LISTEN/MUSIC: MARVIN BERRY & THE NEW SOUND POST NEW DEMOS

My friend Joe and his band Marvin Berry And The New Sound has just posted some new demos on their bandcamp page. You can grab all five new songs for free. Two tracks from their split with Nude Beach are only a $1 and their debut self titled seven inch is also only a $1. So for two bucks you can get a bunch of great music from great people. Go check it out.

LISTEN/MUSIC: Marvin Berry & The New Sound

It's a been a quite a while since the last posting here. When the semester at NYU starts up in the fall you can pretty much consider me down for the count. But with things winding down now what better way to get back into things than with some new music.

Last week I got to catch Danzig's Halloween show at Hammerstein Ballroom. At one point, a kid came flying out of the pit into me and when he turned to apologize I realized it was my old friend Joe Porter. I used to work with Joe almost eight years back in the record store. Joe was always in the store buying music and I think Tommy figured since he was around so much, he might as well work for us.

Joe was one of the best characters to ever walk through those doors. Every day brought a new ridiculous story from traveling with the Jim Rose Circus, to being accosted by a hobo in the Philadelphia train yard, to cleaning out fungus infested swimming pools for his Dad's plumbing business. Shortly after becoming an official employee Joe wore a sharp pinstripe suit, thick rimmed glasses and a fake beard then shopped around the store incognito. When he revealed his true identity at the cash register it was one of the truest moments of absurd genius.

He moved to Brooklyn around 2002 and we've bumped into each other from time, even though we live only a few blocks from each other. In reconnecting since the Danzig show, Joe turned me onto his new band Marvin Berry & The New Sound. It's a brilliant blend of Op Ivy, surf rock, and Mitch Ryder. One listen and the songs will be bouncing around your head all day. And how can you not love the Back To The Future reference.

Joe's always been a good kid with a song in his heart and a smile on his face. Rock some of his new band's tunes and you'll quickly find a smile on yours too.

 Howling at the Highway by MarvinBerryandtheNewSound

 Many Roads to Follow (P. Collins) by MarvinBerryandtheNewSound

 Space Age by MarvinBerryandtheNewSound

 No More Hell by MarvinBerryandtheNewSound

Marvin Berry and The New Sound have an upcoming show:

Friday, Nov. 11th
9pm
Lone Wolf
1089 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY

NOTE: That's not my photo above, but it is a great one!

PHOTOS: Kurt Vile At Generation Records 3/8/11

Generation Records was packed wall to wall on Tuesday night for Kurt Vile's acoustic instore appearance. I'd never heard of Kurt Vile before. And I'll be completely honest, when the first song started I wasn't sure if I could sit through the rest of the set. I know my tastes and can usually tell if I will enjoy something after about thirty seconds. But about midway through the show I started to really dig Kurt Vile. By the end of the show I was totally won over and had to get his latest record Smoke Ring For My Halo. And I'm glad I did.

I don't know how to adequately describe Vile's music, it's something like Bob Dylan meets Lou Reed meets Van Morrison's cover of "It's All Over Now Baby Blue," kinda. It is definitely mood music, you may need to be in a particular mood to enjoy it or be prepared to be put in a mood. Either way, it's fantastic. I know I say this about alot of stuff but it has been on endless repeat since I got it. So good.

Vile's appearance at Generation Records was part of a series of stripped down acoustic performances at independent record stores throughout NYC including Academy Records and Other Music.

Click any of the pics above to check out more pics from Kurt Vile at Generation Records or heading straight to the Flickr gallery.

Here's two selections from Kurt Vile's Smoke Ring For My Halo:

Baby's Arms

Runner Ups



UPDATE: I have bought the entire Kurt Vile catalog on iTunes. Guys a genius.

LISTEN/MUSIC: The True King Of Rock & Roll, Carl Perkins

In recent weeks the rockabilly flame that burns in my heart has been set aflame once again. Two things have contributed to this - the new Wanda Jackson album and my Spanish friend Martin Calvino's recent feverish enthusiasm for all things rockabilly. It's inspired me to dig out my rockabilly records and fire up the old turntable. For me, when it comes to rockabilly Carl Perkins is hands down the greatest performer of all time. While Elvis Presley may go down in history as The King Of Rock & Roll, it's Carl Perkins that built the kingdom.

Carl Perkins was the total package. A fantastic lyricist with a brilliant knack for arrangements, Perkins packaged it all together with his virtuoso guitar playing. It was these talents that led him to sign with Sam Phillip's up and coming record label Sun Records in 1954. The successful single, "Movie Magg" backed with "Turn Around" was released on Philip's sister label Flip Records in 1955 to be followed by "Gone, Gone, Gone" backed with "Let The Jukebox Keep On Playing" on Sun Records proper the same year. But in 1956, Perkins wrote the song that would launch his career. Inspired by Perkins observation of a dancer scolding his girlfriend for stepping on his shoes, "Blue Suede Shoes" was released on January 1st, 1956 and would soon top the country western, r&b, and popular music charts simultaneously.

At the behest of Sam Phillips, Perkins agreed to allow Elvis Presley to record and release "Blue Suede Shoes." Following a March 21st, 1956 performance in Norfolk, VA Perkins was involved in a devastating accident when the band's car ran off the road, flipped, and settled upside down in about a foot of water. Perkins nearly drowned but was saved by his drummer. Perkins would remain unconscious for a day and suffered numerous internal injuries. It was from a hospital recovery ward that Perkins would watch Presley perform "Blue Suede Shoes" on Milton Berle's April 3, 1956 performance. Presley's version of the song would skyrocket.

