Rock Cesario of the Miami Herald makes an interesting point when he asks in The list of great guitar players goes on and on and on  "Would your favourite guitar player also be the best guitar player?" For example I love Keith Richards and Peter Buck but are they "the best" guitar players out there? What is the best anyhow on such a subjective question? Was Hendrix really the best even if in some people’s opinion his songs sucked? The same could be said about Jimmy Page or Link Wray? Or what about all those classical guitar players that most of us have never heard of? All food for thought in a good read. Catch it before the free access inevitably expires.
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I was just asked if I would mind being added to a new music blog directory called Band Weblogs and of course I humbly agreed. Actually, despite the fact that The Rock and Roll Report is on there this is a very cool idea as the number of band and music-related weblogs is rapidly getting out of control and a directory dedicated to them is a great idea. Check it out for all your band and music weblog needs.
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I really have to get my Music News section working again as I have just read that the Buzzcocks are working on a new album. Kewl.
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If you are looking for more reasons as to why I am always recommending CD Baby and why The Rock and Roll Report is a CD Baby affiliate then read CD Baby: A classic jumbo shrimp company. A great company of music fanatics who support those who make the music with a business that just works.
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I know that there are a lot of people that cannot stand the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and what it stands for (the "Disneyfication" of rock and roll) but to me the museum itself is pretty cool and a great way to explore the history of rock and roll which is something that I have always found fascinating. If rock and roll history is something you enjoy and you live in the Cleveland area you might want to check out the Rock Hall’s "Rock and Roll Night School" which is held the 4th Wednesday of every month. According to the Rock Hall:

"Rock and Roll Night School is a monthly series of educational, discussion-based night classes offered free of charge from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. on the 4th Wednesday of each month. Jason Hanley, musicologist and Education Programs Manager at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, will lead classes, which are geared towards adults interested in gaining more knowledge about rock and roll history. The program will explore the history of rock and roll, from its roots to its current incarnations. Special attention will be given to the music’s impact on society, its reception by fans, and its most innovative practitioners. Each class will include a presentation, music and video clips, and group discussions. The January 26 class will take place at Harkness Chapel on the Case Western Reserve University campus."

Sounds like a good enough reason to go to night school for me.

Later.

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As we continue our look at some of the best "best of 2004" lists out there Bruce and his wondeful crew at Not Lame Records has compiled there very own "Best of 2004" lists that you should peruse and use as a helpfull arbiter of good taste. Great label, great choices. Very cool.
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Looking for a new farfisa player? Always wanted a guitarist who used Vox Amps and loved The Cramps? Well you might want to try out Musician Hunter which is billed as "the music industry’s premiere on-line classifieds." This could be the place to find that Robert Plant meets Ric Ocasek vocalist you have been searching for.
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Zunior Records is a very cool Canadian Internet only record label based in Toronto, Ontario started by Dave Ulrich who was formerly of the Inbreds. Zunior is a great record label on a number of fronts. First of all they have a bunch of cool bands like The Feminists, Greenfield Main, Wax Mannequin, The Scribbled Out Man and The Mountainside Band amongst others. Another thing I like about this label is that they are musician oriented in that they charge very little for a band to sell their music through Zunior and yet they are fan friendly in that every release costs only $8.88 CDN with a majority of the price going to the musician. Finally for all you geeks out there they operate on open source software which is pretty cool in my opinion. A good way to get a taste of what the label has to offer is to check out their "Free Download of the Week" or better yet order one of their compilations like the Zunior Rock Collection #1 which is a hell of a deal for $4.44 CDN and the music is great to boot. If you want to support good music then check out Zunior Records and start downloading some sonic fun.
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SHANG HAI: Cloud 19 Catchy yet substantive hard rock in the vein of Def Leppard or Van Halen …

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For_Immediate_Release:

CONTACT: DANIEL HARRINGTON
(615) 292-1337

INDIE MUSIC WEEK RETURNS SPRING 2005!

