Nazareth "Big Dogz"

I've got eleven Nazareth albums in the collection, so yeah, me likes.  I found it hard to believe there was a new recording when I saw this.  The drummer had passed away and vocalist Dan McCafferty must be in his mid-60's, and that rasp of his COULD NOT possibly hold up after squalling like that for decades.  Jeez, I saw them live in the late-70's at the Orlando Jai-Alai fronton when McCafferty had to sing from a chair due to falling off the stage at the previous show in Miami.  Didn't stop him from wailing and swiggin' from a bottle of Jack all night. 

So I pulled the trigger on this release the moment I saw it and was encouraged by the brief samples I played.  Unfortunately, after plowing past the first thirty seconds of the songs, the musicianship was so simplistic I thought Dan had his grandchildren playing with him.  You know, those awkward teenage years when you first attempt to play guitar...whew, disappointing to say the least.  He sounded great vocally, though, rivaling and besting Brian Johnson's squeal with ease, but AC/DC has a guitarist who can still play, Naz doesn't. 

The songs themselves are typical Nazareth tunes, albeit from an older-age viewpoint.  The obvious single called "Radio" reminisces about DJ's and old songs being your friends from yesteryear.  Another asks, "Was it really that easy back then?"  Then there's the pissed-off, old fart bitching of "Lifeboat", which dogz Big Government, "Look at those clowns, screwing around."  Hey, Tea Party, I have your theme song for next year...  And then there is this track, "When Jesus Comes To Save The World Again", a dig at the hypocritical religious types who prey on the stupidity of some humans, certainly one of the three selections I will keep from "Big Dogz."  Well, that's two of the keepers so I'll go ahead and add the other one.  When I got to this song for the first listen, it's #10 of 11, I was at home for my dad's funeral, and I sat in the car with tears in my eyes...



It struck me as a truly heartfelt delivery by Dan Mc, and if you go to the YT site, you'll see the comment at the bottom for its origin.  Yeah, I get it...

So to sum it up, I wish this had been a McCafferty solo and not one wrapped in the Naz jacket.  He is the star of this show and deserves the credit.  Heck, sell some of these songs and let another artist/band have a go at them.  Plenty of worthy options.  As the record ended, there is a looped line in the fade that kept repeating, "It's all a joke to you, isn't it?"  I don't believe it was, but it did cast a shadow of doubt...

David Lowery "The Palace Guards"

I have been a fan of Mr. Lowery since 1989 when he was in his Camper Van Beethoven suit.  The "Key Lime Pie" album was brilliant.  Next came the Cracker days, and hits such as "Low", "Get Off This", and "Sweet Thistle Pie".  Even the two Cracker albums from the last five years were fantastic.  Great live band, too. 

So now we come to his first solo record ever, nearly thirty years into his career.  Not much different from a Cracker release, maybe a vein of worldliness added to the wit/humor/satire, and of course, that unmistakable voice.  The following is an apt example:

Put this record on and you will love it... if you're a fan.  Turn it up and play it again.  You will enjoy the unique instrumentation, a la CVB, and for those of you who enjoy a party favor or two, you will dig the studio tricks and effects. 

Is "Palace Guards" outstanding?  Nope.  Should I receive a request for some D. Lowery at the house, I would probably grab a selection from one of the bands, not the solo.  Doesn't mean it isn't any good.  I have a seat squarely in the middle of the choir he's preaching to...

The Civil Wars "Barton Hollow"

Bought this record several months ago and promptly buried it underneath a pile of paperwork.  Started hearing the title track on a regular basis from our U-Verse Adult Alternative channel.  Kept thinking I had it somewhere but could never seem to locate it.  Finally cleared some of the in-basket and "aha"!  There it is...

After several spins, I've decided I'll keep it, but only after seeing several live videos on the Internet.  You savvy YouTubers will notice I search for things with a few thousand views or less, not the ones in the hundreds of thousands.  Case in point, this was the song that brought them to the mainstream, but this version comes from this year's Sundance festivities.  There is an obvious connection between these two disparate musicians, and it's infectious.  Search for some of their Michael Jackson covers, or even the Smashing Pumpkins one, and you'll see what  mean. 

This record is acoustic/folk/Americana, and occasionally a couple of steps closer to Country.  They trade vocals more than share them.  If you find the album to be pretty and alluring, yet you want a bit more of a challenge, then get one of the releases from Angus & Julia Stone.  Far more dramatic and involved.  As a matter of fact, they are the second most searched artist on my blog (any guesses on #1?).  If just half of the people who put "Barton Hollow" into the Top 15 on Billboard's Albums chart would listen to the Stone siblings, I'd guarantee you'd see a domestic breakthrough for the Aussies. 

