Mad Music for Bad People

Your support is needed and would be very much appreciated for a new contemporary rockabilly magazine Mad Music for Bad People. More info at the Facebook group or you can give financial support on Kickstarter.

Free Downloads: Triple Shot

It's been way too long since I linked to any free downloads so here's a triple shot of E.P.'s for your listening pleasure. A mix of rockabilly, pop-punk and cowpunk courtesy of The Crevulators, The Ex-Gentlemen and The Supersuckers. Enjoy!

 

First up a great five track Rockabilly E.P. from Brooklin's The Crevulators. This was released in back in 2006 but if you haven't heard of these guys give it a listen.

Although I got this from Bandcamp it's no longer on there but it's still available here at Free Music Archive.

'Better Late Than Never' is last years excellent debut E.P. from LA pop-punks The Ex-Gentlemen. Five seriously catchy tracks here including the brilliantly anthemic 'Judy Is A Slut'.

This is name your price download so you can grab it for free or do the right thing and drop 'em a couple of quid - it's worth it. 

Get it here at Bandcamp.

 

As freebies go this is one of the best I've ever come across. If you're not familiar with the Supersuckers then '50,000 Middle Fingers Can't Be Wrong' is the perfect introduction. Loud, brash cowpunk from one of the best live bands I've ever seen. 

This E.P. opens with the blistering 'Rock n' Roll Records Ain't Selling This Year' and also includes the well established favourite 'Pretty Fucked Up'. Download here.

Ireland 2015

Having visited Dublin a few years ago, we've been planning to return and see more of Ireland on the bike ever since. We planned three separate locations to stay for three days each. Much as I would liked to have moved on each day and see more I wanted to have more chill out time rather than be living out of the panniers every day and things worked out pretty well this way.

Navigating Dublin on the bike proved to be a nightmare, motorists here appear to be very intolerant of bikers and the proliferation of traffic lights makes progress very slow. This combined with a Sat Nav that kept finding the wrong address for the digs meant I was pretty stressed out by the time we found our B&B but a pint of Guinness in the nearest bar soon calmed me down.

A walk through St. Stephens Green led us onto Grafton Street where I was happy to watch various buskers as we made our way down to Temple Bar. Over the weekend we enjoyed extended dinnertime sessions in the Temple Bar pub watching some fine musicians followed by a good feed at O'Niells one day and in Thunder Road cafe the next. We couldn't leave Dublin without paying our respects to Phil Lynnott and having a drink in Bruxelles rock bar. 
A great start to the holiday but I was now looking forward to heading west away from the city.

Heading out of Galway and turning right off the N59 we followed the road through the Inagh Valley past the Maamturk Mountains on the right and the Twelve Bens on the left, a spectacular and awe inspiring introduction the beautiful landscape of Connemara.

Accomodation and service at the Kylemore Pass Hotel was second to none. We recieved a warm welcome on arrival with coffees served and a roaring fire lit as soon as we got through the door.

Number one on the agenda was to ride the Connamara Loop, a round trip of only 70 miles which took all day to complete. Connemara doubtlessly has the most stunning landscape I have ever seen with incredible views at every turn, imposing mountains, streams and lakes, rugged coastline, beaches and remote areas that are straight out of Lord of the Rings. In the afternoon we stopped for a beer at Paddy Coynes in Tullycross, a great little pub full of character, highly recommended.

On our last day here we visited Dan O'Hara's for a fascinating insight into local history. From there we ended the day with some more amazing scenery on the Sky Road.

Next morning we bade a fond farewell to our hosts and headed towards Kilkenny with a stop for coffee in the old fort at Shannonbridge.

Kilkenny is a city steeped in history with many of it's historical buildings within close proximity. Kilkenny Castle has undergone extensive restoration and it's well worth a visit along with it's gardens. My favourite historic site however was Kytelers pub, originally the home of Alice Kyteler, the first Irish woman to be found guilty of witchcraft.

