Twenty-seven years on the Hoodoo Gurus still rock Nearly three decades after this Australian band debuted on college radio with Stoneage Romeos and Mars Needs Guitars , changes in the line-up, break-ups and reformations, hiatuses, and one member's recovery from cancer haven't dimmed the group's energy. Fronted by singer-songwriter Dave Faulkner, the band's more soulful than in their earlier years, and though they're not as playful in doling out rapid-fire pop-culture references, they're still plenty of fun and, best of all, they rock. [...]
Vintage live document of West Coast country-rock pioneers The West Coast country-rock band Poco was known early on for their live shows. Their third album, a live set titled Deliverin' , was recorded in late-1970 and cracked the Top 30 – something their two previous albums had failed to do. Epic set up a private showcase in Columbia's Hollywood studio, having the band play in an intimate setting for an audience of label employees. With the group's latest studio album, From the Inside , [...]
Another live side of Johnny Winter's post-Woodstock band Johnny Winter has always been a potent stage performer, as documented on numerous live recordings. His set at Woodstock, which has only recently been released in full , was a star-making turn, and after two studio albums for Columbia he formed a new quartet with members of the recently disbanded McCoys: Rick Derringer, Randy Jo Hobbs and Derringer's brother (performing under the original family name), Randy Zehringer. That group recorded under the name "Johnny Winter And," and with Bobby Caldwell replacing Zehringer, broke in their [...]
A second helping of Hot Tuna's acoustic blues beginnings Hot Tuna began as an acoustic off-shoot of the Jefferson Airplane, with bassist Jack Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen joined by harmonica player Will Scarlet. Their 1970 self-titled debut , recorded live the previous year, consisted mostly of traditional folk, blues and ragtime tunes. This 68-minute collection is drawn from the same series of shows as was the debut, but features an entirely different set of performances. The half-dozen titles repeated from Hot Tuna are offered here in distinct versions; a few [...]
Three incendiary Otis Redding live sets from April 1966 The past few years have been rich for Otis Redding fans, with expanded reissues of key live recordings hitting the market. A pair of 1967 performances from London and Paris documented Redding at the top of the Stax Revue, and his breakthrough performance at Monterey Pop has been reissued in high-definition Blu-Ray . These are now augmented by this double-disc set of Redding's four night stand at Los Angeles' Whiskey A Go Go. Unlike the 1967 sets, in which Redding performed with [...]
Lushly instrumented, harmonically sung indie-pop There's little to prepare you for the textural mash that makes up this quintet's music. Mixing guitar, xylophone, and drums with deeply layered vocals and atmospheric harmonium, the band is at once driving and pastoral, dreamy and nightmarish, relaxing and angsty, languorous and jittery. The opening "Generator ^ First Floor" mixes indie pop with rich vocals and… a banjo. The five-string reappears throughout the album, offering mood-setting introductions, and solos lackadaisically plucked against thickly pulsating backgrounds. Stereolab meets the Grand Ol' Opry. But what sets Freelance Whales apart is [...]
Second EP from one-man indie-folk-pop band Casey Chandler's follow-up to 2009's Our Lost Generation finds him once again working alone in his studio, overdubbing his vocals with guitar, ukulele, bass, drums, chimes and layers of falsetto harmonies. He depends less on his uke here, and the results are less wound-up and more contemplative. The opening "Aloner" sounds like one of Chris Bell's down-tempo numbers, with quiet hints of Clem Snide's "Moment in the Sun," and a terrific closing flourish. The tempo picks up to a trot for the [...]
Enchanting indie-folk-pop one-man band Galapaghost is multi-instrumentalist Casey Chandler alone with his studio craft (and not to be confused with the Galapaghost Trio ). Like most "bands" assembled through overdubbing, there's a charming insularity born of one set of hands repeatedly tugging on the beat. Chandler's assemblages are enchanting, particularly how the emotions of his vocals – lead and harmonies – interact with his ukulele. Chandler's four-string opens the album with harp-like plucked notes before turning to strumming alongside drums, bass and guitar; his vocal slides from note to note like a trombone, [...]
Anti-folk social satire and humor If you're old enough to remember (or adventurous enough to have discovered) The Fugs , the ragged anti-folk of this six-piece from Leeds, England will strike a familiar chord. Burning Hank's satire is gentler than the politically charged songs of the Fugs, but with lyrics like "I'm not a bourgeois whore, because I listen to Radio Four," they show a willingness to take a few social swipes. The band's topics approach the sort of wide-eyed inquisitiveness of Jonathan Richman , but without the desire to recapture the [...]
Throwback garage rock meets power punk This Memphis quintet plays amped-up garage-pop that lives somewhere amidst the scratchily anthologized garage-rock singles of AIP's Pebbles series, the power-punk ethos of the Buzzcocks, the post-punk aggression of The Fall, and a splash of surf-rock in the guitars. The result is more vintage Northwest than Southern. Their latest release is, appropriately enough, a mono 7" on Goner Records , available via Bandcamp . Or if you're stuck in the modern world, you can name your own price for a digital download. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com] [...]
