Indian Oven Cooks Up Full-Length Album Full of Surprises

Indian Oven
Tenderness
(Self-release/ DIY)
Release date: 8/12/16

In a 2013 interview, the members of the Western Massachusetts indie rock band Indian Oven – Sam Carpenter (vocals, guitar, bass) and Griffin Bazzeghin (drums, percussion, harmonica, backup vocals) – mentioned exciting plans of starting work on a full-length album. Now, three years later, the duo has emerged with the finished product.

With a name like Tenderness, listeners might expect the record to be chock full of sappy love songs or gut-wrenching odes to past relationships. However, it doesn’t take long to observe that Indian Oven may have had a secondary definition of tenderness in mind when it came time to title the album – sensitivity to pain.

Opening track “Oh, His Body” cuts right to the point. Over some tuba (courtesy of Pioneer Valley musician J Witbeck) and melancholy strings (from cellist Eric Remschneider of Siamese Dream fame), a tale is told of a thin, lonely man who amidst flashes of lightning and a wounded heart is pursued by a persistent memory. It’s an intriguing character study built off images to ruminate over, and the mood is accented by churning, dirge-like music that marches almost grudgingly forward.

It gets even better on perhaps Tenderness’ best song, “Mystery Novel.” Featuring banjo and a wordless intro filled with “oohs,” the track unfolds around a repeating guitar riff in almost short story fashion. Characters include the reader of the aforementioned novel, a lost father and a mystery woman who’s “nowhere to be found.” Plus, it’s catchy to boot.

Fittingly, a host of characters contributed to the recording of Tenderness itself. Though Indian Oven’s membership consists of just Carpenter and Bazzeghin, Valley residents like Witbeck, Jamie Kent (group vocals), Alex Drenga (banjo) and Emma Cohen (vocals) amongst others, also crop up on the record.

The addition of so many players to the group’s sound lends a wider scope to the proceedings. While many songs focus on intimate subjects, the songwriting structures used consistently ebb and flow. Rhythms shift from number to number, and different musical styles meet, mutate and merge into new creations. For examples, look to the burbling country rock of “Mama Don’t Buy Me Marbles,” as well as the indie rock sing-along “Harder.”

But in the end, everything boils down to the melodies. As far as Indian Oven stretches stylistically, the band still shows a knack for hanging its songs on a particular melody or hook. To wit, one of the group’s most hummable tunes “Warm Gin” even gets a reprise as a stripped down and unlisted bonus track.

Starting today digital downloads of Tenderness are available to purchase online via iTunes and CD Baby, and physical copies of the release can be found at Turn It Up! in Northampton.

For more information on Indian Oven please visit www.facebook.com/IndianOvenMusic.

Read more by Michael Cimaomo at www.valleyadvocate.com/category/blogs/northeast-underground/

Dinosaur Jr. Roars Again on New Album “Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not”

Dinosaur Jr.
Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not
(Jagjaguwar)
Release date: 8/5/16

Break out the ear plugs. Western Massachusetts’ own alt-rock power trio, Dinosaur Jr., is back.

New album Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not marks the fourth release by the band since the acclaimed 2005 reunion of the group’s original line-up – J Mascis (guitar, vocals), Lou Barlow (bass, vocals) and Murph (drums). In fact, this current incarnation of Dinosaur has now actually lasted longer and produced more records than it did in the ‘80s, when Mascis and company turned out such ear-crushing gems as You’re Living All Over Me and Bug. And while the new album bears less resemblance to those early classics than it does to the band’s more recent reunion work, that fact only aids the assertion that the group’s second life is no fluke, it’s a full-on resurgence.

Opening with the one-two punch of singles “Goin Down” and “Tiny,” Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not hits the ground running.

“Are you with me?” Mascis sings on the album opener. “I got more to say.”

Though not normally cited for his loquaciousness, the guitarist lets his axe speak for him with catchy riffing and skittery solos filling up both tracks’ running times. It’s alternative rock with a pop sheen for the ‘90s nostalgia age, and the Murph and Barlow rhythm section keep up a relentless chug.

“Be A Part” slows the tempo with a repeated guitar figure ringing out between lines focusing on being “broken hearted.” But it’s the Barlow penned cut “Love Is…” that marks the first deviation from the band’s trademark crunch. Over acoustic guitar and some lurking fuzz, the Sebadoh founder feels right at home on a song that wears its ‘60s influence on its sleeve. It almost even sounds like another band is playing complete with Mascis’ ragged Neil Young-like solo conjuring a classic rock vibe.

The album’s second half features a return to a heavier sound. “I Walk For Miles” feels like a slow trudge with a bludgeoning grunge riff that stomps along as Mascis’ reach for a higher register accents the weary atmosphere of the track. At nearly six minutes in length, the number also pairs with the five-plus minute “Lost All Day” to hammer out an air of wistfulness that sees lyric subject matter looking backwards at past relationships and the things that went wrong.

“Knocked Around” follows suit. “I miss you all the time and I’m lonely,” Mascis laments on the first half of the number, sounding plaintive and wrung out. Then, strength gathered, the band soars into overdrive for the rest of the track with the furious strumming barely keeping up with the relentless drumming.

Finally, it’s left to Barlow to close out the album with his second contribution. “Left/ Right” again sounds like a song that could come from another band, only this time that band is Barlow’s other group Sebadoh. More acoustic instrumentation rears its head, but where “Love Is…” showed off a wily Mascis guitar solo, here his playing feels restrained, almost terse. There are still textures aplenty, but the idiosyncrasy of the moment leaves question marks on an otherwise strong track.

Overall, Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not sees Dinosaur Jr. making subtle tweaks to a tried and true formula. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. But the clock is ticking on referring to this phase of the band’s career as post-reunion. When you’ve already outlasted the era of your earliest rumblings and eclipsed a spell spent under a major label banner, those events soon start looking like bumps in the road of a significant career that just needed some time to grow into its current arc.

