A stunning tour will hit the west coast beginning in February. The Desert Daze Caravan will bring Temples, Night Beats, Deap Vally, Froth, and Jjuujjuu to California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and even Canada. Don’t miss this tour if you’re out west. I’m tempted to buy airfare to Phoenix just to see this lineup.
2/22/17 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
2/24/17 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
2/25/17 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
2/26/17 – Vancouver, BC – The Rickshaw Theatre
2/28/17 – Felton, CA – Don Quixote’s Music Hall
3/1/17 – Nevada City, CA – Miner’s Foundry Cultural Center
3/2/17 – Pomona, CA – The Glass House Concert Hall
3/3/17 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace
3/4/17 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater
3/5/17 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up
3/10/17 – Las Vegas, NV – Neon Reverb Festival
3/11/17 – Phoenix, AZ – VIVA PHX – Downtown Phoenix
3/17/17 – Dallas,TX – Not So Fun Weekend @ Trees
Keep your mind open.
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Recorded at Tilburg, Holland’s annual Roadburn festival dedicated to rock and metal, Live at Roadburn is probably the closest you can get to an Earthless (Mike Eginton – bass, Isaiah Mitchell – guitar, Mario Rubalcaba – drums) concert without being there. It might not entirely melt your face, but it will certainly heat it up and warp your mind.
The double-disc CD version has two songs on each disc. A four-song set is average for an Earthless show, because most songs are at least fifteen minutes long. The performance starts off with “Blue,” which is not only a stoner rock gem, but it also has elements of prog-rock sprinkled throughout (the way Mitchell’s guitar and Rubalcaba’s drums bounce off each other, for instance). Mitchell’s guitar hits definite Cream territory around the ten-minute mark.
The song rolls into the epic “From the Ages” with Rubalcaba’s near-manic drumming and Eginton’s rock solid bass. The groove they hit around the 24-minute mark is outstanding. All three of them click so well that they make it sound easy. They drop into almost a blues-rock groove around the 31-minute mark (with Eginton’s mantra-like bass). They get cosmic around minute 38 and slowly build into re-entry burn rock fury.
Disc 2 features “Godspeed” and “Sonic Prayer.” “Godspeed” begins with fuzzy distortion and rolling cymbals before bursting forth like a platoon of orcs smashing down a fortress wall. Your mind is almost in your shoes by the 16-minute mark because the song becomes a psychedelic freak-out at that point. The band is racing like a nitro-burning funny car about four minutes later when they’re into “Sonic Prayer.” It’s jaw-dropping by then (like any Earthless show).
Pick up this album if you can’t make it to an Earthless concert. It will get you into orbit. A live show will send you to the next solar system, but Live at Roadburn will at least help you circle the planet.
Keep your mind open.
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I don’t know if “sexy shoegaze psych” is its own genre of music, but PINS (Anna Donigan – bass, Sophie Galpin – drums, Faith Holgate – guitar and vocals, Lois McDonald – guitar) are the queens of it if it is. Their 2015 album Wild Nights oozes with sex and the lush, distorted, dream pop guitar us shoegaze and psych-rock lovers crave.
“Baby Bhangs” has a groovy bass line throughout it and enough reverbed backing vocals for three tracks. “Young Girls” starts off like an early New Order cut and then drifts into a lovely song about girl power (“What will we do when our dreams come true, young girls?”). Galpin’s rock drumming it is a neat counter to the crisp, bouncy guitar. “Curse These Dreams” has psychedelic rock flavor (check out those Brian Jonestown Massacre-like drums and ethereal backing vocals) while Holgate pines for silence from dreams about her former lover.
“Oh Lord” continues the neo-psychedelia guitar, but the vocals are more like something you’d hear from the Duke Spirit. They’re dark and spooky and full of lust. Donigan and Galpin knock this one out of the park. It’s impossible not to think that “Dazed by You” could’ve been a Dum Dum Girls track in another dimension, because it’s jumpy, dreamy, and lovely in all aspects. “Got It Bad” is a resurrected 1950’s wall of sound girl group ballad that you swear you’ve heard on an old jukebox somewhere, but it’s a new creation by PINS instead. It’s possibly the loveliest song on the album, and that’s saying a lot due to do how lush this record is. “Too Little Too Late” is more psychedelia that hits hard with chugging guitars. “Yeah, you said you’re sorry, but I’ve heard it all before. Yeah, you said you’re sorry, but are you sure?”, Holgate sings. Haven’t we all been there?
