The Black Crowes Bring Happiness to New York City

If there ever was any need for a reminder why good ole rock & roll will never go out of style, New York City’s magnificent Radio City Music Hall was the place to be last Saturday (April 27). That’s where The Black Crowes performed before an enthusiastic crowd as part of their ongoing Happiness Bastards Tour. A few weeks ago, I coincidentally had found out about the show when watching a YouTube clip of Larkin Poe, which listed the storied venue among their upcoming gigs. When I saw they would open for the Crowes, I had to check for a way in. Luckily, I found a verified resale ticket at a reasonable price.

Before getting to The Black Crows, I have to address Larkin Poe. Not only was it thanks to the southern sister act of Rebecca Lovell (guitar, vocals) and Megan Lovell (lap steel, backing vocals) I was there in the first place, but these ladies tore up the stage, even though their setup was way more modest than the Crowes’. These amazing musicians and vocalists were backed by their regular touring bassist Tarka Layman and an African American drummer whose name I didn’t catch. He may have been a sub for Kevin McGowan.

Megan Lovell (left) with her sister Rebecca Lovell

While I started paying attention to Larkin Poe about six years ago and have covered them on previous occasions, for example here and here, I’m not very familiar with the titles of their songs. As best as I can tell, their 30-minute set primarily drew on material from Blood Harmony, their most recent studio album released in November 2022. I believe the songs included Summertime Sunset, Kick the Blues, Georgia Off My Mind and Bad Spell. Additionally, I seemed to recognize Wanted Woman/AC/DC, a track from their September 2017 studio album Peach.

Last but not least, there were two excellent covers: Jessica, a sweet instrumental by the late Dickey Betts, off Brothers and Sisters, the fourth studio album by The Allman Brothers Band from August 1973; and Preachin’ Blues by Delta blues guitarist and singer Son House. Before giving you a little flavor of Larkin Poe’s fire power, I have to say I feel sorry for the boneheads who came late and evidently had no interest in seeing Larkin Poe and/or probably had no clue who they are. I also find it extremely disrespectful to walk in while musicians pour out their hearts and souls on stage. I just wish entertainment venues would ban this dreadful practice! Here’s Jessica and Kick the Blues, Larkin Poe style!

After a short intermission it was time for The Black Crows to land and take the stage; or perhaps I should better say soar. Delivering kickass rock & roll is so much better than fighting with each other. Brothers Chris Robinson (lead vocals) and Rich Robinson (guitar, backing vocals), who form the band’s core, certainly know a thing or two about the latter. Luckily, it appears their volatile relationship is a matter of the past – keeping fingers crossed it’ll stay that way!

After the Crowes concluded their Shake Your Moneymaker Tour in March 2023 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their popular February 1990 debut album, they continued to be on the road through much of 2023 and into this year before they announced their current Happiness Bastards Tour in January. That 30-plus-date series is in support of their new album of the same name, which came out on March 15. Perhaps not surprisingly, music from their 10th studio album – their first of original music in 15 years – featured prominently in their set. Let’s check out some of the goodies!

After energetically kicking off with Bedside Manners and Rats and Clowns, the first two tracks off the Happiness Bastards album, Chris Robinson cheerfully announced that in addition to new songs they would also play some old motherfuckers. Of course, no good rock & roll show can be without f-words, the more the merrier! I’ll give you Twice As Hard, the fucking opener of the Crowes’ above-mentioned epic debut Shake Your Money Maker. That motherfucker was co-written by the two brothers.

Okay, I shall behave. No more f-words! Here’s Wanting and Waiting, my early favorite from the Crowes’ new album. That m… – nope, I’m not gonna say it! – was also co-written by the Robinson brothers.

I suppose the next song doesn’t need much of an introduction. Penned by Otis Redding, who Chris Robinson noted hailed from Georgia as well, along with Al Bell and Allen Jones, Hard to Handle was first popularized in 1968 by the Stax recording artist. Robinson also acknowledged that song had done much for the Crowes. Indeed. It became their first single to top Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. I think it’s fair to say it also still is the group’s signature song. Let’s listen to that motherfucker – opps, I did it again!

Alrighty, one more clip: Remedy, a track from The Black Crowes’ sophomore album The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, which appeared in May 1992. Another co-write by the Robinson brothers, the song was also released separately as the album’s lead single in April of the same year. It became their third no. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart.

After the crowd screamed for more, The Black Crowes obliged with a cover of White Light/White Heat, the title track of the second studio album by The Velvet Underground released in January 1968. The song was written by Lou Reed. Earlier in their set, the Crowes also delivered an energetic rendition of High School Confidential, the title track of the 1958 U.S. crime drama motion picture, co-written by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ron Hargrave, and performed by The Killer. Here’s the full setlist, as documented on Setlist.fm.

Setlist

• Bedside Manners
• Rats and Clowns
• Twice as Hard
• Gone
• Then She Said My Name
• Cross Your Fingers
• Seeing Things
• High School Confidential (Jerry Lee Lewis cover)
• Thorn in My Pride
• Wanting and Waiting
• Hard to Handle (Otis Redding cover)
• She Talks to Angels
• Flesh Wound
• I Ain’t Hiding
• Jealous Again
• Remedy

Encore:
• White Light/White Heat (The Velvet Underground cover)

I thought The Black Crowes delivered a great show. Chris Robinson’s vocals sounded strong, and his brother Rich Robinson was compelling on guitar. At one point, Chris also showcased his impressive harmonica skills. The Robinson brothers were backed by a formidable band featuring Sven Pipien (bass), who previously toured with them from 1997 until 2015; Nico Bereciartua (guitar, backing vocals); Erik Deutsch (keyboards, backing vocals) and Cully Symington (drums, percussion). The line-up also included backing vocalists Mackenzie Adams and Leslie Grant who added a neat soul vibe to the performance.

