cool elevator video: The Gourds

Check out this very cool video of The Gourds playing super-stripped down in a cramped elevator in Holland or something. Besides the uniqueness factor that they're playing in this elevator as it continues to make stops at floors (and Jimmy Smith drinks what I'm sure is quite an enjoyable elevator beer), the performance is actually really good. This is a testament to what good musicians these guys are that they can pull this off so well.

Seeing shit like this causes me to think: What other cool shit like this may exist on websites overseas?

http://3voor12.vpro.nl/speler/ondemand/30326083#ondemand.30326083

video: "Friends" by Cracker with Patterson Hood

The simplest of simple videos as far as concept goes, but with fucking MTV having shot itself in the foot over the past 15 years by replacing videos with those STUPID fucking shows, it's just good to see a goddamn music video.

This is the mellowest and only song on Cracker's new album ("Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey") that has that classic Cracker-style twang they do so well. It jumped out at me when I first bought the album as a standout track. The rest of the record is much more rocking, built around some cool classic -ock influenced riffs. It's damn good. Check out "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out with Me", "Time Machine", and "Hey Brett (You Know What Time it is)", in addition to the previously mentioned "I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right". Be sure to turn. it. up.

Slobberbone winter tour 2009

A broken-up band can only play so many gigs before they stop being "reunion shows." Slobberbone may be at that point. I don't really know what's going on in the Slobberbone camp, so I ain't gonna risk jinxing it by saying "They're back!" Maybe I'll give it a "They're back?!?!". Either way they've got a few upcoming gigs booked with a promise of "more on the way" (http://www.slobberbone.com/tour.html). This is all very excellent in my book.

November 27- Dan's Silverleaf - Denton,TX

December 1- White Water Tavern - Little Rock, AK

December 4- Barley's Taproom - Knoxville, TN

December 5- Smiths Olde Bar - Atlanta, GA

December 30th - Granada Theaterv - Dallas, TX

I'm really hoping they dip into the Northeast for a few shows. I'll be calling in sick and roadtripping if necessary Goddammit.

Podcast: Ninebullets

Ninebullets.net (http://ninebullets.net/) is a pretty popular (I deduce) website that focuses on music that's similar in style to what I bring you on this very site. The guy is a huge Lucero and Drive by Truckers fan (the site gets its name from the Truckers song "Nine Bullets"). While he leans a bit more towardthe blues and even acoustic side of the spectrum than we here at tallboycan, there's no doubt the guy listens to a lot of the music in this general genre. He has a podcast that you can get on iTunes, and while I'm not crazy about all the stuff he plays, I highly recommend the July 09 episode. This just so happens to be some sort of Blues Festival wrap-up show and, though I normally don't gravitate toward blues, this episode is really good (and not really that bluesy. Or at least bluesy in all the right ways). Check it out: http://ninebullets.podbean.com/2009/07/31/ninebulletsnet-july-podcast/

This podcast is worth checking out if only for these 2 songs:

Amy's in the Kitchen by Left Lane Cruiser (at 37:17): Absolutely kick-ass pedal steel. I haven't heard pedal steel this rockin since I saw Robert Randolph for the first time here at The Egg in Albany 6 years ago.

Rich Man's Table by A Night in the Box (40:38): Another over-the-top ass-kicking track! Holy shit man. I had this on at work the other day and even the ditsey 23 year chick I work with (who usually listens to dance music and Dave Matthews - I understand listening to dance music at a dance club and shit, but I come in at 6:35 in the morning and she's fucking listening to some techno shit. What the fuck? ) couldn't help but get down to this song.

Also check out the songs off this podcast by these artists:

Truckstop Coffee (@ 13:00 min mark)

Chris Knight @24:25

Matthew Dean Herman @ 30:25

Also check out the end of the September podcast when he talks about songs that are"about the devil and killing people".

Dash Rip Rock: Beer

You gotta love it when a band intros a song with, "This is a song off our new album about beer" and then, like 5 songs later, they say "This is another song off our new album about beer." And they're good songs. Check 'em out.


