INDIGO GIRLS are an American folk rock music duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. They started performing with the name INDIGO GIRLS as students at Emory University, performing weekly at The Dugout, a bar in Emory Village.
They released a self-produced, full-length record album entitled Strange Fire in 1987, and contracted with a major record company in 1988. After releasing nine albums with major record labels from 1987 through 2007, they have now resumed self-producing albums with their own IG Recordings company.
Outside of working on INDIGO GIRLS–related projects, Ray has released solo albums and founded a non-profit organization that promotes independent musicians, while Saliers is an entrepreneur in the restaurant industry as well as a professional author; she also collaborates with her father, Don Saliers, in performing for special groups and causes. Saliers and Ray are both lesbians and are active in political and environmental causes.
Today's tune "Closer To Fine" is taken from the second self titled studio album and first major label release. It was originally released in 1989 by Epic Records, and reissued and remastered in 2000 with two bonus tracks.
Upon its release, the album received mostly positive reviews from critics, went gold after six months and eventually went platinum. The duo was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy (losing to MILLI VANILLI), and won one for Best Contemporary Folk Recording.
Michael Stipe sang on "Kid Fears", and the other members of R.E.M. performed on "Tried to Be True". In addition, the Irish band HOTHOUSE FLOWERS contributed background vocals on several tracks, notably "Closer to Fine". Enjoy!
Swedish female-fronted stoner act GAUPA (lynx in Swedish) continues breaking new ground with their unique blend of doom, psychedelia, and folk. Hot on the tail of their highly revered self-titled debut, their new full-length album "Feberdröm". That the album has been a bit overshadowed, slipped behind in the pile of all album releases is a bit sad, because this is incredibly good and I can not just let this disappear in the noise. GAUPA is hailing from Falun, Sweden.
Approximately two years after the release of their self-titled EP that you can read about here when we first discovered GAUPA and the song "The Drunk Autopussy Wants To Fight You".
"Feberdröm" contains eight killer tunes that containing forceful tempos, surreal lyrics, an energetic Emma Näslund that mesmerizes us with her diverse range of vocal harmonies that partly reminds me of Björk. I just love her voice, her way of performing the poetic lyrics they have in such a way that she does, cemented with primordial pondus that sounds a bit crazy and insane, but it gives a dreamy shimmer with an incredibly soulful and beautiful touch along with a sound of progressive stoner rock with doom/folk/psychedelic influences as well as epic soundscapes colored with pitch-black melancholy.
The album opens up with the riff-heavy "Vakuum" which directly gives a clue to what to come. With a half pace, rhythm and a galloping bass give the tune a great pulse along with Daniel and David cleaver guitars. Simply a brilliant start of a great album. "Where Emperors Grow" goes in a more progressive rhythm scale, a marvelous piece that shows their musicianship is just magical. "Hjulet" is a more laidback piece with a memorable melody. The guitar folkish rocker "Grycksbo Gånglåt" gives a great Swedish touch on the album. This is followed by the doomish "Mjölksyra", a bit thicker and heavier than the previous tunes, the vocals almost caresses the heavy layout they layout. It also includes a gorgeous guitar pick. The big and groovy "Alfahonan (Shooting Blanks)" is a great choice of route. While "Totemdjur" hits a higher gear with groovy rhythms and distinct vocals. The album closes with "Klarvaken", a beautiful and powerful piece that slowly progresses, and the whispering vocals end with an anxious and almost terrifying summons that gives the chills. GAUPA let your thoughts wander through their surreal tails of sadness and joy. This is an excellent album and considered as a debut album, absolutely brilliant.
In addition to Emma, the band consists of David Rosberg (guitar, percussion, vocals), Daniel Nygren (guitar, vocals), Erik Sävström (bass) and Jimmy Hurtig (drums, percussion).
Sum: "Feberdröm" is an exceptional debut full-length.
Here is my vinyl of this beauty!
Check out today's tune and you will get my drift. "Feberdröm" was recorded in Falun and Borlänge, Sweden 2019. Cover artwork and layout by Ekaterina Kretiv.
Monday, new week and it's time to present "Record Of The Week".
"Kindred" is the 5th album by the British/Finish psychedelic forest folk-rockers HEXVESSEL. The album was released on April 17 on Svart Records. The band was formed by English/Irish singer/songwriter Mat McNerney in 2009 after he moved to Finland. Also known for his work with BEASTMILK (now known as GRAVE PLEASURES), THE DEATHTRIP, guest spots with CARPENTER BRUT and ME & THAT MAN and his earlier work with Norwegian Black Metal bands CODE & DØDHEIMSGARD, McNerney is a both highly eclectic and critically acclaimed musical artist. Across the years, it is McNerney’s work with HEXVESSEL which has been his most brave, exploratory, honest, and impossible to categorize, unique and idiosyncratic in a world all of their own.
