Matthew Heller - Invitation

Matthew Heller – Invitation
2013, Matthew Heller

Portland, Oregon’s Matthew Heller is set to turn perceptions of folk/rock upside down.  Like a man with two distinct personas, Heller jumps from protest song to personal confession/catharsis without warning.  Along the way, he brings a live and loud approach to the stage, and a songwriting style that eschews traditional boundaries and frameworks.  Heller’s debut album, Invitation, is a mighty flare of punk/folk/pop/rock goodness, rough edges and all.  Strap in, because it’s going to be a wild ride.

Heller kicks things off with “Father’s Son”, a dark and trouble rocker about filial recidivism.  The vibrant guitar accompaniment moves this song into high gear, while Heller’s unique voice convey and anguished approach to a life spent on the run.  “Space Girl” has more of a pop/rock orientation, and is written from the perspective of an eternally adolescent male.  Heller channels a bit of early Bowie here. Crawling in and out of the pop matrix as the mood strikes him.  Angular song construction and a willingness to expand on traditional pop structure make this an intriguing listen.  “Shake It” is punk roots-rock with a Dylan meets the Dead complex.  Heller writes stories in almost nonsensical allegory at ties, riven with psychedelic images and a teenager’s sex drive.

“Another Dose” could easily be a heavy rock song, but for the mostly acoustic arrangement offered here.  This quickly morphs into a pop/punk number that will have you shaking your hips and trying to sing along.  This is music you could spend a Saturday night dancing your cares away to.  Heller takes a break with “Interlude”, a gentle instrumental for piano and cello that’s surprisingly reserved and lovely.  Heller shows musical depth that speaks of good things to come.

“Howdy From Hades” is a reserved look at the effects of urban decay, drug addiction, poverty, etc.  The repetitive guitar arrangement seems to mimic the emotional desolation of being caught up in something you can’t live with but cannot escape.  The song is stark and memorable, and very marketable.  “Mercy” plays in the same desolate emotional playground, but this time has an autobiographical feel.  There is a hope of freedom here that is only to be found beyond the veil; a hope that becomes clear as the intensity of Heller’s guitar grows.  In “Man’s Prayer”, Heller shows off a rougher brand of songwriting.  Energy and emotion run through the song like electricity through a live wire, but Heller mashes words and music together at times in uncomfortable ways.

Heller gets back to his punk roots with the acerbically written “Drone Strike”.  He seems to find a special energy when gets into angular mode with his guitar, and that energy comes off of this tune in waves.  Just don’t try to stand still; you might hurt yourself.  Things quiet down a bit on “Jaclyn Of Spades”, a low key number full of quiet bluegrass licks and almost Zeppelin-esque deliberateness.  You could easily hear Robert Plant and company ripping up this number in a much louder and larger arrangement, but it works perfectly well as presented.  “Sink Or Swim” is a maudlin ballad that’s mildly pretty but feels a bit out of its element here.  It is a brief sidebar before Heller marches into the piano driven closer, “Dismay King”.  The low-fi presentation works well for Heller and the song is a solid bow with a positive message about keeping your chin up and moving forward.  This particular recording sounds more like a demo than a finished product, but Heller has definitely got something here.  The rough edges do not obscure the song’s distinctive pop pedigree; this one might help Heller find his way to the pop charts one day.

It’s always fun to follow Matthew Heller into a song.  Sometimes Heller goes right where you would expect him to, and others he takes you on unexpected twists and turns.  It’s all very musical and well constructed, but Heller’s musical perspective seems a bit unique.  Invitation has its rough edges, and occasionally revels in sophomoric ideas, but Heller’s originality and musicality are undeniable.  Invitation is very enjoyable for what it is, but perhaps more so for what it suggests for the future.

Rating:  4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at http://matthewheller.bandcamp.com. 

Grateful Dead – Road Trips, Vol. 4, No. 2 – April Fools '88

Grateful Dead – Road Trips, Vol. 4, No. 2 – April Fools '88
2011, Rhino Records/Dead.net

Dead.net and Rhino Records continue their brilliant Road Trips series in 2011.  The first release, a 3-disc offering entitled April Fools '88, features live performances from Brendan Byrne Arena (then known as The Meadowlands) from March 31^st and April 1^st of 1988.  Generally renowned for their concert performances, the recordings from these two nights are like capturing lightning in a bottle, with rare performances and a stage energy from the band that is simply exceptional.

