A NEW YEAR AHEAD

Hello everyone who reads this, which by the comments I get are me and my brother on occasion.

Starting in January I am going to get back into the swing of things and posting a lot more.

Music, movies, and any other thing I can think of.

If anyone else happens to be checking this blog out, please let me know what you think.

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year.

Later

SHOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTT!!!!!!!!!!

SHOUT OUT LOUDS - OUR ILL WILLS



This is a pretty damn good pop record. It has a bit of a different sound than their first one, a bit more polished. It has a an early CURE sound to it, but not as depressing. There is also Peter, Bjorn & John's fingerprints throughout the album, whether in production or just their influence in the sound of the songs.

Songs such as "Tonight I Have To Leave It", "Your Parent's Living Room", "South America" and "Meat Is Murder" highlight this group of tunes.

The SHOUT OUT LOUDS have crammed this album full of really good pop songs that get in your head, rattle around and camp out there for a while. These are definitely songs you want stuck in your head.

PRETTY DAMN GOOD I MUST SAY

Je Suis France - The Drunken Unicorn - 7-14-07



Saturday night I attended a show at the Drunken Unicorn in Atlanta. I had never been there before and was impressed, it was a very good room to showcase bands. It was just big enough to still be intimate without feeling like you were jammed into a sardine can, but enough about the venue, on to the show.

There were three bands playing, but the main reason I was there was to check out Athens, GA's own JE SUIS FRANCE. They were crammed into the middle between BRASS CASTLE and the RUMP POSSE. I saw a little of BRASS CASTLE, two guys, a guitar and a drum set, not bad, but I spent most of their set in the bar as for the RUMP POSSE, not much to say about them. Then the FRANCE hit the stage. It was the first show they had all played together in a while, and it was the first show of the tour, and they had limited rehearsal, and they were all tired, but they KICKED ASS. Seven guys were all crammed onto a stage that was clearly made for no more than 4 yet they moved as one living thing, switching guitars, moving to mics, changing drummers and keyboard players without stepping on feet or knocking over each other. With the exception of one mix up and blowing the bass amp the set was flawless. They sounded tight, as if they had been playing together for months.

They only played for 45 minutes but boy was it a good 45 minutes. They had a good mix of older material with stuff off of their new record. It was good hearing "Memorial Day", "California Rules" and "Fantastic Area" and "Ice Age". The new stuff sounded good live, "That Don't Work That Well For Us", "Whalebone" and "California Still Rules". "Whalebone" may have been the best song of the night, it was pretty damn incredible live. DJ Hammond totally kicked the keyboards ass while singing in almost perfect unison with Jeff Griggs who never once put down his Miller High Life. The multiple guitarists throughout the show, Darkenss, Ice, Crog, DJ and the others played together as one monster guitar unit which really slammed your ears, I knew I should have brought my ear plugs. They finished the show with a scaled down version of their ever present instrumental "Sufficiently Breakfast". While not the 15+ minute version that runs the gamut of musical genres, it still packed a nice punch. People were dancing, high-fiving and having an all around good time while they ran through the final tune.

This show was pretty damn good for their opening night, hell it was pretty damn good for any night. I was a little disappointed they didn't play a cover song which they usually mix into their set but I will survive. I would suggest you check them out live if you get the chance. They are playing 8 shows in 7 nights, traveling from GA to the north east to KY and back to GA where they will end the tour with a slammin show at the Caledonia Lounge in Athens, GA on July 21st.

Check out their web site, www.jesuisfrance.com , their myspace page, http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=19142528 , or their record label page, http://www.antennafarmrecords.com/2.0/index.htm for more info on the tour and their new album AFRIKAN MAJIK. You can also google them, there are quite a few reviews and blog articles about the band and their new record.

Later.

SIX PACK...DRINK UP

1. WHITE STRIPES - ICKY THUMP

After their last album I did not have high hopes for this one. I was pleasantly surprised when I played this record cause it kicks major grizzly bear ass. By adding other instruments you would not expect on a WS album they have changed their sound yet still kept their bad assnes in tact. Who would have thought bag pipes, horns, organs etc mixed with the bare bones rock of the stripes would equal one hell of an album. The song "Conquest" is freakin' AWESOME!

