Squidmonks Central

The War on Drugs on KEXP

2014-04-11T14:52:00.002-07:00

Good stuff! I wish I had seen them at the Troubadour or the Casbah last week.

Jack White - "High Ball Stepper"

2014-04-01T08:52:00.003-07:00

This better not end up being an April Fools' joke. Jack White released a new single from his new album LAZARETTO to be released June 10th. It's an instrumental bombshell featuring fuzzy guitar, tinny piano, and psychedelic organ that is vintage Jack White. Check out the video below and read about the new album here.

Listen to the New Black Keys Single 'Fever'

2014-03-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

The Black Keys are proving to be very prolific songwriters. Their new album "Turn Blue," co-produced by Danger Mouse, is coming in May and the also just released the first single "Fever" on their website. The song isn't as instantly catchy as past efforts like "Lonely Boy" or "Howlin' For You" but it still has that distinctive Black Keys groove along with a bigger emphasis on organs and a fuller sound than in the past. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the album sounds and if it'll be less bluesy and more psychedelic than we're used to hearing from them.

New Album from The War on Drugs

2014-03-19T12:59:00.001-07:00

When I first heard "Slave Ambient" by The War on Drugs, it blew me away. You'd be hard pressed to categorize it under any one genre. So you can imagine how excited I am now that the new album, "Lost in the Dream" is out. The initial reviews are overwhelmingly positive (Pitchfork, Aquarium Drunkard, and the A.V. Club are all raving about it) and rather than repeat what they've already said, I'll just agree with them wholeheartedly. But I will add that these guys are capable of making an album the way an album should be made. It all flows together and the whole is definitely bigger than the sum of the parts. The mood, landscape, feel, or whatever you want to call it that they create is completely unique. My favorite track so far is "Eyes to the Wind" but you really can't go wrong with any of them.

You can check download the track "Red Eyes" and check out the video for it below:

Grilled Ribeye Roast

2014-03-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

They had some great deals on ribeye roasts so I had to pick one up. Armed with a Stone IPA and a yellow pepper from the garden, I got started. I removed the bones and added them to an aluminum pan with onions, carrots, herbs, red wine, garlic, and water and put it below the roast to catch the juices to make a nice au jus:

;

Then I tied the roast up and seasoned with a blend of steak seasons and oiled liberally. Put it on the grill with some hickory in the smoker box to give it a little extra flavor. I pulled it at around 130 degrees and put in in the oven to rest. I took the stuff from the aluminum pan and strained it into a pot on the stove to reduce. Came out amazing!

Lundy Lake - Lee Vining

2014-03-14T13:00:00.001-07:00

The view of Lundy Lake taken from the backside of the lake on the way up to the old May Lundy Mine and Lake Oneida in the High Sierras. It's a great day hike that offers fun fishing and some cool old ghost town ruins to check out.

JJ Grey & Mofro - This River Video

2014-03-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

Recently I found out about JJ Grey & Mofro after hearing their amazing song Lochloosa in one of my Pandora or Spotify playlists. I was surprised I hadn't heard of him before - he's got that blues, funk, southern rock thing with a full-on classic soul voice. Ironically, a few weeks after I started listening to him I was watching an old "Jeff Corwin Experience" (one of my 4-year old's favorite shows) and JJ Grey was a guest on it. I remember watching the episode when it first came out (it used to be one of my favorite shows as well) but I just figured he was a buddy of Corwin's, not a "real" musician or anything. Anyway, he's got a new album and video out - featuring Danny Aiello of all people. It's a bit heavy handed, but still a great song and it showcases his voice nicely.

Listen to the New The Night Marchers - All Hits

2012-12-13T08:06:00.003-08:00

First Rocket from the Crypt announces a European tour and now we have a new song from The Night Marchers - it's been a good week.

Listen to Nick Cave's New Single - "We No Who U R"

2012-12-03T07:46:00.001-08:00

The first track from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' new album, Push the Sky Away, is now streaming on Rolling Stone. The song "We No Who U R" is a mellow ballad with an "Abbattoir Blues" feel to it. A definite change in direction from Dig Lazarus Dig! which is a good thing for me, and hopefully a good sign for the album. The song also has a flute in it, something I can't think of any other Bad Seeds song having in the past.

Is Rocket from the Crypt Coming Back in 2013?

2012-11-06T07:24:00.002-08:00

This image was posted on RFTC's Facebook page last week:

Since then, the page has posted links to a number of articles about what it could mean:

Rocket from the Crypt Hint at 2013 Reunion
Rocket from the Crypt reunites?
Rocket From the Crypt are up to something

Of course the band got together to do an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba a while back, so anything is possible. However my money is on the release of a new All Systems Go. It has been rumored that the 4th installment has been coming since 2008 so it seems more likely. In a perfect world it will be an All Systems Go 4 release along with a tour to support it. Normally I am against all band reunions and all that nostalgia crap (Pixies, Soundgarden, etc.) but if anyone can pull it off without being a cheesy caricature of itself, it's Rocket.