Some very rare tracks can be found in the middle of the show, including “To Lay Me Down” and Bob Dylan’s “Ballad Of A Thin Man”.   The sets offered here are full of classic Dead tunes as well,  but the real prize is the energy and flow of the two shows; especially the April 1^st performance.  The Grateful Dead were in the fullness of their musical powers in 1988, and Jerry Garcia was a new man after his medical trouble two years previous.  The result was a stunning live show, and a brilliantly produced and mastered archival record in the form of April Fools '88.  If you’re a Dead fan, this is a must have, and if you’re looking for a good introduction to the Grateful Dead, you couldn’t choose better.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Grateful Dead at http://www.dead.net/, where you can order a copy of Road Trips, Vol. 4, No. 2 – April Fools '88.

Review: MV & EE - Barn Nova

MV & EE - Barn Nova
2009, Ecstatic Peace!

MV & EE is the sort of musical pairing that happens in particularly lucid dreams; the sort that might only occur in the "real world" in green Mountains of Vermont. Following not so much in the footsteps of but the spiritual imprints of bands such as The Grateful Dead, Sun Ra or even Phish, MV & EE hold forth with The Golden Road (Doc Dunn, Mike Smith, J. Mascis and Jeremy Earl) at their sides on the stunning Barn Nova. Barn Nova is the fourth major release from MV & EE after years of guerilla releases on small labels.

Barn Nova opens with Feelin’ Fire, a disconnected and poorly recorded/produced track where the pieces fit together in jarring fashion. The mix is all wrong here, and there’s a feeling like the various instruments are only playing together out of sheer luck or happenstance. Of course, this also appears to be by design, so some will find it artistically satisfying while others will find it a mess. Get Right Church is a Blues-based bit of psychedelia. While precision is once again not the focus of the tune, the sound is interesting. Snapperhead is disjointed and disconnected, using harmony and dissonance as random counterpoints to project the woeful incantation of a lost soul. Summer Magic sounds like Pink Floyd playing slightly out of tune; a melancholy soundscape full of depression and disaffection, much in contrast to its title. Wandering Nomad is intriguing; there's a really decent melody and song structure here with vague Americana leanings, but the production is so warped it's barely recognizable. MV & EE close out with Bedroom Eyes, Fully Tanked and You Feel, following much the same path; a capricious slide through genre boundaries, production values and temporal songwriting as if these distinctions were mere imaginings.

MV & EE actively defy categorization on Barn Nova. Some might call them avant-garde, but the purpose on Barn Nova doesn't seem to be a random collection of noise. MV & EE are much more calculating subversive throughout Barn Nova, taking everything you know or believe about Rock music and turning your perceptions distinctly on their ear. At the end of the day you may not like Barn Nova, but you're likely to feel at least a kernel of respect for the pure audacity of MV & EE.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about MV & EE at www.myspace.com/mveebummerroad or www.ecstaticpeace.com/mvee. You can purchase Barn Nova as either a CD or Download from Amazon.com.

Review: Two Twenty Two - Grass Routes

Two Twenty Two - Grass Routes
2008, Two Twenty Two/SOCAN

Two Twenty Two might be the best kept secret of the Southern Ontario music scene. Warren Muzak is a talented multi-instrumentalist who previously served as lead guitarist for The Misunderstood before embarking on a solo career. In the process of playing gigs he met Amanda Brewer (nee Weiss), a country-flavored singer/songwriter who spent a decade singing in cover bands and writing material for artists such as Soma Sonic. When Muzak and Brewer met and began writing together they found a musical chemistry that is unique and highly productive. As Two Twenty Two, Muzak and Brewer have gained considerable critical praise for their live performances. Two Twenty Two's debut album, Grass Routes, rolled out in 2008 and was voted one of the best Indie releases of the year by American Homeplace.

