Joshua James

I first saw Joshua James live at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles with a few hundred other people.   I had relatively high expectations for him based upon this performance of a Modest Mouse Cover:

Unfortunately, I came to the performance with reasonable expectations of talent, yet little to convince me that the man, and the band, had depth beyond picking good covers.  What I found was something much more than I had ever expected.  To be honest, I watched one of the most astounding performances that I have ever witnessed live.  Covers of other artists were missing, but amazing lyrics, genuine sincerity, spectacular musicianship, truly powerful almost Morrison like presence (Jim not Van although he has it too), and stand-out songwriting were all hitting me in the face like a ton of bricks.

Joshua James and his band SHOULD be one of the most famous musicians around today.  The fact that he is not more known is a bigger comment on the current state of the music industry than it is on his talent, or the will of those that adore him and his songs.  I began with a cover and I will leave you with one.  The great Tom Waits first sang "God took the stars and he tossed 'em" in 2004.  Joshua James a few years later, and I dare say more beautifully:

Do you know this song?

If you are reading this blog you probably don't know who Peter Murphy is.  You may have heard of Bauhaus and know them to be some sort of Goth founding fathers, but beyond that I am guessing that the great PM is not in your playbook.  I hope that they next song changes that.  The one thing that I love about this song more than almost anything else is that once I introduced my oldest friends to it, the song itself became a "sing along"  so many years ago.  It will never be erased from my fondest memories.  

Peter Murphy performing "I'll fall with your knife" Acoustic and live in Turkey.

Enjoy!

The Avett Post: One of my all time favorites!

The Avett Brothers are one of my favorite bands of all time.  I don't say that carelessly, and I also recognize the changes they have gone through since they began.  I love them for the lyrics first and foremost, followed by the harmonies, musicianship, and finally sincerity.  Below are some of my favorite songs that I can show you from Youtube.  It should be noted that there are MANY better songs that I cannot link to on you tube for you to enjoy, so this is only a PARTIAL list.

"The Ballad of Love and Hate"

Quite simply some of the most amazing lyrics I have heard in years.  Seth Avett at his best.

"Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise"

Great video, great lyrics, good concept, and exceptional musicianship.

"Talk on Indolence"

 My first question...If I asked you to mix blue grass, punk, hip hop, and make sure the lyrics are great, could you do it this well?  If you don't understand what they are saying in this clip just look it up by following the link prior.

"November Blue"

So sweet and beautiful!

"Salvation Song"

I love Salvation Song because it is the brothers describing why they make music.  One of the most sincere songs that I have ever listened to.

"Belladonna"

Beautiful harmonies swirl around truly great lyrics.

"Paranoia in B Flat Major"

The Lyrics do it to me every time.  We have been there people.

"Shame"

Boatloads of Shame, Day after Day, more of the same

"Just a Closer Walk With Thee"

The Scotty Avett has some cute kids.  The video above confirms for me that I like this band.  Anyone who treats their kids like this is OK in my book.

Sunlight in the darkness? Imagine Dragons!

Have you ever walked in to a negative space?  My life and work tests me all the time, and the video below shoots and arrow straight to my heart every time that I hear it.  Despite the lead singer's gestures during the performance, I still love this song for the sentiment, delivery, and presentation.  Are you a fan of Fallout? I am and think that this would be an amazing random encounter.  Thanks to Kurt for turning me on to this video and group.  Have a listen, won't you?

Let me introduce you to: The Carolina Chocolate Drops

A good friend of mine introduced me to the Carolina Chocolate Drops recently.  I was floored not only with the high level of talent, but also the authentic musicianship behind what they do.  I have always thought it a strange thing that country music is currently so culturally white, when there have been so many black people involved in its creation and maturation through the years.  Between this band, the Avett Brothers, and Delta Rae, the North Carolina Music Scene is exploding with talent.  Below is the band with Rhiannon Giddens taking the lead performing "Hit'Em up Style" live at WDVX's Blue Plate Special. Rhiannon deftly delivers a  a live classical country take on a modern hit from Blu Cantrell all the while showcasing her vocal talent:

The band also performs song songs with an older style as evidenced by the performance below called "Cornbread and Butterbeans"

The Talented and Beautiful Rhiannon Giddens

Finally, if you want to understand how the band came together and found each other though their love of music, I suggest watching the video below.  They discuss their roots, why they do what they do, and their time with Joe Thompson, the mentor that shaped who they are.

The Drops with Joe Thompson, black musician extraordinaire!

Luke Wilson & The Steel Wheels- Virginia Artists and WNRN: Another Perfect Combination

Last time I blogged about Alabama Artists and their Live performances on WNRN.  I would be remiss if I didn't give the great state of Virginia their due on their own radio station.  Below are some of my favorites from bands who hail from the land where "You got to scrape that shine right off your shoes".

