The It’s Time To Play B-Sides Top 20 of 2025

Posted on December 31, 2025 by mike

Wow, 2025 went by really quickly! All of a sudden we’re at the end of the year.

I went to more live shows this year including two shows at Codfish Hollow in Maquoketa. This was the first time I’ve been back to Codfish since before COVID! I saw Bob Mould with Craig Finn from The Hold Steady in April which was a really awesome show. The last time I saw Bob was in February of 1997 at the Guthrie in Minneapolis. The last time I saw Craig Finn was with the Hold Steady at one of the “Barn on the 4th of July” shows at Codfish. In June I saw Keller Williams doing his DeadPettyKellerGrass tribute to Tom Petty and Grateful Dead. I also saw GA-20 at CSPS Hall in Cedar Rapids in August (my pictures here). I wanted to see more shows, and maybe 2026 I’ll ramp up. I already have a number of shows I’m interested in:The Iowa City Jazz Festival is hosting ARTEMIS, whose Arboresque album made my Top 20 list for this year. The creator of the long running Mission Creek Festival is now creating STOP/TIME which is a multi-venue spring festival. The lineup includes Tortoise, Ambrose Akinmusire, William Tyler, Pieta Brown, and a bunch more amazing acts. I’m bummed that Tortoise and William Tyler are probably going on at the same time… Also on the calendar is The Iron and Wine at the Englert, so things are really looking interesting for next year. We also have DeVotchKa : Tribute to the Music of Little Miss Sunshine at Codfish Hollow.

I participated in both Record Store Days again this year. My friends and I went to Davenport and Rock Island to hit both Ragged Records locations for April. I went to Analog Vault in Cedar Rapids for Black Friday RSD. I didn’t have a lot on my list for either event. The reissue of The Pale Saints final album Slow Buildings was a big want for me. Generally regarded as not the band’s best effort compared to In Ribbons, but it was an album I listened to a lot in 1992 when I was in the blush of a 4AD Records romance. I now have all three Pale Saints albums on vinyl, happily. The Blue Note comp of outtakes Alt’s N Outs was a cool release very much in the spirit of RSD. The Nathan Davis RSD exclusive reissue of his 1965 album Happy Girl was an obscure jazz title I’d never heard of, but picked that up as well after listening to some tracks on streaming. For Black Friday RSD I picked up the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – The Live Anthology – From the Vaults Vol. 1, which was a vinyl reissue of the 5th CD from the Best Buy exclusive version of the 2009 Live Anthology box set. The Black Friday RSD version was an aqua version and there has since been non-RSD versions of it. I also picked up the Fleetwood Mac Live 1975 2 LP which is essentially disc 3 of the Deluxe version of self-titled that came out in 2018. I was looking forward to this because I had a bootleg of the Capital Theater show which was based on a radio broadcast. This release is a compilation of two radio shows from that early tour. Really cool to hear a fresh-faced and newly-minted version of the Buckingham Nicks version of Fleetwood Mac tackling some early tunes. Plus, that version of “Rhiannon” has an off-the-hook vocal performance from Stevie Nicks that is worth the price of admission.

On last year’s post, I mentioned that I was a member of Vinyl Me Please and that 2024 was the first full year. This was short-lived. I ended up canceling VMP in January after I was able to order the reissue of the fantastic VMP box set The Blue Note Records Story, which originally came out in 2019 and sold out quickly. With the 80th Anniversary of Blue Note Records, there were a number of events around it, which included VMP’s reissue of that box set, which was welcomed by everyone who missed it the first time around. It was getting to the point that I wasn’t finding releases that I wanted, and they kicked off the year eliminating some of the genre channels, and then there was a bunch of news and online chatter about the label going under and I didn’t want to risk losing my monthly subscription fees, so I bailed. Based on the subreddits, there are a lot of people who still have credits and records due to them and the new owners are not handling support very well, so I’m glad I got out when I did.

Without further ado, here is my Top 20 list for 2025. This list is only for new releases in 2025– not reissues, and is in no particular order other than when I come across it looking at my discogs and Bandcamp additions for 2025.

