Category: Americana

Video of the Day: Trigger Hippy – The Door

If you listen really closely to Trigger Hippy’s excellent new release Full Circle & Then Some you can catch a scent of The Black Crowes, which makes perfect sense as the Crowes stick man Steve Gorman is one of the co-founders of Trigger Hippy. Here, the ’70s Laurel Canyon vibing band led by Amber Woodhouse on vocals sound like they could have been sitting on Joni Mitchell’s couch.

 

Song of the Day: The Textones – No Love In You

The Textones, a group consisting of music lifers, has been around since the late ’70s. Led by Carla Olson, the group was influenced by Classic Rock and Country Rock of the ’60s as well as Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, giving them that perfect mixture of Heartland Rock and West coast Laurel Canyon. Formed in Austin by Olson and Karen Valentine who went on to join the Go Go’s, this is one of those groups that were very much critically acclaimed and criminally ignored. The debut album after Valentine left the band and the addition of a saxophone player, 1984’s Midnight Mission, is a Roots Rock, Stonesy lost masterpiece.

Best Albums of 2019: The Reconstructed – Great North Wind

 

Whoever said that the only good music comes out of Austin, the left coast, or New York, has obviously never heard of The Reconstructed, the best thing to come out of Southern Maine since the lobster. Their latest record, Great North Wind, is a melodic stunner of an album with delicious hooks, sweet vocals, and enough of a Power Pop sensibility to make Alex Chilton jealous.

The opener, “Cross Talk” is what the stork would have delivered if the parents were the Bands Crazy Horse and The Bodeans, and the title track shares some DNA with Jason Isbell and the 400 unit. “Wrapped” sounds like it could have been a R.E.M. B-side, “50 Minute Records” features next-level songwriting, and “Talking With Your Ghost” rhythmically carries a bit of a John Mellencamp torch. In “Something Came Over Me” your mind’s ear will be able to detect a bit of pre-Phil Genesis on a song that vitally demonstrates the intricate songcraft and Prince level musicianship delivered on this album.

In short, while bits, pieces, and resemblances of other great bands might be salted here and there on this record, don’t be mistaken, this album and this band is a wholly unique unicorn that should be reaching more ears.

Live Video of the Day: Dawes – A Little Bit of Everything (Live From Here with Chris Thile)

The last song on their 2011 release Nothing is Wrong “A Little Bit of Everything” tells the story about a desperate man who is about to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. As he hoists his first leg over the rail his journey is interrupted. Spoiler alert, it ends well on this gripping version of a song that should savored with multiple listens.