Two recent posts on the RNR Report, one on the return of the summer posting schedule [ah, I do wish I had summers off again] and the mix tapes got me thinking about summer songs. And there are a ton that have the word summer in them [proved by a search on Amazon]… a few off the top being Summer in the City by the Lovin’ Spoonful [sorry, still do no think they are RNR Hall of Fame worthy], lots of people doing Summertime from Porgy and Bess, the best rock version being Big Brother and the Holding Company’s version on Cheap Thrills, Summer by War [more on that in a minute], Summer Nights from Grease, Sly and the Family Stone’s Hot Fun in the Summertime… just to name a few.

Anyway, it put me in the reflective mood thinking about how certain songs get associated with summers, especially your summers as a kid. For example, certain songs remind me of summers spent in the state parks of West Virginia when we lived there: Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings, Miracles by Jefferson Starship and Grand Funk doing The Locomotion. And there’s certain songs I associate with summers with my grandparents when I was much younger like Do It Again [remember AM radio?] by Steely Dan, Dead Skunk by Louden Wainwright, Tie A Yellow Ribbon by Tony Orlando and Dawn, Hooked on A Feeling by Blue Suede and a terrible song called Playground in My Mind by Clint Holmes that was an AM hit in Pittsburgh one summer…

There’s also been some stinkers that get played every summer like Summertime, Summertime by the Jamies {I think, you know the onewhere they sing ‘Summer time, summer time, sum sum summer time’ with some thick East Coast acccent} and In The Summertime by Mungo Jerry. Geez what schlock!

Then of course there are the standards for summer like the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean and all those beach and car songs. I submit that a good War ‘Best of’ collection should be essential summer gear. All those great songs that just seem to be a soundtrack to the 1970s summers: Why Can’t We Be Friends, Cisco Kid, Low Rider, Summer, Spill the Wine, All Day Music, City,Country,City… talk about old school jams!

My high school years [1982-1985] are also dotted with classic summer songs like Magic by the Cars, Photograph by Def Leppard, Centerfold [and Love Stinks from the previous summer] by the J Geils Band, Who Can It Be Now by Men at Work, Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield, Cheap Sunglasses by ZZ Top, Tom Sawyer by Rush, Whitesnake’s Slow and Easy, Van Halen’s cover of Pretty Woman, Knocking at Your Back Door by Deep Purple … but those days we were getting into albums. We’d pile into someones car and go running around blasting Van Hal en, Sammy Hagar [pre-Van Hagar: remember Three Lock Box and Standing Hampton?], Led Zeppelin, ZZ, Whitesnake’s Slide It In, Don’t Say No by Billy Squier, the whole Pyromania record, Rebel Yell. Judas Priest’s Defenders of the Faith [Freewheel Burning still gets the old blood pumping!]…

The last summer I remember ’summer music’ was the summer of 87: working in a record store and still young enough to not give a hoot. There were a few hot records that year: Faster Pussycat’s debut, Whitesnake [the one where Coverdale fired John Sykes and hired Adrian Vandenberg and Viv Campbell and they’d do all the Tawny Kitaen videos], Aerosmith’s Permanent Vacation, Metallica’s 5.98 EP of covers, Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet [I still hate it because I heard it so many times], the Cars under-rated Door to Door, Prince’s Sign O the Times, GNR’s Appetite, REM Document, Def Leppard Hysteria, U2 Joshua Tree, Replacements Pleased to Meet Me, Dwight Yoakum’s Hillbilly Deluxe….  what did I do that summer besides drink beer, play sand volleyball and listen to music? Oh, and go to work and listen to more music…

In the years since, sense of summer, other than the hot of Texas, has lost its meaning. There’s very few albums I still associate with summer since: the Smithereens Green Thoughts, Los Lobos Colossal Head, Superchunk’s Foolish… a few years ago I made a Summer Tape; actually I made all the Four Seasons in honor of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons… I just dug it out again to review and there’s not bad stuff: the War, Big Brother, Car Jamming by the Clash, Pulling Mussels from a Shell by Squeeze, White Lies by Jason and the Scorchers, Rockaway Beach by the Ramones, Iggy’s Lust for Life, Pretenders’ Night in My Veins, The Kings great from the summer of 1980 The Beat Goes On/Switching to Glide, Jimmy Buffet’s Livingston Saturday Night, AM Radio by Everclear…

Is there still something about summer we can all remember, days when you had absolutely nothing to do and had all day to do it?  Summer days you’d play sandlot ball and hang out and ride bikes and play and play and play and not have a care in the world?

