Music Notes
By 
A couple of weeks ago, I saw my 33rd Drive By Truckers show in New Haven, with Deer Tick and Thelma and the Sleaze opening. A bit about all three bands. Thelma and the Sleaze I did not know, but imagine L7 with massive riffs. Band has existed on and off in the Nashville rock scene for 20 years. Not bad at all. Deer Tick is probably the most well-known band from Providence but I had actually never seen them. I will say this, John McCauley is without question the most flexible rock musician I’ve ever seen. He must be a very advanced yoga guy to pull off these moves such as bending himself basically in half while still jamming on the guitar or bouncing up and down on one leg and doing the same thing. As I expected from them, a very solid live band and I probably should spend more time with their albums. The truth is that I missed a ton of bands from the late 2000s and some of them I have circled back to (The Hold Steady for example) and some I really haven’t. Always like a band where basically everyone sings and writes. They are also working on an album about growing up in the criminal world of Providence government, which sounds great. Someone in the crowd had a Free Buddy Cianci shirt on.
As for DBT, there’s nothing to say that I haven’t. They haven’t released an album in a few years and I don’t know when they will again with Cooley no longer writing much it seems. So they are playing favorites, which I would hope would have led to a wider selection of songs from their long career than it actually did. It was a good setlist for sure and I even got a song I had never seen played live before in “Box of Spiders,” which is a not super great early track from them but hey, it’s hard to get a new song after 33 shows without any new music out.
This show was toward the end of the tour and at the end, Hood put out a message on Facebook suggesting that the band might not be playing so often in the future. At some point, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Cooley decide to dial the touring back a good bit. Hood has said publicly that music is basically his entire life and he and Craig Finn from Hold Steady are doing a big west coast tour this fall, but Cooley? Seems less likely. They have a couple festival shows this winter and I suspect they will do their annual Athens festival, but the days of massive touring might be more or less behind them. And if not now, I’d guess in the next few years. I’ll never see a band 33 times again, though it’s at least possible that given where I live and how much jazz I see and how young she is, that Mary Halvorson could eventually get to that point in my life. But a jazz musician often playing with other people and sometimes in her own bands not the same thing as a big rock band. So I feel a bit elegiac about the whole thing.
Other news and notes:
Criterion Channel put up a collection of the Rolling Stones on film last month, which of course caught my attention. I watched Charlie is My Darling, which chronicled a short Irish tour the band had in 1965. It was played at a festival in 1966 and then was a lost film for a long time. In 2012, it was painstakingly put back together and it’s a worthy document of the band at that time. It’s interesting for a couple of reasons. The Stones were just getting super huge at this time and so they weren’t completely transformed into the pretty questionable characters they became. Jagger actually gives thoughtful answers to questions. Watts denigrates his own musical ability (actually, he always underestimated himself a bit it seems), Jones gives a pretty smug answer to a question about being a pop star when he says he’s really better than all this (sure thing Brian, have another drink). Keith is mostly in the background, as is Wyman. This is also the point when the “girls screaming through shows” thing was just ending and it’s still here and it must have been very frustrating to the musicians. There’s a scene of a girl coming up behind Keith and pulling out a lock of his hair for herself. I mean, how do you deal with that? Also, the second Dublin show ended up fans started rushing the stage and it was total chaos. You can see how all this would have an impact on a band. Another thing is that while Mick is already a very good stage performer, he’s not yet the legendary performer he would become. So the whole thing is a worthy look at the greatest rock band in history at an important moment in time.
I came to know the Soviet saxophonist Sergey Kuryokhin on an album he did with Henry Kaiser, inherently meaning that it was difficult even by the standards of avant-garde jazz. But I really didn’t know anything else about him and had never run into him again. As our friend Burning Ambulance is doing amazing work rereleasing forgotten avant-garde jazz albums, he has gotten to Kuryokhin and has a good essay on him. Later in the essay, he also makes the point that the vinyl revival is a total scam.
Speaking of forgotten jazz guys, Bandcamp remembers the work of Phil Yost.
A review of the recent Spanish punk scene.
Why is TikTok Overflowing with AI Country Music Erotica? God I hate everything about what the world is becoming. This article is fucked up, though quite interesting if you like horror shows.
Spike Lee has tried to engage with a new generation of rap in his new film, Highest 2 Lowest.
Nate Chinen with an essay on the recently deceased jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan.
RIP to swamp pop legend Tommy McLain.
Really fun essay on Amina Claudine Myers.
