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Wye Oak, The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs, 2018 on Merge Records
The most recent full length from Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner, on Merge. The Wye Oak was the largest white oak tree in the US until it died in 2002 (at over 460 years old). There is still a Wye Oak State Park in Talbot County. The album was mixed by John Congleton and mastered…
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The Housemartins, The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death, 1987 on Elektra
On this record the Housemartins were Norman Cook, Dave Hemingway, Stan Cullimore, Pete Wingfield, and P.D. (Paul) Heaton. Heaton & Hemingway went on to form The Beautiful South, while Norman Cook went on to form Beats International (and also was Fatboy Slim). The Housemartins were Christian Socialists from Hull (in the UK, not Massachusetts), which…
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Freddie Roach, Brown Sugar, 1964 on Blue Note
Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, with Joe Henderson, Eddie Wright, and Clarence Johnston joining Freddie Roach. As Roach says in the liner notes, describing folks dancing: “I watched that multitude of people pulsing, boiling, melting, looking for all the world like sweet fudge. I thought this is my favorite dessert – Brown Sugar. If only…
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Various Artists, Live Forever: A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver, 2022 on New West Records
Fantastic collection of covers of the original outlaw country troubador. Standouts for me are Miranda Lambert and Margo Price but really all the tracks are wonderful. Produced by Charlie Sexton and Freddy Fletcher. My copy is the limited edition on “Old Chunk of Coal” grey vinyl via Vinyl Me Please.
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Wye Oak, Tween, 2016 on Merge
Baltimore’s Wye Oak (who started as Monarch) are Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner, and get described as either indie-rock-infused folk, or folk-infused indie rock. Either way I like it. Tween collects things recorded between their albums Civilian (2011) and Shriek (2014) though it came out later. Ashley North Compton did the cover (as she did…
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Cowboy Junkies, The Trinity Session, 1988 on RCA
I could have (and would have) sworn this album was called The Trinity Sessions, plural, but I would have been wrong: it’s singular. (The session was recorded at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto). Fair, since it truly is a singular (in the sense of unique / one of a kind) album. It…
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Gary Numan, The Pleasure Principle, 1979 on ATCO/Beggars Banquet
The cover and title echo back to Magritte’s 1937 painting Le Principe du Plaisir. Most people know this album for the track “Cars” but it’s really a more important album than that would suggest. It’s Numan moving away from Tubeway Army, recording as their single “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” was released. Early synth, new wave, electronic…
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Ella Fitzgerald, Misty Blue, 1968 on Capitol
My copy is a pressing on Pickwick/33, “by arrangement with Capitol Records” – not sure what year. (45 Worlds says 1971). These reissues only have 9 tracks where the original Capitol release had 11 – omitted are “I Taught Him Everything He Knows” and “Turn The World Around (The Other Way).” As the liner notes…
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Vegan Austin SXSW
Some great places for vegan food during SXSW. One of my favorites was the Community Vegan food truck, at 1124 E 11th St. in East Austin. Not far from there was a great place for getting bagels in the morning (open at 6:30am!) was Rockstar Bagels, at 1900 Rosewood Ave: Another great food truck area…
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SXSW March 15th, 2024
Started my last day at SXSW with the “Hair of the Three Legged Dog” party sponsored by the Austin Chronicle and name in honor of their canine mascot. I then made my way over to the Community Concerts at Lady Bird Lake, to see Zapp with Bootsy Collins Right as the band finished “I’d Rather…
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SXSW March 14th, 2024
Thursday I started off at the Planetary showcase at Valhalla, with Otto Aday (from Wales): They were followed by Manchester’s Porij who brought an amazing amount of energy to an early afternoon show in a small dark venue Then I headed back over to Mohwak for Floodfest 2024 and switched between indoor and outdoor, starting…
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SXSW March 13th, 2024
I started day three at the Marshall Funhouse, at Parish. Glasgow’s Spyres was not a band I knew before but their set was great, high energy and had the crowd engaged: Following Spyres was Bristol’s Skinny Lister who matched their energy and even raised it a bit, without their usual drummer. Though I’m sure they…
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SXSW March 12th, 2024
On Tuesday I started the night at the High Road Touring SXSW showcase at the Empire Control Room and Garage. Sugadaisy, from Bowling Green, KY, opened the larger outdoor stage and were a pleasant suprise – check them out if you get a chance. The real reason I chose that showcase, though, was Kathleen Edwards,…
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The Story of the Sphere
This was the only actual panel / conference session I went to this year. (I went on vacation to see music, not as a business trip to go to the conference). Having been able to see U2 at the Sphere in Vegas back in October I was very interested in this session, and it was…
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SXSW March 11th, 2024
A few highlights of music I saw on Monday at SXSW in Austin. I tried to find the balance between spending too much time getting video on the phone versus just being there in the moment, but did catch a few videos. Grace Sorensen is an Austin local, doing her first set at Cuatro Gato…
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Justin Townes Earle, Live at Grimey’s, September 4th, 2014, on BMG.
Though it was recorded in 2014, and released in 2015 on Vagrant Records, my copy is the 2023 Record Store Day reissue on BMG – two 45rpm records in blue vinyl. This was recorded the month Single Mothers was being released but also includes songs that would be on Absent Fathers My copy via Newbury…
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M. Ward, The End of Amnesia, 2001 on Future Farmer Recordings
M. Ward’s sophomore album, following up Duet for Guitars #2 – and what a wonderful album it is. My copy is a 20th anniversary reissue on vinyl from Jealous Butcher Records which sounds amazing. Future Farmer did release a vinyl edition in 2009 but this one is remastered by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Mastering. Liner…
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The Time, Pandemonium, 1990 on Paisely Park
This was the fourth full length from Morris Day’s The Time, with Terry Lewis, Jellybean Johnson, Jesse Johnson, Jimmy Jam, Monte Moir, and Jerome Benton (who delivers the mirror). The song “Donald Trump (Black Version)” resurfaced back in 2016 for obvious reasons, but otherwise it’s just a fun funk album about food and sex.