So next time you catch yourself staring into space in your cubicle or you’re driving home by some kids playing ball or riding bikes that are out for the summer, just kind of ask yourself how long the tape of your summertime memories would have to be and what songs you’d have to put on there…
   

Share This

Just a quick apology for the lack of genuine band and record reviews over the last couple of days. I am in the process of changing day jobs and I have been falling behind on The Rock and Roll Report but hopefully things will settle down once my work situation is set up a bit but hey, it’s summer so you are either outside enjoying the weather or at some steamy club enjoying loud rock and roll. The last thing you should be doing is sitting in front of a computer right?
Later.

Share This

If you ever wanted a good example of acrimony in rock and roll you never had to look any further than Pink Floyd. The infamous Roger Waters split with the band was brutal in its venom and it never really seemed to change in recent years but now the news comes that Waters will rejoin his band mates and Pink Floyd will fly as a cohesive whole once again and I for one say that’s cool. Sure they’re the greatest dinosaur band of all time but perhaps now the legend can be laid to rest with a last memorable performance by the “Dark Side of the Moon” era Pink Floyd in all their progressive rock glory. Now could you imagine if Syd Barret walked onto the stage? OK that would be considered a veritable rock and roll miracle but I will settle for Waters back in the Pink Floyd fold any time. Nice.
Later.

Share This

INDIE NEWS BEAT

June 8, 2005 Edition

* Supporters Urge NYC To Declare CBGB An Official Landmark

* KiraKira Disc Records Releases New Album From Minikon

* Onlinegigs & ICON Magazine Announce Partnership

* Nip, Tuck: Indie-Music.Com Undergoes A Facelift!

* U.S. Label City Canyons Records Goes Down Under

* The Next Melodic Rock Diva

* Music Talent Scouts Sought

* Singer Magazine Becomes Singer & Musician

* WARCON Enterprises Partners With Taste Of Chaos Tour To Release Compilation CDs

* Tunesmith Looking For Amerca’s BEST Uncut Songwriters!

* CSEGames.com - Tailgator 2005 - Independent Music Contest

Supporters Urge NYC To Declare CBGB An Official Landmark

What do Jonathan Demme, Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye, Juliette Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, Tommy Ramone, Charlotte Lesher (mother of the late Joey Ramone), Arturo Vega (artistic director for the Ramones), Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads, Richard Lloyd of Television, Little Steven, Legs McNeill, Richard Hell, Fab 5 Freddy, Seymour Stein of Sire Records, Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys, Bob Gruen, the Bullys, Richard H.D. Manitoba, Dennis McNamara, Daniel Wolff, John Holstrom of Punk Magazine, John Foxworthy of Garage Radio, cultural sociologist Dr. Donna Gaines, Rockefeller University Professor Dr. Sanford Simon, an entrepreneur and survivor of spina bifida, and a teacher in Honolulu all have in common?

They are supporting efforts currently underway to help CBGB & OMFUG stay on the Bowery and are backing a campaign to preserve the club’s legacy with an official New York City landmark designation for 313-315 Bowery. The club currently faces a rent dispute and lease expiration on August 31, 2005.

CBGB’s is already featured as a New York icon and destination location in ads by NYC2012, Continental Airlines, and real estate developments such as Avalon Chrystie Place; club t-shirts have been worn by television stars on shows such as "ER" and "Gilmore Girls."

"CBGB is a treasure of New York culture," says Tommy Ramone, "It was the original magnet that drew people from every corner of America to come to New York and participate in its rebirth."

And, in a statement to Project Save CBGB, Seymour Stein of Sire Records said, "At all costs, CBGB’s must be preserved. It is more than a landmark. CBGB is an international treasure!"

Source:

KiraKira Disc Records Releases New Album From Minikon On June 28th

KiraKira Disc Records is a Florida based label whose goal is to release quality electronic/IDM music with a strong sense of melody. The label’s next release from Minikon, entitled Super Minikon, has been announced for release on June 28th, 2005.

Denty One is at it again with his latest album entitled Super Minikon. The Florida based musician "speaks" volumes with his second advance into the electronic scene and pushes the envelope by offering a small taste of video game romance, tropical island pleasure and unforgettable melodies.

While "Classic" Minikon celebrated the joy of melody and happiness without apology, Super Minikon remembers from whence it came, expands those boundaries and delivers more of an emotive response. As Denty says "I believe this new album will cross over more than the first one did. There is a little something for everyone here." Though his debut album’s vibe is still in check, Super Minikon embodies more lush layers of detail.

Haroumi Hosono (founder of Yellow Magic Orchestra) is a major influence on Denty’s latest musical adventure, and his love for past and current Japanese pop culture also adds to this most entertaining style of music that he has crafted.

Source:

Onlinegigs & ICON Magazine Announce Partnership

Onlinegigs and ICON Magazine are proud to announce a brand new partnership. The two companies will join forces to organize the necessary tools and resources for running an independent music career. The power of the internet and modern database systems now provides equal access to all that seek it out. Both companies have a huge wealth of data and resources that will compliment each other.

