Music Of The Day Blog

Saturday Free Music Downloads: Compilation from Classic Rock Magazine

2010-11-13T20:11:00.000-05:00

The latest issue of latest US edition of Classic Rock Magazine features an 18 song compilation album of up and coming rock and roll bands.

Check it out over at Classic Rock Magazine.com ... http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/download-classic-rocks-us-only-cd-for-free/

Under The Radar: Die Pretty

2010-11-11T12:20:00.000-05:00

Die Pretty is a promising female-fronted pop-punk band from New York City. I say pop-punk, but Die Pretty has got a harder edge than most so-called pop-punk bands, so let's call them accessible punk ... the gateway drug, if you will ...

Die Pretty just released their second EP, a self-titled collection of 7 songs, many of which appeared on their earlier release "Bittersweet". But you can't blame them for repeats, as not enough people noticed the earlier album, so they're continuing to refine the songs.

Led by the brother and sister team of Skip and Sarah, "Grin and Bear It" is one of the standout tracks ... here's a video for the version off the earlier "Bittersweet" release ...

Listen to more at their MySpace site: http://www.myspace.com/dieprettynyc

Future Hype: Valora

2010-11-09T14:45:00.000-05:00

It's very possible that by this time next year, I'll groan at the thought of having mentioned Valora a year prior.

I mean no disrespect ... the few songs available now from Valora sound pretty good, especially the new song "Live". Comparisons to Paramore are inevitable, because lead singer Syd Duran does sound quite a bit like Hayley Williams ... but the music is heavier. Not hard rock like Halestorm ... it's still leans more toward the pop side of things, but with more of an epic feel ... some would call it a sense of self-importance, or theatrical, but whatever it is, it's working for Syd and Valora at the moment.

Here's the video for "Live", which is the band's current single ... and part 1 of the graphic novel series that follows our heroine Valora as she carries her secret through the ages (did I say sense of self-importance?) ...

Follow the story at http://www.valoraofficial.com.

Valora has had a couple of other songs featured on movie soundtracks. "Extreme" was on "Almost Alice", the soundtrack inspired by the Tim Burton interpretation of "Alice in Wonderland", and "No Matter What" played during the credits of "The Last Song".

Interestingly enough ... Valora's recording deal is credited to the success of a self-made video that the band made 3 years ago for "I Waited For You".

Seems that their record company is in the process of deleting all known copies of this video, but this one's been up on YouTube for 3 years and has survived thus far:

Random Monday: Electric Boys and the Funk-O-Metal Carpet Ride

2010-11-08T14:49:00.000-05:00

Random is a wonderful thing. It's been too long since I listened to the Electric Boys ... but random brought them back for me.

Mix 2 parts late 1980's metal, 1 part funk, 1 part 1960's psychedelic, and then add 1/2 part The Beatles, and you've got the Electric Boys ... a short lived musical explosion that produced one of the best albums of 1990 in "Funk-O-Metal Carpet Ride".

The follow-up 1992 album "Groovus Maximus" was good, but not as strong as the debut ...

Dropped from their label, an independent release "Freewheelin'" followed in 1994 ... admittedly I don't really listen to that album except for the single "Ready To Believe", which had some of the spark of the debut ...

I always loved Conny Bloom's vocals, and I've been waiting for a follow-up ...

He did release a solo album in Europe in 1999 ... and "Neon Delta Blues" is a pretty good song off that album.

But aside from that, he's been playing guitar for other bands. He played guitar on "Black Leather Mojo" with Ginger from The Wildhearts in Silver Ginger 5 ... another classic album of the funk-o-metal genre that was released in 2000.

In the mid-2000's, Conny, and bassist Andy Christell of the Electric Boys, joined Hanoi Rocks until the final break-up of that legendary band.

Last year, the Electric Boys got back together and did some touring in Northern Europe in support of a greatest hits album titled "Now Dig This". And rumor is that come 2010 they've recorded some tracks for a new album ... in fact, here is a medley of demos ... so the story may not be over yet.

For more info, visit http://www.connybloom.com and http://www.electricboys.com.

Fresh Tracks: Cromwell

2010-11-07T08:00:00.025-05:00

Cromwell has been around for a few years, so this might not be the first time that you've heard of them ... and it's not going to be the last. They released their first EP back in 2005, and they were on the 2006 Warped Tour.

A full length album "Illusion & Obsession" followed in 2007. Good, but in retrospect, not very memorable.

Fast foward to 2010 ... and things appear to be looking up with the addition of a second guitarist, and collaboration with producer Ulrich Wild who has produced and/or mixed albums for Breaking Benjamin, Stabbing Westward and Incubus, among others.

The recently released 3 song EP "Daniela" makes me look forward to see if they can deliver a full album as good with as much quality as this EP. "Faces" and the title track "Daniela" are solid modern rock ...

Saturday Free Music Downloads - Nelson, Taproot, Morning Parade

2010-11-06T08:00:00.002-04:00

Will "Lightning Strike Twice" for the Nelson brothers? Probably not ...

1990's "After The Rain" spawned a #1 single "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" and 3 other Top 40 singles.

Twenty years later, they're back with a new album "Lightning Strikes Twice". The lead single "You're All I Need Tonight" is available as a free download at http://www.frontiers.it/download/Nelson%20-You're%20All%20I%20Need%20Tonight.mp3.

Taproot

Melodic hard rockers Taproot released their fifth album "Plead the Fifth" earlier this year. The current single "Release Me" is one of the best track on that album, and it's available as a free download at http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/11/02/free-music-tuesday-eartha-jesse-ruben-taproot-and-mor/.

Morning Parade

Morning Parade is a modern rock band recently signed to EMI UK. Their debut EMI album isn't scheduled for release until later this month, but you can download a copy of "Youth" at http://morningparade.com/.

And here's their current single "Under The Stars" ...

Under The Radar: Sam Vicari

2010-11-05T08:00:00.001-04:00

One more powerpop artist this week, and the album is a free download to boot. Reminding me of Sloan, old Weezer and old Jimmy Eat World, Sam Vicari's album "Keep Careful" is stripped down honest rock and roll with a powerpop beat and guitar jangle.

Admittedly, his voice still needs to grow on me a little bit ... it works best for me on "The Things I Say" and "Like An Island". But overall, this album is a good showcase for an artist with a lot of potential.

Head over to Bandcamp to listen to or download the album: http://samvicari.bandcamp.com/

Fresh Tracks: Bleu

2010-11-04T08:00:00.046-04:00

I should have know that week's flurry of powerpop related posts was just setting the stage for Bleu's new album "Four" which was finally released this week.

This album definitely contains some instant classics ... "Singin' in Tongues", "B.O.S.T.O.N." and "Dead in the Mornin'" in particular stand out. A few others aren't quite instant classics, but have hooked me in after a couple of listens, including "I'll Know It When I See It", "In Love With My Lover", and "My Own Personal Jesus".

Most of the album is streaming at http://bleutopia.com/.

If you like Bleu, I'd also recommend "Air Traffic Controller", whose album was produced by Bleu. Check it out here: http://www.musicoftheday.com/2010/10/fresh-tracks-air-traffic-controller.html

And with that said, here are a few of the highlights from "Four" ... in great low-budget BleuTeub format ...

And as a bonus, here's a classic from Bleu's 2003 debut ...

Fresh Tracks: Empyr

2010-11-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

I've got to admit, I was a little skeptical about European electro-rock for a long time. But bands like Carpark North (who just released a new Greatest Hits album in Europe, but is still M.I.A. with anything recent on this side of the Atlantic) have convinced me otherwise.

In a similar electro-rock type of style as Carpark North, I'm enjoying the new single from French band Empyr, "It's Gonna Be".

Download "It's Gonna Be" at http://soundcloud.com/sidewaysmedia/empyr-its-gonna-be. And be on the lookout for their new album "Unicorn" in January. Fore more info visit the Empyr web site: http://www.empyrmusic.com.

Fresh Tracks: The Boy And His Machine

2010-11-02T13:51:00.000-04:00

The Boy And His Machine are ready to provide you with a fresh pop-punk fix on their new EP "Count On It!"

No, it's not groundbreaking music, but it's energetic and fun ... just what you're looking for in some pop-punk. My favorite of the new tracks is "Here's To The Good Life", which I think is a good follow-up to "Hook, Line & Sinker" off last year's EP "Show Them What You're Made Of".

They haven't posted any videos from the "Count On It!" EP, but now is a good time to go back and enjoy "Hook, Line & Sinker" ...

And "The Walls of Regret" ...

Random Monday: Dr. Demento, Part 2

2010-11-01T09:29:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I did a Random Monday post with some memories of growing up listening to the Dr. Demento radio show.

It's hard to top classics like "Shaving Cream" or "Funny Farm" (they're coming to take me away, ha ha, ho ho, hee hee). Or silly songs that get stuck in your head like "Fish Heads". So if you missed that post, I'd suggest going back to it here: http://www.musicoftheday.com/2010/10/random-monday-who-could-forget-dr.html

But I was remiss in not including any Spike Jones songs, as his novelty/comedic songs from the 40's and 50's were also mainstays of the Dr. Demento show. I remember him regularly playing "Der Feurhrer's Face" ...

But it was the 1970's and the associated Disney/Donald Duck cartoon was buried deep in the archives of the politically incorrect, so I never did see it until I was doing a recent search ...

Ok ... that is a little heavy on the propaganda, but having heard that song almost weekly back when I used to listen to Dr. Demento, it does make me laugh.

Another Spike Jones favorite of Dr. Demento was "Clink! Clink! Another Drink!" ... I was too young to appreciate it at the time ...

Yeah, I was too young to appreciate that one, but to a 10-year old in 1976, "Gumball Wizard" was a laugh riot ...

Maybe It's New To You: Black Hat Villain

2010-10-31T08:00:00.001-04:00

Last week, I mentioned the Thorny Bleeder compilations that were released earlier this year at http://www.thornybleeder.com/downloads.html. One of the highlights from that compilation was definitely "My Generation" from Black Hat Villain ... a great modern hard rock song with a bit of a southern hard rock feel ... and a lead singer that's got a Halloween type of look to him (nothing personal dude). It's worth downloading "Get Thorny 2" for that track.

Black Hat Villain released the "My Generation" EP this last spring, and it's worth checking out. The title track "My Generation" is the highlight of the EP, but I also enjoy "Country" and "One Way Street". Check it out here: http://blackhatvillain.bandcamp.com/album/my-generation-ep.

Saturday Free Downloads: Madina Lake and John Oszajca

2010-10-30T09:59:00.000-04:00

Chicago based modern rockers Madina Lake have a new EP scheduled for release on November 16. Their making one of the tracks "Hey Superstar" available as a free download at http://madinalake.bandcamp.com.

L.A. based singer songwriter John Oszajca has released a free download of a cover he's recorded of Ween's "It's Gonna Be (Alright)" (not to be confused with John's original "It's Gonna Be OK" off his excellent "First Sign of Anything" album). Download the track at http://www.johnomusic.net/itsgonnabealright.zip.

I've mentioned it before, but John has an additional free download of "I Hate You My Friend" at http://www.johnomusic.net.

Secrets of the Great White North: David Gogo

2010-10-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

I had never heard of blues rock guitarist David Gogo until earlier this year. Several of his albums kept appearing as recommendations for me on eMusic.

Lo and behold, this talented guy has released 10 albums in Canada.

His latest album "Different Views" is a good place to start ... it's a solid blues rock album. I also really enjoy "Change of Pace" (try the title track, plus "Sad & Lonely", "Sad & Beautiful" and "Face in the Mirror") ... and his early live album "Dining Under The Stars" ... the version of "Sad & Beautiful" on that album is a classic.

The following video has the studio version of "Sad & Beautiful" ...

I also like this video where he's doing a little slide guitar action with a Molson beer bottle ...

Here are a couple more live videos to give you a feel for more of his music ...

David Gogo's first album, from 1994, is sadly out of print ... but I managed to pick up a copy on eBay earlier this year. It's a little harder rocking blues, and definitely worth searching out ...

For more info, visit his web site at http://www.davidgogo.org.

Fresh Tracks: Air Traffic Controller

2010-10-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

I seem to have quickly moved from the blues to powerpop this week. Boston's Air Traffic Controller is one of the best mellower powerpop acts I have heard in a long time. Think early Michael Penn, a little Traveling Wilburys, mix in some modern pop like Death Cab for Cutie ... and then let powerpop maestro Bleu produce the album.

Dave Munro was serving overseas in the US Navy as a real-life Air Traffic Controller when this project started coming together. Making music and writing songs was a way to help him cope with being away. The album that resulted, "The One" is an incredible debut.

Check out "Can't Let Go" ...

Note: You can download a free copy of "Can't Let Go" from a review of the album posted at http://billsmusicforum.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-air-traffic-controller-one.html.

This album is loaded with great songs. My personal favorite is "God Has A Plan", a powerpop masterpiece that will probably make my top 10 list for this year. I can't find a video link for this song, but you can stream (and buy) the whole album at http://airtrafficcontroller.bandcamp.com/.

"This Road" is another great song ..

Here are a few more live performance videos worth checking out ...

For more, head over to http://airtrafficcontroller.bandcamp.com/.

Fresh Tracks: Taylor Locke & The Roughs

2010-10-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Taylor Locke is better known as the guitarist of Rooney. It's obviously been a very busy year for him, as Rooney released a new album over the summer ... and he has released two albums from his side project Taylor Locke & The Roughs.

I'm not really a Rooney fan, so I wasn't expecting to like Taylor Locke & The Roughs. In fact, I ignored the spring release "Grain & Grape". But I read a review of the new album "Marathon", and was intrigued. Comparisons to Jellyfish are natural ... in fact the sound reminds me of Jason Falkner's post-Jellyfish band, The Grays, but with more of a rock edge ... at times they also remind me of Butch Walker (especially in "My Only Drug"). Let's call it powerpop with substance ... and strong classic rock influences.

Both "Marathon" and "Grain & Grape" are great albums. No videos have been posted for "Marathon" yet, but enjoy these tracks from "Grain & Grape" ...

It looks like a few live performance videos have been posted for songs from "Marathon", so let me post those as well ...

Visit the band's website at http://www.tlatr.com/.

Fresh Tracks: Brian Ray

2010-10-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Well, this is a great surprise. Brian Ray has been playing and touring with Paul McCartney as guitar and bass player since 2002. And granted, I was actually surprised that I liked Paul McCartney's live CD/DVD that was released late last year ... so maybe I shouldn't be surprised that McCartney has such a talented band backing him up.

Brian Ray steps into the spotlight on his new solo album "This Way Up". The album is smart power-pop with a rocking edge. Well crafted songs, expertly played ... it reminds me of a cross between the best moments of Matthew Sweet and Cheap Trick.

Check out the video for the title track "This Way Up" ...

Another album highlight is "I Found You" ... here's a fan made video for that song ...

Additional highlights include "Happy Ending", "Saturday in the Sun", and "Very Happy Song". Well, I should probably also include "Let's Fall Apart" and "Hello Miranda" in that list.

If you're not quite sold on Brian Ray yet, I should let you know about a few free downloads that are available.