Playlist:
- Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves, Hurricane Clarice
- Jeremy Ivey, Waiting Out the Storm
- Duke Ellington, The Essential Ellington
- Marianne Faithful, Broken English
- Wadada Leo Smith, America’s National Parks
- The Bug, Fire
- Caroline Polachek, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
- Blood Lemon, self-titled
- Ashley Monroe, Like a Rose
- Bobby Bare, Great American Saturday Night
- The Tubs, Dead Meat
- The Paranoid Style, The Interrogator
- Jane Weaver, Flock
- Yola, Stand for Myself
- Empress Of, For Your Consideration
- Buck Owens, Buck Em! The Music of Buck Owens, 1955-1967
- Gang of Four, Entertainment
- Peter Oren, Anthropocene
- The Beths, Expert in a Dying Field
- Aretha Franklin, Lady Soul
- Sonic Youth, Dirty
- Merle Haggard, Down Every Road, disc 3 (x2)
- Dewey Redman, Coincide
- Dewey Redman, Soundsigns
- Mark Feldman & Sylvie Courvoisier, Malphas: Book of Angels, Vol. 3
- Smog, Supper
- Christopher Paul Stelling, Itinerant Arias
- Sun Ra, Lanquidity
- Chuck Prophet, The Land That Time Forgot
- Adrienne Lenker, Bright Future
- The Postal Service, Give Up
- Mount Moriah, How to Dance
- Buck Owens, Before You Go/No One But You
- Smog, A River Ain’t Too Much to Love
- Art Blakey, Tough!
- Bonnie Prince Billy/Matt Sweeney, Superwolf
- Waxahatchee, Out in the Storm
- Wet Leg, self-titled
- Matthew Shipp, One
- Iggy Pop & James Williamson, Kill City
- Speedy Ortiz, Twerp Verse
- Old 97s, Satellite Rides
- Peter Gabriel, Passion: Music for the Last Temptation of Christ
- Modern Lovers, self-titled
- Tom Russell, Poor Man’s Dream
- David Olney, Live in Holland
- Swamp Dogg, Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th Strett
- Norman Blake, Fields of November
Album Reviews: This week was dedicated to seriously working on my 2025 albums, including a lot by long-time favorites I hadn’t heard, which helps explain why I liked most of them so much.
The Tubs, Cotton Crown
The Tubs are if Full House-era Richard Thompson sang in a post-punk band. It’s really uncanny. And while Owen Williams is not a songwriter of RT’s scale (or of course a guitarist but then that’s not a fair comparison for anyone), he is in fact a pretty good songwriter about mental health and the crappy life of musicians in class divided London. But mostly, this is just a great sound, like a perfect rock and roll vibe.
A-
Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory, self-titled
Van Etten always had needed more of a band. There’s a generation of female singer songwriters in the last 10-15 years that are skilled songwriters and good singers but seem to think that just themselves or spare production is a good move and it often isn’t. It’s called music for a reason. People like beats and sounds. This really works. Rock and roll is awesome for a reason. The songs are as strong as ever, except now I want to see this live.
A-
Joan Armatrading, How Did This Happen and What Does It Not Mean
Armatrading has existed at the far reaches of my knowledge without ever really knowing her. I actually saw her, back in 1996, on a split bill with Richard Thompson. But I didn’t know any of her music and I don’t remember much of it except for not overly caring for it. No idea why, it was almost 30 years ago. Anyway, when I heard she released an album late last year, I figured I might as well give it a shot. Anyway, it’s alright I guess. Some of the songs are a bit broad and bland though–a song such as “Irresistible” falls to this some. Yep, you are great, I love you, you are irresistible, OK. Feels overproduced at times too, which don’t give the songs much room to breathe. Maybe I was right back in the 90s after all.
C+
Willi Carlisle, Winged Victory
I have described Carlisle as Pete Seeger if Seeger sang about doing PCP in a Walmart parking lot in rural Missouri. And that’s what he sounds like. Carlisle is a Steve Earle-esque force of nature, a guy with issues, but those are front and center and he owns it and he’s a great songwriter and, as it turns out, a powerful cover artist too. He starts this with the old IWW song “We Have Fed You All For A Thousand Years” that Utah Phillips played for years and it’s just perfect. Then, this openly bisexual singer sings “Cryin’ These Cocksucking Tears,” from the pioneering gay country band Lavender County. Of course he does, and on the accordion as a polka no less. Then there’s one of his own songs, “Winged Victory,” which ends, “I sang to the dementia ward and old folks all sang back. I sang to the dementia ward, and the bastards all sang back.” Oh, and a cover of Richard Thompson’s “Beeswing,” another perfect song for him. Also, “Big Butt Billy,” one of the most unusual songs about being attracted to a big ass ever written. I just love the living hell out of this guy. A truly unique voice and a remarkable human being. I just shook my head in wonder at this whole thing.