ARTEMIS – Arboresque – I first became aware of the 5 piece jazz band ARTEMIS when they were included on the Blue Note Review Volume 3 box TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLEE as part of the tribute album to Lee Morgan. I included this in my 2024 Top 20 list. Their cover of “The Procrastinator” by Morgan was brilliant and was a catalyst into my deep dive into Lee Morgan this year. Arboresque is a breathtakingly beautiful album. It is anchored in a very post-bop sound (think late 60’s albums from Miles Davis’ second great quintet, Herbie Hancock, and the aforementioned Lee Morgan (in particular his 1964 album The Search for New Land, and his 1967 album The Procrastinator). Check out this Tiny Desk appearance where they perform songs from Arboresque.

Tortoise – Touch – I did not have “new album from Tortoise” on my BINGO card for 2025. 2025 finds the band split up geographically with only two members still living in Chicago, so it’s not surprising maybe that it took them a few years to reconvene. 2016’s The Catastrophist was the first album from the band that I wasn’t totally into. It lacked a cohesiveness that the prior albums had (not to mention a throwaway cover of David Essex’s “Rock On”). Touch is less a return-to-form as it is maybe a return to vision. The album dips pretty liberally into the tones of albums like Standards— the chiming synth patches for example. Touch also comes off more like a guitar album in spots. Jeff Parker brings in some really great guitar tones on this album. Which isn’t to say it’s a exclusively guitar album though, “Elka” is an excellent example of the Krautrock influences the band has with it’s motorik beats and fizzy synth pads. Touch is the first album not on longtime Chicago home Thrill Jockey Records, but is instead on Chicago’s new home for innovative jazz and jazz-adjacent music International Anthem/Nonesuch. IARC is also the label for Jeff Parker. Honestly, the clout (and track history) that IARC/Nonesuch has could bring Tortoise its first Grammy nom.

Steve Gunn – Music For Writers – Gunn returns to his instrumental guitar leanings with Music For Writers. Considered a follow-up to 2021’s Other You, Music For Writers is a lush landscape that, I suppose, could be used as a background to writing. Beautiful album to be certain. Reminds me of Brian Eno in spots, but also David Sylvian’s collaborations with Robert Fripp on Gone to Earth. Gunn also released a vocal album this year called Daylight, Daylight. I didn’t pick that up, but it’s on my list.

LANA GASPARØTTI – Dimensions – This is a reissue of her 2024 EP on vinyl by Portuguese label Now Jazz Agora. Their release of MAZARIN – Pendular was one of my favorite releases of 2024. This album is a sublime mix of jazz keys, lush vocals wrapped in slinky bass and skittering breakbeats. Reminds me of the peak of Acid Jazz and Roni Size’s Breakbeat Era. Fantastic. The album doesn’t take itself too seriously with snippets of 8-bit throwback and cat samples.

Scott Hirsch – Lost Padres – Scott Hirsch at one time was best known as MC Taylor’s partner in Hiss Golden Messenger and prior to that The Court And Spark, but he has been turning out some pretty fantastic solo albums in the self-proclaimed “cosmic country” style. Certainly he has held on to the laidback sound that existed on the early HGM records that sounds a lot like JJ Cale, but on Lost Padres Hirsch layers in some beautiful background vocals and some bubbly dubbiness making Lost Padres a standout album in his catalog and really an overlooked album in 2025.

Brother Trucker – Live at Octopus – Roots-rocking Iowa band Brother Trucker has been recording albums and playing live for over 25 years and to celebrate this, the band released its first live album recorded at one of the best live venues in the area, The Octopus in Cedar Falls. This album captures the live show from the band perfectly. I reviewed the album for Little Village.

James Elkington – Pastel De Nada – Pastel De Nada is an album of guitar instrumental sketches from the go-to sideman James Elkington. This album is a sequel of sorts to his 2023 album Me Neither. Elkington explores the gamut of tones, tunings and effects of guitar. Parts recall his other work in The Horses Ha, and The Zincs and his own solo works. His playing feels distinctly drawn from the history of British Folk, a little Richard Thompson and a little Robert Fripp. An album with no goal other than to catalog guitar sketches, and that works for me.

The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble – Gemini – There’s a reason that the artwork (cover and label) for The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble’s latest album looks like a vintage CTI Records release. SFSE brings the vintage breezy laid back jazz funk sound that CTI was known for. This album is a banger from beginning to end. Of course, brought to you by the fine folks at Colemine Records.

