Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Ryan Adams - Lucky Now


Ryan Adams has already amassed a catalog of fine tunes that sometimes seems to be overshadowed by an idiosyncratic, overdriven personality. I think the new song, Lucky Now, is a stripped bare affair that shows he's a great songwriter and performer. I could imagine this one covered by Alison Krauss, Bruce Springsteen or Lyle Lovett. The track is a teaser for Ryan Adams' new album, Ashes & Fire, out October 10.

Lucky Now by ryanadams

Ryan Adams - Lucky Now (Live On BBC Radio 2) by vinyloftheday

Here's a few older Adams tunes I love.

Ryan Adams - "Halloweenhead" by ModernMystery3

Ryan Adams - So Alive by xarpi rio

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Joy Formidable: a Power Trio for Today?



The Joy Formidable are a Welsh trio that is now based out of London. They recently released their first full-length album, The Big Roar. Their sound pulls in pieces from all over the stylistic map - some hazy vocals and fuzzy guitars from shoegaze, frenetic rhythms and reedy guitar from the post-punk era, serious stomp and crash of the so-called grunge sound. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the band is the voice of Ritzy Bryan, which reminds me of a stronger version of a few 90's period UK bands that shall go nameless. Is The Joy Formidable the next big thing? Leave a comment below.

Austere by thejoyformidable


Whirring by thejoyformidable

I Don't Want To See You Like This by thejoyformidable

The Joy Formidable //The Big Roar by welle20

The Joy Formidable - Cradle by NapaIndie

The-joy-formidable the-last-drop by DaButtahNutz

The joy formidable - ostrich by vanyaka

Joy Formidable - The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade by The Drift Record Shop

Joy Formidable - The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade by The Drift Record Shop

The Joy Formidable - Greyhounds In The Slips by Hotcakes.fm

The Joy Formidable - While The Flies by tevito

Austere (The Naked And Famous Remix) by thejoyformidable

The Joy Formidable - Popinjay (Live) by fadedglamourblog

The Joy Formidable - Austere (Live) by Alex Heisler

The Joy Formidable - The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie (acoustic) by morrisday

The Joy Formidable - my beerdrunk soul is sadder than a hundred dead christmas trees by morrisday

The Joy Formidable - Moth's Wings (Passion Pit Cover) by Ernestime









You can purchase the Joy Formidable here.

Friday, August 19, 2011

New Anthrax! Finally!


Anthrax is finally releasing a new studio record after 8 years. Worship Music will be released September 12 internationally and September 13 in the U.S. The band has also re-enlisted Joey Belladonna, who hasn't fronted the band in the studio since 1990's Persistence of Time. Honestly, the band's gone back and forth with singers in the past years more than some guys change their underwear (you know who you are).

I enjoyed the Belladonna years the first time (1985-1992), but preferred the vocalist who followed, John Bush. Belladonna is a classic metal vocalist, with those unbelievably high notes coming into play, and the the new tunes seem to reflect that old school metal, with few aspects of the more adventurous John Bush era. Check out the U2 or Radiohead covers below and you can hear how Anthrax was willing and able to step try some different things. Even before Bush came along the band made some interesting moves, collaborating with Public Enemy way before rap and metal held hands or writing songs based on books or films. The two new songs (immediately below) sound fine, I just hope the guys haven't morphed into just another old metal band covering themselves.

ANTHRAX - The Devil You Know by NuclearBlastRecords

Anthrax - Fight Em Till You Can't by dmrock

Some old school Anthrax:





With John Bush:









Anthrax does U2!?!



Anthrax does Radiohead.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Durham County, Hugh Dillon and Headstones



I'm pretty sure I have never posted about a television show on this blog. I can't say I'm a big TV watcher. But I stumbled across Durham County, a pretty good little series which started...4 years ago?! Okay, I'm out of touch. Anyway, the show's won a bunch of awards, many of you have probably at least heard of it, unlike me. The first season is exceptional, if you ask me, especially the bad guy, played by Justin Louis, who is also known as Louis Ferreira - amazingly creepy. But I also realized that Hugh Dillon is a decent actor. I never got into Flashpoint, the last thing I watched him in was Hard Core Logo, which was a long time ago. So, here's something different, a post about TV, which I rarely watch, and Hugh Dillon, a guy I never paid a lot of attention to when he sung in Headstones. But he did rock a good snarl, fine spiky hair, and a ragged, frayed long-sleeve ribbed sweater, and he was quite different from his character in Durham County, because he was always swearing, spitting, or chain-smoking, even onstage.

