The aptly named Directions To See a Ghost is the brand new full length album from Austin, Texas' Black Angels. If you're like me and have a real soft spot for heavy psychedelia then this one fits the bill perfectly. It's filled with powerful,tribal sounding drumming surrounded by heavy bass and reverb laden guitars swirling in tremolo all coalescing into a mesmerizing hypnotic blend.
If you're a fan of bands like Black Mountain or A Place To Bury Strangers this one's definitely for you.
They're currently about to embark on a short tour of the UK before returning to alter minds on their US tour throughout the summer, be sure to catch them when they hit your town this will surely be one ogf the hottest shows of the summer.

Buy Directions To See A Ghost
[WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]

Upcoming Shows
09 May 2008 - La Maroquinerie - Paris, France
10 May 2008 - All Tomorrow's Parties - Camber, England ATP Festival Line Up
12 May 2008 - Bar Academy - Birmingham, UK w/ Sian Alice Group
13 May 2008 - Nice N Sleazy's - Glasgow, Scotland w/ Sian Alice Group
14 May 2008 - Bodega Social - Nottingham, UK w/ Sian Alice Group
15 May 2008 - ICA - London, UK w/ Sian Alice Group
16 May 2008 - Great Escape Festival - Brighton, UK
18 May 2008 - Fleece - Bristol, UK
19 May 2008 - Brudenell - Leeds, UK
20 May 2008 - Leadmill - Sheffield, UK
21 May 2008 - Roadhouse - Manchester, UK w/ Sian Alice Group
29 May 2008 - Granada Theatre - Dallas, TX
30 May 2008 - Emo's - Austin, TX CD Release Show w/ Possessed by Paul James
03 June 2008 - the Casbah - San Diego, CA w/ The Warlocks
05 June 2008 - the Troubadour - West Hollywood, CA w/ Lower Heaven & Darker My Love
06 June 2008 - Ink-N-Iron Festival (The Queen Mary) - Long Beach, CA
07 June 2008 - the Independent - San Francisco, CA w/ The Warlocks
09 June 2008 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR w/ The Warlocks
10 June 2008 - Richards on Richards - Vancouver, BC w/ The Warlocks
11 June 2008 - Neumo's - Seattle, WA w/ The Warlocks
13 June 2008 - Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT w/ The Warlocks
14 June 2008 - the Bluebird Theatre - Denver, CO w/ The Warlocks
15 June 2008 - The Imperial Inn - Rapid City, SD w/ The Warlocks
17 June 2008 - The Aquarium - Fargo, ND w/ The Warlocks
18 June 2008 - The Turf Club - Minneapolis, MN w/ The Warlocks
19 June 2008 - The Annex - Madison, WI w/ The Warlocks
20 June 2008 - Logan Square Auditorium - Chicago, IL w/ The Warlocks
21 June 2008 - Mad Planet - Milwaukee, WI w/ The Warlocks
23 June 2008 - Magic Stick - Detroit, MI w/ The Warlocks
24 June 2008 - Southgate House - Cincinnati, OH w/ The Warlocks
25 June 2008 - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH w/ The Warlocks
26 June 2008 - Lee's Palace - Toronto, Ontario w/ The Warlocks
28 June 2008 - Southpaw - Brooklyn, NY w/ The Warlocks
29 June 2008 - Middle East Downstaiirs - Boston, Massachusetts w/ The Warlocks
30 June 2008 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA w/ The Warlocks
02 July 2008 - The Rock and Roll Hotel - Washington DC w/ The Warlocks
03 July 2008 - The Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC w/ The Warlocks
04 July 2008 - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC w/ The Warlocks
05 July 2008 - The Exit/In - Nashville, TN w/ The Warlocks
06 July 2008 - Hi-Tone - Memphis, TN w/ The Warlocks
07 July 2008 - The BottleTree - Birmingham, AL w/ The Warlocks
08 July 2008 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA w/ The Warlocks
10 July 2008 - Common Grounds - Gainesville, FL w/ The Warlocks
11 July 2008 - The Social - Orlando, FL w/ The Warlocks
09 August 2008 - All Points West Music & Arts Festival

