POP VULTURE by Phil Rainone

THE MORLOCKS - Play Chess (myspace.com/themorlocks)

Torn Down To The Ground, The Morlocks Rebuild Chess Classics

When a band does a cover song, it’s suppose to provide a new perspective- the original should be used as a template, but from there it’s a free-form for all. On Play Chess, The Morlocks abscond with twelve of Chess Records best-known songs, including Bo Diddley’s “I’m a Man,” Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning”/ “Sitting on Top of the World,” and Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell”/ “Back in the USA,” to name a few.

What’s cool and interesting about The Morlock’s versions is that they don’t pussy-foot around, or come up wishy-washy when they rebuild these classic blues numbers. Music should strive to stretch that too-often, too-narrow space between our ears. Here, as anyone with a good ear can hear, the music speaks for itself- every song is a self-portrait within a portrait.
What The Morlocks bring to the table is, molten, musical magna.- That’s to say, they attack these blues treasures and rebuild them with an eye toward The Stooges, early Who, and even some raw Stones, but you can still pick out The Morlocks originality bubbling up in this rock ‘n’ roll stew.

The rhythm section runs darkly under the guitars and vocals, but once you listen all the way through Play Chess, you’ll realize that they are actually fueling the fireworks. John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom,” Wolf’s “Killing Floor,” and Berry’s “Back in the USA,” have The Morlocks putting on a brave face, but trying to fool no one. That is, they know how powerful and well known these, and tons of other Chess artists (I’d like to see The Morlocks tackle Motown and Stax records), are, but the shared love of all things related to Chess records created a mutual inspiration to pay homage to some of their musical heroes.

The garage blues though which The Morlocks channel their idols works well. The only complaint is a lack-luster “You Never Can Tell,” otherwise the sing along choruses and bop-til-you-drop rhythms will leave you in tail-feather shakin’ ecstasy!

JIMMY GNECCO - The Heart (Bright Antenna)

Jimmy Gnecco evokes the spirit of Jeff Buckley. These literate, masterful, and enchanting recordings by this singer/ songwriter are never overbearing or self indulgent. What they are is ambitious, and they will turn you inside-out with beautiful melodies, and self-examination, as Jimmy searches for his own muse. His earth-bound falsetto combined with such imaginative songs like “Rest Your Soul,” “Mystery,” and “Days,” are a good reflection of what you’ll get in these 15 songs.

Top-notch, sparkling production provides a rich setting for every song on The Heart. Tinted with strong rhythms and clever, controlled singing, Jimmy is capable of abundant drama and personal reflection. While the artistic resemblance to Jeff Buckley- in terms of what can be done artfully within the song form- is obvious, it’s all Jimmy Gnecco, and this is really an extraordinary album.

The title track ushers the listener into a lush, erotic space where blues, and heart-wrenching soul mingle with lyrics inspired by Jimmy’s childhood, and he dedicated this album to his mother. The music varies from swan song serenades, to cool delicacy, to mid-tempo rock. The unrestrained, intended directness rewards the listener’s emotional investment time and time again

Vans Warped Tour 2010 Compilation 2-CD set (sideonedummy.com)

Summer’s Here And The Time Is Right For…

I want you to describe your best summer ever, and I want you to do it in just two words. Ready? Okay, go.

Were the words that you came up with “Warped Tour?”

A. Yes, of course, what else?

B. No, I prefer to work all summer long at my job, and not even take a vacation.

Okay, sorry to all you workaholics like me, but “Warped Tour” it is!

If you can believe it, The Warped Tour is old enough to get into high school this year. That’s right. Fifteen years of some of the best (and worst - like Katie Perry) punk rock bands this side of, well… actually the whole United States! And if you’re lucky enough, you may just get Mr. Norek as your history teacher (Tim just got his teaching license about a year ago. Hey, he’s looking for a teaching job if you know of any school that is hiring…).

Over those fifteen years there have been over a gazillion bands (yes, a gazillion- count ‘em), that have toured from California to New Jersey, and even Europe. Each year there’s a mix of new bands (The Reverend Payton’s Big Damn Band, and GBH, to mention a few - both of which I’m dying to see), and seasoned (The Casualties, Reel Big Fish, Anti-Flag, etc.) The award for The Best New Band Name in The World, This Week, goes to… drum roll, please!- We Are The In Crowd! Their song on the compilation “Both Sides of the Story,” is sparked by a male/female vocal, and a tight pop punk sound), and bands that are REALLY trying to break through, like the winners of the annual Warped Tour Band contest at that’s held at The Stone Pony.

The 2 CD Warped Tour sampler this year boasts a whopping 51 bands, but at each stop along the way, they are always adding (much more), and subtracting (a band or two usually drop off along the Tour) bands, but the one thing that is always consistent is the quality. You get every genre (punk, emo, hardcore, ska), and even some that are so damn good that it’s hard to define them like Polar Bear Club, or GBH. Our crew - (my son Steve, my daughter Melissa, and our friends Frank and his son Tim, and daughter Nikki and The Boss- Jim Testa - and this year Tim‘s cousins Debbie and Katie- their first Warped Tour will be with our crew. Like Jim says, “It‘s always more fun then the kids are around”) been covering the Warped Tour for ten years, and it’s always been a great day of friendship, fun, and some of the best, world-class music, held in a parking lot. With lots of room for multiple stages (some bands use to play right outside out of their van), band merch tents... the only bitch I had last year was we couldn’t find the interview area for the bands.

This is the second year that the Warped Tour is being held in Oceanport, in the Monmouth Park Race Track, on Sunday, July 18. Following years in Asbury Park where The Warped Tour got its start back in 1995, and later Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Monmouth Park seems like it will be the new permanent home for The Warped Tour in New Jersey - one that kids and parents will appreciate.

It’s a state-run facility; a very picturesque, cool place with LOTS of room. I’ve seen 10-12 year old kids with their parents (I hope they have Adult Day Care this year - not that I’d use it, but Tim is getting a little older- he got a little freaked out when he turned 21, so he just celebrated the fifth anniversary of his 21st birthday- LOL), and teens having a blast, and being respectful to others and the bands.

The doors open at noon, and the price of admission is $35.00- MMMM…I love the smell of punk rock in the morning! - Phil Rainone

Miss TK & the Revenge - The Ocean Likes to Party Too (Ernest Jenning Records)

I’ve reviewed Miss TK & the Revenge before, and I thought their music was kind of different and promising. They were in it for all the right reasons. A punk/disco dance band from the Asbury Park area that I think I had likened to Family Force 5, who had preformed an amazing set of punkish/discoish music on The Warped Tour about two years ago.

Unfortunately, Miss TK and The Revenge haven’t advanced their genre, or even make a blip on the musical map with “The Ocean Likes to Party Too.” The music lies somewhere between watered-down disco and trance beats. Most of the songs are more synthesizer driven, a la 80’s new wave, but even that doesn’t seem to help. Miss TK’s vocals are little more than an afterthought in the mix. Most of the songs like “Beach Master,” “Cities on the Beach,” or “Just Wanna Dance” have cool, clever lyrics, but all the bite is taken out of them in the production. Maybe in a live setting “The Ocean Likes to Party Too” will come to life, but on disc it’s like the party never gets started,

The Black 100’s - Fins (theblack100s.com)

More on the line of Johnny Cash’s last couple of albums where it‘s mostly just him and a guitar, singer/ songwriter Thomas Handschiegel’s off-beat, and dreary music grows weary after just one or two songs. He hits home runs with topics like “Into the TV,” “White Blackbird,” and “Talking to the Dogs,” but the slow cadence, and Thomas’ vocals don’t really hit the mark. Maybe in a full, or even a three piece band setting these songs could thrive and flourish.

The Reveleven s - Welcome to Baltimore (myspace.com/therevelevens)

With fast-talkin’ (actually singing) Carrie Donovan on vocals, Shaun Rafferty’s melodic, buzzing guitar, Billy Wertz’s pumpin’ bass, and Honus pounding out a drumbeat that matches Carrie’s non-stop verbal assault, you have a raucous punkabilly band - The Revelevens!

Songs like “Die, You Zombie Bastards,” “Arsenic and Old Lace,” and “Punk Rock Show” all have the best moonshine-swilling, twisted, and primitive county blues back-beats around! In fact, the latter song besides being a blustery, rock ‘n’ roller call-to-arms, also sounds like an answer song to Blink’s “Rock Show,” only this time The Revelevens get it right.

The album's crawling trek through the lives of folks who could never had been contenders (and know it), is reminiscent of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and especially Social Distortion. But the ever-present danger of all-things bad, is overshadowed by the gut-busting melodies and a power supply (the whole band), that, although there is shtick found in some of the lyrics, the entire album just swoops down and pins you to the ground from start to finish. Neither pisstakes or homage’s are on Welcome to Baltimore, these guys don’t write hate, or love songs-at least not the kind you’re probably use to-they simply write what they feel, hear, and see. And as they say, a mind my friend, is a terrible thing to taste!

Sure, they may be hicks from the wrong side of town, but hey, so were Southern Culture On The Skids, and Social Distortion, as far as being able to tell it like it as, as far as real life stories, with brawn and brains. They Revelevens are as likely to write about social decay (“Stagnation”), as well as hit you with a wink and a smirk (“Cover Bands“). Hell, the entire album sounds like a full-throttle, barrage from the garage, as far as speed, power, and almighty rock ‘n’ roll are concerned. The Ramones or The Cramps got nuthin’ on these cats, other than they did it first. The Revelevens are the real deal!!

The Problems - Powder Blue Bone (theproblems.com)

The Problems successfully mate the folk music tradition of such luminaries as Woody Guthrie, Mississippi Fred McDonald, etc., with highly melodic pop, country, and a little rock. With anxious lyrics about modern-day pressures like “Shipbuilding Again,” “Walk Under Ladders,” or “View of the World,” they weave personal stories with provocative insights.

The band creates a panoramic sound of big-league, soulful tunes, with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek humor. Their folk harmonies are delivered with taut, electric echoes of the Hollies, and Searchers- that cool 60’s British Invasion vibe. The skilled mixture of pop allure and rock sturdiness, and to their credit, they never employ any contemporary dance beats here- they make good use of melodic rhythm to better use.

The 14 songs on Powder Blue Bone are nearly perfect vignettes of anger, tenderness, love, and regret, performed with casual ingenuousness. The Problems are a band that you wouldn’t mind inviting over to play at a backyard barbeque, or go see them perform at a theater. - Phil Rainone

Jim Bush - Jumpin’ at The C’mon Inn (myspace.com/jbushmusic)

Red-hot rockabilly -50’s in construction, with modern-era energy, Jumpin’ at The C’mon Inn are 11 tunes executed with verve and skill.
Jim and the band reel off energetic rock ‘n’ roll (all originals except for, “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee”); with an unmistakable twang vocal and dead-on rock beat. Nothing fancy, just solidly American music given a sweaty workout, with conviction and excitement that draws you from one song to the next.

“What You See in Me,” “Bootstraps,” and a genre defining cover of “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” are part of a full menu of rockabilly tunes played for keeps. This disc shimmies, shakes, and howls with understated eloquence from start to finish.

Dispensing with traditional electric grit, “It’s Only Fair” and “Angels Calling” finds the band in a slower and gentler mood, playing Buddy Holly-style Texas pop, Doug Sahm country rock, and a little lightweight rock with pep and zest. The record gets interesting with the idioms bumping into each other- which happen in almost every song.

“Though truly an original, one can’t only help but think Jim Bush had a glass to the wall outside Sun Studios listening to Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley.”- From the liner notes.

Jim turns out originals that subtly rewrite various classic rockabilly songs without ever resorting to obvious lifts. I’ll even go one better, Jim not only had the glass to the wall, but he also took a great big gulp from it, handed it to The Blasters, and created some timeless music!- Phil Rainone

Q: ARE WE NOT DEVO? A: WE ARE A MAIN MAN TRIBUTE
(mainmanrecords.com)

Holy Crap! I just finished a review of the new Devo album, their first in 20 years, and here comes a Devo tribute album right behind it. What a cowinkidink!