Onlinegigs virtually automates the administration of booking and promoting a band or multiple bands. It provides an easy to use, step by step guide to finding booking and promotional opportunities, tracking correspondences, issuing contracts, creating itineraries and generating press releases to the local media in any market in the country. Much of this functionality happens with the click of a button or even automatically. In the past this kind of administration was only achievable with a large staff or an extremely organized team of agents, managers, interns and publicists.

ICON Magazine is an online publication as well as a community and search engine/directory that helps to network, educate, and inform talent and industry professionals in the film, television, and music industries.

Source:

Nip, Tuck: Indie-Music.Com Undergoes A Facelift!

After a nip here and a tuck there, Indie-Music.com is ready for a close-up and kicks off summer 2005 with a facelift! In an effort to provide even more exposure to all Indie-Music.com members and independent artists, the Indie-Music.com home page (http://www.indie-music.com) now prominently features a rotating multimedia artist profile for all annual members who have uploaded their music for public consumption. You told us what you wanted to see ­ and hear ­ and we listened! Indie-Music.com members are producing some of the most vibrant and exciting music in the independent music industry, and we proudly showcase these artists front and center where they belong. Although the home page appearance may have changed, Indie-Music.com still offers the latest news, CD reviews, articles and contact directory updates you know, use and love.

Suzanne Glass, founder and owner of Indie-Music.com, weighs in, "Connecting with our audience is Indie-Music.com’s number one goal, and our new navigation layout makes it easier to access popular areas of the website, thereby allowing fans to quickly access new music, and giving artists faster, more-intuitive access to our DIY and promotional resources."

Over the years, Indie-Music.com has strived to provide one of the largest DIY databases available to musicians, fans and industry veterans, recognizing the need to house as much information, advice, and exposure in one place as possible. Musicians, labels, studios and venues have long recognized our commitment to our audience. We invite all indie rock lovers to visit the site, check out new music and build a buzz with their own material.

Source:

U.S. Label City Canyons Records Goes Down Under

City Canyons’ artists Jen Elliott and Bluestruck, Peter Ulrich (former percussionist of the legendary Dead Can Dance) and Valerian are now being distributed in Australia and New Zealand through an exclusive distribution deal with Indie-CDs.com. Under the arrangement, Indie-CDs.com is providing both online and "brick and mortar" distribution.

"New York label City Canyons is a relatively new kid on the block," said Malcom Fielding of Indie-CDs.com. "But while it may be small, it has high quality titles. We’re really happy that City Canyons has given us Australia/New Zealand distribution for its releases." Fielding also pointed to the "very tight and rocky album of blues based pop ballads" in Elliott’s "The Secret’s Out," the delightful "hard, punchy rock with lyrics with meaning" of Valerian’s "Intimations Of Sorrow" and the mystical journey "that will surprise and please darkwave fans" in Ulrich’s "Enter the Mysterium."

Manhattan-based City Canyons Records released its first album, Elliott’s "The Secret’s Out," in November 2003, followed by UK rocker David Steele’s "Underneath the Ice" and Finnish band Valerian’s "Intimations Of Sorrow" a year later. Since then, the fast-growing indie has expanded its reach across the globe. Through a recent licensing agreement with Music&Words, a record label based in the Netherlands, City Canyons’ latest release, Peter Ulrich’s "Enter the Mysterium," is being distributed throughout Europe.

Source:

The Next Melodic Rock Diva

The era of rock presents, Mandi Perkins, a Canadian female vocalist that has exposed unlimited artistic potential. Many are eagerly anticipating the release of Mandi’s second CD "Broken Window", which will come on the scene in mid-May for the first time in the United States. The magnetic and attractive singer/songwriter has put together her hottest collection of songs to date.

When Mandi Perkins came onto the music scene 3 years ago, no one could have guessed how much success the young woman would have. With request from industry affiliates such as XM Radio and Indie 103.1… the next melodic rock diva is sure to leave her mark as one of the preeminent singer/songwriters of her time.

Mandi is now one of alternative music’s most popular artists, and her unique look and sound have made her a very well respected artist in the independent music industry. Her album goes nationwide May 17, 2005 and more than the distributors can handle have been pre-requested.

Source:

Music Talent Scouts Sought

Individuals seeking alliance with ItsFun.com would be expected to be on the lookout for performers of all kinds of music, songwriters, independent labels and publishers. Suggested places to look for such talent include; night clubs, concerts, festivals, music schools and conservatories, local recitals, churches, new music societies, competitions and public concert halls.

Scouts will be expected to have expertise in one or more genres of music so as to be able to differentiate between the good and the mediocre or even bad. They should also have the ability to articulate to the prospective talent the advantages of putting their music on ItsFun.com for sale to the public.

