The Bangles - Walking Down Your Street / Let It Go / Following

With their own sophomore album Different Light, released 40 years ago on Jan. 13, 1986 by Columbia Records, The Bangles suddenly started getting the well-deserved recognition that they themselves were due. While their debut, the auspiciously dubbed All Over the Place, established their debt to the jangly ‘60s influences that percolated alongside such fellow Paisley Underground greats as Rain Parade and The Three O’Clock, Different Light, true to its title, managed to meld their earlier inspiration with a more rock-centric approach that was easily compatible with the pop trends of It yielded no less than five charting singles, one of which, the instantly infectious “Manic Monday” was written by Prince under the pseudonym “Christopher” and originally intended for the group known as Apollonia 6.
“We were told that Prince saw the video for ‘Hero Takes A Fall’ and was taken with the band,” Peterson recalls. “He was famously supportive of women musicians and would mysteriously show up at performances with no advance notice, simply appearing in the wings. Sometimes our managers would let us know mid-show that he was there and wanted to play, but it always seemed somehow magical to me. He would join us onstage, singing ‘Manic Monday’ with us, or I would happily hand him my guitar so he could play an old rock ‘n’ roll song at the encore.”
Several other tracks on the album made a decided impression as well. The decidedly quirky “Walk Like An Egyptian” created a mild dance craze while making its ascent to the No. 1 chart position in the U.S. and other parts of the world.
Although it didn’t chart quite as high, the second single from the album, the overtly engaging “If She Knew What She Wants,” written and originally recorded by Jules Shear, also emerged as one of The Bangles’ signature songs. It was originally written in the first person, but for their version, the Bangles rewrote the lyrics in the third person because they felt it would be more appropriate. “Walking Down Your Street” emerged as another stand-out; while it didn’t reach the Top Ten, it was a simple yet sturdy offering that also marked the first time a sole composing credit was given to a member of the band — in this case, Susanna Hoffs.
“Different Light is a complicated album for me, because while it did light a fire under our career and allow us so many new opportunities, its production came close on the heels of 18 months of touring, and so in some ways, it felt rushed to me,” Peterson reflects. “We did not have sufficient time to write together (or individually) and the label was pushing hard for ‘singles.’ I am grateful for the songs that did come our way from other writers, but I would have preferred to have more of our own work on the album. That said, there are some fine, fine songs here!”  From: https://rockandrollglobe.com/rock/the-bangles-different-light-turns-40/

 

The Temptations - I Can't Get Next To You / Love Can Be Anything (Can't Nothing Be Love But Love)

 The Temptations - I Can't Get Next To You

 The Temptations - Love Can Be Anything (Can't Nothing Be Love But Love)

I've always loved The Temptations, and would put them up there with The Impressions as my favorite vocal groups of all-time.  When most individuals think of The Temptations, they think of their earlier hits like "My Girl", "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", etc.  Most are unaware of their late 60's/early 70's output, which I actually find more fascinating.  By the late 60's, times were not only changing in our country but also in soul music as well.  Singers and songwriters in soul music were speaking out more in song, singing in protest of Vietnam, of the endless struggle of the black man in our society, basically songs in soul were becoming deeper than the "I love you" lyrics of earlier times.  Stevie Wonder was beginning to break free having to sing cover songs through Motown's directions, and was beginning to write his own songs with political messages.  Marvin Gaye released What's Going On, a politically charged album in protest of the war.  Groups like Sly & The Family Stone were releasing albums like There's A Riot Going On, tackling the heavy issues occurring everyday in the ghetto.  Above all, soul music was experimenting more with sound.  Fuzzed out guitars a la Funkadelic were becoming popular.  Drumming was funkier.  Many of the soul singers just sounded rougher.  And of course, image wise, the soul groups began looking different.  They grew their hair out, wore bell bottoms and paisley shirts.  While The Temptations didn't write their own songs, their main songwriter was Norman Whitfield, who was turned onto Sly & The Family Stone, and soon after began to write his own versions of Sly songs for The Temptations to record.  By the late 60's, The Temptations began an image overhaul musically, as Whitfield was writing songs like "Message From a Black Man", Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down", and "Slave", all sociopolitical messages that were atypical of The Temptations to sing up until this point. Really, this era of The Temptations is enjoyable stuff and well worth checking out.  The double disc compilation Psychedelic Soul is well worth checking out, as it contains lots of essential soul music.  You could even say that a few of the tracks have a pocket-symphony quality of a soul version of Brian Wilson Smile era music.  From: https://soulexcursions.blogspot.com/2011/03/temptations-and-their-psychedelic-phase.html 

Ushti - The Maiden

Raging folk fusing hypnotic melodies with modern dance rhythms. Heavy beats, wild fiddle, an energetic thrill-filled musical journey from familiar lands to the beyond and back. Ushti deliver a fierce fresh perspective while paying warm tribute to their trad folk roots. The Bristol-based 7-piece has been tearing up venues and festivals at home and abroad since 2013, with countless prominent slots across the UK and Europe. In 2019 they enjoyed their first primetime radio play on BBC 6 Music.  From: https://ushtibaba.com/#landing  

 

