May 14, 2018
The No Sleep Roundup w/Lucero, Leon III, Vein, Joe Rogan
by Robert Dean
So, this week in insomnia I’ve listened to a bunch of music, read a few books and even watched the episode of Anthony Bourdain in Montana. He hangs out with Jim Harrison before he died, what an honor. Joe Rogan was there too, but they did Joe Rogan stuff and just shot some birds.
Anyhow, I’m averaging about 3-4 hours of sleep a night right now since I’m writing freelance full time. You’d think around 4 AM I’d pass right out, but nope. Pop a Benadryl and go hunting for new stuff, waiting for the little pink monster to kick in.
Enough about me, let’s get into this week’s hotness:
Because I’m a douche, I didn’t mention them sooner, but The Profane Anything Band is a local Austin outfit playing some sweet rock and roll that’s not flashy, nor over the top, but straight ahead. There’s something to be said for a band that plugs in and gets rowdy. Give them a listen they gig all over town. For fans of Guided By Voices, Yo La Tengo, Brainiac.
America’s secret crush Cardi B was on the Stern show and continued to show why she’s good for the music industry with her refusal to be a mindless robot. Hate her music all you like; it’s appreciated when an artist puts everything on front street and understands her place in pop culture.
Leon III has a new video out. It’s appropriately weird in that Joe Walsh, “too many Coors with a guy you’re just trying to buy mushrooms off of” kinda way. I appreciate bands who go for it and don’t give a shit what their peers are doing. Quiet Hollers are those kinds of dudes. Give it a look and listen to their new record, Alberta.
While you’re at it download everything from Leon III and Quiet Hollers.
Vein dropped the new video for Virus//Vibrance, and I’m so stoked on it. This is so much of my jam; it’s like this song + video was crafted out of the old school hardcore videos from 20 years ago that I frequently search for. I have high hopes for Vein. If this is any indication of what they’re capable of, please take all of my money. This is chaotic, fast, and heavy as a ton of bricks.
Everyone on Earth saw the Childish Gambino video, so I don’t have to link it. It’s been watched 70M times in 7 days. Sidebar: I seriously had NO idea Childish Gambino was big enough to headline a night at ACL. I have a mad love for Awaken, My Love! But, damn. Donald Glover is killing it right now.
Joe Rogan roasts Takashi 69 and the other kids of the internet here. This one is just good for the soul.
Lastly, Lucero dropped two new songs, and there’s a lot to unpack here folks.
First, if you look at the new band photo, Ben looks like he’s straight from America’s Next Top Model. Brian has now assumed the role of mystical Memphis shaman, which is fitting if you follow him on social media. Thankfully, Roy is still wearing the signature bike hat.
The cover of the new record Among the Ghosts is sick. That’s some straight Southern Gothic right there.
I like that Ben has made it a point to call out that folks thought the new stuff would suck because he’s happily married and now has a kid. I can’t say I’m not guilty of thinking that, too.
As for the music, I couldn’t be happier. As a die-hard Lucero fan, (I have an L star tattoo) this is the record we’ve been waiting a few years for. This feels more like a gritty more swinging version of Tennessee, That Much Further West, Overton Park records, which are arguably the fan’s favorites.
That’s it. Keep it saucy.
May 13, 2018
May 12, 2018
Archives: Country Doppelgangers: Dwight, Vince, Aldean, etc.
ORIGINALLY POSTED MAY 2, 2010
Country Doppelgängers 3
Vince Gill and pirate lover/former Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach.
Justin Towne Earle and actor Giovanni Ribisi
Randy Owen, angry man, of Alabama and Kevin Nash, wrestler, of TNA.
Dwight Yoakam and Gollum
May 11, 2018
Show Review / Lindi Ortega / @RamsHeadOnStage
By Scott Colvin
Lindi Ortega’s penultimate concert on the U.S. leg of her world-wide Liberty Tour came to the intimate Ram’s Head On Stage in Annapolis, MD on April 25th. While the venue wasn’t at capacity (it was a Wednesday, so let’s cut the artist and venue some slack) the fans who were there were presented with a thrilling performance by the Canadian country torch singer with one of the finest albums of 2018.
While the majority of the show focused on songs from her striking new album Liberty, Ortega led off the night with a pair of tracks from her “recognized” debut album Little Red Boots -- “Dying of Another Broken Heart” and “All of the Angels.” Both songs (hell, one can say this about most of her songs) were flush with Ortega’s aching vocals and steadied by drummer Ryan Brewer and “Champagne” James Robertson’s jangly guitar playing. “Demon Don’t Get Me Down” off Cigarettes & Truckstops came up next and was a rollicking ride of country attitude and featured a fantastic slide guitar solo by Robertson.