There is a free download link for "Saturday In The Sun" available on Brian's home page at http://www.brianray.com.

And there's a free download link for "I Found You" available on the "Music" tab of Brian's Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/brianrayguitar?v=app_4949752878.

And if you like the video for "This Way Up", it's also available as a free download at http://www.brianray.com/index.php/blog/blog-entry/my-new-video-for-this-way-up-and-an-exclusive-download.

Enjoy!

Random Monday: Seasick Steve

2010-10-25T08:00:00.043-04:00

Seasick Steve doesn't get any respect in the US. I remember a few years ago when one of my friends in the UK told me about Seasick Steve's album "I Started Out With Nothin' And I Still Got Most Of It Left".

At the time, the only Seasick Steve album available in the US was one of his previous albums ... and I remember reading a review of that album that said that it sounded like it was recorded at the bottom of a very deep well, and the reviewer wondered why anyone would want to listen to the album more than once, if even once. I listened to a few 30 second samples, and went on to listen to something else.

A few months passed, and my friend persisted ... what did I think of Seasick Steve? Well, to be honest, I hadn't really thought of him at all. The album that my friend had was not available in the United States ... and still isn't (but there is another new album available). So he suggested that I go to YouTube and look for Seasick Steve's appearance on the Jools Holland show.

Now we're talking ... if you don't dig Seasick Steve on his 3 string guitar playing the "Dog House Blues", you don't have the blues ...

I was sold. I had to get a copy of "I Started Out With Nothin' And I Still Got Most Of It Left" ... my favorite song on that album has to be "One True" ... a timeless story of a man's best friend ... (oh, and you've got to check out his "drum machine" on this track ...

Definitely a classic album ... here's a TV performance of the title track ...

Late last year, Seasick released a follow-up album "Man Out Of Time" ... an album which was finally released in the US late this summer!

Not content to have his career defined by 3-string guitar performances, this time he opted for a 1-string guitar on the opening track "Diddley Bo" ...

Admittedly, it's hard to listen to more than an album worth of Seasick Steve at a time ... but this is one of musician I would love to see perform live.

New Blues: Chris Duarte Group, Joanne Shaw Taylor and Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band

2010-10-24T08:00:00.002-04:00

With Buddy Guy's new album "Living Proof" being released on Tuesday (currently streaming at http://www.spinner.com/new-releases#/6), it's got me in the mood for some fresh blues music.

Thankfully there have been some good new blues albums released in the past couple of weeks. Chris Duarte Group just last week unleashed "Infinite Energy". Early favorites of mine from this album include "Waiting On You" and "Cross My Heart". But, of course the best thing about a new Chris Duarte album being out is that you know he'll be cranking up the tour dates soon.

For more Chris Duarte, see this earlier post: http://www.skippythelizard.com/2010/08/just-another-random-monday-chris-duarte.html

Joanne Shaw Taylor is back with her second album "Diamonds In The Dirt". Last year's "White Sugar" was a strong debut, but I prefer the more laid back feel of the new album, which I think better highlights how her soulful vocal style compliments her guitar work. Early favorites of mine include "Same As It Never Was" and "World On Fire".

I haven't seen any videos yet of material from the new album, but these two performances of songs from "White Sugar" will give you a feel for her music:

Kenny Wayne Shepherd has released a number of live EP's over the past few years .... particularly "The Legends" series and "King's Highway", which were inspired by his "Ten Days Out, Blues From the Backroads" project. While I enjoyed those EP's, it's great to hear Kenny back with a full band, and great musicians including Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Buddy Flett, Bryan Lee, Chris Layton & Tommy Shannon (better known as SRV's Double Trouble), Riley Osburn, Scott Nelson, and of course, Noah Hunt ... the fantastic vocalist for Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band. "Live in Chicago" was recorded at the House of Blues in Chicago, and it includes KWS classics "Deja Voodoo" and "Blue on Black" ... plus great cover versions of "Sell My Monkey" and "I'm a King Bee". It's worth picking up the Special Edition, which also includes a cover of "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)".

Saturday Free Music Downloads - Ginger Wildheart, more Union Sound Set, Starlight Cities

2010-10-23T08:00:00.002-04:00

I don't know why Ginger, the lead singer of The Wildhearts, isn't more well known. The Wildhearts appear to have a decent following in the UK ... I know that I used to have to buy their albums on visits to the UK, but for the past 5 or 6 years, their albums have been released digitally in the US ... which is good, because it's harder and harder to find a record store in the UK these days (or anywhere else for that matter).

Ginger just released a "Greatest Hits" album covering his solo recording outside of The Wildhearts ... it is called "10". It's great to see this album, because it contains several songs off of the "Silver Ginger 5" album, which was not released in the US. That's probably my favorite Ginger album ... and it's great to see "Anyway But Maybe", "Sonic Shake" and "Girls Are Better Than Boys" included on this album. Other of my favorites on this album include "Yeah Yeah Yeah", "Mother City" and "When She Comes".

There's a companion album "10 (Two)" which includes some additional tracks that didn't make the cut for "10". These are available for free download at http://gingerwildheart.bandcamp.com/. Three more cuts off from "Silver Ginger 5" are featured, including "(Whatever Happened To) Rock 'n' Roll Girls". "Can't Drink You Pretty" and "GTT" are a couple of other fun songs that are included on the album ... definitely worth the download.

Union Sound Set

I mentioned some free Union Sound Set (British-post-rock) downloads in an earlier post at http://www.skippythelizard.com/2010/10/fresh-tracks-union-sound-set.html. Another free download off the upcoming album "Start/Stop" are now available. Download "My Current State (is your latest objective)" at http://soundcloud.com/abadgeoffriendship/sets/union-sound-set-start-stop. ("Hiding Places" is also available at that link, as well as the link in the earlier post.)

You can also stream the entire album at http://soundcloud.com/abadgeoffriendship/sets/union-sound-set-start-stop.

Starlight Cities

Starlight Cities is a new modern rock band from Rochester, NY. They've released their first single "Beautiful" as a free download on PureVolume at http://www.purevolume.com/starlightcities.

Fresh Tracks: Mike Herrera's Tumbledown

2010-10-22T08:00:00.004-04:00

Mix (pop) punk rock, Americana, rockabilly, and some country music songs about drinking, and what do you get? No, not another Fearless Records "Punk Goes" album (sorry, you'll have to wait a little longer for "Punk Goes Country").

On October 26, Mike Herrera's Tumbledown (you may remember Mike as frontman for MxPx) releases their second full length album, "Empty Bottle". So far, I've only heard three out of the first four songs off of the album ... but I like what I'm hearing.

Track 3, "Meet The Devil" is a particularly great song ... reminds me a bit of some of the more melodic songs from Social Distortion ... listen to it at http://www.absolutepunk.net/artists/showlink.php?do=showdetails&l=17672.

The opening track "Places In This Town" is another winner, less Social D, and more rockabilly ... great bass and guitar. It's available as a free download over at Fuse: http://fuse.tv/music/free-music.html?artist_id=451

"Arrested In El Paso" is the first single, not quite as strong as these other two songs, but a catchy sing-a-long number that will get your toes tappin' ...

If you're intrigued, it's worth going back to look at the first full length album simply titled "Tumbledown" as well ...

Check out "Came Here To Fight" ...

And "Let's Drink" ...

And "Break Out Of History" ...

And "Butcher of San Antone" ...

Under The Radar: The Operation (UK)

2010-10-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

The Operation is a promising young rock band from the UK who have released 2 albums and 1 EP in the past two years.

One part Brit-pop-rock, and one part hard rock power trio ... it's classic rock with a modern twist.

The latest album "Human Zoo" is their best effort yet ... an extremely good album that could be great with just a little more polish. I wouldn't be surprised to see a bigger record label pick these guys up ... take the strongest cuts from their two albums ... change the band name to something more unique ... and take them to a larger audience.

Key cuts off "Human Zoo" include the single "Come Clean" and the harder rocking "Inside Out", the latter of which is available as a free download at http://www.strummerville.com/diy/the_operation/.

I also like "Silver to Grey", "A Matter of Time", and "Direction Home".

The previous album "Beautiful Days" is also worth a listen, even if it's a little less consistent. Check out this live performance of "Get Up" from that album ...

Visit the band's web site at http://www.the-operation.com.

Southern Rock Fix: Parmalee

2010-10-20T08:00:00.002-04:00

It's a shame that it took a tragic incident to bring this great southern hard rock band back to my attention. From their base in North Carolina, Parmalee has spent close to ten years as one of that region's most popular local acts, and I expected that the next time I heard about them it would be because of a hot new full-length album release.

But that wasn't the case...at least not yet.

On September 21, 2010, Parmalee drummer Scott Thomas was shot multiple times during a robbery attempt in Rock Hill, SC, when two armed suspects attempted to rob the band's RV after a show.

Scott is recovering after two life saving surgeries, and is still in the hospital at this time (one day short of a month later) with no current estimate on when he will be well enough to leave. Friends of the band have started a foundation to help offset medical expenses, and you can donate on-line at http://www.helpparmalee.com/.

I'd also encourage you to check out the band's most recent EP (from 2008), "Complicated". Their sound has mellowed a bit since their debut EP in 2002 and debut full length album in 2004 ... but it's hard to deny that "Carolina" is one of the best melodic southern rock songs in years ... I don't understand why this song, and the band, has largely gone unnoticed outside of their home region.

Of course the band can still rock, such as in the opener "Gasoline" ...

Maybe It's New To You: TV Heart Attack

2010-10-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

I was just going back and listening to some music that I downloaded earlier this year, and decided to listen to the two free compilation albums put out by Thorny Bleeder Records late last year and early this year. Thorny Bleeder is a great indie music label out of Vancouver, and if you're not familiar with their "Get Thorny" and "Get Thorny 2" compilation albums, I'd strongly recommend downloading them at http://www.thornybleeder.com/downloads.html.

There are a few artists that I discovered through those compilations, and I'll probably highlight a few other bands in the coming weeks.

Today, I want to turn the spotlight on TV Heart Attack, a modern pop-rock band that knows how to write a song that will stick in your head for days. All six songs on last year's EP, "Lost In The Sway", but the standout is definitely "AO" ...

Maybe I just like any song that can prominently work in the word "Reciprocity" into the lyrics ... remember that song "Reciprocity" by The Architects from a few years ago? Probably not...

"AO" is included on "Get Thorny 2" that I mentioned above, and is also available for download individually at http://soundcloud.com/tvheartattack/ao-lost-in-the-sway-ep.

"Nowhere Fast" is another standout, including on the first "Get Thorny", and also available for download individually at http://soundcloud.com/tvheartattack/nowhere-fast.

Check out "Nowhere Fast" below ...

TV Heart Attack also had someone Canadian rock radio airplay with "Hypnotic Eyes" off their independent self-titled release in 2008. Download "Hypnotic Eyes" at http://soundcloud.com/tvheartattack/hypnotic-eyes ... and check out the video below ...

For more TV Heart Attack, see their web site at http://tvheartattack.com/.

Random Monday: Who could forget Dr. Demento?

2010-10-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

One of the great things about the old days of radio was that if you wanted to listen to music, you didn't have much of a choice ... you listened to whatever the radio was playing.

And if you were listening late at night, especially on Sunday nights, you'd end up listening to syndicated radio programs that were ... well, something different. But nothing was as different as the Dr. Demento radio show.

Dr. Demento's passion was quirky novelty songs. (Think "Weird Al" Yankovic ... and then think weirder.)

I can't think of a better Random Monday experience than looking back at some favorites that were played frequently by Dr. Demento.

One of the show's favorites was a 1946 novelty song "Shaving Cream" by Benny Bell ... (note that if you're craving a copy of this song, the recording is out of copyright and can be downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/BennyBell).

And who could forget "Fish Heads" by Barnes & Barnes? I dare you to listen to this in its entirety, as you will be whistling this song for weeks, if not years, to come. (Feel free to fast forward to the 2 minute mark to get started.)

Or, speaking of "Weird Al" Yankovic ... who could forget his Bob Dylan parody song with every verse written in palindrome. It's even better with the video ...

Or do you remember "Dead Puppies Aren't Much Fun"?

Or how about we go back to one of the catchy ones that will stick in your head forever .... "Funny Farm" ... "They're coming to take me away ... ha ha ... ho ho ... hee hee..." ...

Still More Free Music Downloads: Paige, Bombastic Meatbats, Gin Blossoms

2010-10-17T08:00:00.006-04:00

I thought I had already covered all of the interesting free music downloads this week with the Friday and Saturday posts, but here are a few more worth checking out. (Credit where credit is due ... the first two I found while reading Kaj Roth's excellent blog at http://palaceofrock.blogspot.com.)

Paige

Paige is a pop-punk band from the UK. I don't know much about them, but their free download "Young Summer" is a catchy song that would have made a good summer anthem ... if only the summer wasn't over. I guess our friends in the summer hemisphere will have to enjoy it.

Download "Young Summer" at http://beta.projectrodney.com/paige, and connect with the band at http://www.facebook.com/pages/PAIGE/58092117812. You can also enjoy the video for "Young Summer" below ...

Bombastic Meatbats

Talk about a great band name ... I know you've got to be stoked to hear this one ...

Bombastic Meatbats Featuring Chad Smith was formerly known as Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats ... I mention that just so you don't get confused and think they are two different bands. Late last year they released their debut album "Meet The Meatbats" ... and this year they are back with "More Meat", due to be released this Tuesday.

Of course, Chad Smith is better known as the drummer for Red Hot Chili Peppers and Chickenfoot. The Bombastic Meatbats is an instrumental funk/rock/jazz fusion project that evolved after several of the members met playing backup for several of the excellent Glenn Hughes solo albums.

Download "Greasy Louise" off the new album via the following link (right click and save): http://www.warriorrecords.com/bombasticmeatbats/windowsmedia/Greasy_Louise.mp3

Also check out the band performing "Need Strange" off the debut album here:

The "More Meat" album is currently available for streaming at http://www.spinner.com/new-releases#/13 if you'd like to listen to more.

Gin Blossoms

The Gin Blossoms released a new album "No Chocolate Cake" about a month ago. It's a decent album, but maybe a little weaker than the previous album "Major Lodge Victory", at least in my opinion. Of course, it's unlikely that they'll ever live up to their 1992 debut "New Miserable Experience"...

That said, if you have a passing interest in the Gin Blossoms, you might want to download "Lost and Found", an unreleased track from the recording sessions for the latest album at http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/09/20/gin-blossoms-lost-and-found-free-mp3-download/. It's a decent song ... better than half the songs on the new album, in my opinion.

Saturday Free Music Downloads - Default, Ronnie Wood, Buddy Guy & B.B. King

2010-10-16T08:00:00.018-04:00

Default

"Turn It On" off the upcoming Default album "Comes And Goes" is available as a free download from the band's web site at http://www.defaultonline.com/. ("Comes And Goes" was released last year in Canada, but is just seeing its release in the US on October 26. It's worth a listen ... best album since their 2001 debut "The Fallout" in my opinion.)

