We're already a month into 2012 and therefore it's time to take a quick look back at what local artists were up to in January. With such big events as Jam Cruise, Preservation Hall Jazz Band's 50th Anniversary blowout at Carnegie Hall, the Best of the Beat Awards last weekend, there's already been a healthy [...]

Carrying on from where we left off yesterday... 30 Josh T Pearson - Last Of The Country Gentlemen Download Josh T Pearson – Woman When I've Raised Hell…(Alternative Version) mp3 a 29 Real Estate - Days Download Real Estate – Green Aisles mp3 (from Days) Download Real Estate – It's Real mp3 (from Days) a [...]

Our final Top Ten selection comes courtesy of the lovely, and ever radiant, Mrs Mackerel. Over to you girl! It's been a great musical year. But such a plethora of riches always presents a problem – what's a girl to choose? Fortunately some fine contributions in the preceding week means most bases are covered. Live gigs, although few and far between this year, have been rich in quality, and particularly finger-picking good on the guitar front. A fine ensemble of gig friends too, thank you. Without further ado, here's my humble opinion. And remember [...]

For our first ever Festive Feature on Mad Mackerel, we asked twelve of our favourite bands and artists of 2011 to answer twelve questions and we will publish them over the next twelve days taking us up to Christmas Eve. The back story behind Alynda Lee Sagarra the creative force behind Hurray for the Riff Raff is one of running away from home at 17, hopping boxcars, and joining the Dead Man Street Orchestra . In 2011, after two previously self-released albums, the wonderful Loose [...]
The wonderful folks at Loose Records are Amazon's label of the month and this means you can now get hold of there fantastic label sampler which should get you the discerning music lover heading straight to the Loose shop to stock up. Get it here . THE FELICE BROTHERS - Fire At The Pageant HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF - Take Me DAWES - Time Spent In Los Angeles JIM WHITE - Rambler THE FELICE BROTHERS - Ponzi JIM WHITE - Speeding Motorcycle THE HANDSOME FAMILY - [...]
There's undoubtedly too much happening on any given day of Voodoo to talk about everything. Nevertheless, we figured it couldn't hurt to tell you what performances we're excited about. Here's a few thoughts on a national and a local act that we are looking forward to on Saturday. X: Le Carnival Bingo! Parlor, 7:00PM The often dormant American tradition of disquieted musicianship whose minimalism and simplicity is tempered only by artists' forthright and nuanced desperation - epitomized by acts like the Flying Burrito Brothers, Bob Dylan, [...]

Loose Records are having a sale, CD albums and their lovely vinyl selections are all on offer including the wonderful 2011 releases from The Felice Bros and Dawes You can get a free Loose releases sampler in exchange for your email using the widget below or free on CD with any purchase from the shop 1. THE FELICE BROTHERS - Fire At The Pageant 2. HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF - Take Me 3. DAWES - Time Spent In Los Angeles 4. JIM WHITE - Rambler 5. THE FELICE [...]

There is a cracking cover CD with this months Mojo magazine . A tribute to George Harrison , it features covers by a whole host of artists and bands including Emmy The Great, Ron Sexsmith, Lanterns On The Lake, Alessi's Ark, The Webb Sisters and many more. Tracks include Here Comes The Sun, I Need You, Give Me Love, If I Needed Someone and eleven others. Available from all good newsagents in the UK - it is definitely a cover disc worth having. Here are two of our favourites - [...]
Get psyched for an epic folk-rock showcase.

Hurray For the Riff Raff (New Orleans) played the Brothers Drake Meadery last week with Time & Temperature . I definitely enjoyed drinking mead all night. Check this place out! Hurray for the Riff Raff Time & Temperature Time & Temperature [...]

Given recent events across the UK and particularly in London writing about independent music may be low down the list of many peoples priorities this week, but stating the obvious this is a music blog and although Beat Surrender has no 'Mission Statement ' but part of the blogs 'job' is to promote and support great music - the big players don't need assistance, but Beat Surrender can (I hope) help the independents in some small way, and right now they need some help . One of the labels affected [...]

I may have moved to New York two and a half years ago to try and achieve my life long goals, but I think all my girlfriends that I have had up here can attest that the New Orleanean in me has never left. Though, as I think for many people like myself who were born and raised there around the same time, my memories of New Orleans are kind of skewed. Having gone through a traumatic event like Katrina has my mind playing tricks on me. What was life truly like before the storm musically? I know what my [...]

Consortium of Genius is performing at the Hi-Ho Lounge on May 28, 2011 05.26: NON! + Jean-Eric + Mikronaut + DJ Joey Buttons - Siberia 05.27: Damian Yancy - Republic 05.28: Consortium of Genius + Letters to Voltron - Hi-Ho Lounge A month and a half ago, New Orleans was one set of unforeseen circumstances away from hosting avant-garde multimedia art-rockers The Residents - a band as enigmatic as they are prolific. Over the [...]

It's TFI with a difference this week. For one, I've managed to write it on Friday, and for two, it's a live review. And actually for three, it was quite a big trip: me and Jenny Wren, the strong and all too silent sat nav on a 140 mile round trip, winging our way to Brixton on a Thursday night in May. Hurray for the Riff Raff came on stage some time after ten. Tonight, they were a pared down ensemble comprising of brother and sister pairing, performing without their usual backing band. Alynda Lee [...]

It is fair to say that Hurray For The Riff Raff are a very close second to The Cave Singers in Mrs Mackerel's must see bands for 2011. This came after we fell in love with the band's self-titled UK debut of haunting and melancholy Americana that was released in late March on Loose Music . So join Mrs M in London or check out the rest of the dates for their first UK tour next month, grab the chillingly beautiful Too Much Of A Good Thing below and order the [...]
In a world where we are constantly invited to take interest in a singer's back story (well on X-Factor anyway), the life and times of Alynda Lee Segarra is more interesting than most. Certainly leaving your Bronx home at 17, riding freight trains across the US and joining an outfit called The Dead Man Street Orchestra should be enough to mark you out. Thankfully, so does her music. Hurray For The Riff Raff is a collection taken from her similarly titled band's first two US records and it's every bit as authentically American as [...]
Following her stop over promo tour Cougar Microbes and Alana Stewart discussed UK venues, Rod Stewart covers and "resurrecting" Lauryn Hill. I'm pretty sure this is how it went down: - Cougar Microbes: Who is Alana Stewart? Describe yourself and your music to the uninitiated. - Alana Stewart: I'm a vocalist & lyricist who tries her [...]
With a heavy heart and an ever-increasing bruise count, we bring to you the best of the rest of SXSW (or at least the ones we have photographed). Sigh.

Zorch flattening the competition at Dragon's Den on March 11, 2011 I was worried that the slightly altered format of this year's Foburg Festival would greatly eliminate the wild west-frontier spirit that consumed me as I bounced around Frenchman Street in the spring of 2010. The addition of Bywater venues Hi-Ho Lounge, Siberia, Saturn Bar and AllWays Lounge - not to mention greatest rock club in the city, One Eyed Jacks - was no doubt welcome, but the expanded footprint of the event coupled with an abbreviated nightly schedule offered myriad logistical challenges for those [...]