New Music Recommendations

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Shovels and Rope from an exclusive KEXP performance

[Gang Green]

THE RAGGED JUBILEE

"They are like Wu Tang for white kids"- Prestige Worldwide CFO - Ben Wetlesen.


Biography
The Ragged Jubilee is a Six piece Blues/Rock n' Roll band from San Luis Obispo, CA. Embracing the raw sound and energy from classic rock such as Led Zeppelin and The Doors, they have created their own style and passion for anything that gets feet stompin' and bodies moving. Live shows are filled with cutting banjo, a booming bass/rhythm section, and integrated guitar, organ, and percussion. What really makes it a unique experience is the expressive power of lead singer Ethan Burns. His vocals are filled with soulful introspection that you will feel. No show is exactly the same, but the band is always guaranteed to bring relentless energy and musicianship that is impossible to ignore.

theraggedjubilee.com

Holy shit Smitty this Ragged Jubilee kicks ass. I read a review, the singer is a cross between Tom Waits and Jim Morrison, but more more Tom Waits thank god. And, when I downloaded American Moan, Itunes lables the music as Christian and Gospel. I listened, and I all I heard was whiskey and the devil. My kind of religion, thanks for the recommendation.

[LuthierJustin]

Mammifer is a band made up by Faith Coloccia and her husband Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom), they play dark piano and guitar driven music. They have 1 album and 2 splits with one track on them. You can listen to them and download them here.
http://mamiffer.bandcamp.com/

[kendix]

I'm confused. I thought Wu-Tang was for white kids?

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Mammifer is a band made up by Faith Coloccia and her husband Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom), they play dark piano and guitar driven music. They have 1 album and 2 splits with one track on them. You can listen to them and download them here.
http://mamiffer.bandcamp.com/

i am not a big Isis fan, but that Mammifer/Locrian split is pretty great.

[LuthierJustin]

Have you heard Old Man Gloom?
http://oldmangloom.bandcamp.com/

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From Wanda Jackson's new album, Unfinished Business, which comes out on October 9th.

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I saw Mike June open for and perform with Jon Dee Graham at a house concert several weeks ago here in Raleigh. When he did this song it definitely turned some heads. It caught me off guard as well. If you listen I think you'll see where the one particular line I'm referring to could be misinterpreted but not if you're listening closely. Still, it's a pretty fine line to walk in this age of oversensitivity and political correctness. Speaking of Jon Dee, he contributes lap steel to this tune and also gets a well deserved shoutout in the video.

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[Penny Lane]

They're not that new but I just started listening to The Floating Action.

Lo-fi Carolina funk (wikipedia)

(if you're into any of Dean Wareham's projects or Yo La Tengo, you might like)

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Saw these fellas at the Hopscotch Hangover at Slim's in Raleigh back in September. I bought their latest album and love it but it doesn't really do them justice as a live act. This clip is much more representative of how kick ass they are. It probably doesn't hurt that they're evidently performing for some suits from Atlantic Records in this clip.

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The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy is nearly a year old so it's not like it's a new record anymore but this video for "Jules and Jim" is:

The music video for the song Jules and Jim was filmed over the span of several months on location in Arch Cape, Oregon and inside a historic house in Providence, Rhode Island. It gently alludes to the classic French New Wave film of the same name. The video brings you into the dreamlike world of three characters who are both intertwined and isolated and into three different worlds which are also intertwined and yet isolated. The different perspectives of both the three characters and the three worlds seek to evoke the ever changing feelings and roller coaster ride that comes from being a rational being crazy in love - desire, jealousy, security, ecstasy, sadness, beauty and the like, and yet to be able to see clearly outside ones own feelings. The sets are either actual outdoor settings or were composed from organic materials and found objects. The characters were made from found objects, wire, and Sculpey.

The film was directed, animated and edited by Rachel Chaiya Blumberg. This is her second music video. In addition to film making she is also a painter and a musician.

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To my ears this cut is the centerpiece to Kenny Roby's new album Memories and Birds and reminds me a great deal of "The Tough Sell" by the Truckers, not so much in execution but in subject matter. Memories and Birds is out as a limited release of 500 at present but isn't officially going to be released until February 26th. For those that may be interested in scoring a copy you can do so through Roby's website. You can also sample tracks from the record there (up now is "Tired of Being In Love") and a couple more ("Memories and Birds", "Me and the Monkey") at his Bandcamp site.