Blind Faith - Had To Cry Today / Can't Find My Way Home / Well All Right

Blind Faith’s formation was almost preordained by the splintering of Cream in late 1968. Eric Clapton, weary from being dubbed 'the world’s greatest guitarist' and feeling trapped in Cream’s shadow, wanted a fresh start – a band where he could experiment without the burden of expectation. Drummer Ginger Baker, also from Cream, brought fire, unpredictability, and a reputation for both genius and volatility.
Into this mix came Steve Winwood, recently departed from Traffic, whose soulful keyboard playing and vocals promised both pop accessibility and musical sophistication. Completing the quartet was bassist Ric Grech, a relatively unknown talent from Family, chosen for his versatility and musical sensitivity.
From the moment the lineup was announced, the press and fans were euphoric. The idea of four virtuosos collaborating felt like the pinnacle of rock ambition. The music industry treated them as a cultural event, not just a band. It was a heady moment of expectation, pressure, and inevitability – but also a dangerous one.
Too talented for their own good?
Blind Faith began recording their eponymous debut album in England in mid-1969 – under enormous pressure to deliver. The sessions revealed the band’s contrasting personalities and creative visions. Clapton, haunted by his growing legend, approached the studio with caution, seeking subtlety over bombast.
Baker, meanwhile, thrived on chaos, often pushing rhythms to extremes and clashing with any attempt at control. Winwood’s pop sensibilities and melodic instincts sometimes conflicted with Clapton’s blues-inflected direction, while Grech, the newcomer, struggled to assert himself within the dynamics of three dominant musicians.
The resulting album was a mixture of originals and covers, combining technical brilliance with occasional disjointedness. 'Sea of Joy,' co-written by Winwood and Grech, showcased the band’s melodic strengths and harmonic interplay, while Clapton’s cover of Elmore James’ 'Presence of the Lord' highlighted his restrained, almost meditative guitar work. Yet beneath the polish, tension simmered: different approaches to song arrangement, recording techniques, and artistic priorities created an undercurrent of frustration. The band was, in a sense, too talented for their own cohesion.
When Blind Faith was released in August 1969, it was immediately a commercial success. Fans flocked to record stores; critics were dazzled by the virtuosity and sheer skill on display. However, there was an undercurrent of disappointment among some reviewers. The album, though impressive, often felt fragmented, lacking the unified voice listeners had expected from a supergroup of this magnitude.
The band’s notoriety was amplified by their provocative album cover: Bob Seidemann's image of a topless 11-year-old girl, Mariora Goschen, holding a silver model aircraft sparked controversy worldwide. There was discussion in the British press about whether the aeroplane was intended to have a phallic symbolism; the American record company, meanwhile, quickly withdrew the original cover and rushed out an alternative, simply showing all four band members.
In a sense, the album became a symbol of excess, both musically and culturally: a fusion of anticipation, talent, and media spectacle that only added to the pressure on the band members. Blind Faith’s rapid decline began almost as soon as the album was in the can.
Their live debut, on 7 June 1969 in London's Hyde Park, was both triumphant and uneasy. Over 100,000 fans (among them Mick Jagger and his girlfriend Marianne Faithfull) gathered to witness rock’s first supergroup unveiling their new sound under the summer sun. The performance mixed brilliance with hesitation: Clapton seemed reluctant in the spotlight, while the band’s set of blues jams and new material felt tentative. Still, the event captured a fleeting moment of late-’60s idealism before fame and friction took over.
Next up, the band's planned tour of North America was chaotic from the outset. The musicians, each with a distinct personality and differing stamina for live performance, struggled to cohere on stage. Clapton’s hesitation about the supergroup format meant he sometimes played minimally, while Baker’s explosive drumming could derail performances. Winwood occasionally seemed to take on the emotional labour of keeping the band musically grounded, and Grech was largely caught in the middle.
Interpersonal clashes became unavoidable. Clapton was increasingly frustrated by Baker’s unpredictability; Baker resented any perceived limitations; Winwood and Grech struggled to assert their voices. The U.S. tour, initially intended to consolidate the band’s reputation, instead magnified their differences.
Concerts were cancelled or delayed, rehearsals tense, and the press eagerly chronicled every mishap. By the end of the tour, it was clear that the band could not survive the combination of ego, expectation, and public scrutiny. Within months, Blind Faith disbanded, leaving behind a single album.  From: https://www.classical-music.com/rock/blind-faith-1969 

Jefferson Starship - Fast Buck Freddie

Fast Buck Freddie: The leadoff track to Jefferson Starship's popular Red Octopus album is a driving set of wandering Grace Slick lyrics fueled by lead guitarist Craig Chaquico's mainstream chord changes. The double-entendres fly right and left over a sound that's a precursor to the arena rock the remnants of this group would eventually embrace. A dozen years later when Starship was singing "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," the KBC Band would issue a MTV video of the song "America" with musical elements from this adventure. It's Papa John Creach who keeps the sound underground with his marvelous violin, allowing Slick room to hold the notes which contain her sarcasm. Pete Sears' bass moves alongside the guitars and percussion as Gracey's frustration with the record industry probably went right over the executive's heads. "Sing it now while you still have a song" is the command after all her questions -- "what's going on I ask you/who's comin' on is it you or me?" For the artist creating, recording, and touring, the singer's warning is clear, "think fast."  From: https://www.allmusic.com/song/fast-buck-freddie-mt0001293751#review

Malinky - Bethlehem Musikfest 2010 / Philadelphia Folk Festival 2010

 Malinky - Bethlehem Musikfest 2010

 

 Malinky - Philadelphia Folk Festival 2010

 

Malinky is a Scottish folk band specialising in Scots song, formed in autumn 1998. The original members were Karine Polwart from Banknock, Stirlingshire (vocals, guitar, bouzouki), Steve Byrne from Arbroath (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin), Mark Dunlop from Garryduff, County Antrim (bodhrán, whistles, vocals) and fiddler Kit Patterson from Plymouth, England.
First meeting to rehearse in early October 1998, the band was largely formed to help Polwart fulfil a support slot at Edinburgh Folk Club some ten days later, supporting harpist and storyteller Robin Williamson, formerly of the Incredible String Band. The members had previously encountered each other around the lively pub session scene in Edinburgh in venues such as Sandy Bell's and the Royal Oak bars. Polwart was a social worker, Byrne a student of Scottish Studies, Dunlop a town planner with the city council, and Patterson a computer programmer.
Amidst the plethora of good young instrumental bands on the scene, Malinky stood out owing to their almost exclusive concentration on Scots traditional song, as well as Polwart's burgeoning songwriting talent. Within six months the band had won a 'Danny Award' for new talent at Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival and were signed to the leading Scottish independent folk imprint Greentrax Recordings, as well as kicking off their international career with a trip to the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Brittany.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malinky

 

The Grip Weeds - Soul Bender

Soul Bender is The Grip Weeds’ ninth studio LP since 1994. What are you most proud about this album and why? 

