Category: rock

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

You might recall that earlier this month, I wrote about California-born, Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Elijah Ford. Ford has quite the musical pedigree as his father, Marc Ford is a former member of Black Crowes. Interestingly enough, the younger Ford toured with his father’s band Fuzz Machine when he was 17 and a few years later, Elijah’s own recording career started in earnest when he hooked up with Oscar and Grammy-winning artist Ryan Bingham, with whom Elijah Ford recorded and toured with for several years before going solo with the 2011 release of his full-length debut Upon Walking and its follow up, an EP Ashes in 2012.

As We Were, Ford’s forthcoming full-length effort is slated for a September 16, 2016 and as you might remember, the album’s first single “The Way We Were” liberally draws from bluesy and boozy old school work, while possessing a finely crafted feel, thanks in part to a soaring and anthemic hook and a shimmying and shuffling sound reminiscent of The Black Crowes, Elvis Costello and others. As We Were’s latest single “Black and Red” will further cement Ford’s burgeoning reputation for finely crafted and rousingly anthemic songs that draw from 70s and early 80s rock; however, in this particular instance, “Black and Red” is sonically reminiscent of Damn The Torpedoes-era Tom Petty and the aforementioned Elvis Costello but with a novelist’s attention to psychological detail and how it impacts one’s character and in turn their relationships with others.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Quietly emerging from the breakup of The Black Crowes, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood played 50 shows over the course of nine weeks in California before officially releasing material or doing any extensive touring outside of the state. With the release of two critically applauded albums Big Moon Ritual and The Magic Door in 2012 and a staggering 118 date tour to support both efforts, the members of the Chris Robinson Brotherhood also quickly received a rapidly growing national profile — and in fact, many critics and media outlets considered the band one of the contemporary standard bearers of the old-school blues rock/psych rock sound. Plus, let’s not forget that Robinson is one of the most soulful white boys on the face of the earth.

The Chris Robinson Brotherhood’s fourth full-length effort, Anyway You Love, We Know How You Feel is slated for a July 29, 2016 release through Robinson’s own label, Silver Arrow Records. As the story goes, the members of the band relocated to California for the writing and recording sessions in a studio that was according to the members of the band located on the side of a mountain, overlooking the foggy Pacific Ocean — and naturally, the members of the band were inspired by the environs. Along with the change of scenery, the sessions were not only their first with their newest summer Tony Leone, who has worked with Ollabelle and the legendary Levon Helm, Robinson left as much open-ended as possible. Rather than coming into the studio with a finished collection of songs ad he had in the past, he presented his bandmates with rough sketches of songs — maybe a verse and part of a chorus, a chord progression here and there and allowed his bandmates the opportunity to improvise and let their collective muses push the material towards the direction it needed to go. As Robinson mentions in press notes the recording sessions for the album were “an opportunity to see where our expression could take us. For us, when it comes to making records, the looser it gets the better. It’s all about taking our intuition and following it to where our ideas can really manifest themselves. This turned out to be the most spontaneous record I’ve ever been a part of.”

Anyway You Love, We Know How You Feel‘s latest single “California Hymn” manages to mesh elements of county, soul, classic rock, gospel and folk music while sounding as though it was equally inspired by The Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers and others in a loose, shambling and shuffling song that possesses an easy-going pious joy over life’s small and intimate pleasures.

The band will be on tour throughout the next three months. Check out tour dates below.

Tour Dates

July 1 – Quincy, CA – High Sierra Music Festival
July 15 – Charleston, SC – The Music Farm
July 16 – Orlando, FL – The Beacham
July 17 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
July 19 – St. Petersburg, FL – The State Theatre
July 21 – Macon, GA – Cox Capital Theatre
July 22 – Augusta, GA – Sky City
July 23 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
July 24 – Norfolk, VA – The Norva
July 26 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony
July 27 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head Onstage
July 29 – Fairfield, CT – The Warehouse
July 30 – Beverly, MA – The Cabot
July 31 – Plymouth, NH – Flying Monkey
August 5 – Stowe, VT – The Rusty Nail
August 6 – Hartford, CT – Infinity Hall
August 7 – Newton, NJ – The Newton Theatre
August 25 – Arrington, VA – LOCKN’
September 16 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater
September 21 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
September 23 – Pontiac, MI – Crofoot Ballroom
September 25 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
September 26 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
September 29 – Stroudsburg, PA – Sherman Theater
September 30 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
October 1 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
October 2 – Syracuse, NY – Westcott Theatre
October 4 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection
October 6 – Cincinnati, OH – 20th Century Theater
October 7 – Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom
October 8 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note
October 9 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown
October 11 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
October 13 – Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe @ Old National Center
October 14 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
October 15 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
October 16 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom
October 20 – Louisville, KY – Headliner’s Music Hall
October 21 – Charlotte, NC – The Neighborhood Theatre