Grass Routes opens with If It Ain't You, a country-flavored love song full of energy and angst. There's more of a traditional country flavor here than you might expect, and Brewer and Muzak's voices mix admirably on the song. Brewer takes the mic for Control, a melancholy song of love lost that sung with heartfelt emotion; Muzak crafts a driving guitar part that stands in perfect contract to Brewer's voice in the process. Alice is built on a fingerstyle guitar run that made me wish I still had my acoustic kicking around so I could sit down and figure it out. Muzak's voice is fit perfectly to this tune, and Brewer's harmony vocals add an almost haunting element to the tune. Passenger features Brewer on lead with assistance from Muzak. The vocals here are top notch, but it’s the songwriting that stands out. Passenger has some modern feel to it, but at heart it could have walked out of the American 1960's Rock Fakebook. The song has a classic Folk/Rock feel that's nearly transcendent.

White Lights might be the best of a new generation of road songs, trucker songs or whatever else you might want to call them. There's almost a Grateful Dead feel to this tune with Muzak on lead vocals. White Lights is my personal favorite from the album. Bedroom is a bit more upbeat, a song that will make you want to get up and move and clap your hands. Its Paul Simon meets Rusted Root with strong lyrical content and an arrangement that features tons of movement. All About Love is one of those rare love songs that goes much deeper than boy crushes on girl (or vice versa). The song focuses on the transformation that a relationship undergoes over time where the mundane tasks grow to be done out of love rather than out of a need for something to do. Couples goes to familiar places they've always gone more because it's a part of the foundation than a place they need to be. It's an amazingly subtle and deep song that may take a few listens to really sink in.

You Can't Know goes at the other side of love, the pure emotional gotcha. Amanda Brewer reminds me strongly of singer/songwriter Denise Culhane on this tune. Two Twenty Two takes us on a compelling ride in Forest Fire, a driven rocker based in social dysfunction about someone who leaves personal destruction wherever they've been. Brewer seems a bit mismatched on the vocal on this tune, but it's definitely a song worth checking out. James St. Station is a song about making the choice between blazing your own trail or giving up your life for the sheepish existence of cubicles and public transportation. It's a call out to anyone of an artistic bent to choose before you're trapped in a path you don't want. Two Twenty Two closes out with the piano ballad No Good, where Brewer sings cynically of the chances of a new love not ending in disaster. There's a clear desire here for things to work, but the wounded heart of the narrator can't believe; she also can't pull out of the nosedive, for good or ill. It's a wonderfully personal and emotional accounting in song of a heart/head conflict.

Grass Routes is a stunning debut for both composition and lyrical content. Warren Muzak and Amanda Brewer are each quite capable on their own, but there is a sort of musical alchemy that occurs when their voices and songwriting skills join and work together. Two Twenty Two have their flaws, but it’s that aura of perfect imperfection that makes them so compelling. With the mix of Country, Rock and Folk, there isn't an easy pigeonhole or genre to classify Two Twenty Two under, but however you tag them this is a band you need to get to know. Put Grass Routes on your must-hear list and don't let it languish!

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Two Twenty Two at www.myspace.com/twotwentytwotunes. You can purchase Grass Routes on CD from CDBaby.com.

Review: Blackberry Smoke - Little Piece Of Dixie

Blackberry Smoke - Little Piece Of Dixie
2009, BamaJam Records

It's now the end of September, 2009, and I have been waiting all year for a truly kick-a$$ rock album to cross my desk. We've had some decent efforts; albums with strong songs but nothing that really melts your face from the opening chord to the last faded rhythm. Until now. Atlanta's Blackberry Smoke releases their sophomore album on September 29, 2009. Little Piece Of Dixie rocks hard with country and blues riffs and a southern fervor that hasn't been seen on the rock scene in close to twenty years. This is outlaw country, Rock N Roll style, and if you get in their way you'll be swept up in the musical powerhouse that is Blackberry Smoke.

Little Piece Of Dixie opens with Good One Comin' On, the ultimate Rock N Roll weekend party song. If you pine away all week for that first beer on Friday night then this one is for you. Charlie Starr's voice fits perfectly into the band's sound, and the energy never wavers. Like I Am is a classic theme with a twist. Can you love me like I am? It's very well written with Country and Blues informing the heavy rock sound. Bottom Of This is dark and virulently catchy; a guy's tune, to be sure, but it might just help rekindle a lost genre, Hard Country. Up In Smoke sounds like a song you just need to hear live. It's incredibly catchy with thrilling guitar work, and very danceable.

