Groove On….
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
As this year's edition of Record Store Day fades into the distance, you might enjoy some reading regarding the vinyl-making process at Cleveland's own Gotta Groove Records. I've read a lot of different profiles of the Gotta Groove operation but this one from the folks at Whopperjaw is my favorite, ranking at about 9 on the 10 scale as far as the level of music nerd info satisfaction achieved post-consumption.
As you'll read, the Gotta Groove folks are a big part of a ton of national vinyl releases that have been coming out in recent years -- the limited edition "bootleg" vinyl pressing (on double LP blue vinyl!) of the latest Dawes album Stories Don't End (a run of only 500 copies) is the most recent Gotta Groove production to land on my turntable.
There are so many good things happening in Cleveland, but the success of Gotta Groove is one particular good thing that I'm really proud of. Hopefully they'll be pressing vinyl for many years and decades to come!
Image via Columbus Underground.
Friday Music: New Album From The Del-Lords!
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
"We didn’t start with any agenda, other than to make a great record."
If you're looking for something to kickstart your weekend, how about a new album from the Del-Lords? (Anytime we can get new music from any project involving Mr. Eric Ambel, we're down!)
Elvis Club is the band's first full-length album since 1990 and follows the 2010 release of Under Construction, an EP which previewed rough mixes of five songs from the new album.
Featuring 12 new songs, Elvis Club will be officially released on May 15th, but to the surprise of the band (or perhaps it's a calculated leak!), the album is available early on iTunes for your downloading and listening pleasure!
Here's a video from the band with more information about the album.
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Ticket Giveaway: Big Head Todd & The Monsters in New York
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
ATV favorites Big Head Todd & The Monsters are once again back out on the road, playing sets that mix a hefty dose of blues from their latest release Big Head Todd Blues Club - 100 Years of Robert Johnson with favorites from their vast catalog. With the classic Sister Sweetly album celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the band will naturally be spotlighting tracks from the album in their concert setlists.
The current tour hits New York City this Saturday (2/16) for a show at Irving Plaza. We've got a couple of pairs of tickets to give away to the show, so if you'd like to go and check it out, drop us an email with "Big Head Todd NYC" in the subject line and we'll pick two lucky readers to go to the show!
Good luck!
(Update: Congrats to our two winners, Tim and Jim! Stay tuned for more contest fun coming up!)
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Setlist: dada at Musica, 2/4/13
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
On Monday night, dada made their long awaited return to the Cleveland area, playing an intimate show at Musica in Akron. I knew that it had been quite a while since the band had been in this neck of the woods for a show, but according to the dada tour archive, the last show was at the Agora Ballroom in September 0f 2003.
So it's really been nearly 10 years? Wow.
I was at that Agora show and sadly, because it was announced only a week and a half or so before it happened, attendance was extremely light. And as a result, what would come to be known as the "Great Cleveland Drought of dada Shows" officially began.
A decade removed from that Cleveland appearance, the dada boys made good use of their time in Akron. Musica was a good setting to see the group, with perfect sound and sightlines and the intimate size of the venue prompted the band to quip that that evening's performance was like seeing a "dada living room show."
That was certainly a good way to term the feeling of seeing dada in that room and even though it was a Monday night with crummy weather (hello, snow!), the fans still found their way to Musica for a good evening of tunes.
I had the chance to interview guitarist/vocalist Michael Gurley for Popdose in the weeks leading up to the gig, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect, but the evening ended up having some unexpected moments, all of them good. The band is touring right now in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Puzzle album (which was released in 1992).
Honestly, I'm surprised that there wasn't more of the album in the setlist, which was limited to "Posters" and "Dim" on the front side and "Dizz Knee Land" and "Dorina" on the tail end. But it was a nice overall mix of material that covered nearly all of the dada releases, including "Guitar Girl" from 2004's How To Be Found and the title track from the 2006 A Friend of Pat Robertson EP which is their most recent release to date. (That was a personal thrill for me, since I hadn't seen that one live.)
The setlist was really heavy on American Highway Flower material, with "Ask The Dust," "Feet To The Sun," "S.F. Bar '63" (!!!) and "Scum" (!!!) and from El Subliminoso, "Rise" (which Gurley quipped was the best "Rise" of the tour) and an extremely charged up version of "I Get High."