 

 

 

New Audio by William Ruben Helms

 

In 1967 While the States and the rest of the Western world was in the height of “Flower Power,” “The Age of Aquarius,” and people were out protesting against the Vietnam War and for civil rights for people of people of color, women and the LGBTQ community, Nigeria had descended into a brutal and bloody civil war. Interestingly, the rock scene that developed during three years of bloodshed and destruction helped heal and unite the country, propagate a brand new ideal of the “modern” Nigerian and eventually helped propel Fela Kuti to international stardom.

Earlier this year, Now-Again Records released volume one of a two volume compilation Wake Up You!: The Rise and Fall of Nigerian Rock. A companion book featured research from renowned musicologist Uchenna Ikonne and an incredible array of never-seen photos that will tell the stories of some of Nigeria’s long-forgotten but best rock bands — bands that specialized in a sound that meshed funk, psych rock and rock in a way that was unique and particularly Nigerian, while being remarkably familiar to Western ears. Volume 1’s first single Ify Jerry Krusade’s “Everybody Likes Something Good,” sounded deeply indebted to James Brown, Jefferson Airplane, Booker T and the MGs and others as heavily wah-wah pedaled guitar, soaring organ chords, sinuous and throbbing bass lines, layers of percussion were paired with call and response vocals in a way that seemed to nod towards Fela Kuti’s earliest releases. Volume 2’s first single Waves’ “Wake You Up” is a shaggy, garage rock and psych rock jam that sounds as though it drew from early Rolling Stones, The Who, The Animals and others while managing sounding as though it were the forebear of Pazy and the Black Hippies psychedelic take on Afrobeat and funk.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Eric Krasno is a Grammy-winning guitarist, songwriter and producer, who’s written for and produced an impressive array of artists including Norah Jones, Tedeschi Trucks Band, 50 Cent, Talib Kweli, Aaron Neville, The London Souls, and Allen Stone but he’s probably best known as a co-founder of cult-favored, genre-mashing/genre-defying acts Soulive and Lettuce.  Over the last couple of years, Krasno has developed a reputation as a highly-regarded solo artist — and his solo debut effort was released to critical applause.

Krasno’s forthcoming sophomore effort Blood From A Stone was co-written with Rustic Overtones’ Dave Gutter and features guest spots from Derek Trucks and members of Soulive, Lettuce and The London Souls — but what makes the effort truly interesting is the fact that it marks the first time Krasno takes up vocal duties. Figuratively and literally, Krasno finds his voice on the album and as he explains in press notes “”I’ve been writing songs with vocals for other people for a while. With these songs, we initially wrote them thinking others would sing them, so when I was in the studio with different artists, sometimes I’d introduce one of the tracks and they’d record it, but it wouldn’t necessarily work out. Eventually, I realized it was because I’d written these songs for myself.”

Blood From A Stone‘s swaggering first single “Waiting On Your Love” is a decided departure from the jazz fusion, funk and jam band sound and aesthetic that has caught the attention of jam band, funk and jazz fusion fans for years as the material is reportedly draws from Bobby “Blue” Bland’s Dreamer and Muddy Waters’ Electric Mud as the songs are much more tightly structured. Interestingly, “Waiting On Your Love” is based on an old school 12 bars blues that pairs Krasno’s coolly soulful vocals with enormous power chords, tweeter and woofer rattling boom bap beats, a shuffling and bluesy guitar solo and an anthemic hook in a song that not only possesses an urgent, plaintive need but also manages to sound as though it drew from Eric Clapton, Lenny Kravitz and Steve Miller — but with a slick, modern touch.

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Since their formation back in the 2007, the Atlanta, GA-based quartet The Pinx, currently comprised of Adam McIntyre (vocals, rhythm guitar), Chance McColl (lead guitar), Jonathan Lee (bass) and Dwayne Jones (drums), have developed a reputation across the Southeast for a relentless touring schedule that had the band opening for the likes of Ben Harper and Relentless7 among others, for songs that have appeared during highlights broadcast on ESPN and Fox Sports, and for a sound that draws heavily from The MC5, Cheap Trick, Led Zeppelin, Motorhead and others — or in other words 70s-leaning arena friendly power chord rock.