The album was made in their original studio in Tampere, Finland, where they recorded their cult classic "No Holier Temple". It was mastered by John Davis (THE KILLERS / GORILLAZ / LED ZEPPELIN / LANA DEL REY) in the UK. Adorned by cover artwork by artists Thomas Hooper (who has worked for NEUROSIS, CONVERGE and DOOMRIDERS) and Richey Beckett (who has created work for METALLICA, FOO FIGHTERS, ROBERT PLANT)
"Kindred" is a nature-mystic opus that is taking a darker and more esoteric path, the album sees HEXVESSEL re-forge their eclectic melting cauldron or "Vessel" of sound into a potent "Hex" of spell-binding songcraft. Through "Kindred’s" 10 song rites of passage, folk roots with an occult undercurrent with a dark earthen balladry reminiscent of early NICK CAVE and the doom-laden atmospheres of DEAD CAN DANCE.
With magnificent and spooky guitars does the album opens up a delicious piece in "Billion Year Old Being", before the march takes its steps towards the unknown of progressive folkish psych-rock where the structures harken back to KING CRIMSON. Followed by the groovy 60's feel in "Demian" and a cover of COILs "Fire Of The Mind" live from a mental institution and delve into the Druidic sacrificial swamps with songs like "Bog Bodies", which conjures the deep Lynchian night with muted trumpet and foggy Rhodes piano. "Sic Luceat Lux" is an instrumental experimental piece that marks that we are halfway thru in its own way and opens up the doors for "Phaedra", a dark piece about decorating the heroin with blood, until it's time for a short interlude "Family" that opens up for "Kindred Moon", a heartfelt tune with a quirky melody of piano chords and strings. "Magical & Damned" is a spellbinding beauty with a warm and tender feeling and excellent vocals that follow up with the closing acoustic lullaby "Joy Of Sacrifice". "Kindred" is a well-cooked mix of psychedelic progressive rock and folk roots. It's an album that calls you on a journey, both intimate and richly enlightening. The album is filled up with a great deal of passion and spirit that makes it so easy to fall in love with.
Sum: A magical, damned dark sweet record.
HEXVESSEL is:
Mathew Kvohst McNerney - Vocals, Guitar
Kimmo Helén - Piano, Keys, Viola, Violin, Trumpet, Backing Vocals
Drink your "Loyal Tea" and spit it up on the ground.
That's a snipped from the latest single by the LA gypsy folkish rock band VIZA (VI·ZA).
A band that continues to captivate the global music scene with an erratically amusing blend of energized international rock. Unique in its musical arsenal is the inclusion of oud and percussion blended with more traditional rock elements such as guitar, bass, and drums. This fascinating fusion, combined with dramatic and powerful live performances have garnered Viza significant success all over the world.
VI·ZA are:
K'noup - Vocals, Guitar
Shant Bismejian - Guitar
Andrew Kzirian - Oud, Saz, Vocals
Jivan Gasparyan Jr. - Duduk
Alex Khatcherian - Bass
Chris Daniel - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
The tune "Loyal Tea" is a song that brings back classic tones of the band while guest-starring former bandmates. Danny Shamoun, who was a vital part of the songwriting in the album "Maktub" is at the spotlight once again in "Loyal Tea", lending his percussive skills on all things Arabic.
As the frontman K’noup comments:
“I remember when I first wrote "Loyal Tea" it was honestly not with the intention of it becoming a VIZA song because the chords behind it had a different mode, but I had invited Danny to record on it, and the minute he did the whole complexion of the song turned its face to VIZA and I certainly couldn’t question it”.
The song features beautifully constructed oud melodies by theoudplayer as well catchy duduk licks by Jivan all the while Shant Bismejian rhythmically carries the belly of the song with his glistening guitars. “I recorded the guitars on my couch with 2 cats staring at me”. says Shant gleefully.
“Lyrically the song itself is an obvious pun that reflects the harshness and lack of loyalty within the music business that I’ve unfortunately felt first hand. One minute you’re the cool cat in town the next minute you’re the forgotten buffalo”. says K’noup.
VIZA continues to write and record throughout the new year, look out for more to come.
