Ryan's Smashing Life

Christopher Paul Stelling

2013-05-22T06:48:00.001-04:00

New Music of Note!

Names You Should Know

CHRISTOPHER PAUL STELLING is a workhorse. A year after releasing the beautiful "Songs of Praise and Scorn" (Best Albums of 2012) and touring extensively on both sides of the Atlantic, Stelling returned home a few weeks ago and then settled in to prepare for the release of his new record. This week, Stelling released False Cities - a new record that upon early listening is more than a match for it's predecessor in terms of intensity and focus. The new music video, "Brick x Brick" was filmed in Texas, New Orleans, Alabama, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, and then edited whilst on this most recent European tour. The video was made by Stelling's good friend, John Christopher Alberico and shot during a southern tour to SXSW and back earlier this year. The song and the video demonstrate just how good Stelling is at conveying story and fiery resolve - it's a focus of these new songs.

TOUR DATES
6/06 - The Living Room - New York, NY
6/07 - Tin Angel - Philadelphia, PA
6/11 - Cafe Nine - New Haven, CT
6/12 - Local 121 - Providence, RI
6/13 - The Oak & The Ax - Biddeford, ME
6/14 - Radio Bean - Burlington, VT
6/17 - Divan Orange - Montreal, QC
6/18 - Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, ONT
6/20 - Abilene Bar & Lounge - Rochester, NY
6/27 - Harvest Gallery Wine Bar - Dennis, MA
7/10 - Eddie's Attic - Decatur, GA
7/13 - Bunbury Music Festival - Cincinnati, OH
7/16 - Rozz Tox - Rock Island, IL
7/17 - Shitty Barn Sessions - Spring Green, WI
7/18 - Thursdays on First and Third - Rochester, MN
7/20 - The Ace Bar - Chicago, IL
7/21 - The Milwaukee Opry - Milwaukee, WI
7/23 - Rumba Cafe - Columbus, OH
7/25 - Newport Blues Cafe - Newport, RI
(w/ The Low Anthem, Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons)
7/26 - Floyd Fest at Blue Bow Pavilion - Floyd, VA
7/27 - Floyd Fest at Blue Bow Pavilion - Floyd, VA
8/16 - BSP Lounge - Kingston, NY

CHRISTOPHER PAUL STELLING
Album / Web / Fb / Tw

For More Christopher Paul Stelling,
See Also: The 53 Best Records of 2012

Tall Heights - Man of Stone

2013-05-21T06:39:00.001-04:00

BRAND NEW - Directed by Mike Rogers, the new music video from TALL HEIGHTS is called "Man of Stone." It's a song about durability and solitude that Rogers chose to shot with a bleak landscape of grey and white. None of that can restrain the powerful (and beautiful) playing of Tim Harrington (guitar and vocals) and Paul Wright (cello and vocals) who elevate the track in the midst of the emotion. The pair released their latest ep, The Running of the Bulls, earlier this year to rave reviews. Tall Heights just recorded their first Daytrotter Session (we love those guys). And they have made rabid fans of audiences everywhere..

TALL HEIGHTS
Album / Web / Fb / Tw

The Best Dirty Rock Band in America?

2013-05-20T07:19:00.002-04:00

Marc Muldin photograph

A rock sound that slam dances and guitar rocks on the fine line between psychedelia and darkness DEAD CONFEDERATE are a hard band to nail down but an easy one to to love. For the uninitiated, Dead Confederate is a five-piece rock band from Athens, GA. Each of their last two releases have been placed near the very top of our annual best albums list (for Sugar from 2011 and Wrecking Ball from 2008) and with a new effort, In The Marrow, out now and a string of mesmerizing dates in support - this is your chance to find out for yourself just how amazing Dead Confederate are.. The release of In the Marrow sees a re-galvanization of the band. Those who saw the band’s recent two-night stand at the Earl in Atlanta, Georgia, left the venue brimming with vigor. Seasoned followers couldn’t help but think of Dead Confederate’s early days, in part due to the addition of new drummer Nick Sterchi (the Bohannons). His arrival sees the live show maintaining and exploiting the bombast of the original lineup. Let's take a look:

When the band's Hardy Morris (also of Diamond Rugs) was asked about Dead Confederate’s plans for 2013 beyond In the Marrow, he answered, “The plan is to tour and hit the festival circuit and release another recording before the end of the year.”

