You know, sometimes I’m not the best music blogger in the world. I let emails slip through the cracks. I let this blog take a back seat to my day time job, and to every day life. While that pretty much qualifies me for “a normal person with his priorities right”, it sometimes means my batting average as a blogger doesn’t stand up to others.

But, sometimes you get those people who still persevere. Who don’t let my slack blogging habits get in their way. And sometimes, just sometimes, I love them for it.
Joe Raciti is one of those artists. I’m not even sure how long we’ve been communicating via email. It started off when he was pitching me on something – the exact topic escapes me now – which I declined. He got back to me saying that was ok; he was just sending the pitch as part of his day job. His real passion was his own music.

And so followed a few pitches of his own. Each time, I let them slip by the side. Joe has a style of music that isn’t always everyone’s cup of tea, and I suppose in the early days of this blog I might have let that hold me back slightly. Pop, showtunes, musicals… popsical, as Joe terms it. But while his style isn’t always for everyone, one thing that no one can deny is his creativity. Just take a look at this video he released last year, of his song “All Hail the Great Blue Whale”, which was created “using only instruments made out of cardboard and the human voice”.

Anyway, all of this is a precursor to letting you know that Joe has released his new album, “Romantic Shark Attack”… which, as usual, is quirky, melodic, and… above all… never boring.

The below is a track from “Romantic Shark Attack” called “Love Love”, and really showcases Joe Raciti’s pop sensibilities. Quite frankly, I think Joe’s finally ready to blast out. And I want to help him. So Joe, this one’s for you.

Listen: Joe Raciti – Love Love

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Joe Raciti – Love Love

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Sooo… here’s the new design. What do you guys think? Any suggestions/criticisms/yo momma jokes welcome.

Sound off in the comments!

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What the? What’s going on around here?

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I’ve mentioned the Playing for Change movement before on this blog. They’ve just released their latest episode, “Change Is Gonna Come”. And really, words aren’t needed to describe the power of this production. Instead, I’ll just quote directly from their site, and embed the video below. Past that, we’ll let the music speak for itself.

This performance demonstrates what happens when some of the musicians from “Stand By Me” meet and perform for the first time. This song was recorded live in New Orleans, and features Grandpa Elliot and Clarence Bekker on vocals. Thousands of people witness first hand the soul and conviction of two men who make us all believe a change is going to come.

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Playing for Change – Change Is Gonna Come

Possibly related posts:

1. Playing For Change – Stand by Me

So, recently I’ve been thinking about changing up the look of things here at Burgo’s Music Blog. I’m a bit hesitant to do so for a few reasons though:

- One is, quite simply, the old adage of  “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. The blog has had this current theme for probably around a year and a half, if not more, and it’s become a large part of the blog identity.

- Secondly, it is a unique theme that definitely helps it stand out amongst the numerous other music blogs out there.

- Third, it is pretty hip looking

However, I have to admit that, unfortunately, the theme itself is not the best when it comes to being search engine friendly. Now, most of my visitors are recurrent, direct traffic, so to be honest this blog isn’t all that reliant on search engines. But it is something I really should be thinking about, if I’m looking to expand the blog.

So, anyway, I’d like to open it up to you, the readers… what would you think about me changing the theme on your friendly neighbourhood music blog? Voice your opinion in the poll below!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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Thinking about changing the look of Burgo’s Music Blog…

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Juzzie Smith – The One Man Band that will blow you away

Juzzie Smith is one of those happy coincidental discoveries. It just so happened that, while my mother was out in Australia visiting us on holiday, we took her up the Sunshine Coast for the weekend. While up there, we decided to take a trip to the Eumundi Markets, which always has some interesting stalls up.

Of course, it took me all of two minutes to grow tired of shopping, so I went off for a wander around the food stalls, as I am wont to do. (What, I was hungry and the German Kransky Sausages smell was calling to me, ok? Never mind that I’m still nursing a burn on my tongue from the hot, but oh-so-delicious cheese. Ahem… back on track)

So while I was wandering around, nursing an inflamed tongue, I heard the unmistakable sounds of a one-man-band playing. A lap slide guitar, some mean harp… I was instantly pulled towards the sounds. And what I found, when I reached the source, was one-man-band and one-man-smiling-machine, Juzzie Smith.

Juzzie is the quintessential busker. Talking to the crowd, he explained that this was his life: travelling the world with his wife and daughter, performing his music live for whoever will listen to it, and flogging his recordings when he can. Ultimately, Juzzie lives the romantic notion of the travelling musician that others of us only dream of. Not only did Juzzie rekindle that fire in my belly of what music can do with his tales, but his music itself was a sheer primal force.

Needless to say, I bought two of his CDs right there and then.

There is one, slight, downer here though. I have to say that Juzzie live simply does not come across in Juzzie recorded. I’m not sure what it is, maybe that grit that comes from hearing someone perform on the sidewalk is washed away in a steril studio… but while the recordings are great, they don’t quite stand up to Juzzie Smith live.

I’m not sure anything ever will.

That said, here’s a tune from Juzzie’s “happy Daze” release, called… you guessed it, “Travelling”.

Listen. Love. Support.

Listen: Juzzie Smith – Travelling

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Juzzie Smith – Travelling

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My love for Joe Pug is no secret. If there is one artist who I have ever featured on this blog that I would like to see succeed, it’s Joe. Joe’s “Nation of Heat” EP was passed around my friends and family and random people I accosted on the street like no other, and it was one of the most promising debuts I have heard to date.