Wake The Light

Wake The Light is a promising modern hard rock band with a debut album "Leave It All Behind" coming out in January, and a new single "Best of Me" coming out on Tuesday. They are signed to Warner Music, so expect to be hearing a lot about them in the coming months. Mainstream modern hard rock, think Daughtry with a slightly harder edge.

One of the other songs from their upcoming album, "Story" is available as a free download from AOL as a link from the following article http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/10/12/free-music-tuesday-kopek-vanish-valley-wake-the-light/. You can also listen to "Best of Me" below...

Ronnie Wood

Somehow I missed the fact that Ronnie Wood released a new album "I Feel Like Playing" a couple of weeks ago (it's on sale for $5 at Amazon MP3). "Lucky Man" is one of the standout tracks on the new album and it's a free download at http://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Man/dp/B0041BDXDK/.

Buddy Guy & B.B. King

Speaking of luck ... and talent ... a lot of talent ... Buddy Guy has a new album "Living Proof" that is coming out in a few weeks time. The new album features him in a duet with B.B. King titled "Stay Around A Little Longer" ... which is currently available as a free download on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045NCFW4. Let's hope both the good Lord accepts their thanks and keeps both Buddy and B.B. around a lot longer. Buddy Guy is one of my favorite all-time performers ...

Free Classic Rock Downloads: Unruly Child, Strangeways, and Skin

2010-10-15T08:00:00.002-04:00

You might remember the first Unruly Child album from 1992. Or you might remember vocalist Mark Free from his days with King Kobra and Signal in the 1980's.

Or, you might recall the odd story of Mark Free's sex change operation in the mid-1990's when Mark Free became Marcie Free.

After two albums with other vocalists, Marcie Free is back as lead vocalist with Unruly Child, this time as a woman. "Very First Time" is the first single off the new album "Worlds Collide", and Frontiers Records is making it available as a free MP3 download at http://www.frontiers.it/download/unrulychild_veryfirsttime.mp3.

Strangeways

Terry Brock has been a busy man this year. He released a very good solo album this year "Diamond Blue", in collaboration with producer/guitarist Mike Slamer. He also performed lead vocals for the latest Giant album "Promise Land" ... a lot of Giant fans weren't happy with the album, but I thought it was pretty good ... in particular, I like "Believer" (although not as much as their classic hit "I'm a Believer") and "Complicated Man".

Now Terry Brock has joined forces with Ian Stewart to reunite the classic lineup of the AOR favorite band Strangeways. The new album "Perfect World" is being released in Europe today (USA later this month), and the title track is available as a free download at http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/track-of-the-day-strangeways/.

Skin

Admittedly I don't know much about UK classic hard rock band Skin. Their debut album came out in 1994, and apparently did reasonably well in the UK ... made the top 10. The lead single off that album "Money" reminds me a lot of The Scream from the US, with its funky metal sound. Needless to say, however, it was 1994 when this album came out, so I'm not surprised that it didn't see any traction in the US.

Skin reunited earlier this year and put out a new album "Breaking the Silence" ... check out the free track "Born to Rock & Roll" at http://www.skinfreak.co.uk/news/4-updates/127-classic-rocks-track-of-the-day.html, and you just might find yourself looking for more.

For just a little bit more, here's a video of a 1994 British TV performance of "Money" ...

I have to admit that listening to the 30 second previews of the self-titled debut album from Skin on Amazon's UK site, I might have to look harder for a web site that will sell a copy of this album to someone located in the US.

Fresh Tracks: Attack! Attack! (UK)

2010-10-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

Attack! Attack! (the UK emo-rock band ... not to be confused with Attack Attack!, the US post-hardcore band ... damn those clever Brits and their precision for punctuation, always trying to show up us yanks!) recently released their second album "The Latest Fashion" ... and I have to say it's pretty good. I've grown a little tired of emo, but I think these guys have a done an excellent job of tightening up their sound, and the new album "The Latest Fashion" is more of what I'd characterize as modern rock ... no subgenre labels.

Download a free copy of the single "No Excuses" at http://soundcloud.com/hassle-records/attack-attack-no-excuses. (It's an unusual download as it is in WAV format, but it's a higher quality download than most, and easy enough to convert to other formats if needed.)

Check out the video for "We're Not The Enemy" here:

"Not Afraid" was released as a single earlier this year, and is also included on "The Latest Fashion" ...

"Seen Me Lately" would be my pick for the next single.

Their self-titled debut album from 2008 was not as strong, but the single "You And Me" was a definite highlight, and is worth checking out if you're new to the band ...

Fresh Tracks: The Weekend Kids

2010-10-13T08:00:00.004-04:00

It's been too long since I heard any new pop-punk music that I enjoyed. Seems like too often its too much pop, over-produced, and doesn't sound real or genuine.

So let's call The Weekend Kids garage pop-punk ... four young men from Edmonton, Alberta (that's in Canada, 'eh) who are having fun making music with and for their friends.

They released their debut album "Of Friends and Foes" earlier this year, and have just released a video for the single "Twenty-Something".

If you'd like to hear more from The Weekend Kids, three songs from their album, including "Twenty-Something" are available for download at http://www.sonic1029.com/programming/botm/, where they are the band of the month on their local rock station Sonic 102.9.

The free songs are great, but it's worth going back to the album "Of Friends and Foes" for more, which is available in all the usual places (Amazon, iTunes, eMusic) ... in particular, I like "Emotherapy" (their theme song of sorts), "Waiting for Something to Change" and "We May Be Lost But We're Not Alone".

Here's a video of the band recording "Emotherapy", which will give you a little taste of that song ...

Check them out at http://www.theweekendkids.com/.

Free Modern Rock Music Downloads: David Reed and Victory Records Sampler

2010-10-12T08:00:00.003-04:00

I'm cautiously optimistic about the upcoming new album from Columbia, South Carolina's The Private Life of David Reed ... which is, of course, a great band name. Chamberlain Records is offering a free download of "November" at http://www.chamberlainrecords.com/download/November.mp3.

"November" is a very good modern rock song, so I'm looking forward to hearing more from this band. Their first album was a mix of mellow tunes and modern rock, but was more of a solo singer/songwriter effort from lead singer David Reed, than a full band effort. David Reed did an extensive solo tour last year, sleeping on couches across the country (see www.couchsurfing.org), so I was expecting a bit more singer/songwriter this time, but "November" sounds like much more of a band effort, and the band has just recently started touring in preparation for the new self-titled album release.

No videos are available yet for the new album, but there was a video for "Better Be Careful Now" off the debut album "Missteps and Miscommunications".

Personally, I enjoyed "A Week And Seven Days", "Let Go" and "The Way That You Are" more than this song. And oddly enough, I did like the mellow "Here To Save You" off the first album which has a very similar vibe to "Better Be Careful Now" ... so maybe I was just put off the song because of the video, where I think David Reed appears a little over dramatic for my tastes. For new we'll enjoy "November" and wait for the new album to be released on November 9.

Victory Records Fall 2010 Sampler

Also worth mentioning is the new Victory Records Fall 2010 Sampler ... 21 songs from 21 different artists on the Victory Records label.

It's worth the free download at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0043X4P7Y to check it out.

Forgive me, but I'm personally not a big fan of screamo music. But, if you are, chances are you'll like this sampler and might discover some new favorites. And if you're not ... well, I have to admit that I do like some Taproot songs, and "Release Me" is one such song which just happens to be included on this sampler. I'm also kind of digging the fresh and fun pop sound of "Uh Oh" by The Scenic, which you can also check out below ...

Random Monday: Ghost of an American Airman Still Haunts Me

2010-10-11T08:00:00.006-04:00

I remember seeing Ghost of an American Airman open for another band back in 1993 at HammerJack's in Baltimore.

The club was pretty empty when they performed, and I seem to remember that my wife was more interested in playing pinball than watching them. But they have haunted me ever since that night ...

I remember lead singer Dodge McKay climbing up to the balcony level and then up into the rafters as he sang "Honeychild".

The next day I had to go out and pick up their album "Life Under Giants" ... an album full of lost classics including "Bring on the Mystery" and "For Your Love" ... not to mention a great cover of "Witchita Lineman".

Later that year, they released their second and last album, "Skin", which featured "King of Nothing", a song that is permanently stuck in my head.

Ghost of an American Airman ... a great forgotten band. Sadly, their albums have been long out of print (Hollywood Records went bust), but maybe they will again see the light of day. "Skin" in particular is a fantastic album with no filler.

Lead singer Dodge McKay formed a few more bands ... an album titled "Gravity Suit" was released under the band name Thompson and "Underground Cinema" under the band name The Sunday Club.

While these albums are not as strong, the slow song "Kingfishers" by Thompson will get stuck in your head. "Isolation Radio" and "Cop" appear on both albums ... I prefer the version of "Isolation Radio" on the Thompson album, and the version of "Cop" on The Sunday Club album. Both of those albums are available on eMusic ... sadly the only way to find the Ghost of an American albums is in a second hand CD store or in the seedy underbelly of the internet.

Let me leave you with a rehearsal video recording of "Coathanger Love" from the classic "Skin" album ... because now, after watching it, this song will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day ... the song gets cut off at the end, but check out those sounds he makes at the end, as that's the part in particular that tends to get stuck in my head ...

Under The Radar: Pearl

2010-10-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

In case you missed the fact that Meat Loaf's daughter released an album this year, you might want to check out "Little Immaculate White Fox" by Pearl Aday (released simply under the artist name Pearl).

Pearl is an impressive singer, and her family connections (she is also married to Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian) have resulted in a great backing band. If you like female fronted classic rock with a bit of blues influence, then you'll like this album.

Stand out tracks from the album include "Rock Child", "Mama" and "Check Out Charlie". The "Little Immaculate White Fox" album is not on eMusic, but there is an earlier EP available there which includes earlier versions of the best songs on the album.

Check out more from Pearl at http://www.cheersloverock.com/.

Under The Radar: Motus

2010-10-09T08:00:00.001-04:00

This song is a couple of years old now, but I still dig it ... one of the best songs you've never heard. "David" by UK (Leeds/Bradford area) band Motus.

If the above widget doesn't work, check them out at http://www.motusweb.net.

The album "Content", that contains this song is only available via mail order from the band directly.

Free Music Download: Life On Repeat

2010-10-08T08:00:00.001-04:00

Life on Repeat is an up and coming post-hardcore modern rock band that made a splash late last year with their debut EP "As I Grew" on Equal Vision records. Hard rocking, melodic, post-emo ... I especially love the track "Southern Girls".

The band is busy recording their follow-up full length album, and the EP is available for name your own price (including free, but you want to toss them at least a buck, don't you?) at http://lifeonrepeat.bandcamp.com.

Check out the following songs from the EP:

And their "Party In The U.S.A." cover is actually sincere and not half bad ...

Norweigian Rock Fix: Fenrik Lane

2010-10-07T08:00:00.005-04:00

Jeg snakker norsk veldig bra! Ikke så mye...

Admit it, you've been having Norwegian Rock withdrawals ever since the last Stage Dolls album. (Wait a minute? The Stage Dolls are still releasing albums, I lost track of them after 1991's "Stripped".) Or maybe you preferred TNT? (I did know that lead singer Tony Harnell released a solo album this year.) Or maybe your love affair with Norwegian Rock music started and ended with Odd "Smiling Tommy" Gisløy and his hit "Dancin' With My Rockin' Shoes". (I wish I could find a video of that one to post.)

In any event, your fix has arrived. Fenrik Lane is back with their 2nd full length album "317", and it's pretty good. Stylistically, I'd say it sounds like a mix of AOR/melodic rock with more of an alternative rock vocal style, and pop hooks. This is catchy, sing-along rock and roll.

At 14 songs, "317" might benefit from losing a few of the weaker songs ... but you're still left with at least 10 very strong tracks.

Start with the free 5 track EP at http://www.melodicrockrecords.com/fenriklane-317.html. "Going Nowhere" and "Call Her Name" are the best of this lot, but don't quit with just the EP.

You need to get the lead single off the album "Diamonds In The Waste" which is a fantastic pop rock anthem. Then ... at a minimum ... go for "Hello", "Runaway Car", "Russian Roulette" and "Paranoia".

Here are a few video links to provide more of a listen:

Fresh Tracks: Union Sound Set

2010-10-06T08:00:00.021-04:00

Modern Brit-post-rockers Union Sound Set (featuring ex-members of Prego) are set to release their debut album "Start/Stop" later this month on October 27.

I've been listening to a couple of free tracks that they've made available for download, as well as a few additional tracks that are streamable at http://unionsoundset.com ... and they sound like a promising new band.

Download the first single "Hiding Places" by signing up for their mailing list at http://www.mightyatom.tv/uss/.

Download "The Longest Calm" at http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=122&p=9160&more=1.

Check out the video for "Hiding Places" below ...

Under The Radar: Autozamm

2010-10-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Watch out world ... Autozamm is coming. Big alternative rock from New Zealand. Quite a few of their songs remind me of Dishwalla, but with a bit more of an updated modern rock feel to them.

These guys have a big following in New Zealand, but the re-release of their album "5th Degree" by Warner Music on October 11, 2010 will hopefully help facilitate their introduction to a wider audience. (The album is currently already available on eMusic, iTunes and Amazon.)

If you are new to Autozamm, the single "Want It Need It" is a great place to start ...

Since I dig that song so much, I think it's also worth posting a video of a live studio rehearsal performance of it.

"Breathe" and "Waiting" are great slower songs off the "5th Degree" album ...

After downloading "5th Degree", you might be tempted to further explore Autozamm's back catalog.

2008's "Drama Queen" album is available on iTunes, but their debut from 2005, "As For Now", is only available in New Zealand.

Two great tracks from the "Drama Queen" album are "Killer Shoes" and the title track ...

I'd love to get my hands on the "As For Now" album, but for now I can only settle for this rough quality video ...

Random Monday: Mother Mother

2010-10-04T08:00:00.002-04:00

Mother Mother is a quirky indie rock band from Vancouver with a brother and sister duo that share lead vocal duties. This type of music is perfect for a random Monday. Cheers to Classic Rock Magazine who posted a link to the free download for the single "Body Of Years" at http://soundcloud.com/divisionpromotions/body-of-years-by-mother-mother, which is how I discovered this band.

Maybe it's unfair to call "Body Of Years" quirky, as it is very smart indie pop ... fun stuff ... mellower music with personality.

Check out the video for the song here:

While you're at it, you might want to check out the album that this is from "O My Heart" in more detail. You can stream the album here: http://mothermothersite.com/media/

And here are a couple of cool videos that show more of Mother Mother's smart, but quirky style:

This is good stuff to get your Monday off to a good start.

Fresh Tracks: Slaves To Gravity

2010-10-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

One of the best new songs I've heard in the last week is the new single "Honestly" by Slaves To Gravity, with anticipation building for their first full length release "Underwaterouterspace".

Catchy, hard modern rock with strong vocals, what's not to like?

If you're not already familiar with them, there's also a free download of another single from the upcoming album, "Good Advice", which has been available as a free download at http://www.slavestogravity.com since mid-June. To be honest, of the two, I prefer "Good Advice", as it's got a little harder edge, but they both are a good showcase for a band to be reckoned with.

