iNFiNiEN - Mannequin Parade

Philadelphia-born iNFiNiEN combines eclectic musical personalities into a visionary, unified force. Far from the typical rock band, they explore new territories of sound by using exotic scales, chords, and rhythms. Using rock, jazz, soul, world, and classical influences, the quartet plays intricately composed songs with flights of fiery and explosive improvisation, driving polyrhythmic grooves, and socially insightful song lyrics. With three albums under their belt the band has found its niche as something truly unique within the international progressive scenes.  The quartet's third record, "Light at the Endless Tunnel" (2016), is a pinnacle of the band's sound and approach to composition and takes cues from all over the music world. Full of beautiful engulfing soundscapes, Old World melodic lyricism, heavy metal riffs, explosive improvisation, futuristic synth textures, Movie Score level grandeur, and socially conscious lyrics. One can expect to hear in any given piece a vast array of influences and styles presented in an evocative presentation. Their compositions borrow just as much from romantic composers like Debussy and Faure as from contemporary artists like Bjork, Tori Amos and Radiohead, world music such as Indian Carnatic music, West African, Middle Eastern and Latin, and even adventurous fusion like Mahavishnu Orchestra, Secret Chiefs 3, John Coltrane and John Zorn. An entity unto itself, iNFiNiEN stirs listeners through a singular and moving musical adventure.  From: https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=10323

The Doobie Brothers - Nobody

For the Doobie Brothers, the last day of April 1971 is where it officially all began. That's the date when bandleader Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, John Hartman and Dave Shogren released the group's very first album. An extension of the San Jose outfit's popularity with Bay Area bikers, the Doobies weren't exactly studio-ready. "When we did the first album we'd never really been together as a group at all," Simmons admitted to Sounds in 1972. "We were all old friends and we just got high in the studios -- we hadn't planned on making an album at all, but the demos came out so good that we decided to send them into Warner Bros. And they liked them."
Listening back to the album now, and that classic Doobie Brothers sound jumps right out of the grooves from the opening strains of "Nobody," which was the lead single from the LP. Uptempo acoustic guitars and soaring vocal melodies drive the tune, highlighted by a Patrick Simmons guitar solo. The only thing the Doobies Brothers seemed to be lacking in 1971 was listeners beyond the Bay Area, with the album and single both failing to chart. Definitely disappointed, Johnston and company were ready to get back on the horse with no real major changes to the process. "We still do everything pretty much the same way as far as writing goes," Johnston told Songfacts on the band's approach to album number two. "We've never been a concept band. Everything is based on songs - whatever songs you come up with are the songs that get recorded. It's usually Pat and I that do the writing, unless we do a cover tune.
"Nobody ever said to me specifically, 'I want a hit, write one,' Johnston added. "This was back in the days when a record company would - and I'm speaking of Warners in particular, but I imagine it was the same in a few other companies - would hang onto you for a while. Today, the first time out of the box, if you don't have a hit, you're gone. And if you have a hit and don't follow it with another hit, you're gone. And those days, you could have a whole album that stiffed - which we did, the first one we did stiffed and we didn't have anything happen until the second album. And that was 'Listen To The Music.'"
The biggest change between the first and second Doobie Brothers albums was the departure of original bassist Dave Shogren, who'd be replaced by a former bandmate of Patrick Simmons, Tiran Porter. "'Listen to the Music' was the song that got everything going," Johnston stressed. "But Warners believed in the band, and they believed that we would eventually come up with something that would happen, and stuck behind us, gave us some money to make the records. And consequently it all paid off."  From: https://www.rhino.com/article/april-1971-the-doobie-brothers-debut-with-the-doobie-brothers