After a brief hiatus that saw McIntyre’s stint with fellow Atlanta-based band StoneRider during their European tour and a massive lineup change, the band reformed and with a change of songwriting approach and sonic direction. As McIntyre says of the material he wrote that comprised the band’s forthcoming new album, Freedom: “A lot of the stuff I learned about songwriting during my decade in Nashville came back. Not the formulaic bro-country aspect, but folks like Todd Snider and Dan Baird. Smart, funny guys who write songs that reflect themselves well. I wanted some of that to come through. It all has to mix with the rock & roll and the blues and soul and everything, and I put together a band tailor-made to do just that.” McIntyre also adds ““These songs are all true stories. I tried to write concise, simple little rock and roll songs. This is the set I want to play live.”

Freedom‘s latest single “Baby Won’t Ya” is an Southern double fried, whiskey soaked, The Black Crowes-indebted cover of The MC5 that retains the song’s anthemic, power chord-heavy swagger but with a studio sheen that doesn’t clean up the original’s sleazy dive bar feel.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Live Footage: Lenny Kravitz and The Roots Play “Are You Gonna Go My Way”

Last month, The Roots were out in Los Angeles for their tenth annual Roots Jam Sessions — a series of shows that feature the members of The Roots collaborating with an incredibly diverse array of […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Athens, GA-based Quartet Returns After a Name Change With More Raw, Furious Rock

If you had been following JOVM over the course of 2015, you might recall coming across a couple of posts on the Athens, GA-based quartet Pinecones. And although at the time, they were a relatively […]

New Audio by William Ruben Helms

Denver-based post-metal, instrumental trio Cult of the Lost Cause have developed a reputation for compositions that eschew solos and jam-based songs and focuses on dynamic songs that balance a sense of beauty with a muscular insistence — and for songs that can stand up to the live concert experience as you’ll hear on the enormous, cinematic, power-chord  driven “All Those Opposed” off the band’s soon to be released Contritions, which is slated for a February 26 release through Sailor Records. Sonically, the song manages to remind me quite a bit of Irata‘s self titled effort; however, without the psychedelic jazz leanings.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

With the release of their 2012 self-titled debut and its follow up 2014’s Mountain, the Visalia, CA-based quartet Slow Season, comprised of Daniel Rice (vocals, guitar), David Kent (guitar), Hayden Doyel (bass), and Cody Tarbell (drums), the Visalia, CA-based quartet Slow Season quickly developed a regional profile for a bluesy and heavy rock sound that’s heavily indebted to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and others — but without the being soulless mimicry. RidingEasy Records released a remixed and remastered version of their self-titled debut at the end of last year, and while working on their third full-length effort, the Visalia, CA-based quartet released a 7 inch featuring covers of Black Sabbath and Cactus; however, the band released two singles from their debut — the Led Zeppelin “Immigrant Song” channeling guitar line, thundering drums and howled drums of “Heavy” and the slow-burning, bluesy, harmonica-led “Bring It on Home” meets Howlin’ Wolf channeling “DayGlo Sunrise.”

Certainly, if you didn’t know that the band was contemporary, you’d probably think that these two singles were recorded in 1967 and were recently re-discovered by someone who had been digging through the crates of a used record store somewhere.

The band is playing a couple of live dates across Southern California. Check them out below.

LIVE DATES:
02/19 San Diego, CA @ The Merrow  w/ JOY and OVVL
02/20 Visalia, CA @ The Cellar Door  w/ Beastmak
Single Review by William Ruben Helms

While the States and the rest of the Western world was in the height of “Flower Power,” “The Age of Aquarius,” were protesting for civil rights for people of color and women and against the Vietnam War in 1967, Nigeria descended into a bloody civil war. The rock scene that developed during the bloodshed and destruction would eventually help heal and unite the country, propagate a new ideal of the Modern Nigerian, and perhaps most important for us, help propel Fela Kuti to stardom once the conflict ended in 1970.

Wake Up You!, a compilation that Now-Again Records will be releasing as a two volume book with companion CDs and vinyl, featuring research from renowned musicologist Uchenna Ikonne and an incredible array of never-seen photos that will tell the stories of some of Nigeria’s long-forgotten but best rock bands — bands that specialized in a sound that meshed funk, psych rock and rock in a way that was unique and particularly Nigerian, while being remarkably familiar to Western ears. And on Volume 1 single Ify Jerry Krusade’s “Everybody Likes Something Good,” you’ll hear a sound that’s heavily indebted to James Brown, Jefferson Airplane, Booker T and the MGs and several other things as heavily wah-wah pedaled guitar, soaring organ chords, sinuous and throbbing bass lines, layers of percussion are paired with call and response vocals but what also makes this single and the compilation so important is that sonically the material manages to nod towards Fela Kuti’s early releases; so in many ways, this single and the rest of the compilation will likely fill in the gaps for audiophiles everywhere while introducing new listeners to some of the funkiest stuff out of the late 1960s you’d ever hear.