I’m proud of all of it – the songwriting, the performances – but I think I’m most proud of our production on this one. We pushed ourselves to unlock the essence of each song and present it in its own way. Each song is its own world within the album. 

What is the album’s vinyl and CD bonus material, and why should folks tap into that rather than just stream Soul Bender?

The Soul Bender Deluxe Edition provides the context and illustrates the journey of the making of the album through demos recorded as the songs were written, instrumental mixes of several songs, which allows the listener to hear things that might be overshadowed by the vocals, and, finally, live in-the-studio versions of the songs. We also include one song that didn’t make the album. The demo versions of some songs show the path a song can take from initial conception to final album recording. 
The oldest demo on here is “Your Love,” which was the first song I ever wrote. It was demoed way back when the band was just starting, but we could never get it right live or in the studio, so it just faded away as other songs were coming in. During the pandemic, I picked it up again, revised the lyrics and arrangement, and it’s now called “Someone in Love.”
We recorded the live in-the-studio versions of seven songs as we were rehearsing for upcoming shows after the album was done, and it really helped us to quickly prep these songs for the stage. Some are full-on electric, while others are more stripped-down acoustic versions, like we do in vocal rehearsals to tighten up our harmonies. Both configurations strip away the production and present the songs as we play them to a live audience – just two guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, and our voices. 
We also include a digital booklet on the making of Soul Bender, which goes into each song – how it was written, who played what, guitars and amps used, all the details you’d ever want to know about how we made the album. The only place to get the Soul Bender Deluxe Edition is from our artist-direct online store.

Which of your songs have been named ‘Coolest Song in the World’ by Little Steven’s Underground Garage, and what albums were they on?

We’ve had at least a dozen Coolest Songs over the last 20 years. “Every Minute” was our first one, which was on The Sound Is in You. “Salad Days” from House of Vibes, “Astral Man” from Giant On The Beach, “Speed Of Life” from Strange Change Machine, “Rainbow Quartz” from How I Won The War, and “Vibrations” from Trip Around The Sun are some. The last one I believe was “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” which was on DiG.

A few of your JEM Records label mates also have been named ‘Coolest Song.’ Why do you think Little Steven’s Underground Garage likes Jem Records so much? 

Why wouldn’t they? Many of the bands on JEM are perfect for the format and sound of LSUG. That station really showcases the wide variety of sounds and styles that are ‘garage rock.’ It just so happens that’s pretty much what we like to listen to and create. 

What do The Grip Weeds like most about JEM Records? 

JEM has become like an extended musical family to all of us. Marty and his wife, Toni, are good, nurturing people, and they allow the bands to create the music they want to make, while stepping here and there to help guide the process.

What does it mean to The Grip Weeds to be a self-contained band and why? 

It means we have total control over our music, from writing to final product. It means we are engineering, performing, and producing our albums all at once. I’m usually running around setting up mics and getting sounds, and then I have to quickly become the musician and perform. That can be hard, and you have to be of two minds to make it work, but it’s our statement from start to finish with no filter of an outside producer or engineer. That can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing, and it can lead to a record that could’ve been better had someone from the outside intervened. We made our mistakes over the years and are still learning how to do all this, but it’s our artistic statement, and it’s very pure. It has helped to be a producer-engineer for other artists, as I have a perspective to their music that I might not have on mine, but you can gain that perspective by casual listening with friends or even playing a rough mix after not hearing it for a while. Also, the other band members provide some perspective on songs they didn’t write – you just have to be open to discover what their reactions are and if you can make improvements to the track.

From: https://www.theaquarian.com/2025/06/13/makin-waves-with-the-grip-weeds-extended-musical-family/ 

Fränder - Älvefärd (Master Olof)

The Swedish/Estonian acoustic band Fränder is making its way across Canada this summer. Hot off an appearance at Mariposa Folk Festival, Fränder took the stage on a warm July evening in Whitby, Ontario, as part of the UpCap Café concert series.
Fränder is a family band, made up of siblings Natasja Dluzewska (vocals, fiddle), Daniel Dluzewski (bass), Gabbi Dluzewski (swedish bosoki), and bandmate Säde Tatar (flutes). Although Nastasja Dluzewska is unable to participate in this tour due to illness, her parts are expertly covered by the talented and engaging Mirva Tarvainen. Playing a modern twist on traditional Swedish and Estonian musical styles, Fränder takes folk music to a new level.
From the opening strains of the song “Älvefärd (Master Olof),” Fränder had their audience captivated. Spot-on lead and harmony vocals, and playful interaction between flute and bosoki helped to drive this tale of Master Olof being seduced by an elven princess.
From there the band went into the hypnotically beautiful “Vabadus (Liberation),” an original song commemorating Estonian independence. With its lush harmonies, lilting rhythm, and Säde Tatar’s stunning flute performance, this song felt like home.
With each successive song in this 90-minute set, Fränder continued to surprise and delight. Whether through Tatar and Tervainen’s interwoven flute and fiddle parts, Gabbi Dluzewski’s deftly-played bosoki rhythms and intricate filigree, or brother Daniel’s fluid and artful bass work, this band played an impressive show. As with a lot of traditional/folk music, the story behind each song is often as interesting as the song itself. The members of Fränder took turns introducing songs, and had fun with their audience. Gabbi Dluzewski educated the audience on the finer points of Swedish traditional music (polska with a short ‘one’!), and poked good-natured fun at the other band members, over the supposed musical rivalry between Sweden, Estonia, and Finland. Though Fränder has been performing their act many times over this 18-day Canadian tour, their between-song banter sounded fresh and fun.
For fans of Canadian and British folk, Fränder’s music is somewhat akin to the work of The Barra MacNeils and Steeleye Span, with a little Jethro Tull thrown in for fun. Sonic connections aside, Fränder is a unique band with a style all their own.  From: https://spillmagazine.com/spill-live-review-frander-upcap-cafe-whitby/

