heavy and some really fine musicians that produce classic examples of these genres. All reggae and dub instrumental fans should give them a listen asap. Listen:Turbulence. Web:Official.
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Background: San Francisco's Sandwitches have been plugging away at their craft for a couple magical years now, sprinkling their barbed, alluring electric folk briars across unsuspecting gardens in the Bay Area and beyond. Previous releases, such as the swampy ecstasy of How To Make Ambient Sadcake and last year's oceanic ouija board of an EP, Duck Duck Goose!, captured distinct sides of the trio. Their latest platter, Mrs. Jones' Cookies (out March 29th via Empty Cellar Records), is here now to unify their uniquely whimsical and creepy vision.
Mrs. Jones' Cookies pours Sadcake's plaintive bounce into Duck Duck’s celestial, mysterious drift, spiking the mix with a side they've previously only hinted at: a playfulness, a comfort. It's the sound of a band at ease with unease. Even when they're plumbing the most desperate depths, there's an unforced confidence in the lonely plucking of guitarists Heidi Alexander and Grace Cooper.
The shared vocal duties are where these ladies truly and finally let loose. On "Lightfoot" and single "Summer Of Love," drummer Roxy Brodeur punches out lively, soul-flecked trots, as Grace and Heidi tickle the end of their high and low ranges, returning later to those highs and lows with extra force and bluster, shooting out the lights with aplomb. The Sandwitches live for moments like this, teasing the listener with deceptively simple backing, then letting fly with soaring vocal saltwater taffy that can be scary, cartoonish, or both. Then, of course, the girls backtrack on a dime and plant a mournful lullaby in your lap, as affecting and otherworldly as you'll ever hear and complete with a wandering flute.
Ultimately the confidence with which they mingle with these vague ideas of beauty, sorrow, humor, and freakishness adds up to what this band and this record have in spades: mystique. You may not have any idea as it's happening, but the Sandwitches are playing with you, not for you. Engineered by Donny Newenhouse, mastered by Paul Oldham, and featuring guest appearances by San Francisco swingers Shayde Sartin, Dic Stusso, and James Finch Jr, Mrs. Jones' Cookies come in both CD and LP flavors. All LPs include a complimentary digital download.
"The ten songs on Mrs. Jones’ Cookies stand as a doorway leading to the House of God. The music of these three cascade in and out like active and passive expressions of the Divine Energy. Sometimes high, sometimes low, Sulfur and Salt, Good and Bad, Light and Darkness, that, when placed in the proper chamber of initiation graft into one androgynous creature that blazes forth eternal verities revealing temporal truths." – Sonny Smith.
2011Candy Says: Feisty girl band music meets modern folk with wonderful harmonies and a freshness that I can only recommend, an easy pick for this edition. Listen: Joe Says.Web:MySpace, Buy.
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Background:Sarandon’s “Age Of Reason” tells the story of Big Trev, a man frustrated with his lot and determined to change his life. The album is narrated by The Shend (The Cravats, The Very Things) who plays the voice of the story’s hero.
Musically Sarandon have moved their sound forward – Produced once again by the inimitable Anthony Chapman (Collapsed Lung, Bis, Klaxxons, Ten Benson), the sound is a more mature take on the angular agit-pop of their previous outings. The cheese-wire treble of the guitars remains, the bass thuds and booms and the drums clatter at light speed, but the songs contained in “Sarandon’s Age Of Reason” are more carefully crafted and arranged. There are songs to make you shout and songs to make you sing. There are even songs to make you dance.
Sarandon are back with a vengeance. Back to rescue you all from the mundanely of modern la-la-love-you indie pop.
Other guests on the album include Robert Lloyd (The Nightingales) and Rhodri Marsden (Scritti Politti).
To celebrate the release of the album there will also be Sarandon's Age Of Reason Beer especially brewed by the Revolutions Brewing Co (www.revolutionsbrewing.co.uk/) coming as cask & bottled beer with super limited edition beermats for the collectors out there.
The album is released in UK/Europe on Odd Box Records. In the USA the album is coming out on the legendary Slumberland Records.
Live Shows:
26th March – Brixton Windmill, London (Album Launch Show)
27th March - The Hop, Leeds
Sarandon are currently:
Crayola (Colgates, Future Sperm Brasil): Guitar & Voice
Alan Brown (bIG fLAME, The Great Leap Forward): Bass & Voice
Tom Greenhalgh (World Sanguine Report): Drums & Voice
2011Candy Says: Tight guitar, sharp vocals, post punk style and a story to tell. It's different and Big Trev has always wanted to do something... Piglet is one of the songs you will have to check out the story yourself. Listen:Piglet. Web: Official.
