Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Album Review: Charles Lloyd & The Marvels + Lucinda Williams - Vanished Gardens

Charles Lloyd & The Marvels + Lucinda Williams
Vanished Gardens
*** out of *****

On Charles Lloyd & The Marvels last album they crisscrossed the worlds of jazz, folk, r&b, working with both Willie Nelson and Alicia Keys. For this go around they keep their collaborator down to one as Lucinda Williams jumps aboard to reexamine some of her older tracks, some new originals (from Williams and The Marvels) and even a classic rock cover on Vanished Gardens.

The album is laid out with alternating efforts as Williams sings on about half of the tracks, the others are focused on the jazz players. Group director Lloyd uses both saxophone and flute to lead the way, often jamming in multiple chart runs over the more roots rock playing of the supporting crew who are pretty damn special. The Marvels are Reuben Rogers on bass, Eric Harland on drums and great guitarists Bill Frisell and Greg Leisz all expertly intertwining throughout the tracks.

Of the albums instrumental songs, opener "Defiant" showcases Lloyd's strong sax before a more relaxed south-western groove comes to the forefront via Leisz excellent pedal steel work. The albums title track is a bit more experimental as loops and digital effects are played with while "Monk's Mood" plays it retro cool. The melancholy playing during "Ballad of a Sad Young Man" weeps majestically while Lloyd's flute leads the late night groove session of "Blues For Langston and Larue" both proving to be the strongest efforts here. 

On the Williams sung tracks, the artist stretches out and enlivens "Dust" from 2016's The Ghosts of Highway 20 while new original "We've Come Around Too Far" expertly digs into gospel, connecting civil rights protests with a cool sax run. Unfortunately "Ventura" is a drag and runs long at six and half minutes without adding a whole lot of dynamics, better suited is "Unsuffer Me" which allows the rhythm section to set the pace as Williams digs in before the song develoves into a free form jam; the best pairing of players and Williams on the album.

The group closes the disk with a take on Jimi Hendrix's "Angel". It is a unique and engaging take on one of Hendrix's softest songs as Lloyd accentuates Williams vocals as Frisell delicately moves the six strings; it is odd that the group who happily extend every song before this one plays the straight ahead song closer to the vest.   

While far from a cohesive project and even without a standout reworking of a song, the music still remains engaging throughout with the talented folk and jazz worlds interlocking and separating when appropriate. Vanished Gardens is fulfilling listen for fans of any artist on the record or people brand new to all of them.
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Support the artists, buy the album and peep some video below:


Monday, July 30, 2018

Dylan Cover #335 Old Crow Medicine Show "Stuck Inside A Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again"

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's artists, Old Crow Medicine Show doing a live cover of "Stuck Inside A Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again" 
Certain months RtBE has a special focus during our Dylan Covers series. Sometimes it is harder, sometimes it is softer. Sometimes it is jazzy and then each April we get ready for the upcoming Jazzfest, which isn't always jazzy
This month it's the Old Crow Medicine Show's live celebration, 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde.

Thoughts on Original:
A beast of a track and perhaps one of the true "Wild Mercury" songs from the classic album as it mixes tempos, wild descriptive passages and excellent musicianship into a really unique gumbo. The track has never been my favorite from Blonde on Blonde, and it is really The Grateful Dead who we heard it from first. RtBE had a bunch of their 80's tapes before we dove in with both feet to Dylan...kinda like what we did with this Monday series in the early days of the site. The rambling passages, the stoned punched out sound and Dylan sounds a bit mad (as in crazy) on the album take, but the best ones always are.
The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was on individual bands in the Blonde on Blonde album. It's that thin, that wild mercury sound. It's metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up.
Cover:


Thoughts on Cover Artist:
We have actually tackled Old Crow Medicine Show before in this Monday Dylan Cover series. Here is what we had to say about them then and it still stands:
Old Crow Medicine Show have always been a fun folkise root rock ride when we have heard them, but also that hasn't been too often.

Regarding this album:
50 Years of Blonde on Blonde was recorded live at the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame, in Nashville, Tennessee, in May 2016. The concert coincided with a Hall of Fame exhibit exploring Dylan's time in Nashville.In an interview, band members Ketch Secor and Critter Fuqua described how they had bonded over Dylan's songs as teenagers, and that the 50 Years... project was a natural extension of that collaboration. While the new recording follows the sequence of Dylan's original track-for-track, Old Crow took considerable liberties with the arrangement of individual tracks. The recording was released as an album on April 28, 2017. It was the band's first release on their new label, Columbia Records, which had released Dylan's original album in 1966.

Thoughts on Cover:
This cover is the best the band has done for our focus this month, it fits them so well and we were happy to have had this celebration of Dylan to focus on for July 2018.