DaCapo Music has announced that the long awaited event Indie Music Week will return this Spring 2005. Indie Music Week will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, at the beautiful Nashville Marriott hotel the weekend of March 11th -12th. The event, geared toward independent/unsigned artists and bands, will feature an array of well-known record label executives and decision-makers as well as producers, managers, agents and consultants. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet, listen, and ask questions directly to the pace-setters for the music industry about the many important issues facing artists today. In addition to the panels, Indie Music Week will also feature two nights of exclusive Artist Showcases where IMW attendees will have the opportunity to display their talents to the industry at Nashville’s legendary Douglas Corner Café.

DaCapo Music is an established production, publishing, and record company located on Nashville’s historic Music Row. With a state of the art studio on the premises, we provide complete recording services. Owner Jonell Polansky is a noted producer and engineer and has working with artist that have gone on to acquire everything from record label contracts to major film roles. She also has to her credit a song on Tim McGraw’s triple platinum album ‘Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors’.

For more information about Indie Music Week, please visit IndieMusicWeek.org or call 615-292-1337. For more information about Jonell Polansky and DaCapo Music, please visit DacapoMusic.com

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PRESS RELEASE

‘Le Beat Bespoke’ – A Weekend of Sin?

@ The Rocket, London. Easter 2005

Weblink for full programme www.newuntouchables.com

After the huge success of ‘Modstock 2’ in 2004 (also at The Rocket Complex)
which drew visitors from all corners of the globe, there was much positive feedback
and many calls for a potentially similar but hopefully more regular London-based event.
This would, by its very nature, take on board the same quality and diverse demands
of the Modernist and wider Sixties Scene. In addition it should be enhanced with
more imaginative ingredients drawn from various similar areas and scenes to ensure
a top quality ‘Weekend of Sin’, with vintage culture, music, fun and mucho partying
over three days and nights in the music capital of the UK!

We have worked hard to bring you an amazing three-day programme of events, details
of which you will discover as you read on. Firstly, being a ‘live music’ led event, we have
brought together some legendary names, mixed with some international ‘must see’
newer acts, some Scene mainstays, some all-out blisssssstering outfits, and also
some young cutting edge bands that are setting alight the UK ‘live’ scene and music
critics as we speak!

LOVE (WITH ARTHUR LEE) INC FIRST UK SHOW WITH ORIGINAL GUITARIST JOHNNY ECHOLS
CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND (First UK SHOW), YARDBIRDS, NINE BELOW ZERO, FUZZTONES,

FRANK POPP ENSEMBLE, BILLY CHILDISH BUFF MEDWAYS, THE LOONS (WITH MIKE STAX),

NEILS CHILDREN, MASTICA, LONG TALL SHORTY, THEE EXCITERS & GAS MACH 5

A truly eclectic and super line-up of DJ talent from all over the world with three, and at times four,
rooms of quality rare music covering all major aspects of the
Modernist/ Sixties/Psych/Beat/Garage/Soul Funk/RnB/RnR
spectrum with a refreshing perspective. This will give you a chance to check out sounds
from around the globe from many people who you have never have heard play before!
These DJs are prepared to wear out the soles of your dancing shoes from
sunset to sunrise so be sure to bring along a spare pair!

As ever there will be a dedicated ‘Le R&B Room’
and ‘Le Beat Bespoke Room’ (Garage/Beat/Psych/Classics)
for all three nights.

NUTs DJs: Dr Robert, Speed, Pid, Chris Dale, Scott Copeland, Bertie & Steve + Micky (Velvet Illusion), Mark Raison (Shake), Roger Banks, PJ (Dirty Water Club), Liam Watson (Toerag) +

Global Guests: Tony ’Le Tyger’ Sanchez + Mike Stax (USA) Eneida + Lolo (Spain), Frantz (Italy), Stephan Golowka + Frank Popp (Ger).