FUNGUS HILL is a Psychedelic Folk Rock band from Umeå, Sweden. The soundscape is a solid mix between groovy blues and heavy Fuzz with an overall earthy & psychedelic vibe. Last year they released "Ludenben", a Swedish tale inspired by Einar Norelius story "Petter och hans fyra getter".
The tune was produced by JAQ Studios. Director, animator & editor: Gustav Orvefors. Painter and illustrator: Jörgen Rabben. Camera operator: Samuel Olsson. Mix and master: Nils Mörtzel.
FUNGUS HILL are:
Erik Sköld - Guitar
Nils Mörtzell - Drums
Gustav Orvefors - Guitar/Vocals
Tom Westerlund - Bass
Jenny Isaksson - Vocals och Percusions
"Wild Animals" is a tune by American bluegrass/folk-rock band TRAMPLED BY TURTLES. They were formed in Duluth, Minnesota and they have released eight full albums. Their latest album, "Life is Good on the Open Road", was released on May 4, 2018. They have played internationally and at many popular music festivals in the US, and as of July 29, 2015, have played live in every state except Hawaii.
The band members have mentioned as inspirations Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan and Ralph Stanley.
Lineup:
Dave Simonett – guitar, lead vocals, harmonica
Tim Saxhaug – bass, backing vocals
Dave Carroll – banjo, backing vocals
Erik Berry – mandolin, backing vocals
Ryan Young – fiddle, backing vocals
Eamonn McLain – cello, backing vocals
Today's tune "Wild Animals" is the title track from the seventh studio album "Wild Animals", released on July 15, 2014. The cover art was inspired by metal sculptor Tomohiro Inaba's work.
Official video Starring Har Mar Superstar Directed and Produced by Philip Harder
Upcoming Tourdates:
June 22 Oakland CA Fox Theatre @@
23 San Diego CA Humphreys By The Bay @@
24 Pasadena CA Arroyo Seco Weekend
27 Seattle WA Woodland Park Zoo @@
28 Jacksonville OR Britt Pavilion @@
29 Portland OR Oregon Zoo Amphitheater @@
30 Vancouver BC Commodore Ballroom @@
July
5 Milwaukee WI Summerfest
7 Duluth MN Bayfront Park
13 Mount Solon VA Red Wing Roots Fest
14 Beech Mountain NC Beech Mountain Resort ~~
15 Louisville KY Forecastle Festival
18 Aspen CO Belly Up ##
19 Morrison CO Red Rocks &&
20 Jackson WY Pink Garter Theatre SOLD OUT
21 Missoula MT KettleHouse Amphitheater XX
22 Bozeman MT Bridger Brewing XX SOLD OUT
Aug
17 Portsmouth VA UnionBank Pavilion ZZ
18 Cockeysville MD Hot August Music Festival
24 Nashville TN Live on the Green ++
24 Moorhead MN Bluestem Amphitheater
25 St. Paul MN Minnesota State Fair %%
Sept
8 Chattanooga TN Moon River Music Festival SOLD OUT
12 Toronto ON Danforth Music Hall ^^
13 Ottawa ON CityFolk Festival
14 North Adams MA Fresh Grass Festival
15 Canton MA Festival at the Farm
16 Portland ME State Theater ^^
19 Wilmington NC Greenfield Lake Amphitheater ^^ SOLD OUT
20 Atlanta GA Buckhead Theater ^^
21 Charleston SC Music Farm ^^
23 Cincinnati OH Taft Theatre ^^
Oct
6 Tempe AZ Tour de Fat
7 Flagstaff AZ Orpheum Theater
8 Albuquerque NM Sunshine Theater
10 Lincoln NE Bourbon Theater **
11 St. Louis MO The Pageant $$
12 Eureka Springs AR Hillberry Festival
13 Austin TX Austin City Limits Fest
26 Live Oak FL Suwanee Hulaween
27 Placerville CA Hangtown Music Festival
Nov
3 Groningen NED Take Root Festival
4 Amsterdam NED Paradiso Noord
5 Hamburg GER Nochtwache
7 Copenhagen DEN Hotel Cecil
8 Oslo NOR John Dee
9 Falkenberg SWE Tryckhallen
10 Kristianstad SWE Kulturkvarteret
11 Malmo SWE Folk O Rock 13 Stockholm SWE Nalen
14 Gothenburg SWE Pustervik
16 London UK Electric Ballroom
@@ DEER TICK
~~ Sarah Siskind + Travis Brook
## DEAD HORSES
&& THE OH HELLOS + DEAD HORSES
XX THE LIL SMOKIES ZZ THE REVIVALITS
++ RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE + PARQUET COURTS
%% LORD HURON + Lissie
^^ David Huckfelt
** Frankie Lee
$$ THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS
Heavy, heady and hypnotic, ALL THEM WITCHES concoct a powerful and potent psychedelic sound that fuses bluesy soul, Southern swagger, and thunderous hard rock.
