The duo Body/Head consisting of Kim Gordon and Bill Nace will release their second album titled The Switch on July 13th.
The artwork, track listing and tour dates are below. The duo also released the first song from the album titled "You Don't Need". We reviewed their first album, Coming Apart, for Glide when it was released in 2013 and will hopefully do the same for this one as we are always interested in what Kim is up to. Upon first listen this is some noise spacious stuff, less concerned with form or structure.
The Switch tracklist:
1. Last Time
2. You Don’t Need
3. In The Dark Room
4. Change My Brain
5. Reverse Hard
Body/Head – 2018 Tour Dates: 6/21 – Cincinnati, OH – No Response Festival 7/13 – Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge 7/14 – San Francisco, CA – The Lab 7/19 – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere * 7/20 – Kingston, NY – BSP * 7/21 – New Haven, CT – Statehouse * 7/22 – Greenfield, MA – Root Cellar * 7/24 – Boston, MA – Great Scott * 7/26 – Philadelphia, PA – PhilaMOCA * 9/6-8 – Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Festival 9/15 – Austin, TX – Beerland * denotes w/ Gunn-Truscinski Duo
James Alex is the front man and only true member of Beach Slang and it is quite possible he is the most earnest rocker going today. Everything Matters But No One Is Listening is a departure for the upbeat positive punk as he has gone back and re-recorded his songs as acoustic offerings without the pounding drums and loud guitars. Alex renamed the outing Quiet Slang and the result is an interesting look into his songwriting and lyrics along with soothing overview of his career, if not truly representative.
Cellos, violins and pianos are deployed to transform the originals as opener "Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas" sets the melancholy tone as pianos twinkle and vocal "ahhh's" swirl to end things. "Noisy Heaven" isn't as successful in this vein following up but the best acoustic rendition arrives early as "Future Mixtape For The Art Kids" is stunning.
The vocals are instantly layered over the piano intro as the production for this song is in overdrive with strings rising and warm pulses radiating from the speakers. The overdone aesthetic works wonderfully especially for a mini breakdown with just plucking strings and lyrics about "Heaven in these streets" before the conclusion swells again winningly. Another blazing success is the drama filled "Too Late To Die Young" which ebbs and swells around a main piano line. Cellos augment, while female backing vocals add to the texture over the cinematic rendition of a deep tune, proving this gambit paid off.
However, not all is perfect. Tunes such as "Spin The Dial" aren't reworked, just softer versions of the originals and come across less immediate and vital. Most obvious is the limited, restrained singing style of his punk rock ventures which is still employed by Alex. Quiet Slang makes this approach the focal point and ultimately less affecting without the sonic maelstrom around him. The breathy vocals can wear thin and tracks like "Filthy Luck" which is a ripping original, sounds clipped and only gains steam by multi-tracking backing vocals. The breathy confessional style does convey intimacy as do the strings and piano on "Dirty Cigarettes" but Alex's vocal range is lacking for this to truly reach its desired heights.
The experiment certainly lends itself to soundtracks in the future as "Young Hearts" optimistic rising risings and mutli-tracked vocal closing and "Throwaways" isolated us-against-the-world motif could both easily roll over credits to a dramatic big or small screen love story.The album however is a one trick pony, and a good one at that, but it may have been even more affecting in smaller doses. Had Alex combined both Beach/Quiet and dropped a cello/piano number to end his next punk record it would have a larger impact.
That said, Quiet Slang is very unique departure for Alex and one that really does show the depth to his writing as it works well in fancy string quarter chambers and beer soaked bar rooms. Quiet Slang gives a new slant on Beach Slang's career as Everything Matters But No One Is Listening is a pleasant Sunday morning listen for any aging punk rocker.
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Support the band, buy the album and peep some video below:
The dates are all on the western side of the country except for his Rocks Off Cruise (flyer above) taking place at the end of August in New York Harbor. The night is being billed as: A Brown Evening At Sea which will probably touch on his Ween days and since Dean is an avid fisherman perhaps he casts a few night lines for blue fish in between his riffs on the boat.
Tickets are available for all shows including the Cruise. To get in the mood here are some videos from Deaner and gang:
Dean Ween — 2018 Tour Dates
JUL 06 Neumo’s Seattle, WA
JUL 07 Top Hat Lounge Missoula, MT
JUL 08 Rialto Bozeman, MT
JUL 10 Pink Garter Theatre Jackson Hole, WY
JUL 11 The Commonwealth Room Salt Lake City, UT
AUG 30 Rocks Off Cruise New York, NY
Some of RtBE's favorites Dinosaur Jr. and Mastodon will be co-headlining a tour this summer/early fall and they recently added the excellent Capital Theater to their schedule.
