The Wood Brothers - Looney Tunes 8/15/11

 The Wood Brothers played a nice little one hour set at Looney Tunes CDs yesterday in support of their new album "Smoke Ring Halo".  They played most of this fine album (review to follow in a few days), a couple of older songs and a cover or two. 

I was never a big Medeski Martin & Wood fan but I have to say I really enjoyed yesterday's set.  It had a kind of quirky Americana feel to it, and Chris Wood is simply a killer bass player.  Check out the video below for "Chevrolet".



Sorry for the crappy video quality, I shot it on my phone.

Wood Brothers promo for Luckiest Man


Here's Luckiest Man from Looney Tunes yesterday...

Is It Hockey Season Yet?

Glen Sather completed a stellar off season with the signing of Ryan Callahan to a 3 year deal this week.  Now it's time for Torts to give him the C and play some HOCKEY!

It's Funny How Musical Tastes Change (and Don't)

I grew up, both physically and musically, in the late 70's.  My musical diet was a steady dose of FM rock radio.  I started out loving the Beatles and Elton John as a middle school kid and moved on to the other classic acts of the era.  I remember a friend of my father gave me a box of cassettes one day and my world changed over night.  In that box was:

Led Zeppelin IV
Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley
Yes - Close to the Edge
Ten Years After - A Space In Time
Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet

This music set me off. A 14 year old who thought KISS was the shit was taken in new directions (Thanks Beep!). I was off and running on my life long musical exploration.

All throughout high school I kept on listening and my list of favorites kept growing. All the Zep, Pink Floyd, The Stones, early metal from Black Sabbath, Rush and the rest were added to my collection. I dove head first into punk with the Clash and of course my life long musical obsession with Bruce Springsteen took hold around 1978.

During my college years I relocated to California where I soaked up the west coast rock along with the exploding new wave scene. I listened to all kinds of music, even extending to country out of my love of Southern Rock such as the Marshall Tucker Band. Naturally, country rock acts like The Eagles and southern California artists such as Jackson Browne had a place in my constantly growing record collection.

As I've progressed in years to my current total of 49 I have listened to all kinds of new artists and genres. I love the alt-country sounds of Uncle Tupelo and their progeny. I have become a fan of Bluegrass over the past few years and can finally appreciate the music in its purer form that I loved on Workingman's Dead. Newer Blues artists like Matt Schofield are next to John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters on my record shelves. About the only thing that I have no taste for is Heavy Metal and it's offspring (hair metal, thrash, etc.). It just doesn't do it for me. Houses of the Holy? Still love it to this day. Master of Reality? No more.

My current fixation has been on the 60's and early 70's. I recently finished David Browne's excellent new book on 1970 "Fire and Rain". It looks at this pivotal year in the music of Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor and The Beatles and the albums they released. A great read. It got me pulling out those albums and others this summer.

What I guess this whole ramble is about is that this era produced music with a timeless feeling that I don't get from so many of today's artists. As I've gotten older and my tastes have changed I can appreciate so much more that I didn't "get" when I was younger. Could I have loved Sweetheart of the Rodeo at 17? Probably not. Now? Love it! So that is what I guess I am getting at. The journey never ends. And if the journey is this much fun I hope that it never does.

The Steel Wheels - Live at Goose Creek

Here's a band I would love to see on the Grey Fox lineup in 2012.  The Steel Wheels are a 4 piece acoustic act out of Virginia.  They have a strong sense of how acoustic music should be made...great playing and strong singing.  It's a little bluegrass, a little jamgrass, some folk tinges, all mixed up into great American music.  This set was recorded live in an old barn that have been converted into a concert venue and the sound achieved is spectacular.

"Red Wing" is a great example of what the Steel Wheels are about.  The music is firmly routed in the sounds of Apalachia but without the sometimes excessive twang that some of these acts have.  I love all kinds of roots music but on occasion some of the more traditional outfits stick too close to the old timers.  I much more prefer a little update of the sound and the Steel Wheels achieve that on this live set.  Traditional but with just the right updating of the genre.



Check out "Walk This Way For a While" for another fine example of the Steel Wheel's sound.



I'm going to be playing this one for a while. You should too 'cause this one gets the Oldrockr1 Seal of approval.

Blame Sally - Speeding Ticket and a Valentine

Blame Sally is an Americana act that features four ladies from San Francisco.  I hate to categorize acts under a banner like Americana, but that seems to be where I would file this one.  The music is primarily acoustic with some very, very strong harmonies.  Modern folk perhaps?  Doesn't really matter because this is a very good listen.  There are several standout tracks such as the opener "Bird in Hand" and the pop inflected "Living Without You".  Styles and influences flow and merge from song to song making for a varied but most enjoyable listening experience.

The band has commented that this album has a retro feel to it and I agree with that, but there is also something very much more to this album.  It has the feel of something that is at once familiar and new at the same time.  "Parajos Sin Alas" is a genre spanning cut that combines a Latin influence with folk harmonies to create a song that is more than the sum of its parts.

Check Blame Sally...they are worth your time.