Peter Van't Zelfden. Circa 1959.

The deal to give Presley the song would be a point of contention between Perkins and Phillips for many years. The car accident would keep Perkins from performing during the height of "Blue Suede Shoes" popularity. While Perkins enjoyed the financial rewards of the song, he felt at least some of the fame that Presley was enjoying would have belonged to him had Philips not argued to give the song away. Though Perkins would release albums worth of great songs over the years, many of them chart hits, he would always be one step behind Elvis.

If Perkins was indeed shorted the fame he rightfully deserved, there is one thing that history rightfully granted him - influence. Many consider Perkins to be the original rock & roll guitar god. The most prominent voices in the chorus praise of Carl Perkins are in fact guitar gods themselves. Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and Keith Richards all sight Perkins as inciting their passion for the instrument. But Perkins influence was limited to musicians. The photo to the right is not of Carl Perkins, but an 18 yr old version of my dad circa 1959. Notice his shirt and then look at Carl's in the photo above.

In 1985, many of Perkins greatest musical admirers got the chance to play tribute to their hero on Showtime's Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session. Filmed in London during the second wave of British rockabilly revivalism, the special included guests Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Ringo Star, Dave Edmunds, Lee Rocker of the Stray Cats and Roseanne Cash, the daughter of Perkin's lifelong friend Johnny Cash. Each artist joined Perkins for a performance of one of his songs. But the absolute highlight of the show is George Harrison.

George Harrison idolized Carl Perkins. The Beatles had been playing a version of Perkin's "Matchbox" since their formative days and would eventually release a studio version on their Long Tall Sally EP and Something New album. There were even rumors that in his teenage years, Harrison asked his friends to call him "Carl." So the schoolboy look of adoration that Harrison beams towards Perkins in the Showtime special is really no surprise. It's a boy meeting his hero.

One of the great moments in the show comes when all the performers commune for a guitar circle. Perkin's asks what to play and Harrison suggests the song "Glad All Over" by playing it's opening notes. Perkins claims to not recognize it, so Harrison sings the first verse before Perkins in recognition jumps into the song he wrote so many years ago.



By the end of the show, the audience can no longer contain themselves. Rockabilly is music to move to, it's not music you sit and observe. One fellow is so overcome he ventures out in front of the television cameras and breaks out dancing soon to be followed by the rest of the audience. Cynics would call the moment choreographed for television but it's obviously genuine. The guests are just as caught up in the moment as the audience is, you've never seen Eric Clapton smile so much.



Not included in the YouTube clip is one moment that caps the entire evening. After the performance of "Blue Suede Shoes" Perkins comes to the mic and with a lump in his throat expresses appreciation for the evening to the audience and fellow musicians. Harrison knows the show cannot end on this note and breaks into one more verse of "Blue Suede Shows" to bring the night to a jubilant ending.

Carl Perkins & Friends - Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session is available on DVD through Amazon for $14. It is one hour of Rockabilly bliss and should be part of true rock & roll fans collection.

In 1998 German record label Bear Family Records released Carl Perkins: Up Through The Years 1954-1957. This remastered release is sourced from the original Sun Records master tapes and features all of Perkins hits but more importantly lesser known gems like "All Mama's Children," "Glad All Over," and "Your True Love." It is available on Amazon from time to time for $20-$25.

It does not however include the fantastic "Perkins' Wiggle." That track can be in it's best quality on Rhino's 1990 release Carl Perkins: The Original Sun Records Greatest Hits. It is worth the price of the CD alone.

And for the nerdiest of record nerds like myself, Bear Family Records offers two box sets chronicling pretty much everything Carl Perkins ever recorded. The Classic Carl Perkins box set covers the Sun Records years and Carl Perkins: Back On Top covers Perkins output during his Columbia and Mercury Records years. If you've got a few hundred bucks laying around pick these great collections up.

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.

LISTEN/MUSIC: Christopher Paul Stelling's American Gothic

My thoughts on the Brooklyn music scene have been well documented here. While, there are a shit ton of bands, singers, and songwriters most of them aren't worth your time... well, okay they aren't worth my time. But every once in a while, amongst the dribble there's someone special that manages to shine through.

My buddy John Alberico (who shot the video above) told me about Christopher Paul Stelling almost a year ago but it wasn't until recently that I really listened to the music of CPS. There are times in music when you are lucky enough to catch an artist just before they take off, this is that time for CPS.

There are alot of "new folk/retro folk/ironic folk/i play acoustic so I'm serious" musicians walking the streets of Brooklyn these days, most of which carefully crafted their outfits in a Urban Outfitters dressing room while holding a copy of whatever Bob Dylan 180gram vinyl release was for sale that day.

Christopher Paul Stelling seems to be the real deal. Yes, he's got the beaten up moniker engraved guitar ala Woody Guthrie. But it doesn't appear to be part of a packaged image, more an instrument of trade or traveling companion.

A cursory listen of his music reveals a vividly haunting lyricist, an accomplished musician, and most of all a captivating performer. Paying homage to troubadours and storytellers of the past while at the same time immediate and refreshing, Stelling invites us into his rich world of American Gothic.