Recently, a live show of Joe Pug performing at Schuba’s Tavern on May 1st was posted to archive.org, and the set has pretty much been spinning non-stop through my headphones since then. A pleasant mixture of solo and full band stuff, the show hints at a great upcoming release. The full show can be downloaded here, but below, I’ve included the highlight of the set for me… that’s the opening tune, “How Good You Are”.

This song has hit me like a stake through the chest. I simply cannot wait for the upcoming full-length. Here’s to more of this from Joe Pug.

Listen. Love. Support.

Listen: Joe Pug – How Good You Are

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Joe Pug – How Good You Are (live at Schuba’s Tavern, 2009)

Possibly related posts:

1. Joe Pug, live on NPR’s Mountain Stage
2. Joe Pug – I’m Not So Sure & Bury Me Far From My Uniform
3. Joe Pug news – A new signing, a new video, and tour dates announced

Malcolm Middleton

It’s no secret that Malcolm Middleton is one of my favourite Scottish songwriters. And I don’t use “Scottish” there as a qualification, or an attempt to pigenhole Malcolm. I use it as a badge of honour… I see it as a compliment of the highest order to be seen to lead such a talented group. Which is why it’s such a shame that Malcolm Middleton’s latest album, “Waxing Gibbous”, is reportedly his last solo work for some years.

It’s a shame, because all indications point towards the album being – quite frankly – sodding brilliant. This track, “Carry Me“, is the perfect example of how Malcolm does… well, what Malcolm does so well. A song that exudes hopelessness… but one that is also tempered with a wry wit. Malcolm recently talked to Stereogum about the song:

I suppose “Carry Me” is really an adult’s reaction to the failed promises of youth, where we turn a point and realize we’ve lost our imagination and innocence. It’s an autobiographical expressive rant. Watching Roxy Music and Duran Duran videos, Cadbury’s Milk Tray adverts on TV … this is the way I thought life would be when I was seven years old! Musically it’s quite circular and descending and I think this creates the nostalgic and familiar mood. Recurring mistakes, leading to positive realizations. It does reek of death and remorse a little bit; our declining society and over-saturated culture. The chorus is the consoling hug thrown in to help things a little.

Listen. Love. Support.

Listen: Malcolm Middleton – Carry Me

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Malcolm Middleton – Carry Me

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Jeremy Enigk (image credit: Mark Swanson)

Jeremy Enigk has always been an artist that has fascinated me. Not only because of his work with the highly touted Sunny Day Real Estate, but also because his solo debut, “The Return of the Frog Queen” from 1996 was an album that challenged my perception of what pop music could be. And, of course, “Don’t Go Racing” still rates as one of my favourite songs of all time.

So it’s fair to say that Jeremy Enigk has a special place in my heart. Which is why he always has a tough time of it when he releases new music. I hold him to a standard that few others are subjected to. It’s not fair, no… but it’s the way it is.

And that is why I was so happy to hear the track, “Mind Idea” from Jeremy’s upcoming album, “OK Bear”. It’s just over 2 and a half minutes of Jeremy at his best: vocals that soar, imagery that captures… and a force that hits you in the chest.

In other words… hooray.

OK Bear is out today.

Listen: Jeremy Enigk – Mind Idea

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Jeremy Enigk – Mind Idea

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Donerail (Image Credit: Trask Bedortha)

Donerail (pronounced Dawn-er-rale) are a Portland band that make me smile. Much like a past Burgoblog favourite, High On Stress, Donerail play that kind of Replacements-like rock ‘n roll that never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Donerail’s latest album, “Destiny and Dishonor“, was recorded live over the course of three days, and is where below track, “Some Ending” can be found. There’s something about the album that just sounds… legitimate. I know that’s a strange description, but the fact of the matter is that quite a few bands try to sound like Paul Westerberg/Uncle Tupelo… but they’re trying to emulate them because they think it’s hip. Something sounds different about these guys, Donerail. They aren’t trying to sound like Westerberg or Farrar because it’s “cool”… they play this music because it really is them. I guess what I’m trying to say is… they sound real.

Listening to some of their past material, it sounds to me like the band is still growing; there’s a gigantic leap between Destiny and Dishonor and their past stuff… so I can’t wait to see where this band goes in the future.

Listen. Love. Support.

Listen: Donerail – Some Ending

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Donerail – Some Ending

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… I know, I know, it’s been a while since I posted here with any regularity, and for that, I apologise. To be honest, I’m not 100% sure why that is. Part of it, I know, is that work has been ridiculously busy the last few months, and as such my mind hasn’t really been in the right mindset to post all that often.
Another reason could also be the dreaded “twitter bug”. After close on two years using Twitter (follow me here, by the way, if you’re into that sort of thing), it’s become clear to me that it’s having a noticeable effect on my posting habits. For example, where I would have thrown up a quick post in the past discussing a song I’d just come across, nowadays it’s far easier to just twitter about it… which is a problem when you should be blogging.

Anyway, this is just a post to let you know that I’m going to try get the posting back on track. There’s a few bands I’ve meant to mention lately, and over the next week I’ll try to put some short posts up about them. It’s not really fair to the bands that they only get short posts from me, but at this stage I think it’s more important that I get the posts out there before they fade into the background.

Anyway… I’m back.

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Where’s Burgo been?

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