Today's tune "Elk.Blood.Heart" is taken from their transfixing release, "Our Mother Electricity", the band's debut album from 2012. The tune is a slower piece with a laid back vocal, a great tune from the Nashville, Tennessee group ALL THEM WITCHES.
The band consists of drummer Robby Staebler, vocalist, bassist, and guitarist Charles Michael Parks, Jr., guitarist Ben McLeod, and keyboardist and violinist Allan Van Cleave.
Enjoy!
Upcoming Tour dates:
MAY 3 THU Rose Music Hall Columbia, MO, United States
MAY 4 FRI Slowdown Omaha, NE, United States
MAY 6 SUN Red Rocks Amphitheater Morrison, CO, United States
MAY 8 TUE The Criterion Oklahoma City, OK, United States
MAY 9 WED White Oak Music Hall Houston, TX, United States
MAY 10 THU South Side Ballroom Dallas, TX, United States
MAY 11 FRI Austin 360 Amphitheatre Del Valle, TX, United States
MAY 12 SAT Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion Rogers, AR, United States
MAY 14 MON BJCC Concert Hall Birmingham, AL, United States
MAY 15 TUE Nashville Municipal Auditorium Nashville, TN, United States
MAY 16 WED Fox Theatre Atlanta, GA, United States
MAY 18 FRI Union Bank & Trust Pavilion Portsmouth, VA, United States
MAY 19 SAT Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre Charlotte, NC, United States
MAY 20 SUN Red Hot Amphitheater Raleigh, NC, United States
MAY 22 TUE Diamond Credit Union Theatre Reading, PA, United States
MAY 23 WED Artpark Amphitheater Lewiston, NY, United States
MAY 25 FRI Cool Insuring Arena Glens Falls, NY, United States
MAY 26 SAT Bold Point Park East Providence, RI, United States
MAY 27 SUN Maine State Pier Portland, ME, United States
MAY 29 TUE Blue Hills Bank Pavilion Boston, MA, United States
MAY 30 WED Penn's Landing - Festival Pier Philadelphia, PA, United States
JUN 1 FRI Stone Pony Summerstage Asbury Park, NJ, United States
JUN 2 SAT Pier Six Pavilion Baltimore, MD, United States
JUN 3 SUN Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk Brooklyn, NY, United States
JUN 6 WED Mascotte Zurich, ZH, Switzerland
JUN 7 THU CARIBANA FESTIVAL Crans-Pres-Celigny, Switzerland
JUN 8 FRI Download Festival Newbury, England, United Kingdom
JUN 8 FRI Best Kept Secret Hilvarenbeek, 06, Netherlands
JUN 9 SAT DONNINGTON PARK Newbury, England, United Kingdom
JUN 10 SUN DONNINGTON PARK Newbury, England, United Kingdom
JUN 11 MON AB Box Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
JUN 13 WED Backstage Halle Munchen, Germany
JUN 14 THU Nova Rock Nickelsdorf, 01, Austria
JUN 15 FRI Z-Bau Nuremberg, Germany
JUN 16 SAT Maifield Derby Festival Mannheim, 01, Germany
One of the more interesting one-shot bands from the end of the sixties is the American freak-folk group THE INSECT TRUST. The band took its name from William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch and featured John Fahey protégé Bill Barth, Greenwich Village folk mainstay guitarist/songwriter Luke Faust and writer/critic/ethnomusicologist Robert Palmer, who played alto sax and clarinet.
The group only stuck together for two albums before dispersing, but THE INSECT TRUST didn't just sound good in the late Sixties: The reissue of their sophomore LP Hoboken Saturday Night earned four stars in a David Fricke-penned 2005 review, adding that bands like THE INSECT TRUST inspired rock critic Greil Marcus to create the phrase "old weird America." Faust was later praised in a passage in Bob Dylan's Chronicles. Palmer passed in 2007, but an anthology of his writing, Blues & Chaos: The Music Writing of Robert Palmer, was released in 2009.
Today's tune "Special Rider Blues" is taken from the bands self-titled 1968 debut on Capitol. The music ranges from surreal folk-rock (à la the HOLY MODAL ROUNDERS and FUGS), to Booker T.-like pop-soul, to flat-out free jazz.