Decide for yourself. Give a listen to his music below and click BUY if you like them. For five dollars you can get twenty songs of "praise and scorn" from this talented storyteller. As it turns out, genuine artists still do live in Brooklyn.

LISTEN/MUSIC: More Previews From Social Distortion's New Album

With the release of Social Distortion's new record Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes just around the corner on January 18th, here's two more tracks from the album to preview. Most will recognize "Diamond In The Rough" from Social D's live shows of the last couple years, while "Still Alive" is a deeper album cut.

Social Distortion - Diamond In The Rough

Social Distortion - Still Alive

The album marks a noticeable progression in Social Distortion's sound, incorporating even more elements of country, blues, and roots music. The instrumental "Road Zombie" and it's placement as an opener almost pays homage to the Social Distortion of the past suggesting "that is where we come from, but this is where we are going." Mike Ness has been lucky enough to find a true musical compatriot not once but twice in his career, first with Dennis Dannell and now with Johnny Wickersham. Their crafted, yet effortless feeling interplay shines throughout the album. Meanwhile, bassist Brent Harding and drummer David Hidalgo, Jr. weave in subtle fills at just the right moments. It may be one of the most "band" sounding albums Social Distortion has ever released.

If Social Distortion's early records focused on the pain of Ness' childhood, the most recent albums reveal Ness as an older, wiser, and more expansive songwriter enjoying the rewards of a loving and stable family life. The walls and protective barriers a younger Ness built around himself, have started to come down. There's breathing room now. Those wishing for a sequel to 1996's White Light White Heat White Trash will probably be left disappointed. But if taken as the next chapter in the narrative of Mike Ness as an artist and a person, the Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes album is much more interesting.

Social Disortion has become like the old friend you used to run with as a teenager. You might only see them once every couple of years. They might be a little different than you last remember, they might even surprise you a little. But there is still that special something that binds you together. And either way, it's always good catch up with them when they come around.

LISTEN/MUSIC: Wanda Jackson & Jack White Ready To Rock Brooklyn

Wanda Jackson's new record The Party Ain't Over is about two weeks away. On Friday, January 21st Brooklyn's Music Hall Of Williamsburg will host a special record release show featuring Wanda Jackson backed by Jack White & The Third Man House Band. The show sold out in nearly an hour and the small handful of additional tour dates followed suit.

The hype for this show is huge. In the past, shooting a Wanda Jackson show was pretty easy but this time around with requests in to both the Jackson camp and Third Man Records I have yet to get a response. Maybe I'm not cool enough and it seems that many photographers are in the same boat. Most likely it's an attempt to maintain the unique atmosphere of the live event.

To my fellow record nerds, Third Man Records will release a 180 gram 12" vinyl version of the new album and pre-orders are being taken now. The first 1000 orders will receive a limited edition Hatch Show print and of those 1000 orders a select 100 will have randomly inserted limited edition fuschia colored LPs.

Hatch Show Prints is one of the oldest working print shops in the United States, they've been making prints advertising music shows since 1879 so it's no surprise Jack White has partnered with them to make this release even more special.

Wanda Jackson' latest single, a cover of Bob Dylan's Thunder On The Mountaintop, is available now for download at iTunes or AmazonMP3. Here's a preview:

Wanda Jackson - Thunder On The Mountaintop

 

UPDATE: Wanda Jackson has added an additional NYC tour date on February 24th at the Bowery Ballroom and tickets are onsale now. Jack White is not on the bill for this show. For more information check here or to buy tickets click here.

LISTEN/MUSIC: 2 New Social Distortion Songs - New Album Jan. 18th

Social Distortion releases their seventh studio album Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes on January 18th, 2011.

Social D's last album Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll was released in 2004 which puts the band pretty much right on track for releasing new material every 7 years or so. If that strategy has proved anything it's concise albums with tight, catchy, road tested songs.

So what's Social D got in store for us this go round? Their latest single Machine Gun Blues is one indication. It's available on iTunes now but you can give it a preview here:

Social Distortion - Machine Gun Blues

Pretty much tried and true Social D, nothing wrong with that. But more shocking is California (Hustle & Flow) which reveals more than ever The Rolling Stones influence on Mike Ness. Not sure how I feel about this one, sounds like a Black Crowes outtake but points for branching out I guess.

Social Distortion - California (Hustle And Flow) by Epitaph Records

Also of note, Mike Ness steps into the role of Producer for the first time in his band's history and reveals a much slicker sound than any previous Social D album. Most will recognize "Road Zombie," "Diamond In The Rough," and "Bakersfield" from the bands live performances in recent years as well as "Can't Take It With You" complete with call and response soulful backup vocals. There's also a punked up cover of Hank Williams "Alone & Forsaken." Ness' and guitarist Johnny Two Bags country-fried influences are well apparent with no shortage of slow burning tales of heartbreak and pain to round out the album. All in all a new and interesting road for Social D to take that might have some long time fans scratching their heads.

The album is available January 18th in multiple versions: a limited edition double red vinyl release, a double black vinyl release, a regular edition CD and digi-download version, and a deluxe edition digi-download version via iTunes.

The deluxe iTunes release features 3 bonus tracks one of which is a tune called "I Can't Run No More." For many Social D fans it's something close to the holy grail, the song was performed only a few times on the bands 1997 tour and people have been begging for it to be released ever since. A live version has floated around for years but a studio version could very well make some people shit their pants, myself included.

