Album Review: Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - Madrid Memory

Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers 

Madrid Memory

**and1/2 out of *****

While punk has a lot of forefathers and scene starters they may have never been anymore who embodied the potential and pitfalls of New York City punk rock than Johnny Thunders. Starting with the New York Dolls before moving on to The Heartbreakers before wrapping up his career solo Thunders had the style, habit and talent which was at the core of the scene. Now a an often bootlegged live show from The Heartbreakers 1984 reunion tour gets an official release.

If you are new to Thunders, do not start here, go back to those already mentioned bands to check out his best work, but Madrid Memory is a fun collection for die hard fans.   

The lineup was a solid one with Dolls Sylvain Sylvain and Jerry Nolan aboard along with Bill Rath on bass. The performance is rough and raw, there may not have been much helping this original recording as the guitar is mixed way too low in the mix and the bootleg feeling still exists. Nolans drums and Rath's bass however are loud and both are on point behind the front man who had good and bad days on stage. 

Opening with the cover of The Chantay's instrumental "Pipeline" the band sets a surf rock tone for the opening of his show in Madrid. The group played a solid dose of Dolls with the Wolfman howling of Thunders on "Personality Crisis" and "Don't Mess With Cupid" which his a blazing jam and the players even did a solid punk soul tribute to Booker T and The M.G.s with "Green Onions" as Sylvain's organ work over powered the sound. The bands loose frantic energy is pushed along by the rhythm section 

"I Love You" is a brilliant tune that pumps with raw honesty while "Alone In the Crowd" finds a tight nit frantic energy; a rarity for Thunders. The rambling greatness of the jammed out "14th St Beat" may be better off with his guitar so low in the mix while "Too Much Junkie Business" was well on it's way to becoming his mantra.

The band tear into the anthemic "Born To Lose" (titled "loose" here for some reason) and while the acoustic flamenco guitar is delightful Thunders is a mess on the cover of Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" and all the acostic numbers really before closing with one of Thunders best tunes, "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory".

These tunes were tied to a DVD release as well and this tour have been captured before (on the Sad Vacation album for one) so this is album far from vital, but diehards will take anything they can get from The Heartbreakers and on this night they were pretty good.
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Support the artists, buy the record, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:

The Masters: Jimi Hendrix - Best Studio Albums

RtBE loves listening to new music and prides itself on keeping tabs on up and coming artists but in 2019 we are also going to have a monthly spotlight on legendary artists who we really love. We are calling this series The Masters. It will focus on the best albums, live records, transcendent shows and other odd ways we appreciate the artists and their contribution to music, culture and our formation.

For June The Masters focuses on Jimi Hendrix.

While The Beatles were always around growing up and the foundation to so much popular music, Jimi Hendrix was the first artist who really broke through my ear drums to my brain. As a kid you flounder around with a weird mix of music and then at some point there is a gateway band, and Jimi was that when it came to rock and roll (Public Enemy & The Beastie Boys did that for hip hop around the exact same time). He was the first major musical artist who truly amazed me and was someone we had to write about in RtBE's Masters collection. 

Unlike others in this series, Hendrix was a comet and left only a small recorded legacy. With only three studio albums fully recorded and released while he was alive, Hendrix was just beginning to scratch the surface of his studio mastery. All original releases are vital to own as they sound so fresh and cosmic now it is no wonder they were revolutionary at the time. 

With the legal wrangling after his death, many albums were released and some of which were pure money grabs and some are truly revealing collections. Audio quality varies, re-mastering will be a thing til the end of time with Hendrix and every single take will eventually see a professional release, but these are the studio releases and collections of outtakes RtBE likes the best.

More then anyone else in rock history it is a shame Hendrix died when he did, because his music still sounds as fresh today (not matter what year you read this) as it did while he was alive. He was a magician, the best electric guitarist ever, a sonic poet, a soulful singer, an emotional songwriter who was only finding his voice...one of the true Masters. So let's tackle this topic, below we rank Hendrix best studio albums...    

As always, these lists are designed to start conversations, not end them.

