Cut Glass Kings - Shadow of Your Love

#Cut Glass Kings #alternative rock #blues rock #indie rock #rock & roll #fuzz rock #animated music video

Bassists? Who needs bassists? I’ll tell you who doesn’t. Birmingham band ‘Cut Glass Kings’ have said ta-ra to the traditional line-up, and instead compensated with a fuck-load of fuzz pedals, and the most bass-face inducing drums I’ve heard in a long while. But does it work you ask? Of course it does. The band played to small Manchester venue ‘The Castle’ last Tuesday evening, with the conviction you’d expect only from an established rock ‘n’ roll band playing to a sell-out stadium. After wandering up to the foot of the stage, and after an incredibly flat pint at the bar, I was met with the leather-clad Cut Glass Kings, waiting to begin their set. Opening with 2017’s single ‘Here Comes the Light’, the band needed no introduction. Before I could utter the words ‘fucking hell, this is quite good’, the song was over. I’d immediately forgotten about the glass of disappointment in my hand, and wanted to hear more. ‘Pull You Down’ preceded their rowdy greeting, and immediately I was hit with a familiar sound. I must say, the temptation not to compare them to their rock-duo counterparts is strong, however unavoidable. Imagine a mix of The Black Keys, Royal Blood and Queens of the Stone Age all being swilled in to a dirty pint, aggressively downed and spat out by Miles Kane, you would arrive at Cut Glass Kings. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not. The band’s bluesy aesthetic and heavy distorted guitar riffs combine everything we know and love about the genre, but in the most refreshing way possible. On the third track of the night, ‘Gonna Get in to You’, we were introduced to a volley of harmonics being passed back and forth between Cross and McMurray, giving a pleasant depth to the songs and adding to their already impressive stage presence. All in all, the gig was one to remember. In my book there will always be room in music for un-apologetically loud and in-your-face rock bands, and I was left totally confident that the genre has been left in good hands. I can say for certain that this won’t be my last venture in to their crowd. Hopefully next time with a better pint.  From: https://www.yuckmagazine.co.uk/reviews/cut-glass-kings-the-castle

Counting Crows - Omaha

 #Counting Crows #alternative rock #roots rock #country rock #blues rock #folk rock #contemporary folk rock #1990s

It's amazing the difference a year makes. Upon its release, Counting Crows’ ‘August and Everything After’ sounded remarkably fresh, a welcome change from the crunch and screech of grunge. Blending the vocal athleticism of Van Morrison with the moody rock of The Band, the Counting Crows turned on a whole legion of fans turned off by modern rock. But what sounded fresh soon became stale as dozens of bands flocked to the radio with euthanized versions of the Counting Crows' sound. But you shouldn't hold that against the Crow boys. ‘August and Everything After’ is a fantastic rock album. Though "Mr. Jones" was the moneymaker, the disc features such standout cuts as the dark lilt of "Anna Begins," the morose "Rain King," and the outstanding U2-meets-Grant Lee Buffalo anthem "Murder of One." Maybe time, and another listen, will heal the damage wrought.  From: https://www.amazon.com/August-Everything-After-Counting-Crows/dp/B000003TAP

Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz is eloquent. Especially when talking about his songwriting and nuanced singing ability, for which he’s earned great accolades and acknowledgment. Talking to Under the Radar several months back, the frontman said: “I think I realized at some point that I had a nice voice but that wasn’t the same thing as singing. Being a good singer was a craft and I think I felt unable to really properly express the emotions of the songs. So, I wanted to push myself and be able to do more that way.
“I remember doing some recording sessions for Immer [David Immerglück], who is our guitar player now. But he was just a friend of mine then; he was producing some stuff and I remember getting really, really pushed in some sessions for him to sing stuff that was difficult for me. And realizing that there were a lot of textures and dynamics in a voice that I wasn’t really using and pushing myself to kind of become aware of that and learn to be a singer, as opposed to just a voice.”
Duritz continued: “I just remember realizing that it was possible to sing much, much better than I was and that I was just singing melodies but there’s all this emotion and things that could be in there too. And I remember thinking how limited I was and how, you know, much I needed to get better and then really trying to do that. Really—I mean, I’m very, very, very, very self-critical, which I think is good.
“That’s how you get good at things, you demand a lot. And I think I do that in my writing, I do that in my singing. I’m trying to push everything through a very, very critical lens. And I think that helps after a while. Taxing? I guess it is. But, I mean, this isn’t supposed to be easy! Making art of any kind at a high level, there’s a thing that separates people who have hobbies from people who do it, who really do it. It’s the work.”
From: https://americansongwriter.com/omaha-counting-crows-behind-song-lyrics/ 

The Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash

 #The Rolling Stones #Kieth Richards #Mick Jagger #blues rock #hard rock #classic rock #British blues rock #rock & roll #folk blues #garage rock #R&B #British invasion #1968 music video