“House of Love” has Holgate warning her lover not to be in such a rush to leave, because things won’t necessarily be better outside those walls. “If Only” is about the break-up and how she now finds herself unsure of how to perform even simple tasks. McDonald’s guitar work on it is excellent. “Molly” could be about the drug or about a girl (“Wild nights with Molly, she’s got a hold on me.”). I think it’s the latter, but the reference is inescapable – as is the reverb on McDonald’s guitar.
The closer, “Everyone Says,” is a torch song with fuzzed, echoing guitar and heartbreaking lyrics (“Everyone says that you’re no good. That I don’t we do what I should, but what do they know that I don’t know?”). It’s a lovely piece of work and an excellent end to an excellent record. This would’ve been in my top 25 of 2015 had I been making lists last year. I need more Pins. You need more Pins. We all need more Pins.
Keep your mind open.
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Take Control by Slaves (Isaac Holman – drums and vocals, Laurie Vincent – guitar, bass, vocals) is the best punk record I’ve heard in months. Opening with “Spit It Out,” the duo launch into a diatribe about their generation whining about nostalgia they haven’t yet earned (“Suckin’ on a sour-sweet, waitin’ on a train. Lookin’ at the information, ready to complain. Thinkin’ back on better days, how it used to be. Pull yourself together, boy, you’re only twenty-three!”). It’s vicious and heavy and one of the best opening tracks of the year.
“Hypnotised” has great fuzzy bass and even better hectic drums behind it. Sham 69 must be proud of them because Slaves clearly are expressing their love for them with the somewhat distorted vocals and slick rhythm of the track. The Beastie Boys’ Mike D contributes a verse of rapping as well as some screams and vocals on “Consume or Be Consumed” – a dire warning about materialism and the general gluttony of First World living. The vocals are pretty much rap lyrics, and Mike D must’ve felt like he was back in his early days when the Beastie Boys were a wacky punk band (Remember that?).
The title track does in less than two minutes what the Foo Fighters wish they could still do – angry rock with no muss or fuss. “Rich Man” is both funny (“Rich man, I’m not your bitch, man.”) and groovy. Vincent and Holman both admire the subject’s moxie (“He’s got a big house and a shitload of land.”), but know money doesn’t bring long-term happiness (“Five kids by three different girls, seven cars and not a friend in the world.”) The opening of “Play Dead” sounds like L7 cuts and the vocals are akin to something off an early Jon Spencer Blues Explosion album.
Vincent’s guitar on “Lies” has some blues touches, believe it or not. Don’t worry, they get back to the angry punk on “Fuck the Hi-Hat” (which isn’t part of Holman’s stand-up drum kit – “I don’t need it!” He yells by the end.). “People That You Meet” is about folks Slaves have met here and there and essentially a new version of Sesame Street’s “People in Your Neighborhood.”
The electric beats of “Steer Clear” are surprising, as is the mellow tone of the song about the dangers of drinking and driving. It’s actually pretty cool that Slaves (and guest vocalist Baxter Dury) would put a song like this on the record in hopes of reaching their fans (“Throwing all your things in the back of your car, now you’re leaving in a drunken rage. That’s why I say, ‘Please don’t kill yourself behind the steering wheel.’”).
“They don’t call it ‘work’ for nothin’!” begins “Cold Hard Floor,” which turns into a slightly psychedelic trip that Ty Segall would enjoy. “STD’s / PhD’s” brings back the heavy fuzz and programmed beats. It’s almost an industrial goth track. “Angelica” is like a punk cover of a 1950’s teen-rock ballad, but with drum machine beats and lyrics about the girl in question being a “bloodsucker” instead of doo-wop lovey-dovey beats and vocals. They return to distorted punk on “Same Again,” a song about the drudgery of everyday life in Britain (“Same again, week in, week out.” / “Straight to the bar, you know the drill. Money to spend, time to kill.”).
It’s fun stuff, and refreshingly brash and in your face for most of the record. Give it a spin and snap out of it.