Some photos from last night's show at Johnny Brenda's In Philadelphia. Opening the night was Philly's own Aderbat whose lead singer and bass player could pass for a young Bob Dylan and Kris Kristofferson respectively. It was my first time seeing them and they played an excellent set of music with a sound that falls somewhere between My Morning Jacket and Wilco. Great stuff, definitely add them to your list of must see Philly Bands. Up next was Brooklyn's Via Audio, who played a high energy set of dance music with a distinctly eighties new wave overtone that the crowd couldn't get enough of. Expect them to rise hot on the heels of fellow Brooklynites MGMT and Yeasayer real soon. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin closed the evening with their brand jangly guitar pop. After a rousing finale of their song Oceanographer, the boys came back out for an encore joined by the members of Via Audio for a "we didn't practice this but we're going to try it anyway" version of Nirvana's Heart Shaped Box which, despite a few ramshackle moments, really rocked. See the lyric cliff notes they had on stage along with a scan of the setlist below. A great night of music all around.
Aderbat
Via Audio
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

TONIGHT ! Come rock out at The Khyber in Philadelphia with my friends from Girl About Town and a great lineup of bands. It's where all the cool kids will be.

Girl About Town Spring Fling
National Eye, East Hundred, Cheers Elephant, Cary Ann Hearst
The Khyber 56 S. 2nd Street
Philadelphia PA

The M Room in Phildelphia is where you need to be tomorrow night to catch the first "Bag Of Songs Presents" night. Here's a little preview of what you have in store, plus, read all they way down for info on a CD giveaway !

The Shots:
Colt Morris - Vocals, Bass
Alex Blyskun - Guitar
Marcos Zerpa - Drums

Why you need to see The Shots : Ever say to yourself I wish I could have seen Led Zeppelin in 1969,or The Who Live At Leeds,or U2 in small club,or [insert your most lamented "I wish I saw them when", musical regret here]. Well don't blow it again. Your time is NOW to see The Shots delivering their amazing show in small venue.

The Shots - Do Me Wrong
More at [MYSPACE]

Murder Mystery:
Jeremy Coleman: Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
Laura Coleman: Drums, Vocals
Adam Fels: Bass, Vocals
Graham Roberts: Guitar, Vocals

Making their Philadelphia debut is Murder Mystery who released their album Are You Ready For The Heartache Cause Here It Comes in the fall of 2007 and have been garnering non stop accolades ever since. Bring your dancing shoes because their retro meets indie grooves will have you jumping around like you're at a fifties sock hop.

Murder Mystery - Love Astronaut
Buy Are You Ready For The Heartache Cause Here It Comes
[MYSPACE]

Thinking Machines:
Cody Brown
Marcus Epler
Sean Wolfe

This essentially the cd release party for The Thinking Machines who released their excellent A Complete Record of Urban Archaeology in early 2008. A rhythmic guitar driven record that translates exceptionally well into a powerful live show. Think something along the lines of Fugazi meets Gang of Four, or The Constantines and you'll have an idea of what they're all about.

Thinking Machines - Return To Red Sun
Buy A Complete Record of Urban Archaeology
[MYSPACE]

Canadian Invasion:
Andy Canadian - vocals, guitar
Jim Foley - bass
Eric Miller - guitar
George Groves - drums
Chris Morita - guitar, vocals

Canadian Invasion holed up at Philadelphia’s Miner Street Studios with the amazing production team of Brian McTear and Amy Morrisey to record the followup to their Songs For The Atco Ghost and recorded what is currently one of the best unreleased records of 2008 in Three Cheers For The Invisible Hand, a jangly, harmony laden, lyric rich gem of a power pop record.

