Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
I am going to call 2016 the year of back to basics in music. So many established artists released albums this year that were quite stripped down and without a lot of instrumentation. Artists like Lucinda Williams, Leonard Cohen, Cheap Trick (yes Cheap Trick), and even The Rolling Stones scaled back on their sound. Add Neil Young to that list. (more…)
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
Whoa Nelly! Sometimes I break from the country and Americana genre when something is worthy of doing so. Home by Chyomin (pronounced shy-o-min) is quite worthy. They are self described as a dirty blues trio from Chicago. They have been together as a band a little over a year. But have a combined 30 years of musical experience. So these guys are far from rookies. Their music is quite dirty, but in the best possible way. Not profane, just dirty. This EP will leave you shaking your head. First you will shake it from side to side at just how grand these cats are. Then you will start shaking it up and down to groove with the music. Listening to this is a religious experience. I feel spiritually cleansed after listening to Home many times. It is only four songs, but all of these songs kick major ass. I want to hear more from these fellas. If this is any indicator of future events, their next release in going to be as hot as molten steel.
Listen to their tracks and watch thier official video for Growin’
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
I like loud, noisy, rock infused, country influenced music. How is that for a list? Sit Sit Stay definitely meets all of those requirements.They sound like a cross between Uncle Tupelo and The Bottle Rockets. Not a bad combination to be compared to. And Sit Sit Stay lives up to the comparisons. Great noisy guitars fills with great vocals, some harmonica, and stellar harmonies. Memphis Train gets the party rolling. A very nice country infused rock and roll song that could be considered part punk, part country, and part southern rock. All aspects of this song are good but the harmonies for me rank #1.
The second song, Get Back, is another rocker. The guitar parts on this number have some Stooges/Velvet Underground/Feelies sound to them. That is a winning triple in my book. The vocals are definitely more country than punk, but it all works quite nicely together. Just enough aggression and angst where it is still very easy on the ears. Sit Sit Stay does a great job moving in and out through musical genres seamlessly. They do it so well that they create something unique to them. Give it a listen…..
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
Bluegrass with a twist. I am not usually drawn to traditional bluegrass music. I don’t usually find anything that holds my attention. Well MaW is the exception to the rule. This is bluegrass but they play with energy and their lyrics are humorous. They deliver their lyrics in a rather quirky way that makes it fun and a joy to listen to. This is the tagline for the band, “the old-timey band from Lawrence, KS, singing songs of murder, mules, mining, morphine, mayhem, mennonites, pirates, and chewing gum”. I don’t see anything missing from that list. I would add humour to that tagline somewhere because it seems like most of the songs are a bit tongue in cheek.
Who is Maw? I am glad you asked. MaW is made up of five rowdy women who like to have a good time and a hootenanny every now and again. This is definitely feel good, dancing music. Here is the lineup: Kit Cole – fiddle; Katie Conrad – mandolin, tenor banjo, vocals; Tracy Floreani – guitar, tenor guitar, vocals; Julie Schwarting – upright bass; and, Jeanie Wells – clawhammer banjo, guitar, vocals.
When it comes to humor, they seem to have the market cornered on that. Picklin’ Man (Track 4) is a song that may have a double meaning. It seems to be about a man who likes to preserve fruits and vegetables in vinegar, but there could be a double entendre here. That’s all I want to write about that. This song is entertaining and humorous. Also, very listenable. Do Re Me (Track 14) is a song about the cost of living in the promised land, also know as California. In conclusion, you need a lot of Do Re Me to live in Cali. Pretty clever, funny, and great vocals and playing. Mennonite Boys (Track 16) is a little less bluegrass and a little more pop. But it is still a very pleasurable listen. I don’t think I need to describe what this song is about. Pretty much self explanatory.
This release is 58 minutes long but it is a quick listen because all of the songs are so good. It makes the time go very fast. If you like The Evangenitals, you will really like MaW. If you have never heard of The Evangenitals, you will still like MaW. You have my word on it.
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
I love a good inspirational story and Isabel Fryszberg is just that. She is an occupational therapist, a visual artist, musician, and singer songwriter. When does she have time to sleep? That is a full dance for sure. She also was involved in a project by The Social Mystics called Coming Out Of Darkness. The Social Mystics features music created by individuals living with severe and persistent mental illness and/or addictions at the Creative Works Studio at St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. So in addition to being a talented artist and musician, she is also an advocate for those dealing with addiction and mental illness. I like rooting for people like Isabel, she is a true role model.
Sometime in the midst of all of this, Isabel had the time to release an album called Hearts And Arrows with her band, Isabel & The Uncommons. Her music is self described as jazz tinged country-folk-pop. I think that is a very apt description. Add a little bit of Stevie Nicks and I think you got a good description there. Isabel’s vocals are soft and beautiful like a nice warm blanket. Her lyrics are smart and well written. She also has a knack for composing songs. All of the songs on Hearts And Arrows are extremely well crafted and well produced. The backing vocals compliment Isabel’s luscious voice perfectly. A great album that will be in heavy rotation on my music player. Check it out for yourself.