The Black Crows are flying next to Washington, D.C. (tomorrow, April 30), followed by Charlotte, N.C. (May 1); Bethlehem, Pa. (May 3); Atlantic City, N.J. (May 4); and Philadelphia, Pa. (May 7). The full schedule of the Happiness Bastards Tour is here.

Also, let’s not forget Larkin Poe, who to me were just as compelling as the Crowes. The sister act’s upcoming gigs include Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Manchester, Tenn. (Jun 14); Off North Shore – Skokie Music Festival, Skokie, Ill., Jun 21-22; Rock, Ribs & Ridges, Augusta, N.J., Jun 30; and High Sierra Music Festival, Quincy, Calif., Jul 4-7.

I also noticed that in September, Larkin Poe are playing the annual Sea.Hear.Now Festival in Asbury Park, N.J., which is right in my backyard. Unfortunately, tickets are already sold out. Well, it’s a good thing for the organizers. You can check out Larkin Poe’s full schedule here.

Sources: Wikipedia; Setlist.fm; The Black Crowes website; Larkin Poe website; YouTube

Ian Hunter Continues Defiance On Great-Sounding Sequel

Until last year, Ian Hunter wasn’t exactly on my radar screen. That changed quickly after I had heard Bed of Roses, one of the upfront singles of his April 2023 album Defiance Part 1 that I subsequently reviewed here. Last Friday, April 19, the ex-Mott the Hoople lead vocalist and guitarist came back with Defiance Part 2: Fiction. While it mirrors the approach and sound of the predecessor, the sequel is a fun listening experience reaffirming that Hunter at 84 years remains a compelling vocalist and songwriter.

Like Defiance Part 1, the second installment features contributions from an impressive array of other artists. Some, such as Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, Stone Temple Pilots’ Robert DeLeo, the late Taylor Hawkins and the late Jeff Beck, also were on the first album. Others like Brian May, Lucinda Williams and The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson and Rich Robinson are new guests.

Ian Hunter with the late Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp who in addition to playing guitar on one track created the painting for the cover art

Once again, longtime collaborator Andy York, who is also a member of John Mellencamp’s touring band, co-produced the album with Hunter. More background on how the Defiance concept came together is in the above-noted review. Let’s get to some music from Defiance Part 2: Fiction.

Since I included the opener People in my latest weekly new music review, I’m skipping it here and go right to Fiction. Like all of the album’s other nine tracks the music and the lyrics were solely written by Hunter. Among others, it features ex-Mott the Hoople keyboarder Morgan Fisher who has also played with many other artists and more recently expanded into photography.

The 3rd Rail is a ballad dedicated to Jeff Beck. The English guitarist can also be heard on lead guitar. It was one of his final studio recordings prior to his death from bacterial meningitis at age 78 in January 2023. Johnny Depp contributed acoustic and electric rhythm guitar.

Precious, which became the album’s first upfront single on February 15, features ex-Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, Joe Elliott on backing vocals and Queen’s Brian May on guitar. “We got on really well with Queen,” Hunter recalled in a statement on his website. “When you’re in a band you can get really bored with each other but they were just normal blokes, it was like being on the road with nine guys instead of just five. Freddie was hilarious and I’ve kept up with Brian to this day.”

On What Would I Do Without You, another ballad, Hunter shares lead vocals with Lucinda Williams, who has become one of my favorite artists over the past couple of years. “Lucinda and her husband came to one of my shows in Nashville,” Hunter recalled. “I love her voice, there’s something very childlike, and you just know it’s her straight away. You don’t forget that voice.” They do sound great together!

The last track I’d like to call out is Everybody’s Crazy But Me. The nice rocker, among others, features Hawkins (drums), Waddy Wachtel (guitar) and Benmont Tench (organ), formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Commenting on his harder lyrical edge to examine contemporary issues on Defiance Part 2: Fiction, Hunter stated, “I was trying to avoid all that on PART 1 but on PART 2, it caught up with me. Most of those were written two or three years back, so I wanted to get it all out before whatever takes hold in November. It would be dated after the fact.”

He added, “I’m neither left nor particularly right. I’m just straight down the middle. And so I tried to write from that point of view. An eagle has two wings and if one falls off it perishes. That’s what I’m trying to get at. A bit of common sense, you know, Thomas Paine stuff.”

Apparently, Hunter has found his grove and wants to continue the Defiance project with a third installment, for which he already has started to write new songs. Though the project initially emerged from expediency and COVID quarantine, Hunter evidently is encouraged by the outcomes of the collaborative approach.

“I never initiated this,” he said. “It just kind of just happened and it turned out great. So I’m going to write some more songs and we’ll see what happens again.”

Sources: Ian Hunter website; YouTube; Spotify

New Music Musings

It’s Saturday, which is the time of week where I take a fresh look at newly released music. All picks are included on albums that dropped yesterday (April 19).