Blackfield "Welcome To My DNA"

This is one of the side projects of Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, one of my favorite discoveries of this century.  Much like Joe Bonamassa, Wilson is always working on something.  Blackfield is his collaboration with Israeli artist Aviv Geffen, a controversial star in his native country.  "...DNA" is their third release, and from my notes I call it "PT-lite" and "Pretty Porcupine".  Well, "pretty" is not a proper descriptive as far as lyrics are concerned.  It's a rather dour record from that aspect.  For example, one track is called "Go To Hell", and that's one of the three repeated lines included.  The other two are "F*#k you all" and "I don't care."  Man, I've missed my calling... 

This was the initial single release when the album dropped this past Spring...

A very good song in the PT vein.  One track even hinted at Coldplay.  "...DNA" is much more acoustic than PT, no monster guitar riffs to speak of, more piano and light keys.  In several reviews I saw Pink Floyd mentioned.  Well, hell, that's a major portion of Porcupine Tree anyway.  Wilson has always professed his love for the music of the late 60's and early 70's. 

The best description I found for this record is one I will hang my hat on all day: 
MAJESTIC SIMPLICITY

Hot Tuna "Steady As She Goes"

That's correct, a NEW album.  First one in more than twenty years.  Jorma Kaukonen is seventy years-old and Jack Casady is sixty-seven.  And they're still touring.  Well, at least Jorma is, as Jack has done all he wants to do for now, playing only a few choice dates in the future.  I had my chance to see them here August 4, but I ended up working instead.  When I went to my Facebook page late that night, I found a message from an hour before the show saying I had been added to the guest list.  Well, damn...

I was never a big Jefferson Airplane fan, and only got into Hot Tuna as a freshman in college, on the tail-end of their run in the 1970's.  Picked up Jorma's solo record releases through my college days and maybe one or two during my Sound Shop/Music 4 Less years.  The man has a tremendous guitar technique and a voice unique.  But again, I was never one of the faithful fans.

Which is probably why I enjoyed "Steady...".  For the card-carrying fan-clubbers and their high expectations, this album has been a letdown.  Come on, people, the guys are +/- 70 freaking years old!  Of course it's a laid back release!  Here's Jorma at his famed Fur Peace Ranch doing one of the songs from "Steady..."



No more thunderous bass lines from Casady, but plenty of clean pickin' from Kaukonen, and that distinctive voice.  There's also the obligatory female harmony vocalist, just like the days of yore.  The songs aren't legendary or mind-blowing, but they are good.  My favorite, but the one the devoted following seem to hate the most, is track 11 of the contained 12, "If This Is Love (I Want My Money Back)".  I found myself singing along by the end of my first listen.  It's the best song John Hiatt never wrote.  The closing track is one of those patented instrumentals that livened up many of the earlier recordings, finger-pickin' goodness. 

 I will add this record to my collection, but I doubt it will be one I'll reach for again anytime soon.  If I do, odds are it will be to fool a Hiatt fan. 

Deep Purple "Phoenix Rising"

Everybody has an artist or band which excites them so much that they'll buy their album full of various fart noises, belches, etc. (Me?  I have several that qualify).  Deep Purple is one of mine.  As a 10-year-old, I was a fan of Hush, Help, and Kentucky Woman.  Then Ian Gillan joins on vocals and you get Child in Time, Space Truckin', Highway Star, and Woman From Tokyo.  Oh, yeah, and Smoke On The Water.  Then comes Lineup #3 (MKIII) with an unknown singer in David Coverdale, along with Glenn Hughes of Trapeze.  Maybe because I was a little older (16) and wiser (questionable), the two albums that followed, Burn and Stormbringer, were my favorites.  Then Ritchie Blackmore exits the band and Tommy Bolin steps in to fill what arguably could have been the biggest six-string shoes of the time.  Bolin had established himself with his work on Billy Cobham's "Spectrum" album and by also filling in for two albums with the James Gang after Joe Walsh left the band.  MKIV only produced one album, "Come Taste The Band", and it may be one of my Top 10 albums of ALL TIME!  Bolin was simultaneously working on his first solo release at the same time, pulling double duty in the studio.  Those of you who know me are aware of my passion for the work of TB, all of it.  He played uncredited leads on a couple of tracks by a Canadian band called Moxy.  He played with another jazz drummer, Alphonse Mouzon.  I own box sets, live albums, outtakes, etc..  So imagine the joy that filled my heart when I saw this DVD/CD release featuring live cuts from MKIV.  I already owned the CD of the rehearsals Deep Purple had after Bolin joined, culminating in many of the tracks on "Come Taste...".  So now I would possess a concert recording of one of the greatest, albeit brief, rock lineups ever in "Phoenix Rising." 