Since those two albums were the first two dada albums that I bought, I was perfectly okay with the heavy feature time that they received in the setlist. There are certainly songs from Puzzle that I would have liked to have heard (especially since I've been listening to the whole catalog a lot since doing the interview) like "Dog" and "Surround," but I really can't argue with the setlist. It was damn solid. (But since we mentioned "Dog," how about this solid live performance from 2011? God bless Youtube.)
The one thing you can always count on as a dada fan is that each and every time that they go out on tour, they'll bring a setlist that changes things up significantly from the last time that you saw them. Michael promised deep cuts and certainly, "Rise," "Scum," and "S.F. Bar '63 fit that bill. Seeing that "Scum" and "S.F. Bar '63" were on the setlist took me immediately back to the first time that I saw dada in 1994 (again at the Agora, the first of what would be four times to date that they have played there). On a nostalgic night, just seeing that those songs would be played instantly transported me back to some of my favorite dada memories in my mind before the band even hit the stage. So as far as setlist satisfaction goes? Mission accomplished.
(Setlist stalkers, they're changing up the tunes from night to night -- the Joliet, Ill. show featured "Spirit of 2009," "Information Undertow," Playboy in Outerspace and "Spinning My Wheels," just to name a few! Enjoy the highlights from that show here.)
In 2013, they still hold the title as one of the most devastating live trios you'll ever see. They were totally locked in from moment one and maintained that connection for the duration of the 90 minutes or so that they were onstage. This current tour is their most extensive tour in a long time, so if they're coming your way -- and hopefully they are -- don't miss this show.
Columbus, OH is tomorrow night and the tour rolls onward from there!
Here's the setlist from Akron:
(And for merch nerds, there's a ton of merch to be had....you'll want to get your mitts on the dada demos collection 16 in 2 if you don't have it already. It's a good part of the reason that I made the trek in the bad weather to catch the show and it didn't disappoint when I got it into the CD player!)
Posters
Dim
Guitar Girl
I Get High
Feet To The Sun
S.F. Bar '63
Ask The Dust
Joie Solo
Last Train To Clarksville
Scum
Rise
California Dreamin'
A Friend of Pat Robertson
Dizz Knee Land
Encore:
Dorina
zeroRandom Youtube: The Winter Sounds – Shoulders Above
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
I've been a fan of The Winter Sounds since their last album came out a few years ago. In that time period, they came to Cleveland and I missed the show, which is something that I've regretted nearly daily each day since then. (And as it turns out, I apparently missed a show in Canton in December. Arrrrgh!) Periodically, I'd check to see if they had a new album out and finally, this past fall, that wish came true.
Runner is the name of the newest release from the New Orleans-based band (seriously, it blows my mind that this band came out of New Orleans) and as was the case with 2009's Church Of The Haunted South, the new album does not disappoint. These guys are unashamedly retro in all of the best ways -- take four or five of your favorite '80s bands and you'll probably find elements of what you loved about those bands in the music of The Winter Sounds.
Their videos are just as cool as the music -- and they've got a brand new video for "Shoulders Above" which you can watch below.
And here's a video for my personal jam from the new album, "The Sun Also Rises," which is the lead-off track on the album.
Download music from the band via their official Bandcamp page here.
They don't appear to be on the road currently, but you can check out their website for the latest info and any future tour dates that might pop up.
zeroRandom Youtube: Cyndi Lauper at Budokan
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
72 minutes of live pro-shot Cyndi Lauper from 1987. 'Nuff said.
Thanks to my rock and roll pal Marsha for the alert that this was on Youtube!
Need more Cyndi?
Well there's this....
And hopefully you didn't miss Cyndi's official memoir which came out last year!
zeroThe Monday Morning Mix: Play It, Don’t You Wanna Hear What’s Next?
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
For those of you who are still picking your jaws up off of the ground after the sudden appearance of a Monday Morning Mix last week, there’s good news -- here’s another one.
About two years ago (on December 7th, 2011, to give you an approximate date), I received a mix submission in the mail at my P.O. Box from a music-loving cat named Sean Weaver. Sean enclosed a cover letter to address some other blog-related items and at the end of that letter, he said “Additionally, I am including a contribution for your Monday Morning Mix, just because I can finally face it three years later and...it’s the best one I ever did 
).
