HAMELL ON TRIAL

To those who know of Hamell On Trial, he's a bit of a legend. All the political fury and fiery rock noise of a punk band, rolled up in one guy and his acoustic guitar. In his own words, "just a little bit of wood, and a little bit of wire. Call up Smokey the Bear, 'cause there's gonna be a fire."

Ed Hamell started out playing in punk bands around New York in the eighties. Eventually, he left the bands behind and ventured into the singer-songwriter arena. Though, his sound is not what is normally associated with that genre. Loud, rapid-fire, with equal parts anger and humor is more his style.

I don't have much in the way of rarities, which is why I'm putting this on a Tuesday, instead of the usual rarities-heavy Friday post, but I wanted to give the guy a bit more hype, since he's another one that I almost never see any press for. And, hey, if you like his music, he's willing to come to your house and play in your living room. (details at his official site)

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Hamell On Trial - "The Meeting" From The Chord is Mightier Than the Sword. (out-of-print)
Hamell On Trial - "Big As Life" Title track to his out-of-print major label debut.
Hamell On Trial - "White Riot / Hitsville UK" (Clash covers) From a Clash tribute given away with an issue of Uncut Magazine.
Hamell On Trial - "I Hate Your Kid" (live at the Sarah Street Grill) Thanks to the completely legal Live Music Archive, which has more than 60 of his shows up for grabs. The officially released version (which is also live) is on Ed's Not Dead.
Hamell On Trial - "Coulter's Snatch" (live at Cafe Lena) I edited part of the intro on this one. There was a lengthy portion where he stepped away from the microphone, and all you had was a minute and a half of silence. If you want the silence back, it's another one from the Archive. The studio version is on Songs for Parents Who Enjoy Drugs.

Last minute addition (just sent to me this morning):
Hamell On Trial - "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" (Bob Dylan cover) From another Uncut Magazine exclusive tribute disc.

Try to find these:

Big As Life, 1996
The Chord is Mightier Than the Sword, 1997
Choochtown, 2000 (buy)
Ed's Not Dead, 2001 (buy) (live)
Yap, 2003 (buy)
Tough Love, 2003 (buy)
Songs for Parents Who Enjoy Drugs, 2006 (buy)
The Terrorism of Everyday Life, 2008 (buy) (live)
Rant and Roll, 2008 (buy cd) (buy deluxe dvd) (live)

Hamell On Tour:

July 17,18,19,25,26 - Capital Fringe Festival, Washington DC
August 28 - Porcupine Mountains Music Fest, Ontonagon, MI
More tour info here.

STEVE EARLE

Steve Earle has lead an interesting life, to put it mildly. He was born in Virginia and raised in various places around the US, though he's most often identified with Texas. He dropped out of school in 9th grade, in order to pursue a career in music.

It took more than ten years for him to become known as a performer - along the way he made a living writing songs for other artists, and he became friends with several other like-minded musicians including Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark.

He also had a heavy drug addiction for many years that nearly ended his career. After taking some time off in the early nineties to clean up, he came back with a vengeance, releasing his most creative, diverse, and fiercely political albums in the years that have followed.

Though he tends to be listed as a country artist, his work varies from folk to bluegrass to rockabilly, to straight-forward rock. I've also seen him referred to as "outlaw country". If you're not familiar with the term, think of it as the country boy's gangsta rap.

I had written him off as just another country act, until I heard "Copperhead Road" in the late eighties. That song lead me to buy the album, where I discovered his style was so much more broad than what I had assumed. Hell, The Pogues are his backing band for one of the tracks on that album.