"A Horse with No Name" is a song written by Dewey Bunnell, and originally recorded by the folk rock band AMERICA. It was the band's first and most successful single, released in late 1971 in Europe and early 1972 in the USA, and topped the charts in several countries. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Considering their band name is AMERICA and was comprised of Americans, it's a bit odd to learn that the group was actually formed in England.
America's self-titled debut album was released initially in Europe, without "A Horse with No Name," and achieved only moderate success. Originally called "Desert Song", "Horse" was written while the band was staying at the home studio of musician Arthur Brown, near Puddletown, Dorset. The first two demos were recorded there, by Jeff Dexter and Dennis Elliott, and were intended to capture the feel of the hot, dry desert that had been depicted at the studio from a Salvador Dalí painting, and the strange horse that had ridden out of an M.C. Escher picture. Writer Dewey Bunnell also says he remembered his childhood travels through the Arizona and New Mexico desert when his family lived at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Although America would go on to score a respectable amount of hits after this hit, they will be forever associated as the band who observed "plants and birds and rocks and things" on their trip through the desert.
Today's tune "Horse With No Name" was released as the featured song on a three-track single in the UK, Ireland, France, Italy and the Netherlands on November 12, 1971
AFFINITY were an English jazz-rock fusion band, active from mid-1968 to January 1972.
The origin of AFFINITY was, circa 1965 in the science department of the University of Sussex in Brighton, England. Three science students Lynton Naiff (keyboards), Grant Serpell (drums), and Nick Nicholas (double bass) had formed the US Jazz Trio, they played at University events and local gigs. When Serpell graduated a year later he was replaced by Mo Foster who had earlier been playing bass guitar in his school band but had now adapted to playing drums.
After university Naiff and Serpell, along with members of other bands gathered from other university bands, formed the pop group ICE. Although ICE was moderately successful commercially it only lasted for about a year before it disbanded.
Although ICE had disbanded, Naiff and Serpell were keen to continue with a career in music. They decided to start a new jazz-influenced pop band. To this end they invited Foster to join them, only this time on bass guitar as Serpell would be carrying out the drummer's duties. After holding auditions they met ex-TRIDENTS guitarist Mike Jopp. They liked his playing and his ability to play both jazz and pop, and perhaps more importantly he had his own amp and a car.
The auditions continued for a singer. They unanimously decided on an English teacher they had met previously, Linda Hoyle.
After obtaining a loan, which was guaranteed by Jopp's father, they bought the equipment needed to start the band. They bought Impact amplifiers, a Hammond M102 organ, a Gibson EBO bass guitar, some microphones and a grey Ford Transit van. They then spent the summer of 1968 rehearsing, writing, and generally chilling out at a rented bungalow on the edge of Brighton. The first thing they needed to do though was invent a name for themselves, eventually they settled on "Affinity" which came from the name of Oscar Peterson's 1961 LP Affinity.
AFFINITY played their first London show at the Revolution Club in Bruton Place in Mayfair, West End on 5 October 1968.
One of the gigs they were playing at the time was broadcast on BBC Radio Jazz Club. Ronnie Scott, heard a recording of the show and subsequently agreed to manage them. He also agreed to give them regular bookings at his world-famous jazz club.
From this point on they were getting lots of live work in London's discotheque and club scene and on the college circuit. They also toured in Europe and Scandinavia and some festivals. They appeared on TV spots, including Disco 2 which was the forerunner to The Old Grey Whistle Test. They recorded the theme for a Shredded Wheat commercial series ("There are 2 men in my life..."). They released an eponymously titled album on the Vertigo label in 1970.
They received many rave reviews, most for the band, but some for individual members, and from Derek Jewell of The Sunday Times, who commented "Naiff is already a virtuso, soul-style, and the whole group is probably the best new thing heard in the jazz-pop area this year." Billboard Magazine described Naiff as "a musician of great promise".[6] Naiff and Foster had to write a second album when Hoyle announced that she'd had enough and wanted to quit both the band and the music business. Her last concert with Affinity was due to have been in Cardiff on 8 February 1971, but the show was cancelled. The actual last performance was 10 February 1971 in Bournemouth's Winter Gardens theatre.
Between February and June that year the remaining members, along with their new keyboard player Dave Watts, continued to play a mini tour with Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band.
