And I never thought that I’d act this way The way I act today makes me feel ashamed And I know that I may have lost my way, may have been led astray But I’ll make it right some day
I believe that in every relationship debacle there is an opportunity for growth and connection. Of course there is also an opportunity for it to turn into a huge irreconcilable fight. Unfortunately, many of us fall too easily into the latter category. To avoid falling into the pit of relationship despair, several things have to happen. Two of which are: you must learn how to tolerate your own feelings when you’ve hurt someone and you must learn how to tend to the hurt you’ve caused your loved one. –Julie Cohen, MFT
What do you do after you’ve nailed multiple genres and been in highly-respected bands like Murder City Devils and Pretty Girls Make Graves? You change it up again, of course.
Derek Fudesco, of the previously mentioned bands, is now a member of The Cave Singers. Their third album No Witch dropped this week. It’s a folksy romp of an album full of understated guitars and melodies that could bring the Hatfields and McCoys together for an afternoon luncheon. It made me want to drink a bottle of moonshine and dance around in bare feet. In other words, it’s got a downhome swagger that you just can’t avoid. Here’s the opening track as an example.
The key is the album’s simplicity. The production is very clean but there’s never too much going on. These guys aren’t trying to overwhelm you with a ton of music, they just want to overwhelm you with GOOD music. It works. I’m particularly hooked on the slinkly track “Falls” right now.
I’d put this album right up with some of the better folk/blues albums around right now. The Cave Singers can hang with The Black Keys, sure. Just let me know so I can be around to listen in.
Do you know what has been the hardest question for me to answer lately?
“What’s new with you?” Or… “What have you been up to lately?”
Because… I have no fucking idea.I truly draw a blank on this question.
Lately I feel like I’m fooling myself Either that or I’m foolin’ everyone else Lately I feel like a piece of my soul Is hangin’ around for everyone to hold
I have far too many people’s lives in the palm of my hand, and I don’t know who decided to trust me with this. And maybe I was fooling myself by not noticing how frenetic this made everything. Or maybe I was OK with the busy-ness of it all. Or fooling myself by refusing to acknowledge that I was avoiding taking care of my own shit. Fooling everyone else into believing I know what I am talking about?
Meanwhile I think I might be spent. Pardon me, but could you pass me my soul back?
I just got the new (from June) Grace Potter and the Nocturnals album. I am telling you. I may have found my soul.
I am not shitting you.
Her voice crawls into my bloodstream and wakes up the gravelly, sultry woman inside. And you know me, I need the lyrics. Hers are strong, and intelligent, and cutthroat. The way I’ve had to be with people who’ve been getting in my way lately. It’s like this music is my new ass-kicking posse. The bass line is the quiet enforcer standing in the back in case there’s trouble. The rhythm guitar is the loudmouth trash talker. The drums are there to keep everything smooth and quick.
Listen as my posse gathers on Track 3, “Medicine.”
This band is made up of Ms. Grace Potter, along with a second woman who plays bass, a three dudes, and a shitload of instruments. They released their first album as a band in 2005 and have toured with The Black Crowes and the Dave Matthews Band. The band even covered Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” for the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland. So there you go Mookie, now you will never be able to get her last name right!
Technically, this eponymous album is the band’s fourth studio recording. If you have managed to miss hearing one of their songs then you have got to get on board, my friend. This is an album you cannot miss. This is a live performance you should absolutely aim to experience.
I read a show review that detailed how hard this band tried to make the crowd leave on their knees. For nearly two hours this powerhouse awed the crowd and Miss Potter displayed her prowess on vocals, a B3 organ, a vintage Flying V3 guitar, and a tambourine.
A few tracks on Grace Potter and the Nocturnals slow it down a bit, including “Fooling Myself”, the song I quoted earlier on for you. Listen here for a small taste of the range this band, and this album, demonstrates. It’s like these two tracks are my new anthems.
You can download the mp3 version on Amazon, or you can buy the CD, the vinyl, the CD from another band, some books, a sledgehammer, gardening shears, a bedroom furniture set… Seriously. Use our link and browse the Ammy for whatever tickles you lately. In fact…
So I had a grand plan on what to post this week. After a long Sunday night in which I went to see “Little” Louie Vega play, I was dumbfounded by the number of songs I hadn’t heard in literally years. However, as the typical man with a problem involving his attention span, that has changed. Last night I heard a track that made me rack my brain to find out what it sounded like.
The band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros seems to have made quite the splash amongst the indie rock gods that be. Their strange overly melodic songs are reminiscent of a mish-mash of older artists ranging from David Bowie to Billy Joel to the artist I will make comparisons to here – Elton John.
The track “40 Day Dream” is the first off of their debut full length album Up From Below. It’s an epic beginning to an album that signifies what the band is about. Full sound melding different genres in music ranging from folk to blues to rock. It’s an unbelievable track, to say the least. It elicits quite the emotions from me, personally.
Well, when I first heard it, I heard the chorus as well as the tempo of the song, and I was absolutely kicking myself wondering why it sounded so familiar. It isn’t that it’s directly similar to the song I’m about to give you all, and I may also have been thinking of a different song.
Well, I kid you not that I woke up this morning out of a total slumber having realized what it sounded like to me. I can’t even say if it was my subconscious helping me while asleep, but that would be great if it was. The song I instantly woke up with in my head was Elton John’s “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues”, and I am going to leave everyone here with both to compare the two for themselves. All music is most certainly influenced by music of the past, so my comparison here is certainly not a slight against the band. In fact, it’s quite the opposite! Enjoy!
This is one I’ve been hearing a lot lately. There’s a bar up here in Boston called Bukowski’s that I try to stop into every so often. Well, they generally play whatever the fuck they want, and this is a song I’ve heard a few times while in there. If you’re not familiar with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, I’d suggest learning a bit about them. We’re in that phase of music where we’re getting a few people copycatting what they did. I guess that’s good.
Well, here we have the first track off of The Boatman’s Call from 1997. The track is titled “Into My Arms” and is just a gorgeous little cut that’s become somewhat of a classic.
The next cut is also Nick Cave, albeit in a much different form. The group Grinderman consists of most of the members from the Bad Seeds, but has a much different sound than what most would really be used to. This is “No Pussy Blues” off of the debut by Grinderman.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand go buy some of this. Or else your penis will fall off. If you’re a chick and you don’t buy some of it? Well, you’ll grow a thick moustache. That’s how karma works.
NOTE FROM MOOKIE: I loved that Grinderman song. LOVED. I found a Midfield General remix that I can’t wait to play out, and I’m dying to share it with you. Hope Zink don’t mind!