And that’s where most of the similarities end. First of all, which I thought was really cool, they didn’t just cherrypick the best songs from Devo’s catalog like most tribute albums do. They re-imaged the band’s first album that they did for a major label (Warner Bros.), “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo” and than they picked seven songs from the rest of the band’s albums creating a unique and fun frolic through the spud boy’s world of all things Devo.

Throughout the entire album, the same type of nervous energy fuels these 18 bands that are found in Devo’s originals, but they've recreated them on their own terms. Whether sharp social commentary on the breakdown of modern life (“Uncontrollable Urge” by JISM is over-the-top), or just canny media marketers selling a total pop package (“Space Junk” by Porro Y Los Bobos, “Too Much Paranoias,” by The High Toms, or “Beautiful World” by Deena & The Laughing Boys. Deena‘s poppy, bright vocals gives this ditty a female‘s perspective), these bands bring back Devo’s cool weirdness, and mix it with their own, paying homage and reinventing these classics with tongue-in-cheek, heartfelt devotion-get DEVO-tion!! Hey, it’s a gift, what can I tell ya?!

“Jocko Homo” by The Creamsicles featuring Moody Mammoth, “Mongoloid” by Frankenstein 3000, and “Shrivel Up” by one of the best Jersey bands around The Marbles, ditch the cold, assembly-line jerkiness to drive home their own post-modern attitudes and hope-I-die-before-I-get-old mortality. The same could be said for True Love’s garagey version of The Stones’ “”(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” which totally wipes out Devo’s mechanical cadence, and de-sexed version, reclaiming the pre-punk rocker back for the Stones.- Hey, don’t get wrong, what Devo did with it “Satisfaction” and all their originals was ground-breaking. With their comic wit and dead-on, subversive optimism, and razor sharp observations, they created their own world where kitsch was king, and it was cool to be nerdy. And speaking of kitsch and nerdy, Eye of the Dawn whip Devo’s signature song into shape with a few flourishes and fan appreciation.

The backbones of this 18 song disc are FFJO’s “Secret Agent Man” (another cover-of-a-cover, from Johnny Rivers 60’s hit from the TV movie of the same name), The Atomic Bichat’s “Freedom of Choice,” and Graveyard School’s “Girl U Want.” The home-brewing that these band’s mix up are masterful, musical mojo that even Devo would be proud of. No disappointments here, these bands prove once again that yes, “We are all Devo!”

ROSEWOOD GHOSTS
(Rosewoodghosts.com)

Like a Frankenstein monster assembled to synthesize the sounds and textures of alt. country rock, this young band spews back aspects of some of the cream of the crop from their genre. Wilco, Joe Ely, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds are represented along with gusts of early Neil Young and Crazy Horse.

“Anjali” and “Hey Justine” show real melodic and structural promise; a bit of power pop emerges in the groups aggressive, and assertive playing, but lighter, tender harmonies are abundant, and they all work well together. Over catchy riffs that put a nifty twist into the hard-driving songs, the vocals can register from aggression to weedy, adding more to an already good album of good, solid story lines.

“Golden,” “Walking Lightly or “Barry Dime” are the glue of the album giving it reassurance, consistency, and an intriguing new dimension. Simple, great lyrics, and killer guitar licks are abundant, and the rhythm sections locks in on every song, whether it’s a hot rocker like “Rashers of a Wanton Touch,” or a quieter, more somber number like “Cape Cod.”

In the right hands this is fun stuff and Rosewood have a death grip that just won’t let you go.

The Wag - Returning Traveler (thewagband.com)

This exciting band plays bracing, thoughtful alt. rock/blues with strong male/female melodies, and a dynamic rhythmic foundation. The Wag concentrate on good songs (“Your Eyes,” “Used to Say,” and “Setting Sun” for starters), and hypnotic folky blues grooves that occasionally lead the listener into think not of pigeon-holing but multi-genre holing, which is a good thing.

A fury of surging runs and lunging chords, the vocalists almost dominates the sound, but the rest of the band comes through time and time again building impressive musical building blocks. Although the albums quiet power makes Returning Traveler consistently striking, the heartfelt country rock is closer to Neil and Graham than Lefty and George. The low-key grooves that gurgle and bounce on “Always so Beautiful” are accentuated by a shimmering acoustic guitar, that sounds like pedal steel, but isn’t.- That’s a big part, besides the dual vocals, that makes The Wag so damn interesting. The genre-bending is right in sync with the instrument-bending. That is, there are no gimmicks here as far as production is concerned. Everything is as real as it gets. The Wag has been around for a few years now, and they hone their craft like master musicians yet, their feet are firmly planted on the ground.

The confident, emotional sound and material on Returning Traveler are awash in mid-tempo/soft subtly interwoven guitars that create a tuneful power, supported by a rhythm section that is staggeringly original. Together they reveal the groups ability to convey the same wit and energy on touching (mostly) acoustic ballads. Once you hear The Wag’s Returning Traveler, you’ll want to go back and check out their back-catalog, if you haven’t already.

TA-80 - Born Insecure
(Myspace.com/ta80)

Hey, the new Runaways’ album is here… oh, wait… it’s the new TA-80 album! Whoa! If they don’t have the feel and mojo of The Runaways I don’t know who does! TA-80 plays punk rock like its 1979 again! Like all those bands that broke the mold back in the day like Stiff Little Fingers, X, Lena Lovich, and the afore mentioned Runaways, TA-80 have that vibe that draws you- no, it’s more like when you take two magnets facing them positive to negative. You’re drawn immediately and lock together, unable to separate unless an outside force is applied.

Other than names (Jens 80, Russ 80, Amy 80, Jamin 80), no instruments are given, but I’d bet the rent that TA-80 are your basic guitars, bass, drums and vocals band. Dang, the rabble-rousing rough sound of the solid punk rock on Born Insecure is made even more accessible by the female/male vocals (damn if they don’t remind me of one of Jersey’s finest indie puck rock bands 6 to 8 Mathematics).

TA-80’s on-target cynicism (“She Sells Skulls,” “The Grass is always Greener”), progresses throughout the album, but they are NOT a gloom-and-doom band. Smart, Neanderthalic (the good stuff), raw, sharp punk rock is the rock-bottom base for TA-80’s music and lyrics. Garage punk devotees with a wickedly soulful and melodic (Check the last song “Since I Turned Away.” The amazing accapella number is dead-on cool), all interpolated into a powerful attack with a lot of range and greater attention to mechanics. - In other words, TA-80- FUCKIN’ ROCK!!

With late 70’s punk urgency songs like “High Gravity Girl,” “Slow Nova,” or “Pills, Pills, Pills,” are gutsy, and authentic. - Your feet will leave the floor listening to this album!

I’ll give the last word on the band to Joe Queer (TA-80 has opened for the Queers and The Leftovers, to name a few). "Equal parts Jesus and Mary Chain and The Dickies, they know how to write a mean pop song."

TA-80. Get into their world, and learn a little about your own.

DEVO - Something for Everybody (Warner Bros. Records)

ARE WE NOT DEVO?!

Devo (short for De-evolution) are back, and in a big way! Their new disc, the first since 1990’s Smooth Noodle Map, builds on the band’s signature mechanized swing, and also what can only be described as goofy, and at times, thought-provoking music. Armed with an ambitious and effective robotic sound, and a carefully contrived (but intentionally inaccurate) theory about the de-evolutionary state of things to come (they inspired Neil Young with their quote of “Rust Never Sleeps”), it’s as if they never left. Whether sharp social commentators on the breakdown of modern life, or just canny media marketers selling a total pop package, the spud boys quickly won a revered place in rock’s brave new world for many of us.

When the new wave floodgates opened in the late 70’s, all sorts of strange things flowed out, epically a gazillion one-hit-wonders like “The Safety Dance” or “You Spin Me ‘Round (Like a Record.)” Heck, even Devo’s "Whip It" seemed headed in the same direction, but a funny thing happened. The band was actually talented, and besides cranking out eight albums between 1978 and 1990, they also had a stage show (check Youtube or clubdevo.com- yes, that IS a flower pot on their heads), that was as weird, and wonderful as their music. They bashed down doors for bands like They Might Be Giants, and Violent Femmes, and even Bare Naked Ladies.

On Something For Everybody,” they update their musical muscle, and bring Devo into the present with silly, yet on-the-money stories about GPS’s (“Fresh”), hybrid cars (“Don’t Shoot”), or just all the wacky stuff that’s going on in the world today (“Human Rocket,” “No Place like Home” “Mind Games”)... but always with that‘Don’t take us seriously,,, or maybe you should,’ wink-and-nod that’s always been a staple of their work.

A couple of attention-getting tunes like “Step Up,”“Cameo,” or “Knock Boots” are clinically sounding/techno-dance stuff (can you say originators?), which are forged together with inspiring, up-to-date lyrics. The band, including original members Mark and Bob Mothersbaurgh, Gerald and Bob Casale, and new drummer Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, Guns ‘n’ Roses), and produced by Greg Kurstin (The Bird & The Bee), recorded an ample 16 songs (quantity and quality). This keyboard/synthesizer-heavy record gets back to the muscular dance-oriented music that Devo is well known for, only with more ambition and excitement, bringing them full-circle and beyond. Everything old is new again, but for all the right reasons.

You’re not going to have to cherry-pick this album. Something For Everyone scores many bulls-eyes, but hardly a near-miss. In the 20 years since the last album from these Ohio New Wave satirists, the world has become a much more Devo place: The synthesized dance rock the band pioneered with hits like “Whip It” is everywhere, and it’s theory that civilization is becoming dumber through de-evolution no longer seems far-fetched, just look at the headlines, and with those lunk-heads at BP are doing.

Devo will be touring in support of Something for Everyone. I hope to make a show…Hey, how about getting them on this years Warped Tour?! It would almost be like Sha-na-na at Woodstock(50’s Doo-wop-meets-60’s psychedelic rock).

THE AMBOYS - Everything Between The Sun and The Moon (theamboys.com)

Sometimes folk, sometimes rock, sometimes both, The Amboys’ sing twangy (vocally and musically) tunes featuring rockabilly rhythms, and sweaty, old school Johnny-Cash-realistic story lines that don’t insult your intelligence. They can go from a straight country-western reading on a song like “Love Struck Fool,” or “Kid in the City” to bright, sunny, 60’s country rock (only the best stuff), like the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, on “These Roads,” “Vicky,” or “Drunk Mistake.” But don’t think for a minute that The Amboys are any kind of cover band or retreading the past. They are a band that draws on the past, but the present is theirs and theirs alone. They abandon the name game for originality, which is a well-integrated blend of fascinating lyrics, and intricately textured, catchy guitar rock.

Throughout Everything Between The Sun & The Moon, rockers abound, but “This Very Thin Line” sounds like they tore a page out of Social Distortion’s song book. The Amboys’ rock-out like it’s their last day on Earth, as the will tear into your soul like the words had come from God’s lips. Not a gloom-and-doom story, it’s more like a sobering tale of someone’s trials and tribulations. The closing number “Can’t Live Here” is basic, low-key blues rock ‘n’ roll. The band - C.M. Smith, Connor Effenberger, Manny Castanon, and Kyle Waugh - come up with something that sounds like a hybrid that bears equally faint similarity to Credence Clearwater and the Violent Femmes; but again as I said before, the originality definitely stands out!

“With late nights and heavy drinking, the in between hours of the moon coming up and the sun coming back around, many things can happen. Lost love, one night stands, overdue phone calls, shots of whiskey and too many cigarettes. This album chronicles all of those kind of nights.” - from the liner notes.

If Springsteen reforms The Seeger Sessions band, The Amboys would be a natural choice to open for them. Buy The Amboys debut album, then go check them out live. I know I will!