Here is some more info from Wikipedia on the album, which you should buy in support:

 In support of the album release, Secor states:
"Fifty years is a long time for a place like Nashville, Tennessee. Time rolls on slowly around here like flotsam and jetsam in the muddy Cumberland River. But certain things have accelerated the pace of our city. And certain people have sent the hands of the clock spinning. Bob Dylan is the greatest of these time-bending, paradigm-shifting Nashville cats."[47]

Friday, July 27, 2018

Full Show Friday: Jason Isbell Live @ The House of Blues 2/27/16

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Jason Isbell!
This week we dip back into 2016 for one of RtBE's favorites, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Live @ The House of Blues in Boston.

We were lucky enough to have caught this tour only two nights beforehand when the group played the Beacon Theater on the 25th. Lots of the same songs were played at both shows, this one is pro shot with pro sound and the full set list is below. Enjoy:



February 27, 2016 – FULL SET – Jason Isbell, winner of two grammy awards in 2016 (Best Americana Album & Best American Roots Song), performs in front of a sold-out House of Blues Boston, MA. Setlist: 00:25 Palmetto Rose 05:17 24 Frames 08:52 Flying Over Water 13:28 Stockholm 16:54 Dress Blues 23:23 Decoration Day (Drive-By Truckers) 31:18 Flagship 37:08 Alabama Pines (Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit) 42:55 The Life You Chose 46:54 Traveling Alone 52:25 Something More Than Free 57:50 Never Gonna Change (Drive-By Truckers) 1:06:45 Cover Me Up 1:14:27 If It Takes A Lifetime 1:18:28 Super 8 1:23:49 Children Of Children (Encore) 1:32:50 Speed Trap Town 1:37:45 Codeine (Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit) Jason’s website: http://www.jasonisbell.com/ Band Credits: Jason Isbell - lead vocals/guitar Derry deBorja – keys/accordion Chad Gamble – drums Jimbo Hart – bass guitar Amanda Shires – fiddle Sadler Vaden – electric guitar

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Album Review: The Suffers - Everything Here

The Suffers
Everything Here
*** out of *****

On The Suffers self titled debut, the group used a scattershot approach writings songs in various styles to show how well rounded the 8 piece Houston outfit were. On the follow up, Everything Here, the group reigned in most of that genre ranging sound, settling into a light soul style crafting a complete, record focusing on the pain, love, loss and coming together post Hurricane Harvey.

The songs are all tied together by chimes, light percussion and easy grooves. There are multiple interludes with other Houston artists (Bun B, Paul Wall) and the groups mothers, tying the scene, love and family all together. The band, Kam Franklin (lead vocals), Adam Castaneda (bass guitar), Kevin Bernier (guitar), Jon Durbin (trumpet), Michael Razo (trombone), Jose Luna (percussion), Patrick Kelly (keyboards), and Nick Zamora (drums) sound slick and are constantly locked in.

While the music may be polished and the overriding topic a weighty one, the lyrics are unusually light and breezy, to the bands detriment at times. Some songs consist on nothing more than a single thought or phrase, an example being "You Only Call" whose music sounds picturesque but whose lyrics never amount to more than that title phrase. Franklin is a top notch vocalist (listening to her flutter and show off her range on the bass driven "All I Want To Do" is impressive) yet lyrically there seems to be more G-rated surface level fun, rarely digging deep or leaving much of an impression.

"Do Whatever" is simplistic, even though the children's voices correctly proclaim that it is fun while "The One About Sace" breaks done into almost conversation when discussing Friends and Martin quotes which is slightly off putting. "Mammas" is another sweet tune stating what should be obvious while Franklin gets to show off her torch song ready vocals on the string accented "Sure To Remain" and the piano lead "After The Storm". "After the Storm" is a duet with Lyle Divinsky from The Motet, and while pretty, it never gets much deeper than it's title statement either.

"What You Said" delivers the goods with light 70's funk and the band gets to play with reggae on the title tune but it is that smooth soul sound which is the foundation for all of the other efforts. Each easy listening soul and R&B tune doesn't have to have world changing lyrical ideas, but by keeping topics surface level the tunes need to stand out to stick around in the brain. Fortunately, two do just that and they come at the beginning and the end of the record.

"I Think I Love You" opens the band up on the record using warm organs and keen trumpet work before a slowed down bridge leads to a relaxed cool soul close that could be jammed out even more in the live setting. However, it is closer "Won't Be Here Tomorrow" that brings the power style and substance to record as the gospel influenced number swells with emotion before Franklin and company are joined by a full chorus of voices...before cracking up to end things.

The final track showcases the power The Suffers can produce and while things are pleasantly executed throughout Everything Here, the band seems to still be working to put all of their strengths together.   
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Support the artist, buy the album, peep some video below:


Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Album Review: The Sleazeball Orchestra - I Ain't In Love No More

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!
It is of the Sleazeball Orchestra's debut release I Ain't In Love No More.

The New Orleans based project plays a great mix of covers in their "stripper jazz" style. Getting to know bassist Stoo Odom through his work in RtBE All-Time Favorites Ryan Scully & The Rough Seven, Stoo clued us into this project as he takes the reigns and writes some tunes for The Sleazeball Orchestra.

