Rock Is The New Roll

Rolling into the ides of March, the music is still boppin’ and the tunes are still hoppin’ as the rock continues to roll.

Indie-Poppers Automatic Shoes are out with a new single, the soaring “This Car,”

Troubadour Sierra Ferrell applies her trade somewhere South of Dolly and North of Emmylou on her new single, “Dollar Bill Bar.”

And, Joanne Shaw Taylor lays down Jeff Beck familiar, understated guitar work on the soulful blues of “A Good Goodbye.”

The Gems – Phoenix

Rising from the ashes of Thundermother, newly formed Swedish rockers The Gems combine the “Barracuda” version of Heart with a Van Halen vibe that is at once powerful and melodic.

“Domino” is a propulsive gem, “Running” would have been a banger on any of the early Van Halen records, and “Like a Phoenix” aptly describes the formation of the band when Guernica Mancini was kicked out of Thundermother and drummer Emlee Johansson along with bassist Mona Lindgren quit the band and joined The Gems.

Smoking Snakes – Danger Zone

One of the cooler band names to come around in quite some time, Smoking Snakes, is a flash to the past to a time when Ratt, Dokken, and Kiss roamed the sunset strip.

Full of hair metal swagger, the opener “Soul Survivors” will transport you to Wayne and Garth’s Wayne s world couch while “Rocking To The Morning Light” will have you doing just that while reaching for your old Krokus CD’s.

Sheer Mag – Playing Favorites

With this, their Third Man Records debut, Sheer Mag has delivered their most satisfying Rock and Roll record to date. With their deep seventies influences that run the gamut from Eddy Money, Cheap Trick, and on to Foreigner, the band stops short of being derivative while at the same time displaying their retro vibes with pea-cocking glory.

“All Lined Up” is vintage CBGB Blondie, “Don’t Come Lookin'” is The Pretenders meets early Doobie Brothers, and “Golden Hour” could easily have been a Jackson Five B-side.

Put this one on your list of the best Rock and Roll records to released so far this year.

Hillbilly Moon Explosion – Back In Time

Any Swiss rockabilly combo that combines Lounge, Punk, Neo-Country, Ska, and Lounge-Pop to their eclectic mix will always garner play time on the turntables at Rock is the New Roll H.Q.

Vintage Lee Hazlewood production will come to the minds-ear on “Summerlove,” “Knocked Down” is the Stray Cats stuck in Stephen King novel playing over the ending credits in a Tarrantino movie, and the ZZ Top inspired “Jet Fuel Rocket Rock deserves an immediate addition to your latest driving tunes playlist.

And, while their ska influenced cover of the Toussaint McCall classic “Nothing Takes The Place Of You,” any rendition with the lyric “I moved your picture, off my walls. And I replaced them, both large and small. And each new day, finds me so blue. Nothing, Takes the place of you” has got to be compelling, and this one is no exception.

Silveroller – At Dawn

Allow this 6 song E.P., At Dawn, to be your initiation into the rock and roll world of Silveroller. Contemporary references would be in the Rival Sons by way of Blackberry Smoke territory, but for these guys with the motto, “The Future is bright and it’s patchouli-scented” the touch stones Bad Company, The Black Crowes or the Rolling Stones would be better comparisons.

Rootsy and rollicking, if this mini record is any indication great things should be in store for this band with the kind of swagger that you just don’t find these days.