Feb 232010
 

Today, Feb. 23, is the release date for the Man in Black’s official swan song.

American VI: Ain’t No Grave is the final installment of Johnny Cash’s legendary “American” series, and the second in the series to be released posthumously.  And after this, that’s it–there won’t be no mo’.

In many ways, Johnny Cash was the consummate indie artist–not in self-releasing his records, but in his independent spirit and in his music which was almost impossible to categorize.  (They loosely tried to put him in the country genre, but he never really fit there.) When I was three, I wanted to be Johnny Cash, and pretended to be Johnny Cash, and told people I was Johnny Cash–which is actually pretty funny if you think about it (imagine a high-voiced three-year-old kid with a ukelele strapped to his back).

Anyhow.

This is history, really–some of the last songs Johnny ever recorded. You can download the album from Amazon or iTunes using the links below.

One other thing–February 26 would have been Johnny’s 78th birthday. To celebrate his birthday, his record, and his voice for the down-and-out, wear black for Johnny this Friday.

In case anyone was wondering…that’s not me on the record cover.  That really is Johnny Cash as a kid. :)

Buy the CD from Amazon

or buy it on vinyl here!

Feb 192010
 

Dang.

I’d been planning for a solid month to catch this guy live in Denver.  Joe Pug.  He’s opening tonight for Justin Townes Earle, and weather and circumstances prevented me from going.

So I guess the next best thing is to share some of his stuff with you.

The first song below, “The Sharpest Crown”, is from Joe’s first full-length CD, available this week.  The second, “Black-Eyed Susan”, is from a free EP he made available on his site.

Actually, Joe Pug is notorious for giving songs away, at www.joepugmusic.com. You just need to sign up for his email list.  But if you like his stuff, support this artist.  Buy his new record at the links below.

Maybe next time, Joe.

Joe Pug — The Sharpest Crown
Joe Pug–Black Eyed Susan

Buy Joe Pug’s CD “Messenger” from Amazon.

Feb 152010
 

"It Ain't Love" by Megan Burtt

This post is supplementary to my article on Examiner.com.

I’m definitely a fan of local talent, and always appreciate the opportunity to check out new material.  But to be honest, now that pretty much everyone and their uncle can make a record, I usually start out not expecting too much.  Even among the stuff that isn’t “bad”, there’s so much to compete with that it all sort of blends into a sea of “okay” material, and it takes a little more oomph to rise above the noise.

So when Denver roots-rock singer Megan Burtt‘s new release It Ain’t Love showed up in my mailbox, I put the CD in the car stereo (yes, I’m still early ’90s that way) and drove around, running my errands, half-listening and half-thinking about my errands, to see if anything would arrest my attention.

I got out of the car and went into the store…and I noticed the song I’d been was listening to was still playing in my head.  Good sign.

I kept listening.  While style-wise there wasn’t much I hadn’t heard before, still these moments of promise kept happening–a powerful lyric, a captivating vocal, an interesting guitar riff.  I’d put the CD back on and listen some more.  And some more.  It wasn’t a lightning-bolt-from-heaven kind of thing; it was more like a slow burn that grew on me…enough to keep me listening, drawing me in.  I kept finding these treasure-moments, and I’d go back and listen to those moments again.  Yeah, she’s got it, I thought.  There’s definitely something there.

It really is a solid recording, well-engineered, musically consistent, good arrangements of the tunes–and it doesn’t sound like it was recorded in someone’s closet.  Burtt shows a lot of range, both as a vocalist and a songwriter. Dealing mainly with the darker aspects of love and relationships, the album has a bit of a brooding tone, sometimes angry, sometimes reflective, sometimes cyncial.  It plays like a coming-to-grips record, an honest processing of disappointment and pain.

For me, personally, the second half of the record is stronger than the first.  The early cuts aren’t turn-offs or anything…just not as much there to hook you, just enough to maybe keep you listening.  It’s like the record really starts taking off around the fourth song; and from that point on, you start seeing a lot more of what Megan Burtt is capable of.  Surprisingly, the standout moment of the record for me is the middle ballad, “Moves.”  Sparse arrangements, passionate-yet-controlled vocals, and a memorable lyric come together and create this sort of magical moment. If all the tracks captured this combination of artistry and passion, the record could easily be a Grammy contender. More, please.