Okonski – Entrance Music – Speaking of Colemine, Steve Okonski of Durand Jones and the Indications was back with another fantastic piano trio album. This is an album that I was anxiously anticipating after his 2023 album Magnolia. Beautiful album.

Kendra Morris – Next – Another wonderful release on Colemine this year was from Kendra Morris. I loved her 2022 album Nine Lives and this album has the lush and bright R&B sound that album had. Her music and her vocals remind me of the early albums from Nellie McKay.

Hiss Golden Messenger – Sanctuary Songs – Although this live album came out digitally in 2024, the limited edition (of 500) vinyl release of this came out in 2025 as a benefit for artists. Citizen Vinyl is a new vinyl pressing plant and label out of North Carolina and they did a fantastic job with the release. HGM has been overdue for a live album and this fits the bill nicely. Check out the fantastic cover of “Eyes of the World” on here, too.

Neal Francis – Return to Zero – Chicago-based musician Neal Francis came back in 2025 with his first album since the FANTASTIC 2023 live album Francis Comes Alive. He still brings the 70’s funk and R&B to the album but we get more disco bump this time. Francis is one of my favorite active musicians and I need to get to a show some time for sure.

Loess – Battens – For me any year that has a Loess album in it, is a good one. Battens still employs the digitally-manipulated palate of sounds we’ve heard on previous releases, but this album seems to be more organic sounding than the others. My first impressions of this album drew comparisons to Peter Gabriel’s Passion album. Very atmospheric, but also evoking a kind of cinematic feel.

William Tyler – Time Indefinite – For William Tyler’s latest album he fully commits to the found sound experimentation that he has been doing. Lots of tape manipulation and distortion. It’s far away from his early American Primitive guitar work, though there are bits that wear through the soundscapes. He considers this album to be his most personal work to date, and certainly it evokes the spirit of contemplation. Tyler continues to be one of the most compelling artists around for me.

The Tubs – Cotton Crown – I heard this in Ragged Records in Davenport during RSD and immediately needed to buy it. The Tubs are a Cardiff, Wales band that are kind of the darlings of a developing music scene there. This album is pure jangle-pop sounding a lot like The Smiths and other 90’s College Rock bands. Lead singer Owen Williams sounds a lot like Richard Thompson, but I hear a little Bob Mould in there as well. Brilliant album, I’m sad I missed their show at Rozz-Tox last spring.

Phil Cook – Appalachia Borealis – Phil Cook’s latest album is a collection of improvisational piano pieces recorded at his home gathering inspiration from the sounds of wildlife around him. Produced by longtime friend Justin Vernon (which is the least interesting thing about it, honestly) The resulting album is beautiful and reflective and one I spun a lot this year.

Jacob Lampman’s Ego Death – Cedar Falls, IA musician Jacob Lampman is probably better known in the projects he lends his guitar. I met Jacob while he was helping Joel Sires out a couple of years ago. I’m not sure what I thought a solo album from Lampman would sound like, but this album is a delightful mix of Seventies breeziness. It is a complex and layered pop with flirtations with jazz (helped out in no small part by a band made up of college music professors). It’s a mix of Van Morrison, Bill Withers, and the symphonic pop of David Axelrod. Is there a Freak Pop genre?

Holiday Innards – Maybe You Should Stay – I caught Holiday Innards opening for 10 Watt Robot this year at The Ideal Theater in Cedar Rapids. Holiday Innards is made up of guys who have been bands in Iowa for decades. Vocalist and guitarist Kelly Plumber was in DREDNEX, one of the very earliest college rock bands. Kylie Buddin on guitar and bass was in Iowa City band Stickman and in Peterbuilt with Tom Jessen (pre-Dimestore Outfit). Drummer Brian Thompson has been in quite a few bands as well including Paisley Bible with Buddin. Largely releasing EP’s under-the-radar, but these are all worth checking out on their Bandcamp. It’s a mix of rough-and-ragged punk and classic rock sounding at times like The Faces and The Stooges and Big Star. Maybe You Should Stay is their physical release available at shows. Made up of tracks from the EP’s

Bob Mould – Here We Go Crazy – Bob returns to the angry and very guitar forward sound that is generally accepted to be the best sound for him. I caught him on the tour for this album at Codfish Hollow in Maquoketa. A wonderful place to see him. Here We Go Crazy reminds me a lot of Sugar, and it sounds like we’re going to get a new Sugar album in 2026, which would be welcomed by me. It’s got a lot of the Black Sheets of Rain sound, too.

