Jake Xerxes Fussell is one of those artists who wouldn’t have been on my radar were it not for this blog. A country guitarist who sings songs about fish mongers? That’s usually not in my wheelhouse. Fussell’s last album, What in the Natural World, was sent to me by his label and it turned out to be one of my favorite albums of that year.
Now they’ve sent me Out of Sight, and it’s already in my top 20 of the year so far. The opener, “The River St. Johns” is that fish monger’s song I mentioned above, which Russell remembers hearing as a kid and he reproduces with great affection. “Micheal Was Hearty” is his reworking of an Irish folk song from the late 1800’s into, get this, a waltz. It works. It works quite well. “Oh Captain” is his cover of an obscure Willis Laurence James song from the 1920’s and has Fussell singing the blues about a deckhand’s toil aboard his ship.
“Three Ravens” is another obscure 1920’s American songbook classic that has Fussell’s guitar work shining throughout it, and the lap steel is a great touch. The soft bass drum on “Jubilee” is like the heartbeat of a child as she sees a carousel for the first time. “Swing and turn, jubilee. Live and learn, jubilee,” Fussell sings. It’s a simple message that carries a lot of weight and insight. “Winnsboro Cottonmill Blues” has Fussell singing about the hard life of a textile mill worker whose boss would “take the nickles off a dead man’s eyes to buy Coca-Colas and Eskimo Pies.”
The shuffle of the murder / love ballad “The Rainbow Willow” is only matched in its artistry by the lap steel guitar and Fussell’s vocals. The instrumental “16-20” is slightly creepy, yet warm – like a friend who emerges out of a fog on a lonely road. The closer is the spiritual classic “Drinking of the Wine,” which Fussell admits he sings like fisherman singing a net-hauling shanty.
I haven’t written anywhere near enough about Fussell guitar playing, which is so masterful that he makes every song sound easy. His vocals also seem effortless, and his backing band on this record is outstanding. Fussell mentions in the liner notes that he wanted this record to “sound like a band playing in a room – nothing too ornate or grandiose in concept.” He nailed it. Out of Sight is intimate and delightful.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see Chromatics. I’d read the stories about how band leader Johnny Jewel had destroyed all physical copies of their next album, Dear Tommy, following a near-death experience in 2015. I thought, “Well, it was good while it lasted.” I later learned, however, that Jewel and company had re-recorded the album with additional songs added onto the original material. So I thought, “Well, maybe there’s hope yet.”
It turns out I was right because Chromatics announced a summer tour last year and I was able to snag tickets to see them at Chicago’s Park West before they sold out. It would be Chromatics’ first show in Chicago in six years and they were bringing their Italians Do It Better label mates Desire and In Mirrors with them.
After going through a four-stage security check more extensive than one conducted by the TSA, we were inside and facing the IDIB merchandise table that was practically set up like a flea market with its large neon sign, tables of LPs, and racks of T-shirts. I snagged a big tour poster for just five bucks.
In Mirrors started the show with a set of goth wave music that combined heavy synths with near-spoken word poetry and excellent fashion. Each band member looked like they just walked out of a cool men’s clothing store. They also revealed it was Johnny Jewel’s birthday that evening and thanked him for his extensive contribution to their music.
In Mirrors
Mr. Jewel came out next with his other band, Desire (fronted by his wife, Megan Louise, no less), who put on a nice set of shoegaze / synth wave (“Shoe wave?” “Synth gaze?”) that included a lot of songs about love, nights in the city, and, of course, desire. Megan Louise tossed out red roses to the crowd (particularly anyone on a first date) and led everyone in singing happy birthday to Mr. Jewel.
Desire
Everyone was buzzing hard for Chromatics by this point, and they came out to a neat electro start with a wild video show highlighting time moving in different directions. It was indicative of their music – retro and futuristic.
Chromatics
They started with their classic, “Lady,” but stopped the set afterward so Jewel could address a man in the crowd with, “Hey, man, are you okay?” I thought maybe someone was so drunk they could barely stand or perhaps ill or even overcome with emotion from seeing them live, but it quickly became apparent that the guy was drunk AND being a jackass – to put it mildly.
Jewel told him to calm down, not be a dick, and let everyone do their own thing. This is where the security personnel at Park West began to fail. No one showed up to check this guy out or escort him away from the front of the stage. The guy took offense to someone in the crowd during the next song, “Kill for Love,” and slugged somebody. The band called for security, telling them someone had just been punched, and finally one lone bouncer showed up who was at least sixty pounds heavier and thirty years older than the drunk jerk. The drunk struggled with him for a moment, pushing him away and “arm wrestling” with him.