Check out videos for both tracks below:

Saturday Free Music Downloads

2010-10-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

Bangalore Choir

Does Bangalore Choir bring back any memories? You might remember their one previous album ... 1991's "On Target". While the sound was more melodic AOR than hair band, "Loaded Gun" was vintage hair band ballad cheesy video ...

That said, it does make me smile. David Reece's vocals carry that song, and there are a few other worthwhile cuts on that album, which came out just as grunge sent many a hair band into early retirement.

Fast forward to 2010, and Bangalore Choir is back with a new album "Cadence". And they're giving away a free download of "Power Trippin'" at http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/track-of-the-day-bangalore-choir/. If you like AOR and melodic rock, it's definitely worth checking out. "Heart Attack & Vine" is one cut that stands out to me on first listen.

Shush

As female vocalist fronted neo-classic rockers Shush prepare for their November album release, they're teasing us with a free download of "You You Me Me" from the upcoming album in an article at http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/track-of-the-day-shush/.

The first single from the album, "Do What You Want" is currently available on eMusic, and the video is below:

NG26

NG26 is a promising hard rock band with a bit of a melodic metal edge. Their first album, "Breakaway" showed promise, but the new material is sounding extremely good.

There's a free download of "Lights Go Out", which is planned for an upcoming release "Open Your Mind" at
http://www.ng26.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=58

Also, check out the video for another unreleased song "One More Road From Home" below ...

See more free music download posts at http://www.skippythelizard.com/search/label/Free%20Download.

Free Music Download: Beta State

2010-10-01T08:00:00.002-04:00

The new "Stars" EP from Beta State is a great slice of modern rock. It reminds me a lot of the recent release from Intercept, but with more of an emo feel in the vocals and songs.

The core members (guitarist and drummer) of Beta State are remnants of the band Strata, who released 2 albums on Wind-Up records. Just like the two Strata albums don't sound much like each other (the first was harder rocking post-hardcore emo and the second is more alternative but no less intense), this album doesn't sound much like either Strata album. But that's nothing to complain about.

Check out the video for lead track "I'm Still Alive" ...

Best of all, the new Beta State album is available for a free download courtesy of San Francisco's Live 105.3 ... http://live105.radio.com/2010/09/17/exclusive-free-download-beta-state-stars-ep/

Under The Radar: The Fallen (UK)

2010-09-30T08:00:00.003-04:00

The Fallen is a promising heavy modern rock band from York in the UK.

They've released a debut single "The Harbinger" (with bonus track "Ghosts") that I stumbled across this week on eMusic. I used up too many words in yesterday's post, so I'm keeping this one short ... check out the video of the single for yourself ... me, I like it ...

I expect that we'll be hearing more from this band in the future. Unfortunately, with at least 3 other bands using the band name The Fallen, it will probably be under a different name, so we won't recognize them at first ...

Swamp Rock Fix: Tony Joe White

2010-09-29T08:00:00.004-04:00

Everybody needs a little Tony Joe White ... the problem is that most people just don't know it yet.

Today is a good day to talk about Tony Joe White, as he's got two new albums out this week. "The Shine" contains all new material. Most of the album is laid back acoustic blues, somewhat similar in style to 2001's "The Beginning", but not as stripped down. It may be mostly acoustic guitar, but it's more of a full band effort. Oddly enough, my favorite tracks on the album are the ones that do feature some electric guitar, "Tell Me Why" and "Strange Night". The lead track, "Season Man" is growing on me though ... it hits a groove about half way into the song, and starts to pull me in.

I do tend to prefer Tony Joe White with his swampy electric guitar over the more acoustic numbers, but that's just me. For example, "Rich Woman Blues" on "The Beginning" album was a classic the first time I heard it, but I've come to prefer the 2004 version that appears on "Heroines".

The other new album out this week is "Live In Amsterdam", a live recording from a 2008 show in Amsterdam which includes a good mix of his material ... although with only 11 tracks representing a career of over 40 years, it would have been better if it were a double album.

Neither of these albums is necessarily the right place to start if you're not familiar with Tony Joe White. So I'm going to help you out a little bit.

"The Best of Tony Joe White featuring Polk Salad Annie" is a good place to start. It's got some of the best selections from his 1969-1973 albums, and although it misses a few excellent tracks, it does contain 20 of Tony Joe's best songs.

So let's talk about a few of the great songs from era ...

My personal favorite from that era ... well, let's wait on that ... you're not ready for that yet. Let's start with the more popular stuff. "Rainy Night in Georgia" was on his second 1969 release, "Continued", and it's a great place to start ...

Although Tony Joe wrote the song, it was others who covered this song, starting with Brook Benton in 1970, that made the song famous. In fact, Tony Joe White has had far more success as a song writer than as a performer.

"Polk Salad Annie" was a top 10 hit for Tony Joe White back in 1969, and this comes off his debut release "Black & White" ...

"Soul Francisco" was another great cut on his debut album ...

"Roosevelt & Ira Lee" is another classic from the second 1969 album that you'll find on the "Best Of" collection. But it's also worth going back to "Black & White" for "Whompt Out On You" and to "Continued" for "I Want You" ... two great cuts that are missing from the "Best Of" album.

1970 brought along an album titled "Tony Joe", which contained Tony Joe's biggest hit in Europe, "Groupy Girl" ...

Two songs from the "Tony Joe" album that are missing on the "Best Of" are "Conjure Woman" (which Tony Joe re-recorded in 1991 for "One Hot July") and his compelling cover of "Boom Boom".

He jumped to Warner Brothers in 1971 and released an album titled "Tony Joe White". This album is only represented by one song on the "Best Of" compilation, but it's worth going back to the album for "A Night In The Life Of A Swamp Fox", "Voodoo Village" and "My Kind Of Woman", among others.

I could probably go on all day just about his early 1970's releases. The "Best Of" compilation does a pretty good job of representing the next two albums "The Train I'm On" and "Homemade Ice Cream", so I'll just leave it at that.

But I do have to mention that my personal favorite from that era is 1972's "Even Trolls Love Rock And Roll" ... admittedly this probably isn't the best place to start ... but c'mon, if you're still reading after all of the above, you've got to admit it's fun ...

The video above is from the early 1980's when Tony Joe was experimenting with adding a bit of a disco beat to his songs. It still works, and there's great examples of his swamp guitar, but it's not as good as the original studio version.

Tony Joe White released three albums during this disco period of 1976 to 1983. I've heard two of the three (haven't heard 1976's "Eyes"), and well, there are a few bright spots, but it's not his finest work. The "Live From Austin, TX" album, from the Austin City Limits performance that the above video comes from, is the only album necessary from this era. It includes "I Get Off On It", which is one of his best songs from this era.

At that point, Tony Joe White stopped performing and focused more on his song writing. While he had a decent song writing career, his next big break came in 1989 when he was tapped for four songs on Tina Turner's 1989 album "Foreign Affair". Two of these songs, "Steamy Windows" and "Undercover Agent for the Blues" turned up on Tony Joe White's 1991 comeback album "Closer To The Truth", which was only released in Europe.

Two more Europe-only releases followed ... 1993's "Path Of A Decent Groove" and 1995's "Lake Placid Blues". These are very good albums that are worth buying ...

1999's "One Hot July" finally brought a Tony Joe White album release back to the USA. "Crack The Rear Window Baby" is an all-time classic.

But it was 2001's acoustic album "The Beginning" that completed Tony Joe White's comeback ... starting with the lead track "Rich Woman Blues" ...

"Heroines", where he does duets with some female country music stars followed.

His best albums of the 2000's thus far have been 2006's "Uncovered" where he covers and updates some of his classics with the help of guest appearances from Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler and J.J. Cale ... and 2008's "Deep Cuts" where he revisits and updates more of his classics with extended versions ... the long versions of "As The Crow Flies" and "Soul Francisco" are particularly good, as is the new instrumental "Set The Hook" ...

Whoa ...

As you can tell, I could probably go on and on about Tony Joe White all day, but this will give you an idea of where to start exploring ...

Download a free copy of "Season Man" off "The Shine" at http://www.tonyjoewhite.com.

Under The Radar: Carpark North

2010-09-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

They may not be under the radar in Europe, but they definitely are in the United States. It puzzles me that the last two albums from Denmark's Carpark North are not available in the United States. I thought for sure we'd see the new album "Lost" on these shores, but so far it's only available as an import CD. Hopefully that will change in the coming months.

The new "Lost" album is basically a reworking of some of the best songs off their first three albums. The highlight for me is "Just Human", a reworking of "Human" from the 2006 album "All Things To All People". "Human" is arguably one of the best modern rock tracks of the last decade, so it's a bit difficult to get used to the new arrangement of the song, but now that I have, I don't see why the song isn't being played in stadiums on this side of the Atlantic.

Here's the original version:

"Lost (Peace)" comes from the 2008 album "Grateful", and the version included on the new "Lost" album sounds like the same version.

"Save Me From Myself", "More" and "Shall We Be Grateful" are additional repeats from the "Grateful" album...

Carpark North is great modern electronic rock/dream rock ... overdue for exposure in the United States.

Random Monday: What Happened to Manda & The Marbles?

2010-09-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Many of those who grew up or came of age in the 1980's have a special place in their hearts for girl bands like The Go-Go's, Bananarama, or Scandal. Unfortunately, their music did suck, but they did have us captivated with their videos on MTV.

When I think back, I prefer to think of those bands as sounding like Manda & The Marbles, instead of how they really sounded.

There's a place for simple fun power-pop ... so enjoy these classic cuts from the 2002 release "More Seduction" by Manda & the Marbles.

Manda & The Marbles may have called it a day, and are currently residing in the "Where Are They Now?" file ... but I guess we still have The Dollyrots ...

Under The Radar: Heroes and Villains

2010-09-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

The electronic rock genre can be a mixed bag. On the one end of the spectrum, you've got bands like Muse and MuteMath that I'd characterize as being somewhat progressive. On the other end, you've got bands like Sleeperstar, which I like to categorize as dream rock, guitar oriented but heavy on the keyboards.

Somewhere in between, there is a more pop oriented interpretation, with bands like Carpark North ... and that's where you'll find Heroes and Villains. Their "Plans In Motion" EP is a great mellow electronic rock album. In particular, the title track is a standout, I love the blending of the acoustic guitar with this style of music. Check out the song below:

The "Heroes In Motion" EP is available on eMusic, and you can listen to it at the Heroes and Villains web site: http://heroesandvillains.mu/

Under The Radar: Eyes Around

2010-09-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Wow ... last week was a busy week for new releases. I've still got a few more to talk about, but before I do, I want to mention Eyes Around, who released their debut EP "Alpha" last week.

A hard rocking call to arms, leading off with the killer opening track "Bloodshot America", Eyes Around will be a band to watch in 2011.

Visit the band's website at http://eyesaround.com/.

Bonus Free Downloads

2010-09-24T13:00:00.003-04:00

What's not to like about free downloads. I think it's a smart move for artists to make a few of their songs available as free downloads. I know I'm more inclined to download a free track ... I'll throw it into my music library in a new tracks playlist, and see which artists are worth further exploration.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to do a write up on all of the bands with free tracks that I enjoy. But I want to give others a chance to hear some of the better selections ... so here are a few recent keepers that merit further exploration.

"Old Gin Road" by Ponderosa is a free download included on "The Americana Music Awards Sampler" album, which is a free download at http://www.amazon.com/Americana-Music-Awards-Sampler/dp/B0041A2U80/ref=pd_sim_dmusic_a_2

I wouldn't call their music Americana, to me it's more southern rock ... but it's definitely a keeper. I look forward to hearing more from this band, as this appears to be their only release so far ... check them out at http://www.ponderosamusic.com/

Another free download from Amazon is "Choke" by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, which is available as part of the "Experience Music" sampler from Tunecore at http://www.amazon.com/Experience-Music-Tunecore-Sampler/dp/B0042HU818/ref=pd_sim_dmusic_a_5

I have to admit that while I liked their debut, I was completely turned off by their sophomore effort "Lonely Road". To this day, I regret having spent any money on that album so much that I haven't listened to anything else that they've produced. "Choke" isn't bad ... it's not great, but I might have to give them another chance.

Conditions is a post-hardcore emo band that you might remember from PureVolume's Top 21 Artists of 2008. Their new album "Fluorescent Youth" came out last week, and I've been meaning to write something about it, but haven't had a chance yet. One of the songs off that album, "When It Won't Save You" is available on the "Good Fight Free Music Sampler" at http://www.amazon.com/Good-Fight-Music-Free-Sampler/dp/B00420JOGU/ref=pd_ts_dm_al-f_7.

The Thermals are a great quirky sarcastic alternative rock band. That said, I usually only like a song or two each album. "I Don't Believe You" is a great free track available at http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Life/dp/B003WNAPKC/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1285270020&sr=301-1

If you're not familiar with The Thermals, also check out "Here's Your Future" and "Now We Can See", "We Were Sick" and "When I Was Afraid". Now that I think about it, I'm going to need to go back and give a full listen to this latest album, as I actually like the previous album more than I remembered.

Before we leave Amazon's free downloads, let me mention that "Thermal Bad" from The New Mastersounds is also available as a free download at http://www.amazon.com/Thermal-Bad/dp/B001BZLFDE/ref=pd_sim_dmusic_a_2. They're definitely a different style from most of the other bands I mention, but if you're looking for some good modern funk, I dig them. I'm partial to their "Live in San Francisco" album.

Also worth mentioning is Sister Hazel, who has a compilation of 20 songs from the last four albums available as a free download at http://www.amazon.com/20-10-Digital-Collection-Exclusive/dp/B00367PYKK. It's a nice collection of laid back alternative rock with a southern/folk feel to it.

Finally ... moving away from Amazon ...

You might remember Kevin Chalfant as lead vocalist of 1990's AOR band The Storm. His latest project is called Two Fires, and it's a very similar AOR style. A free download of "Is It Any Wonder" is available here: http://www.frontiers.it/download/twofires_isitanywonder.mp3

The Union is a great classic rock band from England featuring Luke Morley, who was the guitarist of Thunder. The Union reminds me a lot of Thunder, which is probably a good thing. Find a download link for "Watch The River Flow" off The Union's debut album at http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/bonus-track-of-the-day-the-union-2/

Another free download from The Union is "Black Monday", available at http://www.theuniononline.com/media

I haven't had a chance to check out Some Hear Explosions yet, but I do recommend their free download of "It's Our Time Now" at http://www.kelleemackpr.com/somehearexplosions/itsourtimenowdownload/ ... a great female fronted rock song.

I've mentioned John Oszajca previously ... a great singer/songwriter out of California. He made a free download of his cover of "Ring of Fire", which was done for a movie called "The Hammer" a couple of years ago. The song, of course, was originally made famous by Johnny Cash ... interestingly enough, Johnny Cash didn't write it, it was actually co-written by his wife June Cash and another songwriter. The download is available at http://www.johnomusic.net/ringoffire.zip

For more free downloads, please see www.skippythelizard.com/search/label/Free Download

Free Download: Divided By Friday

2010-09-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

I used to listen to a lot more punk-pop and emo music. Three years ago, I would have really been into Divided By Friday. That said, these youngsters have put out a pretty good EP earlier this year, and they are now offering it as a free download. They remind me a little bit of a cross between old Anberlin and American Diary. It won't cost you anything, so it can't hurt to give a listen.

