Author Archives: Jack Mesenbourg

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About Jack Mesenbourg

Jack Mesenbourg is a writer, musician, photographer, and artist from Minneapolis. He has spent his years hopping around the country, scribbling notes & scratching pictures in poorly organized journals along the way. Traveling with him have been his passions and distractions such as music, gardening, baseball, cooking and finding good local beer. Hopefully his projects provide you with some insight, provoke some thinking or at least give you a little amusement.

Song Review- AJ Lee & Blue Summit  –  “Bedside Window” from the album City of Glass

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5 people, 4 men and one woman, standing in front of a warehouse style window

I caught the sound of this band a bit late after stumbling across their version of “Tear My Stillhouse Down” (which is an early release off their upcoming Cover to Cover V1 album and also features Lindsay Lou).   That was enough to get me looking into their other music which lead to giving City of Glass a listen and I was impressed.  These five musicians have good, fresh energy in their music that fits into the Americana genre but with some definite country and folk vibes along for the ride.  Listening through other selections from their catalog I found that their covers of other artists songs pay tribute to them while also adding something new.  It makes for a nice listening experience.  

I was tempted to select the eponymous title track from City of Glass for this review but eventually decided on “Bedside Window” as I was pretty familiar with that track from the California Honeydrops.  That original version that I heard on Like You Mean It has a starkness to it that gives it a real empty, sorrowful tone; a simple, subdued guitar plays lightly in the background to accompany Lech Wierzynski’s lonely-hearted vocals.  If you have heard versions of this song played live by the Honeydrops it does have a more full musical background but that one off the album was always my favorite.  

So, what do you get from this version by AJ Lee & Blue Summit?  There is more instrumentation here  that adds some volume and depth while still maintaining a pretty sorrowful tone.  I think it is just a little bit bouncier than the Honeydrops version and it works well.  The muted mandolin and fiddle are prominent as is a slow, powerful bass line.  Some of the stark quality I liked on that original Like You Mean It version is missing but this track is lonesome enough to deliver the message.  

Musicians on this are: Scott Gates (guitar, vocals), AJ Lee (vocals, mandolin), Jan Purat (fiddle), Sullivan Tuttle (guitar, vocals) and there is a bass player but I had a hard time chasing down the name for certain…so my apologies to that musician and I will happily update this post if I get good info on it.  

You can check out more of the music and information on the Bandcamp page https://ajleebluesummit.bandcamp.com/album/city-of-glass

Pleas remember to support your local community 🙂

If you want to check the video for the “City of Glass” song on this album (it is filmed at the Grand Ole Opry!), see below:  

And please think about purchasing this song after you listen – streaming music does not pay much even times a thousand…

Let me know you think! 

Song Review- Geese- “Trinidad” from the upcoming album Getting Killed

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A trumpet player with long hair, the sun is behind the person and they are pointing a gun at the viewer with their left hand

Flashback to the Winter 2024 edition of Creem (which had the great title of “You Either Die a Punk or Live Long Enough to Become Classic Rock”) and an article by Zachary Lipez called “An American Band (Someone Please Tell America).”  This was a fairly long-form article and was a great band profile of Geese, an interesting story about his interactions with them and also an amusing takedown of Greta Van Fleet (I know…I’ve got it coming to me for even thinking it was amusing…those Fleetsters are everywhere!).   Lipez spends part of his article detailing how different and unusual much of the music that Geese perform is and that of course sent me directly to checking it out.  I picked up 3D County and hit play.

I have to warn you, or give you a bit of heads up anyway…no matter what your initial reaction is as the first track of that album (“2122”) plays just keep listening.  If your experience is anything like mine at the end of a complete run through of 3D County you may think “Well that was interesting…pretty good…a little weird, good though,” and then continue on with other things.  Soon though, you will find yourself thinking about some moments on that album;  interesting hooks, bizarre sounds, quirky arrangements…that sort of stuff and you will have to go back and listen to it again…and again…you get the picture.  It is really that good.  

So then we have this upcoming album Getting Killed, set to drop on September 26th and which currently has two tracks out that you can listen to and purchase / pre-order (if you are so inclined).  “Trinidad” will definitely give you some strange vibes with its discordant instruments underpinned by a wonderfully groovy rhythm section and changing vocal patterns.  It is a stunner of a song and makes me think that this upcoming album has a lot of promise.  

You can check out more of the music and information on the Bandcamp page https://geesebandnyc.bandcamp.com/album/getting-killed

Musicians on this are: Cameron Winter (vocals), Dominic DiGesu (bass), Max Bassin (drums) and Emily Green (guitar).