Album Review: Mdou Moctar - Ilana: The Creator

Mdou Moctar

Ilana: The Creator

**** out of *****

Ever since Bombino came into RtBE's orbit in 2011, the Tuareg guitar scene keeps making inroads into the United States with it's evolving/expanding the style sound and reach. Last month we covered the newest release from Kel Assouf and today we focus on Mdou Moctar's Ilana: The Creator.

This is Moctor's first true studio album with a band as his past releases like the folk based Sousoume Tamachek found him playing all the instruments himself. The players (Ahmoudou Madassane - rhythm guitar, backing vocals, Michael Coltun - bass guitar, Mazawadje Aboubacar Ibrahim - drums) all contribute to the vibe, but it may be producer/engineer Chris Koltey who is the most important outside force as he recorded the band as they lived in the studio for a week while they spontaneously jammed with fantastic results.

The opening track "Kamane Tarhanin" starts like 99% of the other Tuareg based tunes with its serpent like guitar weaving in and out but towards the end there is a pedal shift as the guitar tone gets super crunchy and the the pace quickens to the end, proving Moctar and crew are not afraid to put there own spin on things.

The skittering groove and bad ass rock riffs on "Asshet Akal" continue that notion and make for an invigorating listen while the warbling tripped out psychedelic "Inisgam" is a short dip into Hendrix like recording waters. The band decides to split what seems like one long idea into two tracks as "Anna" (with Aroudaini Daniel on djembe) starts to really coalesce right before dropping into the super repetitive "Takamba" perhaps thinking western ears may not like the second part.

While things may be repetitive on "Takamba" the follow up is just the opposite. "Tarhatazed" is a beast and clear album standout as all of the musicians are locked in and flying through the cosmos. The track begins ominously with some Yngwie Malmsteen like fret board fireworks before the groove from Ibrahim and Coltun lock in and move the song with a brisk update as Madassane and Moctar go back and fourth with their riffs in exciting fashion. There are tempo changes, pedal effects, had bobbing grooves, whistling exuberance and never a dull moment over it's seven and a half minute run time; an easy album highlight.

The title track manages to mix Agadez wedding vibes with big rock styling from the west. While lyrically there is no connection the singing is passionate and through translation the title track is a protest song about French exploitation of Niger with lines like: “Our benefits are only dust / And our heritage is taken by the people of France / occupying the valley of our ancestors.”  

The contemplative "Tumastin" closes out the album and for those brand new to the Tuareg sound or longtime fans, Ilana: The Creator is certainly an album to seek out. While it's cover art may be a throw back to prog rock via these western eyes, Moctar explains: “This bird is my symbol because he resembles my artistic look. I wear a turban in two colors. The jewelry in its beak is the symbol of Agadez.” There are certainly riches to be found in the music as well. 
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Support the artists, buy the album, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:

Album Review: Sam Cohen - The Future Is Still Ringing In My Ears

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

It is of Sam Cohen's fantastic new solo album The Future Is Still Ringing In My Ears.

Dylan Cover #378 Margot Cotten "My Back Pages" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Margot Cotten of "My Back Pages"

Thoughts on Dylan Original:

From the first time we tackled a cover of this song:

The original has taken upon itself a cultural importance, and the chorus has simply become iconic. I doubt Dylan intended such, but it toes the line of out and out protest and illustrative questions. He puts down everyone from evangelists to girls, but the language snakes and flows so magically that it doesn't seem as harsh as "Positively 4th St" or "Ballad in Plain D". The sense of exhaling desperation or at least the realization that age confuses things even more seems to be what I take from this tune after each listen, but things can change...or can they?

Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist:

We were unaware of Margot Cotten before finding this video. She is a singer songwriter based in Nashville who covers Dylan often, she may show up again in this ongoing series, who knows?!

Thoughts on Cover:
A fine, directly straight ahead cover of the song with just an acoustic guitar and Margot's voice. Well done.

