I Get That Feeling When She Drives On By

There's a lot of really great albums coming out right now, but my ears are all tuned into 1980. Marshall Crenshaw's debut Marshall Crenshaw hearkens back to the bouncy sunshine pop-rock of the 50's and 60's. Crenshaw's music isn't anything new, but still manages to sound fresh, even after much of the conventions of his pop stylings have gone stale. Crenshaw reminds me of a happier, American version of Elvis Costello, or an updated Buddy Holly. Crenshaw's light pop is the perfect antidote to the heavy August air.

Marshall Crenshaw- There She Goes Again
Marshall Crenshaw- Cynical Girl

**

Fresh Links:

-Aquarium Drunkard posts some amazing Flying Burrito Brothers and offers a post on T. Rex, who I have been digging lately

-Benn Loxo Du Taccu is truly amazing, here he offers up yet another gem from Africa

-Discobelle has a remix of the worst song of the summer, which actually makes it sound decent, and another great remix

-Funky 16 Corners continues to floor me, this time with Stones covers

-Happy Birthday Soul Sides

-Weiss posts on Wild Style, which I had never heard of until now, I have been watching the documentary NY 77: The Coolest Year In Hell all week, and it talks about the birth of hip hop and guys like Grandmaster Caz and Grandmaster Flash as well as the grafitti culture, so Weiss's post was a gift and an eye-opener

-The excellent Car Stereo (Wars) are about to release an album and were featured on both Stereogum and Gorilla vs Bear

-And finally, Stylus has the top 10 alt-country records not by Uncle Tupelo... uh, where's the Whiskeytown?

Soaps, Powder, and All That Other Shit

The Last Waltz, one of my all-time favorite movies was on tv this morning when I woke up. I really can't think of anything more pleasant when waking up than the pairing of The Band and The Staples Singers on the song, "The Weight." I had the pleasure of seeing Mavis Staples sing "The Weight" on the Sunday of Bonnaroo, and I was blown away by the power of her voice.

Neil Young's performance of the song "Helpless" with Joni Mitchell and The Band reminded me of a Whiskeytown cover of the song that I love. Whiskeytown opened up a 1998 show in Eugene, Oregon with a hilarious cover of "Helpless," but the lyrics of the song were changed so that the whole song was about a laundromat in North Ontario and doing laundry. Ryan Adams fucking around doesn't always yield great results, but Whiskeytown's cover of "Helpess" is excellent.

Neil Young with The Band and Joni Mitchell- Helpless
Whiskeytown- Helpless

Beneath the Bebop Moon, I Wanna Croon

Well I moved back to my hous in Baton Rouge a few days ago, thank God. Just being back causes me to be 100 times lazier, thus explaining the lack of posts lately.

I caught couple of concerts over the weekend, and neither really lived up to my hopes, but that's not to say that they were bad.

Gregg Gillis aka Girl Talk played The Spanish Moon in Baton Rouge last Friday night. I saw Girl Talk at Bonnaroo and had an incredible time, so I was looking forward to this one for a while. Unfortunately I drank entirely too much before the show and was way too fucked up and really don't remember much from the actual concert. I still remember the Bonnaroo performance vividly, and if it wasn't for that, I'd be mad for not remembering much of the show. Oh well.

I went Sunday night to see Neko Case at The Republic in New Orleans. It probably would have been one of the best shows I had ever been to if it wouldn't have been for the fucking insanity of traffic on I-10 going into New Orleans Sunday night. You'd think traffic would be a breeze at 8:30 or 9:00 on a Sunday evening, but no, they were doing road work and all traffic was merged into one lane. We didn't realize what was going on until too late and ended up missing the first hour of Neko's set and only caught the last 45 or so minutes. Despite that, Neko was absolutely wonderful. Her voice is absolutely enchanting. I've seen few performers as fixating on stage as Neko Case. Her backing band, led by Jon Rauhouse, and backing singer Kelli Hogan were hardly outshone. The band's sound was clinically precise, and their sound filled the club better than any band I've seen in a venue that small (with the exception of My Morning Jacket). Despite the disaster of missing the first hour, the Neko Case show was excellent.

I first listened to T. Rex's Electric Warrior back in February. For whatever reason it didn't really catch my ear. I put on "Hot Love" earlier today though, and all of the sudden it clicked. I've now listened to Electric Warrior all the way through three times in a row. Its funny how sometimes music works like that.

T. Rex- Hot Love
T. Rex- Mambo Moon

Got A Box Full of Letters

Yesterday I mentioned Wilco's debut album A.M. It seems like people either love or hate A.M. I know people who think everything after A.M. is druggy crap, and people who barely even acknowledge that A.M. exists as an album. Rarely is A.M. ever judged fairly. Too many people expect to hear either Uncle Tupelo or the Wilco of the Summerteeth/Yankee Hotel Foxtrot days.

A.M. was the first Wilco album I ever heard, and I really liked it. It didn't blow my mind, but it was still really good. It certainly had nothing that compared with the first time I ever heard "A Shot In the Arm" or "Poor Places," but as an album it was still very strong.

A.M. is not an album that is going to blow your mind over and over again, but it really isn't supposed to be. There's a few duds ("It's Just That Simple") but the album rebounds with undeniably catchy country-rock. "Box Full of Letters" and "Pick Up the Change" caught my attention immediately. Both are examples of a precise merging of pop rock and country, something that Jeff Tweedy began to do in the later days of Uncle Tupelo.

Wilco- Pick Up the Change
Wilco- Dash 7

The Summers Here Are Hot

It wasn't until last summer that I really jumped into alt-country/Americana/whatever. I had been a fan of Wilco for a few years, but besides A.M., I had never went back into Jeff Tweedy's past songwriting. At the beginning of last summer though, alt-country really clicked for me. Immediately I ate up as much Uncle Tupelo, Whiskeytown, and Jayhawks as I could.