It is of RtBE favorite, Jack White live in upstate New York, jut outside of Cooperstown at the Ommegang Brewery. Check out these pennants by artist Alan Hyne
Shitty weather but good music and great friends and family more than made up for it. A fun get out of the city trip that delivered.
His covering of Bob Dylan's "Catfish" was def our highlight on this night (little surprise there). Since Jack makes everyone pack their phones, no pictures or video so peep some video of Jack from Warsaw a few months back in Brooklyn. Conveniently RtBE were at that show as well.
In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's artists, Mulholland doing a live cover of "Wallflower"
Thoughts on Original:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this tune:
Written in 1971 but not available to the ears until twenty years after the fact on the amazing Bootleg Vol 1-3, "Wallflower" is a sweet simple ditty that captures Bob in his folk/country phase of Self Portrait and New Morning. While not his deepest or most intense song it is a fine relaxed number that waltzes wonderfully light and free...getting naughty at the finish as well.
Cover:
Thoughts on Cover Artist:
RtBE has not come across Mulholland before. They are an Americana/Folk group from York England who fluctuated between five piece and two piece, they are a three piece here. You can find a bunch of videos from recent releases on their youtube channel.
Thoughts on Cover:
This is a really fun live take with strong vocals and violin. The group even goes a step further by improvising a lyrical verse in the song. While it isn't mind altering it is an excellent take and one that would have been a joy to catch in a live setting.
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...Janelle Monae!
Some months our Full Show Friday's will focus on specific artists, years, venues, festivals or some combo of it all. This month we focus on sets from Bonnaroo over the years.
This month the huge festival that spans genres returns to Tennessee, so to celebrate we are dedicating our Full Show Friday series this month to sets from that festival from the past. We are starting with Janelle Monae.
RtBE actually saw her on this festival tour, not in Bonnaroo, but when she played Gov's Ball here in NYC in 2014.
Pro shot, Pro sound, set list below. Enjoy:
4:02 Suite IV Electric Overture
5:38 Givin Em What They Love
10:05 Dance Apocalyptic
15:13 Sincerely, Jane.
20:30 Q.U.E.E.N.
24:47 Electric Lady
31:51 (speech)
31:42 Cold War
34:04 Tightrope
44:19 (Speech)
45:08 PrimeTime
51:28 Come Alive (The War of the Roses)
"Age...is just a number. Number...is...just a word. And word...is just a thing."
Ahh the wisdom of the Derek Smalls as he opens his first ever solo album, which he expertly waited until the perfect time to release, his 75th birthday. The would be haberdasher, if he wasn't a bass player, Smalls is the big bottom layer of the massively influential Spinal Tap.
For those who have missed it, This Is Spinal Tap is the mockumentary about a fictional 80's band that was so spot on in 1984 that the soundtrack This Is Spinal Tap could easily be confused for an actual release at the time. While the decades of opulent big metal shows with Stonehenge set pieces has largely gone the way of the dodo, rock and roll never dies and apparently neither do rock parodies.
Harry Shearer has fun playing dress up, stuffing aluminum foil wrapped cucumber in his trousers as Smalls and there are a few fun moments here but not enough over the hour run time. Granted that could be part of the joke as the excessive in and of itself. From the operatic title track, to the pointless classical interludes, to the overloaded guest stars (everyone from Paul Shaffer to Chad Smith to Steve Vai), to the long pompous tunes like the 6 minute "Faith No More" ode to a former manager are overwrought. If you follow the belief that Tap was a real group, than their bass player putting out Smalls Change would be even more laughable.
"Memo To Willie" is the most realized and best track here as you can tell that Smalls, ugh, really feels this one. The rock production and contributions from Donald Fagen, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Larry Carlton & The Snarky Puppy Horns all ring with the wit and seriousness of original Tap; how can you not smile at the digitally altered "Willie don't lose that lumber" line during the most drawn out track to an aging rock stars dick since...well.. at least the last Mick Jagger lyric.
The great guitar of Waddy Watchel adds power to "I Don't Get Old" which also humorously shouts out second rate cities like Baton Rouge, Albany and Norwich England which will likely see Smalls touring through soon. The begging to buy merchandise tune "Gimme Me Some (More) Money" is closer to the current truth than most here while "MRI" featuring Dweezil Zappa feels like a tribute to Zappa's dad who would no doubt have been involved if he was still around. The overwhelming, almost ten minute closer is more inline with Tenacious D adding a splash of "Jazz Odyssey" than the original Tap, but that excess is half the ongoing joke.
"Hell Toupee" with a Tom Waits-sounding devil discussing receding hairlines, "Gummin' The Gash" which grossly (and fittingly) does what it says it does, and "She Puts The Bitch In Obituary" are all more chuckle worthy (if that) in theory than in practice, basically that's the summation of Smalls Change(Meditations Upon Ageing), but anytime you get to revisit the world of This Is Spinal Tap! it is a good day.