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Background:and we quote from Indiecater records - We haven’t heard a collection of songs from Utah’s Adam and Darcie since the summer of 2009 but the wait has been worth it. This release is everything you’d expect from the duo and this time they’ve teamed up with a few of their buddies to record the Early In The Morning EP.
You might recognise Aotearoa from our World Cup compilation, Fast Forward, of last year and its appearance here feels just right given the recent tragedy in Christchurch. There are also a couple of covers amongst the 6 tracks which you can read more about below.
Not many artists can do soothing melodies quite like Adam & Darcie, not that they are laid back in their arrangements as each song here has a beautifully delicate and intricate detail.
2011Candy Says: Have to agree with the promo background on this one, really nice harmonies and singing over delicate music and well worth a listen (or two). Listen:2 Cities.Web: Indiecater Records.
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Background: Little Tybee is something of a mini orchestra with its ever-evolving five to ten members all engaged in intricate musicianship. Their name comes from a tiny island off the coast of their native Georgia, where legend has it, an undetonated atomic bomb from the 1950s lies missing. They jokingly attribute the quirkiness of their debut album Building a Bomb to the long-term effects of eating radiation-drenched seafood, but it’s more likely they were just born that way” -Lavinia Jones Wright, ASCAP
One might think from their humble beginnings in the backwaters and basements of coastal Georgia to their headlining shows at some of Atlanta’s most well known independent venues that the members of Little Tybee were the harbingers of some secret formula for artistic success. In reality, they are simply a group of friends who couldn’t stop making music together if they tried.
The core of each of their songs begins in the relentless and creative mind of vocalist/guitarist/pianist Brock Scott. The songs mature through the dedicated musicianship of 8-string guitarist Josh Martin, violinist Nirvana Kelly, bassist Ryan Donald, and percussionist Pat Brooks. Since the release of their first LP last year, they have discovered that change is not only inevitable, but indeed good.
Little Tybee has been raking in the local love in their Atlanta/Savannah base as of late, but now it's time to show the rest of the country what the buzz is all about (pun very much intended). Kicking off their tour in just a few days in support of their upcoming album, Humorous To Bees, out April 5th, Little Tybee will be making their way through the deep South (Savannah, Atlanta, Birmingham, New Orleans) and into Austin for SXSW. Post SXSW, Little Tybee will make their way Northwest-bound hitting Ft Worth, Little Rock, Miami, Asheville, Marion, Philadelphia, and New York City before heading back home through Charlotte and finally back to Savannah and Atlanta for their CD release shows.
2011Candy Says:Yet another gem comes to us from Paper Garden Records, this time in the form of Little Tybee who make it all seem so simple as they mix a variety of styles and really cool musicianship around fine vocals. Sometimes up tempo, sometimes calm, always cool.
Background:Cowboy and Indian, along with nine other bands, will play a free, all ages and open to the public show as part of Paper Boat Music and Harris Radio’s SXSW Day Party at Betsy’s Bar on Thursday, March 17 at 4pm. The line-up, consisting of Paperboat Music artists, friends and great bands spun on Harris Radio includes: Jeremiah Birnbaum's Electric Shoes, Wakey!Wakey!, Pearl and the Beard, Haley Bonar, Danny Malone, Buddy, Jenn Grant, Kacy Crowley, and The Sour Notes.
Cowboy and Indian, a rootsy trio, began when Jazz Mills (T-Bird and the Breaks) got together with Jesse Plemons to write their first song. The collaboration took off and before long the pair was drawing major buzz at SXSW. Daniel James (frontman of SF based "Leopold and His Fiction") soon joined the band to complete the trio.
“We came together out of nowhere and were immediately inspired by one another,” Mills said. The band put that inspiration to work by recording their first song, “Hurt My Pride”. With James in San Francisco and Mills and Plemons in Austin, the bulk of the song was written over the phone. Yet when it came time to record, the chemistry was obvious to all. “We tracked the song as soon as we arrived in San Francisco,” James said, “and did it from the ground up, recording in living rooms, bedrooms and closets.”
The band is currently working on their first full-length album, produced by James and due out this spring. They recently recorded their video "Hurt My Pride” (featured on taste-maker blog Baybridged.com) while on their cross-country tour, using playful footage captured in Chicago and on the banks of Lake Michigan. The band’s song “Trouble Tracks” was recently featured in an episode of the NBC hit series Parenthood.
2011Candy Says: You will clap your hands or tap your feet, it's inevitable. Is it roots or blues or just plain sing and jig along? Your call! Listen:Ledbellies. Web: Facebook.
