Blog: IckMusic

I haven't been this unabashedly giddy about an upcoming show in quite some time. News of the Railroad Revival Tour swept across the web Monday morning like a Japanese bullet train (train reference, pow!). It's a short, exclusive train tour featuring three great bands: Mumford & Sons , Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros , and Old Crow Medicine Show . And for once , an exclusive tour that includes the Phoenix area as one of its few stops - and it's Chandler , for cryin' out loud, right in my own back [...]

Happy Fat Tuesday! It's a day off for me and I'm heading to the new Spring Training ballpark shared by the Diamondbacks and the Rockies. I'll be taking in the Cubs and Rockies game at Salt River Fields with an old college buddy, basking in the sunshine, quaffing a brew or two... So speaking of Mardi Gras, there's a new release on the horizon for New Orleans' own Rebirth Brass Band . Basin Street Records will release Rebirth of New Orleans on April 12th, and they're spreading the word [...]

• Rebirth Brass Band - Do It Again

Friday Five : \'frī-(,)dā,-dē 'fīv\ : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we'll have a guest, but most of the time it's just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The Five: "New York State of Mind" by [...]

March 1st is not only day one of my favorite month (I'm in Arizona, so that means Spring Training games, a beer festival, and ideal weather), but it's also release day for Blessed , the great new album from Lucinda Williams. Lucinda's 10th studio album has many folks likening it to a return to form of her stellar '98 album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road . I've had a few runs through it, and - as always, it seems - I've gravitated to the more slow burning, wistful tracks. [...]

Last summer, thanks to the passing of Arizona's anti-immigration bill SB1070 , many artists made the decision to boycott the state . One of my very favorite bands, Los Lobos , was one of those who decided to say no to Arizona. They were scheduled to perform June 10th, 2010 at the Talking Stick Resort & Casino (located just east of Scottsdale on the Salt River Pima - Maricopa Indian Community ), but cancelled the gig about a week before, releasing the following statement: "We support the boycott of Arizona. The new [...]

Friday Five : \'frī-(,)dā,-dē 'fīv\ : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we'll have a guest, but most of the time it's just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The Five: It's another busy Friday at [...]

A Facebook friend recently recommended taking a listen to the Airborne Toxic Event . So I dialed up their only full-length studio album (self-titled) and took a run around the 'hood. I was seriously impressed. It's a little bit hard-egded in some places, some 802s alternative influences in other areas. At points, I was hearing sounds that wouldn't sound out of place done by the Gaslight Anthem or The Hold Steady... It's simply a very enjoyable record front to back. Singer Mikel Jollett has a wide-ranging vocal ability that makes you question if you're hearing the same [...]

• Airborne Toxic Event - Wishing Well

If I had to point to one performance that sums up everything I like about Prince, it would be his August 3rd, 1983 benefit show at First Avenue in Minneapolis (the day I turned 13!). It was not only the debut of new guitarist Wendy Melvoin (just 19 years old at the time), but the debut of many of the tunes from Purple Rain , which wouldn't be released until the summer of 1984. In fact, some of the recordings you hear on the Purple Rain album come from this show ("Purple Rain" [...]

For those of us who grew up listening to The Cars , there's something comforting about hearing Ric Ocasek's voice and that vintage Cars sound here in the year 2011. After all, the last time they released an album of new music was 1987. Just a few things have changed in the time between. But reunited they have - all original members (minus bassist and occasional lead vocalist Benjamin Orr, who passed away in 2000 after a battle with pancreatic cancer). Their new album, titled Move Like This , will be released on May 10th, and [...]

For those of us who grew up listening to The Cars , there's something comforting about hearing Ric Ocasek's voice and that vintage Cars sound here in the year 2011. After all, the last time they released an album of new music was 1987. Just a few things have changed in the time between. But reunited they have - all original members (minus bassist and occasional lead vocalist Benjamin Orr, who passed away in 2000 after a battle with pancreatic cancer). Their new album, titled Move Like This , will be released on May 10th, and [...]

Like a lot of you, I dropped the $9.00 for Radiohead 's new album The King of Limbs , when it was offered up a day earlier than expected on Friday. What was it, last Monday when it was announced out of the blue that Radiohead would release a new album in the coming weekend? It's quite a phenomenon the way this band can command the attention of the entire music industry at will. Their 'pay what you want' model for their last record, In Rainbows , generated all the buzz the last [...]

I stumbled across this today. Still gives me chills... "tell my Rose to go and find another / you tell her that I will understand" From a 1999 tribute to Johnny Cash. Share:

Friday Five : \'frī-(,)dā,-dē 'fīv\ : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we'll have a guest, but most of the time it's just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The Five: "Make It Mine" by Jason Mraz [...]

Today, I developed a case of the blahs . Without good reason, really. I'm blessed. Family, work, health...all great, no complaints. But sometimes, even when all's well, that crap feeling can creep in and take hold. I think they call it part of living. So tonight I decided to seek out some soul soothing music. Something to take me to that cathartic, introspective place that only good music can. I found it in Phosphorescent with their 2007 album Pride . I found it particularly in the nine minute [...]

• Phosphorescent - My Dove, My Lamb

Yuck Yuck Yuck. The last couple of weeks, everywhere I turn it seems I'm hearing about Yuck! Well, this is Ickmusic, so it's only right that I give Yuck a chance... I listened to their new record on my run a couple days ago, and enjoyed what I heard. Guitar-driven indie pop/rock...some good up tempo noise rockers ("The Wall", "Holing Out"). And some nice melodic laid back tunes too. I was most intrigued with "Suicide Policeman". I like how the drums kick in... Buy the MP3 of Suicide [...]

It was just a matter if time before I got around to Hayes Carll . After all, I'm a long time fan of artists cut from the same cloth: Steve Earle, John Prine and Todd Snider in particular. Hayes sounds a lot like Snider, very similar singing voices - and as far as his sense of humor goes, Snider and Prine are blood brothers of Carll (don't get confused on "Bottle In My Hand" though, that is indeed Mr. Snider joining along). As a Rdio subscriber, I'm always jumping on the new releases every Tuesday. [...]

I ♡ Bethany Cosentino. ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡!!! !!!! Alright, I know I sound like I just fell out of this month's Tiger Beat, but Bethany is something that every woman should strive to be....hot and cool at the same time. Bethany fronts a band called Best Coast and I had the distinct honor of seeing them last night at the Varsity Theater. The LA band's first release, Crazy For You , is a magnificent record dripped in Phil Spector worship and estrogen powered angst. Their hit, Boyfriend , has been obsessively played on my iPod [...]

Friday Five : \'frī-(,)dā,-dē 'fīv\ : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we'll have a guest, but most of the time it's just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The Five: Editor's Note: Another busy Friday [...]

Red House Painters . I think I listened to their latest album, Songs for a Blue Guitar , only once before tonight - and didn't give it a good listen at that. Some cool tracks on this one... A Neil Young-inspired 11 minute thrasher here with "Silly Little Love Songs"... A Cars cover! "All Mixed Up"! Completely revamped... And the song that pushed me again toward the album after hearing on Sirius XM's The Loft - the title [...]

Friday Five : \'frī-(,)dā,-dē 'fīv\ : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we'll have a guest, but most of the time it's just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The Five: "Naima" by John Coltrane (from [...]