TEMPLES TO HEADLINE DESERT DAZE CARAVAN, FEBRUARY 22-MARCH 17
FIRST NORTH AMERICAN TOUR IN SUPPORT OF NEW ALBUM, VOLCANO,
OUT MARCH 3RD ON FAT POSSUM
(photo credit: Ed Miles) Temples, the English four-piece consisting of JamesBagshaw (vocals, guitar), TomWalmsley (bass, backing vocals), SamToms (drums) and AdamSmith (keys), will release their new album, Volcano, on March 3rd via FatPossum. Today, they’re excited to announce they’ll be headlining the 2017DesertDazeCaravan, kicking off Wed. Feb. 22nd in SanFrancisco and taking them all over the west coast, south, and south west before the tour wraps up Fri. March 17th in Dallas. This is Temples’ first North American tour in support of Volcano after selling out multiple venues stateside this past fall where they previewed new material for the first time. All new dates are listed below, with tickets available for purchase herethis Friday. Watch/Listen/Share:
“Certainty” video — https://youtu.be/h6zdVaAe0OE
“Certainty” stream — https://soundcloud.com/templesofficial/temples-certainty/
Temples perform “Certainty” on Last Call With Carson Daly — http://bit.ly/2gX2nkr
“Certainty” (Franz Ferdinand Remix) — http://bit.ly/2gDdiAn
Temples Tour Dates (new dates in bold): Sun. Jan. 22 – Hebden Bridge, UK @ The Trades Club, Heavenly Weekend Wed. Feb. 22 — San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel (Desert Daze Caravan) Fri. Feb. 24 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom (Desert Daze Caravan) Sat. Feb. 25 — Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s (Desert Daze Caravan) Sun. Feb. 26 — Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre (Desert Daze Caravan) Tue. Feb. 28 — Felton, CA @ Don Quixote’s (Desert Daze Caravan) Wed. March 1 — Nevada City, CA @ Miners Foundry Cultural Center (Desert Daze Caravan) Thu. March 2 — Pomona, CA @ Glass House (Desert Daze Caravan) Fri. March 3 — Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet’s (Desert Daze Caravan) Sat. March 4 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent (Desert Daze Caravan) Sun. March 5 — Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern (Desert Daze Caravan) Sat. March 11 — Phoenix, AZ @ Downtown Phoenix [VIVA PHX] (Desert Daze Caravan) Fri. March 17 — Dallas, TX @ Trees (Desert Daze Caravan) Thu. March 30 – London, UK @ The Electric
I don’t remember where I first heard The KVB (Kat Day and Nicholas Wood). It was probably BBC 6 Music, but I remember immediately thinking, “Who is that?” within a few moments. Their blend of electro, shoegaze, and John Carpenter film score riffs grabs your attention right away, and their newest album, Of Desire, is a great introduction to them if you’ve never heard them before now.
“White Walls” starts with 1980’s no wave synths and somewhat distant vocals about Nicholas Wood letting a lover leave while he stays inside to do some self-imposed penance for saying some things he regrets. The synths soar and click in beautiful waves. I don’t know what will get you to like this band if this opening track doesn’t.
Peter Hook-like bass creeps throughout “Night Games.” It sounds like something Snake Plissken would be playing in his glider flight in Escape from New York. “Lower Depths” is a goth gem, both lyrically (“Don’t want the light. I see the inside. I’m lost in a hole. My head’s on fire.”) and musically with its industrial guitars, programmed simple snare beats, and synth drones. “Silent Wave” reminds me of the Knight Rider theme at first, but it’s Knight Rider with KITT being a hearse instead of a Trans Am and the hero being a 1980’s goth computer hacker instead of a guy who’s a pop star in Germany.
“Primer” is an instrumental appetizer for the lush “Never Enough.” It’s almost the opposite of “White Walls” (but the deep synths and shoegaze guitars remain the same), as Wood has now flipped the table on his lover who has ruined everything. “And it’s all too much, because it’s never enough. And it’s all your fault as it slips away,” he sings.
I’m pretty sure “In Deep” is about a ghost waiting for its lover to die so they can be together again (“Being here, not living, I see it brings you down. And I’m trying hard to help you, but I feel I’ve come too late.”). The synths are bright like the afterlife, but the electro-bass is rooted to the Earth. “Awake” brings back the John Carpenter soundtrack feel, and it’s a great song for dark nights, dark car rides, or dark rooms. “V11393” is a cool instrumental that has probably been remixed across industrial clubs across the world by now.
“Unknown,” a song that has Wood wondering about the future as he lies in bed with his lover, has some of the loudest guitar on the record, but it knows when to move out of the way and let the synth bass take the forefront. Another good instrumental, “Mirrors,” leads into “Second Encounter,” with floating synths and clear guitar that makes you wonder if the song is about a relationship coming to an end, death, heroin, depression, or all of the above.