The album is a fun listen to longtime fans of jazz or newbies. Support the artists, buy the album, read the review and peep some video below:

Happy Birthday to Thurston Moore

RtBE would like to wish a Happy 60th Birthday to one of our personal favorites, Thurston Moore.

Just yesterday RtBE reviewed his ex-wife, Kim Gordon's newest release and mentioned that we were fans of her's for a long time. Sonic Youth came into RtBE's ears circa 1991. Goo had been out for a bit and was our first exposure to their noise-rock styling. While that album was solid RtBE happened to purchase Dirty the week it was released and were instantly hooked/transformed. 

Kim and Thurston haven't left the brain for long over the years as they have consistently been engaging; Sonic Youth were an incredibly formative to our tastes and playing. From the first time we saw them, to bumping into Thurston on Broadway or Kim and Lee at various shows throughout the years, to reviewing later albums to attending the bands last American show, they have/and will always have a place in our heart. 

One of the coolest live moments for RtBE took place back in 2008. Moore and his guitar slinger in crime Lee Ranaldo crafted a whirling electric odyssey in the old Knitting Factory for a Fender Jazzmaster showcase celebrating the guitars 50th year. The tiny venue was excellent for them to showoff their interlinking style and sound. We also caught Moore at the Solid Sound Festival when he was focusing on his Demolished Thoughts record and messing around with Pillow Wand.   

Thurston himself has always been great to listen to, and direct us to cool tunes, as we loved his Chelsea Light Moving and past solo records a ton. Nothing tops Rock N Roll Consciousness though as his most recent release is amazing, so much so RtBE proclaimed it album of the year for 2017. RtBE were also lucky to catch the band on tour for that album as the walls of the Music Hall of Williamsburg were shaking with the loud, positive rock on this night.   

To celebrate let's listen to some songs. We will start with RtBE's favorite Moore's solo song, then continue with a story/interview/few acoustic live tunes before closing with the best Sonic Youth song (you can dive into the better extended version here if you got twenty five minutes to spare). 

Happy Birthday 60th Birthday Mr. Moore.


    

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Album Review: Body/Head - The Switch

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!

It is of Body/Head's newest release, The Switch.

We reviewed Body/Head's first release and liked it slightly better than this one. For some reason this one really didn't do it for RtBE. Growing up huge fans of Kim Gordon she seems a bit wasted here.

That said it is a mood record that can connect when the time/world is right so we will def keep it around and try again later in the year.

Support the band, buy the album, read the review and peep some video below:

Monday, July 23, 2018

Dylan Cover #334 Old Crow Medicine Show "Absolutely Sweet Marie" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's artists, Old Crow Medicine Show doing a live cover of "Absolutely Sweet Marie" 
Certain months RtBE has a special focus during our Dylan Covers series. Sometimes it is harder, sometimes it is softer. Sometimes it is jazzy and then each April we get ready for the upcoming Jazzfest, which isn't always jazzy
This month it's the Old Crow Medicine Show's live celebration, 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde.

Thoughts on Original:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this tune (it is one of the most popular in this whole series):
Color me shocked that we are 36 covers into this series and just now we are getting to someone covering "Absolutely Sweet Marie". The original was one of the most complete songs Dylan has written even if you are never quite sure what he is addressing.  He likes the song but surprisingly never played it live until 1988, I find that kinda odd. Tight taught and still somehow allusive, pretty cool and totally Dylan at his finest and a real Blonde on Blonde jam.
The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was on individual bands in the Blonde on Blonde album. It's that thin, that wild mercury sound. It's metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up.
Cover:


Thoughts on Cover Artist:
We have actually tackled Old Crow Medicine Show before in this Monday Dylan Cover series. Here is what we had to say about them then and it still stands:
Old Crow Medicine Show have always been a fun folkise root rock ride when we have heard them, but also that hasn't been too often.

Regarding this album:
50 Years of Blonde on Blonde was recorded live at the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame, in Nashville, Tennessee, in May 2016. The concert coincided with a Hall of Fame exhibit exploring Dylan's time in Nashville.In an interview, band members Ketch Secor and Critter Fuqua described how they had bonded over Dylan's songs as teenagers, and that the 50 Years... project was a natural extension of that collaboration. While the new recording follows the sequence of Dylan's original track-for-track, Old Crow took considerable liberties with the arrangement of individual tracks. The recording was released as an album on April 28, 2017. It was the band's first release on their new label, Columbia Records, which had released Dylan's original album in 1966.

Thoughts on Cover:
Last week we could not get into the groups take on "Visions of Johanna". This week however the stars align and it makes sense as the upbeat exuberant number is much more in the bands wheelhouse. The real great steel guitar runs, the constant drumming, the party time vocals all work and even withe the sometimes odd lyrics the band hits the mark here.

Friday, July 20, 2018

Full Show Friday: Larry Graham & Graham Central Station - Bataclan - 2014

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Larry Graham and Graham Central Station!