Each person would devise their own unique approach, but there are some basic pieces of information that should be passed along. Included in that area would be the fact that ItsFun.com generates over 3 million visitors daily, most of them are buyers of music. The site offers sales of individual pieces of music as well as complete CD’s. Payments on sales are made every 30 days.

Source:

Singer Magazine Becomes Singer & Musician

Since it’s inception five year ago, singers and musicians have looked to Singer Magazine for tips that have helped them become better singers and players and more successful songwriters and performers. From product features and reviews of new indie rock artist CDs to new products, stage presentation and business skills Singer Magazine has become a respected resource for over 50,000 independent artists with a passion for turning their talents into a respectable source of income. (Is this number limiting?)

"The legends who have graced our covers‹Ray Charles, Jimmy Buffett, Heart, Al Green, Van Morrison and all the others are musicians as well as singers," said publisher Robert Lindquist. "In Singer, the emphasis has always been on following the passion to have a career in music‹to that end, knowing how to play an instrument is just as important as improving vocal quality, health, and endurance. We were finding, however, that those jazz, folk, country and pop are (need word Americana here and probably jazz shouldn’t be first on the list), who are vocalists but don’t consider themselves singers were missing some very good content. We believe that with the broader title, the publication will be better perceived for what it is‹an artist based publication, that emphasizes all aspects of building a musical career."

"None of what has made Singer Magazine so popular with the independent musician and fans of independent music is going to change," adds managing editor Greg Tutwiler. "We’re just better defining and expanding what we already know has become a valuable resource to so many."

Source:

WARCON Enterprises Partners With Taste Of Chaos Tour To Release Compilation CDs

WARCON Enterprises, the new teen and young adult entertainment venture launched earlier this year by Kevin Lyman (Warped Tour) and Bob Chiappardi (Concrete Marketing), has announced that it is experiencing significant growth in all areas of business operations.

WARCON secured compilation CD rights to this year’s highly-successful Taste of Chaos Tour. Co-President Bob Chiappardi explains, "TOC is a very exciting entity. Creating records under this brand hit right into the pocket that WARCON is all about. It is a perfect marriage."

Created and run by WARCON partner Kevin Lyman, Freeze Artist Management’s John Reese, and CAA’s Darryl Eaton, the Taste of Chaos Tour was this winter’s hottest live event featuring bands like The Used and My Chemical Romance. Expected to sell 100,000 tickets, nearly 200,000 kids attended the 38 dates across US and Canada.

The record will feature bands from this year’s TOC Tour as well as bands that fit into the WARCON/TOC post-hardcore scene. The concept is to stay focused on our audience and to keep delivering lifestyle content, whether music, visual or fashion, that is meaningful to their world.

Source:

Tunesmith Looking For Amerca’s BEST Uncut Songwriters!

TUNESMITH "On the Road" will be at the Clermont Inn, 180 E Main St Batavia, OH May 20-22 thanks to local coordinators, Kenny Hart and Greg Althammer.

Marc Alan Barnette will be putting attendees thru Songwriters Bootcamp WHILE they write a song from scratch in 2 days! Michael Peterson will be there with inspiration and encouragement AND will also be doing an acoustic show Saturday Evening, FREE to Camp Attendees, General public tickets 15.00 at the door. Nan will tell you all about "Team Tunesmith".

Tunesmith plans to visit 12 cities in 12 months and choose a winning song from each location The winning song and songwriter/songwriters will recieve a fully produced demo of the song AND be featured in the Tunesmith Spotlight and the song will be posted on our jukebox. In June 2006 all the winners will come to Nashville for the SUPER Song Write-Off. The Super Song Write-Off Finals will be held at the Wild Horse Saloon and filmed by "The Nashville Show". The winning song will be performed LIVE on The Nashville Show with Ralph Emery and Shotgun Red. The overall winning songs songwriter/songwriters will recieve ONE 10 song fully produced CD.

Source:

CSEGames.com - Tailgator 2005 - Independent Music Contest

Card Sports & Entertainment, Inc. is proud to present "Tailgator 2005", a contest designed to provide international Indie Rock bands a great opportunity to get some extreme exposure.

We are looking for high-energy, exciting songs that will complement the excitement of CSE’s new product releases. We will consider all submissions, but generally looking for music appropriate for sporting events or with a sporty/action/high intensity feel to it.

Here’s what you can win:

Prominent exposure of your band’s tunes on the Card Sports & Entertainment website (CSEGames.com). There, your MP3 tracks will run regularly with captions indicating your band’s name, the song title and a contact link to your band’s website or email address.

The top bands selected by the CSE judges will receive recording time with an engineer at a professional recording studio.

Bands will get the opportunity to appear at future events held by CSE (arrangements will be made for travel as necessary).

