NEWS: GASLIGHT/SPRINGSTEEN PHOTOGRAPH IN ROLLING STONE

Yesterday I got a late X-mas gift and a great start to the new year. My photo of The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon and Bruce Springsteen performing at the band's December Convention Hall show ran in Rolling Stone magazine's Random Notes section. It's totally cool to have a photograph in a magazine that I grew up reading and to be one step closer to the Bieber!

Thanks to Ken Weinstein & Big Hassle.

PHOTOS: THE HORRIBLE CROWES @ BOWERY BALLROOM

 

Given The Horrible Crowes frontman Brian Fallon's strong belief in the sanctity of the live performance, I almost feel guilty for posting these photos. The man is not naive, he's well aware we live in the Youtube age. Yet he confesses a yearning to go back, to when the only way to see your favorite artist was by standing in front of their stage. 

In a short few years, Fallon has gained a reputation as a dynamic live performer and superb songwriter. His latest project, The Horrible Crowes, is a collaboration with guitarist Ian Perkins and will undoubtly only add that reputation. Their debut release Elsie is a fully realized album of moody and soulful "night music." Fallon's influences are again worn on his sleeve - the album has it's share of nods to Tom Waits, Van Morrison, and U2. But he takes the best parts of each of those acts and manages to form something new and exciting while at the same time familiar.

The band's performance this past Thursday at Bowery Ballroom was the first of only two US dates. I really don't want to give anything away for fear of ruining what the band may have in store for the lucky folks attending the LA show. I will say you are in for a treat. The band is tight, the music is right, and there's couple of choice covers to round out the night. Enjoy.

Check out more photos from: The Horrible Crowes @ Bowery Ballroom - NYC. 9/8/11.

MUSIC NEWS: The Dropkick Murphys, Brian Fallon, & The Bouncing Souls

Every year my friends and I head up to Boston for St. Patties day. It is a three day shitshow of drunken revelry. Aside from consuming obnoxious amounts of Guinness, the main reason for the trip is to attend one or many of the Dropkick Murphys annual St. Patties day performances. Looks like this year we will have a little more to be excited for.

On March 1st, The Dropkick Murphys will release Going Out In Style, their first record in four years.

From kikaxemusic.com:

For Going Out In Style, Dropkick Murphys even enlisted the vocal talents of the legendary Bruce Springsteen — whom they first met at a DKM gig in New York and later collaborated with onstage at one of Springsteen's Boston shows. Springsteen swaps verses with [Ken] Casey for a spirited take on the old standard "Peg O' My Heart."  "It has a classic old fifties rock and roll feel," says Casey. "Both of my grandmothers are named Peg. One grandmother, Peg Casey, is always saying, 'When are you going to do that song? Your grandfather always sang it to me!' The time signature changed, so hopefully they still appreciate it when they hear it."

The collaboration is a perfect intergenerational bridge for fans and band alike. Dropkick Murphys have always strongly resonated with audiences young and old due to their working class ethos and cathartic sonic revelry.  "It links two generations," says Casey. "We're spanning a lot of years of music here, yet our songs share similar themes, stories, and values."

Rolling Stone interviewed bassist Ken Casey about the new album and his band's collaboration with the Boss:

"All we said was 'we thought it would be great to trade off on verses,'" Casey says. "You don't really give the Boss instructions."

Rolling Stone also has a preview of the new DKM track "Memorial Day."

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The Bouncing Souls have teamed up with Side One Dummy Records and screenprint designer El Jefe to release a 19x25 limited edition Misfit's inspired poster as part of the new "Artist On Artist Poster Series."

Future bands to be featured in the series include The Gaslight Anthem and Flogging Molly.

Side One Dummy will also feature The Bouncing Souls as part of it's Complete Control Sessions record release series. Each 10" record will feature a sleeve custom designed by El Jefe and exclusive recordings from the bands.

The El Jefe designed El Jefe print is available for pre-order now at the Side One Dummy Records store and El Jefe Design.com. Stay tuned here for more info on the Complete Control Sessions record release series.

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The Gaslight Anthem's frontman Brian Fallon revealed his new side project The Horrible Crowes on his personal blog, Cassettes In The Mailbox.

"Anyway, so here's the deal... the "night time music" is myself and Mr. Ian Perkins, and what we're doing is writing songs and making demos at the very moment. We hope to put out a full length record sometime this year, before it gets cold again, I don't know with whom, or when exactly it will come out. But the point is, it's coming out. We're calling ourselves The Horrible Crowes...

... Now how's this going to work with Gaslight, well it's easy, see, every time I write a creepy Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Mark Laneghan type song, I get an idea for a ripper which goes straight to Gaslight. So we're writing for both now, but Gaslight isn't planning on recording until the fall, for a 2012 release. Now I can't sit still so I'm doing this for fun, nothing more. We might do a few shows with the Crowes, maybe select cities in the US, Can, and Europe/UK, but not major touring like Gaslight does. This is my "for me" record, Gaslight is my baby, no mistake...

... I always said I never would do a "solo" record so that's why I found a partner in crime in Ian. So it's not going to be the acoustic Brian Fallon road show. There's organs, pianos, even (gasp) strings!!! There's drums, everything. So don't expect a folk record. Here's a good description, if Tom Waits, the National, the Afghan Whigs, Bon Iver, and Nick Cave made a band with Percy Sledge that'd be called The Horrible Crowes." 

You can keep up with The Horrible Crowes by checking out their blog and Facebook page.

