Honky tonkin' at the Mint

over the weekend, I saw two impressive acts playing around the corner at the Mint here in Los Angeles. First up was Elizabeth Cook, straight from Nashville. A sassy blonde whose dress was almost as long as her guitar, Cook played both sides of the Nashville fence – Music Row and East Nashville. The titular tune from her new album, "It Takes Balls to Be A Woman" is a feisty feminist-style anthem that Gretchen Wilson would have all over CMT (I actually did see Cook’s video on GAC). But she also does more alt.country stuff and certainly doesn’t fix into the typical Nashvegas stereotype. She broke out some clog dancing while her guitarist Tim Carroll (definitely check him out as well) did a number. She closed with a version of "Soap, Soup and Salvation" by Lone Justice, not even knowing that Lone Justice guitarist Ryan Hedgecock was in the crowd.
Following her was a local guy David Selby, whose set of old school, but rocking honky tonk scored a high grade too – even if he didn’t clog. If a musician can be judged by his backing band, Selby then is easy to recommend. His guitarist/producer is Ed Tree (Spencer Davis Group) while is bassist Taras Prodaniuk has played with Lucinda Williams and Dwight Yoakam. But Selby would have won me over even without his savvy veteran crew.

On a sadder note, I learned that Nancy Tannenbaum, who was known as Nancy Rideout when she played guitar in Moonshine Willy, was killed May 13 in a motorcycle accident in New York City. She apparently swerved her motorcycle to avoid hitting someone who strangely ran out onto the West Side Highway and she had a fatal crash. While Moonshine Willy wasn’t a particular favorite of mine, they were part of the early Bloodshot Record crew that captured my attention back in the ‘90s. She is the second member of the Bloodshot family to pass away this year. In February, Split Lip Rayfield’s Kirk Rundstrom succumbed to a long bout of cancer. Belated wishes of condolences go out to both families.

Michael B

The Second Best English Pop Tune From Sweden

Here's one more thing to cross off my list. While “Young Folks” by Peter, Bjorn and John has been getting a lot of buzz in the last couple months (yes, I know, they’re old news by now), I have wanting to toot my horn for another catchy pop tune from Sweden – Tobias Froberg’s When The Night Turns Cold. It could be called happy Nick Drake, with doesn’t quite nail it. There’s a great bongo beat to it but it’s not kitschy. You won’t get sick of it as fast as those whistle solos that permeate “Young Folks.” “When The Night” balances its melancholy with some ‘60s folk-rock and ‘00s bedroom pop.
The song was used somewhere in a Panasonic ad but hold that against it. There’s a lot of cool music coming out of Scandinavia (Norway's Ane Brun whose A Temporary Dive features a duet with Ron Sexsmith is another fave). But more on her and others at another time. For now, you can check out Mr. Forberg on Youtube.com here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUDS8XNix4Q

A few minutes on the Minutemen

I’ll fess up. I never got into the Minutemen when they were playing clubs and making records. And I’ll fess up. I never caught up with during the fIREHOSE years, and the subsequent years. It’s not that I even gave their music a good listen during all this time. But I noticed that their documentary We Jam Econo was on Sundance, IFC, one of those indie movie cable networks. I tivo’d it so I don’t really remember. But that’s besides the point. I watched the film and it was really mind-opening. I have always lumped the Minutemen in with the Southern California ‘80s punk scene. Black Flag, Descendents, and the whole SST scene. But I was surprised their sound, which is something like a cross of Wire post-punk with something much more American and earthy (they were Creedence fans). There was something arty yet primitive, skilled yet amateur about them. I got why they attracted such a loyal following and became such a mythic cult band. There was a great dynamic between D. Boon, Mike Watt and George Hurley both on stage and off. Not that I’m rushing out to buy Double Nickels on a Dime, 3-Way Tie (for Last) of What Makes A Man Start Fire? But it did spur me to jump belatedly on their bandwagon and sing (okay, type) their praises. Check them out.

There, I Said It - Hail, Hail Tommy Womack!!

