I don’t know how I missed this one, but sadly Delaney Bramlett passed away a couple days after this past Christmas. Delaney and Bonnie were a crushing soul rock group from back in the 60′s that got completely overshadowed by some bigger acts – enough so that I just stumbled upon them a few years back. Delaney was a beast on guitar and vocals, and their band essesntially created the sound that The Allman Brothers and Eric Clapton would make their own. In fact, Clapton loved them so much after they opned up for Blind Faith on a tour, that he basically broke up Blind Faith and joined Delaney and Bonnie. A couple years later, he more or less stole the whole band to create Derek and the Dominos. Bobby Whitlock on organ, Carl Radle on bass – just a huge band. Oh, and Jim Gordon on drums who would later go on to murder his own mother. Just a fun factoid. Sorry.
Accept No Substitute has taken regular rotations on my record player since I nabbed it a few years back, and unfortunately I still don’t think it’s been re-released on CD yet. There’s a Best Of out there, but it’s worth digging to find some gems. Here’s a positively eruptive cut of “Comin Home” with both Clapton and George Harrison on guitar – just try to find a better back-up band. Bonnie, who was of course the first white Ikette, (really!) proves here that you can still sing your heart out with your blood full of opiates.
Local label Aether everywhere has been popping up all over lately with a series of new releases and it’s artists playing shows at the monkey and the bakery, including a killer line-up this weekend at The Bakery featuring Nuda Veritas & The Le Duo, (who’s latest release “snwstrm” can be downloaded via the Aether Everywhere Label Section.) and a special appearance by The Pawlet Performance Project. (for more information, click here.)
Speaking of Nuda Veritas aka Rebecca Kopycinski – Dan Bolles at SevenDays recently wrote a great review of both her albums saying,
“the album is the musical manifestation of its handmade cover art. Each copy’s jacket was sewn together from pieces of recycled LP covers — mine: Robert Plant’s Shaken & Stirred. Not for the faint of ears, Kopycinski’s sonic abstractions — vocal and otherwise — challenge the listener to pay attention. But those who do will be rewarded with a glimpse into the stirring creative soul of a visionary local artist.” (read the rest)
Beyond that the label is gearing up for a split tape release between label stalwart VIKOMT (formerly Von Cosel) & England’s Coldstream. Fans of Noise and harsh ambient should keep their ears open and eyes pealed for the limited edition release coming soon.
February 17th proved to be a generous day in the world of hard-copy music. Most notably for locals, Tuesday saw Drag City’s release of Death‘s “…For The Whole World To See“. For those not in the know, Death were a fantastic proto-punk band from Detroit in the mid 70′s. They only ever released a single in their day. These guys were ahead of their time, and a growing interest in their music has culminated with the reissue of their single and an un-released album, all recorded in 1975. It’s fantastic. If you’re not aware of their local significance, pay more attention.
More surpisingly, I found myself enjoying the new Beirut double ep, which also came out on Tuesday. The initial Beirut euphoria that accompanied their prior releases passed me by. Despite my ambivilance, I quite enjoy “March of the Zapotec“. It is comprised of an ep that sounds typically Beirutian and another ep with a heavily pronounced electronic element. If you’re like me, newly embraced electronic elements don’t set your anticipation alight. Fear not, it works.
Of course, how could a new release day be truly notable without a contribution from everyone’s favorite middle-aged, crooning icon of 80′s brit-pop? Morrissey‘s “Year of Refusal” dropped this week and it i’s a gem! Morrissey is now a three-album hot-streak. Who would have thought this guy would pull himself out of his late 90′s gutter and emerge as one of the most cherished elder-statesmen of whiner-rock?
Also, Street Fighter IV came out this week and that rules too.
Ciao.
We now sell tickets to shows at my favorite venue in the area, the Monkey House in Winooski! They have some really great gigs coming up: Pretty & Nice (tonight!!), The Cush, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Vacant Lots, Rough Francis, Death Vessell and lots more! Even if you live downtown, the atmosphere of the Monkey really makes the journey worth it. Check out their calendar of past and upcoming shows at http://www.monkeyhousevt.com/
- Unique giveaway this week. Free Chocolate Bar with purchase of the new India Arie “Testimony Vol. 2:Love & Politics” . Sale price $11.99
- Bruce Sprinsteen remains #1 album at Pure Pop. CD/Deluxe CD/LP are on sale now. We are starting to run low on the indie exclusive lyric book which is free with purchase. Mixed but overall good review here
- The Slip’s Brad Barr has a solo album released on the home of great folk records, Tompkins Square. Allmusic.com description here. We have it on the Americana listening station so you can check it out on your next visit plus we have signed copies of the Artwork free with purchase. Sale priced at only $8.99.