Long before the advent of MTV, music videos (then referred to as promotional films, or “promos” for short) were few and far between, with very limited outlets to air them. The most popular bands, such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Who, made these “promos” with the intent of allowing broadcast in several different countries without the bands having to travel to perform in TV studios where there were “genuine security issues” according to Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who directed pioneering videos for all three acts. Top of the Pops, the aforementioned Ready Steady Go!, Shindig!, Hullabaloo and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in the US were early participants in broadcasting such materials. The Rolling Stones, who were already international superstars by the mid-1960s, now had another tool to help push a single such as “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” Before capturing The Rock and Roll Circus on celluloid, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg had helmed many of The Rolling Stones’ promotional video clips: “She’s a Rainbow,” “2000 Light Years From Home,” “Child of the Moon,” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” as well as The Beatles’ “Paperback Writer,” “Rain,” “Hey Jude” and “Revolution.” Lindsay-Hogg is the legendary music video director behind The Beatles’ Let It Be feature film and many of The Rolling Stones’ seminal video clips.  From: https://www.musicconnection.com/kubernik-the-rolling-stones-jumpin-jack-flash-restored-in-4k/ 

Jethro Tull - A New Day Yesterday

 #Jethro Tull #Ian Anderson #progressive rock #folk rock #hard rock #blues rock #English folk rock #art rock #classic rock #progressive folk #1970s

Much of the Stand Up album is about Ian resenting the constant travel and work-load of being a rock star. This song talks about how he's constantly away from his new girlfriend (and future ex-wife), Jeanine.

"It was a new day yesterday but it's an old day now"

It was kind of thrilling not knowing when or how long the two would see each other, but now it's growing old and Ian just wants to be with his new love.

"Oh I had to leave today just when I thought I'd found you"

Even when the two are together, it's an all-too-brief moment as Ian has to go back on the road again.

From: https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858514097

Jethro Tull (baptised 30 March 1674 – 21 February 1741) was an English agriculturist from Berkshire who helped to bring about the British Agricultural Revolution of the 18th century. He perfected a horse-drawn seed drill in 1701 that economically sowed the seeds in neat rows, and later developed a horse-drawn hoe. Tull's methods were adopted by many landowners and helped to provide the basis for modern agriculture. Influenced by the early Age of Enlightenment, he is considered to be one of the early proponents of a scientific – and especially empirical – approach to agriculture. He helped transform agricultural practices by inventing or improving numerous implements. Tull made early advances in planting crops with his invention of the seed drill – a mechanical seeder that sowed efficiently at the correct depth and spacing and then covered the seed so that it could grow. Before the introduction of the seed drill, the common practice was to plant seeds by broadcasting (evenly throwing) them across the ground by hand on the prepared soil and then lightly harrowing the soil to bury the seeds to the correct depth.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jethro_Tull_(agriculturist)

Needshes - One Day

 #Needshes #Otabek Salamov #alternative rock #indie rock #pop rock #soul #blues rock #funk #singer-songwriter #multi-instrumentalist #Uzbekistan #animated music video 

The Central Asian country of Uzbekistan is the homeland of Otabek Salamov (Bek), songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founder of the alternative rock/indie-pop band Needshes. Currently based in Moscow, the band – rounded out by Ivan Petukhov (guitar) and Alexey Manakhov (drums) – continues to expand their eclectic style rooted in David Bowie, Queen, and James Brown in 2020. Bek started his musical journey in early childhood. He attended the music academy in his hometown, Tashkent, where he was awarded the first national prize for his precision on clarinet at the age of 13. As a teen, his interests varied, and he was drawn to compose and perform metalcore in night clubs with cross paint on his face. At that time, Bek was working as an assistant audio engineer in local studios, so he quickly adapted to recording and producing his own music. One day he decided to dilute it with melodic undertones. In the process of creating this transition, he realized that the switch was something that gravitated to his liking. In 2013 he founded a melodic rock project, Needshes, and moved to Moscow. His biggest influences stemmed from The Killers, Jack White, James Brown, David Bowie, Queen, RHCP, U2, a-ha, Coldplay, and Nirvana. Otabek gathered a full traditional formation around his brainchild with the intent to create authentic rock music. In 2016 after several line-up changes, Ivan (guitar) and Alexey (drums) joined him and made it possible for the sound created in the studio to fully sound live.  From: http://syncsummit.com/needshes/

The Jerry Garcia Band - Rubin And Cherise

 #The Jerry Garcia Band #Grateful Dead spinoff #John Kahn #Keith and Donna Godchaux #folk rock #blues rock #classic rock #1970s