Walking out of the post office, I stuck the CD in my car stereo and instantly heard vinyl crackling, followed by the sweet sound of “Rebels” by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Leafing through the papers, I discovered a handwritten track listing, sketched out on notebook paper, a photocopy of which had been sent to me.
(Click on the graphic below for the full sized version.)
In the track listing, tunes from Petty (as mentioned), Jackson Browne, Fairport Convention, Woody Guthrie and Warren Zevon.
I jammed that sucker (the mix) out in the car as I drove around town over the next few days. I took the CD into the house to get it ready to post here.....and then I promptly misplaced the CD.
Sean and I traded communication (mostly on Twitter, I think) over the next few months and then we fell out of touch. To his credit, he never sent me an email or Tweet asking “why the $%&* haven’t you posted my mix yet?!!.” But I always felt bad about it. And about once every six months, I’d find the CD, put it aside in a safe place to post it at my next opportunity....and then lose it again.
So this time, on a snowy weekend evening in Cleveland, when I surfaced it in my music room while looking for something else (that remains missing), I decided to sit down and scratch out these notes and finally get this mix up for others to enjoy -- as it should be.
I think somewhere in all of this saga, I was planning to reach out to Sean to get some thoughts on each track to post along with this mix, but in the end, I think the mix stands pretty fine on its own -- there are no words necessary.
Just download it and listen....or burn a disc and take it in the car like I did. It’s a good trip.
(And by the way, if you want to send me a mix for a future Monday morning, you can do that via email, mail it to the address on the side of the blog, or hell, how about a Spotify playlist and some notes? I could be down for that.)
Thanks for your contribution, Sean -- sorry it took eight billion years to get this up here!
Would you like to have your mix featured here on a future Monday? Well, there are several ways you can do that - send it to me as a download (via Yousendit, etc.) with song notes in an email sent to addictedtovinylATgmail.com, or create a Spotify playlist and send me song notes in an email. Or keep it analog and mail me a CD with your mix notes and contact information to the P.O. Box on the right sidebar of this website.
zeroNew Music + Video Fun From Jay Nash
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
Had to take a moment to share out this new song (complete with a homebrewed video) from ATV favorite Jay Nash.
The song is called "Wander" and it comes off of his upcoming album Letters From The Lost. Nash will debut material from the new release during a SXSW appearance in March.
Jay and I had plans to link up for a Desert Island Discs post in conjunction with his last album Diamonds & Blood that never quite came to be.
(Although we did connect oh so briefly for this really, really short email chat.)
But with another new album on the way? The possibilities are endless....
Speaking of that fine Diamonds & Blood album, you can grab it as a free download from Noisetrade and as you're looking back, you'll be able to look a little bit further ahead with "Sailor," a track from Letters From The Lost which is included as part of the free download.
Letters From The Lost is set for an April release and if you'd like to do some advance planning and have the right food ready to welcome that new album into your home, write.click.cook.listen has a suggested menu ready for you.
moreThe Monday Morning Mix: 75 Minutes Of ’70s FM
Written by: Kevin Brennan
Hey there music lovers! ATV is pleased to bring you a Monday Morning Mix featuring a fine blend of 70s hard rock. 14 killer tunes flowing into what is known on the street as the Stereo Dictator’s 75 Minutes of 70s Volume One. Feast your musical mind on this free prize and give your week a little kick start.
Download the entire mix here.
“I Got the Fire” - Montrose
On the heels of their landmark debut, Montrose released Paper Money, a solid follow-up featuring this burner, which sounds like an outtake from the first album. Ted Templeman’s production keeps it crisp and pounding while Ronnie tears it down appropriately.
“Never Before” – Deep Purple
Deep Purple’s Machine Head was filled with FM hits yet this song was the expected single upon release. Poppy in a rockin way thanks to the muscle applied to the arrangement, on another album it may have stood out and become a chart-topper. An underrated tune that moves well, has memorable lyrics and is very reflective of the era.
“The Rover” – Led Zeppelin
Physical Graffiti arguably presented Zeppelin at their best with this tune letting them do what they do best: blues-based boogie, patented layers of Page guitar, a powerful rhythm section brought way up front by Page the producer, and Plant’s hippie-fied stories about the uncertainties of life.
