Category Archives: 90’s

00's, 70's, 80's, 90's, Acoustic, Cleveland, Indie, Music, New Release, Punk, Review, Solo, Vinyl

7-Inch Reviews: Jonathan Richman – “O Sun” & “Keith”

5 April, 2015 Brian Mc 1 Comment

Sometimes a review is tough to start. I find myself sitting here trying to think of how I am going to select the right words to create an introduction to the musician or band that I would like to share with the world.

I find this blog entry particularly a little more difficult to start out with not only because I am a huge fan of the musician of the EPs I am about to talk about, but I am equally a huge fan of the label that has put them out.

Blue Arrow Records is not only a brick and mortar staple in Cleveland thanks to their amazing selection of vinyl, music memorabilia, and other vintage goodies, but they are now a record label.

Makes complete sense to me.

I have been a fan of Blue Arrow since they first set up shop in 2009 and think the world of owners Pete and Debbie. Not only do they run one of my favorite stores in my neck of the woods, but they are also quality humans. I am lucky to know them and was floored when they told me they were going to start their own record label and first on the roster was none other than Jonathan Richman.

I adore all things Richman. Chances are if you are reading this, you might too. If you do not, I highly encourage you to check out anything Modern Lovers or just jump into Richman’s solo material. His style is unforgettable and almost always is in the most upbeat approach. Richman always has seemed to put me in a good mood.

This month, Blue Arrow Records is releasing two 7-inch singles by Jonathan Richman including four songs: “O Sun”, Wait Wait”, “Keith” and “They Showed Me the Door to Bohemia”. These are the first releases by Richman in five years.

I need to pause for a second and let you all know that I have been holding off on reviewing these 7-inches until I could literally just down and spin them endlessly next to me. With luck on my side this past Friday, I was able to set up a listening station of sorts by my desktop with the full intention of listening to these releases and reviewing them.

Moving along…

The 7-inches are both beautifully pressed with “Keith”/”They Showed me the Road to Bohemia” in white (33rpm) and “O Sun”/”Wait Wait” in turquoise with light hints of red (45rpm).

“Keith” paid tribute to the one and only Keith Richards. I loved the line Richman said regarding Keith’s style was “not exactly the blues cause it’s sorta European too.” “The Showed me the Road to Bohemia” was a spoken word jam by Richman that was relaxed yet joyless. Richmond can’t always be a ray of sunshine folks. He is human after all.

“O Sun” carried a more vintage beachfront island sound that I really was not expecting but completely loved. It was nothing too technical and quite repetitive, but mysterious like something you would hear in an old school James Bond movie soundtrack. “Wait Wait” really reminded me of the young Richman post-Modern Lovers I had adored for so many years. Plenty of clapping and good times were thrown in this jam with thanks to Juanramon Jimenez, a poet who Richman claimed “helped me express a feeling.”

I know I tend to tell everyone what I like and honestly, that is the whole premise of this little blog I have been holding onto for a while. If can find just one person out there who has not heard of Richman yet and they turn into a fan, then my job is done. I do this because I want to and there is no other reason.

Both 7-inches only have me excited even more for the full length that Blue Arrow Records aims to release this fall. Until then, you can stop in the shop and pick up both copies or click on the album covers below to place your order today at Blue Arrow Records ($10 each + shipping):

I find my posting of this appropriate with the statement that Pete released about Blue Arrow Records and their involvement with Record Store Day. If you have not read it yet, please do. It is a highly well-written discussion about his somber decision to not partake in perhaps the most popular retail event for independently owned record stores.

My thoughts about RSD are not as strong as they once were and I blame the greedy (the labels and the flippers). Where I love to see people standing in line to buy limited pressed releases, I feel it has gone too far and has turned into just another way for big business to make their money as well as shady flippers who throw them up on eBay and make a killing (sometimes even before RSD).

There are too many releases to even count this year and honestly, there were only maybe two that I might have raised an eyebrow about. What I am trying to get at was that I wasn’t excited about this year’s RSD offerings. Hopefully not everyone agrees with me and still will be lining up at their favorite local shop next week.

There may not be new pressings coming out that I give a crap about, but there are stores like Blue Arrow Records with tons of old and previously loved releases that I will happily flip through with hopes of finding a gem.

Don’t dismiss RSD. Remember it is about records, not just the new re-re-re-repressings on an 138 gram glitter-gold pressing with hologram download cards. Go out and support your local record store and find something that you can call your own.

90's, Acoustic, Alt Rock, Indie, Kent, Music, New Release, Review

Album Review: Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield – Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith

12 March, 2015 Brian Mc Leave a comment

What can be said about Elliott Smith that most people have not said already? You either loved him or did not care for him.

Smith left his legacy suddenly years back in the worst way possible and his music has remained for the world to sulk upon when in need.

In 2003, Smith ended his life after suffering from depression for years. I have no words for his choice on how he bowed out to the world nor will I even go into detail.

