friday funk

download: idris muhammad - power of soul

magnificent fiend

howlin' rain's self-titled debut was one of my favorite albums of 2006, but their forthcoming follow up, magnificent fiend, is even better...by easing up a bit on the distortion & adding a few new elements (the hammond b3 in particular), they've created an incredible sound that's more or less a rough take on the best psychedelic blues rock of the early seventies...think extended jams from the likes of traffic, cream, or even the grateful dead, but with a little more noise thrown in...some of the best stuff i've heard all year, magnificent fiend comes out next tuesday...& don't sleep on the live show, howlin' rain will be down at sxsw on march 13-15 & then up in chicago at the empty bottle on march 27...see you there.

download: howlin' rain - lord have mercy
download: howlin' rain - goodbye ruby

related: according to pitchfork, the band has also contributed a pair of tunes (one of them a wings cover) to the oscillation iii subscription cd series...may have to sign up for that.

buddy miles

r.i.p.

download: buddy miles - i still love you, anyway
download: buddy miles - memphis train

The Stashes

The infamous SKee-E-O dropped some amazing Ween mixtapes a couple weeks back. Some of the B-sides and rarities were familiar but there were also quite a few new discoveries that were a pleasant brown surprise.

A sampling of some of the Canary favorites from Vol's 1 + 2 below. Here's the full setlist. The sleeper for me is Transdermal. Never really latched onto the track all that much before, but something about this rehearsal version gets me...may be the guitar intro or the drum stick count off in the middle...crispy goodness.

Related: In case you missed it, Stereogum posted some nice Ween clips recently including the amazing performance of "Spirit of 76" on The Jane Pratt Show. Apparently I need to have my DVR search for Jane Pratt and catch re-runs on Lifetime ala Soul Train on WGN.

Enjoy the selections from The Stash. OO VA LA !!!

vol. 1
Download: Ween - Flutes of the Chi (demo)
Download: Ween - Kim Smoltz
Download: Ween - I'll Miss You
Download: Ween - Buckingham Green (story version)

vol. 2
Download: Ween - Cold Jam (mig, weiss, atkins)
Download: Ween - Mountains and Buffalo
Download: Ween - Transdermal Celebration (rehearsal)
Download: Ween - Oo Va La
Download: Ween - Motown

The Good News...

...Tad's a cheesehead.

The Hold Steady kill Milwaukee Friday April 11th. PRE- SALE starts Friday at noon. Password: POSITIVE

And Sticking with the Toads Place theme, track below features Ian Catskilkin of Art Brut (coutesy of Berkeley Place).
Download: The Hold Steady - Southtown Girls (11.19.07)

Dealbreakers

Regulars at The Canary know we like us some VICE, but don't sleep on co-founder Gavin McIness' new project Street Boners and TV Carnage. I've seen some of the TV Carnage DVDs over the years and the stuff is incredible. Add David Cross and a couple others to this mix and this site is the destination for lunacy.

Be sure to check it...everything from Junkies Dancing to Girl Talk to Gavin and his daughter dancing to "Heartbeats".

Update: Looks like Gavin was on Carson. Try for the video here but sounds like NBC keeps trying to remove underwear man.

Download: The Knife - Heartbeats

RIP Joe Gibbs

Joe Gibbs, influential top record producer in the 70s passed away late last week in the West Indies after suffering a heart attack.

The featured tracks below represent both the early Rocksteady portion of Gibbs career with an Errol Dunkley cut and a more well known tune from Culture off of the recently re-released 3oth anniversary edition of Two Sevens Clash.

Download: Errol Dunkley - I'm Going Home
Download: Culture - Two Sevens Clash

stay positive

the good news; the hold steady's fourth record is in the can & craig finn & tad kubler recently opened up about it to pitchfork...the bad news; tad's a cheesehead...here's a live version of the forthcoming title track, recorded last november at toad's place in richmond, va (via hypeful).

download: the hold steady - stay positive (11/19/07)

busey

gotta feel a little bad for gary busey, getting treated that way by jennifer garner & ryan seacrest...like either of them will ever do anything as great as point break...plus, it's not like he's any crazier than john travolta. (via vulture)

download: the white stripes ft. beck - it's my fault for being famous

No More Love on The Run

The most recent Frank 151 quarterly was a tribute to all things I & I. I'm glad it was because if I wouldn't have picked it up I never would have known that Billy Ocean is a "Rasta".