Who Invented The Wheel is a classic. The narrator here is looking for anyone to blame for the downfall of his relationship. Anyone but himself, that is. This one will play well to commercial radio because we've all been there at one time or another; the theme is universal and the arrangement is flawless. I'd Be Lyin' takes Like I Am a few steps further in a highly entertaining bit of Outlaw Country-Rock. Here the narrator tells you not only what he's like, but also things that he's done, thought or said. Blackberry Smoke has a great populist theme for troubled times in Prayer For The Little Man. The sound here is toned down more to the country side, and would likely play well on Country radio. Never ones to rest, Blackberry Smoke jump right back into the heavy rock sound with Restless. This is a tune about a guy whose appetites are out of control, and is well captured in song. Shake Your Magnolia is a catchy Country-Rock tune that could cross over genres and would be a strong commercial candidate for Country Radio. Blackberry Jam closes out with Freedom Song, a fun extended jam with a little bit of Grateful Dead (on steroids) in its ancestry.

Blackberry Smoke knows how to rock. What's more, producer Dan Huff (Megadeth, Bon Jovi, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts) has managed to capture the raw energy that fills Blackberry Smoke's live shows on Little Piece Of Dixie. This might just be the best pure Rock N Roll album of the year, and it should be in the conversation on the country side. Expect Blackberry Smoke to be all over the radio this fall.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Blackberry Smoke at http://www.blackberrysmoke.com/ or www.myspace.com/blackberrysmoke. Little Piece Of Dixie drops September 29, 2009. You can pre-order the CD through Amazon.com. Expect wide availability in both digital and traditional formats.

Review: 8 Ball Aitken - Rebel With A Cause

8 Ball Aitken - Rebel With A Cause
2009, Phoenix Movement Records

Sometimes the music we grew up with (individually or as a culture) is harder to hear, so wave of international artists finding success with American Roots music is no surprise. Along comes Queensland, Australia's 8 Ball Aitken, a banana picker turned guitar picker who appears to be channeling the very soul of Country, Blues and Roots music as it grew out of the Southern United States. 8 Ball Aitken's debut album, Rebel With A Cause has generated two top-10 Country singles in his native Australia and won him a 2008 EMI Music Blues & Roots Song Of The Year Award for Yellow Moon. Aitken has played dates in the UK, Singapore and North America, recently putting in a stellar performance at Canadian Music Week. It's only a matter of time before North American audiences catch on to 8 Ball Aitken.

Rebel With A Cause opens with Cyclone Country, a bluesy Southern Rocker with some serious honky-tonk in its lineage. Aitken has a wonderfully smooth and lyric rock voice that contrasts nicely with the heavily country-influenced Rock N Roll. Cyclone Country is built on a killer lick that would make ZZ Top beam with pride and a chorus you can't help but sing/hum along to. Cowboy Movie is all about taking a stand for what you know to be right regardless of the consequences. The allegory is poetic if unexpected and the melody is pure honey. The Party has a vague Dire Straits-does-Country feel to it; this is a tune that's sure to be a favorite live and will get your hips swaying even if you're not inclined to dance.

Hands On Top Of The Wheel is a straight-forward Country Rocker ala The Eagles, (complete with a sound-alike vocal). This is probably the song on the disc with the biggest commercial potential, particularly for licensing. Aitken incorporates some deliciously dirty slide guitar work on Black Swamp Creek, although lyrically the song is a bit cliché. Outback Booty Call is an amusing Southern Rock tune with clear intentions and a bit of a twist at the end. This should be another concert favorite and I could picture this ending up on a movie soundtrack somewhere. Yellow Moon features a driving bass line and great Southern Rock n Blues sound, Texas style. The track is memorable and will keep you moving. Guitar Man sounds like it should be a classic Rock staple, but it's an Aitken original. There's a feel here that's very similar to John Fogerty, and the song itself will have you scratching your head wondering where you've heard it before. Rocky Road is an upbeat, catchy southern Rocker that leads into The Other Side, which goes back a few decades for a classic sound that is refreshing.

Rebel With A Cause is one of those albums you simply can't ignore. Even with the occasional flaw it has to be in the discussion of top Roots Music efforts for the year thus far. Aitken's voice is so fluid and his delivery so down-home that he puts you immediately at ease. The musicianship on Rebel With A Cause is world class, and the songwriting is more legitimate and more original than much of the roots material you're likely to hear. 8 Ball Aitken has a real winner on his hands here.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about 8 Ball Aitken at http://www.8ballaitken.com/ or www.myspace.com/8ballaitken. You can purchase a copy of Rebel With A Cause at CDBaby.com.