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Background: Paul, Grace, Meaghan, Chris and Dan met in Belfast, Northern Ireland and became great friends who were musically and artistically happy in each other’s company. So they decided to start a band and sought the same harmony in their music. The whole thing went wonderfully well. They created an intricate blend of electronic and indie music and they called it Morning Claws.
They have recently recorded a single with former Oppenheimer member Rocky O’Reilly at Start Together, Belfast. ‘Slack Magic’ is scheduled for release on 11th April 2011. The band will launch the single with an intimate show at Belfast’s oldest tavern, White’s and will then play shows across Ireland and the UK while recording their debut album.
April 28th, 2011 - White's Tavern, Belfast
May 14th, 2011 - Whelan's , Dublin.
2011Candy Says: I think mixing indie rock or pop with electro or dance still has along way to go. Morning Claws are definitely one to watch, lets hope they get the chance to explore some more. Listen:Slack Magic. Web: Official.
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Background: Life is a process, - this is something Renée Wahl seems to have realized instinctively from an early age. As an alternative country, Americana, Rockabilly artist, Renee Wahl has followed a non-traditional path to a career in music, and yet no one who has known her over the years would ever question her destination. Wahl enrolled in the musical theater program at Staten Island’s Wagner College only to find college life mundane. Finding her way to Philadelphia, Wahl became a regular on the local Indie music scene. After a stint in the US Air Force, where Wahl served first as a flight specialist and later as a physicist and educator, she returned to music. Eventually making her way to Nashville, Wahl’s affable personal style helped her network with some of the brightest lights on Music Row. This combined with her natural talents as a singer and a songwriter have Wahl poised on the verge of widespread name recognition.
Renée Wahl writes intelligent, literate songs from the heart. Working both on her own and with Roger Prescott (Trainwreck Ghost, The Texacala Jones Band), Wahl displays a talent for creating and inhabiting characters and moments in the fashion of Lyle Lovett and Townes Van Zandt. Combine this with a voice that finds the soft parts of your soul and insinuates itself there and it’s easy to understand why Wahl has been compared to Maria McKee (Lone Justice). Wahl acknowledges being a bit of a tomboy, loving to take things apart to see how they work. She invariably practices the same art in her songwriting, dissecting people, places and moments and recreating them in song in ways that bring new light and understanding.
Wahl was inspired early on by such asymmetric songwriters as Neko Case and Chris Isaak. Writing from deep emotional waters, Wahl’s songs bespeak a stark intellect. Wahl paints portraits with words, bringing to life her own experiences and those of people she’s known or observed. Wahl’s eye and ear perceive with the refined understanding of an artist, and her musical media are many. Wahl is equally comfortable writing in the realms of rock, country, Americana, Motown and even 1950’s pop, and her songs are infectious. It’s clear that Renée Wahl enjoys making music, and whether on stage or in the studio, it’s impossible not to pick up on that energy and enthusiasm.
2011Candy Says: The featured track reminds me a little of Emmylou Harris circa Elite Hotel era, take that as a positive as Renee stamps her own mark on the music. Thats only one dimension of her, there is alot more and you would do well to check out the album Cumberland Moonshine if this song grabs you. Listen:On Something New. Web:Official.
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Background: Losing Colour is Stricken City’s final album. Recorded and produced in London by the band over the course of a year it includes the Skellington remix of “Pull The House Down” from the well-received mini-album Songs About People I Know. In the time since their last release Stricken City’s sound has become more honed and complex; a dance-pop beat here, a looselimbed sway there, and awash with dreamy notes ranging from haunting saxophone solos to tropical island pipes and distant moaning drums.
March 8th sees the worldwide digital release via The Kora Records of Losing Colour. Several stunning reviews have already come in from the UK and the album has been featured on BBC Radio 1.
When Iain Pettifer (guitars) and Rebekah Raa (vocals/keys) first met in math class they were wearing exactly the same clothes and quickly coupled over a mutual appreciation of introverted, romantic guitar music; not to mention a palpable sense of detachment from the cool kids. Rebekah spent her entire student loan on a guitar and 8 track recorder while Iain educated her with his extensive music collection including of a full set of Twisted Nerve 7”s and the complete works of Richard Hell. Soon joined by Kit Godfrey (drums) and Mike Hyland (bass), our heroes holed themselves up for hours on end, making and breaking songs about life and loss, love and desperation, hatred and hunger.
Defined by their clattering guitars, the scatter gun pounding of the drums, bass lines bursting with hooks and the strikingly voiced melodies of otherworldly front woman Rebekah Raa; SC produce an indie-pop of hitherto untapped gems drawn from influences Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, Young Marble Giants and The Slits as well as those lost sources of alternative melodica Life Without Buildings, The Sundays and Bow Wow Wow.