So thanks Social D, I'll be buying your new record in triplicate - at least.

PHOTO CREDIT: I don't know who took the photo above but good job, that's a great pic. If it's yours and would like me to take it down just say so.

PHOTO CREDIT UPDATE: Wouldn't you know a photo as awesome as the one above would be taken by none other than Danny Clinch. I should've known.

LISTEN/MUSIC: The Misfits' "12 Hits From Hell"

When it comes to putting together the perfect Halloween soundtrack, one really has to look no further than The Misfits. And who needs The Monster Mash anyway.

For your listening pleasure today and in honor of the Halloween holiday, we have a Misfits album that has been shelved for over 30 years - 12 Hits From Hell.

From wikipedia:

In August 1980 the Misfits recorded twelve songs at Master Sound Productions studios with the intention of releasing a full-length album. With the exception of "London Dungeon," all songs were recorded in one take. The band's lineup at this time included singerguitarist Bobby Steele, bassist Jerry Only, and drummer Arthur Googy. During the sessions Only was grooming his younger brother Doyle to join the band, and Doyle recorded his own guitar tracks and overdubs separately in addition to Steele's. The tracks were mixed in September, but in October Steele was ejected from the band in favor of Doyle and the planned album was scrapped.  Glenn Danzig,

Five of the songs were released in 1981, with "London Dungeon", "Horror Hotel", and "Ghouls Night Out" being released as 3 Hits from Hell while the "Halloween" single included both "Halloween" and "Halloween II". The band used the remainder of the recordings as demos for their 1982 album Walk Among Us.

During the intervening years several of the tracks from the August 1980 sessions were released in various mixes on compilation albums: "Where Eagles Dare" and "Halloween" appeared on Legacy of Brutality (1985), "Night of the Living Dead", "Vampira", "Skulls" and "Astro Zombies" appeared on Misfits (1986), and "Horror Hotel", "Halloween", and "Halloween II" appeared on Collection II (1995). The Misfits box set (1996) contained the most complete collection of songs from these sessions, collecting the complete Legacy of Brutality, Misfits, and Collection II albums as well as a disc of unreleased studio recordings including the original mixes of "I Turned into a Martian", "Skulls", "Night of the Living Dead", "Astro Zombies", "Where Eagles Dare", "Violent World", and "Halloween II" from the 1980 sessions.

In 2001 Caroline Records announced that they would be releasing the complete 1980 sessions on October 31 under the title 12 Hits from Hell, including an alternate take of "London Dungeon", and sent promotional copies of the album to the band members. However, production was called off after Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only expressed concerns with the album's layout, packaging, liner notes, mixing, and mastering. All distribution copies of the album were destroyed, and only the promotional copies remain. Some copies did reach critics, however. 

My friend Tim got one of those promotional copies and passed it along to me. Since then, 12 Hits From Hell has become my go to Misfits album. The recording quality tops everything else out there and performances are just as good.

12 Hits From Hell

Master Sound Productions - Franklin Square, NY 8/5/1980 - 9/5/1980.
Lineup: Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only, Bobby Steele, Arthur Googy. Additional Guitar: Doyle & Robbie Alter.

Skulls


Astro Zombies


FULL DOWNLOAD: The Misfits - 12 Hits From Hell

As an extra treat, check out the 1980 Glenn Danzig solo release single of "Who Killed Marilyn" backed with "Spook City." Both are versions different from and not included on The Misfits Box Set. And bundled with this is something called The Misfits Bible. It's basically a visual archive of everything Danzig sent out to members of the original Fiend Club including hand written letters, photos, and newsletters. For the true nerds out there.

DOWNLOAD: Glenn Danzig - "Who Killed Marilyn" & The Misfits Bible

For the record, Lobo Jones does not recognize any post-Danzig incarnations of The Misfits.

Happy Halloween, fiends.

PHOTO CREDIT: The header image is from Glen E. Friedman's book Fuck You Too.

LISTEN/MUSIC: New Face To Face Song "Should Anything Go Wrong"

It's been six years since Face To Face has released any new material. 2004's How To Ruin Everything seemed like a solid ending for the band. But 2008 brought a reunion of sorts in the form of sporadic festival appearances and a few headlining shows in New York and LA.

Earlier this year, the band announced plans for a brand new studio album Laugh Now, Laugh Later to be released January 2011. But today we've get a sneak preview of one track "Should Anything Go Wrong." Preview it here and if you want to download it for yourself, head over the official Face To Face website to grab it.

So is it everything we've been hoping for? Not really. It'll be interesting to see how it fits within the full album. Either way a new track from Face To Face is always a good thing.

Face To Face - "Should Anything Go Wrong"
 

LISTEN/MUSIC: Wanda Jackson & Jack White

The long awaited Jack White/Wanda Jackson collaboration will finally see the light of day. Third Man/Nonesuch Records will release Wanda Jackson's The Party Ain't Over on January 25th, 2011.

This marks Jack White's second collaboration with a country music legend. In 2004, White joined forces with Loretta Lynn and released her much acclaimed comeback album,  Vanlear Rose.

