Album Reviw: Dana Fuchs - Broken Down Acoustic Sessions

So I just discovered this awesome singer that's new on the scene and I just had to tell the world how awesome she is. Her name is Dana Fuchs... what's that...? she's not new...? OK, well she's kinda new... What's that you say...? She released her 1st album in 2003? Well why didn't somebody tell me about her before dammit?!
OK I admit it, I dropped the ball on this one. Dana has been around for a while now and her name will probably be familiar to many but once again for me it was a case of, "I'll get around to it when I have the time" and then never did. Just recently her name popped up again with the release of her latest album Broken Down Acoustic Sessions so I figured I'd finally see what she was all about. As the title of the album suggests these songs are acoustic interpretations of songs which appear on some of her previous releases plus some extra's.
Dana has a voice that is instantly recognisable, a gravelly rasp that will almost immediately draw comparisons to Janis Joplin. In fact, Dana has actually played Janis in a stage production Love, Janis and you can see why she would have been chosen do to so, given that at times you can almost be mistaken that you are listening to Janis herself. While the comparisons are justified, make no mistake, Dana is not to be simply dismissed as just another Janis clone. She owns these songs and sings with feel and emotion that draws you in and makes you listen intently to what she is delivering. Mixing blues, soul and pop with a slight hint of country this album is perfect lazy, rainy day listening. Primarily made up of ballads and mid-tempo tunes this is not an album that you will be turning up to 11 so as to piss off the neighbours, but damned if it isn't a toe tapper, a tear jerker and well, just an awesome album all round.
Having released her last 4 albums on the German label Ruf who also have/had Samantha Fish, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Royal Southern Brotherhood, Devon Allman and many other modern blues artists on their roster, this should give you an idea what to expect. In short this yet another quality blues release from a brilliant artist that should be getting a hell of a lot more attention than what she is.
If you have not heard Dana Fuchs before, this is a damn good place to start.

Album Review: Thunder - Wonder Days

2015 release Wonder Days by rockers, Thunder

Ever come across a release that just completely changes your life and lifts the musical bar to a whole other level? Well if this is what you want to hear, then I would recommend looking elsewhere because you won't find it here. What? Huh? What's the point of this review? I hear you asking! Bear with me on this one and you'll see where I'm going.
Is this an earth shattering, ground breaking release that will forever change the face of music and which will be remembered for years to come? Well OK no it probably won't be BUT if you are looking for an album of rocking tunes that you can sing along to and which will transport you back to when you were a teenager singing into a hair brush or playing air guitar with a tennis racquet in front of your bedroom mirror (which is exactly what this album aims to do) then this release is for you.
The opening lines of the title track with which the album begins are "First day of school they called me a disgrace, They didn't like the long hair" which should give you an idea of what to expect
Thunder have been releasing albums since the early 90's however this is the 1st of their albums I have heard. The riffs are big, the choruses are just as big and the guitar solos are showy without being over the top (no unnecessary Yngwie Malmsteen style wankery to be heard.)
There's the obligatory ballads to break up the pace of the album the 1st one "The Rain" coming just 3 songs into the album is a great little acoustic ditty with added piano and mandolin giving it a distinctly Led Zeppelin feel before picking up again with Black Water a song about a "respectable wife" who's looking for some excitement in her life and decides to run away with a "streetwise seventeen" year old (now that's deep!).
If you are familiar with Thunder you will probably know exactly what you can expect from this release and if you are not familiar with Thunder, well... you will probably still know exactly what to expect from this release. This is rock music for the here and now with no thought of how long it will last which is perfectly fine.
Thunder have achieved exactly what they set out to do with this release which is to deliver footstomping, fist pumping, arena rock. If this is your thing then this is a highly recommended release. You can check their discography to date here in the meantime I'm off to track down some of these said releases.
P.S. if you listen to this and you like what you hear I also highly recommend tracking down the albums by The Union which is guitarist Luke Morley's other band and how I came to discover these guys.

Top 5 new musical discoveries of 2015

This will be my last end of year list I promise! This one is of artists that either didn't release new music in 2015 so do not appear in my Top 10 full length releases of 2015 list or maybe they did but it wasn't a "full length" release. They may be quite new or have been around for a while but somehow escaped my notice until this year.

 

I caught John McNamara playing earlier this year when I got to ride The Blues Train (review available here) and all I can say is hot damn this dude is awesome! If you are going to get up on a stage with just an acoustic guitar and nothing else you better be damn good otherwise you will lose me very quickly. Well I can tell you he was DAMN good and that I've been itching to catch him playing again ever since but haven't had the chance just yet.
His album Alone With The Blues released in mid 2014 is an absolute must have not just for blues fans but for fans of good music in general.