The 90s punk me was introduced to Smith’s self-titled album by some of my indie-loving friends years before “Needle In The Hay” was heard in The Royal Tenenbaums. I’ll be honest and tell you that I never appreciated him until after his passing. I remember liking what I heard, but apparently was too much in love with the SoCal punk scene.

The twenty-something-year-old-me back then was not impacted as much as present day me would have been. I hate to admit it, but at the time I was not deprived of Smith’s talent when I learned of his passing. Twelve years later, I have a different way of looking at his loss.

Next week, Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers and Kent, Ohio’s sweetheart Jessica Lea Mayfield will be dropping Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith, a covers album full of, you guessed it, Elliott Smith songs.

The album, dropping on Ramseur Records, is not a reinvention of Smith’s work, but more of an appreciation for someone they both were fans of.

Produced by Avett and recorded over the last three years at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, NC as well as at Avett’s and Mayfield’s homes, the album features renditions of twelve Elliott Smith songs.

It was almost haunting to hear Mayfield start out “Between The Bars”. This version sent chills throughout my body. I loved how Avett joined Mayfield but did not dominate the song.

I really enjoyed the piano playing that built up throughout “Baby Britain” and feel Avett nailed it when trying to recreate. It started off slower with acoustic playing but soon jumped into a more upbeat cover. It kills me that this was a more popular song of Smith’s and was all about his addiction, but it really is a great song. (Side note: I enjoyed this cover way more than Bayside’s 2008 version)

“Ballad Of Big Nothing” was just as depressing as the original on Smith’s Either/Or. Not that i was expecting anything different, but the impact that Mayfield’s voice with Avett provided a different dismal angle.

I would have loved to have heard Avett take lead on their version of “Roman Candle”. The distorted guitars were awesome but I really wanted to hear a more close to the original version of the signing to this amazing track. I was rather underwhelmed on this.

The original version of “Memory Lane” always reminded me of something the Beatles might have done. Hearing Avett slow it down a bit with a stings section made me think of the Beatles even more. This was a great version of the original.

The collaboration of Avett and Mayfield only made sense seeing how they have been pals for years now. For them to cover Elliott Smith songs was nothing next to brilliant. The best part is how they chose what material to cover and how they each took turns taking the lead. They reached all over Smith’s catalog including some hits and more obscure tracks.

This is the part where I encourage those who never cared for Smith to take a listen and hear his brilliance in a different dynamic. Love him or hate him, Smith was an incredible songwriter. This covers album proved that so well.

The album drops on March 17th and you can preorder it now by heading over to The Avett Brothers merch site.

If you’re lucky, you can even catch them live throughout March:
March
10   McGlohon Theatre, Charlotte, NC
11   The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
12   Town Hall Theatre, New York, NY
14   Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA (Philadelphia)
17   James K. Polk Theatre/TPAC, Nashville, TN
18   Southern Theatre, Columbus, OH
20   Athenaeum Theatre, Chicago, IL
22   Fitzgerald Theatre, St. Paul, MN
24   Boulder Theatre, Boulder, CO
26   Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA
27   Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
29   Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA
31   Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

Side note: This powerful scene with Richie in The Royal Tenenbaums is beyond horrifying even more so when you think about what happened just a couple years later… I am glad Avett and Mayfield did not cover this track.

80's, 90's, Emo, Experimental, Music, New Release, Post-Hardcore, Punk, Review, Rock

Album Review: Xerxes – Collision Blonde

8 October, 2014 Brian Mc Leave a comment

I was waiting for an album to drop this year that would completely steal my undivided attention. Xerxes has just done that to me.

If any of you know me, chances are you know my love for bands like the Refused, Murder City Devils, Gallows, Thursday and At The Drive-In. The vocal styles of all those acts is one of the main reasons I have such an appreciation for them.

Xerxes’s new album Collision Blonde seemingly took queues from all those acts and more throwing them together into one killer release.

I love it. I adore it. Thank you Xerxes and thank you No Sleep Records for throwing their album on your label.

This young post-punk act from Louisville, KY mixes in so many different musical styles in their jams, I almost hate to classify them into one genre. With elements of punk, post-hardcore, goth rock and more, this avant-garde act blew me away the moment I heard their sophomore release Collision Blonde.

This album overflows with plenty of mental anguish guaranteeing to satisfy any emotional train wreck out there. Pain, love, and drugs seemingly fueled this release and I’m pretty sure anyone who hasn’t always been in a positive path through life will totally get into Collision Blonde.

Once “I Was Wrong” started I knew this was going to be one of those albums I listened to all the way through with no interruptions. Calvin Philley just destroys his voice throughout with plenty of distortion that would make Trent Reznor proud.

“Criminal Animal” appealed to me with a garage rock start quickly morphing to something a little more hardcore. I got a huge kick out of Philley switching to almost a furious spoken word only to start singing again. “Knife”, toned things down for a moment and clearly was about some object being stuck into one’s back.

“A Toast” had this Cure-like melody and bass line hiding behind intermittent hard riffs and screaming vocals making for a great listen. The transitions from the singing to the spoken word throughout this track made it even better to listen to.

