What makes this triumphant comeback from these Boston legends all the more sweeter was the realization of how Too Much Joy has served as a secret template for some of the best new power pop of the last 20 years.
We weren’t really planning on making another record; this album only exists because 2020 sucked so goddamn much.
Too Much Joy is/was a punk-pop band of some minor renown. Some of that renown was due to their music, which included semi-hits such as “Crush Story,” “Donna Everywhere,” and “That’s a Lie” — a cover of the LL Cool J tune that featured the man himself in the music video, which actually got played quite a bit during daylight hours on MTV back when they did that sort of thing.
Our humble hope is that, since it now exists, it can make whatever year you’re listening to it in suck a little bit less. 25 years late but more than well worth it! Too Much Joy are back with amazing album start to finish. Hooks that stick with you for days, crashing guitars and lyrics that still have the angry young wiseass of their earlier work with some old guy wisdom thrown in. Not only have they not missed a step they have put out an album that shows maturity without losing any of the loud fast power pop of the old days!
Jay Blumenfield: guitar, vocals, zoloft Tim Quirk: vocals, edibles Sandy Smallens: bass, vocals, guitar, ardbeg Tommy Vinton: drums, vodka, cranberry William Wittman: bass, guitar, keys, vocals, yamazaki 18
Guest vocals on “Uncle Watson Wants to Think” by Joan Osborne. Joan Osborne appears courtesy of Womanly Hips Music.
Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul have announced the release of a new live album,“Summer Of Sorcery Live! At The Beacon Theatre” on July 9th through Wicked Cool Records/UMe. It will be available on on blu-ray video with 5.1 surround, 3CD and as a limited edition 5LP vinyl box set
Professionally filmed and recorded before a sold-out crowd at New York City’s historic Beacon Theatre on November 6th 2019, the live concert extravaganza, Summer Of Sorcery Live! At The Beacon Theatre, expertly captures Little Steven, aka Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Van Zandt, bringing the house down with his band the Disciples of Soul showcasing their acclaimed 2019 album “Summer Of Sorcery”: a 12-track record about the first rush of summer and the electric feeling of unlimited possibilities.
With summer just around the corner, Van Zandt is pleased to announce the full two-and-a-half-hour concert – the triumphant hometown culmination of the Summer of Sorcery’s European and U.S. tours – will be released July 9th via Wicked Cool Records/UMe The limited edition 5LP 180-gram “Psychedelic Psorcery Pswirl” colour vinyl box set, which will be exclusively available viauDiscoverMusic and though Little Steven’sofficial website.
The Blu-ray features the entire concert in HD video with the audio offered in both stereo and 5.1 surround sound to provide the next best possible experience to being at the rock ‘n’ soul revue. The live album, which was mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Bob Ludwig, both career-long collaborators, includes thrilling performances of every song from Summer of Sorcery alongside tracks from throughout Van Zandt’s solo career, songs he wrote for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and some souped-up covers.
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul were joined throughout the Summer of Sorcery tour by an array of legendary friends and family. Summer of Sorcery Live! At The Beacon Theatre is highlighted by a surprise appearance by the one and only Peter Wolf, who lends his inimitable vocals to powerhouse versions of J Geils Band’s “Freeze Frame” and Artists United Against Apartheid’s landmark protest anthem, “Sun City.”
Summer Of Sorcery Live! At The Beacon Theatre is rounded out with nearly an extra hour of live music featuring seven previously unreleased bonus performances recorded throughout 2017-2019, including with such superstar special guests as Australian music legends Jimmy Barnes and Peter Garrett, longtime friend and E Street Band bandmate Nils Lofgren, and the legendary Nick Gravenites, who joins Van Zandt for a spectacular rendition of the Electric Flag’s “Groovin’ Is Easy.” In addition, Peter Wolf returns for an explosive cover of The Showstoppers’ hit, “(Ain’t Nothin’ But A) Houseparty,” recorded during the Soulfire Tour but, according to Van Zandt, “too good to leave on the shelf.” The festivities come to a rousing conclusion with a star-studded version of “Sun City,” which edits together performances with Jimmy Barnes, Jake Clemons, Sam Fender, Peter Garrett, Courtney Hadwin, Garland Jeffreys and Bruce Springsteen.