“Fairies Wear Boots” – Black Sabbath
Paranoid was a ground-breaker and “Fairies” is a song that helped to create the Sabbath template. Whether the song was written in a smoke-filled haze or following an encounter with skinheads is still up for debate. What’s not is the significance of blending blues, metal and jazz with a wailing vocalist in 1970.
“Nobody’s Fault” - Aerosmith
Back when Aerosmith was on a roll, Rocks was the hammer in their catalog. Hard and heavy, it opened eyes as to the band’s ability to throw down a firestorm of rock and roll. “Nobody’s Fault” is perhaps the greatest example. Intelligent, raunchy and wholly satisfying.
“Go to Hell” – Alice Cooper
As the wheels were beginning to come off the Alice Cooper machine in 1976, Alice hit the studio with Bob Ezrin to create one more masterpiece, Goes to Hell. Fortifying the band were twin guitar killers Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter, notable for their excellence on Lou Reed’s Rock and Roll Animal a few years earlier. “Go to Hell” captures Alice at his sinister, story-telling best.
“D.O.A.” – Van Halen
Van Halen II continued the myth while delivering the goods, including this loose and loud outlaw tale. David Lee Roth is the misunderstood hero while Eddie V pulls out a primal riff and plays the hell out of it. Must-have Van Halen right here.
“Gotta Keep a Runnin” – The Godz
Don Brewer of Grand Funk produced, the band put the pedal to the metal and here it is. A true classic featuring one of the all-time great rock raps courtesy of madman Eric Moore, and a great driving song to boot. It’s too bad that the Godz peaked with their first album, but at least we have this well-worn anthem.
“Motor City Madhouse” – Ted Nugent
Keepin’ your pulse rate runnin’ high is this bit of rock frenzy from Ted Nugent, one of several songs that made his post-Amboy Dukes debut one of the greatest guitar-hero albums of the 70s. This slice of psychosis is like a rollercoaster; you are on, you are moving at full speed, and you are not getting off for four and-a-half minutes.
“Shinin’ On” – Grand Funk
When quad was quad on LP and 8-track, the guitar intro to “Shinin’ On” was prime stereo outlet demo material, with and without headphones for full effect. Producer Todd Rundgren applied a generous helping of heavy-metal sheen to the band’s core sound and struck gold. Shinin’ On went to #5, bolstered by the title track, an FM favorite, and a remake of Little Eva’s “The Loco-Motion,” which became a #1 single.
“Overdose” – AC/DC
The combination of AC/DC with Vanda & Young as producers gave the band an entirely different feel than what was to come later with Mutt Lange. This is groove-based metal blues that allows you to feel a genuine connection to the music. The guitars are truly razor-sharp, Bon Scott is right on top of it, and the whole things rocks. A supergroup to-be at its roots.
“Faith Healer” – Sensational Alex Harvey Band
This hypnotic showpiece is one of the key tracks on Next, the most well-rounded album in Harvey’s eclectic catalog. A glitterized evangelical trip, this is another pioneering moment of the headphone-era that leaves you wanting more. Seek it out and experience more of the brilliance of the SAHB.
“Panic in Detroit” – David Bowie
A raging lead guitar from the legendary Mick Ronson wails over the top of a sometimes walking, sometimes running bass line hopped up by maracas and congas while Bowie name-checks controversial figures, adding to the panic with his somewhat urgent narrative, all the while backed up by female singers. It’s a handful and it’s glorious.
“White Punks on Dope” – The Tubes
A staple of FM radio until the FCC outlawed the F-word, this is quintessential 70s. Producer Al Kooper masterfully weaves together the conglomeration of musical ideas for this tribute to the idle hands of rich suburban kids. The whole thing is so over the top (remember Fee Waybill as “Quay Lude”?) that it makes sense while never losing a real rock edge. Think of it as “Bohemian Rhapsody” for an alternative crowd.
Join us next time for another mix you’ll just have to have courtesy of the Stereo Dictator and AAAAY TEEEEE VEEEEE!