Read more by Michael Cimaomo at www.valleyadvocate.com/category/blogs/northeast-underground/

And The Kids near indie rock graduation on new album “Friends Share Lovers”

And The Kids
Friends Share Lovers
(Signature Sounds)
Release date: 6/3/16

In the midst of graduation season in Western Mass, it’s easy to forget that graduation itself is about more than caps and gowns. Students, who four years ago were mere freshmen in high school or college, are now readying for their respective commencement days, which will launch them into the next stages of their lives.

Many are a bundle of nerves. Others are impatient. And still more are focused, confident and prepared to meet whatever challenges come next, with a zeal and aplomb that could only be the product of minds hungry to make their own dreams come true.

Similar descriptions could be used to discuss the members of the Pioneer Valley band And The Kids. Like the students mentioned above, And The Kids’ Hannah Mohan, Rebecca Lasaponaro, Megan Miller and Taliana Katz, started out four years ago with big dreams and ambitions. Now, with the release of the group’s second full-length album Friends Share Lovers on Northampton’s own Signature Sounds label, And The Kids is a band ready to graduate as well, into a world of indie rock stardom.

Recent years have seen the group buzzed about by more than Advocate writers and local music scenesters. Publications like the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal and Pitchfork.com, have all weighed in favorably on the band’s mature mix of indie pop and alternative rock, and that hype is justified on Friends Share Lovers’ opening track.

Beginning with a rapid-fire drum roll and vocals from Lasaponaro, “Kick Rocks” sees Mohan’s own voice emerge and blend with her drummer’s to create an enchanting harmony. The pair sing about moving on, and whether they mean from a relationship or a physical location, the message is delivered with unbridled energy. It’s a headlong introductory rush, and only the first stop on a tour of sounds to come.

The record’s second track, “I Dropped Out,” slows the pace. While its lyrics veer from slogans like “love is concentration” to more observational fare like “bodies walking over bodies that are sleeping,” the song hinges on Mohan’s wordless “ohs” and “ahs.” A slinky guitar solo even apes a similar melody with ear-catching results. And Mohan finally finishes the song by repeating the phrase “I went to graduation” over and over.

It’s important to note that many of the tracks on Friends Share Lovers were originally written by Mohan and Lasaponaro as a duo due to visa problems that are currently keeping Miller in Canada. But to show solidarity with their bandmate, the pair trekked north to record the album as a complete group resulting in a fully-realized product that expands on the core compositions exponentially.

For example, the record’s title cut is aided by a litany of studio effects that project the individual member’s talents into a sonic array that could not be duplicated without everyone’s input. Despite lines that seem to allude to the messy gray area where relationships and friendships start to overlap, the song possesses a sunny bounce that plays off the stacked electronic sounds and layered vocals.

Continuing the student/ school analogy from earlier, album finale “Pennies, Rice” could read as a fitting final exam or thesis project. The song employs a variety of percussion and rising sounds that melt into a cohesive whole. After an extended intro, an underlying melody takes shape as Mohan sings about her ability to “do what I want.”

Like many anxious graduates, the feeling behind Mohan’s words is palpable. Graduation does lead to a lot more freedom after all, but it also carries with it some weighty responsibilities.

“This track is about having all the freedom in the world,” Mohan has said. “But the only thing holding you back is your indecisiveness.”

Fortunately, as “Pennies, Rice” builds to its conclusion, a fitting metaphor is gleaned from the lyrics. Just a single word, “avalanche,” is sung over and over near the song’s end, and appropriately so. Like an avalanche, And The Kids is already rolling. Having built momentum over four years, and taken what it can from the area that spawned it, the band is moving on to bigger and better things. Call Friends Share Lovers a diploma to signify all that progress. The group has earned every word.

And The Kids album release show with special guest Carinae, June 4, 8 p.m., $12-15, The Shea Theater, 71 Avenue A, Turner Falls, (413) 863-2281, www.sheatheater.org. For more information please visit www.andthekids.com.   

Read more by Michael Cimaomo at www.michaelcimaomo.wordpress.com.

My Porch or Yours? Montague Music Festival Marks Second Year

Susan Conger and Marco Packard perform at Montague Music Festival 2015 (Photo credit: Nicole Nemec)

House shows have always been an important part of the DIY music scene.

Whether it’s some garage rockers providing the soundtrack to a backyard party, a punk rock band playing a concert in a basement or even some indie folk musicians holding court in a living room, the result is the same – people getting the opportunity to listen to live music in an alternative, sometimes more comfortable setting, rather than in a bar or club.

Last year, music fans in Montague played audience to a collection of house shows held as part of the “Good Music Makes Good Neighbors” Montague Music Festival. Organized by Nicole Nemec and Matthew Duncan, the event aimed, the pair said, “to create the kind of community that we say we want to live in – the kind of community where we’re not only sitting inside watching a screen or listening to commercially-streamed music, but where there exists a non-commercial alternative.”

Now the event is back for a second year. 12 acts will set up shop in four homes around Montague Center on May 14, and those interested in checking out the fun can walk, bike or drive, between locations to see live music up close and personal.

Since it consists of multiple concerts, some indoor and some outdoor, held at multiple houses spread throughout a neighborhood, “Good Music Makes Good Neighbors” is similar in its execution to events called porchfests, which are held throughout the country each year.

The original porchfest, which gathered local musicians to perform on neighborhood porches to share their talents with the community, is believed to have been held in Ithaca, N.Y. in 2007, and according to one of that event’s co-organizers, Andy Adelewitz, the mission of such events boils down to one goal.

Michael Nix at Montague Music Festival 2015 (Photo credit: Nicole Nemec)

“Celebrate our musical neighbors,” he says. “Whether it’s professional bands who play the biggest clubs in town and tour around the country, or the father-daughter folk duo who won’t play another gig all year.”

Nemec and Duncan agree. By sharing some of the music the pair discovered in their own community, they now hope to shine as an example of how other neighborhoods can act as well.

Duncan says, “I’m quite encouraged by the trends toward more local musical interaction. It is a part of our cultural heritage that has suffered in the era of earbuds. I’m passionate about the music for its own sake, but in addition music really does bring people together in ways that wouldn’t happen otherwise. It connects people across class and social divides. It’s not that people have stopped playing. In fact, some of our participants perform regionally and nationally, but their neighbors might not know it. We’d like to be a part of the remedy.”