“We were born freaks, misfits, and outcasts,” Van Zandt writes in the album’s liner notes, which also include personal comments about each performance. “We got into this business because no other would have us. While we were here we figured we might as well create a world of our own, because we didn’t fit in the one we were being offered. Being on the road with a band is the ultimate manifestation of that fantasy. Together you travel, you perform, you dispense joy, and you get to see the world while avoiding it at the same time.
“Such was the case with the troubadour missionaries and part-time exorcists known as the Disciples of Soul as they sprinkled enlightenment to a dark world from May 27th, 2017 to November 6th, 2019. First as the Soulfire was lit in the overture and finally as the Summer of Sorcery played out its magical denouement. Herein embodies the still sparkling evidence of the latter, that which began as stranger’s prayers imagined and ended as a family’s promise fulfilled. Enjoy it at as much as we did at whatever volume is required to force your neighbours to call the cops.”
Arranged and produced by Van Zandt, with production assistance by Grammy Award-winner Geoff Sanoff (Bruce Springsteen, Stephen Colbert). Summer of Sorcery Live! At The Beacon Theatre kicks off with a very special introduction from counterculture icon Wavy Gravy and from there traverses across Little Steven’s genre-smashing body of work, from Summer of Sorcery and 2017’s acclaimed solo return, Soulfire through classic songs and fan favourites from the songwriter, guitarist and band leader’s illustrious career, including an incendiary three-song salvo celebrating his work with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes (“Little Girl So Fine,” “Trapped Again,” and “LoveOn The Wrong Side Of Town”). Further highlights include spectacular covers of The Youngbloods’ “On Sir Francis Drake,” The Dovells’ “Bristol Stomp,” The Animals’ “Club-A-Go-Go,” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Tucson Train.”
“I’ve got plenty of energy, it’s my currency” sings Amy Taylor on the opening track of “Comfort To Me”. After the release of self-titled Amyl and The Sniffers (2019), the band conquered the world one club gig and festival stage at a time. Their unrelenting, jaw-dropping live show propelled them to must-see status and prompted The Guardian to declare AATS “the single most exhilarating rock’n’roll show I’ve seen in years.” Comfort To Me is somehow both heavier and more awesome than their debut while having a new vulnerability and timely lyrical content.
Already renowned for a ball-tearing live show, The Sniffers made their international debut as one of the hottest tipped acts at The Great Escape in 2018. Soon afterwards, they signed deals with both Rough Trade Records and ATO Records, made a massively hyped appearance at SXSW, and finally released their self-titled debut album in 2019, landing them an ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Award for Best Rock Album, capping off a wild year for the lunatic, likeable punks.
Late in 2020, Amyl and The Sniffers went into the studio with producer Dan Luscombe to record their sophomore album, “Comfort To Me“. Written over a long year of lockdown, the album was influenced by and expanded on a heavier pool of references – old-school rock’n’roll (AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, Motörhead and Wendy O Williams), modern hardcore (Warthog and Power Trip) and the steady homeland heroes (Coloured Balls and Cosmic Psychos). Lyrically, the album was influenced by Taylor’s rap idols and countless garage bands and in her words ‘I had all this energy inside of me and nowhere to put it, because I couldn’t perform, and it had a hectic effect on my brain. My brain evolved and warped and my way of thinking about the world completely changed.’
Seventeen songs were recorded in the Comfort to Me sessions and the top 13 made the cut. They were mixed long-distance by Nick Launay (Nick Cave, IDLES, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and mastered by Bernie Grundman (Michael Jackson, Prince, Dr Dre).
“Comfort To Me” demonstrates the same irrepressible smarts, integrity and fearless candour as their debut but as you’d expect of any young band five years on, their sound has evolved, in Amy’s words it’s ‘raw self expression, defiant energy and unapologetic vulnerability.’
“Comfort To Me” Deluxe “Melt Edition” Vinyl w/Zine
Includes exclusive 20-page A5 zine featuring “all kinds of personal crap, lovingly chucked together by Amyl and The Sniffers.“
Exclusive alternate artwork by Bráulio Amado
3-color yellow, red, and blue a-side/b-side vinyl
Pressing limited to 2,000 in the US
Available exclusively in ATO/Amyl online stores
Gatefold jacket with custom inner-sleeve, includes digital download
New Studio Album Out September 10th Deluxe Limited Edition Tri-Color Vinyl,
Lu’s Jukebox is a six-volume series of mostly full-band performances recorded live at Ray Kennedy’s Room and Board Studio in Nashville, TN. Each volume features a themed set of songs by other artists curated by the multi-Grammy award winner, Lucinda Williams.