In the article Billy states that "Rasta wasn't something that was intentional, it just happened because I used to Jeri curl my hair and then one day I just stopped and it went locks. But Bob Marley's influence was clearly in there". Ok, whatever you say Bill.

In addition to The Queen here's a few MJ reggae covers from around the same time as the William Ocean heyday.

Download: Shinehead - Billy Jean
Download: Derrick Laro & Trinity - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough
Download: Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen

Albert Hammond ...

...is a liar. It does in fact rain in Southern California. Hopefully the rain does not interfere with inland empire racing activities in Fontucky or more importantly with the Thorogood show tomorrow.

Hat tip to Aquarium Drunkard who had included the track on the excellent LA Burnout Compilation last year.

Download: Albert Hammond - It Never Rains in Southern California
Download: Bonnie Dobson - Good Morning Rain

friday funk

download: asha puthli - you've been loud too long

the rustic contemporary sounds of...

got kind of caught up in the rustic contemporary sounds of anna kramer & the lost cause this afternoon...they're sound is sort of halfway between the front porch & the garage, a little reminiscent of the heartless bastards or maybe even lucinda williams on a couple tracks (not the ones below)...whatever, it's getting me through the day...you can stream the album here.

download: anna kramer & the lost cause - all those pretty things
download: anna kramer & the lost cause - when you see him

music of many colors

back in 1980, while touring nigeria, roy ayers (of america) hooked up with fela kuti (of africa) for this incredibly funky two-sided workout that blends touches of jazz-fusion & disco into the afrobeat formula...each artist takes the lead on one of the tracks, with ayers & his boys fronting fela's already full band on the driving "2000 blacks got to be free", & then stepping back a little before adding vibes to the more straightforward beats of "africa, center of the world"...don't even attempt to sit still while listening to these.

.

download: fela kuti & roy ayers - 2000 blacks got to be free

download: fela kuti & roy ayers - africa, center of the world

.

related: still somewhat fixated on wilco, i thought it was pretty hilarious when jeff tweedy told rolling stone a few years ago that the band was listening to a lot of fela kuti in preperation for their next album...sky blue sky screams afrobeat.

winter residency (night 5)

last night's show at the riv closed out wilco's five night stretch in chicago & as fans, we couldn't have asked for any more...they left a decent amount of rarities on the table, but came through on their promise to play every track from an official album & really put on a few of the best shows i've ever seen from them...highlights from last night; the instrumentation & extra layers andrew bird & the total (tonal?) pros horn section brought to songs like "pieholden suite" & "blood of the lamb", both were absolutely amazing...listening to tweedy call "i thought i held you" "total dogshit, one of the worst songs ever" & then mocking his own lyrics ("i'm like a songwriter/you're the reason i've run out/run out of metaphors"), i still thought it sounded great...mikael finally stepping up during "the thanks i get", his organ overpowered the horns & the responsive audience...hearing the beginning of "red-eyed & blue" & knowing the next couple songs were going to get rowdy, without question these segments were my favorite parts of the week, i kind of feel bad for those who only went friday or tuesday & didn't get to see songs like "i got you", "monday" & "casino queen" (stirratt was even jumping off speakers last night during "i got you")...also, the drone during "less than you think" was surprisingly captivating, especially when the crowd noise reached the levels coming out of the speakers as the band walked off stage...& i couldn't think of a better way to end these shows than last night's "dreamer in my dreams", it was just so fucking good...if you've found my gushing a little annoying over the past couple days (dg), you can finally rest easy that these shows are over...at least until, as tweedy said last night, they come back to do it again next year...it really was a phenomenal run...here's the final setlist.

sunken treasure
one by one
shouldn't be ashamed
you are my face
side with the seeds
pot kettle black
war on war
pieholden suite (w/ andrew bird & horns)
muzzle of bees (w/ andrew bird)
it's just that simple
nothingsevergonnastandinmyway(again)
i thought i held you
what light (w/ horns)
when you wake up feeling old
summer teeth
jesus, etc. (w/ andrew bird)
walken (w/ horns)
hummingbird
-break-
via chicago
blood of the lamb (w/ andrew bird & horns)
can't stand it (w/ andrew bird & horns)
box full of letters
heavy metal drummer
hate it here (w/ andrew bird & horns)
the thanks i get (w/ andrew bird & horns)
just a kid
red-eyed & blue (w/ andrew bird)
i got you (at the end of the century) (w/ andrew bird)
casino queen
i'm a wheel
less than you think (w/ andrew bird)