To me the title of Best Dirty Rock Band in the land either goes to Dead Confederate or Deer Tick. Hardy is brothers in arms with Deer Tick's John McCauley (also of Diamond Rugs). You simply cannot go wrong with either sound. These are important bands in 2013. Get down with it - and as soon as possible.

05.21 • Johnny Brenda's (Philadelphia, PA)
w/ Roadkill Ghost Choir
05.22 • Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA)
w/ Roadkill Ghost Choir & New Highway Hymnal
05.23 • Knitting Factory (New York, NY)
w/ Roadkill Ghost Choir
05.24 • Iron Horse Music Hall (Northampton, MA)
05.25 • Fete Lounge (Providence, RI)
05.26 • Thunderbird Cafe (Pittsburgh, PA)
05.29 • The Basement (Columbus, OH)
w/ Roadkill Ghost Choir
05.30 • Lincoln Hall (Chicago, IL)
w/ Roadkill Ghost Choir
05.31 • Old Rock House (St. Louis, MO)
w/ Roadkill Ghost Choir
06.01 • High Watt (Nashville, TN)
w/ Roadkill Ghost Choir

Dead Confederate
Album / My / Fb / Tw / Yt

Bridges And Powerlines - Williamsburg

2013-05-18T18:25:00.001-04:00

NEW WAYS OF
REACHING PEOPLE

We've long been believers in Brooklyn's Bridges and Powerlines. With each album they've outpaced their peers and produced better material than what you're hearing on the radio. On Tuesday of next week the band release Better - an album that celebrates the end of a tough year for the band and new beginnings. There's a lot to get excited about. Better features a guest appearance by Wisconsin's Bon Iver and was produced by Kieran Kelley (Sufjan Stephens) and mixed by Adam Lasus (Yo Lat Tengo, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah). Each song from the record takes its name from a different Brooklyn neighborhood. This is the brand new music video for "Williamsburg."

Photos of Bridges And Powerlines playing The Outlaw Roadshow.

BRIDGES and POWERLINES
Web / Tw / Fb / Blog

Hey Marseilles - Heart Beats

2013-05-17T07:11:00.000-04:00

NEW MUSIC VIDEO

The easy to approach & even easier to love HEY MARSEILLES are one of America's best live acts. They have done it again with the new album, Lines We Trace. This new music video by filmmaker Haley Young (director of the sensational Rio music video) helps celebrate the breathtakingly beautiful side to the band's music. In Heart Beats the band explores the most human side of us - surrender.

Hey Marseilles have a huge summer plate ahead of them touring with PHOX, Lucius, and Rouge Wave. They have been invited to play Newport Folk this year. This is a band that we've been loving on for years now. You should be too!

Hey Marseilles
Lines We Trace / Wb / Fb / Tw
Summer Tour Dates

Beware of Mr. Baker

2013-05-16T08:07:00.002-04:00

Whether you realize it or not (and I certainly hope you do), GINGER BAKER was the world's greatest drummer for decades. In the grand scheme of things he's probably still the best there ever was. Behind the kit for Blind Faith, Cream, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Hawkwind, Graham Bond Organisation and many others, he's seen more life and more music than the rest of us can even imagine. Because of his penchant for living each moment like it's the last and surviving decades of this personal abuse, he also could be one of the most colorful men in rock 'n' roll history.

I was extremely enthusiastic to see the film (catching it at the Boston Independent Film Festival last year) but even I could not have anticipated just how profoundly powerful and endlessly entertaining BEWARE OF MR. BAKER the documentary would be. The movie profiles Baker's life through never-before-seen video clips, through reluctant and fiery interviews with ex-wives and children, and in Baker's own words and through those of fellow musicians; Steve Winwood, Charlie Watts, Eric Clapton, Neal Peart, Carlos Santana, Mickey Hart, and Marky Ramone.