Canadian Invasion - Juvenilia
More at [MYSPACE]

GIVEAWAY : You can't buy their album yet, but I have five copies to give away of a special limited edition 3 song sampler CD from Canadian Invasion's Three Cheers For The Invisible Hand. All you need to do to win is leave a comment or send an email to bagofsongs@gmail.com with "CI Contest" in the subject line. I'll pick five random winners on Tuesday April 22, so don't waste any time, get those entries in now.

The Rosewood Thieves warm sounding alt country infused Lonesome EP was one of better releases of 2007. Now they're back with a new full album entitled Rise And Shine. Check out this hot free digital single they've released in advance of the album. Side A is an instantly memorable and catchy slice of Beatlesque psychedelia entitled She Don't Mind The Rain, backed with equally solid glam groover, Silver Gun (wacky demo). Judging by these two leadoff songs, if the rest of the album is this strong it's surely going to hold it's own amongst the best of 2008. As the song goes "Bang, bang bang, yeah". Indeed.











The Rosewood Thieves - She Don't Mind The Rain
The Rosewood Thieves - Silver Gun(wacky demo)

Track Listing
1 Silver Gun
2 She Don't Mind The Rain
3 When My Plane Lands
4 Flat Tire
5 Mad Man Blues
6 Fair Lights Flashing
7 Moon Song
8 Junkyard Julie
9 Gone
10 Heavy Eyes

Produced By: The Rosewood Thieves
Mixed By: Thom Monahan
Mastered By: Drew Lavyne
Engineered By: John David, Travis Harrison & Aaron Nevezie
Cover Painting By: Isaac Abrams (All Things Are One Thing, 1967)
Guru: Brady Brock
Medical: Doctor Mooney

Be sure pick up a copy of Rise and Shine at one of their upcoming shows
April, 28 2008 09:00 PM - DC9 Washington DC
April, 29 2008 08:00 PM - The Cave Chapel Hill, North Carolina
April, 30 2008 09:00 PM - The Star Bar Atlanta, Georgia W/ Ponderosa
May, 1 2008 08:00 PM - Circle Bar New Orleans, Louisiana
May, 2 2008 08:00 PM - Walter’s on Washington - w/ Frank Smith Houston, Texas
May, 3 2008 08:00 PM - Mohawk - w/Frank Smith Austin, Texas
May, 5 2008 08:00 PM - The Ruby Room Phoenix, Arizona
May, 6 2008 10:00 PM - The Beatles Revolution Lounge at The Mirage , Las Vegas, Nevada
May, 7 2008 08:00 PM - The Epicentre - w/Lemon Sun (ALL AGES) San Diego, California
May, 8 2008 08:00 PM - Bottom of The Hill - w/Lemon Sun San Francisco, California
May, 9 2008 09:00 PM - The Echo - w/Lemon Sun Los Angeles, California
May, 10 2008 08:00 PM - Detroit Bar - w/Lemon Sun & The Growlers Costa Mesa, California 92627
May, 12 2008 08:00 PM - Bar Deluxe Salt Lake City, Utah
May, 13 2008 08:00 PM - 3 Kings Tavern Denver, Colorado
May, 15 2008 08:00 PM - The Busted Lift Dubuque, Iowa
May, 16 2008 08:00 PM - The Hideout - w/ Cairo Gang Chicago, Illinois
May, 17 2008 08:00 PM - Petrus Lounge Louisville, Kentucky
May, 18 2008 08:00 PM - The Basement Nashville, Tennessee

[MYSPACE]

Still debating what to do tonight in Philadelphia ?
Former BOS Artist Of The Day, Public Record, with their exciting blend of instrumental jazz/ska/rock takes the stage at Johnny Brenda's to celebtrate the release of their new CD on High Two Records. I'll Be there, come on down and say hi.

MP3: Public Record - Mermaid's Purse
Buy Public Record

Public Record CD Release Party
w/ Mahogany, Ravens and Vultures, and Arc In Round (members of Relay)
Wednesday April 16
Johnny Brenda’s
Frankford & Girard Ave
Philadelphia, PA

[MYSPACE]

April 15th, The dreaded deadline for filing your US income taxes. A jazzy little number by Grave Cowboys to accompany all the last minute number crunchers out there today.