Things just got funky around here at RtBE and Larry Graham is leading the charge. One of the best bass players alive, Graham and company throw down a mega set of the funk here. From the opening NOLA inspired percussion second line to the stage, things are alive and kicking.

Ninety minutes of the killer funk for you on this Full Chow Friday, what more needs to be said? Pro Shot, Pro Sound, Enjoy!:



Musicians : Larry GRAHAM (Bass / Lead Vocals) Wilton RABB (Guitar / Vocals) David COUNCIL (Keyboard / Vocals) Ashling COLE (Funk box / Vocals) James McKINNEY (Keyboards / Vocals) Brian BRAZIEL (Drums)

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Continental's Lease Extended Through Fall of 2018

Back in November RtBE mentioned that a long time East Village staple, Continental was closing down this summer.

Now comes the good news from Brooklyn Vegan that the club has gotten three months added to it's timeline and will be open until October 1st now. The bar had been a staple of our youth in the area having witnessed lots of fun shows in the dark bar.

But we talked about that all before, for now let's celebrate it staying open by downing some cheap shots and watching some videos from the club's past, starting with a very young High On Fire back in 2000.








Checking in with nyctaper's Recent Live Recordings

Time to check in again over at nyctaper and peep what goodies they got.
For those who don't know nyctaper is a great site for live music fans. They are fantastic fellas who do a hell of a job capturing the live music scene in this amazing city.

It has been a while since we checked in on them (and a while since they updated their schedule) but we wanted to highlight a few recordings RtBE thinks are worth checking out.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: June 16, 2018 Brooklyn Steel

RtBE reviewed King Gizzard but have yet to catch them live. This recording alleviates some of that pain, but makes it obvious we need to catch them in the very near future.


The Messthetics: April 20, 2018 The Bell House

Another band that we reviewed but couldn't catch live. Very happy that nyctaper managed to and record them for those of us who couldn't make it.


The Gories: April 13, 2018 Elsewhere
On a different note, RtBE never even knew that The Gories were in town.  Glad nyctaper caught them live though.


Earthless: March 16, 2018 Market Hotel
No idea how RtBE missed this one...or the fact that Earthless has a new album out! That needs to get reviewed ASAP.


Jeff Tweedy: January 30, 2018 Vicar Street Dublin Ireland
We will end on a show far from nyctapers stomping grounds as the site managed to see Jeff Tweedy live solo acoustic at an intimate show in Dublin of all places. Fans of his should check out this set.


Thanks again to nyctaper and all the people who contribute to make an excellent site, RtBE will check back in again soon.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Album Review: Sleep - The Sciences

Sleep
The Sciences
***out of *****

The slumbering beasts of the stoner rock world, Sleep made a surprise return this spring on Third Man Records with The Sciences, their first full length record since Dopesmoker in 2003.

Calling this a full length is no joke as the tracks (outside of an intro) all run aggressively long. Also calling this band stoner rock is extremely on point as they continuously reference weed in the lyrics and have a recorded bong hit kicking off "Marijuanaut's Theme".

If heavy metal and weed don't appeal to you, right off the bat you should probably skip this. The metal appeals, but I haven't smoked weed in a very long time and have zero desire to so these tracks are cool but the tempos could have used a pick me up or at least more variation to these non-enhanced ears.

In truth I wanted to like this record more. I love guitarist Mike Pike's High on Fire recent releases and have enjoyed stoner rock, but while some efforts worked fine, this full release didn't click as anticipated. Opening with the title track intro, huge percussion was unveiled, yet sadly those massive drums were not returned to as the band got blazed and started trudging.

Bassist and lead singer Al Cisneros already mentioned tube pull starts "Marijuanaut's Theme" before the clanging riffs and drum hits blast out. Cisneros deadpan vocals grate a bit as the themes of space travel and weed smoking interlock on the better full effort (and disk highlight) "Sonic Titan" which mashes deep bass runs, drum fills and fret board riffing into a huge monstrous doom metal track.

Listen to Sleep for ten seconds and you realize they are deeply indebted to the sound of Black Sabbath and the trio pay direct tribute to their icons with "Giza Butler". Starting out with low soft bass which keeps slowly expanding, finishing with the crashing cymbals of Jason Roeder. Lyrically the song praises Sabbath and weed (of course) calling marijuana the light and salvation along the path.

Perhaps more interesting is the ripping guitar soloing from Pike around the eleven minute mark on the sludge filled "Antarcticans Thawed" or the grooving tempo change/bass effects during the second half of instrumental closer "The Botanist". Any-which-way the great thing about this record is listening to it when altered and finding new feedback, bass bombs and tom rolls out of the ganja haze.

When dropping the needle on The Sciences, prep accordingly.   
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Support the band, buy the album and peep some video below:

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Live Review: The James Hunter Six - 7/13/18 Lincoln Center NYC

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!
It is of Friday Night, July 13th's Midsummer Night Swing show at Lincoln Centers Damrosch Park Stage with a live performance by The James Hunter Six.

