Big Med Playlist for The Big One | Moonlight Social – Neither Are You

Posted by Hal Newman on Feb 18, 2012 in Country, Music, Playlist for the Big One, Pop/Rock

Helluva day here at Big Med. Brick Fields in the morning and Moonlight Social in the afternoon. Amazing musicians all around. I’m adding the rock-country end-of-relationship-chronicled guitar-backed harmonies of Moonlight Social’s ‘Neither Are You’ to the Big Med Playlist for The Big One.

Every song I’ve heard by Moonlight Social is worthy of addition to the Playlist for The Big One however ‘Neither Are You’ is the one that has really stuck. This tune is pretty damned close to perfect. Great vocals, great lyrics, great harmonies, great guitar – pretty much explains why I haven’t heard it on the radio. Add this one to your personal playlist and get out ahead of the wave that’s sure to envelope this band.

Out of Austin (TX) Midnight Social was founded  in early 2011. The band played a SXSW showcase after being selected by 9-time Grammy-winning frontman Ray Benson and won a Grammy-sponsored showcase after being selected by the board of governors for the Texas Chapter of The Recording Academy. The band was named winners of the 2011 Austin Chronicle Sound Wars after beating out nearly 100 other Austin bands.

Jeremy Burchard and Jennica Scott are the tandem behind Midnight Social. The duo met as peers in The University of Texas Longhorn Band — Scott as a member of the trumpet section, and Burchard as a member of the drumline. What started as a spontaneous jam session and a few cover recordings in Burchard’s tiny apartment bedroom quickly developed into a full-time musical collaboration. Scott’s rich vocals and harmonious country sensibilities married with Burchard’s eclectic guitar style and expansive rock roots create the signature sound of Moonlight Social.

They released their debut self-produced EP in May 2011. The band is due to release their debut album in 2012 with Blue October bassist and producer Matt Noveskey (IAmDynamite, Language Room, Courrier).

You can follow Moonlight Social online at http://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

You can buy their music at  iTunes

Playlist for the Big One | Dirty Names – Salt Water Jackie

Posted by Hal Newman on Dec 26, 2011 in Music, Pop/Rock

Dirty Names are out of Annapolis, Maryland. They play no-shit balls-to-the-wall [hey Captain John] straight-ahead rockin’ roll.

Some of the buzz generated by this band includes refs to The Stones but I’d say it’s been a long, long time since The Stones played as hard as these guys do. Somehow these young’uns were born with a touring ethic that dates back to the heyday of R&B-influenced rockin’roll.

This is turn up the volume blow-out-the-dust drive-with-your-windows-down music.

Dirty Names new EP ‘Sweat Box’ is due for release on January 13th followed by a two-month tour including SXSW and the Canadian Music Festival.

We’re going to add Salt Water Jackie to the Big Med Playlist for the Big One. The video is good, the music is great – and there’s an actual guitar solo (WTF ever happened to guitar solos anyways?).

Follow Dirty Names online

Upcoming dates:

Playlist for the Big One | Sean Cooney – Deja Vu

Posted by Hal Newman on Dec 16, 2011 in Music, Pop/Rock

Brooklyn NY | It’s Friday and we’re going with shameless synth horns & plenty of pop hooks with the add of Sean Cooney’s Deja Vu to the Big Med Playlist for the Big One.

Sof and Em both gave it a big thumbs-up and I confess that the damned song is now firmly stuck in my head.

Welcome to my totally grooveable earworm nightmare [a very good thing in this case] courtesy of the artist whose latest CD is titled ‘The last thing I heard before the zombie apocalypse‘.. Cooney, a native of the District of Columbia now living in NYC, attended AMDA to study for Broadway shows. He’s self-produced – locking himself down in his studio and working wonders on an ensemble of synths.  Cooney says his musical influences run from Queen to Andre 3000 – and I swear there’s a homage to Max Headroom about two-thirds of the way through Deja Vu.

Here’s Sean Cooney’s Deja Vu.. crank it up and enjoy the groove.

Follow Sean Cooney online.

Playlist for the Big One | Henry Locke – Heroes of the West

Posted by Hal Newman on Dec 15, 2011 in Music, Pop/Rock

Duncan BC | Henry Locke has been playing guitar since he was six years old. His first attempt at songwriting came at the age of nine when he reworked the lyrics of Anne Murray’s ‘Snow Bird.’ Since then Henry has played with various bands, including: Split Second, UROK2, Foul Play, The Workin’ Stiffs, Third Rock and JC Freeway. In 2002, he recorded and co-produced his first CD ‘Edge of a Dream.’ Henry also appeared on ‘Original Sin’ – Third Rock’s 2010 album.

“I have one song named ‘Heroes of the West‘ which is a true story about fire fighters. I owned property in Kelowna, BC back in 2003… much of the town was destroyed by a forest fire. The neighbourhood that I lived in would have certainly burned if not for the heroics of the firefighters. It’s a rock song that sounds a lot like ZZ Top.. or.. Bon Jovi.. I’ve always wanted to have this song reach as many firefighters’ ears as possible because I’m grateful and I always give to their volunteer projects here on Vancouver Island.”