 

 

 

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

Interview: NYU Student Charlotte Sparacino’s Coverage of David Bowie’s “Blackstar” Video Premiere in Williamsburg

Last November, my dear friend C had sent me a Brooklyn Vegan article about a special (and free) screening of a short film for “Blackstar,” the first single and album title track off David Bowie‘s Blackstar, […]

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: David Bowie’s Serious Moonlight/RIP to The Thin White Duke

Some of my earliest, dearest and most profound childhood memories are based around music. As a child, my parents rented David Bowie‘s Serious Moonlight, Talking Heads‘ Stop Making Sense (arguably the best live concert movie ever made) and The […]

New Audio by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Belgian Producer Henri PFR’s House Music Remix of Editors’ “Ocean of Night”

Currently comprised of Tom Smith (vocals, guitar and piano), Russell Leech (bass, synths and backing vocals), Ed Lay (drums, percussion and backing vocals). Justin Lockey (lead guitar) and Elliott Williams (keys, synths, guitars and backing […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Although she’s the daughter of Alan Menken, the pianist and musical theater and film composer famously known for composing the scores of several beloved Disney animated films — including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocahontas and others, the New York-based singer/songwriter and JOVM mainstay artist Anna Rose has developed a growing national profile with the release of her self-titled EP, her full-length debut effort Nomad and her sophomore effort, Behold A Pale Horse. Whereas both her self-titled EP and Nomad were mostly acoustic-leaning singer/songwriter efforts with conversational and confessional lyrics, Behold A Pale Horse was a both a change of sonic direction and a bold, brassy announcement of an artist who finally found her most natural and singular voice. But if there’s one thing that holds all three of those efforts together, it’s the fact that all of them reveal that New York-based singer/songwriter and guitarist as a complicated and interesting woman who kicks ass and takes names, who is strong yet vulnerable, seductive yet innocent, wizened through experience and yet youthful.

Slated for release in 2016, Strays In The Cut EP is the long awaited follow-up  to Behold A Pale Horse and the EP reportedly has the New York-based singer/songwriter pushing her musical and songwriting boundaries. As Anna Rose explains in press notes  “I am very much an album artist and a storyteller, so the idea of scaling it all back to the size of an EP was a challenge in itself. It forced me to look at the songs in a different way, the production, everything. These six songs needed to tell the whole story. The limitations I placed on the length made the process so much more imaginative in every other aspect.” “Start A War,” Strays In The Cut‘s first single possesses a somewhat stripped down, country and blues-leaning arrangement that’s roomy enough for Rose’s unhurried and expressive vocals. It’s a slow-burning and spectral ballad full of lingering ghosts of past relationships and lovers, past resentments and a past that routinely finds a way to poke its way through your present at a random moment. But the song does so with a quiet and understanding acceptance a a subtle sense of regret.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

With the release of his 2013 full-length debut effort to critical acclaim, Ghosts In The Attic, Austin, TX-based indie folk singer/songwriter Reed Turner exploded on to the national map. As a result of the attention on the album, Turner wound up sharing stages with an impressive list of acclaimed artists including Gary Clark, Jr., Mark Broussard, Will Hoge and Jessica Lea Mayfield, among many others — and the album wound up on several “Best Of” lists that year.

After a year of solitude marked by health issues, Turner turned his backyard shed into a makeshift workspace and studio, compelled to create rather than wallow. Along with his backing band, Turner and company wrote and recorded material that would wind up comprising his forthcoming Native Tongue EP live to tape on an old Studer A827, much like  how they did during the Sun Records days.

As you’ll hear on Native Tongue‘s first single and EP opening track “I Got Love” possesses a bluesy, shuffling stomp and swing reminiscent of Johnny Cash, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf   — in particular I think of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” and “Get Rhythm,” Howlin’ Wolf’s “Poor Boy (The London Sessions version),” Muddy Waters’ “Mean Ol’ Frisco Blues,” and Bo Diddley‘s “Who Do You Love” (although George Thorogood‘s version is infinitely better). And much like those songs, it feels as though it could have been recorded around that period, as it possesses the looseness of a band playing at a dirty whiskey bar or an old fashioned honky tonk. But interestingly enough the song balances an old-timey sweetness beneath the stomp and braggadocio; it’s the sort of song you’d can picture couples line dancing, swing dancing or blues dancing late into the night.