+ SPECIALIST GUEST CLUB NIGHTS

FRIDAY: ’Le Rockaround Room’ - Hot Rock n Roll from DJ’s Mouse & Cosmic Keith

SATURDAY: ’Where Le Action Is’ - with Gary Crowley & Jim Lahat (BBC Radio London)
+ Paolo Hewitt & Sir Bax (Mono Media).

SUNDAY: Four rooms of clubbing with ’Le Acid Jazz Party’ DJ’s Eddie Piller & Dean Rudland + Guests
*PLUS Manchester’s ‘NEW CENTURY NORTHERN SOUL ALLNIGHTER’ upstairs in Le Main Ballroom,
offering the ‘Cream of Northern Soul’ sounds.

Other weekend highlights include BBC Radio London ‘Live Broadcast’, Pip! Pip! lightshow, Go-Go dancers,
market stalls, movies, expos, ‘Le Beat Bespoke’ Kult Film premier, record dealers and more.

The Rocket is the perfect venue for this event. With a capacity of 1000+, four rooms entertainment + a courtyard and excellent travel links to all areas of the City. The Rocket is on the A1 road with excellent links to the rest of the UK including airports. Cheap accommodation is available through the International Students House opposite Regents Park as well as numerous Bed & Breakfast and small hotels offering good deals in the King’s Cross, Finsbury Park and Russell Square areas plus the Ibis Hotel in nearby Euston. Try:

www.lastminutehotels.com

www.cheaphotels.com

International Student House, 229 Great Portland St, London. W1
(Opp Regents Park) From £12-£33 per person  accom@ish.org Tel 0207 631 8310

So come along and join in the fun. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Rob Bailey & Bazden (Pip! Pip!), New Untouchables 2005

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There are a bunch of analog tape aficionados who are bemoaning the closure of the last factory to manufacture analog recording tape according to Tale of the Tape: Audiophiles Bemoan the End of the Reel (reprinted from the Wall Street Journal). There are those who insist that despite the advantages of digital audio in this day and age, nothing sounds better than analog audio tape. Similar to the arguments that promote the use of tubes in everything from amps to recording consoles, fans of analog tape say that it imparts a warmer sound to the music, something impossible in the digital realm of bits and bytes. It is an argument that will rage on long after the last reel of analog audio tape has been consumed I am sure but one that I am partial to myself.
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One of my fabourite online groups that I subscribe to is the Audities list (archived on Yahoo) and every year the list members compile their "best of" which is always worth reading as there are countless CDs that you may have missed throughout the year that you might want to go and pick up ASAP. So here they are as compiled by list member Mike Bennett with his commentary leading (click on the artist/band name to go to their website, click on the album name to order it):

I had suspected that Brian Wilson would dominate this
year’s poll and that came as no surprise.  After that,
however, I had no clue what would sway the hearts,
minds and ears of all of you in Auditeerland.  139
blue-eyed (and brown, hazel, and so forth) ever lovin’
Auditeers presented their favorites to the list and/or
to me, and this is the consensus that we have reached.
And, if you ask me, it’s ,yet again, another
excellent list of music.

Once again, thanks to everyone who voted.  Getting to
hear from so many people, including people who might
not otherwise post the rest of the year, is part of
what makes doing this so much fun.  - Mike Bennett

1. Brian Wilson - Presents Smile
(1119)

2. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
(591)

3. Eugene Edwards - My Favorite Revolution
   
(587)

4. Green Day - American Idiot (541)

5. Cliff Hillis - Better Living Through Compression
(474)

6. The Finn Brothers - Everyone Is Here
(411)

7. Lolas - Something You Oughta Know (359)

8. Tears For Fears -  Everybody Loves a Happy Ending

(339)

9. AC Newman - Slow Wonder
(327)

10. Dogs Die In Hot Cars - Please Describe Yourself

(302)

11. Keane - Hopes & Fears
(277)

12. Candy Butchers - Hang on Mike
(272)

13. The Rosenbergs - Department School Girl  (265)

14. Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me
(225)