A
Marshall Allen’s Ghost Horizons, Live in Philadelphia
At 101, Sun Ra’s long-time sideman and now the head of the Sun Ra Arkestra finally got around to recording his first solo album. SLACKER!!!! Now he’s making up for it and has released a live album too. I guess one solo album every 50.5 years is a bit better……In fact, this is quite a bit better than the studio album. That was fine, but didn’t really feel like that revelatory release. But this is just a lot of fun. This is culled from a few shows and there’s some production involved to clean it up, so how accurate a documentary release it is might be something you could question, but I really don’t care. This works because not only is Allen a great artist, but because the people who love him are surrounding him, including the superb saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, James McNew from Yo La Tengo (frequent collaborators with Sun Ra Arkestra), Charlie Hall from War on Drugs, and a lot of other folks. It makes for a pretty rockin piece of work and a deeply enjoyable release.
A
Elucid, Revelator
This is a smart hip hop album released last year that is not only lyrically impressive but musically impressive. He’s a slow rapper, spending a lot of time on each word. He’s also a serious man, thinking heavily about race and the questionable future, if we even have one. And also how shitty America has become–“Too many flags/One too many flags/Seeing all those flags outside the city made nervous/Physical reminders I’ve been cursed to concrete.” This album also uses a lot of live instrumentation, especially snare drums and bass, and some interesting electronics to add even more texture. I’d listen to it again.
B+
Mary Halvorson, About Ghosts
The third album from Halvorson’s Amaryllis sextet, which is now her standard band. This time, it’s augmented with special guests Immanuel Wilkins on alto and Brian Settles on tenor, on certain songs, adding even more texture to this nearly perfect band. This is a fantastic release. It’s not that you need a reminder of how otherworldly Halvorson is on guitar, but her solo on “Carved From” is just perfect. Only thing I’d say–it’d be awesome if one or both of the saxes joined this already sizable band. One of the best albums of the year.
A
Ken Pomeroy, Cruel Joke
I saw this powerful young Cherokee songwriter at Newport on a recommendation from former LGM writer Simon Balto and I was glad I took his advice. It was a pretty fantastic show. So now let’s check out the album. It’s pretty heady stuff for a 22 year old. Very confident vocal delivery–a lot of young singers could learn from how she confidently delivers these songs. And then there’s the songs, which are largely between worthy and outstanding. And while this doesn’t particularly matter, one thing I really liked about her is never actually discussing her Cherokee background in the music. As she puts it, she’s a storyteller like her ancestors and she’s telling her stories, often about animals, which is of course something she grew up with. Also, did I need to hear her work with John Moreland on “Coyote”? Why as a matter of fact, I sure did! It’s super!
This is a singer with an absolutely ton of potential, which she’s already realizing. Huge talent, I really look forward to her writing more songs.
A
Will Johnson, Diamond City
Johnson was the drummer/guitarist and singer of Centro-Matic, a band that was great live but which I always thought wasn’t so great on their albums, and is now part of Jason Isbell’s touring band, adding a ton to the sound because he can do a lot of different things. I heard one of his solo albums about 10 years ago, thought it was nice, bought it, and listen to it about once a year, which isn’t bad actually since I have a ridiculously large music collection at this point. I always enjoy it. So I thought I’d reconnect with his brand new album from this year. And it’s basically a Will Johnson album–nice Americana style music, some good songs, not a lot that really grabs you by the lapels and says I MATTER.
B
Valerie June, Owls, Omens, and Oracles
When I first heard June, I really didn’t like her voice, like it drove me up the wall. This was at a live show and maybe I wasn’t expecting what I heard (she was opening for someone, I don’t remember her, maybe it was Sturgill Simpson though). So I avoided her for a long time but people really like her so I decided to give her another shot and in this case, I think I was at least partially wrong. There are still some affectations to her voice that I don’t particularly care for, but this is also a solid enough album of R&B/Americana/alt-country/whatever. Some nice vocal additions from Blind Boys of Alabama too. Don’t love it, but it’s certainly a worthy release.
B
As always, this is an open thread on all things music and art and none things politics.