I’m obviously a feverish proponent of mp3’s. In fact in all the years I’ve been doing this blog I have rarely linked to anything but. Sometimes though it’s the music that counts and not the format. The two founders of one of my favorite groups of all time have announced the release date, track listing, and details on their first record together since the band’s demise in 1995. Below is a stream of the first track.
To hear Mark Olson and Gary Louris of Jayhawks fame sing together again is a special treat. In the whole history of rock I firmly believe their vocal harmonies stand up against anyone else. From the few songs that you can listen to on various streaming services and the song below it seems that Chris Robinson’s production is spot on and the harmonies, along with the dual guitar interplay, are still intact. Check out the first track from the new record on New WestReady For The Flood below.
Bakelite 78 is performing tonight (last night…oops) at Fitzgeralds along with Black Bear Combo and Jimbo Mathus (from Squirrel Nut Zippers fame). I’ve written about Chicago’s Bakelite 78 in the past and am happy to update you on the status of their new record. It’s called Delta Disc and it was recorded in Como, Mississippi by Jimbo himself with funding from Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs. The band is surely one of the few to incorporate styles as diverse as blues, swing, cabaret, dixieland and country.
The record release party is tonight (oops…sorry but it was last night!)
If you’re a fan of Songs:Illinois then you are a fan of William Elliott Whitmore. You must be. No discussion. Not optional.
Thankfully, he’s also about to be discovered by the great unwashed masses. His upcoming record, Animals In the Dark, is on the indie juggernaut known as Anti- Records and is already one of the most exciting releases of early 2009. While it’s too early to draw any conclusions about new directions/sound; it’s clear Whitmore is back with his trademark sound, but with a slightly more political message, especially on “Old Devils”.
Expect the production values to be a little better on this upcoming release, but it’s really amazing what William Elliott Whitmore can do with just a banjo and his whiskey and cigarette ravaged voice. Here’s “Old Devils” off of the new record Animals In The Dark.
It makes complete sense to me that last year’s punks will be this year’s protest singers. The medium might be radically different but the message is often the same. Punk music is raw and angry and lyrically simple due to the age and makeup of the band members but these young punks grow up and want to express themselves more completely. Good resent examples are AA Bondy, the Nightwatchmen (Tom Morello of Rage and Audioslave), Eddie Vedder and now Tim Barry formerly of Avail.
Tim lives in “Red State” Virginia so on the new record you get a mix of political and social messages. Songs explore the views of the military fighting in Iraq to the scourge of Oxycotin on the rural population. Tim Barry is making as many strong political statements on this record than any I’ve heard lately. If this is the next generation of folk singer then bring it on. The new record is called Manchester and was released on Nov. 4. You can buy it here.
On the brink of the election and (hopefully) the tail end of the economic crisis James McMurtry has released a brand new live take on his now nearly classic song “We Can’t Make It Here”.
I’m surprised more singer-songwriters don’t use YouTube to their advantage. As Jon “Trailerpark” Jackson proves in his continuing series of homemade videos all you need is a video camera, a guitar, a song and in this case a trailer. “Mona Lisa” has a couple clever lines and nicely continues Jon’s “searching for love” series of songs. Jon recorded this last night in the “wee hours of the morning”.
Jenny Reynolds’ 2008 release Next To You could be one of the many forgettable releases of the year. That is it could have been if it weren’t so damned good. Part of the credit probably goes to Scappy Jud Newcomb as producer and guests Ruthie Foster, Warren Hood of the Waybacks and Ian McLagen of Faces fame.
But as you can hear on “One Red Light Town” it’s Jenny’s voice, lyrics and guitar that seal the deal. Buy Next To Youhere.
Rachel Ries is an F.O.B. (friend of blog). She’s attained that status not by hiring one of the hundreds of PR folks that barrage my inbox daily or by being signed to one of the top indie labels. She’s done it quite simply by releasing some of the best music over the past 4 years that I’ve written about on S:I.
Her newest project is a split e.p. with friend (and S:I favorite) Anais Mitchell called the country e.p.. The e.p. has two songs written by each woman and then a cover of their friend Louis Ledford’s song . On each song they create lovely harmonies together, something they’ve been perfecting on tour with each other for the last few years. If you like either of these two artists than this e.p. is an essential buy. You can get it now from Anais’ label Righteous Babe here (and you can hear one more song streaming here).