We hyped the show and reviewed their most recent album for Glide earlier this year, needless to say we were excited to catch the group on a hot summer night. RtBE was not disappointed as it was a winning evening on all fronts. A great venue set-up, fun crowd, excellent location, pristine sound, and most importantly a killer live band.

The James Hunter Six has now moved into a 'gotta catch them anytime they are in town' band for RtBE. Support the group, read the review, buy their record, catch them live, and peep some video of their live playing below:


Two New Hold Steady Songs Released Today

The Hold Steady are about to embark on a mini tour this summer to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Stay Positive.

In anticipation of the shows the band got together this past May and recorded two brand new songs which they will be playing at the upcoming shows. They released them today and you can get them from the bands bandcamp site.

You can listen to them below as well. They are titled "The Stove & The Toaster" which deals with shady dealings and horn charts while "Star 18" is an upbeat bass driven cooker. For each of the bands previous mini tours they have released a few new tunes and upon first few listens these two sound like the best of the recent bunch by a lot.

Some info regarding the tracks:
These were produced by Josh Kaufman and recorded by D. James Goodwin. Stuart Bogie and Dave Nelson played the horns and Annie Nero helped with some backup vox. Nick Hollomon designed the artwork.
You should pay some money and download them as well, it goes to a good cause. As the band states:
If you choose to download these two songs, a donation will be made to benefit the K+L Guardian Foundation. ALL monies received from downloads will be transferred to the K+L Guardian Foundation.

The K+L Guardian Foundation was formed to benefit "Jersey" Mike Van Jura's children after he suddenly passed away in November 2012 at only 36 years of age. Jersey Mike was the unofficial leader of The Unified Scene.

Looking forward to Constructive Summer. Limited tickets still available for select shows! www.theholdsteady.net
RtBE will be there to kick things off on July 25th in Jersey City.



Monday, July 16, 2018

Dylan Cover #333 Old Crow Medicine Show "Visions of Johanna" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's artists, Old Crow Medicine Show doing a live cover of "Visions of Johanna" 
Certain months RtBE has a special focus during our Dylan Covers series. Sometimes it is harder, sometimes it is softer. Sometimes it is jazzy and then each April we get ready for the upcoming Jazzfest, which isn't always jazzy
This month it's the Old Crow Medicine Show's live celebration, 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde.

Thoughts on Original:
One of the clear high points in Dylan's poetic songwriting, "Visions of Johanna" is a complete stunner, especially the first time you encounter it. Now (on a personal note) f that first encounter just happens to be a hot sweaty night in the urban village which Dylan roamed about 30 years before you were doing the same god damn thing, then so be it. Even if your personal take is different it is hard to wrap your brain around the lyrics and the more you listen the more the mystery deepens. It is elusive, bright, cunning, dismissive, ionic and tossed off all at once. It is mega and it is nothing...and I can't be more vague than that. Musically he couldn't get it right until he went down to Nashville and it says something that he stuck with this song (unlike say..."She Belongs To Me") and got a version that is magical musically as well, just listen to that bass line throughout from Joe South...a crowning success all around.
The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was on individual bands in the Blonde on Blonde album. It's that thin, that wild mercury sound. It's metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up.
Cover:


Thoughts on Cover Artist:
We have actually tackled Old Crow Medicine Show before in this Monday Dylan Cover series. Here is what we had to say about them then and it still stands:
Old Crow Medicine Show have always been a fun folkise root rock ride when we have heard them, but also that hasn't been too often.

Regarding this album:
50 Years of Blonde on Blonde was recorded live at the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame, in Nashville, Tennessee, in May 2016. The concert coincided with a Hall of Fame exhibit exploring Dylan's time in Nashville.In an interview, band members Ketch Secor and Critter Fuqua described how they had bonded over Dylan's songs as teenagers, and that the 50 Years... project was a natural extension of that collaboration. While the new recording follows the sequence of Dylan's original track-for-track, Old Crow took considerable liberties with the arrangement of individual tracks. The recording was released as an album on April 28, 2017. It was the band's first release on their new label, Columbia Records, which had released Dylan's original album in 1966.

Thoughts on Cover:
While we really enjoyed last weeks more emotional infused take on "4th Time Around" this version just doesn't work to these ears. The playing is a bit fast, the singing is flippant, the hoe down sound which the band are so proficient at seems to undercut all of the mystery and power of the original. One of the reasons we love doing this series each week is that each take is different and exciting even when they don't really work...like this weeks.

Friday, July 13, 2018

Full Show Friday: Sheryl Crow Outlaw Music Festival 7/9/17

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Sheryl Crow!

Almost exactly one year ago, the Outlaw Music Festival in Milwaukee presented a killer lineup. While she wasn't headlining, we wanted to showcase Sheryl Crow for our Full Show Friday this week and her set from this day will do nicely. An RtBE favorite also shows up onstage as Brendan Benson from The Raconteurs playing and singing along with Crow and Company, a pleasant surprise.