Samalandra – Samalandra – Samalandra is another band on Now Jazz Agora (who had three releases in 2025). The band was formed in 2022 by João Neves (drummer), Débora King (keyboardist and vocalist) and Tiago Martins (bassist). They don’t stick to a classic jazz sound, leaning more electronic and beats and rhythms inspired by hip hop. This album fits nicely with similarly influenced artists like Makaya McCraven or Robert Glasper.

That wraps my list of my favorite releases from 2025. A pretty wide-ranging list of releases stylistically showing that there is a lot of new music coming out all the time. It’s important to support artists who still feel it’s important to bring new music to the world, whether that is going to a show, buying records and merch, or just spreading the word.

(Upcoming Release) Athens, GA Legends Squalls Release Vintage 40-Watt Club Performances : Live From The 40 Watt Out 8/19 – A Deeper Dive

Posted on July 22, 2022 by mike

The national awareness of Athens, Georgia as a vibrant art and music scene in the 80’s was largely accomplished due to a plucky, quirky and loose 1986 documentary film by director Tony Gayton titled “Athens, GA: Inside/Out” and its associated soundtrack on I.R.S. Records, which at the time was R.E.M.’s label.

In many ways, the film happened at the right time: R.E.M.’s Document, their last and biggest album on I.R.S. Records would come out in Fall of 1987 and blow up with “The One I Love.” Fans like me who were hungry for everything related to R.E.M. ran out to pick up the VHS tape of the film and the soundtrack to hear and see the two R.E.M. tracks performed in the Seney-Stovall Chapel: acoustic versions of “Swan Swan H” from Lifes Rich Pageant and a cover of an Everly Brothers classic re-titled “(All I Have To Do Is) Dream.”

A side note: the legend of R.E.M. includes the fact that they lived in an abandoned church and their first concert was in this same church. Until today, I assumed that the performance in the film was in that church, but they really lived in St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, which was demolished in 1990 by developers. The steeple still stands today as a landmark to R.E.M.

As someone growing up in a very small midwestern town in the 1980’s, I had very limited access to underground non-Top 40 music. I didn’t even have MTV! So, the soundtrack and filmed performances in “Athens, Ga : Inside/Out” were eye-opening experiences! In many ways this soundtrack defined the music I would follow for many years. As a compilation, the songs and bands are all over the map: soon-to-be radio darlings R.E.M., twitchy frenetic post punk of Pylon (who recently got their much-deserved recognition in a boxset I covered here.), the instrumental workings of Love Tractor (the use of “Fun To Be Happy” as the opening music was brilliant and set the tone for the film), moody guitar rock of “Dreams So Real” (whose major label debut Rough Night in Jericho disappointingly made them sound like The BoDeans and not like the moody and beautiful “Golden”), The B-52’s were included in the film, but not the soundtrack, the hardcore punk of Bar-B-Q Killers, the hyper retro two-piece rockabilly of The Flat Duo Jets (who are obvious influences on The White Stripes). The thoughts of these bands playing bars and stages in Athens was breathtaking, and my friends and I all wanted to make a trip there. (It’s still on my bucket list of places to visit)

Squalls perform “Na Nanana” in Athens, Ga: Inside/Out

Out of all of those bands on the soundtrack, the ones that really stood out for me (and are favorites to this day) were Pylon, Love Tractor and Squalls. Squalls had two songs on the soundtrack, their big hit (such as it was) “Na Nanana” and “Elephant Radio.” Both of these songs were on their debut self-released EP from 1984, and by 1986, when this film came out, they were regarded as one of the bands who deserved to make it to the national spotlight. The Squalls mix of epic harmonies and melodies combined with smart and sometimes progressive rhythms to me makes them a shoo in for a band that could follow in the footsteps of bands like Talking Heads and Adrian Belew.

The Squalls were signed to R.E.M. manager Jefferson Holt‘s label Dog Gone Records, and released two albums there before the band hung it up in 1989.

On August 19th, the band is releasing a compilation of live recordings made over five dates made at the legendary Athens, GA bar The 40-Watt Club between 1983 and 1985 (predating the performances in the film). These performances were recorded by 40-Watt soundman T. Patton Biddle. Titled Live from the 40 Watt, the songs span the EP and the two albums and are a great representation of the band’s body of work. Here is the tracklist, with my notes of performance date and what album the songs come from. I’ve also provided links to the tracks that have been released for streaming.