-encore-
i'm the man who loves you (w/ horns)
dreamer in my dreams (download)

winter residency (night 4)

another great show last night, with another distinct vibe, emphasized mostly by the yankee hotel foxtrot era noise-rock that showed up in the first set along with a pair of rarely played summerteeth tracks...even though the repeats are flowing steadily now, it's been interesting how the band's created completely unique experiences for each show...personal highlights; the heavy distortion filled guitars during "impossible germany", "handshake drugs", & "spiders" (holy shit), the total pros horn section stood out more in the second set last night than any of the previous nights, especially on "the thanks i get", & tracks like "war on war", "poor places", & "i'm a wheel" sounded so good last night, i feel like i've taken them for granted at past shows...there's only a handful of album tracks that have yet to be played ("shouldn't be ashamed", "i thought i held you", "pieholden suite", "less than you think", "what light") but there's quite a few b-sides, bonus songs & mermaid avenue material that hasn't been touched...can't wait to see what the band's got planned for tonight...here's the setlist from last night.

outta mind (outta site)
i must be high
impossible germany
radio cure
leave me (like you found me)
company in my back
handshake drugs
war on war
shake it off
summer teeth
in a future age
elt
a shot in the arm
poor places
reservations
spiders (kidsmoke)
on and on and on
-break-
hotel arizona (download)
too far apart
(was i) in your dreams (w/ horns)
misunderstood
someday soon
california stars
hate it here (w/ horns)
the thanks i get (w/ horns)
walken (w/ horns)
i'm the man who loves you (w/ horns)
i'm a wheel (w/ horns)
kingpin
outtasite (outta mind)
-encore-
the late greats (w/ horns)

A Fistfull of Quarters

King of Kong. Place it at the top of your queue. Highly recommended.

Download: Animotion - Obsession
Related: Games from the 80s.

winter residency (night 3)

wow...another fantastic night...the band dug deeper into their catalog & the old stuff especially sounded great, like they've been playing it every night for the past five years...thought the way things unfolded last night was brilliant as well, the crowd was pretty subdued & the intensity slowly increased as the show went on...highlights; "blue eyed soul" opener, nels completely losing his shit during "a shot in the arm", the "should've been in love"-"pick up the change" combo, especially after the stage banter before "jesus etc." (tweedy: "we're going to play a couple from our first album", looks around at band, "right?", nels: "no", tweedy: "oh, well, the first album most of you bought", crowd: "boo", tweedy: "why am i always shitting in the punch bowl?", after "jesus, etc.", tweedy: "you guys better sing every word"), also the entire second set was completely remarkable, again...they leave you thinking it can't get any better & then they come back & tear the roof off...so many great songs last night...here's the setlist.

blue eyed soul
remember the mountain bed (w/ andrew bird)
bob dylan's 49th beard (w/ andrew bird)
hesitating beauty (w/ andrew bird)
that's not the issue (w/ andrew bird)
wishful thinking
you are my face
side with the seeds
a shot in the arm
we're just friends
kamera
handshake drugs
how to fight loneliness (w/ andrew bird)
jesus, etc. (w/ andrew bird)
should've been in love
pick up the change (w/ andrew bird)
theologians
walken (w/ horns)
i'm the man who loves you (w/ horns)
-break-
via chicago
impossible germany
she's a jar (w/ andrew bird) (download)
say you miss me
box full of letters
i'm always in love
hate it here (w/ andrew bird & horns)
the late greats (w/ andrew bird & horns)
red-eyed blue (w/ andrew bird) >
i got you (at the end of the century) (w/ andrew bird)
monday (w/ horns)
my darling
-encore-
can't stand it (w/ horns)
nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again)

Keep Their Heads Ringin

After you pay respects to the dead presidents be sure to tip back a fortay and celebrate Dre Day 2008 in NYC .

"Even early on in life, young Andre was an inquisitive youth, who had a knack for weaving simple melodies into thugged-out gangsta anthems. It is rumored that at the tender age of 7, during Andre's first piano recital, he improvised a crude, but haunting version of a melody that years later became the infamous single "Bitches Ain't Shit" - via lifeucksdie.

