Portland band Fruition released an album entitled Wild as the Night at the end of 2019. It takes a certain kind of band to release a new album only months later. The companion piece to Wild as the Night is Broken at the Break of Day, in which the band shows how comfortable it is moving […]
At a show in Denver last month, Jesse Dayton introduced his “Charlottesville” by stating, passionately, that we still “need” protest songs. Tunes of a pissed-off political nature have been around longer than rock ‘n’ roll (at least since Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” in 1940) and continue to be a force in 2020 […]
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A Wave of Golden Things, Tall Tall Trees’ fourth studio album, finds multi-instrumentalist Mike Savino pushing his pseudonymous songwriting project beyond previous boundaries. Originally moving to NYC in the early 2000s as a bassist with an eye on the city’s vibrant jazz and experimental scene, a switch to banjo and a focus on songwriting produced […]
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Start with Woody Guthrie, go toward Ramblin’ Jack Elliott too. Then move to the ’60s where originally you’d explore Bob Dylan, but it’s really Phil Ochs & at times Joan Baez who took up that labor hammer in song. Then as time passed the most likely labor-singer would be Billy Bragg. Though not a young troubadour […]
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The booklet that accompanies a new anthology from the Honeycombs begins by noting that they are “best remembered” for their 60s hit, “Have I the Right?” In fact, if you recall this British Invasion pop group at all, it is probably solely for that number, which in mid 1964 topped U.K. charts and made it […]
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Scheduled for release Jan. 17th Portland, Oregon’s Fruition provides a distinctive showcase of 2 LPs with 7 tracks each. Wild Is The Night, & Broken At the Break of Day, (Independent). What caught my ear: the varied solid sound these proficient musicians display with a masterful touch such as Little Feat (when Shawn Murphy sang […]
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Though never a big fan of instrumentals, through the years I’ve appreciated many wonderful vocal-less tunes. As a child I adored Bert Kaemphert’s “Afrikaan Beat,” Mason Williams’ “Classical Gas,” & David Seville’s jazzy “Almost Good,” (flip of “The Chipmunk Song”). I’ve enjoyed instrumentals by Van Morrison, Horslips & Jon Mark but didn’t think Solas’ (on […]
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Wooden Leg’s recent release Turn Back the World is a live recording from Boston, MA, featuring Jimmy Ryan’s mandolin and vocals backed by a crackerjack band consisting of Mickey Bones (drums), Brian Dunton (Fender bass), Joe Kessler (fiddle & some harmony), and Duke Levine (electric guitar). This release constitutes a comeback of sorts following up […]
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When you see a new album from G. Love, you have some idea what to expect. Namely, you’re going to hear some soulful and groovy melodies that make it impossible to remain still. With a little help from some guest musicians, G. Love will get you grooving on the new album The Juice (produced by Keb’ Mo’ […]
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While 2020 hasn’t really turned on the musical heat yet, have no fear because there is a handful of releases from the latter months of last year to ensure no one is going asleep at the wheel anytime soon. From every style comes a boisterous ability to make sure nothing slows down. Music will always […]
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