At Rockforward, we live right in the middle of Indiana, and fan our reach outward from Indianapolis. Here’s the best of what we heard this year from (mostly) Hoosier roots-rock artists.
2010 Local Roots Rock/Americana Album of the Year
Cara Jean Wahlers/”Goodnight Charlotte” – How did this quiet, intelligent, duet-like release from an acoustic guitar player and cello player get to the top of my roots-rock/Americana list full of worthy candidates? Especially coming from a guy (me) who unabashedly enjoys the gritty side of loud guitars, drums and a sweet Hammond B-3? It happened because this is a deserving place for “Goodnight Charlotte”, as Wahlers’ and Grover Parido’s cello quietly cuts into your heart with hauntingly beautiful music and lyrics that evoke black and white movies.
album reviews/previews
Will Hoge comes to Indy as Shinedown opener; DBT next album announced
Roots-rocker Will Hoge stopped by WTTS’ Studio 92 on Monday to play an acoustic set before he headed to the Murat for a show with the band Shinedown. The radio station is usually pretty good about adding live performances to their website for on-demand play – it wasn’t there as of Tuesday night but should be soon, based on their track record of posting audio.
It will almost a year to the day of his Hoge’s last appearance in Indy, for his 2009 tour-ending show at Radio Radio. (read my review of show)
In October, he released an EP titled The Living Room Sessions, a quickie album recorded in two days in Hoge’s living room. It includes songs from his recent full-band effort The Wreckage, including alternate versions of “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” and “Favorite Waste of Time”.
“I like acoustic recordings that try to be different from the album versions,” Hoge told a reporter from the Charleston City Paper. “We didn’t try 50 different arrangements or anything. It was really fun. It was a step closer to the ‘you get what you get’ mentality.”
Will Hoge – from current tour – “Even If It Breaks Your Heart”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzvzmRP_MZc]
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It has been less than a year since the Drive-By Truckers released The Big To-Do, and already have announced a February 15, 2011 release for their next record, titled Go-Go Boots. It will feature songs recorded during the same session.
“We recorded nearly 40 songs last year and into this year, and fairly early on divided it into two separate albums,” said DBT frontman Patterson Hood in a news release. “The Big To-Do was the more straightforward rock album (and) Go-Go Boots is what I refer to as our country, soul and murder ballad album.”
VIDEO: Live version of "Born Free" – and betting new Kid Rock music will be huge
When Kid Rock’s new album “Born Free” comes out this Tuesday, it has #1 written all over it. Straight to the top, and may be the biggest selling album of the year.
Whatta you say about that Taylor Swift?
The evolution of Rock from teen DJ and rapper to the closest thing the classic rock and roll sound has to a savior has been a 20-year process. Country, rock and top 40 radio all accept him like no other performer. And “Born Free” is his work with the legendary producer Rick Rubin (Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Beastie Boys, Avett Borthers, Dixie Chicks). The band included Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer and fellow Detroiter Chad Smith, Benmont Tench from Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers on keyboards and Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo on guitar. Bob Seger plays piano on a track. Martina McBirde, Zac Brown and T.I. all guest.
Biggest of the year…I’m just sayin’.
Read Kid Rock profile from longtime Detroit rock writer Garry Graff
VIDEO: “Born Free” Live at the CMA’s
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJJtkX1Ans4]
Indiana Album Review: Scott Kellogg – "Silver In Their Veins"
On his debut album “Silver In Their Veins”, Bloomington singer/songwriter Scott Kellogg works with producer Paul Mahern to conjure the spookiness of a T Bone Burnett album, his singing recalling Robbie Robertson’s post-Band work, the music a nod to U2’s non-hit Joshua Tree songs, and enough Another Brick-era Pink Floyd to add glistening atmosphere to the project. It’s a crisp-yet-warm sounding album, with lyrics non-specific enough to let you tell the story your way.