The Kinks- You Really Got Me- The Story of The Kinks DVD (A B C Entertainment)

Originally cut from the same musical cloth as The Who, Stones, and Beatles, The Kinks started to distinguish themselves early on with songs like “You Really Got Me,” (legend has it that lead guitarist Dave Davies used steel knitting needles to get the amazing opening riff) and “All Day and All of the Night,” which became the first of many signature songs. Brothers Dave and Ray Davies (both sang and played guitar, but Ray turned into the lead singer, and Dave the lead guitarist), along with original members Pete Quaife on bass and John Dalton on drums turned into the essential Kinks band after a few personal changes. As the 60’s British Invasion turned into a melting pot of bands from all over the globe who were picking up instruments in a very D.I.Y. punk fashion, a lot of them were emulating bands like The Kinks, and their influences like Chuck Berry, The Everly Brothers, and Little Richard, to name but a few. The four minutes-plus video of The Kinks cover of “Milk Cow Blues” show the band going ape-shit on stage, bringing out the songs manic mojo, and adding their own musical heat. It’s what those other bands saw pretty much first hand, and that’s part of what inspired tons of them!

They break the 90 minute video up into 9 segments that cross reference the band’s history, which works like a charm. You never loose track of where The Kinks came from or where they’re headed.
“Celluloid Heroes,” the next Kinks album from the mid-seventies has the band looking backward lyrically, referencing past Hollywood movie stars that had put their names and hand prints in cement for the world famous Walk of Fame (“Rudolph Valentino looking very much alive/ and he looks up ladies dresses as they sadly pass him by”), but musically they were ahead of their time.

During the late 60’s The Kinks were banned from playing in America, for some unexplained reasons, but starting in ’69 they turned into a monster of a touring band that ran into the 80’s. It seemed as if every album got its own tour (“Muswell Hillbillies” was a mid-tempo rockabilly album, with a swig of Tennessee moon shine), with the band in fine form pretty much all the way through. Like Springsteen they figured out how to play the intimate clubs as well as the stadiums for all the right reasons, with class and true rock ’n’ roll spirit.

By the late 70’s the bands self-made videos reached about a dozen. “Superman,” a hint-and-wink story about how bad things were getting in England, and Ray’s physical condition (“A 9 stone-90 pounds- weakling with knobbly knees”), had a killer-diller guitar riff, and a plot that was like a mini opera that felt and looked like to could have been made into a full movie, had the band wanted to.

The Kinks broke through barriers on almost every album. The quaint, homespun folk rock stories that were featured on “Village Green Preservation Society” most of which were brought to life via The Kinks mastermind Ray Davies, were ahead of their time. By the 80’s when MTV reared it’s ugly head (unfortunately, a band needed a video to break or even stay afloat, leaving dozens of great bands behind), The Kinks’ “Around the Dial” ( check the Ramones’ video “We Want the Airwaves” on how the torch was passed) boldly put a mirror up to radio (and MTV’s), reflecting the disastrous state of music that would soon unfortunately spawn “Classic Rock” stations that to this day STILL SUCK, and play the same 20 or 30 bands (Zeppelin, Who, Beatles, etc.). The videos for “Come Dancing” and “State of Confusion” were a little tamer. The cool music and interesting plot lines featured stories about Ray and Dave’s growing up at the end of World War 2, and also a further statement on England’s economic unraveling, respectively.

I had almost forgotten all the cool, influential music The Kinks had created in the 80’s and 90’s. “Sleepwalker,” “Misfits,” “Low Budget,” and “Do it Again” were all great reflective songs of the times, and even today you can easily relate to the current state of affairs, unfortunately. “Catch Me Now I’m Falling” had pretty much the same story line, but Ray’s interesting semi-obsession with comic books (“Catch me now I’m falling/ This is Captain America calling”), raised the bar with a great riff (brother Dave has been under-rated as a writer and musician), and story line. The sibling squabbles weren’t mentioned at all in the video, even though they affected the band’s nucleus, and their ability to record and tour

The Pretenders, Green Day, Springsteen, Bowie, and dozens of others have recorded Kinks‘ songs, adding to the legend and longevity of a band that hopefully will tour and record again. As a matter of fact, Ray had done a couple of solo tours in recent years, recorded two solo albums and re-imaged some of the best Kinks songs last year. Hopefully brother Dave is doing better recovering from some surgery, and the band will record and be back on the road in the near future.- Phil Rainone

Keith Kenny- "Evil Fuzz Magic" 5-song EP (iN&u Records - Keithkenny.com)

Keith Kenny has been developing his own special brand of blues/rock/ acoustic singer songwriter tales since he was in his teens. I first saw him play about five years ago at a charity fund raiser at Todd’s Dugout in South Amboy. There, and every time I’ve seen him play since, he can change from whiplash, speed of light guitar playing, to searing, heavy duty chunks of riff rock, and still other times, acoustically delicate as anything Neil Young could conjure up. Blend that all with Keith’s humble, focused, and heartfelt manner, and you have the ingredients for a life-long musician, and someone who deeply cares about his music, family, friends, and a passionate world view.

“How Many Lives” kicks off the album with bluesy slices of rock, spiked with jagged squalls of slide guitar, and a rhythm section that rivals Neil Young’s Crazy Horse days. Edgy, heavy, and swirling, his wide-open guitar counterbalance his dramatic (as in, putting yourself totally into the song), singing.

“Herbie & Sam” is the acoustic, dead-pan, comic relief of the album. “I bought a fish, I bought a cat, I bought a dog, I bought a hamster, bought a frog/ I gave them all names like Herbie and Sam/ I buried them…” At only 37 seconds in length, at first you’re waiting for a more profound punch line, but after a few listens a sly grim will come across your face.- Simple, unexpected, and a little off the wall, a nice touch!

Then we get into the core of the album. “Bad Medicine” (no relation to Bon Jovi’s crap-in-a-can tune), which deals with a bad relationship. It’s a slow, grinding, psychedelic blues rocker that reminds me of T. Rex’s “20th Century Boy.” It slowly builds a head of steam as the guitars grind forward, as the rhythm section pounds out a chunky, catchy-as-all-hell riff that sounds like it could go on for 24/7/365!

With his guitar leading the charge, Keith as his band menacingly wreck havoc on “Triage Recruit.” Its resounding theme of “Make Love, Not War” is ancient, but songs like this are as relevant now as any time in the past when lives were lost for the sake of war. Never preachy, the song is simple, and to the point. Throughout the song the band plays with deranged imagination (a very good thing), as they come up with a marvelous, straight-up, psychedelic rock backing that takes you to straight to Jimi Land!

“I went to the graveyard to visit my brother/ I brought a bouquet of flowers and his favorite CD/ I stood there and wept as though he had crossed over/ but I still feel like he’s looking at me/ I did all the right things but I still feel wrong.” “All the Right Things” sounds like an autobiographical confession/redemption story, but it can be interpreted in a couple of ways, which is what a good writer does- make us look at ourselves from a different perspectives.

Starting off with just Keith singing, and strumming his acoustic guitar, about halfway through the song the rest of band joins in, turning out a flourishing finale, as Keith’s voice rises above, finishing with “I did all the right things but I still feel wrong.” The strength of the song lies not only in the vibrate cadence of what sounds like the band fleshed out of Dylan’s “A Hard Rain is Gonna Fall,” or U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m looking For,” but also within us. How we sometimes are able to stop, and look inside ourselves for self-awareness. The bottom line is, have patience, keep trying, don’t give up. The key to joy, I think, is seeing, admitting, and correcting the way we relate to others.

“Evil Fuzz Magic” Keith’s latest album, has the energy level, humor, and introspective that matches any of his contemporaries. Bands will continue on in blues, rock, etc., no matter what the wave that’s in vogue, but few will match the verve of Keith Kenny and his band.

You’re gonna wanna see this album performed live!!

Audra Mae - The Happiest Lamb (Sideonedummy.com)

Audra Mae has the vibrant, vocal prowess of Nelly McKaye, and the intensity of Shelby Lynn. Spiritually challenging, she plays new pop music with rustic folky underpinnings. Her innocent voice skips lightly over gentle melodies with religion, life, and relationships being the main topics. Mae’s voice is, passionate, and easily supports the melodies, as the groove of each song is etched out. Songs like “The Happiest Lamb,” “Snakebite,” or “My Lonely Worry,” each offer a creative vision over a pop hook.
Audra’s reflective, impressionist lyrics and clear, powerful singing shine on songs like “The Fable,” “Millionaire,” and “Little Sparrow.” -Honest, intelligent, and enthralling. The record presents difficult ideas without compromise in a most realistic manner.

Invisible Lines - "Wise Up" 5-song EP (invisablelinesmusic.com)

I gonna peg Invisible Lines as an emo-core (emotionally charged hardcore) band.- And that’s a good thing! This band that originates out of Kearny, NJ creates music that is a relentless rush of rhythm and melody that is simultaneously pulverizing and delicate. "Wise Up" is a staggeringly good record with excellent sound quality, crisp playing, and evocative songs. The album was recorded at Killing Horse Records (killinghorserecords.com).

This is not a linear album. There are songs like the opening cut “Medulla,” that has a Rage Against the Machine drive to it, but the originality is evident. From there the band avoids sloganeering and self-righteousness in favor of meat and potatoes rock and roll. “Painmaker” and “Release” offer the listener songs seething with conviction, and rock energy. “Clean up the Mess” has anthemic power, but with a more mainstream sound, and a few rough edges- which is always good!

Invisible Lines' sincerity and commitment are obvious. With Will Acevedo on vocals and guitar, Alan Gomez on guitar, drummer Lucas Gonzalez, and bassist Mike Clifford, they make music that is anything but ordinary. No artsy whimpering, or shoe-gazing, Wise Up is a blast of an album where the lyrics are formative, reflective, and personal, without any introversive nonsense. In other words this album rocks from start to finish!- Phil Rainone

Univox (ROIR - univoxtheband.com)

Univox’s music is a hip mix of Modern English, psychedelic Beatles, and a big scoop of indie rock. Yet, instead of say, adopting a couple of salient characteristics of one of those bands, exaggerating them, and adding a informal imprint, Univox seeks a more careful blend, with a lot to add of their own. The results, like on “Pi,” “You Don’t Know,” “Cannonball” or “Nobody’s That Smart,” proves that Univox has an easily identifiable sound.

The exception is, “All This Blood Came from My Heart.” Weirdly cool, it comes off like a They Might Be Giants bonus track. More of a spoken word/operatic number, it’s a tight, sluggish doo-wop song about suicide. Univox puts a somewhat gothic tale of death and grieving to simple music strengthened by a deep, monophonic vocal. If nothing else, it’s engaging.

Throughout the album guitars, vocals, and tight rhythm section are the main ingredients; subtlety and diversity are a bonus. Talented songwriting and offbeat lyrics provide the solid foundation.

If you go to one of their gigs, which I hope to do soon, there’s no need for the band to tell the audience to “Clap along.” Whether you’re a newcomer, or a diehard fan, you’re gonna be into the band right from the get-go!

THE HENRY CLAY PEOPLE - Somewhere on the Golden Coast (tbdrecords.com)

I’m having a hard time getting my head around The Henry Clay People’s music. I like their clangy/slide guitar sound, but it gets a little repetitive, as a lot of the songs sound almost the same. But what really irks me are the singer’s voice and phrasing. He’s very emo, and he sings/talks through ever song. Instead of singing a complete lyric or thought all the way through, he chops out the lines in four or five word intervals, and it seems like he ends EVERY LINE with a question mark. After just one song it gets quite annoying. The band can bash it out nicely on a pop punk level, but there’s not much more to them than that.