I handed my tour poster to my wife and was three steps away from putting the guy in a rear choke hold and dragging him to the nearest exit. I’m not kidding. I was advancing on this guy and he had no idea I was behind him. I don’t write this to brag. I write this to highlight the lack of Park West security involved in this situation. I, a music blogger who also happens to be a police detective, was going to have to step in and help this lone bouncer because he had no back-up against a young, fit, and angry drunk who was actively resisting him. Luckily, he told the bouncer he’d walk out on his own and then left before I needed to grab him and before he and bouncer had a slugfest in the middle of the crowd.
Park West failed the sold-out crowd and Chromatics for not having security at the front of the stage as soon as Jewel called out the drunk. They should’ve been there before Jewel stopped talking. Instead, they weren’t and someone got hit by this dude. That’s a potential lawsuit, and it would’ve been one if someone had been seriously injured or worse.
Chromatics, and the crowd, sprung back with positive energy once the “one bad apple” (as Jewel called him) was gone. They played “Night Drive / Paradise” and “Back from the Grave” and I was happy to hear one of their newest singles, “Time Rider,” live for the first time. It didn’t disappoint.
They were enjoying their return to Chicago by the time they reached classics like “Cherry” and “I Want Your Love.” They closed the first set with their stunning cover of Neil Young‘s “Hey Hey, My My.”
Lead singer Ruth Radelet (who might be a vampire as she doesn’t appear to have aged in the last ten years) came out for the encore and delivered her beautiful rendition of Springsteen‘s “I’m on Fire,” which is more emotive in a live setting than you can imagine.
Ruth Radelet was on fire at Park West, and in all our hearts.
They ended the night with “Shadow” and their cover of Kate Bush‘s “Running Up that Hill.” Radelet and Jewel thanked everyone for a good night, with Jewel thanking everyone for overcoming the bad energy at the start of the show. It was a good return for them.
Two people behind me were yelling, “Dear Tommy when?” as he walked offstage. I thought, “That’s only for he to know and us to find out.” You can’t always rush art, and the first couple singles we’ve heard this year promise good things to come.
Keep your mind open.
[Hey, hey, my, my…You haven’t subscribed and I don’t know why.]
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.
[Slide over to the subscription box before you split, daddy-o.]
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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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.
[I’ll play the part of sending you music news if you play the part of the subscriber.]
Back with their first album in far too long (20 years), L7 make a much-needed and much-requested return in a time of “alternate truths,” “pink taxes,” xenophobia, and Orwellian bliss with Scatter the Rats. The name of the album is, I suspect, a call to action. The rats are everywhere and we need to make them run.
The opening guitar riff on “Burn Baby” slaps you awake and soon guitarist Donita Sparks is singing about how “…you think I’m a fraud, and I know you’re a fake, but when it’s all said and done we all burn at the stake.” It also sounds like they mix guitar chords with kazoo blasts, which is great. “Fighting the Crave” puts aside the tongue-in-cheek humor for gunslinging bass from Jennifer Garner and some of drummer Dee Plakas‘ most dangerous chops as Sparks sings about trying to resist a hot lover. It’s a track Motley Crue wishes they could’ve written.
“Proto Prototype” has co-guitarist Suzy Gardner on lead vocals, and she sounds like a were-tiger casting a 7th level conjuring spell. The song is that dangerous. “Stadium West” is currently one of my top ten singles of the year. It’s a fun, fast rocker that I can’t wait to hear live. “Murky Water Cafe” has Gardner’s vocals almost taking on a southern rock edge as she sings about a New Orleans dive bar and the weird, murky things that happened (still happen?) to her there. Also, her solo on it is sharp as a switchblade.
I’m willing to bet “Ouija Board Lies” has a great backstory. Is Sparks singing about getting turned on by a ghost? Or is she angry with the ghost about it not being what she expected? Hell, I’m not even sure it’s about a ghost at all. I do know that her riffs and Gardner’s riffs are a great one-two punch throughout the track, however. “Garbage Truck” is a tune about running into a screwed up relationship (“My love’s like a garbage truck. Get wasted and I’ll pick you up.”).