15. Chris Stamey - Travels in the South
(212)

16. Michael Carpenter - Rolling Ball
(210)

17. Adam Marsland - You Don’t Own Me (209)

18. Todd Rundgren - Liars
(206)

19. Spymob - Sitting Around Keeping Score
(203)

20. Elliot Smith - from  a  basement on the  hill
(195)

The Next 30 artists receiving the most votes (i.e.,
the remainder of the Top 50):

21. Wilco (187)

22. (tie) The Arcade Fire (Funeral)
(185)
The Killers
(Hot Fuss
)Ted Leo + Pharmacists

25. Loretta Lynn (184)

26. Diving Comedy (181)

27. David Grahame (177)

28. Jellybricks (174)

29. The Futureheads (173)

30. The Well Wishers (168)

31. John Hoskinson (167)

32. Eytan Mirsky (158)

33. Matthew Sweet (155)

34. Velvet Crush (152)

35. Dungen (141)

36. U2 (136)

37. (tie) Bronco Bullfrog (132)
Trash Can Sinatras

39. Scissor Sisters (129)

40. (tie) The Streets (126)
Silver Sun (126)

42. Seth Swirsky (125)

43. Jamie Hoover & Bill Lloyd (120)

44. Farrah (116)

45. Guided By Voices (115)

46. (tie) The Argument (110)
Elvis Costello & The Imposters

48. Jill Sobule (108)

49. (tie) Fastball (105)
Butch Walker

I highly recommend you join this list if you love rock and roll. Enjoy.
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How do U2 do it? One minute they are pissing you off with the announcement that they will be playing the Grammies (!!!) and then the next minute they announce that the great Kings of Leon are to be their opening band on their upcoming North American tour (tour dates here). Anyhow, if you love the Kings of Leon or just want to know what the fuss is all about then check out this Quicktime video for their new single "Bucket."

"Bucket" (Small)
"Bucket" (Medium)
"Bucket" (Large)

Enjoy.
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Johnny Carson has passed away at the age of 79. While Carson didn’t feature as many bands as say Letterman or Conan O’Brien, Carson reminds me of what some people said of the Beatles in that he was almost universally liked and admired by both parents and their kids. You might not have watched the Tonight show that often but you certainly knew who Johnny Carson was. To me he was one of those rare crossover performers from the ’60s "brat pack" era that managed to stay enjoyably irrelevant. Late night TV was never the same once he left.
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You gotta love Noel Gallagher. I mean he just makes life fun by serving up classic quotes like this one to Nuts magazine (courtesy of the great Classic Rock News Yahoo group) when he commented on why the new Oasis album "Don’t Believe the Truth" will not be a double album since the band had apparently recorded over 66 new songs:

"The album’s finished. We recorded it three times. It’s been a major pain in the arse but it’s come out really good. We were going to do a double album, but we don’t want to give Sony too much ‘cos it’s our last one, so fuck ‘em."