 

Earth, Wind & Fire - Shining Star - Midnight Special 1975

Written by group members Maurice White, Larry Dunn and Philip Bailey, "Shining Star" was a #1 hit on both the R&B and Hot 100 charts. While many hits of the disco era were fun but meaningless, Earth, Wind & Fire considered all their songs meaningful, and this one projects a positive message in a turbulent time. To get a better idea, check out this quote from Maurice White from a 1975 Blues & Soul interview:
"There are certain disciplines we apply to our life in respect of diet and living, the way we live. There are certain aspects which have to be kept clean, things that relate directly to the Creator. By adopting a totally positive approach to our life, we can reflect this in our music - we won't allow it to reflect any negative vibes or thoughts. All our music is 'up' in the sense that it is intended to bring people to that state. It is truly gratifying to know that we are finally getting to people, they are accepting us."
That's The Way Of The World was the soundtrack to a movie of the same name starring a young Harvey Keitel as a record producer and Earth, Wind & Fire as the group he worked with. The movie was a colossal flop, but the album was a huge hit, capturing the sound of the band's successful stage show on vinyl.
The failure of the movie didn't drag down the band thanks in part to Maurice White refusing to let the album be labeled a soundtrack. When the film was re-issued in America, it was with a new title: Shining Star.
Earth, Wind & Fire wrote and recorded the That's The Way Of The World album at Caribou Ranch studio in Nederland, Colorado, outside of Boulder. Maurice White said he came up with the idea for this song after taking a walk one night and seeing a shining star in the sky. He took the phrase and directed it toward a positive message for the lyrics.
Caribou Ranch was a popular place to record because of the scenery and the lack of distractions. Elton John's album Caribou is named after the studio.
Earth, Wind & Fire formed in 1969 and released an album every year from 1971 to 1977. By their fifth album (Open Our Eyes in 1974) they had built a reputation for their invigorating live shows had notched a few hits along the way. They were more focused on artistry and enlightenment than on hits, but with "Shining Star," they fell into the emerging disco trend and hit the sweet spot with their sound.
"Shining Star" has been used in a variety of movies and TV shows. Among them: Glee, Seinfeld (used in a classic scene where Elaine tries to dance), Austin Powers in Goldmember, My Name Is Earl, and Muppets from Space.  From: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/earth-wind-fire/shining-star 

 

Daisy House - Raise High the Roof Beam Carpenter

There is no shortage of male/female musical duos in Southern California environs right how, but Long Beach’s Daisy House is an anomaly. It features 23-year-old singer Tatiana Hammond in collaboration with fiftysomething singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Doug Hammond, her father. The band, the elder Hammond says, started “as a lark when I hooked up with an old high school friend from the ’70s in 2012. We continue to do this because I’m retarded about music and I want to see how good we can get. … My daughter just keeps me off the streets in the meantime.”
Daisy House has released three full-lengths, a self-titled affair in 2013, “Beaus and Arrows” in 2014 and “Western Man” early this year. They display a jaw-dropping command of classic rock and folk, especially the ’70s vintage, with the Hammonds trading off on vocals, Doug the vaguely weathered but hopeful troubadour and Tatiana the clarion angel from AM radio’s past. You’re not likely to find too many bands these days citing Fairport Convention as a major influence — much less know the nuances between British and American folk (they do both) — and Tatiana is likely the rare twentysomething who might have Sandy Denny, Joni Mitchell and Karen Dalton in her singers’ pantheon rather than any of today’s stars.
“Say Goodbye,” “Golden Heart” and “Twenty-one” from the latest album are exemplary of the younger Hammond’s effortless splendor; “Twilight in the Palace of Reason” finds world-weary Mr. Hammond tackling tangled emotions in the wake of the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris (and referencing Mr. Lennon, to boot): “You can ‘imagine there’s no countries’ / but they still won’t let you in,” he sings.
In September, Daisy House released the new single “Languages,” an ’80s/’90s-styled rocker recalling the harder-edged music of Aimee Mann. It’s the first song they’ve released that Doug Hammond didn’t write; it was co-written by Paul Gagliardi and Mark Lewis of the local band Omagaro Miguel. It will appear on Daisy House’s forthcoming fourth album “Crossroads,” but considering national events, the duo decided “the time for the song was now.”  From: https://buzzbands.la/2016/11/23/ears-wide-open-daisy-house/

The Byrds & The Earl Scruggs Revue - You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

When Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs took the Ryman Auditorium stage with Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys for their first appearance together on the Grand Ole Opry on December 8th, 1945, the moment was a sort of “big bang” for bluegrass. After leaving Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs would spin off into their own band, the Foggy Mountain Boys, performing together until an acrimonious split in early 1969.
With 13-year-old Marty Stuart in his new band, Nashville Grass, Flatt would continue on a more traditional musical path, while Scruggs recruited sons Randy and Gary for the Earl Scruggs Revue, controversially adding electric bass, electric guitar, piano and drums for a more progressive rock-influenced sound. Purists scoffed, but the band found favor with younger audiences, especially on college campuses.
On January 10th, 1971, 48 years ago today, the Earl Scruggs Revue appeared on a PBS special, Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends, which featured 21-year-old Gary and 17-year-old Randy, along with Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Doc Watson and Bill Monroe, among others. Also appearing on the program were country-rock pioneers the Byrds, featuring Roger McGuinn, Clarence White, Skip Battin and Gene Parsons. In the above clip from the special, the Byrds join Scruggs and sons on Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” which the Byrds actually recorded in 1968, three years before Dylan, who eventually included it on a greatest-hits package in late ’71.
Midway through the clip, Randy Scruggs, who would go on to be an acclaimed picker, songwriter and record producer before his untimely death last April, plays a string-bending acoustic guitar solo as the eldest Scruggs plays banjo in the background in his own distinctive and hugely influential style. The performance, while stretching the boundaries of traditional bluegrass still retains the acoustic feel and multi-part harmonies of classic bluegrass music. In the ensuing years, Earl Scruggs, his sons and his business-minded wife Louise would become a musical dynasty, essential to the growth of the genre not only in the U.S. but throughout the world. Earl Scruggs, who was preceded in death by Louise and their son Steve, died in 2012.  From: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/earl-scruggs-the-byrds-bob-dylan-you-aint-goin-nowhere-777372/

