Incubus’ newest album Monuments and Melodies Melds Hits with rarities

:: Incubus ::

:: Mile High Music Festival ::

:: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park ::

:: July 18 ::

By Joseph Kovack

Incubus has been on a journey for nearly 20 years, finding themselves and musically evolving along the way.

With the release of Monuments and Melodies last month, Incubus has put out six albums and toured for roughly 12 out of the last 15 years, only stopping to rest and record for brief periods before setting out on the long road, yet again.

With the exception of new bass player Ben Kenney, formerly of The Roots, the guys of Incubus have been friends and bandmates since 1991, when they met in high school in southern California. In a recent interview with The Marquee, frontman Brandon Boyd discussed the band’s beginnings and how that led to the dynamic connection they have today.

“The foundation of our friendship was that we all liked surfing. We liked skating and going to shows when touring bands would come through the Hollywood valley, and it was really just a logical step for us to start a band of our own,” said Boyd. “When we first started the band it was just a high school garage band, and we just turned it up as loud as possible and tried to sound as bashy as we could. Mike [Einziger] was a good guitar player from square one and Jose [Pasillas] was a good drummer from square one, but I didn’t know how to sing. I just … I guess, had the balls to go up and bark into the P.A. and just yell over the top of the music.” FULL STORY — CONTINUE — READ MORE »

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Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam tour on Frampton-produced album

:: Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam ::

:: Mile High Music Festival ::

:: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park ::

:: July 18 ::

By Timothy Dwenger

Twenty-two-year-old guitar prodigy Davy Knowles has been turning heads on both sides of the pond for several years now. Hailing from the tiny Isle of Man in the U.K., Knowles’ incendiary guitar style has earned comparisons to legends ranging from Stevie Ray Vaughn to Jimi Hendrix. Propelled by a fierce version of the classic “Outside Woman Blues,” made famous by Cream in the late ’60s, his first album, Roll Away, exploded onto the blues scene in 2007 and put his name on the radar of critics and fans alike.

In addition to serious guitar chops, Knowles possesses an improbably mature and weathered voice for such a young man. This only adds to his credibility in the music world, as he howls and barks the blues like he has lived them for decades upon decades. His new release, Coming Up for Air, picks up where Roll Away left off, throwing the listener straight into the fray with the powerful one-two punch of the title track followed by the arena-ready, train wreck anthem, “Riverbed.”

FULL STORY — CONTINUE — READ MORE »

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:: The Black Keys ::

:: Saturday, July 18 ::

The Black Keys are, simply put, explosive.

With every thump, the duo works into a frenzy of tangled rock and tinny blues that sets hearts pounding and stops them again without warning.

Through collaboration with producer Danger Mouse, the frantic rebellion and fierce independence of the early Keys gives way to well-crafted spurts of melodic genius in their fifth studio album Attack & Release. Drummer Patrick Carney said of their change on the newest album, “I think Dan and I were intrigued to work with somebody as a producer because we both realized we couldn’t teach ourselves anything more, and it was best to start learning from other people. When we were, like, 22, we didn’t have the money to do this; by the time we were 24, maybe we thought we knew more than we actually did. Now, at 27, we maybe just realized we had stopped being broke, and stopped being dip-shits, and we could learn from other people who make records.”

 — Alex Samuel

:: Ben Harper & Relentless 7 ::

:: Saturday, July 18 ::

At last, Ben Harper is born-again — revived by a wave of gritty American rock from Austin-based Relentless7.

On his latest disc, White Lies for Dark Times, released this May, his first with Relentless7, Harper’s familiar vocals fuse with the trio’s whiskey-soaked rock to create eleven tracks that boast a refreshing balance of beauty and twang — savoring only the best of Harper’s past and soaring forward with inspired vigor. It’s a timeless rock record, with a cohesive collection of music that is as raw, unrelenting and thunderous, as it is arrestingly haunting and emotional.

“Ben Harper is that rare talent able to not only vacation in the worlds of gospel, soul, folk and even reggae,” wrote Billboard, “but sometimes you just want him to rock…And at long last, he’s assembled a new band that seems dedicated to just that.”

— Alex Samuel

:: Rocco Deluca and the Burden ::

:: Saturday, July 18 ::

“The blues died when they took the ‘fuck’ out of it,” wrote a seemingly shy and unassuming Rocco DeLuca in his bio. “The music I was raised on had heat. Energy. That feeling of aggression. The music of today seems so washed out and generic. To get ‘em back we need to stick the real soul, that punk element back into it. It’s the only way I know how to play it.” It’s with that ferocity and determination that DeLuca’s debut album, I Trust You To Kill Me, challenges the listener to dive head first into the heart and soul of a musical revolution.

As with many artists, the road from the past to the reality of today is rarely an even journey. DeLuca’s was no exception. With a traveling musician for a father and having not met his mother until just three years ago, he’ll be the first to tell you that he’s spent a few cold nights on park benches. It was through those years that DeLuca found the strength to keep his creative drive unyielding. “You’ve gotta die a few times and be fierce enough to fall. I’ve fallen on my face many times. Whether it was on stage or with my family, but it’s those times and battle scars that make my music what it is today,” DeLuca said.