Citay - Careful With That Hat

Citay makes a joyous return on Dream Get Together, the San Francisco cosmic wanderers’ expansive third album. Many of the touchstones from Citay’s previous work remain intact – flourishes of Led Zeppelin, Eno/Fripp, Thin Lizzy, Pink Floyd, Popul Vuh and ELO can be heard throughout – but a newfound swagger pushes Dream Get Together way over the top. Seldom has there been a more obvious choice for an album-opener than “Careful With That Hat,” a song propelled by a deep groove and swing that practically begs the listener to stand up and air-drum wildly. The vocals soar, the lead guitars catch fire and the mammoth solo (courtesy of guitarist Josh Pollock) builds to an ecstatic explosion. This is the shot across the bow. Citay have arrived on Dream Get Together.Led by songwriter Ezra Feinberg, Citay has made a career out of studio exploration, recalling a time when studio excess was the norm. Producer Tim Green, of the Fucking Champs, is no stranger to sonic indulgence, and together Feinberg and Green have woven together a musical tapestry that is both heavy and sweet. In Citay, the metal leanings of Green’s band are replaced by an altogether different brand of fantasy rock. Dream Get Together has an embroidered and epic beauty that flies over the ocean while snuggling up to the ears. Joining Feinberg in Citay is drummer Warren Huegel, whose rhythmic sensibilities are best exemplified not only by his thunderous beats, but also his percussion decorations that lift the Citay sound from the ground up. Flanking Feinberg’s acoustic six string live are the electric guitars of Sean Smith and Josh Pollock. Bassist Diego Gonzalez holds it all together throughout. Feinberg shares vocal duties on Dream Get Together with Tahlia Harbour and Meryl Press, whose sweet, soaring voices play the perfect foil to the bombast. One of many highlights of Dream Get Together is “Mirror Kisses,” a song Feinberg wrote specifically for guest vocalist Merrill Garbus (of Tune-Yards) to sing in three-part harmony with Harbour and Press of Citay. With the soaring Ebow guitars and vocal harmonies, “Mirror Kisses” is Citay at its most lush and melodic. In contrast, “Hunter” is Citay at its most excessive – a triumphant instrumental anthem that somehow bridges the gap between Klaus Schulze and The Scorpions. With a spaced-out synth solo by Joel Robinow of Howlin’ Rain, “Hunter” is a majestic ride. Dream Get Together closes with a gorgeous rendition of Galaxie 500’s “Tugboat,” in which Citay replaces the reverb-y electric guitars with clean acoustic strumming and Fripp-ed out sonics, preserving the beauty of the original while making the song their own.  From: https://deadoceans.com/artists/citay/

PerKelt - Morana

PerKelt is a Pagan Speed Folk band based in London, UK. Their poetry and strong message of freedom and joy merges together with crazily fast, powerful rhythms and joyful melodies. The music of PerKelt blends together the upbeat “engine” of drums and guitars, their trademark unrivalled duels of fiddle and recorders, haunting pagan vocals and the deep tribal vibes of didgeridoo. Somewhat elusively beyond the usual physical limits, PerKelt reaches deep inside our soul and make us dance, laugh and love.
Each member of the band has a long musical history in their country of origin. Paya Lehane, a prodigy recorder player from the Czech Republic, started performing when she was 4 years old; Stepan Honc won the Czech national classical guitar competition Guitarreando in 2002; Duncan Menzies, the crazy hobbit from Scotland, is a shiny example of the famous Scottish fiddling style; Kaya La Bonte-Hurst is born of the London underground music scene; and Ruben Yon’Ton, a sound healer from Mexico, wraps the sound with his didgeridoo.
They met in the mystical underworld of London, and touring the world they invite their audience to enjoy their free spirit, joy of life and love for music. Drawing inspiration from paganism of all kinds, their songs often tell stories from the realm of magic, nature and the beautiful human hearts. Often praised for the energetic authenticity of their performance and the spiritual depth of the journey they take their audience on, PerKelt once made a promise to never stop playing together. A promise to a young child who came to them with tears in her eyes and a big smile on her face.
Keeping up to their promise PerKelt have released four critically acclaimed albums, received various awards from the music industry, performed hundreds of shows all over Europe, and thanks to the magic of the internet gathered countless dedicated fans all across the big mummy Earth.  From: https://www.folkandhoney.co.uk/scotland/perkelt-a698/