Pro Shot, Pro Sound with full setlist below. Enjoy:


American Family Insurance Amphitheater Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA) Sunday, 9 July 2017
Setlist: Everyday Is a Winding Road My Favorite Mistake Can't Cry Anymore Be Myself There Goes the Neighborhood Long Way Back Strong Enough Best of Times If It Makes You Happy Soak Up the Sun Midnight Rider

Thursday, July 12, 2018

James Hunter Playing NYC Tomorrow, Curates Playlist

Tomorrow night The James Hunter Six will play Lincoln Center as part of their swing series and to help hype the event the cultural institution asked Hunter himself to curate a playlist of the the music as he states "What I Growed Up Listenin' To."

The full list can be found here with explanations for each of his choices. It is a very eclectic list ranging from soul (obviously) to punk rock (not so obvious).

Earlier this year I reviewed Hunters most recent album for Glide and really enjoyed it, so some of these choices make some sense in retrospect. Below are a few of the songs which he selected that RtBE also really loves.

Tickets are also still available for the show tomorrow night if you want to see the artists and his great backing band in person. More dates are here if you not in NYC tomorrow. 







Album Review: Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!

It is of Deafheaven's newest album, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love which will be released tomorrow.

RtBE has reviewed the last two albums (Sunbather and Bermuda) from the California metal group and have liked each one progressively better; Ordinary Corrupt Human Love is their best yet. This record is a clear move away from the sub-genre mad metal scene and will probably be reviled in those circles, but for everyone else it is a positive evolution for the band.

It is hard to understate how god damn pretty some of the musical passages are, especially the guitars from Kerry McCoy who never seems to run out of riffs. The screaming vocals still will keep me from listening to this on the regular but the fact that George Clark is experimenting more and more with singing is a great sign, especially because he seems to be broadening his lyrical scope. 

Support the artists, buy the album, read the review and peep some video below:

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Album Review: Toubab Krewe - Stylo

Toubab Krewe
Stylo
**** out of *****

The term 'world-music' always sounds lazy and lame, but when a band combines Appalachian folk with West African rhythms and present it in a jamband "any thing goes" dynamic, that term fits. 

Toubab Krewe are back with Stylo. The album comes after a 8 year recording break since their 2010 release TK2. The band has even been on hiatus from the road for the last two years where they make their living as their fluid music is intended to move in and out of the dancing crowd. 

Even with the long break, the bands style has not deviated much at all from their first offering back in 2005; light funky grooves, layers of percussion, easy hip-hop influenced beats, cutting guitar lines and bright break downs. Back then the group called it "Afro-Cowboy-Ninja-Surf-Music" and while elements still ring true they have evolved into a more polished/cohesive outfit. One noticeable change for Stylo is in the production, in the past their was more separation between players but now their sounds blend into an audio driven maafe.

The band, (Drew Heller - electric guitar and soku, Justin Perkins - kora, kamelengoni, and electric guitar, Justin Kimmel - electric bass Luke Quaranta - percussion Terrence Houston - drums) gets right back in their familiar groove with the lighthearted first single "That Damn Squash". Long time fans will immediately feel back at home, but newbies are easily welcomed also. 

Both the heavily thumping "Lafia" and "Night Shade" increase the percussive pressure adding heavy beats to the mix, "Lafia" in particular increases the head bopping aggression levels with metal guitar power, while the title track really shines. "Stylo" manages to merge deep bass with lightly distorted surf guitar culminating into a languid offering with a Caribbean tilt to it; super cool cruise music. 

"Saba Menyia" is one of the more experimental tracks as it almost two offerings in one as the beginning plays close to free jazz with everyone soloing before shifting gears into deliberate slow down and trip out the groove. While not the most successful track here, it shows the band pushing itself. "Salut" is more in the bands wheelhouse as the killer guitar riff sets the tone before all of the players increase the tempo to a frenzied celebratory state. 

There is very little that misses the mark on Stylo and while their's may be a sound new to listeners, it is instantly enjoyable. For a band who has been away for the game for a bit Toubab Krewe's newest feels like they never left and that is outstanding for the ears.
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We like this band and are happy they are still at it. We reviewed their first record for Glide back in 2005 and caught them when they came to NYC back in early 2006.

Support the band, buy the record, stream it and peep some video below:


Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Album Review: Ty Segall - Freedom's Goblin

Ty Segall
Freedom's Goblin
**** out of *****

The insanely prolific singer/songwriter Ty Segall's newest offering Freedom's Goblin is a wide swath of psychedelic pop. Touching on various genres as Segall and crew have constructed a successful double album marking a high point in the non-stop recording artists career.

Pulling back the curtain at RtBE, I listen to an album and take notes on the tracks for the review proper after the record has had time to sink in. For Freedom's Goblin, since it is such a sprawling release, I thought it would helpful to share those exact, unvarnished notes and you will notice something, not one song is the same style...and all of them are pretty damn good.


