I’m not one for rock. Generally, the loud noises and chaos bring pain to my ears. Still, I have to say that I can’t get enough of this song. “Hard Times”, a track off Family Wagon’s 2012 EP Last Drag, is edgy and new, but also falls into a raw soulful groove that makes it the best kind of rock song. Read More »
Water Liars are a band that likes to play it safe. Falling somewhere in the vicinity of country, folk, and blues, their brand of southern heartache is one we’ve heard before. All 11 tracks float along at a similar lethargic, breezy pace, and before you know it, the final track is coming to a close just about 40 minutes later. Alt-country was never exactly brimming with new ideas, and Water Liars don’t break the mould. Read More »
Described as a guitar prodigy, young 21-year old Tyler Bryant has been playing since his hands were big enough to finger the frets. After leaving his hometown in Texas for Nashville at the age of 17, he has been touring with some of the biggest names in rock including Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Tyler is joined by Caleb Crosby (drums), Noah Denney (bass) and Graham Whitford (guitar, the son of Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford) onstage as Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown.
I must confess that I am guilty of this crime, and perhaps music consumers across America will join me in this, but I had thought that the blues was no longer a “living” genre or part of the modern music scene. Sure, the blues’ impact on popular music as a whole cannot be understated, or perhaps fully understood, but in terms of it being alive and new, I did not see the possibility. With Get Up! by Ben Harper and legendary harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite, the blues is returned to the mainstream of American musical culture.
The Rolling Stones are the most legendary rock and roll band on the planet. While they were introduced as such over 40 years ago when they played across the river at Madison Square Garden, there was no such introduction on December 8th as they took the stage at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center. I can only guess that there is a simple reason for this: everyone already knows. The Rolling Stones certainly proved it that night as they blasted through a 23 song set list that highlighted some of their most monumental hits. Such a tour de force could be surprising from any other band whose average age is higher than that of the Supreme Court’s; but those other bands are not The Rolling Stones. Read More »
Today’s Gospel Sunday Song of the Day comes from gospel-blues guitarist Blind Willie Johnson, a Texas preacher and musician whose 30 songs were recorded in the three year period from 1927 to 1930. Johnson, who reportedly lost his sight as a child when his stepmother accidentally threw lye into his eyes, mainly performed on street corners and remained poor throughout his life. However, he was an excellent slide guitarist and his influence has been long-lasting, with songs like “Dark Was the Night — Cold Was the Ground” becoming gospel classics. Check out “God Don’t Never Change” for a taste of his spiritual blues. Listen to the song after the jump. Read More »
★★★1/2
Music from another dimension? Well, not quite; Aerosmith’s new album Music From Another Dimension is still very much of this dimension, and contains many of the classic elements of Aerosmith’s music. That being said, that is a very good thing. Ever since Steven Tyler’s nasty stage fall in August 2009, the future of Aerosmith was unclear, especially with Tyler’s gig on American Idol. But with the announcement of this album, and their summer tour, the future has been looking bright for Boston’s bad boys.
Whenever people talk about the blues, a line from August Wilson’s play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom comes to my mind. When Ma Rainey, one of the first blues performers to be recorded, explains her melancholy about record producers not understanding the blues, she says, “The blues helps you get out of bed in the morning. You get up knowing you ain’t alone.” I certainly got the impression that ZZ Ward, who performed on campus in Bulldog Alley on November 10th, had a number of mornings where the only thing keeping her strong was the blues.
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