MP3: Grave Cowboys - Death And Taxes
Buy Vulture's Delight

Some new music today from C.W. Stoneking or maybe I should say new old music. The music could just as easily be from the deep south in the 20's or 30's but it's not, it's brand new music being made in the land down under in Melbourne, Australia. Stoneking has captured with such authenticity the gritty storytelling blues style of a time now long past that you'd swear Alan Lomax was there with his field recorder capturing it.

Bio:
Born to American parents in Katherine, Northern Territory, in 1974, CW was raised in the Aboriginal community of Papunya, (about 240 km northwest of Alice Springs). After his parents separated early on, his musical father raised him whilst teaching in the settlements. “I used to hear a lot of records from my dad with a lot of the 60s vocal groups from the States and things like that. He used to sing tunes with the guitar for me at bedtime when I was very small, like ‘Candyman’, and ‘Froggie Went a’Courtin’.”
It wasn’t until after he moved to Balmain in Sydney aged 11 that Stoneking began learning guitar. His interest in the blues was sparked as a teenager after stumbling across some tapes of two country-blues legends; Blind Willie McTell and Memphis Minnie.

Be sure to catch one of his upcoming North American shows and experience it firsthand:
April 18th NEW YORK, Banjo Jim’s
April 19th ROSENDALE, Rosendale Cafe
April 20th NEW YORK, Rockwood Music Hall
April 21st PHILADELPHIA, Johnny Brendas
April 22nd, NEW YORK, Pete’s Candy Store
April 26th, TORONTO, Drake Hotel TBC

C.W. Stone King - Dodo Blues
C.W. Stone King - Goin' The Country
Buy King Hokum



[MYSPACE]

I'll freely admit I openly ignored Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltin's first album Broom due to the excessive overhype, but I'll sure as hell be going back and checking it out after hearing their new one, Pershing. Glue Girls is the opening track of eleven slices of sugary, jangly, pop songs that make up the new album. This will be a perfect soundtrack for upcoming warm summer days driving around with the top down or just spent hanging on the beach.

MP3: Someones Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Glue Girls
Buy Pershing

Catch them out on tour now:
04/14 Mon St. Louis, MO @ The Bluebird w/ Via Audio. 18+ / 8:00PM.
04/15 Tue Indianapolis, IN @ Locals Only w/ Via Audio. 21+ / 7:30PM.
04/16 Wed Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle w/ Via Audio. 21+.
04/18 Fri Toronto, Ontario, CAN @ El Mocambo w/ Via Audio. 19+ / 9:00PM.
04/20 Sun Allston, MA @ Great Scott w/ Via Audio. 18+ / 9:00PM.
04/21 Mon Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall w/ Via Audio. 21+ / 7:30PM.
04/22 Tue New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge w/ Via Audio. 21+ / 7:00PM.
04/23 Wed Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's w/ Via Audio. 21+ / 8:00PM.
04/24 Thu Washington, DC @ Black Cat Backstage w/ Via Audio. AA / 9:00PM.
04/26 Sat Charleston, SC @ The Map Room w/ Via Audio. 18+ / 9:00PM.
04/27 Sun Atlanta, GA @ The EARL w/ Via Audio. 21+.
04/29 Tue Memphis, TN @ The Hi Tone Cafe w/ Via Audio. 18+ / 9:00PM.
05/05 Mon Norman, OK @ The Opolis w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 9:00PM.
05/06 Tue Denton, TX @ Hailey's w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 9:00PM.
05/07 Wed Austin, TX @ The Mohawk w/ Port O'Brien.
05/09 Fri Phoenix, AZ @ Modified w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 8:00PM.
05/10 Sat Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 8:30PM.
05/11 Sun San Diego, CA @ Beauty Bar w/ Port O'Brien. 21+ / 9:00PM.
05/13 Tue Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 8:00PM.
05/14 Wed San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 8:00PM.
05/16 Fri Portland, OR @ Towne Lounge w/ Port O'Brien. 21+ / 9:00PM.
05/17 Sat Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 7:30PM.
05/18 Sun Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN @ Media Club w/ Port O'Brien. 19+ / 8:00PM.
05/20 Tue Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court w/ TBA.
05/21 Wed Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive w/ TBA. 16+ / 7:00PM.
05/22 Thu Omaha, NE @ The Slowdown w/ TBA. AA / 8:00PM.
05/23 Fri Iowa City, IA @ The Picador w/ TBA. 19+ / 9:00PM.
05/24 Sat Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry

[WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]

This is a little dark, but the sound quality is great. It's Panda Riot covering MIA's Paper Planes from their recent tour stop at The Khyber in Philadelphia. And if you squint real hard you can even see me there in the crowd.

Ever wonder what it would sound like if you could take all your favorite bits of songs from the past 30 years or so and roll them all into one, some smooth 70's soul mixed with some 80's new wave ? , some crunching classic rock guitar with a techno beat ? Remember when music didn't always sound so fleeting and temporary and tapped into that place that made you love music in the first place ? When radio still mattered ? When a stack of vinyl 45's could kick a party into high gear ? Brooklyn's Alan Wilkis has obviously wondered about all of these things and more, and better still, he takes it one step further by immortalizing his vision to share with all of you on his excellent new self produced album, Babies Dream Big.

The opening track Burnin' starts with a plinky casio type keyboad part, then joined by a nice fat rhythm guitar all laced up nicely by some smooth and soulful falsetto vocals and by then you're hooked. It continues on through eleven more tracks all forged from a soulful, catchy, and addictive collage of sounds of many eras. It's been on heavy rotation in my player the past few weeks, and in a perfect world should be one of the hot party records of the year.

MP3: Alan Wilkis - Burnin'
MP3: Alan Wilkis - I Wanna Know
Buy Babies Dream Big

[MYSPACE]

A few pictures from last nights Carbon/Silicon show at World Cafe In Philadelphia. Carbon/Silicon is Mick Jones(The Clash,Big Audio Dynamite) and Tony James(Generation X) newest band. They played a set of songs mainly from their latest disc The Last Post as well as a cover of Tim Hardin's Reason To Believe sung by Tony James. A musically rocking show that was very reminiscient of The Clash soundwise but with a cool laid back stage vibe from the band. The show came to a rousing finish as a good portion of the audience joined the band on stage to dance the night away.

Sorry I have no photos, but Philadelphia's own Matt Pond PA opened the evening with solid set of their indie pop, my first time seeing them, personally reminded me a lot of Spoon.

They didn't happen toplay this song last night, but it's one of my favorites from the current album. Enjoy !

MP3: Carbon/Silicon - National Anthem
Buy The Last Post
[WEBSITE]

See more of Lauren Trzaska's excellent photos and over at Girl About Town


Mick Jones Photo By Lauren Trzaska
Tony James Photo By Lauren Trzaska

Check this out. Tom Morello joining Bruce Springsteen on stage for a searing version of The Ghost Of Tom Joad Monday night in Anaheim, California. Be sure to watch all the way until the end as in the last minute or so Morello's lead playing absolutely just explodes. Incredible.

Even if it was only A Place To Bury Strangers this show would be worth attending, they are one of the best live bands I've seen in a while. But it's them and LOTS, LOTS more. Rock On !

Annual PILAM Human Barbecue
April 5, 2008 Noon til ???
$12
PILAM
3914 Spruce Street
Philadelphia PA

When the newest version of the song Teardrop hit my inbox this afternoon, I just couldn't resist posting these for you to compare and contrast. Massive Attack's classsic original, Jose Gonzalez's brilliant acoustic version from last year, and Newton Faulkner's brand new reworking of the song. Which do you like best ?

Massive Attack - Teardrop
Buy Mezzanine

Jose Gonzalez - Teardrop
Buy In Our Nature

Newton Faulkner - Teardrop
Buy Hand Built By Robots