  • "Fanny Dog"- blaring out of gate, great mix of horns hard drums and distortion
  • "Rain"- softer, shifting of gears, vocals are rough, dramatic piano, big swells
  • "Every 1's A Winner"- killer distorted funky cover of Hot Chocolate. Weirdly great.
  • "Despoiler of Cadaver"- disco, not awful but least favorite.
  • "Why Mommy Kills You"- hip swinging punk/grunge guitar rock.
  • "My Lady's on Fire"- gorgeous pop with sax, organ, really great. odd beginning, highlight
  • "Alta"- Big arena rocky riffs
  • "Meaning"- hard angular fuzz rock female vocals as wife sings lead. Heaviest track.
  • "Cry Cry Cry"- softest, pop effort, weeping guitars. Jarring coming off "Meaning"
  • "Shoot You Up"- Swaggering T-Rex style
  • "You Say All The Nice Things"- dreamy, pretty, rolling, ends oddly
  • "The Last Waltz"- whimsical death march
  • "She"- motoring cock rock metallic mid-80's arena/hair. Really dynamite extended guitar solos
  • "Talkin 3"- DIY lo-fi punk-sax skronk, damn good
  • "The Main Pretender"- groovy, touch of soul
  • "I'm Free" 60's Jingly-jangle pop
  • "5 Ft. Tall"- noisy yet sweet power pop. Bad ass drums/riffs, awesome tune, maybe best..it closes with feedback dripping into...
  • "And, Goodnight"- Fluid guitar work, plus organ soaring in vein of Zappa-esque closer. Killer


Segall and The Freedom Band are all over the sonic map, we even left out a couple of tunes up there, but you can see things never stay with one style/genre. Even Segall's vocals, which can run thin at times, vary up enough throughout the album to keep listeners on edge.

The clearest direct link would be something like The Beatles White Album in scope and range for a pop double record. High praise, but Segall has nailed the majority of his tracks here.

The only true complaint is the style and direction makes listening to the full record jarring at times as very little vibe/sound/style flows from track to track. That is a minor detriment and one that shouldn't stop anyone from checking out this collection of fantastic efforts from Segall and company.
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Support the artist, buy the record, peep some video below:


Monday, July 9, 2018

Dylan Cover #332 Old Crow Medicine Show "4th Time Around" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's artists, Old Crow Medicine Show doing a live cover of "4th Time Around" 
Certain months RtBE has a special focus during our Dylan Covers series. Sometimes it is harder, sometimes it is softer. Sometimes it is jazzy and then each April we get ready for the upcoming Jazzfest, which isn't always jazzy
This month it's the Old Crow Medicine Show's live celebration, 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde.

Thoughts on Original:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this song:
This is a weird one, as I heard this track after I had already fallen in love with The Beatles "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" and didn't know what Dylan was getting at with this track. After checking out Wikipedia, I guess I am not alone as John Lennon was all over the map with his reactions to it. The music is the same and the lyrics are a mix of lazy and nonsense, reading into anything Dylan says too heavily can cause one to go mad, but why he chose to do this song so close to when the Beatles had their first lyrical success is a mystery. Social commentary, goof, stoned malaise? Anywhichway, the song was never one of my favorites and not up to anywhere near the version he was praising or mocking, take your pick.
The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was on individual bands in the Blonde on Blonde album. It's that thin, that wild mercury sound. It's metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up.
Cover:


Thoughts on Cover Artist:
We have actually tackled Old Crow Medicine Show before in this Monday Dylan Cover series. Here is what we had to say about them then and it still stands:
Old Crow Medicine Show have always been a fun folkise root rock ride when we have heard them, but also that hasn't been too often.

Regarding this album:
50 Years of Blonde on Blonde was recorded live at the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame, in Nashville, Tennessee, in May 2016. The concert coincided with a Hall of Fame exhibit exploring Dylan's time in Nashville.In an interview, band members Ketch Secor and Critter Fuqua described how they had bonded over Dylan's songs as teenagers, and that the 50 Years... project was a natural extension of that collaboration. While the new recording follows the sequence of Dylan's original track-for-track, Old Crow took considerable liberties with the arrangement of individual tracks. The recording was released as an album on April 28, 2017. It was the band's first release on their new label, Columbia Records, which had released Dylan's original album in 1966.

Thoughts on Cover:
The band makes this version more of an emotional waltz with piano leading the way as violin and steel guitars color the weeping backgrounds with pretty lines. Musically the group nails this one about as cool as you can and actually is an improvement on the original to these ears. 

Friday, July 6, 2018

Full Show Friday: Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks @ La Route Du Rock 2012

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks!

A few weeks back we reviewed Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks newest album for Glide. The disk is damn good, so RtBE wanted to check out one of their live shows for our Full show Friday feature and now is the time.