Beertown, USA




It's the Beer

Videos: Country Chick songs

I'm no redneck. Really. I'm from Queens NY for Chrissakes! But 2 songs that have been getting a lot of play around here just so happen to be about country chicks. The first is from Dash Rip Rock, who I just experienced for the first time last week here in Albany. Where the hell has this band been all my life? (Ans: playing their asses off in bars these past 25 years. They should be asking me Where the fuck have you been Tom?!?!) Great show, great band, great album I got at the show (their latest CD "Country Girlfriend"). Going in I thought they may be too far toward that rockabilly/cow-punk stuff that I don't really like, such as the Revend Horton Heat. I always found that stuff a bit too hokey/joking. But they're much more of a straight-up rock band when it comes down to it. And they're completely deserving of the "best bar band" tag I've seen associated with the band. This track "Country Girlfriend" is super catchy and absolutely worth checking out.





The second is"Country Gal" by The Gourds from their latest album "Haymaker". For some reason I've found myself liking the second half of albums much more than the first part recently (I enjoy side 2 more than side 1? God, remember album sides...) and that's definitely the case with this Gourds album. This song is another one that's pretty damn catchy.

Listen up: Cracker - "I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right"

Cracker has some really great records, so great that I consider them to be classic albums ("Kerosene Hat" and "Cracker" for instance). But even their less-popular albums are worth listening to. Every song isn't stellar, but there are some really good songs mixed in. Their new album "Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey" probably won't fit into the classic category with the records mentioned above but there's some really good stuff on it. You may have heard the single "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out" which is quite good (watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_HtYcmHpEM). You may not have heard "I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right", but it rocks very hard. Check it out.

I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right - Cracker



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_HtYcmHpEM

Video: Two Cow Garage at Valentine's

There's not a lot of good quality Two Cow Garage videos out there on the interweb. So I took matters into my own hands and shot this video. It came out pretty decent. The sound isn't great, but not bad considering the shrimpy video camera I have.

Town: Albany, NY
Date: 8.14.09
Songs: Should've California/Come Back to Shelby
Show summary: Kick-ass

Live Slobberbone: Netherlands 1998 FM Broadcast

I've been searching for good live Slobberbone recordings for a while now and man, this is it. Download this show! Originally an FM radio broadcast, I'd classify the sound as "great bootleg quality". The band is in their prime and on fire. Live rock and roll doesn't get much better than this.

http://nathanscountryranch.blogspot.com/search/label/slobberbone

Check 'em out: The Gourds

The band: The Gourds

Hometown: Austin, TX

Sounds like... a Texas Rock and Roll Ho-down

There's a good chance you're more familiar with The Gourds than I am. For years I had heard about them and what I heard made me think that this is a band that I'd definitely like. But for some reason I dragged my feet. Well, they came to Albany last year. I went. They were great.

Their country influence may seem a bit strong at first listen, but as you listen to them a bit you'll begin to realize that they're a straight-up rock band. The first thing that jumps out at me about this band is their catchy songs - man, some of them can really stick in your head (in the good way, not in the "Tubthumping" by Chumbawumba kinda way...). Secondly, the instrumentation and what I'm gonna call song craftsmanship really sets these guys apart. They work mandelin, fiddle, accordian, organ and a host of other instruments into their songs so well and it all gells together nicely, producing a captivating overall sound. Thirdly, the bands rocks pretty hard, even though they don't have a dominant instrument that leads the band down that road (ie. a strong electric guitar). When I saw them there was a point where I was like, "These guys are jamming so hard," even though no one in the band was soloing or even playing fast for that matter. These guys are a fluid musical unit and they lock in with each other instinctually. And that's some special shit when a band can do that.

