An excellent brand new psychedelic garage rock gem from New Jersey's Black Hollies off of their upcoming disc, Casting Shadows, due out March 11 via Ernest Jenning. Turn it up. And be sure to get out and see them live, tour dates below.

MP3: The Black Hollies - Paisley Pattern Ground
Buy Casting Shadows

Upcoming Shows
02-15 Brooklyn, NY Magnetic Field - Record Release!
02-16 New York, NY Midway w/ Lyres
02-17 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's - Record Release 2!
02-22 Baltimore, MD The Talking Head
02-29 New Haven, CT Cafe Nine
03-01 Somerville, MA Abbey Lounge
03-02 Philadelphia, PA The Fire
03-03 Charlotte, NC The Tremont Music Hall
03-04 Norfolk, VA The Boot
03-07 New Orleans, LA Saturn Bar
03-08 Dallas, TX Club Dada
03-09 Houston, TX Rudyard’s
03-12-03-16 Austin, TX SXSW
03-18 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville Mews
03-19 St. Paul, MN Turf Club
03-21 Detroit, MI Lager House

Some photos from last night's incredible show at a packed Khyber in Philadelphia. The Major Leagues cancelled, so first up was The New Motels with an excellent set of what I can best describe as alt country power pop. Cheers Elephant was next with a phenomenal show that I'd probably have to call the best set of live music I've seen so far this year. Like the last forty years of rock and roll all spun together and spit out again as something brand new, it was amazing. Do not pass on your chance to see these guys soon, as they aren't going to be playing small clubs for long. Closing out the night was a raucous set of eclectic, noisy, pop from Drink Up Buttercup, another of Philadelphia's finest live bands at the moment. Three fantastic Philadelphia bands to keep an eye out for in 2008 and beyond.
The New Motels Cheers Elephant Drink Up Buttercup

Looking for something to do in the Philadelphia area tonight ? Head on down to The Khyber for the final night of the Cheers Elephant / Drink Up Buttercup January residency. Four great bands to keep your winter night warm.
I'll be there, stop by and say hi.

Tuesday January 29th
Drink Up Buttercup,Cheeer Elephant,The New Motels, and The Major Leagues
8 PM at The Khyber 56 S. 2nd Street Philadephia, PA 19106

MP3: Drink Up Buttercup - Young Ladies
[MYSPACE]
MP3: Cheers Elephant - Wide Eyed
[MYSPACE]
MP3: The New Motels - Modern Thinker
[MYSPACE]
MP3: The Major Leagues - Equal Uncle
[MYSPACE]

Sometimes you just need to turn the volume up to eleven, kick back, and let it rock. Australian duo BugGiRL is the perfect prescription to get that good ringing going in your ears and blast your worries away. Mix some AC/DC, Sweet, Judas Priest and KISS in a blender and puree, and you'll get an idea of what you're in for. Loud, fun, music made the old fashioned way with a Les Paul cranked up over some heavy duty drumming. Rock and roll all night and party every day indeed, I mean really, what's there not to like about a band fronted by a girl playing blistering guitar. Plus, you gotta give them some bonus points for naming a song after Ian Astbury of The Cult.
BugGiRL just finished a highly successful 100 show tour of Europe and is getting ready to bring the rock to American shores this year. Watch for them.

MP3: BugGiRL - Ian Astbury
MP3: BugGiRL - Rock n' Roll Hell
Buy Rock n' Roll Hell

[WEBSITE] [MYSPACE] [Photo by Victor Musat]

Tapping the Live Music Archive today for an incendiary performance from pedal steel guitar virtuoso Robert Randolph. Robert is a New Jersey native that began playing the steel guitar in the House of God Church worship services and has since gone on to tour alongside the likes of Eric Clapton, North Mississippi Allstars and others.