Of Desire is aptly named because every song on the record is about lust, love, loss, or regret. It’s a gorgeous record and actually inspired me to buy DJ gear and begin making electronic music again. Let it inspire you.
Alt / grunge rock legends Dinosaur Jr. have announced tour dates for 2017 in support of their new album Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not. Catch ’em if you can!
DINOSAUR JR. TOUR DATES (new dates in bold) Sat. Dec 10 – North Adams, MA @ MASS MoCA Thu. Jan. 12 – Sydney, Australia @ The Metro w/ Luluc Fri. Jan. 13 – Newstead, Australia @ The Triffid Sat. Jan. 14 – Miami, Australia @ Miami Tavern Sun. Jan. 15 – Byron Bay Nsw, Australia @ The Northern Wed. Jan. 18 – Perth, Australia @ The Capitol Thu. Jan. 19 – Adelaide, Australia @ The Gov Fri. Jan. 20 – Thornbury, Australia @ The Croxton Sat. Jan. 21 – Thornbury, Australia @ The Croxton Mon. Jan. 23 – Auckland, NZ @ The Studio Thu. Jan. 26 – Nagoya-Shi, Japan @ Club Quattro Nagoya Fri. Jan. 27 – Tokyo, Japan @ EX Theater Rappongi Mon. Jan. 30 – Osaka-Shi, Japan @ Club Quattro Osaka Thu. Mar. 9 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre Fri. Mar. 10 – Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall Sat. Mar. 11 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall Sun. Mar. 12 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom Mon. Mar. 13 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall Thu. Mar. 16 – Bloomington, IN @ Bluebird Fri. Mar. 17 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre Sat. Mar. 18 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room Sun. Mar. 19 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall Wed. Mar. 22 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall Thu. Mar 23 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom Fri. Mar. 24 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre Sat. Mar. 25 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse Tue. Mar. 28 – St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre Wed. Mar. 29 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room Thu. Mar. 30 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Theatre Fri. Mar. 31 – Jacksonville, FL @ Mavericks Sat. Apr. 1 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
“If ‘Tall Glass Of Water’ is meant to be a song of himself, as it were, Darcy visualizes it in terms that would be familiar to Walt Whitman, and that are consistent with the concept of Saturday Night: As an artist, he contains multitudes.” — NPR Music‘s “Songs We Love”
There’s a line in “Tall Glass of Water,” the lead single off Tim Darcy’s debut solo album, Saturday Night, where Darcy asks himself a rhetorical question: “if at the end of the river, there is more river, would you dare to swim again?” He barely pauses before the answer: “Yes, surely I will stay, and I am not afraid. I went under once, I’ll go under once again.” That river shows up again and again in the lyrics of Saturday Night. It’s about how wonderful it can be to feel in touch with that inner current. It’s about how good it feels to make art, and how terrifying; how you don’t always get to choose whether you’re swimming or drowning as we grow and move through life, just that you’re going to keep diving in. That’s the impulse that links all the songs on Saturday Night.
Each track on Saturday Night is woven to the next in a winding, complex journey through a charged, continuous present. Darcy’s unmistakable, commanding voice and lyrical phrasing are, as they are in Ought, vital to the entire affair. He over-enunciates. He whoops and croons. He makes damn sure you know there are no tossed-off lines here. At the same time there is an evident softness in these songs and an accompanying musicality. While there are moments that take their strength in sparseness, Darcy is unafraid to paint in economic technicolor as his wry lyricism floats nimbly upon chorused guitars and the occasional synthetic artifact.
The album title comes in part from the nights and weekends when it was recorded: a six month period that overlapped with the recording of Ought’s second album where Darcy gathered with friends to record in the storage room of a commercial studio in Toronto. The result sounds like a person exploring his voice in a room full of people he trusts: joyful, shot through with struggle, unfakeably honest. Intimate and rollicking as a house show, delicate as a late-night phone call.
Born in Arizona, Tim Darcy made his way to both Colorado and New Hampshire before ending up in Montreal where he found university, the city’s rich DIY scene, and the other members of Ought. He began writing poetry as early as the third grade and performed often, and his first attempts at songwriting were him feeling around in the dark to set some of them to music. In Montreal, he played in various projects, his and others, before settling into a groove as the singer and guitarist of Ought.