I saw them at the performing arts space of the local public radio station, which is sterile/snooty to say the least (In In the Aisles I had written that I wouldn't be going to this Gourds show because "I'm not going to that place ever again until they start selling beer"). So I look forward to see them in a packed club with 200 other people who are drunk and ready to get down. Cause this is the band you want to see in that situation.

http://www.thegourds.com/

www.myspace.com/thegourdstx

I only have 3 of their albums, but you gotta check out the first 7 tracks of their 2006 album Heavy Ornamentals. A pretty kick-ass 7 straight songs to start a record for sure. Listen here:

The Gourds - Heavy Ornamentals

The dudes are serious road warriors, so a picture with the van is appropriate

Video: I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House

Here's a pretty great video of the fantastic "Westboro Baptist Church" (which I mentioned in the previous post) by the shit-kicking band I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House.

note: I gotta be honest here - I have no idea who Fred Phelps is or anything about the Westboro Baptist Church. But after hearing this song, I can do nothing but want to fuck 'em.

Check 'em out: I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House

Band: I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House

Hometown: Portland, OR

Sound: hard edge new-Southern Rock

Status: broke up 2006

I just got my hands on a CD by these guys a few days ago (actually, I downloaded it from iTunes, so I guess my hard drive got its hands on it...) and I think people need to check 'em out. I often think of Two Cow Garage as a "child of Slobberbone" in a way (that's a compliment), and I'd call I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House Two Cow's sister band. Actually, it would be fraternal twin sister band, as the 2 bands are stylistically so similar. Lead singer Mike D's voice is across between Tow Cow's Micah Schnabel and Patterson Hood of the Drive by Truckers. The harmonica in the band will reach out and grab you. Listen to tracks on their myspace page (listen to "Gone" first, since it totally kicks ass. If you don't think that song is absolutely rocking, click off their page, turn off your computer, wrap a plastic bag over your face and duct tape it really fucking tight around your neck. Or something like that.) And don't listen to "Westboro Baptist Church" in mixed company or aloud at work...

http://www.myspace.com/icanlickanysonofabitchint

More on these guys as I get some time to digest this album more.

more Two Cow...

I just have to add that I've been captivated by the song "Swallowed by the Sea", the last track on the new record. While I love Two Cow for their balls-out, rock-your-face-off live shows, this slower song has stuck with me for days now. Shane's less-than-awesome voice fits the song like a glove, the sparse lyrics work so well with the cool harmonica and there's just something about the guitar...Listen to it at their myspace page:


http://www.myspace.com/twocowgarage

Two Cow Garage: "Speaking in Cursive" mini-review

I'm a big Two Cow fan, and I had every intention of buying this record when they came to Albany last October. But the show was cancelled (DAMMIT!) and I procrastinated like a mofo on getting it. To be honest, I wasn't overly inspired by the 3 or 4 tracks I heard on the web, so I didn't rush to get it. And considering how much I liked their previous albums I didn't want to be disappointed. Well, I just got it and, while there aren't any of the balls-out rockers the band is famous for that really jump out at me, it's a lot better than my first impression had lead me to believe. I particularly like "Skinny Legged Girl" (stream it below), with its super-catchy ba-ba-ba-ba-da chorus. And check out this video from Tequila Brad of "Swingset Assassin*". It's a pretty weird video- you can't see a goddamn thing since it's recorded in a pitch dark parking lot after a show (I assume) - but it's just so cool. I love the train whistles in the background. Watch it here: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54908049

* the "with these clothes picked by my mother/handed down from my big brother" line reminds me so much of The Drams [fantastic] "Robert Cole". A little too close for comfort even.

Skinny Legged Girl - Two Cow Garage

video: Slobberbone Reunion opener - Tilt-a-Whirl

Slobberbone opening their 2 Feb reunion gigs with the over-the-top ass-kickin' "Tilt-a-Whirl" - so..fuckin..cool...

What the? Lucero on some MTV show?

Just caught this trailer for what looks like one of those crappy MTV shows that is somehow about Memphis. The very rocking Lucero just so happen to be from Memphis and they're "in" the show. The shows looks pretty painful to me, but the brief clips of Lucero look pretty cool. It doesn't make that much sense, but it's worth checking out... I think it airs tonight at midnight eastern time.