Here's a batch of songs that you won't find on his albums:

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Steve Earle - "Ellis Unit One" From the Dead Man Walking soundtrack. (buy)
Steve Earle - "Open Your Window" From the Pay It Forward soundtrack. (buy) Not a movie that I would recommend to anyone (even though I'm a fan of Kevin Spacey's work), but the song is good.
Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band - "Copperhead Road" (live) A very different version than the original rocker. Released on "The Mountain" single.
Steve Earle and the Dukes - "Two Girls" (Townes Van Zandt cover) Steve's latest album is a full-length tribute to his friend, Townes, who passed away in 1997. This is an older cut from a various artist tribute called Poet, (buy) which is scheduled to be re-issued in July.
Steve and Justin Earle - "Candy Man" (Mississippi John Hurt cover) From the tribute album Avalon Blues. (buy) Steve recorded this one with his son, who has followed in dad's footsteps and put out several critically acclaimed albums himself.
Steve Earle - "Six Days On the Road" From the Plains, Trains and Automobiles soundtrack.
Steve Earle - "Walking Down Death Row" (Pete Seeger cover) From the tribute album If I Had a Song. (buy)
Steve Earle and the Dukes - "When Will We Be Married?" (live) A traditional song which was made popular in recent years thanks to The Waterboys. Recorded for a BBC broadcast in 1988.

Buy some Steve Earle:

Guitar Town, 1986 (buy remaster)
Exit 0, 1987 (buy)
Copperhead Road, 1988 (buy) (buy remaster)
The Hard Way, 1990 (buy)
Train a Commin', 1995 (buy)
I Feel Alright, 1996 (buy)
El Corazón, 1997 (buy)
The Mountain, 1999 (buy) (with the Del McCoury Band)
Transcendental Blues, 2000 (buy)
Jerusalem, 2002 (buy)
The Revolution Starts Now, 2004 (buy)
Washington Square Serenade, 2007 (buy) (buy deluxe)
Townes, 2009 (buy) (buy deluxe)

Steve is currently touring in the US & Canada, with dates around the world in the fall. Details are on his official site.

In local-ish music news, Joey Arroyo will be performing during an in-store appearance at Hoodlums in Tempe on Saturday. Details at his website, or the Hoodlums website.

WATERBOYS BEAR WITNESS

A quick update. The Waterboys have just posted a video in support of Iranian protesters. Lyrics are from a W. B. Yeats poem. Music by Mike Scott.



UPDATE: I had a couple of people looking for the lyrics. Here they are, direct from The Waterboys website.

LET THE EARTH BEAR WITNESS
words by W.B. Yeats

They shall be remembered for ever
They shall be alive for ever
They shall be speaking for ever
The people shall hear them for ever

Let the sea bear witness
Let the wind bear witness
Let the earth bear witness
Let the stars bear witness!

On an unrelated note -Michael Jackson R.I.P.

I'll be back tomorrow with some fresh goodies.

SEVEN SONG CIRCLE #3

Here's one of the funkiest mixes I've put together. Well, actually, it's split between legendary funk and lesser known alternative.

There was one incredibly funky track that I tried to fit in, but couldn't make it work. I put that one separately at the end of the post, 'cause it's way too good to let go.

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1 Dinosaur Jr. - "Freak Scene"
2 Rick James - "Superfreak"
3 Jude - "Rick James"
4 Big Audio Dynamite - "James Brown" (remix)
5 James Brown - "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine (Part 1)"
6 Funkadelic - "Hit It and Quit It"
7 Mike Watt - "Maggot Brain"

notes:
1 From the album Bug. (buy)
2 From the album Street Songs. (buy) Unrelated trivia: Rick and Neil Young were roommates for a time in the 60's. They were also in a band together called The Myna Birds. They recorded an album, but it remains unreleased to this day.
3 From the tragically underhyped, and out-of-print, album No One is Really Beautiful. Pick it up if you find it.
4 Original version was on Megatop Phoenix, but that's out-of-print. It can be had on some of their best-of's, though. (buy)
5 One of the longest titles ever for a song. Also one of the best songs, though. A longer version of this was released on the album Sex Machine. (buy)
6 From the amazing album Maggot Brain. (buy) In my book, this features the best backing vocals ever. How does this one connect? The last lines of the JB tune the precedes it are "Can I hit it and quit it?" repeated several times.
7 A Funkadelic cover from Ballhog or Tug Boat. How does this one relate to the first track? The amazing 10+ minute guitar solo is performed by J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. (The organ, by the way, is played by Bernie Worrell, who also played it on the original)

I tried like hell to fit in Cee-Lo's song "Closet Freak" (buy) somewhere, but couldn't find a way. I'm giving it to you anyway, 'cause it's a fantastic song.