The series aired as ticketed shows through Mandolin in late 2020 with a portion of ticket sales benefitting independent music venues struggling to get by through the pandemic. Like thousands of artists, Williams cut her teeth and developed her craft by playing in small, medium and large clubs throughout the country, and the world. These venues are vital to the development of artists and their music. Williams has never forgotten her roots, and often performs special shows in some of her favourite halls.
Revered singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams is working to help independent music venues during this time with the announcement of Lu’s Jukebox. Scheduled as a six-episode series of mostly full-band, HD video performances in-studio, Lu’s Jukebox features a themed set of songs by other artists curated by the multi-Grammy award winner. Largely full-band performances, Lucinda has poured her heart and soul into each of these episodes.
Lu’s Jukebox Vol. 2 Southern Soul finds Lucinda dishing out numbers from Memphis to Muscle Shoals and beyond and tackling the likes of Joe South’s “Games People Play”, Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode To Billy Joe”, Ann Peebles’ “I Can’t Stand The Rain”, Tony Joe White’s “Rainy Night In Georgia” and Al Green’s “Take Me To The River” among others.
“The Flatlanders, the iconic Texas trio of Butch Hancock, Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, have made their first album of new music in more than 12 years. Treasure of Love will be released on July 9, but today the band released the single Sittin’ On Top of the World, well known by fans as one of their most notable show closers. “Sometimes you’re sitting on top of the world, the next minute you are face down on the bottom. Just like life. (And the very next minute you are at the top again),” said Butch Hancock. Added Joe Ely: “It’s better to sit on top of it, rather than carry it. It’s a song that once you have it in your head you have to sing it.”
Almost 50 years after the sessions that would make them an “accidental Texas supergroup” The Flatlanders have returned with “Treasure Of Love”, their first new album in more than a decade. Completed during COVID-19 lockdowns with the help of long time friend and collaborator Lloyd Maines, the record finds the iconic trio of Joe Ely, Jimmie DaleGilmore, and Butch Hancock in classic form, serving up a rollicking collection of twang-fuelled, harmony-laden performances full of wry humour and raw heartbreak. While a few songs here are never-before-heard originals, the vast majority of the track list consists of tunes the band picked up during their half-century together, some stretching as far back as the group’s earliest performances in the honkytonks around Lubbock, TX, where you might have spotted Willie Nelson or Townes Van Zandt in the audience.
Sittin’ On Top of the World · The Flatlanders · Butch Hancock · Joe Ely · Jimmie Dale Gilmore · Walter Vinson · Lonnie Chatmon Sittin’ on Top of the World ℗ 2021 Rack ‘Em Records marketed and distributed by Thirty Tigers Released on: 2021-05-07
The Allman Brothers Band’s drummer Jai Johanny Johanson, also know as Jaimoe, celebrates his 77th birthday today. Born Johnny Lee Johnson in Ocean Springs, Mississippi on July 8th, 1944, Jaimoe began his musical career with notable artists like Otis Redding and Sam & Dave before helping to found The Allman Brothers Band in 1969 with guitarists Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, keyboardist Gregg Allman, bassist Berry Oakley and fellow drummer Butch Trucks.
It was the double drum attack of Jaimoe and Trucks that drove The ABB’s live sound, which was quickly becoming renowned throughout the U.S. Just over a year after The Allman Brothers Band was founded, the band delivered a stellar performance at SUNY Stony Brook in Stony Brook, New York. The show took place on July 26th, 1970.
The set kicks off with “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’.” The song, and indeed the whole set, featured the aforementioned locomotive-like driving beat from Jaimoe and Trucks. The steady and yet complex rhythm not only provided a foundation for The Allman Brothers Band’s guitar players, but also something to play off of. The bluesy “Stormy Monday” followed ahead of the group’s classic instrumental “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed,” which saw Butch and Jaimoe weaving a web of rhythm underneath the melodic elements of the band. The riff-driven “You Don’t Love Me” came next and featured a more straightforward rock ‘n’ roll backbeat. Another ABB classic, “Dreams,” followed ahead of “Mountain Jam” which, as it often did, stretched to over 30 minutes.