Thanks Noel for keeping things interesting when these days the bland and politically correct sometimes threaten to overwhelm rock and roll. You’re OK in my book. Looking forward to the new album.
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A while back I read about VH1’s plan to creat a "new" Partridge Family TV show and well they have actually done it and it starts airing this weekend. Here you have it, The Partridge Family circa 2005. A pretty goofy idea but at least Lori is still a babe. I hope that the "Danny" actor doesn’t follow in Danny Bonaduce’s real-life footsteps. Have a great weekend everybody.
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Have you just about had it to here with Ashlee Simpson? If so you might be interested in signing the Stop Ashlee Petition that is trying to persuade her record company to stop her from singing live ever again. As of the time of writing this post 120982 people have already signed! I know you’re a cutie hun but it’s time to give it a rest before you hurt yourself.
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If you are looking for some cool, cutting edge music then head over to BandHut for a fascinating and diverse assortment of music to buy and enjoy. Since they are a company focused on "manufacturing and selling CDs from independent music artists" they have a pretty good selection of indie rock stuff that you won’t find anywhere else and all the bands have at least a couple of MP3s that are freely downloadable before you plunk down your hard earned cash. You might want to start with their Rock section to get you going.
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Do you remember Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert TV show? Well according to a piece in RAIN the man behind The Monkees and The Archies is coming back and this time he’s coming to the Web. "Mr. Music" is coming to the Internet and going global so get ready for the hype machine! Despite all of that I’ll still probably check out what he has to offer since I’m a sucker for nostalgia. Hey "I’m a Believer."
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The latest batch of reviews over at Shindig are up and they are essential reading. You can also get the details on how to order the brand new issue of the Shindig Magazine as well as their first compilation CD "We Set The Scene: The Gospel According to Shindig!" All very cool. All very necessary for the true connoisseur of all things rock and roll.
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If you are looking for something to do this year for your vacation then you might want to check out the very cool looking Rock and Roll UK Tour put on by Special Group Tours of Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Covering the four major rock and roll cities of England and Ireland (London, Liverpool, Dublin and Manchester) the Rock and Roll UK Tour is six days of rock and roll history or as they like to call it "from the Beatles to Brit Pop!" Their website has the tentative itinerary and it looks pretty amazing. Now that is what I call a cool summer vacation. To the Jacaranda!
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Are you an unsigned band looking to get on the radio? Are you a music fan looking to listen to some cool unsigned artists? Then Scrub Radio might just be the station where you can get your fix. Describing themselves as "a station dedicated to unsigned artists" Scrub Radio has a pretty varied musical palette as well as live DJs spinning the tunes. Check it out. You may just be hearing the "next big thing."
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The date for the 13th annual  Noise Pop festival has been set. Set aside the week of February 22nd - 27th, 2005 for a festival that promises "music, film, art, drink and more." If you are looking for all kinds of cool and funky indie rock fun then San Francisco is the place you want to be for this incredible musical experience. If you want a taste for what the "noise poppers" are listening to then check out the very cool Noise Pop Mix Tape over at KQED and load up your MP3 player with indie musical goodness.
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I admit it, I am not up on the modern rock scene. I know a few names, Foo Fighters, Get Up Kids… that’s about it. But I know my classics and I know my Cars backwards and forwards in my sleep [25 years of listening to it will do that to ya]. They’ve been one of my favorite since receiving Panorama from my Dad [who also brought the Police into the house] in 1980. And I have though Since You’re Gone is one of the top records of the 80s, oft mentioned in the same breath with Def Leppard’s Photograph and the Replacements’ Can’t Hardly Wait. So I see Not Lame Recordings is putting out a Cars tribute album called The Cars- Tribute: Substitution Mass Confusion AND donating part of the proceed to cancer research in Benjamin Orr’s memory. Contribute to a cause and check something NEW out, cool deal.

Opening the wrapper I am torn. I know no one is going to recreate the layers of keyboards nor Ben Orr’s deep rich voice [just think Just What I Needed] nor Ric Ocasek’s quirky yelp. I just think about that legacy and wonder if the Cars were products of their producers, Roy Thomas Baker [also responsible for Queen’s rise through News of the World, including the over the top A Night At the Opera] and Robert John ‘Mutt’ Lange [best known for Def Leppard, AC/DCs killer trio Highway to Hell, Back In Black and For Those About to Rock, and producing his wife, Shania Twain. I still say he has fiddles playing left over Def Leppard riffs on her albums…]. But I am also excited, knowing that hearing someone else’s interpretation can open up a song a whole lot. Seeing what other people see as the essential part of the song and then adding themselves to it. Sure it’s easier with great material, but it takes stones to try something like this knowing someone can and probably will say ‘You’re ruining my favorite song!’