I have recovered from the NFL Draft and I'll be merciful and not bore you with any amateur analysis.
I'll get back to the music.
I had been meaning to write and praise Tommy Womack’s new album There I Said It. and since I didn’t get an assignment for it, let me just praise it now. Womack is one of those “other side of Nashville” cats, like Todd Snider or Tim Carroll. Rockin’ witty singer/songwriter who don’t write for Alan Jackson or Shania Twain.
Womack was in the bands Government Cheese and the Bis-quits. They probably don’t ring many bells. He wrote a rock n roll memoir the Cheese Chronicles. It didn’t make the best seller list. He made some dandy solo albums, with sharp, ragged tunes about the Replacements, Cheetah Chrome, getting drunk and women.
Then he disappeared for a while. He had a little breakdown. He got a 9-5 job but couldn’t shake rock n roll.
Earlier this year, he released There, I Said It. It’s another terrific album made all the most powerful by his open grappling with his “troubles.” The album title comes from the tune “I’m Never Gonna Be A Rock Star”, which pretty summarizes his warts-and-all admission about his career. His slice of life tunes range from the bluesy “Too Much Month At The End of the Xanax” to the rather hopeful “Nice Day”, which talks about the joys that his son brings him. Other songs like “Alpha Male & The Canine Mystery Blood” and “A Cockroach After The Bomb” are funny/sad looks at the life he has and the life that he had.
On “25 Years Ago” he draws poignant but unflinching portraits of Nashville’s musical fringe, folks who had 15 seconds of fame or none at all.
Womack hopefully won’t be one of these folks in the future. He’s too talented a guy.
And that’s not just a fellow fortysomething with Womack.
There, I said it.
His website is tommywomack.com and you can find him on youtube at
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tommy+womack

Michael B

Coach vs. Coachella

Since I am a music writer, a music writer based in Southern California no less, I should be all amped up this weekend about the massive Coachella music festival. I guess it's another great bill. Crowded House has reformed. But quite frankly I haven't paid that much attention. out of sight out of mind, perhaps. I'm not going to be there so why get emotionally involved in what I'm missing.
However, I'm not going to be in New York City either for the NFL draft, or any of the teams' draft rooms, yet I'm emotionally involved there. maybe not as much as I once was. but I still have been checking various mock drafts (although not so much that I'd paid a site to see) in order to check on what the "experts" think. and I won't be sitting home all weekend watching the ESPN coverage - just watching it when I can.
I was remembering yesterday how I was doing mock drafts before it became such a business. When the Seattle Seahawks came into the NFL, I did my own draft for them. not in real time, but the next day. I think I drafted Jackie Slater, who later went on to be an all-pro with the Rams. Oh, and I'm not even a Seahawks fan. they were just the new expansion team.
And while I no longer, buy the draft mags and make predictions, the draft has been engrained in my dna. I don't think I can even explain why. can other otherwise rational draftniks explain why? those who don't get paid for being a draft expert? my wife just rolls her eyes over it.
so hopefully by some time after noon on Saturday, after my hometown team the Cleveland Browns make their first round selection (Peterson? Quinn? Thomas? someone else?) then my preoccupation will dissipate (and move on to something this)
enjoy your weekend
and don't spend it all watching tv
Michael B

The Return of the Wurlitzer Jukebox

Okay, more catching up of old business. Last week, word came out that there’ll be a reunion of the fabulous early 80s Welsh cult band Young Marble Giant.
(Here’s how Pitchfork reported it:
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/42444-young-marble-giants-reunite
Your reaction will either be HOORAY or who???, depending if this name rings any bells. But of course isn’t that always the case.
For those uninitiated, YMG was a quirky DYI new wave band featuring Alison Statton’s charmingly deadpan vocals, Backing her were Stuart Moxham on guitar and organ and his brother Phil on bass. That was it. not drummer. Not even a “bunnyman” drum machine if memory serves.
On a personal note, YMG were one of those odd bands you hear in college that catch your ear and find a place in your heart. I think it was Susan, the head of my small college’s small radio station who had the album. The vinyl album. Yes, I’m talking about the dinosaur days.
Anyways, their debut full length Colossal Youth was full of oddly appealing minimalistic pop. Songs like Searching for Mr. Right, Music for Evenings, Wurlitzer Jukebox and Credit in the Straight World stick out as standouts. You can go to youtube to find some old clips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbN0gllZb3Q&mode=related&search=
but better yet just find the music and listen in some dark, lonely room. There’s an eerie, other worldly feel to the music that old performance video doesn’t do justice. Yes, they are an acquired taste but one worth exploring imho.
If I had been thinking about it Music for Evenings might have made a good blog title.
Oh well...
Michael B.

Cleveland (30) Rocks

okay, I’ll cop to it early on. I’m from Cleveland, Ohio. Even though I’ve lived more years in Los Angeles than Cleveland. Cleveland’s my hometown and I still carry that Cleveland chip on my shoulder. The city has been the butt of jokes for so long that you’d think it’s a mine that has been stripped bare.

But I have to tip my cap (Browns, Tribe, Cavs, Barons if you got it) to the folks at 30 Rock. Last week they did a hilarious “salute” to the Cleve that got big laughs from this Ohio ex-pat. Part of the genius of it was that they poked fun at both Cleveland and New York City so it didn’t seem like just another comic gang-tackle on the “Mistake By the Lake”.

And in case you missed it, you can find it somewhere on nbc.com.

Oh, and see I'm getting better. Now I'm just talking about something that happened last week, not a half a year ago.

Okay, back to work or sleep.

Michael B