 

Mandrake Handshake - Emonzaemon

Hey! Who are Mandrake Handshake and how would you describe what you do?

Mandrake Handshake are cool, fun-loving squadron that dwell in London and Oxford. We’re a psychotropic neo-phonic, electro-stomping groove machine. We currently have 3,694 members. Wait. that’s a typo it’s more like 8 or 9.

How did you come to exist?

Row (guitarist, long hair etc.) received a divine vision in a flash of green or purple light at Green Man 2018. It told him to ask a bunch of his friends from uni to join a band to play the songs he’d just started writing. Since then it’s gotten out of hand and our application for tax-free cult status is currently pending at the Department of Art and Culture.

Who were your first musical obsessions when starting out?

Two words. The Brian Jonestown Massacre (okay, four words). They were the original aesthetic and the spirit of Anton still burns strong in all of our brains. As we developed, the influence of krautrock and Stereolab has taken hold and now we’re some heathen mix of the two.

You’ve described your sound as “Flowerkraut” – who else do you think sits in that sub-sub-sub-genre?

I guess the idea is that no one really does and that’s why it’s fun. But we’d invite The Soundcarriers if they’d want to be involved. Also Kikagaku Moyo if they wanted to #rip.

Your latest track ‘King Cnut’ is out now, what’s it about?

It’s about revenge being served cold. You’re calm and collected, waiting for the time to strike. It’s about ‘ice-cold power’, if you will.

While you’re not quite on the scale of The Polyphonic Spree, there are quite a lot of you – what’s the smallest stage you’ve played?

We played at Truck Store in Oxford and there were as many band members as there were Limited edition Record Store Day Releases on the shelves. We had tambourine players on tables and everything. Shout-out to those lovely rooms like The Castle Hotel in Manchester and The Loft in Portsmouth. Your stages are small, we can’t fit on, but boy we fucking love you.

What do you think people will remember most about your shows?

Someone described our last show as more like an ‘experience’ than a set of individual songs. And while our sets are a bunch of individual songs, we want people to remember that feeling of being lost, confused, and maybe even a little bit happy.

Who would you love to work/tour with now?

We’ve heard Frank Zappa is making a comeback from the grave. Really pushing to get on the bill for that one.

What’s the last most helpful piece of advice you’ve had?

If you’re trying to kick serve, make sure you throw the ball over the right shoulder to impart adequate spin.

Famously, mandrakes scream when you pull them out of the ground. What makes you scream?

It’s probably better to ask what doesn’t make us scream. Just before we go on a show we like to routinely scream at each other’s faces to get in the correct frame of mind.

From: https://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2024/09/30/introducing-mandrake-handshake/

 

David Bowie - Moonage Daydream

The passing away of David Bowie reminded me of the song Moonage Daydream from the cult album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Bowie had many personas in his amazing career, and none more celebrated than Ziggy, the alter ego that had some Iggy Pop, some Lou Reed, some Vince Taylor and a pinch of the Legendary Stardust Cowboy and B-movie sci-fi melodrama. As I was listening to the song while writing this post I figured that I should also pay tribute to Mick Ronson, whose musical contribution on this album made this album the classic that it is. I think that Moonage Daydream is his finest hour with Bowie. The opening guitar riff, the sprinkling of piano, the baritone sax and piccolo flute bridge and most notably, the epic guitar solo that closes the song. Bowie used to draw on paper the shape of the solo he wanted, and for this solo he drew a flat line that turned into a megaphone shape, and ended as a cloud of dots and lines. “Mick could take something like that and actually bloody play it, bring it to life” said Bowie. A great example of how a great solo is not about how many notes you play, but how you play them.  From: https://musicaficionado.blog/2016/02/06/moonage-daydream-by-david-bowie/ 

 

Bosnian Rainbows - Always on the Run / Turtle Neck

 Bosnian Rainbows - Always on the Run

 

 Bosnian Rainbows - Turtle Neck

 