"Diamonds shinin, lookin like i robbed Liberace."
Download: Dr. Dre - Let Me Ride

happy president's day

download: the honeydrippers - impeach the president

download: brotherhood - the monkey that became president (pt. 1)

download: david ruffin - i could never be president

.

related : washington

Sample Size

Love it when a sample comes together. It's always like "wait a minute, rewind, that sounds like...is that from? Ahhh...yeah." Caught this De La Jackson sample last night while going through some of the Motown Chartbusters Collection. Goodness.
Download: Jackson 5 - Never Can Say Goodbye
Download: De La Soul - No

winter residency (night 2)

i should have known better when i said the opening night of wilco's five night chicago residency would be hard to top, because last night was absolutely incredible, with an extended guest appearance from andrew bird, a ton of rousing country rock numbers from the band's mid-nineties heyday, & almost everyone in attendance singing along all night...a few highlights; stiratt's only lead vocal in the group's catalog played even better live than i could have imagined ("that was long overdue john" -tweedy), tweedy trying to keep up with andrew bird's whistling on "red-eyed blue", glen's animalesque outbreaks during "via chicago", pretty much the entire second set/first encore ("we're gonna take a short break now, you know, like the dead" -tweedy), the crowd singing along to the president's of the united states of america's "peaches" with the house lights up before the band came out for a true encore (forgot how much i liked that song), & nels & pat's back & forth during "hoodoo voodoo" to end the night...here's the setlist.

someone else's song
hell is chrome
handshake drugs
muzzle of bees
via chicago
i am trying to break your heart
hotel arizona
a shot in the arm
impossible germany
it's just that simple (download)
when you wake up feeling old
too far apart
hate it here
jesus, etc. (w/ andrew bird)
forget the flowers (w/ andrew bird)
dash 7 (w/ andrew bird)
christ for president (w/ andrew bird)
walken (w/ horns)
i'm the man who loves you (w/ horns)
-break-
the late greats
heavy metal drummer
red-eyed blue (w/ andrew bird) >
i got you (at the end of the century) (w/ andrew bird)
a magazine called sunset
monday (w/ horns)
casino queen
kingpin
passenger side (w/ andrew bird)
dreamer in my dreams (w/ andrew bird)
the lonely 1 (w/ andrew bird)
-encore-
elt
hoodoo voodoo

winter residency (night 1)

despite being a little overcrowded (get there early tonight), last night's opening show of wilco's five night chicago residency was a blast & will definitely be hard to beat (hopefully, i'll be saying that after each night)...a few highlights; the horns on "can't stand it", nels' playing throughout, but especially at the end of "ashes of american flags", "spiders" transformation into a house groove, & a beautiful rendition of "cars can't escape"...also, the band walked out to the theme from the bob newhart show, which i thought was pretty comical...here's the setlist, confirmed by greg kot...can't wait to see what's in store for tonight.

elt
a shot in the arm
side with the seeds
you are my face
i am trying to break your heart
pot kettle black
at least that's what you said
what's the world got in store
when the roses bloom again
airline to heaven
ashes of american flags
either way
jesus, etc.
too far apart
can't stand it (w/ horns)
sunken treasure
spiders (kidsmoke)
-break-
misunderstood
far, far away
why would you wanna live
impossible germany
sky blue sky
please be patient with me
cars can't escape (download)
hummingbird
-encore-
hate it here
walken (w/ horns)
i'm the man who loves you
heavy metal drummer
candyfloss
outtasite (outta mind)

Friday Funk

Download: Edwin Starr - Easin' In

wilco pregame

so, wilco starts it's five show run at the riviera tonight...if you're not going to make it to the shows but still want to get your fix, here are a couple things to occupy your time over the weekend...first, listen to tweedy's visit with jon langford on wxrt's eclectic company, from this past tuesday (the hold steady join sally timms next week)...then go over to the owl & the bear & download some of the many flac files they've made available, including a two disc covers compilation which features the tom petty track below, as well as a couple son volt goofs (really)...& if you're still bored, check out this pre-uncle tupelo footage featuring tweedy playing bass in a dress (via an aquarium drunkard)...also, tune into wxrt on tuesday, as they'll be broadcasting that night's show...& if you care at all about the setlists, i'll probably be posting those over the next few days, so stay tuned.

download: wilco - listen to her heart (09/10/95)
download: wilco - drown (05/23/97)
download: wilco - tear stained eye (11/07/97)

Lovage

Lovage: Music To Make Love to Your Old Lady By
Happy Valentine's Day from Chest Rockwell.

