Jesse is a friend…

by | Mar 31, 2015 | Music | 0 comments

Yeah I know he’s been a good friend of mine.

I’m talking about Jesse Malin, of course. (Shame on you for conjuring up Rick Springfield… actually shame on me.)

Jesse Malin is a rock star, or would be if most of the world weren’t too busy watching American Pop Idol Star Voice crap. Over the course of his long career, he’s put out albums that have been critically acclaimed yet commercially ignored. I’ve seen him in concert a few times, as a solo artist and with a band, and even when the crowd was rather sparse, Jesse gave his all. A recent interview on Bearded.com sums up his attitude:

‘There’s a lot of hard work; long hours, bad food, soundchecks, so much waiting around but the benefits are getting to play your songs for people and having your outlet. You do it all for that hour or so on stage… you get to do things that other people dream of’.

‘Some nights you’re staying in a five star hotel playing to a sold-out house or sometimes you’re playing a Monday night in the middle of nowhere for 40 people and you’ve got to give it to them. You’re staying at the worst hotel, it’s freezing and the van breaks down’ He pauses for a second, ‘But every job has its Mondays’.

You can check out a stream of his new album New York Before The War here: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/av/2015/03/album-stream-jesse-malin—new-york-before-the-war.html?utm_source=PMNL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=150326

And here’s a great article from TeamRock.com that gives a nice overview of Jesse’s career arc: http://www.teamrock.com/features/2015-03-29/the-five-ages-of-jesse-malin

Even the Wall Street Journal is singing his praises: http://www.wsj.com/articles/jesse-malin-a-punk-prodigy-keeps-on-playing-1427754050

Jesse Malin is on tour – if he comes anywhere near you, please go see him. If you’re not completely blown away by his talent, I’ll give you a full refund of your ticket price. But don’t just take my word for it, take it from Mr. Green Day:

malin rave

Here’s the video for a song from the new album:

And now two more of my favorite Jesse tunes…

(One of the best lines ever written: “I sometimes lie awake until sunrise, wondering how we become what we despise.”)

 

 

We like both kinds of music: Country AND Western

by | Mar 14, 2015 | Music | 1 comment

There’s the bro-country music that gets played on commercial radio stations (pickup truck + six-pack of beer + girl in shorts = Top 10 Hit), and then there’s real country music. Jim Lauderdale is the real deal. His new album I’m A Song is fantastic, right up there with the best stuff from George Jones, Merle Haggard and other real country artists.

I'm+a+song

 

Check out these two tracks from the album.

Too old to rock… and roll the dice

by | Mar 13, 2015 | Music | 0 comments

You know you’re getting old when the “alternative” bands you grew up listening to are now playing casino ballrooms:

pixies aic concert

 

The Pixies and Alice In Chains are both playing at the local casino this summer. The same casino that features a “Super Seniors Slot Tournament” every Wednesday!

pixies slot

 

What’s a guy to do when he’s too old to rock out anymore, but too young to qualify for the Senior Slot tourney?

Of course, perhaps the reason that both bands are playing a casino (besides being 20 years removed from their ‘hit’ songs) is the fact that both are missing key members. To me, the Pixies without Kim Deal ain’t the Pixies, and AIC without Layne Staley is very sad in more ways than one.

 

Don’t Look Back in Anger

by | Mar 7, 2015 | Music | 0 comments

Noel Gallagher is the Don Rickles of modern rock music. In a recent interview in Rolling Stone, he manages to insult pretty much everyone (except Bono) and everything (except the banjo). I get the sense that his tongue is firmly in his cheek for most of the barbs. And I found this quote very poignant: “You can’t stay playing a Les Paul through a Marshall stack forever.”