There is a Spanish phrase that Omar Rodriguez-Lopez keeps in mind as he pushes forward with Bosnian Rainbows, his newest experimental rock band: con vivir. It is a motto not only for his new music, but for what he describes as a new way of living.
“In English, the only translation is ‘togetherness,’ but that doesn’t do it justice,” the guitarist tells Rolling Stone, as the band celebrates this week’s release of their debut album, Bosnian Rainbows. “It’s the essence of the chemistry that happens when people come together.”
For Bosnian Rainbows, that togetherness has been unusually intense since the quartet formed a year ago, as Rodriguez-Lopez stepped away from At the Drive In and the Mars Volta. Joining him is Mars Volta drummer Deantoni Parks, keyboardist Nicci Kasper and singer Teri Gender Bender (née Suaréz), the explosive leader of Guadalajara garage band Le Butcherettes.
Rodriguez-Lopez calls Bosnian Rainbows a collective of artists who spend virtually every moment together. “We wanted to create a microcosm for what we’d like to see in everyday life,” says the guitarist, who has openly admitted to being a creative “dictator” in previous bands. “I’ve awoken to a reality that has taken me 36 years. This is the project to us: our togetherness, the films we watch, nutrition, then the nutrition of the mind, the ideas that are coming into our head. If we stray true to that, music will happen.”
On Tuesday, the band marked the release of the new album with an hourlong set at the First Unitarian Church in Los Angeles, performing the album’s 11 songs in order. The sold-out show was the second date of a 2013 tour across the U.S. and Europe through September.
The night began with “Eli,” amid lush waves of sound and bursts of guitar aggression, more postpunk than the modern prog Rodriguez-Lopez is best known. “Dig Right In” was funkier, mingling euphoria with gloom in the big 650-capacity room, as a red spotlight cast a giant shadow of the guitarist against the stained glass.
Up front in a short black dress was Gender Bender, still a wild and unpredictable force at the mic, but more self-controlled and anchored to the rest of the band. Right behind her, the others were in a tight formation – drums, keyboards, electronics attached as a single shared unit. “Morning Sickness” approached Seventies disco, while “Turtle Neck” began with dreamy layers of melody and vocals, then shifted into a hard, muscular funk as panicked and brainy as King Crimson‘s Robert Fripp.
While not exactly stripped down, the music was noticeably more direct than some of the expansive music the Mars Volta created. “It’s elemental and to the point. That’s indicative of our chemistry and our relationship,” Rodriguez-Lopez explained. “We’re real direct with each other in our communication.”
“It feels like we’re riding a giant spaceship playing to space,” said Gender Bender with a smile. “I know it sounds pretentious.” In their upstairs dressing room before the show, the quartet sat on folding chairs between the fireplace and a food table covered in healthy snacks: grapes, bananas, juices, organic corn chips, vegan cookies and unfiltered water. No booze or cold cuts, and none needed.
“We live in a place where our food supply has been poisoned. Everybody is eating genetically modified foods. You have to go out of your way just to eat right,” Rodriguez-Lopez said, and then alluded to the recent death of actor James Gandolfini. “Look at our boy here who just died at 51. That’s not natural.”
The band came together last year and traveled to Hamburg, Germany, settling into Clouds Hill Studio on the Elbe River. With studio owner and producer Johann Scheerer, Bosnian Rainbows was recorded during eight days of sessions on analog two-inch tape.
“We’ve all been collaborating over the years,” said Rodriguez-Lopez, “so it just seemed the natural order to put together a democratic, collaborative group, where everyone’s a writer, everyone’s a producer, everyone’s a composer.” Choosing the opening track was simple and obvious, said Gender Bender. “‘Eli’ had a smell to it, a good, stinky smell,” she said with a laugh. “It’s funky, like us. That’s what we smell like, I guess.”
After Hamburg, there were other long stays together in Atlanta, El Paso and elsewhere, with the band operating like a traveling commune and much more like the original punk-rock anarchists of Crass in England than the endless rock & roll party bus. In April, the band began a six-week stay in a Malibu mansion once owned by William Randolph Hearst. Most of their time was spent together in the small laundry room off the kitchen or on the porch overlooking the ocean.
“They’re hilarious,” Gender Bender said of the band. “It’s like Comedy Central the whole time. I can’t keep a straight face with them.” The church concert ended with the crowd cheering loudly for an encore that never came. Once the entire album was played, Bosnian Rainbows had nothing left. (They don’t do covers or songs from their other bands.)
Many followers of Rodriguez-Lopez have learned to accept the prolific musician’s creative whims and left turns, leaving popular bands behind, while others have expressed predictable degrees of disappointment and rage over the indefinite hiatuses of ATDI and the Mars Volta. He says there was no other choice he could make. “We all gave up something to be here to serve something else,” said the guitarist. “We all had to be in the right place at the right time for that to work.”
Also on hold is Le Butcherettes, with a finished sophomore album produced by Rodriguez-Lopez awaiting release at some unknown future date. In the new band, Gender Bender’s onstage persona still has bite, but also vulnerability. “Le Butcherettes was a lot of angst, and this is more about our togetherness,” said Rodriguez-Lopez. “It’s a different energy and another side of her.”
Gender Bender added, “First I was a little scared, because it’s the first time I’ve done something without my guitar. I was a little nervous yesterday about the show and Nicci said, ‘It’s good that you’re nervous, because it gives you passion.'”
Not that she ever lacked for passion. At Le Butcherettes gigs, she could suddenly drop her guitar and begin climbing the scaffolding to hang upside down above stage, or leave her band behind as she crawled to the floor and out the front door. Rodriquez-Lopez, who played bass with Le Butcherettes at 2012 tour dates, saw it all up close.
“I remember one time I was so bummed, because we were in Chicago and it was a packed house – she just started playing and I hadn’t even tuned yet,” he said with a laugh, underlining the differences with their newest project. “That would never happen here. We’re a team, and we’re very conscious of each other.”  From: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bosnian-rainbows-on-tour-latest-band-from-omar-rodriguez-lopez-193427/

 

 

 

Albaluna - Palimpsestus

Pedro Fortunato – Albaluna’s music is not easy to categorize. If you had to place an Albaluna record on the shelves of a store, where would you put it?