GINGER'S STORY BEGINS - Born in South East London the same week the Nazis began bombing, Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker’s first memory was running after a train that carried his father off to death in WWII. From his music to his life, at the expense of family and fortune, Ginger would never be left behind on the tracks again. Though best known for his work with Eric Clapton in Cream and Blind Faith, the world’s greatest drummer did not hit his stride until years later in 1972 when he drove the first Range Rover ever produced from London to Nigeria in pursuit of the African rhythms and musical icon, Fela Kuti. There he found his Mecca of drumming, introducing the African beat and “world music” to the West, years before any other musicians in the field.

The film is directed by Jay Bulger who initially pitched the story of doing an interview (here it is) to Rolling Stone magazine years ago. He ended up tracking down Baker - ever reluctant to share information - in his South Africa compound with a 29-year-old internet bride and Baker's 39 polo ponies.

In an unexpected twist, the story is also somehow about Bulger's passion, his drive to make the movie work. That much is clear in the opening sequence in which (near the end of filming with Baker) Bulger is threatened by Baker in his home. Bulger does not respond quickly enough and is met with a blow from Baker's cane - across the bridge of his nose. Ginger Baker is still a fiery porcupine. And it's hard to imagine anyone else getting the goods like Bulger does here.

Chain smoking and ingesting copious amounts of morphine while sitting in his leather recliner, the 73-year-old Baker takes to Bulger, deflecting questions about years of mounting lawsuits, claims of unsupported children, and near death experiences - each of which the musician shrugs off. My favorite bits of the movie are all those never-before-seen bits of live footage (seriously folks you have never seen some of this Blind Faith and Cream video) and the fact that nearly every person that Jay Bulger runs into in this movie, says the same thing when approached for a quote on Baker: "He's still alive?" Then each person shakes their head knowingly. It takes a lot to take down such a legend.

Much credit for this film's measurable success needs to also go to Editor Abhay Sofsky who helps marry the various bits of video archive with Bulger's direction, sewing together several narratives with the telling bits of animation and illustration (credits there to David Bell and Joe Scarpulla) that make this movie really go. This is the best music documentary I've seen in years. It went on sale yesterday. You need to own this one. Even those that don't know the bands or the music will find this one infinitely entertaining.

OUR GRADE: A

BEWARE OF MR. BAKER
Now Available via Itunes + Amazon

Jay Nash - Letters From The Lost

2013-05-15T07:07:00.000-04:00

THE BEST NEW
ALBUMS OF 2013

After a solid year of touring, JAY NASH spent most of 2012 hunkered down in his Vermont home studio, crafting what would become Letters from the Lost (produced by Bill Lefler & Jay Nash). It was a time for stepping out. This is the first album Nash had recorded outside of LA in many years. Throughout his career, indie-folk-rock artist Jay Nash has shared the stage with numerous acclaimed artists including Counting Crows, Maroon 5, Ingrid Michaelson, Zac Brown, Lucinda Williams, The Low Stars, and Katy Perry. Jay's albums have featured a luminary cast of musical characters: Don Heffington (drummer for Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Ricki Lee Jones) Rob Wasserman (bass for Bob Weir, Ratdog) Chris Joyner (keys for Ray Lamontagne, Jason Mraz) and Jamie Wollam (drums for Jackson Browne).

OUR GRADE: A- Change was in the air for this record - and it's reflected in the music. Behind Nash's distinct vocals this time are a far more layered soul. And in support: mandolin, baritone electric guitar, and ukulele. These robust new songs are charged with energy. It was a challenge to Nash to take so many chances and head off into the unkown... These challenges are being rewarded as Letters from the Lost contains both songs that are immediately classic (like Sailor) and quietly important and immediately relevant (Wander). The full breadth of human emotion are captured here. This is career-level work from Jay Nash! This is a record you need to own.

MONTH-LONG US TOUR

Wed., 5/15
Tin Angel
Philadelphia, PA
Thurs., 5/16
Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 2
New York, NY
Fri., 5/17
Stone Mountain Arts Center
Brownfield, ME
Sat., 5/18
The Red Room at Cafe 939
Boston, MA