Happy 200th Birthday Walt Whitman

One of the patron saints of RtBE would have turned 200 today if he was some sort of magical wizard or a vampire. Walt Whitman inspired the name of the site and it's spirit. We celebrate him every Opening Day but today is a special occasion. 

The poetry of Whitman has thrived over the years and he continues to be taught, loved and read 200 years after his birth.

The Good Gray Poet will live on, so let's celebrate with James Earl Jones (Darth Vader himself) reading Whitman, some video celebrating the man and if you are feeling REALLY ambitious (it is 19 hours) there is the full audio book of his masterpiece Leaves of Grass below:

I sing the body electric,

The armies of those I love engirth me and I engirth them,

They will not let me off till I go with them, respond to them,

And discorrupt them, and charge them full with the charge of the soul.



Was it doubted that those who corrupt their own bodies conceal themselves?

And if those who defile the living are as bad as they who defile the dead?

And if the body does not do fully as much as the soul?

And if the body were not the soul, what is the soul?

Full Show Friday: James Brown Live @ Woodstock 1999

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...James Brown!

Our focus this month in our ongoing Masters series is James Brown.

Here we go, the Godfather of Soul where he belongs, live and on stage. RtBE wraps up the funky focused month with a show from later in his career as JB fronts the band at Woodstock 99. 

Pro Shot, Pro Sound, Set list and info below. Enjoy:

James Brown - Full Concert Recorded Live: 7/23/1999 - Woodstock 99 East Stage (Rome, NY) More James Brown at Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.com Subscribe to Music Vault: http://goo.gl/DUzpUF Setlist: 0:00:00 - Soul Generals Introduction 0:02:14 - Soul Generals' Rap 0:08:03 - Can't Turn You Loose 0:10:10 - Mercedes Benz / Tomi Blues 0:14:05 - Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) 0:17:08 - Bitter Sweets Introduction 0:18:04 - James Brown Introduction / Get Up Offa That Thing 0:25:38 - Cold Sweat 0:27:23 - Doing It To Death 0:30:59 - Living In America 0:35:20 - Mother Popcorn 0:36:02 - Get On The Good Foot 0:40:41 - Song Break 0:41:05 - Song Break 0:41:56 - Instrumental 0:46:53 - It's a Man's Man's Man's World 0:51:37 - (I Got You) I Feel Good 0:54:30 - Song Break 0:55:00 - Funk On Ah Roll 0:59:46 - Jimi Hendrix Medley 1:02:04 - Please, Please, Please 1:02:27 - Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine

Album Review: A.A. Bondy - Enderness

A.A. Bondy

Enderness

** out of *****

Back in the day, there was Scott Bondy the lead singer of Verbena. Then came a reborn folk singer with the name A.A. Bondy who delivered excellent acoustic based folk/blues with 2008's American Hearts and 2009's When The Devil's Loose. Now comes the third iteration as Bondy has mixed ambient lounge music, synths, drum machines and modern day digital flows into his sound, even moving from blues lyrics towards stream of consciousness singing. 

The whole album feels as if he could be the opening act for Lera Lynn in The Black Rose during True Detective Season 2. It is odd, dream-like and in the end underwhelming.

Bondy's voice still manages to deliver a sense of longing, but lyrically things are jumbled with the opening "Diamond Skull" setting the tone. He sings about cocaine spelled out in his name, then sings, "OMG, LMAFO" in the same tone, nothing rises above or seems to mean much of anything.

"In The Wonder" has a synth blurring along as the mid flow of the album (including "In the Tree With Lights" and "Images of Love") blend together, drifting along in layered synthetically produced fashion which fits these modern times, hollow and otherworldly but also not affecting. "I'll Never Know" works better as it pushes the drum beats up and flows like restrained R&B while "Killers 3" purrs and injects a doo-wop sound into this modern style with successful results.

Too often though there just isn't much meat on the bone. Instrumentals "Pan Tran" and the album closing title track may connect with ambient fans but just pass by without adding much to the overall sound other than padding it's run time. The warped piano ballad dealing with death and drug addiction "Fetanyl Freddy" sets an icy tone but doesn't connect dots where "#Lost Hills" goes back to wandering and wanting to return to California.   

Even during his mid career Woody Guthrie inspired days Bondy never fully shook his James Dean sense of hypnotic cool. Pushing that into these modern times isn't as smooth as it could/should be, but having followed Bondy's career it is obvious that there is no telling what comes after Enderness. 
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We loved Bondy's mid career shift, seeing him whenever we could, so perhaps that's why this album disappoints, but truthfully if this was an another artists name on the album it wouldn't make much of a difference as Enderness is one note and not a note we truly care for.

That said, support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:

New Sleater-Kinney Single "Hurry On Home" & Tour Dates

The fantastic Sleater-Kinney are back with a new single from their upcoming album which was produced by St. Vincent. When it was announced that those artists were pairing up, a track like the first single "Hurry On Home" with it's electro-dance feel is kinda what could be expected.

The track feels a bit like a mix of Carrie Brownstein's and Corrin Tuckers side projects like Wild Flag and especially Tuckers last solo record Kill My Blues which contained dance infused rock and roll. This is another side of an underrated band to explore...and RtBE can't wait for the full length release as their previous studio effort (not their live) the excellent, No Cities to Love rated high on our year end list of 2015. 

Peep the single and tour dates below...looks like RtBE will be spending Halloween with the band...

Album Review: Thee Oh Sees - Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion

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

It is of the reissue of Thee Oh Sees, Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion.

This live album was originally connected with a film and the freak folk home movie vibe is present throughout. This reissue has lo-fi inde rock throughout which won't change non-fans views of the band as this is for fans only.

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

Album Review: Jenny Lewis - On The Line

Jenny Lewis

On the Line

*** out of *****

On 2014's The Voyager Jenny Lewis teamed with producers like Ryan Adams and Beck to create a solid sound, rooted in pop rock of the 70's, as she spun her mix of specific lyrics in singer/songwriter fashion channeling Stevie Nix and Jackson Browne. On the Line continues a lot of those same styles (Beck and Adams back producing, Nix and Browne comparisons are stronger) but Lewis scales down the musical surroundings relaxing the tempo, sound, and pace to focus more on her singing and lyrics which are top notch, but at times the slowed down musical outings drag things down, ending in a mixed bag complete effort. 

Lewis lyrics are immediately engaging on opener "Heads Gonna Roll" (an album highlight) as road trips with narcoleptic poets are described beautifully with the duality of relationships summed up nicely via the ending, "A little bit of hooking up is good for the soul/Heads gonna roll". The album starts on this high of a track before "Wasted Youth" finds Lewis dropping some catchy "do-do-do's" in with her lyrics in front of the first single "Red Bull and Hennessy". While the title drink may give you energy, this track feels oddly slow and drained, as if taking a Pat Benatar early 80's number and zapping it of it's dance ready strength.

This lack of energy is intentional on the lazy "Hollywood Lawn" which finds Lewis questioning while clicking her ruby slippers with differing results before another odd downer "Do-Si-Do" arrives more ethereal, closing with a plea to turn the stereo up until everything rattles, which queerly sounds more like a house party of one in the middle of nodding off then a rally to arms. These tunes all show some charms but combined with the personal piano ballad "Dogwood" the pacing at the center of this album is lacking.

Things improve towards the end, "Party Clown" is a twisted jaunt with excellent lyrics and a rolling beat around layers of piano swells as she talks about biting the devils apples and getting head in the shadows of Texas before the bass grooving of "Little White Dove" deals with heartbreaking hospital visits to her estranged mother who was dying from cancer. Benmont Tench helps produce and play throughout the record but perhaps even larger is Lewis dissolution of of her 12-year relationship with singer-songwriter Jonathan Rice who may just be the inspiration behind "On the Line".