The Party Ain’t Over was recorded in Nashville at White’s studio, with a band, including himself, Jack Lawrence (The Dead Weather/Raconteurs), Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket), Patrick Keeler (Raconteurs), Ashley Monroe, Jackson Smith, and White's wife Karen Elson. "The result: a retro modern collection of music that showcases Wanda, now in her seventh decade and sounding as wickedly charismatic as ever."

Vinyl and iTunes fans got a sneak preview of two tracks from the forthcoming album this past summer in the form of a digital download/vinyl 7". A soulful cover of Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good" was backed with the classic Johnny Kidd and the Pirates hit “Shakin All Over."

Wanda Jackson - "You Know I'm No Good"

Wanda Jackson - "Shakin' All Over"

 

Wanda Jackson has been riding an already successful career comeback in the past few years. 2003's Heart Trouble was Jackson's first album since the 1980's and featured artists the likes of Elvis Costello, The Cramps, and Dave Alvin. 2006's I Remember Elvis brought a covers record of her ex-boyfriend Elvis Presley's songs. This was soon followed by a Wanda Jackson tribute album, a feature length documentary, and a long awaited, long deserved induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

With the White Stripes on hiatus, Jack White has had no problem keeping busy. In between producing, recording, and touring with his bands The Dead Weather and The Raconteurs, White started Third Man Records and has produced many of it's artists. Here's some vintage White Stripes for your listening pleasure.

  

The White Stripes @ John Peel Session - "You're Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl)"

 

DOWNLOAD FULL SHOW: The White Stripes - Maida Vale Studios, London - Peel Session 1, 7-25-01.

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PICS: Wanda Jackson featuring Jack White & The Third Man House Band. Music Hall Of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY. 1/21/11.

LISTEN/MUSIC: Wanda Jackson & Jack White Ready To Rock Brooklyn

LISTEN/DOWNLOAD: Bruce Springsteen's Piece De Resistance

Bruce Springsteen - Lawrence Kirsch ©.

A little while back, Bruce Springsteen's Darkness On The Edge Of Town reissue was officially announced.  With more rare Springsteen than the average person could handle, it would seem that the new box set is the complete document of Darkness. But it's not.

Maybe it's because of the full length concert film but unlike the Born To Run re-issue, it does not contain a standalone audio concert. Maybe two more discs would be overkill. Or maybe it's because of the abundance of high quality bootlegs from the Darkness tour.

The 1978 Darkness On The Edge Of Town tour is considered by many fans and critics as one of the greatest concert tours of all time. Tangled up in legal battles with ex-manager Mike Appel, Springsteen was banned from the recording studio for nearly a year, until 1977 when sessions for the Born To Run followup could begin. Springsteen emerged from the studio in 1978, with a new sound, a new writing style and hunger for live performance.

While "Born To Run" was a romantic densely layered masterpiece of hope and dreams, Darkness was a stripped down album about when dreams don't come true and in some cases, hope runs out. From the first night of the tour it was clear things had changed. Already known for his captivating live performances, Springsteen was playing harder and longer than ever. Concerts stretched to three hours plus, a Springsteen standard that until recently would remain for decades. This was a guitar driven album.  The live versions of "Badlands" would feature power chords drenched in reverbed distortion and blistering extended guitar solos for "Prove It All Night". It would seem that Springsteen was out for blood.



With lessons learned from the media frenzy following the Born To Run album, Springsteen granted fewer interviews than ever before. Instead numerous concerts throughout the tour would be broadcast in full over FM radio stations, for free. Springsteen would let the music do the talking and any doubters could draw their own conclusions.

While the Houston show was chosen for inclusion in the box set, there is good reason to believe many other legendary shows from the Darkness tour remain sealed in the vaults. Yet, through the magic of bootlegging many of those incendiary performances survive to this day, in amazing quality and available now.

Roxy Night, Oh Boy, Agora Night, and Winterland, all bootlegs well known and cherished by traders for decades. But one stands above the rest. Considered by many to be the greatest Springsteen live performance ever, Piece De Resistance captures the full performance from New Jersey's Capitol Theater on September 19, 1978. Pulled from WNEW's FM broadcast, not much else really needs to be said. Listen for your self.

DOWNLOAD:
Discs 1 & 2 - Piece De Resistance: Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band at the Capitol Theater - Passaic, NJ 9/19/78
DOWNLOAD:
Disc 3 - Piece De Resistance: Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band at the Capitol Theater - Passaic, NJ 9/19/78

Another version surfaced about 5 years ago that presents the Capitol Theater performance as it was broadcast by WNEW on that warm Septmember night in 1978 complete with introductions, DJ interviews, and station breaks. Sound Quality is a little lower than Piece De Resistance but absolutely worthy of multiple listens.

FULL DOWNLOAD:
The Way It Was - Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band at the Capitol Theater - Passaic, NJ 9/19/78 Un-Edited WNEW Broadcast.

PHOTO CREDIT: The header image is from photographer Lawrence Kirsch's excellent book The Light In Darkness which chronicles Bruce Springsteen's 1978 Darkness On The Edge of Town tour. It is a must for any Springsteen fan. Please check it out: http://thelightindarkness.com/home/

LISTEN/MUSIC: Penfold's Last Show

I recently met a kid named Jason at one of the Generation instores. He works at the store and though I had seen him many times before, this was our first official meeting.

