Opeth Live

Okay, I apologize again for the long absence.  The HD replacement came with a few unforeseen problems, but hopefully, I'm back up and running for longer than a day or so at a time.

I ran across this on Amazon in mp3 download format.  I've not been able to find much on it except for HERE.

The first track is "The Devil's Orchard" from Heritage.  And, the rest are live tracks from Rock Hard Festival 2009.  I've not had a chance to listen to all of this one yet, but I hope you dig it.

New Lamb of God

Wow!  I just noticed the date on my last post.  I"m sorry I've been away so long.  My hard drive went down, and set in motion a whirlwind of silly shit to have to sort out.  Luckily, I was able to salvage my music and most of the important stuff with the help of a friend.

So, now, back to getting some new music to listen to.  Many of you may like Lamb of God, and some of you may not.  Around the days of Ashes of the Wake, I may have burned myself out a little.  Lately, I've been rekindling this interest in preparation for their upcoming release in January 2012, Resolution.  Whether you like LoG or not, they have one of the best drummers in heavy metal, and they deliver some crushing southern metal.

I have their single, Ghost Walking, from their upcoming album and, honestly, I really dig it.  It's definitely got some polish on it if comparing to New American Gospel or  As the Palaces Burn, but LoG has been constantly developing their sound.  I feel they are one of the few bands to keep delivering burly heavy metal, but you can understand what Randy's screaming (most of the time).  And, Morton's ability to keep delivering super fast, but catchy riffs is genius.

Give this one a listen and look for the new album in January.

Freedom Hawk Update

So, I ordered the cd, and have been trying to get into it.  Holding On is a little different than Freedom Hawk's earlier stuff.  "Bandito" is way cool though, and "North Swell" and "Indian Summer" rock as well.  They probably could've left a few of the tracks off entirely though.  However, other than that, it's not a bad effort by the Virginia Beach band.  Overall it's a good album.  I think I just had my expectations a little too high.

BAD AS ME - Tom Waits

 

Well, Mr. Waits seems to have put together a mighty fine album.  Maybe it's the fact that Tom hasn't put out any new music in about seven years, but this album held me.  It feels much more cohesive than some of the stuff he's done recently.  Give it a try and then pre-order this bad boy here.

The Devils Orchard - Opeth

Getting to see Opeth was a great experience. The show was amazing, despite the fact that there was not any screaming or growling. From Mikael, anyway. I finally have the chance to upload and edit some of the video of the show. I'll be posting some of them here, but all of them on my youtube page. Check it out!

A Couple Updates

Good morning.  I've added a couple links.  First to the New Mastodon post, the whole album is up now and not just the 3 songs I had.  And, I put a better quality rip up for MonstrO. 

I hope everyone has a rockin' day!

Opeth - Heritage

I've been waiting on this one.  However, as many of you have probably heard, there are no growling or screaming vocals.  This album has Opeth go in a different direction.  They've done mellow before, but this is nothing like Damnation, or really anything I've heard from Opeth.  The rhythm section is very vintage sounding and jazzy.   It's different and sometimes that can be good.  Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

New Mastodon

Well, I'm sure everyone familiar with these genres is aware of Mastodon's upcoming album, The Hunter.  I'm looking forward to it, and I've managed to acquire a couple tracks from the new one.   They're not the best quality, but they will give you a taste of the upcoming album.  Members of Mastodon have said this album will be a blend of Leviathan style riffs and Crack the Skye vocals.  Should be pretty good.

Curl of the Burl is bad ass!


Track Listing:

1.

"Black Tongue"

3:26

2.

"Curl of the Burl"

3:40

3.

"Blasteroid"

2:35

4.

"Stargasm"

4:40

5.

"Octopus Has No Friends"

3:49

6.

"All the Heavy Lifting"

4:31

7.

"The Hunter"

5:18

8.

"Dry Bone Valley"

4:00

9.

"Thickening"

4:31

10.

"Creature Lives"

4:41

11.

