Aug 2, 2006
A thoroughly eclectic mix this week even though the music is from
the USA and the UK. This show produced by Artois (pictured).
Intro: Happy - Jimmie Bratcher (Missouri, USA)
http://www.jimmiebratcher.com/
Close calls - Miranda Sound (Ohio)
Album: Western Reserve (buy on band site)
Billy Peake and Dan Gerken do little to dismiss the notion that the best art is made under conditions of duress. It's a cliche for a reason, as countless musicians have found inspiration in the physical and emotional threshing of their lives.
Miranda Sound's third album in four years benefits from its straight-ahead songwriting and production, the latter courtesy of post-punk icon and in-demand producer J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines). After road-testing the songs for months, the band went into the studio and busted out "Western Reserve" in a week.
Sat Aug 05 - McMenamy's - All ages - $5 in Advance, $8 at door - 6pm
Fri Aug 11 - Oldfield's on High w/ Eric Metronome, Hero Pattern & Barn Burning
Sat Aug 12 - Birdy's Midwest Music Summit w/ Lost Anthem, Other Passengers, Peter Adams, Bel Auburn, Hero Pattern, Loretta & Shadeland - We Play at 9:15pm sharp
Fri Aug 18 - Little Brothers w/ Aloha & Rahim
Sat Aug 26 - The Basement - The Whiles & The Receiver
Fri Sep 22 - The Poison Room - Toxic Festival $5/$7 - 18+
www.mirandasound.com
Who will you really become? - ANEMO (Brighton, UK )
ANEMO (which means "changing forms") was formed in summer 2001 in Brighton, England. The ANEMO core is the songwriting partnership of vocalist Hazelle Woodhurst (a former actress who appeared in such major movies as "Shakespeare in Love" and "Eyes Wide Shut") and keyboard player and producer Kingsley Sage (formerly of the UK band Jumbo and sometime producer for Icelandic indie-hipsters Bellatrix). This core is then supported by the remarkable Matt Palmer on guitar.
New single releases on 4th September in the UK
Aug 3 2006 9:15 Hope and Anchor London
Aug 9 2006 8:30 The Troubadour London
Aug 13 2006 7:30 "Strawberry Jam", part of the Exmouth Festival Exmouth, Devon
Aug 14 2006 8:00 Three Fat Fish Exeter
Aug 16 2006 10:00 The Hobbit Southampton
Aug 18 2006 8:00 Jericho Tavern Oxford
Aug 29 2006 9:00 Joogleberry Playhouse Brighton
Sep 7 2006 9:00 Sandinista Leeds
Sep 8 2006 8:00 The Talking Heads Southampton
www.anemo.co.uk/
www.citycanyons.com/anemo
NEWS
Green labels
Yesterday, Sub Pop Records became the first record label in the world to "go green" [see update below] by reducing its effective CO2 output to zero. This would be technically impossible, even if they went 100% digital in their sales, without an organization called the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, which lets people or companies buy "green tags," - vouchers that help subsidize the use of renewable energy, which is generally more expensive to produce than dirtier sources.
Purchasers of green tags still power everything in their homes or businesses using the same old sources, but by purchasing these green tags, they're able to offset their CO2 production by introducing more renewable energy into the energy pool through their subsidy.
It's also worth pointing out that the first album featuring the Green-e logo is Kelley Stoltz's Below the Branches.
https://www.subpop.com/index.php
The memory collector - Kelley Stoltz
San Francisco home-recording multi-instrumentalist Kelley Stoltz spent the better part of the past three years promoting and distributing his last album himself.
"I finished Antique Glow in 2001, but found myself without a label when it was ready for release. So, being a vinyl nut, I decided to press up a couple hundred and, to save some money, painted all the covers myself. I sold them at shows and stores all around San Francisco. After that the record took on a life of its own." And, this life of its own involved an eventual domestic CD release on San Francisco's Jackpine Social Club, as well as considerable UK press attention.
Antique Glow garnered a 4-star review and a "Mojo Rising" feature in MOJO magazine, as well as critical praise in Ptolemaic Terrascope, Uncut, Record Collector and on BBC6 radio. At year's end Antique Glow was ranked #24 in MOJO's "40 Best Albums of 2004," described as, "a time capsule only recently discovered ... a jamboree grab-bag of delights filled with everything from psychedelic folk and cosmic troubadour pop to garage-rock and lysergic r&b ... one of the year's major finds."