Tim Darcy’s Saturday Night is out February 17th via Jagjaguwar. All iTunes preorders come with an instant grat download of debut single, “Tall Glass of Water,” presented today with the video directed by Jonny Look. Darcy and band will tour North America throughout February and March (all dates are below).
Saturday Night Tracklisting:
1. Tall Glass of Water
2. Joan Pt 1, 2
3. You Felt Comfort
4. Still Waking Up
5. First Final Days
6. Saturday Night
7. Found My Limit
8. Saint Germain
9. What’d You Release?
10. Beyond Me
11. Joan Pt 3 [HIDDEN TRACK]
Tim Darcy Tour Dates: Mon. Feb. 13 – Hudson, NY @ Half Moon Wed. Feb. 15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right Fri. Feb. 17 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake Mon. Feb. 20 – London, UK @ Lexington Tue. Feb. 21 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Wed. Feb. 22 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Thu. Feb. 23 – Rennes, FR @ La Route Du Rock D’hiver Fri. Feb. 24 – Paris, FR @ Olympic Sat. Mar. 4 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz Mon. Mar. 6 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott Tue. Mar. 7 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle Wed. Mar. 8 – Washington, DC @ The Black Cat Thu. Mar. 9 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter Fri. Mar. 10 – Raleigh, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Sat. Mar. 11 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover Sun. Mar. 12 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl Sat. Mar. 18 – Dallas, TX @ Not So Fun Wknd Mon. Mar. 20 – Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room Wed. Mar. 22 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop Thu. Mar. 23 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle Sat. Mar. 25 – Detroit, MI @ Marble Bar
Imagine you flew from Guatemala to Chicago to see a band and they only played four songs (including the encore), but you were ecstatic by the end of the show. This is what happens at Earthlessshows.
My friend, Paul, and I went to see Earthless, Ruby the Hatchet, and Marmora at the Empty Bottle. It was my third time seeing Earthless and Paul’s first. We hadn’t seen either of the opening acts. Paul and I are big fans of Earthless and their mostly instrumental cosmic rock, and the Empty Bottle (which was sold out) would be the smallest venue in which I’d seen them so far.
We met a couple who drove in from Wisconsin to see them for the first time. We all talked about the number of songs we’d get to hear from Earthless. They played four the first two times I saw them, so Paul and I were betting on at least three. The couple from Wisconsin hoped for four, and they were correct.
First up were Marmora – a Chicago four-piece that blended stoner rock with punk. Paul knew we were in for something groovy when their lead guitarist came out wearing a “Got blunt?” T-shirt.
Marmora – rocking hard despite having a rough day at the office.
Marmora had been through a rough day. The lead singer had screwed up his ankle, they mentioned having some sort of vehicle trouble earlier, they accidentally set their gear in dog poop while loading the van, the drummer’s foot pedal broke (thankfully, they had another), and the lead singer broke a string on his guitar. They put on a good set despite all that, and their rhythm section is particularly good.
Ruby the Hatchet put on a fine set of witchcraft rock with song titles like “Pagan Ritual” and “The Unholy.” They have a great organ player who brings a cool 1960’s vibe to their power. Their lead singer commands a room and her hand gestures as she soaks in the band’s sound might as well have been learned from Dr. Strange.
Ruby the Hatchet casting spells on all of us.
Earthless walked on stage with no muss or fuss. They said hello and then unleashed. A brother-sister duo from Guatemala were next to me and told me how they’d come to the States to follow Earthless on their current tour. They were big fans of stoner / doom metal. The brother, David, told me he’s been reaching out to stoner metal bands in hopes of convincing them to tour in Guatemala, where there is no stoner metal scene according to him. He and his sister had a great time, although his sister couldn’t understand why the audience wasn’t dancing more. “American audiences are so fucking stiff,” she told me.
She probably changed her mind by the time a fight broke out in a mosh pit started by some dude high and / or drunk out of his mind. I saw her grab the guy by the face while he was being dragged out by fans and security. Earthless, meanwhile, were too busy detaching the roof from the Empty Bottle and rocketing into space to notice or care. All three of them were on fire, but I must mention that this was the hardest I’ve seen drummer Mario Rubalcaba play so far. He beat his kit like it stole his skateboard.
That’s not a disco ball above Earthless. It’s a small moon they pulled down from the heavy gravity of their set.
