folk
Blurred…
I have been trying to write the review for Blurred, by San Francisco singer/songwriter Alex Wise for a few months now but can’t seem to finish it. This is difficult for me to say but I get about halfway through the process and find myself so homesick I just can’t continue.
The past few years have been full of change for us. We moved hundreds of miles away from our family, our friends and our home of many years. Our oldest has gone from a quirky teenager to almost an adult while her younger sister has gone from a barefoot baby in diapers to a little girl who will be starting school in the fall.
Say goodbye to Ponchatoula
Down the track, fall outta time
Say goodbye to Ponchatoula
Down the track, fall outta time
Sometimes I miss our old life. I miss my front porch swing and the feel of worn wood under my bare feet. I miss the smell of honeysuckle in the spring and cape jasmine in the summer. I miss the sight of dogs and kids playing in the yard or a cat stretched out sleeping on a porch column base. I miss the sound of Kahuna rocking on the porch, picking a tune out by ear on his guitar. I miss Kahuna’s Mom, who passed away almost a year ago.
Throw a pebble in a stream
of a clouded memory
Syncopated in a tune
of a moon, cow, dish and spoon
My favorite song of the album is Ponchatoula. Not only does it have a haunting melody and beautiful lyrics, each word seems carefully chosen to evoke feeling and memory. Almost too well in my case.
This trend continues with Blurred (be the only thing that’s true) and the jazz-tinged Someone Else Like You (what’s past and gone may still be here with you) but the album is not all slow and wistful. Tracks Blame on my Shoulder and the bluesy Secrets both inject a little rock into the mix while the wonderfully cute Gonna Give it Back to Nature (or as Scooter and I like to call it - The Poor Worm Song) adds some whimsy to counter the heavier themes. Alex also does an amazing job on his cover of Steve Forbert’s Romeo’s Tune. I love the harmonica bits.
Whether it uplifts your spirits, stirs your anger or evokes sadness, music should make you feel. The songs on Blurred do that and so much more. This is a wonderful album and I highly recommend you all give it a listen.
Blurred is available in digital format from Amazon and Bandcamp and in CD format from his website and CD Universe.
You can check out Alex on his facebook page or on his website. Catch him on the air with Sea Change Radio or follow him on Twitter @SweetAl
- Kit
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I was born with a heart made of copper and gold…
So we have started watching Assassins Creed – the Television Series or Arrow as they are calling it. I am patiently waiting for Ollie to dive off a building and land in a wagon full of hay.
Updated the jukebox with a few newly released tracks and a few released not long ago. Check out shiny new tracks from Viv and the Revival, Thea Hopkins w/Peter Parcek, The Amends and The Delta Saints along with a couple of tracks from last year by The Heavy Horses and The Bixby Knolls.
(Sigh…I really wanted Copper and Gold (The Heavy Horses) for the juke but can’t find a version I can embed.)
The featured vid this week is Time Machine off the soon-to-be released album Turquoise by Devon Allman.
That’s pretty much it.
- Kit
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The Week in Music…Blogs – Dec 29, 2012 to Jan 4, 2013
Mostly Harmless with Dammit Damian tossed up his Top 10 of 2012 and added a podcast to the mix.
Farce the Music listed their top 75 albums of 2012.
Easy Street Records blogged about the closing of their Queen Anne (Seattle) area record store. (- thanks Penny)
Rune from Ninebullets.net listed his favorite albums of 2012 while AutopsyIV spun out another amazing Ninebullets Radio Broadcast.
Usually I link to articles written by bluesman Peter Parcek, but today the article is about him. Check out George Pelletier’s interview with Parcek for the Bedford Journal.
From the Music Maker Relief Foundation – check out this new video of Ben Payton playing Black Dog Blues:
Finally, from Noisetrade.com, Mason Jar Music presented The Storm is Passing Over – A Hurricane Sandy Benefit album from Mason Jar Music and Friends.
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Brooklyn-based collective Mason Jar Music has assembled an all-star collection of indie-folk artists to create The Storm is Passing Over, a benefit album of fifteen classic American storm songs. Donations exchanged for these recordings will go directly to support ongoing relief work in New York City and the tri-state area.”
Lots of great songs on this. I am partial to the Memphis Minnie and Joe McCoy version of ‘When the Levee Breaks’ but Micheal Daves does a nice job on his rendition. ‘The Storms are on the Ocean’ by Aoife O’Donovan is beautiful and probably my favorite of the group. I also love ‘Lonesome River’ by Roseanne Cash (love, love her arrangment on this) and Tift Merritt’s ‘Swing Low Sweet Chariot’.
The album is available to download for free but a tip jar has been set up on the webpage and all tips will go to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.
That’s it for me this week. If you have a music blog or site and want to be added to the list above just drop me a note with your addy either in the comment section below or in an email to guitarkit at gmail.com and I will pop your entry into the post.