Bride Of Frankenstein (8/2/1985) from No Time and “Crickets” 7″
Catholic Girls (2/11/1983) unreleased
The Prince Of Wails (5/31/84) from Rebel Shoes
Ellie Dee (8/2/1985) unreleased
Relax (5/31/1984) from Squalls EP
Cindy (2/14/1985) from Rebel Shoes
Na Nanana (5/31/1984) from Squalls EP
Pop Roots (5/31/1984) unreleased
Waltzing Mathilda (8/2/1985) from Rebel Shoes
Information (5/31/1984) from Squalls EP
Crickets (8/2/1985) from “Crickets” 7″
Snowman (5/31/1984) unreleased
Dancing Example (8/2/1985) unreleased
Satellite (11/29/1984) unreleased
Tell Me Now (8/2/1985) unreleased
Unrelated Happenings (8/2/1985) unreleased
Kathy (11/29/1984) unreleased
The Sheik (2/14/1985) from No Time
Kalinka (8/2/1985) from Squalls EP
S.P.Q.R. (8/2/1985) from No Time
Strolling Bones (11/29/1984) from Squalls EP
Modern World (11/29/1984) unreleased
What You Get (11/29/1984) unreleased
Elephant Radio (11/29/1984) from Squalls EP

The striking thing about this compilation is how much unreleased music is included! I exchanged messages with Bob Hay, the principle songwriter in Squalls whether this release was indicative of the live sets from this pre-Dog Gone era of the band, or whether he was attempting to get these unreleased songs released formally. He said:

It’s kind of both. On “LIVE” I wanted to include every song that was released on vinyl before 1986. (8 songs – the EP and the single.) and also rescue from the sands of time a bunch of songs that were staples of our live shows in those days and a few that we played only a few times but are too good to be forgotten. We were primarily a live dance band and played live for almost three years before we set foot in a studio.
Facebook chat 7/10/22

The idea of a band packing bars playing all original songs seems foreign, if not kind of quaint these days. Bob sent me a scan of the show calendar for The 40-Watt Club from February, 1986: the month that they filmed the performances for Athens, GA: Inside/Out. I commented about the incredible lineup of bands that were playing that month– (not to mention all of the bands who were in the film)– Alex Chilton played a Thursday night show, The Georgia Satellites and the Del Fuegos (who would share a tour with Tom Petty the next year), Giant Sand, and Jason and the Scorchers played a three night stand. Bob replied, “I tell you, it was something during that time.”

In addition to capturing a wildly creative time for Squalls, Live from the 40-Watt also is a reminder that Athens was (and still is) a very special place where bands were drawn to be more free creatively and where audiences were excited to hear new music. The recordings show a band wide-eyed and excited to bring their art to the world.

Live From The 40-Watt will be released on August, 19th, 2020 and will be available on beautiful 2 LP blue vinyl, CD or digital. Click here to order from Strolling Bones records site, or you can order it from Bandcamp.

(Upcoming Show) Pieta Brown Wraps Up The Year Bringing Sawdust Collective to CSPS, Friday 12/1

Posted on December 1, 2017 by mike

Friday night (12/1) Pieta Brown is returning to CSPS in Cedar Rapids. It’s her last live show of the year and she’s bringing Bo Ramsey and Marty Christensen as “Sawdust Collective.” Pieta’s shows at CSPS are a rare magical combination of artist, audience and venue and are some of the best shows I’ve seen of hers.

Her latest album, Postcards is a collection of long distance collaborations with artists like Mark Knopfler, Calexico, David Lindley, The Pines, and others– “musical postcards.” In my interview with her for Little Village Magazine earlier this year, she said this about it:

It just came together really seamlessly and it just happened. I started reaching out to some people — kind of wishful thinking people I would want to record with. You know I was really touched and honestly really inspired and kind of encouraged by getting the energy and the super-willingness right back at a time when I was struggling to figure out how to even afford to move forward and make another album. So, it was cool timing. And, it was really neat to do it here and I had never really recorded like that either. Which is to say that all of my other recordings have been recorded in a few days in a row with a live band, with everybody playing together. Maybe rehearse the songs one at a time or maybe have a day of rehearsal and then go in and cut the songs. Very experimental and not a lot of room for getting it exactly right so to speak. [laughs] One thing that was cool was just singing by myself with my guitar — I just have never really recorded that way except for a track here or there.

