Wednesday, December 31, 2014

She'll Lead You Down Through Misery







Ready for the Rockin' and the Rollin'?  Sex, drugs, teenage rebellion, and dancin'!  That's what it's all about daddy-o!   Feller recently told us that the geetar was gonna be dead in a few years.  Since it's survived (in all it's variations...we're talkin' 'bout whatever someone strummed with strings to get laid) for centuries, we ain't quite ready to bury!  As long as some 14-year old kid is screaming 'bout not gettin' satisfaction and cigarettes, we figger we're all gonna be all right, cats and kitties!

Day 2 of the World Famous Big Rock Candy Mountain Best of 2014 list!!!  Can you handle the delinquent thrill????

(and, humbly, please let us know what great rekkids we missed this year...)

If ya aint groovin', ya aint gettin'!!!!!

The Big Rock Candy Mountain Best of 2014 (Part 2)
















30. Neneh Cherry: Blank Project

Cherry continues to stretch the boundaries (after her transcendent and essential Cherry Thing rekkid from a couple years ago), mixing soul, free jazz, beats and skronk into a melange of joyous rhythm and blues, her lyrics challenging and her voice a mix of sex and the deeply soulful...a modern Nina Simone, and hugely underrrated.  This record swings and throbs, jitters and quakes.  A powerful statement from a powerful artist at Her peak.

Neneh Cherry: Spit Three Times (mp3)



















29. Amy LaVere: Runaway's Diary


Desert noir, sand-blasted voice of angel, smoked to the filter, the final motel at the end of the road, lights shot out and the sound of your sleepless nights under sparking neon.

Amy LaVere: Dark Moon (mp3)


















28. Jonah Gold and His Silver Apples: Pollute The Airwaves


Big Beat daddy-oh!  Kickin' jams surged and nasty, bashed not a-bashed, rawkin' sonic groovy, pedal to the metal killer car crash, stripper pole at the end of days optional.


Jonah Gold and His Silver Apples: Neanderthal Beat (mp3)




















27. The Blind Shake: Breakfast of Failures

Twitchy, booze-infused punk rawk, angular and aggressive, these cats have been carrying the torch, the flame a centralia candle attracting mutant bugs dancing/pogoing around the flickering finale of civilization.


The Blind Shake: Young Carnival Waste (mp3)


















26. Quintron: Spellcaster II Death In Space


A return, and returning laying down the sleaziest holler, massive organ, traded vocals, sweaty drenching the funk, killing fat bottom soul straying sex in outer space.

Quintron and Miss Pussycat: Do The Raid (mp3)


















25. Cozy: Button By Button

Bay City Rollers. the Sweet. Big Star. The Donnas. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.  Deep breath, and keep on crushing teenage kicks, yr high school wet panty dream cum true!


Cozy: Denim Dream (mp3)



















24. Sonny Knight and His Fabulous Lakers: I'm Still Here

Soul aint dead....Legendary artist (with only a classic single to his credit) brings the muthafukin' house down on a groove-tread blast of are and bee....horns wailin', soul shoutin', funky filthy drums copulatin'....a master keepin' toes a'tinglin' and asses shakin'...


Sonny Knight and His Fabulous Lakers: Juicy Lucy (mp3)

















23. Gino and The Goons: Shake It!


Drunk-ass sleazy trash, bashin' gotta get fucked tonite scuzz, while the neighborhood burns and the garbage cans are pile high and stinkin',...your mom's worst nightmare, and, thus, yr favorite band of miscreants, kickin' blood'n'cum!


Gino and the Goons: I Like It Like That (mp3)



















22. The Legendary Tigerman: True

One-man band masturbator (would we wish for anything different?), kicks out the fuzzy sleaze in favor of the more personal.  Blissed out drones (with "help" this time) compete in rawk, the edge of drum kit smash-em-up (not loud, but sometimes very quiet).  Destroy the sadness, keep the asses moving.

The Legendary Tigerman: 21st Century Rock'n'Roll (mp3)



















21. John Wesley Coleman: The Love That You Own


The greatest barfly, shaving off cowpunk, adenoid noise, the stomping boots on the hardwood floor, Songs and visceral sound breaking down the rushes and the cornstalks, a prophet clearing forest for trees, but mangling geetar mighty, and a voice in the back seat of yr 72 Nova....Trans-Ams spin out and sputter to the sounds of John Wesley Coleman!

John Wesley Coleman: I Wish The Night To Be A Lot Long (mp3)


Peace. 


The Final 20 are on their Way!!!!



Monday, December 29, 2014

Ride The Blue Wind High and Free







Time for our world famous Big Rock Candy Mountain Best of 2014 list!!!!!

The following (over a few days) represents out favorite rekkids that we've heard over the the last 12 months.

This is the part where we make some kind of overriding statement about the state of "music" these days...but...who cares?  Who wants to read some long-winded evocation about Beyonce, or whatnot?  Yeah, nobody, ourselves included.  

No long diatribe this year, no blathering manifesto...great rekkids were realeased this year...let's celebrate 'em!  If we missed yr favorite rekkids, let us know!  We're sure we missed some killer rekkids, and would love to hear yr favorites!  Here's what we think...



The Big Rock Candy Mountain Best of 2014 (Part 1)






















31. The Jam Messengers: Guilty


Daddy-Oh spizz, kneejerk geetar corruption, wailed and fuzzed, Howlin' Wolf as cracker bluster, lookin' for a fuck and stompin' the boards through end-of-days boogaloo.

The Jam Messengers: The Pussyfoot (mp3)

















32. Black Lips: Underneath the Rainbow

Rawk, rawk, rawk, nasty snot and garbage...the world is collapsing.


Black Lips: Drive-By Buddy (mp3)

















33. Amen Dunes: Love

Psych-a-trad whisper over distorto-porch, fireflies zapping out bugdream yards alive with dissipating planets....

Amen Dunes: Rocket Flare (mp3)
















34. Rockin' Jason D. Williams: Hillbillies and Holy Rollers

Cuntry, Jerry Lee-blessed piano boogie moonshine pew-dancin', gettin' righteous, the lord's got a mojo for the  hardwood floor!