Valley Lodge/Daylights

Valley Lodge are a power pop band from New York City who released their eponymous debut album in August 2005. Cheap Trick, T. Rex, Big Star, Raspberries, Thin Lizzy, Matthew Sweet, Slade and the Kinks are among their influences. The group’s current lineup includes Dave Hill (vocals, guitar), Phil Costello (vocals, guitar), John Kimbrough (guitar), Eddie Eyeball (bass) and Rob Pfeiffer (drums). Daylights is the fun opener of the group’s fifth and latest album Shadows in Paradise.

Brainstory/Peach Optimo

Brainstory are a Los Angeles-based trio whose sound AllMusic characterizes as smooth and trippy, blending psychedelic jazz and pop. Comprised of Kevin Martin (lead vocals, guitar), his brother Tony Martin (bass, vocals) and Eric Hagstrom (drums), Brainstory debuted in November 2019 with the album Buck, releasing an instrumental version and a version with vocals. They are now out with their second full-length album, Sounds Good, which pretty much sums up the music! Here’s Peach Optimo.

Pillow Queens/Like a Lesson

Irish indie rock band Pillow Queens were formed in Dublin in 2016. Their members are Pamela Connolly (vocals, guitar), Sarah Corcoran (bass, backing vocals, pump organ), Cathy McGuinness (guitar, backing vocals) and Rachel Lyons (drums, backing vocals). After a series of singles, they released their debut album In Waiting in September 2020. Off their third and new album Name Your Sorrow, here’s Like a Lesson.

The Brother Brothers/Brown Dog

New York-based folk duo The Brother Brothers consist of Adam Moss and his identical twin brother David Moss. AllMusic notes their harmony-laden pop draws from Americana and first-generation rock & roll. Initially, Adam learned the fiddle and David picked the cello, and they played in different bands in different locations. It wasn’t until they both lived in Brooklyn that they started their duo. Their first full-length album Some People I Know appeared in October 2018. Their latest is titled The January Album. Here’s Brown Dog. Those vocal harmonies are neat!

Ian Hunter/People

Until February 2023 when I came across Bed of Roses by Ian Hunter from his album Defiance Part 1, I had not realized what an extensive solo career he has had since 1975. The former Mott the Hoople lead vocalist and guitarist who turns 85 in June continues to fire on all cylinders. Like last year’s predecessor, Defiance Part 2: Fiction features collaborations with prominent guests, such as the late Jeff Beck, Lucinda Williams and Chris Robinson and Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes. Here’s People featuring Cheap Trick (Tom Petersson, Robin Zander & Rick Nielsen) and Def Leppard lead vocalist Joe Elliott.

Pearl Jam/Running

Wrapping up this new music review are Pearl Jam. I’ve yet to more fully explore the Seattle rock band who were formed in 1990. Their present line-up includes co-founders Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar, backing vocals), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Jeff Ament (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), together with Matt Cameron (drums, percussion, backing vocals) who joined in 1998. Running, credited to the band and producer Andrew Watt, is a track from their 12th and latest album Dark Matter. This rocks nicely.

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; Pillow Queens Bandcamp page; Ian Hunter website; YouTube; Spotify

The Sunday Six

Once again it’s Sunday and time for another installment of my weekly imaginary music time travel feature, which visits six different tracks from six different decades and in different flavors. Before getting underway, I’d like to announce a short hiatus of the blog. In a couple of hours, my family is leaving for a mini-vacation to experience the solar eclipse. I’ll resume posting and commenting on Wednesday.

Wayne Shorter/Blues A La Carte

Today, our zig-zag excursion starts in August 1960, which saw the release of Introducing Wayne Shorter, the debut album by the jazz saxophone great as band leader. It was the first of more than 20 additional albums Wayne Shorter recorded in that role. He also played as a sideman with the likes of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet. In 1970, Shorter became a co-founder of jazz fusion band Weather Report. He passed away in March 2023 at age 89. Let’s listen to the neat Shorter composition Blues A La Carte, the opener of his aforementioned debut as band leader.

Gianna Nannini/Latin Lover

On to Italian pop and rock singer-songwriter Gianna Nannini who enjoyed a good deal of popularity in Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland from the late ’70s until the mid-’80s. Including her 1976 eponymous debut, Nannini has released close to 30 albums. In 1979, she scored her first hit with America, a song off her sophomore album California. Nannini entered my radar screen in 1982 with the title track of her fifth album Latin Lover, a catchy pop rocker featuring her characteristic raspy vocals.

Dirty Honey/Won’t Take Me Alive

Let’s jump back to the present with some sweet classic style rock by Los Angeles band Dirty Honey. Founded in 2017, they are reminiscent of groups like Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and The Black Crowes. Dirty Honey consist of co-founders Marc Labelle (vocals), John Notto (guitar) and Justin Smolian (bass), along with Jaydon Bean who last year replaced original drummer Corey Coverstone. Off their second and most recent studio album Can’t Find the Brakes, released in November 2023, here’s Won’t Take Me Alive, credited to Notto, Smolian and Labelle. This r.o.c.k.s.!!!

Big Joe Turner/Shake, Rattle and Roll

Time for a dose of ’50s rock & roll! To get it we shall go back 70 years to April 1954. That’s when American blues shouter Big Joe Turner released his single Shake, Rattle and Roll, which became his second to top Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart. The song was written by R&B musician and songwriter Jess Stone under the pseudonym Charles Calhoun. In June of the same year, Bill Haley & His Comets released a cover of the song, scoring their second hit after Rock Around the Clock. Feel free to snip along!