Their first song, “Uluru Rock,” was 25 minutes long. The second, “Violence of the Red Sea,” was 15. The third, “Sonic Prayer,” was a half-hour. They came back on for a quick encore – a blazing cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown” that lasted under five minutes and left everyone stunned. “I liked them before,” Paul said. “I like them even more now.”
Walking back out into the low 30’s weather after getting our faces melted was jarring, but it felt great. We’d been elevated. I’ve always said that Earthless chose that name for their band because their music can’t be confined to this planet. They proved that again in Chicago.
Gary Wilson releasing an album of original Christmas music? No standards? I’m there. I’m there all through the holiday season.
After a brief introduction that features cackling geese, Wilson’s distorted voice repeating “holiday” over and over, and warped synths, It’s Christmas Time with Gary Wilson brings “A Christmas Tree for Two.” Wilson sings about buying a silver Christmas tree for his love. “I don’t wanna cut down a Christmas tree. It makes me sad when it starts to bleed,” Wilson sings. Would you expect Gary Wilson to have anything but a swanky reflective tree with a spinning multi-colored light under it?
“I Saw Santa Dancing in the Dark” has Wilson singing about his eager return to his hometown (Endicott, NY) and taking his girl to the famous (to him and his fans) north side pool before a return home for drinks and dancing, but the mysterious Linda is “crying in the park.” Will Gary’s date go as planned? Here’s a hint: It rarely does.
As evidenced on “A Sled Ride Tonight,” in which Wilson’s been dumped during the Christmas season and all he wanted was to take his lady on a sled ride. It’s a song that would fit on any of his records, let alone a Christmas album. The chaotic synth instrumental “The Snow” is a perfect musical accompaniment to the hypnotizing, weird visuals you get when looking at blowing snow in the headlights of your car at 2am. “Holiday” is a jaunty tune in which Wilson tells his girl he’s going to introduce her to “the chromium clown.” It might be a bit creepy, but the song is nothing but bouncy lounge fun.
It wouldn’t be a Gary Wilson album without him singing about his lost loves, and “Cindy Wants to Cry” certainly qualifies. Don’t miss the nice saxophone work and quirky percussion while he sings, “Linda wants to cry, Karen wants to cry, Cindy wants to cry on Christmas.”
“Wintertime in Johnson City” has Wilson excited about yet another upcoming date, but he admits that Johnson City is “a town that has no pity” and knows that she might not show up. Meanwhile, “It’s Snowing in Endicott.” “Sounds so nice, so sad,” Wilson says at the beginning of the tune. The town is forever linked with Gary Wilson, as are its painful memories known only to him. He has his house and Christmas tree ready, doing his best to cut through the gray skies and loneliness. Maybe he’ll get his Christmas wish this year, but you doubt it.
Wilson’s girl doesn’t make it to his house because she’s “Lost in the Snow.” He can’t find her, yet again, but he never gives up hope. This never-ending optimism is one of the best things about Wilson’s music. There are themes of loss, loneliness, and bad luck, but he always gets up from the couch after another lonely night in Endicott. He never gives up hope of a fun Friday night with Linda, Karen, Cindy, or others.
There’s wonderful jazz lounge piano in “She Danced Near the Frozen Lake.” “Let’s take a walk into outer space,” Wilson sings on “A Date for New Year’s Eve.” I can’t imagine a better way to start 2017 than that. I don’t know what Wilson’s going to with the “pound of baking flour” he mentions buying in the song, but I’m sure it will end up everywhere. Check out one of his live shows and you’ll understand.
“Santa Claus Is Coming to My Lonely Town” keeps hope alive once more. Wilson’s met a new girl he kissed on the planet Mars. Is this after Santa Claus conquered the Martians? He’s brought Wilson’s wish list and it’s all walks in the park, kisses in outer space, beautiful snow, and every night being Friday night. It’s a wish list we’d all take and far better than more junk you’ll hate in four months.
The album closes with the instrumental “Lonely Holiday,” linking it back to the beginning of the record. The Christmas spirit, like Wilson’s perpetual optimism and search for love, should last all year.
Keep your mind open.
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A stunning tour will hit the west coast beginning in February. The Desert Daze Caravan will bring Temples, Night Beats, Deap Vally, Froth, and Jjuujjuu to California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and even Canada. Don’t miss this tour if you’re out west. I’m tempted to buy airfare to Phoenix just to see this lineup.
