You’re not supposed to judge books - or CDs - by their covers, or so I’m told, but the moment I saw the album art for Black Forest (Tra la la), I suspected I would like it. Gracing the new release is a work by one of the wackiest fairy painters of the Victorian art world, Richard Dadd, a small detail that heralds a group with decidedly eclectic (and obscure) tastes. And, art geek that I am, I mean that in the best possible sense.
From the very first track, “Coal/Ivory,” Pale Young Gentlemen did not disappoint. Upbeat tempos are given depth and warmth by a dynamic string section: Liz Weamer on the cello, Gwendolyn Miller on the viola, Derek Powell on Violin, and Margaret Mackenzie plays the harp. Andrew Bird is definitely an influence on this Madison, Wisconsin band - but so are gypsy-pop bands like Devotchka and Gogol Bordello. The Black Forest (Tra la la) brings a classical sensibility to alternative rock and combines it with the rousing charm of a peasant band. It’s an experience not to be missed.
Ever since her first album, Catalpa, Jolie Holland has been singing the blues, country and western style. On her visit to Daytrotter in April of 2007, this sultry singwriter seemed to be preparing another melancholy album: “Bellingham” and “Future” are perfect songs for bleak days and starless nights. But when I got the chance to hear The Living and the Dead, I was pleasantly surprised. The new album still has its mournful moments (it wouldn’t be a Jolie Holland album without them) but interspersed are radio-friendly tracks that betray a latent optimism. The ghosts of the old west still haunt this Texas-born singer, but perhaps her San Francisco home has lent her a more sunny disposition. Mexico City and Palmyra stand out in this regard. As for me, I’m currently addicted to the fiddle on “Sweet Loving Man.” But then again, I’ve always been a sucker for strings.
I’ve had a cvilleMUSE cover songs mix tape in mind for a while now, but for one reason or another I just haven’t gotten around to posting it up…until now. I was inspired in large part by my recent Ryan Adams video post which included his fantastic cover of Alice in Chains’ “Down in a Hole”. (Also the phrase “under the covers” pretty much sums up my mood these last couple of chilly mornings here in Charlottesville. Brrrr!)
So with “covers” in mind how ’bout we wrap them tightly around a song to create a mix tape of cover song favorites. We’re looking for artist re-makes of songs either written by or originally made popular by other artists. Share your cover song selections with our readers by dropping your song choice in the comments section below. And while you’re at it, go round up a video featuring your cover song, post the video URL in your comment, and then I’ll compile the songs in video form after the break.
[My first cover song selection is posted above. While Gloria Gaynor did not write “I Will Survive”, her 1978 recording of the song was the first and is easily the most widely known. Gaynor made “I Will Survive” a huge hit and it topped the Billboard charts in 1979. Since the late 70’s a number of artists have re-recorded the song but the version above is easily my favorite. In 1996 Cake released their slightly-altered take of “I Will Survive” on their album Fashion Nugget. Gloria Gaynor hated it, but I dig it mucho! (To be honest, I prefer Cake’s version over the original)] »Read More
The concert series at the Four County Players Theater in Barboursville kicks into an electric high gear as they present local blues sensation Eli Cook with his band Electric Holy Firewater for two back-to-back shows showcasing the music of the legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. The Second Annual Classic Hendrix Concert featuring the aforementioned Cook and his band takes place this Friday and Saturday night at “Central Virginia’s longest running community theater” which has been in operation since 1973. [directions]
The inaugural Classic Hendrix Concert was held back in January of this year as a one-night event and was a sold-out success. As a result, the concert event has now been expanded to a include a second show. Performances both nights kick off at 8pm. Doors open at 7pm. $15. General admission. For more info call the Four County Players Box Office at 540.832.5355.
Eli Cook recently stopped by the WNRN studios for an interview and in-studio acoustic performance with Anne Williams, host of the station’s Acoustic Sunrise morning show. [you can listen to the interview below]
Earlier this summer Brendan Canning, co-founder of the Toronto-based indie rock band Broken Social Scene, released his solo debut album Something for Us All (Arts & Crafts). You can check out the video for the first single “Hit the Wall” above.
Canning and the rest of his bandmates in Broken Social Scene embarked on their “Something for Us All” tour back in August and are currently making their way up the East Coast with two Virginia stops on tap for this week. Tonight (10/21) you can catch BSS at Toad’s Place in Richmond [tickets] and tomorrow night (10/22) they’ll be at the State Theatre in Falls Church [tickets]. Land of Talk (just one of the countless musical side projects for this Canadian supergroup whose membership is equally countless) opens both shows.
I was lucky enough to see Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band perform for the very first time this summer at FloydFest. I actually saw the trio tear it up twice during my three-day stay at Floyd (I caught the last half of their Friday night set and their entire Saturday set) and with each performance the crowds just kept getting bigger and bigger. By the time the band’s Sunday afternoon performance at the festival rolled around, there were so many people jam-packed under the dance tent that I didn’t even attempt to fight the masses for fear of drowning in a sea of sweat. From everything I saw, the Big Damn Band was clearly a FloydFest favorite. They were definitely one of mine.