STRAY CATS

If you lived through the 80's, you already know who the Stray Cats were. Guitarist Brian Setzer started the rockabilly band in 1979 with bassist Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom.

Their first two albums weren't released in the US, but they became sensations in the UK with them. A year later, a compilation of tracks from those first records was issued in their native land, and made them world-wide successes.

After a string of hits in the early eighties, they began a lengthy period of break ups, reformations, side projects, and albums that, as time went on, had less and less critical acclaim and sales. Which is too bad, because their first batch of albums were hot, and their live show was always top notch.

Here's a batch of rarer stuff, to remind you of just how good they were:

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Stray Cats - "Lookin' Better Every Beer" The b-side of "Sexy and 17". Some don't like this one, because of the country tinge. Personally, it's one of my favorites.
Stray Cats - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (Queen cover) Recorded during a session for BBC Radio 1 in 1992.
Stray Cats - "Gonna Be Your Rock" Bonus track on the Japanese version of Let's Go Faster.
Stray Cats - "Looking Out My Backdoor" (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover) B-side of the "Rebels Rule" single.
Stray Cats - "Sixteen Candles" (Crests cover) From the soundtrack to the classic 80's movie of the same name.
Stray Cats - "What's Goin' Down (Cross That Bridge)" Bonus track on the Japanese version of Gonna Ball.
Stray Cats - "I Won't Stand In Your Way" (a capella version) B-side of the "I Won't Stand. . ." single. Original version is on Rant 'n' Rave with the Stray Cats.

Stray Cats discog.:

Stray Cats, 1981 (buy)
Gonna Ball, 1981
Built For Speed, 1982 (compilation of tracks from first 2 albums)
Rant 'n' Rave, 1983 (buy)
Rock Therapy, 1986 (buy)
Blast Off!, 1989 (buy)
Let's Go Faster, 1990
Choo Choo Hot Fish, 1992
Original Cool, 1993
Rumble in Brixton, 2004 (buy) (buy DVD) (live)

CRANES AND CROWS

Another shot at hyping an album that I've really been enjoying as of late.

Cranes and Crows are a band out of Wisconsin, lead by singer - songwriter Paul Brandt. They released their debut album, Blame Winter, early last year. I was impressed by the few songs I heard on various blogs back when it was issued, and have been listening to those throughout the year.

A few weeks ago, I decided to give the album a shot, and I'm glad I did.

I've never been great at adequately describing music, so suffice it to say their sound is a folky singer - songwriter indie sort of thing. The most direct comparison I could make would be to say that they are following in the footsteps of Nick Drake and Paul Kelly - and those are some good footsteps to be in. Beyond that, I'll let the music speak for itself.

If you like what you hear, buy the album. They've got the cd on sale for $5 ($7 with shipping). You can't beat that. Hell, I'm still jobless, and I bought it.

A couple of tracks from Blame Winter (buy)
Cranes and Crows - "Ruins"
Cranes and Crows - "The One About Leaving"

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For more info on Cranes and Crows, head over to their MySpace page, or their label.

DE LA SOUL

Hip hop group De La Soul formed in Long Island, New York in the late eighties, while still in High School.

I mentioned back around Christmas that I'm a fan of their first two albums, thanks to a former co-worker from New York.

They recently announced that they're working on a new album, tentatively titled You're Welcome, scheduled to be released in 2010. I figured I'd use that news as a reason to post a batch of their b-sides and collaborations.

Most of these are from their early days (like, say, the time of their first two albums). Though they do continue to collaborate with many other acts - notably receiving a Grammy for "Feel Good, Inc.", the song they did with Gorillaz. In fact, Gorillaz' Damon Albarn is said to be guesting on the new album.

