POST #200

A quick one today, just to give a list of some interesting new releases, and pass along some music that was recently passed along to me.

First, a look at what's in stores today:

Joan Armatrading - This Charming Life (buy) New one from the legendary British singer. Couldn't they have hired a better designer for the cover? Yeah, I'm an art snob. Deal with it.

Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh (buy) Haven't heard this one yet, but I've long been a fan of hers.

Black Francis - Nonstoperotik (buy) New album from the former Pixie.

Catherine Wheel - Ferment (buy) Re-issue with bonus tracks.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Tender Prey (buy)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Henry's Dream (buy)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Good Son (buy) The newest batch of re-mastered and expanded albums from Mr. Cave & friends. "The Mercy Seat" in 5.1, I'm getting giddy.

Matthew Ryan - Concussion (buy) Re-issue.

Seasick Steve - Man From Another Time (buy) I had never heard of Seasick Steve, until he was mentioned by one Nick Cave a while back. Very cool stuff, if you're unfamiliar try to check him out.

Various Artists - Stax Number Ones (buy) An outstanding collection of classics.

There's also some re-issues from Galaxy 500 (US releases), Thelonius Monk (vinyl), and Sun Ra (vinyl). A good week.



Three bits of music that were just pointed out to me:

The Brooklyn-based band My Pet Dragon have their new single, "Lover In Hiding", available for free download over here. I've heard the name before, but this is my first taste of their music, and I'm liking what I'm hearing.

I recently had a brief e-mail based chat with a guy named Ken, who mentioned that, back in the nineties, he recorded some stuff under the name Brian. So, I checked out his music, and it's damn good. Head over to the MySpace page and give it a listen. "Turn Your Lights On" is a fave.

If you're a fan of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, and who isn't, their new album is being streamed over at NPR. You've not heard of them? Seriously? What rock have you been hiding under? Get over there and listen. Go.

Oh yeah, and I made it to 200 posts. Yehaa, or something like that.

POST #199 (VAN GHOST)

Here's the first ever guest post from friend - o' - the - blog, D. She recently had the opportunity to chat with Michael Harrison Berg of Van Ghost (that's him in the pic, with fellow ghost-er Jen Hartwick), and she has filed this report.

Being introduced to new original music is always exciting and something I enjoy doing very much! I was recently given the opportunity to listen to a new band right from Chicago, IL known as Van Ghost. Their music is classified as a country rock, but if you listen, I think you may find it to be intriguingly different!

When you hear their music; you will discover an original blend of expressive lyrics, beautiful harmonies and incredible instrumentation! They definitely know how to show their talent through their music!

I was also lucky to speak with the lead singer-guitarist, Michael Harrison Berg. Michael is the person who has pulled this talented band together. He has been involved with music most of his life, and has been a part of all aspects of creating and marketing music - he knows what it takes to bring the music and it's inspiration to the people. In earlier days, He began helping friends who were in bands while they were in High School which eventually lead him to setting up gigs all over. He also wrote and played music of his own from time to time, but never really acknowledged that maybe he should try playing in front of an audience or with a band.

Michael combines the sounds of classic rock with original country/folk tunes and the result is remarkable!

He and the rest of the band members are fairly new in the business but are experts when it comes to their music! I was amazed and excited after listening to their first recorded album, Melodies for Lovers. It was released in late July of 2009. This album represents a band that has so much to share with their listeners. Van Ghost includes the lovely vocalist Jennifer Hartswick, guitarist Grant Tye, bassist Klem Hayes, pedal steel guitarist Rocco Labriola and drummer Greg Marsh. They give off great vibes to their fans, which release waves of influential energy that just keeps the listeners coming back for more!

The band recently entered Nashville’s Castle Studios to begin work on a new album. When talking about the wonderful experience that Van Ghost had when recording in Nashville, I was intrigued! Michael discussed the experience of being able to record in a historical place, home to many of the most talented artists. He described the studio sessions as being, “magical - everyone could feel all the positive energy and creativity throughout the sessions." Michael gave me brief details on how great it was having support from producer Justin Niebank, and record company executive Timm Martin.

They plan to return to Castle Studios in April to continue work the new album., tentatively titled Heartbroken On the Wrong Day, A single and video are slated for early this summer.

A musician needs to know exactly how to capture the attention of anyone through the melodies and lyrics of a song, thus creating a connection to each song. Michael and all of the other members from Van Ghost have accomplished this with their musical talent, and have been quite successful. After listening to their debut album, Melodies for Lovers, you can’t help but feel refreshed, and totally inspired, and excited for the new album.

Above: Van Ghost with producer Justin Niebank at The Castle, Nashville, TN.

Of course, I don't want to leave you without music, so here's a couple of tunes to get you going:

Van Ghost - "Summer Promise" From the debut album, Melodies for Lovers. (buy)
Van Ghost - "Telling Stories" Acoustic session from a free podcast, which is available here.