Among the songs from Liberty, Ortega played “In The Clear,” a reflective song about weathering a personal storm, the head-bobbing title track with very western guitar licks, and the slow and sweet “Lovers In Love” a song she said was “one of the first real love songs she’s written” (marriage will do that).
She also played Liberty’s musically and vocally intense “Comeback Kid,” the album’s first single, featuring Brewer’s ominous drumming which added a certain danger to the song. Ortega celebrated her Mexican/Spanish speaking heritage with “Pablo” and the lovely “Gracias a la Vida” by Chilean composer Violetta Parra which was the encore’s first song.
Ortega closed out the set with a song about “backstabbers,” “You Ain’t Foolin’ Me” where she slinked and slithered on stage, selling the song while showing her fun side.
Two of the finest moments of the night came when Ortega sang the brilliant Nashville underdog song-writer song “Tin Star” and probably her most known song, the transcendent “Cigarettes & Truckstops.”
Lindi Ortega is an adept storyteller in melancholia. There is a pain, power and lucidity in her voice that is absent from today’s party-hardy, feel-good scene (which has nothing to do with real country music) and is certainly welcome and admirable.
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| Obligatory shot of Scott and Lindi |
May 10, 2018
Album Review / Leon III
Leon III's debut album begins with a Grateful Dead-esque loopy guitar intro and then the heavy twang of a familiar voice. The band's background info describes them as a psychedelic Americana group, and based on the opening seconds, you'd have to say that's about right.
The voice you recognize is that of Andy Stepanian, the head ass of the Wrinkle Neck Mules, a long under-appreciated alt-country outfit from Virginia. Mason Brent of the Mules is on guitar. Leon III is a bringing together of this duo's rustic aesthetic with the smoother sounds of acts like Wilco and the experimentation of jam and indie rock. While that may sound like an odd mixture, it's not a far cry from a lot of the alt-country I listened to in the early 2000s.
The band is rounded out by drummer Brian Kotzur of Silver Jews, pianist Tony Crow, singer Jordan Caress, and guitarist Chris Scruggs - Scruggs as in the grandson of Earl - this is a top notch collaboration of musicians.
So, I've listed the influences and ingredients, but what does Leon III sound like? Downtrodden folk rock might be the best descriptive. Stepanian's gruff vocals combined with the softer textures laid down behind him is an intoxicating presentation. For me, the familiarity with Wrinkle Neck Mules' jubilance made it an even more disconcerting experience at first. It's not a challenging listen, but it's a challenge to absorb this album. The reward is worth repeated listens.
The album is meant to be digested as a whole, but there are a few standout tracks for me. "Faded Mountain" is driven by bass and drums, punctuated by piano and steel guitar. It's one of the quieter moments on Leon III, but the simplicity of the sounds and the poetry of the lyrics make it one of the more poignant.
"Alberta" is the heart of this record. It's a slow build of a song about realizing you'll never have it all. The progression of this track will raise the hairs on your arms - horns push the horizon higher and Stepanian's yearning grows then fades. It's an emotional trip.
"Between the Saddle and the Ground" talks about the swiftness in which salvation can be found, even in the fleeting moments. It's constructed around a William Camden quote referred to on the Dead's "China Doll." The tune is reverential to the Dead, but the sound is pure epic Americana.
Leon III isn't an easy album to love, but once you've let it seep in for a few listens, it won't leave your mind or soul. This is emotional, intelligent, artful music in an era of throwaway culture. If you dig Wrinkle Neck Mules, Silver Jews, Wilco, or any act in between, it's well worth your investment to give this record a few spins.
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Leon III is available on Amazon, Cornelius Chapel, and all the usual outlets.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Country Reaction Gifs
You paid the equivalent of 4 hours work time to go see Brantley Gilbert?
Reading through pop country YouTube comments like...
When your friend describes taking their kids to the Luke Bryan concert last night
When you meet a Kane Brown fan in public
When you hear Jason Aldean is opening a restaurant nearby soon
When you're polite but you just heard a Mitchell Tenpenny song
The first time you hear Tyler Childers
There's 7 solo female singers in the country top 40?
Bloggers who keep listening to bad music and watching bad awards shows so we can complain about them...
Remember when Sam Hunt put out a hip-hop song
and white people called it a country song?
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