Download: Dan The Automator - Ladies Love Chest Rockwell
Download: Dan The Automator - Stoker Ace

Related:
Download: The Staple Singers - After Sex

happy valentine's day

take it easy with all that chocolate.

download: bootsy collins - munchies for your love

the spice of life

i was up in milwaukee a couple weeks ago, & on our way to the biggest event on the chinese calander, dg threw on a reggae version of "woman of the ghetto" that reminded me (not that i should need to be reminded) just how fantastic marlena shaw's original recording & subsequent album, the spice of life, are...recorded for chicago's cadet label in 1969, the album showcases shaw's penchant for soul, jazz, funk & even pop music, while powerful arrangements from richard evans & charles stepney give her the opportunity to shine...great, great stuff.

download: marlena shaw - woman of the ghetto
download: marlena shaw - i'm satisfied
download: marlena shaw - california soul

related: here's that reggae version dave was blasting.

download: hortense ellis - woman of the ghetto

masood

don't know much about the oaks, i completely missed their 2006 debut, but this new track is pretty great...so is the story behind it & the band's leader, ryan costello...their second album, songs for waiting, will be released on march 3rd...you can stream it here.

download: the oaks - masood

vagabonds

hard to believe, with over twenty some odd years in the game, that vagabonds is the first solo effort from gary louris...i guess spending time fronting the jayhawks & golden smog is a pretty fantastic diversion, but i'm digging this a lot more than anything those two groups have put out in probably the last ten years...its definately got that laid back, early seventies, california vibe that i only imagine producer chris robinson was begging for, & it works...louris is heading out on a short tour next month (no stop in chicago) & apparently gearing up for an album with former jayhawk mark olson in the near future...can't wait for that...in the meantime, vagabonds will be available next week...listen for jenny lewis, susanna hoffs, & robinson singing backup on the tracks below.

download: gary louris - she only calls me on sundays
download: gary louris - vagabonds

Remember When...

Sherrod had trouble with math in season 4...If only Bubbles could've trusted Sherrod to deal with his route without making basic math errors, they coulda run two carts and slang'd these in addition to the crisp new whites.
Download: Re-Up Gang - How to Hustle

jacko

I was 18 and working at a record store in Florence, Ala., in the fall of 1982 when Thriller was released. At the time, it was considered the inferior follow-up to his 1979 solo breakthrough Off The Wall. It had that weak McCartney collaboration as a first single. Then again, it also had “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” although neither of those had become ubiquitous by then. The elements were all there, but he hadn’t quite moonwalked into our collective consciousness yet. The Vincent Price thing seemed like a campy diversion, and “Human Nature” sounded like fucking Toto. Oh wait, it was fucking Toto.

Then the shit hit the fan and nothing has been the same since. Thriller was the Star Wars of the music industry—it created a monster that’s hard to separate from the original work. Its artistic merits will always be weighed against the seismic cultural waves it unleashed.

For the record, I consider “Billie Jean” one of the definitive singles of the entire Rock Era and a piece of pop songwriting at its best. I never really embraced the album, though. Preparing to write this piece, I went to the shelf and pulled out Off The Wall instead, and I’m really enjoying listening to it as I write. It’s an undeniably great work of pop and—post-Jackson 5—it stands as Michael’s finest hour. -patterson hood (via stereogum)

couldn't agree more...thriller is an amazing album (in particular, the james ingram/quincy jones penned "p.y.t."), but i'd take off the wall in the pepsi challange with thriller any day of the week.

download: michael jackson - get on the floor

get it up

only caught a little bit of the grammys last night, but from what i saw it seemed to be pretty brutal...besides jason bateman's hilarious presentation of some contest involving the foo fighters & john paul jones ("of led zeppelin for the morons"), the only saving grace seemed to be the reunion of morris day & the time & their performance with rihanna (i scoured the internet in search of clips from mr. day's award worthy appearances in both moving & the adventures of ford fairlane, but came up empty)...here's the fantastic lead-off track from the time's 1981 self-titled debut.

