So today is my one of my best old college friends' birthday. You heard me, old. He's one of those woodsman types. He's a manly man with a manly scent. He plays the banjo and has a very manly beard. I'll bet he owns more chainsaws than I have pairs of shoes. He actually writes banjo songs about chainsaws. That's called keeping it fucking real, people. Oh and he's got a local band in Maine called Sons Of Quint for which he plays drums. And today, I'ma put them shits on Hype Machine...
Before we get back to the big list, I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna post up a bunch of the old DJ mixes I've done for the blog (which aren't available anymore) on the Mixcloud. Here's the first, click and get a Brazilian. I'll wait...
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And now back to your previously scheduled program...
Suedehead is what happens when a bunch of white people from Orange county with no soul try to start a soul band. "But, Tone", you say, "there's a black guy in the band." That's the thing... THERE ALWAYS IS! That's how they get you. But the thing is... the black guy's from Orange County, too. "Ahhhhh", you say...
It seems like this Destructo guy has been around for a while... the name sounds familiar to my old raver ears. But seems that he's part of the whole HARD kiddie fidget house crew, so I scoff...
Mt. Eden sounds like a nice place until you realize all the radio stations there play nothing but fart-inducing Brostep...
We Are Augustines? No, you are a poorly-named Indie Rock band I'm not even comfortable giving a "meh" to...
Now, I fully suspected that I would be giving some love to Dragonette since they've made those fun jams with Martin Solveig lately, but you know what? On their own, they're kinda just some so/so Electro-Pop...
And you're gonna start to think I dislike Dubstep if I keep shitting on all these Dubstep acts, but I posit that it is they who are picking shitty Dubstep acts. Like Borgore. Shitty. But our next act is hot shit. In case you're confused, that's a good thing. "Shit" is a very flexible adjective...
Who he is: From Austin, Texas we have a young, honest-to-goodness bluesman.... Huzzah!
What he sounds like: A little bit BB King, a little bit Jimi, and a little bit Hip-Hop (in attitude and funkiness). I'd read Rolling Stone's raves about this guy and become interested... after listening to his debut EP, I've become converted...
Today's Blog-achella post may just be the moment that I realized I'm old...
... because the next three acts, Para One, Surkin and The Bloody Beetroots are three of the hottest things going, and quite frankly I couldn't care less. I don't like the ElectroFidgetBlogHouse sound, and you know what, if that's what the kids are into these days, get off my lawn! That sound is just too obnoxious, too ADD, too generic with 'em all using the same stupid synth sounds and the stupid breakdowns... blech. Over it. Besides, I already covered 'em last year.
Then you get the next act, which is a complete opposite. Amanda Palmer is the singer for The Dresden Dolls gone solo. And it's all piano cabaret stuff that I am not nearly gay enough to properly enjoy. So I'm not cool there, either. Hmm...
I know! You guys ever hear that tune "Green Onions"? That's a corker! I'll put in my LP album and play it for ya...
Who they are: The legendary keyboardist Booker T. Jones, no longer with the MGs ("Green Onions" is my jam, yo!), but now with the DBTs, who, in an odd twist, are actually Southern Rock outfit Drive By Truckers. What they sound like: That's kinda hard to say, as the record isn't out for a couple of months and there's but one measly song out there as of now to stream ("Warped Sister" on Booker's Myspace). But it's pretty solid and sounds exactly like you think it would. Here's an oldie but goody for reference...
What I think: I think I'd rather see the "Green Onions" dude than the hot shit young dance producers. In related news, my sciatica is killing me, it's cold in here, and I'm late for the Early Bird special at Flo's. Fuck.
(No Youtubes of this group exist yet, so here's Booker and some different white people from a few years back)
MAJOR chance for serious guest star action here, as Neil Young plays guitar on most of the record. And hey! Get the hell off my lawn! I already told you kids once! I'm gonna sit up here and shake my fist at ya until ya do! Ah, screw it, "Matlock" is on...
... just to make sure this week stays all over the place musically...
I would have to describe my knowledge of the Blues as nascent at best, but it's a genre I'm learning more about thanks to certain dirty, dirty pirates helpful folks on the interwebs. For instance, I had no idea what a big deal Willie Dixon was. Just take a second and check out his Wiki there. I'll wait...
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See? Hall Of Famer, yo! Of course, so is John Cougar Freakin' Mellencamp, so maybe that's not the right thing to hang your hat on... Anyhoo, this is a cool track that mixes the Blues, a nifty New Orleans shuffle beat and some background vocals that obviously set the pattern for early rock...
Now, I do have one issue with this song... if you listened to the lyrics, you might have noticed they're a bit, shall we say... fuckin' creepy...
"I got 29 ways to make it to my baby's door I got 29 ways to make it to my baby's door And if she needs me bad I can find about two or three more
I got one through the basement Two down the hall And when the going gets tough I got a hole in the wall
I can come through the chimney like Santa Claus Go through the window and that ain't all A lot of good ways I don't want you to know I even got a hole in the bedroom floor
I got a way through the closet behind her clothes A way through the attic that no one knows A master key that fits every lock A hidden door behind the grandfather clock"
Stalk much, Stalky Stalkerson? Yikes. Obviously Willie Dixon not only predated Rock & Roll, but also predated the restraining order...
So this album must have the oddest title ever, huh? It's true, blues legend Howlin' Wolf was not too fond of this record at all, even referring to it as the "Dog Shit Album" in interviews. Come on, man, don't hold back... tell us how you really feel! I guess the record label made him do it, and since he was a 60-year-old codger at the time, he wasn't really feelin' the whole plugged-in vibe. I can hear it now... "This electic geetar is too loud! My sciatica's actin' up! It's drafty in here, goddamn it!" Must have been a great time. But you know what, despite all that, it's really pretty awesome. Hot guitar licks, some funky-ass drumming and that powerful voice... the best word I can use to describe it is "raw as fuck"... yes I know that's three words, don't mess with me...
This sucker is looooooong out of print and has never been reissued on CD either, so once again I have one word... "Google Blog Search"... I said don't mess with me... :P
If you believe people like Eric Clapton (and yeah, I know that's a stretch, the dodgy cunt), then Robert Johnson is one of the most influential figures in the history of American music, laying the basis for what would become Rock 'n' Roll in some of the best blues songs ever. Well, I don't know about that, but I do know that according to legend he may or may not have sold his soul to the devil, and you can't get much more RAWK than that!
Tommy Guerrero is a pretty interesting case. Dude was one of the biggest pro skateboarders of the '80s, then when he got too old or whatever for that, he went into making music. Not bad skate punk, but really groovy downtempo stuff. Kind of like if Tony Hawk suddenly turned into Nightmares On Wax. Pretty cool, if ya ask me. But you don't get a Tommy Guerrero track today (although here's what he has on Hype Machine). Today you get a track off of his edition of the bomb-diggity Another Late Night/Late Night Talesmix series, wherein your favorite musical stars "compile an album of their favorite music that inspired them to make music their profession - their favourite of the favourites". Um, okay, sure, whatever. Great series, though, and these kind of compilations are often filled with groovy old nuggets that you might have never heard otherwise, 'cuz artists love to show off their obscure old records when they get a chance - ya know, to show how cool they are and shit. And then you get to hear stuff like this excellent Muddy Waters electric jam...
The music posted on this blog is for evaluation purposes only and will be removed after a short time... so if you like it... support the artists, dammit! Buy the records, go to the shows, give them a ride to the airport if they need it! Don't be a schmuck! If you are an artist or scary lawyer type and want something removed from here, just holla and it's gone! I'm easy like that!
