MMJ Melts Faces, Warms Hearts, Saves Souls

Jim James, photo by pbpulse.com

Rock and roll has always been about salvation. 

It has always been about redemption, deliverance from the mundane, the oppression, and the repetitiveness of the daily grind.  It is a release and an escape.  

My Morning Jacket's Saturday night show at the Boca Raton's cozy Sunset Cove Amphitheater was all this and more.  Jim James and Carl Broemel's twin guitar attack created a pure rock and roll moment.  There were more than a few times where all one could do was thrown your hands to the heavens and bask in the music's glory. 

The publicly-owned amphitheater, which is one of the more obscure and quirky venues in South Florida, was populated with a small (think large private party) but appreciatively hazy crowd.  The small attendance did not affect the band's stellar performance.  It was an arena show and we all had floor seats. 

The Louisville-based group featured cuts from each of their six albums during the past dozen years.  The majority of the songs came from the band's excellent spring release "Circuital."  The band was tight and funky, but, James, the charismatic frontman, was the focus.  From his searing guitar licks to his penchant for wearing capes, James demanded your attention. 

Opening the night was Delta Spirit who will most likely be headlining these types of shows next year after their new album is released in March. 

Rarely has South Florida seen two strong bands play on the same bill.  For those willing to venture out to west Boca, their efforts were greatly rewarded. 

MMJ, Radiohead, Avetts, Elvis Headline SoFla Concert Season

With a break in the weather here, the world's itinerant musicians are headed to South Florida and we are the beneficiaries. Two of the best live bands going, My Morning Jacket and Radiohead, will be visiting and providing must-see shows on the peninsula during the next several months. 


There are several "wild-card" shows on the agenda - with Dan Hicks at the intimate Bamboo Room and the Nashville duo, The Civil Wars, - that deserve the discerning music fans attention.  



Dec. 5th - Daryl Hall & John Oates - Hard Rock Live
Dec. 6th - Paul Simon - Hard Rock Live 
Dec. 9th - Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers - Bamboo Room 
Dec 10th - My Morning Jacket w/ Delta Spirit - Sunset Cove Amphitheater 
Dec. 15th - John Ralston - Bamboo Room 
Dec. 15th - Dar Williams - Lyric Theater 
Dec. 15th - Alice Cooper - Hard Rock Live 
Dec. 17th - Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks - Bamboo Room 
Dec. 29th - Matisyahu - Kravis Center 
Dec. 30th - Jan. 1 - Cee-Lo Green, Boys II Men, Pete Wentz - Orange Drive Miami Beach Music FestivalJan. 2nd - B.B. King - Kravis Center 
Jan. 6th - Donna the Buffalo - Revolution Live
Jan. 12th - Bob Seger - Bank Atlantic Center 
Jan. 14th - Galactic - Revolution Live 

Jan. 18th - Gregg Allman - Hard Rock Live 
Jan. 26th - G Love and Special Sauce - The Culture Room 
Jan. 28th - Jimmy Buffett and The Coral Reefer Band - American Airlines Arena 
Jan. 28th - The Kills - Revolution Live 
Feb. 2nd - Keb' Mo - Lyric Theater 
Feb. 3rd - John Prine & Sara Watkins - Coral Springs Center for the Arts 
Feb. 4th - Patti LaBelle - Kravis Center 
Feb. 4th - The Civil Wars - The Culture Room
Feb. 23th - The Saw Doctors - Revolution Live 
Feb. 10th - The Avett Brothers - Sunset Cove Amphitheater 
Feb. 24th - Doobie Brothers - Hard Rock Live
Feb. 27th - Radiohead - American Airlines Arena
Mar. 3rd - Dropkick Murphys - Pompano Beach Amphitheater
Mar. 9th - Henry Rollins - Spoken Word - Revolution Live 
Mar. 10th - Big Head Todd & the Monsters - The Culture Room
Mar. 16th - MuteMath - Revolution Live 
April 25th - Elvis Costello and The Imposters - Hard Rock Live 
June 15th - Roger Waters: The Wall Live - BankAtlantic Center

Listening for The Tin Hearts

There is something magical about the mixture of folk, country and blues.   Something hardscrabble, dusty and soulful.  Call it Americana or alt.country or whatever.  It is the music of my home, my youth and my continued passion. 