Kelley's new album, Below the Branches, picks up where Antique Glow left off, combining psych rock, folk, blues and pop in its 13 tracks, exploring new, piano-driven directions as well. It's an album of improvisational pop, alchemically blending influences with results that are both timeless and new. Kelley and his band (Sean Coleman, Kevin Ink, Shayde Sartin, and John Hofer) will tour extensively with the release of Below the Branches.
https://www.subpop.com/scripts/main/bands
ON THE ROAD
The Band from County Hell
Performing at at the Heckington Show, Lincolnshire
Julie McLelland & The Band From County Hell are one of the most exciting Celtic rock bands on the circuit today. Set up twelve years ago this band with Glasgow/Irish roots are writing and performing the Celtic folk rock songs of today.
They have released five original albums, sold songs to football teams and film makers, and play in theatres, arts centres and festivals up and down the country.
Tunes played:
Little bit of Land and Happy Birthday from the most recent album Ghosts & Spirits
The band line-up varies from time to time but generally includes:
Steve McLelland Vocals, guitars, banjo, harmonica, songwriter.
Julie McLelland Lead vocals, bodhran, song writer.
Mad Dawg John Dowd Percussion.
Kenbar Furey Whistles.
Phil Harris Bass guitars, mandolin.
Bruce Brealey Brass section: Trumpet, trombone, saxophone.
Ben McLelland Electric violin, whistles, accordion, piano.
Maurice Mulligan Electric bass, double bass, mandolin, acoustic guitar, 'Keef' guitar, flute, keyboards.
George Morton Trumpet, guitar, accordion.
The band really worked hard this weekend - take a look At Julie's "report" on their website.
Upcoming dates:
Aug 10-13 2006 Irish Tour Ireland
Aug 18-19 2006 Sommerfest Berlin, Germany
Aug 26 2006 The Apple Tree London, UK
Sep 16 2006 The Marquee Club Norwich, UK
Sep 30 2006 Halfway Heroes Leathered In Lincoln Bike Rally Lincoln
Sep 30 2006 Caistor Sports Ground Caistor, UK
Oct 7 2006 The Blackfriars Theatre Boston, UK
Oct 14-15 2006 SLEAFORD MUSIC FESTIVAL nr. Lincoln, UK
www.squarepixel.co.uk/bfch/index.html
www.myspace.com/sleafordmusicfestival
Occams Razor - Justice on a Budget (Pennsylvania)
Justice on a Budget began as an informal collection of musicians who gathered to improvise over loose structures and soundscapes, with all preconceptions left behind. The players developed a relationship that allows them to express a shared sonic vision with a wide-open approach to the creation of new music.
The web link looks interesting but no mention of Justice on a Budget, that I could find.
http://ncmeast.com
See right through - Rasa 9 (Los Angeles, California)
Rasa 9 is a rock/alt. band that touches all emotions, comprising Joe Tamel (bass), Stefan Hajek (vocals), Christian Lundberg (guitars), Clayton Powell (drums, piano). Their full-length CD "The Breeding Ground" will be available in September.
Rasa 9 began as an idea between two musicians. The production team of Swedish-born Christian Lundberg (guitar), and Chicago native Joe Tamel (bass) honed their chops within the Los Angeles music scene through their individual band projects and then somehow stumbled upon a sound that truly fed their desires in music. After recording a volume of instrumental tracks and auditioning multiple singers that just did not mesh with the overall vision of the sound, fate stepped in as vocalist Stefan Hajek arrived on the west coast from the complete opposite end of the country. A child of the Southeast band scene, Stefan stepped in with the voice and completed the sound that Rasa 9 was longing to achieve.
The title of the album is going to be The Breeding Ground, and will contain eleven tracks from the band. The mixing phase is almost complete, and then the band will concentrate solely on the development of the live show while the supporting powers that be begin pushing it out onto the street. The release party and live debut will be in mid-to-late September.
stefan sings : christian wails : joe thumps : clayton beats.
http://myspace.com/rasa9
Sorry it was rather a long show this week, the OK to play The Memory Collector came through just as I as completed the show - and the temptation to be topical was just too much!
