The Bakersfield-based husband and wife duo calling themselves The Grizzly Owls are offering their latest EP “I Am A Shootist” for free download from their website. Their sound is distinctly Western noir – desolate, lonely yet beautiful at the same time (think Calexico, but with a female lead). And after reading their bio it completely made sense. The pair were inspired by their grandparent’s journey from Oklahoma to Bakersfield, California during the great Dust Bowl migration, 1960s spaghetti westerns, and David Lynch soundtracks.
Reading the announcement that WOXY was exclusively previewing the Love and Rockets Tribute Album this week was like coming full circle for me. I grew up in Ohio and cut my teeth on WOXY (bam! The Future of Rock-n-Roll). And Love and Rockets was one of those bands they turned me on to, way back when in my formative years. So it’s with great satisfaction that this same station (to whom I hold somewhat accountable for my OCMD) brings these New Tales to Tell direct to my speakers -albeit in California not Ohio (thank god).
And judging by the line up of artists paying tribute, it appears as though Love and Rockets are getting their moment in the spotlight. This is a good thing too. I’m not sure how many more new bands I could take citing The Jesus and Mary Chain in their list of influences. The list of artists paying tribute include: THE FLAMING LIPS, BLACK FRANCIS, THE DANDY WARHOLS, MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN’S band PUSCIFER, A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS, FILM SCHOOL, and more.
The Love and Rockets Tribute Album exclusive airs on WOXY, Wed. July 1 @ 9pm, Thur. July 2 @ 6pm, Sat. July 4 @ 4pm, and Sun, July 5 @ Noon, and then on-demand through the WOXY website. The album, New Tale to Tell, a Tribute to Love and Rockets, will be released digitally July 28 and in stores August 18.
So many music videos are produced so poorly and just plain boring. This one was quite the opposite. “Rising“, from Lhasa de Sela’s new self titled album.
Hey, do you like Arcade Fire? Then you’ll definitely like the debut album from Fanfarlocalled “Reservoir“. They think so too and they want you to hear it. So until July 4th, the band is offering the entire album, plus bonus tracks, for just $1! Download it now.
But don’t let the cheap price fool you. The album is excellent. And I applaud their viral marketing efforts. I love to see new bands think outside of the box to get the word out and use innovative technologies such as TopSpin to enable those ideas. Bravo!
One of the most brilliant things about music is the ability express a mood or articulate a feeling that you just can’t put into words yourself. Chicago indie rockers, The Layaways, do just that for me. I think La Blogotheque expressed it best when they said, “J’aime bien les chansons de The Layaways.” Moi aussi. Their bittersweet, melodramatic indie pop hooks tap into a kind of universal woeful lament that anyone can relate to at some point in time in their lives.
But best of all, the band is giving away their latest release, “The Space Between“, for free! Absolutely no strings attached. Go get it and enjoy.
Sunset Rubdown, one of the many side projects of Wolf Parade’s Spencer Krug, released their fourth LP today, Dragonslayer, on Jagjaguwar. Go get it! This album is all the talk right now. San Franciscans, the band will be playing The Rickshaw Stop Wednesday, June 24.
North Carolina’s Floating Action self-titled debut is the latest work of Seth Kauffman – who already has a couple of albums under his belt by his own name. He mashes up a lot of influences on the album, but the jangly, soulful, lo-fi rhythms shine through. The perfect song for such a beautiful, balmy day here in San Francisco.
Jack White’s new band, The Dead Weather – featuring Alison Mosshart of The Kills, is ramping up for the launch of their debut album, Horehound, on July 14. Will the sum be greater than the parts? We’ll have to wait and see. Luckily not for long. The band has announced a live performance on From the Basement TV this Monday, June 22 at 9PM BST/ 1PM PST. Mark your calendars and tune in.
I woke up this morning, listened to this track and had an overwhelming urge to put on my bell bottom jeans and go pick daisies – in Golden Gate Park, of course. The sleepy, sexy, ‘let’s shag, baby’ sound of Brian Olive’s solo debut is a great way to start the day. Peace, love and rock-n-roll.
Based in Cincinnati, the album was produced, recorded and mixed by Olive alone and features some notable locals such as Jared McKinney and Craig Fox of the Greenhornes and Mike Weinel, formerly of the Heartless Bastards. The album is out June 23 on Alive Records.
the OCMD 