If you took a listen already to Day Of The Dead, the mammoth Grateful Dead tribute collection which was curated by the members of The National and includes many of the most celebrated artists of today covering the band’s music, you might be at a loss to explain the inclusion of “Rubin And Cherise,” a story song done by Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Friends. You have to widen your search beyond the Dead’s catalog to find it; it was done by the Jerry Garcia Band on their lone studio album, 1978’s Cats Under The Stars.
The album was a huge commercial disappointment, but it was nonetheless one that Garcia maintained was a favorite of his in later interviews. “Ruben And Cherise” opens up the album with a bit of funky intrigue. The music pulses with life thanks to bold keyboards and Garcia’s guitar, which, filtered in such a way to sand off all its hard edges, flows through the song like liquid gold. Meanwhile the lyrics of longtime Grateful Dead collaborator Robert Hunter are engaging yet elusive, challenging the listener to make sense of this modern musical myth.
Set at Carnival in New Orleans, the song features three main characters: Rubin, the mandolin-playing axis of a love triangle, whose music is so magical “the breeze would stop to listen in/Before going its way again”; Cherise, whose love for Rubin invokes suspicion that manifests itself in visions of death; and Ruby Claire, who shows up later in the song and seems at first to be the other woman of the story who has coaxed Rubin away from Cherise, at least until the layers of Hunter’s tale unfurl and make us second-guess that setup entirely. It ends with Cherise being carried away in Rubin’s arms, apparently lifeless (and most likely the victim of Ruby’s jealousy), the hair that she once combed so assiduously now hanging limp.
If you focus too hard on the story, you might find yourself getting a bit tangled up and missing out on the nuance in Garcia’s performance, as he taps into the innate sagacity of his voice. Hunter’s lyrics also hit home when you’re not worrying about wondering about who did what to whom. His descriptions put us right into the scene: “Masquerade began when nightfall finally broke/ Like waves against the bandstand dancers broke.” And all of the machinations of the characters pale next to the wisdom of the narrator’s summation: “The truth of love an unsung song must tell/ The course of love must follow blind/ Without a look behind.”
That last line seems to suggest that those in the throes of love don’t have time for regrets or ruminations due to the straightforward, relentless track of their ardor. But it actually paves the way for the final verses of Hunter’s complete lyrics, which went unrecorded by Garcia and show Rubin travelling to the underworld to retrieve Cherise, a la the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. As Hunter told Rolling Stone in 2015, Garcia’s reluctance to mess with a finished product led to the exclusion.
“One thing Jerry wouldn’t do is go back over and redo parts of songs,” Hunter remembered. “I’d written that extra verse for ‘Friend Of The Devil’ and he said, ‘Why the hell don’t you give me these things before I record them?’ And also the same thing with ‘Rubin And Cherise.’ I had some ending Orpheus and Eurydice stuff in there to complete the story. He liked it but he said, ‘I’ve already recorded it and can’t go back and do it again.’”
Hunter’s version may spell out the story a bit more clearly, but there’s something compelling about the unfinished nature of Garcia’s take. Besides, his lustrous playing in the song’s closing moments tells us all we need to know about both the irresistibility and impossibility of love. So if you’ve just discovered “Rubin And Cherise,” go back and check out the original by the Jerry Garcia Band and get lost in the wondrous mystery of it all.  
From: https://americansongwriter.com/jerry-garcia-band-ruben-cherise/

Cats Under the Stars is the only studio album by the American rock band the Jerry Garcia Band. Released in 1978 on Arista Records, the album was the first release by the group, which was a long-running side project of Grateful Dead singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia. While the band continued until 1995, they were primarily a live concert act following the release of Cats Under the Stars and never recorded another studio effort. Grateful Dead members Keith and Donna Godchaux, who were at the time also part of the Garcia Band, contributed to the album.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_Under_the_Stars

The Youngbloods - All My Dreams Blue

 #The Youngbloods #Jesse Colin Young #folk rock #psychedelic rock #roots rock #blues rock #West coast psychedelia #1960s

The Youngbloods' sophomore release Earth Music is an uncommonly solid follow-up, expanding upon the musical directions introduced on their debut LP. The infectious "Sugar Babe" (also featured in Michelangelo Antonioni's film Zabriskie Point) is one of the group's most popular tunes, while such numbers as "All My Dreams Blue," "Dreamer's Dream" and "Fool Me" demonstrate the strength of the band members' songwriting skills and customized covers of Tim Hardin's "Reason to Believe," the Holy Modal Rounders' "Euphoria" and Chuck Berry's "Monkey Business" demonstrate the Youngbloods' talent for seamlessly integrating a broad array of influences.  From: https://www.roughtrade.com/us/product/the-youngbloods/earth-music

The Youngbloods' second long-player built on the strength of their self-titled debut by once again creating a blend of captivating songwriting with an infectiously fun delivery. Although the album failed to produce a definitive single - as "Get Together" had done on their previous effort - there are a handful of equally definitive sides scattered throughout Earth Music (1967). Featuring Jesse Colin Young (guitar/bass/vocals), Jerry Corbitt (lead guitar), Joe Bauer (drums), and Lowell "Banana" Levinger III (piano/guitar), the Youngbloods recall the uptempo good-time sound of their East Coast contemporaries, the Lovin' Spoonful, on the opening cover of the Holy Modal Rounders' "Euphoria." The first of several stellar compositions from Young follows with the laid-back "All My Dreams Blue." In addition to the affective songcrafting, Banana's upfront piano fills provide a jazzy counterpoint to the interlocking Bauer/Young rhythm section. This refined power trio would become the mainstay of their later post-Corbitt recordings. "Dreamer's Dream" highlights Corbitt's inimitable contributions to the band with a highly affective melody as well as his unencumbered vocals, which effortlessly intertwine with Young. The countrified interpretation of the traditional "Sugar Babe" is a precursor to the direction that the band's sound would take after their relocation to the West Coast. The track became an international hit no doubt due to its inclusion in the Michelangelo Antonioni film Zabriskie Point (1970). Other standout tracks include the high-steppin' "Wine Song" and one of the better revisitations of Tim Hardin's "Reason to Believe."  From: https://www.allmusic.com/album/earth-music-mw0000074392

