Thanks again to the listeners of my show on the 28th. I was a bit late getting into the studio due to continuing issues with my campus ID card and entry code at the Duncan Student Center, but it all worked out thanks to UND campus security letting me into the building. Here’s the set list.
“Through layers of warm harmonies, spirited drum fills and bright guitar riffs, Shane Butler and multi-instrumentalist Caity Shaffer craft a kaleidoscopic world that steadily builds on its own momentum” – NPR Music
Olden Yolk – the duo of songwriters Shane Butler and Caity Shaffer – shares their single from Living Theatre, their sophomore album, via Trouble In Mind. “Grand Palais” is “about the frivolous search to seek some semblance of spiritual understanding in various places, things, and people outside of ourselves. Much of the song was written through improvisation in the studio alongside percussionist Booker Stardrum, whose frantic drumming is a driving force in the song. Weaving vocals, synthesizers, and tempo switches all encapsulate the dual feelings of desperation and euphoria found within this type of pursuit,” explains the band.
Olden Yolk is on tour in support of Living Theatre. They’re joined by Ryan Jewell (drums), Peter Wagner (bass) and Frank Maston (synths/keys). A full list of dates is below. Stream “Grand Palais” – https://youtu.be/977uBeouGb4
Wed. May 29 – Detroit, MI @ Outer Limits Lounge Thu. May 30 – Chicago, IL @ HideoutWed. May 31 – Grand Rapids, MI @ House Show Thu. June 1 – Columbus, OH @ Dirty Dungarees Fri. June 2 – Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog Fri. June 7 – Sonoma, CA @ Huichica Festival Wed. June 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon (LA record release show) Thu. June 20 – San Francisco, CA @ Make Out Room Fri. June 21 – Portland, OR @ Turn Turn Turn w/ Adam Torres Sun. June 23 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern Sat. Oct. 12 – Portsmouth, UK @ The Festing Sat. Oct. 13 – Exeter, UK @ The Cavern Mon. Oct. 14 – Brighton, UK @ Komedie Studio Tue. Oct. 15 – London, UK @ Lexington Wed. Oct. 16 – Bristol, UK @ Louisiana Thu. Oct. 17 – Birmingham, UK @ Hair & Hounds 2 Fri. Oct. 18 – Manchester, UK @ YES Sat. Oct. 19 – Oxford, UK @ Ritual Union Festival
It seems that only the legendary Herb Alpert could combine spaghetti western horns with late 1970’s synths and make it work. He did exactly that on his 1979 album Rise – his first without the Tijuana Brass backing him.
The opening track, “1980,” was originally written for NBC Sports’ coverage of the 1980 Olympics and sounds like a vision of what the next decade was going to sound like for all of us – full of futuristic gadgets and obsession over the coming new millennium clashing with old school thinking and ideals (pretty much the 1980’s in a nutshell). The title track is one of the funkiest things ever put on a record, so much so that it was heavily sampled by Biggie Smalls on “Hypnotize” (Abe Laboriel’s bass riffs alone could power two dozen hip hop records). Mike Lang’s piano work mixes well with Alpert’s expert trumpet work, and Alpert knows when to put down his horn and let his band jam.
“Behind the Rain” sounds like unused music from a Roger Moore-era Bond movie with its thrilling string and horn arrangements, machine gun-like drums, and car chase guitar. “Rotation” has this cool, quirky beat to it that mixes simple drum chops with electro-beats that are peppy yet subtle (and Alpert’s trumpet, of course, roots the entire track).
“Street Life” is sassy and brassy, with Alpert’s trumpet taking center stage throughout it while some funky slap bass struts alongside him. Speaking of slap bass, it’s even funkier on “Love Is,” a song that I’m sure was remixed for discos across the country at the time. Louis Johnson practically puts on a clinic on how to lay down a snappy bass groove. Alpert, again, smartly lets his instrument be the backup on the track.
“Angelina” brings in the Central American flair found on so many of Alpert’s records and even some Caribbean beats to boot. That south of the border sexiness continues on “Aranjuez (Mon Amour),” which also throws in disco beats and bass for good measure.
One can’t write about Rise without mentioning Herb Alpert’s nephew, Randy “Badazz” Alpert, who co-produced the record and brought in a lot of the disco / nightclub / funky touches. He helped bring his uncle’s work to even more people by getting “Rise” and other cuts into the hands of club DJ’s. It’s a classic record and worth a listen.