RIVER CITY EXTENSION -
The Unmistakable Man
(xoxorecords.com)

About a month ago, Tim Norek & I caught River City Extension at Starland Ballroom opening for Big D and the Kids Table and Flogging Molly. It was a great show, and the diversity of the bands made it even more so. Flogging Molly’s anthemic Celtic punk rock was counter balanced by Big D and the Kids Table‘s salacious ska, and River City Extension’s set seemed to combine those genres, mixing in some jammy tunes into a fine, steamy, rock ‘n’ roll gumbo. And if you wanted proof of just how good they were, after Flogging Molly had finished up the evenings proceedings, Tim and his buddy Mike came out of the pit sweaty, but sporting big smiles. It was that contagious throughout the whole night.

Coming off the release of the ambitious “Nautical Sabbatical,” River City Extension could have rested on the laurels and made “Nautical Sabbatical 2,” but the music on The Unmistakable Man bares witness to the dexterity and versatility of this band from Toms River, NJ.

RCE’s second album channels raw, sweeping melodies with liquor-soaked folk ballad anthems. Really, any song here captures that vibe of Pete Seeger-meets-Clash and open for Springsteen & the E Street Band. In fact, songs like “The Unmistakable Man,” “If I Still Owned a Bible,” or “Waiting in the Airport” have the youthful enthusiasm of The Wild the Innocent, and The E Street Shuffle, but that’s where the comparisons end. The band evokes and evolves genres like post punk, indie pop, 4th wave ska, and ageless rock ‘n’ roll into a jammy, protest rock, eight-piece band.

At the Starland show, lead singer Joe Michelini mentioned that a few nights ago they had a rough night after their show with Flogging Molly, as maximum drinking was involved with limited time until their next show. He said that “Too Tired to Drink” was written for just such an occasion, and like at the show, the raise-your-glass-and-drink anthem was spot-on. A swooning, horn-driven, rocker, with was an ode to hangovers.

I love the way River City Extension takes chances. Musically, lyrically, and their stage presence is both garage band-worthy, and at the same time light years ahead of the contemporaries.

Two of the best examples, of which there are many, are “Mexico,” which will rock the bejesus out of you with its mariachi sway and danceable, bullfight-worthy swing. The closing number “Waiting at the Airport,” has a plaintive melody that will sick in your head. You know what I mean, you're just sitting there watching TV or whatever, and all of a sudden- “Waiting at the Airport” pops into your head, and you find yourself humming it and a broad smile comings slowly across your face. Contagious and ageless!

River City Extension will be playing around the area, catch them before they explode, and you’ll have to wait for them to swing by on The Warped Tour.

Soul People- Good Morning Live (myspace.com/soulpeople)

Soul People play music that is engaging, and challenging in the best sense of what indie music is all about. The songs are lo-fi power pop, whose cleverness tends to walk hand and hand with melodies that, like a firecracker with a slow burning fuse, will at some point explode, you just don’t know when. At times gritty and sublimely catchy as Nirvana, as the interplay between the band members is fluid, with a strong rhythm section behind them.

It’s hard to tell that this is a live album, as you don’t hear much in the way of an audience, but the vibe is fresh and creative. The music at times, doesn’t get any faster than a Cowboy Junkies (like CJ’s cover of Lou Reed’s cock-rocker, “Sweet Jane”), tune, but they build songs slowly and patiently from the ground up. They turn out some sizzling blues rock like on “The Blues Song,” and “Good Morning.” The latter song works up a head of steam like a good Canned Heat record.

Haunting melodies with abundant wit make the record worth repeated listenings, and the bits of eccentricity and originality are to die for!

The Izzys- EP (www.theizzys.com)

With Aaron Redlin on bass, Tim Kuhl on drums, and Mike Storey on guitars and vocals, they play tight county-punk and display crafty and clever songwriting.
With these five songs, the band has more than just a pedigree to brag about. For a genre full of wanna-bes, The Izzys have a hick, yet hip feel, and are more apt to cross from corny to cool. They burn like the 60’s Byrds with a Springsteen’s Seeger Sessions vibe. This EP captures the band’s melodic prowess without overdoing it, or pushing for any obvious commercial concessions down anyone’s throat.

The folksy “Lost on the Way” and the equally optimistic “Under the Sun,” are as memorable and uplifting as the closer, “Deal.” A cover of the Dead/Jerry Garcia Band, it gives plenty of encouragement for a full album, as it unleashes the band’s wildest electric dreams. It also acknowledges The Izzys clear debt to Dead, and proves that they know just the right way to treat a piece of classic rock. Along with their own originals they remain scrupulously faithful to their musical sources, yet never seeming contrived. Their playing is clean and economical, and gives hint of the increased emotional depth to come. - Phil Rainone

Joemca- 16 Devils (joemcamusic.com)

It’s nice to see musicians with the courage of their convictions. Rather than a verse/chorus/verse exercise, Joemca tend to color outside the lines- actually blurring them into one seamless collection of love songs that are not exactly love songs, but more like life songs.

The writing is incisive and captivating, you almost miss the melodies that are weaved throughout each song like a Top 40 hit- and I mean that in a good way! All these memorable melodies are underscored by strong vocal harmonies, yet the delivery retains a gutsy, even abrasive edge, at times. With a keen eye for lyrical detail and a wide-ranging catalog of musical influences in their stylistic arsenal, the pain at the root of most of these songs is universal.

“Staircase” and “And We Howl” rock a little harder, though their production is equally lean and minimal. What stands out through these ten songs are the beautifully realized stories put to record. Joemca has the rare ability to introduce detailed characters and substantial scenarios in around three minutes. Check out “Big Dreams,” “Ancient History,” or “Down the Devil” for proof.

If David Bowie and The Smiths had gotten together, it would have sounded something like Joemca.

Record Store Day Report!

Saturday, April 17th was Record Store Day (they should have several throughout the year), and I didn’t realize all the cool vinyl, CD’s and DVD’s that a lot of the bands release just for that day. I had checked Vintage Vinyl’s website, and there had to be about 100 releases! There were a few that I was interested in, including Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings' 45 vinyl of The Beatles “Day Tripper” and “When I Come Home.” There was also a Springsteen 10” vinyl record (more on that later) with live versions of “Wrecking Ball” and “The Ghost Of Tom Joad.”

So, after a morning of garage sales (I only found about a dozen LP’s), I went over to Vintage Vinyl to get my much needed fix of the platters de petroleum, as they say in France - I think?! To my surprise the line for the two cash registers snaked its way all the way to the back of the store. As I eyed up the line I figured it would be about a half-hour wait, which was fine, especially since they had bands and DJ’s playing throughout the day, which made the long line tolerable, even fun. )I also found a Buster Pointdexter CD as the line slowly shuffled its way through the record and CD bins.)

The Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings vinyl 45 of “Day Tripper” b/w “Money” (“backed/with” - that’s how they use to refer to a two-sided single 45 back in the day) was, along with the Springsteen single, worth the wait!

“Day Tripper” is a three-minute, instrumental, psychedelic work-out! It just oozes with 60’s bluesy guitars, horns, bass, and drums. I would have never expected it from them, but it’s Hotter Than July-worthy! I’d love to see them jam on it at a live show! When you do a cover song, you need more than a great voice and great material- you have to make an attempt to find a fresh approach to the song, and really own it. The band does all of the above- in spades!

The flip side, actually the A-side, “When I Come Home” is a hot buttered soul-ish workout! It’s has James Brown’s funk and strut, yet it’s devilishly original! The story line goes on to tell about all the lovin’ this gal is gonna give to her man, that she longs for, but it’s from a strong, focused perspective- not a lovey-dovey, I’ll-do-anything-you-want weak-willed woman. Both tunes are mind-blowing!

Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band - “Wrecking Ball” b/w “The Ghost of Tom Joad” 10” vinyl single (Columbia)

Ok, so I know a few of you may not be familiar with a 10” single (I picked up a cool Cheap Trick 10” at a garage sale recently, and it had a power popped cover of “Daytripper“ also, besides three other cool CT songs - what a co-winky-dink!). Well, it’s kind of a unique marketing device that record labels came up with back in the 70’s, or probably further back than that. The cool thing is, they could usually fit four or five songs on it, making it an EP (extended play). And it’s played at 45 rpm rather than 33 1/3, giving it a better sound quality and hotter mix. But what’s confusing is, if you hit the “Play” button on your turntable, the tone arm wouldn’t start at the first song since the record is 10” instead 7” as a regular 45 would be, so you have to place the tone on by hand… Ok, enough with the boring rocket science, what it all comes down to is- both songs will rock yer socks off!!

Last year at the first of the Giant’s Stadium finale shows, The Noreks (Frank, Tim, Nicole, Patti) and I were at the show, sitting all the way back up top, dead last row. Bruce comes out on stage, says a few words about, “Let’s help to bring this old lady down,” the closing of the stadium, than launches into a new song. “Wrecking Ball” is written from the stadium’s perspective. As the song progresses the band filters out on stage and joins in. From Bruce’s solo vocal and guitar, it develops into a full band rocker! All the way up top, last row, Frank and I are looking at each other in amazement. Bruce and the band had reached us; their mojo just brings you to another place. Great song, great show!

With Tom Morello (from Rage Against The Machine and solo- you should hear Rage’s savage rendition of “The Ghost Of Tom Joad“), trading lines and at times blending vocals with Bruce, they turn what was originally a quite protest song into a full-on, full-band rocker. The story is from the book The Grapes of Wrath. It’s about Tom Joad and his family, who are destitute but proud, looking for work and a place to live in the 1940’s Dust Bowl region in the South West. A stark, political, and emotional story that you can still relate to today. The music, lyrics, and the passion of the performance are exhilarating!

Jesse Malin and The St. Marks Social - Love it to Life (Sideonedummy.com)

Following a self-imposed year off from recording and performing, Jesse Malin, along with his new band The St. Marks Social, have created an album that is deep in hooks-and-riffs, and has a lot to say. Songs like “Burning The Bowery,” “All the Way From Moscow,” and “St. Marks Sunset” are sparkling, tuneful gems. Clear and crisp, free of frills and pretense, there are times throughout Love it to Life that reminds me of The Replacements. Pop punk at its finest!

Jesse has filled the album with extraordinary, memorable, and intelligent songs in a number of musical veins. Easily the finest and most mature of his recent releases - if there was any frustration or anxiety over what road if any, he was going to take after his last album, and it’s all but disappeared. When you hold Love It To Life in your hot little hands, and listen to the fine, fine, music you’ll understand why. “Disco Ghetto and “Black Boombox” are two of the funnier songs. Wickedly sarcastic and cool, this not music for mall-goers in designer clothes. Like Marshall Crenshaw, it’s the type of music you can get up and dance to, losing yourself in the music.

Edgy yet flowing, the guitar work and rhythm section make this album road ready. They could play every song here live without regrets. They sound like a rough-and-ready, hungry band you’d imagine tearing up a roadhouse somewhere in your romantic rock-n-roll dreams. The music is strengthened by impassioned musicianship that’s powerful, and at times, possesses defiant lyrics.

Nearly every song has some new twist, whether through production effects (which is very limited. This is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get, type of album and band), or an unusual instrumental or vocal effect. “The Archer” or “Lowlife in a High Rise” are songs about deteriorating relationships-but the playing is so exuberant that it’s uplifting.

The production By Ted Hutt (Flogging Molly, Gaslight Anthem) has fullness, and the instrumentation on many of the tracks is denser. The overall modern sound is reminiscent of one of Springsteen’s recent albums. Unpretentious intelligence, wit, and infallible pop smarts make it a wonderful album with no weak spots or inadequate songs. Jesse Malin and The St Marks Social carry the banner of romance, disappointment, hope, and world-weary wrong-doings into memorable settings. Love it to Life is a loveable gem.

