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L.A. Takedown announces new album.
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Chicago’s Mamby on the Beach festival announces 2017 lineup.
Chicago’s third annual Mamby on the Beach festival has released its lineup for 2017. Just some of the powerhouses scheduled are MGMT, Miike Snow, Flying Lotus, and Cut Copy.
Tickets are still available at decent prices, so don’t wait to snag some. I have a lot of bands to research before June 24th.
Keep your mind open.
Rewind Review: Cream – Wheels of Fire (1968)
The third stop on my journey through the Cream (Ginger Baker – drums, Jack Bruce – bass and vocals, Eric Clapton – guitar and vocals) catalogue brings me to their double album Wheels of Fire.
The album opens with perhaps their greatest hit, “White Room,” in which Bruce sings about being trapped in a strange place while Baker’s drums try to break him out and Clapton’s guitar wails like someone in a mental asylum. It’s a great way to start a record. Many bands could (and did) learn from it.
Their cover of the blues classic “Sitting on Top of the World” is another fine entry into their list of blues-rock power tracks, and Clapton’s guitars are downright dirty on it. “Passing the Time” floats from rock to calliope-fronted psychedelia. “As You Said” is more tripped-out psychedelia with Bruce’s vocals layered with reverb, his acoustic guitar licks spiced with Arabic influences, and even playing cello on it.
“Pressed Rat and Warthog” brings in trumpet and recorder as Baker sings about an unlikely pair of pals with a weird store and Bruce and Clapton put down heavy riffs.
Everyone had a political statement to make in the 1960’s, and Cream was no exception. “Politician” is a sharp-witted sting on politicians using their position to get laid and ducking responsibility whenever possible (“I’m support the left though I’m leanin’ to the right, but I’m just not there when it’s comin’ to a fight.”). “Those Were the Days” mentions another subject common in 1960’s music – Atlantis. Bruce sings about ancient times and places and how he craves a return to such enlightened times before Clapton unleashes a quick solo that might raise the lost city from the depths.
Their cover of the blues standard “Born Under a Bad Sign” pretty much set the standard for covering the Booker T classic. You can tell they had a good time recording it, and Baker’s groove is so sick it needs penicillin. “Deserted Cities of the Heart” has an excellent guest violin by Felix Pappalardi (who contributes a lot to the album on several tracks and instruments).
The second part of the double album is a live recording from the Fillmore that opens with another one of Cream’s greatest hits – their cover of Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads.” Eric Clapton, as you well know by now, shreds the tune like a crosscut saw. As good as it is, however, it’s really a warm-up for the epic version of “Spoonful” that clocks in at nearly seventeen minutes. “Traintime” has Bruce having a blast on harmonica while Baker keeps a Johnny Cash-worthy beat behind him. Baker then goes bananas on “Toad” – a drum solo over sixteen minutes long.
The live portion of the album is alone worth the purchase price. The psychedelic rock on the studio album is a great bonus.
Keep your mind open.
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VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Yacht
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, but currently based in L.A., Yacht are an electro duo who were first on my radar with their 2009 album See Mystery Lights. I’ve heard a couple singles from them since that time, but I’ll admit I’ve missed out on their last couple records. I was delighted to see them on the VIVA PHX lineup, and surprised to see them finishing off the Desert Daze portion of the festival. It should make for an interesting post-psychedelic freak-out afterparty.
Keep your mind open.
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VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Temples
British psych-rock four-piece Temples have a new album, Volcano, and are currently taking the U.S. by storm on their latest tour. Their last album, Sun Structures, is a lovely piece of psychedelia. I caught them at Levitation Austin a few years ago and was surprised by how heavy their set was. Seeing them at VIVA PHX will be my first time seeing them in a small venue, so I’m keen on hearing that surprising sound up close and personal.
Keep your mind open.
VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Night Beats
As I have mentioned in the past, I will see Night Beats at any given opportunity. They are one of the best live acts out there right now and absolute gunslingers onstage. I saw them three times last year (once in Chicago, once in Austin, once in San Marcos), and their newest album, Who Sold My Generation, was one of my top albums of 2016.
They always put on a good show of psychedelic R&B, and seeing them in probably the smallest venue so far (for me, at least) at VIVA PHX is going to be a treat.
Keep your mind open.
VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Deap Vally
I’ve been a fan of rock duo Deap Vally ever since their 2012 album Sistrionix (which was my favorite album of that year). Their newest album, Femejism, was in my top 10 of 2016, and their show at the Chicago House of Blues last year was one of my top 10 live performances of last year.
So there was no doubt that I was going to see Deap Vally at the VIVA PHX festival in a smaller venue. The amount of sound these two ladies produce is stunning. They’re in the middle of a group of bands I want to see at the Valley Bar, and they will set a high bar for the bands that follow them.
Keep your mind open.
VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Froth
Froth is a synth-psych band that started as a joke and became a cult hit. Their sound ranges from wild Failure-like guitar riffs to quirky krautrock keys. Their 2013 album Patterns was one of my favorites of that year. I missed them at Levitation Austin that year when they opened for Metz and A Place to Bury Strangers at the Thursday night festival kick-off show, and I heard they put on a good set. It’s high time I catch up with them.
Keep your mind open.
VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Jjuujjuu
Hailing from Los Angeles, psychedelic rock duo Jjuujjuu create massive desert soundscapes through Phil Pirrone’s guitar work and Ryan Knights’ drumming. Their new single, “Bleck,” is a wallop of distortion, reverb, and mind-altering chord progressions. I missed these guys a couple years back at Levitation Austin. I got there just as their set ended and the crowd went wild for them, so I’m keen on starting out my VIVA PHX festival by getting my face melted.
Keep your mind open.