Blind Faith - Sea of Joy

  #Blind Faith #Eric Clapton #Steve Winwood #Ginger Baker #blues rock #hard rock #psychedelic rock #supergroup #1960s

Not long after Cream broke up late in 1968, Eric Clapton had started to jam frequently with Steve Winwood, formerly of Traffic (who disbanded shortly after Cream), and soon the thought of forming their very own band was tempting. Somehow former Cream drummer Ginger Baker caught notice of this and was eager to be involved. In short, he joins the band, they invite Ric Grech to become the bassist, and the group is officially formed. Rumors of this 'supergroup' start to spread like wildfire (to the point of them actually being called a 'Super Cream'), and thus this group of lads (unnamed at first; the name Blind Faith allegedly comes from the cautious optimism Clapton felt about the band) are now usually recognized as the first act to be christened with the tag of 'supergroup'. An album is quickly written and recorded (these guys liked to jam more than actually make crafted songs, even though the songs on the album are quite good), and they make their debut at Hyde Park in June 1969 (well received). A quick tour of Scandinavia follows, as a 'warm up' for the bigger gigs to come in the US. By the time their US tour finished up in August 1969, Blind Faith as a band were no more. Like any normal supergroup, they simply collapsed under the pressure that most supergroups succumb to.  From: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/blind-faith/blind-faith/

The Zombies - She's Coming Home

 #The Zombies #Rod Argent #Colin Blunstone #psychedelic rock #blues rock #pop rock #baroque pop #psychedelic pop #British invasion #1960s

Q: Since the Zombies were formed so early on in the ’60s, do you think that allowed you to form a more distinct sound that was not as heavily influenced by other British Invasion bands?
Colin Blunstone: Well, in 1961, we were 15 years old. You know, we weren’t professional musicians at that time, but that’s when the band first got together. The very first rehearsal, I was the rhythm guitarist and Rod Argent was the lead singer, but we swapped ’round very early on. I heard him playing piano, and even at 15, he was sensational as a keyboard player, and I said to him, “You have to play keyboards in the band.” And then he heard me singing a Ricky Nelson song and said, “Well, okay, I’ll play keyboards if you’ll be lead singer.” So right from the beginning, we were a keyboard-based band, which was quite unusual in those days, when you think of it. It was a time of three-guitar bands, but we had a keyboard-based band. And also, we always tried to include harmonies in everything that we did, which again, was quite unusual for bands, and that was from the time we were 15.
We were very aware of the Beatles and thought they were absolutely fantastic, but up until our first recording session, we played the same thing: rhythm and blues classics. In fact, the Zombies were at one time called the Zombies R&B. But just before the first session, which was at Decker Studios in West Hampstead in London, our producer, who’s called Ken James, he was having a chat with us and just said, “You could always write something for the session if you wanted,” and then went on and talked about other things. It wasn’t a big speech. Quite frankly, I’d forgotten he even said it. But Rod just went away and wrote “She’s Not There” and came back about two days later and said, “Guys, I’ve got a song. Listen to this.” And I think we all knew that it was special as soon as we heard it. And Chris White wrote the B-side, “You Make Me Feel Good.” I didn’t know either of them could write songs. I was in deep, deep shock when they came back with these songs written. And so, from then on really, we sort of trod our own path because, up until then, we’d been using the same influences that most of the other bands of the British Invasion were using. The Beatles, the Stones, the Yardbirds, the Animals: they were all using rhythm and blues classics as the basis of their songs, and we were doing the same thing, but in a very amateurish way. We were still very young. But as soon as Rod and Chris started writing, that really was our musical identity. Whether you like the Zombies or not, we weren’t like anybody else because we had these two prolific and quite sophisticated writers in the band, and we followed their songs.  From: http://www.rebeatmag.com/colin-blunstone-and-the-odessey-of-the-zombies-part-two/

The Jeff Beck Group - I Ain't Superstitious

 #The Jeff Beck Group #Jeff Beck #Rod Stewart #blues rock # hard rock #British blues rock #British R&B #heavy blues rock #proto-metal #classic rock #1960s

