Four young women met at Art School in Birmingham, England. One Saturday in 1985 their friend’s band needed an opening act. That afternoon they came up with three songs, rehearsed them and performed that night. They named their band We’ve Got a Fuzzbox and We’re Gonna Use It! Because, “Every song’s got a fuzzbox on it.” In 1986 David Geffen acquired the rights to their first album and took them for a ride on the Rock-N-Roll Rollercoaster. This slice of history was requested by my bandmate Todd Utley. He pulled this off his shelf and said, “Here, write about this.” I hadn’t thought about Fuzzbox in years. I have…
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Two Peter Gabriel Songs Improved by Kate Bush
If I had to use one word to describe Kate Bush it would be mystical. She’s mysterious, she rarely performs live anymore. And, her image is that of a fairy. Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush collaborated multiple times, Kate Bush appears as a guest vocalist on quite a few of Peter Gabriel’s songs and I would say her voice adds the mysticism that both “Games Without Frontiers (1980)” and “Don’t Give Up (1986)” needed. The first time I heard “Games Without Frontiers” I was absolutely struck by the lyrics and backing vocals. The song is telling stories about what I would imagine to be children playing games. It seems so innocent then…
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New Electric Citizen, Higher Time
A belated congratulations to our pals, Electric Citizen on their new album, Higher Time! The album was released Friday May 13th and is so killer! Back with extremely heavy rock n’ roll riffs the album is definitely possessing. They’re having their Higher Time release show this Saturday night (May 21st) at the Northside Tavern with Ruby the Hatchet. Check out my personal favorite, “Evil.” The songs starts out with a heavy break down that launches into the song. Laura’s vocals are stronger than ever. The whole vibe of the band, including the mix makes you feel like you’re listening to something straight from the 70’s. And of course, Ross absolutely…
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Erika Wennerstrom of Heartless Bastards on Being a Midwest Musician
Heartless Bastards return to their home, Cincinnati May 19th and 20th to play two nights at the Woodward Theatre with Old 97's and BJ Barham. I was lucky enough to chat with Erika on the phone (before their show in Boston) about growing up in the Midwest and how she got her start playing music.
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The Women Behind Bob Dylan’s Desire
Desire by Bob Dylan will always stand out in my mind as one of my favorite and most nostalgic albums. It’s one of my mom’s favorite albums so I have strong memories of listening to it in the car growing up. As a child I was captivated by Dylan’s lyrics and story telling abilities. Released in 1976, Desire starts off with “Hurricane,” and is an album full of stories. “Isis” is probably my favorite song on the album and instead of celebrating Cinco de Mayo every year, I always refer to May 5th as Isis day from the lyrics, “I married Isis on the fifth day of May/but I could not hold…
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“Best Friend” by White Mystery
A gem from White Mystery’s new album, Outta Control, “Best Friend” is a catchy tune to get your week started! The mid tempo song on the sibling’s fifth album is perfect for porch hangs with no doubt, your best friends. The rock n’ roll duo from Chicago has been putting out great music since 2008. Miss Alex White is a crazy smart rock n’ roll business woman who put out her very own guitar pedal called the “Firekeeper” earlier this year. White Mystery is one of the hardest working bands out there and they continue to grow in strength with their new album, Outta Control. Check out some…
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Songs with Horns
I played string instruments growing up, so I’ve always been fascinated with brass. Horns and trumpets, when juxtaposed with guitar, bass, and drums, lend an entirely different mood to a song: bold, stout, clean and weighty, bright and jazzy. The songs on this playlist use horns in different ways and to different ends, but they are all brassy, in the positive sense of shameless or strident. Valerie June, “Working Woman Blues” Probably my favorite song of 2013. It starts with folksy guitar, drums, and June’s one-of-a-kind voice, but wait for the horn solo, which makes the song. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AVdHFMK58U] Carpenters, “Close to You” A classic that ought never be forgotten, with…
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“Zodiacal Woman” by Queen Crescent
What’s old is new again. In a time when the dark heavy music of Black Sabbath rears it’s head in the form of new female fronted bands like Electric Citizen and Blood Ceremony, Queen Crescent is a new budding band channeling the 70’s style extremely well. Fronted by Melissa Vu who not only sings like a Grace Slick-esque goddess but wails on the flute, the band’s new single “Zodiacal Woman” displays extremely tight and heavy riffs. The Oakland based four-piece released their self-titled in 2015 and are headed back to the studio to record new songs with Chaz Bundick of Toro y Moi. As the band summons…
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Song of the Moment: Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, “Nobody Dies”
Thao & the Get Down Stay Down is the kind of band that forces your body to move, even when you are listening to heartbreak and devastating loss and grief and death. Example: try not to tap your toes to this funky single, “Nobody Dies,” from their new album A Man Alive. In it, a woman remembers watching her father leave as a girl. “You made a cruel kid, come look what you did.” But the buoyant rhythm of the bass, guitar, and drums gives the song a gutsy, bright sound at odds with the lyrics, which lament the force of human denial. We act like nobody dies You act like…
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In the Know- March 2016
March's In the Know answers, "What do you look for in a good bandmate?"