Pieta and Bo did a Daytrotter session earlier this year focusing on songs from Postcards.

Pieta Brown with Sawdust Collective will be at CSPS tonight. Doors will be at 7PM and the show will be at 8PM. Tickets are $17 in advance and $21 at the door.

Tickets and information are at the Legion Arts website HERE.

(Upcoming Show) 2010 American Idol Finalist Crystal Bowersox at CSPS Friday 8/12

Posted on August 9, 2016 by mike

Crystal-Bowersox-photo

Though some would debate this, it’s my opinion that American Idol’s Season 9 in 2010 was the last season worth watching. The winning chemistry of American Idol to me was always a combination of the judges and the talent, and 2010 was the year that Paula Abdul was no longer a judge and in 2011, show creator and longtime judge Simon Cowell was gone. My wife and I– longtime followers of Idol– didn’t tune in for Season 10.. Over the nine years that we watched, there have been standouts in the talent, Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Season Five’s edge-of-the-seat powerhouse of Chris Daughtry/ Katherine McPhee/ Kellie Pickler/ Elliott Yasmin, Jordin Sparks, David Archuleta, David Cook and Chris Allen. One of my favorites for that nine-year run was Ohio native, by way of Chicago Crystal Bowersox. Though most of the highlights of American Idol have been squarely Top 40 types, Bowersox was an honest-to-goodness songwriter who could play and sing. She, with her slightly crunchy hippy personae topped with questionable dreadlocks, came off somehow as an underdog contender that I had hoped would take the top honors, but complications related to her Type-I diabetes (of which she is a spokesperson) cost her the top spot (Though, it could be argued that taking the top spot doesn’t always help your career– I’m looking at you Ruben Studdard and David Cook).

Since Idol, Bowersox has released three albums, with her most recent full-length All That For This released in 2013 and produced by reknowned Los Lobos member and producer Steve Berlin and features guest Jakob Dylan. Notably, she also shed her dreadlocks in 2013. Her most recent release is a self-released 7-track EP titled Promises. It’s difficult to glean what her next steps will be in her career based on her website, but she’s touring quite a bit. I’m certainly interested to see her live. Check out this great performance of the Leonard Cohen classic “Hallelujah.”

Crystal Bowersox will be performing for the 2nd time at CSPS this Friday night with a small band. The show is at 8PM (the doors and box office generally open an hour before) at tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door (if there are any left). You can purchase tickets at the CSPS box office or online. Details at the Legion Arts website.

(Upcoming Show) Pieta Brown with Bo Ramsey at CSPS Saturday 5/14/16

Posted on May 11, 2016 by mike

Bo Ramsey and Pieta Brown at CSPS 10/4/2014

Some of the most special shows I’ve seen at CSPS have been the ones with Pieta Brown. Though Cedar Rapids isn’t her home turf, I feel like in some ways CSPS has become a 2nd home for her– she seems really comfortable with the crowd which is a mixture of Cedar Rapids and Iowa Citians and is capable of giving a very intimate show in the big space.

She’s returning this Saturday night, May 14th with Bo Ramsey opening with a special solo show and then joining her for her set. This show is a CD release show for her self-released EP of outtakes from her album Paradise Outlaw. I reviewed the CD titled appropriately enough Drifters for Little Village Magazine, saying “Although Pieta Brown thinks that the songs on Drifters have “many rough edges,” they provide a picture of what a double album might have been like. She offers these songs as an experiment, launching her own “underground” label imprint, Lustre Records. I’m looking forward to more collections of songs from her archives — Drifters is a great start!”

We’re getting a treat with Bo Ramsey opening for Pieta as he doesn’t do many solo shows. His last show was opening for Pieta at the Englert. I can’t remember the last time Bo played solo in Cedar Rapids!

The show is at 8PM, Saturday night and the tickets are $17 in advance and $21 at the door. Bring some extra cash or plastic to pick up the Drifters CD and to try out the regional beers and wine at The Carlo Bar. Ticket and show information are at the Legion Arts website.