Rockin' Jason D. Williams: Hillbillies and Holy Rollers (mp3)
















35. Digital Leather/The Hussy: Split 12"

Fuzzed-out stalks of husked leaves, Digital Leather channels hung to dry Ian Curtis deritus, The Hussy blowing speakers in crystalline transmission of sparkletrash blow-up....the sound of never and the taste of apocalypse.


The Hussy: Round and Down (mp3)

















36. King Khan and The Gris Gris: Murder Burgers

Bad living, the party stale and finding streamed sunlight through dusty blinds, morning as the end of joy, we wake saying what?

King Khan and The Gris Gris: Too Hard Too Fast (mp3)















37. Leonard Cohen: Popular Problems


The master, still lyrically twisting circumstance, your darkest dreams alive, and sometimes hope, minimal always to the words, softly spoken and building monument.

























38. The Monsieurs: The Monsieurs

Scuzz holler saturday night, nasty and joyous, the soundtrack to yr jacked-up jalopy.


The Monsieurs: Rock The Night (mp3)

















39. The Reigning Sound: Shattered

We Never Learn....ex-Oblivian continuing to rawk our world, cowpunktrash rock (except..not at all), no longer beholden, crafting perfect sound forever, a theme, a loss, love gone(r) missing, the break up rekkid of the year.


The Reigning Sound: North Cackalacky Girl (mp3)

















40. The Baseball Project: 3rd

Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows), Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate), Peter Buck and Mike Mills (REM), Linda Pitmon (way too many great projects to name, you should just worship her)...songs about, well, Baseball,,,,,(special bonus...a song about the mighty Pirates pitcher, Dock Ellis...)


The Baseball Project: The Day Dock Went Hunting Heads (mp3)


















41. C.W. Stoneking: Gon' Boogaloo

Hoodoo rhythm trash, spooked and dirty, evil wins and haunts yr back porch.






Wednesday, December 24, 2014

On a Cold Christmas Eve





So...Xmas (aka Shane MacGowan's birthday) is tomorrow.  Regular readers will know what comes next.

We didn't quite hit our "daily" target this year.  Life has a funny way of fucking with the best laid plans.  But, we haven't given up on our yearly Xmas posting (tons of great tunes we haven't hit yet), despite our prevarication last year.  Hopefully we'll do better next year.  Sorry if we let y'all down.

In the interim, check out our Best Of  2014 Rekkids list starting after the Holiday weekend.  And, we're prepared for more regular posting throughout the year, so hopefully a small percentage of ya will stick around for that!

On to the songs, then...

2 songs always feature in our Christmas Eve (ok, O'Reilly...I surrender...) posting...

Fairtytale of New York is our favorite Xmas song...sadness, desperation, joy, miracles, loss, redemption, love, and hope, always hope, the most important of all.  Beauty (in Kirsty MacColl's riposte) and sadness (Shane's warbling attempt at understanding the broken promises of the "New World").  The generic Holiday hits we're inundated with can't hold a dripping candle to the rawness, the very soul of what this song conveys.  There are many hipper tunes to swear by, but this was always the template, whether one wants to admit it or not.  We will not budge, accusations of sentiment be damned.

Robert Earl Keen's Merry Christmas From the Family comes damn close to equaling. The ultimate drunken family Holiday, spritzed with great humor, a little sentiment (not a bad thing, when kept in context), a joyous melody and blurry instrumentation...we've all been to this gathering, and, while mocking at the time, remember fondly that insane Xmas day, when everything ended under tinsel and sparkling lights.  And yes, we all sang Feliz Navidad.  Because we could, and it felt just right.  

Take care of each other.  We're all we have.

The Pogues: Fairytale of New York (mp3)

Robert Earl Keen: Merry Christmas From the Family (mp3)


Peace on Earth. 


Sunday, December 21, 2014

Santa In The Big House









Santa's rounding the bend(er)!  Last minute push to be naughty or nice!

Just a reminder, once this craziness is over, we're gonna do our world famous Big Rock Candy Mountain Best of List!  So, gird yr loins for that bit o'fun!

No Xmas would be complete with a little truckin', and Wayne Mansfield satisfies Holiday haulin' needs!  JD and the Roadrebels stuff our stockings with some noirsurfabilly joy!  The very mighty Otis Gibbs feels a little lonely under the mistletoe ("You're the star upon my Christmas tree"). And, finally, we do so love us some Solstice prison tunes, and Ronnie Fauss doesn't disappoint with a nifty little ode to time served in the Holiday big house!

Gee Whiz, Santa's Gonna Sock it to 'em!

Wayne Mansfield: Santa's Trucker (mp3)

JD and the Roadrebels: Santalina (mp3)

Otis Gibbs: Little Red Nose (mp3)

Ronnie Fauss: Everyone Deserves a Merry Christmas (mp3)

We're almost there!  Give the gift of Love this Xmas!

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Santa On The Roof







Five more days til the miraculous virgin birth of Shane MacGowan!  Isn't that the true spirit of Christmas?

We couldn't do this insanity (and, yes, we know we're a bit tardy this year) without all the great recommendations, mixes, songs and gifts we've received over the years...so many great folks sending along their favorite obscure or semi-obscure Xmas tunes for us to enjoy and post.  Thanks to all of ya (and keep 'em coming)!  Most especially, we want to thank Mark W. and Thomas M., who have showered us with Holiday love!

Got some killer presents under the tree today, all wrapped up in fancy bows and covered in tinsel!

Unbelievably righteous Santa funk from Pee Pee Dynamite (yes, that's correct)!  Rockabilly Pere Noel party time from Teddy and the Tall Tops and Wendy Michele and Her Boyfriends!  Howling Diablos bring the trashy tinsel with a special message!  Corb Lund knows all about lonesome prairie  Holidays.

And, finally, because we always try to find a truly painful Xmas message song, Lita Roza brings the bummed out Christmas to all our hearts.  If you grab only 1 song this year, this is the one for you!

Santa's Got a Bag of Party in His Soul!