The Byrds - Live at The Big T.N.T. Show 1965

The Big T.N.T. Show is a 1965 concert film featuring performances by numerous popular rock and roll and R&B musicians from the United States and the United Kingdom. A sequel to the T.A.M.I. Show (1964), the film was directed by Larry Peerce and produced by Phil Spector. It was distributed by American International Pictures.
The film was shot before a live audience at the Moulin Rouge club at 6230 Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles on November 29 and November 30, 1965. The Big T.N.T. Show was aimed at the teenage demographic and featured 3,000 teenagers in the audience. "T.N.T." was an acronym for Tune 'n' Talent. The film was a follow-up to the T.A.M.I. Show, which was released a year prior. "T.A.M.I." was an acronym for "Teenage Awards Music International." The concert was shot on videotape and transferred to 35-millimeter film. Director Larry Peerce used four television cameras to record the performances. Record producer Phil Spector was the producer and musical director. According to executive producer Henry G. Saperstein, 140 minutes of footage was shot, but the film was cut down to 90 minutes for the theatrical release. Each of the acts performed their set three times.
Its pre-release title was This Could Be the Night—The Big T.N.T Show. The film's theme song, "This Could Be the Night", was written by Harry Nilsson, produced by Phil Spector, and performed by the Modern Folk Quartet. During the opening sequence of audience shots, Ron Mael and Russell Mael, who would later form the band Sparks can be seen at 4:44 and Sky Saxon, singer and frontman for The Seeds can be seen at 5:21. Frank Zappa appears very briefly in the movie at 6:30 as an audience member and can also be seen in the movie's trailer. Marilyn McCoo of the Fifth Dimension also appears as one of the backing singers during Ray Charles' performance.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_T.N.T._Show

Dust Moth - Corrections

I first discovered Dust Moth when producer (former band member / keyboardist at the time / former Minus the Bear / amazing producer and engineer), Matt Bayles shared their “Selector” video on social media. Anyone that knows me or has ever read anything I have ever written on this site, knows that if you can make some decent heavy music with dreamy vocals, I will love that band forever. Well, luckily for me Dust Moth doesn’t just make remotely decent music. They actually make insanely great music. To this day “Selector” and the rest of their debut EP, Dragon Mouth is easily one of my favorite releases in the last five years. When I found out the band was on tour with Kayo Dot last summer, and that they would be making a stop in SLC I was all about it. I was super surprised when only four band members took the stage instead of the six members featured on Dragon Mouth. But let me tell you this, the paired down line up was not lacking. When Dust Moth took the stage as quartet, they absolutely blew me away. Their set that night also featured several songs that I hadn’t heard before and I couldn’t wait to get a recording of the new stuff. I was excited as that day finally arrived when Dust Moth dropped their first LP, Scale a couple of months ago. All the anticipation I had to get my hands on this record paid off. Everything I wanted from Scale, I got. Heavy-doomed-gazy-progeessivness with dreamy yet powerful vocals on top. Serious musical perfection! As I do with every band I get obsessed with I have to know more about their writing process and what makes them tick as a band. So here’s a break down from Dust moth vocalist keyboardist Irene Barber (XVIII Eyes, Erik Blood) and guitarist Ryan Frederiksen (These Arms Are Snakes, Narrows, Undertow). We touch on how they function as four piece band, the writing process for Scale, and what the future has in store for the Dust Moth.

Dust Moth went from six members down to three (temporarily) and now back up to four. Why the mass exodus of band members? Were they not able to tour / commit fully to the band?

Irene: It wasn’t so much of a mass exodus as it was a slow transformation. The band just evolved into what works, but yes, some of it had to do with busy schedules / availability.

