Song Review- Dial Drive – “On My Own” from the upcoming album Dial Drive

Posted on by
Reply
four men in playful poses in front of a graffitied wall

Having heard one Dial Drive album prior to getting the chance to preview this track I was on-board right away.  That album (which was from 2018) was called Viva Le’Jit and was a dedication album for their former bass player Brian Fenley who had passed away.   Those were some good songs full of much youthful energy and a bit of angst.  “Big Mistake” was my favorite and you can give it a listen here if you have a spare three minutes:  

https://dialdrive.bandcamp.com/album/viva-lejit

I have to say that right as “On My Own” lit off I had a bit of a “Clash City Rockers” moment.  It is a faster riff but has that same kind of “pay attention” effect and energy.  This track though is not content to stay in that lane although it certainly has enough buzzy bass and frantic drumming to make anyone happy.  This song instead mixes in some brief & well placed shouting along with a pretty cool down-tempo bridge.   I have heard that these guys bring much energy to their live shows also so that is on my list for sure.  

The full album (on SBAM Records) is due out sometime later this year. 

Musicians on this are: Jake LeDrew (vocals), Nathan Durazzo (guitar, vocals), AJ Ferrera (bass) and Billy Morrissey (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://bfan.link/dial-drive-on-my-own

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- For Closure- “Take Two”

Posted on by
Reply

Well, cool things sometimes happen and as you may recall I had just reviewed Sleep Pod Two’s “All That We Have (Is Each Other)” earlier this month…and then along comes another band with Wal Rashidi on the drums.  Although I was aware of some of the other associated bands from this group of musicians I had not heard about For Closure much prior to this release.  

The guitar tone at the start of this is very cool and a bit of a throwback for me to somewhere in the 80’s – it is a groovy riff that sets the mood right away.  As the volume and sound build from there it takes you along on a wave of melody and soaring vocals that give a broken love story a slightly defiant vibe.  Short and to the point, the track drops right off the edge at the 2:13 mark. This is a good song in the power-pop tradition and a nice listen for a Sunday afternoon.  

Musicians on this are:  Luis Estefania (guitar), Gizz Lazlo (vocals), Steve Brown (bass), Marc Maxey (guitar) and of course Wal Rashidi (drums).  

The full EP (also titled Take Two) is set to drop September 12th on Mindpower Records.  It is going to include a cover of “In My Head” by the Doughboys which I will be interested to hear.

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/forclosuretaketwo

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!

Album Review- Megan Bee- Fiction

Posted on by
Reply
A woman in a brown tank top and print skirt, sitting down with a guitar on her lap. She appears to be deep in thought.

Courtesy of Adam Dawson and Broken Jukebox Media I had the good fortune to be able to preview this album which is set for an official release on October 10th (radio date October 1st).  The information that came along with the details on Fiction included references back to her prior albums which have received much positive recognition.  As I was unaware of all of that I decided to jump backward first and started with 2017’s A Sense of Place.  That is a solid set of songs that range from the bluegrass sing-along styled “Carry Me Away” to the slightly sassy alt-county feel of “Cincinnati.” Like a Canyon also is listed as an earlier 2017 release that has more good songs on it although I found it lacked a little of the stylistic range that was present on A Sense of Place.  Of course, I also found “Little Birdie” (which is the notable change-of-pace song on Canyon) to be just too darn happy of a song for me so who I am to complain about  stylistic range?  Bee’s 2020 album Waiting was the last one I made it all the way through before writing this post and you can hear the development of her talent and voice on every track.  The songs are stark in composition but the instruments are right on-point, adding harmony and background that let you into every story.  “Back Home Again” and “Dreams I Don’t Remember” are the stand-outs tracks for me on that album. 

After two times listening through Fiction I was struck by the strength of the lyrics which are so poignant and sung with real feeling.  They tell stories with a clarity and simplicity that make the message in each song all the more powerful.   That songwriting ability was present on the other albums I mentioned above but it is really in full force here.  The songs remain generally simple in form with mostly acoustic instruments that are handled masterfully and add to the intimate, in-person feeling of this album.  “Now I Know” and the title track struck me as especially noteworthy.  Fiction is definitely worth waiting for so keep an eye out for this one to drop.  

I am not sure if this is a complete list of musicians on the album but the info available listed (in addition to Bee on guitar, piano and Wurlitzer); Kate Wakefield (cello), John Borchard (pedal steel), Ammed Solomon (drums) and Chris Justice (bass).  

You can keep up-to-date and also purchase her music here:

https://meganbeemusic.com/home

Remember to  support your locals – community is powerful

Song Review- The Boy Detective- “Beth Truss” from the upcoming album Disco Lunch

Posted on by
Reply
A group of mostly happy looking people, some sitting and some standing.

As a long time fan of ska (in all of its various iterations and sub genres) I first heard this band covering The Get Up Kids song “Forgive & Forget.”  That was off Sklarity, their 2021 collection of ska-styled covers of ten songs which also included “Hands Down” (Dashboard Confessional) and “Photo Booth” (Death Cab for Cutie).  On that album and also on the 2018 album Dorkus Malorkus their sound is an interesting mix of ska, punk and just a bit of hard core.  If you want a side mission check out “Is Alfredo There” from Dorkus for an interesting cross-genre experience and sound explosion.  They also have another release called Art Theft which I have not listened through yet.  

Their upcoming album Disco Lunch is set to drop on November 7th and “Beth Truss” will release as a single on August 15th, all courtesy of Punkerton Records.  The song, as described by the band’s vocalist Benny Capaul: 

“…was taken off the shelf, dusted off, and reformatted to sonically invoke singalongs and brain-eating choruses and gang vocals, in the only way The Boy Detective knows best.”

I would have to agree that this one is a sonic explosion.  It comes in on a short drum intro quickly followed by energetic horns that give you a bit of a marching groove.  At that point you are firmly in a ska state of mind and happy to be there.  It then drops into a more guitar & drum / alt-punk section that still brings the energy while adding some restless edginess to the vibe.  That back-and-forth continues through the song and the overall result is some odd kind of angry happiness. 

This should be out on your streaming channels soon and you can pre-order Disco Lunch (vinyl) here:

The Boy Detective "Disco Lunch" Vinyl [Pre-Order]

And pre-save the digital version here: 

https://ffm.to/theboydetective_discolunch

And support your locals – community is powerful

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

Posted on by
Reply
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

Posted on by
Reply
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

Posted on by
1
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

Posted on by
Reply
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”

Posted on by
Reply
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!