Source:

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © Tag It 2005 - Republished with Permission

Share This

In some incredible coincedence Mark seems to have done a piece on the art of the compilation tape (or in my case complitation CD, what can I say I’m only a youngster) which is just what I was about to do!

To quote John Cusack’s character, Rob, in the ace film High Fidelity:

"The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don’t wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules."

However if like me you have hundreds of CD’s, tapes and MP3’s stored on your computer creating a kick-ass compliation of your favourite songs and/or those that describes your thoughts and feelings towards the person making it and putting it onto an 80 minute CD-R, (or 90 minute Sony FX tape if you’re feeling old school) can be a slightly daunting task.

Even more so if you’re trying to be extra clever and try to make a "themed" mix tape/CD. I started a "Pulp Fiction" inspired, concept compilation CD a few weeks ago but (rather unsurprisingly) quickly gave up on the idea.

However there is help at hand for all you budding Rob Gordons! Tiny Mix Tapes is an excellent website where you just email in a request for a compilation and a team of music junkies will instantly make a tracklisting for you, with track name, artist and album. Requests on the site range from the rather sensible (’Marry me mixtape’), to slightly more ‘interesting’ ones ("Why can’t I have a sexy illiness? Why must it be pink eye?")

However if you want to make on yourself and you need a bit of help on the rules of making one, and trust me there are a LOT of rules, then pay a visit to Kempa where submissions for advice on making tapes and CD’s are gladly welcomed. Some people’s entrants on the rules are rather silly but on a whole, it’ll give you a good idea of the Do’s and Dont’s of how to make a CD.

And lastly, as I’m in the sharing mood, here’s the last CD I made for my friend Laura. I was quite proud of it! Although at the risk of being snobbish, the one she did for me paled in comparison!

The Black Amnesias - Hope of the States
Followed the Waves - Auf Der Maur
Island of the Honest Man - Hot Hot Heat
The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash
Jesus Walks - Kanye West
Hammer to the Hornet’s Nest - Twofold
Get Back (Rock remix) - Ludacris/Sum41
Emo - Blink-182
Bleed - Catatonia
Golden Touch - Razorlight
We are nowhere and it’s now - Bright Eyes
Helicopters - Barenaked Ladies
99 Problems - Jay-Z
The Dog Hour - The Fallout Trust
Teenage Lobotomy - The Ramones
It’s Not a Fashion Statement, It’s a Fucking Deathwish - My Chemical Romance
Inside Game - Royal Trux
M. Shepard - Thursday
The same boy you’ve always known - The White Stripes
Wish you were here - Wyclef Jean
Sick Happy - Hell is for Heroes
Piece of Crap - The Futureheads

That’s it for now people.

Peace easy!

Ashley King

Share This

Ear Candy magazine has a great interview with “Smile” expert Domenic Priore on his latest book “Smile: The Story of Brian Wilson’s Lost Masterpiece” which makes for an interesting read. Actually, Ear Candy magazine, an eclectic Internet only rock and roll magazine looks to be a great read over all and since I just discovered them I will have to delve into their virtual pages a little more. Good stuff.
Later.

Share This

Blender Magazine conducts an interesting experiment in which a Blender reporter attempts to survive for one week solely on the products endorsed by musicians in Merchandise Me. Will he live or sacrifice his life for pop culture. Find out the answer today!
Later.

Share This

Legendary garage rock and roll/freakbeat magazine Misty Lane is back with the brand-spanking new issue 19 and accompanying 25 track CD. This issue includes a 20 page feature on U.S. garage bands from the mid-sixties as well as ’77 punk and power pop, the lands of Tropicalia and revisiting ‘80s college/roots rock pioneers the House of Freaks. This latest issue of rock and roll goodness costs only $20.00 USD and you can order it via Paypal direct from Italy. A great read and with the accompanying CD always a great listen as well. Check it out.
Later.

Share This

2005 marks a return of the Mods and Rockers Film Festival after a one year sabbatical and as usual, festival founder and Beatles expert Martin Lewis has put together an interesting bill. Taking place at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood: Tuesday July 5th - Sunday July 17th and at The Aero Theatre in Santa Monica: Friday July 8th - Sunday July 10th, the festival kicks off with a bang on July 5th with a salute to the pioneers of American rock ‘n’ roll movies featuring the double feature of “Rock around the Clock” and Don’t Knock the Rock” with a special appearance by the actual Comets. From there there is a great assortment of the cool, the obscure and the more well known rock and roll flicks featuring a rare showing of Danger: Diabolik, Blow Up, The Million Eyes Of Sumuru, Angel, Angel, Down We Go (a.k.a. Cult Of The Damned), Mary Jane, The Love Machine, Petulia and the outrageous Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humpee And Find True Happiness?. The festival will also be airing “A Hard Day’s Night” in celebration of Ringo Starr’s 65th birthday and the "Directors Cut" version of Woodstock amongst others. Check out the Mods and Rockers website for the full festival listing and showtimes and make the effort to go if you are in the area. It sounds totally boss!
Later.