 — Brian F. Johnson

:: Dead Confederate ::

:: Sunday, July 19 ::

Dead Confederate’s music is intense - a lumbering, Southern, psychedelic grizzly that reveals itself like fireworks in slow motion. Their songs build before they burst into either giant melodic overtures or a shimmering cascade of saturated squalor — or both. They’re rock songs with a drawl. But when a charge is needed, Dead Confederate cuts through the fog in favor of razor sharp punkers that pay tribute to Nineties rock heroes. Jambase called them, “Arguably the most sonically powerful act in the burgeoning psychedelia-dosed scene in Atlanta, Ga. … a harbinger of a new rise of psychedelic rock.”

But despite their heritage, the band is set to shift the paradigm of the perception of Southern rock. “They did a review of us in Creative Loafing where the guy said that ‘Southern music does not begin and end with Duane Allman,’ and he’s right. And that’s what we’re out to prove.” said lead singer and guitarist Hardy Morris.

— Brian F. Johnson

:: Joe Pug ::

:: Sunday, July 19 ::

The day before his senior year as a playwright student at the University of North Carolina, Joe Pug sat down for a cup of coffee and had the clearest thought of his life: “I am profoundly unhappy here.” Then came the second clearest. Pug packed up his belongings and drove the longest route possible to Chicago. Working as a carpenter by day, the 23-year-old Pug spent nights playing the guitar he hadn’t picked up since his teenage years.

Using ideas originally slated for a play he was writing called Austin Fish, Pug began creating the sublime lyrical masterpiece that would become the Nation of Heat EP. The songs were recorded fast and fervently at a Chicago studio where a friend snuck him in to late night slots other musicians had canceled.

In May of 2008 Pug played the first headlining slot of his young career to a sold out crowd at Chicago’s storied Schubas Tavern. Two weeks later, he released the Nation of Heat EP, which has garnered near-universal critical acclaim and established him as a respected new songwriter. He plans to release his debut full length record in 2009.

 — Brian F. Johnson

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Aerosmith works on new album and brings old one, Toys in the attic, on tour in its entirety

:: Aerosmith ::
 :: Fiddler’s Green :: August 1 ::

By Brandon Daviet

When you ponder the curious career of Aerosmith you really have to consider two separate phases of existence. There is, of course, the first phase that formed at the dawn of the Seventies and proceeded to spend the decade honing their music with hedonistic albums like Draw the Line and Get Your Wings, while helping cement new definitions of rock and roll excess both onstage and off. As the world ushered in the ’80s the band’s internal conflicts and reputation for partying caught up with them. While the band never actually broke up, both guitarists, Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, left the band for a while and the group’s once magical chemistry suffered. “The band had kind of broken apart in 1979 and a couple of years later the remaining members, myself, Joey and Steven, brought in another guitarist totally believing that we would pick up right where we left off and it would be Aerosmith the sequel,” said bassist Tom Hamilton, who spoke to The Marquee shortly after the first gig on the band’s current tour. “It took time to realize that wasn’t going to happen and for the five of us to realize we belonged to something really great. Then, right in that period MTV came along and I remember thinking, ‘Oh my god, we’re not going to be here for this.’ Here is this new exciting way to present your music and we were missing the boat.’’
FULL STORY — CONTINUE — READ MORE »

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Ra Ra Riot gets the nod from Death Cab for cutie to open summer tour

:: Ra Ra Riot ::

:: with Death Cab for Cutie and Andrew Bird ::

:: Red Rocks Amphitheatre :: July 14 ::

By Timothy Dwenger

For the last two years the six members of Ra Ra Riot have been touring their highly energetic brand of pop music from coast to coast, drawing rave reviews nearly everywhere they play. They have headlined mid-sized theaters, sold out small clubs, and landed some noteworthy opening slots with the likes of Editors and Tokyo Police Club.  With all their successes, however, it wasn’t until this spring that they got to look forward to some of the biggest stages in the country when they were invited to join Death Cab for Cutie’s summer tour.

“They saw us when we played at a festival in Holland that they were also playing,” guitarist Milo Bonacci told The Marquee during a recent interview as he relaxed in Brooklyn on a break from the tour which he referred to as a “month-long weekend.” “Chris Walla introduced himself to us and seemed to be really excited about our show. I don’t know if that was the first thing that sparked it or not, but it seemed to have led to some other discussions. It turns out we have some common friends in the industry, so it just sort of developed and we were thrilled to be asked to a part of the tour. It’s a huge step for us and it’s really exciting.” FULL STORY — CONTINUE — READ MORE »

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I don’t give a frog’s fat ass what you personally believe about file sharing and copyright — but the fine that was heaved at Jammie Thomas-Rasset, the first and only file sharing case to go to trial in the United States, is simply despicable and, I think, even more criminal than Thomas’ offense.