Review: Roy Jay - Lucky Guy

Roy Jay - Lucky Guy
2009, Terrapin Records

Roy Jay put off music for twenty years while life ensued. A successful entrepreneur, Jay came home from a concert one night, sat down at his computer and ordered a guitar. Tired of his workaholic lifestyle, Jay channeled those tendencies into his music; playing six days per week and enrolling in Berklee School of Music's online program. Jay initially set out to record songs he could gig with, but found kismet with producer Chris Seefriend (Quincy Jones, Rosanne Cash), who seems to have brought out something more in Roy Jay. The result is Jay's debut CD, Lucky Guy, which features influences as distinct as Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Jimmy Buffet and the Grateful Dead.

Lucky Guy is an interesting and at times trying album as it appears Jay hasn't figured out who he is or wants to be musically. Lucky Guy opens with the title track, sounding a bit like a cross between Ricky Nelson and Jimmy Buffet. The low-key vocal line provides a laidback feel to the disc. Subway Ride clocks in at nearly 7:30 minutes and mixes elements of traditional Classic Rock and Psychedelia. In And Out Of Dreams is an esoteric and intelligent love that's perhaps a bit too much of each to connect with a majority of listeners. Mungo Jerry finds Guy revisiting his Buffet theme; it's a bit too derivate to sound like anything other than a tribute. Prettiest Girl In Wal-Mart is a fun tune that explores unrequited love in Sam's place and the unexpected consequences. This is an upbeat and fun track with a definite novelty tune air. Other highlights include California Grey, Time's Page and Wrinkle Your Dress.

Roy Guy just didn't pan out the way I'd hope from his promotional materials. Guy is a decent songwriter but perhaps just doesn't sell the material well. His vocal approach is laid back and unenthused and doesn't help to bring the listener in the way it might. Lucky Guy is a pleasant listen but doesn't leave the listener with any real compulsion to keep coming back.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Roy Jay at http://www.royjaymusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/royjaymusic. You can purchase a copy of Lucky Guy at www.cdbaby.com/cd/royjay.

Review: Deadwood Revival - Deadwood Revival Sat 730

Deadwood Revival - Deadwood Revival Sat 730
2009, Deadwood Revival

The state of Washington might be the home to the next great Jam Band. The Deadwood Revival brings their brand of "hillbilly jamgrass" wherever they grow across the northwest US, winning new fans at every stop along the way. Inspired by Jerry Garcia, Deadwood Revival hits a musical state that equals or exceeds The Grateful Dead at the height of their musical powers with discreet moments of instrumental genius and vocal harmonies that are heavenly. Vocalist Trenerry, in particular has a distinctive sound that crosses Kitty Wells with Allison Krauss and makes for an extremely pleasurable listen. Deadwood Revivals' newest CD, a live recording called Deadwood Revival Sat 730 captures the spirit and spit of their live shows while showcasing what may be one of the elite bands in the folk/country divide.

Deadwood Revival Sat 730 opens with Ain't The Buyin' Kind, a song about someone who is more into roaming than settling down. The instrumentation and vocal harmonies are dead on in a delicious blend of bluegrass and folk that will get your feet moving. Red Rocking Chair and Sugar Hill are traditional tunes given the DwR touch. Red Rocking Chair is great back porch music, and Sugar Hill is a rambunctious tune featuring the vicious fiddle work of Julie Campbell. Up next is a cover of Johnny Cash's Big River. The crowd gets really into this one, particularly the jam. DwR sounds inspired here.

Glendale Train may be the musical height of the disc, with the musicianship reaching near-perfection and a tremendous mix on the vocal harmonies. Campbell in particular should be memorialized for this performance. Guitar/Banjo player Jason Mogi chips in four original compositions, highlighted by When I'm Gone. This is one of those songs you'll find yourself singing along to the first time you hear it, and Mogi's guitar work will have the guitar players out there trying to figure out the tabs for the rest of the night. Grateful Dead fans will get excited about the Hunter and Garcia song China Cat Sunflower, which is reverent to the original in both form and spirit, but the highlight of the disc is Trenerry's Mattie's Jam/Shake The Barnhouse Down. Get ready for 11 1/2 minutes of musical bliss! Cover My Tracks and Daisy are fun listens, and don't overlook the band's take on Cotton Eyed Joe; one of the best I've heard.