“Loose limbed guitar-pop magic… manna to the ears and a ctrl-alt-delete on the musical torpor that is always so close at hand. Stricken City have a floppy, just-short-of-fully-formed form that is beyond endearing and reaks of tiny record labels, the Festive Fifty and musty record shops down back alleys. Tak O Tak effortlessly unfolds as a gorgeous three minutes of lens-flare pop, made all the more palatable by Raa’s voice, which achieves the perfect balance of being exemplary without drowning in its own excellence. Restore your faith in indie with this fab, slightly ramshackle four-piece. More please.” The Times.
2011Candy Says: The featured song 'Some Say' has to be one of my favorites this time around. Indie still has a good future if bands of this calibre continue to deliver such fine music. Listen:Some Say. Web:Official.
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Background: Hidden Shoal Recordings have announced the release of the new single ‘Endlessly’ by neo-classical/minimal ambient artist Antonymes, taken from the forthcoming album The Licence To Interpret Dreams.
In its opening moments, ‘Endlessly’ patiently weaves traces of nature with unearthly, oscillating tones, creating a delicate, pensive atmosphere. Its apex comes halfway through as the gentle tones give way to a strident, emotive piano theme. The accompanying video is a continuation of Antonymes’ stunning explorations into the still and moving image. Hypnotic, minimal and expertly crafted, it is the perfect visual echo of the music.
The Licence To Interpret Dreams is an album of resonant beauty, it is as expansive as the wilds of North Wales from which it came, yet as delicate and intimate as a loved one’s breath upon your skin. Each song deploys a modest array of instruments and textures, giving them ample space to breathe and glow. The album is released on 21 April, distributed via n5Mailorder, and will be available for pre-order from 1 April.
2011Candy Says: I guess this could be the song that's 'different' in this round up of new music. Minimalist music demands attention to detail by its very nature (IMHO) and this works for me. Late night, lying in bed with the lights out, and listening to this is a dreamy way to end any day. Listen:Endlessly. Web:Hidden Shoal.
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Background: Known for her melancholic, melodic pop CALLmeKAT is the moniker of Danish singer, keyboardista and composer, Katrine Ottosen. With her vintage keyboards and a voice that sets her apart from the masses, CALLmeKAT creates music where live samples, haunting bass lines and a broken omnichord dance together under the twilight of the moon.
To announce CALLmeKAT’s sophomore performance at SXSW, Katrine has chosen to give away “Bug in A Web” for new and old fans alike. For the fans who have already fallen in love with CmK, this song will be another delicacy filled with the raw delivery and honest performance they have grown to expect from her. For new fans, this song about love lost, will draw you in- not just with Katrine’s hauntingly beautiful voice but also with the theme of struggle told through the story of the bug in a web. It’s a tale we all know too well.
It’s no wonder NPR has called CMK’s music"...Just mesmerizing" as solely via word-of-mouth, she is singly drawing crowds in clubs throughout Germany, Benelux, France, Switzerland and Austria, all before an official international album release.
In 2008 CALLmeKAT released I'm In A Polaroid Where Are You? (EP) and 'Fall Down' both of which made the media in her native Denmark fall head over heels, while word quickly trickled across to the U.S. with nods in Billboard, Spinner, and Interview Magazine.
Since her two 2008-releases, CALLmeKAT has toured as a solo headliner, opened for artists such as Au Revoir Simone, Okkervil River, Nouvelle Vague, The Dø and Sebastien Tellier and played numerous festivals including SXSW, NXNE, EuroSonic, Northside Festival (NY) and CMJ (NY). At the 2010 SXSW Festival, CALLmeKAT was invited to perform on NPR's All Things Considered followed by a pick on Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton's "Who We Liked List". In addition CMK's music has been featured alongside artists such as Bat For Lashes and The Brunettes on several compilations including Perfect As Cats - A Tribute To The Cure (Manimal Vinyl, 2008) and Stella Polaris - A Handful (Stella Polaris, 2009). Katrine has also appeared as a vocalist on Nouvelle Vague's 'Hollywood Mon Amour' album (2008).
Living in New York for most of 2010, Katrine collaborated with Joe Magistro (Prophet Omega, The Black Crowes) to finish her international debut When Owls Are Out mastered by Chris Athens of Sterling Sound, NYC. A hand numbered, limited first edition will be for sale exclusively at CMK shows and at select stores, in 2011, with a proper release date to be determined.
2011Candy Says: This is another artist that has gone on my 'one to watch out for' list. Gentle rhythms support dreamy vocals and all is well for the Beehive. Anyone who has been featured alongside Bat For Lashes gets my attention, this song deservedly so. Listen:Bug In A Web. Web: MySpace.
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