Plakas’ beats on “Holding Pattern” are a clinic on how to ground a rock song and how sometimes subtle power is best. I’m intrigued with the title of “Uppin’ the Ice.” “Hit the ground, take in the sights, all bow down ’cause we’re uppin’ the ice,” Sparks sings. It’s a call for women to get cold. Revenge is best served that way, after all. Gardner turns up the collar on her leather jacket and slips on a pair of brass knuckles on “Cool About Easy.” Don’t screw with her. She will jack you up and leave you whimpering.
The title track closes the album and has Sparks and Gardner sharing vocals about cleaning out rats, pigeons, and other vermin polluting and corrupting all of us. Their sights are set on Washington D.C., in case you weren’t aware. The dirty blues touches on the guitar solos are great, and Finch’s bass pretty much dares you to stand in front of it.
It’s great to have L7 back with not only all four original members, but also with a solid record. They are touring all over right now, so don’t miss your chance to see them.
I’ll admit that it took me a couple listens to “get” spoony bard‘s newest album, Old Friends. After those first two listens, I realized there’s nothing to “get.” It’s something to experience.
spoony bard, otherwise known as David Nord, blends hip hop with jazz, ambient sounds, electro, synthwave, and even a bit of vaporwave into a mix that settles on you like incense smoke. Starting with a tip of the hat to De La Soul with “Ego Trippin’ Part 99,” bard’s rapping slides in and then back out almost before you notice it’s gone thanks to his cool beats. “Levitate Me Later” is a low-tuned funky cut that reminds me of some of Flying Lotus‘ peppier tracks.
I love the title of “Dizziness of Freedom,” and the wobbly synths in it emphasize the weird, sometimes overwhelming sense that comes with having to choose from so many damn things on the menu. The bright synths on “Extralewd 1” sound like the opening credits music of a 1970’s blaxploitation movie made in the year 2170. The phat bass on “Megalixir” is like something from a sex scene in that same movie.
You can’t help but sway to the beats of “Areia.” “Extralewd 2” brings in some nice guitar riffs to the synth-beats and time-warping bass. “Note to self, fake it ’til you make it, shake it, don’t break it,” bard raps at the beginning of “Note to Self.” Judging from the poppy, catchy beats (that almost become industrial rhythms) of the track, I think he’s done faking it. The same holds true for “Limbo,” which is full of sharp beats. The record ends with “Far Flung” – a twisting, bending synth-heavy track that is both catchy and weird at the same time.
bard has written that he titled the album “Old Friends” because he thought of a lot of old friends while making it. His friends must be some cool cats because Old Friends is a cool record.
I hadn’t seen Washington D.C. post-punks Priests since the 2017 Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. They were promoting their excellent album, Nothing Feels Natural, at the time, and they put on a lively afternoon set under a bright sun. Seeing them at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall would be the first time I would see them playing tracks off their new album, The Seduction of Kansas (which is currently my favorite album of 2019), in a small club, and since one of their original bassist, Taylor Mulitz, amicably left the band to form Flasher – a good band in their own right.
Opening them were a fun band called Gurr, who hail from Germany (despite a drunk in the crowd loudly asking if they were from France or Canada). They played a loud post-PUNK that had an infectious energy you couldn’t ignore. They revealed that their touring van had been burglarized at a previous gig and all of the money they’d made on tour so far was gone, but they were still upbeat.
Gurr getting loud.
Priests came out with “Good Time Charlie,” one of the first singles released from The Seduction of Kansas. It was immediately evident that the new tracks take on a dangerous edge live, even with some low bass troubles for Alexandria Tyson at first (which were fixed by the sound crew by the time Priests reached the stinging “YouTube Sartre” and the defiant “Not Perceived”). Katie Greer’s vocals on “The Seduction of Kansas” were almost spooky at some points. She had us hypnotized and even a bit frightened.
Getting seduced by “The Seduction of Kansas”
A highlight was when drummer Daniele Daniele came to the front and sang lead on “68 Screen” and “I’m Clean.” She accidentally stepped on an effects pedal at one point during “I’m Clean,” cutting out some of the programmed drumming for a moment. “It’s live music, folks! You’ll never hear that version again,” Greer said before they tore into “Pink White House” from Nothing Feels Natural.
“It’s live music, folks!”
G.L. Jaguar was shredding by the time they reached “Texas Instruments” and closed with the knockout punch of “Jesus’ Son.” I walked out of Lincoln Hall with one word in mind – “dangerous.” In a small venue, with the powerful lyrics, vocals, and instrumentation behind them, seeing Priests was like being in a room with four somewhat frisky panthers prowling back and forth along the far wall. They encouraged you to play with them, but you knew they could maul you at any moment.