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De La Soul - "Freedom of Speak (We Got Three Minutes)" From the "Plug Tunin'" single.
De La Soul - "Mack Daddy on the Left" From the "Eye Know" single.
De La Soul - "The Magic Number" (1-2-3 Mix) From the "Buddy" single, remixed track from 3 Feet High. . .
Teenage Fanclub and De La Soul - "Fallin'" From the Judgment Night soundtrack.
De La Soul - "What Yo Life can Truly Be" From the single for "A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays'".
Propellerheads and De La Soul - "360° (Oh Yeah)" From the Prop's album Deckandrumsandrockandroll. (buy)
Queen Latifah with De La Soul - "Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children" From Latifah's album, All Hail the Queen. (buy)

Pay that money down:

3 Feet High and Rising, 1989 (buy)
De La Soul is Dead, 1991 (buy)
Buhloone Mindstate, 1993 (buy)
Stakes is High, 1996 (buy)
Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump, 2000 (buy)
AOI: Bionix, 2001
The Grind Date, 2004 (buy)
The Impossible: Mission TV Series, Pt. 1, 2006 (buy) (rarities compilation)

MARK CURRY

No, I'm not posting on the hip hop guy. No, it's not about the comedian, either.

Californian musician Mark Curry should be far better known than he is. I'm guessing the majority of people who drop by this blog will be completely unfamiliar with him, though he's been releasing albums for closing in on 20 years. Those lucky few that do know him, probably heard of him through his association with NOFX's El Hefe (they were in a band together).

I can't even say that he's critically acclaimed, since I don't believe I've ever seen a review of his work anywhere. That's a shame.

I've been a fan of Mark's since getting a promo of his first album, It's Only Time, when I was still at the record store. That one and it's follow up, Let the Wretched Come Home, have been played more times than I can count over the years. I followed his career as best I could, but as I mentioned, he doesn't seem to get enough press, so I have missed a few releases along the way, and have yet to see him live.

So what does he sound like, you ask? A mix of heavy edged folk, rock and blues . . . with a whole lot of curse words thrown in. Trust me on this one, if you like much of the bands I post here, give him a try. You won't regret it.

Though, once you get a taste, you're going to want to get more. That's when you'll find out how hard it is to get most of his releases.

Even though the first couple of them were on a major label (Virgin), the label seemed to put no push behind them, so they didn't sell well. As a result, they're long out of print. If you find his early albums used, you might be able to get them on the cheap.

I'm putting up a bunch of his album cuts this time (something I usually avoid), because they're officially out of print, and I really want people to have the opportunity to hear him.

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Some selections from It's Only Time:
Mark Curry - "All Over Me"
Mark Curry - "Gone Swimming"
Mark Curry - "Blow Me Down"

A few from Let the Wretched Come Home:
Mark Curry - "Cigarette Burns"
Mark Curry - "It's Just That I"
Mark Curry - "High Above the River"

I don't want to put up songs from the ones that are in print, but you can hear some tracks from those at his MySpace page.

Mark Curry discography (get 'em if you can find 'em):

It's Only Time, 1992
Let the Wretched Come Home, 1994
Down In My Alley, 1997 (as The Mark Curry Tenpin Trio)
Find a Friend, 1999 (ep)
Dozen Lies, 2004 (buy) (as Hell's House Band feat. El Hefe)
Front St., 2008 (buy mp3) (ep)

I'm pretty sure there's more that I'm still unaware of. Feel free to send me additions.

THE GUGGENHEIM GROTTO LIVE

I did a post on Irish band The Guggenheim Grotto a few months back. Since then they've toured the States (but not my state), gone back home, and come back again.

I recently stumbled upon a live recording done for the folks over at NPR while they were over here, and figured I'd put it up here for all to enjoy. While I'm at it, I'm putting up a collection of other radio sessions they did for their first album.

Most of these are from streaming audio, so don't expect perfection.