PHOTO CREDIT: All images included in this post belong to their rightful photographer but I don't know who you are. If any of these are your photo, please contact me and I will credit you or remove the image should you want.

LISTEN/MUSIC: Brian Fallon's Lost Songs

Beginning in December of 2008, The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon posted a series of home/solo/cover recordings to his freshly minted personal MySpace page. "So I'm working on some acoustic songs with zero plans to make an actual record. I'd ideally like to have some songs up here for people to listen to, and maybe I'll make them downloadable, maybe not. We'll see what happens, I plan on recording while I'm home from tour during the winter. "

A cover version of Bruce Springsteen's "Backstreets"arrived first, but was shortly after pulled from the page when another alternate version of the song was featured in the Springsteen homage series, "Hanging Out On E-Street."

In continued tribute to his influences, Fallon would follow with a superb, spot on rendition of the Tom Waits penned "Cold Cold Ground." Swapping the bohemian sway of accordion prominent throughout Waits' version, Fallon tied his sparse rendition together with a soulful and swirling organ accompaniment.

But it was the third song in the MySpace postings that got people talking. Many Gaslight Anthem fans took "The Blues, Mary" as a preliminary sketch for the bands next album. The mournful tale of a street worn lovesick protagonist, it was however the first of three new original solo compositions Fallon would release. 

"Italian Lightning" would showcase the artist's wordplay talents while covering such topics as political corruption, body image issues of the American female, and the ongoing decay of Asbury Park. With no answers of his own, the narrator laments on society's unwillingness or inability to to deal with such issues and as a result the probable scapegoat solution of "Italian Lighting" -  the old school adage muttered when an inconvenient building would burn down only to find its owner shortly thereafter collecting insurance money.

Fallon would save his most personal solo song for last. Sung to a "red-shoed" sweetheart, "Tin Pan Alley" is as much a cautionary tale on the pitfalls of fame and fleeting celebrity as it is a reminder note to the artist himself and a need to stayed grounded to one's roots. Of all the solo songs it is the most fleshed out - with a simple drum pattern, backing vocals and melodic electric guitar fills.

In August of 2009, Fallon would close his MySpace page citing "Shut down the solo MySpace. There's too many folk singers these days. I'm here for the rock, folks." A year later, Fallon noted "I doubt I'd do an acoustic album or a "solo" album, but I would like to make a record people can listen to in the night time. I think I'd like to do that with a band name and some friends where we can dress like the Bad Seeds, in suits. Seriously."

While some of the solo songs would be performed a handful of times over a short solo tour, only "Tin Pan Alley" would see a physical release. Gospel Hymns, a split 7" record with Chuck Ragan was released on August 25th, 2009 through Side One Dummy Records. As for the rest of Brian Fallon's 2008/2009 "solo" songs, they remain unreleased.

Enjoy the listen.

Brian Fallon - "Cold Cold Ground (Tom Waits Cover)"

Brian Fallon - "The Blues, Mary"

FULL DOWNLOAD: Brian Fallon - Solo Recordings

Note: While "Tin Pan Alley" is included in this download, the Gospel Songs 7" is still available. So do the right thing, support good music, and put down the four bucks for this fine looking vinyl.

PHOTOS: Brian Fallon with Dave Hause - Bowery Ballroom 01/15/10

Eerie Von mentions in his new book that in all his time shooting The Misfits live, he remembers very little of being at their actual shows. He'd spent most of the performance searching for shots and figured that his photos would serve as his memories. Fair enough. I guess it's always been the same for me.

I didn't want that to be the case for this show. So I made sure to enjoy the show and grab some pics. And shit, was it one hell of a show.

Dave Hause opened up with a great set. It's no secret this guy has an amazing voice and in the acoustic setting it was on full display, in all it's raw and naked glory. The highlight - a great cover of Kathleen Edward's "The Cheapest Key." Brought me right back to seeing her on the very same stage in 2003.

Fallon's set was half Gaslight songs, half cover songs and oddly enough none of his "solo" songs. There's not much I can say about the show that the setlist doesn't say for itself. It was amazing.

It seems that at some point, all Jersey bands or artists inherit the drunken Giants Stadium parking lot crew. The only sour note of the night was the crowd - completely obnoxious. If they weren't screaming requests (before and during songs) or screaming where they were from, they were talking over Fallon's stories. It was a stark contrast from the crowd at last year's Bowery show, that night you could hear a pin drop.

**Extra special thanks to Jon and Hollie from that Gaslight camp for giving me a photo pass at the last minute. The people behind the stage are just as great as the ones out front.


Brian Fallon with Dave Hause - Bowery Ballroom, NYC, 01/15/10

1. What You Gonna Call Your Pretty Little Baby? (Odetta)
2. Old White Lincoln
3. Have You Ever Seen The Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival )
4. Great Expectations
5. The 59 Sound
6. Dollar Bill (Screaming Tree's )
7. Miles Davis And The Cool
8. I Do Not Hook Up (Kelly Clarkson)
9. High Lonesome
10. Blue jeans & White T-Shirts
11. The Navesink Banks
12. Here's Looking At You Kid
13. The Broad Majestic Shannon (The pogues)
14. We Came To Dance

Encore : W/ Dave
15. Call It Off (Tegan And Sara)
16. Ring Of Fire (Johnny Cash)
17. Long Ride Home (Patty Griffin)
18. Ball & Chain (Social Distortion)