In June 1971, it was announced that Affinity were reforming, with original members Jopp, Foster and Serpell plus new recruits Vivienne McAuliffe on vocals and ex-Geno Washington organist Dave Watts (Naiff was by now in Abednego, and by the year's end had joined Toe Fat). A 5-day tour of Holland beginning late June and work on a new album were announced. However, a few weeks later Jopp, Foster and Serpell had all been enlisted by ex-Manfred Mann singer Mike D'Abo to back him on his upcoming US tour, alongside sax/flautist Jack Lancaster.
Today’s tune "I Am and So Are You”, with Brass arranged by John Paul Jones. The tune is taken from the first album ”Affinity" (1970), produced by John Anthony, with a cover design by Marcus Keef.
The single "Autonomic Pilot” is following the success of last year's debut LP "Hopp/Förtvivlan” by the electric folk/space rock project SECOND SUN of Jakob Ljungberg, drummer of Swedish Death Metal band TRIBULATION.
What started as a solo project (with Ljungberg performing all of the instruments) has now become a fully realized live rock band, with the 'Autonomic Pilot' session being the first recorded output of SECOND SUN mach II. Joining Ljungberg are Jakob Enlund (HUNT) on drums, Sofia Rydahl (ex-GRÄVMASKIN) on keyboards and longtime collaborator Marcus Hedman on bass. The record is backed with a fantastic, organ-heavy cover of "Sånt Är Livet," which was originally written and performed by Swedish punk band BÄDDAT FÖR TRUBBEL.
The idea was born on New Year's, 2011, when Jakob was listening to the 70's retrospective LP First Daze Here from US Doom Metal pioneers PENTAGRAM. He soon realized SECOND SUN was the perfect outlet for his love of bands like STEELEYE SPAN, NEKTAR, HAWKWIND and BLACK SABBATH as well as traditional Irish folk music. In May 2014, Jakob put eight songs to tape with his friend Marcus Hedman and the result is "Hopp/Förtvivlan” were the words sung entirely in his native Swedish and was released in April 2015 on Electric Assault Records.
HEXVESSEL is a Finish Psychedelic Forest Rock band that with their latest album "When We Are Death" reaches the 21th place on Tune Of The Days TOP best albums 2016.
HEXVESSEL consists of the charismatic vocalist/guitarist Mat McNerney, who’s been a central presence all along but comes even more forward on "When We are Death", which in addition to being HEXVESSEL‘s third LP is also their debut for Century Media.
With guitarist Simo Kuosmanen, bassist Niini Rossi, drummer Jukka Rämänen, percussionist/backing vocalist Marja Konttinen and keyboardist/violinist/trumpeter Kimmo Helén alongside McNerney
"A witch in a submarine."
"A big magic mushroom waiting for you to take a bite."
Today's tune is the beautiful piece "Cosmic Truth", enjoy it and dream away.
"American Pie" is a song by American folk rock singer and songwriter Don McLean. Recorded and released on the American Pie album in 1971, the single was a number-one US hit for four weeks in 1972. In the UK, the single reached No. 2 on its original 1972 release and a reissue in 1991 reached No. 12. The song was covered by Madonna in 2000 and reached No. 1 in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
This song made the 26-year-old McLean very famous very quickly, which was difficult for the songwriter. McLean was prone to depression, losing his father at age 15 and dealing with a bad marriage when recording the album. So when the song hit, it thrust him into the spotlight and took the focus away from the body of his work. In a 1973 interview with NME, he explained: "I was headed on a certain course, and the success I got with 'American Pie' really threw me off. It just shattered my lifestyle and made me quite neurotic and extremely petulant. I was really prickly for a long time. If the things you're doing aren't increasing your energy and awareness and clarity and enjoyment, then you feel as though you're moving blindly. That's what happened to me. I seemed to be in a place where nothing felt like anything, and nothing meant anything. Literally nothing mattered. It was very hard for me to wake up in the morning and decide why it was I wanted to get up."
At 8 minutes 32 seconds, this is the longest song in length to hit #1 on the Hot 100. The single was split in two parts because the 45 did not have enough room for the whole song on one side. The A-side ran 4:11 and the B-side was 4:31 - you had to flip the record in the middle to hear all of it. Disc jockeys usually played the album version at full length, which was to their benefit because it gave them time for a snack, a cigarette or a bathroom break.
On February, 3rd, 1959, 22 year old Buddy Holly, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and Ritchie Valens, aged 17, died in a crash shortly after take-off from Clear Lake, Iowa. All three were travelling to Fargo, North Dakota, for the next show on their Winter Dance Party Tour which Holly had set, covering 24 cities in three weeks, to make money after the break-up of his band, The Crickets, last year.