The disc opens with "Burn."  The only other live recording I can think of with an opening number of such power and energy was Grand Funk Railroad's "Caught In The Act" from 1975, which opened with "Footstompin' Music."  The next two tracks are from CTTB, one being "Love Child", written by Coverdale and Bolin.



Next is the obligatory "Smoke On The Water", but late in the song the band segues into a version of "Georgia On My Mind", sung by Hughes.  Blackmore would have never allowed that to happen!  Next comes a very good version of "Lazy" from Machine Head.  Then we get a track from Bolin's solo album, which is something that must have been agreed upon when he joined the band, one track a night on stage.  Following that is the closing track from the CTTB record, and the CD ends with a 9+ minute version of Stormbringer. 

For the faithful, like moi, this is a wonderful addition.  However, not all was rosy at the time of these recordings.  Bolin had become quite the heroin user, and it showed here, as his fretwork wasn't up to his capability.  However, this allowed the rest of the band to shine, especially Jon Lord and his keys, as he normally took a back seat to Blackmore's talents in the previous lineups.  Another fault was the attempt at Gillan screams by Coverdale and Hughes.  Ouch... No one could replicate that howl.  The only other downer was the version of "Smoke...Water".  It was downright painful as it was obvious that none of the new guys wanted to play it, but knew they had to. 

You could see and hear the development of Coverdale as a singer and songwriter.  He went on to have a nice career with Whitesnake, but do yourself a favor if you're a blues fan and search out any of the pre-Slide It In recordings (he even covered Bobby "Blue" Bland!).  And who knew that Hughes would survive his own drug demons to be the legend he is today, thirty-six years later (if you haven't heard Black Country Communion 2 yet, you're missing possibly one of the greatest rock/metal albums in years, post to follow soon).  Bolin recorded a second solo after DP broke up, and went out on tour supporting Jeff Beck.  I was a freshman at college, and a friend of mine had tickets to see the show in Tampa on a Sunday night, but I had my radio show on WPRK and opted against going.  We found out late that night that Tommy had died from an overdose the day before, just after the previous stop in Miami.  When I saw my buddy the next morning at breakfast, he had no idea that Bolin had died.  They made an announcement at the concert that he would not be appearing and the Jan Hammer Group played an extended set to cover.  Wow... I will never forget the look on my friend's face when we told him why.  Bolin was 25 years old. 

Deep Purple is now on its eighth edition, touring with a 38-piece orchestra.  Gillan, drummer Ian Paice (the one constant through all the various personnel changes), bassist Roger Glover (gone only during Hughes' three-record tenure), Don Airey on keys replacing the semi-retired Lord (who recently announced he is battling cancer), and Steve Morse on guitar.   Stilll quite the formidable group.  One report hints of a new album, another wonders why bother.  If it happens, I'll own it, even if resembles group flatulence. 

Dana Fuchs "Love To Beg"

First encountered this girl about four years ago in the movie "Across the Universe", the absolutely wonderful film set in the 60's that used the Beatles music as a main ingredient.  She completely nailed "Helter Skelter", and it was one of the many highlights of the film.  I was going to insert the clip from the movie here, but it's edited too much for this venue, so here is one of those "lyrics" videos with the soundtrack version...

See what I mean?  POW!  Completely rips it.  She was on a few more cuts, too, as she played Sexy Sadie
in the movie.  So when her new album was suggested to me by my buddy, BK, I was looking forward to a listen.  I had heard she was more a blues singer than anything, so that's what I expected.  Unfortunately, that's not what I got.

"Love to Beg" is a major effort at making a successful, commercial, pop-rock album, a by-the-numbers  attempt if I ever heard one, and I've heard many.  Not that it's bad...no...just not what I'd hoped for.  I scoured the web and found several amazing blues tracks and covers,  but "...Beg" featured little, if any, of that style.  If you're a fan of Melissa Etheridge, Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, or maybe Bonnie Raitt, this record is for you.  Upon additional spins, I picked up on a Janis Joplin vibe.  Little did I know that she had played Janis in an Off-Broadway show several years back.  So a further search of videos produced this cover of "Piece of My Heart" with Gov't Mule during one of their famed New Year's Eve shows in NYC.  It's not the greatest piece of visual, but it's the voice I want you to experience...