Jamaica Plain Porchfest organizer Mindy Fried is also a big supporter of bringing people together across race, culture and class divides through the power of the arts.

She says, “We believe that porchfests give people from all cultural and economic backgrounds – within a community – an opportunity to experience a sense of connectedness. For the artists, they can express themselves through their art, and for some, they choose to voice their perspectives on critical social issues through music.”

“There is talent in unlikely places,” she adds. “Through organizing Jamaica Plain Porchfest, we have discovered talented musicians and other artists are everywhere, but there are not enough opportunities to perform. Porchfest gives artists an exciting opportunity to share their talent to a welcoming audience.”

According to some performers, who played at last year’s “Good Music Makes Good Neighbors” event, audiences in Montague were very welcoming indeed.

Daniel Hales, and the frost heaves (Photo credit: Carol Lollis)

Greenfield singer/ songwriter Daniel Hales, who is scheduled to perform in Montague this year with his band Daniel Hales, and the frost heaves, says “It’s a great concept, stripped of the pretensions that often mess up the vibe at ‘official’ venues. We actually made more money from donations and sold more merch [last year] than we often do at club shows.”

“The Montague Music Festival is a real manifestation of what it means to foster community,” notes Leo Hwang, who performs again at this year’s event as part of the instrumental jazz, funk, and psychedelic rock group Vimana. “It is a way to build connections between neighbors, and then share that connection with others who visit Montague.”

For now, Nemec and Duncan are content to keep “Good Music Makes Good Neighbors” a small, neighborhood event, though they have received significant interest from folks interested in hosting bands and artists in years to come. Nemec also notes that plans are in the works to one day feature some non-musical acts too, such as local Morris dancers. There has even been some talk of including an open stage where attendees can pick up instruments and play if the mood strikes them at the event. Last year’s festival achieved an estimated attendance of 75 people, and many are expected to return this year, including some fans driving all the way from Connecticut.

Duncan says, “We’d like to make sure that we have a good sized audience before expanding too much. We are trying to grow in a way that is neither too fast nor too slow. If we had 10 houses, 30 bands and a very sparse attendance, that would be demoralizing. If we had three houses, nine bands and big crowds, it would feel claustrophobic. The balance is critical.”

Pairing the dream of a festive afternoon out in Western Massachusetts, where music is heard drifting from house to house as you walk or bike through the beauty of nature, with the more active notion of building a sense of community in a neighborhood of artists and musicians sounds like a challenging juggling act for even the hardiest of DIY-enthusiasts. But the success of even small events like “Good Music Makes Good Neighbors” can often be worth all the hard work and toil.

“A community economy is made up of the personal exchanges, the sharing or gifting of music, the opening of living rooms and barns, and a chance to enjoy a diversity of artistic expression,” Hwang says. “The Montague Music Festival fosters the kind of world we would like to live in.”

The 2^nd Annual “Good Music Makes Good Neighbors” Montague Music Festival featuring Daniel hales, and the frost heaves., Vimana, Stephen Katz and more, May 14, 12 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., $10-15 donation requested, Montague Center, www.montaguemusic.org and www.facebook.com/MontagueMusicFest/.

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Five Years Gone – Knock on Wood

It’s been written before that five years is a long time. And after five years of Northeast Underground blog posts (over 200 articles and counting!), few could imagine just how much has been covered, discussed and critiqued on this little slice of the Internet.

So on the occasion of the Northeast Underground’s fifth birthday, as a friendly reminder, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

In 2011 Northeast Underground…

• Posted interviews with Sonya Kitchell, Ari Picker, Henry Rollins, Lou Barlow, Sharon Van Etten, Stephen Kellogg, Sune Rose Wagner, Garland Jeffreys, Jeff Dunham, Art Alexakis and more!
• Covered concerts by Dinosaur Jr, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Fleet Foxes, The Lemonheads, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and many others.
• Reviewed records by the Sun Parade, Beady Eye, The Vines and more.

In 2012…

• A performance of American Idiot! the musical was covered, marking Northeast Underground’s first post on a theatrical production.
• The blog also dug into a local news story concerning local band Doug Ratner and the Watchmen and the group’s performance on the television show “Mass Appeal.”
• More interviews were featured, including ones with writer Nolan Whyte, singer Sully Erna (Godsmack), Patrick Watson, Courtney Taylor-Taylor (The Dandy Warhols), Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre), Jason McGerr (Death Cab For Cutie), Gregg Gillis (aka Girl Talk), Greg Richling (The Wallflowers) and more.

In 2013…

• Appearances at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton by Guster, Amanda Palmer and Kris Kristofferson were covered.
• New records from Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Thurston Moore, Yellowbirds, James Keyes and more were reviewed and discussed.
• Still more interviews were featured with the likes of Matt Kelly (Dropkick Murphys), Steven Drozd (The Flaming Lips), Brian Rosenworcel (Guster) and members of the a capella group Pentatonix – Kevin Olusola and Kirstie Maldonado.

In 2014…

• Violinist Lindsey Stirling and bassist Joanna Bolme (Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks) were featured interviews.
• The launch of local musician and entrepreneur Doug Ratner’s new business “I’d Rather Be With My Dog” was profiled.
• Foo Fighters, Angel Olsen, Young Tricksters and more had records reviewed.

In 2015…

• Summer music festivals in Western Massachusetts like Stephen Kellogg’s Fifth Annual Family Barbecue, the Green River Festival, and Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival were discussed in a feature article.
• King of Nowhere, the latest project from local musician Jesse French, was covered in a short profile.
• And still more records were reviewed, including releases from The Ambiguities, Iron & Wine and the Blue Jean Committee.

Hopefully there will be much more to come in 2016 and beyond. Stay tuned.

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Album Superlatives 2015

This isn’t your parents’ best of list.

To paraphrase Jimmy Fallon, “You know those awards they give out in high school yearbooks? Awards like Most Likely to Succeed, Class Clown, stuff like that?”

Well, Northeast Underground is handing out its own superlatives this year to deserving albums released in 2015. Enjoy the list below, and feel free to contribute some of your own album superlatives in the comment section.