The bus they had originally planned to use developed heating problems, but Buddy was able to find a plane at the last minute.
Also on this day, in 1978 Holly's Lubbock, TX birth home is miraculously saved from demolition by its new owner, who had, a few days prior, bought the house scheduled to be demolished on this very day. Neither the city nor the new resident had any idea of the home's significance.
Don McLean: "For some reason I wanted to write a big song about America and about politics, but I wanted to do it in a different way. As I was fiddling around, I started singing this thing about the Buddy Holly crash, the thing that came out (singing), 'Long, long time ago, I can still remember how that music used to make me smile.'
"I thought, Whoa, what's that? And then the day the music died, it just came out. And I said, Oh, that is such a great idea. And so that's all I had. And then I thought, I can't have another slow song on this record. I've got to speed this up. I came up with this chorus, crazy chorus. And then one time about a month later I just woke up and wrote the other five verses. Because I realized what it was, I knew what I had. And basically, all I had to do was speed up the slow verse with the chorus and then slow down the last verse so it was like the first verse, and then tell the story, which was a dream. It is from all these fantasies, all these memories that I made personal. Buddy Holly's death to me was a personal tragedy. As a child, a 15-year-old, I had no idea that nobody else felt that way much. I mean, I went to school and mentioned it and they said, 'So what?' So I carried this yearning and longing, if you will, this weird sadness that would overtake me when I would look at this album, The Buddy Holly Story, because that was my last Buddy record before he passed away."
In whole and in parts, this song carries deep and heartfelt memories to many, including me. One of the great songs of all-time.
Today's tune "American Pie" have a full length Video.
This video was created in 1989 by a group of professional video makers, who believed that they could create a video for a fantastic song from the past.
Songs that were released and were big hits, BEFORE videos were ever conceived.
These videos were aired on TV back in 1989, on a show called DEJA VIEW, hosted by John Sebastian.
Never at anytime, was this song, or video, used to make money, sold, or transferred for profit by me.
I have posted this video, out of love for the music and respect for all the people involved.
Monday, new week, time to present "Record Of The Week"
A/B is the second studio album by Icelandic rock band KALEO. It was released on June 10, 2016.
KALEO hail from Mosfellsbær, Iceland, nothing that will come up in mind when A/B is spinning on the turntable as both the sound and vocal is as american it could be. The music is like overheated garage blues with fine-tuned capochilla-soul vocals.
KALEO was formed in 2012. The band consists of Jökull Júlíusson (vocals and guitar), Davíð Antonsson (percussion and vocals), Daníel Ægir Kristjánsson (bass guitar), and Rubin Pollock (guitar and vocals). KALEO has released two studio albums, KALEO (2013) and A/B (2016), as well as an EP, Glasshouse (2013).
The album "A/B" kicks of with a meaty Blues stomper "No Good", a tune which appears on the soundtrack to HBO's Vinyl. "Way Down We Go" is a half tempo master piece where JJ Whiskey soar vocals will trip anyone on her knees, thick and sensitive. "Broken Bones" is the albums Delta Blues tune where "The devil's going to make me a free man", excellent indeed! The album really have a broad mix from the Blues to Country like the tune "Automobile" or the folkish "All the Pretty Girls" and up tempo rockers like "Glass House" and "Hot Blood". Or the iced folklore "Vor I Vaglaskogi" where JJ sings in his native language, a tune that makes a real impact, grandiose and sentimental. The album closes with two softer tunes, the honest "Save Yourself" and hauntingly beautiful "I Can't Go On Without You".
The influences are THE BLACK KEYS, THE LUMINEERS, ROBERT JOHNSON and BON IVER.
Sum: An album that mixes virginity and soulfulness of blues rock with elements of folk and country.
Today's tune "No Good" is taken from the "Record Of The Week" album A/B, enjoy!
"Red Robes" is the upcoming follow up album after the success debut "Wisdom" form 2014. "Red Robes" is set to release on May 27th. A release party is set to be at Sticky Fingers in Gothenburg on the release date.
Judges and cardinals don red robes. Edgar Allen Poe enshrouded death in deepest red. And now doom metal itself proudly wears the most sinful color of them all when Swedes THE ORDER OF ISRAFEL unleash their second longplayer Red Robes! The band`s first steps might have been heavily influenced by genre icons such as CATHEDRAL, PENTAGRAM and WITCHCRAFT, but the fourpiece has firmly established its very own brand of slow-motion goodness in 2016: folk and the NWOBHM play a big role in THE ORDER OF ISRAFEL cosmos, but these guys also have a knack for THIN LIZZY-isms. The result is a wondrous, mystical piece of art featuring unforgettable vocals and ten-ton riffing that will haunt you for aeons!
