Month: March 2017

old 97’s, ‘graveyard whistling’

11th studio album from this great texas band, this may be my favorite release of 2017 so far. the band has always rode that fine line between roadhouse rockabilly and l.a. punk, and as such they have always been on the outside looking in regarding mainstream rock, and this is no exception. in fact, it basically defines their career. i have listened to it at least a half dozen times, and i love it more after each spin. the first song (‘i don’t want to die in this town’) may be perfect, if you don’t mind a straight up, in your face high octane offering, replete with washes of twangy high reverb guitar swatches. it should be played loud.

recorded in the same venue they used for their first major label debut in 1996 – ‘too far too care’ – this is in many ways a return to their roots but with a nod to 20 years on the road. ‘good with god’ features brandi carlisle on vocals and songwriter credits. ‘jesus loves you’ is a great ditty about trying to woo a religious female at a bar, with such catchy pick up lines as ‘he’s got the whole world in his hands, i’ve got lone star in a can’. hard to argue with that.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/02/old-97s-full-session.html

nuggets volume 2: the fantastic expedition of dillard and clark

when most people think of the music of the byrds, they often think about two of the more famous alumni, roger mcguinn and david crosby. but a good argument could be made that they may have never hit the big time in the first place if it wasn’t for the singing and songwriting talents of one of the more introverted members – gene clark.

born in 1944 in missouri, gene was an early musical prodigy and eventually wandered west to the music scene in l.a. in the early sixties. after meeting mcguinn in the famous troubador club, they set out to find other like minded musicians, keen on grafting the influence of the beatles onto the local folk scene. gene wrote or co-wrote many of the byrds’ original songs on their first three albums.

eventually a management decision gave mcguinn the lead vocals on their major singles and dylan covers, and this started a chain of events that became the beginning of the demise of the initial lineup of the group. gene had a chronic fear of flying, which inhibited their touring options, and the band members were also growing jealous of the royalties he was receiving for his songwriting credits. he left the group in early 1966.

in 1968 he started a collaboration with a local bluegrass banjo legend named doug dillard. seeking a more traditional musical template that he had grown up with, they rounded out their group with bernie leadon on guitar (later with the flying burrito brothers and the eagles), bassist dave jackson and mandolinist don beck. they only made two albums, and this is the first one. it is just flawless, in my opinion. the song featured below, ‘ train leaves here this morning’, was co-written by leadon and was eventually covered by the eagles on their debut album.

his work with dillard rejuvenated gene’s creative fire but also greatly contributed to his growing drinking problem. they were rather legendary in their pre-concert preparations and were rarely as effective onstage as they were in the studio.

gene went on to make many fine solo recordings after this, and i encourage you to start with this one and explore more if you enjoy it. i have a couple i have been listening to that might find their way into another nugget entry.

tedeschi trucks band ‘live from the fox oakland’

this is quite simply one of the best bands out there today. they are captured here on tour in the most recent iteration of the group showcasing their current studio release, ‘let me get by’. recorded last year at the venerable old fox theater in oakland, it has a healthy mix of their originals plus a diverse offering of covers from artists such as clapton, dylan, beatles, miles davis, leonard cohen, santana, and others. the eleven piece band is a well oiled machine and can tackle all of the genres that derek and susan incorporate into their overall sound. accompanying the two cd set is a dvd of most of the whole show, with vignettes between songs introducing the main characters and the venue. of special note is derek and special guest alam khan dueting with derek on his gibson and alam on the sarode. i can think of no other guitarist alive today who could have pulled this off this beautifully. well worth your time.