Pee Pee Dynamite: Merry Christmas and New Year (mp3)

Teddy and the Tall Tops: Christmas Party (mp3)

Wendy Michele and Her Boyfriends: Christmas Party Hop (mp3)

Howling Diablos: Another Christmas Story (mp3)

Corb Lund: Just Me and These Ponies (For Christmas This Year)

Lita Roza: The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot (mp3)

Thanks for all the love. Please consider the less fortunate...not just now, but all year long.  Who are we, in the end, if not reflected in the so-called "least" of us.  

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Santa's Special Sauce





Ho, ho, ho...joyous in the season once again!  The Big Rock Candy Mountain Holiday extravaganza keeps its sled well-greased, and zoomin' round the world with extra-special present for all the kiddies!

We're still tryin' to keep to our odd rule of not repeating ourselves (which is becoming harder in each successive year...we've been doing this for a least 10 years for christ's sake(pun intended)!!!), but we surely welcome requests from past year's joy!!!  Missing yr Beatnik or Truckin' Xmas tunes?  All ya gotta do is ask!

Lots of mixed treats in Santa's bag today....Hillbilly kiss-off courtesy of Dick Stratton; R'nB vs. Doo Wop from The Debonairs; Jump Blues/Jazz/Soul gifted by Lowell Fulson; Burnt Desert Noir (super black!) from The Felice Brothers; Statler Brothers bringing down home cheeses; and...well, ya know what?  We love the Dropkick Murphys!  We're not supposed to (Hipsters and Trash Merchants all agree), but fuck it...we think they're swell, and the following tune is a hoot and a Holiday holler!

Santa's Got a Special Secret Treat Just For You!


Dick Stratton: I Wouldn't Have You On a Christmas Tree (mp3)

The Debonairs: Christmas Time (mp3)

Lowell Fulson: Lonesome Christmas (mp3)

Felice Brothers: Murder By Mistletoe (mp3)

The Statler Brothers: An Old Fashioned Christmas (mp3)

Dropkick Murphys: The Season Is Upon Us (mp3)

Please think about helping out those less fortunate this Holiday Season, and throughout the year (winter's particularly tough).  If we can afford internet to download tunes for free...well, maybe we've got a few extra bucks that might make a difference elsewhere.  Santa wants you to do it!


Sunday, December 14, 2014

Santa's Stockings







We've always wondered if the Elves are properly unionized at the North Pole.  We'd hate to think Santa's runnin' a sweat shop.

Gettin' all Yuletide yee-haw today, perfect for yr frosty Xmas on the range.  Rockabilly spirit from Grub Dog Mitchell, wassailing wheels of Santa steel from Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, Ral Donner making his down home Holiday list of good feels, and, since we are the home of the Top 100 Drinking Songs of All Time  (remember that?), we have the Wine Chuggers presenting a little shot of Seasonal salutations.


Cowboy Santa Saddle Up!!!


Grub Dog Mitchell: Rockin' in My Stocking (mp3)

Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks: Santa Gotta Choo Choo (mp3)

Ral Donner: (Things That Make Up) Christmas Day (mp3)

Wine Chuggers: (I Was)Drunk(On Christmas) (mp3)

All we want is Love for Christmas.


Friday, December 12, 2014

Swing Low Sweet Santa Claus





Big Rock Candy Mountain...your one-stop Holiday shopping experience!  Sitting on Santa's lap is always free, and strongly encouraged!

More killer Yuletide trimmings today.  Whether it be the daddy-o Santa stylings of the The Orangu-Tones,  the burn desert, aluminum tree cynicism of master storyteller James McMurtry, the reindeer on acid-washed 60's pop of The Tropics, or the North Pole frozen geetar of legendary Dwight Twilley, we've got the garland to make yr Holiday party sparkle!

Santa Almost Drowned in the Chicago River!


The Orangu-Tones: Santa's Coming (mp3)

James McMurtry: Holiday (mp3)

The Tropics: Groovy Christmas (mp3)

Dwight Twilley: Christmas Stars (mp3)


Thanks for stopping by.  All you need is love.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Santa Shama Lama Bam







Santa's a bit of a hip shaker, ain't he?

We're going all out rawk'n'roll this Xmas day...a little bit obvious, a little bit joyous, a little bit boogie, a whole lotta Yuletide riot goin' on!!!

Bring the Solstice noize courtesy of glammers'n'junkers'n'trashers...American Gun, The Kinks, Billy Childish(our lord and Savior), T.Rex, Cheap Trick, and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band!!!!!  Phew!!!!  This stocking don't need no stuffing...it's chock full and bulging with super-sweet geetar stickiness!!!

(and as always, if you don't like today's selections, we'll do a complete 180 tomorrow!)

Santa's got stars in his eyes, glitter in his boots, and gingerbread men in his pants!!!

The Kinks: Father Christmas (mp3)

Cheap Trick: Come On Christmas (mp3)

T.Rex: Christmas Bop (mp3)

Billy Childish: Father Christmas Is Dressed In Green (mp3)

American Gun: Little Manger (mp3)

The Sensational Harvey Band: There's No Light On the Christmas Tree (mp3)

Thanks for stopping by.  Be good to each other.

Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Santa Lovers






Got some tingly tinsel in our pants, just waitin' to decorate yr tree!  More Big Rock Candy Mountain presents for all y'all Holidady hepcats!

Ballboy pretty much defines, by song and by title, our credo round these parts, with a beautiful, keenly observed lament, the tick of midnight, in a bar, on Xmas Eve.  Lest we get too comfortable...Kathy and Jimmy Zee rawk our boppin' souls Santa-style, North Pole style!

Todd Grebe and Cold Country know exactly what every honky tonker really wants for Xmas!  And Billy Ward and His Debonaires take us to the the highest pinnacle of Yuletide joy and sadness!

Santa's Got and Itch! 

Ballboy: Merry Christmas to the Drunks, Merry Christmas to the Lovers (mp3)


Kathy and Jimmy Zee: Santa Claus Rock and Roll (mp3)

Todd Grebe and Cold Country: Let's Make Love For Christmas (mp3)


Billy Ward and His Debonaires: Christmas In Heaven (mp3)

Life's tough...we're all in this together...help out when you can this Holiday season!