Kellogg, a singer/songwriter outside the boundries of folk, opts to bypass making an acoustic guitar-based record. Instead, he and Mahern zero in on layers of sound, close-miked vocals and never straying from melody over experimentation.
Ray Davies plays Kinks with others; Two Cow Garage "roots punk" delivers new album
Columbus, Ohio’s Two Cow Garage’s fifth album, Sweet Saint Me is a follow up to Speaking In Cursive. I’d call them roots-rock punk. First saw them open for the Bottle Rockets at a small dive roadhouse in Ohio about five years ago, and they’ve been through Indy a few times since. Sweet Saint Me was recorded at Hi/Lo Studios in Eden, New York. The boys are on the road through November, but no dates closer than Chicago, so far.
Hear “Lydia” from the new record
The Kinks frontman Ray Davies has a new record due, called See My Friends, an album of classic Kinks songs turned into collaboration. It comes out November 1st. He collaborates with Lucinda Williams, Bruce Springsteen and Metallica, among other artists.
“This project came about almost by accident,” says Davies wrote on his website. The project was started when he recorded a version of “Till The End Of The Day” in summer of 2009, with the late Big Star singer Alex Chilton. He went to Oslo to record with Metallica, New York to record with Jon Bon Jovi, New Jersey for Bruce Springsteen, and KONK studios in England for much of the rest.
Track List
1. Bruce Springsteen – “Better Things”
2. Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora – “Celluloid Heroes”
3. Mumford & Sons – “Days/This Time Tomorrow”
4. Lucinda Williams & The 88 – “Long Way From Home”
5. Metallica – “You Really Got Me”
6. Paloma Faith – “Lola”
7. Jackson Browne – “Waterloo Sunset”
8. Alex Chilton & The 88 – “‘Til the End of the Day”
9. Amy Macdonald – “Dead End Street”
10. Spoon – “See My Friends”
11. Black Francis – “This Is Where I Belong”
12. The 88 – “David Watts”
13. Gary Lightbody – “Tired of Waiting”
14. Billy Corgan – “All Day and All of the Night/Destroyer”
Ray Davies and Jon Bon Jovi
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lopKf3GiI8]
Old 97’s new album came out October 12, and is called The Grand Theatre Volume One. The band recorded it in spring 2010 in Austin and Dallas with the same production team from Blame It On Gravity. Hear “Every Night is Friday Night” and “State of Texas on their myspace page.
http://www.myspace.com/theold97s
Indiana Music: Graveyard Stompers – "Rise to the Occasion"
Give this to the Graveyard Stompers: the four songs on their new Rise to the Occasion EP are fun and rootsy, in a Here Come the Mummies or Johnny Socko way. Fake scary songs like “Killer’s Touch” and “Dead of the Night” are rendered playful by the gutty and goofy guitars and horn-laden accents.
The Asbury Jukes-sounding horns on the Graveyard Stomper’s “Killer’s Touch” are spectacular. On all the album’s tunes, this song’s campy moments are coupled with rock homages. We love the “Telstar”-ish solo that surfaces.
“Going Commando” is ’50s pop number about (no kidding) an alien eating a woman’s underwear. Likeable and from the female perspective, there’s no heavy lifting required to find the funny. It just is. And a keening trumpet solo doesn’t hurt. “No Remorse” is more gritty, with a Blondie/Go Go power pop via Julie Brown (the one who sang “Homecoming Queen Got A Gun”, not the MTV awful wubba wubba 80s VJ) touch. Like much of the album, the tune and band win when the music roars to the front of the mix, here with a hint of Elvis Costello’s My Aim is True.
“Dead of the Night” is rockabilly, more horns and echoing female background vocals ripped off from the ghosts of the Andrews Sisters.
The EP is good fun – kinda like if Ozzy Osbourne had fronted a nine-piece punk/pop/horn band, circa 1982.
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The Graveyard Stompers play at the Witches Ball in Muncie on October 23 and at Indianapolis City Market on October 30
Graveyard Stompers website
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EMKV5HthOU]