MUSIC ON THE COUCH ROUNDTABLE

Very excited to be joining a discussion regarding the music industry on a cool blogtalkradio program hosted by Vinny "Bond" Marini called Music On the Couch.

Here's the link:

Music On The Couch Roundtable

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When? The show airs 10pm to 11pm ET on Monday, March 29th.

Details:

A panel discussion with four music aficionados covering where the music industry has come from, where it is now and where it is heading. Joining host Vinny Bond are good friends Starrlight http://absinthedreamers.blogspot.com/, who will bring her wealth of knowledge regarding the newest alternative bands; JohnH http://www.avoicetohear.com/ who has his finger on the pulse of the Indy bands abounding today and Sean Coleman, whose knowledge of Classic Rock is as complete as they come. Dial in as we all sit on The Couch and talk it through.Your participation is also encouraged by calling the show at 1.347.633.9400.

Registration to join in and chat takes just a few minutes and is free. Pre-register here http://www.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx

Be sure to tune in on Monday evening!

THE CRAWPUPPIES

WORLD'S MUCH BIGGER

Had the great pleasure to be steered toward a couple of taster tunes from a band called The CrawPuppies, who happen to have a new CD out called World's Much Bigger.

You can learn all about the quartet here http://www.crawpuppies.com/index3.html

Straight up rock songs with good melodies always find a receptive audience and these guys certainly have that part locked down. The title track leans toward Being There era Wilco, which is certainly a plus. Crunchy guitars and a subtle hook line highlight a great tune. Most impressive is a deliberate move keep the vocals free of the dreaded modern engineering crutch: the auto tuner/pitch corrector. The band is allowed to breathe, though production values remain high.

Definite favorite of the two is "She Comes Lovely", which features fantastic changes, delicate guitar interpolations and excellent vocals. Again, it's refreshing to listen to people who are putting thought into the finished product.

I really like what I hear so far and look forward to spinning the full length disc.

In a plastic world, there's always room for craftsmanship.

The CrawPuppies are officially in my listening rotation.

GREEN BEER AND SHAMROCKS

Two great Irish story tellers and musicians, Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem.

I'm raising a glass to the both of them tonight.

Here they are, live from God's Country, in 1977.

Happy St Patty's Day!

May you be half an hour in heaven before the devil knows you're dead

MOTORHEAD

BOMBER

Contemporary culture seems to be focused on smothering people with safety.

This is fine if you're shopping for a new family car, though good music should move people to a place where there's a little more action, even a hint of danger.

Looking for some rock and roll?

Arse-kicking from start to finish, Bomber is just the ticket. Lemmy, Phil and Eddie hit a ferocious groove throughout, delivering on the LP cover's promise that the bad-ass trio intend to carpet bomb everything in sight.

I was a teenage metalhead

Yes, I proudly owned every Motorhead release (on cassette) right up to Another Perfect Day. Out of that amazing run of discs, this one just hits the spot. Strip away all of the artifice and you have three aggressive instrumentalists hitting their marks hard with no regard for anything but the thrill of making beautiful noise together. The band works like a Swiss watch.

Despite the violence of each attack, Lemmy delivers catchy melodies with hooks that you can hang your hat on. His vocal coach may have overdone it with the "carton of cigs washed down with Jack Daniels" regimen, though that part just adds to the authenticity.

Wouldn't be Motorhead with Pat Boone out front now, would it?

There is a wit at work here that those who write off anything louder than Coldplay are missing out on. The title track always brings a twinkle back to dimming eyes.

You know we do it right
A mission every night
It's a bomber...

It actually plays like a fleet of bombers.

Lemmy lets Fast Eddie Clarke take the wheel for a tune ("Step Down") and fires scattershot verbal barbs in all directions. There are a clutch of classics on this record ("Lawman" "Poison" "All the Aces") that remain satisfying thirty years on from their creation. These guys didn't bother with being trendy, which has payed handsome dividends in terms of musical shelf life. Kids in 2034 will still be picking up on the energy of Motorhead because it's real. Simple as that.

Jimmy Miller produced this mighty work in between trips to the land of nod.

Would your lawn die if Lemmy moved in to the house next door?

Definitely.

No amount of description is a substitute for the real thing, so velcro yourself in and enjoy some rock and roll in the way it was intended to be heard.

LOUD