You can find the download link in the following article on the excellent music blog Indie Vision Music: http://www.indievisionmusic.com/2010/08/19/divided-by-friday-self-titled-free-ep-download

In the meantime, for a taste of the music, check out their music video for "Disappoint: Surprise" ...

Hard Rock Fix: Riot Inside

2010-09-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

I must have missed the debut EP from Inside Riot last year, but it just became available on eMusic within the last couple of weeks.

It's a solid hard rocking debut effort from a hard working Chicago rock band.

Lead track "Satisfy" is the stand-out track from the 4 song EP, but if you like that track, I'd recommend downloading all 4 songs.

The audio quality is a little rough in the following live clips, so if you want to check out the studio tracks, visit http://www.riotinsidemusic.com.

Free Download: Leslie

2010-09-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

"Touch Me" is more pop oriented than the blues rock of last year's "The Rebel Souls EP" from Charleston SC's Leslie.

It is available now as a free download at http://lesliemusic.bandcamp.com/, and it's worth checking out.

It's also worth revisiting "The Rebel Souls EP" from last year, especially the lead track "No More Tears", which is definitely a keeper ...

Here's a live performance of "Touch Me" ...

"Freak Flag" is another good song off the EP ... this is definitely a band to watch for in the coming year ...

Album of the Year: Black Country Communion

2010-09-21T11:47:00.002-04:00

This is definitely the album of the year. Congratulations to Glenn Hughes in particular for his part in creating the best album of his career thus far. Glenn has not rocked this hard since Deep Purple's Burn album in 1973 ... 37 years ago. And as much as I have liked Glenn's funkier side (try "Love Communion" and the title track off his 2008 solo album "First Underground Nuclear Kitchen", which I'll include at the end of this post), I think Glenn Hughes was meant to rock. Granted, his albums with Tony Iommi and Voodoo Hill did rock pretty hard (and I recommend them all ... in fact, I'm listening to "The 1996 DEP Sessions" album with Tony Iommi at the moment, and "I'm Not The Same Man" is causing me a bit of distraction), but compared with Black Country Communion those efforts are missing the groove. At its core, Black Country Communion is extremely heavy blues rock build on solid grooves and great guitar riffs ... it's 70's heavy metal on steroids, bigger and more muscular.

Just dig the opening groove and Joe Bonamassa's guitar riff on "Black Country", recorded at a gig in London last night.

The audio is a little weak in the above video. Hopefully Planet Rock will be making their recording of the concert available for "On Demand" listening later this week. Check the "Listen Again" section of the Planet Rock web site at http://www.planetrock.com/. I listened to their airing of the concert last night, and can't wait for an opportuntity to see these guys perform live.

In addition to opening their concert last night, "Black Country" is the lead track on the album, and a great way to open up the album.

Another standout song on the album is "The Great Divide" ...

One of my favorites from last night's concert performance is "Beggarman", which really seems to come alive with a live performance. (Again, forgive the weak audio on Glenn's vocals ... hopefully some official videos and/or the Planet Rock rebroadcast will clean this up, because his vocals were killer.)

"One Last Soul" is yet another standout track ...

I also really like "Sista Jane" ...

I dig the album so much, I could probably post a link for every song, but at this point you really need to go buy the album and/or look for the audio rebroadcast of last night's concert at Planet Rock. I will say that you're also in for a treat when you hear the band's remake of the Trapeze classic "Medusa" ... and their new song "Stand (At The Burning Tree)". Top notch stuff.

In addition to congratulating Glenn Hughes, I've got to congratulate Joe Bonamassa on stepping outside of his blues rock formula that has made him so successful over the past 10 years. I'm a big Joe Bonamassa fan ... been a fan since seeing him play in Bloodline back in 1995. And I'm really glad to see Joe showing off his guitar virtuosity to more of a mainstream rock audience. I hope we will see this band continue, record some more albums, and tour. (I'm planning to see Joe on his solo tour next month ... and I hope he invites some special guests, because this album is too hot!)

And Jason Bonham ... it's great to see him pounding the skins with a band where he was intimately involved in creating the original rhythm and timing of the songs in the studio, instead of filling in for another drummer.

Anyway, needless to say, this is an extremely highly recommended album.

And if you're not familiar with Joe Bonamassa or Glenn Hughes solo efforts, it's also worth checking them out.

At Joe's web site, http://jbonamassa.com, you can download a free copy of his song "Blue & Evil" off his latest album, "Black Rock".

I highly recommend Joe's live albums as a place to start ... particularly "Live from Royal Albert Hall", which is also available as a concert video. Here are a few highlights from that album/video:

All of Joe Bonamassa's studio albums are great, but it's live where the songs become much more fully developed. "Live from Nowhere in Particular" is also a great live album, but I really dig the dual drum sets on "Live from Royal Albert Hall".

Since I'm talking about Joe, it's probably also worth doing a flashback to his days with Bloodline between 1994 and 1995. Joe was 15 or 16 years old when he recorded that album, and it's fun to watch these old videos from the Bloodline tour ...

I also promised I'd talk a little about Glenn Hughes ...

The second and third Trapeze albums ("Medusa" and "You Are The Music...We're Just the Band") are classics, as is Deep Purple's "Burn". "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste the Band" from Deep Purple are strong, and contain a lot of classic tracks, but are not as strong as "Burn".

Most of Glenn's solo albums have a funkier side, and aren't as heavy. The album that he did with Blues Bureau International in 1992, simply titled "Glenn Hughes Blues" is one of my all-time favorites ... I have a lot of fond memories listening to that album, particularly "Hey Buddy (You Got Me Wrong)", "You Don't Have To Save Me Anymore", "Have You Read The Book", and "What Can I Do For Ya?".

The late 1990's solo albums are something of a mixed bag, but all of Glenn's solo albums from the 2000's are highly recommended. My favorites are the last three, "Soul Mover", "Music For The Divine" and "First Underground Nuclear Kitchen".

Here are a few highlights to give you a taste ...

"Soul Mover", the title track from his 2005 release ...

"Monkey Man" from 2007's "Music For The Divine" ...

And 2008's "First Underground Nuclear Kitchen" is my favorite of Glenn's solo efforts, so here's three songs from it ...

For some harder rocking Glenn Hughes, as I mentioned earlier, check out his albums with Tony Iommi and the two albums under the name Voodoo Hill.

From Tony Iommi's "The 1996 DEP Sessions" ...

And from the harder rocking Iommi album "Fused" ...

From Voodoo Hill's 2000 self-titled release ...

From Voodoo Hill's 2004 album "Wild Seed of Mother Earth" ...

I could probably go on all day. So let's end this with a flashback to Jason Bonham's hair band Bonham ... here's a great track off of 1989's "The Disregard of Timekeeping" ...

Fresh Tracks: Tides of Man

2010-09-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

Modern ProgRock with emo-tinged vocals is how I'd describe Tides of Man. The lead track "Not My Love" starts the album off strong. This is a remake of the lead track from their original EP released in 2008, and you can hear the evolution of their sound by comparing the two versions. The original was more traditional progrock ... good, but the new version is far more accessible to modern rock fans. I wouldn't call it a sell-out to modern rock ... I actually prefer it.

"Statues" continues the musical assault, and is one of my favorite songs on the album.

You're either going to hate or love the vocals ... I will say that 30 second samples do not give you a chance to appreciate them.

If you're unsure about this album, in my opinion, the best songs are the bookends ... the first two songs "Not My Love" and "Statues", and the last two sounds "A Faint Illusion" and "Only Human".

Random Monday: The Voice of Rock?

2010-09-20T08:00:00.002-04:00

Let me say this from the start ... I mean no disrespect. I am really looking forward to the Black Country Communion album to be released this week.

But when exactly did Glenn Hughes become the "Voice of Rock"? I'm not arguing with the assertion that Mr. Hughes is the "Voice of Rock". I'm just not clear as to exactly where or when this happened and how this was decided, and by whom.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Glenn Hughes. I love his early work with Trapeze, especially the "Medusa" and "You Are The Music...We're Just The Band" albums. And I like his work with Deep Purple Mk3 when he did backing vocals and occasional co-lead vocals with David Coverdale. "Burn" and "Highball Shooter" are classics from that era. And "Come Taste The Band", the album where Tommy Bolin took Ritchie Blackmore's place for the Mk4 version of the band is underrated.

But is this "Voice of Rock" qualifications?

The 1982 Hughes/Thrall album with Pat Thrall was excellent, but I didn't think it was all that popular of an album at the time. Truth be told, I didn't realize what a great singer Glenn Hughes was until his 1992 "Blues" album with guitarist Craig Erickson.

There were some more decent solo efforts in the 1990's ... but then Glenn exploded in the 2000's with a string of albums that just got better and better. Starting with 2000's "Return of Crystal Karma" (R.O.C.K.) and building to 2008's "First Underground Nuclear Kitchen" (F.U.N.K.), Glenn Hughes delivered classic albums throughout the first decade of the new millennium. And now he appears to be on the brink of delivering his best vocal performance of the decade as lead vocalist of Black Country Communion ... a full 40 years after the first Trapeze album was released.

But most people I know have never heard any of Glenn's post-Deep Purple work, and most of them don't even remember his role in Deep Purple.

So how did he become the "Voice of Rock" with only a core die-hard group of followers?

I'll admit ... I had no idea myself. I've purchased two Trapeze albums, three of the Deep Purple Mk 3/4 era albums, the Hughes/Thrall album, and probably 10 Glenn Hughes solo albums. So I thought that qualified me as a fan ... but then last week I realized that I was unaware of the great albums he made with Tony Iommi (two great albums, in addition to the one released under the Black Sabbath name), Joe Lynn Turner (two studio albums under the band name Hughes Turner Project), and the Voodoo Hill project with Dario Mollo.

Needless to say Glenn Hughes has a deep catalog (explore the list at http://www.glennhughes.com/fulldiscography.html) ... so I feel no desire to argue the point that Glenn is "The Voice of Rock", I only want the proof to back the assertion.

So I did some research.

And I had no idea who The KLF were. House music? That's not my thing.

But apparently, they asked Glenn to add his vocals to a 1992 track "America - What Time is Love?" ... and Glenn nailed it. The KLF proclaimed Glenn to be the "Voice of Rock", and apparently nobody felt compelled to argue it.

So with that ... enjoy this trip back in time to understand the point in time at which Glenn Hughes officially became the "Voice of Rock" ...

And flash forward to 2010 ... here's the video for the first single off the Black Country Communion album ... "The Great Divide" ...

Under The Radar: Ben Fuller

2010-09-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'll admit it ... I don't know whether to call Ben Fuller's music Americana or Roots Rock or simply Indie Rock. I honestly don't know the difference, so let's not label him, let's just call him a singer/songwriter that people who like those types of music may be more prone to like.

I stumbled across Ben Fuller while reading Kaj Roth's music blog, where Kaj mentioned a free download of "Handsome Loser" at http://www.kelleemackpr.com/benfuller/handsomeloserdownload/. (Kaj labeled Ben as powerpop, so let's just say that nobody knows quite how to label him.)

I was quickly hooked on the song and went over to eMusic to download the rest of the 5-song EP "Aquarian Son", which you might be able to listen to via the embedded control below ...

However, you want to label it, this is great mellower rock music. So I'd encourage you to at least grab the "Handsome Loser" download and see where it takes you.

For more information on Ben Fuller, visit his web site at http://www.benfullermusic.com/.

Free Download: Gemini Syndrome

2010-09-18T08:00:00.002-04:00

I've got to admit that I don't know much about Gemini Syndrome, other than they scare me. I also know is that they are an LA area heavy rock/metal band that has offered one of their songs, "Basement", as a free download. And every time "Basement" comes up in one of my random "new music" playlists, I find myself scrambling to see which band it is that is performing this incredible song.

Yes, they scare me. But I can't stay away from this song.

I never wanted this. I never asked for it. But this is what they gave me. And it is one of the best hard rock songs of the year.

Here's a promo video with a clip of "Basement":

Check it out below, and/or download at http://geminisyndrome.com/promotion/geminisyndrome_basement.mp3.

Limited Time Free Download: Alter Bridge AB III

2010-09-17T14:12:00.002-04:00

Roadrunner Records UK is making a free download of "Words Darker Than Their Wings" from the new Alter Bridge album "AB III" available for download today and tomorrow only (Sept 17-18, 2010). Grab it while you can.

The new album will be released in Europe on October 11, 2010. No announcements have been made regarding a USA release date yet, as there apparently are some contractual issues to be resolved.

Download the free song at http://www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk/alterbridge/mp3/.

For a review of the album, see http://www.musicradar.com/guitarist/alter-bridge-ab-iii-track-by-track-review-278474.

Under The Radar: Intercept

2010-09-17T08:00:00.003-04:00

It's been a busy week for new album releases, but my favorite this week is "Symphony for Somebody Else" by Intercept.

They've got that underlying dream rock sound, similar to Sleeperstar that I talked about a couple of weeks ago. But Intercept has a more amp'd up dream rock sound, with a great guitar sound that floats above the songs.

It's a strange combination, but I think of them as a cross between Sleeperstar and Amber Pacific, but better than that sounds. In any event, they're a great band that shouldn't have to be compared to others.

"Rest of My Days" is the stand out single from the new album. It's been available for awhile as a free download at the band's web site: http://www.intercepttheband.com/. (Or, right click on this link.) Other standout tracks on the album include "Every Native Face", "No Surprises" and "Symphony for Somebody Else".

There aren't any video links for this album yet. However, you might be interested to explore some tracks from the two earlier Intecept albums ...

"Two Broken Astronauts" comes from the 2007 album "Magnolia Road" ...

"Gravity" also comes from the "Magnolia Road" album ...

And "On The Way" comes from the 2006 release "Yellow Dog" ...

Remnants of Live: The Gracious Few and Ed Kowalczyk

2010-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

2010 has a been a good year for fans of the band Live. Oh sure, some die hard fans may be upset that the band broke-up, but quite honestly the end result is that members of Live have produced the best music in their last 15 years.

Lead singer Ed Kowalczyk released his solo album "Alive" back in July, so this week attention turns to the rest of his former band, who have teamed up with lead singer Kevin Smith of Candlebox to create a new band known as The Gracious Few.

The Gracious Few rocks hard in a classic rock sense. Lead single "Honest Man" is a contender for rock song of the year.

On the whole it's a solid album ... "The Rest Of You" is a slower song that should be a strong single release. And "Tredecim" is one of the better harder rocking tracks.

I have to say, however, that listening to this album made me have to go back and listen to the Candlebox debut. While The Gracious Few is a very good album, I don't think it is a classic in the sense that the first Candlebox album is. Maybe time and a few more listens will prove me wrong. It is worth noting that the Best of Candlebox album that is available on eMusic.