Well hot diggity (again) chanced upon this band playing at The Catfish sometime in 2015 and just had to grab myself a copy of their debut EP Shake It Up. A perfect mix of Blues and Soulful Funkiness and with a voice that will give you whiplash if you have your back turned to the stage when you hear it.

Big thanks to everyone's favourite PBS Scotsman Chris Pearson host of Pojama People for putting me onto these guys. Child provide us more heavy stoner rock riffage the way it's meant to be done. From start to finish this album is all killer no filler and the artwork from Nick Keller (especially when seen on a Vinyl LP size) is nothing short of stunning!
Now that they have finally released the Vinyl version of the album after selling out of CD's it's time to bring us some new music







Banda Magda is a band I found out about very recently when planning the Snarky Puppy episode of the Connections show. Magda Giannikou sang on the Family Dinner album from 2013 which featured a different Vocalist on each song. The Banda Magda project oozes sparkly tongue in cheek fun. Sung primarily in French the music ranges from Latin, to Swing Jazz, to Chanson and some things in between. This music sounds like it could have been lifted from the soundtrack to any of the "Golden Era of Hollywood" movies which is just one more reason to love it.
Very much looking forward to album no. 3 due out in 109 days (and counting) time according to the pledge music campaign.

So I had turned up to Huey Long's Bar on Smith St. Collingwood to catch Adam Rudegeair doing his New Orleans piano thing only to find it was instead someone by the name of Jules Boult who was there instead which was slightly disappointing as Adam is really good. After the initial disappointment  I quickly realised that Jules was just as good, I left the venue slightly poorer (money wise anyway) after purchasing the 3 CD's Jules had to offer but much richer in the soul and with a big grin on my face. Listen to his music here

Top 10 full length releases of 2015

Okay so there's still some weeks left in the year but why wait? Here's my (Chris) Top 10 releases of 2015.
These are releases that will not be appearing on the PBS end of year Top 10 list as they were not featured albums but which I believe deserve to be shown some love.

Well this was an unexpectedly pleasant surprise. Melody Gardot decided to explore some new territory on this release going down the Blues and Gospel path and oh boy are the results jaw dropingly awesome!

 

My favourite Swing band from Europe The Speakeasies Swing Band release their 1st full length album & it is everything I was hoping it would be. Full review here

Snarky Puppy performing with a full orchestra...? What were the chances of this not being brilliant. Funk, Cinematic, Jazzy and... well... a whole lot of awesome.
Highlight would definitely have to be the 20 minute closing track The Clearing. They were our feature artist just last episode http://pbsfm.org.au/taxonomy/term/782/2015-11-23

Why settle for one genre when you can cover many at once & yet still make it sound consistent?
These sister albums from Glasfrosch should be considered to be the measuring stick for any other Artists attempting to do the same thing (i'd like to see them try).
Full review here

Warren Haynes of the mighty Gov't Mule can do no wrong. Going down a slightly more folk path which usually I would not be a fan of, the songwriting here is absolutely top notch & each song really paints a picture.
I'm even finding myself listening to the sounds of banjo and finding that *gasp* I'm actually enjoying it!

It's Samantha Fish doing what she does so very very well.
Review available here

So Beth Hart appeared on my 2014 Top 10 list also & if she releases something in 2016 odds are her name will appear in my 2016 Top 10 as well.
She has said that she was asked to write from a more positive point of view for this album which is interesting seeing as I personally find this album to be a much more melancholy sounding album. Am I the only one who found this?

HEAVY, DOOMY, SLUDGY, RAWKING, RIFFING, GEETAH DRIVEN CHOOOOOOOOONS!!!
Get it from https://outoftheearth.bandcamp.com/releases
and don't you dare type in €0 when you are naming your price!

Suze DeMarchi of The Baby Animals doing a covers album produced by Shane Nicholson... Couldn't possibly work out right? Wrong! Worth the asking price for the track "Homeless" alone which was written by Mick Skelton

Joe Bonamassa seems to bring out the best in his collaborators & Mahalia Barnes is no different. Another covers album this time featuring the songs of Mahalia's "muse" Betty Davis. Oozing sassyness & attitude I would say Mahalia really found her footing with this release. Now if only the footage from the Melbourne & Sydney Launch shows would be be released as either DVD or Blu Ray then you'd have a very happy radio host