Share This

Timesunion.com has a great article called Remember mix tapes? Just hit rewind about those great mix tapes we used to make and that are now probably filed away in some box in your garage these days (at least mine are). Thurston Moore has just written what looks like a very cool book called Mix Tape : The Art of Cassette Culture which talks about this lost art. Will CD-Rs ever really replace the mix tape? Are those of us who look back at our TDK cassettes with nostalgia just boring old farts? Probably but if you are looking for the closest thing to time travel play a couple of your old mix tapes (if you still can?) and think back as to what motivated you to put THAT on a tape!
Later.

Share This

THE FUTUREHADS (679 Records)
Ce quatuor nous vient de Sunderland en Angleterre et s’impose de suite avec un premier album jouissif et frais. Les 14 titres de cet album sont TOUS des hit singles en puissance! Pour s’ en convaincre, l’édition limitée de leur opus contient un dvd bonus avec 5 video clips et des extraits de concert. Et là tout deviens évident : les harmonies vocales de XTC, la puissance sonore des Buzzcocks et des Jam. Eux se réclament de Kate Bush, de Queen ou du Fugazi. Peu importe, on tient là un des plus grands groupes anglais du moment.

This quartet comes from Sunderland in England and introduce a premier album that is delightful and fresh. The 14 tracks of this album are all powerful hit singles. To convince us even more, the limited edition of their opus contains a bonus DVD with 5 video clips and some concert extras. Their influences are all there for us to hear: the vocal harmonies of XTC, the sonic power of the Buzzcocks and the Jam. They lay claim to the legacy of Kate Bush, Queen or Fugazi. This band is one of the best English groups of the moment.

THECRASHMODERNS

le premier ep 5 titres de ce groupe New Yorkais, fondé simplement en 2004 et on peut tout de suite dire que l’avenir leur appartient! une power pop efficace et toutes guitares dehors. Produit par leurs ainés et amis The Churchills (nouvel album très bientot)on est plus qu’impatient d’écouter un album à venir on espère très bientôt.

The debut 5 song EP of this New York Group was a low key debut in 2004 and right away we could see that the future belonged to them. Amazingly effective power pop with guitars all over the place. A product that rings of their friendship with The Churchills (new album coming soon!) one is excited to hear more and look forward to another album coming soon.

THE AFTERNOONS “Rocket Summer” (Saturday Records)
Décidemment il se passe toujours quelque chose en Angleterre!!! 3e album de ce sextet. Enorme et agréable surprise pour douze titres d’une Pop lumineuse et immédiatement accessible compte tenu de la qualité des compositions. On a effectivement envie de partir dans la fusée de la prochette pour un voyage enrichi par la musique de Teh Afternoons. Tout simplement beau et attachant.

There is definitely a lot of great music out of England these days! This is the third album from this sextet. These dozen tracks are an amazing and pleasant surprise. Luminescent pop that is immediately accessible because of the quality of the writing. One is envious of boarding this rocket ship for a voyage of great music courtesy of The Afternoons. Quite simply a beautiful and unforgettable album.

THE FOXYMORONS “Hesitation Eyes” (Heatstroke Records)
Jerry James et David Dewese sont les Foxymorons meme si on a l’impression en écoutant leur 3e album que c’est un vrai groupe qui compose Hesitation Eyes. Deux bricoleurs de talent avec 4 mains et plus de deux cerveaux. Une musique à deux facettes : l’une paisible et ligne claire avec les compostions de David Dewese, pop lumineuse et tranquile, l’autre plus déstructurée, plus abrupte avec les morceaux composés par Jerry James. Soit un total un album contrasté et original, beaucoup moins lisse (slick) que pas mal d’album Pop. Cherchez dans l’univers de Pavement pour vous y retrouver. Confirmation surtout d’un duo d’une complémentarité exemplaire.

Jerry James and David Dewese are the Foxymorons but one gets the impression on listening to their third album that only they could have written Hesitation Eyes. Two talented craftsmen with four hands and two brains. It is music with two sides: one calm and clear with the compositions of David Dewese, luminescent, tranquil pop, with the other more disintegrated, more abrupt with the pieces composed by Jerry James. This is an album of contrasts, a lot less slick but not a bad album of pop. Look towards a band like Pavement for an idea of what they have in store. This is all the confirmation one needs that that this is a duo that compliments each other spectacularly.