By contrast, Ed Kowalczyk was the voice of Live, and his album sounds a lot like you would imagine a new Live album would. Performance wise, the focus is on vocals, and his distinctive voice sounds more impassioned than it has in years. The backing music is not as strong, but that's alright, as that's not where the focus is.

The lead single "Grace", a passionate spiritual song, is also a contender for rock song of the year.

I've read a number of reviews on the Ed Kowalczyk solo album where they've complained that it is too happy. By all accounts he has a near picture perfect family life that he is quite happy to sing about. I say good for him.

While 12 songs might be a couple too many, there are a lot of great songs on this album. Over the past several months, I sometimes find myself singing songs like "Drink (Everlasting Love)" to myself...

Fresh Tracks: Static Kill

2010-09-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

Static Kill is a hard edged modern rock band that I expect to be hearing a lot more from in the future. That is, unless they change their name again. Until quite recently, they were known as Mad Orchid, and had developed a strong local following in New England from their base in Hartford, CT.

Mad Orchid released a couple of EPs in 2008 (Detach) and 2009 (Absolve), and if you like the new material from Static Kill, I'd also recommend going back to listen to the Absolve EP ... "Crush", "Show Emotion" and "Murder Scene" are all great modern rock songs.

In the past month, under the new name Static Kill, the band has released 4 singles. "Juliaset" is the strongest of the singles released so far, and if you're into harder rock, I'd recommend "Silent" and "Thorns". (All of these singles are available on eMusic and iTunes as are the earlier releases from Mad Orchid.)

Additional tracks can be heard on their ReverbNation page at http://www.reverbnation.com/Statickillband. And listening to those tracks, I'd have to say that the more mainstream track "Let Go" is the one that destined to give these guys a hit single that brings them to a wider audience.

Check out this performance of "Let Go" ... and see if you don't agree ...

This performance of "Juliaset" is not as strong, but apparently it was one of the first times they performed it. This performance is a little rough, but the recently released recording rocks.

Under The Radar: Jealousy Curve

2010-09-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

Unless they change their mind and decide to reunite, Jealousy Curve is one of the best modern rock bands that most of the world will never hear about. Progressive modern rock with a new wave influence and a hard pounding punk drum beat makes an excellent mix, especially on their new album "Marionettes!" which is now available via all of the digital outlets, including iTunes and eMusic.

While the whole album is great, the band really shines on the slower songs, especially the stand out track "Control" ...

The audio quality could be better in the above clip, but it'll give you an idea of the song. I love the way the drums lead the way in that song ... this is a slower song that is very far from being a punk song, but I like the punk influence of the drums. Aside from the other slow song "Fall Into" (which will get stuck in your head), the rest of the album rocks pretty hard. "This Is Getting Out Of Hand" and "We Are Lions" are a great one-two punch to lead off the album. "Man Alive" is a fun poppier track that stands out ... and "Your Last Mistake" is more punk influenced anthem.

Sadly, Jealousy Curve called it quits after this album was recorded, and before it was released.

If you dig the "Marionttes!" album, it's worth checking out the earlier Jealousy Curve albums.

The "Life As An Addict" (2005) album contains the closest thing Jealousy Curve has had to a hit, "The World Is You" ...

"Useless" and "Gravity" are great harder rocking tracks from "Life As An Addict".

The 2007 EP "This Is For Your Own Destruction" is highly recommended. The following tracks are all taken from this EP:

Finally, if you want to complete your Jealousy Curve collection, you need to pick up "Don't Lie Down" which was featured on the Dane Cook Tourgasm soundtrack:

If Jealousy Curve does not reunite, I expect that we'll be hearing great things from the former members of this band.

Random Monday: Mourning the Death of Radio

2010-09-13T08:00:00.007-04:00

Video killed the radio star, that much is true. But the death of radio is more complex. Thankfully we're not here to perform an autopsy, but simply to mourn its passing.

I grew up listening to the radio. As a child, my small transistor AM radio was a treasured asset. My first AM/FM Walkman was a technological marvel ... and I think my parents liked it to, because it had headphones.

Alright, I never learned to play guitar because I was busy learning math. But still, I can relate strongly to "Raised on the Radio" by The Ravyns ... and it is a fitting tribute to the power that radio used to have over music listeners.

Good radio used to be local. Program directors called the shots but gave their best DJs flexibility to play what they wanted.

I remember great old songs from 98 Rock in Baltimore, like "Is It You?" by DC Star ...

Yeah, I owned that picture disc, it's probably still up in my attic somewhere. Maybe that song doesn't hold up as well as others, but I was a junior in high school when that song came out, and it was one of my favorites. Looks like it was finally released digitally earlier this year and is available on both eMusic and iTunes, so excuse me while I go download.

I had actually forgotten about their follow-up DC Star album (the one before the horrid "Rockin' In The Classroom", although I think all 3 vinyl albums are in my attic) and it's single "I Wanna Rock Tonight" ... wow, the 80's were a strange time ...

While I had mostly forgotten about DC Star, I have to admit that I still listen to Face Dancer's "Red Shoes" and "Time Bomb" quite regularly (had to rip this one on a friend's USB connected turntable, as these are powerpop classics that have held up better over time) ...

That stuff's all great, but what about Crack The Sky? Yeah, people who come to my house are sometimes also forced to listen to some of their classics ...

I could probably do a whole feature on Crack The Sky ... as they were responsible for many classic tunes that you heard on the radio in Baltimore.

I'm only scratching the surface here, there will have to be a part 2 that gets into the harder rock of that era of the later 1980's / early 1990's. I want to keep this randomness focused on more mainstream oriented rock, even if it none of these bands ever made mainstream. I mean, you don't know how much it is hurting me not to mention Child's Play right now, but there will eventually be a part 2.

Even into the early 1990's, 98 Rock seemed to play songs from acts that didn't receive airplay elsewhere. It was probably the influence of Hammerjack's, possibly the greatest live rock & roll music bar and concert hall that ever existed. I remember seeing the Irish Band (well, from Northern Ireland) Ghost of an American Airman open for a local band, Y-NOT?! one evening. Ghost was touring in support of their first album "Life Under Giants". The club was empty, but they were on fire. I remember lead singer Dodge McKay climbing up into the rafters as he sang "Honeychild". Someone from 98 Rock must have been there as well, because 3 months later when Ghost of an American's "Skin" album came out, it was played constantly.

A great thing about traveling to other cities was turning on the radio to discover their local favorites. I always knew I was back in Chicago because I'd hear The Kings singing "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide". (I believe The Kings were from Toronto, but when their album "The Kings Are Here" came out, I was living in Chicago.)

There are more stories and memories to come, but one of my most memorable local radio experiences was tuning into a radio station on a trip to South Africa in 1996. That was the first time I heard Just Jinger (now Just Jinjer). I immediately went in search of a CD store and picked up their first album "All Goes Round", which unfortunately didn't include "Like You Madly" which was from a new EP that was yet to be released. Almost 15 years later, after a few more albums, and chance opportunities to see their shows in Baltimore, Alexandria VA and London ... they're still one of my top 10 favorite bands ...

Stuck in My Head: John Oszajca

2010-09-12T08:00:00.003-04:00

The song that is stuck in my head is "I'm Alive" from John Oszajca's second album, "First Sign of Anything". That particular album is full of classics ... "I'm Alive", "It's So Weird", "Broken", "Flip", and "It's Gonna Be OK". John O is a singer/songwriter that has a particular gift for sarcasm.

His third album "Elephant Graveyard" has a classic sarcastic country rock track "Damn That Woman", and a great remake of "Where's Bob Dylan When You Need Him?" from his first album.

Since I can't find a good link to play "I'm Alive" (you can find the album on eMusic), I'll leave you with John's latest single, "I Hate You (My Friend)", which was featured in the closing credits of the movie "What Happens in Vegas". (It's actually from his first album back in 2000, but if you haven't heard it before, then it's new to you.)

BTW, a free download of this song is available at http://johnomusic.net.

Under The Radar: American Classic

2010-09-11T08:00:00.001-04:00

A PureVolume e-mail that ended up in my spam folder, reminded me of an EP from earlier this year that I already bought, "Life Is Motion" by American Classic.

On the one hand, it's fairly generic modern rock ... think Panic At The Disco, Paramore, Anberlin, and maybe Forgive Durden, thrown into a blender.

That said, it's an extremely compelling listen. The teen angst in the lyrics will appeal mostly to younger listeners. The musicianship and production is tight, the vocals are extremely strong, and the music is upbeat. I don't know how I can say it's upbeat, when I said the lyrics were full of angst. It's anxious, perhaps uncertain, but without fear ... it's forward looking, positive angst, if you will.

Whatever ... I should stop typing and sum it up by saying that I liked it enough to buy it earlier this year. My favorite tracks are "Mistakes", "Tell Me, What Are You Proud Of?" and "The Charlatan".

The EP is now available as a free download at http://www.purevolume.com/new/weareamericanclassic.

Here's two takes at "Mistakes", the EP recording with lyrics, followed by a live performance.

Fresh Tracks: House of Heroes

2010-09-10T08:00:00.004-04:00

If you haven't listened to the new album "Suburba" from House of Heroes (or their previous album "The End Is Not The End", for that matter), then you're missing out on some of the freshest new music around. Let's call it progressive powerpop with an alt-rock edge and an epic feel. Catchy yet eclectic, well-written, hook-laden songs, performed aggressively. This is not cookie cutter powerpop where all songs sound the same ... I mean most of the time the first half of each song sounds nothing like the last of half of the same song. 30 second song previews do an injustice to this music. So, try this full length video for "God Save The Foolish Kings" ...

To be honest, they are probably too popular for me to mention, as they have a pretty good sized following within the Christian Alternative genre. Compare their 40,000+ listeners on Last.FM to 80 listeners of Michelle White, who I featured yesterday. However, too many people I have talked to have never heard of them.

Another great song off the new album is "Love Is For The Middle Class" ...

And another one ... "Indepence Day for a Petty Thief", which is currently available as a free MP3 download at http://freehoh.com.

I've been following House of Heroes since their original self-titled release in 2005. I remember the first time I heard "Mercedes Baby", I knew that this band had something special. "Serial Sleepers" showed that they had something a bit more depth than just another powerpop band.

The self-titled release was re-recorded for a 2006 release called "Say No More", with a couple of new tracks. And to be honest, I though the re-recorded versions had lost some of their energy, and I lost interest.

Then 2008 brought "The End Is Not The End". There were still hints of powerpop, but this music had an edge. The band was not afraid to take risks. There were a few songs that fell flat to my ears, but the variety was great. Particular favorites of mine include "If", "Leave You Now", "In The Valley of the Dying Sun", "Code Name: Raven", "By Your Side", "Journey Into Space, Pt. 1", "Baby's a Red" and "The Young and the Brutal". Hmm ... that is a fairly long list, but it didn't feel right leaving any other songs out of that list.

What I like about the recently released "Suburba" album is that it has a bit more of a rock edge to it. Try these ...

Also worth a mention ... their 3 song EP of Beatles covers is quite good. Their cover of "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da" is a particular standout.

Under The Radar: Michelle White

2010-09-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

Michelle White may have less than 100 listeners on Last.FM, but the rest of the world has no idea what they are missing. Check out "Old, Old Man (What Are You Made Of)" ...

Be patient with YouTube on this one ... it's not a very frequently requested video, and it can take some extra time to load.

Michelle is the daughter of music legend Tony Joe White. What do you mean, you've never heard of Tony Joe White? Never heard of The Swamp Fox? You got some learnin' to do. But we'll save that lesson for another time ... Tony Joe White has a new album coming out later this month, so we'll save him for then. Today we're going to talk about Michelle.

Tony Joe describes his daughter as Sade hanging out with John Lee Hooker, which is about as good of a description as you can get. But there's also a strong country vibe that also runs through her music.

Key tracks to check out either in the widget below, or at http://www.michellewhitemusic.com/Music.html include ...

From "Wandering Road" .... "Take Me Down", "Anyway the Wind Blows" (great cover of a JJ Cale song), and "Since John's Been Gone".

From "Butterscotch" ... "Old, Old Man", "7c an Hour", "Rolling" and "Cowboy".

"The Quickening" is brand new ... I haven't had as much of a chance to listen to it yet. On first listen, it seems a little mellower than the older tracks. It might have to grow on me a little more. But I'm already sold on "Wandering Road" and "Butterscotch" ... great albums!

The Missing Boston Album: Barry Goudreau & Brad Delp

2010-09-08T08:00:00.001-04:00

When you think of classic rock, especially AOR, the first two Boston albums are the cornerstones of the genre.

But how many people remember the Barry Goudreau album from 1980. For all intents and purposes, this was the third, and final, Boston album, just without band leader Tom Scholz. (Yeah, there were some good, if not great, songs on 1986's "Third Stage", but I'd argue that "Third Stage" was too far removed from the classic Boston sound. And let's not even talk about "Walk On" or "Corporate America".)

When I think AOR, "Dreams" from this album is definitely in my top 10 list.

And because "Female brutality has become a reality", who could forget "Mean Woman Blues" ...

"Hard Luck", "Life is What We Make It", "Nothin' To Lose" ... this was a great album. One of the all time classics.

Barry and lead singer Brad Delp collaborated on a number of other post-Boston projects.

1985's Orion The Hunter featured the single "So You Ran", but the rest of the album was not as strong.

In 1991, Barry and Brad teamed up with keyboardist Brian Maes, and recorded a great album under the band name RTZ (Return To Zero), featuring Maes' song "Until Your Love Comes Back Around". (Note: Warner Brothers wants you to launch a new YouTube window to watch this video because they don't allow embedding. Go ahead, it's worth it ... this is a classic tune, even if the video is cheesy.)

Other great tracks from the RTZ album include "There's Another Side" and "Face The Music":

A follow-up RTZ album "Lost" was recorded, but only released in Europe in 1998. A collection of RTZ demos were also released under the title "Lost and Found" in European markets, and under the title "Found In America" in the USA.

Delp and Goudreau got together again in 2004 for a release simply titled Delp & Goudreau. While not as strong as past releases, it includes the classic "What You Leave Behind":

Sadly, Brad Delp, one of the greatest voices of rock and roll, took his own life on March 9, 2007. His last known recording was also with Barry Goudreau, performing the somewhat auto-biographical tune "Rockin' Away"...

Tuesday Can Be Random Too - K Será

2010-09-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

Purevolume recently published a collection of free music called Soundtrack for the Summer, featuring some of the best unsigned bands using their service.

It's an interesting collection, and definitely random. For me at least, the best cut is the one from Sleeperstar, which I highlighted a couple of weeks ago.

But another interesting cut is "We Were Thinking of Evolving (Wake Up)" by K Será. K Será is a new progressive pop band worth checking out. Think theatrical vocals, swirling keys, frequent tempo changes. If you like a lot of my other postings, then you might be stepping a little outside of your comfort zone, but it's another random Monday, so it's time to broaden your musical horizons.