Most Obvious Smash:
Adele
25

Who didn’t see this one coming? After selling millions with her sophomore album 21, Adele again etched her name in the record books by smashing the record for the largest single sales week for an album in the U.S. since Nielsen Music began tracking the statistic in 1991. Of course, it didn’t hurt that 25’s lead single, “Hello,” was a record-breaker in its own right, chalking up individual sales and music video views at unprecedented rates. But the bona fide achievement of actual album sales in an age dominated by digital singles might well be the true marker of success for an artist who appeals not just to millenials, but to generations of music fans the world over. Yes, your girlfriend likes Adele, but probably so does your grandmother. Some voices are timeless.

Most Unexpected Freebie:
Wilco
Star Wars

Okay, who did see this one coming? Self-released for free via Wilco’s website just weeks after the band wrapped up its Solid Sound Festival at Mass MoCA in North Adams, this latest studio album was a surprise in more ways than one. For starters, in a year already overloaded by the impending debut of “The Force Awakens,” why name a record after a film franchise that is seemingly everywhere today? Was it a canny publicity move meant to snare a few more listeners who mistakenly downloaded the album while searching for the latest movie trailer? According to an interview with Rolling Stone, band leader Jeff Tweedy said, “The album has nothing to do with ‘Star Wars.’ It just makes me feel good. It makes me feel limitless and like there’s still possibilities and still surprise in the world, you know?” Like the sudden arrival of a new album from a veteran band perhaps? For listeners who dug the tossed-off brilliance of “Random Name Generator” and more, anything could happen.

Most Likely To Give You a Punk Rock History Lesson:
Various Artists
Ork Records: New York, New York

If your only idea of punk rock is the Sex Pistols and safety pin piercings, get ready to smash your head on a different kind of origin story. Terry Ork was a former scenester with Andy Warhol’s Factory crew, who hired future punk fashion template Richard Hell to work in the mail order department of the Greenwich Village store Cinemabilia. Soon after Hell would form the band Television with pal Tom Verlaine, and Ork would be there to help finance the group’s first recordings. Thus, the world’s first punk label was born. Ork Records wouldn’t last long due to mismanagement and opposing attitudes, but in its five year run, the indie label would turn out some lasting documents of the late ‘70s underground New York City rock scene. This compilation is the whole kit and caboodle. From Television’s “Little Johnny Jewel” to latter day rumblings from Alex Chilton and Lester Bangs, it’s an education on wax. And the lessons learned are still on display in the music scene today. Go back to the start, drop the needle, and get the whole story.

Most Likely To Teach You Geography:
Stephen Kellogg
South, West, North, East

The Foo Fighters might have gotten there first with their Sonic Highways album, but on his latest solo record singer/ songwriter Kellogg raises the bar for releases recorded all over the map. A four-part record, recorded in four different regions of the country with different co-producers and groups of musicians along for each part of the ride, South, West, North, East breaks everything down into sections. The South fittingly sounds influenced by Southern rock. The West features “cowboy songs” recorded in Colorado. While North and East feature stabs at pop and indie rock, they also make room for sparse acoustic laments like “Last Man Standing” and the piano-based eulogy “26 Seconds (Of Silence),” which is dedicated to the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting. “I’m not saying these 20 songs have to live together, or anything,” Kellogg said during a phone interview in May. “That’s not what this particular moment is about. It’s not about just trying to make the perfect LP. It’s really more about, hey, we’re trying to do something cool, and let’s see what result we get, and then let’s share that with people that want to receive it.”

Most Likely To Alter Your Opinion of Taylor Swift Songs:
Ryan Adams
1989

Taylor Swift’s 1989 took the music world by storm in 2014. And one year later, the record still ruled the charts with “Bad Blood” becoming the album’s third number one single and a music video sensation. However, lost in the shuffle of 1989’s pop dominance was the strength of the songs Swift wrote for the record. This fact was remedied in 2015, when indie singer/ songwriter Adams released his own version of 1989 with full support from Swift. By stripping many songs down and altering arrangements, the alt-country star re-imagined an already well-received record into a different beast altogether. Sure, he omits the rap in “Shake It Off,” but that’s because his focus is on the bigger picture. Influences like The Smiths and Bruce Springsteen lend Adams’ interpretation a broad canvas to paint even broader strokes on, but much like Swift’s original work the core focus remains on nostalgia. 1989 was Swift’s birth year after all (Adams’ was 1974), and both artists somehow managed to use the same set of songs to look backward while also breaking new ground. Not bad for a covers project.

Most Likely To Make You Ignore Oasis Reunion Rumors:
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Chasing Yesterday

Despite departing the band Oasis in 2009, Noel Gallagher is still dogged today by persistent wishes from fans that he and his brother, Liam, just patch things up already, and get the highly successful British group back together again. However, any possible reunion seems even further away now with the release of the elder Gallagher’s sophomore album under his High Flying Birds moniker. Though the record’s title resembles a tip of the cap to the record-breaking success of his past, the sound of the record is a firm step by Noel towards the future. Look no further than the facts that the album was self-produced by Gallagher and its lead single was the final song written for the release. “In the Heat of the Moment” is destined to be a live favorite with its classic chord progression and “nah nah nah” refrain. Elsewhere, Noel incorporates saxophone, female backing vocals and psychedelic flourishes into the mix, to steer his trademark style into newer waters. But for every fresh step forward, the iconic singer/ songwriter also sneaks a glance or two in the rearview mirror. Whether by including previously written tracks like “Lock All the Doors” and the B-side “Revolution Song,” or by recruiting fellow Mancunian and former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr to lay down a solo on “Ballad of the Mighty I,” Gallagher is using his past to fuel his future. The new horizon sculpted by Yesterday has never looked brighter.