Janis Joplin/Cry Baby

Our next stop takes us to January 1971 and the second solo album by the incredible Janis Joplin. Best known for her cover of Kris Kristofferson’s Me and Bobby McGee, the album Pearl appeared three months after her death in October 1970 at age 27. Here’s Cry Baby, another gem from that album. Co-written by Bert Berns and Jerry Ragovoy, the song was first recorded in 1963 by Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters. Joplin’s kicked up the intensity level a few notches – damn!

Crash Test Dummies/Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm

And this brings us to our sixth and final stop. For this let’s head to April 1993 and God Shuffled His Feet, the sophomore album by Canadian alternative rock band Crash Test Dummies. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm became the album’s first single and the group’s biggest hit to date. It was written by lead vocalist Brad Roberts, who with his distinctive bass-baritone voice largely defines the band’s sound. The group exists to this day as a touring act.

This post wouldn’t be complete without a Spotify playlist. Hope there’s something here that tickles your fancy. See you when I’m back on Wednesday!

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube; Spotify

New Music Musings

Happy Saturday and welcome to my weekly new music review. All featured picks can be found on albums that were released yesterday (March 15)

Beans/Dreaming Daisy

First up are Australian psychedelic garage rock group Beans from Melbourne. An announcement on the website of their label Fuzz Club Records notes the band is fronted by Matt Blach, drummer of rock band The Murlocs who also hail from Melbourne. Boots N Cats is Beans’ third full-length album after All Together Now (2020) and Babble (2018). Boots N Cats “bounces between organ-driven garage-rock wig-outs, breezy psych-pop and groovy funk instrumentals.” Here’s Dreaming Daisy.

Scott Stapp/Deadman’s Trigger

Scott Stapp is best known as lead vocalist and lyricist of post-grunge rockers Creed who he co-founded in Tallahassee, Fla. in 1994. After Creed had disbanded in 2004, Stapp released his first solo album, The Great Divide, in November 2005. During the hiatus of Creed who had reunited in 2009, Stapp resumed his solo career and is now out with his fourth and latest album Higher Power. Meanwhile, Creed emerged from hiatus in July 2023 and will tour the U.S. and Canada starting in April. Here’s Deadman’s Trigger co-written by Stapp, Blair Daly, Marti Frederiksen, Scott Stevens and Zac Maloy.

Potato Beach/Please Waste Your Time

Potato Beach are another psychedelic garage rock band, from Vienna, Austria, who were formed in 2020. From their Bandcamp profile: Anja, Peter, Sven, Lili and Jannik try to make everything sound like the 60s, even though they live in 2022. Because they are not cool enough to move to L.A., they are trying to bring the seductive sound of bands such as The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Allah-Las and La Luz to Austria. Off their first full-length album Dip In, here’s Please Waste Your Time – that cool retro grabbed me right away!

Cory Wells/Natural Disaster

Cory Wells, not to be confused with the former Three Dog Night member of the same name, is a California singer-songwriter who AllMusic notes blends acoustic EMO and cathartic power folk. Initially, Wells focused on metal and hardcore and was a touring member of post-hardcore band Movements before shifting to a quieter style and releasing his 2018 debut EP How to Tear Apart the Ones You Love. His second and latest full-length album is titled Harboring the Hurt I’ve Caused. Here’s Natural Disaster, co-written by Wells, Anton DeLost and Sarah Thompson.

James Clarke Five/Ghost

James Clarke Five is the solo project of British power pop artist James Hughes. He was a co-founder and the keyboarder of ’80s English new wave band The Cherry Boys. After their breakup in 1984, he also co-founded indie pop outfit Exhibit B whose 1988 album Playing Dead became a cult classic. Hughes launched James Clarke Five in the early 2000s. His latest album under that moniker, Zoom and The Gadflies, has “a common theme inspired by the music that excited me as a child,” Hughes explained in a statement, “people like Adam and The Ants, and also the likes of T. Rex and the ‘production style’ of the Glam Rock era.” Here’s Ghost, a song about bittersweet reflections on childhood and the passing of time with a neat harpsichord-driven sound!

The Black Crowes/Wanting and Waiting

Rounding out this post is music from the new album by The Black Crowes, the group’s first since their third reunion in 2019. Initially formed in Atlanta, Ga. as Mr. Crowe’s Garden in 1984, the band around brothers Chris Robinson and Rich Robinson has seen numerous line-up changes and much drama, especially between the brothers. In late 2019, they told Howard Stern they had resolved their differences. The group conducted a 2022 tour around the 30th anniversary of their Shake Your Money Maker debut album. Off their new studio project Happiness Bastards, here’s the great Wanting and Waiting. The Black Crowes are touring behind the album starting in early April.

Sources: Wikipedia; Fuzz Club Records website; Potato Beach Bandcamp page; AllMusic; Shameless Promotion PR press kit; YouTube; Spotify

New Music Musings

Just in time before seeing off the year, I’d like to take a final look at new music. This post highlights my six favorite albums of 2023 I reviewed.

Highway 61 – Driving South

After 30 Years and an incredible background story including the global pandemic, a near-fatal cancer episode and the death of a music mentor, Los Angeles blues rock four-piece Highway 61 released their debut album Driving South on March 24. While after their formation in the early ’90s the band managed to establish themselves on the Southern California club circuit, the record deal they sought remained elusive, and they broke up in 1993. Fast forward to the summer of 2022 when they reconvened for the first time in decades at an L.A. studio to finally record their first album. Highway 61 blend flavors of The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty with dashes of The Black Crowes and Stevie Ray Vaughan. For a little taste, here’s the kickass opener Walk On Water (full album review). Thanks again to Gregg Bell of Wanted Management, who brought Highway 61 on my radar screen!

Ian Hunter – Defiance Part 1

Ian Hunter may be an octogenarian, but he sure as heck can show all the young dudes how to rock. After his departure as lead vocalist from British glam rockers Mott the Hoople in 1974, Hunter launched a solo career and has released his own albums at a fairly steady pace. He frequently collaborated with Mick Ronson until the untimely death of David Bowie’s former sideman in 1993 at the age of 46. His 15th and latest album Defiance Part 1, recorded during COVID lockdown and released on April 21, features the late Jeff Beck, Slash, Billy Gibbons, Todd Rundgren and Ringo Starr, among others, who all added contributions at their home studios. The album also includes Hunter’s longtime collaborator Andy York, one of John Mellencamp’s guitarist, who also served as co-producer. Here’s This Is What I’m Here For, written by Hunter and featuring the late Taylor Hawkins (formerly of Foo Fighters) on drums, Waddy Wachtel (guitar) and Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott (backing vocals) (full album review).

Lucinda Williams – Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart

Lucinda Williams may be among the ultimate rock & roll survivors. Only two and a half years ago, things looked pretty bleak for the singer-songwriter, who turned 70 in January. After her East Nashville home had been damaged by a tornado in March 2020, she suffered a debilitating stroke in November of the same year. Not only did the stroke limit Williams’ physical mobility, but it also took away her ability to play guitar, the instrument she had relied on to write her songs. None of this stopped Williams. After intense rehab, she returned to the stage. Still unable to play guitar, she adjusted her way to write music, collaborated with her husband and co-producer Tom Overby and others, and recorded the incredible album Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart, which dropped on June 30. I don’t mean to romanticize hardship, but I find Williams’ strength truly inspiring. Here’s the de facto title track Rock n Roll Heart, co-written by Williams, Overby and Travis Stephens, guitarist and Williams’ road manager. The song features Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa on backing vocals (full album review). Only select songs of the album are available on streaming services.

Cordovas – The Rose of Aces

East Nashville, Tenn.-based Americana and country rock band Cordovas have become one of my favorite contemporary groups since the summer of 2018 when I coincidentally caught them at a free open air summer concert in New Jersey. Their three-part harmony vocals and warm sound remind me of other groups like The Band, Grateful Dead, Eagles and Little Feat. Cordovas were formed in 2011 by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Firstman  after he had put out a series of solo projects and served as bandleader on NBC’s former late-night TV show Last Call with Carson Daly from 2005 to 2009. On August 11, they released their fourth studio album The Rose of Aces, another gem. Here’s Love Is All It Takes, a song written by Firstman with a neat Allman Brothers Band vibe (full album review).

The Rolling Stones/Hackney Diamonds

Hackney Diamonds is no Sticky Fingers or Exile On Main St., but the first new Rolling Stones album with original music in 18 years still marks a late-stage career highlight. Released on October 20, Hackney Diamonds sounds remarkably fresh and dynamic for a band that has existed for 61 years! The first Stones album since the 2021 death of longtime drummer Charlie Watts features Elton John, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Bill Wyman, Paul McCartney and even Watts, among others. One of the most effective contributions are Lady Gaga’s backing vocals on Sweet Sounds of Heaven, a great soulful ballad credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. It also includes Wonder on keyboards and piano, but you don’t notice unless you carefully listen to Jagger telling Wonder, ‘Play me something, Steve’, at around the 5:30-minute mark or check the credits – a relatively small wrinkle on what I think is the Stones’ best studio album since 1989’s Steel Wheels (full album review).

Raze Regal & White Denim Inc. – Raze Regal & White Denim Inc.

The collaboration between Raze Regal, who AllMusic calls an eclectic, psych, jazz, and rock-influenced guitarist, and James Petralli, vocalist of Austin, Texas indie rock band White Denim who he co-founded in 2006, is one of my most intriguing new music discoveries this year. The album’s sophisticated sound blending jazz, rock, soul and pop at times reminds me of Steely Dan and some of Gino Vannelli’s work I’ve heard. Here’s the cool opener Ashley Goudeau, named after a local Austin morning news anchor, a song about a parasocial relationship with a TV personality (full album review).

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; YouTube; Spotify

Song Musings

Happy Wednesday and I’d like to welcome you to another installment of my recurring feature where I’m taking a deeper dive into a tune I’ve only briefly mentioned or not covered at all to date. Today, I decided to go ’70s classic rock, coz why not! If you celebrated the Fourth of July last evening and feel your morning coffee hasn’t quite done the trick to get you going at full throttle, I think I might have a good remedy: Back in the Saddle by Aerosmith!

Co-written by the Boston rockers’ Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, also lovingly known as The Toxic Twins, Back in the Saddle first appeared in May 1976 on the group’s fourth studio album aptly titled Rocks. The opener also became the LP’s third and final single in March 1977.

The tune that after a short guitar intro starts with Tyler screaming I’m baaaaack, I’m back in the saddle again, didn’t exactly refer to smashing chart success, something that’s also sadly true for many other great Aerosmith tunes. It climbed to no. 38 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 and a meager no. 68 in Canada.

Rocks, on the other hand, fared much better. How much? How about no. 3 on the Billboard 200, the group’s highest-charting album in the U.S. at the time, and no. 14 in Canada. That’s more like it! Rocks also charted in Australia (no. 45) and Sweden (no. 46). On the sales front, it reached 4X Platinum status (4 million certified copies) in the U.S. and Platinum certification in Canada (100,000 certified units) by July 1976 and November 1976, respectively.

Perry wrote the song’s main riff on a Fender Bass VI, creating the tune’s distinctive growl. The lead guitar part was performed by Brad Whitford who is otherwise mainly known as the band’s rhythm guitarist. Tom Hamilton delivered what is considered one of his heaviest and most noticeable bass lines, while Joey Kramer was manning the skins.

According to Wikipedia, Back in the Saddle features some interesting sound effects of a galloping horse and whips, and screams and even yodeling by Steven Tyler at the end of the song. Apparently, at first, they tried using a real bullwhip, but I guess drugs and bullwhips don’t mix too well, and after some self-inflected injuries, the boys ingeniously figured out to create the whip effects by “whirling a 30-foot cord from the studio, then by firing a cap gun to create the crack of the whip.” You just can’t make this stuff up!

While at the time Tyler wrote the lyrics he had cowboys and sex on his mind [sex and rock & roll? Unheard of! CMM], Back in the Saddle took on new meaning when Aerosmith named their 1984 reunion tour after it. Perry and Whitford had departed the band in 1979 and 1981, respectively, leaving Aerosmith on the rocks! It’s your typical rock & roll BS drama and, as such, not worthwhile getting into it any further.

BTW, speaking of tours, Aerosmith are set to embark on getting back in the saddle one last time in early September. In an over-the-top video clip teasing the Peace Out tour Tyler emphasizes, “And if you think we’re joking, dream on!” Clever! The Black Crowes will be part of the final hurray. Admittedly, my sweet emotions about the band I’ve never seen make me feel I don’t want to miss a thing. You see, I may not be a rock star, but I can do clever as well! Here’s the schedule.

Following are additional insights from Songfacts:

This song describes a cowboy going to a bar, picking up a girl and spending the night with her. There is lots of sexual innuendo in the lyrics among the Old West images (“I’m like a loaded gun,” “This snake is gonna rattle).

The prostitute in the song, Sukie Jones, was a creation of Steven Tyler and not a real person. One fan of the song is original Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler, who in 2003 formed a band called Suki Jones, which he later renamed Adler’s Appetite.

“Back In The Saddle Again” was a song popularized by Gene Autry, who first recorded it in 1939. Autry was known as “The Singing Cowboy,” and his song played up the cowboy persona he portrayed in movies and TV specials. [Other than the title, the two tunes are unrelated – CMM]

Steven Tyler decided to use the cowboy theme for his lyrics after talking with producer Jack Douglas about using the “back in the saddle” line as a way of declaring that the band was back with a new album and ready to rock hard. Tyler always thought “back in saddle” meant having sex with your girlfriend more than once in a night, so he wrote the lyrics about a cowboy riding into town to satisfy his sexual urges. He wrote the lyrics in the stairwell of the Record Plant recording studio, where he would often write once the track was finished.

The main riff was composed by guitarist Joe Perry on a 6-string bass guitar he had recently purchased. Perry says he was “lying on the floor, stoned on heroin” when he came up with the riff. The song wasn’t recorded until almost a year later, when they used their rehearsal space – a warehouse in Waltham, Massachusetts they called “The Wherehouse” – as a recording studio by bringing in a mobile recording unit to record the Rocks album.

…After the band put the track together around Joe Perry’s guitar riff, they knew it would be a great opener for the album. Producer Jack Douglas said in the Aerosmith biography Walk This Way: “We recorded ‘Back In The Saddle’ to have this larger-than-life vibe, to bring the band right into the middle of the kid’s head when he put on his ‘phones in his bedroom late at night.”

For the bridge, lead singer Steven Tyler taped tambourines to his cowboy boots and stomped on a piece of plywood he laid down in the studio. For the crack of the whip, they bought a bullwhip, but nobody could use it. They ended up faking the whip sound by having Tyler swing a cord in a studio to make the whirling noise, then using a cap gun for the crack.

This is one of the first rock songs with a cowboy theme, complete with the sound of a horse. Other songs that take us back to the Old West include “Desperado” by the Eagles and “Wanted Dead Or Alive” by Bon Jovi [one of my favorite songs by the Jersey rockers who oftentimes draw mixed reactions among rock fans – CMM].

Sebastian Bach recorded this with Axl Rose for Bach’s 2007 album Angel Down, his first album since his 2001 release Bach 2: Basics. In an interview with the Hartford, Connecticut radio station WCCC, Bach explained that his producer Roy Z convinced him to record the song as a way to announce his return, since “Bach was Back In The Saddle.”

I guess Bach passed the audition.

Sources: Wikipedia; Songfacts; RIAA website; Music Canada website; YouTube

The Sunday Six

Welcome to the first Sunday Six of this summer, which officially started on Wednesday. It was also the longest day and shortest night in the Northern Hemisphere. I hope you’re up for another trip to visit some great music of the past and the present. The magical music time machine is ready to take off, so grab a seat and fasten your seatbelt while I set the controls for our first stop. And off we go!

Miles Davis/I Fall In Love Too Easily

Today, we start our journey in July 1963 and Seven Steps to Heaven, a studio album by Miles Davis. During his five-decade career, the trumpeter, bandleader and composer was at the forefront of many major stylistic developments in jazz, making him one of the most influential and acclaimed music artists of the 20th century. On Seven Steps to Heaven, Davis worked with Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass) and Tony Williams (drums), who became his regular sidemen for the next five years. I Fall In Love Too Easily, composed in 1944 by English-American songwriter Jule Styne, featured Davis, George Coleman (tenor saxophone), Victor Feldman (piano), Carter and Frank Butler (drums).

Dirty Honey/Heartbreaker 2.0

Our next stop takes us back to the present and a cool classic rock-oriented band I first came across in April 2021. Dirty Honey, founded in 2017 in Los Angeles, have a sound reminiscent of groups like Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and The Black Crowes. Heartbreaker 2.0, their most recent single released in January this year, is an updated version of Heartbreaker, a tune that first appeared on their eponymous debut EP, which came out in March 2019. This song nicely rocks and I look forward to more music by these guys!

Bo Diddley/Who Do You Love?

The beauty of the magical music time machine is it can take us to any year of any decade in an instant. So, how about the ’50s? Sure! Let’s go to 1956 and the man who became famous for playing rectangular electric guitars and a seductive signature beat: Bo Diddley, who played was instrumental in the transition from the blues to rock & roll, and influenced many artists, such as Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, The Animals and George Thorogood. Here’s Diddley’s classic Who Do You Love? written by him and first released as a single in 1956. Featuring his signature Bo Diddley Beat, the tune was also included on his eponymous debut album, which came out in 1958.

David Bowie/Life On Mars?

Since I saw a great David Bowie tribute band on Tuesday, the English singer-songwriter and actor has been on my mind. I’m particularly drawn to Bowie’s early phase. This particular pick leads us to December 1971, which saw the release of his 4th studio album Hunky Dory. Bowie was clearly intrigued with space exploration, as evidenced by tunes like Space Oddity, Starman and Life On Mars? Hunky Dory introduced Bowie’s new core backing band of Mick Ronson (guitar), Trevor Bolder (bass) and Mick Woodmansey (drums), who would soon become The Spiders from Mars. The piano part on Life On Mars? was played by Rick Wakeman, then a session musician and soon-to-be member of Yes.

Third Eye Blind/Semi-Charmed Life

Next, let’s pay a visit to the ’90s with a catchy tune I well remember hearing on the radio: Semi-Charmed Life by alternative rock band Third Eye Blind. The tune first appeared in February 1997 as the lead single of their eponymous debut album, which was released in April of the same year. Solely credited to frontman Stephan Jenkins (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Semi-Charmed Life became their most successful single. Third Eye Blind were formed in San Francisco in 1993 and are still around, with Jenkins remaining as the only original member.

Scorpions/Rock You Like a Hurricane

Once again, the time has come to wrap up another musical excursion. For our final stop, let’s go out with a bang by German pop metal rockers Scorpions and Rock You Like a Hurricane. The tune was included on their ninth studio album Love At First Sting, which solidified the band’s international popularity and became their biggest seller. Scorpions were formed in Hanover in 1965 by Rudolf Schenker (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) who remains with the group to this day, as are two members who were part of the line-up that recorded the album: Klaus Meine (lead vocals) and Matthias Jabs (lead guitar, backing vocals). Scorpions are currently touring in Europe. I still love that guitar riff and Meine is a killer vocalist. And don’t you love his German accent? 🙂

This post wouldn’t be complete without a Spotify playlist of the above-featured tracks. Hope there’s something you dig and that you’ll join me again next Sunday for another trip!

Sources: Wikipedia; Scorpions website; YouTube; Spotify

Best of What’s New

Happy Saturday and, if you’re living in the U.S., Happy Memorial Day weekend, and hopefully a three-day stretch off work. It’s that time of the week again when I take a fresh look at newly released music. All featured tracks are on albums that dropped yesterday (May 26), except for the final pick (May 25).

Les Lullies/Mauvaise Foi

When I came across new music by French rock band Les Lullies, I was quite excited, since this may be my first time featuring a French language song. Then I thought their name somehow sounded familiar. Surely enough, fellow blogger Angie Moon from The Diversity of Classic Rock recently featured a Q&A with the group from Montpellier, who have been around since 2016. Their Bandcamp page notes those four cheese eating attack monkeys are here to kick your ass. Raw, simple, straight rock’n’roll music. How about some proof? Here’s Mauvaise Foi (bad faith), the title track of their second and latest album. There’s a nice punk rawness in their tunes.

AJJ/Candles of Love

AJJ are a folk punk band from Phoenix, AZ, formed in 2004 as Andrew Jackson Jihad by Sean Bonnette (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Ben Gallaty (bass, backing vocals) who remain their core members. Since their 2005 debut Candy Cigarettes & Cap Guns, AJJ, among others, have released seven additional studio albums including their latest Disposable Everything. Here’s the mellow-sounding Candles of Love, credited to all five members of the band and producer David Jerkovich

Joe Perry/Fortunate One (feat. Chris Robinson)

My next pick comes from the seventh studio album by Joe Perry, who of course is best known as a co-founder and the lead guitarist of longtime Boston rockers Aerosmith. Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII combines different versions of four tracks that first appeared on Perry’s previous solo effort Sweetzerland Manifesto with six all-new tracks, noted Ultimate Classic Rock. Among the latter is the great opener Fortunate One featuring Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes on lead vocals and Stone Temple Pilots’ bassist Robert DeLeo. The Black Crowes will join Aerosmith on what is billed as the Boston band’s Peace Out farewell tour that kicks off in September.

Radiator Hospital/Sweet Punisher

Wrapping up this week’s new music review are Radiator Hospital, a Philly-based group around power pop and pop punk-oriented songwriter Sam Cook-Parrott (vocals, guitar). According to their AllMusic bio, Cook-Parrott started Radiator Hospital after his graduation from high school. To date, seven Radiator Hospital albums in different formats have been issued. From their latest, Can’t Make Any Promise, which came out on May 25, here’s Sweet Punisher, penned by Cook-Parrott.

Of course, this post wouldn’t be complete without a Spotify playlist featuring the above and a few additional tracks.

Sources: Wikipedia; Ultimate Classic Rock; AllMusic; YouTube; Spotify

Highway 61 Have Arrived After 30 Years With Phenomenal Debut Album

A band named Highway 61 was bound to get my attention. It also didn’t hurt the four-piece from Los Angeles deliver music they rightfully describe as mixing doses of The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty with dashes of The Black Crowes and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Last but not least, there’s a truly inspiring background story behind their excellent debut album Driving South, which officially will be released on April 7 and is already available digitally on streaming platforms as of last Friday (March 24).

Before getting to some great music, I like to touch on the group’s history, especially for readers who didn’t catch my most recent Best of What’s New installment. Highway 61 originally were founded in the early ’90s. While they managed to establish themselves on the Southern California club circuit, they didn’t secure a record deal. “We were young and committed to constantly rehearsing, writing, promoting, and playing stellar shows,” recalls drummer Mike Knutson in the band’s official bio, which was kindly provided to me by their manager Gregg Bell of Wanted Management. “…but eventually we got burnt out, the scene changed, and we split up.”

That split happened in 1993. But while they went their separate ways (most notably, guitarist and vocalist Frank Meyer formed award-winning punk band The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs), they remained friends and occasionally worked with each other. Fast-forward to 2020 when the world found itself in the throes of the global COVID pandemic and guitarist Andy Medway was confronted with a life-changing experience – a diagnosis with leukemia. After a year of chemotherapy, Medway ended up undergoing a bone marrow transplant. This required more than a year of recovery and resulted in a series of complications and setbacks.

“Frank was great about staying in touch with me during my recovery and encouraging me to play music even when I didn’t know if I would ever be able to play again,” says Medway in the band’s bio. “Music truly is the great healer.” Not only that it turned out. Here’s more from Highway 61’s bio: Inspired by the challenge, Medway started firing off ideas. Soon he and Meyer had written several songs, including the Driving South track “Black Magic,” which led to the reunion with Knutson and [bassist and vocalist Russell] Loeffler.

In summer 2022, the foursome reconvened for the first time in decades at Kitten Robot Studios in Los Angeles with producer Paul Roessler (The Screamers, 45 Grave, Nina Hagen) to make Driving South, which mixes doses of The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty with dashes of The Black Crowes and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The band ripped through the entire album over a few weeks, finally tracking fan favorites like “Baby, Where’s You Stay Last Night” and “Supernatural Monkey Child,” alongside brand new song “Black Magic.”

Driving South also salutes Highway 61 mentor Alan Mirikitani, a.k.a. blues guitar master BB Chung King, who sadly passed away in 2015. “Walk on Water” and “Breath Away” feature unreleased solos Mirikitani recorded with the band in 1992. In an incredibly emotional reunion, “Walk on Water” also features Mirikitani’s daughter Alana Mirikitani on backing vocals joining the two artists on an album for the first time.

Time to get some music! Let’s start at the very beginning with the aforementioned Walk on Water, the great opener that nicely sets the mood for the album and is a perfect illustration of what Highway 61 is all about – kickass rock & roll that makes me smile. Frank Meyer explains the song is “about evangelists, dirty politicians, and police brutality written around the time of the Rodney King verdict and the L.A. Riots. It’s nuts to me that we were writing about heady topics at such a young age.”

On Baby Where You’d Stay Last Night Highway 61 slightly slow down the tempo, but this tune still rocks as nicely as the previous opener.

Next is Black Magic. Unlike the other nine tunes the band wrote when they were still in their teens and early 20s, Black Magic is the only new song on the album.

Midnight Train has a cool funky sound. Check it out!

Let’s do one more: Supernatural Monkey Child, another neat funky rocker. It’s got a bit of a Jimi Hendrix vibe! I can also hear a dose of Stevie Ray Vaughan in here – damn!

“The crazy thing about this album is that with the exception of “Black Magic,” all of this material was written when we were still teenagers and in our early 20s,” observes Meyer. “Yet somehow these songs sound incredibly mature to me now.”

Adds Loeffler: “Thirty years is a long time, and during that time the music we created still resonated in me. While continuing to write and play music, I always wondered what the others were doing. We spent an enormous amount of time together, rehearsing, writing, traveling for shows, and becoming a family. When Frank called me about finishing what we started, I didn’t hesitate.”

Well, as they say, sometimes good things take time. Highway 61 have delivered what in my book is a fabulous debut. I also think I’m not alone in hoping that we won’t have to wait another 30 years for their next album. I’ll leave you with a Spotify link to Driving South, so you can check out the remaining tracks.

Sources: Highway 61 press materials; YouTube; Spotify