Last summer I worked in the kitchen of a local restaurant, and for the most part the radio in the back was playing either classic rock or club rap. Now classic rock was cool with me, that's what I had cut my teeth on, but the club shit annoyed the fuck out of me. When the nights were closing down though, or when the afternoon came and business slowed down, I took over the radio.

For me closing time always meant playing "The Long Cut," "Gun," and "Chickamauga" as loud as was tolerable. At the end of the night I wanted something to push me all the way to the end (a 12-14 hour day was not uncommon). The afternoons were sleepy time though.

My co-workers always hated my afternoon stuff. Sometimes it was folky acoustic Dylan, but most of the time it was Whiskeytown. The kitchen manager once complained "I feel like I'm in the high hills of Tennessee" as Faithless Street played in the background. The days were long, and incredibly hot, and became increasingly defined by Whiskeytown songs. When "16 Days" came on I would sing the number of days of work I had left in place of 16, and I always felt Ryan Adams's loneliness in "Black Arrow, Bleeding Heart" and "Desperate Ain't Lonely." For whatever reason though, it was the Ryan Adams-Phil Wandscher collaboration "Factory Girl" that became my defining song for the long afternoons. "O the summers here are hot, and all she seems to do is work and sleep and wish that she was still with you."

Man, that was my summer, and it sucked. Thankfully this summer was a lot easier. Today was my last Monday of work, and Friday is my last day until I move back.

The songs below can be found on the Faithless Street reissue. For more Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown info check out Answering Bell.

Whiskeytown- 16 Days
Whiskeytown- Factory Girl

Sunday Selections

Today we have some sweet soul from Etta James.

Etta James- Tell Momma
Etta James- You Got It

Funky Rebels

Few bands come to get down like the Soul Rebels Brass Band. The New Orleans jazz/funk/hip hop group has been entertaining the city for over a decade now at clubs, house parties, and festivals. Soul Rebels are self-releasing their latest album, No Place Like Home. Their 1995 album Let Your Mind Be Free has been a staple of the weekend cd rotation at my house for 12 years now, and more recently, has become a regular on my mixes. Ultimately what is music for? To entertain and to enjoy. Few bands are as entertaining or as enjoyable as Soul Rebels.

Soul Rebels Brass Band- Santa Cruzin'
Soul Rebels Brass Band- Culture In the Ghetto
Soul Rebels Brass Band- Flowing and Flying

Goombay Soul

In order to make up for my lack of posting yesterday (too drunk to blog) I am posting doubly today.

Two of my favorite releases of the summer have come from some of my favorite crate diggers. The folks over at Numero Group offered up new releases in their Eccentric Soul and Cult Cargo series.

Numero Group's Cult Cargo: Grand Bahama Goombay is an exploration of the soul and funk of the island of Grand Bahama. Jay Mitchell, who once toured with my main man, Otis Redding, is the undisputed star of the compilation. Nearly half-an-hour alone is devoted to Mitchell's four tracks. Mitchell's covers of "I Am The Man For You Baby" and "Mustang Sally" are the two standout tracks on Grand Bahama Goombay. "Honesty Is the Best Policy" by The Gospel Chandeliers is also a gospel gem that can't keep you from smiling. Another standout is "Don't Touch That Thing" by Silvia Hall. The track is a funky lesson in life, and reminds me of The Dixie Cups legendary "Iko Iko."

Numero Group's Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label showcases the Columbus, Ohio Prix label. The compilation is a combination of brilliantly vibrant soul and funk. The fast-paced soul of Eddie Ray is the highlight of the record. "Wait A Minute" opens up the album at a blistering pace, and the rest of Ray's tracks are equally superb. Even though Ray steals the show, my heart goes to Joe King's excellent "Speak On Up." It is the type of catchy, bright soul music that makes people listen to soul in the first place.

Jay Mitchell- Mustang Sally
Joe King- Speak On Up

Live in August

Here's a rundown of what will be playing live in the south Louisiana area over the next month.

Aug 3- T.I., Ciara, T-Pain, Yung Joc- New Orleans Arena- New Orleans
Uh...

Aug 6- Talib Kweli- House of Blues- New Orleans
Kweli is mostly past his prime, but I bet this will still be a good show.

Aug 7- Daniel Johnston- House of Blues- New Orleans

Aug 10- Girl Talk- The Spanish Moon- Baton Rouge
Count me in. I caught Greg Gillis at Bonnaroo and what can I say... the man does his thing.

Aug 11- Girl Talk- One Eyed Jack's- New Orleans

Aug 12- Neko Case- The Republic- New OrleansI would really love to make this show. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood was one of my favorite releases of 2006.

Aug 15- Ben Kweller- The Parish Room (House of Blues)- New Orleans

Aug 16- Centro-matic and Jason Isbell- Chelsea's- Baton RougeYou have to be 21 to get into Chelsea's. I turned 20 in June. Centro-matic is one of the most consistent bands around, and it sucks that I will likely have to miss them.

Aug 26- Bloodkin and Daniel Hutchens- The Maple Leaf- New OrleansI believe this is another 21 and up bar. If it is, then fuck them, I would love to see Bloodkin.

Overall we have a pretty good slate for August. I'll definitely be at the first Girl Talk show, and I'd love to make it to the Neko Case show. If I can somehow make it to the Centro-matic/Jason Isbell show or the Bloodkin/Daniel Hutchens show, well that will be great.

Girl Talk- Too Deep
Neko Case- Lion's Jaws