So was Scale recorded with Justin Rodda on drums? He has since been replaced with Jim Acquavella. What was the reason for Rodda’s departure and how did Acquavella come to be in the band?

Irene: Yes, Justin came in to record with us when we lost our original drummer. He did an amazing job. Jim is our permanent guy now though. Steve and Jim have known each other for a long while – they played in a band called Bronze Fawn together, which happened to be one of my favorite Seattle acts. That’s how I met Jim, playing out and about when Bronze Fawn were still together. It’s super cool to be playing with him now, years later. I feel like with past records the songs would always really start to take shape after playing them on tour night after night.

I was at your SLC show last summer where you opened up for Kayo Dot and you all expressed your excitement for the new material and how the simplified band lineup was really helping the new songs form. Do you feel like that mini tour was really essential to how the songs on Scale were formed?

Ryan: In a way, yeah. I feel like with past records the songs would always really start to take shape after playing them on tour night after night. It was just becoming familiar with each song and getting comfortable actually playing the song. So we had planned on recording after that tour for that exact reason. We had demoed a lot for Scale and the songs would each change with each demo of the song as we were able to hear what works as a whole rather than just our individual parts. It’s so easy to just get caught up in your own playing before recording that I think songs sometimes suffer as a result of that.

In a previous interview Ryan had talked about their being more space for the three of you to insert yourself into the songs. Is that the main difference between the writing process from Dragon Mouth and Scale the extra space?

Ryan: Nah. While that’s a big part of it, it was also the fact that there were essentially only 3 of us writing Scale. Also, Steve wasn’t in the band when we recorded Dragon Mouth and his playing style is vastly different from both JC and Jacob’s(JC was our original bass player and Jacob filled in for JC when he couldn’t be there and then took over for a bit when JC moved to the Bay Area). Having the extra space was more of an added bonus. It wasn’t necessary as we were used to writing as a 6-piece but to not have to analyze everyone else’s parts to make sure notes aren’t rubbing and ultimately fitting together is pretty liberating. Scale, to me, ended up being about forward movement, reaching outward in unknown spaces, and the patterns and repetition involved in that.

Is there an overall theme or vibe either musically or lyrically that Scale represents?

Irene: We didn’t set out to write with an overall concept in mind, but the record ended up having some overarching themes. Scale, to me, ended up being about forward movement, reaching outward in unknown spaces, and the patterns and repetition involved in that. I think this is in line with what is happening musically on the record, and it’s sprinkled throughout lyrically as well.

Having not seen the physical artwork for Scale yet I really feel like the album cover matches the vibe of the albums music perfectly. I read that Irene was in charge of the artwork. Any particular inspiration behind the albums visual representation?

Irene: I kinda feel the same way. How did that happen? Ha! The artwork started with a piece by Dwight Jonsson, a painter here in Seattle. I was flipping through some of his paintings and when I saw the colors and textures in this one, I felt like it matched our vibe really well. I sliced and diced it to give the artwork a cavernous, kaleidoscope look to further try and capture the feel of the record.

In the press release for the new album Brian Cook (These Arms Are Snakes, Botch, SUMAC, Russian Circles) name drops some pretty incredible acts including Led Zeppelin, Jawbox, Doves, and Chelsea Wolfe after hearing the album and re-reading his write up I think that combo of sounds / bands actually does a really good job describing Dust Moth’s sound. Do you agree with this combo? Any that you would add or subtract?

Irene: It’s hard describing your own sound, you know? All I can say is, his list is scary accurate as far as the range of acts that influence us.

Ryan: I think Brian is very astute when it comes to describing bands. It also helps that we sat in a van for years together listening to all those band’s records. Haha. Seriously though Brian understands where we’re coming from and what we’re trying to achieve so I think we knew he’d flatter us a bit when he wrote that. Haha. But yeah, I really do think he nailed us down pretty good.