Saturday, December 06, 2014

Santa's Family Tree






Carvin' up the Holiday ham, booze-addled family gathered 'round in their worst ugly sweaters, offerin' advice.  Must be a Big Rock Candy Mountain xmas party!

All about the extended family today. What could go wrong?

Two incredibly dysfunctional gatherings courtesy of Robert Earl Keen (he of the 2nd greatest Xmas song ever, Merry Christmas From the Family, of which this tune is a logical extension/sequel) and Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis.

Then Old 97's add their own particularly twangy take on the desire for love at the Yuletide.

Santa, pass the stuffing and the bottle!


Robert Earl Keen: Happy Holiday Y'all (mp3)

Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis: Oklahoma Christmas (mp3)

Old 97's: Here It Is Christmas (mp3)

Please give what you can this Holiday season...times are tough, and there's lots of folks who are needy.  

Friday, December 05, 2014

Stripper Pole Santa




















Jingle Bells, Batman smells...

A little late, but let's hit it with our (mostly) daily roundup of all the fab, rawkin' holiday slabs that make our nights a little warmer this Yuletide!  Dig it, Xmas cats!

What do you get a punk girl for Xmas?  The Roaring .22's might have the answer (hint: there may be booze involved)!

After that creamy hershey kiss, Deer Tick lay down some fuzzy Waits'n'Replacments holiday cheer guaranteed to last all year long!

We're just getting started, so stay tuned!  Some old favorites (requests accepted), some new tinsel ticklers, and a whole lotta love, santa baby!

Sleazy Santa gettin' down!


The Roaring .22's: It's Christmas Time (Let's Get Fucked Up!) (mp3)

Deer Tick: Christmas All Summer Long (mp3)

Give a little love this Xmas...the hardest present to give. 





Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Blood From A Stone






More Norton Records goodness!!!

Our love of Daddy Long Legs is well documented, they had our Best Record of the Year back in the day, and well deserved.  And the fury and sound don't quit on their second full-length, Blood From A Stone.

Norton's a weird label, truth be told, for Daddy Long Legs' brand of shakin' shack hollerin' blooze, but that's ok, cuz Norton knows it's shit more than just about any other label out there, and Daddy Long Legs, a Noo Yowk band, pretty much captures the scuzz of city livin' and transports that meme into a rollickin' road trip through blasted mustard-toned wheat and cotton rear-view window breeze.  These cats have been touring the South, and we're fascinated to see what mighty sounds results.

But to the rekkid at hand, Blood From a Stone, fuck me to the great Mississippi...

Kicking off with "Long John's Jump", and a blast of harmonica destruction, courtesy of the 15 foot tall vocalist and harp genuis, Brian Hurd (Thee Daddy Long Legs himself), the rekkid blows the roof off the roadhouse from the get-go, laying waste to the countryside with a hollerin' scuzzblooze workout, in'n'out in 2 and half minutes (the way the good lord intended for songs to last), guitarist Murat Akturk  forging a blasted boogie and drummer Josh Styles going nasty tribal on skins oiled with dirty human body parts, Hurd eventually coming in with a vocal equal parts Howlin' Wolf and Beelzebub.

That trend continues on the next track, "Big Road Blues" (a filthy-sounding tune, all drenched in yowling vocals and harp, burning wheels on midnight highway), "Take It Home" (a hand-clappin' tent revival raving foot stomper), the sleaze leather rave-up "Motorcycle Madness", and the snortin', ramshackle "Flesh Eating Cocaine Blues".  Fuck me, it's loud, fast and out of control, consarnit!

"New York City", another barn destroyer, give a shout out to a hometown haunted by evil, distortion-ridin' goblins, and features "whooooooos" worthy of Esquerita. 

It aint all nasty trash, though...."Chains-A-Rattlin'" is a drone stompin'  meditation on mortality and loss of freedom, "10,000 Miles" has a noir desert cowtonk vibe and "Catch You Down the Trail" closes the rekkid with a brief yet effecting lament, juxtaposed with the final line "...we'll see you all in hell".

And that about says it.  The band, a 3-piece, blows yr speakers with sonic jukejoint joy, wailing and stomping, harmonica blasting gravel roads into dirt tracks leading to an overhang of weeping willows, moonlight shining on a slow moving river, the barges battlin' with drift and silt.  That skiff oared by Huckleberry on a meth binge, throbbing speakers disturbin' gators and skeeters, the loud sound, the groove, the dirty down low.

Man, these cats know how to kick yr ass.

Grab this rekkid now... before we have to say we told you so...

Daddy Long Legs: Long John's Jump (mp3)



Support yr local independent artists!





Tuesday, July 08, 2014

Ears Wide Shut







Special treat for ya'll this week.  This is Norton Records Week!!! Norton Records is one of thee great labels out there,  It's all about the rawk'n'roll, baby!!!  Leather jacket sounds (nudge, nudge, wink, wink), geetar groove, bashin' trashin',  and soul, baby soul, the loud sound abounds, lay on the floor sweatin' drops of sex and desperation, hollerin' teenage kicks and kickin' in (Kicks!) windows while the platter spins and the needle gets dirty on shout and shimmy rawk, mofo, rawk!!!!!  And you can cry 96 tears, but they might not be enough.

Norton Records kills yr hipster stereo with classic vinyl re-issues of lost classics, new rekkids of fellow travelers, 7''s (or 45's, depending on your mileage) of blasted sonic joy, and an aesthetic that is sadly missing from almost any other rekkid label.  Hollerin'!!!!

Phew!

Norton has released 3 new Rawk classics, and we're here to testify, brothers and sisters!  So...let's lay down the fat bottom with the OG's....Billy Miller's and Miriam Linna's mighty A-Bones!!!

Founders of Norton Records (via other venues which you can research yrselves), Billy and Miriam are, yes, are,  the A-Bones...with Bruce Bennett of course,  and they've been rawkin' our lives for nigh on 30 years now, without any dip in terms of snotty fuck you rawk'n'roll.  And they've got a new rekkid out, Ears Wide Shut (with an able assist from the genius Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo)).