Despite being the premiere of heavy metal, Jeff Beck's Truth has never quite carried its reputation the way the early albums by Led Zeppelin did, or even Cream's two most popular LPs, mostly as a result of the erratic nature of the guitarist's subsequent work. Time has muted some of its daring, radical nature, elements of which were appropriated by practically every metal band (and most arena rock bands) that followed. Truth was almost as groundbreaking and influential a record as the first Beatles, Rolling Stones, or Who albums. Its attributes weren't all new - Cream and Jimi Hendrix had been moving in similar directions - but the combination was: the wailing, heart-stoppingly dramatic vocalizing by Rod Stewart, the thunderous rhythm section of Ron Wood's bass and Mickey Waller's drums, and Beck's blistering lead guitar, which sounds like his amp is turned up to 13 and ready to short out. Beck opens the proceedings in a strikingly bold manner, using his old Yardbirds hit "Shapes of Things" as a jumping-off point, deliberately rebuilding the song from the ground up so it sounds closer to Howlin' Wolf. There are lots of unexpected moments on this record: a bone-pounding version of Willie Dixon's "You Shook Me"; a version of Jerome Kern's "Ol' Man River" done as a slow electric blues; a brief plunge into folk territory with a solo acoustic guitar version of "Greensleeves" (which was intended as filler but audiences loved); the progressive blues of "Beck's Bolero"; the extended live "Blues Deluxe"; and "I Ain't Superstitious," a blazing reworking of another Willie Dixon song.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/album/truth-mw0000262744

Ginger Baker's Air Force - Early in the Morning

 #Ginger Baker's Air Force #Chris Wood #Graham Bond #Denny Laine #jazz-rock #afro-fusion #blues rock #afrobeat #hard rock #R&B #supergroup #1970s #ex-Cream #Beat-Club

For a change, the late 1960s yielded up a supergroup that lived up to its hype and then some. Ginger Baker's Air Force was recorded live at Royal Albert Hall in January of 1970 - in fact, this may be the best-sounding live album ever to come out of that notoriously difficult venue - at a show that must have been a wonder to watch, as the ten-piece band blazed away in sheets of sound, projected delicate flute parts behind multi-layered African percussion, or built their songs up Bolero-like, out of rhythms from a single instrument into huge jazz-cum-R&B crescendos. Considering that this was only their second gig, the group sounds astonishingly tight, which greatly reduces the level of self-indulgence that one would expect to find on an album where five of the eight tracks run in excess of ten minutes. There aren't too many wasted notes or phrases in the 78 minutes of music included here, and Steve Winwood's organ, Baker, Phil Seamen, and Remi Kabaka's drums, and the sax playing by Chris Wood, Graham Bond (on alto), and Harold McNair, all stand out, especially the sax trio's interwoven playing on "Don't Care." Additionally, Denny Laine plays louder, flashier, more virtuoso-level guitar than he ever got to turn in with the Moody Blues, bending notes in exquisite fashion in the opening of Air Force's rendition of the Cream standard "Toad," crunching away on rhythm elsewhere, and indulging in some more introspective blues for "Man of Constant Sorrow."  From: https://www.allmusic.com/album/ginger-bakers-air-force-mw0000202606

Thundermother - Revival

 #Thundermother #hard rock #heavy metal #heavy psych #blues rock #Swedish

The quintessential hard-rocking sound of Sweden's Thundermother takes cues from AC/DC and Motörhead but sees the group add a modern twist, as heard on acclaimed efforts like Heat Wave (2020) and Black & Gold (2022). The brainchild of Sweden's Filippa Nässil, Thundermother first came about in 2010 after she moved to Stockholm to start a classic rock band. Nässil teamed up with Italian guitarist Giorgia Carteri, who had also found herself in Stockholm, and they started to put together a band, finally settling down with drummer Tilda Stenqvist, bassist Linda Ström, and Irish vocalist Clare Cunningham in 2013. With the group a solid collective, they embarked on national tours, peddling their own modern brand of classic '70s rock before issuing their debut album, Rock 'n' Roll Disaster, in 2014.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/thundermother-mn0003244561/biography

Q: I would be silly to ask about Thundermother’s influences, so I’m just going to start with how did you come up with the band’s name and what have been your personal music heroes.

A: Filippa came up with the name when she founded the band, in 2010. She was just brainstorming and the name appeared in her head, like a miracle haha. She is a big AC/DC fan, and their sound has always been a core sound for Thundermother. My personal musical heroes are Iron Maiden, since I was a teenager, and as a drummer my main hero is John Bonham. And you can hear that in my drumming on our songs. People used to say that if John Bonham and Phil Rudd had a baby, that would have been me, haha!

Q: As a Runaways/Girlschool/Vixen worshipper myself, how do you girls really do with the guys? On 2020 AD how can a girl gang survive without receiving criticism about her looks and just focus on the music?

A: Well, we often feel that we need to over-prove ourselves, because people underestimate us only because we are women. But we love to be underdogs and we are confident in ourselves. We will always be judged but we decide to not care. And we take care of each other and support each other through tough situations. We need to get this world equal for real now, and if we can help by playing music we are super happy to do that!

Q: What has been the highlight of your career so far?

A: We’ve had many highlights - to play at Wacken was definiteley one of them! Also to play in the USA on the Kiss Kruise. To be able to have the band as our only job is also a really big highlight. We feel so lucky to have this band as our only employment, its a dream come true!

Q: How has coronavirus affected Thundermother and what can a fan do apart from streaming and buying merchandise during quarantine?

A: The only thing that has affected us is that we had to cancel a lot of shows, and that is of course a big deal for us. But otherwise we have just been going on as much as possible, and thank god we had already finished our album in February before everything closed down. I guess the best thing a fan can do right now is to support us by buying our new album, and help us reaching the charts and get us to the next level, so that whenever we can tour again, it will be like a big explosion!