If you like what you hear, there's plenty more over at their official website, and, of course, MySpace.

POST # 198

In new releases today, another week of not much happening. The vinyl re-issues continue to come down the pike. LPs from Black Sabbath, Funkadelic, Galaxy 500, and X are hitting shelves today. And does anyone really need yet another best-of from The Who or Rush?

POST #197

Now go get the original: (buy CD) (buy mp3)


Not a whole lot of new releases today. Tons of vinyl re-issues for those who like those. Classic albums from Dirty Three, The Doors (I think I've mentioned my personal distaste for them before), Jimi Hendrix, Louden Wainwright III, Mazzy Star, and Yes.

That's all for now. I'll be back later with that interview I mentioned last week.

Oh, and let me be the first to wish you a happy St. Patrick's Day.

RIGHT THE STARS

So, I'm making some changes 'round here. Hoping to avoid losing the blog altogether. The first, and most obvious to anyone who's looked, is that all the old files have been removed. The deal now is that, once the post is off the front page, the files will be removed. Yeah, it kinda sucks, but I'm not completely against reposts when requested.

Second, I'm going a bit more legit. I've occasionally worked with bands and reps in the past, but now the bulk of what I put up will be cleared through the proper channels. This means that the posts will likely be fewer and farther between. Hopefully a few of you out there will stick around, and if not, well, I just do this for fun anyway.

This doesn't mean that the rarities are completely going away. I have gotten non-album stuff directly from bands in the past, and hopefully that will continue. Plus I've got some ideas on how to change up the posts a bit in the future.

Also, I've taken on a partner in all this. I've never been a particularly good writer, so when I was recently offered an interview with a band that I'm a fan of, I turned to a friend who's much better at that sort of thing. Her interview will likely be the next post to appear here.



For now, though, here's a track from an LA-based band whose self-titled album was passed along to me a little while ago.

I don't yet know heaps about Right The Stars. Just that they're lead by Rich Jacques, (that's him in the pic up top) and that the song they've allowed me to post (DMCA folks, please read that last statement) is an upbeat, happy, pop song which, for me, was instantly likable.

This track isn't completely representative of their sound, though. The album is far more wide reaching and varied. I don't know if any one track could give you a good feel of their range.

Enough of my banter. Did I mention that I'm not a very good writer? Here's one of their songs:

Right The Stars - "We Got It All" From the album Right The Stars. (buy cd) (buy mp3)

For more info and music samples, you can check out the band's homepage, or their MySpace page.

Oh, and since I'm putting this up on a Tuesday, I might as well have a look at the new releases:

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat the Devil's Tattoo (buy)

Broken Bells - Broken Bells (buy) Broken Bells is Danger Mouse and James Mercer (The Shins). I have yet to dislike anything I've heard from Danger Mouse, so I'm looking forward to this one.

The Chieftains and Ry Cooder - San Patricio (buy) I'm always a fan of The Chieftains, but their collaborations have been a bit hit-or-miss for me, so I'm not sure about this one.

Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks (buy) The follow up to their break-through album, The Midnight Organ Fight (buy). Not quite as instantly catchy, but still a very very good album in its own right.

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (buy)

Ben Harper & Relentless 7 - Live From the Montreux Jazz Festival (buy) CD and DVD combo.

Jimi Hendrix - Valleys of Neptune (buy) New stuff from Hendrix? I wonder if they'll ever find a duet with 2-Pac hiding in some archive somewhere.

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks (buy)

There's also a bunch of Pavement vinyl re-issues to go along with their best of today.

IT AIN'T OVER YET

After that last bit of nonsense, I'm taking it a bit easy for a while. I do have a few things in the works (at least one of which is even legit!) that I'll put up in the near future, but it may not be a once or twice a week thing like it has been.

I'm also seriously considering moving the blog to a different server. Any suggestions for a good (and free) blog site?

As long as I'm posting on a Tuesday, I may as well put up a new release list. Here's the stuff that looks interesting to me today:

Black 47 - Bankers and Gangsters (buy) Haven't heard from them in years, but I liked their early stuff.

Danny Elfman - Alice in Wonderland soundtrack (buy) Elfman scoring for Tim Burton. Who'd a thunk it? There's also a various artist, Almost Alice (buy) disc coming out today, but it looks like crap.

Flogging Molly - Live at the Greek Theater (buy) Double live disc with a DVD.

John Hiatt - The Open Road (buy)

Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back (buy) (buy deluxe) I'm not a big fan of cover albums. In my mind, it's like saying you have no ideas of your own left. But it is Peter Gabriel, so I'll give it a shot.

There's also a little movie called Where The Wild Things Are (buy) coming out today. Maybe you've heard of it?


That's all for now. I'll be back later with some music.