The title track is a winner with its rebounding from a broken heart feel and a cool vocal play on Caroline-a as closer "Rabbit Hole" is fun/light musically while doing a good job of staying away from temptations including dope, love and not believing in The Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

An engaging songwriter who tackles the difficult world from a unique point of view, mixing up the modern day with past clichés wonderfully; who else can write about heroin and Candy Crush successfully side by side? Musically On the Line could use some more energy, re-sequencing or direction to spice up the sound, however, Lewis is a talent and always worth hearing as she progresses through her career.
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Support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:

New Seratones Album POWER, First Single, & Tour Dates

Back in 2016 RtBE was asked to review The Dandy Warhols live at Bowery Ballroom. The Dandy's set was fine, but what really got the juices flowing was the opening 45 minutes of rock and roll from the Seratones.

Now they have announced their new album as well as released the first single and a host of tour dates to go along with the good news. We loved their strong debut album and it even made our top ten for 2016 so we have high hopes for this new one. It is titled POWER and will be out via New West Records on August 23rd, available now for pre-order.

The first single "Gotta Get To Know Ya" pushes those expectations even higher as it is a killer funky fuzzy rock jam. That tune and tour dates below, get ready for POWER to drop the end of August. 




Tour dates

6/4 – Kansas Cirty, MO @ Crossroads KC*
6/7 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant*
6/8 – Indianapolis, IN @ Indianapolis Symphony*
8/22 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links
8/23 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Jr.
8/24 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
8/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
8/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
8/29 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord
8/31 – McMinnville, OR @ Walnut City Music Festival
9/1 – Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar
9/3 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
9/6 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
9/7 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
9/9 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake Hotel
9/10 – Montreal, QC @ Quai Des Brumes
9/12 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott
9/13 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
9/14 – Washington, D.C. @ Pearl Street Warehouse
9/15 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
9/18 – Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
9/19 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
9/20 – Birmingham, AL @ The Nick
9/21 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
* Supporting Trombone Shorty

Tracklisting of POWER
1. Fear
2. Power
3. Heart Attack
4. Lie To My Face
5. Gotta Get To Know Ya
6. Over You
7. Permission
8. Sad Boi
9. Who Are You Now
10. Crossfire

Album Review: Alex Chilton - From Memphis To New Orleans

Alex Chilton

From Memphis To New Orleans

*** out of *****

A cult hero/recluse Alex Chilton retreated from the spot light post Big Star and he made the title journey From Memphis To New Orleans. This collection combines the best of the No Sex, Feudalist Tarts, and Blacklist EP's along with the High Priest LP resulting in a laid back collection of tunes which smile with charm but never light the night on fire.

A collection of deep covers and originals, with smooth horns and easy singing as the R&B rolls out in New Orleans fashion. The cover of Willie T's "Thank You John" is an emotional buoy as the horns work and Chilton sings to suckers, hustlers, crooks and lovers while the Memphis cooked soul of Carla Thomas "B-A-B-Y" openers up the effort with relaxed grooving.

Chilton seemed more at home covering more obscure R&B tracks then producing new tunes during this era, but a few new ones popped up. The updated take on getting down "Take It Off" was grooving and oddly enduring in its plea for naturalist vibes while the rollicking rolling ode to the downtrodden "Underclass". Chilton also mixed covers with originals as he blatantly ripped off Bob Dylan's intro to "Most Likely You Go Your And I'll Go Mine" for his rolling blues of "Lost My Job". 

Chilton does an adorable cover of  Gerry Goffin and Carole King's "Let Me Get Close To You" before one of his strongest track here "Dalai Llama". The number is a bass driven early rock and roller while guitars trace angular riffs throughout with intoxicating style, running over five minutes the tune could keep choogling along for hours. Other efforts like "Things For You" find Chilton singing fairly lamely around standard backing, never really going anywhere while he does a Lou Reed impression on "Make A Little Love" with soul accents.