2. JOHN DOE - A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS

Pretty good record, nice to listen to, has a bite to it. His last couple of records were getting real mellow, but JD's edge is back with this one. It is a very nice listen when you want to chill out, or your sitting back sucking down a couple of brews. Another solid effort from the man from X.

3. MUTE MATH - MUTE MATH

I heard the song "Typical" for the first time. It was one of those songs that at first you are thinking eh, it's ok, but then as the song rolls to a climax, the pace picks up, it gets louder, stronger, really starts to kick ass. The rest of the album isn't as good as this song, bu tit is a nice listen. Check out the video for "Typical", it is pretty cool.

4. VELVET REVOLVER - LIBERTAD

AHHHH PURE ASS KICKIN' ROCK. I think this record may be better than the first one. The boys bring that good ol rock n roll swagger back to the forefront where it should be. They kick your ears in with good ol fashioned guitar rock n roll. HELL YEAH!

5. TI - TI vs TIP

I never really listened to TI. Then I heard "You Know What It Is", good tune. So of course I checked out his new record, and I am hooked. I usually listen to old rap with a few new guys every so often, but TI is definitely the real deal. His lyrics are really good and they are over some sweet beats. Glad I heard this track.

6. RYAN ADAMS - EASY TIGER

Not bad, not bad, Ryan has put out another solid album. When I first listened to it I was not sold on this record, but then I played it a few times the other day and it is growing on me. Very good lyrics, and it is not as countryfied as I originally had thought. It is not as good as Cold Roses but definitely is much better than Jacksonville City Nights or 29.

A SPOON FULL OF YUMMY GOODNESS

SPOON - GA GA GA GA GA

I remember my first SPOON record, I was working in a music store and scored a promo copy of A SERIES OF SNEAKS......oh yeah, I was hooked on the sweet sounds of the Austin, TX band from that day on.

Then when they released KILL THE MOONLIGHT, I knew this was one of the best records I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.

I now have heard the record that out does their effort on KTM. GA GA GA GA GA may be the perfect Spoon record. This is one of those rare once every so often records where you can listen to the entire album and truly dig every track. No filler here, no throw ins, just 100% pure sweet Spoon music.

This album kicks off with a great song in "Don't Make Me A Target". It is a light catchy pop tune that really sticks in your head. The best of the record has to be "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb", a very 60ish pop tune with a catchy hook and snappy lyrics, "The Underdog", which could be the best song on the record, and "Black Like Me", a mellow. These tracks kick major heiney.

Unlike a lot of albums, where the best songs are loaded at the front and the further you get into the record the worse the tracks get, Spoon put GA together where the four best tracks of the album are dispersed throughout the record and hold everything else together. So after your hear "Cherry Bomb" you have a few pleasing tunes to partake in while your ears await the the auditory pleasure of "The Underdog".

I have been listening to this record as mush as I can, and the more I listen to it the more I like it. The boy is a big fan, he grooves to the music, bobbing and weaving and shaking his head to the rhythm. GA GA GA GA GA could be one of the best albums of 2007, take that to the bank.

CHATTAHOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN

On Friday June 22nd I attended one of the ass kickinest rock shows I have ever been to, and I have been to quite a few. I am a huge Drivin N Cryin fan and have been attending their shows since 1988. I will admit that over the past few years, the few times they have played they have been OK, nothing great, but not bad. I think it was mainly due to the deterioration of Kevn Kinney's voice and the band doing so few shows they just did not sound tight, at least not like a band that had been playing together day in and day out.

Forget all that mess, Friday night they came out and kicked the shit out of one hell of a set of rock and roll music. Kevn had a procedure done to take care of some health issues with his throat, and he sounded like he did back in 1988. On top of that the band was tight as tight can be and played one of the best sets I have seen them play. Kevn's guitar play was spectacular, Jeff Sullivan's drumming was out of site, Tim and Mac brought their best and Joey on keyboards topped everything off. They operated as one well oiled ass kickin' machine.