Your comments or suggestions would be gratefully received.
Peter
Intro: Happy - Jimmie Bratcher (Missouri, USA)
http://www.jimmiebratcher.com/
Close calls - Miranda Sound (Ohio)
Album: Western Reserve (buy on band site)
Billy Peake and Dan Gerken do little to dismiss the notion that the best art is made under conditions of duress. It's a cliche for a reason, as countless musicians have found inspiration in the physical and emotional threshing of their lives.
Miranda Sound's third album in four years benefits from its straight-ahead songwriting and production, the latter courtesy of post-punk icon and in-demand producer J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines). After road-testing the songs for months, the band went into the studio and busted out "Western Reserve" in a week.
Sat Aug 05 - McMenamy's - All ages - $5 in Advance, $8 at door - 6pm
Fri Aug 11 - Oldfield's on High w/ Eric Metronome, Hero Pattern & Barn Burning
Sat Aug 12 - Birdy's Midwest Music Summit w/ Lost Anthem, Other Passengers, Peter Adams, Bel Auburn, Hero Pattern, Loretta & Shadeland - We Play at 9:15pm sharp
Fri Aug 18 - Little Brothers w/ Aloha & Rahim
Sat Aug 26 - The Basement - The Whiles & The Receiver
Fri Sep 22 - The Poison Room - Toxic Festival $5/$7 - 18+
www.mirandasound.com
Who will you really become? - ANEMO (Brighton, UK )
ANEMO (which means "changing forms") was formed in summer 2001 in Brighton, England. The ANEMO core is the songwriting partnership of vocalist Hazelle Woodhurst (a former actress who appeared in such major movies as "Shakespeare in Love" and "Eyes Wide Shut") and keyboard player and producer Kingsley Sage (formerly of the UK band Jumbo and sometime producer for Icelandic indie-hipsters Bellatrix). This core is then supported by the remarkable Matt Palmer on guitar.
New single releases on 4th September in the UK
Aug 3 2006 9:15 Hope and Anchor London
Aug 9 2006 8:30 The Troubadour London
Aug 13 2006 7:30 "Strawberry Jam", part of the Exmouth Festival Exmouth, Devon
Aug 14 2006 8:00 Three Fat Fish Exeter
Aug 16 2006 10:00 The Hobbit Southampton
Aug 18 2006 8:00 Jericho Tavern Oxford
Aug 29 2006 9:00 Joogleberry Playhouse Brighton
Sep 7 2006 9:00 Sandinista Leeds
Sep 8 2006 8:00 The Talking Heads Southampton
www.anemo.co.uk/
www.citycanyons.com/anemo
NEWS
Green labels
Yesterday, Sub Pop Records became the first record label in the world to "go green" [see update below] by reducing its effective CO2 output to zero. This would be technically impossible, even if they went 100% digital in their sales, without an organization called the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, which lets people or companies buy "green tags," - vouchers that help subsidize the use of renewable energy, which is generally more expensive to produce than dirtier sources.
Purchasers of green tags still power everything in their homes or businesses using the same old sources, but by purchasing these green tags, they're able to offset their CO2 production by introducing more renewable energy into the energy pool through their subsidy.
It's also worth pointing out that the first album featuring the Green-e logo is Kelley Stoltz's Below the Branches.
https://www.subpop.com/index.php
The memory collector - Kelley Stoltz
San Francisco home-recording multi-instrumentalist Kelley Stoltz spent the better part of the past three years promoting and distributing his last album himself.
"I finished Antique Glow in 2001, but found myself without a label when it was ready for release. So, being a vinyl nut, I decided to press up a couple hundred and, to save some money, painted all the covers myself. I sold them at shows and stores all around San Francisco. After that the record took on a life of its own." And, this life of its own involved an eventual domestic CD release on San Francisco's Jackpine Social Club, as well as considerable UK press attention.
Antique Glow garnered a 4-star review and a "Mojo Rising" feature in MOJO magazine, as well as critical praise in Ptolemaic Terrascope, Uncut, Record Collector and on BBC6 radio. At year's end Antique Glow was ranked #24 in MOJO's "40 Best Albums of 2004," described as, "a time capsule only recently discovered ... a jamboree grab-bag of delights filled with everything from psychedelic folk and cosmic troubadour pop to garage-rock and lysergic r&b ... one of the year's major finds."
