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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 amazing albums preceding this one – the shimmering psychedelia present on No Wish to Reminisce, and the acoustic heartbeat heard on Roots and Wings, with a real sun-drenched sound. This…
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Roots and Wings
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. Neal said that No Wish to Reminisce was the best album he’d made… until he followed it up in 2009 with the flawless Roots and Wings. As he wrote in a Stereokill interview in 2009, “I would describe it as the best record I’ve ever made beyond any doubt. I’ve combined twenty years of songwriting, playing, singing, and producing into a record that I’m really proud…
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No Wish to Reminisce
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. The shimmering 2006 release on Fargo Records, No Wish to Reminisce, is one of the most impressive bodies of work Neal Casal released, with dramatic flourishes and layers of sound effects offering revelations anew with each listen. Neal had made several records in California by now, but found himself living back east again. He headed up to Studio .45 in Connecticut with Dan Fadel and Jeff…
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Trevor Beld Jimenez – Faces in the Crowd : Listen
The highly anticipated first single from Trevor Beld Jimenez upcoming solo debut I Like It Here is streaming on all platforms today. I wrote “Faces” on my mom’s piano in a flurry of songs that were coming out and it was the first one from that batch where [my wife] Tania said, “This one is special.”It was when I realized I could make a record. Trevor is a prolific songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has been a driving force of the southern California music scene for the better part of the last decade. He was the central member of the folk…
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Anytime Tomorrow
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. The beachy, sun-filled Anytime Tomorrow marks a turning point in Neal’s musical career. It’s when Neal really goes electric, and it’s one of my absolute favorites – it embodies his musical transition from New Jersey Americana to California gold. Recorded in North Hollywood with the usual players, it’s the first real rock album of his career, although apparently not everyone thought so! I learned from talking…
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Dan Horne – Blackjack : Listen
We’re just days away from the release of Dan Horne’s debut solo EP, The Motorcycle Song EP. The record’s four tracks all show a side of this talented dude’s many musical proclivities. Here’s the second single from the album, “Blackjack,” a swinging instrumental jammer that recalls a rural version of Stereolab hanging with Todd Rundgren, perched atop a mountain, plucking a banjo and exploring the sky, set aloft on the wings of a tripped out Prophet 5 synth. skifflinhorne · Blackjack – 16 44K – IsMastV1 Dan says about the song: “I wrote ‘Blackjack’ in my head in the van on the way…
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Dan Horne – Poor Moon : Listen
Dan Horne has announced a solo record! Yes, that Dan Horne- are credits necessary? Happy to list ’em anyway: producer/engineer extraordinaire of very very favorite records like Tip of the Sphere by Cass McCombs, From Liberty Street by Mapache, and High Upon The Mountain by Pacific Range; he’s played various instruments on favorites like The Tarnished Gold by Beachwood Sparks and Rare Birds by Jonathan Wilson; toured with McCombs and Jonathan Wilson; and last but surely not least, is a founding member of at least three favorite bands of mine – The Skiffle Players, Grateful Shred, and of course, Circles…
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Lee Gallagher and the Hallelujah – Highway 10 : Video Premiere
Lee Gallagher and the Hallelujah released their second full-length record L.A. Yesterday earlier this summer. Recorded at engineer and guitarist Jason Soda’s Palomino Sound studio (Trummors, Miranda Lee Richards), Gallagher’s heady, ageless cosmic rock and roll will hit the listener like a bolt of lightning. Soda’s searing guitar solos, Gallagher’s unique and impassioned voice, Kirby Hammel’s opulent keys, and the hard-hitting, visceral lyrics make this album an instant classic. I’ve been completely obsessed with it. Daily listening. Morgans Brother created an appropriately trippy video for the single, “Highway 10,” premiering here today. The video is a vivid reimagining of the…
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Fade Away Diamond Time
This is part one of Petal Motel’s series where we go through each Neal Casal solo album one by one and chat with friends and fellow musicians who participated in their making. In 1994, Neal Casal and several other musicians set up shop in a mansion in Santa Ynez, California, and spent a few weeks living there, recording the younger singer-songwriter’s debut album. Fade Away Diamond Time was an instant classic, critically lauded as one of Neal Casal’s strongest albums. With twelve finely crafted, classic-singer-songwriter sounding songs; and a lineup of seasoned personnel like Greg Liesz, Bob Glaub, and Don…