Trent with the Steel Wheels

The first two are from the AMAZING Trent Wagler whose band the Steel Wheels not only has amazing talent but also rides their bikes from show to show.  The first song is called "Walk this way for awhile" and I absolutely adore the simple romantic vibe.  The best lyric is simply the title of the song, and I hope it melts your heart the way it does mine.  We have all been there!

The next song is called "Nothing You Can't Lose" and it too is live on WNRN.  A straight blues number that reminds me why I love straight blues.  It has a country flair to be sure, but I hear it and I hear the blues through and through.  You can tell from the tone and the clothes that both songs are from the same performance.  Enjoy!







Awhile ago I posted about one of my current favorite bands, The Sons Of Bill.  They were nice enough to comment about it on their Facebook page (even though I screwed up their names!)  They just released their new video for Sirens and you should check it out!  Anyway, I mentioned in that post that they had a truly undiscovered little brother (not part of the band) who has some great talent of his own.  Luke Wilson is also from Charlottesville, Virginia and comes with a beautiful voice of his own.  Below is his song "Caroline" and I hope you enjoy it:

Alabama Artists and WNRN: The Perfect Combination

Alabama has had some great music come out of the state in the last few years.  Recently, I posted a live performance by the Alabama Shakes and I thought I might treat you all to a few more performances from musicians who hail from there.  I will start off with the Alabama Shakes performing "I Found You" completely live and Acoustic on the wonderful Radio Station WNRN (Which you may remember from the Sons of Bill Performances I posted earlier).  I simply adore this performance!

If you have never heard Jason Isbell perform live you are missing out.  He is a singer from Greenhill, Alabama near Muscle Shoals.  Formerly a member of the Drive By Truckers, Isbell has been recording with his current group The 400 Unit for several years.  To be honest, I saw the DBT on Austin City Limits and immediately thought that having Jason and The 400 Unit would have been a better choice!  This is Jason solo, acoustic, and live performing the beautiful song "Alabama Pines" on WNRN:

A musician you don't know but you should: Jack Ladder

Jack Ladder

Jack Ladder in mostly unknown in the USA, but has some recognition in his native Australia.  His music will take a listener through 1950's American rock to 1980's sounding pop with a low growl with some modern elements.  His masterpiece is called "Barber's Son" and beside the killer guitar work and vocal performance, the lyrics are amazing.  I also appreciate the the drummer very much...nice touch! Being a barber's song who fell far from the tree myself, I have a special respect for what he is trying to say. Especially the part about the banana at the end!  Best Lyric "Cockroaches kids lay down and die"

Two Songs that are Catchy Catchy Catchy....

For this post I wanted to put forth some songs that I find catchy. When I say catchy I am talking about that groove that hits you, that sound that makes you go 'Damn".  The ones that get stuck in your head and you know why.

Brittany Howard

1) Alabama Shakes "Hold On" Released: 2012 Best Lyric: "Bless my heart, bless my mind, I got so much I wanna do but so little time" Why I love it:  Because I liked them when they were just called "The Shakes" :)  But seriously, because the band is great and singer Brittany Hopkins has Joplin level talent.  I love that they are from a small town in Alabama and now hove the success that they are having due to sheer talent.  They are the unstoppable force and while I can't confirm this, I am told that she has an illness that made her think she would die young.  Obviously, the lyrics take on much more meaning in this context so give it a listen:

2) Aloe Blacc "I Need A Dollar" Released: 2010 Best Lyric: "Boss man please, I need this job more than you know" Why I love it: AB is not only a University of Southern California Trojan like me, but he also lived on Somerville Place (A community I used to work with when I lived in Los Angeles and worked for USC).  Furthermore, the song is just the bomb!

Why do I like these songs?

Do you ever find yourself liking songs that you probably shouldn't/didn't want to/can't figure out why you do?  Recently a reader challenged me on a previous post and suggested that I find some songs that were "more than the sum of their parts" in terms of musicianship and talent.  Below is my current best effort to formulate my top 5 songs.  Why do I listen to these songs over and over without knowing why?

1) "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKdspWe-KdQ
Why I can't figure out why I love this song but probably know: It reminds me of the Talking Heads.

2) "Stop, I'm Already Dead" by Deadboy and the Elephantmen

Why I can't figure out why I love this song but probably know: It reminds me of The White Stripes at their best with a little more falsetto.

3) "My Baby's got Sauce" by G Love And Special Sauce

Why I can't figure out why I love this song but probably know: It reminds me of the Fall of 1994 at Florida State University and how old I feel right now.

4) "The Sound" by Human Highway: 

Why I can't figure out why I love this song but probably know: The drums help, but it is that hook that keeps me coming back

5) "Alesund" by Sun Kil Moon:

Why I can't figure out why I love this song but probably know: If I had the voice of this man, I would not be a star but I would be making a living off of making people feel something through music.