Plus she's mighty easy on the eyes, with that long, tall, skinny-girl frame.  She actually has a substantial following in Europe, and I wonder how the record has sold there.  It's been available domestically for about four months, and I've yet to hear squat about it.  Doubt I will, either.  I may retain two of the tracks buried late in the record, but damn, they took a long time to get to...

Tyler Bryant Band Live in Orlando

Been following this young fella since seeing the PBS special "Rock Prophecies" late last year.  Got his start learning and playing the blues in Small Town, TX, and eventually earning several Blues Guitarist honors, some for his age (teenager), some not.  Graduate from high school, move to Nashville, immediately sign with an agency, gather up a couple of Belmont School of Music grads, catch a break and get a song on Guitar Hero #whatever, oh, and get an opening act gig with some guy named Jeff Beck.  All by the time he was 20.  Not bad, huh? 

While checking his website for info on the full-length release, I notice he's coming to a small bar downtown.  Tried pulling a couple of strings for comps, but no luck.  What the heck, it's a $12 ticket, so no big deal, just hoping for the workload to soften enough to allow me to attend.  Then the venue is changed to the Plaza, making it a bit more of a drive, but I figure ticket sales are pushing the 300 max of the bar.  It's a GA show, so maybe now they can wedge 500 or so into the small theater.  Next comes the addition of two opening acts, pushing the stage arrival of the Tyler Bryant Band back to a 9:00 - 9:30 window.  Excellent.  Then the work schedule finishes my day at 9 PM less than a mile away from the venue.  Perfect!  Now let's just hope there are some tix left...

When I arrive, I can hear someone playing and the lobby is virtually empty, but someone is still  manning the ticket booth.  Maybe I've missed the first song or two, but I could still get in.  Pay the man, grab a Bass Ale, head inside.  There are around three hundred humans watching the five-piece band on stage.  First clue:  TBB is four guys.  Then I notice that the average age of the kids onstage looks to be closer to +/- 15, not TBB's 20.  Then I notice standing in front of me, a couple of grinning 40 year-old guys high-fivin' each other, asking other people how they liked the band.  Proud fathers.  Ah, so it's a local group of kids getting the opportunity to be on the same bill as a future star.  Now I know why the venue was changed from the downtown bar.  It wasn't the ticket sales, it was the audience age group.  I don't know the name of the band, and I don't care (more on that in a minute), but they were fair.  The keyboardist had some chops, but that's about it.  For other fifteen year-olds, they were great; for relatives, they were brilliant; for me...hurry up and finish, will ya? 

And they are done...and two-thirds of the crowd hit the exits, including the opening band.  Schools are out of session, it's 9:15, where the heck are you going?  Show some respect and class and stick around for the band who kindly allowed you to share the stage with them.  You're in a rock band, so you want to do what they do, right?  Why don't you hang out for a few and see how it's done?  Granted, it's most likely the parental units fault (don't get me started on the "I/Me/My" generation), and I hope someone locally reads this and tells them all how pitiful an example they've set for their kids. 

OK, enough ranting.  So now you have maybe eighty-five people in the room for the TBB, who took the stage mere minutes afterwards.  Leaning on the stage are seven teenage girls, holdovers from earlier, and an equal number of slightly older attendees.  And that's it.  Everyone else is hanging off to one side of the room or the other.  So I march my happy ass to a point center stage, eight feet back of the fourteen teenage legs, with not another soul around me, happy as a lark!  I know I had to look funny to everyone behind me, but it didn't take long before I had company.  Oddly enough, most of those who joined me were my age or older.  God, I hope it's not just old fart rockers who see the talent in this kid.  Anyway, here's how close I was (and I could've been right on the stage if I wanted).  This is when the band took a break and Tyler was on his own...


He claimed to have failed to pack an acoustic for this road trip, and I believe him, because this show was all about ROCK!  No blues at all.  Well, that's not totally true.  TB jumped down onto the floor right in front of me (I thought I was recording it but the damn camera stopped after two seconds) and toyed with a few blues licks.  I said out loud, "go ahead, you know you want to," but he's obviously going for the straight-ahead rock road, sort of like Joe Bonamassa's real rock tunes.  As proof, I'll go ahead and give you the only other recording from the show that I could squeeze from the camera...



By the way, the newest addition to the group is the second guitarist who happens to be the son of Brad Whitford of Aerosmith fame.  Watching him, you could see his dad in the mannerisms and poses, and he may be a better slinger than papa.  The rhythm section are the aforementioned Belmont alums, so they are intelligent and talented. 

I really wasn't familiar with any of the songs, but that didn't matter.  These young men played a 75-minute set as if the place was packed.  Very professional for twenty year-olds

Class act...