Rocket from the Crypt Performing on Yo Gabba Gabba

2012-09-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

Here it is - the long awaited video of Rocket from the Crypt reuniting for an episode of the kids show Yo Gabba Gabba. To make it even better - the video features Tom Lennon (Viva Variety, The State, Lt. Dangle)! Good stuff.

Get "Hell Broke Luce" by Tom Waits free on Amazon (Video)

2012-08-07T07:14:00.001-07:00

So here is what all the mystery was about. Get the mp3 of "Hell Broke Luce" by Tom Waits free from Amazon and check out the new video below:

Is Tom Waits going on tour?

2012-08-01T07:11:00.001-07:00

This image was posted on his Facebook page with no explanation yesterday:

Let the speculation commence!

Listen to the new Calexico Single

2012-07-31T09:52:00.002-07:00

Stereogum is streaming the new Calexico single "Splitter. At first listen it doesn't sound like a Calexico song, but then by the end, it does. I think I like it, but I'm not sure yet...

The Gaslight Anthem on Jimmy Fallon (Video)

2012-07-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

Check out The Gaslight Anthem performing 45 from their new album Handwritten.

Jack White: Freedom at 21 Video

2012-07-16T07:42:00.003-07:00

It's good to be Jack White. Check out the new video for "Freedom at 21" you'll be glad you did.

Stream the New Empires Album "Garage Hymms"

2012-06-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

If you like Matt Berninger's voice from The National, Gaslight Anthem's and the Hold Steady's anthem rock, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's fuzzy guitar rock, you'll like the new album "Garage Hymms" from Empires. You can stream it here.

Japandroids - My Favorite Band of the Moment

2012-06-06T08:46:00.001-07:00

I just stumbled onto these guys and before even making it through a first listen of the album I decided they were my new favorite band. At least for right now. Japandroids are like a mix of The Gaslight Anthem and Titus Andronicus, with a little Hold Steady anthem feel to their songs. How could you beat that mix? NPR is streaming their album Celebration Rock right now - you should seriously give it a listen. There's even a cover of For the Love of Ivy by the Gun Club!

The Walkmen - Heaven

2012-05-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

I've always heard of The Walkmen, but never gotten into them. This song and video has changed that:

Also be sure to check out the AV Club's glowing review of their new album.

"Dancing On Our Graves" by The Cave Singers (Music Video)

2012-05-29T07:33:00.001-07:00

I've always wanted to dance with a rattlesnake.

The Palma Violets

2012-05-14T08:54:00.002-07:00

For a live clip, recorded from the audience, the Palma Violets sound pretty good. I'm looking forward to hearing more from 'em.

JD McPherson - Playing in Santa Ana in June

2012-05-11T07:43:00.001-07:00

Signs & Signifiers

JD McPherson will be playing at the Galaxy Thea...I mean the Rhythm Cafe....I mean the Observatory (or is it the Constellation Room?) on June 10th.

Steve Albini on Why He Hates Jazz

2012-05-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

Legendary music recording engineer Steve Albini gave redditors the chance to ask him anything, and while it is fascinating to read all the questions, I thought this was worth sharing. As someone who likes jazz, I don't agree with Albini, but I find his reasoning for hating jazz interesting:

"Because it sucks and I'm tired of hearing about it. Believe me I've tried. I just hate the parts I hate about it more than I like the little things there are to like. The batting average is just so low I can't bear the dead time between highlights being filled with all that noodling. It's vain music."

Having recorded bands such as John Spencer Blues Explosion and Jesus Lizard, you'd think he'd have more appreciation for jazz. Afterall, getting through some of John Spencer's work can take as much patience as getting through some of Charles Mingus' stuff.

R.I.P. MCA

2012-05-04T10:34:00.002-07:00

Totally sucks to hear the new that Adam Yauch (aka MCA from the Beastie Boys) passed away today. I remember getting Licensed to Ill on tape as a 13 year old and thinking it was the coolest thing ever. I have an old VHS recording of the Beastie Boys performing on a MTV New Years' Eve show, completely hammered out of their minds. I also went through the "it isn't cool to like the Beastie Boys" phase until I heard Check Your Head - and I was hooked again. The band, and MCA, seemed to actually mature, grow, and expand rather than turning into caricatures of themselves or doing the break-up get back together routine that other bands from the 80s. I can't imagine many people back in '84 thought we'd still be talking about three white rappers from Brooklyn almost 30 years later, but they proved a lot of people wrong. It's a sad day for music.

They also had some of the best videos of all time.

Flaming Lips Cover Kundalini Express by Love & Rockets

2012-05-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

While I am not, and probably never will be, a big fan of The Flaming Lips - this song I kinda like. It isn't new, just new to me and from a Love & Rockets tribute album, but it take the original in a new direction without getting too over the top weird.