I’ve written about her case before but just to recap, Thomas-Rasset was found guilty in 2007 of illegal file sharing on Kazaa. At that time she was smacked with a $222,000 fine from the federal jury. But, a new trial was ordered after a judge claimed he erred in giving jury instructions. FULL STORY — CONTINUE — READ MORE »

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Wilco

Wilco (The Album)

Nonesuch

4 out of 5 stars

Wilco is an absolute anomaly.  Their reputation as “the cool band” has greatly overshadowed their actual album sales.  Wilco has somehow become that band that everyone says they love even though most don’t buy their albums.  Need proof?

Wilco’s bestselling album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, has sold just over 590,000 copies.  Basically they are hundreds of thousands of albums away from going platinum and are still able to pack some very large venues across the country, including their summer tour stop at Red Rocks on July 3.  This tour will hopefully feature selections from their upcoming, seventh studio effort, Wilco (The Album)—their best studio album in the post-Jay Bennett era. FULL STORY — CONTINUE — READ MORE »

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Dave Matthews Band

BigWhiskey and the GrooGrux King

RCA

3.5 out of 5 stars

The first notes you hear on Dave Matthews Band’s latest release is the unmistakable tone of late saxophonist LeRoi Moore.  It couldn’t be more appropriate considering the album is titled in honor of the founding member who died last August of complications from injuries suffered in a freak ATV accident.  “GrooGrux” is a nickname coined between Moore, drummer Carter Beauford and guitarist Tim Reynolds to describe the vibe of their sound when playing music together.  Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King (or Big Whiskey) is much more than a tribute to a fallen friend.  It is the band’s best studio effort since 1998’s Before These Crowded Streets, and finally gives the band some credible new material to incorporate into their high-energy live shows.    FULL STORY — CONTINUE — READ MORE »

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The Black Crowes

Warpaint – Live

Eagle Records

4.5 out of 5 stars

When The Black Crowes released their last album Warpaint — the band’s first release in seven years — I nearly cried while giving it only a three-star review. It should have been better.

But now, a year later, the band has released a two-disc live version of the album and the result is a 180-degree shift. Live, these songs have grown from ho-hum studio tracks to deep, full, rich songs that show The Black Crowes once again properly using their tagline as

“The world’s most rock and roll, rock and roll band.”

In addition to featuring Warpaint in its entirety, the release also throws in some classic Crowes, such as “Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye,” a great Crowes song that never made it on an album — “Darling of the Underground Press” — and some previously unreleased covers, such as the Stone’s classic “Torn and Frayed.”

The Crowes may have missed the mark with their first studio release in seven years, but this live version is a testament to their live prowess.

In late June, the band also released a live DVD version, which captures the sold-out Los Angeles concerts the album was culled from.

— Brian F. Johnson

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Patterson Hood
Murdering Oscar (and other love songs)
Ruth Street Records
5 out of 5 stars

Patterson Hood, the co-leader of Drive-By Truckers, released his second solo effort last month, Murdering Oscar (and other love songs), and in doing so proved what I’ve said about Hood dozens of times — strip away the three-guitar attack of the Truckers and he’s one of the most poetic storytellers of our time.

With this solo effort Hood does manage to get away from the crank-it-to-11 theme of the Truckers and settle into complex tales with a sweetness and innocence unseen in his group efforts.

Produced by long time Trucker knob-turner, David Barbe, Murdering Oscar finds almost every Trucker in some form or another on the album, and it also includes Hood’s first album performance with his father David, the famed Muscle Shoals bass player.
This is a great Sunday morning album, and the track “Grandaddy” is worth the disc alone. If you dig the Trucker’s softer side and you enjoyed their Dirt Underneath Tour, you’ll love this release.

— Brian F. Johnson

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Indigo Girls

Poseidon and the Bitter Bug

IG Recordings.Vanguard Records

3.5 ouf of 5 stars

Some may consider an album an antiquated concept. I don’t. For music fans, there continue to be few things as exciting as sinking your ears into a new album by a favorite artist.

Indigo Girls (Amy Ray & Emily Saliers) latest work is no exception. It’s a pleasure.

The interplay of their voices — those amazing voices — the literate (and in Emily’s case, literary lyrics), the top notch musicianship all work to make this album feel like you’re reconnecting with old friends.

This batch of songs, like most of their recorded offerings, falls short of the masterpiece I’ve been waiting for Indigo Girls to produce for 20 years. That said, Poseidon and the Bitter Bug is a solidly enjoyable batch of songs, well polished by producer Mitchell Froom (Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney), who also worked with them on their 2006 release, Despite Our Differences.

Poseidon and the Bitter Bug is available in a 2 CD version, which provides the full-band versions on one disc and duo acoustic versions on the second disc — a must-have for IG fans.

— LJ Hammer

:: Indigo Girls ::
:: Mishawaka Amphitheatre :: July 5 ::
:: Chautauqua Auditorium :: July 6 ::

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