75 Minutes of 70s Volume One
I Got the Fire – Montrose
Never Before – Deep Purple
The Rover – Led Zeppelin
Fairies Wear Boots – Black Sabbath
Nobody’s Fault – Aerosmith
Go to Hell – Alice Cooper
D.O.A. – Van Halen
Gotta Keep a Runnin – The Godz
Motor City Madhouse – Ted Nugent
Shinin On – Grand Funk
Overdose – AC/DC
Faith Healer – Sensational Alex Harvey Band
Panic in Detroit – David Bowie
White Punks on Dope – The Tubes
Download the entire mix now.
oneHistory Of The Eagles – Story Of An American Band
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
2013 finds the Eagles celebrating 42 years as a band (with a lengthy "vacation" break representing a good chunk of those years, of course) and they'll do it in style with a tour and two-part documentary which will premiere on Showtime on February 15 and February 16.
History of the Eagles - Story of an American Band will feature choice footage from the old days, sourced from a seven camera shoot during the Hotel California tour. The film also incorporates multi-track audio recorded during that same tour at a show in Maryland.
History Of The Eagles - The Story Of An American Band from Eagles on Vimeo.
When I first heard about this, I was skeptical as far as how comprehensive it would be, in terms of giving coverage to ex-band members, but lo and behold, there's Don Felder being interviewed in the film (and also Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon as well).
The Eagles Fastlane folks had a chance to see the first part at a special premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and have been sharing their thoughts on Facebook, along with some choice tidbits. Here's a one big chunk (which you should avoid if you don't like spoilers):
There's a long section about Victim of Love. Don and Glenn talk about how Felder would make tapes and they would usually just be these guitar runs, but once in a while there would be something there that they could use. They wrote Victim of Love and Felder thought that he was going to sing lead on it.
Henley says, "I don't recall any promises being made about who would sing lead on that song." and Glenn says kind of the same thing...that there were no guarantees about who would sing what, but that apparently, Felder had gotten it in his head that this song was his.
Felder tells the story of how Irving took him out to dinner to break the news to him that he wasn't getting that song while at the same time, Henley was back in the studio recording the lead vocals.
Henley makes the comment that the thought of Felder singing lead on Victim of Love made as much sense as him playing the lead guitar solo in Hotel California.
There was talk of tensions and how things were getting stressful. It's implied that Felder created factions by getting Joe to side against Don and Glenn.
What really was surprising was to hear the story of the Long Beach show. We've only ever read about this, but to listen to Glenn and Felder tell the story, you can see that they still aren't over it...not by a long shot. Glenn talks about how Felder took his "cheapest guitar" and smashed it. The most amazing thing, though, is that there is actually audio of Glenn and Felder going at it on stage.
"I'm gonna kill you."
They argue about money and Glenn calls Felder a fuckhead. There are photos of Felder getting in the car after the show and someone (we think it was Glenn) flipping off the car with both hands.
When Henley talks about Felder, he refers to him as "Mr. Felder. "
The current members of the band were on hand at Sundance to answer questions about the film, which was directed by Alison Ellwood and produced by Alex Gibney.
According to Gibney, it's a very honest portrait of the group:
"They were very forthcoming and quite honest about the harder times they had together, but there's another issue because they didn't do much press" in the 1970s," Ellwood says. "It's really a myth that they fought all the time. This amazing footage of them from 1977, at the height of their career, shows they are generally having fun onstage together."
Ellwood, an Eagles fan who bought "Desperado" when it came out, and Gibney say they were familiar with the music but largely unfamiliar with the story of the Eagles when they started. Fascinated with roots that include Bob Seger, Kenny Rogers, the Flying Burrito Brothers and Linda Ronstadt, Gibney notes their goal was to "tell the story inside out," to reveal the artistic side of the band and how they made decisions to lead to classics such as "Take It Easy," "Desperado" and "Hotel California."
"It's a classic rock 'n' roll story," he says, adding, "it's the Beatles story," referring to a band walking away from the stage at the peak of their powers.
"Nobody comes off as a villain," Ellwood notes. "The antagonisms that occurred -- all the members talk about it. It was this thing that imploded on itself.
After the documentary premieres in February on Showtime, it will be out on DVD in April and the related History of the Eagles tour dates are set to begin in June and that tour will include "former members," according to Henley. Which former members? We'll have to wait and see on that part.
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