From: https://metalinvader.net/interview-with-thundermother/

The Beatles - Cry Baby Cry

 #The Beatles #John Lennon #Paul McCartney #George Harrison #British invasion #pop rock #psychedelic rock #blues rock #classic rock #British psychedelia #folk rock #1960s

"A piece of rubbish!" This was John Lennon's reaction in 1980 when asked about his "White Album" composition "Cry Baby Cry." Why would he react so negatively about this song? Those who take the time to examine the writing style of John Lennon through the years will easily notice the changes within the context of the time period. For instance, his output in 1967 generally used imagery to paint a picture that didn't necessarily make sense but sounded as if it did, such as with “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” and “I Am The Walrus.” By 1968, he put this aside for the most part and dealt much more with real occurrences in his own life and/or his interpretations of real events, such as with “I'm So Tired,” “Sexy Sadie” and “Revolution.” It is within the context of his 1968 output that we experience a “throwback” of sorts with “Cry Baby Cry,” a song which started to take shape the previous year and exuded the obscure but effective lyrics Lennon was known for at that time. Concerning John's negative opinion of the song in 1980, Beatles writer David Quantick offers the explanation that he “might have dismissed the song for not being about anything concrete.” This appears to make sense in light of the fact that, when looking back at his career as a songwriter, he would cite autobiographical songs, such as “Help!” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” as his best work. If that was the criteria he used in his later life, songs about imaginary characters involved in nonsensical activities could be seen as useless to him, or “rubbish.” Most Beatles fans and authors would wholeheartedly disagree, however. Ian Mac Donald, in his book "Revolution In The Head," describes "Cry Baby Cry" as “one of the most evocative products of that creative channel.” “An underrated Lennon royalty satire; it's his most accomplished Lewis Carroll pastiche,” writes Tim Riley. “A song with an air of a particularly dreamlike ghost story - one of the strangest and most beautiful lyrics on the 'White Album,'” writes David Quantick. “Alice trips gently through Lennonland for just about the last time. It ranks among his most magical,” writes Nicholas Schaffner.  From: http://www.beatlesebooks.com/cry-baby-cry

Ten Years After - I'd Love To Change The World

#Ten Years After #Alvin Lee #hard rock #blues rock #British blues rock #psychedelic rock #1960s #1970s

Ten Years After was a British blues-rock band, most famous for their enigmatic lead singer and guitarist, Alvin Lee, and for the more than ten-minute jam of "I'm Going Home" they played at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. After the quartet's appearance at Woodstock and subsequent appearance in the Woodstock film the following year, Ten Years After gained significant popularity in the U.K. and the United States, yet their album sales and notoriety were fleeting. British blues-rock had already been done by the likes of the Yardbirds and the Rolling Stones, so by the time Ten Years After came along, fans wanted something more. Formed in 1967, the group disbanded in 1975.  From: https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ten-years-after

 A Space in Time was Ten Years After's best-selling album. This was due primarily to the strength of "I'd Love to Change the World," the band's only hit single, and one of the most ubiquitous AM and FM radio cuts of the summer of 1971. TYA's first album for Columbia, A Space in Time has more of a pop-oriented feel than any of their previous releases had. The individual cuts are shorter, and Alvin Lee displays a broader instrumental palette than before. In fact, six of the disc's ten songs are built around acoustic guitar riffs. However, there are still a couple of barn-burning jams. The leadoff track, "One of These Days," is a particularly scorching workout, featuring extended harmonica and guitar solos. After the opener, however, the album settles back into a more relaxed mood than one would have expected from Ten Years After. Many of the cuts make effective use of dynamic shifts, and the guitar solos are generally more understated than on previous outings. The production on A Space in Time is crisp and clean, a sound quite different from the denseness of its predecessors.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-space-in-time-mw0000192047

Glim Spanky - 4-Dimensional Desert

#Glim Spanky #psychedelic rock #garage rock #blues rock #neo-psychedelia #1960s retro #1970s retro #Japanese

Glim Spanky is vocalist/guitarist Remi Matsuo and guitarist Hiroki Kamemoto. Their music has a contemporary vibe that seeps through their otherwise 60s and 70s rock and blues tone.  Originally, they formed in 2007 as a quartet. The group became a duo in February 2010 and have been making waves since. Their name comes from Matsuo’s interest in Celtic culture and fantasy literature; she read a book describing a goblin’s “glim” and added “spank” to describe their aggressive drive towards the music industry. Nevertheless, their music is heavily influenced by the Woodstock generation, as well as American and British acts from the mid-1960s to early 1970s, from The Beatles to Joni Mitchell and the psychedelic allusions of George Harrison.  Central to their sound are the vocals of Remi, whose voice has a rough quality that oozes rock’n’roll. While Hiroki’s guitar melodies flavor the rock sound with psychedelic Eastern flourishes. Not content to simply draw influences from Western rock music culture, they have set about globalizing themselves in a deeper way. In the fall of 2018, they decamped to Los Angeles to record their fourth studio album, Looking For The Magic with producer Kennie Takahashi. Glim Spanky approached Takahashi because of their love for his work with the Ohio band, The Black Keys. Rather than bringing support musicians with them from Japan, they hired two local musicians in Los Angeles: drummer Carla Azar from Jack White’s backing band, and Raconteurs bassist Jack Lawrence. For Glim Spanky, it’s not only about the love of rock but also the culture that surrounds it as well.  From: https://keepingthebluesalive.org/glim-spanky-blues-from-japan/