Legend suggests this rekkid was recorded in one day (produced by Yo La Tengo's James McNew) at a rehearsal space (Superb Owl), and live in one take...which is exactly what the world needs.  The first track alone, a cover of Heinz's "Questions I Can't Answer" , kicks off with the words "ready" and a squalling spooge-soaked geetar freakout before turning on the jets and blasting out a screaming rawk slab of sonic goodness, with a frenzy of snot vocals and tribal pounding, it leaves yr speakers destroyed and panting post-orgasmic trashcan copulation.

And that's just the beginning.  Running through a range of covers (some of which, we have to shame-facedly admit, we had to research) and a couple of originals, the rekkid clocks in under 40 minutes (remember when that was the proper time for an LP to last?) and that's a recommendation.  Complete and utter destruction, loudnfastnouttacontrol, distorted back and forth vocals between Ms. Linna, Mr. Miller, and Mr. Kaplan (see, particularly "Luci Bains", an out and out destroyer),  beat, beat, beat in primal sex explosion, oh yeah, everything gonna be allright, skronking sax (courtesy of Stan Zenkoff), organ, electric piano abuse, nasty and dangerous.  Dangerous is important.

It's hard to single out a single song (other than the ones mentioned above)...it's such a piece of brief rawk...but "Little School Boy" with a lead by Miriam Linna (wailing to the break of dawn) and "Catahoula Stomp" (with insane organ) are contenders.  As are "Just a Little Bit of You", with it's menace and "Tulane", travelling dark highways. (next week, we'll have new favorites!).

The A-Bones are your favorite band, even if you didn't know it!  Man, we're sweaty just thinking about the rekkid, daddy-o!

If you want a sample, head to Norton Records!    Best Record of the Year so far...




Thanks for stoppin' by!


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Testify!







Another round of our Greatest Song Ever Written (at least for today)!

A greasy (our favorite word) slab of organ funk with blaring horns and a sermonizin' intro (though the subject of the sermon might not be exactly religious in nature) courtesy of the The Memphis Soul Band and released in 1969 on the aptly named rekkid Soul Cowboy (now that's a rekkid title!).

This is a tune to get yr ass down low and yr spirit soaring!  Deep groove, daddy-o!  Wiggle and shimmy to the break of dawn!

The Memphis Soul Band: Testify (I Wanna) (mp3)

More good stuff comin' (for realz, yo!)....Support yr local independent rekkid stores.  The rawk'n'Soul abideth!



Thursday, May 22, 2014

Interplanetary Music








































Today marks the 100th birthday of the greatest musician ever to come from Saturn.

Sun Ra came to earth 100 years ago, on May 22nd, 1914.  He left us, to return to more celestial climes on May 30, 1993. His work was done here, and Saturn was calling him home.

In his time here, Sun Ra adopted Jazz as his muse, but incorporated every style of music that we earthlings could comprehend (Doo Wop, Rawk, Soul, R'n'B,  even, gasp, a little Country trope here and there) and infused his night-sky gazing philosophy into a vision that was broad and singular.

Space was the place.

An amalgamation of sounds that only an Alien could coalesce...a Man from Saturn, gracing us so briefly with the echoes of music bouncing off planets and pinging the void in-between.  Difficult sometimes, not easy listening (can we comprehend the rhythms of another world?), and then veering into groove (like rings) freakout drone sound.  Not to forget the straight-ahead, earthbound compositions, that are the easy entry into Sun Ra's world.

Sun Ra's discography is broad, and encapsulates hundreds of rekkids and styles.  Every step taken is a revelation of sound.  There is no way to pin him down.

Saturn loaned him to us briefly, in this small burning candle of Earthly life.  They needed him back, and they took him.  But not without a legacy that is mighty and astonishing.  His influence can be heard, particularly in the Rawk (unbroken) circles...from Flying Saucer Attack to Spacemen 3.  From 13th Floor Elevators to Galaxie 500.  From John Coltrane to Pharaoh Sanders.

We travel the Spaceways Together, indeed.

Happy 100th birthday, Sun Ra, whatever Galaxy you roam!

(there's no way we could encapsulate the full spectrum of Sun Ra's music...here's just a few our favorites, at least for today. Under no circumstances should this be construed as anything close to defininitive)

Sun Ra: We Travel the Spaceways (mp3)

Sun Ra Arkestra: Nuclear War (mp3)

Sun Ra: I'm Gonna Unmask the Batman (mp3)

Sun Ra Arkestra: Springtime in Chicago (mp3)

Please support your local, independent musicians from Saturn.



Monday, March 31, 2014

Baseball Boogie






Opening Day!!!!  My beloved Pirates may (or may not, gotta cover our, ahem, bases) not suck for a second straight year!

Baseball is a weird thing...so many hopes and dreams caught up over a 162-game slog...it's the beauty of the game.  We root for that which identifies us on almost every night of the Spring/Summer/Fall.  It's a long, protracted demand on our attention span.  Yet we identify, whether it be the lovable losers or the ascendant team with money and talent to burn (but always fails expectation).  Somewhere there is a magical formula, and nobody has quite figgered it our yet.

The green grass, the clean, for now, uniforms, the tiny white ball that can perform magic in the air when released.  A bat and a person, standing with purpose, defying the laws of gravity.  The mystical catch, sliding and glove up.  The sailing home run, beyond the reach of fans.  The small ball glory of a grounder into a double or triple play.  The bloop that sends a runner home. The slide and hustle of a stolen base. The fans, hats turned upside down and backward, believing, as if the very collective can will the course of fate.

And, of course, we all hate the Yankees, except, of course, for the great players they've fielded...them we jealousy respect.

Baseball.  The stuff of fields of dreams.  No time clock, no metronome.  Just the moment...batter vs. pitcher...the age-old conflict.

The tip of the hat, then.

A Six Pack, then (because baseball and beer are eternally entwined).  Some of our favorites.  Enjoy.

And Roberto Clemente will always be the greatest Baseball player who ever lived!