Keep your mind open.
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Clutch, Killswitch Engage, and Cro-Mags are heading on the road together this summer across the United States in what will surely be one of the loudest tours of 2019. Tickets to all dates are on sale now. Some of the dates include festivals like Clutch’s Earth Rocker (July 13), Rock Fest (July 19th), and Impact Festival (July 28th).
Clutch never disappoint live, so don’t miss your chance to see them.
Keep your mind open.
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I happened to be in Tucson, Arizona on the same night of the final show of Bayonne and Palm Daze‘s most recent tour. I’d wanted to see Bayonne since I’d heard his fine album Primitives and missed his set at Levitation Austin a few years ago.
They were playing at a small club in downtown Tucson called 191 Toole (named for the address). It’s a nice small venue with no bad places to stand for a view of the stage. It’s the kind of venue I’d love to own – small bar, good-sized room, ample parking, not far from a college campus. Fewer than forty people showed up for the gig, probably due to that weekend being graduation weekend for the University of Arizona. It’s a shame for those who missed it, because Bayonne and Palm Daze closed their tour with a great show.
Palm Daze, the Austin psychedelic dream-pop three-piece opened the show and played most, if not all, of their 2017 EP Controls (review coming). Eric McClung and Tyler Delaune bounced back and forth with synths, bass, and percussion while drummer Ryan Heath laid down serious chops. I was hooked by the third song.
Palm Daze (L-R: Ryan Heath, Tyler Delaune, Eric McClung)
Mr. Heath joined Bayonne (Roger Sellers) onstage for drum kit smashing while Mr. Sellers sang and played synths, guitar, and / or percussion, looping a lot of it on top of each other for great effect. Many artists would’ve phoned in a performance on the last night of a tour to a crowd of fewer than forty people, but Bayonne went for broke as he wowed the crowd with tracks of not only Primitives, but also his fine new record – Drastic Measures (again, review coming). Empty water bottles, sweaty towels, and broken drum sticks littered the stage by the time they were done.
This small show currently has the top spot on my list of best concerts of 2019, and will probably remain in the top 10 by the end of the year. Bayonne is playing Lollapalooza this year, and I can tell you his set will be a must-see if you are there.
Bayonne creating aural magic.
Keep your mind open.
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The 2019 Levitation France music festival has released its first announcement of the bands playing at the Le Quai performance center in Angers, France September 20-21st.
There are some interesting choices right out of the gate. Fat White Family makes intriguing psychedelic rock, Iceage, the Warlocks, and Black Midi will provide some of the loudest sets of the weekend, and New Candys bring in some great Italian shoegaze. I need to research the other bands. There might be a new favorite on this list I haven’t yet discovered.
Get ready to meet your new crush – Claude Fontaine. Her debut self-titled album is one of the best world music records so far this year, combining reggae, dub, and bossa nova with Fontaine’s lovely voice behind a knock-out backing band including gents who have worked with Miles Davis, Ziggy Marley, and Steel Pulse.
The opening track, “Cry for Another,” is a heartfelt reggae cut about longing. The bass riff alone will make you move. “Hot Tears” has Fontaine singing about being alone and waiting for a call from her lover that she knows in her heart will never come. “Hot tears in my coffee, cold sheets in my bed. If he really loved me, he’d be here instead,” she sings in a voice so lovely that you and everyone else who hears this track will agree that this guy’s an idiot. “Little Sister” brings up the raga tempo (Seriously, the groove is outstanding.) and has Fontaine warning her sister / friend that the guy she’s falling for is a faker.
The horn section is a great addition to the smooth reggae beats (by legendary drummer Airto Moreira) on “Love Street.” The breakdown on it slides you into a dub-fueled sexy dream. Fontaine sings about finding love with someone for whom she’s pined for a long while – perhaps the subject of “Hot Tears.” “Play by Play” keeps the dub touches, and Fontaine’s voice is perfect for the psychedelic, trippy touches of dub music. She’s almost a ghost you keep trying to catch, but she always playfully slips away before you can grab her.