Excellent John Denver live performance from the mid-80s By the time John Denver performed this 1987 concert in Cedar Rapids, IA, he was a decade past his commercial peak of the mid-70s. He'd found continued success into the early '80s, but his most recent release, 1986's One World , was both the last he'd recorded for RCA and the first album in fifteen years to miss the chart entirely. The album's single, "Along for the Ride ('56 T-Bird)," had only middling success on the Adult Contemporary chart, and was [...]
Musician, writer and former Texas gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman makes a rare West Coast swing this summer, his first in nearly twenty years. Joining him on tour will be two members of his original backing band (The Texas Jewboys), Little Jewford and Washington Ratso, and guests are signing up for various stops, including Mojo Nixon in San Diego and Van Dyke Parks in Los Angeles. Mon., July 26 VANCOUVER, BC Biltmore Cabaret Tues., July 27 SEATTLE, WA Triple Door Wed., July 28 PORTLAND, OR Roseland Theater Fri., July 30 SAN FRANCISCO, CA Great [...]
Fresh off the release of their second album, Big Echo , and a headlining tour of the USA, the Morning Benders head back to the roads of North America with Broken Bells, and then with the Black Keys! UK/European dates coming soon. May 18th || Humphreys Concerts by the Bay || San Diego, CA* May 19th || Henry Fonda Theatre || Los Angeles, CA* May 21st || Regency Ballroom || San Francisco, CA* May 24th || Wonder Ballroom || Portland, OR* May 25th || Showbox at the Market || [...]
Parton's 1971 album of faith and praise + 7 bonuses Letter to Heaven returns to print 1971's Golden Streets of Glory , Dolly Parton's first full album of inspirational song. The seventeen tracks of this 45-minute collection include the album's original ten and six bonuses cherry-picked from Parton's albums and singles of the 1970s. As a treat for collectors, the original album session track "Would You Know Him (If You Saw Him) is released here for the first time. The latter is [...]
Soaring contemporary Christian pop-rock, country and soul Austin's Bridge is Justin Rivers and Jason Baird, a Christian Contemporary vocal duo whose big production sound (courtesy of Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus) mixes rock, country and soul. Originally a trio, founding member Mike Kofahl has apparently exited, leaving the pair to front a studio band anchored by their producer's bass. DeMarcus also contributes two songs, alongside the work of several Nashville and CCM pros, and three tunes written or co-written by Rivers and Baird. Neither vocalist sings with the country inflections of Rascal Flatts, and [...]
Quiet, masterful duets by Sinatra and Jobim By 1967 Frank Sinatra was riding yet another wave of artistic and popular success. After career highs as a big band singer, a solo artist for Columbia, an innovative solo artist for Capitol and the founder of his own label, Reprise, Sinatra found commercial gold in 1966 with "Strangers in the Night" and "That's Life." In 1967 he recorded both the chart-topping trifle "Something Stupid" and this artistically rich album of bossa nova tunes. Pairing with Brazil's most popular musical exponent, Sinatra gave Antonio Carlos Jobim's originals [...]
Winning documentary of early British Invasion hit-makers It's Gonna Be All Right: 1963-1965 is one of four documentaries released as part of a five-DVD British Invasion box set by Reelin' in the Years Productions. Of the four artists profiled (which also include Dusty Springfield, the Small Faces and Herman's Hermits), Gerry & the Pacemakers might seem the most lightweight. But like all of the artists in this series, what U.S. audiences saw were just the tip of a larger artistic iceberg, and this collection of [...]
Top-notch power-pop from the mid-90s This Maryland quartet had the misfortune to make top-notch power-pop at a time when such sounds contrasted unfavorably to the angsty zeitgeist of the mid-90s. Led by three singer-songwriters, Ira Katz and twin brothers Matt and Brandt Huseman, the Greenberry Woods released this debut album on Sire, garnering opening tour slots with Deborah Harry and the Proclaimers, radio play for the single "Trampoline," and a couple of television appearances. In a just world these would have sent their album to stratospheric heights, but in the fickle world of pop [...]
Classic guitar rock with deep power-pop hooks Reno Bo's played sideman in Mooney Suzuki and Albert Hammond Jr's backing band, and on his debut as a leader he shows himself quite the student of guitar rock and power pop. There's an obvious influence of Big Star (especially the songs of founder Chris Bell), but what power-pop band with killer hooks doesn't trace its roots to #1 Record ? The meatiness of the guitar playing favors Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend , and there's an early '70s [...]
Homemade EP of power-pop and rock This four piece power-pop band from Lake Charles, LA released this DIY EP a year before their official debut album [ review ]. The sweet voices, winsome lyrics, catchy melodies and guitar-drive are here, but without the polish they'd find in a proper studio. The bass is a bit heavy, though they do a great job of setting the vocals into the mix, managing to keep the harmonies afloat without ever breaking loose from the instrumental backing. Of the seven titles only the opener, "Damn," was repeated on [...]
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