Not surprising, I count My Morning Jacket, The Felice Brothers and Wilco as guideposts for my fervor.  Mix in some Blitzen Trapper, Band of Horses, Hayes Carll and some Ryan Adams and you have a well-rounded playlist of modern Americana. 

It is time to add another to the list.  The Tin Hearts, based out of Columbus, Ohio, is a welcome addition to the club.   

The tight, five-piece band plays honest, hard-working music that will keep the honky tonk lights burning until dawn. However, it is Matthew Sullivan's gritty vocals and harmonica work that make the band stand out.  Like the aforementioned bands, The Tin Hearts possess a rollicking honesty that will take them far. 

After releasing their self-titled debut album last year, The Tin Hearts will release their second album, "No Good Deed," on Singing Moon Records on September 10th.  I can not wait to hear more from this up-and-coming band of musicians. 

“Times Like These” by The Tin Hearts (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

The Whigs Blow Through The Labels

By marty

Mimicking the ever-expanding 'net, musical labels (not record labels) also promulgate at a bunny-rate forcing musicians to quickly declare their party. These labels, a blunt instrument wielded by critics and musicians alike, now mean little more than a simple column on your iTunes spreadsheet.

Indie rock, Americana, college rock, alternative, freak folk, electronic, arena rock - these labels can all apply to the Athens, Georgia trio and AF favorites, The Whigs. But none of them fully apply. The Whigs blow through these labels.

In their latest effort, In The Dark, The Whigs simply rock.

These labels are just adjectives that frontman Parker Gispert uses to create its impressive wall of guitar and bass. Although Gispert's vocals and lyrics provide the heft of The Whig's appeal, it is the driving rhythm section of Julian Dorio and Timothy Deaux that allow the band to see the world.

Written while supporting the Kings of Leon on tour, the influence of the Kings can be felt throughout the album along with nods to other indie heros My Morning Jacket, The Strokes and Fleet Foxes and HOFers REM and U2. However, make no mistake, there is something interesting here - something more than just another college band.

This album won't set the boys up to those other arena headliners, but it takes them several steps closer that acclaim.

“Hundred/Million” by The Whigs (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

Beneath the Covers of New Music

In the marketplace of shared music on the millions of music blogs, cover songs are the fastest growing franchise. Former denizens of grainy bootlegs and B-sides, the number of cover songs has exponentially grown in a fracturing music industry.

With a little more time than to record the track, any artist or wannabee can digitally send that cover around the globe. If the artist is big enough, the release becomes an EVENT. If you don't even have that time, just play it live and leave the distribution and buzz-generating efforts to others. Or be a fortunate by-stander when someone (good, hopefully) remixes your song.

Look at the most popular searches at Hype Machine, covers and remixes consistently cast a large shadow over the list. However, that should not be surprising. Technology is catching up with something primitive. The nature of the cover song is to go back to the basics of performance. That's playing in an empty bar with three sets to do with a handful of original songs, and two of those are sketchy.

Right now, there is a torrent of cover songs in the ether from artist-driven albums and EPs to marketing releases and leaks to radio show performances to an evening playing a guitar to your computer. In a net quickly filling with chaff, here are three examples of the good stuff.

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (Vampire Weekend) by Peter Gabriel & Hot Chip

The "leak" of the cover of the Vampire Weekend hipster tune by Peter Gabriel and electropop group Hot Chip is fun and delicious. Gabriel's take on "singing his own name" is worth the listen itself.

All I Need (Marvin Gaye) by My Morning Jacket (Live at MSG 12/31/08)

My Morning Jacket ended a year of ravingly good shows and a successful album with a rousing New Year's Eve show at New York's Madison Square Garden. Frontman Jim James' duet with Nicole Atkins on this Marvin Gaye classic exemplifies the quality of the concert. The whole show is classic.