(Upcoming Release) Son Volt Previews Record Store Day 2016 Live Vinyl

Posted on November 13, 2015 by mike

On October 30th, we were blessed with the 20th Anniversary remastered reissue of Jay Ferrar‘s debut post-Uncle Tupelo album Trace. Widely regarded as one of the great early Americana releases, it was due for some reissue love and attention. For one thing, it got a much-needed 180g vinyl release, which saved me personally– I narrowly avoided spending $75 on a new-old-stock copy from Ferrar’s site (Discogs.com has had copies going for over twice that amount!). Secondly, the CD and download versions were expanded to include bonus demos and a 2nd disc of their February 12, 1996 performance at The Bottom Line in New York City.

This week on Son Volt’s Facebook page, they posted two videos of the test pressings for a 2 LP vinyl release of the Bottom Line show which is slated for Record Store Day 2016.

Ferrar said in a recent interview about the show, “In terms of the Bottom Line show, yeah, it’s a live show, and there will be some hiccups here and there, but part of what I can hear is that it sounds like my singing voice is almost scorched from smoking cigarettes. You know, there was a very small dressing room at the back of that club, and it was probably the size of a closet. At that time, all five guys in the band were smokers, so that record could’ve just been called, Five Dudes Smoking in a Closet. [Laughs] I can still sing it seems like, but I can barely talk… It was recorded with that mobile recording truck on analog tapes, so you’re not going to get a better sound than that. I wish I had more information on that truck; I couldn’t really track it down. There was a similar show, if not this one, that was recorded with the Rolling Stones’ mobile recording truck. Doing a little research, their truck was in New York in 1996 when this show was recorded, but I just can’t say for sure it was the one.”

Here is the tracklist. We don’t know how the songs will be split up by LP side yet. It includes most of the songs from Trace (not the Ron Wood cover “Mystifies Me”) as well as some Uncle Tupelo songs and a Del Reeves cover.

Live from the Bottom Line/February 12, 1996

01 – Route
02 – Loose
03 – String
04 – Catching On
05 – Live Free
06 – Anodyne – Uncle Tupelo
07 – Windfall
08 – Slate – Uncle Tupelo
09 – Out Of the Picture
10 – Tear Stained Eye
11 – True to Life – Uncle Tupelo
12 – Cemetery Savior – from Straightaways
13 – Ten Second News
14 – Drown
15 – Looking for a Way Out – Uncle Tupelo
16 – Chickamauga – Uncle Tupelo
17 – Too Early
18 – Looking at the World Through a Windshield – Del Reeves cover

Here is a YouTube playlist I created of all of the songs that are conveniently there:

(Upcoming Show) JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound Bring Their Powerhouse R&B Show to CSPS 11/13/15

Posted on November 12, 2015 by mike

One of my favorite albums of 2013 was JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound‘s third album Howl. I was already a fan of the band and their cover of Wilco’s “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” was a smart, if calculated play to get some attention from the Indie Rock crowd.

But for me, the more sparse, stripped down– both musically and emotionally– approach of Howl was eye-opening. The album is reminiscent of 80’s soul like Fine Young Cannibals or Terence Trent D’Arby and maybe a little like The Smiths at times (particularly the guitars). The video for “Rouse Yourself” is really great with Aubrey Plaza and Jake Johnson in it.

JC and band have been in the studio recently working on their fourth album. Brooks told me that they would be performing some of the new songs on their upcoming live dates, which includes a stop in Cedar Rapids at CSPS in New Bohemia on Friday night! This will be the first time I’m seeing the band live, and I can’t think of a better place to catch them. Beautiful, big, room with a cozy bar on the side with great beer on tap and wine. If you haven’t been to CSPS yet this would be a great first show!

Details at Legion Arts Website

Fri Nov 13 2015 – 8:00 pm • CSPS Hall
$16 advance | $19 door

Two Faces of Iowa Electronic Music: Jack Lion With Maids At CSPS – Friday 10/23

Posted on October 19, 2015 by mike

Friday, October 23rd CSPS/Legion Arts will be presenting a show I’m really excited about– two Iowa bands with their roots in electronic music– but both taking it to different places.

The opening band, MAIDS, calls themselves “Midwest Disco” and although the music certainly leans to a clubby disco sound, I’m not sure that “Midwest” adds any discernible spin to their music. Danny Heggen and Mickey Davis make something between Postal Service and Four Tet with the occasional Scissor Sister in for dance floor leanings. Midwestern, certainly, since they’re both from Des Moines but for electronic pop it holds its own against anything spun in a dusky, crowded club outside the rows of corn here.