"Spectrelight" (feat. Scott Kelly )

3:10

12.

"Bedazzled Fingernails"

3:08

13.

"The Sparrow"

5:32

Bad As Me - Tom Waits

I wonder if anyone else is as excited as I am about this new stuff from Tom Waits.  If so, check this out.  It's Tom's first album of new material in seven years.  Give it a listen.

Check out this newer post for all the songs.

Tom Waits - Bad As Me by antirecords

MonstrO

I hope everyone is having a great Monday morning!  I have something here that some of you may be interested in.  MonstrO features musicians formerly of Torche and Bloodsimple performing a psyched out onslaught of tunes.  While nothing is particularly outstanding at first listen, the album plays nicely and the this blend of heavy-psych can reach a wide range of music fans.  It's produced by Alice in Chains frontman, William Duvall.  Check out the article and stream here.  And check out the band's website here.

Also, they will be touring with Kyuss Lives and The Sword in September.  Should be a good show.

Medium Rare

Good morning music fans!  Today I have decided to put this up for all the people (possibly just like me), who missed scooping this up on Record Store Day this year.  I was bummed to find that out of the many places I visited that day and over the course of the weekend sold out of this one pretty quick.  Luckily, after finding it on the worldwide web, I'm definitely glad I didn't succumb to the ebay madness that followed.

There's a few good jams on here though, and some of the covers are really good.

Pewt'r Sessions 2

Good morning everyone.  Sorry for my virtual absence, but I've been a busy guy the past month.  Regardless, it's a great day to emerge and discover the release of a second volume to Causa Sui's Pewt'r Sessions.  Check out this clip and then order the album here.  This album consists of 3 long songs.

Track Listing:
1.  Garden of Forking Paths  23:36
2.  Gelassenheit  11:47
3.  Brassica Blues  11:15

Causa Sui - Garden of Forking Paths - excerpt by elparaisorecords

Check it out here at Life is Psychedelic!

The In Sound From Way Out!

Wow!  I was informed of this Beastie Boys album last weekend while playing music with some other guys.  I like some Beastie Boys music, but overall, I've never really listened to them on a regular basis.  This album, The In Sound From Way Out, is a completely instrumental work from Beastie Boys.  Very laid back, groove oriented jams with no lyrics.  Give this a shot if you like funky jams, or if you're just curious about this instrumental album by Beastie Boys.

Okta Logue

Good morning everyone.  Several months ago I did a post regarding Zaphire Oktalogue.  And it turned out to be a popular post.  I wish more people would leave some comments if they find some tunes they want.  Even a "thank you" would be nice. :)

Anyway, I finally found Ballads of a Burden, and it is a little different compared to the last one.  They seem to have ventured into elements of pop and indie music with less psych blues.  It's still a good album, with the exception of "Mr. Zoot Suit".  Give it a try, and let me know what you think.  I prefer the previous album, but to each their own.

Myspace

Mount Carmel

This album sounds old.  It really does sound like it was recorded and written in the '70s.  These fellas opened for The Sword and Karma To Burn at the Peel back in November.  Mt. Carmel is a fuzzy blend of hard rock and blues.  Don't expect anything earth-moving, but still some good retro sounding blues rock.

Check out the band's myspace.

New Freedom Hawk Album!

I hope everyone is having a great start to the weekend. This post should've been made about a month ago, but I just let it slip my mind. When I saw Freedom Hawk with ASG last year at The Brew Station in Kill Devil Hills, NC, I was immediately converted. I had listened to some of their music, but just never got into it. After witnessing their blistering live performance, I thought I'd give them a second chance. They've become a staple in my musical diet and I'm thoroughly excited about the new album.  If you like groovy, stoner metal and hard rock, you'd probably enjoy this band.

The new album is to be released on Small Stone Recordings (http://www.smallstone.com) Late Summer/Early Fall on CD with a 180g Vinyl LP to follow. The new album titled “Holding On”, with the cover illustrated/painted by Alexander Von Wieding.