Crazy In Love (Beyonce) by The Magic Numbers

In what sounds like a recording of a radio performance, the English sibling duo quarter The Magic Numbers turn out a very enjoyable version of this Beyonce classic.

Eight Favs in '08

Officially dubbed the "Year of the Beard," 2008 was a very good year for the facially hirsute. 

Whether it was the hippie-looking dudes from the Northwest, the brothers from the Caskills or the farm boys from Kentucky, it was a good year for alt. country, americana, roots or whatever you want to call it, music.  When a lot of big name performers (Beck, Conor Oberst, Death Cab, Kings of Leon) dropped solid but not exceptional albums this year, these stylistic children of Neil Young and Gram Parsons put together some very gritty, funky and often beautiful music. And they all had beards.

Eschewing the traditional Top 10 format, I have opted for eight favorite albums for the past year. Eight, some which may not be the best of 2008, but eight which dove a little bit deeper and grabbed a piece of me.  

The Felice Brothers - The Felice Brothers - Team Love Records

Simone, Ian and James Felice's sophomore effort is, at times, sloppy and uneven. But it is always pure. The boys' updated Big Pink sound is full of swagger, remorse and Appalachian gothic. The album is full of impassioned tales of murder, heartbreak and drug-running from the New Rural America. Gritty songs about the gritty times that don't show up on the cable channels.

Download: Frankie’s Gun by The Felice Brothers

(mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes - Sub Pop Records

The harmonies. The sweet, soaring harmonies within this Seattle five-piece's debut album are show-stopping. The Fleet Foxes have have created an endlessly enjoyable album.

Download: White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue - Warner Brothers Records

With her world-weary voice, Jenny Lewis's Acid Tongue is quickly becoming the iconic record of the new laid-back Laurel Canyon scene in southern California. It is a well-deserved adulation.  You can hear the miles travelled in her voice. 

Download: Acid Tongue by Jenny Lewis (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

Randy Newman - Harps and Angels - Nonesuch Records

With Harps and Angels, Randy Newman returns to his quirky, brilliant brand of songwriting, which made him a cult favorite before he ventured into movie soundtracks. Newman uses the honky-tonk piano from his native New Orleans to weave stories of betrayal, bemusement and loss.  The fact that this album prompted a personal return to Newman's extensive catalogue make this album worthy of this list. 

Download: A Few Words In Defense of Our Country by Randy Newman (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

Blitzen Trapper - Furr - Sub Pop Records

In their first album for Sub Pop, Portland heroes, Blitzen Trapper, have built on their experimental folk bona fides to extend the country rock reaches originally marked by Buffalo Springfield and The Byrds.  The boys add a post-modern vibe to their evolving sound and ended up creating a memorable disk. 

Download: Furr by Blitzen Trapper (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

The Whigs - Mission Control - ATO Records

With a thundering bass drum line, this Athens, Georgia trio creates great college indie music from the bottom up.  Listening to The Whigs, you'll be able to pick up more than a little bit of the Replacements and even a whiff of early R.E.M.  What you will find live are three very talented musicians rocking very hard.  And that is a very good thing. 

Download: Right Hand On My Heart by The Whigs (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend - XL Records

I love the fact that Vampire Weekend plays exactly what is advertised - a preppy, new wave-ish look at African guitar pop.  A fresh and totally infectious sound.  I found myself humming the album - the entire album - for days on end. 

Download: Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa by Vampire Weekend (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges - ATO Records

Jim James' exploration into funk with a Prince-like falsetto on Evil Urges wasn't the breakout album, a la Joshua Tree, like many predicted. However, it was a moody and rollicking jam by the best live band currently working the circuit.  A great album by one of today's great bands. 

Download: Evil Urges by My Morning Jacket (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

AHers Duncan Strauss, Ian Minor and myself will be co-hosting Duncan's Sonic Detour radio show from 4 to 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve on WMNF. Mark your calender and listen here.