Unlike The Grateful Dead, their obvious and acknowledged model for reissuing vintage live recordings, The Allman Brothers Band have not shied away from exploring their early work in an attempt to demonstrate that they were as good in 1980 and 1990 as they were in 1970.
Setlist: Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’, Stormy Monday, In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed, You Don’t Love Me, Dreams, Mountain Jam
Strand Of Oaks (Timothy Showalter) will release a new studio album “In Heaven” due on October 1st. The album features the lead track and single, “Galacticana.”
Showalter recorded In Heaven in October 2020 at Invisible Creature in Los Angeles with producer Kevin Ratterman, who also produced 2019’s Eraserland. The sessions followed Showalter’s relocating from Philadelphia to Austin, Texas and the unexpected deaths of Showalter’s wife Sue’s mother in a car accident and the couples’ beloved cat Stan.
Showalter played guitar and, for the first time since 2014’s Heal, synthesizers. My Morning Jacket guitarist Carl Bromel and keyboardist Bo Koster, who contributed to Eraserland, were brought back for the In Heaven sessions. Ratterman played drums alongside bassist Cedric LeMoyne. Violinist Scott Moore appears on the new album and special guest James Iha (The Smashing Pumpkins) added guitar and vocals to the track “Easter.”
I am beyond thrilled to announce my newest record In Heaven. Hard to put into words how much these songs mean to me and the love that went into creating them. Over this tough year or so this Oaks community has brought me endless strength and made me feel less alone. The first single Galacticana is for all of you, it’s my love letter to all of us. Please do me a favour and if you like this band/song share this with your friends. You can pre order and listen at our website. Let me know what you think in the comments, as always I’d love to hear from you! You all mean the world to me, Best tim
“In Heaven” was created with so much love and my greatest hope is that it connects with people and provides a momentary space for reflection, joy, catharsis and whatever else someone might be looking for in their life,” Showalter stated. “Music is magic and I feel like the luckiest person in the world that I’m allowed to share it.”
Strand Of Oaks will tour the U.S. in support of In Heaven throughout October and November.
Jack White’s 46th birthday. The renowned singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer was born on July 9th, 1975 in Detroit. Jack found fame and acclaim with his band “The White Stripes” around the turn of the century and the highly influential duo, featuring Meg White on drums, ushered in an era of blues-leaning, garage rock duos like The Black Keys and the Kills and more who came to prominence in the 2000s.
The aughties also saw Jack exploring other groups with a number of the artists he influenced. In 2005, he formed The Raconteurs with fellow Detroit rocker Brendan Benson and in 2009 White also teamed up with Alison Mosshart of the aforementioned The Kills for The Dead Weather. The White Stripes released their final album, “Icky Thump“, in 2007, and officially announced their departure in 2011. While Jack White was firmly established as a towering figure in 21st-century rock, 2012 was nonetheless a pivotal year in his career.
Jack released his debut solo album, Blunderbuss, in April 2012 and six months later on October 28th would close out the Voodoo Experience in New Orleans’ City Park. The famed and historic music town was a perfect setting for White. Always keenly aware of visual aesthetics, White and his backing band the Buzzards dressed like hardworking musicians of a bygone century. White would also pull from his own history for the 21-song set with songs from the Stripes, Raconteurs, Dead Weather and his new solo catalogue.
Jack got things going with two tunes off Blunderbuss in “Sixteen Saltines” and “Missing Pieces.” The set also contained White Stripes classics like “Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground,” “Fell In Love With A Girl” and “I’m Slowly Turning Into You.” Additionally, White delivered The Raconteurs’ “Top Yourself” and “Steady As She Goes” along with The Dead Weather’s “Cut Like A Buffalo.”
Ever the blues lover and champion, White dedicated the piano-driven “Trash Tongue Talker,” which appears on Blunderbuss, to New Orleans blues great James Booker. “I want to do one, now, by one of your own,” White said before correcting himself. “No, I want to do one for one of your own. This is for James Booker.” The rollicking WhiteStripes blues number “Ball and Biscuit” would bring the set to a close ahead of a four-song encore heavy on Stripes material and closing with the anthem “Seven Nation Army.”