After having so many band members and now simplifying the lineup do you envision Dust Moth adding any additional members again? I thought the live show functioned amazingly as a four piece.

Irene: That’s great to hear, thank you! It feels really good being a four piece. We’re interested in growing/adding to the sound going forward, but we’re hoping to do it without adding additional members. Just additional synths ;).

Ryan: Yes thank you very much! That is fantastic to hear. We lose a little bit sonically as far as more musicians but I think we gain clarity with less going on and we obviously get to move around a little bit more on stage. Haha. That certainly helps.

From: https://beardedgentlemenmusic.com/2016/09/13/interview-with-dust-moth/

Trimdon Grange Explosion - Christians' Silver Hell

Trimdon Grange Explosion are a psych folk ensemble from North-East London Comprising Alison Cotton (viola/vocals), Ben Phillipson (guitar/vocals), Mark Nicholas (bass) and Karl Sabino (drums), the quartet formed in the aftermath of the split of acclaimed folk-rock outfit The Eighteenth Day of May of whom all four were members. The self-produced recordings of Trimdon Grange Explosion's eponymous set took place in various North London locations. The nine tracks (plus one bonus track on the download) range from original compositions to acid-tinged group instrumentals to songs from the folk tradition, arranged for electric instruments. Trimdon Grange Explosion is a grand continuation of its previous incarnation's psychedelic fusion of the modal rock of The Velvet Underground – among others – with their own English traditional music roots. Evidently, there was unfinished business.
“Has Acid Folk ever sounded so mesmerizing and as incendiary as this...Open tuned guitars chime out hypnotic raga model notes against Viola and rolling drums to create a droning wall of Spector like sound .” -Optical Sounds  From: https://trimdongrangeexplosion.bandcamp.com/album/trimdon-grange-explosion   

A.L. Lloyd wrote in his book Come All Ye Bold Miners on The Trimdon Grange Explosion: As sung (one verse only) by R. Sewell of Newcastle (June 1951). Remainder of text from J. Jefferson, Trimdon Grange, County Durham. From a ballad by Thomas Armstrong, who prescribed for it the tune Go and Leave Me If You Wish It, now it is usually heard attached to the come-all-ye type tune given here. The explosion occurred on 16 February 1882. Seventy-four miners were lost (six of them died in the neighbouring East Hetton colliery due to afterdamp seeping through from Trimdon).

Martin Carthy sang Trimdon Grange on his 1974 album Sweet Wivelsfield. This track was included in 2003 as The Trimdon Grange Explosion on his anthology The Definitive Collection. Carthy sang this song at least twice in John Peel BBC Radio sessions.

Martin Carthy commented in the first album’s sleeve notes: On 16 February 1882 there was an explosion of either firedamp or coaldust at the Trimdon Grange colliery in South County Durham (which is still remembered to this day) in which seventy-four were killed. The usual fund-raising procedures—all unofficial of course—went into action, and one of them was the writing and selling on the streets of this song. The tune is the Victorian parlour ballad Go and Leave Me If You Wish It to which Tommy Armstrong wrote these words. The tune was also used by Evangelists as a hymn tune both here and in America where it is also known in the guise of Columbus Stockade. I thank Bob Davenport for teaching me the song.

Maddy Prior sang Trimdon Grange Explosion in 2008 on her Park Records CD Seven for Old England. She noted: Tommy Armstrong (1848-1920) was born in County Durham at the height of the expansion of the mining industry, and lived most of his life in Stanley which was ringed round with pits and drift mines and was described as ‘like the Klondyke’. During his life the area was transformed from a rural landscape to a major urban complex. He documented these changes and all the life around him was celebrated in his songs, and he became known as the ‘Pitman Poet’. He would get his verses printed up and sell them around the pubs for a penny, and the money, in many cases went to the victims of tragedies, or else to pay for his beer (he had fourteen children).

From: https://mainlynorfolk.info/louis.killen/songs/trimdongrange.html