The Baseball Project: Chin Music (mp3)

Treniers: Say Hey! (The Willie Mays Song) (mp3)

Del Reeves: Philadelphia Fillies (mp3)

Marah: Rain Delay (mp3)

Billy Bragg and Wilco: Joe DiMaggio Done It Again (mp3)

Mabel Scott: Baseball Boogie (mp3)


Support your local farm team!  Who knows what legend will arise!

Monday, March 17, 2014

High on Whiskey, Low On Class




























Lots and lots of "alt" country out there.  Conversely, lots and lots of so-called "traditionalists" out there who take a neo track and suppose that their Country band or artist is more real than the band or artist that they disapprove of, mostly based on scene politics.  We all like to feel special about ourselves, and we assume a qualitative stance. 

It's all bullshit. 

At some point there needs to be a come to jesus between all these factions, and we need to allow that a definition can be broad.  Country Music seems to be much in a muddle these days, trying to define itself...from the defenders of Nashville good-time "hat" music to the adherents of the independent pedal steel and fiddle back porch yodelers.  Country Music is a very unique institution, very American in some respects, yet beholden to European musical tropes of old.  Yes...you drank too much.  Yes, you have a pick up truck and a dog.  Yes, he or she cheated on you.  And, yes, you can boot scoot a boogie.  And none of that is wrong...it represents a very unique take on life.  So wipe it away, kick yr boots up on the dusty stereo and like what ya like...don't let anyone tell ya different.

So, then, The Doghouse Flowers....who will never be yr hipster approved Cowboy band, and that's a good thing, because what Country is...is not static.

Somewhere there's a bar, and you know what bar it is, because you've been there, and you had a great fuckin' time....and the Doghouse Flowers were playin', and they made the soundtrack of your night. Maybe you got laid, maybe you didn't, but you could have....because the band was so goddamn tight and they spoke to you in yr alcoholic haze and the sawdust floor bounced a little, and the dancin' was a right, and she was wearing that gingham dress you loved so much.

On their new rekkid, "Chasing the Sun", Doghouse Flowers conjure a wide open plain, perfect drivin' music, the road long and the soundtrack to sun-up and sundown.  Lead singer Justin Reuther has the yelp and twang of a master, twisting and hollering,  going deep when needed, and cutting loose on the rave-ups.  Like yr favorite whiskey, it's comfortable and familiar, yet always a bit surprising...this cat could put most of Nashville to shame if they didn't rush to embrace.  Yeah, he's that good.  Mike "Buddy" Budde (Drums, vocals), Brian Scheehle (electric guitar), and Jon "Johnny Z" Ziegler (bass, percussion, vocals) form a core of brilliance, swinging when needed, and holding back when the mood demands...a first-class band at the top of form, soundscaping a pick-up truck's worth of boogie and hay-bale stomp.  And we would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge the pedal steel brilliance of guest Leroy Deuster and the greasy groove of keys-man Matt Meixner.

All of this holds together in tunesmith, which you don't care about...how does it rawk yr world?  The rekkid kicks off with one-two punch of "Meet Me in Milwaukee" and "Gone", rollicking sand-blasted booze-infused honky-tonkers, good times and regrets.  "So Wrong" swings ya round with a late 60's truckin' passage, and lives up to the promise with a long view.  "Chasing the Sun" is a pedal steel lament of road weary drivin' situation that will break yr heart and leave you holding the one you love. "Too Old To Learn" and "One More Try" are the weepers, sticky vinyl seats and regret...the very thing that raises yr bourbon glass, and wishing you had been so bold as to rise and take the bow.  Finishing off with "All You Have are Yesterdays"...the perfect ending, a rave-up, regret meets defiance, and twanged out into fuzzed out joy.  The very loss into defiance.  Phew.....

It was almost impossible to pick a particular tune to share with ya....so we gambled on one. Doghouse Flowers are an independent band that deserves yr love...give it to 'em.  Bar band Country better than you've been led to believe.  It's early yet, of course, but one of the finest releases of this early year!

Doghouse Flowers: Gone (mp3)

Support all artists....put yr money where yr download is!


Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Insane Asylum







Took some time off after the Xmas and Best of Lists....now let's kick it!!!


Today, a little relief, with the Best Song Ever Recorded (at least for now)....

Well, it's Willie Dixon with an incredible assist from Koko Tyler...good heavens...jukejoint sleaze meets r'n'b glory....nasty sex 'n' grooving, noir-ish slow organ and down low night-time lovin'....baking bread risin' in sin and Willie and Koko got some creepy ideas, red light district honking and hollerin'...god and the devil and the white coated psychiatric doctor pushing in yr door...mind playin' tricks on ya!


Willie Dixon and Koko Taylor: Insane Asylum (mp3)

No patients were hurt in this post.  Support the artists!




Friday, January 31, 2014

When This Puzzle's Figured Out, Will You Still Be Around

































Good gravy, we've got a ton of new shit to cover.  Let's wrap up last year and get on with it!  The Top 10 Records of 2013, according to yr expert witness, The Big Rock Candy Mountain! 

The previous list of records could be shuffled around a bit, depending on listening pleasure, but the following are pretty special, and we're sticking with 'em.  We think they're gonna be albums y'all will return to again and again...there's a reason they place where they do!  We make no apologies for bias, of course.  Some new bands, some old favorites, some surprises. 

As always, support the artists in any way you can.  If we don't, all we're left with is corporate crap.  And who wants that?

Enough blathering...let's get on with it!

The Big Rock Candy Mountain Favorite Records of 2013 (Part 5)


















10. Daniel Romano: Come Cry With Me

A pure country rekkid, heavy on mid-tempo whiskey swillers, echoed in twang.  Lots of pretenders these days, amidst the conrnpone dreck and pseudopunk country that seems all the rage, but this cat's the real deal, crafting true blue honky tonk in the James Hand mode, bathed in a tub of corn liquor, don't be fooled by imitation.  This rekkid, and previous ones as well, has spent many late nights on our playlist, swinging us sad across the dance floor, or soundtracking the darkest moments alone clinking ice against a tumbler.  Without a doubt the best Country rekkid we heard all year, and a boon from the stale...no pretense, no juiced-up junk as masquerade...a moving (yes) and "don't let the stars get in your eyes" tribute and furthering of a tradition that speaks back mythically, but hollers forward.  A stunning collection of tunes that sound as fresh and new as dandelions in the snow.