Best pub of the holiday goes to the Hole In The Wall, a tiny pub at the end of an alley and easy to miss. The pub is an ongoing project of a local cardiologist who likes to run the bar and host live music sessions of an evening. Audience participation is expected whether it be banging on a box, playing anything from tomtoms to a guitar with singing and dancing much encouraged. We had a ball here, eventually staggering out around 1:30 in the morning.

I can honestly say I fell more than a little in love with Ireland. It is a land of breathtaking beauty with many miles of great roads to ride and populated by friendly and courteous people. A return trip is already is being planned.

In The Post - Dave Woodcock & the Dead Comedians "Medicine"

The launch of their third studio album "Medicine" saw Dave Woodcock & the Dead Comedians play to a very appreciative audience at Sheffield's Redhouse recently. Having pre-ordered the album I already had the download a week in advance but was still excited to recieve the CD as it came signed by Dave along with a note of thanks.

As with previous albums Dave's influences from punk, folk and americana are very much in evidence, this time with a much stronger punk edge along with a healthy dose of bluesy rock 'n' roll. But far from being a collection of brash cries of rebellion this is a series of well crafted songs delivered with forceful passion by a group of excellent musicians.

Picking my favourite tracks is proving impossible as different ones stand out with every play. At this moment though they are "Thirty Three", "At The Pharmacy", "Open Door" and "The Saints".

You can preview "Medicine" before buying on Bandcamp or if you're in the Sheffield area get along to see Dave Woodcock & the Dead Comedians live at Shakespeare's on April 18th and pick up a copy there.

JD McPherson @ The Irish Centre, Leeds

The last time JD McPherson came to the UK I missed out seeing him by a whisker. After buying Signs And Signifiers on the strength of many recommendations I was gutted to find I'd just missed a gig in Leeds. So when my good friend Martin called to ask if I wanted a ticket getting for the Irish Centre gig I didn't hesitate for a second.

Unsure if there was a support band I was pleasantly surprised by the Cactus Blossoms, two brothers from Minneapolis with a country / western swing sound much akin to the Everly Brothers. Although I'd never heard them before they seemed familiar to many and went down very well with the audience.

With fresh beers in hand we staked our place centrally in the crowd to await the main event. JD McPherson and his band arrived on stage to a round of applause a proceeded to deliver a flawless set of rhythm & blues and rockabilly with generous helpings of music from debut album Signs And Signifiers along with new material from the forthcoming and much anticipated Let The Good Times Roll. Particular highlights for me were "Scratchin' Circles", "North Side Gal", a cover of The BellFuries "Your Love (Is All That I'm Missing)", "Let The Good Times Roll" and an incredible extended version of "Wolf Teeth" which underlined how well JD and upright bass player Jimmy Sutton work together.

 

Earlier years playing in punk bands along with influences from a wide range of music give JD's performance an outstanding edge to his upbeat songs and a depth and darkness to the slower ones that surpasses many artists today. Along with a first class band JD McPherson is sure to find wider appeal beyond the rock 'n' roll genre. Hopefully it will not be too long before a welcome return to our shores with many more dates. 

Let The Good Times Roll is due for release on February 10th. Visit the website for pre-orders, merch and info at http://www.jdmcpherson.com


FOOTNOTE
It was great to see so many people from Sheffield on the night and a few familiar faces from Chesterfield Rock 'n' Roll Club. I hope you all had a great time.
The evenings fun did not end after the encore. After some drunken attempts at coordination we ended up in The Wax Bar and continued to party until the wee hours with some fantastic company (you know who you all are). Many thanks for making it such a great night.

Rock 'n' Roll Manifesto

I'm always on the lookout for quality podcasts that play great music that you are unlikely to hear via mainstream corporate media. 

Recently I discovered Greg Lonesome's excellent Rock n Roll Manifesto. The show goes out live every Wednesday on Real Punk Radio playing punk, rockabilly, psychobilly, rock, metal, blues, soul and much more. Greg also presents the Beer Minute where he drinks and reviews quality beers for the benefit of those of us that appreciate real ales.
What's not to like! Fantastic music and beer all in one show.

You can subscribe on iTunes or download all shows past an present from the link above.