The headliner Jack Lion is one of my favorite bands out of Iowa in the past few years and I’m VERY excited to be able to see them at CSPS as I think they’ll be able to really take advantage of the beautiful acoustics and general vibe of the attentive and warmly supportive crowds. Jack Lion is a jazz trio of trumpet, bass and drums that fuses electronic and ambient creating some really engaging and immersive soundscapes. They’ve released two EP’s so far “JAC” and “K L” and are working on a third (“ION” presumably). I wrote a review of the JAC EP for Little Village last year comparing it favorably to Kieran Hebden of Four Tet’s side project with jazz drummer Steve Reid. When I listen to Jack Lion, I can’t help but think about the experimental directions Miles Davis took and I’d like to think that he might have taken his music in this same direction.

“Miles Ahead” indeed.

Here are the deets– Jack Lion with MAIDS:

Fri Oct 23 2015 – 8:00 pm • CSPS Hall
$10 advance | $13 door
Details and Ticket Information at Legion Arts Website

(Upcoming Show) Nellie McKay at CSPS in Cedar Rapids Tuesday 4/28/15

Posted on April 27, 2015 by mike

Nellie McKay is in a lot of ways an artist from a different time. Compared to what is generally regarded as “pop music” currently, popular music from the 50’s/60’s and even the 70’s seemed to cut a much wider swath through genres. Jazz, Rock, Country, Folk and American Songbook. In that same spirit Nellie McKay has not been content staying in one genre– even per album in most cases.

For McKay’s sixth album titled My Weekly Reader, she opted to dive into the rich catalog of 60’s pop and rock and create an album of covers that demonstrates her incredible musical chops and catalog knowledge as well as presents the songs with her unique and smart sense of subtle irony and humor. While I really appreciate her original music more, the opportunity to see her dive into covers (as she did on her album of Doris Day covers Normal as Blueberry Pie) also reveals her influences.

And I haven’t even mentioned her stints on Broadway and film!

McKay is bringing her solo show back to Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, April 28th. She was here in September of 2012 (which is where the picture above was taken). Her shows are a lot of fun– she’s a great artist, musician and wonderful singer. Her adopted stage personae at first seems a little scatterbrained, but she uses that disarming “aw-shucks” delivery to make some sharp and thoughtful commentary about everything from veganism to feminism to current politics. When she performed last time, she improvised a cute song about Iowa.

She was interviewed recently on NBC 4 in New York City about her new album:

She is a performer who continues to impress me and we are fortunate that she chooses the big stage at CSPS to bring her show. Don’t sleep on this!

Tickets are $21 in advance and $26 at the door. The show is at 7PM. More information at the Legion Arts website!

(Upcoming Show) Surf Zombies and TWINS at CSPS – Saturday 4/26

Posted on April 24, 2014 by mike

This Saturday night’s show at CSPS promises to be a rockin’ one! Headlining the show is Brook Hoover’s Surf Zombies who are having a CD Release show for their latest album It’s a… THING!. I reviewed It’s a… THING! for Little Village Magazine last month saying, “another solid slab of sinewy guitars evoking images of busting surfboards, wipeouts and pipelines on a distant glistening beach.” It’s my favorite Surf Zombies record yet!

Opening for Iowa’s premiere surf band is Maximum Ames Records most recent signing– Cedar Falls Power Pop geniuses TWINS! I reviewed their sophomore album Tomboys on Parade for Little Village Magazine this month— “sublimely polished nuggets of pop, washed in harmonies and falsettos, packed in backbeat and propelled by galloping guitars and sparkling arpeggios. The album is a damn fine slice of pop pie…”

I’m pretty excited about the lineup for Saturday night at CSPS– both bands put on great live shows, and we’re lucky to get them here in Cedar Rapids. Oh, and Twins will be bringing vinyl! In between sets DJ Tone Zone will be spinning records.

Sounds like a great night, doesn’t it? See you there!

The Surf Zombies with TWINS and DJ Tone Zone will start at 8PM on Saturday, April 26th. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

More information and ticket purchasing at the Legion Arts Website.

Time to play b-sides

Mike Roeder muses over things musical

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