Danko Jones - King Of Magazines

 #Danko Jones #hard rock #garage rock #garage punk #blues rock #blues punk #Canadian #animated music video #Dave Cooper

We just got word of a new Dave Cooper animated video for Canadian rock band Danko Jones. Nick Cross, an award-winning animator, teamed up with Cooper to make this drum-pounding latex-headed bounce fest sing, oddly perverse and frantic like a Clampett cartoon. We’ve got an interview with Cooper on the project:

How long have you known Danko Jones?

Dave: I’ve been a fan of their music for quite a while. They’re sort of an institution in Canada. Very big in Europe too; just haven’t cracked the US market yet. Anyway, I sent them a fan email a couple of years ago, saying that i wanted to send them all my books. JC, the bassist, got back to me to thank me for all the swag and said that they really loved my work. So I wrote in passing, almost as a joke, “You should get me to do a video for you guys, even though i’ve never done one in my life.” He seemed receptive. The rest is a pretty long story, but basically they offered me the third single off their new album and i wrote up a treatment for a live action video. Big, beautiful models, custom made latex outfits, tons of pretty extras, a custom built rocket car, sets, locations, props, camera men, a producer, etc. etc. Needless to say, the budget was a little steep. so the label put the kibosh on that. I was bummed, but then a few months later, I decided to re-pitch the same treatment but fully animated by one of my favorite animators, Nick Cross - for a third of the budget. In the end, the label, the distributor, and the band themselves all pitched in and got us the budget. Suddenly I was faced with a 6-week turnaround time! Unheard of. So i started making the storyboard sketches. Each day i’d bring the days work over to my animator friend, Nick, and go over them with him, describing how I wanted things to go. He’d get cracking and I’d come over again the next day. After the first week, my part was done and Nick was in for a very long, hard 5 weeks. All this during a time when Nick was putting together his very first TV pilot for Canada’s Teletoon! He was a wreck. Man, animators are hard workers. Make’s me feel like a total slacker!

From: https://hifructose.com/2008/12/19/new-dave-cooper-animated-video-interview/

The Yardbirds - Turn Into Earth

 #The Yardbirds #Eric Clapton #Jeff Beck #Jimmy Page #blues rock #psychedelic rock #British R&B #British blues revival #1960s

The Yardbirds put out their strongest album ever in 1966 as well as their only album of all original material. It originally had an eponymous title but has come to be known as Roger the Engineer because of the sketch (drawn by guitarist Chris Dreja) on the album’s cover of Roger Cameron, the album’s engineer at Advision Studios in London. The album was co-produced by bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, who left the band shortly after and was replaced by Jimmy Page, who filled in on bass until Dreja mastered the instrument and Page returned to his primary instrument, the electric guitar. But the central influence that shaped the sound of this album was the innovation and experimentation of lead guitarist Jeff Beck. His heavy blues and guitar distortion is considered by many to be the earliest precursor to heavy metal. Beck joined the Yardbirds in May 1965 after founding guitarist Eric Clapton decided to leave the band. With Beck, the group began to expand their heavy blues base into different sects of rock and roll including unexplored areas of psychedelia, middle-aged chants, and Indian-influenced music. Primarily a singles-oriented band, each 7-inch release by The Yardbirds added new dimensions to the band’s sound or expanded on the ideas of the previous single. With Beck’s first full album with the group and the band’s first attempt at an album of all-original material, the band brought this experimentation to a new level, while still holding on to the core of blues roots.  From: https://www.classicrockreview.com/2011/10/1966-the-yardbirds/

The Black Crowes - Blackberry

 #The Black Crowes #blues rock #hard rock #southern rock #roots rock #jam band #1990s #music video

At the time of their 1990 debut, the kind of rock & roll the Black Crowes specialized in was sorely out of style. Only Guns N' Roses came close to approximating a vintage Stones-style raunch, but they were too angry and jagged to pull it off completely. The Black Crowes, on the other hand, replicated that Stones-y swagger and Faces boogie perfectly. Vocalist Chris Robinson appropriated the sound and style of vintage Rod Stewart, while brother Rich Robinson fused Keith Richards' lean guitar attack with Ron Wood's messy rhythmic sense. At their best, the Black Crowes echoed classic rock without slavishly imitating their influences, and the band's nostalgic sound helped foster a long, popular career.  From: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/bands/The-Black-Crowes/511/