Strictly Limited Napalm Records Mailorder Edition to 100 Gatefold Copies in GOLDEN 180g 2-Vinyl incl. Bonus Track + Bonus DVD (Live At Sweden Rock Festival 2015)
Strictly Limited Napalm Records Mailorder Edition to 100 Gatefold Copies in RED 180g 2-Vinyl incl. Bonus Track + Bonus DVD (Live At Sweden Rock Festival 2015)
BLOOD CEREMONY is a Canadian doom metal band formed in Toronto, Ontario. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2008, followed by Living with the Ancients in 2011, both on Rise Above Records. The albums were reissued on Metal Blade. BLOOD CEREMONY spent the latter part of 2009 touring throughout Europe with ELECTRIC WIZARD. During the latter part of 2011 and the early part of 2012, they supported GHOST on their European and North American tours. BLOOD CEREMONYs style has been described as "flute-tinged witch rock" and their lyrics are filled with black magic imagery and references to classic horror films. The band is fronted by singer/flutist/organist Alia O'Brien, whose flute solos are reminiscent of JETHRO TULLs Ian Anderson. The band was created by O'Brien with guitarist Sean Kennedy, who is responsible for most of the songwriting.
Following the success of last years globally acclaimed third album "The Eldritch Dark", BLOOD CEREMONY released a single "Let It Come Down". Released and recorded to coincide their European tour (with SPIDERS) in May (2014), "Let it Come Down" further displays the uniqueness of this Toronto based band. Conviction and dedication to what they do is so evident here, whilst the songwriting is sounding more confident than ever. Backed with a cover version of Loving You, originally recorded by early 70s obscure Scottish proto-metal legends, IRON CLAW, BLOOD CEREMONY are rapidly becoming legends themselves. Thier latest album release "Lord of Misrule" will be review later on as soon the Vinyl hits my door step.
Today's tune "Let It Come Down", taken from the 7" single, released 2014, enjoy
The UK outfit PURSON, whose music touches a variety of realms, including folk, prog, psychedelic, gothic & classic rock, blending other-worldly romance with shadowy foreboding – have now completed work on "Desire’s Magic Theatre", which was released through Spinefarm on 29th April 2016. (A review will come as soon the Vinyl is on my doorstep.)
The band – Rosalie Cunningham (vocals, guitars), George Hudson (guitars), Justin Smith (bass), Sam Shove (keyboards) & Raphael Mura (drums) – have recently completed a 30-date US tour with label-mates GHOST, and have also just won the coveted ‘Vanguard’ award at the 2015 Progressive Music Awards in London. The Vanguard award is particularly significant as it is awarded to artists who deserve to be recognised for their broader appeal.
PURSONs debut album titled "The Circle And The Blue Door" was released on 29 April 2013 to general and critical acclaim. The title was inspired by an ex-boyfriend who had a breakdown. "The Circle and the Blue Door" was something he talked about before he broke down. Spin called the album "an audacious entry into a current crop of retro-pop headbanger fare that should chill the marrow of fans". Virgin wrote "Long before the last track has played its final note you will already be planning your next visit to this dark yet enchanting musical world. "The Circle & The Blue Door" is thoroughly addictive listening".
PURSON were due to be opening for GHOST every night of their Black to the Future 2015 tour.
Today's tune "The Contract" is the second single from Purson's album "The Circle And The Blue Door", the Video is Directed by William Cunningham.
Nathaniel David Rateliff is an American singer-songwriter from Hermann, Missouri. Known for his folk-based, pensive songwriting, Rateliff has garnered attention with Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, the soulful R&B combo he formed in 2013.
Today's tune "S.O.B." is taken from the self-titled debut album from Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
Video directed by Greg Barnes. Produced by Greg Barnes and Melissa Giles. The song gained exposure after the band performed it on Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show on August 5, 2015.
Rateliff told Rolling Stone that the song is, at heart, a troubled song about drinking your life away after a breakup. He also told BBC that the song is a "joke song" and originally his band didn't plan to record it, but due to positive reception, did so and released it as a single.
Music video
The music video was released on July 15, 2015. The video depicts Nathaniel Rateliff and his band performing the song in front of an audience of prisoners and is an homage to the end credits scene of the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.
More info @
Official Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Web
Listen to ”Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - S.O.B./b>" on Spotify!