By Girard Gérard

Share This

THE FUTUREHADS (679 Records)
Ce quatuor nous vient de Sunderland en Angleterre et s’impose de suite avec un premier album jouissif et frais. Les 14 titres de cet album sont TOUS des hit singles en puissance! Pour s’ en convaincre, l’édition limitée de leur opus contient un dvd bonus avec 5 video clips et des extraits de concert. Et là tout deviens évident : les harmonies vocales de XTC, la puissance sonore des Buzzcocks et des Jam. Eux se réclament de Kate Bush, de Queen ou du Fugazi. Peu importe, on tient là un des plus grands groupes anglais du moment.

This quartet comes from Sunderland in England and introduce a premier album that is delightful and fresh. The 14 tracks of this album are all powerful hit singles. To convince us even more, the limited edition of their opus contains a bonus DVD with 5 video clips and some concert extras. Their influences are all there for us to hear: the vocal harmonies of XTC,  the sonic power of the Buzzcocks and the Jam. They lay claim to the legacy of Kate Bush, Queen or Fugazi. This band is one of the best English groups of the moment.

THECRASHMODERNS

le premier ep 5 titres de ce groupe New Yorkais, fondé simplement en 2004 et on peut tout de suite dire que l’avenir leur appartient! une power pop efficace et toutes guitares dehors. Produit par leurs ainés et amis The Churchills (nouvel album très bientot)on est plus qu’impatient d’écouter un album à venir on espère très bientôt.

The debut 5 song EP of this New York Group was a low key debut in 2004 and right away we could see that the future belonged to them. Amazingly effective power pop with guitars all over the place. A product that rings of their friendship with The Churchills (new album coming soon!) one is excited to hear more and look forward to another album coming soon.

THE AFTERNOONS "Rocket Summer" (Saturday Records)
Décidemment il se passe toujours quelque chose en Angleterre!!! 3e album de ce sextet. Enorme et agréable surprise pour douze titres d’une Pop lumineuse et immédiatement accessible compte tenu de la qualité des compositions. On a effectivement envie de partir dans la fusée de la prochette pour un voyage enrichi par la musique de Teh Afternoons. Tout simplement beau et attachant.

There is definitely a lot of great music out of England these days! This is the third album from this sextet. These dozen tracks are an amazing and pleasant surprise. Luminescent pop that is immediately accessible because of the quality of the writing. One is envious of boarding this rocket ship for a voyage of great music courtesy of The Afternoons. Quite simply a beautiful and unforgettable album.

THE FOXYMORONS "Hesitation Eyes" (Heatstroke Records)
Jerry James et David Dewese sont les Foxymorons meme si on a l’impression en écoutant leur 3e album que c’est un vrai groupe qui compose Hesitation Eyes. Deux bricoleurs de talent avec 4 mains et plus de deux cerveaux. Une musique à deux facettes : l’une paisible et ligne claire avec les compostions de David Dewese, pop lumineuse et tranquile, l’autre plus déstructurée, plus abrupte avec les morceaux composés par Jerry James. Soit un total un album contrasté et original, beaucoup moins lisse (slick) que pas mal d’album Pop. Cherchez dans l’univers de Pavement pour vous y retrouver. Confirmation surtout d’un duo d’une complémentarité exemplaire.

Jerry James and David Dewese are the Foxymorons but one gets the impression on listening to their third album that only they could have written Hesitation Eyes. Two talented craftsmen with four hands and two brains. It is music with two sides: one calm and clear with the compositions of David Dewese, luminescent, tranquil pop, with the other more disintegrated, more abrupt with the pieces composed by Jerry James. This is an album of contrasts, a lot less slick but not a bad album of pop. Look towards a band like Pavement for an idea of what they have in store. This is all the confirmation one needs that that this is a duo that compliments each other spectacularly.

By Girard Gérard

Share This

There will be a benefit show on June 11, 2005 in Long Beach, California celebrating the release of "Of Hands and Hearts: Music for the Tsunami Disaster Fund." The lineup and schedule are below. Full details can be found at  http://www.tourdesartistes.com/.

3pm    WORMSTEW
3:20    EUGENE EDWARDS
3:40    DRAMARAMA
4:10    BARRY HOLDSHIP & ROBBIE RIST

4:40   JOHN WICKS

Later.

Share This

Figuring that they stand a better chance at being heard if they are united, 125 American indie rock labels have united and formed an organization called the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) according to CNET. According to the article "they’re hoping to help give indie rock businesses the power their collective market share deserves as the music business is transformed by digital technologies" much like their European counterparts in the Association of Independent Music. A good move in my book. "United we stand, divided we fall" and all those other cliches aside, this is the time for indies to stake their claim to the new realities of the marketplace and hopefully they will thrive while the majors atrophy. At least that’s how I would like to see it!
Later.

Share This

GREYMARKET: Insidious EP Intelligent, melodic power rock with a flair for the dramatic

PAINTED THIN: Still They Die of Heartbreak Political punk rock from members of the Weakerthans, Sixty Stories and b’ehl.