Considering their Truckers connections I'm surprised this band hasn't been mentioned here before. If they have, my apologies in advance. I first heard of them a few months ago when they shared a bill with some friends of mine at Slim's in Raleigh. Unfortunately, I missed their set but I had it on good authority that they'd be right up my alley. When checking out their merch one of the first things I noticed was a t-shirt they had for sale with "The Dimmer Twins" on it. Little did they seem to know that it's also a moniker the Truckers have latched onto over the years. As for those DBT's connections, aside from their sound (and the t-shirt, which was obviously unintentional), Horsehead hail from Wes Freed territory (Richmond, VA) and this video was shot by Jim Stramel of The Thrillbillys fame. Horsehead were scheduled for a return engagement at Slim's a few weeks ago but had to cancel at the last minute. Hopefully I'll be able to catch them the next time they pass through town. If you're interested in checking out more of their music you can do so here.

[Smitty]

Spooner & David Hood play on this album.

(the new Alicia Keys)

[WoodDuck]

I'm confused. I thought Wu-Tang was for white kids?

Beat me to it.

[scotto]

Opinions, please:
Anyone heard the new Jimmy Cliff and, if so, what do you think?

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Opinions, please:
Anyone heard the new Jimmy Cliff and, if so, what do you think?

I've heard it and would recommend it.

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Just learned of this thanks to Frog Holler's mailing list. I was hoping it meant a new album was on the way but as it turns out, it's a brand new video for a song that comes from their 2009 release, Believe It Or Not, the only album of theirs I don't have in my collection.

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Fans of David Childers and the Modern Don Juans and the Avett Brothers may already be familiar with this band, the Overmountain Men from Charlotte, NC. If not, read (and listen) on. I think this band fits the 3DD musical universe to a t.

Video Premiere: Overmountain Men - "Smoke and Mirrors"
BY DACEY ORR



You may not have heard Overmountain Men’s name, but you’re probably already familiar with the music of a few of the band’s members.

Bob Crawford, the bass player for The Avett Brothers, is on vocals and bass with Charlotte singer-songwriter David Childers on guitar and vocals as well. Rounding out the foursome are percussionist Robert Childers and guitar, banjo, and mandolin player Randy Saxon.

Those aren’t the only four musicians playing on The Next Best Thing, which is out today via Ramseur Records. Overmountain Men is truly a collaboration of some of the most innovative musicians of the Carolinas, featuring guest appearances from a plethora of talented friends.

You can watch Crawford and David Childers perform “Smoke and Mirrors” above. The Next Best Thing is available now on iTunes.

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anyone have some good yodeling recommendations?

[Zip City]

anyone have some good yodeling recommendations?

cunt

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must be some tijuana thing right? that's gotta be the only place cunts whistle.

[Zip City]

must be some tijuana thing right? that's gotta be the only place cunts whistle.

Iceland

[LuthierJustin]

Zip, grow the fuck up

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The Shrine is opening for Graveyard tonight, and they bring the rock pretty mightily...their bio on facebook says it better than i could:

"On the night of November 6th, 1979 Black Sabbath was at their most drug addled and explosive standing. They were on tour supporting their newly released Never Say Die album and had a night off in Los Angeles. After knocking back a few drinks at the infamous Rainbow Bar, they decided to check out the local rock scene at the Whiskey A-Go-Go. Arriving late, they caught the tail end of a set by The Circle Jerks. Feeling intimidated yet inspired, they rented a rehearsal space and spent the rest of the night jamming. For an unknown reason they exclusively played Thin Lizzy material and Keith Moon was sitting in… These events never took place. But if they did, the results may have sounded similar to Los Angeles’s The Shrine. Formed in 2008, The Shrine play a houserocking breed of heavy, psychedelic, riff based Rock n’ Roll. Their debut, recorded on vintage reel-to-reel tape, by local hero Dave O. Jones and under the auspices of the notorious Chuck Dukowski, is the perfect soundtrack to any debaucherous gathering of longhairs. If you and your rag-tag group of riff-raff friends are planning a road trip to Humboldt County to “Score”, this is the album you need to be listening to on the way. The Shrine is Josh Landau on guitar/vocals, Courtland Murphy on bass, and Jeff Murray on Drums. Dig It. "-Harley Rother

[dime in the gutter]

The Shrine is opening for Graveyard tonight, and they bring the rock pretty mightily...their bio on facebook says it better than i could:

"On the night of November 6th, 1979 Black Sabbath was at their most drug addled and explosive standing. They were on tour supporting their newly released Never Say Die album and had a night off in Los Angeles. After knocking back a few drinks at the infamous Rainbow Bar, they decided to check out the local rock scene at the Whiskey A-Go-Go. Arriving late, they caught the tail end of a set by The Circle Jerks. Feeling intimidated yet inspired, they rented a rehearsal space and spent the rest of the night jamming. For an unknown reason they exclusively played Thin Lizzy material and Keith Moon was sitting in… These events never took place. But if they did, the results may have sounded similar to Los Angeles’s The Shrine. Formed in 2008, The Shrine play a houserocking breed of heavy, psychedelic, riff based Rock n’ Roll. Their debut, recorded on vintage reel-to-reel tape, by local hero Dave O. Jones and under the auspices of the notorious Chuck Dukowski, is the perfect soundtrack to any debaucherous gathering of longhairs. If you and your rag-tag group of riff-raff friends are planning a road trip to Humboldt County to “Score”, this is the album you need to be listening to on the way. The Shrine is Josh Landau on guitar/vocals, Courtland Murphy on bass, and Jeff Murray on Drums. Dig It. "-Harley Rother

how can anyone say "no" after reading this?