- Kit
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Can’t go anywhere without my sunglasses…
We headed over to Raleigh this weekend for some ‘must spend my holiday money gifts’ shopping. I wore my cool new Wayfarers.
Okay, okay…I wore my new sunglasses that just happen to look like Wayfarers. I can’t have actual Wayfarers because I am the Mount Doom of sunglasses. Seriously, I am where sunglasses go to die. I usually buy three or four pair at a time from someplace cheap like Dollar General and then hope they last out the month. A couple of months before we moved to North Carolina, Kahuna bought me fifteen pairs from slickdeals. By the time we pulled out to make the trip I had three (3) pair left out of the bunch. One of those was a tiny pair I gave Scooter. Yes, my preschooler keeps sunglasses longer than I do. Sigh.
Anyway, beautiful weather, no traffic and mostly deserted stores. We even braved Toys-R-Us but it was a ghost town. (like an actual empty town, not like the band) It would have been great for shopping but there was nothing to buy - just big stretches of empty shelves. Even the above-mentioned toy abyss had scattered all the toys out to make the shelves look full. The girls came home with a few items but it appears I will be spending most of my money buying music online. Or maybe over on Kickstarter…I haven’t decided yet.
(Bands! If you have new stuff coming out soon or a Kickstarter project, now would be a great time to tell me)
I have a new article up on GamingHUD. It’s sort of the video game version of my best music list. While you all are over there you might give the ‘rename GamingHUD’ contest a try.
All new music in the jukebox to start off 2013. Check out new tracks from The White Buffalo, Viv and the Revival, Hawk and Dove, Corey Koehler, Gypsy and the Wolf and The Flying Bricks.
The featured vid this week is A Certain Speed off the upcoming (January 8, 2013 release) What We Could Be by The Amends.
Okay, time for more coffee…
- Kit
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This is my Best Music Of 2012 list…
There were so many amazing albums and so much mind-blowingly great music released in 2012 that it was almost impossible to chose a best of list. At one point in my compiling I had to delete my list and start over because I had almost nothing but blues releases and I wanted the list to showcase several music genres, not just one.
Here are my ‘Best of’ lists for 2012 – mostly in order although the farther down on the list, the harder it was to sort and place the music. I tried to stay with ten selections for each but I got a little carried away with the best videos.
- Favorite Albums of 2012 -
Once Upon a Time in the West – The White Buffalo
My Favorite Album of 2012
Burn Flicker Die – American Aquarium
There’s a Bomb in Gilead – Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires
Driving Towards the Daylight – Joe Bonamassa
Tomorrowland – Ryan Bingham
Handwritten – Gaslight Anthem
Seven – Viv and the Revival
Let It Burn – Ruthie Foster
Up 2 Zero – Anthony Gomes
One Damn Heart – The Debonzo Brothers
- Favorite Songs of 2012 -
Don’t Let Me Get Lonely – The Record Company
One Lone Night – The White Buffalo
So James Dean – Viv and the Revival
Whittled Down – Johnny Hickman
Driving Towards the Daylight – Joe Bonamassa
Burn Flicker Die – American Aquarium
Here We Go - Roisin O
Break My Heart Tonight – The Debonzo Brothers
45 – Gaslight Anthem
Baptized – Buffalo Killers
- Favorite EP’s of 2012 -
All Things Blue – Ophelia Cache
Superdead – The Record Company
I Am Here – Savages
Signal – The Amends
- Favorite Videos of 2012 -
Wish it Was True – The White Buffalo
Angeles – Steve Carlson and Jensen Ackles
Another Road - Johnny Hickman
Mark My Words – The Coronas
No Surprise - Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray
To Live is To Fly – Ryan Bingham
Made to Break – Otis Gibbs
Welcome To A Good Time – Viv and the Revival
I’ll Wait – Charlie Spraggs
Break My Heart Tonight – The Debonzo Brothers
Haunted – Cassie Taylor
- Favorite New (to me) Artists/Bands -
The Baron Sisters, Haley Bowery and the Manimals, Jean Caffeine,
Corey Koehler, Savages, The Wild Suns, Caleb Caudle and The Bohannons
- All the leftover stuff -
When compiling my list, I purposefully left out some really good mainstream music. Partly because of resources (we know Springsteen has more money to work with than American Aquarium) and partly because the mainstream albums and videos get all the broadcast and radio play they could possibly need. I wanted to spotlight bands that are making exceptional music, but receive little (or no) air play.
However, here are a few albums I wanted to highlight before I end my list, mainly because the artists put out great music that I kept playing long after the album or video release.
Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball – great video for ‘We Take Care of Our Own’,
Soundgarden – ‘Live to Rise’ – I can’t stop playing the song and watching the video so I put it up in the featured section for New Years Eve,
Don Williams – And So It Goes – it’s been too long since Don put out an album and this one was so good,
Ry Cooder – Election Special – Well, it’s Ry Cooder…duh.