"We Were Thinking of Evolving (Wake Up)" is available as a free download at http://www.purevolume.com/Ksera. But the more compelling track from K Será is "Me Before Women & Children", featuring Thomas Hutton of Forgive Durden, which is also available as a free download. Check out the music video:

K Sera - "Me Before Women & Children" Music Video from sigismund s. pikul on Vimeo.

Just Another Random Monday - Kevin Max

2010-09-06T08:00:00.003-04:00

"Sad as cancer on a cracker, but you're as bold as a panther." I don't think I can say anything that is more random than that today. I only have to present the video that features those lyrics...

I've got to hand it to Kevin Max. I may not like every song he records (although I don't think there were any misfires on 2005's "The Imposter"), but I do respect him.

I'm not as big of a fan of electronica music, but there's enough of a rock crunch behind "On Yer Bike!", that I like it. I think it's a fun song.

I also like the song "Out of the Wild" off of his new album "Cotes d'Armor", but the rest of the album is too much electronica for my tastes.

But if electronica appeals to you, then don't let me stop you ... you might want to explore this album further. Here's a homemade video that Kevin made for "Unholy Triad":

Classic Rock Fix: Love & Arthur Lee - The Hard Rock Phase

2010-09-05T08:00:00.003-04:00

Many people consider, Love's 1967 album Forever Changes to be the best album of the 1960's. I won't argue the point ... but I will say that when I think of my favorite Love / Arthur Lee songs, none of them are on that particular album. (Well, "Bummer in the Summer" is on that album, but I prefer the harder rocking live version on "The Blue Thumb Recordings".)

While I appreciate the other albums, it's the hard rocking Love and Arthur Lee that moves me the most.

Primarily, I am talking about Love's 1970 album "False Start", and the Arthur Lee's "Vindicator" album from 1972.

There are a lot of good tracks on 1969's "Four Sail" and "Out Here" as well ... but "False Start" is where it comes together. "False Start" has some of the best songs that most people have never heard ... since most Love fans were not expecting such a radical change in sound, and panned this album.

The album starts out with a track that features a guest appearance from Jimi Hendrix, "The Everlasting First". But the stand out track is a live version of "Stand Out", which was introduced on the "Out Here" album. I'm surprised how many reviews I've seen of this album that dismiss "Stand Out" as a throwaway track. This is one of the all-time classics.

Speaking of all time classics, "Anytime" is another. I wish I could find a link for that one to share here. Plus "Keep On Shining". "Slick Dick" is also a fun song. Overall, "False Start" is essential 1970's rock.

If you're considering buying "False Start", it's worth considering "The Blue Thumb Recordings" as an alternative. This 3 CD set includes "Out Here", "False Start" and a live CD which includes the aforementioned harder rocking live version of "Bummer In The Summer".

Arthur Lee's 1972 solo release "Vindicator" is a worthy follow-up to "False Start". The stand out track from Vindicator is the all time classic "Everybody's Gotta Live" ...

But there is more to the album than just "Everybody's Gotta Live". The lead track "Sad Song" is pretty good, but the next track, "Love Jumped Through My Window" is one of my favorite Arthur Lee tracks.

Other classic cuts are "Every Time I Look I'm Down or White Dog (I Don't Know What That Means)" ... and "Busted Feet" which resurfaced again later on a 1974 release ...

Now if I could just find a copy of the 1974 Real to Reel album ...

Blues Rock Fix: Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam

2010-09-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

Davy Knowles is one of the best new blues rock artists to emerge in the past several years. It's very rare to see a guitarist this good who is also a fantastic singer. Davy emerged from the Isle of Man (a small island in between England and Ireland) in 2007 as leader of a blues rock trio named Back Door Slam.

The debut Back Door Slam album is a strong candidate for the best blues rock album of this decade. Just dig the vibe from the opening track "Come Home":

Sounding like a modern day version of Cream, the blues rock onslaught continues with "Heavy On My Mind":

This is followed by a cover of the blues standard "Outside Woman Blues", which was also covered by Cream:

Three tracks into the album, and it's already a classic album. Then comes the best song on the album, "Gotta Leave":

This album is so good, I'm tempted to just post all of the tracks. But let me hit you with just one more highlight before we move on ... "Roll Away" ...

Back Door Slam, the power trio, was too good to last, and 2009 brought changes. With some personnel changes, Back Door Slam evolved into a new band known as Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam, with a new album "Coming Up For Air". Check out this live performance of the title track:

Another favorite off the newer album is "Tear Down The Walls":

Other highlights of this album include "Riverbed", "Amber's Song", "Keep on Searchin'" and "Taste of Danger".

All said, Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam is a must have for any fan of blues rock and/or classic rock. Davy is also a live performer to be on the lookout for ... his live concert video from the Isle of Man in 2009 is a DVD worth purchasing..

Davy Knowles is only 22 years old, so expect to be hearing a lot more from him in the years to come.

From The Land Down Under: The Sundance Kids

2010-09-03T08:00:00.002-04:00

This one is definitely a keeper ... but it bugs me that after almost a year, this album is still not yet officially available in the USA. The Sundance Kids is a mellow modern rock act from Australia, signed to Warner Music in Australia, but sadly ignored across the rest of the world.

"Fall Into Place", which was released late last year in Australia is an outstanding debut album from this mellow rock band. Outstanding vocals, and great songs ... songs with depth ... songs that you'll find yourself humming and thinking about several days later.

The whole album is fantastic, but for me the strongest cuts are "The Tide" and "Solutions". Let's start with the poppier song, "Solutions" ...

"The Tide" is a slower song, very spiritual, emotional vocals ... close your eyes and you can feel the tide wash over you ...

"Drive Away" is another pop number with great vocals and a chorus that sticks with you.

If you dig what you've heard so far, then you have to also check out "Burn So Bright" ...

Sadly, unless you live in Australia, it's pretty difficult to get a copy of this album. Amazon does sell it as an expensive import CD. So for now, enjoy it on YouTube.

There is a free download link for a bonus track "All Things Stable" at http://www.thesundancekids.com, which is a good track, and worth a download. But it will leave you wanting more.

I understand the band is busy recording a follow-up album, so hopefully this time we'll see some love on this side of the Pacific.

Stuck in My Head: Salty Dog - Lonesome Fool

2010-09-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Do you ever get a song stuck in your head, and you can't remember where it came from?

No, you don't? It's just me. That's reassuring.

This one was stuck in my head for weeks. I was loaning someone some money, and a voice in my head said "About those bucks I owe you. Send a bill to my manager. He'll send it to my accountant. And he'll send it on back to you. I've got a system workin'. Y'all come back now, ya here."

At least once a day, I'd say to myself, "I've got a system workin'". But I couldn't place the song. At first I thought it had to be from Every Mother's Nightmare. Nope. Dirty White Boy? Nope. Dirty Sweet? Nope.

I knew the name had something to do with a reference to a classic album or song, or it was dirty or something like that.

Then it hit me this morning ... like a freight train rushing blindly into the darkness ... and I'm sittin' there in the middle of the tunnel. "Come back my lonesome fool." That was it ... search my music library for "fool". 100 or so songs later, there it was "Lonesome Fool" by Salty Dog ... a band name referring back to a Procol Harum album. So here we have it ... unstuck from my head .. a lost track from 1990 presented for your listening pleasure ...

What Ever Happened to The Scream?

2010-09-01T08:00:00.005-04:00

"Let It Scream" by The Scream was one of the best hard rock albums of 1991. Great hard rock with a blues vibe, topped off with excellent vocals by John Corabi.

The album included classic tracks "Man In The Moon", "Father, Mother, Son" and "I Believe In Me". Plus great rockers "Tell Me Why" and "Never Loved Her Anyway".

Let's take a trip back in time, shall we ...

If you like what you hear, then you should know that this albums is available as a free download at http://www.racerxband.com/scream.htm. The record company on which this album was released imploded, and former band members decided to make it available free of charge.

Alas, The Scream was a short lived project. Singer John Corabi left after the first album and joined Motley Crue, replacing Vince Neil. Motley Crue released one album (self-titled) with Corabi, before the record company demanded that they bring Vince Neil came back. In my opinion, the Motley Crue album with Corabi is not near as good as "Let It Scream".

Meanwhile, The Scream recruited a new lead singer and recorded another album "Takin' It To The Next Level", which was never released. It's also available as a free download at http://www.racerxband.com/scream.htm. "Miss Thang" is a highlight that is worth checking out. Another unreleased album with remaining members changing the band name to DC-10 followed, which is also available as a free download. It's worth checking out "Blinded" and "Ghetto Eyes" ... but it's all a pale comparison to the first album.

If you're intrigued and want to see what else John Corabi has been up to, here are some good links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Corabi

http://www.facebook.com/JohnCorabiMusic

Under The Radar: Megaphone

2010-08-31T08:00:00.004-04:00

I can't believe that I had almost forgotten about this band. Orlando's megaphone deserves to be heard by a wider audience. They did start to get that chance last year, opening up for AC/DC at a show in Orlando, and opening for Joe Perry at the Orlando House of Blues. But they need to be heard by the world.

megaphone is a melodic hard rock band that knows how to write a song with a hook.

Their web site describes them as "If the Foo Fighters beat up Butch Walker and Lit while listening to your favorite band, that's what we sound like!" That's a reasonable assessment, as there are definitely influences that can be drawn from those 3 artists. But there's also a little a tougher modern rock edge that I can't pinpoint.

"Uncelebrated" is the track that recaptured my attention this morning. I found myself reaching for the music controls wondering "Who is this band?" I know this song ... I love this song ... it has to be a cover.

If it is a cover, I can't recall the original. It was an album that I purchased last year, and "Uncelebrated" is one of the tracks that I had slipped into a best new music playlist. So I've heard the song more than a few times, but had forgotten who the artist was.

Other standout tracks from their album "Exit Silent Mode" include "Gravitate", "Write It Down", "What If..." and "My Favorite New Disaster". Here's a video for "Gravitate":

If I have one complaint about the album, it's that I think the mix is a little flat. There are a number of times where I find myself wishing that the guitar was featured a little more prominently in the mix. For example, there's some great guitar work in "My Favorite New Disaster", but it seems a little buried. I also think the vocals could benefit from some harmonies, especially in the chorus. But these are very minor nits. Most other independent bands would kill for an album as good as "Exit Silent Mode".

I'd encourage you especially to check out "Uncelebrated", which should appeal to AOR, melodic rock and modern rock fans. I embedded a widget below that will let you hear some more of their songs. If for some reason the widget below is missing, you can hear the songs at http://www.megaphonemusic.net. The band has an excellent website, so even if you can play the songs via the widget below, I'd still encourage you to visit their website where you can download a free copy of "Write It Down", as well as "Not Your Enemy" from their earlier album.

Just Another Random Monday - Chris Duarte

2010-08-30T08:00:00.004-04:00

Flashback to 1994 with me for a minute. The Chris Duarte Group released the best blues rock album of the decade, if not the century, in their debut album "Texas Sugar Strat Magic".

How to describe the music of the Chris Duarte Group? Hmm... Think Jimi Hendrix fathering a pale pasty white child ... maybe Johnny Winter was the real father, but Hendrix raises him like he was his own. Hendrix dies, and the kid goes to live with his uncle, Stevie Ray Vaughan. Stevie's plane crashes, but the kid is getting a bit older and decides to time to leave the nest and moves into an apartment with his cousin Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. A DNA test reveals that Johnny Winter is his real father, which is great news because he was starting to be afraid it might be Edgar Winter ... so he goes to Texas to meet his real father, and records "Texas Sugar Strat Magic".

Or maybe that's not what happened?

Think Hendrix at Monterey. You're there because you think the Mamas and Papas are the bees knees, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience comes out and plays a set. The music of your life up until this point was completely meaningless. You lose all muscle control, except for your bowel muscles, so thankfully you don't drop a load in your pants. You get enough muscle control in your body to stand back up, but your facial muscles still don't work ... and your jaw drops to the floor in amazement ... yes, you realize that you are a slack jawed yokel. All you can do is sit back and be in awe. Oh, and drool a lot too.

This was a greatest hits album with classics like "Big Legged Woman", "My Way Down" and a searing cover of Guitar Slim's "Letter to My Girlfriend". Plus killer instrumentals "C-Butt Rock" and "Shiloh".

Other Austin guitar slingers had to put down their guitars and take up needlepoint ... there was no point in even trying to play a guitar any more. Sixth Street bars closed down and the Quilting Emporium and Jo-Ann's Fabrics moved in. It was the biggest d#$! Jo-Ann's Fabrics superstore that you had ever seen. And on a lark, we bought up all of their yarn, and just outside of town we built the biggest ball of yarn that you would ever see.

I'm talking like 100 times bigger than the ball of yarn in that video ... because we were in Texas, and everything's bigger in Texas. All those e-mails about increasing the size of your you know what ... we don't get those e-mails in Texas. They don't even bother sending us those e-mails because they know.

So we were waiting for the man from the Guinness Book of World Records to come around and check out our big ball of yarn, but a man from the government comes around and tells us that the whole world was blown up by a nuclear bomb, and we're like the only ones left. And we're like that TV show Jericho ... but more a sitcom ... and we weren't in Utah ... I know we were still in Texas because Pee Wee Herman was there, and he was looking for the Alamo.

And the guys from ZZ Top were there too. And Danny Bonaduce was there. But not like old bitter Danny Bonaduce, I'm talking about young Danny Bonaduce. And Andy Rooney was there and he kept asking us Partridge Family trivia questions, because he was obsessed with Shirley Jones and she had a restraining order issued against him. And he'd say "Did you ever notice this" and "Did youe ever notice that" ... but he always got confused and would mix up Partridge Family and Brady Bunch trivia. I mean, everyone knows that "It's A Sunshine Day" was by the Brady Bunch, not the Partridge Family. But try telling that to Rooney.

And we were all part of this reality show. And Wayne Brady was the host, but he was delusional ... kept talking about his Black Brady Bunch movie project and its $200 million budget. So we got cancelled before they aired the pilot episode, and Wayne Brady goes nuts.

And then they put our town in a giant bubble just like in the Simpsons Movie, except that we weren't cartoon characters ... except for Moe, he was there, and we'd go into his cartoon bar on Fridays after work for happy hour. And Albert Brooks would talk to us all over a giant TV screen, except that he mostly just whined about how none of us would go see his movies, and now he's just known as the guy who did the voice for Nemo's dad in Finding Nemo. And he'd go on and on about this, day after day, until our senses were numbed, and we fell asleep into a deep coma.

And we woke up years later at the SXSW festival and they tried to tell us it was all some drug induced dream. Like somebody slipped us a mickey. But we were suspicious, because they kept telling us how much we really enjoyed the Phish show.

Do you get my point? This sound was big. They had to lock up all available copies of this album and quarantine us listeners for years. It was a big massive music industry conspiracy worthy of the X-Files.

Yet the album still lives today, and you can buy it on eMusic for just 9 credits.

It may have been a tough opening act for Chris Duarte to follow, but apparently he enjoys a challenge.

In 1997 he released Tailspin Headwhack and truth be told, I like Tailspin Headwhack. I listen to Tailspin Headwhack more frequently than Texas Sugar, mostly because of strong cuts like ".32 Blues" and "Crimino". But it's a different album than Texas Sugar ... it's more about the groove than speed and guitar pyrotechnics, although he definitely still shreds ...