The Successful Failures - Three Nights (thesuccessfulfailures.com)

These guys love what they do. For starters, who else could come up with what sounds like a combination of a minute-waltz and country music, and a short story knocking Aberdeen, NJ?! From there, The Successful Failures proceed to knock our socks off with some of the hottest rock ‘n’ roll around! “Armadillo Boy” and “Sinkhole” lead the charge, as they are a lesson in jangley guitar, with fun, interesting lyrics. Essentially, Rock ’N’ Roll 101.

Clean harmonies, and back-to-basics rock ‘n’ roll melodies suggests careful attention to the production. “Houston, We Have a Drinking Problem” is a funny/sad story with a nod to who I’m sure is one of the band’s musical influences (also The Knack, The Raspberries, etc.), Cheap Trick. In the song the astronauts are, “Rollin’ numbers/ rock ‘n’ roll/ got my Kiss records out.” Cool stuff!

The songs on Three Nights are memorable without pandering; the playing is simple but never simpleminded. From the quivering “Scream” to the ominous hip shaker “Any Ol’ Thing,” which ends the album, this is a full therapeutic does of mature, unaffected rock ‘n’ roll, recalled from the 50’s and 60’s built strictly in, and for modern times.
“Collage Scholarship Blues” sounds like a bunch of music-crazy kids playing a horned-out, retro beer commercial. You just can’t fake that kind of attitude and wit. You either have it or you don’t. The Successful Failures have it!

The record gets on such a roll with “All You Had,” “Leave Me in a Coma,” “Three Nights,” that even a mid-tempo number like “Waiting for a Ride” keeps your feet planted firmly on the dance floor. Twelve songs from a full-bodied album that sounds completely natural.

Neon Angel - A Memoir of a Runaway By Cherie Currie with Tony O’Neill Forward by Joan Jett (HarperCollins)

Neon Angel is an updated version of the 1989 book on which the new Runaways film was based upon. Cherie’s life at the time which is described with full, vivid, and sometimes grim details, also tells how she eventually befriend fellow Runaway Sandy West, Lita Ford, and Joan Jett- make four ground-breaking albums, touring the would, and blazing a trail for a generation of fellow female rockers.- Here are a few of the details:

This book was definitely a long (I could hardly put it down), read - 35 chapters, including a forward and afterword.
Starting with Cherie and her twin sister Marie’s cool obsession with glam rock, and David Bowie in particular, you get an interesting view as to part of what helped to create The Runaways.
Like the recent book on Joan Jett (another great read, she talks more about The Runaways, The Blackhearts, rock ‘n‘ roll and her life), there’s a lot of excitement, good times/bad times, and what is was like to be in one of the first all-girl rock ‘n’ roll bands. And you find those, I-didn‘t-know-that-about-The Runaways, stories. Sometimes the horror stories of sex, drugs, and discrimination outweigh the excitement, adventure, and freedom that the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll can inspire.
There are also stories of how at times, the individual members of the band were degraded by their manager/sadist/rock ’n’ roll guru, Kim Fowley. I’m sure his methods of Rock ’n’ Roll Boot Camp aka Kim’s Rites of Passage for a band member were real, but some of his methods here make even the hardest core rock ’n’ roll fan, including me cringe, and almost cry at times. Cherie, the blond California teen (The Runways were about 15 when they started the band back in 1975), who fronted the all-girl band, got hooked on cocaine, and had to deal with an alcoholic father, a cancer-ridden mother (unfortunately Sandy West had died from cancer a couple of years ago), but it wasn’t all horrible, as Cherie eventually sobered up, and as Joan says in the forward, "So, to conclude, Cherie Currie-mother, uniquely devoted ex-wife, musician, versatile visual artist-is really so talented…. But what truly amazes me is what a fine, honest, introspective author she is- with an incredible tale about life, and a fascinating personal odyssey, as she lived it.”
The afterword is updated as Cherie grieves for her friend and bandmate Sandy West. She also talks at length about her Mom, her family, and Kenny Laguna who, in Cherie’s words, “Kenny had contacted me to be involved in the lawsuit (she also thanked him for his support of helping to make Neon angel a movie), to regain the lost and stolen royalties for The Runaways. Kenny and Joan believed in the legacy of the band and what it stood for… And now the adventure begins…again.

LIFEGUARD NIGHTS - Good Job, Honey (swimminginashallowsea.blogspot.com)

Good Job, Honey is Lifeguard Nights’ mastermind Vincent Brue’s 12th album (his backing bands vary from album to album,) and it encompasses… hey, wait a minute… TWELVETH album?! Dang, That’s the same number of studio albums The Beatles released over their 8 year career, and I’ve been reviewing Lifeguard Nights’ albums for about 2 or 3 years now. Seems like every few months there a new one coming out.- Now, I’m not comparing Lifeguard Nights to The Beatles, although the enthusiasm and fun that Lifeguard Nights’ puts into their albums is similar and they also have the same kind of focused drive and determination, but dang, they sure do have a lot to write about!

Good Job, Honey includes 21 songs (quality and quantity) that were recorded over a six month period at a friend of Vincent’s in Asbury Park. I’ve gotten used to his low-fi production approach of thick and muddy - just the way they should be - that works like a The Bouncing Souls basement show. The band plays wonderfully unpretentious hopped-up/stripped down alternative originals. With off-beat, often funny lyrics, Vincent is a colorful localizer, an unstoppable howler from the school of rock. The music barrels along with loose-limbed energy, yet never runs off the road. Nothing fancy, just gutsy and great!! (And don’t forget those exclamation points!!).

On Good Job, Honey, Lifeguard Night’ create touching odes to The NRA (“The Gun Show”), friends (“Old Friend”), enemies (“Old Enemy”), all with a simplicity that at first will have you scratching your head, but songs like these help to solidify the album with the kind of simplicity that a lot of bands only wish for. Good Job, Honey has vim, and a wicked taste for puns. It’s a great alternative to just about anything out there these days!

COMMUNIPAW (communipaw.com)

Communipaw are a New Brunswick-based, indie rock band with a taste for spangled folk rock. When a band stretches out, sometime s they lose their way; but songs like “The Morning Hours,” “Keep Your Eyes on Me,” or “On the Way” actually help lead the way though a solid, 12 song album that relies more on good hooks and sharp lyrics rather than flash in the pan pyrotechnics - although Communipaw does come up with some very cool Wilco-style weird keyboard riffs.

“Black Tambourine” is a tight rocker in the vein of the Byrds or Springsteen. Chugging guitar riffs, hand claps, and a buoyant vocal that sparkles. With Brian Bond on vocals/guitar, Keith Carne on drums, Dave Esterman on bass, and Brian Kelly on guitar (no credit given for keyboards), Communipaw wrap angst-y melodies around smoldering, catchy melodies. At times, the band can sound Catherine Wheel-heavy, but they eventually descend back to their country roots. Actually, it’s amazing how they can do that. It sounds and feels so natural and exciting that you want to hear it again and again. Wisely, they don’t seek to replicate it all through their self-titled album. Instead, they use it as a compass, pointing you toward musical avenues less taken, yet just as enticing.

The music is focused and fun, with an eye toward maturity, making this album a deceptively accessible record. It‘s the kind that will grow on you year after year.

MEL FLANNERY TRUCKING CO. - As It Turns Out (melflannerytruckingco.com)

I would put the Mel Flannery Trucking Co. in the same company as Nicole Atkins and April Smith. All three have the moxie to create music on their own terms. At times campy, kitschy, cabaret, and nostalgic without being sappy, they all march to a different drummer. But unfortunately that’s where the comparisons end. While April and Nicole take your imagination to greater heights, Mel and her band barely generate enough heat to warp a vinyl record. Despite the vigorous efforts in songs like “Running,” “All Fall Down,” or “Gone,” the crucial ingredient - authentic soul - is missing in action. Although there is a lot of potential and room for growth, the band more often than not sounds like bland lounge lizards. Maybe they’re more of a live band, because I can definitely see them jamming on a few of their songs, giving them some much needed muscular mojo.

SHARON JONES & The Dap Kings - I Learned the Hard Way (daptonercords.com)

Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings have a very, very interesting sound. You can hear it right away. There’s that quality (they’ve been doing it for quite a few years now), and the sound difference. There are very few performers (Joss Stone, for one), who can let it out like they do. They understand what they are saying. I’ve heard singers where they’re just giving a song lip service, not really interested in the meaning of the words. Songs like “The Game Gets Old,” “If You Call,” or “I‘ll Still be True,” actually, any song on, I Learned the Hard Way provide perspectives into the band and the songs. Music should strive to stretch that too-often too-narrow space between our ears. Here, as anyone with one good ear can hear, the music speaks for itself- and most of the time, for, and about us.

On “Money,” the song builds slowly, and Sharon forges through the song singing/talking and punctuating at times, on how we chase the almighty dollar. To me, it also serves as a “reply” to Barrett Strong’s 60’s floor stomped about greed, “Money.” These cats don’t miss a beat!

It always about feelings. It’s like there’s this big hole in a song that’s theirs, and they have to fill it with something. And they do! Sharon Jones, like Joss Stone, or Aretha Franklin can sing tough if they want to, but they never risk losing their essential femininity when they sing. You can hear in their voices that losing a good man can break their heart, but they can also express a raunchy boldness that is magnificently sexy, though not one bit ladylike. The Dap Kings are the living, breathing entity of all that is Motown, Stax/Volt, 70’s Philly funk, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll, all rolled up into an eight-piece band.

On “Window Shopping,” and “Without a Heart,” Sharon sings the blues. - A blues singer isn’t a performer, doesn’t need an audience. They can sing to the ocean, the moon, or even when there are thousands of people out there. The blues sustain you. Blues are faith in beauty and peace, coupled with worldly knowledge, and the ultimate decision is always positive.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings hear what they hear, play what they play, and are what they are. And more often than not, by the time we catch on to where they‘re coming from, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings have gotten their hats and gone.

IGGY & THE STOOGES - Raw Power 2 CD Set Legacy Edition (Columbia Legacy)

This two CD set features the original 1973 David Bowie mix, remastered, along with a second disc of previously unreleased live and studio recordings from the Raw Power tour.

First released in 1973, the savagely bombastic Raw Power is one of the first records that could truly be called punk. I had gotten into The Stooges starting with their previous album Fun House, which a friend of mine had sold to me for a couple of bucks to get money to play cards. Listening to the weird, funny, and heavy, out-of-this-world sound of a song like “T.V. Eye,” I got my first taste of what was to become a lifelong, life-sustaining musical genre that has always reinventing and reinvigorating itself, along with me, and hundreds of thousands of others.

At what might seem like moronic lyrics, and three-chord “tunes,” Raw Power clearly anticipated the lowest-common-denominator of what punk rock is all about. Songs like “Search and Destroy,” “Gimme Danger,” and “Death Trip,” knowingly sucks the listener into its raucous vortex. This ingeniously constructed album starts out menacingly, and builds and demolishes as it progresses. Iggy’s singing is expressive (especially on “Penetration.” It sound s like he’s fucking right there in the studio- grunts, growls- you don’t get that real these days. The primal scream and searing guitar/bass/drums are sheer adolescent fun!

With the Asheton brothers, Ron on bass ( he recently passed away), Scott on drums, and James Williamson on guitar and co-author, the songs achieve classic status, as future punks like the Sex Pistols' Steve Jones, and Damned guitarist Brian James say (in the liner notes) how influential The Stooges were to them. There’s also Henry Rollins, who had “Search & Destroy” tattooed across his shoulders, and Kurt Cobain, who named Raw Power his favorite album ever. Not bad for an album and band that literally imploded after Raw Power’s release, and subsequent tour.

“As this album shows, there’s always been a spirit boiling in The Stooges which can never lie down. Now it’s back to bite your legs.”- Kris Needs, from the liner notes. Dubbed Georgia Peaches (recorded at Richards, a club in Atlanta, Georgia), thanks to a bit of salacious improv poetry by Iggy ( sounds like something Jim Morrison would later pick up on with The Doors), it’s a fearsome live recording of the band, that was augmented by Scott Thurston on piano. HE gave “Raw Power,” “Head On,” and “Gimme Danger,” more depth, and breath. Songs that were already built like brick shit houses sounded more expressive.