Album Review: The Ivory Elephant - Time Here is Up

The Ivory Elephant - Time Here Is Up

Well once again those doomsayers talking about rock music's demise will be eating their words after hearing this EP by Melbourne power trio The Ivory Elephant. Foot stomping, thigh slapping, head bobbing, beer swilling heavy riffage abounds on this corker of an EP. While this release has been out for a little while now I only recently found out about this band when they were playing on the same bill with another great local act Wichita (better late than never right?). The blistering guitar work from frontman Trent Sterling (who is also a member of the afrobeat band The Seven Ups) will have you dusting off your air guitar and jumping around the house imagining you are on the Woodstock stage playing in front of a half a million strong audience, while the rhythm section of Arthur Witherby & Donald Sargoog on Bass & Drums respectively provide a rock solid foundation which hits you right in the chest and leaves you gasping for breath like you have just been sucker punched. Further adding to the kaleidoscopic/tie-dyed feel is some tasty uncredited keys/organ playing which sits perfectly and unobtrusively in the background allowing the power trio sound to be the main focus.
While the sound on the 5 tracks of this EP unashamedly hearkens back to the classic rock era of the 60's & 70's and you could quite rightfully pin many "they kinda sound like..." tags to this band there is still something very much their own in the psych/rock/blues songs and sounds they are producing.
If you are a fan of rock music or just a fan of good songs grab yourself a copy of this latest EP and their previous self titled release and be sure to check them out when they are next playing live.

Live Review: KISS with The Dead Daisies 9th Oct 2015

It had been a mighty long time since I had gone to see a major rock show and when I heard that KISS were coming to town again I was more than a little bit tempted especially seeing as I have been a fan of the band since I was a kid. Some of my earliest memories are of watching the 1980 Melbourne show at VFL park on the TV and collecting KISS cards and buying KISS ice cream from my local milk bar/corner store. That being said, I have seen that band numerous times in the past and having heard countless people mention how Paul Stanley's voice has deteriorated I was also somewhat hesitant as I didn't want to be disappointed by seeing a band past their prime struggling to keep it together. In the end 2 days before the show I bought my tickets and headed to Rod Laver Arena the night of the show prepared for the worst but still hoping for the best.
Well, to say I was not let down would be the understatement of the year. While the accounts of Paul Stanley's voice having deteriorated are accurate the band still delivered the goods in spades. Tearing though a setlist of classic tunes which kicked off with the brilliant opener Detroit Rock City, the band pulled out all the stops for this show and from beginning to end it was a non-stop over the top rock show which allowed you to forget about your job/mortgage/whatever for a couple of hours and enjoy the spectacle.
At one point in the show Paul Stanley asked the crowd "How many of you have never seen us before?" after which he commented that the show will be "a night you will never forget" which is quite a statement of confidence but if there's anyone that can live up to such a statement and deliver on said promise it's KISS!

Obligatory end of the night pyro show Drum Riser and Paul Stanley smashing his Guitar

KISS seem to be a band that people love to hate and which fans of the band will go to any length to defend. No matter which category you fall into one thing that can't be denied is the fact that 40+ years on the band still delivers a show that very few other bands/artists can match. See them while you still can as I'm uncertain how long anyone of their vintage can continue doing what they do.

Marco Mendoza & John Corabi of The Dead Daisies

Mention should also be made of the opening act The Dead Daisies who are a great band in their own right and whose two records to date are probably some of the best rock releases in the past 2 or 3 years. Made up of an all star line up featuring players from bands such as Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Baby Animals and others these guys know how to deliver great rocking tunes. Despite the slightly apathetic crowd (which caused singer John Corabi to quip "There was more noise at my Grandmothers funeral") they managed to deliver 45 minutes of great rocking tunes which I'm certain would have won them a number of new fans on the night. From the opening notes of Midnight Moses to the final notes of the closing number (a rocking rendition of) Helter Skelter they know how to put on a great show. These guys may just be the saviours of Rock and given the connection they have to Australia I'm sure we'll be seeing them visit our shores again in the not too distant future which is certainly not a bad thing at all.

Album Review: The Speakeasies Swing Band - Starved To Death In A Land Of Plenty

For those you are not already aware there seems to be a Swing Jazz revival going on at the moment (especially in Europe) and I'm absolutely loving it!
One band who I discovered a couple of years ago and who are getting noticed for all the right reasons are The Speakeasies Swing Band from Greece. I have been waiting for a full length release since hearing their debut EP Bathtub Gin and it is everything I hoped it would be.
Starved To Death In a Land Of Plenty is the bands debut full length album, and while the title may be a dig at the financial/political crisis going on at the moment in Greece this album is all about feel good music and danceable tunes. An absolute stellar effort by a band who have captured the sound of a bygone era perfectly. If you have ever watched a movie starring Fred Astaire and wanted to get up and start dancing yourself then this album is for you.
Recorded live in one day you can hear just how much fun the band is having playing these tunes. The Album features 10 songs in total 2 of which are sung in Greek and one in French (which is actually a cover of The Godfather Love Theme "Parla Piu Piano") and while it certainly helps to understand the lyrics of these particular tunes that's not to say the songs cannot be enjoyed even if you don't.
Having played all over Greece and Europe these guys (and gal) are a class act and are set for world domination.
Hopefully this release is the first of many more to come. On a side note... err no pun intended... If you like the sound of these guys you may also be interested in checking out The Swing Shoes, Crime Swing Investigation, Gadjo Dilo and others.
In the meantime here's my favourite tune from Starved To Death In a Land Of Plenty:

Album Review: Samantha Fish - Wild Heart

Samantha Fish has released a new album called Wild Heart and it is everything I was hoping it would be. I 1st heard of Samantha Fish on the awesome Blues Rock album Girls With Guitars which has a great uptempo feel good vibe to it. The album was on repeat for weeks after I got my hands on it.
Released through Ruf Records who have been doing some great work with their releases in recent years.
I see this album as a return to form for Samantha as I was not overly sold on her sophomore album Black Wind Howlin'.
This album features everything we have come to expect from Samantha, the blistering fretwork, great footstomping anthemic blues rock tunes and that unmistakable southern drawl. Her slide work once again features prominently throughout the album as it has on previous releases. And while you can expect to find all the usual things that Samantha has delivered on previous releases there are some slight signs of perhaps a maturing artist with the acoustic ballads on the album.
The songs Go Home, Lost Myself and I'm In Love With You are strategically placed to break up the pace of the album and show Samantha exploring themes such as domestic abuse, alcoholism, homelessness and of course failed relationships. Yet again I imagine my neighbours will be well and truly sick of hearing this album being played at maximum volume over the coming weeks. Look like the future of the blues is in good hands.
The only thing left now is for her to announce an Australian Tour.

Album Review: Glasfrosch - Aubades & Nocturnes

I love when I discover new music that challenges my listening habits. I love it even more when that music refuses to fit nicely into any one style of music but straddles multiple genres simultaneously.
The two albums in question here are really one album divided up into two parts. The music is cinematic in scope and will transport you through space and time if you just close your eyes and let it. Glasfrosch is essentially the brainchild of Justin Ashworth however full credit needs to be given to everyone playing on these albums without who I'm not sure this album would have been able to come to life. There's elements of Jazz, Rock, Electronic (eek!), Ambient even Classical at times (to these ears anyway). If you are after an album of three minute pop tunes then look somewhere else, but if you want to hear music that is so much more than this then look no further than these two sister albums produced by this group of stellar musicians.
There are so many various moving parts to this music that I would recommend you make listening to it an event. Set aside time in your day, remove all distractions and really listen to what is on offer here. While essentially trying to create a mood this is no mere background music to be played in a local cafe while you sit sipping your coffee on a Sunday morning. This music commands and deserves your undivided attention. The production on here is also worth mentioning, with so many parts it would be easy for the various elements to become muddled and indiscernible but everything you need to hear is clearly audible and sits perfectly next to/underneath/on top of (and every other dimension also) one another. This music is a living breathing entity.
I think perhaps the best way to describe how one should listen to these two albums is with the quote by Timothy Leary who said "turn on, tune in, drop out"

P.S. If you like what this guys hear I would recommend checking out the album by Ghost Note Project which is available for free download here

Song review: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Wicked Soul

 

For those of you who might have missed it, Joanne Shaw Taylor released a new album called The Dirty Truth late in 2014. When it was released I was super excited as I had thoroughly enjoyed her previous full length releases and couldn't wait to listen to it. Somehow though I just never got around to it (more fool me!) until last night when I heard her new single Wicked Soul.

Let me start this review with the awesome new single Wicked Soul which tells the story of a relationship gone wrong (isn't that what all memorable songs are all about?). A bluesy ballad with some blistering guitar work where she channels the great Stevie Ray Vaughan I was left stunned at the end of the roughly 4 1/2 minutes that the song goes for. 

While the guitar work shines on this song it also clearly obvious that Joanne knows how to play for the song and while you can hear that she can shred with the best of them, there is not a moment where the guitar work is overdone. As has been said by numerous people in the past the notes you don't play are just as important as the ones you do and this is a lesson Joanne has clearly learned and taken to heart. Add to all of this some soulful organ playing which sits in the background throughout and which fills in the gaps purposefully left open and you have yourself one hell of a tune that holds up just as well the 10th time you listen to it as it does the 1st. 

Lastly the lyrics of the song and the Vocal delivery really paint a great picture also and leave you feeling like the like the person singing them has really lived them which is the sign of a truly great singer.

As for the rest of the album you have touches of country, Texas blues and Chicago blues style shuffles. Other highlights include Feels Like Home and the title track The Dirty Truth where the guitar work shines just that little bit more than the rest of the album. 

Yet another quality release by perhaps the first of the new breed of female blues artists let's hope she continues to release music of this calibre long into the future.