MTV five dollar cover Trailer (HD)

Listen Here: Cracker - "It Aint Gonna Suck Itself"

Cracker is one of the great, modern day American rock bands. Smart, often scathing lyrics, scores of extremely catchy songs and perfectly placed smatterings of light twang mix nicely with David Lowry's wit and view of the world (I'll write more about Cracker in the future). I don't own their entire catalog, but I guess they put out an album called "Countrysides" which I assume is meant to be Cracker's take on country - or at least countryish - songs (frankly, the 2 songs I've heard from it don't sound that much different than Cracker's normal style). And the song "It Ain't Gonna Suck Itself" is really good (and I love that weird keyboard part). Check it out here* (and listen to "Duty Free" while you're at it):



www.myspace.com/countrysidessongscracker



* Cracker has done something very cool with their myspace page. They've created a separate myspace page for each of their albums, and they're easily linked to on their main myspace page. That way you can click around and preview songs off each album to get a feel for that record. God, it seems so obvious. With every band jockeying for the listeners ear these days, I can't believe stuff like this isn't a more common practice.

Video: Lynyrd Fuckin Skynyrd "T for Texas" 1976

Skynyrd, Knebworth Festival 1976

Contrary to what I said in the previous post (below this one), there is some good shit on youtube, such as this Skynyrd gem from Knebworth England, 1976. Super-quality pro-shot video with great audio (though there are some weird segments like when the camera is fixed on the singer who's basically just passing time while one of the guitarist is tearing it up. What the hell?). Hours spent in my basement as a kid listening to One More From the Road LP instilled a strong love for this very rocking song, and the guitar shit on here is fucking top-notch. A great way to spend 9 minutes of your life.

Watching this video lead me to 3 main conclusions:

(1) Skynyrd fucking rules! (already knew that though)

(2) This fact was never more true than in the 70s: Crazy long hair plus wild clothing plus a guitar in your hands can make the ugliest dude look pretty goddamn cool (Man, I just love the bass player with the English police hat on...)

(3) Why is it that to see some good live rock footage we have to go back to footage shot on film in 1976? With all the groundbreaking advances that have been made in both audio and video technologies (with the obvious one being the advent of simple, cheap and easily attainable digital audio and video devices) over the past 25 years you'd think that wouldn't be the case. But it seems the technological advances have just lead to an annoyingly large quantity of horrendous quality audio/video. Doesn't that just seem backwards?

video: Oakley Hall "Volume Rambler"

I've been searching youtube for good live videos from a number of different bands and came up with very little. I've said it before but I'll say it again: I'm amazed at the overall shittiness of the quality of youtube videos. They suck! However, this Oakley Hall video is quite good. It's from the same source and show as the Lazy Susan video I posted previously. Check it out.

www.myspace.com/oakleyhall
www.oakleyhall.net/

Video: Wilco "I'm Always in Love"

I rock. My sweater does not.

You never would've thought it, with Jeff Tweedy's often schlub-like appearance(above), but with the documentary "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" and the bonus DVD that came with Sky Blue Sky(which is really cool), Wilco has proven to be a very camera-friendly band (and I'll add the band's appearance on Saturday Night Live last season where they played an absolutely rocking "Walkin").

There's a lot to like about "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" - the cool black and white footage, the band-gets-dropped-by-record-label story that unfolds, all the stuff shot in the band's loft practice space. And there's some great music as well, one of my favorite of which is shown below, "I'm Always in Love". Tweedy's in full ice cream man regalia, the camera's right in his face, and the band is rocking. And the drummer is just having himself some fun. Check it out.


For the record: I hate when people in the media continue to refer to Wilco as "alt-country." Their first record "AM" was definitelt alt-country, but what they're doing now is in no way alt-country whatsoever. So the moral of the story for all the young bands out there: you never get a second chance to get pigeon-holed into one musical genre. Never.