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These first four are from the recent NPR show. An acoustic set with just Kevin and Mick, recorded in April. The original version of the first track is from the Tigers ep, the rest are on Happy the Man.
The Guggenheim Grotto - "The Universe is Laughing"
The Guggenheim Grotto - "Her Beautiful Ideas"
The Guggenheim Grotto - "Lost Forever And"
The Guggenheim Grotto - "Just Not Just"

Some tracks from a KCRW session done in London in 2006, with the full band (4 guys, at the time). The first two tracks are from the Lifetime in Heat ep, the third was unreleased at the time, but after some electronic influences were added, wound up as a single from Happy the Man.
The Guggenheim Grotto - "A Tear Isn't Such a Bad Thing"
The Guggenheim Grotto - "A Lifetime In Heat"
The Guggenheim Grotto - "Her Beautiful Ideas"

Some older acoustic sessions, from the touring promoting Waltzing Alone:
The Guggenheim Grotto - "I Think I Love You" (World Cafe, Sept. 06)
The Guggenheim Grotto - "Told You So" (World Cafe Sept. 06)
The Guggenheim Grotto - "Philosophia" (FLRT radio session May 06)
The Guggenheim Grotto - "Wonderful Wizard" (Arden Session, date unknown)

Listen to the full KCRW session here. Listen to the full World Cafe session here.

Get there music here:

A Lifetime in Heat, 2004 (get free mp3) (ep)
. . . Waltzing Alone, 2005 (buy cd) (buy mp3)
Told You So, 2007 (buy mp3) (ep)
Tigers, 2008 (buy mp3) (ep)
Happy the Man, 2008 (buy cd) (buy mp3)

They're touring The States again, and again they're not hitting my state:

June 06 Norfolk, CT Infinity Hall
June 07 Elmer, NJ Appel Farms Arts & Music Centre
June 09 Exton, PA Eagleview Concert in the Square
June 10 Bearsville, NY Bearsville Theater
June 11 Albany, NY The Linda
June 12 Chester, NY Bodles Opera House
June 13 Staten Island, NY House Concert
June 14 Larchmont, NY Watercolor Cafe
June 17 Portland, ME One Longfellow Square
June 19 Detroit, MI The Whitney Restaurant
June 21 Detroit, MI River Days Festival
June 24 Louisville, KY WFPK's Waterfront Wednesday
June 30 New York, NY The Living Room
July 01 Vienna, VA Jammin Java
July 02 Baltimore, MD WTMD First Thursday Concert
July 09 Easton, MD NightCat
July 10 Greensburg, PA St Clari Park Amph.
July 11 Oxford, MI Karen Joy Theatre at Upland Hills
July 12 Ann Arbor, MI Black Crystal Cafe
July 14 Evanston, IL S.P.A.C.E.
July 17 Red Bank, NJ Riverside Gardens Park

Check out their Myspace page, or their official home page for details.

SEVEN SONG CIRCLE #2

Not exactly a huge response to the first circle I posted last week. No big deal. I'm just posting 'em for the fun of it.

Most people don't comment when they drop by anyway, even if they do like the music. That's never bothered me much. I'm a pretty shy person by nature, too. It's rare I comment on any of the blogs I frequent.

Anyway, whether you like it or not, here's number two:

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1 Tom Jones - "A Girl Like You"
2 Tom Jones - "I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor" (live)
3 Arctic Monkeys - "Diamonds Are Forever" (live)
4 Propellerheads with Miss Shirley Bassey - "History Repeating"
5 Pearl Jam with Neil and Tim Finn - "History Never Repeats" (live)
6 Mookie Blaylock - "Just a Girl" (demo)
7 The Smithereens - "A Girl Like You" (Strip Club Version)

notes:
1 A Wolfgang Press cover from the out-of-print album The Lead and How To Swing It, which also features a fantastic Rise Robots Rise cover.
2 Arctic Monkeys cover recorded at the Princess Diana tribute concert. (buy)
3 Shirley Bassey cover recorded at Glastonbury in 2007.
4 From Decksandrumsnadrockandroll. (buy)
5 Split Ends cover (with 2 of them guesting) released on one of PJ's Ten Club singles. (join)
6 Mookie was Pearl Jam before they took their more famous name. A re-mastered version of this is on the new Ten. (buy) (buy w/DVD) (buy w/vinyl) This copy is from a much lower quality bootleg. (And, yes, I did pay the money for the official high quality re-issue - it's worth it.)
7 Originally issued as a b-side (then titled "A Girl Like You: Part Two"), and later on the now out-of-print compilation Attack of The Smithereens.

Hey, I actually fit in a bunch of rarer stuff this time around. Yeah me.