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
This is my second review of West Virginia talent. The first was Ryan Cain & The Ables and now The Greg Harrison Band. Not a huge sample size, but a good indicator that West Virginia has a good core of musicians. This one is hard to put a description on, but I will do my best. Some Skynyrd, Zeppelin, and Allman Brothers. Definitely some strong southern rock and country accents as well as a good base in the blues. Really nice guitar work as well. Actually, great guitar work. The leads are definitely better than your standard blues guitar riffs. John Bonnett is the lead guitarist and he is a good one. Greg Harrison on guitar, Sam Nesbitt on bass, and Zack Lilley on drums round out the band.
The title track, As Long As We’re Dancing is a very catchy number that has crowd appeal. A little funky and a little bluesy makes this one easily to listen to. Out of he ten songs on this album As Long As We’re Dancing and Sevil Woman are my favorites so far. There is still time and I am sure as I listen, others will be added to the list. I like what I hear from The Greg Harrison Band. Give it a listen, I think you will like it for sure.
Listen and buy As Long As We’re Dancing
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
Very nice guitar driven, country influenced rock and roll. The first thought that struck me were the really nice guitar leads on this EP. It is a little heavy but not heavy enough to turn anyone away. Definitely fused with blues, rock, country, and a heavy helping of southern rock. It is high energy music that really makes me start bobbing my head. They also do a great job of slowing up the tempo at times to make a very interesting song with a lot of twists and turns. Ashton Proctor is the lead guitarist and he knows how to get every bit of mileage out of his instrument. Clearly, he has mad skills on the electric guitar.
The rest of the band are as follows: BJ Davidson on drums, Conner Graham on rhythm guitar and trumpet, and Ian Babin on bass. This is not a one man show, but a true collaboration where all players contribute to the final product. Nice heavy drumming and prominent bass is the glue that holds the music together.
Burn It Down (Track 3) is a great tune that really puts all of the band’s talents on display. It starts off with a pretty heavy bluesy guitar riff and some serious drums, then slows down to put emphasis on the great vocals. They really slow it down and get in a very nice groove where the bass parts are quite prominent. They really ratchet up the energy by the conclusion where it ends with some nice interplay between vocals and guitar.
The next number, White Lines, is a slower and less energetic number but is every bit as good as the other tracks. It is a power ballad about travelling a lot and missing the ones you love. Hence, the name White Lines. it really captures the bittersweet emotions of being on the road and not spending as much time at home as one would like.
Five In The Chamber is a solid EP and should firmly establish Bayou Bullets on the music scene. Hopefully, this EP is foreshadowing of great things to come from these four fellas. Next time, I hope there at least ten in the chamber.
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
Very nice bar band style Americana a la Old 97s. Nothing even remotely wrong with that. If I didn’t know better I would have thought Ballad Of Davy Crockett, Pt. 2 was an Old 97s song. But since it is on Big State’s EP, I am pretty sure it isn’t. Definitely guitar driven and loud country music. A little on the rowdy side. Something that gets me moving.
Big State is a four piece from Austin, Texas consisting of James Brinkman on vocals and guitar; Tim Brown on drums and vocals; Pat Conreaux on bass and vocals; and Aaron Seymour on guitar and vocals. Great harmonies are heard throughout this EP. They even do a very nice acapella intro on the opening track Make America Shake Again. This seems to be a somewhat political song about not being political at all. Clever lyrics, great vocals and great playing. You don’t usually hear acapella on alt country tunes, but it works quite well. This is another number heavily inspired by the Old 97s. Big State are quite prolific, having release a full length album and two EPs in 2016. I winder what is in store for 2017? Whatever it is, I am excited!
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
This is Denver style country music. There is definitely a Denver sound to country music and this fits in nicely with 16 Horsepower and Slim Cessna’s Auto Club. Great female vocals with a lot of twang and eerie pedal steel accents. I would definitely put this on the quirky side, and 100% original and unique. What Of Dreams is a beautiful number that I have listened to 4 times already. Make it five times. I know I need to listen to the rest and I will, but this song is so good. It is hard to get past this one.
Who are Chella And The Charm? Funny you should ask… They are: Chella Negro – Vocals, Guitar, Dave Pinto – Pedal Steel, Melanie Karnopp – Drums, and Jason Leija – Bass. I read their bio to get some intel on the band for their review and their bio is clever and funny. Under the Band Interests section it states, “We’re extremely interested in you. Like, in an uncomfortable way.” Under Influences, Chella And The Charm state the following, “trains, whiskey, broken hearts, PBR Tallboys and the Lord’. I think they definitely have all of their bases covered. That is a very comprehensive list.
Getting back to the music, I am now on track 6 – Mad Max. It is another song that I fancy quite a bit. Again, it’s got wailing vocals and pedal steel all over it. Not your typical country song, this one is about the sci fi character Mad Max and clocks in at six minutes. A very fast six minutes I might add. This is a very promising EP for the future of Chella And The Charm and I hope to see a full length release from them ASAP!
Written by Harry Kaplan
OK! I have had enough! I am seeing all of these top of 2016 lists and I don’t agree with any of them. Maybe that is their purpose, to put things on lists that cause controversy to get more buzz for their publications. Not all do that, but I suspect some do. My list is not like that. These are albums I truly believe ARE the best of this year. You may not agree, and probably won’t, and that is alright. One thing is for sure, my list has integrity and the entries are all my opinions, nothing else. So off the soapbox. Here it is:
