WFMU's The Hound has been delighting record geeks for the past few decades with sets of some of the wildest, wooliest rockabilly, R&B, blues, gospel, garage rock, and punk that can be dug out of crates. His site offers
full podcasts, and individual mp3's under the
show links, and organized by
artist, and
title.
Bo Diddley singing to Kruschev! Blues songs about the Kinsey report! The Cashmere's talking about the hop! Brownie McGee singing about baseball's integration! Roughly 4 million variations on 'The Twist!' And that;s just the tip of this glorious iceberg.
[more inside]
posted by jonmc
on Nov 18, 2007 -
12 comments
The Iron City Houserockers were Pittsburgh's entry in the Heartland Rock Sweepstakes that occured after the success of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger. They had literate lyrics, tough rock and roll backing, and clear-eyed vision. Led by
Joe Grushecky, a special ed teacher by day, produced by Miami Steve Van Zandt of the E Street Band, and possessed of tunes like
"Junior's Bar" (youtube), they seemed poised to hit the big time, but it never quite happened, which is the music audience's loss. He is, however the subject of a loving tribute in the form of
"A Good Life: The Joe Grushecky Story" (trailer).
posted by jonmc
on Oct 15, 2007 -
27 comments
Andy Fraser, the man who wrote and played on 'All Right Now,' one of the great swaggering rock songs, talks about his music, sexuality and living with AIDS in
this exhaustive interview
posted by jonmc
on May 22, 2007 -
18 comments
Larry Harlowe (born Lawrence Kahn) was a Jewish kid from a racially mixed Brooklyn neigborhood who discovered the
clave rhythm. Encouraged by his musician parents, he pursued his new love and became one of the genre's
most admired players and one of the first artists signed to the legendary
Fania (lovingly annotated reissues are on the street from this label), working with
legends of the form. He also was one of the men behind
'Hommy,' the first 'salsa opera,' about a deaf-dumb-and-blind conga player (gee, that sounds familiar). One of the more interesting and illustrious musical charcters of our time.
posted by jonmc
on Oct 19, 2006 -
13 comments
Among Springsteen fans, the song
"Meeting Across The River," has become something of a point of contention and parlor game in terms of what happens to the protagonists afterwards. Many speculated that
"Jungleland," was a continuation of the story. Several authors have taken the enterprise a step further
in a new anthology.
posted by jonmc
on Jul 12, 2006 -
12 comments
Al 'Blind Owl' Wilson was one of the more interesting characters on the 60's music scene. A contemporary (and fellow traveler) of
John Fahey, and student of blues history and with Bob Hite, the founder of seminal 60's blues-rockers
Canned Heat (
youtube video of Wilson and the Heat featuring the Owl on vocals) . A painfully introverted man who suffered from depression and addiction throughout his life, Wilson had a light touch and lack of histrionics uncommon among his blues-revival contemporaries. He died by his own hand at 27.
Blind-owl.net is a loving and comprehensive tribute, featuring many rare
interviews and
photos.
posted by jonmc
on Mar 22, 2006 -
11 comments
Bobby Fuller was a Texas based rock and roll singer best known for the immortal rebel anthem
"I Fought The Law,". Considered by many to be the heir to Buddy Holly as the king of Texas Rock, he built on Holly's style with songs like the aforementioned "...Law," "Jenny Lee," "Love's Made A Fool Of You," and the 2 1/2 minute masterpiece "Let Her Dance." And then it ended,
at age 22, in very
weird circumstances. Over the years, interest in Fuller and his work has ebbed and flowed, and plenty of
archival material surfaced, but the mystery of his death remains unsolved, although many have
speculated. Ann odd end for a footnote character in rick history, but who was bound for more
posted by jonmc
on May 7, 2004 -
16 comments
In the spirit of Sunday morning (and the Martin Luther King holiday weekend), I bring to you the news of a musical release of historical proportions.
Dust to Digital has compiled
Goodbye, Babylon an exhaustively annotated,
beautifully packaged collection of American gospel music from the turn of the century up until 1960.
Some performers are recognizable names in sacred and secular music. Others practice lesser known styles like
Sacred Harp singing. Non-religionists, don't feel left out, this music is enjoyable strictly on it's musical and historical import, since along with blues, traditional country and Tin Pan Alley, gospel music both white and black is one of the main foundations of modern American music.
Judging by the raves it's been recieving, this (admittedly expensive, but worth every penny) box set is destined for a place next to the
Anthology Of American Folk Music in the collection of any serious student of American music.
posted by jonmc
on Jan 18, 2004 -
15 comments
The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM to cognoscenti) one of the lesser known but most influential movements of the past quarter century. After the
innovators of Metal ran out of steam in the late 70's and were stampeded in the maelstrom of punk, heavy metal (and testosterone-soaked delindquents everywhere) found itself in a quandary). A number of UK acts took some cues from the punks, shortened the songs, reigned in the self-indulgence and speeded up the tempo, and upped the relevance and intelligence of the lyrical content, while still retaining the vocal prowess, instrumental pyrotechnics and young warrior energy that makes it Metal in the first place.
Some groups became world famous. Others only
big in Europe. Some great ones
missed stardom by just a
notch. Many of these acts have been cited as inspirations by Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Napalm Death and the thrash/death metal hordes, and even many post-punks. An interesting summary for fans, and a good introduction for non-mans who may have to recalibrate their opinion of the genre after checking some of these bands out.
posted by jonmc
on Dec 17, 2003 -
17 comments
Plenty of pop music explosions have been international in scope-metal, punk, hip-hop. But none as much as the initial blast garage rock and roll that erupted after the Beatles and Stones broke big.
Cutie Morning Moon does an astounding job of documenting the far flung outposts of garageland like
Chile,
Hong Kong,
Sweden,
Holland Japan Uruguay,
Poland and the rest of
Eastern Europe. It also includes the story of Japanese Brazillian expatriates
Os Incriveis , plenty of
wild photos,
movie footage of swede legends
the Tages and an
article on the secret history of Joan Jett's #1 hit " I Love Rock And Roll". This site is seemingly bottomless, but if that ain't enough there's great
links too. If the whole world gan get together and dig three chord boogie, I say there's still hope.
*
some pages are translated from Japanese. The prose can be awkward. But the feelings there.
posted by jonmc
on Sep 23, 2003 -
13 comments
In the wake of the tornados and armageddon, perhaps some happy news is in order. The
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have released the
third volume in their
Will the Circle Be Unbroken series. This series which
began 30 years ago and continued with
Volume 2 in 1989, features the boys in the Dirt Band getting together with country legends like
Johnny Cash, members of the
Carter Family and
Vassar Clements and inheritors like
Emmylou Harris and
Ricky Skaggs and doing some astonishing versions of old traditional tunes, hymns and a few originals.
I'm listening to Vol. 3 right now, which features first timers like
Dwight Yoakam, the lovely
Iris Dement and even
Tom Petty, and I'm tellin' ya, it's a worthy addition to the tradition, my freinds.
Traditional music is enjoying a revival right now and that's great, but these folks have done an enormous amount to keep it alive and vital between the vogues and created some music for us in the bargain.
posted by jonmc
on Oct 2, 2002 -
17 comments
In an a era where so much music seems overly mechanical
Funk45.com and
Galactic Fractures are terrific reminders that danceablity can be warm and loose and that human-powered music is the funkiest. These sites have what every good music site should have, encyclopedaic knowledge, detailed info, and truckloads of audio that makes you wanna find a good record store and hunt down the 45's yourself. And it's all presented in a way that encourages you to dig deeper. The song
You Got Me Mama by Hayes Ware is a favorite, but there's plenty of great stuff.
requires RealAudio
posted by jonmc
on Aug 31, 2002 -
6 comments
Outsider Music. From a mailing list, here's a concise
description of what is really more an
idea than a genre, per se. The
Hip Surgery Music Guide has some info on
the essential artrists of the phenomenon. If you wanted to stretch the definitions of the form you could include,
some better-known artists as well.
Unspoiled genius in the rough or merely crude freakshow appeal? The answer I believe is somewhere is somewhere in between. But in an age where most music is either a copy of what is currently popular or a revival of what used to be popular, Outsider Music is a place to go for a "Wow! What was that?" musical experience.
posted by jonmc
on Jul 1, 2002 -
11 comments
This evening
20/20 broadcast a
report on the new payola.Names are named. This explains a lot about the current state of music radio. Ironically, one of those complaining the loudest was good ol' Hilary Rosen of the
RIAA who are doing their damnedest to
destroy internet radio, along with college and public radio, the only alternative to the institutional corruption she decries. But in this case, she's on the side of the angels, it would seem. This report is timely though and does illustrate what's wrong with concentrating media power in too few hands.
posted by jonmc
on May 24, 2002 -
22 comments
Put a glide in your stride and dip in yo' hip and step on board the
Mothership*. Finally, a comprehensive site for one of the most influential musical agglomerations of the last 30 years. All hip-hop, and most modern R&B and Rock would be unimaginable without these guys. More
Cyberbetabuckdown here if that wasn't enough, plus a great essay by Scot Hacker
here. Like the man says "Uncle Jam Wants You!"
*Flash site. Let the intro finish, then comes the good stuff.
posted by jonmc
on May 14, 2002 -
20 comments
Remember all the furor in '70's and '80's over
Backmasking , which for the uninitiated is inserting backwards messages(usually Satanic) into records to seduce the innocent.Usually the allegations came from folks like
this. Judas Preist even found themselves
dragged into court over it.
Thankfully, the audio at
this site you can judge for yourself. More links
here. I don't buy it myself. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go kill my parents.
posted by jonmc
on May 8, 2002 -
12 comments
E Street Band guitarist and erstwhile
Sopranos star
Little Steven is launching a syndicated
radio show to be centered around garage rock of the '60's plus latter day punk as well according to this
story. Steve's own site includes some great
live reviews and excellent garage rock
links . I, for one, am really looking forward to hearing this show. Good luck, Steve.
posted by jonmc
on Apr 4, 2002 -
11 comments
The best CD I've purchased so far this year is the
latest from the
Blind Boys of Alabama. this record features superb vocalizing, great bluesy guitar, and a Sones(!) and Tom Waits(!!) cover. In an age where "gospel music" has sunk into the quagmire of
"Contemporary Christian", its easy to forget that
old-school gospel both
black and
white were
huge influences on rock and roll. Little Richard, for one, took his trademark "Whoo!" from Marion Williams and countless rockers from Aretha to Elvis learned to sing in church.
Now, can I get an Amen?!
posted by jonmc
on Apr 2, 2002 -
25 comments
The Plastic People of the Universe are a reminder of how powerful and important a force rock and roll can be for positive change. Many American and British acts spoke of revolution, but they usually only meant it in the cultural sense, for these guys living in Iron Curtain-era Czechoslovakia, they were talking about the real life-or-death McCoy. Inspired by the Beatles, Frank Zappa, and future Czech president (and sometime collaborator)
Vaclav Havel,the Plastics created some
amazing music and were often surveilled or imprisoned as "enemies of the state" for their trouble. Thankfully, they lived to see a free Czech republic, although founder Milan Hlavsa passed away in early 2001. Special props to my main man rodii, for jogging my memory about the Plastics in
this comment
posted by jonmc
on Mar 25, 2002 -
6 comments
Tooling around today, I happened upon small but burgeoning subculture-
gay Heavy Metal fans. Headbanging and Rainbow Pride stickers may seem like an odd combo until you think of the number of openly gay performers in Hard Rock (Roddy Bottum of
Faith No More, Doug Pinnick of
King's X-a gay
Christian metalhead, and of course the great Rob Halford formerly of the legendary
Judas Preist. I dunno whether this is a large trend or merely people coming out of yet another closet, but it's nice to see metal shaking off it's homophobic image.
posted by jonmc
on Mar 21, 2002 -
17 comments
Jandek
has been creating some of the most arrestingly
bent music around(audio
here
) for 23 years now. On top of the strangeness of his music he's so reclusive
that he makes J.D. Salinger seem like a party animal. This brings out the
investigative
impulse in some folks, like this fan who went so far as to take
pictures
of his record company's PO Box, among other things. Someone else has has
created this fittingly inscrutable
tribute
page
. Jandek's music is worth a listen, but be prepared to recalibrate your
understanding of the term "strange."
posted by jonmc
on Mar 19, 2002 -
6 comments
W.P. Kinsella probably the finest literary chronicler of America's National Pastime is also a master at the delicate art of being sentimental without being saccharine.
The Band created some the greatest musical portraits of America ever committed to wax. Both of these artists tackle very "American" themes, yet both(excepting Band drummer Levon Helm) are Canadian. Canada is often ignored or glossed over culturally speaking, but these two examples make me think that perhaps Canadians have a unique perspective on America that helps them create such amazing portraits of the US.
posted by jonmc
on Mar 8, 2002 -
16 comments
The Hendrix of The Accordion,
the Stevie Ray of the banjo,and even
Tubas are producing some rockin' stuff. I see something of a small trend here an I think it's a good one. These artists take the insturments you hated to be stuck with in the high school band and turn them into something astounding. If anyone knows of other examples, I'd love to hear about 'em.
(some sites require Flash)
posted by jonmc
on Feb 28, 2002 -
17 comments
Greeting, Dementoids and Dementites! Stumbling upon this site today was like running into an old pal. I remember when I was 9 years old listening to the Demento show in the dark on my headphones and cackling my head off. The Doctor was also a
serious music scholar and record collector, who would play stuff like Bullmoose Jackson and Riley Puckett along with the Weird Al and Tom Lehrer, which would whet my appetite for more. He probably did spawned more record geeks in my generation than any other person. Good to see he's still around, even if no station in my area plays him.
posted by jonmc
on Feb 21, 2002 -
33 comments
If you've ever worked in retail, you MUST download this song. Apparently, back in the mid 1960's, Woolworth decided that the best way to motivate their managers was to hire one Michael Brown to compose and sing a
snappy pop tune just for them, with predictably bizarre results. Here at the store, it's become our new anthem. For more info the tune and it's creator go
here and scroll down.
posted by jonmc
on Feb 9, 2002 -
24 comments
It's nice to see something on the web living up to it's name. Raremusic.com is a rare instance of truth in advertising. In a world where pablum like Bush and Limp Bizkit qualify as 'alternative' (whatever the hell that means) this site is a godsend. It hasn't been updated in a dogs age but there's plenty of sounds here to keep you busy, some great, some funny, some just weird. For instance, If you wondered where that flute in the Beasties 'Sure Shot' came from, they've got the source. Also, theres a Moog version of 'What's New Pussycat?' that must be heard to be believed. Requires the latest Shockwave plugins.
posted by jonmc
on Dec 5, 1999 -
1 comment