Jack White live @ The voodoo experience festival New Orleans 2012 With The buzzards
Setlist: 01 Sixteen Saltines 02 Missing Pieces 03 Cannon (The White Stripes Song) 04 Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground (The White Stripes Song) 05 Love Interruption 06 Top Yourself (The Raconteurs Song) 07 I Cut Like A Buffalo (The Dead Weather Song) 08 Trash Tongue Talker 09 The Same Boy You’ve Always Known (The White Stripes Song) 10 Blunderbuss 11 Fell In Love With A Girl (The White Stripes Song) 12 Steady, As She Goes (The Raconteurs Song) 13 I’m Slowly Turning Into You (The White Stripes Song) 14 Another Way To Die 15 Blue Blood Blues (The Dead Weather Song) 16 Misirlou (Dick Dale And His DelTones Cover) 17 Ball And Biscuit (The White Stripes Song) 18 Encore Break 19 Freedom At 21 20 Hello Operator (The White Stripes Song) 21 Catch Hell Blues (The White Stripes Song) 22 Seven Nation Army Enjoy 🙂
Margo Price filmed a performance of “Hey Child” featuring a choir of musical friends and current artists she admires for “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’s ” PlayAtHome video series. The video celebrates the one-year anniversary of Price’s“That’s How Rumours Get Started” album release as does “Live From The Other Side”, a new EP due out via Loma Vista Recordings next Friday, July 16th.
Price assembled with Russell, Victoria, Franklin and Armstrong in Nashville for the new take on “Hey Child,” a single originally released on That’s How Rumors Get Started. “As the group’s first time back in a musical environment since receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, the shoot for ‘Hey Child’ was free of fear and full of love, laughter and sheer, uninhibited singing,” noted a press release.
“Live From The Other Side” features the “Hey Child” performance unveiled today as well as a cover of The Beatles’“Help” played with Adia, Allison, Kam and Kyshona and a solo rendition of “That’s How Rumors Get Started” from the Nashville session.
Margo Price performs a spellbinding arrangement of “Hey Child” featuring vocals from Adia Victoria, Allison Russell, Kam Franklin and Kyshona Armstrong. Hear the song on her album “That’s How Rumors Get Started,” and find this special rendition on the brand new “Live From The Other Side” EP out July 16th.
A note from Margo Price about the anniversary of That’s How Rumors Get Started and how Tina Turner influenced Live From The Other Side:
“So much has happened since I released That’s How Rumors Get Started into the world in 2020. I hope it kept you warm during those cold, lonely nights. Some things changed for the better, some for the worse. I know I am stronger and wiser than before but there is also an innocence lost, a naivety that we will never have back. When I think of the carefree moments of the old days, I wish I had enjoyed it more but ignorance is bliss, isn’t it?!
I would also like to dedicate this EP to a hero of all of ours – Ms. Tina Turner. Her work has had such a massive influence on me ever since I heard her story and watched her movie What’s Love Got To Do With It when I was just ten years old. Her strength, talent and truth have inspired me endlessly and I loved performing her interpretation of ‘Help’ by The Beatles. I believe in the power to manifest your own destiny and I offer Tina’s Buddhist mantra to anyone who may need it: ‘Namu Myoho Renge Kyo’ means ‘I honour the Universal Mystical Law of Cause and Effect.’ Take it with you wherever you go and hope to see you down the highway.”
The Coda Collection has been steadily releasing incredible exclusive content for music lovers everywhere with their impressive array of concert films and documentaries. The Black Crowes have teamed up with The Coda Collection to premiere “Brothers of a Feather”, a film that captures brothers Chris and Rich Robinson reuniting for an intimate, sold-out 2020 show in San Francisco right before the pandemic caused shutdowns that disrupted the music industry.
The most recent reunion that is showcased in Brothers of a Feather marks the first time the brothers came together as The Black Crowes since the group’s split in 2015. The reconciliation also spawned a 46-date tour which has been rescheduled for this year. Chris and Rich last toured under the Brothers Of A Feather moniker in 2006 and released the live album “Brothers Of A Feather: Live At The Roxy” the following summer.
In addition to the film, The Coda Collection has also obtained “Live at Landgraaf 1993“, which showcases the band’s European debut at the Pinkpop festival after the release of their landmark album “Shake Your Money Maker“.
Also available to stream is 1996’s “Amsterdam Sessions“, filmed at a Holland recording studio which highlights the band’s third and fourth albums “America” and “Three Snakes and One Charm“, respectively.
The Black Crowes perform a stunning acoustic rendition of “Remedy” from Brothers of a Feather You can watch all three Black Crowes films now through The Coda Collection via Amazon Prime.
The Fat Angel Sings 