Kelley's new album, Below the Branches, picks up where Antique Glow left off, combining psych rock, folk, blues and pop in its 13 tracks, exploring new, piano-driven directions as well. It's an album of improvisational pop, alchemically blending influences with results that are both timeless and new. Kelley and his band (Sean Coleman, Kevin Ink, Shayde Sartin, and John Hofer) will tour extensively with the release of Below the Branches.
https://www.subpop.com/scripts/main/bands
ON THE ROAD
The Band from County Hell
Performing at at the Heckington Show, Lincolnshire
Julie McLelland & The Band From County Hell are one of the most exciting Celtic rock bands on the circuit today. Set up twelve years ago this band with Glasgow/Irish roots are writing and performing the Celtic folk rock songs of today.
They have released five original albums, sold songs to football teams and film makers, and play in theatres, arts centres and festivals up and down the country.
Tunes played:
Little bit of Land and Happy Birthday from the most recent album Ghosts & Spirits
The band line-up varies from time to time but generally includes:
Steve McLelland Vocals, guitars, banjo, harmonica, songwriter.
Julie McLelland Lead vocals, bodhran, song writer.
Mad Dawg John Dowd Percussion.
Kenbar Furey Whistles.
Phil Harris Bass guitars, mandolin.
Bruce Brealey Brass section: Trumpet, trombone, saxophone.
Ben McLelland Electric violin, whistles, accordion, piano.
Maurice Mulligan Electric bass, double bass, mandolin, acoustic guitar, 'Keef' guitar, flute, keyboards.
George Morton Trumpet, guitar, accordion.
The band really worked hard this weekend - take a look At Julie's "report" on their website.
Upcoming dates:
Aug 10-13 2006 Irish Tour Ireland
Aug 18-19 2006 Sommerfest Berlin, Germany
Aug 26 2006 The Apple Tree London, UK
Sep 16 2006 The Marquee Club Norwich, UK
Sep 30 2006 Halfway Heroes Leathered In Lincoln Bike Rally Lincoln
Sep 30 2006 Caistor Sports Ground Caistor, UK
Oct 7 2006 The Blackfriars Theatre Boston, UK
Oct 14-15 2006 SLEAFORD MUSIC FESTIVAL nr. Lincoln, UK
www.squarepixel.co.uk/bfch/index.html
www.myspace.com/sleafordmusicfestival
Occams Razor - Justice on a Budget (Pennsylvania)
Justice on a Budget began as an informal collection of musicians who gathered to improvise over loose structures and soundscapes, with all preconceptions left behind. The players developed a relationship that allows them to express a shared sonic vision with a wide-open approach to the creation of new music.
The web link looks interesting but no mention of Justice on a Budget, that I could find.
http://ncmeast.com
See right through - Rasa 9 (Los Angeles, California)
Rasa 9 is a rock/alt. band that touches all emotions, comprising Joe Tamel (bass), Stefan Hajek (vocals), Christian Lundberg (guitars), Clayton Powell (drums, piano). Their full-length CD "The Breeding Ground" will be available in September.
Rasa 9 began as an idea between two musicians. The production team of Swedish-born Christian Lundberg (guitar), and Chicago native Joe Tamel (bass) honed their chops within the Los Angeles music scene through their individual band projects and then somehow stumbled upon a sound that truly fed their desires in music. After recording a volume of instrumental tracks and auditioning multiple singers that just did not mesh with the overall vision of the sound, fate stepped in as vocalist Stefan Hajek arrived on the west coast from the complete opposite end of the country. A child of the Southeast band scene, Stefan stepped in with the voice and completed the sound that Rasa 9 was longing to achieve.
The title of the album is going to be The Breeding Ground, and will contain eleven tracks from the band. The mixing phase is almost complete, and then the band will concentrate solely on the development of the live show while the supporting powers that be begin pushing it out onto the street. The release party and live debut will be in mid-to-late September.
stefan sings : christian wails : joe thumps : clayton beats.
http://myspace.com/rasa9
Sorry it was rather a long show this week, the OK to play The Memory Collector came through just as I as completed the show - and the temptation to be topical was just too much!
Your comments or suggestions would be gratefully received.
Peter