These are the track names in no particular order.

Thunderfoot
Flat Tire
Edge of Destiny
Magic Lady
Standing in Line
Bandito
Living for Days
Her Addiction
Zelda
Nomad
North Swell
Indian Summer
Faded


Check out the band at: http://www.freedomhawkband.com/

ASG & Motorhead!

ASG never fails to impress. Check this out!

ASG continues to rock!

ASG in the OBX. It was an amazing show.

Clutch - In Store Acoustic Performance

We had a blast getting to see Clutch perform some songs from the Blast Tyrant/Basket of Eggs reissue.   Here is some info about the event.  After the performance they signed stuff and met everyone.  Later that night, they put on a kickin' show at The Handlebar.

Enjoy the video, and if you dig the music check out the reissue with the bonus disc.  It's well worth it.

Karma To Burn - V

Hello all.  I hope everyone has plans to enjoy this lovely weekend.  Running across this yet to be released gem, I trust it will be a fruitful weekend.  Karma To Burn is an instrumental stoner, hard rock outfit from Morganton, WV.  These fella's know how to rock.  They opened for The Sword when I saw them a few months back, and put on an awesome show.  Check out some video from that show HERE. 

El Paraiso Records

Good morning everyone!  I recently discovered a true treat (for me, at least).  Many of you may remember my recurring obsession for the music of Causa Sui.  Those outstanding musicians have started up their own record label, El Paraiso Records.  And, they have released a new album. Pewt'r Sessions 1 is a series of recordings done around 2008 with some members of Sunburned Hand of the Man and Causa Sui. I've not been able to accurately uncover much more information than that. I ordered the vinyl and received a digital copy to satisfy my musical hunger in the meantime. The album has a very good sound, and has some excellent dynamics for this style of music.  There are a couple times in certain songs when the riffs get a little repetitive, but overall it's a great listen.   Buy here. Listen to the opening track in the player thing below. Causa sui pewt'r wozniacki by elparaisorecords

I'm pretty excited about the guys from Causa Sui putting a label together.  The goal appears to be to get improvisational and collaborative music out as soon as possible.  I wish them well.  Check out the song and order the album.  It's also available on Amazon mp3 and iTunes.  Show these guys some support.

Burden In My Hand - Chris Cornell

Chicago Odense Ensemble Delivers!

Wow! I'm super excited! I came home from work today and found, to my surprise, my Chicago Odense Ensemble disc had arrived.  Being that this day has truly been a Monday, complete with way too much going on and the occasional thought questioning what the hell I'm doing, it was a welcome gift.  I believe I will just have to put on some headphones and zone out to this beautiful album.  Cheers. 

More Volbeat

Official Volbeat Videos

Sad Man's Tongue - Volbeat

If you've never heard of Volbeat, you should definitely do yourself a favor and check them out.

Horsewhipper

A little ASG never hurt anyone. I hope to have some Queens of the Stone Age and Chris Cornell video up soon. Check back.

The Sword / Year Long Disaster

I scooped this cool 7 inch at The Sword show I attended this past November.  You can order a copy here.  I borrowed a friend's record player to run into the computer and record this gem when I did the QOTSA record.  The Sword does "Cold Sweat" (Thin Lizzy cover), and Year Long Disaster does "Maiden, Mother & Crone" (The Sword cover). 

Freedom Hawk Coolness

Hey everyone!  They had this sweet widget up on the Freedom Hawk website and I thought it would be a good way to share some of their outstanding music again.  Enjoy.
 

Careful with that...

I've recently had some luck unearthing some epic music the past few weeks.  Clutch is one of my favorite bands, and I am pleased to find out that they are embarking on a short headlining tour in the U.S. in the near future.  There are details on their website.  This EP was a promo sent to radio stations and such.  According to Discogs, the cover art came from a contest held on the band's website, and the band chose the winner.  Several of the songs can be found elsewhere, but the radio edit of the title track is neat if you haven't heard it.  It's mixed a little differently.  And, the last song, Frankenstein, is an extended cut that is exclusive to this promo EP.