The set list was great too. Kicking off with a slammin' version of "Blues On Top Of Blues" and closing it all out with one of the best renditions of "Rockin' In The Free World" I have ever heard, while slipping "This Land Is Our Land" into the middle of it. During the middle of the show the band stepped off and Kevn had a 2 song acoustic set, performing excellent renditions of "Right Side Of Town" and "Not Afraid To Die" with the band returning and joining in on "Let's Go Dancing", always one of my favorites. The highlights of the show had to be "Chattahoochie Coochie Man", "Honeysuckle Blue", "Fly Me Courageous" with a little bit of "Smoke On The Water" mixed in, and one of the best performances of "Indian Song" in recent history. It was great, they jammed and jammed and even threw in Zep's "Kashmir" in the middle of the jamming. FREAKIN AWESOME!

The only down side of the show was where it took place. Nothing against COWBOYS and all, but the majority of the people there could have cared less about DNC, except when they played "Honeysuckle Blue", "Straight To Hell", "Fly Me Courageous" and "Build A Fire". During other songs and especially with the acoustic part the crowd milled around talking, laughing, smoking, anything but listening to the music. They could care less if it was DNC or a bad 80's mix tape playing.

I enjoyed the show, the music was incredible, just wish it would have been at a music club such as Variety Playhouse or the Roxy.

STUPID AS HELL....BUT I LOVE IT

Grandma's Boy

This movie is stupid as hell, but I cannot stop watching it. I DVR'd it and have watched it several times. It is so damn stupid is is funny. It is one of those movies that you do not have to think one damn bit to enjoy it.

If you do not know the movie it is about a 35 year old video game tester who gets booted out of his apartment and moves in with his grandma and her 2 roomies.

So just kick back, pop open a brew, turn off your brain and enjoy the time watching this movie.

A TRIP TO THE RECORD STORE.

On Saturday I made the trek down to WAX-N-FACTS, for those of you not in the know, this is a record store in Atlanta in the Lil 5 Points area. They carry a lot of vinyl, old & new, and a decent selection of used cds.

When you walk in the smell of old cardboard record sleeves fills your nostrils mixed with the musty smell of the store. It is almost like you step back in time to somewhere in the mid 70's, all they need is an 8-track section. If you do not have time to spend, do not visit this vintage shop or you will go away frustrated. You have to set aside a good chunk of the day to properly give yourself the respected allotment of time to scour through all the crates of records. Yes they are alphabetized and sorted by genre, but there are no name cards in this record store. Sometimes finding what you are looking for can be a hunt, but once you find that record, that shiny piece of vinyl, it is well worth the time spent.

I have gotten off track, so I was down there picking up a few jazz records, Ramsey Lewis, Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman and a few others, even picked up the first Boston record. Then I came across an album I had been curious about, Mungo Jerry. I know IN THE SUMMERTIME, but never really knew any of their other stuff. So for $4 I picked up Mungo Jerry's Greatest Hits on Pye Records. I figure for 4 bucks, if I didn't like it I could just chuck it. Well there will be no chucking of this record, it was a pretty good investment I must say.

A STAGGERING GOOD RECORD

THE IKE REILLY ASSASSINATION - WE BELONG TO THE STAGGERING EVENING

Ike Reilly is one of my favorite songwriters...ever. This humble man continues to write good music chocked full of lyrics expressing his low self-esteem and self loathing. While in a lot of his songs he comes across as being angry at the world, it is pretty much directed at himself. With his new record, WE BELONG TO THE STAGGERING EVENING Ike once again delivers.

Each track draws you in to his stories and leaves you wanting more. "When Irish Eyes Are Burning", "Valentine's Day In Jaurez" and "Broken Parakeet Blues" exemplify Ike's song writing prowess. The real surprise of the record is "Bugsy Salcido Has Left The Desert". It is a nice mellow, peaceful instrumental that is very enjoyable to the ears. I never imagined that to appear in the middle of a bunch of songs about drugs, drinking and a 6ft tall lesbian.

Ike's new batch of songs are a pleasure to my ears and I could listen to this CD all day long. With each record his song writing gets better and better, which keeps me wanting more from this brilliant song man.

BLUES DONE THE RIGHT WAY

JOHN HAMMOND - PUSH COMES TO SHOVE

I have been into the blues since I bought BB King's LIVE AT THE REGAL record back in high school. Since then I have collected quite a bit of blues music covering all corners of the genre. I feel safe in saying that this John Hammond album is not only one of his best, but it is one of the best blues albums I have ever listened to.