Daniel Romano: Middle Child (mp3)



















9. Guadalupe Plata: Guadalupe Plata

Destruction of every trope you wish to adhere to.  A psychedelic Blues masterpiece, but owing nothing to the generic 60's hippie shit you think that applies to.  This is true pysch obliteration, playing the deepest of Mississippi mud and destroying every roadhouse from here to Mars (and beyond).  Fully realized for headphones and splattered truck, a record of incredible power and soul, leavened with trashcan holler and wail. Bombing the expected with geetar  strangled and fucked, a voice so distant and so real chewing muddy waters in space suits and rocket fuel. An astonishing debut that only promises even better things.  Get. This. Record. Now.


Guadalupe Plata: Esclavo (mp3)


































8. John Paul Keith: Memphis Circa 3 AM and John Paul Keith and Amy LaVere: Motel Mirrors

Well, heck, haven't we already pimped John Paul Keith enough times?  Well no, we haven't...so let's continue.  The Last Great Songwriter, the man who has the hook you can't deny, and the swing that is pure perfection.  His record Memphis Circa 3 AM is a must...a swoozled mixed drink stirrer, the end of night dancer and lothario.  Pure cowpop'n' Memphis desire.  The record demands a longer review.....But here's the kicker....His all-too-brief record with Amy LaVere is an even better slice of brilliance...Here's a portion of what we wrote before...

Some posit that the proper "duet" record is dead, with too many one-song, 10-line "collaborations" and not enough meat.  Motel Mirrors is the perfect prescription for that kind of thinking.

The record is too short, only 7 songs, it's an EP.  That would be our only criticism.  We wanted more.  Much more.  But perhaps that's a good thing.  Always leave your audience hungry.  And hungry we are.  It's a stunner, perfect in it's brevity and astonishing in scope. 
Amy LaVere has a voice that will break your heart, partly because she demands you love her, shy and demure one moment.  And partly because she aint takin' no shit from ya, cool and detached when demanded.  It's a great weapon, sultry and detached, warm and inviting, sometimes all in one line.  And it plays perfectly to John Paul Keith's classic vocal style, a southern twang and Holly hiccup.   We haven't heard such a perfect pairing since George and Tammy, Prine and DeMent, Dolly and Porter.  Their voices entangle into a classic combo of kiss-off and love.

Every track on this EP is perfect, and we can't pick a favorite.
 
So..there's that...


John Paul Keith and Amy LaVere: Dearest (mp3)































































7. Obnox: Corrupt Free Enterprise LP Three Times Dope 7",   Canabible Ohio 2X 7"Smoke Woody Haze EP


An artist of unparalled brilliance.  Putting Bob Pollard to shame in terms of sheer output, Obnox, (aka "Bim")  has played with both The Bassholes and the Puffy Areolas...not counting his solo and collaborative efforts outside of our linking(which we're gonna cover soon..full credits coming....)....What Obnox does is destroy your speakers with a phalange of sound...from Soul to Hip Hop to Trash and nasty Blues.  Over a slew of releases, Lamont Thomas has redefined expectation, and fucked with yr head, spinning transistor crackle into full fledged rawk'n'roll....Cleveland trashy and dirty, a swim in nuclear water, grooved and filthy, expressway to yr skull....we've got more to say on this cat...but for now...revel, record and rejoice in a singular vision, a singular artist who could give a good fuck about your comfort....Grab every damn rekkid you can....You'll be sorry if you missed 'em....


Obnox: Raindrops (mp3)


















6. The Hooten Hallers: Chillicothe Fireball


The day...Deep Blues Fest 2013....Dangerous storms arriving...80 mile per hour winds...an apocalyptic torrent a'comin', like a prophet, shredded rags and oil cloth spill.....The Hooten' Hallers  unplugged from the sparking sockets and proceeded to bash and trash the living fuck out of the darkened, neon-cell phone lit crowd...alone against the raging tide.  The stuff of legend, sure, if the record didn't match the unholy tide...but the record does....kicking corn liquor into the corner, two insane men bleeding for your sins...a holy hootenanny of shouted and drum'n' geetar madness, taking you down the wrong alley, your wallet open and emptied, the echo of  a moment of transcendence buzzing in the transistor of your mind...a gutbucket shake 'n' holler backporch revival. 

The Hooten Hallers: O, Jolene! (mp3)



















5. Bloody Ol' Mule: Grady County Kitchen Table Tapes Vol, 1/ A Gentleman In Your Home Of Ill Repute: The Anthology/ To The Delapidated Dreamers All Ghost Like and Dreaming

Shilo Brown, aka Bloody O'l Mule ....one of the most important artists out there...It's hard to keep up with his releases as he's incredibly prolific, with no drop in quality.  Quite the opposite.

As a published author and owner of a bookstore (where we would love to shop...he's got perfect taste), Brown finds the tiniest nuances in place and character, and scans the darkest realms of humanity and finds the core of being.  This carries into his music, a one-man-band of incredible range and power.   From raging cowpunk stompers about "truck stop whores" and booze-soaked bad behavior, to songs about god and the devil, to back porch laments and slow, easy dissections of lost love and desperate times, Bloody Ol' Mule maps the state of life, pushing you to dance the night away and also take solace in the space between moments, those moments when, sitting in yr chair with whiskey in hand, you watch the world at 2 AM...crickets or cars, fire on the mountain, dusty nature, or the blackness of the soul. 

We hope to have an interview and full post on Bloody Ol' Mule up soon...for now, just take our word for it (have we ever steered you wrong?).  Below are two tunes that, while  hardly even close to representative, will give you a taste.

We're not joking when we suggest his importance...This cat's the real deal. 



Bloody Ol Mule: Holy Ghost Power (mp3)

Bloody Ol Mule: Something About Those Pretty Girls Tonight (mp3)






















4. White Trash Blues Revival: Now Honey Now Baby Now Listen

The rumor is that the sessions that produced this rekkid was paid for by these cats from Fort Wayne winning a "Worst Band Competition".  We can only speculate what the audience was for that show.  Probably a bunch of REO Speedwagon douchebags.  Editorial on that aside...