Deadwood Revival is the sort of band that connects with listeners almost instantly (even through recorded media). The musical trip is there for the taking, all you have to do is let go. Deadwood Revival Sat 7:30 is an exquisite recording you'd be happy for on a road trip. Fans of bluegrass, country, folk and 1960's psychedelia will all find something here. Check it out.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Deadwood Revival at http://www.deadwoodrevival.com/. You can purchase Deadwood Revival Sat 730 on CD through www.cdbaby.com/cd/deadwoodrevival3.

Review: Fillmore: The Last Days DVD

Fillmore: The Last Days
2009, Rhino Records

June saw the DVD debut of a long lost Rock N Roll treasure. In the 1960's, The Fillmore West (San Francisco) was to California Rock N Roll what CBGB's was to the 1970's Punk scene in New York. Many of the bands known for propagating what became known as the San Francisco sound either got their start there or played there on their way up. Rock legend Bill Graham ran the place, but closed it in 1971 because he felt the music business was becoming jaded: Artists were getting too full of their own success and began demanding too much. Graham decided to get out before the music business ruined the music (he was also a visionary). Graham didn't go quietly however. He scheduled five nights of shows, culminating on July 4, 1971 with a show that included Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Tower Of Power and others.

In 1972, the documentary Fillmore: The Last Days was released. Aside from the music it included, it was a gritty look at the dark side of the music business. Some of these insights my seem a bit dated but are still relevant today. The DVD features performances the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jerry Garcia, Santana, Lamb, Cold Blood, Hot Tuna, The Rowan Brothers, The Elvin Bishop Group and New Riders Of The Purple Sage. The track entitled "Rehearsal Jam" (The Rowan Brothers) is probably the musical highlight of the DVD, and that's saying a lot considering the artists and material presented here. While the documentary is 37 years old and focused on the San Francisco sound, it's a shame that at least one track from Creedence Clearwater Revival's legendary July 4 set wasn't included.

The DVD is being released by Rhino Records in conjunction with The Bill Graham Memorial Foundation, which continues its philanthropic efforts on the part of under-represented or under-funded causes. The foundation offers grants in the areas of music, arts, education, social work, environmental protect and spiritual compassion-based projects. If you're a fan of San Francisco Rock scene of the 1960's and early 1970's then this is a must-have DVD. If you're an artist trying to make it in the music business (particularly as an Indie artist), then you really ought to buy or at least rent this DVD. If Bill Graham were alive today he'd undoubtedly be shepherding the Indie movement. The movie is well presented and still highly relevant almost four decades after its original release. Rhino has done a great job with the presentation, right down to the liner notes by original Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres. Fillmore: The Last Days is essential viewing for rock fans and all those who would make music in a commercial environment.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Fillmore West at http://www.thefillmore.com/. You can purchase a copy of Fillmore: The Last Days at Amazon.com. You can learn more about The Bill Graham Memorial Foundation at http://www.billgrahammemorialfoundation.org/.

Review: Foggy Nocean - Why Do Cows Have To Taste So Good?

Foggy Nocean – Why Do Cows Have To Taste So Good?
2009, Ron Mancini

Rock and Roll is dead. Long live Rock N Roll. Check that, Mancini’s still here.

Ron Mancini is the heart and soul of Foggy Nocean, the last bastion of anti-pop heroes on the Rock N Roll scene. Cranston, Rhode Island is a bit out-of-the way, and don’t be surprised if you don’t hear about it again (unless you live in Rhode Island), but it has the seeds of musical revolution in Foggy Nocean. Mancini rails against the music industry on his website, bemoaning the loss of creativity and music as a force for change in the world. Foggy Nocean certainly don’t fit the current mold of Poplets. Taking his cue from classic rockers such as The Doors, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks, Mancini constructs entire albums as organic creatures, rather than highly vetted, highly focus-group studied pop confections designed for maximum impact. Working in a wicked sense of humor and a quirky eye for the world, Foggy Nocean’s Why Do Cows Have To Taste So Good? is politically, fashionably and aerodynamically incorrect (thank you Berkely Breathed), but that sucker can fly.

