Monday, February 19, 2024

Leif Spiritual - Pink Days EP

 


     Leif Spiritual is the nom de musique of Tony Christiano, best known as the lead guitarist/co-lead vocalist and songwriter for Oui73, one of the best/my favorite bands from the 1990s. He recently released (I just can’t make myself say or write “dropped”) a four-song EP, “Pink Days,” and it is really, really, really good.

     There is a lot of what made Oui73 so good, loudly ringing, charging guitar work, moody atmospheres and interesting songwriting; Christiano told me that much of the recording is based on his experience in Oui73 and apparently the surrounding times. I gathered that from some references before he told me that, and subsequent listening to this EP reinforced this.


     The recording starts with “You Know I Need It,” upbeat ringing guitars with a touch of Oasis sound; Christiano has been looking for something better in a relationship of some kind, and believes he’s found it, whether band or partner wise, wanting more than a quick fix or mindless set up. The title song follows, referring to the Pink Flamingo/The Old Pink, Buffalo’s best dive bar for longer than the 30-40 years many of us drank, smoked and listened to great DJs like Terry Sullivan, Casino el Camino, Eric Van Rysdam and David Gutierrez. The hard but melodic rocker has Christiano looking back after so many nights there, and half resenting, half laughing at the bouncers and staff throwing customers out at the end with the same lines and methods he saw as a much younger man. His refrain hook of “this place will never be the same” is humorous, based on experience and little bit of nostalgia.


     “Out of My Hands,” a collaboration with Allison Pipitone, who sings harmony vocals (Christiano’s sister, Holly Christiano, played guitar in both Oui73 and with Pipitone) has more surging, charging guitars, and Christiano’s occasionally slightly distorted vocals sing of trying to save a situation, musical or romantic, but he’s done all he can and it’s up to others to put in the same effort so things don’t end. The final song, “A Crash on the 425,” is a slow, ominous, sometimes spooky or scary song about a car crash on that Canadian highway, made all the more eerie because it’s based on an accident Christiano came upon years ago. The acoustic guitars build until the electric guitars take over, and Christiano seems to go back and forth from the agony of the male driver searching for his partner and his own shock of discovering the accident, the outcome never clarified.


     Leif Spiritual’s “Pink Days”can be found at Apple Music, Spotify and on most music platforms.

Sunday, July 23, 2023

RIP Tony Bennett: It's a Family Affair

 


     I’m saddened at the recent death of singer/activist Tony Bennett at age 95, both as a fan and for the family affair connections he created for many years.

     My late father Edward introduced me to Bennett’s music more than 50 years ago; a major big band jazz fan, with Stan Kenton his holy grail, dad's favorite male vocalists, at least from what little he would say in his usual secret way but introduced to me playing them on weekends, seemed to be Frank Sinatra and Bennett. No doubt partly for this reason as well as really liking their music, particularly the 1940s-mid-1960s, they became my favorite male jazz vocalists (I’m willing to be enlightened of others). There is something they could do with a melody and rhythm, and the use of dynamics and subtlety and/or taste both Sinatra and Bennett used are needed more today.


     While I thank my father for the introduction to these two singers, my late mother Sheila is a former fan of Bennett, although I kind of believed she never really stopped liking him. But every time my father would play his music for me, or any time Bennett appeared on television, mom would loudly launch into her mostly staged anger at how she used to love his music and was a favorite, but did I forget he up and left his first wife for a younger woman and that people just didn’t do that and that she couldn’t listen to his music any more. Of course, I frequently heard her singing “Fly Me to the Moon” and “I Left my Heart in San Francisco” while cooking or other activities, sometimes even dancing a bit while she sang.


     I was thrilled when Bennett made a serious comeback in his 60s, first with his tribute to the music of Fred Astaire, “Steppin’ Out,” but as no surprise, my favorite of his later albums was “Perfectly Frank,” a gorgeous, heartfelt and wonderful album of Sinatra songs. His version of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” would be amazing at any age. The fact that Bennett, a World War II veteran, was busted in rank because he ate meals and fraternized with African American soldiers, and later joined the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, shows he was more than a singer.


     The first night after the announcement of Bennett’s death, I spent hours listening to his music, starting with the classic “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” album, and even listened to his Christmas album on a hot July night, thinking about the singer, my mother and father. I hope l always think of them when I hear Bennett’s music.