In conversation it was revealed that he went to college at William Paterson University in the town of Wayne, NJ - the town I grew up in. I told him I worked at CD World in Totowa back then and the talk soon snowballed into all things NJ music circa 2000-2006: people we knew in common, bands we were into and shows we'd been to. One show in particular stood out in both our minds. The last Penfold show.

Penfold was a band that nowadays would be shoeboxed into the dreaded category of EMO. But before the skinny jeans, side swept haircuts, and insta-sleeve tattoos would take over MTV and Alternative Press, emo was something different. Penfold made some of the most beautiful and honest music you will ever hear.

By their mid-twenties the kids raised on punk, hardcore, and metal had reached a new place in life. As high school drama and first romances came to an end and the harsh reality of adulthood became apparent, in some cases at least, a sort of melancholy slipped in. It was a recognition that childhood was over.

The music would soon reflect this with the incorporation of melodic fills, slower arrangements, and acoustic interludes. Lyrically, the ideals of punk and hardcore - honesty, friendship, relationships and integrity - remained intact, if now from the viewpoint of a more world weary adult. But what was once buried in a wash of distortion and break neck pacing was now pushed to the forefront and naked.

Rites Of Spring's 1985 self titled debut, Embrace's self titled release, Jawbreaker's Dear You, and Sunny Day Real Estate's Diary belong in every respectable music fans' record collection. And all of these could be branded "emo." In only a short time, everything would devolve into a "I'm more depressed than you, just look at how much mascara I'm wearing" whine. And by mid 2000 it had become completely comical. But for a moment, it was pure.

My friend Dan went to school with and was close friends with the Penfold kids. Our friends Al and Rob worked at CD World and were also close friends with the band as well. So Dan's brother Mike and I would come along with all of them to as many shows as possible.

With the pull of higher education looming, after ten years Penfold decided to end the band with a final show at the M&M Veteran's Hall in Old Bridge, NJ. Mike and I rode down early with Dan to help set up equipment. Soon a group of kids started to gather in the parking lot. Then more kids. Every one was convinced that there must have been a flea market or something near by and was using the VFW parking lot for overflow. Mike and I were sent out to clear out everyone who wasn't there for the show.

We soon found out that everyone was there for the show, over 300 kids. The M&M Hall only held about 150 maximum and no doubt a worried passerby called the fire marshal. First negotiations were bleak, the show would have to be stopped before it even started. Further negotiations produced a much better result, the band would play two sets - one set for the first 150 people, followed by a second set for the final 150 people.

I could write another five hundred words about how amazing a show it was. About how people flew in from Germany, Japan, and Australia to a see a band put on a show in a small VFW hall in the middle of NJ. But anyone who was there knows, there is no way to capture in words the feeling of being there that night. Maybe one way to get a sense would be to listen to that night. So here's to trying. Both sets from Penfold's last show in full, streaming for your listening pleasure.

LISTEN: Penfold's Last Show - Set 1 Full
 

LISTEN: Penfold's Last Show - Set 2 Full
 

And if you don't already have them, go to Itunes and buy Penfold's two album's: Amateurs & Professionals and Our First Taste Of Escape. For twenty bucks you'll get some great music. If you think it's emo garbage, well that's your problem.

Click the pic above to check out some photos from the last Penfold show taken by photographer John Cafaro.

LISTEN/MUSIC: Ghsts N Guitars

My friend Dusty handed this to me at work today. If you've walked the sidewalks or rode the subway in NYC you have no doubt seen a busker or two.

From the flamenco quartets on the L train to late night classical pianist at West 4th, despite recent attempts to squash it, is still alive. Some mornings they are the last thing you want intruding on your commute and other times they can change your day for the better.

Dusty encountered James Joseph aka Ghsts N Guitars on a Manhattan bound F Train yesterday morning. For a handful of change donation he was given this CDR, Summer Mix 2010.

It's a fifteen minute three song daydream of mellow, reverb drenched surf guitar. Put your headphones on a drift away for a bit.

If your so inclined, head on over to Ghsts N Guitars website. While it won't give you much info on the artist behind the music, you can purchase the track for only $3.12 and help support truly independent music.

Ghsts N Guitars - Summer Mix 2010
Beach / Waitin 4 Love / No Goodbyes 



NOTE: If you hold the copyright to any of the materials posted on this site, please contact me and I will immediately and with out contest remove the material in question.

LISTEN/MUSIC: Social Distortion's Lost Album

When Social Distortion's fifth studio album White Light, White Heat, White Trash was released in September of 1996, critics and fans alike hailed it as a return to the SoCal band's punk rock roots.

The band's previous two albums, 1992's Somewhere Between Heaven & Hell and 1990's self titled release, explored the band's interests in country, roots, and 50's rock & roll. White Light was a record influenced more by The Dead Boys than Johnny Cash. 

Two years prior in 1994, Mike Ness entered a New York City recording studio and laid demos for what would eventually become White Light. These demos however were far different from the final release version of the album. Some songs would end up on White Light, some would see release on Mike Ness' 1999 solo record Cheating At Solitaire, while many of the songs recorded during those NYC sessions would remain officially unreleased. When eleven of the tracks were leaked nearly ten years after their original recording, fans caught a rare glimpse into Mike Ness life circa 1994 and his writing process for Social Distortion.

"Love Me Tonight" features Ness as a closed off world worn outsider pleading for love but warning to any who may answer of the darkness he carries inside. With themes similar to White Light's lyrically stronger "Through These Eyes," it was left off the final album.