Starting every fall the release schedule for both major and minor releases starts to dry up. There’s a huge drop off as major labels get positioned for Christmas sales of their biggest titles and indie labels lick their wounds and prepare for a cold, dark winter. So I traditionally do a best of re-post kind of thing. A little like a best of but in no particular order and unlike any best of list you’re likely to see elsewhere. I’ll probably do that again this year, but I also will continue to search high and low, near and far, for new music to share with you. I searched far for the German singer-songwriter K.C. Mckanzie. And I’m glad I did.
K.C. Mckanzie’s new record is called Hammer & Nails. Her music can be traced back to the story of the first time she heard The Band and thought this is the sound. While still in her teens she discovered bluegrass and the rest is history. Here’s the lead off track from Hammer & Nails:
From the little I heard from Dana Falconberry’s new record Oh Skies Of Grey I feared that perhaps she’d abandoned the sound and the intimate nature of her previous songs found on the her debut ep (here). But while there’s more layers to be found on this new record I suspect this is the sound Dana heard in her head all along. Only this time she’s got the backing of the excellent, but I’m sure perennially underfunded label, 00.02.59 Records. The presence of even a small budget has allowed her to expand her sonic pallet by adding glorious backing vocals, unusual percussion and a more loungy-folk sound that combines element of folk, jazz and blues.
“Do You” is an understated tour de force (if that’s even possible) that highlights her retro vocals and clever songwriting. Look, I’m biased `cause I love Dana Falconberry but you should really check this one out. Buy it here through her label.
I’m not sure how Hal Ketchum wants to be marketed. His website and Myspace are a jumble of competing messages. Is he a rebel and not part of the Nashville circuit as his tattoo’s and honky-tonk appearance suggests or is he a well manicured product of the Nashville machine as his perfectly coiffed hair and scarf suggest.
I think he’s probably somewhere in between. Caught between no longer being a young rebel and not yet an old favorite. The new record Father Time positions him well though and the song “Millionaire’s Wife” with it’s catchy chorus and authentic banjo (and near gospel backing vocals) bridge that gap between fame/fortune and artistic merit. You can buy the new record here now.
(T)anytown is another example of a band from Europe playing heartland country folk. Their new record, East Of Everything, is out on Corazong Records in October. I’ve written about many of these bands. I like how the Europeans add just that slight hint of gothic angst to American rock.
P.S. I just solidified the next Songs:Illinois house concert and it’s a doozy. I’m glad to present the Fort Worth based americana melting pot of a group known as The Theater Fire in my living room on Oct. 16. They’re passing thru Chicago on their way to Brooklyn to play at the wedding of a guy from the band O’Death. How cool is that? Their new record is due out in December and is called Matter and Light. It’s already getting great reviews on the blogs (here and here). I’m a huge fanboy of these guys and can’t wait to hear their sonic brew in person. Hope you can make it too.
Contact me at cbonnell@gmail.com for more info about the house concert.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about today. I’ve got a couple half finished posts I could have completed or I could have just taken the day off. Then I rechecked my email inbox and discovered that something in there would fit perfectly on Songs:Illinois.
The Washington, DC based roots band the Junior League Band have a new record out on September 30. Lissy Rosemont is the front woman and the driving force in the band (the press release states that it’s her banjo in the new song by Missy Elliott). Her take on life and the female perspective in these songs is a pleasant switch from the male dominated roots music scene.
The new record, Mitchell Williams Fo Govena, is out on Sept. 30 but you can pre-order it here. There’s a record release party at The Black Cat On Oct. 4.
One of the best records I’ve heard all the way through in the newgrass/bluegrass/alt-country style is from the Brooklyn based band Yarn. The bulk of the songs on the new record, while not completely traditional, are acoustic based mid-tempo numbers accented by fiddle and mandolin. As a result this record doesn’t rawk, though it does reel quite nicely.
The appropriately titled “Can’t Slow Down” is one of the most up tempo songs on here. But the slower songs are standouts as well - particularly the ones featuring guest vocalists Edie Brickell and Caitlin Cary.
