Todd Rundgren ‘Live at the Warfield Theater’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#845 in the Series) is Todd Rundgren, Live In Concert at the Warfield Theater It was 23 years ago today, Todd Rundgren brought his band to play. Esoteric Recordings presents the Todd Rundgren Archive Series and if this is any indication, this is the start of something good. Todd Rundgren’s 1989 release Nearly Human was a bit of a re-visitation of his Philly Soul/R&B roots. Received to some critical acclaim, the album was recorded with a minimal amount of overdubs and this created a perfect live platform for a big 12-piece band. This recording documents the final show of this tour and has been newly mastered from the original master tapes, making...
Kelan Philip Cohran & The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Spin” by Kelan Philip Cohran & The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble If you love tuba solos, they’re here. How about exotic string instruments like zithers and kalimbas? Check, they’re in abundance. Funky, funky brass? Present and duly accounted for. Exciting music like you’ve never heard before? Look no further than the welcome return of Kelan Philip Cohran and his latest group, The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Cohran played trumpet, zither and other string instruments with Sun Ra Arkestra from 1959-1961, performing on their albums Interstellar Low Ways (1959), Holiday for Soul Dance (1960), Fate in a Pleasant Mood (1960) and later guesting on the record Angels and Demons at Play (1965). He...
Billy Martin & Wil Blades ‘Shimmy’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman- “Toe Thumb” by Billy Martin and Wil Blades Another dynamic duo! He’s the Martin who pounds the skins for the Jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood, and has recorded with the likes of John Scofield, John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards, Chris Whitley and Iggy Pop. Blades is a Hammond B-3 extraordinaire from Chicago, whose made a name for himself in the San Francisco Jazz scene and has lent his skills to the works of John Lee Hooker and fellow organist Dr. Lonnie Smith. The two joined forces for a one-off late night summit at the New Orleans Jazz Festival last year, and from that one gig, they knew they would...
Billy Prine ‘Billy Prine’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#824 in the Series) is Billy Prine, Billy Prine “You can’t make a living on a song and a prayer. The men in those taverns are too drunk to care.” from “Goodbye Virginia” by Robbie Fulks It was 1987 or maybe early 1988 the first time I saw it happened at Earl Pionke’s Pub on Chicago’s Lincoln Avenue. It was once the majestic (according to some reports) Somebody Else’s Trouble’s, the now named Earl’s Pub was more tattered and worn through like an old shirt. Earl’s more famous club on Wells at North, THE Earl of Old Town, had recently closed for good. Holstein’s, a club a door or two north of...
Tame Impala ‘Lonerism’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#822 in the Series) is Tame Impala, Lonerism There’s a tendency to label bands like Tame Impala – meaning those influenced by the 1966-1971-ish golden period of psychedelic rock – as imitators, mimics, copycats, or even revivalists, but to do that is to do the quintet a grave disservice. The Western Australian band have united fans of contemporary psychedelic rock in rapturous appreciation since their excellent debut album, Innerspeaker, in 2010, and even before that in Australian music circles with their first EP, Antares, Mira, Sun, in 2008. With Innerspeaker, they showed that there is so much more to their sound than fuzz pedals and vocal effects, and with new album Lonerism,...
Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale ‘Buddy and Jim’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “I Lost My Job Of Loving You” by Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale – Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale are both superb songwriters and troubadours. They are country music journeymen who spend their life on the road making music, supporting other musicians and supporting each other. Miller has recorded many records with his wife Julie (under the moniker Buddy & Julie Miller), and has worked with Robert Plant, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Gillian Welch, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Solomon Burke and numerous others. Lauderdale has won Grammy Awards and has worked with and or written songs for George Strait, Dwight Yoakam, George Jones, The Dixie Chicks, Ralph Stanley (of The Stanley...
Led Zeppelin ‘Celebration Day’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#820 in the Series) is Led Zeppelin, Celebration Day OK, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and make a statement that will have Led Zep fans loathing my very existence. The Led Zeppelin of the 2007 reunion show and recent Celebration Day DVD/CD are so much better in every way than the Led Zeppelin of The Song Remains The Same circa 1973. Or, at least, the slightly touched up Led Zep of 2007 is better. While it’s tough to compare a band that’s fresh off of releasing an album like Houses Of The Holy with a bunch of semi-retired veterans who have remained somewhat active over the years with various...
Deacon Blue ‘The Hipsters’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#818 in the Series) is Deacon Blue, The Hipsters Deacon Blue, The criminally ignored, critically acclaimed, and artistically brilliant band from Glasgow, Scotland, with The Hipsters, their 25th album and their first in 11 years, has delivered a solid set of pop-centric tunes that are sneakily good, and could stand up to anything that has been released in the current millennium. With six million album sales, 12 top forty hits in the U.K., and two number one albums, the group was popular on the musically astute side of the pond, but if you would have asked any of the un-washed U.S. musical listening masses about Deacon Blue they probably would have said...
Graham Parker and the Rumour ‘Three Chords Good’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#816 in the Series) is Graham Parker and the Rumor, Three Chords Good From the minute Graham Parker and The Rumor came out of the gates with the phenomenal 1976, Nick Lowe produced album Howlin’ Wind, they have been a bit of a musical conundrum and have stayed so since Parker disbanded the group in 1980. He remained so throughout his long and confusing solo career, being that he, nor the band, ever had any real chart hits to speak of, could never be tied down to a specific genre and relied mostly on the reputation of boisterous live shows and critical acclaim. With the band, his closest thing to chart hits...
Iris DeMent ‘Sing The Delta’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#805 in the Series) is Iris DeMent, Sing the Delta Well, we’re into November now (already!) and to be honest I was starting to get my head around compiling my Albums Of The Year list. There are a few weeks to go but I thought we’d had all the good stuff and it was wind down time, compilations and reissues to the fore in the bid for our Christmas present cash. Then this little gem appeared like a bolt from the blue and took me over. It’s a delightful treat which has held me enthralled all week and has, naturally, caused me to rethink that list…….. I knew Iris DeMent had to be something...