“Heroes of the West” has been selected to be included on a special music compilation CD for Vents Magazine. The INFEST compilation CD will feature independent artists of all genres and will be available for digital download on the Vents Magazine website.

Catch up with Henry Locke online

Abbe May | Design Desire

Posted by Hal Newman on Oct 14, 2011 in Pop/Rock

Abbe May is a Perth AU-based veteran of the rockin’ roll roadtrip. Her tune ‘Design Desire’ from the album of the same name is a nod to classic riff rock, psychedelia and the blues. This is a scorchingly powerful guitar-dominated tune with a pounding backbeat. It’s music designed to test the upper limits of those silly little speakers you’ve got attached to your laptop. Crank it up, really.

The album was released in July 2011.

Abbe May has celebrated the end of her Australian album launch tour in style with two AIR award nominations and the news that Entourage has used her track “Mammalian Locomotion” in the closing credits of an episode in their latest season.

After recent stints in New York and Europe, Abbe has announced a big final quarter schedule of touring including an extensive list of regional dates with Art vs Science, the national triple j Nick Cave ‘Straight to You’ theatre tour through November, special appearance club dates and iconic festivals such as Meredith, Pyramid Rock, Wave Rock Weekender and Mullum to name a few.

Too damned bad we don’t call Australia home.

Dates:

Oct 28 Wave Rock, Hyden Western Australia
Nov 9 Performing Arts Centre, Geelong Victoria as part of Triple J’s Nick Cave’s ‘Straight to You’ Tour
Nov 10 Her Majesty’s, Ballarat Victoria as part of Triple J’s Nick Cave’s ‘Straight to You’ Tour
Nov 11 Forum Theatre, Melbourne Victoria as part of Triple J’s Nick Cave’s ‘Straight to You’ Tour
Nov 12 Forum Theatre, Melbourne Victoria as part of Triple J’s Nick Cave’s ‘Straight to You’ Tour

Givers | Saw You First

Posted by Hal Newman on Oct 14, 2011 in Folk/Roots/Americana, Pop/Rock

Imby turned me on to the Givers ‘Saw You First’ back in August. ‘Keep an ear out for these guys,’ Imby wrote. Imby’s been turning me on to great roots music for the better parts of a couple of decades now. He is never off-base with his recommendations.

Givers ‘Saw You First’ is classic Imby. It’s a great tune by an up-and-coming roots band that calls Lafayette, Louisiana home. Givers is lead singer/guitarist Taylor Guarisco, lead singer/percussionist Tiffany Lamson, drummer Kirby Campbell, trumpet player Josh LeBlanc, keyboardist Will Henderson, and saxophonist/keyboard player Nick Stephan.

Currently touring intensively in support of their album ‘In Light’ [Glassnote Entertainment Group], Givers plays music that works hard to draw you up off your ass and onto your feet. There are touches of Zydeco, Cajun, folk, and soul in the mix.

Dates:

Oct 15, 2011 (Sat) @ The Lyric Oxford (Oxford, MS)

Oct 17, 2011 (Mon) @ Kings Barcade (Raleigh, NC)

Oct 18, 2011 (Tues) @ Black Cat (D.C.)

Oct 20, 2011 (Thurs) @ Terminal 5 (New York, NY)

Oct 22, 2011 (Sat) @ Brooklyn Bowl (Brooklyn, NY)

Oct 23, 2011 (Sun) @ Middle East Downstairs (Cambridge, MA)

Oct 24, 2011 (Mon) @ The Met Cafe (Pawtucket, RI)

Oct 26, 2011 (Wed) @ Wrong Bar (Toronto, ON)

Oct 28, 2011 (Fri) @ Exit In (Nashville, TN)

Oct 29, 2011 (Sat) @ Bottletree (Birmingham, AL)

Oct 30, 2011 (Sun) @ Voodoo Experience Music Festival (New Orleans, LA)

Nov 05, 2011 (Sat) @ Inrocks Festival/La Cigale (Paris, France)

Nov 06, 2011 (Sun) @ Concorde 2 (Brighton, UK)

Nov 08, 2011 (Tues) @ XOYO (London, UK)

Nov 09, 2011 (Wed) @ Academy 3 (Manchester, UK)

Nov 10, 2011 (Thurs) @ King Tuts (Glasgow, UK)

Nov 11, 2011 (Fri) @ Sage (Gateshead, UK)

Nov 12, 2011 (Sat) @ Constellations Festival (Leeds, UK)

Nov 15, 2011 (Tues) @ Revolver (Oslo, Norway)

Nov 16, 2011 (Wed) @ Debaser (Stockholm, Sweden)

Nov 18, 2011 (Fri) @ Magnet (Berlin, Germany)

Nov 19, 2011 (Sat) @ Motorbooty/Rock ‘N Roll Circus (Hamburg, Germany)

Nov 21, 2011 (Mon) @ Blue Shell (Cologne, Germany)