This one is from La Route Du Rock back in 2012 and it is pretty solid. Pro shot, Pro Sound, full set list below. Enjoy:


Full live @La Route Du Rock 2012 - Saint-Malo, France 08-12-2012
00:35 - Tune Grief 03:17 - Planetary Motion 06:35 - Houston Ladies 11:20 - Dark Wave 14:50 - Brain Gallop 20:00 - Senator 24:45 - Spazz 27:35 - Asking Price 30:15 - Stick Figures in Love 33:40 - Flower Children 38:45 - Independence Street 41:45 - Forever 28 45:30 - No One Is (As I Are Be) 50:00 - Tigers 53:30 - Us

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Album Review: Joshua Redman - Still Dreaming

Joshua Redman
Still Dreaming
*** out of *****

Joshua Redman's newest album is an ode to his father who was active in the jazz scene with the group Old and New Dreams. This album Still Dreaming is a direct tribute and envelopment of that bands style.

The original band were all sidemen to the free jazz legend Ornette Coleman and played a mix of Coleman classics and originals in the same vein. Active from 1976 to 1987 the group was consisted of Joshua's father tenor saxophone player Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden, cornet player Don Cherry and drummer Ed Blackwell.

While Joshua has made a fantastic name for himself in Jazz music, this is the first true adventure directly in line with his fathers influence on his playing. That feeling doesn't just end with the mans name who is on the label as all of the assembled players are fantastic in their own right. Joining Redman on this heartfelt tribute are Ron Miles on cornet, Scott Colley on bass and Brian Blade on drums. This dynamite lineup show their range and talent on Still Dreaming.

Opener "New Year" was written by Colley and is an dynamite beginning that is structured with early drum breaks for Blade before fluttering sax and coronet runs expertly elevate the track; this is a classic number that feels timeless. On Redman's "Unanimity" free jazz makes it's mark as the band increases the tempo and flies all over.

The record then dips into more laid back tracks as "Haze and Aspirations" is perfectly titled as the smokey song meanders, the bass lead on "It's Not The Same" kicks up the groove while "Blues For Charlie" is easy rolling cool. The three tracks in a row slow down the energy but still remain interesting.

Things pick up as the group covers Old and New Dreams with "Playing", a showcase for Miles horn and injects life into the album before the quartet tackle Coleman's "Comme Il Faut". The album ends with "The Rest" as Redman's eerie playing is augmented by echo effects closing the respectful album on a forward looking note. History, personal love and respect all mix together on Still Dreaming, proving a loving tribute and a valiant release in its own right.
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Support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Enjoy The Fourth of July with The Grateful Dead

The United States celebrates it's Independence today, so enjoy the outdoors, hanging with friends and living life. What better soundtrack for that is there than The Grateful Dead?!?!
(This is RtBE's 4th of July tradition)

We took the opportunity a few years back to talk about the Best American Band question on July 4th. Now we are just giving you our answer in concert form, the Grateful Dead's July 4th 1989 concert. What a doozy! It is the perfect time to bust it back out.

This was played/filmed up at Rich Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills and captures the Dead in one of their better late period shows, pro audio and video to boot. From the opening "Bertha" to the 1st set closing "Deal" Jerry is just on and seems to be in a great mood. A few personal favorites of RtBE's are sprinkled in ("Stagger Lee", "Greatest Story Ever Told", "Row Jimmy") adding to us digging on this set.

Not many surprises, just on point playing from the group and Garcia in particular. The second set starts with a great "Touch of Grey" before the reggae tinge of "Man Smart, Woman Smarter" which is our favorite version of this cover tune. "Terrapin Station" is always a welcomed 2nd set addition and RtBE are suckers for Brent's work on "I Will Take You Home" as it just melts our hearts.

A powerful Dylan cover and a great slightly slower rendition of "Not Fade Away" to close out the set. What better Encore for the 4th of July then "US Blue's"? While no where near the best show ever played, this is a great capturing of later day Dead with Brent in their arena late 80's summer phase.

The full set list is below, Enjoy:

Set 1
Bertha
Greatest Story Ever Told
Cold Rain and Snow
Walkin' Blues
Row Jimmy
When I Paint My Masterpiece
Stagger Lee
Looks Like Rain
Deal

Set 2
Touch of Grey
Man Smart, Woman Smarter
Ship of Fools
Playing in the Band
Terrapin Station
Drums
Space
I Will Take You Home
All Along the Watchtower
Morning Dew
Not Fade Away
E: U.S. Blues

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

New Single from St. Paul & The Broken Bones, New Album and Tour This Fall

The Birmingham, Alabama eight piece St. Paul & the Broken Bones have a new album and tour coming this fall. The record is called Young Sick Camellia and the tour will cross this country and Canada.

They also have a new lead single from the album titled "Apollo" it is more of their grooving mix of gospel and retro-soul that they are known for. RtBE has enjoyed this band for a few years now and particularly loved their last record as it showed growth and maturity and the first notes of this one sound just as assured. Give it a listen: 


Both of their albums have made or year end Best Of... can they make it three for three? We shall see. Hopefully we will see them live of this tour, as they play the fantastic Brooklyn Steel October 3rd and 4th. Full dates below if you click on that 'Read More' link.