The title track, Why Do Cows Have To Taste So Good?, sounds like Randy Newman sitting in on vocals with They Might Be Giants. If that doesn’t intrigue I suggest you go back and read the previous line until it does. It’s a love song about all the things a cow can become (generally involuntarily). Shattered Image in an upbeat parable for looking to yourself for problems before blaming others. The song is well produced and yet maintains a Lo-Fi, garage aura to it that’s charming. You could picture this as the response to an argument with a significant after the fact. I should say about Mancini’s voice that it isn’t a perfect voice; it works really well with some songs/styles and occasionally doesn’t with others. All Those Things is one of the songs where it doesn’t quite work, which is unfortunate as the song is excellent from a musical perspective. Hurting Me sounds a bit like The Who’s Magic Bus on the verses and has a classic punk chorus. The vocals here are amiably off key and the song itself is very catchy. The piano and guitar work here is absolutely stellar.

Lay Your Hands and 13 Colonies both find Foggy Nocean sounding like Elvis Costello of the late 1980’s. Lay Your Hands is the best songwriting on the disc, coming across with a distinctive 1980’s Pop sound while retaining that Lo-Fi grandeur evident elsewhere on the album. 13 Colonies is a bit of fractured US History delivered with great energy and the panache of a real performer. Capn A Ship is upbeat and highly energetic, a young boy’s dream that’s never fully outgrown. You Don’t Know How Much I Care and Steppin Stone were both enjoyable, and The Foreskin is an absolutely unforgettable closer; a plea to remain whole that most any man who’s been circumcised can find sympathy with. The song perhaps isn’t quite as funny as intended, but should do well with the adolescent crowd.

Foggy Nocean practices one the greatest tenets of Punk Rock; “Here’s our music. If you don’t like it, go XXXX yourself”. If you don’t believe me, go read the bio of Foggy Noceans website. Ron Mancini is a guy who makes music he likes; he hopes you like it too, but he won’t be heartbroken if you don’t. Like most musicians who do what they do because their hearts can’t bear to do anything else, Mancini would still be making music if there was no hope of money or notoriety involved. Those things are nice, desired, sometimes needed; but they are not essential reasons why he or other artists like him make music. Why Do Cows Have To Taste So Good? is an experience. It’s a Rock album in the truest sense of the phrase. Not every song here will work for everyone, but there’s something here for most anyone who might listen. Foggy Nocean isn’t like ever to take the airwaves by storm, but they’ll provide you with some great entertainment, 47 minutes at a time.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Foggy Nocean at http://www.fnmmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/foggynocean. You can purchase a copy of Why Do Cows Have To Taste So Good? at www.cdbaby.com/cd/foggynocean.

Review: Grateful Dead - To Terrapin: Hartford '77

Grateful Dead – To Terrapin: Hartford ‘77
2009, Rhino Records

1977 may have been the musical apex of the Grateful Dead’s career. The world of music was being roiled around them with the emergence of punk and disco as popular forms, but the Dead were at the height of their collective powers coming off a 2-year touring hiatus and on the way to recording what may be their best album, Terrapin Station. On May 28, 1977, Grateful Dead took to the stage of Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The entire show has been preserved and remastered in the form of To Terrapin: Hartford ’77, released in April of 2009 on Rhino Records

To Terrapin: Hartford ’77 features Jerry Garcia, Donna Jean Godchaux, Keith Godchaux, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir. The band floated through classic such as Bertha, Sugaree (nearly 20 minutes worth), Jack Straw, One More Saturday Night and Playing In The Band. The real treat for the crowd were songs such as Estimated Prophet, Terrapin Station and Passenger, which would be released several weeks later on Terrapin Station. At 3-CDs and 21 songs this set is a bargain, and beats any existing bootleg for sound quality, as all tracks are up to HDCD standards. This is the perfect set for a hardcore Deadhead, and the ideal introduction to a band that holds a vaunted place in the history of rock music. To Terrapin: Hartford ’77 is highly recommended.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Grateful Dead at http://www.gratefuldead.com/. You can purchase To Terrapin: Hartford ’77 at Amazon.com or wherever music is sold. Downloads are available through iTunes.