A mixed bag of efforts find various levels of success, but fans of the artist can now find some of his best lesser known era tracks in one spot. When Paul Westerburg shouted him out via the catchy as hell tune with his name on it, and other 80's act like R.E.M. sung his praises he was busy reinventing himself in the Crescent City. The results here are a fun reminder of a quirky period in Chilton's career.
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Support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:

Dylan Cover #377 Lera Lynn "I Shall Be Released" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a cover by Lera Lynne  playing "I Shall Be Released"

Thoughts on Cover:

From the first time we tackled a cover of this song:
"I Shall Be Released" has been covered by too many artists to count and with reason; it is a masterpiece. A simple song that will forever be etched in Rock Legend as it ended perhaps the best concert in rock history, The Last Waltz. The Band are always connected to the tune as Dylan wrote it during those amazing days playing with the group up at Big Pink in the Catskills and the group released it on their first album. Gospel in nature the song is about salvation that can be certain, and each listener (and performer) can add their own personal feelings into the sketch, perfect for covering, especially live to close a show with friends.

Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist: 

At first blush we thought that this is the first time RtBE is coming across Lera Lynn or Ben Lewis. However, it turns out we have heard Lynn before. She was the dive bar singer on True Detective Season 2. No offense to Lynn, but that was some of the biggest let down TV in history. 

Thoughts on Cover:
A good duet on a fairly standard Bob tune, Lynn's vocals soar and Lewis's picking is engaging.  A nice spin through this oft covered tune. 

Full Show Friday: James Brown 1979 Monterey, California

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...James Brown!

For May The Masters focuses on James Brown.

Here is the Godfather of Soul doing it up proper in 1979. Apparently this was filmed in a conference room of a Doubletree Hotel smack dab in Monterey, California..."No one goes to Monterey". James Brown did in 1979.
Enjoy:

Happy 78th Birthday Bob Dylan

No one has ever been better. Happy 78th birthday Robert Allen Zimmerman aka Bob Dylan.

Enjoy a few of his best songs:

Live Review: The Hold Steady @ The White Eagle, Jersey City 5/16/19

The Hold Steady 

Live @ The White Eagle 

Jersey City, NJ 5/16/19

Beginning a spring time mini Northeast Weekend run, the Hold Steady kicked things off at The White Eagle in Jersey City New Jersey to a sold out house for a Thursday night show.

Opening things was John K Samson, frontman from The Weakerthans who did a solo acoustic set of some of that bands tunes and a few newer solo numbers mixed in. Samson stated he was amazed he gets paid to play and see one of his favorite bands in the world it was clear Samson new the crowd and was at ease throughout (Craig Finn later told a great story of playing Samson's hometown of Winnipeg and meeting him years ago).

His set started with "One Great City!" he proclaimed how much he hated his hometown and sang with confidence on tunes like "Reconstruction Site", "Pamphleteer" and "Plea From a Cat Named Virtute", before ending his set on a high note with the title track from his solo album Winter Wheat. 

The Hold Steady came out and kicked started their long set of tunes with "Hornets! Hornets!" as the bands meaty riffs and full band swell with piano and thundering low end got the small club bouncing up and down while singing along.

The three guitars were mixed a bit oddly as the sound took a few tunes to settle in but things leveled off nicely. Having recently caught the band in London this setlist was a bit more up and down and the band wasn't as locked in during this nights set, but the fans were singing strongly throughout to tunes like "Barfruit Blues", "Banging Camp", "Stuck Between Stations" and "Massive Nights" which received one of the best ovations on the night. 

Some individual highlights were "You Can Make You Like Him" which packed a punk rock punch as the band seemed especially locked in on the low end. The sweeping guitar solos in "Stevie Nix" were a joy as confetti flew for "First Night" and the newer "Entitlement Crew" proved it's worth among the old warhorses.

Other newer tunes like "T-Shirt Tux" and the debut of "Traditional Village" went as immediately loved but "Denver Haircut" another new tune shows lots of promise from the band. The fact that Craig Finn, Tad Kubler, Galen Polivka, Steve Selvidge, Franz Nicolay, and Bobby Drake are still crafting new tunes will playing the old favorites for fans means this periodic weekend cruising will hopefully continue as the band always deliver the happy to be alive and in the live rock moment goods. 
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Support the artists, see them live and peep some video below: 
    

The Masters: James Brown - Best Live Albums

RtBE loves listening to new music and prides itself on keeping tabs on up and coming artists but in 2019 we are also going to have a monthly spotlight on legendary artists who we really love. We are calling this series The Masters. It will focus on the best albums, live records, transcendent shows and other odd ways we appreciate the artists and their contribution to music, culture and our formation.