Keep your mind open.
[Why not subscribe before you split?]
[Thanks to Jim DeLuca and Jacob Daneman of Pitch Perfect PR for providing me with a press pass to the show.]
Ian Graham, guitarist and vocalist for Austin, Texas doom rockers The Well, had a bad 2018 – according to a press release for their powerful new album, Death and Consolation: “2018 was a strange, dark year. A lot of change going on in my life, there was a lot of depression and coming out of it over the last year. I wanted to call this Death and Consolation, because in life that’s a constant.”
It’s an appropriate title because the power chords, heavy lyrics, thunderous bass (courtesy of co-vocalist Lisa Alley), and almost heart-stopping drums (courtesy of Jason Sullivan) on the record are both creepy and invigorating. Graham also says, ” “I feel like this album is almost more gothic. We’re big fans of post-punk.”
That goth influence comes out right away on the opener, “Sabbah,” with its growling bass and lyrics of “flowers sliced by assassin’s steel.” Listening to “Raven” is like stomping on the gas pedal of a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner while Satan is chasing you in a Dodge Coronet Super Bee down a winding mountain road at 12:01am.
“Death Song” isn’t a cover of the tune by the Black Angels (another Austin psychedelic powerhouse), but I’m sure the Black Angels would appreciate its Black Sabbath-meets-Thin Lizzy vibe. “Cup of Peace” could be a Joy Division track if that band upped the fuzz and spent more time in dimly lit libraries full of massive books chained to iron racks.
“Eyes of a God” gets off to a spooky, whispered start and then breaks out a serious rock groove that blends metal with late 1960’s garage rock while Graham sings about touching a land that lies beyond the sun. “Act II” starts with a sample (probably from a horror film I have yet to see) of someone trying to banish a holy man from getting closer and then breaks into a song about ancient evil being unleashed on the world…or is it? The sample at the beginning seems to indicate that The Well knows there are bright things beyond the veil that even Lovecraftian Old Ones fear. Oh yes, and the song is an absolute wall-flattener.
“Freedom Above” is a slow burn under a bubbling cauldron, whereas “This Is How” is a fuzzed-out raging fire that claims, “This is how the world ends, drowning now in flames. This is how the world ends, nightmare of the sane.” You don’t get much more metal than that. The closer is “Endless Night” – a dark tune about dark things dragging Graham (and the rest of us) to even darker places. It’s packed with sludge, menace, and guitar riffs deadly as a battle axe.
I’ve come to love doom and stoner metal over the last few years, and Death and Consolation is one of the best records I’ve heard in that genre. The Well is at the top of their game right now. I need, you need, we all need to see them live, and we all need to hear this record.
I’d heard a lot of good things about Nigerian guitarist / Tuareg musician Mdou Moctar before seeing him live for the first time. I knew he opened for Jack White on some of his tour dates, and that he’d made his own version of the Purple Rain film, and that he plays all sorts of gigs – from big festivals to weddings. I also heard that he shreds. After seeing him live in Kalamazoo, I can confirm this. Boy, does he ever shred.
Opening for Mr. Moctar and his band with the NYC new wave / post-punk / psychedelic outfit Guerilla Toss. They put on a wild set that mixed all three of those genres that left the crowd wowed and weird. I especially liked their tunes that wandered into psychedelic jams.
Guerilla Toss
Mr. Moctar and his sharp backing band were a contrast to Guerilla Toss’ style. Moctar and crew brought in fierce African rhythms, heavy bass, and fiery guitar solos that could barely be contained by the small venue.
He mostly played cuts from his excellent new album, Ilana (the Creator), a stunning record that has him exploring new guitar techniques and singing about love of fellow man. He laid down multiple stunning solos throughout the show.
He’s a nice chap as well. He was at his merchandise table before and after the set and chatted with anyone who wanted to chat. That friendly energy became bigger onstage as he encouraged everyone to rock out with him and his band.
Speaking of his merchandise, he’s selling handcrafted jewelry from Niger while on tour to support a school he’s building there. The guy plays a mean guitar and he’s building a school. Your argument is invalid.
One of those rings is now mine.
Don’t miss him live, and be sure to support his charitable efforts. He’s secretly one of the biggest upcoming stars on the world music scene playing small venues near you.
