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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…
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Toadvine – She : Listen
Toadvine “blends weirdo garage rock energy with alt country-tinged sweetness.” They recorded and mixed their debut self-titled EP themselves, featuring four originals and this tribute to one of their many influences. It’s rare that I hear a Gram Parsons cover that I approve of. I heard this song before I read the blurb and was pretty enchanted with this Chicago band’s sweet rendition. Toadvine · She From the band themselves…
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Dan Horne
You know Dan! He’s everywhere, especially this year. He’s produced, played on, or written on so many favorite albums – to name just a few from 2020 – Circles Around the Sun’s self-titled, Mapache’s From Liberty Street, Trummors’ Dropout City, Pacific Range’s High Upon the Mountain, some badass tracks from Mojohand, and now, his debut solo EP, The Motorcycle Song EP, is officially streaming everywhere. Tell me a little bit…
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Tim Bluhm – Hag Heaven
Tim Bluhm releases his eighth solo record, an 11-track tribute to Merle Haggard, on November 20th. A portion of all revenue from album sales will go to the Blue Rose Foundation, which provides pre-school scholarships to financially disadvantaged children. I tapped my good friend and fellow critic Jon Siembieda to help listen to this album. Jon is way into the Tim Bluhm/Norther California scene, so he was able to provide…
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Trevor Beld Jimenez – I Like It Here
A lot of folks are going to hear Trevor’s power pop, AM radio gold, sunshine-y Californiana record I Like It Here, out today on Curation Records, and draw some immediate parallels, due to his sun-drenched vocals, his lyrical references, and his history. I’m going to try to avoid leaning on that too heavily in favor of focusing on Trevor’s songwriting, the really amazing instrumentation instated by an impressive line-up of…
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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…
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Neal Casal : Solo Records 1995-2012
“When you look back at the body of your work you see everything, to express a full life, and not just one part of a life. That’s the goal…” n.c., 2004 or 2005? unknown Thank you to everyone who has generously agreed to tell stories and share memories about their time with Neal. Everyone of his friends and colleagues have been just as warm and friendly as Neal was. This…
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Sweeten the Distance
This review is part of a series in which I review Neal’s solo records one by one chronologically, and chat with various friends and bandmates who were part of the making of each record. From the definitive riff of the eponymous opening track, to the hymnal chords of the closing one, Neal Casal really hit his stride with Sweeten the Distance. The record is a fabulous summation of the two…
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John Jeffrey – Passage
Each of John Jefrey’s “anti-compositions” are like pieces of stained glass. The multi-instrumentalist spent breaks between tours as drummer for Moon Duo working on his solo record, inspired by the serene natural landscape of his home of Vancouver and propelled by the idea of nature’s sentience; as well as Alice Coltrane and Canadian painter Takao Tanab. This music is a living, breathing thing – pastoral, intricate, multi-faceted. Though instrumental, it’s…