Most Geared Toward Hardcore Fans:
Kurt Cobain
Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings

Even before screenings of the documentary “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” took place, director Brett Morgen teased Nirvana fans the world over by stating that a soundtrack to the film would soon follow, and that the release would feature home recordings that would make a listener feel, “like you’re kind of hanging out with Kurt Cobain on a hot summer day in Olympia, Washington as he fiddles about.” Call the end result a cash grab if you want, but Morgen wasn’t kidding. Available as a standard 13-track CD or a 31-track deluxe album, Home Recordings is Cobain entertaining himself writing songs, making tape experiments, and goofing off while tapes were rolling. Sound quality is low. And for every included gem like the eerie cover of the Beatles “And I Love Her,” there is also a sloppy demo like “Rehash,” which finds Cobain dragging a sludge-riff through the dirt and shouting “solo” and “chorus” to sketch where parts might fit if he ever revisited the recording. Unless you’re a die-hard Nirvana fan or an obsessive completist, the album, especially the deluxe version, is a difficult listen. The vaults must be picked clean by now. There’s no actual solo album to be had. Just scraps. Listen if you must, but you might want to take a shower afterwards.

Most Likely To Cause a Spontaneous Mosh Pit:
Teenage Time Killers
Greatest Hits Vol. 1

This is the sound of the world’s most hardcore and perhaps largest supergroup run amok. And featuring members Reed Mullin (Corrosion of Conformity), Mick Murphy (My Ruin), Dave Grohl, Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour), Lee Ving (Fear) and Jello Biafra amongst a laundry list of others, Greatest Hits isn’t just an album, it’s a head-banging assault on the senses. Opening track “Exploder,” bursts out of the gates with chugging guitar and scream-sung vocals from Mullin. From there, the rotating list of musicians changes song by song as styles like punk, metal, stoner rock and more are tried on and discarded sometimes within the same tune. Even comedic icon John Cleese gets his poem “Ode to Hannity” sent through the wringer with Biafra spitting out his signature vocals so fast that they’re almost a blur. Speed is a big part of this record. Not a single track lasts longer than three minutes, and several don’t even reach two. That’s all the more reason to turn up the volume, and play the album over again and again. Here’s hoping Vol. 1 wasn’t a just one-off either. This group could fill a box set just with what its members get up to in one weekend.

Most Likely To Inspire Vulgar Sing-Alongs:
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

In a time when the radio is ruled by auto-tuned pop and dance hits, it takes a song with a distinct sound all of its own to make a mark. That such a song might also feature a chorus with the words “Son of a bitch / Give me a drink,” is testament to certain listeners craving something a little rawer on their radio dial. On this self-titled debut release, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats conjures something more than just a hit single with a dirty name (“S.O.B.”). In fact, the band, led by former Denver folk-pop hero Rateliff, shows itself to be a tight unit with varied tastes on display throughout the record’s running time. “I Need Never Get Old” features rousing horns. “Shake” is a slow-burner with eastern influences. And “Mellow Out” does just that, feeling like a lighter-than-air sing-along on the beach. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Rateliff and company released this album via Stax Records, the former headquarters of soul music. They’re new age purveyors of a classic sound that skips the brain and goes straight to the heart, a refreshing palate cleanser to get that Top 40 taste out of your mouth.

Most Well-Received Comeback:
Blur
The Magic Whip

Band reunions are tricky. Records bands make after reuniting are even trickier. The struggle to recapture a signature sound after an extended hiatus has caused even the mightiest of groups to strain under the effort. However, after reuniting in 2009 for a series of festival gigs, Blur decided to take the slow and steady approach to recording a new album. And the band’s patience appears to have paid off. Consisting of material that was originally worked up in Hong Kong in 2013, The Magic Whip resembles less a return to form and more of a natural evolution for Blur. The seeds of the group’s once mighty Britpop sound are still evident, as are more explorative forays into genres like world music and electronica. With guitarist Graham Coxon back in the fold, singles like “Go Out” and “Ong Ong” feature catchy distorted licks, while songs like “Thought I Was a Spaceman” and “Pyongyang” allow the whole band to stretch out amidst slowly unfurling melodies. Lyrically, singer Damon Albarn spins stories and warnings out of global issues like overpopulation and consumer culture, but instead of feeling heavy-handed the best moments here are like conversations with an old friend. Humor, sincerity, and joy abound. There are signposts too for future adventures. The only decision for Blur now is which path to take.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Blue Jean Committee Sails Again with Catalina Breeze

Blue Jean Committee

Catalina Breeze

(Drag City)

Release date: 11/20/15

In November of 2011, the national entertainment spotlight turned its eyes towards Northampton, Mass. The reason for the attention was a sketch on Saturday Night Live. Featuring actor Jason Segel and then cast member Fred Armisen, the bit was a send-up of a “local” band called the Blue Jean Committee. All long hair and denim attire, the group got some laughs in the Western Mass press at the time, but few could imagine what would come next.

Just last year, the Blue Jean Committee was resurrected by Armisen, along with their “hit” song “Massachusetts Afternoon,” which the actor showcased as the first in his series of “Hometown Heroes” single releases for Drag City Records. Then in September, Armisen brought the band to life again (trading Segel for fellow-SNL album Bill Hader), reinventing its origin story (no more Northampton reference, the boys are Chicagoans through and through) and telling the tale behind its meteoric rise and fall on his IFC show Documentary Now!.

A focal point of that story is the fictional group’s breakthrough 1974 album Catalina Breeze. Described by writer Chuck Klosterman on Documentary Now! with the words, “Every song was a single, and every single was great,” fans can now experience every hit with Drag City Records official release of the soft rock classic.

Opening with the appropriately laid back title track, it doesn’t take long to notice that Armisen has done his homework. While the Portlandia star’s music doc history of the Blue Jean Committee was done for comedy, part of the fun was reveling in all the details that Documentary Now! used to portray the band. Subtle nods to Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz, episodes of Behind the Music and director Alison Ellwood’s 2013 film History of the Eagles Part One, were all incorporated, and “Catalina Breeze” is the product of another mixed bag.

Armisen talk-sings about being “a barstool intellectual with a master’s degree in small talk” and “going to the movies,” but the music is all California sunshine with cooing background vocals and strategically placed percussion. “Catalina” is also the album’s longest song with a running time of a mere two minutes and 15 seconds.