"Crown Of Thorns" would find it's way onto the final release in a slightly more fleshed out version but the lyrically weak "Like You Never Done Before" would not. "Lost and Found" a fantastic acoustic charged dark country slow burner could be interpreted as the seedling for "Winners and Losers" from 2004's Sex, Love, and Rock & Roll. Next, apparently taking a page from Dee Dee Ramone's book, "Got Nothin Comin" features Ness punk-rapping over a hip hop beat and female soul backup vocals. It's most likely intent nothing more than a studio experiment. "Do It Again" could have easily served as a b-side, it's not great but it's certainly not a bad song.

A highlight of Ness' first solo record, "Dope Fiend Blues" addressed Ness' years of drug addiction more directly than ever before. This starkly haunting acoustic demo, stripped of the final version's tough guy machismo, showcases the gutwrenchingly honest lyrics - it's all pain and shame here.

Social Distortion - Dope Fiend Blues.

"I'm In Love With My Car" would also find release on the first solo album with different lyrics, a slightly altered arrangement and increased production, while "Don't Drag Me Down" would become both an album and live performance favorite.

Which leaves two songs from the session, both of which remain unreleased.  "Can't Hide" contains some of the most personally revealing lyrics about Ness' childhood years and family situation fans have ever seen from the writer:

... Jesus, god, are you there?
I get the feeling, you don`t care.
There`s a pain deep inside, I can run, but you know I can`t hide

... You need a license to drive, but nothing to raise a child
And your alcoholism and fear run deep in my blood
And the welfare lines are always longer at the first of the month

The "album's" closer returns to a lyrical theme found throughout many of the 1994 demos, a plea for love. "Don't Keep Me Hangin On" is a direct indicator of the songwriting style Ness would adopt for the next Social Distortion album, released nearly 8 years later. 2004's Sex, Love, and Rock & Roll would reveal a much happier Ness in the newly found comforts of a loving and stable family. In 1994, all that was far on the horizon for Mike Ness. But in "Don't Keep Me Hanging On," he was already dreaming of it.

Social Distortion - Don't Keep Me Hangin On

 

FULL DOWNLOAD: Social Distortion - Lost Tracks: The 1994 NYC Demos

NOTE: If you hold the copyright to any of the materials posted on this site, please contact me and I will immediately and with out contest remove the material in question.

LISTEN: The Replacements Live

As part of an apparent continued attempt to reveal the vast depths of my music nerdery, presented here for your listening pleasure are two shows from The Replacements.

The Replacements live shows were notoriously known to be hit or miss. Some shows could be life changing while others sent even the hardest of hardcore fans headed for the exit. I would imagine that these two shows would fall somewhere closer to the former.

The first captures a blistering live set from '86 recorded at Maxwells in Hoboken, NJ. A few months later Bob Stinson would be kicked out of the band and the Replacements would slip into yet another of their many sonic incarnations. This set focuses on material up to and including their major label release "Tim."

The second set features Slim Dunlop and compiles recordings from The Replacements ill fated tour with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in 1989. Slotted as the opening act, in true Replacements style the band used every opportunity they could to heckle both Petty and his fans. But it was one night's antics in particular that broke the camels back so to speak. The Replacements dressed up in drag with clothes stolen from Petty's wife and played about five songs including a nine minute version of "Walk On The Wide Side." They ended the set with Westerberg yelling something along the lines of "Last night, Tom Petty said that if we fucked up again, he would fucking fire us. Well, Fuck You, Tom Petty! And Fuck You, Nashville!"

Both sets capture the Replacements in all their ramshackle glory and seem to be sourced from either the soundboard or FM Broadcast.

DOWNLOAD: The Replacement. Maxwells - Hoboken, NJ. 2/4/86 Full Show Download.

Sample: Can't Hardly Wait
 

Sample: Left Of The Dial
 

DOWNLOAD: The Replacements. "Shit, Shower, Shave." Tom Petty Tour '89 Full Download.

Sample: Talent Show
 

Sample: Alex Chilton
 

NOTE: If you hold the copyright to any of the materials posted on this site, please contact me and I will immediately and with out contest remove the material in question.

LISTEN: Joe Strummer's London Calling

When I was about eleven or twelve I went on a record buying CRUSADE. I'd already had a good solid base with my dad's record collection. But I needed more. We had a good player and they were much cheaper to buy than CDs so naturally I bought everything in sight.

Back then there were three places I got my records. Sound Exchange had awesome stuff - bootlegs, rarities, imports, everything. But it was so overpriced I rarely was able to buy anything. For a while Flipside II Records was my go to spot. Run by a guy named Don Diego, who more than once tried to get me to join his self started religion of which the revered deity was none other than Don Diego himself, had all kinds of good stuff and was cheap. But I stopped going there when Don Diego refused to sell me a signed promo poster for Social Distortion's "Somewhere Between Heaven & Hell" that I had found buried in the bowels of the store. He didn't even know he had it, it was buried in there since the damn album came out. The last place was this local record show that was held on Sundays in the local fire department rec room (they held some semi legendary Jersey basement shows there too) and I would bug the hell out of my mom to let me check it out after church. They had everything, it was cheap, and most importantly it was close enough to walk back to if my mom refused to stop. Later on I'd graduate onto the big leagues and make the trip to Curmudgeon or Vintage Vinyl but most of my early record purchases came from that show.