The album moves into bossa nova territory on “Pretending He Was You” – one of my favorite singles of the year so far. It blends Fontaine’s sad lyrics with tropical bird sounds, simple hand percussion, and classic Brazilian guitar strumming. “I’ll Play the Fool” is just as good, with Fontaine telling her lover not to worry about the “how’s” and “why’s” of their relationship and that she’s willing to be the silly one who embraces life if he won’t.
The soft percussion on “Strings of Your Guitar” is outstanding, and I’m pretty sure Fontaine’s lyrics are about wishing her lover would treat her with the same care as his instrument. #swoon. “Footprints in the Sand” is a heartbreaking ballad about a lover who has walked out on Fontaine. “Footprints left in the sand are all I have,” she sings, knowing that even her memories of him will fade in time. If you aren’t completely under her spell by the time you reach the closer, “Our Last Goodbye,” you might want to consider seeing a psychiatrist because you are probably an emotionless sociopath. Fontaine’s vocals about parting too soon from a lover make you want to buy her a glass of wine and just sit with her to watch the sunset.
Ms. Fontaine’s debut is a gorgeous record, and easily the most beautiful work I’ve heard so far this year. Don’t sleep on her (as the kids say). You need these songs more than you might realize.
Keep your mind open.
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“Rollicking, dizzying, high-octane grooves with the joie de vivre of afrobeat and highlife.” — Rolling Stone
“It’s downright miraculous how the songs mesh: guitar licks, hopscotching bass lines, cymbal offbeats and talking drums all land with microscopic precision and can reconfigure in an instant.” — The New York Times
“The sound of a group without obvious peer… such brazen confidence and ability” — Wire Magazine
Niamey, Niger band Tal National returns to tour North America this summer supporting their highly lauded third album for FatCat Records, Tantabara. The tour begins in July and will bring the band to Canada for the first time, while also returning to some US cities in which they’ve blown minds and moved feet previously. Please see current dates below. Hear and share Tantabara via Spotify, Bandcamp and YouTube.
Tal National is a band built on bringing people together. Their home country of Niger is split into a wide variety of cultures and ethnicities — Songhai, Fulani, Hausa, and Tuareg voices all vie for attention under their national banner, and all are represented in the vast membership of Tal National’s ranks. This gives the band’s music its own particular mash of ethnomusical touchstones, from the bounce of kora, highlife and afrobeat, to the dusting of Tuareg Blues and the roiling boil of Hausa percussion — they are truly their country’s best cultural emissaries. In 2013 the band’s FatCat debut was released to wide critical acclaim: The NY Times placed it on their year end Top Ten and other publications followed suit — The Guardian, The Independent, Mojo, Vice, The Wire, and others all sang exuberant praises. NPR, KEXP and WBEZ hosted frenetic live sessions. Two years on, their follow-up only cemented their status, adding shouts from Pitchfork, Afropop Worldwide, FADER, The Quietus and The Boston Globe to the fray. Though with each heaping of praise they all seemed to echo NPR’s assessment that “there’s no way you won’t dance to this one!”
Tantabara is available on LP, CD and download, released February 9th, 2018 via FatCat Records.
TAL NATIONAL TOUR 2019: 07/06 London, ON – Sunfest 07/07 London, ON – Sunfest 07/08 Toronto, ON – The Baby G 07/09 Detroit, MI – Trinosophes 07/11 Pittsburgh, PA – Spirit 07/13 Winnipeg, MB – Winnipeg Folk Festival 07/14 Winnipeg, MB – Winnipeg Folk Festival 07/16 Portland, OR – The Jack London 07/17 Seattle, WA – Nectar Lounge 07/18 Harrison Hot Springs, BC – Harrison Festival 07/20 Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Folk Festival 07/21 Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Folk Festival 07/26-07/28 Calgary, AB – Calgary Folk Festival 08/01 New York, NY – Public Records 08/02 Marlboro, NY – Live at The Falcon 08/03 New Haven, CT – Cafe Nine 08/04 Portland, ME – Space538 08/06 Hudson, NY – Half Moon presents 08/07 Boston, MA – Museum of Fine Arts 08/08 Easthampton, MA – New City Brewery 08/09 Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Folk Festival 08/10 Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Folk Festival 08/16 Salmon Arm, BC – Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival 08/17 Salmon Arm, BC – Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival
Keep your mind open.
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