White Trash Blues Revival use homemade instruments....The geetar,  (a "Skiddely-bo") is a skateboard  with strings.  The bass  is a broom with rope, played upright, natch.  And the drums are hubcaps, old metal kegs, cardboard boxes,  tinfoil and any other kind of bucket or item to pound on.  And it is glorious.  A tribute to the actual musical skill of the band...transforming into a greasy and highly rhythmic cacophony of rode hard, dick up, pussy wet sweat and shiver party til the break of dawn, the furthest fields of Mississippi plowed under, and tradition respected and fucked with.  The history of the Blues, and numerous other forms of music, is rich with the creation of "at hand" instrumentation.  And these cats carry that scarred and blackened torch forward, the fields on fire.

Again, we can't stress enough the sheer dirty and devil-raising boogie that ensues.

Their live show is becoming the stuff of legend (occasionally joined by "Sausage Paw" of Left Lane Cruiser  on additional percussion (sit back and imagine that!!!!))

This brief record is only a hint at what's to come.  We can't wait...



White Trash Blues Revival: Dimestore Salvation (mp3)



















3. T. Valentine and Daddy Long Legs: The Vampire

Last year we named the Daddy Long Legs rekkid, "Evil Eye on You" the best record of the year.  Nothing has changed our opinion on that.  And now they're back...not only back but "backing", as in settin' up the mighty and legendary T. Valentine on this slab of garage r'n'b...deeply sinister, nasty, devilish and greasy in all the right ways.  The band lay down some seriously funky and ground-down swampy grooves to accentuate Valentine's Dadaist rants on sex and the supernatural....the subject not for the faint of heart or the pale of rawk!  A grit-dirty rampage on yr ass, making it move so low down the floor looks like up!  Hands down, thee party record of the year, if yr soul aint dead and yr spirit still moves to the filthy rhythms and hollerin' sleaze of life.  Get sweaty, get juiced, git down!

T. Valentine and Daddy Long Legs: Shake Your Funky A-S-S! (mp3)



















2. Georgiana Starlington: Paper Moon

A stunning rekkid...one for the ages...we'll go ahead and quote what we already said about this piece of perfection...

There's a special place in the world for the "burnt desert" song...a world of sneaky rattlesnakes and echoed canyon noir, songs of traveling and dust, the cactus dry yet alive, the kicking vintage truck transporting all manner of bad behavior and innocence freighted belief.  Where the laws of men  inhabit the expected, and the pistol could jam with sand and the Mariachi band is playing not for profit but for survival.  The outpost is an empty tank away, the beer is on ice, melting, and the lizards are scrambling, hissing and flared.  Step into the sepia-toned light, then, with bleached bones and death rattle and cosmic, red-hued hum..Georgiana Starlington.

Not a person, but a band.  The darkest twilight criss-crossed lightning across the plains, finding the patter of a windstorm on vagabond tin-roof porch, beat beat beat the rhythm of safety and danger, lone yet part of the mythology of the West.  Georgiana Starlington is made up of  husband and wife Jack and Julie Hines (also of the mighty K-Holes), along with Daniel Sheerin on  drums and percussion , Andy Curtin on pedal steel, and Vashti Windish on singing saw. Their record, Paper Moon (out on Hozac),  occupies the space inbetween the raindrops.  The curdled muddy footsteps of bad deeds and the sinister sway of hardboiled regret.  Jack and Julie trade vocals, occasionally as cow-noir duets, his voice a bourbon ramble, hers a gauzy gingham chanteuse, and surround themselves with hazy blanched rhythms and sound.  A rumbled sand-surf guitar line, lonesome desperate pedal steel, the keening of a singing saw, midnight church harmonica.  All hymns of hazy, steepled mesas. 






Georgiana Starlington: Dry As A Bone (mp3)


















1. Oblivians: Desperation

It's been 16 years since the last blast of snotty joy from America's last great Rawk'n'Roll band.  Jesus.  Really?  You couldn't tell from this record.

The members of the band, Jack'n'Greg'n'Eric (last names "Oblivian" of course) have kept themselves busy over the last 16 years:  Starting an essential record label (Goner, dontcha know), forming a seminal band (Reigning Sound,naturally) and creating killer solo rekkids that seem to make our list of favorites every goddamn year (Jack, of course, who remains my favorite)...it probably shouldn't work, getting back together "officially" (they've been playing together on and off over many years)...but, sweet honey in the rock, it does, oh so deliciously.

We could go on about history 'n' all dat, but that's what the Wiki thing is for (and deserves a full post, not a "brief" record review)...but trying to give a modicum of context...but, who cares?  The record, then...

A sonic blast, buzzing transistor trash, killing eardrums with buzzsaw mud and attitude...fuck the man tribal destructo guitar and teenage thrill.  Each member trading hollerin' vocals over neon-bathroom light punk sneer, walking back alleys with swagger, and sometimes folks forget how soulful the Oblivians can be, inserted into garbage can bashing, the last band at the end of the world.

Rawkn'nRoll, baby...don't get any better...the garage doors open, and the smell of booze and sex seeping into the street, leather jacket with collar up, cigarette dangling, cheapest beer in crushed can, your heart will be broken, but fuck that shit....the soundtrack to every night on the street, middle finger proudly up.  And you're broken-hearted and pissed, smash yr head against the punk rock.

We're sure the band would resist any attempt to label, but maybe calling this a rock'n'roll record will be enough...there's a little Country here, a little soul and r'n'b (all filtered through distortion and snot).  But it's exactly what you need to shake and shimmy and pogo the night away.

Fuck the man, fuck indie lameness, fuck corporate bullshit.  The Oblivians are back, baby, and they're not compromising...Garage/Trash/Soul/Cowboy/Snot/Punk/Rawk...however you want to call 'em...

The best record of the year, not even close..and you deserve this...yes you do.  If rawk is to die, then it dies with this record.  Don't blame the Oblivians...they kicked yr muthafuckin' ass!


Oblivians: I'll Be Gone (mp3)

Thanks...we'll be back soon with more love!