Elvis Costello and the Roots ‘Wise Up Ghost’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Wake Me Up” by Elvis Costello & The Roots After the release of Elvis Costello’s last two T. Bone Burnett-produced albums, he was ready to throw in the towel on his recording career seeing no point in going back into the studio to create new records that nobody would hear. And as a long-time Costello fan of 36 years who suffered through those albums, I was beginning to sadly think that it might’ve been the right decision. Fortunately, inspiration struck in the oddest of places while guesting on the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon TV show where The Roots have been the house band since the show’s inception several years ago....
Robbie Fulks ‘Gone Away Backward’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#878 in the Series) is Robbie Fulks, Gone Away Backwards (Bloodshot) Gone Away Backward, the latest release from Americana, Roots Rock artist Robbie Fulks not only marks a triumphant return to Bloodshot records, the label that gave him his first significant exposure, but also represents a sort of back to the future homecoming, with the same sort of down home songwriting and storytelling that made him a critics darling going back to the mid 1980’s. Trying to capture the essence of Robbie Fulks is a bit like trying to catch a butterfly in mid-air with one hand. It takes a lot of dexterity and a bit patience, but as you slowly open your...
William Shatner to Release Prog-Rock Album ‘Ponder the Mystery’ in October
William Shatner will be releasing a “Prog-Rock” album next month. It appears to be just that as well since it’s a collaboration with former Yes members Bill Sherwood and Tony Kaye. How did Shatner describe prog-rock to Rolling Stone Magazine in a recent interview? “Prog rock is the science fiction of music . . . has the same concept of exploration into the parts of the music world that hasn’t been explored.” There will also be a few live performances. 82-year-old Star Trek icon William Shatner will perform the album titled, Ponder The Mystery, in its entirety along with progressive rock band CIRCA which features Sherwood and Kaye. William Shatner is a film and TV icon with an intense...
Billy Prine ‘Billy Prine’s Big Beat Battalion’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#877 in the Series) is Billy Prine, Billy Prine’s Big Beat Battalion. I was lucky enough to go to the album release concert for Billy Prine’s Big Beat Battalion and what a night of hard Southern-style rock we experienced. Since Billy Prine was a new experience for me I was primed for a comparison with Billy’s big brother John Prine. Once the show started that thought left me immediately. Billy is not a John Prine clone, he is living in his own hard rocking world and having a ball doing it right. Billy Prine’s Big Beat Battalion is a seven song album loaded with driving rock and some surprising moments as well, all...
Little Green Cars ‘Absolute Zero’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#876 in the Series) is Little Green Cars, Absolute Zero (Glassnote Records) Travelling the back roads of the “Mumfordization” highway, on a road already well navigated by Mumford and Sons, The Avett Brothers, The Lumineers, and Dawes, Dublin’s own Little Green Cars with their sparkling debut album, Absolute Zero, are gassed up, ready to form their own trail, and are headed for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The blueprint for this band of feisty twenty-something’s consists of fronting duo (think Buckingham-Nicks) Stevie Appleby and Faye O’Rourke, Dylan Lynch (Drums), Donagh Seaver O’Leary (Bass), and Adam O’Regan (Guitar, Piano), brilliant musicians all, where all five pieces seem to meld...
Bennett/Brubeck – ‘The White House Sessions, Live 1962’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “That Old Black Magic” by Tony Bennett with The Dave Brubeck Trio Every so often the reissue gods bestow upon us a truly special recording that music fans never knew existed. Recently, one such recording was unleashed upon an unsuspecting public by our friends at Sony Legacy, featuring a musical summit that took place between Tony Bennett and Dave Brubeck on August 28, 1962 at The White House. The event was a special concert recorded at the Sylvan Theater (at the base of the Washington Monument) welcoming a new group of volunteers (or interns as they are now called) that had come to Washington DC to work for the government. The...
Ween ‘The Ceasar Demos’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Tried And True” by Ween I first heard the music of Ween while watching “Beavis & Butthead” back in 1994…they said “Ween suck”…and I totally disagreed! In fact, I think they are one of the greatest bands of all time, and when it comes to adeptness in all genres of music, they are certainly in a league with Frank Zappa. Ween hail from New Hope, PA and have been together since 1984. They spent their early days playing any venue they could, including dorm rooms at Rutgers University. (I once saw them play in a small bookstore at Rutgers with 70 other fans.) Dean Ween (aka “Deaner” or Mickey Melchiondo) is...
Glen Campbell ‘See You There’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#875 in the Series) is Glen Campbell, See You There. (Surf Dog Records) I’ve always felt that music is at its best when it reaches out and hits you hard, hard and right in the heart. Nothing can do that as well as a lyric. A lyric that makes you think, a lyric that brings you closer to the song, and closer to the artist. This happens during the seventh track on Glen Campbell’s latest release See You There where in the middle of his classic song “Galveston,” Glen sings “Galveston Oh Galveston .. I Am So Afraid of Dyin’.” Yes, we’ve heard that line countless times before, but it’s different now and...
‘Hey Hey…It’s The Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel Band’
It’s a joke…and it’s completely for real…Hey Hey…It’s The Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel Band is also one of the most refreshing, rough ‘n’ tumble spins you’re likely to hear all year. Jeffrey Lewis is a comic book artist and historian who is known for his successful series of Fuff (aka Guff ) comic books. He’s also a guitarist who writes sardonic ramshackle anti-folk songs and has self-released numerous records since 1997. His series of illustrated low budget documentaries complete with fully illustrated historical songs can be found on The History Channel website. His latest record is a collaboration with Peter Stampfel called Hey Hey It’s…The Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel Band. It is their second record together. Peter Stampfel...
Van Dyke Parks ‘Songs Cycled’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Aquarium” by Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks has essentially been making the same album since 1968, and fortunately for his fans, that album is a great one. Parks’ fascination with Tin Pan Alley sounds and Depression-Era songwriting has infused his work since the mid-1960s, resulting in albums that sound like original cast recordings from musicals that don’t exist. Over the last two years, Parks self-released a series of six 7” singles on his own label. His brand new album, Songs Cycled compiles all of the singles. While the sticker on the outside of the album claims that Songs Cycled is his first “proper solo” album in 24 years, it’s all...