download: the time - get it up

related: i flipped back at one point in the night to catch the end of some gospel medley featuring aretha franklin, breathtaking in a form fitting yellow gown (seriously, who let's her wear this stuff?), that culminated in a rendition of "old landmark" that probably would have benifited from the high flying church folk that accompanied james brown's version in the blues brothers...all churches should come equipped with trampolines, i think.

download: aretha franklin - old landmark
download: james brown - old landmark

Ballin'

Milwaukee cats rejoice. Canary pal and self described Skee-E-O has come correct with the first of many local tavern installs of your favorite miniature wooden ball game from back in the day. Only now tickets won for a high score are good for free beers instead of a plastic backscratcher or coin purse with a Charles Cheese logo on it.

Personally my most vivid memories as a shorty of the pizza parlor gamery were losing my velcro wallet in the ball pit every time i dove in and the first time i saw a dude use a flat plastic comb over a button on a video game to allow for maximum clicking speed (think it was Track and Field).

Hit up the G-Daddys BBC off North Ave to get your game on and keep an eye out for more coming to a watering hole near you.

Download: Ahmad - Back in The Days (Jeep Mix)
Download: Pavement - Roll with the Wind
Download: Love Unlimited Orchestra - Strange Games and Things

management

for some reason, up until very recently, i had completely passed on mgmt's much hyped debut, oracular spectacular (great title by the way)...both when it was making the rounds digitally last year & when it finally recieved an official release last month...i don't know why, whenever i ignore an act that everyone seems to be talking about, i usually end up kicking myself in the end...& that's what's happened with these guys...i guess i was just expecting a lot of electronic beeps & buzzes, not the fully structured pop songs that appear on the album...granted, not every track immediatly stands out, but the ones that do are pretty great...mgmt are opening for yeasayer tonight at schubas, so show up early.

download: mgmt - weekend wars
download: mgmt - kids

Livingston

It was recently noted that I have been slacking on my new years resolution. I was skeptical of this disc at first but really like some of these versions, particularly the two highlights below.

Download: Bunny Wailer - Hypocrite
Download: Bunny Wailer - Burial

friday funk

download: dennis coffey - let the sunshine in

the turning point

went up to milwaukeefest for a wilco show a few years back & made a point of getting there early enough to catch john mayall beforehand...his band came on & rolled through a few blues standards before this old guy, who i'd noticed sitting offstage in a tank top, fanny pack & orthopedic shoes, came walking out & began wailing away on the harmonica...first off, tank tops & fanny packs are the norm up in milwaukee, so i kind of figured it was just some local with special treatment, but the real reason i hadn't suspected who the man was is because i hadn't realized how much older mayall was than the players he recruited for the bluesbreakers back in the 60s (eric clapton, john mcvie, mick fleetwood, mick taylor, etc.)...dude's almost 75 years old...he put on a great show, too...anyway, one of my favorite periods of mayall's career is during 1969, when he decided to change his approach towards the blues by dropping the heavy lead guitar & drums & putting together a jazz fueled, acoustic based band that could play off each other in low volume settings...the result was the turning point album, which was recorded at the fillmore east in july of that year, only four weeks after mayall first started playing with jon mark (acoustic finger-style guitar), steve thompson (bass guitar), & johnny almond (saxophones, flutes, mouth percussion)...if you've never heard this, it's definitely worth your time.

download: john mayall - california

download: john mayall - room to move

troop san fernando valley

Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis has sidelined her band obligations for a minute to work on another solo album. For the past few weeks, Lewis and a team of Los Angeles cohorts, including singer-songwriter-boyfriend Johnathan Rice, Interpol touring player "Farmer Dave" Scher, and Rilo producer Jason Larder, have been logging full days at Sound City studios in the San Fernando Valley, where Tom Petty's Damn the Torpedoes and Nirvana's Nevermind were recorded. The all-analog sessions also saw several famous friends drop by to lend a hand with guest vocals, among them Zooey Deschanel, the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson, M. Ward, and Elvis Costello, who duets with Lewis on one track. A source who's heard the record says, "It all sounds super natural, nice, and simple. Like it doesn't belong in any decade. It's just timeless." -ew

download: jenny lewis & the watson twins - fernando (late night w/ conan o'brien, 10.14.06)

related: if you haven't heard the latest from jenny's "famous friends" m. ward & zooey deschanel (she & him), you're missing out...their first album, volume one, arrives 03.18.