I saw a weird ad on TV the other day; it was with The Bodeans and they were promoting the state of Wisconsin. I guess music is a better sales tool than cheese or the Green Bay Packers. The Youngers are from Pennsylvania and that might as well be Wisconsin in my book. They play heartland rock in the same vein as the Bodeans and John Cougar Mellencamp, though their bio would rather site Bruce Sprinsteen and Woody Gutherie.
Heck, I loved those bands, and The Jayhawks and the Gear Daddies too. Heritage has a bit of the feel (lyrically) of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The USA”; it’s a tale of a Vietnam vet and his experiences upon returning home especially the shuttering of US businesses and the downturn for the small town.
The new John Carter Cash produced record, Heritage, just came out last week and is available at Miles Of Music here.
Somehow in my wanderings around the internet I learned of a new record by the Twin cities based band Western Fifth. I’d like to be able to say I heard their excellent debut EP when it came out in 2006 but I haven’t. But now I will. The new record is alt-countryish; the band creates roots music filtered through an indie aesthetic. The song “In The End I Went Away” has a hazy sheen over it’s americana roots. Banjos sound distant, guitars and vocals are distorted and loneliness and pain are the overriding emotions. In other words it’s wonderful.
If you’re a fan of special guests than you’ll be happy to know that there are contributions from Dave Boquist of Sun Volt and John Dehaven (who plays with Bon Iver). If you were going to drop a name Wilco would be the obvious choice, but I think I’d go a bit more Mercury Rev or even Built Like Alaska.
You won’t be able to buy the new record for several months (unless you see the band live) but join me in picking up their 2006 debut EP here.
O’death has finally lived up to it’s ominous name with the first track off their new CD Broken Hymns, Skin, and Limbs . The record, the band’s third, is said to be a little dark and from this one song I can see why. It certainly reminds one of “Country Death Song” by the Violent Femmes or lyrically something like “Delia’s Gone” by Johnny Cash or even the crazed bluegrass from Deliverance. Pretty heady comparisons I know, but is there a better band in the country playing this style of possessed, Appalachian folk-punk?
Chris Knight has had a storied career up to now. His music has been universally acclaimed by critics, but never fully embraced by the teeming mass of humanity.
His new record is said to change all that. And from the songs I’ve heard it does have a little more of a muscular, anthemic nature.
Pre-order Heart Of Stone now here (Drifter’s Church, Aug. 19)
Here I am to fulfill my contractually mandated 1 post a day. Plus it’s honky-tonk Friday so I didn’t want to leave you high and dry on that front.
This song from the Dedringers is more of a combination Big Star meets Wilco than say the true honky-tonk of Waylon, Merle or Johnny. But with lines like these it’s clear where these young Texan’s hearts reside:
Woke up in a van sleeping down by the river
Goddamn my liver, how long have I been here?
Knocked out loaded since the trailer exploded
I aint seen the sun since the last time I voted
in ‘88
The band’s new release came out in July, but is just now starting to tear up the americana charts and sympathetic radio stations like MMM in Madison. Buy Sweetheart of the Neighborhoodhere via Waterloo Records.
I was going to take the day off from posting today. The weather’s great in Chicago if you like 90+ degrees. And I thought I’d get out and enjoy it. But thanks to Crossbill Records I’ve got to stay in and blog about Silver Darling. Crossbill Records is a great, small California label with a roster that is growing. The label is headed by Michael Leahy who you also may know as host of the Cool As Folk radio show on KDVS. I’ve written about their artist Matt Bauer and now they’ve sent me new music from the Davis based trio Silver Darling. This is an advance preview as the record doesn’t come out til October and even if you did want to buy it now you wouldn’t be able to. I’ll remind you about this release once you can pre-order it though.
Although Crossbill usually focuses on some strain of folk music, Silver Darling are a slight stretch for them. They play a ramshackle, very loose, folk rock with influences from The Band to The Mountain Goats. It’s some of my favorite kind of music. Listen to “Roof and the Seed” from the forthcoming debut LP Your Ghost Fits My Skin.
Glad you found me at my new url. Songs:Illinois is committed to writing about music that is under-appreciated and unique. I've found that the music I write about shares a couple of traits. And they are: lyrical integrity, musically diverse, and written/performed by compelling characters.
Most songs found here are free and legal and have been provided by either the artist or label. If for some reason you'd like to have a song removed, please email me at cbonnell (at) gmail.com.