Robert Randolph And The Family Band
March 3 2002 at Fox Theater, Boulder, Colorado

Calypso
Run For Your Life
The March*
Squeeze
Pressing My Way
Shake Your Hips+^
Lovelight+^~
I Don't Know What You Come To Do
Tears Of Joy
Voodoo Child


The whole show in one zip file


* with Danyel on rhythm guitar & Andy Hess on bass
+ with Neil Casal on guitar
^ with Bill McKay (Leftover Salmon) on organ
~ with Shannon McNally on vocals, and Dan Fadel on drums



[WEBSITE]

Photo by Lauren Trzaska via Girl About Town
You'd pretty much have to be living under a rock to have not witnessed the emormous popularity of the new movie Juno and it's accompanying soundtrack chock full of Kimya Dawson songs. Last night Kimya played two shows in Philadelphia, I caught the second show along with my fellow bloggers and Girl About Town friends Carly,Royce and Lauren. It was a free in store at Philadelphia's AKA Music and even though she had just finished a full show shortly before, Kimya played nearly an hour's worth of songs that held the crowd's rapt attention. See Carly's post over at Girl About Town for a much more eloquent take on the evening. And if you've never heard Kimya before here's a taste for you

MP3: Kimya Dawson - I Like Giants
Buy Remember That I Love You

Buy Juno Soundtrack

[WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]

Today's random song of the day today for no other reason than because I can, so why not some cat power rocking your jukebox. Meow.

MP3: Carl Perkins - Put Your Cat Clothes On
Buy The Legendary Sun Records Story

Okay all my fans of the shoegazey pop records out there, this one's for you. Sometimes They Collide is the most recent EP from Los Angeles band The Hectors. Named after a 17th century London gang notorious for their recklessness, The Hectors are anything but reckless. Their music is built upon a rock solid rhythm section surrounded in shimmering, epic, reverb drenched guitars, all topped off by the powerful soaring vocals of Corinne Dinner. Produced by the band themselves, the record was mixed by Rick Parker (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Dandy Warhols, Brian Jonestown Massacre) and mastered by engineer Mark Chalecki (Silversun Pickups, Earlimart, Great Northern) , the sound is crisp, melodic and powerful and one you'll want to play loud for sure. I know I do.

The Hectors are Robert Bonilla, Corinne Dinner, Erik Greene, and Jim Saunders

MP3: The Hectors - Cold Star
Buy Sometimes They Collide

Upcoming Shows
Jan 15 2008 9:00P Silverlake Lounge - w/ Coco B’s Silverlake, California
Jan 28 2008 9:00P La Cita - w/ The Transmissions Los Angeles, California

[WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]

Bringing the Monday Morning Blues back today by extra special request after a short hiatus the last few weeks. Have a great day to start your week.

The Neville Brothers - Fever
Buy Treacherous
Ray Charles - Sinner's Prayer
Buy The Birth Of Soul
The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five
Buy Time Out
Miles Davis - All Blues
Buy Kind Of Blue
The Band - I Shall Be Released
Buy Music From Big Pink

Here's a hot one from my inbox today, the newest record, Songs About Music, from Chicago band Coltrane Motion. Imagine if you could travel back in time to the era of 60's fuzzed out guitar pop, but bring back a laptop and all of your knowledge of the dance music of the 80's & 90's up until now. That's the sound of Coltrane Motion, rhythmic and danceable yet filled with warm guitar distortion and swirling keyboard sounds which make it sound anything but cold. Guaranteed to get you up and shaking your thing. Be sure to catch them live over the next couple weeks if they're coming near you as their show should be hot enough to melt even the coldest winter freeze. If you enjoy bands like LCD Soundsystem, Holy F*ck, Walter Meego, etc. this will rock your world.



Coltrane Motion :
Michael Bond - 1s, 0s, words, black keys
Matt Dennewitz - guitars, white keys

MP3: Coltrane Motion - How To Be
MP3: Coltrane Motion - Twenty Seven
Buy Songs About Music




Upcoming Shows
Thu 1/17 @ Mac’s - Lansing, MI
Fri 1/18 @ Lager House - Detroit, MI
Sat 1/19 @ Frankie’s - Toledo, OH
Tue 1/22 @ The Khyber - Philadelphia, PA
Wed 1/23 @ The Annex - New York, NY
Thu 1/24 @ Cafe Bourbon St - Columbus, OH
Fri 1/25 @ The Gypsy Hut - Cincinnati, OH
Sat 1/26 @ Headliner’s - Lousiville, KY
Sun 1/27 @ Canopy Club - Champaign/Urbana, IL

[WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]

Birds.Fled.From.Me is just one of the many projects the amazingly talented Rachel Williams is involved in. Hailing from Santa Cruz, CA she is a musician extraordinaire and has an astounding voice most closely reminiscent of Fiona Apple or Bjork. Her upcoming full length album, Deeper Lurking, is a work sure to earn it's place amongst 2008's best. Twelve songs filled with lyrics that capture the raw emotional intensity of the relationships that affect all our lives. Captivating vocals wind their way through stark piano lines and other ambient sounds to paint an amazing portrait of a soul laid bare.