Iggy bates the crowd throughout their set which is almost worth the price of admission alone. Back in the day, it was like, ‘Hi! How‘s everybody doing tonight?’ and ‘Thank you, and have a good night,’ and Iggy would say stuff like, “I gonna put twelve Georgia peaches up my ass..” Iggy throughout is in good voice and full of vigor- not to mention piss ‘n’ vinegar.-He was just…out there!

Listening to “I Need Somebody,” “Heavy Liquid” (cool nod to Gary US Bonds 60’s R&B rocker, “New Orleans”), or “Cock in My Pocket,” they are just… riveting! They have the joint - the thrust that is your most basic, primitive, Neanderthalic, trembling…shaking…almost violent reaction. The band gets extremely INTO what they are doing. At times they burst with loose emotion that is so pure, so primal, and at other times they’re as tight as any seasoned band should be.

For music that is about 37 years old, the sound quality is there on both discs. You’ll hear the music break up for a second or two, once and awhile on the live record, but according to the liner notes, “The Georgia Peaches tape is the best performance of this band that actually got on tape in the Raw Power era.”

Before the last two encores of “Cock in My Pocket,” and “Open Up and Bleed,” and before the band takes the stage, you hear a girl who sounds half-soused, and is probably sitting at a table at the edge of the stage with some friends say, “I wanna another drink God damn it!… God he expands a lot of energy!”- Than, Iggy & the Stooges take the stage, with Iggy saying to the girl, “I’m never gonna slow down for you honey!”- Than, ever so politely he says to the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, our next additional selection this evening is entitled…I Got My Cock in My Pocket.” The band launches into the foul-mouthed rocker like it was their last time on earth. - Where’s a video camera when you need one?!

Bonus Studio Tracks: “Doojiman,” an outtake from the sessions for Raw Power is a roughly four minute Bo Diddley-like rocker, with Iggy yelping, and improvising mumbo-jumbo lyrics. “Head On” of which there is a wicked live version on the second disc, is over five minutes of jamming rock ’n’ roll. A cool glimpse as to how they flesh out a tune, and it’s only a performance from a CBS rehearsal tape.

Iggy Pop &The Stooges were recently inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. From the outtakes it looks like The Stooges shook things up a bit during their acceptance speech and the all-star jam on stage. Showing Paul Schaffer and all those ass-kissers (how the FUCK did Abba get in when The Monkees, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, and The Runaways haven’t?) EXACTLY what punk rock is, and always will be about.

Jimi Hendrix- Valleys of Neptune (Sony Legacy)

Valleys of Neptune represents where Hendrix was headed as the sequel to 1968’s groundbreaking studio album, Electric Ladyland. Ten of the twelve songs were made between February and May in 1969, including rearrangements of Hendrix’s signature songs “Red House,’ “Fire,’ and “Stone Free.” The fluidness that flows through these, and actually the whole album, is amazing! The other two songs, “Bleeding Heart” and an instrumental version of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love,” are worth their weight in gold. The latter song is a wildly jammed, slightly showoff-y funky take. Not many bands can successfully re-interpret other bands' songs, let alone their own songs, successfully; but that’s what makes Jimi Hendrix and his band so interesting and vibrant, especially live. They were just… out there!!

With various band members like Billy Cox/ Noel Redding on bass, and Mitch Mitchell on drums (The Jimi Hendrix Experience was pretty much at an end with Cox replacing Redding), August of ‘69 would see the formation of the multi-member The Gypsy, Sun & Rainbows Band, which quickly morphed into Band of Gypsies with Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums. I don’t know exactly what’s out there (I’m sure Hendrix’s new label and caretakers - Jamie Hendrix, Jimi’s sister, and longtime Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer- will find something), Hendrix was also working with jazz great Miles Davis.

On songs like “Lover Man” and “Red House,” the band unloads a similar bag of thrills. The guitarist wails away while his rhythm section holds down the lid on what seems like a ready to boil over musical stew, along with him. They sound like three guys playing in a room with garage band intimacy. You can hear the music HAPPENING - a distinct, musical pleasure that has still to be matched or bettered.

The breakneck instrumental rocker “Lullaby for the Summer,” with it’s lava-spitting outro, is like finding silver in a gold mine!

On the album cover, Jimi’s portrait (by Linda McCartney) is superimposed over a billowing cloud of stardust as if to suggest that this isn’t merely an album but a transmission from some cosmic afterlife. Some of Hendrix’s best work evoked a limitless galaxy, but the man also knew when to stay earthbound, like on “Ships Passing Through the Night.” It’s a rolling, robust blues number, with his guitar drenched in psychedelic colors that never blur his human touch.

Are these tracks “finished” as Hendrix would have intended? Probably not. But getting a glimpse of the guitarist extending his reach beyond The Experience trio is very thrilling!

Actually, Valleys of Neptune is Rock ’N’ Roll 101. Time to start over experiencing Hendrix!

DROPKICK MURPHYS - Live on Lansdowne Boston, MA March 12-17, 2009 Seven Shows Six Nights - CD/DVD (Born & Bred Records)

There’s that crackling energy - the key ingredient in the best punk rock. The Dropkick Murphys’ ripple and burn with a high-voltage passion the infuses this entire live album and DVD. They give you that unifying feeling that makes even the order of the tunes inevitable, almost predetermined. They are a band, especially live, whose chemistry is critical. They push each other in mock-battle to the edge of their considerable limits, and beyond, on songs like “Famous for Nothing,” “Time to Go,” “The Warriors Code” - actually just about every song here. You feel anguish, hope, faith, without the “God is on our side” grandstanding. The Dropkick Murphys’ are the real deal.

Lead singer Al Barr’s pumping vocals let Tim Brennan's swirling pipes get a foothold amid the bristling guitar army that transforms jams into songs. Startling, shifting punk rock rhythmic patterns force your feet to move. The interaction between the crowd and the band (the DVD adds SO MUCH to the bands’ performance. You’ll get carried away watching it) unleashes both imagination and reality into one, slash-and-burn epic saga.

On “Tessie,” “Worker’s Song,” and “God Willing,” you’re hit with whipping gusts of sound and vision- and that’s just from the crowd! The band are like whirling dervishes, as they throttle along, exploding wildly, then digging their heels in time and time again, making for dynamic peaks and valleys.

The band’s Celtic punk rock spontaneity is broadened song by song, one fan at a time, until it builds, stretching their musical resources and stamina, giving more than demanding- But this is not a nostalgic record. Like most of their albums, the Murphys’ embrace legacy and lore from the past, on songs like “(F)lannigan’s Ball,” “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya,” “Captain Kelly’s Kitchen,” or “The Dirty Glass,” yet they easily assimilate these ancient tunes into everyday, modern life. Dancing on the edge, stretching their resources and stamina. Which is, after all, the knockout punch we call rock ‘n’ roll: one hit to the body, and another hit to the soul. The Dropkick Murphys’ hit you at every level with their music! That’s why 10 years down the road, and hopefully for a long time to come, we’re still listening, and celebrating right along with the band.
The DVD really brings the Dropkick Murphys’ show to life! Only the rare individual can command the attention of thousands of people like the Murphys’ do, and it’s not on an iconic level. All the members know where they came from, and pretty much where they’re headed. This kind of power can be a responsibility, and it has certainly been known to take a toll on the individuals who’ve “got it.”

The Bouncing Souls have it. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have it. People arrive at shows with expectations. They want to be entertained, uplifted, to escape, to be moved, or to simply rock out. On song, after, song, after song, the DVD shows the band and their fans as determined, focused, and having a blast! Once that happens, both performer and audience share a transcendent experience. The crowd of individuals turns into a single, pulsating unit that responds to every note, lick, lyric, and gesture. That’s what a Dropkick Murphys’ show is all about. Sound and vision.

Adding to the joyous mayhem that usually ends a Murphys show, The Bosstones come on stage from a gang vocal on “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” that, along with a delirious crowd, brings the show over the top!

SCRAPING FOR CHANGE - Breaking the Silence EP (myspace.com/scrapingforchange)

This six song EP features new wavish pop with sharp punkish song stuructures. In other words, they can’t make up their minds as to want they want their music to sound like, and we’re all the better for it!

Their DIY attitude shows them more than apt at pounding out fierce rockers like “The Limelight,” “Give it Hell,” or “2012 A.D.” The latter song is apocalyptic as it is current with it’s references to the earth, the environment, and it also zero’s in on modern day relationships.

They can also construct softer, but just as melodic track like “Shadows.” It’s as urgent as the rest of the EP, but you’ll focus more on the lyrics first time around. When they harmonize the band has Holliesesque (60’s pop), strengths that are rare, which opens the record up toward making it catchier with a strong rhythmic charge.
This is a straightforward album that is fully realized. If this is the tip of the iceberg for what the band is capable of than we’re going to see and hear lot more from Scraping for Change. Scraping for Change’s album, Breaking the Silence is crisp and taunt, resonant powered pop played with unadorned skill and conviction.

ALTERNATE ROUTE - Cozumel Moon (cdbaby.com/cd/AlternateRoute1)

Songs like “Island Song,” or “Cozumel Moon” puts Alternate Route in the vanguard of a wide-reaching musical movement that relies on homegrown, populist rootsiness rather than bashing you over the head. Hazy, sometimes melancholic (but never miserable), the vocals are impressionistic, over a supple rhythm section. A hip selection of topics like “Beer Thirty,’ “”Better Days,” and “Texas Hold’em” rather than full-fledged rockers are intelligent, and are committed more to good times/bad times scenarios, that show no lack of musical ideas. “Keeping the Bother Down” is Grateful Dead-worthy. Chugging along in low gear, it doesn’t build steam as much as it does mojo, and it features a familiar jangle and crisp rhythm. All through Cozumel Moon the band finds characteristic compromises, yet they still sound original and fresh. Modern bar band blues twist and turn throughout the album with a creative level that keeps building. A good batch of tunes, Cozumel Moon may not be revolutionary, but Alternate Route’s energetic delivery of clever and melodic songs with such topics as beer, eggs, poker, and soccer Moms make them better survivors of that genre (think Jimmy Buffet or Buster Pointdexter), than most of their contemporaries.

THE COAL PORTERS - Durango (primarecords.com)

A good song is something that you want to sing, even after your CD player is turned off… it almost becomes a part of you. And in the days to come, it pops in your head at the strangest times. It has meaning and emotion, but there’s also a bit of mystery about it. And if you can tap your toes to it, even better. That’s what all of The Coal Porters’ new album Durango has going for it: 13 songs that read like a mini soundtrack to life.

Starting off with “Let’s Say Goodbye (Like We Said Hello),” the album feels like 13 life experiences - some funny, some dead serious, all set to a rhythm that is bolstered by mandolin, fiddle, drums, banjo, and bountiful harmonies. Songs like “No More Chains,” or “The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Oil” are crafted with old-school folk and bluegrass. “Moonlight Midnight” is the pop hit single of the year, as far as the aforementioned genres go! The male/female duet is underscored by the band's bright, smoldering heat, but this isn’t your grandparents’ country and bluegrass album. No sir! It’s more like if Rev. Horton Heat or Southern Culture on the Skids went away for the weekend, and only took their acoustic instruments to mess around with, or The Blasters ever decided to sit around a campfire and play acoustically, it would come out something like this album.

Inventive and moving, The Coal Porters define and redefine the traditional boundaries, calling themselves rightly so, “the world’s first alt-bluegrass band.” The cover of Neil Young’s “Like a Hurricane” drops Neil’s blustery musical swirl in favor of a countrified, upbeat rhythm that feels like it could have been on Young’s alt-county album Harvest.
“Pretty Polly” and “Permanent Twilight” are center pieces of the album. Emotional, and moving, these mid-tempo numbers bring out the best in the band, and that mojo is spread all around on Durango.