On PUSH COMES TO SHOVE John collaborates with Garrett Dutton (G. Love) and together they turn out a record that I can't stop listening to. G. Love mostly stays in the background and produces
the album, only stepping out from behind the board on a couple of tracks to offer guitar and vocals. The real gem of this record is Hammond himself. His gut wrenching guitar playing and gritty voice bring each song alive and you can actually feel the music coursing through your body as you listen to it.

It starts off with the album's title track "Push Comes To Shove" and it never looks back from there. I find myself devouring each track then anxiously waiting for the next song, because they are all that good. "Mean 'Ol Lonesome Train", "Tore Down" and "Butter" are the gems of this record. Each song will get you tapping your feet, singing along and jamming on your own personal blues air guitar. If this doesn't happen then you are either dead or you have no clue as to what good music is.

The boy loves this record like no other. He car seat dances the whole way home when this is in the player. John Hammond and G.Love have delivered one hell of a dirty, nasty blues album that is worth snagging.

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM - SOUND OF SILVER

When I heard the kick ass song "North American Scum" from SOUND OF SILVER I had to hear the rest of this album. Once I gave it a spin I can honestly say I was deeply disappointed. While "NA Scum" is a mish mash of electronica, crunching guitars ,punk and 80's music that has been run through a food processor, ground up and spit out as a damn good piece of music, the rest of the record doesn't live up to the brilliance of that one track.

James Murphy sounds like he can't decide if he wants LCD Soundsystem to be Daft Punk or The Talking Heads. While it is obvious that he has been influenced by both, he fails to successfully take the two styles and make them his own, or better yet create his own sound. The album is filled with sweet beats ("Get Innocuous") and Murphy has some tasty lyrics ("All My Friends") but he fails to put them all together as a cohesive entity. The record then limps to a close with the unexciting "New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down", a mellow slowed down tune that just does nothing to aid this record.

Overall this is a mediocre record that is receiving a lot of hype for being "groundbreaking" and "original"... sounds like a run of the mill 80's new wave album to me.

MANDO DIAO - ODE TO OCHRASY

This record is one of the best finds I have ever stumbled upon. I had never heard of MANDO DIAO then the other day I heard the song "Long Before Rock N Roll". It reached out from the radio and punched me right in the ear drums...in a good way. From start to finish this album rocks hard and rocks fast. The guitars catch your attention, get you interested, then the lyrics and rhythm keep you from escaping their musical grip.

ODE TO OCHRASY kicks off with "Welcome Home Luc Robitaille", a strong, loud, smack in the face that will have you hitting repeat over and over. They continue the onslaught of your ears with gut busting songs such as "Tony Zoulias", "TV & Me" and "Morning Paper Dirt".

This is a record that can be listened to over and over from start to finish. Slap it in the player, hit repeat, pop open a couple of cold beers and strap your self in for one hell of a rock n roll ride.

TV HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME

THE VIEW - HATS OFF TO THE BUSKERS

So the other day, much like most days, me and the boy were watching TV and we saw THE VIEW. No not that piece of crap chic show, but a video for the band THE VIEW. That's right a video, we subscribed to a new satellite service and it has this channel called International Music Feed (IMF) which I had never heard of. It basically plays videos all day from all over the world, most are crap, but every so often they play some good ones. This day they happened to be playing the video by THE VIEW for "Same Jeans", and it wasn't half bad. So I decided to check out the whole album.

After a couple of listens, HATS OF TO THE BUSKERS is a pretty good album. With a lot of the Brit Band albums every song sounds like the next one, but THE VIEW mix it up all over this record. They kick off the album with a pretty hard rockin' song 'Comin' Down" filled with slammin' guitar licks and pounding drums. It draws you in and keeps you waiting for what comes next. The songs on this record range from rock, "Comin' Down", pop "Superstar Tradesman", Beatlesque, "Same Jeans", Brit pop, "Wasted Little DJ's" I could go on.