Enjoy some Clutch and show some love if they come to a city near you.

Songs for the Death

Songs for the Death (Alternate Versions from the album 'Songs for the Deaf')

Track Listing:

1		You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar But I Feel Like A Millionaire (Rough Version)	2:36
2		No One Knows (Orchestral Arrangement. No Guitar Solo. Piano Conclusion)	4:44
3		Firth It Giveth (Slow. Rough Version)	3:18
4		Hanging Tree (Album Version. Unmixed)	3:07
5		Go With The Flow (Rough Version. Added Percussion)	3:04
6		Do It Again (Alternate Lyrics)	2:48
7		God Is On The Radio (No Reverb On Guitar & Drums)	5:43
8		Another Love Song (Album Version. Unmixed)	3:01
9		Song For The Deaf (Instrumental)	5:01
10		Mosquito Song (Alternate Vocal & Guitar Arrangements. Minus Alain Johannes Guitar)	5:36

I ran across this extremely rare gem at a local record store that has re-emerged here in Johnson City, TN. Backdoor Records was home to this outstanding find.  Most rock fans will probably need no introduction to Songs for the Deaf.  Queens of the Stone Age has become quite a musical force in the alternative rock, stoner rock world.  This album is a collection of some alternate mixes and versions of songs from the previously mentioned QOTSA classic.

I have been able to find very little information about this release, if anyone has any additional info, let me know.  Also, if this one is new to you, leave a comment.  I was really excited about this find, I hope you guys are too.

Righteous Fool

These fellows opened for Clutch and Kylesa when I saw them on New Year's at the Orange Peel.  Great sound, but I would hope so coming from a couple of Corrosion of Conformity veterans.  This is just the two song EP, but they are two good songs.  An excellent blend of metal, hard rock, and stoner rock.

The story about how I got these songs is pretty neat, if anyone would be interested, just ask.  I got these from the source, with some awesome customer service.  Righteous Fool is in the studio recording the full length and it should be around soon.  Keep a check on these guys.

Devon Allman's Honeytribe

I got to see these guys last night at a new music venue in Johnson City, TN.  Spring Street Music Hall looks to be a really nice place, and a decent sized local venue.  I really hope it gets a good start and does well.  It will be a great enhancement to the local music scene.  Devon Allman's Honeytribe put on an outstanding live show!  Devon Allman is the son of Gregg Allman, and, honestly, he sounds a lot like him too, but with a newer, rockier twist.  They showcased some southern rock, blues, funk, and pulled it all off well.  I was pretty surprised by the awesome cover of "Purple Rain."  And, of course, he threw in some new versions of his dad's songs.  Kevin Abernathy Band opened, and did not disappoint.  Abernathy could really shred the guitar, and his rhythm section was outstanding.  Overall, a great show in a rockin' new venue.

Space Age Blues is the Honeytribe's second album.  I really love the whole thing.  A great blend of rock, funk, and blues.  Allman's vocals are soulful and strong, and he is a very impressive guitarist.  The band sounds great, and the recording is a must for any fan of the Allman Brothers, southern rock, rock, and blues.  Huey Lewis appears on the album's opener to pepper in a little harmonica.  I would highly suggest checking these guys out if you get a chance.

Sahg II

Hello all.  Today, I'm going to introduce many of you to a rockin' Norwegian band, and you're going to wonder why you've never heard of them before.  Sahg is a hard-rockin' 4-piece who released their debut, appropriately titled, Sahg I, in 2006.  They've released a total of 3 albums.

This is my favorite of the albums.  It's got a little something for everyone.  Mighty riffs, awesome vocals, and a thundering metal groove.  Definitely check these guys out. 