Maybe that's where London Calling first came into my possession. I'd like to say I was walking down the aisle of some record store and a beam of light from heaven came down and showed me the path to salvation but really London Calling just kinda came into my possession. It wasn't immediate love at first listen. It's alot of music to ingest and while the cool kids may have been enamored from first listen, it had to grow on me. But pretty soon after it was all Clash all the time. Singles, imports, demos if it had The Clash written on the cover I bought it.

Like everyone else, I was totally captivated by Joe Strummer not only by his words and music onstage but in his interviews offstage. Strummer had a way speaking that made you want to get up, get out and do something. The rhythm and the cadence of his speech held pure unfiltered passion. He completely understood the power of radio and television as a mean of communication, a purpose it is used for less and less today. If Joe Strummer was being interviewed on the radio you could be damn sure he had something to say.

Instead of going to college I worked in a independent record store for six years, not some Coconuts. Even with our knowledgeable clientele, I was surprised to find how many people didn't know The Clash. We'd put it on both customers and some employees would ask "What's this?" It was almost guaranteed that if The Clash was playing on the overheads, someone was gonna by one of their records. When Joe Strummer passed in 2002, my friend Joe Porter and I played Streetcore everyday for two weeks.

In his years post-Clash, Strummer wandered the world soaking up it's peoples and cultures. Always with ears wide open, Strummer kept his finger on the pulse of music. His solo work and collaboration with the Mescaleros brought an eclectic mix of world music, punk, and rock&roll. But it was it BBC World Service radio program London Calling that showed us just how amazing a soul Joe Strummer really was. His combination of hand selected tracks, nimble wordplay and vaudevillian antics made for an endlessly entertaining half hour. It was the most logical step in Joe Strummer's quest to bring the sound of the streets and it's people to the masses.

If you go on Itunes you can download for free, the Americanized versions of Joe Strummer's London Calling BBC radio show. While it is eight parts long, it's a condensed and edited version of Srummer's original broadcasts. We all know Joe Strummer was great but we don't need the announcer telling us that every five seconds. So gathered here are all known recordings of the unedited original broadcast versions of Strummer's London Calling on the BBC World Service. At times the audio quality leaves something to be desired but the content is undeniable:

DOWNLOAD: BBC World Service: London Calling with Joe Strummer

I'll close this little tribute with a quote from Joe Strummer that closes the end of Julien Temple's beautiful documentary, The Future Is Unwritten. It all right there in a couple of sentences, the soul of the man and it brings me to tears every time I hear it:

"I'd like to say people can change anything they want to; and that means everything in the world. People are running about following their little tracks. I am one of them. But we've all gotta stop... just stop following our own little mouse trail. People can do anything; this is something that I'm beginning to learn. People are out there doing bad things to each other; it's because they've been dehumanized. It's time to take that humanity back into the centre of the ring and follow that for a time. Greed... it ain't going anywhere! They should have that on a big billboard across Times Square. Think on that. Without people you're nothing."

NOTE: If you hold the copyright to any of the materials posted on this site, please contact me and I will immediately and with out contest remove the material in question.

LISTEN: The Mystery of Paul Westerberg's 49:00.

Nowadays if an artist hasn't posted their newest release to Itunes, people assume that they've given up on music and decided to pursue a career in accounting. Despite not having a computer and giving up on Itunes altogether, Paul Westerberg seems to have keen understanding of the power and creative possibilities of the internet.

In 2008, Paul released 49:00 on Amazon as a digital download for the total cost of 49 cents. A concept album of sorts, it's one track, clocks in at 43:55 (more on that later), and can be described more or less as Paul Westerberg Radio. Each song crossfades into the next, a completely different song will pop up in the middle of another, and sometimes two songs will play at once in different channels. Kinda like driving down the road, flipping through radios stations as their frequencies fade in and out.

Some might say a clever gimmick to sell your record. An they'd be right, if it sucked. But fortunately for us it doesn't suck, it's kinda great. This is not background music, it's a good listen even if the whole one track thing does require a bit of dedication. With a running time perfectly suited for the morning drive or ride to work you wonder if maybe that was what Paul had in mind from the beginning.

Less than a month after it's release, 49:00 mysteriously was removed from Amazon. Some speculate it was due to copyright issues concerning a covers medley towards the end of the album. A few weeks later a new song 5:05 (the missing amount of time from 49:00) became available on Amazon with two price options for purchasing, 99 cents or $5.05 - either one gets you the same song. A few weeks later, 5:05 was removed from Amazon possibly due to the inclusion of a snippet of The Beatles "Oh, Darling."

So the question is, was it all a setup - Paul's roundabout comment on copyright and $1+ per song downloads or the evil empire of the RIAA stamping out a rebellious artist?

Who knows. Either way 49:00 and 5:05 are yet another document of Westerberg's career long refusal to be put in a box. And we are lucky to be a part of it.

These are hard to come by, check it out:

DOWNLOAD: Paul Westerberg - 49:00 & 5:05

Since 49:00, Paul Westerberg has continued to release new music on the cheap, some to better result than others. They are all still available on Amazon and for what amounts to pocket change these days you can grab some good tunes.

NOTE: If you hold the copyright to any of the materials posted on this site, please contact me and I will immediately and with out contest remove the material in question.