Each track stands on it's own, and when they are all smacked together it is an album that can be played over and over. This is another record that gets the boy's seal of approval. To quote him, "Ga...kit-tee...ba ba ba ba...uh-ohhhh...kur-kee...gra-pa...mama...da...ank-oo", well said son, well said. To translate, this record is chocked full of pure auditory goodness. Check it out.

YES I CAN READ!

STARING AT SOUND: THE TRUE STORY OF OKLAHOMA'S FABULOUS FLAMING LIPS

I thought I would switch things up a bit and talk about a good book I recently read, STARING AT SOUND: THE TRUE STORY OF OKLAHOMA'S FABULOUS FLAMING LIPS. I am not a big time reader so for me to take on a book it has to really catch my interest, which this definitely did. This book is a complete detailed history of the Flaming Lips, from childhood to what they are today. Every nook and cranny is explored from the formation of the band, through Wayne's tenure at Long John Silvers, the wild experiments (Boom Boxes, Zaireeka, Parking Lot Orchestra), and their original music making of the present. Author Jim Derogatis starts by painting a vivid picture of each members background and family life then takes you on a journey through the years opening their personal lives to the reader. He goes over each album, the recording process, technologies used and the good, the bad and the ugly of the sessions. He provides interesting stories and chocks the book full of information with out making it boring.

I read a bit of it to the boy (my son), but he wasn't too interested, although he did dig the few pieces of Wayne's artwork that are printed in the book.

CRUNCHY MUSIC!!!

JE SUIS FRANCE - AFRIKAN MAJIK

It seems like Je Suis France(JSF) loyalists have been waiting for this album to hit the stores for like 15 years. After the release of FANTASTIC AREA in 2003 JSF has been tossing out cd-r's left and right to keep their rabid fan base at bay while they crafted, recorded and perfected their 3rd LP AFRIKAN MAJIK(AM).

AM cranks up with a 16 minute jam that assaults your ears and draws you into JSF's mysterious world of auditory madness. After that, you are their bitch for the rest of the record as they continue to smack you around with their original brand of noisy psychedelic inde rock. It is not all an intense bombardment of crunchy noise, there are a few tracks with spacey organs and relaxing sounds that allow you to chill out before the assault continues.

I play this album once a week for my son because he really digs it. I hit play and he bobs his head, shakes his ass and bounces up and down, I can see the thanks for me in his eyes for playing kick ass tunes for his listening pleasure instead of that Barney crap.

If you are tired of the same ol' crap snatch you a copy of AM when it comes out on May 29th on Antenna Farm Records.

SWEET SOUL MUSIC

RYAN SHAW - THIS IS RYAN SHAW

Growing up in Georgia, Ryan Shaw was raised on the sweet smooth music of his church's gospel choir. He would eventually become a choir member himself as a singer and director. In the late 90's he moved to Brooklyn to pursue a career on Broadway which never really panned out, lucky for us. He was working as a choir director in NY, was heard by the right person, and the next thing you know he is recording a few tracks of sweet soul music which led to his debut album THIS IS RYAN SHAW.

Ryan's album is mainly cover songs by the likes of Wilson Pickett, Bobby Womack, Chairmen Of The Board, The Four Tops and more. He does them justice with a voice that's as smooth as Sam Cooke or Otis Redding. Instead of tossing Ryan in with your average watered down soul/r&b music of today, his album belongs smack dab in the record bin along side of the great soul singers of the 50's & 60's.

While some of the highlights of this album are "Do The 45" (The Sharpees), "I Found A Love" (Wilson Pickett) and "Workin' For A Love" (Bobby Womack) the real gems are the three original tunes by Ryan Shaw. "Nobody" and "We got Love" are 2 tunes straight from the 1950's snatched right out of Sam Cooke's song book. Ryan's voice is as smooooth as velvet on these tracks. The other original song, "Over And Done" has a little rougher sound to it, similar to Wilson Picket or Sam Moore. THIS IS RYAN SHAW is another CD that right now has permanent residence in my car....the boy (my son) truly digs this one.

FLYING THE SKY BLUE SKIES

WILCO - SKY BLUE SKY

HEY, they got chocolate in their peanut butter....so to speak. Wilco has managed to mesh the alt-country sounds of their early albums with the experimental styles of their later albums to create a close to freakin' perfect record.