It’s not an easy thing to bridge the past and the present, and to bring them both to a new level, keeping it all fresh and coherent. The Coal Porters basic organic rhythmic approach gives you that rare snap, crackle, and pop inside your eardrum.

BECCA - Alive!! (Sony Music Japan)

Becca’s Alive!! (confusingly, it's a studio album) has taken pretty much the same route as The Runaways, Hendrix, Ramones, and the way a lot of other bands did when they were first getting started in search of an appreciative audience. All four had to go to other counties (Hendrix and Ramones broke out big in England in the 60’s & 70’s respectively), and like The Runaways (they broke out big in Japan in the mid-seventies), Becca is, as the song goes, “Big in Japan.” In 2008 she singed with Sony Music Japan, and two of her songs, “Guilty Pleasure” and “Falling Down” were used in the anime series Ultraviolet: Code 44. She also performed at Japan’s biggest outdoor venue, Summer Sonic Festival. She even recorded the song “Shibuya,” from this album in Japanese.

So, with all that said, what’s the music like? It’s good! Good! Good! “Turn Up the Stereo” is one of my faves. Anytime a band can make a cool, tongue-in-cheek tune about sex and record players, I’m on board! Actually this whole album rocks! Radio-friendly in a punk rock sort of way, songs like “Kickin’ & Screamin’ “I’m Alive,” or “Empty,” all have a Suzi Quatro/Runaways vibe. Retro, yet modern for all the right reasons.

These songs unleash enough raw power to stun, but also have a superior sense of song structure, and the band’s skilled musicianship is balanced, yet on the edge. Keeping the rock ‘n’ roll faith, Becca and her band are more inclined to play loud power pop than middle of the road dribble. They can temper the pace, but not the spirit, or electricity that’s evident in their music. Becca balances studio work and live shows with the same enthusiasm as someone who knows that they were born to rock ‘n’ roll!

TEN CITY NATION - At the Still Point (tencitynation.com)

At first, Ten City Nation sounds like a promising blend of Jesus and Mary Chain’s clever word play and power pop, and The Catherine Wheel’s wall-of-guitars grind. Then, by the third song “Take Me Down,” they become originally unique! The chant/singing is articulate, with a world-weary musical vibe that is gorgeous.

The guitar soundscapes throughout the album are fresh, and occasionally evocate verbal imagery, promising bright things to come. You can also add some Byrds at their psychedelic best, and perhaps a touch of Sid Barrett-era Floyd. Lyrically, At the Still Point is pretty straightforward with very few grey areas. “Flashing Lights,” “Ten Years Older,” or “Snakebite Blues” takes you on a neat little trip with a timeless groove, accented with pistol-shot snare drum hits. Melodies are strong, catchy, and focused. Good examples are “A Butcher in Silks” and “Black Tie White Soul.” Both have a folk-rock-cum-wall-of sound vibe, and the stories are to the point.

What makes this whole album work for Ten City Nation is, widely varied instrumental textures, which efficiently create atmospheres and moods. They can range between hardy rock riffs, to seductively tender, acoustic guitars, bass, and drums. The production is dynamic, as it creates all the afore mentioned styles with just the right attitude and mojo. This is a band I want to see live!

ABANDON KANSAS - We’re All Going Somewhere (gotee.com)

Bursting with fresh enthusiasm, Abandon Kansas resembles the best that alt-rock has to offer. We’re All Going Somewhere offers a batch of strong tunes that would play well on radio, and as an alterative to some of the slop that passes for American rock these days. Songs like “The Harder They Fall,” “Months and Years,” or “Close Your Eyes,” all have plenty of poetic ambience, and some surprisingly complex arrangements, yet I could see them just as potent and passionate in an acoustic set. A consistently hard, jangly-trebly sound, it’s easy to stay engrossed, and in the moment of the song. “Make Believe” and “I Wonder if it’s Me” tread gently at first, but the end result totally consumes the listener. At times, there’s a processional majesty surging through the songs, but the rough edges are left intact. Offering richly played rock-melody songwriting the album takes all the high roads (and some life-reaffirming paths), necessary to make a solid release. These songs are just plain good! Abandon Kansas’ We’re All Going Somewhere fuses the band’s past with their future, with a sound that reflects and melds all of their lifetimes into one disc, but they definitely have more to say.

STEERHEAD - American Idle (Steerhead.com)

With reference points like Poco, Old and In The Way, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Wilco, and all that real deal C&W music like Buck Owens, Steerhead take a fresh look around, combining roadhouse blues and concrete cowboy themes. “Checkered Past” is a tongue-in-cheek ode to South Amboy, which back in the 80’s boasted the most bars per square mile (about 37), according to The Guinness Book of World Records. The rest of American Idle is more objective and universal.

There’s definitely a lack of wanting-to-mean-something songs. That is, Steerhead sings and writes from the gut kindred souls with a lot on their minds. Mike Berger (piano, harp, mandolin), and Tom Caterina (guitars), do the song writing and vocals, combining to create a sound that is both as ragged a Southern vocal style, as it is progressive, all delivered with unselfconscious sincerity. “Can’t Wait Till Day,” “Last Showdown,” or “Valley Road” have a New Riders’ pained roughness, combining old-style story telling with current topics. The rest of the band, including Marty Cohl on guitars, Brian Hemstreet on drums, Kevin McColgan on bass, and “Original Steers” Alex Hirschenfang on keyboards, Steve Ostermann on guitar, and “sixth steer” “Hot Dog” Johnny Cook on guitars, the band makes for a wryly, creative collaboration. One of the cool things about combining all these instruments is, there is no over-crowding. The sound has a richness and roundness, and all the instruments are distinctive, and count for something.

“Shoulda Been Gone” offers the biggest thrills. Like the Dead covering Chuck Berry, the chugalug gallop over the steamroller vocals are gimmick-free. art and commercial success don’t always travel the same road, but on American Idle, Steerhead are not spooked by the tender trap of success. I’m going to see Steerhead first chance I get, hope you will too!

Keith Monacchio - The Long Evening (myspace.com/keithmonacchio)

Keith Monacchio and his band possess a melodic sense that nicely compliments the mostly introspective lyrics, which makes for music that combines the best impulses, in the sensitive singer-songwriter tradition. “Novocain,” “The New Normal,” and “I’ll Know,” all have emotional authority, yet they’re not preachy. “The Set Up” brings out the jokester in the band. Behind a mid-tempo beat, they go for the funny bone with lines like “So guess who just fell back into the gig/Looking sturdy in his fixed-up wig.”- Relationship stories never get dull, epically funny ones.

There are plums to be found like “Dirt and Sand” or “Under the Streetlight.” The band turns what could be a self-indulgent story, into a genuine, heart-felt tune. On the latter song Jo Wymer adds her supportive vocals brightness, and give the song a rich wholeness. Despite the positive direction the music slides to the side once and a while. On “She Stumbles Gracefully” and “Altogether Happy,” Keith’s vocals sound a little narrow, and the band needs to fan the flames rather than smolder them. Otherwise, The band possesses competence in all the necessary areas, not to mention a winning boy-next-doorish voice.

Tribella- Thirteen (tribellatheband.com)

80’s flagship bands like The Pixies, Missing Persons, and The Cure have all based their careers on kicking the crap out of the pop music iconography of their time and even today, with lyrics and melodies that were ‘out there,’ yet simple, basic, and catchy as hell!

On Thirteen, Tribella continues that left-of-center approach, and will also add a few colors to your paint box to boot! They invest genuine wit and value into songs like “Deal Breaker,’ “My Guest List,” and the instro-mental “Skate Park.” They perform the perfect inbreeding of pure pop and pure tongue-in-cheek cynicism.

Brilliantly and deliriously infectious, the band’s debut album is a first-rate collection of 80’s-style new wave, and indie rock, with magnificently barbed hooks, lines, and no stinkers.

Sarah Glynn’s wicked spark of vocals ignites the band’s already fiery/ subliminal poppy tunes. The sometimes dark satire of “13” or “Stationary” help to explain the deep appreciation of the afore mentioned musical predecessors which combines to create an inspired, and knowing post-80’s new wave, pop band.

Tribella are one of those special bands that, after hearing their record, you’ll want to get your friends interested in their music, and ultimately seek out their live show when they come into your area!

Yorktown - The Battle for Yorktown (Yorktownsoul.com)

With the impact of early Blood, Sweat & Tears (the Al Cooper version), Chicago (back to their first infectious album when they were known as Chicago Transit Authority), and James Brown’s Fabulous Flames as a template, Yorktown’s brilliant stylistic cross-fertilization deftly demonstrates their grasp of forms, production techniques, their ability to transform and transcend.

The playfully tight opening instrumental “Jersey Bound” (Yorktown are a Central Jersey horn-based rock band, is an un-hung-up, vibing-out, maximum mojo, funk/soul number! Like the rest of the album, it’s like they’ve joined rock and soul at either end, creating an endless loop of the soul/rock spectrum.

Without sounding like a tired string of clichés or succumbing to corporate overkill, Yorktown is straightforward, with ingenious ingenuity. The other instruments that are sprinkled around like “Charlie Don’t Surf,” and “Sockdollager,” act as springboards for the lyrically passionate numbers, as the vocals are shared by guitarist James York, and Tracy Sousa.

Despite all the genre-bending ,Yorktown is not straining for approval with a touch-all-the-bases mentality. You get a rootsy, organic sense of multiple genres, instead of let’s-knock-it-out-of -the park, overproduced (the battle for Yorktown was recorded at Frankensound in North Brunswick, and Gasworks studio in East Brunswick), muzak.

This is an album full of searing guitars, muscular bass, no-nonsense drums, and male/female vocals that relate stories of celebrations of life’s warning/wonderings, which all mesh into an inviting dance groove rhythm.

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts - Greatest Hits - 2 CDs (Blackheart.com)

A Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame-Worthy Greatest Hits, This Two Disc Set Bridges The Runaways Remakes, and Cool Covers With Blackhearts Originals

Pretty much in chronological order, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts’ “Greatest Hits” is part of an influential musical legacy that stretches back to the mid-70’s with Joan, as part of the all-girl rock ‘n’ roll band, The Runaways.

With four meaty covers of The Runaways music (There’s a movie and soundtrack coming out in March of this year of The Runaways career. Check- Therunaways.com), “Cherry Bomb,” “You Drive Me Wild,” School Days,” and “Love is Pain,” all draw on the disorder of adolescence- making sense of it, and sometimes by not making sense of it at all- which is part of the power, and fertility of what makes a great rock ‘n’ roll song!
Produced by Kenny Laguna (he’s also known as “The 5th Blackheart” as he has also written and played with the band over the years), he bridges the songs with TLC, and an eye on what makes a good song great.

Like any Blackhearts’ song everything is on the surface. The music and lyrics to a song like “Bad Reputation” for instance, are direct, and concrete. Like Springsteen or the Clash, the way The Blackhearts’ use rock ‘n’ roll is consistently personal and emotional. When you thrust such experiences into the public through radio, CD, video, or a live show, songs like “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” “I Want You,” and “I’m Gonna Runaway” burst into a context where you hope each individual response takes on a trip to what you’re trying to get across, and also energize them with their own individual meaning.

But don’t get me wrong. There are also fun covers like the cover of Tommy James & The Shondells’ 60’s psychedelic sizzler, “Crimson and Clover,” which is propelled by Joan’s come-hither silky vocals, and the Blackhearts’ guitars that are awash with a pounding drum/bass cadence. Gary Glitter’s glam rocker, “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah”), is brought up a couple of notches with what sounds like worlds hottest drum beat, which morphs into fist-pumping punk rock. The afore mentioned tunes end the first CD and start the second, respectively.