Nov 23, 2011 (Wed) @ Rotonde (Brussels, Belgium)

Nov 24, 2011 (Thurs) @ Primavera Club Festival (Madrid, Spain)

Nov 25, 2011 (Fri) @ Primavera Club Festival (Barcelona, Spain)

Nov 27, 2011 (Sun) @ Guess Who (Utrecht, Netherlands)

Monogrenade | Ce Soir

Posted by Hal Newman on Oct 13, 2011 in Folk/Roots/Americana, Pop/Rock

Montreal-based Monogrenade’s tune ‘Ce Soir’ is a beautiful pop-meets-roots tune en francais – but, you don’t need to understand french to appreciate the beauty of the music. The stop-motion video for ‘Ce Soir’ produced by Christophe Collette is fairly mindblowing, too.

Monogrenade is Marianne Houle, François Lessard, Mathieu Collette and Jean-Michel Pigeon. They released their first EP ‘Le saveur des fruits’ in 2009 to critical acclaim in Quebec. In 2010, the band signed with Bonsound Records and took third place in Les Francouvertes. They are currently touring in support of their first full-length album ‘Tantale’ which was released on March 1, 2011.

Dates:
Oct 13 Le Cercle, Quebec QC
Oct 14 La Maison de la Culture de Waterloo, Waterloo QC
Oct 22 le divan du monde, Paris France
Oct 27 la coopérative de Mai, Clermont Ferrand France
Nov 5 Mouton Noir, Val David QC
Nov 23 Cabaret La Tulipe, Montreal QC
Dec 1 Le Museum Café, Rennes France
Dec 3 La Rodia, Besançon France
Dec 6 Foyer Georges Brassens/ Place Roger Salengro, Beaucourt France
Dec 7 Hotel Vogue, Dijon France

Slow down, Molasses…Feathers

Posted by Hal Newman on Oct 10, 2011 in Folk/Roots/Americana, Pop/Rock

Wow. That’s really all that I’ve got here. I’ve replayed ‘Feathers’ three times now and I’m stuck on ‘Wow!’ The tune is a gorgeously layered piece that features a duet between special guest Julie Doiron and Molasses’ lead singer Tyson McShane. There’s horns, guitars, fuzz, feedback and other very cool elements in this absolute keeper of a song.

Slow down, Molasses is an indie rock collective from Saskatoon out on the sprawling Canadian prairies. The expanse of vistas seems to have found its way into the folk-rock music of this 7ish and occasionally 8ish-member band. I will always remember Saskatchewan as the place where I watched a very long freight train cross the horizon end to end under the clearest blue sky I’ve ever seen. The music of Slow down, Molasses would have provided the perfect soundtrack for those moments.

Known to occasionally play a manual typewriter during a live performance, Slow down has been touring in support of their latest CD ‘Walk in the Sea’ which was released in March 2011.

Feathers by Slow down, Molasses

Tyson McShane – Vocals, piano, Guitar, Banjo
Ryan Drabble – space echo, Percussion, Drums
Patrick Schmidt – Vocals, Guitar, Banjo
Jeanette Stewart – Vocals, toy piano, keyboards
Quentin Reschny – Bass
Kristine Eggertson – Vocals, Trombone
Paul Ross – Lap Steel, Guitar
Chris Morin – mandolin, Guitar, & Bass

Dates:
Nov 25 SAIT’s the Gateway, Calgary AB
Nov 26 The Haven Social Club, Edmonton AB
Dec 23 Amigo’s Cantina, Saskatoon SK

Punt Sessions – Slow Down, Molasses from Nick Seagrave on Vimeo.

Chad Kichula…Killer

Posted by Hal Newman on Oct 10, 2011 in Pop/Rock

Chad Kichula’s latest CD ‘Killer’ was released in January 2011. The Regina SK-based musician teamed up with Matthew Kaip [Guitar], Philip Legrand [bass], Nat Bowen [drums], and Suzanne Parovsky [violin] to deliver an outstanding collection of songs.

The title track is a dark hypnotic piece that features a very cool fuzzed-out guitar solo, a great violin piece and a killer [sorry] bass line.

Lowell Thompson…Last Girl

Posted by Hal Newman on Oct 10, 2011 in Folk/Roots/Americana, Pop/Rock

Lowell Thompson & Crown Pilot rock. The Burlington VT-based band plays Americana roots rock with straight-ahead guitar hooks and vocal punches that draw you in and get your internal rhythms moving to an entirely different beat. This is essential listening for anyone who has ever called The North Country home.

Lowell Thompson: guitar/vocals
Bill Mullins: guitar/vocals
Kirk Flanagan: bass
Steve Hadeka: drums

Recent accolades:
• Best Male Vocalist, Seven Days “Daisies” Readers Choice Award, 2010
• Top Albums of 2009, Burlington Free Press, 2010
• Top Ten Albums of 2009, Seven Days, 2010
• Best Shows of 2009, Burlington Free Press, 2010

I love this tune.. it smacks of Tom Petty, Gram Parsons and maybe even well-aged Stones.