As I sit here listening to Jeff Tweedy sing on SKY BLUE SKY (SBS), I can feel the sincerity and emotion in his voice. In addition to his awesome vocals, the music of each song intermingles with Jeff's lyrics to create a damn enjoyable listening experience.

"Either Way", "You Are My Face", and "Hate It Here" are going to be the fan favs, and will attract non-Wilco fans to the album. Any of those songs could be a hit on the radio....if there were any stations out there that still played good music instead of the same 20 songs everyone else plays. As for myself, I feel that "Impossible Germany" is the best track on the record. It has good lyrics (This was still new to me/I wouldn't understand/Impossible Germany/Unlikely Japan/This is what love is for/To be out of place/Gorgeous and alone/Face to face), the music wraps itself around these lyrics to bring the whole song together, and then the guitar solo/jam to end the song is out of this freakin world. The boy (my son) digs the guitar work in "Side With The Seeds" it is almost as redonkulous as the one in "Germany". Other highlights are "Shake It Off" "Walken" and "On And On And On".

From top to bottom this is a damn good album. I have enjoyed listening to it over and over again and highly recommend it to anyone who loves listening to good records. This one does not suck.

CRACKER ASS CRACKER

CRACKER - GREENLAND

Cracker has always been one of my favorite bands. With a mediocre album, and various greatest hits and cover albums released over the last few years I have not listened to their music a whole hell of a lot lately. When they released GREENLAND last year, I was curious yet skeptical about their first release of new tunes in 5 years. Of course I bought the album, cause that is what I do. I gave it a listen, then tossed it on the shelf where it has collected dust......until now.

I chalked GREENLAND up as another mediocre album after one listen. Then a few weeks ago I went to Smith's Olde Bar and saw David Lowery & Johnny Hickman perform as Cracker Acoustic Duo. They played a kick ass set list consisting of Cracker, CVB and Johnny's solo songs. They played a few songs from GREENLAND, songs I do not remember from the album, most likely because I only gave it a once over. After this show I revisited GREENLAND, I played it over and over for a couple of weeks. I listened to it everyday to and from work, taking in each track listening to each word and realizing that this is a damn good album. My 1yr old son digs the album too, he gets his baby groove on to the tracks he likes, and fusses at the ones he doesn't care too much for.

GREENLAND is an album of songs about things lost and never obtained. Lost love, lost good times, never getting what you want and times not being as good as the past. Lowery and Hickman manage to get this message of loss across in a mess of upbeat songs that you can really enjoy listening to. The cream of the crop comes at the beginning and the end of the album. GREENLAND starts off with a catchy tune, "Something You Ain't Got". It is a song about a girl he wants, who stole his heart, but she wants nothing to do with him but he still obsesses over her and spends his time drinking and fighting to battle the loneliness. It has great lyrics and the music fits perfect with it. It is a song that would fit on KEROSINE HAT and could easily be a radio hit. The second gem is at the end of the album, "Everybody Gets One For Free". This could very easily become another Cracker anthem along the line of "Teen Angst" and "Eurotrash Girl". David sings about how everybody gets what they want except for him. The lyrics are a bit comical, (started a conversation/about the United Nations/had to use my imagination/cause she was talkin' bout reincarnation) and the chorus is one that everyone can sing along with (Everybody gets one/everybody gets one for free/everybody gets one/everybody 'cept for me). Other songs such as "Maggie", "Fluffy Lucy", "Where Have Those Days Gone" and "I Need Better Friends" are great pop tunes that take a light look at love, friends and past great times. The other song that needs mentioning is "Riverside", a hard rocking number that is just fun to listen to. Johnny's guitar playing tears this one up. Lyrically it is OK, but musically it kicks some serious ass. This track could stand up on it's own as an instrumental. The rest of the 14 tracks are good, but nothing special. I wouldn't call them filler but they do not stand out as much as the tracks I have discussed.

GREENLAND has turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I am glad I went back to it because I was missing out on an awesome album. I definitely suggest giving it a listen, whether you are a Cracker fan or not. The Boy (my son) says check it out or you shall suffer the wrath of his baby death grip. Seriously, go check it out....go...stop reading....get going.....dammit go already!