Yes, sadly, even for a joke record Catalina Breeze is brutally short. Seven songs go by in just over 10 minutes. But that’s still enough time for era-specific gems like “Gentle and Soft,” which pairs shared vocals with bat-shit lines about Captain Tom pointing “his compass towards the sun,” and “Mama You’re a Dancer,” which merges a disco beat to a stirring guitar lead with catchy results.

In fact, even the other songs on the record that more closely resemble half-finished ideas or aborted attempts at complete tracks are just as likely to end up as your next ear worm. “Freeway Song” just features the lyrics “freeway riding along” repeated ad nauseum for 53 seconds, but coupled with a driving beat and some propulsive bass runs the song might still tempt you to push the pedal down and sing along. “Mr. Fix-It” begs the question of what if Armisen had actually finished writing the number. It’s a promising story-song that builds nicely, but missing a complementary chorus (or any chorus actually) it simply fades out without reaching its full potential.

In a nutshell, that’s the story of the Blue Jean Committee as a whole. Documentary Now! showed the ups and the downs, but the music speaks for itself. Local boys done good? One time kings of the soft rock revolution? Or funny men making fun music? The answer might be all three. Catch the wind and sail along.

For more information on The Blue Jean Committee please visit http://www.dragcity.com/artists/the-blue-jean-committee

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Game for a Throne: Northampton’s Jesse French Dreams Big as King of Nowhere

Jesse French aka King of Nowhere (Photo credit: Georgia Teensma)

Jesse French is not your average gardener. Though by day, the Hampshire College graduate works for the Trustees of Reservations in Holyoke, Mass. doing landscaping and maintenance, by night the musician inside French comes out to play.

From jobs doing live sound at local clubs to his membership in Pioneer Valley bands like Young Tricksters, Ex Temper and The Hampshire College Grateful Dead Historical Society, French has found no shortage of outlets for his budding musical talent. But recently, the Northampton resident decided to add another project to his already crowded schedule.

Under the name King of Nowhere, French has launched his artistic canoe into fresh and more personal waters. He’s already recorded an album, Becoming, under the new moniker and hopes to push the boundaries of rock and folk music with a still evolving style.

“[Becoming] really marks the beginning of King of Nowhere as the identity for my artistic output,” French says. “It feels good to move forward with a name that can encompass the contributions of others and feels less centered around me.”

While Becoming does feature contributions from other musicians like Becca Malin (vocals), Aaron Noble (drums), Lucy Hollier (viola) and Abigail Hobart (violin), the end result still resembles a glimpse into the private thoughts of French, who plays guitar, bass and sings throughout. Songs like “Beverly Hospital” and “Domestic Policy” seem to illustrate the struggles of knowing how to love or be worthy of affection. And “Meltdown” employs quiet and loud passages to paint a picture of an individual dealing with undisclosed personal problems.

(Photo credit: Georgia Teensma)

French says, “The most challenging thing for me was putting out these songs that feel very naked and revealing. The most personal songs in the batch of this time period didn’t make the album, but there are still plenty of things dealt with in these songs that I would find difficult to talk about. Fortunately, no one ever seems to understand the lyrics.”

Listeners will get a good chance to catch every one of French’s words as he plays upcoming King of Nowhere shows solo, using looping technology to recreate the sounds and textures of Becoming.

“If people spend time with these songs, I think a lot of parts of me come through quite strongly,” French notes. “I’ve explored experiences and characteristics of myself, but this work is also a lens through which to view the things going on around us. Finding bands when I was younger that had a particular message and view of the world was hugely important in my development into the person that I am, and I hope that people can share a little bit of the way I see things through these songs.”

For more information on King of Nowhere and to listen to “Becoming” please visit http://kingofnowhere.bandcamp.com/releases.

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Three for Crowds: Trio of Music Festivals Bringing Family Atmosphere to Western Mass

The music festival, once a haven for the young, rebellious and sometimes nude, has become a family affair.

Forget Coachella, forget Bonnaroo, and forget Lollapalooza. This summer Western Massachusetts plays host to three different music festivals, all billed as prime destinations for the traveling music fan, and all organized to be as family friendly as possible.

Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival sets up shop at Mass MoCA in North Adams June 26-28. Also that weekend, roots rocker and Northampton native Stephen Kellogg brings his Fifth Annual Family Barbecue to his former hometown. And finally, July 10-12, the Green River Festival returns to the grounds of Greenfield Community College.

“I think there wasn’t any other option,” said Wilco bassist and multi-instrumentalist John Stirratt, when asked during a recent interview about the importance of the Solid Sound Festival being family friendly. “Lots of our fans have kids.”

Though held roughly every other year since its debut in 2010, the Solid Sound Festival is notable for more than just its accommodating attitude towards children. Being staged in and around the walls of a world-class contemporary art museum certainly helps the festival’s profile. And of course, there’s the fact that Solid Sound was founded and continues to be organized by a band instead of an organization or group of promoters.

“The idea of the festival dates back to 2008 when Wilco performed at Tanglewood, and the region was so welcoming,” says Deb Bernardini, who works as part of Wilco’s press team.

Since Tanglewood had such a packed schedule at the time, Jeff Tweedy and company were forced to look elsewhere for a venue to suit their future plan of finding a place where Wilco and its side-projects could perform over the course of a weekend. After settling on Mass MoCA as a location, the group has seen a consistent rise in attendance with each additional running of Solid Sound, including over eight thousand tickets sold for the event in 2013. But that success hasn’t stopped the band from experimenting with what activities to offer festival goers.

For example, in addition to music, Solid Sound also showcases a comedy stage, which in past years has featured appearances by Kristen Schaal,Hannibal Burress, Wyatt Cenac and many more. Comic and author John Hodgman, who appeared at the 2011 Solid Sound Festival, acts as host for the comedy stage and has even joined the staff, acting as an on-going collaborator.

Perhaps in a nod to the festival’s already “carnival-like” vibe, the Vermont-based Circus Smirkus has been added to the Solid Sound lineup for 2015. And, as always, a collection of special attractions will be featured alongside Mass MoCA’s own unique exhibits, giving attendees a look inside Wilco’s history and career.

