For your listening pleasure, a studio performance of "Low Country Blues." Soul-stirring music.
Gregg Allman Florida-Plus Tour
01/10/12
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Gregg Allman To Tour Florida In January
During a time when we only see our celebrities on the beach or causing trouble, Gregg Allman is putting together a 6-stop tour of Florida this January. Six Shows! Spanning from Pensacola to Hollywood, the mini-tour provides an up-close look at this master bluesman.
For your listening pleasure, a studio performance of "Low Country Blues." Soul-stirring music.
Gregg Allman Florida-Plus Tour
01/10/12
For your listening pleasure, a studio performance of "Low Country Blues." Soul-stirring music.
Gregg Allman Florida-Plus Tour
01/10/12
Thursday, December 15, 2011
You Don't Need a Weatherman - just Jeff Tweedy
"You don’t need a weatherman
To know which way the wind blows"
Wilco's Jeff Tweedy stops by the hometown television station to talk a little hirsute weather.
Monday, December 12, 2011
MMJ Melts Faces, Warms Hearts, Saves Souls
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| Jim James, photo by pbpulse.com |
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.
Friday, December 9, 2011
It Is Time To Start The Top Ten Season
Tis the season for your Top Ten albums, songs, concerts and whatnot. After Hours favorite Tristan Clopet jumps out of the gate with a quality album list. Above is his cover from The Black Keys' "El Camino" album from his renowned Living Room sessions. "El Camino" will camp out on most lists this year including Tristan's and the After Hours HQ. Lykke Li's spring release "Wounded Rhymes" is Clopet's intriguing top pick.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
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
Friday, September 23, 2011
Taking The Tumblr - After Hours On The Move
After a long respite and finding the Blogger format unforgiving, I am shifting After Hours to Tumblr. Hope to see you there.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Surfer Blood To Play Respectable's This Saturday
After touring through Europe and criss-crossing the U.S. several times during the past two years, West Palm Beach's indie rock heroes, Surfer Blood, will be playing a hometown show this Friday Saturday night at Respectable Street. The band earlier reported on their social media that the show was Friday.
The four-piece band is playing a rare local show before hitting the road this fall, including a one-month stint opening up for the Pixies. The Warner Bros. artists will spend most of their time along the eastern coast this fall before heading to England in December to play an All Tomorrow's Parties festival.
The easiest way to catch them will be Friday in West Palm at Respectable's. Ironic T-shirt and skinny jeans optional.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Tristan Clopet Makes The Album For The Summer
From the bright guitars of the opening track, "A Summer in Sussex," through Clopet's signature soaring vocals, the Miami singer-songwriter has created a delicious indie pop album. It is Clopet's best work yet - a real breakthrough in his art.
Clopet's first long player is entitled, Name It What You Want, and is the result of four months of work with both LA-based producer Raymond Richards (Local Natives) and NY-based producer Justin Gerrish (The Strokes, Vampire Weekend). The result is a spacious mix of infectious rock that masterfully incorporates a wide range of instruments and sounds. The album mixes the best of British Indie Pop melodies with Clopet's blue-eyed soul, funky guitar riffs and beat-crazy nature. The LP features several Beatlesque flourishes that can't help but bring a smile to the listener.
Favorite tracks include the wonderful single, "A Chat with My Brain;" the breezy "When You Were Younger;" and the ambitious "Toutes Directions." I have been humming this album for the past week.
Clopet is giving fans a chance to name their own price for LP from his website. iTunes is also featuring the album at its standard price. In another nod to our social media-based world, Clopet had 7 of his Facebook friends back him up on vocals on the album's opening song. Currently, Clopet is touring major eastern and midwestern cities in support of the album. Looking forward to Clopet's return south.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Goblin Review
Right off the bat I'm going to say that Goblin has some of the most shocking lyrics ever put on a major label's CD, is a long trip into a dark psyche that part of you wants to escape and finally is one of the best rap albums in recent years.