“Collision Blonde” was beyond a daunting track with Philley just spilling his guts out on top of a melody that easily could be mistaken with The Jesus And Mary Chain or even Bauhaus. Although dark and lonely, this track really was amazing in so many ways once you got past the emotion and pain.

“Nosedive” ended the album with Philley screaming “just make it stop” over and over. It was almost like this entire album was a brutal nightmare and it needed to come to an end.

I am not sure if this album was a revelation of pain or a public cry for help. Regardless, it is powerful lyrically and musically making Collision Blonde easily one of my favorite releases of 2014 so far.

Perhaps I took in this album a little differently from others. Having grown up listening to darker styles of music in the 80s and 90s like The Cure and Jesus and Mary Chain, I always wished it were heavier back then. I loved the music but craved more vocals. Xerxes seriously captured some of my favorite band styles and added their own harsh twist on it satisfying that younger request. The result is just insane and I adore it.

Collision Blonde drops on Oct. 21st. You can pre-order it now over at No Sleep Records.

90's, Music, Pop, Punk, Rock, Times Of Yore, Video

Times Of Yore: Automatic 7 – Beggar’s Life

19 June, 2014 Brian Mc 1 Comment

It seems like it has been quite some time since I dipped into my past and talked about a band I really dug.

Today for whatever reason, I thought about a band I absolutely adored in the late 90s. The first time I heard of them was on a 1998 Vagrant Records comp/sampler called Five Years On The Streets.

The band I speak of is New Jersey’s Automatic 7. Does anyone remember them?

The album I became a huge fan of was their sophomore release titled Beggar’s Life. It was put out by Vagrant Records back when they were a indie punk rock label.

With major similarities to Face To Face, Jawbreaker and even Unwritten Law, I immediately became a fan the moment I heard their song “Broken Record”. I loved this East coast band with a SoCal feel but sadly fairly certain that I never caught them live.

From what I have gathered on the good ol’ internet, the band disbanded around 2001 but reformed in 2006. I will be honest, I have not thought about them since my early 20s, but I am stoked that for whatever reason I thought about them today.

Fun fact: Trevor Keith of Fact To Face actually joined the band briefly in 1997. Perhaps that is where some of their sound derived from. I am ok with that.

If you still hold on to the music from your past and were a fan of 90s pop punk rock, check these guys out.

90's, Music, Music News, Pop, Punk, Rock

Gameface Announces First New Music in a Decade!!!

19 September, 2013 Brian Mc Leave a comment

Holy crap. Gameface has reunited.

It’s true. Jeff Caudill himself sent me an email (and many others) stating the facts. Gameface is a band again and they have plans on releasing new material in 2014.

Signing to Equal Vision Records, the band is releasing a 7” featuring two new recordings – “Come On Down” and “The Only Chance We Get” – on November 5.

“Come On Down” is a brand new track, while the latter is a new recording of a previously released song from Gameface’s 1995 release, Three To Get Ready. The revamped version also now includes guest back-up vocals from Ingo Knollmann (Donots) and Mike McTernan (Damnation A.D.).

The reunited four-piece currently is working on their sixth full-length album, which is should be released by early 2014. Check out the following video that takes a personal look at Gameface’s recent decision to reunite as well as make their first new album together in over a decade:

Jeff Caudill had this to say about the band reuniting and recording new music:

“We’re beyond excited about the new material and a new chapter in our history. We’re so fortunate and grateful to Equal Vision for sharing our vision and giving us this rare opportunity for a new beginning.”

Taken from the Equal Vision press release:

The Southern California-based outfit, now featuring Caudill along with Todd D. Trout (guitar), Guy Julian (bass) and Steve Sanderson (drums), originally formed in the summer of 1990 and has since released five full-length albums, each carrying the band’s dynamic, distinctive sound that has gone on to influence countless bands over the years.

Gameface’s debut LP, Good (1993), showcased unabashed pop punk at its purest, while Three to Get Ready’s (1995) offered redemptive lyrics and a nostalgic tone that drew fans into Gameface’s emotional triumph over tragedy following the untimely death of their drummer Bob Binckley in 1994. With Every Last Time (1999), and the addition of drummer Steve Sanderson, Gameface hit their songwriting and touring stride. During the recording of Always On (2000) rifts between members deepened and original bassist Paul Martin eventually left the band before the album was released. Guy Julian joined on bass for their final album, Four To Go (2003), before the band members decided to each go their own separate ways following its release. In 2012, the group reunited for a string of shows that eventually served as the catalyst to forge ahead towards something more permanent. It felt right again as Caudill penned their new single, “Come On Down”, sealing the deal to embark on this next phase of Gameface.

Pre-orders for Gameface’s new 7” will be available in the coming weeks, along with additional information on the band’s upcoming full-length album. The band even announced today on Facebook that they are adding a re-recording of “Freezerburn” to the new album. That song previously was only availble on a live recording.

http://facebook.com/gamefacerock
http://twitter.com/gamefacerock
http://instagram.com/gamefacerock

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