Three songs in I am wildly pleased… Hello Again with big Led Zeppelin sounding drums and good, not toooo cheesy keyboard parts by the Argument. [And believe me, some of those keyboard parts are cheesy to start with and if not handled right can over-cheese in a hurry… happily this never happens on this album!] Damone tearing through a speeded up Just What I Needed with a female singer that just kicks ass, just the right snarl on the vocals… Jason Faulkner tackling the tricky Touch and Go with a more fleshed out sound than the quirky, almost minimalist original, and it comes of really well, a fantastic take! Butch Walker does a minimalist take of My Best Friends Girl/Magic that proves that Ric Ocasek was just repeating himself all those years [that faker!]. The Millions turn out a rocking You’re All I’ve Got Tonight, complete with phasing all over the place. Owlsey take on the filler track Got A Lot On My Head [side 2 Candy-O] and just rock the snot out of it, equaling Elliot Easton’s off the wall solo and Greg Hawkes bad 60s keyboard fills. Purr Box supercharge Shake It Up much the way the Goops revved up Build Me Up Buttercup on the Mallrats soundtrack.

But it all stops with Chris Von Sneidem’s take of Drive.

The one song I thought could NOT be done, the signature song of the late Ben Orr. Just stop and think about the lush production that frames Orr’s vocals, possibly one of Lange’s best productions, from someone best known for piles of guitars… but undeterred Chris plows in with an acoustic guitar and some nicely layered, deeply backgrounded keyboards [or accordion or vibraphone or something… I still don’t know if I am just imagining these parts. I’ve listened three times, the last time in headphones… it could be guitar harmonics but it sounds similar to whatever he used to produce the solo… GREAT PRODUCTION CHRIS !!!] And with a plain and simple vocal and a guitar and some background noises, Chris pays a great tribute and still manages to make the song his own.

Things kick up again with Johnny Monaco tackling Dangerous Type and nailing Easton’s solo. He also contributes a great impression of the Cars original times in his liner notes: "I think of high school dances, making out at sleepovers, truth or dare, the drive in, kick the can, jean jackets, cherry slupess at 7-Eleven…" to which I add baseball cards with bubble gum inside the packs and riding the bus… The Bravery contribute a true synth pop/New Wave take of It’s All I Can Do that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Iggy Pop’s The Idiot. Gigolo Aunts contribute a minimalist I’m Not the One, lush and ethereal, even mildly psychedelic…The Andersons take my fave Since You’re Gone in a totally different direction, totally ignoring that cross beat click - click - click - clickclick that just totally makes the original for me, but it WORKS! Dum Dog Run knock off a totally metallic/ Husker Du take off of Let’s Go, and THAT works! I’d been waiting to hear Misfit Kid since I saw it on a track listing, one of my favorites from Panorama, and John Auer turns in a minimalist take with the right elements of echo, power guitar and/ or tympani drums all at just the right spots. And he nails Elliot Easton as ‘the secret weapon of the Cars’ and ‘the heavy metal George Harrison.’ The Cautions contribute a cold but powerful Night Spots. And the Daybirds wrap the whole thing up with a version of Good Times Roll that sounds like it was dipped in caramel and is being stretched on a taffy pulling machine, kind of Good Times Roll meets Champagne Supernova… different from the original but not in a bad way.

I am happy to report that all of the artists here kept the basic elements of the songs and added their touches and their perspectives. Again it’s easy to do with good material, but it takes balls to do it. The song selection surprised me a bit: five from the classic The Cars
, six from Candy-O
, two from Candy-O
, three from Shake It Up
, three from Heartbeat City
, two non LP tracks and nothing from the final Door to Door
, which it not a bad record. Someone could have tried the metallic Double Trouble or title cut, the moody Fine Line or the ballad-ish Coming Up You or Wound Up On You… maybe that just leaves songs for the second edition.

I think the summary of the CD is this, taken from the notes by the Daybirds: "When it was all said and done, we had the essence of the original but with new revelence that was in line with the current day experiences. Middle America in the 00s is not the East Coast of the 70s bit the good times still roll around here." AMEN BRUTHA to that.

4 Stars out of five… that’s four big round 55 T Bird headlights in your rear view mirror… check it out!

By Chaz Galupi

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