All told, I think It Ain’t Love is a strong showing for a singer-songwriter with lots of promise.  Take a listen for yourself, go buy the record, and sit with it awhile, like I did. It will make you a fan.  It will be exciting to watch and see what Megan Burtt does next.

Oomph scale: 8.5

Megan Burtt: “It Ain’t Love”
Megan Burtt: “Moves”

Download the album on Amazon

or on Megan Burtt - It Ain't Love

Feb 012010
 
Manchester Orchestra

Manchester Orchestra--one of the bands I'd like to hear more from

I’ve probably said this before (I’m not looking back in the posts to see if I have)…but I’m a lifetime student of music. I’m the kind of guy who listens intently to music, who prefers it in the foreground rather than the background. I’m also the more reflective type at concerts. I don’t do the stage diving thing. I do the sit-in-the-back-and-watch-intently thing. Because I’m studying when the band is playing.

I hear a lot of stuff that shows promise, and stuff I like personally; but these days, honestly, it’s rare that I go to a gig and really like every band on the lineup. So Saturday night, when I went to the Fillmore Auditorium and saw Brand New, Manchester Orchestra, and Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, I was given a real treat. It was my first time to see any of them play, and every band knocked it out of the park for me in one way or the other.

Take the opening act, for example: Dusty Rhodes and the River Band. (No, the wrestler didn’t turn musician–that’s another Dusty.) From the first few lines of the opening song, I was hooked; I literally couldn’t stop smiling. Their quirky blend of rock, folk and soul, headed up by a guy with an 70’s afro and leisure suit to match, just won me over.

I’d heard Manchester Orchestra before, but I don’t think I understood their vibe, or why they call themselves an orchestra.  Not a violin among them (heck, even Dusty Rhodes had a violin).  But I understand now. They play rock & roll “symphony” style.  I loved it.  At times they have two guys playing drums, but during one particular song, I turned my eyes away, and when I looked back, there were four drummers.  (I do not need glasses, and no one conked me on the head. I think it was the percussion section from Brand New–they joined Manchester for one of the songs.)  Pretty freakin’ cool.

Brand New I loved for their combination of energy and passion, even when doing their slower, softer stuff.  And obviously the crowd loved them, too.  At times I could hear the crowd singing louder than Jesse Lacey.

Like I said, it wasn’t just one band that stood out for me; it was all of them, for a variety of reasons.  But there were a few common threads that tied the bands together that made me love the whole experience:

  1. Stage presence. I once heard a guy say that performers either demand attention from an audience, or they command it.  There’s a fine line between the two, but when a band commands the stage instead of just doing a bunch of antics to attract attention, that’s what makes them professional.  Every band, in my opinion, commanded rather than demanded–even the quirky antics of Dusty Rhodes seemed honest and believable.
  2. Dynamic range. So often bands think there is no other setting but “10” on their amplifiers, and they play everything loud.  Don’t get me wrong–I like loud–but when loud is all you get in a performance, that’s not true musicianship.  (In fact, it ties in with the point above–some bands demand attention by playing it loud all the time.) You need a dynamic range in music, to provide contrast, so things stay interesting.  That’s part of what makes it music, not just noise–and that goes for every genre.  All three bands used a wide dynamic range; sometimes they were loud, other times soft–often in the same song.  And because they were commanding the stage, they had as much clout with the audience either way.  This is why Brand New could open their set with Jesse Lacey alone on the stage, playing their entire first song alone, quietly, with a guitar–and the audience totally bought it.
  3. Above the other two things, though…the one common thread that completely hooked me about this concert was passion.  Every band gave it their all. Every band meant what they were doing, and I believed them. That’s what hooks me about a performance more than anything else–passion. They all had heart.  They didn’t let me down.

I hadn’t seen any of these bands play live before Saturday night. But every one of them left me wanting to hear more from them.

So…what bands leave you wanting more? (Don’t be shy…talk to me.)

Sample and buy Dusty Rhodes And The River Band on Amazon.com
Sample and buy Manchester Orchestra on Amazon.com
Sample and buy Brand New on Amazon.com

Dusty Rhodes on Dusty Rhodes and the River Band

Manchester Orchestra on Manchester Orchestra

Brand New on Brand New