And if you have the inclination …think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

Our communities are great places to get to know each other 🙂 

Sleep Pod Two- “All That We Have (Is Each Other)” from the upcoming album Rehearse Your Future

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Four male musicians looking toward the camera

When I read the Earshot Media press release about this one I was not familiar with the group or most of the musician’s associated acts.  I had heard of Gameface but even there it was in a limited way (a song called “Daylight Savings” that had been put on a mix tape for me back in the 90’s that was mostly full of Buffalo Tom songs). I went back and gave that track a listen and it was pretty cool.  I also had to give some props to my old bud who made that mix tape…Gameface definitely fit the groove for that collection.  I did go back and pick up that entire digital album (Three To Get Ready) that had “Daylight Savings” on it.  If you have a couple spare moments you can check it here: 

https://gamefacerock.bandcamp.com/album/three-to-get-ready

Back to this Sleep Pod Two release “All That We Have (Is Each Other)” which is a solid single all on its own.  Nice loud guitars right away, this one is fast paced and energetic with a slowdown about midway through that provides just enough space in an otherwise “wall to wall” flurry of sound.  The song goes out in a frenzy of guitar and drums that will leave you looking for more.  

Musicians on this are:  Guy Julian (bass, vocals), Chris Whyte (vocals, guitar), Todd Trout (guitars), Wal Rashidi (drums) 

Check it out on your favorite streaming channel (link below) – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂 

https://orcd.co/allthatwehaveiseachother

And if you have the inclination …think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand.   You can check out the pre-order for the EP (via Mindpower Records) here:

https://sleeppodtwo.bandcamp.com/album/rehearse-your-future

And support your locals – community is powerful!

Song Review- C. Daniel Boling “What Could Possibly Go Wrong” (featuring Tom Paxton) from the album IT MATTERS

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Smiling, bearded man playing an acoustic guitar

It is good to swing back to some good old folk music sometimes and this release (on Berkalin Records) is an instant classic.  If you take the time to listen through the entire album you will find it full of straight-forward heartfelt lyrics, some well-aimed humor, a nice collection of instruments (most of them from the string family) and an overall tone of classic American folk.  It was quite an enjoyable listen.  

Although the most recent press release from Broken Jukebox Media was about a different song from the album (“We’re Not happy” – video link below) I found “What Could Possibly Go Wrong” to be my own favorite.  It is a clean guitar song with Boling and Paxton deftly trading lines and coming together for the chorus.   Plus, any message about the creeping nonsense of AI is going to get applause from me every time.  

Musicians on this are: C. Daniel Boling (guitar, vocals) and Tom Paxton (vocals)

If you want to check this album out out I found it at Tom Paxton’s Bandcamp page here:

https://tompaxton.bandcamp.com/album/it-matters

That video for “We’re Not Happy” – link below: : 

And support your locals – community is powerful!

Song Review- Empired- “Blood on the Ceiling”

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5 male musicians

There was a band from way back in the day (mid 00’s in this case) called The Twilight Transmission that was pretty good.  They fit somewhere in the alt-punk space with a bit of hard core mixed in.  It was only one album that I ever heard back then (and checking Discogs and others sources it still is the only one I find listed) but they did not have a “one-off sound.”  The members of that band (Colin Buis, Brendan Murphy, Jae Hansel, Brian Balchack and Brian Manry) played well and wrote songs with interesting arrangements.  If you get a chance check out their Bandcamp page here and give The Dance of Destruction a listen – well worth it.

https://thetwilighttransmission.bandcamp.com/album/the-dance-of-destruction

Interest in that band led me to Outspoken, Hansel’s former endeavor that released music mostly in the 1990’s and I became a late-comer fan of that band also.  And then I promptly lost track of him until Empired released Finding Calm in the Chaos back in 2024.  So, now that we are all up to date…

It was great to be able to get a chance to listen to this track and it is indeed a good one!  There is much good melodic punk energy and strong vocals running throughout with screaming guitars, a bit of a groovy bass, and a steady, clean drum sound.  I also found the keyboard action intriguing as it punched through the guitar sound at various times to add a nice layer to the overall composition of this track.

Empired has a new album coming out (Strikes Back!) and you can pre-order today from Hey!Fever Records right here:

https://www.heyfeverrecords.com/

The vinyl is set to come out August 29th with streaming on September 5th. 

Musicians on this track are: Jai Hansel (bass, vocals), Ben Harrison (keyboards), Bruce Zebal (guitar, vocals) and Danny Baeza (drums). 

And support your locals – community is powerful!

Song Review- JJ Braves- “Fix for a Broken Heart”

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Black and white image of an electric guitar player on stage

Hearing about the release of this single on July 25th my interest was peaked by this part of the press release: 

“JJ Braves is the throwback rock project of LA-based artist Joshua Keever, blending synth-driven hooks, classic rock theatrics, and deeply personal lyricism. Drawing inspiration from the power-chord heroics of Queen and Weezer, the slick pop swagger of Huey Lewis & the News, and even the animated bravado of the Transformers theme song, JJ Braves channels those influences into anthemic, emotionally resonant songs”.