Headstones. That reminds me of a story, and while I might not recall all of the details, it goes something like this: Years ago, I remember a friend telling me about when she was a waitress at a pub/restaurant and a rock band came in - Headstones. The guitar player orders a beer. The drummer orders a beer. The bass player? A beer. Singer Hugh Dillon ordered a coffee, or a Coke or something non-alcoholic. My friend the waitress says, "Are you sure you don't want a beer?"
"No thanks."
"Come on, your friends are all having a beer."
"No."
"Awww, why not!"
"Because I'm a recovering alcoholic, that's why!"







































Unsound-The Headstones by Attack Media Group

Hearts, Love- The Headstones by Deevel

Hindsight-The Headstones by Attack Media Group

















Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Bryan Ferry: In Conversation, On the Piano Stool, On Record, Getting Awards


This young whippersnapper Bryan Ferry shows no signs of slowing down. He's ubiquitous, playing more than one show in a day, getting a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) award, and making some of his hard-to-find material available online. And from the live videos surfacing, you'd think he had an amazing twelve-year-old kid on drums (one kit, anyhow) and a 15-year-old whelp on wailing guitar. Maybe these people are keeping him young. Anyway, here's pretty good interview, along with some other videos you might not have seen and some non-album tracks. I'm glad that with David Bowie pretty much out of the picture these days, Ferry seems to have become a go-to guy.









Lover by BryanFerry

Sultanesque by BryanFerry

Nocturne by BryanFerry

Shameless (feat. Bryan Ferry) - Groove Armada Version by BryanFerry

The Numberer by BryanFerry

Hula Kula by BryanFerry

Trash 2 by BryanFerry

South Downs by BryanFerry

Always Unknowing by BryanFerry

Is Your Love Strong Enough by BryanFerry

Olympia Mixes by BryanFerry

The following is, of course, not a Bryan Ferry song.

Lost on the Bryan Ferry by AKUDAMA

Sunday, August 14, 2011

The Watchmen: Jets Pre Game Show?, Silent Radar


I've been seeing some tweets regarding a pre-game show featuring The Watchmen before the first tilt for the revitalized Winnipeg Jets. Watchmen drummer and Winnipeg Biz guy Stefano Grande have been in touch concerning the festivities, we'll see what transpires. Maybe Danny singing the anthem? I'd like to see Danny on skates. Make sure you get him a good helmet if he goes anywhere near the ice.

Meanwhile, the band is playing what is so far a one-off Hogtown show September 24 in which the fellas will perform the entire Silent Radar album plus a whack of fan favourites.

I'm Blind - The Watchmen by scruffy the yak

Seven Times - The Watchmen by scruffy the yak









Friday, August 12, 2011

Bob Mould Covers Sugar, Decemberists Also Cover Sugar, and Bob Mould's Autobiography Sheds a Little Light



I just finished racing through Bob Mould's autobiography, See a Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Melody. I was not surprised to find it was well-written, but I was happily surprised to find that Mould put the auto in autobiography; not that it was done on auto-pilot, but it was an intensely personal account. Mould isn't your typical rock star, so we aren't treated to numerous accounts of groupies and hotel-room destruction, but we are given peeks into going through punk rock as a gay man, working in the pro wrestling business, and struggling through a myriad of problems most of us never encounter. I wish he would have expanded on accounts of certain aspects of his life (such as the break-up of Husker Du), but overall, a quality read.


Bob Mould "covers" Sugar


The Decemberists cover Sugar


Sugar - If I Can't Change Your Mind by misterwilson

Ben Gibbard & Bob Mould - "If I Can't Change Your Mind" by TwentyFourBit.com

SUGAR Explode And Make Up by pterkrogh

Bob Mould guest stars on this Foo Fighters tune:

Dear Rosemary by Foo Fighters

Bob Mould-New #1 by janet weiss

Bob Mould - Trade by djmike81

Bob Mould - Circles (Kill The DJ Mix) by Kill_The_DJ

Husker Du-Something I Learned Today by superfrauz

New Day Rising - Hüsker Dü by Robert Bell

Husker Du - Real World by martin.carlos

Husker Du - Divide and conquer by nicesunset

Husker Du - Don't Want To Know If You Are Lon by BigFootAtWork

I believe the following live version of eight miles High was recorded at the Royal Albert Arms in Winnipeg. Sorry for the spotty sound.

Husker du 8 miles high by ybstatusquo

Buy See a Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Melody here. Buy Bob Mould music and merch here.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Scott Hinkson Gives You Simpleton


Scott Hinkson's third album, One Beside Two, will be officially launched at the release party September 24 at the Park Theatre. If you want it sooner, try his website, itunes, or Planet of Sound. You can also download the first single Simpleton free from his website. I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out how to describe his music, and I'm falling short (I tried 4 1/2 years ago here), because there are no easy tags here. It's modern rock that eschews overt influences, and maybe it is what you might expect from a guy who is as comfortable covering duos such as Simon & Garfunkel or Hall & Oates as he is interpreting Tool or Kyuss. Listen, tell me what you think and post a comment below.

Scott Hinkson -Simpleton by scruffy the yak

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Summer Songs


photo by Janet Dancer

In my town, it's been an amazing summer - very warm, no mosquitos, all good. However, it's left me little time to post here - sorry. Here's a few tunes that have spelled summer for me, old and new.

Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks


Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People




Foster The People - Pumped up kicks (SLEEPING KILLS THE DREAM refix) by aboynamedalyn




Bruce Cockburn - Wondering Where the Lions Are

Bruce Cockburn - Wondering Where The Lions Are by True_North_Records

Graham Shaw & the Sincere Serenaders - Can I Come Near