LINDSEY & SEAN: Save the Lemurs MC5 & The Kinks mixed with Leonard Cohen. Could it BE?.

THE ANOREXICS: Ten Empty Curses Like Iggy pop jamming with Sonic Youth, you can even dance to some of it.

THAT RABBIT’S DYN-O-MITE!: Sex and Violence Lush power pop with a dark wit.  If Elliott Smith fronted a punk band, this is what you would have.

Share This

Randy Bachman will be hosting a new show on CBC Radio starting July 2, 2005 called Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap according to I Love Radio (a great source for radio and podcasting news by the way). Consisting of two-hours of music and storytelling it will run for 10 weeks airing at 7:00 pm. Should be an interesting listen.
Later.

Share This

I Love Radio have all the details on the new CBC Radio Podcast initiative in conjunction with New Music Canada. The URL for the podcast is http://www.cbcradio3.com/podcast/. This is an all-Canadian music podcast by the CBC which is podcast-safe. Sounds very cool.
Later.

Share This

A new star-studded group has been formed to save the New York rock and roll landmark CBGB. Called Save CBGB, according to a press release they hope to have the club declared a landmark.

"Project Save CBGB" was organized with the intention to keep CBGB’s on the Bowery, and to preserve it for future generations. We invite you to join us in requesting landmark designation for 313-315 Bowery, under the guidelines established by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

A worthy rock and roll cause in my book. More details can be found here.
Later.

Share This

Coming July 4th is the politically inspired compilation “The Future Soundtrack of America” which includes a bunch of cool stuff from bands like R.E.M., Death Cab for Cutie, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fountains of Wayne, Sleater-Kinney and Tom Waits. The full track listing can be found over at Aversion. Looks like a nice and varied line-up regardless of your personal politics.
Later.

Share This

“American Blood” by Tan Sleeve is an interesting record that really covers a wide swath of rock and roll. Made infamous by their song “Condoleeza Will Lead Us” and the title track, it is hard for me to determine if the lyrics are serious or tongue and cheek but regardless, “American Blood” has some choice tracks including the twisted “American Pie” sounding “When Lindsey Buckingham Shaved His Beard” and the phenomenal “Satisfaction” influenced “Partly Girl, Portly Boy.” Add in the great CSNY meet The Byrds track “Mr. Combover” and you have an amazing parallel rock and roll universe all contained on one CD. You can have a listen over at the Zuzula preview and download page for an idea of what Tan Sleeve have on offer. A phenomenal CD that will have you hitting repeat constantly as you pick up whiffs of rock and roll’s past strewn throughout the 14 tracks. Great stuff.
Later.

Share This

"American Blood" by Tan Sleeve is an interesting record that really covers a wide swath of rock and roll. Made infamous by their song “Condoleeza Will Lead Us” and the title track, it is hard for me to determine if the lyrics are serious or tongue and cheek but regardless, “American Blood” has some choice tracks including the twisted “American Pie” sounding “When Lindsey Buckingham Shaved His Beard” and the phenomenal “Satisfaction” influenced “Partly Girl, Portly Boy.” Add in the great CSNY meet The Byrds track “Mr. Combover” and you have an amazing parallel rock and roll universe all contained on one CD. You can have a listen over at the Zuzula preview and download page for an idea of what Tan Sleeve have on offer. A phenomenal CD that will have you hitting repeat constantly as you pick up whiffs of rock and roll’s past strewn throughout the 14 tracks. Great stuff.
Later.

Share This

If you are excited about the upcoming new White Stripes release "Get Behind Me Satan" you can listen to it for free starting today until the official CD release on June 7, 2005 over at the recently launched Rhapsody 25 website. You will have to download the software and provide a valid e-mail address but it should be worth it.
Later.

Share This

In Meet the Holdouts, author Robert Sandall attempts to answer the question as to why the most influential group in rock and roll is not available on any download service. Read the full account in the current issue of Blender.
Later.

Share This

Steven Ward has embarked on an impressive project over at Rock Critics in his Oral History of Circus Magazine. Circus magazine has particularly fond memories for me as I grew up devouring the pages of the rock mag and I have written about it in the past (Circus Memories) but this oral history is an amazing resource. It is quite surprising to realize that Circus is one of the oldest rock mags still published yet until now no real history has been written about it. A great listen and read.
Later.

MAY 23, 2006 UPDATE! Circus Magazine editor Gerald Rothenberg has just announced that after massive financial losses he is folding Circus Magazine. The end of another rock and roll institutution.

Share This

Next week marks the start of the annual North by Northeast Music Festival in Toronto and as usual the schedule is jam packed with close to 400 bands, a film festival and numerous conferences. An event well worth attending.
Later.

Share This