“The French Song” (with two years of French under by belt, I still can’t get the words right, but the melody comes through clear and sharp), and the cover of Sly’s unity blockbuster “Everyday People” from “Album” (I have the vinyl copy and most of the band’s vinyl albums), are double-barreled, first-rate rockers! Played aggressively, and with sincerity, The Blackhearts, version of “Everyday People” is as relevant now as it was back in the 60’s when prejudice and class-status was escalating.

Over the years originals like “Fake Friends,” “I Hate Myself For Loving You” and “Backlash” to me , are those rare, “Walk the walk/talk the talk” songs that lack the star fucker mentality (and for good reason),that got me into the Blackhearts music in the first place.

Right from the start, owning her own label Blackheart Records, Joan along with Kenny Laguna, and their whole staff have resisted the unsavory lure of Big Business. I remember quite a few years ago, The Blackhearts playing at the old Tradewinds in Sea Bright. It was a Budweiser Concert Series show, and as soon as The Blackhearts took the stage, Joan got on her mike saying something to the effect that, “We not sponsored by anyone.” Then they lashed into “Bad Reputation” as the audience erupted in solidarity! Again, as I’ve said before, Like Springsteen said about empty promises, etc. around the time of President Reagan’s re-election in ‘84.- “Nobody wins unless we all win.”

And on that note, Springsteen’s “Light of Day” which is the title of the movie of the same name that Joan and Michel J. Fox played in, is like a rock ‘n’ roll road map. Joanie and the band blast off for parts unknown with whirling dervish results. A fun, musical ride as ever there was one!

“Activity Girl” and “Love is All Around” are pure, adrenalin zed punk rock! Like most of their music, punk is the beginning, middle, end of Joan Jett and The Blackhearts’ soul engine.

“Androgynous” (Joan wrote it with Paul Westerberg), and “A.C.D.C.” from the band's last studio album a few years ago, are two social rockers that get their points across without hitting you over the head.

With The Blackhearts solid catalog, they could have easily added a third CD ( I love their version of The Beach Boys “Fun Fun Fun,” and my son Steve is a big fan, who wanted to hear Jonathan Richmond & The Modern Lover’s road trip of a rocker, “Roadrunner”). It would be cool to include a few live cuts-heck a whole live album! Hey, what can I say, that’s the eternal rock ‘n’ roll kid in me, and hopefully all of us!
It’s time for Joan Jett and The Blackhearts to be inducted into The Rock ’N’ Roll hall of Fame!

The Workers - "Theatre of the Distraught" EP
(myspace.com/theatreofthedistraught)

The Workers’ four song EP is very left much left field in the same way that Violent Femmes, or They Might be Giants are. Musical and lyrical banalities that are transformed via unexpected juxtapositions into deliciously deadpan whimsy. They seek out the strange, sonic textures that the others possess, while staying true to themselves. The Workers talk-sing in homely (sometimes funny), voices, and their lyrics are nothing, if not off-the-wall cool.

A consciously eclectic collection of styles somewhat primitively performed, they are embellished with tuneful guitars, and an offbeat rhythm section (think Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention). Lyrical images abound as The Workers strive to bring the genre forward into the present, with a cagy eye to what Zappa, The Femmes, etc., have created before.

Despite their intellectual leanings and occasional concerns about the dark side of human relations, Theatre of the Distraught possess an innocent, almost childlike sense of wonder, and even happiness. Each song, including “Aggression,” “Leave You With I Love You,” “Cat’s Eyes,” and “Single,” each have so much going for it that it takes more than a few listens to catch it all. This album is highly recommended to listeners with a sense of adventure, and also for those who need one.

Dirty Sweet- American Spiritual (acetate.com)

Initially, I’m thinking that Dirty Sweet are a really good pop/punk/glam band. Then, about halfway through American Spiritual they beef up their sound even more with what sounds like The Gaslight Anthem’s bedrock style of rock ‘n’ roll. The band displays surprising melodiousness (“You’ve Been Warned,” “Star-Spangled Glamour,” or “An Empty Road,” for starters). Actually the whole album is given a fresh face and a driving beat, and once an a while they sculpt a wall of noise to bring all the components into sharp focus.

In place of posh slickness, and overbearing guitars, Dirty Sweet simply play it old-school.- Roots rock ‘n’ roll with modern themes. “Kill or be Killed” has the pulsing energy, and melody that would make a great lead single.

Songs like “Crimson Cavalry,” “Give Up. Get Up,” or “American Spiritual” walk the line between 60’s optimism and today’s street reality. The message; it isn’t easy growing up these days. The cure: turn up the volume and get down to what’s real with these eleven trust-worthy tunes.

Where some bands with this measure of talent may be prone to overzealous, conceptual shenanigans that could easily spiral out of control, Dirty Sweet offers controlled chaos without the baggage that is usually associated with a band that tries to be everything to everyone. Dirty Sweet definitely dance to a different drummer. A full album’s worth of memorable rockers written, and played in the band’s soon to be inimitable style.

Brian Goss - The Firing Line (briangossmusic.com)

“What a brilliant disguise/ Till I seen that train wreck in your eyes/Tell my son I said hello/ Hold him close and let him know that daddy loves him”- “Trainwreck in Your Eyes”

You know that dopy, over-used saying, “You had me at hello?” Well, Brian Goss had me at ‘What the fuck were you thinking? Asshole!’ The lines in the above song touched every nerve in my body. It felt as though they were specify written about me, and my relationship with my son and daughter. I don’t usually get this personal with reviews but there was really no way around it. Brian Goss’ emotional depth and creative range are amazing.

Leaving behind any trace of the stagey kind of rock band, Brian and his band bring strength and integrity to these ten songs. They exorcize the demons in us all, yet they can hold together a steady beat, sometimes in quaint, waltz-time rock, or as a graceful, meticulously constructed ballad (“Time to Fold”).

Most songs connect either emotionally or musically, and can wander in any direction (“Devil’s on the Telephone,” “Bambu or EZ Wider,” “Gig”), but the idea of consistency is foremost. Clever lyrics will get you part of the way, but if your heart is in the right place, and you’re talking TO the listener, and not AT them, that’s what makes a good song great.

“Tina” is a good example. “I’ve seen you falling down on the bathroom floor/ While all you friends are searching for more.” It’s hard to fake sincerity. It’s either there or it isn’t, and it’s here all the way through The Firing Line. The band can play it like XTC or Train, with jagged, rhythmic guitars, or intricately swirling melodies. Brian’s vocals are always reaching for something. Like Jeff Buckley, he connects with first, himself, than the audience. Neither shy away from discordant strangeness or familiarity, creating uncommon pop music with claws. Distinctive, artistic personalities abounds in every song.

Rebel Inc.- 6 Song EP (myspace.com/rebelincmusic)

Fully dynamic, Rebel Inc.’s music comes close to melding the styles of Rage Against The Machine and R.H.C.P., yet their self-titled album is raw, immediate, and hook ready. Rebels Inc.’s unique punk/metal blitz emphasizes both the afore mentioned band’s musical girth, plus they add their own take on politics (“March,” “909 Revolution”), and society (“Shake ‘Em Up,” “Broken Man”).

Bracing rather than brooding, the overall tone of the band’s music is powerful but not overwhelming. Their venting is focused, and at times tongue-in-cheek, but they drive home the point of every song on this 6 song EP without being overbearing. Rebel Inc.’s rock crunch stretches out over a wide terrain, building bridges rather than burning them.

The EP is consistently good, with “March,” “Everything That You Hate,” “909 Revolution,” and “Let it Go,” bearing repeated spins. They should be in the New Jersey area sometime this year so check their myspace page for shows and more info. Rebel Inc. are one of those bands that butt their way into prominence through sheer persistence. They add chapter after chapter to the Great Rock & Roll Manifesto.

Jeff Riddle - 16 Reasons to Kill (myspace.com/anarchypancakes)

Injecting clever humor with acoustic folk and punk, Jeff Riddle easily bypasses self-coconscious artiness, and aims right for the creative rather than the tried and true. And don’t think for a moment that these are16 songs of just snide remarks or just hypocritical ranting. Songs like “Broken Record,” or “Black Cloud” are intelligent, well written, and unpretentious.

Employing an uninhibited punk style that seems to reflect whatever springs from Jeff’s life experiences, lines like, “I’ve got crack in my knapsack,” from “Creeper” or “Drink and Drive” which, although laughable, is actually deadly serious about the way our personal rights are being eroded away while most of us sit quietly by. The cover of The Yardbird’s “For Your Love” is both as infectious as the original ,and is also brought out of the garage, and given a brighter pop rock feel.

One of my favorites (of which there are many), is “Vinyl Platter.” “Everyone is growing up around me and I don’t care/ serve my heart up cold on a 7 inch vinyl platter/ microwave it at 45 revolutions per minute/ then wipe your ass with it, who cares? No one ever heard it.”-Damn, Jeff gets right to the heart unfortunately, of what it’s like sometimes to try to get someone to listen to your music. There is not a drop of energy lost throughout these 16 songs. Straightforward, fun, and at times disheartening, Jeff Riddle’s biting wash of acoustic folk punk is akin to Billy Bragg, and in some instances Woody Guthrie. Jeff shows a ton of personal vision, drive, and the straightforward, inestimable influence on and for the punk movement.
Being prolific and confident, while being able to inject wicked humor into your music is not something you can practice- you either have it or you don’t. Jeff Riddle rocks from wall to wall!

The Graves Brothers Deluxe - San Malo (gravesbrothers.com)

Not only is “San Malo” inventive, but it’s also an enjoyable throwback to bands like Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Southern Culture on the Skids, or any of those cool-as-fuck, demi-punk garagey bands. You know what I mean, like the bands who’s vinyl albums you have a hard time trying to get rid of, because you know they’ll never come up with a band as eclectic as they are.

Enthusiasm and melody are certainly not a problem here. Songs like “I’m Fine,” “Vulture Sing,” or “Noisy King of Nothing” are low-brow, compressed with high energy, and have a polite blowtorch vocals that could boil over at any minute.
When the tempo slows down on numbers like “Vulture Sing,” or “My Heart Burned Down Today,” they draw you in like a hypnotist.- Tantalizing, taunt, and tight.

The Graves Brothers Deluxe’s pull out all the stops for the neo-psychedelic, spiderwebed sound of “Noisy Kind of Nothing.” A running bass line (just about every song here), is dominate, but not forceful, and is well supported by a pulsating drum kit, marked by cymbal rolls and floor tom flourishes.
Playing with punky venom, but without pop slickness, the band’s goth-horror edge offers doses of humor, and tongue-in-cheek-truths.

Bands like The Graves Brothers Deluxe are sometimes viewed as a novelty act, but they easily avoid such trappings by remaining uniquely cool. “Song for Mating Mailmen” squashes any thought of pigeon-holing this band. Creative and fun, it’s time to turn off the TV, unplug the video games, and tune into something unique and original!

RED FLAG FLEET - “Magnetic Variation” 4 Song EP
(Myspace.co/redflagfleet)

I caught Red Flag Fleet with the Boss at one of Lazlo’s (Blowupradio.com) shows at Buddies Tavern, in Parlin, NJ a few weeks ago. They are definitely not the type of band that you would sell on self-hype, with the music as an afterthought. Like at their show at Buddies that night, their EP EARNS your attention with a solid, alt-rock sound. “Going Blind Again” builds like The Catherine Wheel’s “Black Metallic.” It washes over you head subliminally, but steers clear getting on the latest musical bandwagon. Just draw a mental picture of a young band in their twenties, tee shirts and jeans, thrashing away on guitars, drums, and heartfelt vocals, with the world-weary savvy of a band twice their age. Red Flag Fleet confidently play to their alternative pop strengths while consciously working against pigeon-holing. Sticking heartfelt lyrics into irresistible melodic tunes, opens the record up to crisp a wash of vintage sound with thoroughly modern versatility. This EP is just that, four good songs in which the rave-ups build, and are highlighted with reams of invention.