Music Zeitgeist

Live Review: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, House of Blues Anaheim, March 16, 2010

Truffle Jones — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:03:01 +0000

Who says progress is good?

Inventions of the digital age — internet, mobile phones and hybrid vehicles — certainly make living more convenient, but does any of it mean our lives are better? Do you really need that status update from your Uncle Joey in Fairbanks, AK? To have the office call you when you’re taking in a vista at the Grand Canyon? To know the government can track you into a a port-a-john at Lollapalooza via the GPS in your phone?

Instead, let’s consider regression.

Think back to a time before Goldman Sachs ran the economy, when Twitter was something dirty you tried to do to your girlfriend under the dining room table at dinner, and when Michael Jackson was still black.

If you wanted to hear new music, you listened to one of three radio stations or risked going into that shady-looking independent record store to hazard a conversation with that creepy guy behind the counter who had that funny, skunky-but-sweet odor you wouldn’t learn about until high school, which sort of reminded you of Uncle Joey from Fairbanks, AK

Weren’t things better then?

Judging by their set Tuesday night at the House of Blues in Anaheim, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club probably thinks so.

BRMC live at HOB Anaheim - photo by the author

For a band that’s built a career by wearing their influences on their sleeves, BRMC has notably improved over the last decade by increasingly boiling their music down to its most basic elements: guitar, bass, drums and voice. While they were quickly tarnished by the critics with (numerous, but mostly favorable) Velvet Underground and Jesus & Mary Chain comparisons upon the release of their debut, BRMC has nevertheless avoided charting a course set for originality. Which is to their credit, as the results have almost always been impressive, and quite honestly, given the cluttered, post-internet music landscape, refreshing.

If J&MC and Velvet Underground taught us anything, it was that it was perfectly fine to not really know how to play your instruments as long as you looked bored, acted cool, had bad hair and stole liberally from those before you. Drugs also helped. BRMC has since taught us that doing that and being adept musicians are not mutually exclusive. Having shed some of their shoegaze and psychedelic tendencies over the years, they have arrived at a place where — quite simply — they rock. They hard, they rock good and they rock often. And with every release, they seem to do fulfill that formula by doing more with less.

Such was the case Tuesday night, where for nearly two hours they demonstrated cuts from their freshly baked 2010 release, Beat The Devil’s Tattoo, and plundered their own vaults for a showing of some serious stomping, rootsy, garagey, no-frills rock ‘n’ fucking roll.

BRMC quite simply killed it with “Ain’t No Easy Way Out,” “Six Barrel Shotgun” and the title track to their latest longplayer. They found moments for quiet reflection as well, with bassist Robert Levon Beet and guitarist Peter Hayes taking solo turns during a mini-acoustic breather partway through the set, but only long enough for the crowd to adjust themselves before the pummeling began anew.

Their encore saw them level those gathered with “Shadow’s Keeper” and a matching bombastic light show — which could have triggered epilepsy in event the least photo-sensitive audience members had they not been subject to the ninety minute-plus raucous display that had come beforehand. Even a drunken audience member who was obnoxiously shouting to posses Peter’s nuts, and demanding he remove his pants for that purpose, was not enough to derail what as ultimately a “had to be there” performance before a packed house.

Nine years after their first (stateside) release, BRMC’s initial effort is now unquestionably considered a bonafide classic. And there’s no reason the same won’t be said for the rest of their catalogue, providing they stay away from such modern inventions as Autotune, electric keyboards and mainstream popularity.

Progress be damned.

Truffle Jones filed this report from his trailer on the set of Hardcastle and McCormick: The Movie

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Artist Profile: Kathryn Caine – Have Guitar and Will Travel

Ighuaran — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:59:07 +0000

Hailing from Charlottesville Va, Kathryn Caine records deliciously-realized traditional country bluegrass with a soulful edge that sounds familiar yet somehow very contemporary. But it wasn’t always that way. After three successful country/rock records, Caine finally put out a full length bluegrass album for her fourth release and she couldn’t be happier especially after finding the band lineup of her dreams.

Caine, the primary songwriter for the group, also sings vocals, plays acoustic guitar and piano and produced the album with co-producer and human Swiss Army-Knife James McLaughlin who played drums, percussion, contributed backing vocals, engineered, mixed and mastered the album. The band is filled out by Darrell Muller on bass, Stuart Holme on electric bass, Andy Thacker-flat pickin guitar and rippin mandolin and Nick Reeb on the fiddle.

We asked the talented multi-disciplinarian about what gets her up in the morning and motivated to record music in changing times for the recording artist:

“When it comes from the soul, you can’t fight it!” Caine says. “It is so much fun to sing and write songs and play with really good players, and I have such a strong love for country honkytonk bluegrass, amen! I will play until forever and all time till the day I die.”

Kathryn Caine Hot Links:

MySpace:
myspace.com/kathryncaine

CDBaby:
www.cdbaby.com/cd/kcaine4

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Kathryn-Caine/186436889708

Reverbnation:
http://www.reverbnation.com/kathryncaine

Listen now to “‘Wheels” by Kathryn Caine at MusicZeitgeist.com

* To see your act in MZ’s Artist Profile, submit to our gig listing at Sonicbids today!
(not all acts are selected)

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Tragic Josh Shares His Top Twelve Music Spins For the Week of March 8th 2010

tragic josh — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:04:06 +0000

Tragic Josh sprays rainbows of musical beauty over the disenfranchised youth of today. Come revel in the glory of his select aural spectrum of love.

1. Bowerbirds – Ghost Life

Just a really lovely song that'll keep you till the end. much to your surprise.

Download the Free Mp3 “Ghost Life” by Bowerbirds courtesy elbo.ws now!

2. Electric President – The Violent Blue

I can't honestly say that I think this dude is the best advert for this band, but I do like this song. It takes it's time and knows how to carry it's momentum. The last third is probably the best.

Click here to view the embedded video.

3. White Birch – The New Kingdom

These guys are incredible. But apparently all Norwegians sound like Erlend Oye.

Download the Free Mp3 “The New Kingdom” by White Birch now!

4. Vic Chestnutt – I Flirted With You All My Life

Never really heard much of his stuff, bought an album once but was kinda disappointed, but this is just a beautiful song.

Download Free Mp3 “I Flirted With You All My Life” and others by Vic Chestnutt now!

5. The Antlers – Atrophy

I'm sure you're all aware of these guys so this really isn't news to anyone but myself. I overlooked them amidst all their hype, but have recently come to appreciate what a wonderful record they produced thanks to a number of other blogs. An old dog can in fact learn new tricks after all.