For May The Masters focuses on James Brown.

The Godfather himself, James Brown. He is the visionary artist who helped invent funk and hip-hop as he floated through the amazingly influential waters of time and his mind. Mr. Please Please Me is iconic and moved from The Famous Flames to Soul Brother #1 to the Godfather with ease as he aged.

He however joins the likes of Miles when RtBE is conflicted about the art and the artist. Longform collected just a few pieces on him, but it is safe to say we are confused with our love for the mans music and thoughts on his personal life. That said, we wrote about our feelings on the man when he passed away for Glide as he had a huge influence on our musical ears.  

Today we focus on his live albums, and while we ranked his studio recordings already this month, this is where he really butters the biscuits. When RtBE goes to the James Brown collection nine times out of ten it is for one of these records. That said there is always a bit of controversy with Brown, were all of these actually recorded live?  Hmmm... 

Any which way let's get to it, below we rank the top five James Brown live records. As always, these lists are designed to start conversations, not end them.

Album Review: Czarface & Ghostface Killah - Czarface Meets Ghostface

Czarface & Ghostface Killah

Czarface Meets Ghostface

*** out of *****

The previous album from Czarface was a collaboration with MF Doom, titled Czarface Meets Metal Face and for their follow up they kept the style (even the "face") as they partner with Ghostface Killah for the unimaginatively titled Czarface Meets Ghostface.

However, the talent on the record is palpable as Czarface includes 7L & Esoteric from Boston and Inspectah Deck from NYC and by adding Shaolin running partner Ghostface to the mix the rhyme talent is exceptionable as the music lingers with ominous beats, flowing as a complete listen over it's forty minute run time.

The grimy sound from 7L links all of the tracks and obviously owes to the Wu-Tang style, but also modernizes it for 2019. After a Macho Man Randy Savage impersonator gets things started, the warbling sound thinner beats color "Face Off". "Iron Claw" is the first single from the outfit and starts a pairing of the best efforts on the record with a head bopping beat that flashes in splashes of static, full on drop outs and futuristic phasers.

Following it up is "Czarrcade '87" with deep beats and all three MC's blending seamlessly together as if they have been doing this forever. While this number finds just Esoteric and Inspectah Deck on it, the trio combine for "Super Solider Serum" which bleeps, buzzes and ends with eastern flute in exiting fashion. Skittering beats and strings color the cinematic, horror movie sounding"Listen To The Color" while "Mongolian Beef" finds Ghost taking lines from Liquid Swords and blares through bars of rhymes while the fuzz beat bounces around him. 

The dramatic sounds and overarching feeling makes for a good full listen, but there isn't a stand out must hear. The outfit is going more for thematic listening and they succeed. Kendra Morris shows up to provide a few choruses, perhaps most oddly and engagingly on "The King Heard Voices" while Esoteric at times reminds of Jay-Z and Ghostface is more relaxed, fitting in with the group than an album altering guest, the overall results are a good listen.     
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Support the artists, buy the album and peep some video below:

Dylan Cover #376 Haley Heynderickx "It Ain't Me Babe" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Haley Heynderickx playing "It Ain't Me, Babe"

Thoughts on Original:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this song:
One of the best Dylan songs because it is universal, to the point, lyrical, smirking, self-centered and a perfect statement. Dylan has written lots of songs that can be covered well (as evident by this series) but "It Ain't Me, Babe" fits perhaps better then almost any other one into a huge variety of styles. That is because we have all been in the singers position one time or another...and it is a damn good song.

Cover:


Thoughts on Cover Artist:
This is the first time we are coming across Haley Heynderickx.

Thoughts on Cover:
The delicate live cover is a sweet tune. The true star is Heynderickx voice which is ethereal and enchanting.  Fun stuff.