Tag Archives: North Carolina

Album Review- Larry Keel & Jon Stickley – EP

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Two men sitting on a couch with acoustic guitars - they are smiling and dressed in jeans and jackets

Hearing that these two guitar masters had joined forces to put together this EP was fantastic news.  My familiarity with Keel was rather lacking having only heard his single releases  “Love” and “Faster Horses” which you can still check out here on Bandcamp.  His playing on those two tracks was enough to make them memorable for sure.  The Jon Stickley Trio was a band I was more familiar with having enjoyed their classic albums Lions, Lost at Last (which is quite a tour de force of bluegrass and flat-picking) and Maybe Believe.   They have a few more out there which you can also check out here on Bandcamp.

So, what to expect of this release?  Well, given prior experience I was hoping for a lot of flat-picking guitar magic and interesting song composition.  After listening to the five tracks on this EP I can say that they brought that and more to the music. I was not sure how many lyrical numbers there might be and was surprised to find that three of the tracks hit that mark.  These songs (“Sailor Suit,” “Pioneers,” and “Starborn”) cover a range of themes and blend over a little from their usual bluegrass/ folk styling into alt-county.    There are of course also some really intricate and wonderful picking moments (check “Sailor Suit” around the 2:22 mark or “Starborn” around 1:44) – really groovy! 

 The instrumental songs (“Future Ghost” which is my personal fav on the EP and “Take the Air”) really showcase how well these two masters play off each other and incorporate their individual playing into well-crafted music.  These are acoustic, instrumental tracks that are engaging and thoughtful.  

Overall this EP is a keeper and one to pick up at your earliest opportunity. 

Many thanks to Dreamspider Publicity for including me in the release notes for this album!

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

https://larrykeel.lsnto.me/keelstickleyep

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

Be a Good Neighbor – it builds an awesome community! 

Release Alert! Treasure Pains & Spares  – Split EP

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Five men wearing t-shirts & standing in front of a grey building looking toward the camera.

Yes, I did just cover Treasure Pains new single “Left To Give” back on August 31st, a track that is actually part of this upcoming EP.  I am less familiar with Spares although I had heard their song “Stalemate” off their eponymous EP which came out earlier this year.  I thought it was an interesting bit of music with an eerie rhythm and melody joined by clipped vocals.  

I had the good fortune to be able to preview this split EP in full and it is definitely a nice set of four songs.  Other than “Left To Give” Treasure Pains also contribute “Strike,” a driving, fuzzy guitar, jumpy drum, screaming vocal piece on the harder side of pop punk. 

The two songs from Spares are “Joke” and “New Indignities.”  That first track has a really cool atmospheric tone with a lilting melody.  It runs 6 minutes and gets a little dense at points but keeps your attention with some jumpy pace changes and interesting lyrics.   The second one is a quick 2:42 of blistering guitars, non-stop vocals and an interesting synth accompaniment.  

This is set to drop from Wiretap Records / Council Records on September 26th and pre-orders can be placed here: 

https://council-records.bandcamp.com/album/split

A couple videos are out (one from each band) if you want a preview of this music:  

three men and one woman toward the camera. Three are resting against a back wall while one man is closer to the viewer.

Your local community needs you –  Get out there and meet some people 🙂

Song Review – Treasure Pains  –  “Left To Give” 

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Three men and one woman, casually dressed and looking toward the viewer. They look comfortable and at ease.

As I am always tracking the news as it pertains to Wiretap Records (seriously one of the very best punk labels in the country) I was happy to see this song released on that label.  I had been following this band’s music since the latter part of 2024, drawn to it by the fact that it involved Kyle Woodall, the great drummer from Wolvesx4 (that being another band you should check out pronto – a good intro point is their 2023 album cursecursecurse).  The first release from Treasure Pains was Charming (also on Wiretap Records) and it was a solid album that interlaced elements of melodic punk with the lighter side of post hardcore.

This new track is definitely more aggressive than their earlier songs, opening on a heavy bass line before cutting into a very loud and aggressive guitar and vocal onslaught.  The drums are right at the front of the sound throughout, driving along a song that also has a pretty cool guitar riff ringing out through the last minute or so.  I like this slightly harder sound from Treasure Pains – it keep the melodic vibe but with a tougher touch.  

You can check out more of the music and information on the Bandcamp page https://wiretaprecords.bandcamp.com/track/left-to-give

And please remember to support your local community 🙂

And maybe 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- Jody Carroll “County Jail Blues” from the album Mountain 

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Nice and clean blues / roots music…you can get some by listening to this track 🙂 

Right from the go on this song you have that classic bluegrass vibe from the spoken “let’s go to jail” opening to well played guitar and banjo.  The lyrics here are simple, clear and tell a classic story of imprisonment and the perpetual desire to run free again.  Great production work on this track also with nice instrument clarity and a strong vocal mix.  

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

You local businesses and artists need your support…community is powerful 🙂 

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