I should have really just wrote "Still eating a shit sandwich" for this review huh?
Well since I am here already, the rock star ethos in general is pretty much lacking these days just like Smalls erections, but until someone takes on hip hop's excess with as cutting and direct humor, Spinal Tap will always have a place at the table when it comes to dissecting how insanely fine the line is between stupid and clever is in the music world. Non-fans of the Tap can skip this, fans will smirk after hearing it once and probably not go back to it, laughing more in theory than execution.
The Americana Roots Rock band from Texas, No Dry County, not only have a great band name, they also have a new album coming out next month, Panhandle Music.
To get the boot wearing fan base juiced up they are releasing their first single from the album titled "Elvis Gun Runner". You can listen to the tune right here:
We will be having a full review next month before the record comes out on June 29th. Until then support the band, check them out live and peep some older video below:
The Philadelphia based Low Cut Connie now release Dirty Pictures (Part 2), the second part of their newest effort continuing the bands rambling style but with a touch more nuance this go around. The group is adept at tickling both highbrow and lowbrow fancies with their piano based rock and roll with ease. For the uninitiated think a more ragged Ben Folds Five who parties with the Scissor Sisters and you have a starting point.
Front man/piano player Adam Weiner calls these songs the quieter side to part one but there is enough energy and punch to kick up your heels to them. Opening with "All These Kids Are Way Too High" the group kicks out garage rocker that is surprisingly muted in production and energy never kicking over the amps the way it wants to while "Oh Suzanne" is more of a straight ahead stomping number.
The group has clear influence from Elton John and that is on display most directly for "Beverly". It is a swaggering number that takes Sir Elton and gets him prepped for whatever dive bar the band happens to be drinking in. A different direction is the acoustic ditty "Hollywood" which is a straight ahead lyrical success and "One More Time" which successfully combines New Orleans piano rolls, indie rock and gospel all within an engaging lo-fi production, calling to mind a stripped down version of The Oblivians...Play 9 Songs With Mr. Quintron.
Not everything is as successful, "Master Tapes" tries to work up the energy but ends up dull and "Every Time You Turn Around" has excellent backing vocals from Reba Russell and Vicki Loveland but not a whole lot else to get excited about. "Please Do Not Come Home" works better in a pleading desperation vein, but it as well could use a bit of energy injection.
"Desegregation" is an interesting rambling number which starts somewhere down in Storyville but ends lost in Memphis and that is where the album was recorded. The group pays homage to Big Star as well closing the record with a winning take on "Hey! Little Child". A fun album which manages to highlight a lesser seen side of the band which will still be living off it's live sets and raucous energy.
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Support the band, buy the album, peep some video below:
It is of Parliaments first release in 38 years, Medicaid Fraud Dogg.
This is a loooooong album and, honestly better than expected. It manages to pull in George Clinton's amazing funky past and fuse it with a current sound and never manage to sound forced.
Seven stars was the ranking because it is an overwhelming listening experience taken in full, but picking out a few tracks will appease almost any fan of funky music. If it had been cut down to be more focused on the message it might have joined the heights of all time P-Funk classics. As it is, Medicaid Fraud Dogg is not far away from those.
We wished the Bard a happy 77th birthday recently so we are taking Memorial Day off from our Dylan Cover series. Enjoy the unofficial start of summer with a Hardcore'Q
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...As The Crow Flies!
The Black Crowes are in a bitter divorce between the brothers Robinson. It seems the band and players past are split between Chris and Rich, touring and recording with one or the other and it will probably remain that way until the brothers reconcile...or a big enough check comes their way.
With both brothers going separate ways, Chris has mostly steered clear of his old bands songs while playing in Chris Robinson Brotherhood but he went back to the classics for this tour with an outfit called As The Crow Flies.
Half cover band, half original, all of the good old songs. Marcus King is in the mix and one of RtBE's favorite Crowes members Audley Freed kicking ass like in the old days. This isn't pro shot or pro sound, but it is certainly watchable to get a sense of this tour both visually and audibly.
Taken just last month at the Electric Factory in Philly, here are As the Crow Flies. Full setlist below. Enjoy:
It is of the recent Misfits reunion show at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ last Saturday night.
I wasn't very critical of the show in the review because quite frankly I had a fucking blast. Murphy's Law, Suicidal Tendencies and the Misfits, some of the silliest and best punk rock out there...mix that with some great friends, beer and Chelsea FA Cup victory in the morning and you got yourself one happy reviewer.
While friends in different seats did not have the best experience (sound issues being the major one) we had nothing but a good time from our seats.