Mesmerizing from beginning to end, this album has the potential to catapult her from relative obscurity to next big thing overnight.

MP3: Birds.Fled.From.Me - Resisted (demo version)
MP3: Birds.Fled.From.Me - Staring At The Sea

Some cross country youtube-ing hot from the inbox today. Way out west for a brand new video from Seattle's The Blakes for their smoking, slow burn rocker, Don't Bother Me. Then on to the east coast for New York's White Rabbits ripping throught The Plot in their TV debut on Letterman. And back out west again for San Francisco's The Dodos doing Fools. Rock on.


The Blakes - Don't Bother Me


White Rabbits - The Plot Live On Letterman


The Dodos - Fools

Some photos from last night at The Khyber in Philadelphia of former BOS Artist To Watch, cello player Daniel DeJesus and his band. They have a sound that falls somewhere between Jeff Buckley and Radiohead and are currently working on a new album. They played some material from it last night as well as an amazing cover of PJ Harvey's Rid Of Me. If you're not familiar with DeJesus here's a couple samples for you. They also have a couple more upcoming shows be sure to check them out.

MP3: DeJesus - Bliss
MP3: DeJesus - Over Over
Buy From The Subconscious

Upcoming Shows
Jan 18 2008 8:00P Philly Rising Finals - World Cafe Live Philadelphia, PA
Feb 2 2008 8:00P The Well Feasterville, PA

[MYSPACE]

I've been listening to The Motion Sick's The truth will catch you, just wait... for a few weeks now trying to come up with a way to describe what it sounds like. I'm not sure I'm going to get it exactly right but I'm going to give it a shot. It's a somewhat disorienting blend of soaring 60's garage rock and 80's new wave alternative music all wound together by the lyrics and vocals of Mike Epstein, who sounds kind of like a cross between Larry Kirwan of Black 47 and and Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes. The lyrics draw on equally disparate influences, with subject matter ranging from the death of Jean-Paul Marat to the television show Twin Peaks. Yet somehow it all manages to cohese into a collection of damn catchy songs that stick with you. The blistering opener Jean-Paul and Some Lonely Day with it's soaring guitar hook being standout tracks. The only real missteps are the last two tracks, a somewhat disorienting cover of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart and an odd, unnecessary dance mix of the track 30 Lives. It was released on January 1st, so it's available now. Check it out.



The Motion Sick :
Mike Epstein - Guitar, Vocals
Matthew Girard - Bass
Patrick Mussari - Guitar
Travis Richter - Drums







MP3: The Motion Sick - Jean-Paul
Buy The truth will catch you, just wait...

Upcoming Shows
Jan 11 2008 8:00P The Midway Cafe, Jamaica Plain, MA
Feb 27 2008 8:00P Church, Boston, MA

[WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]
[PHOTOS By Tanit Sakanini]

While I spent the last couple days slacking post wise, my friends in blogland have kept it cracking for you. Lots of good stuff coming your way soon I promise, the "need to write about them on the blog" pile of cds has stacked up quite significantly over the holidays.

Meanwhile, click, click, click away:

Hot off a guest spot on the New Year's Day edition of NPR's World Cafe (complete with a shout out to yours truly, Thanks HB!), Heather at I Am Fuel, You Are Friends introduces you all to the hot sounds of Half Acre Day.

My favorite Girl About Town girls, Carly, Royce, and Amy, have been busy little bees, with features on Nicole Reynolds, Kate Nash, Rivers Cuomo's new solo disc and more.

Julio cuts loose with his his albums of the year over at Cause=Time

Trip and Michael and numerous guests start a new year end tradition with the Teenage Kicks Best of 2007.

Kate, whose writing is as amazing as her musical taste, shares her Favorites of 2007 for you over at The Glorious Hum

Tony lets The Screen Door fly open with his top ten of 2007 and also unleashes his Idiot's Guide to John Mellencamp via Popdose, Jeffito's triumphant return the the blogosphere.

The Duke of The Late Greats unfurls the final piece of his Beta-Alpha-Cal favorites of 2007 and more.