Love Is Greater Than Me followed in 2000. In my opinion it's not as solid as the earlier albums, but "Free For Me", "Baddness" and "Watch Out" are definitely classics. And then there's "Brand New Day", "Paper Dolls", "How Long" ... and "Azul Ezell" kicks butt. Why don't I listen to this album more ... I guess I just don't get into "All Night" and "Metaphor Song".

Then came Romp in 2003. Check out the instrumental "101" ... what a great tune ...

Another great instrumental on that album is "Like Eric", obvious from its tone, a nod to Eric Johnson. And "Mr. Neighbor" is another great tune. And I love the bizarro poetry reading in "Last Night" ... killer stuff.

In 2006, Japanese instrumental blues rock band Bluestone Co. contacted Chris, and talked him into contributing vocals to 5 tracks on their debut album. Highlights from this album include "Luck Shine On Me" and "Me n' You", which are worth tracking down.

Collaborating with Bluestone was a good move for Chris, and he did more touring of Japan with Bluestone, and Bluestone Co. also joined Chris for some tours of the US. They followed up with another collaboration in 2009 called "396" which was released under the name Chris Duarte and Bluestone Co. Highlights include "Back In Town", "Put Up or Shut Up", and "Chattahoochee Side".

The audio quality is not that great in the following video of a live performance of "Back In Town", but its worth checking out.

In between the Bluestone Co. releases, Chris also released two albums as the Chris Duarte Group, including "Blue Velocity" in 2007 and "Vantage Point" in 2008.

"Blue Velocity" introduces classics "Do It Again", "Leave Her Be", "I'll Never Know" and "R U 4 Real?".

"Vantage Point" introduces classics "Slapstak", "Troubles On Me", "Satisfy", "Blow Your Mind" and "She Don't Live Here Anymore".

Check out more Chris Duarte baddness at http://www.chrisduartegroupfans.org/.

And if Chris Duarte is coming anywhere near your town, prepare for 3 hours of the most intense guitar music that you will ever experience in your life.

Secrets of the Great White North: The Trews

2010-08-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Trews are one of the best bands that most people living in a temperate climate have never heard of. I only stumbled across them about a year and a half ago.

If you like classic rock with a blues influence, you owe it to yourself to get acquainted with The Trews.

"Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me" is the first song that caught my attention, a song with a great groove and sing-a-long chorus:

"Paranoid Freak" rocks with a similar vibe, and is one of the standout tracks from their 2009 album "No Time For Later":

It's hard to pick a favorite Trews song. Aside from the ones above, I'd also suggest "So She's Leaving", "When You Leave", "Tired of Waiting", "Stray", well I could go on for awhile. Here's another good one ... "Hold Me In Your Arms", also from last year's "No Time For Later":

The Trews are also known for well know across Canada for their live shows, and in particular, their acoustic performances are a real treat.

Late last year they released a live acoustic album titled "Acoustic - Friends & Total Strangers" which easily ranks as one of my favorite albums from 2009. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

While the following video of "I Can't Stop Laughing" is not an acoustic performance, it has a very similar vibe to the acoustic album:

"Sing Your Heart Out" was the one new song included on the live acoustic album, the rest are acoustic versions of older Trews songs. It's good, but in my opinion it's one of the weaker tracks on the album:

I've got to admit, that's pretty good for being one of the weakest tracks on the album.

Check out more Trews goodness at http://thetrewsmusic.com.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a fan made video for "Burning Wheels":

Wait, I do have to throw in one more. "So She's Leaving" is one of my favorite Trews songs. The audio on the music video is a little low ... but this song rocks, so I couldn't leave it out of this post.

Under The Radar: Ambershift

2010-08-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Another modern rock album that I've enjoyed this summer is the debut album from North-east England's Ambershift. Where as a lot of modern rock bands rely too heavily on keyboards, these guys have prominent guitar melodies that will hook you in.

Stand out tracks include Heartbreaker, Another Trigger, Russian Doll, No More Fuss, Delayed in Talking and Russian Doll. You can download a free MP3 version of Heartbreaker at http://ambershift.net/.

And check out the video for Another Trigger below:

Under The Radar: Planet of the Stereos

2010-08-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Released earlier this year, How To Build A Telecope, from Australia's Planet of the Stereos is an excellent mellower modern rock album. It's a bit keyboard heavy for my tastes at times, but there's more than enough enough excellent guitar melodies to keep me interested.

Stand out tracks are "After All", "This Moment" and the opening track "Slow Down".

Here's an acoustic performance of "After All", which is good, but I'd suggest you check out the album version which you can listen to on their MySpace or Facebook pages via http://www.planetofthestereos.com/.

Hard Rock Fix: Chris Osborne (Saints and Saviors)

2010-08-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is another artist that I don't know much about. I stumbled across this album on eMusic about a month ago, and it provided a much needed hard rock fix.

According to the on-line music services, the artist is Chris Osborne, and the album is titled Saints and Saviors. However, that might have been a record company decision, as until recently the band was touring under the name Saints and Saviors. Chris Osborne is the lead singer and guitarist.

The album rocks hard, and the guitar smokes. They are loud and they are proud. A few of the songs are a bit too heavy on the sexual cliche, but look past that (or enjoy it if that's your thing ... I just think if you're going to make a career out of sexual cliche songs, you're never going to top Danger Danger, so why bother), and you'll find great tracks like "Burning Down Inside" and "Circles", and hard rock anthems like "We Don't Need It" and "Indifferent Just Like Me".

Check them out at the following links:

http://www.myspace.com/chrisosborneband

http://www.reverbnation.com/saintsandsaviors

And here's a raw concert video of the band performing "Burning Down Inside" (the audio quality of the clip leaves a little to be desired, but it will give you an idea of their sound):

Fresh Tracks: Beta Wolf

2010-08-25T08:00:00.006-04:00

Continuing yesterday's modern rock vibe, today let's talk about Los Angeles' Beta Wolf. Congratulations to the band for scoring a featured listing for their new EP in the new releases list on iTunes this week. That should help bring them some attention.

The Beta Wolf EP is an guitar oriented alternative modern rock album that fires on all cylinders. It features outstanding vocals from lead singer Grant Arnow, with great harmonies from the rest of the band. Check out this live studio performance of the lead track, "Undertow":

You can download a free copy of the studio live version of "Undertow", as featured in this video at: http://www.betawolfmusic.com/main/2010/1/19/music-release-undertow-live.html.

Another of my favorites from the EP is "Dig":

If you're still not sold on the band, check out the EP's closing track "Girl On Fire":

Now that the EP is finally available for purchase on iTunes, I'd encourage you to buy it and support this band.

But if you want to check it out further first, and give it a few listens, they do have the EP available as a free download at http://www.betawolfmusic.com/main/2010/1/1/music-release-beta-wolf-ep.html. (The iTunes version adds an acoustic version of "Undertow".)

Free Downloads: Anberlin and Sleeperstar

2010-08-24T08:00:00.005-04:00

I prefer to stay clear of the more popular bands on this blog ... but if you're an Anberlin fan, it's worth noting that there's a free download available for one of the songs off the upcoming album "Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place". You can download the new song "Pray Tell" at http://www.spin.com/articles/exclusive-new-song-anberlin.

While you're checking out that download, I'd also suggest downloading a free copy of Sleeperstar's "We Go Tonight (Say It Again)" at http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/downloads/downloads.asp?id=1098.

Sleeperstar is a modern rock band that is still under the radar ... but without question, "We Go Tonight (Say It Again)", the lead single from their new album "Just Another Ghost" is one of the best new songs of 2010.

However, as good as that single is, I don't think it's my favorite song on the new album. The second track on the album, "The Journey" is less of an anthem, and has more passion to it. Check it out:

I've been listening to Sleeperstar for a few months now. And when I try to tell people about them, I'm always at a loss for words on how to describe their music. They've got that big atmospheric dream-rock keyboard sound that is overdone by Coldplay and their imitators. But this sound works better for Sleeperstar, at least in my book. I love the passionate vocals, and at the core it is melodic adult alternative rock with an edge.

There are plenty of other great tracks on this album, including "Texas Rain", "Can't Escape Your Eyes" and "Everything Must Find Its Place". A highly recommended album for those times when you're looking to listen to something light and melodic, but that's not a sell out.

Just Another Random Monday, Information Overload

2010-08-23T08:00:00.003-04:00

Do you ever get a song lyric stuck in your head? Did you ever listen to so many songs over the course of a lifetime that you start to think that you brain is filled up with too much useless information? I suppose it's a price worth paying, but it does make you wonder sometimes.

A couple of weeks ago I was with a group of friends, and the topic of conversation turned to parenting issues. One of them made the comment about how they were trying to teach their younger kids that when they say yes, they need to mean yes, and when they say no, they need to mean no. "Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no" was the quote. I start thinking to myself ... Yeah ... "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah and Your No Be No" ... that was on that Brownsville Station album that my older cousin had, back when I was in elementary school. I was temporairily transported back to 1973 or 1974 and jamming out to "Smokin' In The Boys Room". "Teacher don't you fill me up with your rules, everybody knows that smokin' ain't allowed in school."

I didn't want to show off my vast knowledge of rock & roll lyrics and discography, so I kept my mouth shut. Then they explained that they got that from a bible verse ... Matthew 5:37, I believe it was. Now, I know that Brownsville Station was hardly original or all that creative lyrically, but that surprised me. As I wondered if they could tell me the biblical chapter and verse from which "Smokin' In The Boys Room" was derived, I began to think about just how much useless information was bouncing around my brain. I'm not saying that I necessarily want to be able to quote chapter and verse from the bible, but that does seem a bit more meaningful than a conversation in my head regarding Brownsville Station.

I mean, even if Brownsville Station were the "Kings of the Party" for a couple of years before fading into obscurity, is that really worth knowing?

Well, before fading completely into obscurity, they did give us "The Martian Boogie", which you'll undoubtedly remember as a mainstay of the Dr. Demento radio show ... "Damn! No Ketchup!" ... surely those are some lyrics worth remembering ...

It seems a bit dated, but Brownsville Station was good time rock and roll that was well suited for its time. At this point, I'm sure you're wondering what my all time favorite Brownsville Station song was (and why I'm so preoccupied with them today). It's a tough call. There's no doubt that "Smokin'" is a true rock and roll classic, and "The Martian Boogie" is just flat out bizarro gold ... but I'm going to go with their Bo Diddley cover, "Road Runner" ... I just love that opening "I'm a road runner, honey!" In fact, a mash-up of this song mixed with Guns 'n Roses "Welcome to the Jungle" would be killer.

On second thought, maybe I like the song because I already hear the mash-up version in my mind. So I probably would pick "Smokin'" as the best track, but their version of "Road Runner" is runner-up.

Is there some greater lesson, perhaps even a higher truth, to be learned from Brownsville Station? As I understand it, Brownsville Station guitarist/vocalist Cub Koda was quite the student of music history. While he wrote "Smokin' In The Boys Room", most of their other songs were covers. He was a true fan of music, and it showed in the songs that the band chose to cover.

Cub Koda later on went on to be an influential reviewer for the All Music Guide, and I've read quite a few of his reviews. He also co-wrote a couple of books, "Blues for Dummies" and the "All Music Guide to the Blues". (Hmm ... I can order the latter book via Amazon Prime. That might make for an interesting read. Sorry, I just grabbed the last copy available through Amazon Prime.)

So it turns out that "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah" song that started this flash back was actually a cover of a Jimmy Cliff song.

Reggae is a musical genre that I haven't really studied enough. Yeah, I've got one Bob Marley album (Legend) ... oh and I do have one other Reggae track in my library (I don't count Rootdown, as they're just reggae-influenced) ... "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant. Yeah, it's kind of embarrassing to listen to "Electric Avenue" these days, but it does take me back to 1983.

Did I really just post a link to an "Electric Avenue" video? There is definitely too much useless and random information in my brain. A friend refers me to a bible passage, and I spend an hour reminiscing about Brownsville Station, and then take a nostalgic ride down Electric Avenue.

There may be something wrong with my priorities, but it is just another random Monday.

Hard Rock Fix: Dangerous New Machine

2010-08-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Admittedly, I don't know much about Dangerous New Machine. I stumbled across their debut release "Set The World On Fire" on eMusic, and it's got some of the best new hard rock tracks that I've heard this summer. I particularly like the more melodic tracks "I Wish" and "Better Days" ... and "Bullet Proof Hero" is a great workout song.

Check out their video for "Burn":

And listen to "Better Days" here:

"Better Days" is available as a free download at http://www.reverbnation.com/#/dangerousnewmachine.

Classic Rock Fix: The Easybeats

2010-08-21T08:00:00.002-04:00

I mentioned The Easybeats in a recent post about Joe Elliott's Down 'n' Outz ... and I posted a video where they perform their classic hit Good Times on German TV back in 1968.

The Easybeats, with the classic song writing team of Harry Vanda and George Young (the older brother of Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC), never really got the attention that they deserved. In some circles they were known as Australia's answer to The Beatles, but labeling them as a Beatles derivative is a disservice, as they were an original.

Check out this 1966 video of The Easybeats performing their classic hit "Sorry":

"Friday on My Mind" is probably the best known track from The Easybeats, also from 1966:

Another of my favorites is "She's So Fine":

Lead singer Stevie Wright went on to record some additional classic songs, including "Guitar Band" and another Vanda/Young written classic called "Evie" ... an 11-minute classic that topped the Australian charts in 1974:

This post has gotten a bit heavy on video links, but the sad truth is that not enough people have heard of The Easybeats or Stevie Wright, who truly have some of the best classic rock songs of all times.

If I've piqued your interest, check out the album "Easy Fever", which includes classic original recordings from The Easybeats and Stevie Wright, plus great cover versions of these songs from other artists. I particularly like the new cover versions of Sorry (Skybombers), Guitar Band (The Living End), Good Times (The Veronicas), St. Louis (Grinspoon), and the killer cover of She's So Fine by Thirsty Merc.

Up & Coming Guitar Hero: Ben Randall

2010-08-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

If you're into heavy instrumental guitar music, you'll want to check out the new single from Ben Randall, "Love Finds A Way". It's available on eMusic, Amazon, and iTunes.

Ben is a very promising young guitarist from northwest England who made his debut a couple of years ago in the online Guitar Idol competition, where judges chose him as the Most Promising Young Guitarist.

At the time, Ben was 17 years old, and had only been playing guitar for about 3 years. Now 19 years old, he's had almost twice as much time to practice, and an opportunity to further refine his technique with live performances.

According to Ben, the performance above was his first time playing live in front of an audience.

The new single "Love Finds A Way" is impressive ... less showing off speed for the sake of speed ... and a more balanced composition. I'm looking forward to hearing more from Ben Randall.

You can find out more about Ben at his MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/benrandallguitar, and his YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/benrandallguitar.

And by all means, if you happen to be in the Wirral/Chester area of the UK, and are looking for a guitar teacher, I can't imagine a better choice.