Support the bandbandband, read the review and since phones weren't allowed in the venue, sneaky vid's are quickly disappearing from youtube so let's just hear some fun tunes from all three bands:
The Tuareg guitar player Bombino is back with Deran his fourth studio record which finds him eschewing modern rock producers to return back to Africa to record primarily in Casablanca. The songs are sung in Tuareg, messages of hope and peace are spread in his unique mixing of rock, eastern, groove and splashes of reggae.
With his band (Illias Mohammed on guitar, Youba Dia on bass, Corey Wilhelm on drums, Hassan Krifa on percussion, and Mohammed Araki on keyboard) he traveses familiar terrain for anyone who has checked out his playing before. Bombino (born Omara Moctar) has his style and on all of his releases it is only the small details that separates things for non Tuareg speaking listeners.
Opener "Imajghane (The Tuareg People)" kicks things off with swirling guitars in the patented Bombino fashion before "Deran Deran Alkheir (Well Wishes)" picks up the pace and adds backing vocals. "Tehigren (The Trees)" is the first excellent track as it begins with Bombinos unique take on reggae before kicking up the tempo into a full dancing groove before ending on a metal riff which hints at a whole new horizon; it is a standout on the record.
"Tenesse (Idleness)" closes out with a guitar solo that is a touch buried behind sounds while "Oulhin (My Heart Burns)" is more upbeat with hand claps and rhythms matching the vocals. The chanting repetitive "Adounia Dagh (This Life)" goes on a bit long but also showcases strong acoustic guitar work before "Adouagh Chegren (At the Top of the Mountain)" closes the album with more acoustic fret work that has a more natural ebb and flow.
The production of this record has been noted as it is the first in a few not to feature an indie rock man behind the boards, but the production is also a muted especially when it comes to drums and rhythm sections. On the excellent AzelDavid Longstreth was able to meld Bombino's style and experimentation with the artists love for Dire Straits, seeming to be a perfect fit where Dan Auerbach's more blues roots style on Nomad was a touch abrasive. Deran feels neither rough or well matched, in production terms it isn't horrendous, just diluted compared to past offerings.
That said, fans of Bombino now have another full length to enjoy. As a site who has been a fan since first catching him back in 2011 this is a major positive. However, if we were guiding newcomers to his sound RtBE would pick out past efforts for them to listen to first.
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Support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:
While it is a touch depressing to think about November when spring is just starting, it is nice to know that The Complete Last Waltz show is scheduled to take place 11/17/18 at the Capital Theater.
Included on the bill are some of RtBE's favorites including Craig Finn from The Hold Steady, Matthew Logan Vasquez, Joe Russo, Marc Benevento,Dap-King horns and a host of others.
This will be a hell of a show and while in past years it was actually held over Thanksgiving weekend, this year it will take place the Saturday before hand. Tickets go onsale Friday at noon with a presale tomorrow.
To get in the mood how about a few clips from the original movie? There is NEVER a bad time for the Last Waltz:
It is of Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks newest album Sparkle Hard.
It is a pretty solid slice of indie rock with jam parts, adult ideas and catchy tunes. While RtBE always enjoys Malkmus work, with both the Jicks and Pavement, falls into the category of, "Oh this is cool...and easily forgotten". The tunes are all good, just not particularly memorable to these ears.
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 Neil Young & Tom Petty playing "Everything Is Broken"
If Bob wasn't the Bard "Everything Is Broken" would just be another tossed off song. However, is anything with Dylan just simply tossed off? Well..yeah...this song certainly feels tossed off to me...sorry. Oh Mercy is a hell of an album, one of Dylan's classics, and this song is fine, it just can't even stand close to any of his all-time gems, not remotely close. One of the reasons I started this cover series was to show how amazing The Bard's songs are in just about anyone's hands, but if the original of this tune was written by Joe Schmo would people think it was great, or is it just the Dylan name that gives it clout?
Cover:
Thoughts on Cover Artist:
Uncle Neil and Cousin Tom, two all time classic artists They have been written about on RtBE multiple times and hold them both in very high regard, especially live...
Thoughts on Cover:
A fun ramshackle live rendition from the Bridge School Benefit in 1989. What is cool is that this is the same year that the tune was released on Oh Mercy. RtBE loves current Dylan covers, as in covering his newest tunes close to their release. Not much to this one, far from an all-time classic take, just getting after it with piano, acoustic guitar and some nice conga drum work.
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...Lionel Richie!
We were at Jazzfest the same day as Lionel Richie this year, but we decided to head back to the quarter before he took the stage. To make up for that we are highlighting him today in our Full Show Friday Series from his 1987 tour.
Pro Shot, Pro Sound, Full Setlist below. Enjoy:
01. Hello 02. All Night Long 03. Running With The Night 04. Truly 05. You Are 06. Three Times A Lady (deleted due to copyright issue) 07. Sail On 08. Say You Say Me 09. Se La 10. Penny Lover 11. Tonight Will Be Alright 12. Dancing On The Ceiling
