(GirlHowdyBand.com, 2010):
“Tammy Faye said with a knowing nod,
‘The higher the hair, the closer to God’
And all I know is if that’s true
I’m already in heaven and enjoying the view
‘Cause I got…
Honky tonk hair – piled way up high
Honky tonk hair – straight up to the sky
Honky tonk hair – the kind that makes ‘em stare
Man sakes alive, no, I can’t behave when I got my beehive”
(Collar City Records, 2010):
Sometimes Swamp Baby sounds like Gram Parsons on quaaludes with the volume turned down to three.
Now, some bands might be pissed off with a comparison like that, but I’m guessing that Swamp Baby isn’t one of them.
And I certainly don’t mean it in any kind of a derogatory sense at all. I like Gram Parsons. And quiet music. And ballads, too. Although you can keep the quaaludes.
PICK OF THE WEEK
The Ed Palermo Big Band. “Eddy Loves Frank” (Cuneiform, 2009) What’s this? Yet another big band tribute to Frank Sinatra? Au contraire. Eddy loves Frank Zappa, and this 17-piece big band blows hot ‘n’ heavy on nuggets like “Let’s Move to Cleveland,” “Regyptian Strut” and “Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing.” Nippertown jazz men Cliff Lyons (alto sax) and John Hines (trumpet) are both onboard, and they fire up a couple of mean, wailing solos on “Echidna’s Arf (Of You).”
ALSO SPINNING
The latest single by Boston-based veteran soul-rocker Barrence Whitfield and his band, the Monkey Hips, features not one, but TWO covers of songs by the late, great Cropseyville rockabilly rebels, Rocky Velvet.
The brand new single – featuring the tunes “Built Like a Rock” and “I Love Her So” – has been pressed in a limited, individually numbered edition of 500 on yellow vinyl by the fine folks at Q Division’s Q-Dee Records. The tracks were produced by Ed Valauskas, and the seven-inch single was released two weeks ago.
(Hi-Fi Sci-Fi, 2010):
On their MySpace page, the Mysteios are right up front about what they do:
“Just be aware that we play rock, we play loud and we only play songs we like. We had a misunderstanding about this not too long ago at Colonie Ctr. and we are now banned from there..as if I give a SHIT. We like beer, rock and people of loose morals who still believe in American values.
LUV,
Mark, Manfred, Moe, Sam & Johnny”
(Proper American, 2010):
The fact that Titan of the Telecaster Bill Kirchen is still better known as a founding member of Commander Cody’s Lost Planet Airmen than he is for his outstanding string of solo albums seems criminal.
The original Lost Planet Airmen were indeed an exquisite combo, but that was so long ago. Meanwhile, Kirchen hasn’t churned out a single clunker since he began his solo career with his ’94 debut “Tombstone Every Mile.”
With “Word to the Wise,” Kirchen has fired up one helluva fine album, chockful of star-power-packing special guests, and if that’s what it takes to get some attention, well, who can blame him?
(Simply 21 Records, 2010):
Marty Wendell is an old-school country music singer-songwriter. The Ticonderoga native recorded his first single, “Hey Hey Mama,” back in 1967. He’s toured with Johnny Cash and recorded at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis.
Over the years, Wendell has explored various facets of his musical roots – from the acoustic folk of “It’s Just Me” to the gospel collection “What I Am Today” – while always remaining true to honest, straight-forward sounds of country.
PICK OF THE WEEK
Leo Ferre. “En Public Au TLP Dejazet” (EPM Musique, 1988) I really have no idea why I bought this exquisite 2-CD set – except for the striking cover photograph of an older, balding, gray-haired man holding his head in his hands as he stands alone in the spotlight. So despite the fact that I’d never heard Ferre – or even heard of him – I purchased the album, and I’m thrilled that I did. On this 33-song live recording from 1988, Ferre sings in French, and for the most part I have no idea what he’s singing about, but I remain entranced. Stylistically, he cuts a wide swath from jazz to music hall, from classical to cabaret music – laced with the strong vein of melancholy. It lands somewhere near the camps of the Belgian great Jacques Brel and Italian iconoclast Paulo Conte.
ALSO SPINNING:
Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim. “The Complete Reprise Recordings” (Concord, 2010) Cool music for a heatwave. Summer personified.
(Blue Note, 2010):
What you have to know about Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes is that they are two world-class jazz pianists. You should also know that they were married to other people with whom they had kids and later divorced. They’ve been married to each other for the past three years.
What’s the album like?
PICK OF THE WEEK
Penguin Cafe Orchestra. “Broadcasting From Home” (Editions EG, 1984): It’s one of my all-time fave go-to soundtracks that I use when I’m trying to ease myself into a serious thinking mode or into some creative corner. And even after all of these years, it still works – an instrumental, classical-folk, trance-like swirl of sounds that sucks me into another place and time.
ALSO SPINNING…
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