That is an interesting group of influences so I fired it up and was met right away by some grungy guitar tones combined with an 80’s synth groove and some vocal styling {“Ooh, baby do you got somewhere to be tonight”) that fits into that same era.  I gotta say that I had an Outfield flashback…in a good way.   This track does not stay in that lane though which is one of the coolest things about it.  Combining some groovy but varied rhythms, several different guitar tones, well-placed keys and good vocals it feels like a bit of a trip through some vintage musical moments of my life.  This song has a healthy exuberance about it that makes you want to turn it way up and drive down the strip.  

You can check this out via streaming (link below) – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂 

Braves also has an upcoming full-length album so keep your eyes and ears out 🙂  

And support your locals – community is powerful!

Song Review- Hoist the Colors- “Documentation” from the upcoming album Dear Wanderlust

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Hoist the Colors band members in front of a white warehouse

Well, sometimes you get a press release about a band and suddenly realize you managed to forget about a pretty darn good band somewhere along the way.  This particular moment was inspired by an email from Earshot Media with news about this single being dropped a few weeks ago.  The band name caught me as familiar so I dug into the collection and found a digital song called “Second City” and pressed play.  A boisterous and well-played Irish punk song was the result, good enough that I figured it could not possibly be the only track from Hoist the Colors that I had laying around…but in the end, it was all by its lonesome self.   After checking into it they have a few others out there that are worth your time including Miles To Go Before We Sleep, Mourners and When Daylight Breaks. 

You can tell right from the start of “Documentation” that this group of musicians has grown and expanded their influences since the sound of “Second City.”  A pretty cool guitar riff starts this one off with a melodic bass line joining, slowly building up a little tension before a lively mandolin kicks in.  The fiddle provides just enough bluegrass flavor to set the mood and the vocals are strong (and tell a pretty human and relatable story).  The blending of genres here is sophisticated and very successful.   

You can catch the video for this here: 

Also, their album will drop in October and can be pre-ordered from Hey!Fever Records starting August 30th! 

And if you have the inclination …think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

And support your locals – community is powerful!

Song Review- The Last Revel –  “Static” from the album Gone For Good 

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Having been patiently waiting for the release of this album the moment finally arrived last week!   This group has long been a favorite of mine and I definitely consider them as a top Americana / alt-county operation (..and awesome live…check them out if you can as they bring some really good energy to every show:).

I have listened through the entire album several times and there are good songs throughout.  Although I picked “Static” for this review I also really liked “Go On” (a feisty, quick-paced number), “Simple Wheel” (great, punchy rhythm and crafty lyrics) and “Tall Grass” (just a perfect example of how these three musicians can blend their instruments together to create memorable music).  

“Static” has a subtle dreaminess to its tone right from the start, leading off with guitar that is joined after about 30 seconds by a gentle fiddle and soon after by a nice banjo melody line.  The lyrics here tell a familiar story but have some nice turns like, “”Break a day, get fixed at night, you always say we’re doing it right.”  

Musicians on this are:  Vinnie Donatelle (fiddle, vocals), Lee Henke (vocals, guitar) and Ryan Acker (banjo, vocals)

You can check out more of the music and information on the Bandcamp page https://thelastrevel.bandcamp.com/

Remember to support your awesome community 🙂 

And please think about purchasing this song after you listen – streaming music does not pay much even times a thousand…

Let me know you think! 

Song Review- Stay The Course – “Post Traumatic”

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I just head about the early release of this lyric video (available on YouTube of course) via an Earshot Media press announcement and was intrigued by this outtake:  

“Serving as the second single from Red Flag, the song marks a sharp left turn from Stay The Course’s usual mix of melodic breakdowns and punchy hooks. This time, they set aside distortion in favor of acoustic instruments, added string accompaniment courtesy of Meador’s wife and eldest daughter, and handed lead vocal duties to Munn.”

When bands step away from their usual sound I always have respect, regardless of the results, as just taking that action requires some guts and helps keep music fresh for all of us.  The results here are quite good with those aforementioned strings (cello + violin = very cool) really setting a slow, reflective tone.   The vocals are a an interesting mix of pleading and sentimental.  Songs like this sometimes end up feeling fragile but this one retains strength throughout – a good listen with a message. 

Musicians on this are: Colby Munn (vocals, guitar), Kylie Meador (cello), Londyn  Meador (violin), Joseph Meador (backing vocals). 

Check it out on your favorite streaming channel (link below) – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂   They also have an album coming soon (Red Flag) so keep an eye out. 

https://found.ee/staythecourse_posttraumatic

And if you have the inclination …think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

As always – remember to support all your locals – community is powerful!