Says Bernardini, “There are exhibits created by and pertaining to Wilco that can only be seen at Solid Sound including an interactive, fan-sourced Wilco timeline featuring ephemera, photos and recollections, as well as an opportunity for fans to stand on a recreated Wilco stage, complete with Wilco instruments, gear and stage backdrop.”

If that’s not enough reason to make the trip to northwestern Mass., there’s always the beauty of the area itself to appreciate and explore.

“With Wilco, we’ve been to a lot of festivals, big and small, and Solid Sound is sort of set apart by the fact that it’s in a really industrial immediate setting, nestled in the lush Berkshires,” concluded Stirratt. “You’re surrounded by brick and steel, but the green hills are right up against you. There really isn’t anywhere quite like North Adams.”

Conversely, according to former Paradise City resident Stephen Kellogg, there’s also no place quite like home. Though 2015 marks the first year Kellogg is bringing his Family Barbecue to Northampton, the delay has done little to diminish the love he has for the area that helped launch his career.

During a phone interview in May, Kellogg said, “When I think about my adventure, my arc through music, it all comes from Western Mass and Northampton.”

Stephen Kellogg (Photo courtesy of IHEG)

Whether logging time as an employee with the Iron Horse Music Group or meeting his fellow Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers’ band mates during his time at UMass Amherst, the facts seem to back up Kellogg’s claim. It just took a few years for the musician to work out the logistics of bringing his own brand of music festival back home.

Conceived of as an answer to the question, “What would I want to do with my favorite bands?” The inaugural SK Family Barbecue was held in 2011 in Connecticut. Featuring performances by Kellogg and the Sixers, the aforementioned barbecue, as well as a variety of field games like the three-legged race, a water balloon toss, the egg on the spoon and more, the basic elements of the festival appeared to be in place. However, subsequent editions of the gathering have undergone a continual evolution.

“Well, the thing is I’m not an event planner. I’m a musician,” laughed Kellogg. “We’ve made mistakes over the years, and probably one of the things that my friend who runs a really successful festival over in the U.K. said is, ‘The most important thing Stephen, is to keep the same location and to keep the same weekend every year.’ Well, we’ve done it five years and we’ve been in three locations, and we have almost never fallen on the same weekend. So, I get an F there for following the road map for how to have a successful festival.”

“But,” he added. “That’s always the biggest challenge because you pick a weekend, you pick a location…and I wanted to do it in Northampton this year because I thought this is where I got my start. If I was going to see one of my favorite artists, I think it would be interesting to go back to see where they began their career and kind of get to scope that out.”

To that end, not content to just play music and grab some burgers with his fans, Kellogg has also incorporated a trivia game show into the list of barbecue activities, so attendees can learn more about him and his music. Additionally, for the first time this year, he’ll be offering a guided walking tour of Northampton, so festival goers can check out some of his old local haunts.

Kellogg said, “I think people will enjoy it, not just because it’s me, but because it’s a chance to see the town and it’s such an amazing town.”

Another local connection Kellogg is mining for his barbecue this year is musical talent. In addition to playing solo during a pair of scheduled concerts over the weekend, Kellogg will perform alongside Chris Culos of the band O.A.R., as well as Pioneer Valley musician Dennis Crommett, who Kellogg describes as playing, “in like 20 bands there in town.”

Appropriately enough, one of Crommett’s bands Spanish For Hitchhiking released its latest album, Night Alerts, in April, which included a song called “Make It Count.”

Featuring lyrics like, “It takes time / to grow this from a seed,” the number brings to mind a ready-made analogy for the SK Family Barbecue. It may have taken five years for Kellogg to bring such an event to his hometown, but the experience – kids, families, music, and all – seems to be right where he wants it to be.

“We could grow it into more, but it would become something else. It would be a different thing,” Kellogg said. “The goal is to keep it intentionally intimate because I want the people that want to be part of this sort of intimate experience to be there. I’d rather give 225 people a weekend they’ll never forget, than 500 or 600 people just a cool summer concert.”

Lucius performs at the Green River Festival 2014 at Greenfield Community College (Photo credit: Doug Mason)

Speaking of cool summer concerts, the Green River Festival is no longer one of the best kept secrets in Western Mass. Named one of 2015’s 50 Must-See Music Festivals by Rolling Stone, Green River has achieved national acclaim. However, to hear Jim Olsen, head of Signature Sounds Recordings which took over management of Green River in 2014 tell it, the event still possesses a unique local charm that can hook newcomers and delight festival veterans alike.

During an interview in May he said, “The Green River Festival feels like a music festival merged with a really great neighborhood block party. People tend to come in groups with the kids – 10 and under get in free – friends and family. You bump into your co-workers, friends you haven’t seen in a while and you meet new friends. I even know several couples who met at the festival. Everyone is there for a good time. When you add three stages of world class music and the best local food, beer, crafts and great kids’ activities, it just gets better.”

While bigger and better might be Green River’s calling cards at present, its humble beginnings tell a story of slow progression and hard-earned success.

“The festival was started 29 years ago when two separate events were held on consecutive weekends at Greenfield Community College,” recalled Olsen. “The first was a fifth birthday concert for local radio station WRSI featuring NRBQ and 10,000 Maniacs. The following weekend was the first Up Country Hot Air Balloon Fair presented by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. Over the next few years the balloon festival started presenting music artists as well. It took many years for the festival to grow into the large event it has become.”

Hot air balloons are still a big attraction at the Green River Festival, and the sight of dozens of the crafts soaring through the sky around Greenfield and beyond on a warm summer day is often a highlight of the season. But festival attendees don’t have to look far for other activities to draw their interest.

This year’s Green River Festival will also feature circus performers, Frisbee trick dogs and a three-hole Frisbee golf course, a swimming area, a musical instrument petting zoo, a Mardi Gras style parade through the festival grounds, and more. Those wishing to check out The Maker’s Market can get their fill of local crafts, but tying everything together is the opportunity to hear a variety of great music.