Oh wow…I am finally done. While I go collapse on the floor you all can check out my choices and if you want, drop a note in the comment section with your thoughts or picks for best music of 2012.
- Kit
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Through the smoke and fire…
I missed Ninebullets Radio last night which is a shame because Bryan put together a stellar line-up of artists and then attempted (or so I assume) to blow the roof off the radio station. Since I missed it live I am listening to the recorded version.
If you all want to join me you can catch the archived show on Ninebullets.net .
Just check out the playlist:
01. Otis Gibbs – Crap For Christmas (Once I Dreamed Of Christmas) 02. The Black Keys – Thick Freakness (Thickfreakness) 03. Left Lane Cruiser – Big Mama (Bring Yo Ass To The Table) 04. The Legendary Shack Shakers – County Of Graves (Believe) 05. Those Crosstown Rivals – Kentucky Woman (TCR/Arliss Split 7?) 06. The Whipsaws – Jessi Jane (60 Watt Ave) 07. Arliss Nancy – Both Got Old (TCR/Arliss Split 7?) 08. Frank Turner – The Road (Last Minutes & Lost Evenings) 09. The White Buffalo – The Pilot (Once Upon A Time In The West) 10. Drag The River – History with History (unreleased) 11. Have Gun Will Travel – To The Victor Go The Spoils (Mergers & Acquisitions) 12. Doc Dailey & Magnolia Devil – She Has Her Moments (Catch The Presidents) 13. Possum Jenkins – Greasy Spoon (On Time) 14. JKutchma & The Five Fifths – Used To Believe (Pastorals) 15. Chris Knight – In the Mean Time (Little Victories) 16. Scott H. Biram – Judgement Day (Something’s Wrong/Lost Forever)
Seriously good show. Four or five of these are on my best of 2012 list but the entire line-up is just awesome.
For those of you that pull the blog on feed, Routed Tree is the video up in the featured spot and it’s from my favorite Brighton guys, Gypsy and the Wolf.
If you like the track they have it free for download over on Soundcloud.
This is my new desktop background -
Before everyone gets overcome with jealousy, there are several wallpapers and some new shots from Ironman 3 over on the Marvel website so you all can have your own Tony Stark/Ironman background.
Well, I’m on the last track of the show (appropriately titled Judgement Day-grin) and need to run. Have a good weekend!
- Kit
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It’s better if I tell you so…
Why is it Texas Pete if it is made in North Carolina? Shouldn’t it be North Carolina Pete?
Anyway…
All new music in the sidebar with tracks from Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires, Jennifer Leonhardt, Viv and the Revival, Goldenboy, The Lumineers and Anthony Gomes. I also have new tracks from Jo Wymer,
the Black Roses
and Charlie Spraggs.
Up in the featured vid spot, check out Drunkard’s Epiphany from Johnny Hickman off his new album, Tilting. If you pull the blog on feed you can check out the vid here on you tube.
Finally, via the awesome guys from Woody’s Music, enjoy the beautiful harmonies of The Staves.
- Kit
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So shake the dust off of your wings and the sleep out of your eyes…
Yes, I am basically nocturnal now. Sigh.
Just think of the blog as Words Music Baseball…at Nite.
Or maybe as a late night radio show? The kind where the DJ would spin some obscure progresssive/psychedelic rock opus at 2 am and then go across the street to buy a bottle of Jack from the all-night liquor store during the 20-minute long epic guitar solo?
(assuming DJs even did that? Maybe they just dozed while the record played? Or read a book? Or maybe they did yoga?)
No epic guitar solos here, just Ryan Bingham playing a nice little cover of Townes Van Zandt’s To Live Is To Fly -
Kit’s Awesome Vid of the Day Night
Ryan Bingham – To Live Is To Fly
Break out the coffee folks, I’ll be here all night.
- Kit
(from the video notes – please note that the camera flipped the image – Ryan is not left-handed)
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- Blurred…
February 12, 2013 | 4:06 pm I have been trying to write the review for Blurred, by San Francisco singer/songwriter Alex Wise for a few months now but can’t seem to finish it. This is difficult for me to say but I get about halfway through the process and find myself so homesick I just can’t continue. The past few years have been full [...] - Arc & Stones…
February 11, 2013 | 4:53 am
Now that Scooter is back sleeping nights I proclaim this ’dig myself out from under the mountain of un-reviewed music‘ week. Kicking off the week o’reviewing is Arc & Stones, the debut EP from Brooklyn band Arc & Stones. The guys are Dan Pellarin (vocals), Ben Cramer (guitar), Joe Doino (drums) and Eddy Bayes (bass). I had [...] - Telegraph Taboo…
January 21, 2013 | 8:45 am
So, I was in the mood for some blues and whoosh – blues appeared. Other people get coupons, bills and news updates in the mail while I get blues music. Cool new blues music in the form of the debut release Telegraph Taboo from the Chicago-based band Nick and the Ovorols. This is not a pretty album. The vocals on a few tracks [...] -
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