Here’s how I described the scene from Saturday’s FloydFest performance:
“One of the craziest, loudest, rawest blues experiences I’ve seen in a long time. The three-piece band featuring Reverend Peyton on National guitar and harmonica (pictured right above), Breezy Peyton on washboard (center), and Jayme Peyton on drums (left), The Big Damn Band easily drew one of the most vocal and animated audiences of the entire day.”
Hailing from Brown County, Indiana, Rev. Peyton and His Big Damn Band play the country-blues with a frenetic fervor. They stomp, bang, and strum with a take no-prisoners approach. Or as one festival promoter so perfectly described the Big Damn Band’s sound:
“…authentic brand of Blues that sounds like what might come out of that secret meth lab nestled deep in the backwaters of the Mississippi delta.”
Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band performs at the Gravity Lounge on Wednesday, October 22. The band’s brand new album, The Whole Fam Damnily, was released on August 5th by the L.A.-based SideOneDummy Records (which is also home to Flogging Molly, Gogol Bordello, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.) The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard Blues chart. Keith Morris and the Crooked Numbers open and The Accordion Death Squad closes out the show. $8!!! [give a listen to “Mama’s Fried Potatoes” from The Big Damn Band’s The Whole Fam Damnily below]
Listen:
MP3: Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band–”Mama’s Fried Potatoes”
I know there’s plenty out there to keep you busy between now and Sunday, but if you’re going to take the time to see one show in town this weekend, I have to believe that this is it as the Gravity Lounge hosts two incredibly talented local music acts: Sarah White and 6 Day Bender. Show time is at 10:30pm. $5. [More on the artists, including MP3s from both Sarah White and 6 Day Bender after the break] »Read More
This is actually a bummer.Here’s the official word from Oliver Southard, Gravity Lounge’s PR guy:
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, Leon Russell’s show for Friday Oct. 17th will be CANCELED.
We will still go on with having opener and AMAZING guitarist Beppe Gambetta starting at 7:30PM.“ [Beppe Gambetta MySpace page]
Here’s a little tasty live nugget featuring a couple of Oklahoma Red Dirt greats just for the hell of it as J.J. Cale and Leon Russell perform “Going Down”. It’s a small consolation in lieu of tonight’s cancelled show but it is a classic live performance! [Watch the video]
Game 5, ALCS. Boston 8. Tampa Bay 7. Unbelievable. Here’s a little bottom of the eighth inning, Fenway Park tradition for you. I’ve been singing it all morning long.
[By the way, Neil Diamond performs at the John Paul Jones Arena on Monday, December 8. Tickets are currently on sale. For ticket info click here.]
I love Charlottesville punk history. Came across this page today doing some idle browsing about The Landlords. It features scans of the Charlottesville zine ‘Live Squid’ from October, 1984. This is a killer nugget, shows you what was going on in our fair town in the halcyon days of hardcore. Album reviews, show reviews (SCREAM)… There is even a show review of the Replacements in DC which is not to be missed - from their tour right before Let it Be came out. Also the DB’s and REM at U-Hall. I got goosebumps reading this shit, but then I am a dork.
Baby Opaque, the Landlords, REM, Replacements, Government Issue, etc.
“It will be a heavy freak out”. Those are the words that were passed along to me to describe Monday’s upcoming Awesome Color and Invisible Hand show at the Outback Lodge. A heavy freak out sure sounds like a hell of a lot of fun, so count me in.
Awesome Color, the three-piece band out of Brooklyn, NY by way of Ann Arbor, MI, features Derek Stanton on guitar, Mike Troutman on bass, and Allison Busch on drums. The band has toured with the likes of Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. and their most recent album, Electric Aborigines, is the band’s second full-length release for Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace! label. Here’s what one reviewer had to say about the new record:
“Awesome Color…can channel the ghosts of the Stooges and MC5 without sounding like big-muffed necrophiliacs…Electric Aborigines proves Awesome can only get more awesome”–Detroit Metro Times
Invisible Hand, the solo side project for Charlottesville’s Adam Smith (who also performs with Truman Sparks and Articulate Chewbecca for starters), opens. [Invisible Hand MySpace] The show kicks off at 9pm. $6-8.
If you’d like to enter to win a pair of tickets to Monday’s show, drop a comment to this post that includes your own favorite “awesome color”. I’ve got one pair of tickets to giveaway and I’ll be announcing the winner the day of the show at noon. Winner will be drawn at random and notified of their good fortune via email. [listen to Awesome Color’s “Already Down” from Electric Aborigines below]
Pale Young Gentlemen, The Black Forest (Tra la la) (Science of Sound)
Ever since her first album, Catalpa, Jolie Holland has been singing the blues, country and western style. On her visit to Daytrotter in April of 2007, this sultry singwriter seemed to be preparing another melancholy album: “Bellingham” and “Future” are perfect songs for bleak days and starless nights. But when I got the chance to hear The Living and the Dead, I was pleasantly surprised. The new album still has its mournful moments (it wouldn’t be a Jolie Holland album without them) but interspersed are radio-friendly tracks that betray a latent optimism. The ghosts of the old west still haunt this Texas-born singer, but perhaps her San Francisco home has lent her a more sunny disposition. Mexico City and Palmyra stand out in this regard. As for me, I’m currently addicted to the fiddle on “Sweet Loving Man.” But then again, I’ve always been a sucker for strings.
![Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band [publicity photo]](http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj23/deeplyrootedradio/bdbporch1-1.jpg)