Christian Marr’s, bassist and lyricist, on behalf of Albaluna – That’s a question that has been following us for quite a while now. It’s actually a topic that we frequently discuss among ourselves. Albaluna has been in a constant transformation in the past ten years, which was when we began. In the first years Albaluna could easily be placed in the European folk shelf. Our first album Alvorada da Lua proves it so, in my opinion.
With time and internal changes, the band absorbed many other influences and assumed different ways of composing and performing. By the time the second album Nau dos Corvos came out, back in 2016, the world music concept became a lot more obvious, with Mediterranean music, which includes traditional Turkish, medieval Iberian, Jewish, Arabic, and Balkan music playing a heavy part in the style of the group.
What also took a very important role in this metamorphosis was the constant curiosity and investigation regarding ethnic music, a quest headed by Ruben Monteiro, the founder and main composer of this group. This obviously influenced all of us to embrace these new approaches and instruments.
History serves a lot as a background for us, and we are very often dedicated to it in order to learn more about the places that influence us. Another thing that also inspired Albaluna was touring. The last three or four years have taken us to countries such as India, Italy, Morocco, Montenegro, Germany, China. It has been magnificent to have the opportunity to experience all this and learn so much from so many different cultures. I have been talking of folk, world music, Mediterranean music, but there’s another big genre in this band’s spirit, which is progressive rock. This is what provides the group’s solid and energetic sound, the strong background. Beside ethnic and ancient instruments as the Turkish baglama, the Iberian bagpipes, the Arab darbuka or the medieval vielle, you can find a modern sound, carried out by the drums, the keyboards and the electric bass. Here lies the contrast that legitimizes our fusion.
Our latest album Amor, Ira & Desgosto is the perfect example of this. If you go through the whole album, you stumble upon various ambiences, which may take you to India, or to medieval Europe, or to the prog soundscapes that have entered our spirits through some of the prog rock and metal bands.
To conclude this, I don’t think we fit perfectly into one particular genre. On one hand, that makes it difficult to focus on one specific set of events or festivals. On the other hand, the versatility of the bands’ distinct types of shows becomes really positive since we can easily adapt into performing in different contexts. Still, ethnic prog is a term that has been making sense to describe our music. Nevertheless, I think what is really important is that people enjoy what they’re listening to, whether it is folk, world music or prog rock.

Pedro Fortunato – How important is the influence of world music, especially that of the Mediterranean, in the band’s compositions?

Christian Marr’s – As I just said, the band is obviously a fusion of concepts. There are two main worlds in Albaluna: the ethnic side and the prog rock side. And inside the first one, Mediterranean music really stands out as a major influence. This because our country, Portugal, and the whole Iberian Peninsula, are a very curious case of what you can call “cultural fusion”.
Historically, this territory has been inhabited and influenced by numerous tribes, countries, religions, empires, etc. Greeks, Romans, Germanic Tribes, Jews, Arabs, Romani… you name them! Even the African slaves and merchants from all over the world played a part in defining our culture. And when you have something like that, you can easily comprehend the cultural continuum that bonds all countries of the Mediterranean. Because if you take out all borders, there lies a connection in costumes, folklore, food, music. Even in religion. Christianity, Islam and Judaism come from a common area and mind-set. And the cultures they generated fit, despite historical and political divides.
Portugal, although not being directly connected to that sea, is undoubtedly a Mediterranean country, because of the links and cultural heritage it bears on its back. And we took interest in this and began exploring Sephardic music, Turkish folk songs, Arab and North African music, among many others.
If you listen to an Albaluna song you may hear a dance rhythm from Serbia, or a Turkish makam, which roughly translates to music scales with particular expressions and rules, or you may hear an Iberian hurdy-gurdy, or bagpipes, which, on the contrary to what a lot of people believe, also have a strong presence in Iberian culture. And if you want to travel farther away, there is also Indian, Persian, Afghan music in it. The distances are virtually shortened and that’s one of the main purposes of our band: to bring different people, nations and cultures together. Without any kind of prejudice. Why be influenced by only a few genres if by every corner you can find a whole new musical world?

Pedro Fortunato – In which way are those traditional traits, let’s say, “diluted” with contemporary music?

Christian Marr’s – Diluted… I’d rather say mixed, blended. Because although there is a prog rock background and harmonic section, the front of the stage is dominated by instruments clearly pertaining to folk culture from all over the world. The saz baglama, the bagpipes, the jembe, the hurdy-gurdy … But I understand why you say that.
Some songs, for instance “Cascata Trófica”, from our last album, has a rock drive going on… It could be a prog metal song, although the main melodies are performed by the hurdy-gurdy, the vielle and the bagpipes… It’s curious, but that actually the kind of musical twist that we like to impose on our songs. It’s folk-oriented, but heavy. It’s heavy, but it isn’t metal, since you won’t find the conventional electric guitars trying to bring the house down, although we sometimes do anyways (laughs). Because it is all focused on the energy that we transmit, the idea we want to convey. For instance, Turkish music has a lot of metal-sounding rhythms and melodies, at least from our point of view. And that is the sweet spot where Albaluna stands. A heavy-not-heavy ethnic soundscape in which we are free to make whatsoever comes to mind. Did that even answer your question?

Pedro Fortunato – The most recent work, Amor, Ira & Desgosto (“Love, Wrath & Grief”) deals with feelings universal and transcendental to all cultures. Does that universality play an important role in your lyrics?

Christian Marr’s – Yes, of course. Musically we try to break barriers and unite cultures in our own creations, in an attempt to bring everyone together in this portrait of ethnicities and colours, of historical routes. And if there is one thing that we learned from traveling is that people are all alike, whichever tradition they were born in. Well, the language changes, faith may vary, complexion may be different, but in its essence, a person is a universal being, with very much the same kind of emotions and preoccupations, be it here or in India. It’s like if you strip someone of the social constructs they carry on their backs, you will be facing someone who laughs, cries, get angry, or sad.
People, universally speaking, want to love and be loved, to be happy and get home safely, only to find their friends and family in a comfortable and peaceful state of mind. We are a book of patterns. And that’s what our lyrics try to observe and absorb. Every single human being has felt love, wrath, grief, this last one representing any sort of deep suffering.
This album also deals with discrimination. “Gargull” and “Amor, Ira & Desgosto” refer prejudice and the feelings of someone who has been put apart. The gargoyle is just a metaphor for someone who is considered ugly and eerie, who is put “where the sun does not want to reach”. This has been repeated throughout.
“Chiaroscuro” is also a profound poem on the inner darkness and light that lies within every single person. The title of the song is a painting technique which uses both darkness and light to create contrasts and emphasize the duality of shadow and luminous areas. The lyrics are about life experiences. About how you must use what you learn to overcome all obstacles and what the past has offered you, which will never be the same. It’s about embracing your weaknesses and turning them into your character’s main traits, through internal strife.
The whole album revolves around this: strife and the will to overcome whatever blocks your way. But also, love and dreams appear. “O Sonho” was written with these in mind. It’s about purposes you may have in life, especially referring to building a family and expanding your circle of loved ones. These are the three fires that burn inside every single person: Love, Wrath & Grief.