Jay Nash & David Ramirez
Wed., 5/22
The Rhythm Room
Phoenix, AZ
Thurs., 5/23
Soda Bar
San Diego, CA
Fri., 5/24
McCabe's Guitar Shop
Santa Monica, CA
Sat., 5/25
Zoey's Cafe
Ventura, CA
Sun., 5/26
The Catalyst Atrium
Santa Cruz, CA
Tues., 5/28
Cafe Du Nord
San Francisco, CA
Thurs., 5/30
White Eagle Saloon
Portland, OR
Fri., 5/31
Q Cafe
Seattle, WA
Sat., 6/1
Cafe Mela
Wenatchee, WA
Sun., 6/2
Carr's Corner
Spokane, WA
Tues., 6/4
Urban Lounge
Salt Lake City, UT
Wed., 6/5
The Soiled Dove Underground
Denver, CO
Thurs., 6/6
The Slowdown Front Room
Omaha, NE
Fri., 6/7
SPACE
Evanston, IL
Sat., 6/8
Off Broadway Nightclub
St Louis, MO
Tues., 6/11
Czar Bar
Kansas City, MO
Wed., 6/12
The Vanguard
Tulsa, OK
Thurs., 6/13
The Blue Door
OklahomaCity, OK
Fri., 6/14
The Live Oak
Forth Worth, TX

photo by Deborah Lopez

JAY NASH
Album / Web / Fb / Tw
BONUS: Jay Nash is an Outlaw.

FOALS

2013-05-14T22:12:00.004-04:00

Thoughts on Shows

by Todd Harrington
The Scene:

The MET May 8, 2013
Pawtucket, RI

FOALS are a band from OXFORD, ENGLAND - The quintet slowly took the stage and before you knew it, it erupted in energy! Touring in support of their new release Holy Fire, the band opened with “Prelude”. Singer/guitarist Yannis Philippakis, shrouded in a dark hoodie traded guitar lines with Jimmy Smith as the crowd swelled in anticipation. Drummer Jack Bevan, keyboardist Edwin Congreave and bassist Walter Gervers were up to the task of keeping Philippakis on task, as he was busy!

The fourteen song spanned their albums with a heavy focus on the new, and incredibly catchy, material. “My Number” had its playful bounce, and was welcome early in the set. The pretty “Bad Habit” was equally as compelling as Smith played a second keyboardist role and Philippakis, who had shed his hoodie, sung with an honest and true emotion you could almost see tears.*

(* Full disclosure here. The Foals are a few records deep now, and I only recently began paying attention and am kicking myself for it!)

As the set continued on Philippakis worked the stage like a caged animal. He jumped from the tops of speaker equipment. He'd drag his microphone (stand and all) into the crowd where he'd be circled by crazed fans all while not missing a beat. The band was forced to jam some of the tunes as Philippakis made his way back to the stage. Philippakis would wave, toss water, shout thanks...rip through another song, then head back to the audience for another song.

NOTABLE:
The track “Providence” was changed to “Pawtucket” for the night and the main set ended with “Bloom”.

Returning for a three song encore Foals put the final nail in the coffin. They just shredded and wouldn't let up. The frenzy in front of the stage had the floor boards bouncing seeming to throw people even higher in to the air. Between “Inhaler” and “Two Step, Twice” The band left it all on the stage.

5/8/13
Pawtucket RI
Prelude
Total Life
Balloons
My Number
Bad Habit
Milk
Sahara
Red Socks Pugie
Late Night
Providence
Bloom
E:
Stepson
Inhaler
Two Step, Twice

FOALS
Web / Fb / Tw

Nathan Reich

2013-05-14T07:04:00.001-04:00

NEW VIDEO OF NOTE

Names You Need To Know

It's very hard to find talent that both stimulates the mind and chills your bones... That's what NATHAN REICH does. The talented singer-songwriter has been stirring the creative pot the last year, producing a fan-sourced debut album called All Night Pharmacy. He toured the country with wunderkind Foreign Fields (this is what a cloud sounds like when you ring it out or the sun sounds like when it reflects off the glassy surface of water). Reich has followed his own muse. His songs are sad but absolutely gorgeous. And having watched him play in venues and at kitchen tables - it would be both unkind and untrue to dismiss his performances as anything other quietly transformative and inspired...

I encourage our Boston audiences to go see Nathan Reich for themselves. The new live video for "Chicago" was shot by Nashville filmmakers Crackerfarm.

Reich just played a string of East Coast dates but will return to Boston on May 22nd playing the all-ages Cafe 939. Advanced tickets are available.

NATHAN REICH
Album / Facebook
Meet Nathan Reich