It's the Bongjam

This one was a rare find.  I had heard "Bongjam" a couple times a long time ago, and found the mp3 on Kazaa or Napster or something back in the early days.  Then a few months back I found this one used for next to nothin', and realized that it was a legitimate release.  6 tracks, including a couple different mixes from the Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope, the "Bongjam", and an acoustic song.  If you like Jimmie's Chicken Shack older stuff, definitely give this one a try.

Zaphire Oktalogue

Zaphire Oktalogue released their self titled debut in 2008.  This is a very interesting album, and I have been throwing in my mix for the past few months.  Good bluesy weirdness that is wild to listen to.  I had a rough time trying to get information regarding these guys, but I did find out that they are now playing under the name Okta Logue.  They have a new album called Ballad of a Burden, which I could find no where.  I may be ordering that one soon and I can comment on it then.

For now, All That Is Heavy had a good write up with the cd.  "Zaphire Oktalogue, 3 friends, between 15 and 20, mix up their different tastes and abilities to make their own incisive kind of progressive music. Playing for nearly a year, their music combines energetic Blues-Rock with pieces of overflowing Post Rock , drifty and danceable parts with huge atmospheric influences, crosses Weird Folk elements with a psychedelical 60s flair and has always an intensive sense for melodies and a dash of pop. On their debut album, they present their individual sound, created by Philip Meloi´s hypnotical avant guitar play, the high voltage drum rhythms by Robert Herz and the sensitive melodic lines by bass and singer Benno Herz. In only one year they have found their very own sound."

Jimmie's Chicken Shack

I've had a bout with some nostalgia the past couple weeks and I dug this awesome album out of my collection.  It had been way too long since I've listened to this one.  Jimmie's Chicken Shack burst onto the scene and faded out almost as quickly.  They are still recording some albums, but none have been able to hold a candle to this one (in my humble opinion).  Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope is chock full of catchy licks, groovy riffs, and some very unique vocals.

When I first heard them circa 1998, this album did not leave my cd player for several months.  This album has a little something for everyone.  They had released a couple previous albums that definitely showed some promise, and this is their first major label release.  It included some previously recorded tracks, redone with much better production.  Their follow up, Bring Your Own Stereo, had a few good tracks, but overall it was tough to follow this excellent album.

Keep an eye out for their Bongjam EP.  I'll post it soon.

Chris Cornell

This is a 2006 recording of an acoustic Chris Cornell show.  This is a freakin' must for any fan of Cornell's amazing voice!  I love the cover of Redemption Song and Thank You.  He's touring this year with an acoustic solo show.  The scalpers at my nearest venue wiped the tickets out before they even went on sale to the public.  Oh well, at least I've got this bad ass bootleg.

It's Here!

Well, digitally anyway.

I posted a brief summary of the Chicago Odense Ensemble project a couple of weeks ago.  Finally, the masters have been sent off and albums should be sent out around the middle of February according to www.chicagoodenseensemble.com.  However, being that I pre-ordered I received a digital copy as an unexpected and very pleasant surprise.  Check their site out and order a copy.  You'll get the digital download right away.  I'm hoping to get to listen to it thoroughly today, and will give a more detailed review later.  My brief listen yesterday reminded by of some 70's era Miles Davis' recordings.  I'm excited. 

I'm also in the process of listening to the Tortoise and Isotope 217, who are both represented in the Chicago Odense Ensemble.  I'll let you know how that goes.

Showroom of Compassion

Cake has always been a guilty pleasure of mine.  I've quietly enjoyed their music for years.  And now, Cake has put out a new one!  Showroom of Compassion is their first studio album in six years.

Overall, Showroom of Compassion is a good album.  All the classic elements of Cake are represented within.  The cool trumpet lines, the super groovy bass tracks, the catchy guitar licks, and McCrea's signature vocals are all showcased in Showroom. 

The single, "Sick of You," is a pretty catchy song, but I've been really enjoying track 2, "Long Time."  McCrea succeeds in making me smile with his lyrics and the trumpet section in this song is cooler than the underside of your pillow.