Tyler, the Creator is seen by some as the savior as hip hop, and by just as many as a destroyer of values and moral codes. Music and controversy has been married for long back when people called rock "the devil's music." The one I remember most is Eminem, the rapper who gladly scared middle America with his dark lyrics. Eminem's influence is like a stamp on the album, felt from the rape/murder fantasy lyrics of "Tron Cat" to the various alter ego's Tyler has. The alter ego's, known as Wolf Haley, Tyler and Dr. TC, are the focus of the album. Not simply okay with keeping his alter ego's to their own songs they begin to invade other songs slowly taking over the (mostly) sane Tyler until he reaches a breaking point that leaves him a wreck but with the possibility of being saved from himself.
If you only buy one song off this album get Yonkers, which has gotten over 8 million hits on YouTube. Filled with great beats and clever lyrics it grabs you from the beginning with it's proclamation "I'm a f**king walking paradox, no I'm not." It's a perfect little slice of the insanity that has turned Tyler into a cult success. The real surprises are the more slow songs that Tyler is surprisingly good at "Her" tells the tale of Tyler being in love with a girl who complains to him about her boyfriends to him but still stays with them. It's a weirdly sweet song, that reveals that Tyler may not be the psycho he pretends he is. On the other side is "She" that while sounding like a John Legend/Kanye West team up, tells the dark story of Tyler spying on a girl through her blinds and escalating to murder and rape, in that order. The hook on this one is especially nice courtesy of Frank Ocean (who I also heartily recommend).
"Tron Cat" is probably the most shocking song on the album and it where Wolf begins to invade the song and Tyler loses contact with himself. The slow piano under the beat only fleshes out the horrifying lyrics and even Tyler seems shocked by what he's said. Golden in which Tyler manages to bring himself if only for a moment of light is a great way to end the album with some actually touching lyrics. It becomes clear that Tyler is no more then a scared teen who plays the psycho card for attention. Rather then feeling tricked, you feel pity for him and root for the guy who killed someone last track. It's weird and it somehow works.
When the album fails though, it fails hard, the opening and title track "Goblin" is subpar and it doesn't help that in the lyrics Tyler reminds us of the much better Bastard intro. The track "Radical" has been a hit at live shows and it should probably stay there, meant to incite mosh pits it just kinda sit there on the album. "B***ch S**k D**k" (my that's a lot of asterisks) is supposed to be a parody of bad rap, but lacks the fun energy of Tina from Bastard and is just bad rap instead of a parody. "Window" is okay, but it seems to be more about Tyler showing off his friends then making good music. Nothing wrong with that, but eight minutes of that can get grating.
Goblin is already being talked by some as that album. The one's that played by 21st anarchists as they burn down a school. However I think Tyler deserves a critical listening by us blogging hipsters with our flannel and our suave mustaches. That's because if you actually take some time to scratch off the grime there's gold in these hills.
Friday, May 6, 2011
The Wolf Pack Descends
If you read any music blog, magazine, newspaper or flyer you've probably heard about Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. A collection of rappers, beat makers, producer and even a RnB singer. They've taken the indie world by storm with Pitchfork loving them and appearing on the covers of several big magazines. They've appeared on Jimmy Fallon, got a record deal and there's talk of a TV show. It's another story of a small group getting very big, very fast. We've seen it countless times in the music business. The thing that makes Odd Future different though is that they have attained this level of fame without selling a single album.
The group looks more like a group of skaters hanging out in a parking lot then superstars, mostly because that's what they are. The majority under drinking age their youngest, Earl, being 15 at the time he made his first and only album, they bring a mix of over the top excitement and awkward shyness.
Odd Future has released several mixtapes all for free on their Tumblr. The mixtapes quality range from Hodgy Beats' so-so Dena Tape to Tyler the Creator's amazing Bastard. Over all twelve mixtapes were made available for free over a two year period. Even groups like Wu-Tang have trouble getting that many albums out. It's a stroke of marketing genius though, anyone who hears about Odd Future can become a fan in a few easy clicks.
The music industry isn't all about the music though, from day one each member has updated their fans on Twitter, Tumblr and a multitude of silly youtube videos that not only keep them connected, but help them keep their fans attentions. Odd Future fans will stay up all night checking tweets and posts just for a new photo, new song or even a new album that gets dropped without any warning.
Tyler the Creator's new album Goblin comes out May 10th and as his first pay album and among a leak of the full album the odds are stacked against him. It still seems to see if the fanbase they've created, mostly made of internet savvy teens, will back him up now that it's pay to play.
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