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Bandcamp Friday Shopping List – March Edition
SO many great records are being released today. I’ve noticed an interesting trend lately – lots of new releases coming my way with album art featuring doorways. Guess we all have, you know, leaving on the brain. My urge for going is stronger than ever in some ways. One year into the pandemic and some of us are settling into the groove, many more are suffering, and everyone is just trying to survive. There’s a beam of light streaming through the crack in the doorway though – despite a frustrating rollout, lots of folks we love are at least halfway…
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Bandcamp Friday Shopping List : Valentine’s Day Edition
Happy Bandcamp Friday! This is technically the winter edition, but in order to chase away the post-blizzard blues I’m going to make it all about love – whether it’s music about traditional love, music I love, or music exploing self-love and self-discovery. Some of it’s new, but I’m also picking things I’ve bought over the last few Bandcamp Fridays that make me feel. This music is all good for the heart. Bandcamp allows listeners and music lovers to directly support artists by waiving their (already relatively small) fee every first Friday of the month. All sales directly benefit the artists,…
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Best of Nash
Happy birthday to Graham Nash, a progressive thinker, activist, celebrated songwriter, singer, guitarist and pianist, and arguably the most affable and posessor of the smallest ego of the bunch. To celebrate the iconic musician’s 79th birthday, here are just a few of our favorite Nash performances – ten in fact. Happy birthday, Willie!
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Desert Skies: Modern California Country-Rock Essentials
Originally posted on Riffs & Rhymes on 1.13.21. Thanks for asking me to talk about all of my favorite records, Roberto; and teaching me about some new ones! Last month, Beachwood Sparks officially reissued their self-titled debut album in light of its 20th anniversary. The reissue, out via Brent Rademaker’s L.A. imprint Curation Records, includes an exquisitely packaged vinyl remaster, new merch, and a Beachwood Deluxe CD comprised of alternate versions of classic songs and eight live tracks from a concert in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 2000 – a dandy of a collector’s item from one of the early aughts most celebrated indie bands. At…
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20 Years of Beachwood Sparks
Just over 20 years ago, the definitive, and one of the greatest modern Californiana records was released. Today, founding Spark Brent Rademaker’s Curation Records reissues a remastered, refreshed, revitalized sparkling, fully-loaded array of re-issue offerings. The double-LP features one record containing the original tracks mastered by John Golden re-imagined for vinyl by JJ Golden; while disc 2 features bonus tracks and unreleased versions of “This Is What It Feels Like,” “Canyon Ride,” and the original recording of “Morning Light,” later released on Painted Hills, Josh Schwartz’s project of the same name. The companion CD Beachwood Deluxe features the bonus tracks…
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Albums We Loved This Year
Another banner year for music. I have grown to dislike ranking albums, as if art was mere sports. Ugh! I’ll get right the point. Please buy these albums and support the artists! It’s more essential than ever to pay the folks who are likely sustaining you culturally this year. I won’t tell you which I liked most but I will tell you which new releases I listened to most, in alphabetical order. With one exception, it’s Homegrown. Not sure if a record recorded in 1974 can qualify as the official album of the year in 2020 but it’s certainly the…
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Songs of the year – 2020
Here’s a list of 60 of our favorite songs from this year, some of them from our favorite albums, some not, all fantastic. We wrote about fifteen of them, too, because we usually look at albums holistically and don’t get to spend a lot of time normally examining a song at a time. It was fun! Talking about music is fun. Music is great, you should buy it! On a City Night – Brigid Mae PowerI sadly only came to know Brigid Mae Power just this year… Dan from Adeline Hotel put “Wedding of a Friend” on the playlist he…
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Neal Casal Music Foundation Livestream Benefit
On Saturday, December 5th, TOF Productions will host a livestream benefit for the Neal Casal Music Foundation. Eric Krasno, Jaime Wyatt, Brent Rademaker, Kenny Roby, Ross James, and Aaron Lee Tasjan will all perform. In addition, Dave Schools will give a status update on the Highway Butterfly tribute record, Joe Russo and George Sluppick will chat about drums, and Jay Blakesberg will talk photography. Neal played a Swope guitar during the 2019 Circles Around the Sun tour. The luthier will join to kick off the auction of that very guitar. Michelle Petty will share her process of making guitar string jewelry…
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Bandcamp Friday Shopping List : Brain Soothers Edition
I don’t know about you but this has been a hell of a week, my every muscle is so tense you could poke me and I’d snap in two. I’ve really needed some quieter, mellow sounds of beauty to put on to quiet my racing thoughts and I’m sure you do too. Here’s what’s been helping. The Howard Hughes Suite – Stereochrome The elusive lonesome folk known as tHHs is one of my favorite ambient pedal steel players. This album is less Hearts of and more Space, layering atmosphere with psychedelia and showcasing the mysterious, shadowy cowboy’s intricate skill. Stereochrome.…