Tune-Yards (Photo credit: Holly Andres)

Over 40 bands are scheduled to play over the course of the weekend. Acts like Tune-Yards will bring a more experimental sound, while others like Antibalas and Red Baraat will showcase different styles of world music. Of course, since Rolling Stone cited Green River’s   “relaxed, guitar-centric vibe where you’ll more likely spot a fiddle than a turntable,” the spotlight is still on roots-based acts like Steve Earle and The Dukes as well as the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which should have no problem entertaining the five to six thousand people expected to pass through the festival gates daily.

Olsen said, “I think the way Green River Festival is different is that it has a really special kind of energy. I think it’s due to the fact that it doesn’t have a giant audience or huge, crowded campgrounds and the hassle factor of so many of the big festivals. Everyone is there for the day only and are there to enjoy themselves. It’s just such a great atmosphere.”

Indeed, atmosphere is a word used often to describe, not just music festivals, but also any location or gathering that elicits observable feelings and emotions. Details can be forgotten, and events can lose their vibrancy to time and distance. But the memories that stick are the products of atmosphere. Fill up a dozen scrapbooks or download a thousand images, yet you’ll probably still always be chasing the vibe of a sunny summer afternoon, when the wind turned just right and music played from a stage hit you like a wave, cresting over your shoulders before receding from the present and into the past.

“As we become a more wired, less connected society, these kinds of events are more important than ever,” Olsen mused. “A festival is place to go to connect with your people, sharing something you love in real time.”

Solid Sound Festival featuring Wilco, John Hodgman, NRBQ and more, June 26-28, $50-149, Mass MoCA, 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, (413) 664-4481, www.solidsoundfestival.com.

Stephen Kellogg’s Fifth Annual Family Barbecue featuring field games, trivia game show, children’s concert, and two nights of music with performances by Stephen Kellogg, Chris Culos (O.A.R.), Dennis Crommett (Spanish For Hitchhiking) and more, June 26-28, $125, Iron Horse Music Hall, 20 Center St., Northampton, (413) 586-8686, www.iheg.com/iron_horse, as well as other various locations in and around Northampton, www.stephenkellogg.com.

Green River Festival featuring Steve Earle, Tune-Yards, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and more, July 10: gates open at 5 p.m.; July 11: gates open at 12 p.m. and balloons launch at 6 p.m.; July 12: balloons launch at 6 a.m. and gates open at 12 p.m.., free/ kids, $20-100/ general, Greenfield Community College, One College Dr., Greenfield, (413) 341-3317, www.greenriverfestival.com.

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Lady Lamb’s “After” Has Cinematic Roots

Lady Lamb (Photo credit Shervin Lainez)

Lady Lamb

After

(Mom + Pop)

Release date: 3/3/15

It’s part of pop culture lore that Quentin Tarantino got his start working in a video store. Turns out, that watching innumerable films and critiquing customer choices was all the training he needed to become a famous director. You can see the results in his movies too. Each finished product is a cinematic vista with scope, detail, and enough humor to sometimes distract from all the turbulent goings-on. The same characteristics can be attributed to indie musician Lady Lamb as well.

Formerly known as Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Maine native Aly Spaltro, also got her start working in a video store. However, instead of turning her focus to film, Spaltro used her night shift time at the shop to write and record music. Her initial output, a collection of lo-fi recordings and demos, shows the unmistakable stamp of this time period.

Early tracks like “Bird Balloons” and “Crane Your Neck,” each eventually re-recorded for Spaltro’s 2013 full-length debut Ripley Pine, are howling confessionals that unfold like short films. The mood of each song changes nearly as often as the chords wrung from the guitar they’re played upon, telling unique stories that are filled with the kind of observations made by someone who once spent long hours surrounded by aisle after aisle of Hollywood fare and indie flicks.

Now, much like Tarantino with his latest works “Django Unchained” and “Inglourious Basterds,” Spaltro strives to create her own epic on her new album After.

Opening number “Vena Cava” gives a taste of this new ambition. Beginning sparsely with only Spaltro’s voice and guitar heard for nearly a minute, the tune suddenly explodes to life with drums and distortion. Though titled after a vein responsible for transporting blood to the heart, the song appears to express an inner turmoil that is more than skin deep.

“I know already how much TV will fail to comfort me in your absence,” the lyrics go. “It’s as though the nothing never was / As everything will do just what it does.”

Is Spaltro speaking to a lover she knows will leave her? How appropriate that the vena cava is connected to the heart. Matters felt this deeply never fail to evoke emotions in one of our most important organs.

After such a hard-hitting introduction, the rest of After starts to unfurl itself with clever touches hidden throughout. Horns and background vocals emerge in the mix on “Violet Clementine.” Handclaps and synth samples populate “Spat Out Spit” and “Penny Licks.” Even a sly nod to Spaltro’s past is made with a song named after many a movie-goers snack of choice “Milk Duds.”

Watch the official lyric video for “Spat Out Spit” here: 

Still, amidst all the experimentalism and forays into straight-up pop, the foundation of After rests in the detailed prose making up the album’s lyrics. Nowhere is this fact more evident than in what could be labeled the record’s centerpiece “Sunday Shoes.”

As hauntingly barebones as some other tracks are stuffed with sound, “Shoes” is a bittersweet poem told over solitary finger-picked guitar that relates the tale of children being eaten by wolves. Harsh right? Yet, while not shying away from some graphic detail, the song also evolves into a somber meditation on death itself and what happens after we die.

Spaltro sings, “You will be laid to rest by gentle hands, and you will be sorely missed / by your mother and your father and you will become your most favorite color.”

It’s an inspiring thought isn’t it? Once dead you will be reborn as a color. Colors make up the world around us, in shades, in shadows, and can mix with other colors to create wondrous new combinations. Aly Spaltro may have dropped the “Beekeeper” from her moniker, but she’s been busy in her own hive turning out a finished product channeling past, present and future, almost like a movie script.

Video stores may be virtually extinct, but their influence lingers, just like After’s bite.

Lady Lamb with openers Rathborne and Great Smokey, April 4, 8 p.m., $13-15, Pearl Street Nightclub, 10 Pearl St., Northampton, (413) 584-7771, http://www.iheg.com/pearl_street_main.asp.

For more information on Lady Lamb or to see future tour dates please visit www.ladylambjams.com.

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