Pedro Fortunato – With influences so distinct in origin and in style, is it still possible to find the “Portuguese soul” in Albaluna?

Christian Marr’s – Yes, of course! The songs are sung in Portuguese. Some poems are based on Portuguese ideas and costumes. One of the songs begins with the line “Sem ter o mesmo azul do mar…”, which translates to “A blue distinct from that of the sea…”. Well, the sea is an ever-present notion in our people’s common sense. The country’s History is deeply bound to its connection to seafaring, and this quote is a flashback on Albaluna’s previous album Nau dos Corvos, based exactly on those concepts. But there are many other traits in our lyrics, but maybe not as obvious or ”tourist-inclined” as you would imagine.
“Penedo da Saudade” has a traditional feel to it, and is filled with nostalgic and bohemian thoughts, which can also be found in Fado songs or in Portuguese poetry. And musically speaking we focus a lot on the roots of Portuguese culture, the fusion of the three cultures that found their place here and cemented the society we see today: Christian, Jewish and Muslim worlds.
The sanfona, the hurdy-gurdy, is a Medieval instrument found in galician imagery. And Galicia is a sort of brotherlike territory to Portugal, sharing linguistic, historical and musical characteristics. And for me “Chiaroscuro” and “Penedo da Saudade” have a very strong Portuguese color.
One of the times we performed in Germany we found a leaflet that described Albaluna with a question: “What music is there left to discover in Portugal besides fado?”. It might not be fado or cante, but it deserves its place as Portuguese music with strong intercultural influences and references, and I think we might be in the right way to be recognized as such. 

From: https://worldmusiccentral.org/interview-with-groundbreaking-portuguese-band-albaluna/ 

 

Cold Blood with Lydia Pense - First Taste of Sin

Many of the greatest groups in rock and roll history have made their home in San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area. While 'Frisco was at the forefront of the psychedelic music movement spinning around the intersection of Haight and Ashbury, some serious funk was springing up as well. 
Free-form DJs like Tom Donahue, who coined the term "underground" radio and Abe "Voco" Kesh interspersed hip soul and jazz in between the extended jams of the Dead and Quicksilver in their nightly shows. Sylvester Stewart, aka Sly Stone, was also a noted Bay Area DJ and record producer and an influence on the scene. Latin music was always in the air as well, and bands like Santana, 
Tower of Power and Malo vibed to the incantory force of the extended boogaloo. One of the best bands in combining the punch of great rhythm and blues with the hippie aesthetic of brotherhood and freedom was Bay Area's legendary Cold Blood. With the backing of pioneer rock impresario Bill Graham, they won over area audiences almost immediately after their formation in 1968.
The Fillmore Auditorium was the epicenter of San Francisco rock, and no better place to see a band "let it all hang out," as many shows ran all night long. The band's first two albums on Bill Graham's San Francisco Records — Cold Blood, released in 1969 and produced by David Rubinson, and Sisyphus, a 1970 release produced by Santana engineer Fred Catero, are excellent representations of a powerhouse band that could really move an audience. 
They were a winning combination of good songs, excellent covers and the powerful, expressive voice of Lydia Pense, their extraordinarily beautiful lead singer. A change in management and a move to Reprise Records in 1972 would see the release of their third album First Taste Of Sin. The twenty-something members of Cold Blood had quite a few years of touring and recording under their belts by now, and while their records did not have the massive commercial success of some of their peers, they still had many fans around the country. 
There were some personnel changes in the group at this time most notably the departure of founding member guitarist, Larry Field.Lydia Pense, their lead singer was still fronting the band. While she had the burden of being compared to Janis Joplin, the preeminent female white soul singer of her day, Lydia's individual style and beauty was continuing to blossom. Another evidence of maturation in the abilities of the group was their choice of budding soul genius Donny Hathaway as producer for First Taste Of Sin.Despite his relative youth, this Chicago-born singer and a songwriter had already received kudos for his work with Curtis Mayfield, Jerry Butler and The Impressions. 
His reputation in the industry as the next generation's leading soul music auteur was spreading throughout the music industry. Warner Bros, and its sister label Reprise were a stronghold in the Seventies for the production of records of high artistic integrity, that were also a gas to listen to. The combo of Hathaway and Cold Blood produced a sophisticated blend of R & B and rock that appealed to both soul and progressive crowds.Hathaway contributed two excellent songs to the album, the slow blues You Had To Know, a showcase for singer Lydia, and Valdez In The Country, as well as his gospel influenced piano and jazzy organ playing.  
The presence also of Bay Area session veterans Coke and Pete Escovedo on congas, timbales,and percussion generated fire in the rhythm section with their Third World poly-rhythms. Also beefing up the horn section is noted jazz tenor saxophonist Pete Christieb.A longtime member of Doc Severensen's Tonight Show Band, he was an in-demand session player. A rare cover version of fellow Warner-  Reprise artist James Taylor's Low And Behold is an adventurous choice of song, and Cold Blood adapts the tune to their rough and ready rockin' soul style.  From: https://rockasteria.blogspot.com/2016/05/cold-blood-first-taste-of-sin-1972-us.html