download: she & him - why do you let me stay here?

unrelated: daryl hall to play sxsw...along with others.

good times

been seeing the name goodtimes goodtimes pop up at different places over the past month or so, so i finally decided to take a listen...glad i did...it's catchy, well crafted singer/songwriter fair with a touch of folk that kind of reminds me of the small faces or maybe even cat stevens...the man behind the name, franc cinelli, says his music is inspired by the new york coffee house scene of the 70s, but coming from this italian who was raised in london, i think there's a little more to it than just trying to emulate dylan...grab his self-released debut, glue, & a couple more mp3s at his website.

download: goodtimes goodtimes - kids
download: goodtimes goodtimes - sea shanty

drunk history, vol. 2-2.5

.
the nfl should have gotten jack black to play ben franklin for that declaration of independence pregame thing they did the other day.
.
previously: drunk history, vol. 1

dr. dog - passed away, vol. 1

Passed Away is a collection of songs, recorded at various times, in various place, by various members of Dr. Dog over the last 5 years or so. It's not an album and it's not presented in any particular order, it's just a handful of many recordings that Dr. Dog has made and wanted people to have a chance to hear. As with all early Dr Dog recordings, the 4 or 8 tracks were eventually mixed down to cassette tape where they lived, in some cases circulating on mix tapes and in others laying on the floor where they stayed until the being hoisted from their resting place and chosen for a spot on Passed Away. -park the van

the "handful of many recordings" will be available to own on 02.19...in the meantime, you can stream it here...catch dr. dog down at sxsw in march & in support of levon helm for the electric factory 40th anniversary show in philly on 02.15...finally something good happens in philadelphia.

download: dr. dog - a long time ago

Yes We Can Pt. 2 ... Obeyma

Shepard knows darn well that we can can

Download: Extra Golden - Obama
Download: The Pointer Sisters - Yes We Can Can

i'm a fan

...of silent party #1 (via marathonpacks)

yes we can

happy super fat tuesday, yall...thought i'd try to combine the themes of the day with a couple inspirational tunes from allen toussaint...toussaint's not just one of the most important figures in new orleans r&b, but in my opinion, one of the most influential songwriters/producers of our time...if it was funky & coming out of the crescent city in the 60s & 70s, chances are toussaint had a hand in it (incidently, the first track below wasn't recorded by toussaint until 2005 for the our new orleans compilation, 35 years after he originally wrote it for lee dorsey)...anyway, if your state's holding it's primary today, make sure you get out & cast your vote before going out & getting down...& don't forget to stop by home of the groove to gear up for the festivities...allen toussaint plays the old town school of folk this friday.

download: allen toussaint - yes we can can
download: allen toussaint - we the people
download: allen toussaint - worldwide
download: allen toussaint - everything i do gonna be funky

related: obama - yes we can

Wamp Wamp

Double Up...

Re-Up1: We Got It 4 Cheap Vol.3: Spirit of Competition. Stream here.
Re-Up2: WIRE 56 - The Dickensian Aspect at HBO On Demand.

"If you have a problem with this. I understand completely." - Freamon

Download: Re-Up Gang - 20k Money Making Brothers on the Corner

Lonesome

Losers.

Download: Little River Band - Lonesome Loser

Related: Ephemeral Use

where are we going?

download: marvin gaye - where are we going?
download: donald byrd - where are we going?

related: marvin gaye: the movie (via vulture)

the deep dark woods

i just came across these guys the other day (over at hear ya), but already the deep dark woods seem to have taken over my playlist...they play smooth country-rock rooted in traditional folk music that's somewhat reminiscent of the grateful dead or gram parsons...their second album, hang me, oh hang me was released through black hen music last year & while the band seems to be gathering a following up in canada, i imagine it'll only be a matter of time before more people in the states begin to take notice.

download: the deep dark woods - hang me, oh hang me
download: the deep dark woods - they won't last long

related: the album's title track is an old folk tune in the same vein as "been all around this world", a song the dead used to cover...here's the version from reckoning.

download: grateful dead - been all around this world

.
unrelated: speaking of covers, check out the great warren zevon post at berkely place.

Friday Funk

Heavy...like the snow be falling in the midwest.
Bad Medicine Bio / Interview.

Download: Bad Medicine -Trespasser