[Smitty]

Daniel Romano
Come Cry With Me
(Normltown)
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Country music is a genre, of course, but it’s also a geographical location: we expect at least some degree of physical southern roots or innate twang birthright from its ardent preachers, particularly those brave enough to wear a Nudie-inspired suit on stage and sing downright traditional songs in the vein of 40’s Nashville or 50’s Bakersfield: tales of women come and gone – mostly gone, actually – told with a wistful eye through a mouth that’s maybe kissed more bottles of whiskey than babies.

Daniel Romano, hailing not from the south but the great white north – Ontario, to be exact – may not have been raised in the Tennessee countryside or Texas plains, but his knack for broken-hearted trad-county songs that pay tribute to Gram Parsons and Hank Williams is fairly uncanny for someone surrounded more by ice hockey than honky-tonks. Coming from a thin, 27-year old Canadian whose only connection to the genre is from his grandparents (big country radio fans), and who used to play in an indie punk-band, this could all come off as a little eye-roll-inducing if it weren’t so well executed. It’s a fine line between revival and parody, and he walks it well, cowboy boots and all.

And sure, the whole package, down to the vintage-looking album cover, rhinestone suits and cowboy hat could also just read as kitsch: take Jonny Fritz, who, despite lyrics about panty liners, still proves to be an excellent songwriter – and had to lose the Corndawg moniker and embroidered shirts to make anyone actually realize it. Plus, the album title – Come Cry With Me – is perhaps a too literal hint to the fact that, hey, this is about sad, steel guitar weepers and not much more.

Luckily, he’s pretty damn good at those weepers. “Middle Child,” the album’s opener, showcases Romano’s storytelling ability: it’s the tale of his friend, who, as one of three children, was the only one inexplicably put up for adoption. It’s a little heartbreaking when he sings “you sent me off and then you went and had my brother,” his voice never quite reaching faux-southern annunciation but making up for it in nasality. When the chorus kicks in, powered by a smooth, subtle drumline and a fiddle-steel guitar conversation, the power is at its most palpable.

Though 70’s Texan denim-on-denim acts like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt have become more popular inspiration sources of late, Romano reads straight from the playbook of songs like George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today” and Gram Parsons’ “Return of the Grievous Angel.” Take “Two Pillow Sleeper,” a southern break-up song waltz and “Just Between You and Me,” another late-night, slow dance for straw-covered barns about the woes of impossible love, with call and response verses that conjure up Parsons and Emmylou Harris (in style, not in ability). Then there’s “He Let Her Memory Go (Wild)” which, melodically, doesn’t stand out much – aside from the charming barbershop low-notes that Romano hits unexpectedly.

Come Cry With Me is aching for a couple great foot-stompers – the two up-tempo songs on the record, “Chicken Bill” and “When I Was Abroad” are the moments when it’s a little unclear whether or not this is all an exercise in irony. Don’t get me wrong, they’re fun and funny, but sandwiched in the middle of eight tears-in-the-grass numbers, they don’t pull off the fine balance of humor and sadness to a two-step beat that his revered contemporaries could pull off so well. Country music, overtaken with pop renderings, could benefit from more acts just as willing to reinvent “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” or Rodney Crowell’s “She’s Crazy for Leaving” than its weepy balladry.

The album comes to an end with two strong closers: “Just Before the Moment,” and the haunting “A New Love (Can Be Found),” which was recorded live. The latter finds Romano truly showcasing his writing strengths in a piece that could ring as true with or without twang. And that’s how the best country tunes are, anyway. Nudie suits and 10-gallon hats are well and good. But at the end of the day, it’s all for the sake of the song – north or south of the border.

Kinda like Jonny Corndawg, except he's been doing it longer and is serious.

[LuthierJustin]

I can't believe I never heard this band before, Secret Chiefs 3, instrumental rock with middle eastern and Indian influences.

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From the new Eric Burdon album 'Til Your River Runs Dry which dropped this past Tuesday. There's also this article about the new record from Billboard.

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Nice piece on Kacey on NPR's All Things Considered this afternoon that you can listen to here. If you like what you hear there you can check out her new album as part of their First Listen series here. Same Trailer Different Park drops on Tuesday.