Black Crowes! Scourge of our nation's natural resources! Weed smokin', booze guzzlin' rock and rollers with longass hippy hair, tight Southern trousers and a sound stolen from early '70s bloozy rockers like Free and Exile-era Rolling Stones. Same guitar tones as the Stones, Chris Robinson shrieking like a siouxsie and/or a banshee, sounding not like girly-mouthed Rod Stewart as so many critics claim, but like Paul Rodgers in his pre-Bad Company mad chested eyes closed sweat yelling finest. Their first album smashed like a retro monster onto a world poised and ready for something they could relate to (of course, I hated it at the time because I was punk, real and hardcore, and would never sell out - frig you, Ronald Reagan!). But after that, pfft. Nobody wanted to hear their slowed-down, soul-tinged shig. Nobody but ME, that is! Sure, they picked a style that had already proven to be successful way back in the early '70s, but how many other billions of interchangeable bar bands had done the same thing throughout the previous two decades? What separated the Black Crowes from that pack was, quite frankly, riffs so unceasingly pleasing in their simple catchiness that they beat the shit out of most of the stuff, or rather, the stuff out of most of the shit, that the Stones themselves had been churning out since 1980!  From: http://www.markprindle.com/blackcrowes.htm

Quicksilver Messenger Service - Pride Of Man

 #Quicksilver Messenger Service #psychedelic rock #acid rock #folk rock #blues rock #psychedelic folk #San Francisco sound #1960s

Quicksilver Messenger Service was one of the most acclaimed San Francisco psychedelic rock groups from the 1960s. At its best, the band’s bluesy flights of fancy were propelled by the interplay between guitarists John Cipollina and Gary Duncan. Their origins lie in the folk and rock and roll scenes in San Francisco during the early 1960s, two musical circles that rarely mixed. Cipollina recalled in Guitar Player, “The folk scene was going strong in San Francisco in the early ‘60s, and rock and roll and electric guitars were pretty much identified with greasy hair, beer, and teenage trauma.” Folk singer and guitarist David Freiberg, intent on forming a band with New York folk singer Dino Valenti and singer Jim Murray, began playing with rock guitarist John Cipollina. Drummers came and went, and Freiberg switched to bass guitar. After Valenti was arrested for possession of marijuana in 1965, he was replaced by two members of the San Francisco rock group The Brogues, drummer Greg Elmore and guitarist Gary Duncan. Freiberg explained the origin of the band’s name in Rock Names: “Originally there were four Virgos in the band, and one Gemini. Of the four Virgos, there were only two birthdays: John and I were born on August 24, and Gary and Greg were born on September 4. The ruling planet for Virgo in astrology is Mercury, and it is for Gemini also. So in searching for a name, we said, ‘Well, let’s see - mercury’s the same as quicksilver, right? Mercury’s the messenger god? Quicksilver Messenger Service.’”  From: https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/quicksilver-messenger-service

Los Lobos - Reva's House

 #Los Lobos #chicano rock #roots rock #tex-mex #country rock #Americana #cowpunk #blues rock #folk rock #Mexican #1990s

Los Lobos has defined the East Los Angeles sonic landscape for nearly a half century. Following the musical trajectory of giants such as Ritchie Valens and Lalo Guerrero, who melded traditional Mexican music with other popular forms, Los Lobos has carried the torch of Chicano music into the present and has amassed a body of work that will be cherished, studied, and emulated for many years to come.
Formed in 1973 by guitarist/accordionist David Hidalgo and percussionist and lyricist Louie Perez, their joint eclectic musical interests led them to recruit two other students from Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. Guitarist Cesar Rosas and bassist Conrad Lozano joined and they decided to call themselves Los Lobos del Este. As young, music-loving Chicanos from the barrio, they were a product of their surroundings. African-American influences such as the blues, rock n roll, jazz, and doo–wop were a natural complement to the deep and soulful Mexican and Latin American sounds they had grown up with, such as the bolero, rancheras, music Norteña, son jarocho, son huasteco, and cumbias. Los Lobos utilized these multicultural influences to give birth to their unique sound. From back yard family parties, weddings, and Mexican restaurants, Los Lobos was quickly in demand amid the pre- and post- Chicano civil rights movement. In 1978, they recorded and released their first album Los Lobos del Este De Los Angeles (Just Another Band From East LA), which led them to more popularity and to connect them to the versatility and angst of the city’s punk rock music scene. Their association with the LA roots band, the Blasters, led to the addition of multi-instrumentalist Steve Berlin, who left the Blasters to join them, further expanding their sound.
The wildly successful soundtrack of La Bamba (1985) catapulted Los Lobos into international stardom, earning them industry recognition and a Grammy Award. Los Lobos responded to this success by releasing the traditionalist La Pistola y El Corazon (1988).  The band’s accomplishments do not overshadow their ongoing commitment to mentoring and elevating up-and-coming bands that have benefited from their trailblazing, such as Making Movies, Ozomatli, Chicano Batman, La Santa Cecilia, and Quetzal.
A “musician’s band,” Los Lobos’ lyricism and unique poetic prose, mostly manifested by lyricist Louie Perez, expresses the environment and consciousness of the barrio in relation to the world around it. Their delivery in English, Spanish, or Spanglish espouses the important ideas of humanity, pro-immigration, depression, love of self, community, and deep Mexican/Chicano culture and heritage. Each of their albums takes the sound of Chicano rock music into another stratosphere.  From: https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/los-lobos