Sunday, July 9, 2023

Gurf Morlix - Caveman


      (This review was started in March, but some continued writer’s block and other issues have  delayed completion until now. I’ll try to explain more soon; go figure. KJH)

     If you’re a professional, independent musician who tours a lot, produces other musicians and occasionally accompanies other musicians live, a pandemic such as COVID-19 (which really isn’t over) can potentially cause a lot of problems, from financial and artistic to personal/social. Buffalo/Hamburg native Gurf Morlix, who does all of the above, apparently named his late 2022 CD Caveman (Rootball Records) in recognition of how he feels things had gone for him.


     Fortunately, it sounds like things went quite well musically, because Caveman is a really good bluesy, rootsy country rock album. Morlix seems to have emerged from the pandemic pretty good so far, having played everything on the 10 songs here except for one accordion part and one drum track, as well as having produced and engineered the album. Not one to sit around even when you’d think he earned it, Morlix released his newest album, I Challenge the Beast, April 1. Indeed, he said he has recorded at least seven albums worth of music during COVID-19.


     The album opens with the fun “I Dig Your Crazy Brain,” sounding a bit tongue in cheek and led by a great bluesy country guitar riff. He notices someone for what might be outward appearances to others but Morlix sees something more underneath; he also delivers a short, sweet and stinging solo. The title song follows with Morlix noting he has and will do what he has to do to endure, an achievement both as an independent musician and survivor of the virtual stopping of his way of life for several years. There is some cool, echoey guitar on this track. There is also a notable cover of Jim Whitford's “Crash All Night,” originally released on the ex- and current Pine Dog’s Poison in the Well CD, produced by, you guessed it, Morlix in 2000 (Morlix and Whitford have been friends since childhood); the song features the original drum part played by the late Donald Lindley.


     Elsewhere, “Where the Lost Are Found,” some spare, swampy blues with a rocking solo, seemingly has Morlix leaving behind the superficial “friendly” world for something more substantial. “Mudbugs” shows Morlix looking back and forward to good, honest food, people and music, Louisiana flavored rock with a fine accordion part from Joel Guzman. He also nods to some great music and memories on “1959,” a dirty blues rock number. I could go on, but there really isn’t close to a bad song here.


      Morlix and Rootball Records can be contacted, and Caveman (and the new I Challenge the Beast) can be purchased, at www.gurfmorlix.com and at https://gurfmorlix.bandcamp.com/releases.

Monday, January 2, 2023

Thee Isolators: "Crying Eyes" b/w "Close That Door"

 

     I'm obviously going to explain a bit in a moment, but in case you want just the bare facts/my opinion: Thee Isolators new single, “Crying Eyes” b/w “Close That Door,” on Iso-Tope Records, is a great fucking slab of 60s garage punk rock. The mono recording and in-your-face wall of sound kicks from the first note to the last.

     Thee Isolators have been together a few years and are kind of an all-star band with a bit of a newcomer: Matt Aquiline of Revolver Records on vocals and guitar is joined by bassist/vocalist Mark Norris (Girlpope, Doombuggy, solo), Bob Hanley (The Irving Klaws, Cottonmouth) on organ and vocals and Craig Voigt (The Ramrods, Oui 73) on drums. Their live shows are a sweaty blend of 1960s garage punk rock and occasional poppier sounds, with some 1970s/80s punk and power pop roar added in and are highly recommended, especially if you haven’t done so yet.

     

     The original “Crying Eyes” comes charging out with Voigt’s drums before the rest of the band explodes in fine punk form; Aquiline’s tough, sinister vocals detail his getting dumped by his woman, but while it hurts, he’ll pick up the pieces and get over it without trying to get her back. After a wild guitar solo, he knows she can’t hurt him any more and his pride remains. The band also covers the smoldering gem “Close That Door,” originally recorded by the Tigermen. The slashing guitar, organ and thumping rhythm section actually sound reminiscent of Buffalo’s legendary The SplatCats from the 1980s (having caught lots of shows and owning every recording of this band, I don’t say/write this lightly). Aquiline’s bad romantic luck continues; he knows that they’re through so he’s heading back from where he came, pretty much slamming the door shut, but not before tearing off another short, screaming guitar solo.


     Thee Isolators’ recordings are available at Bandcamp.com, and the band can be contacted there or on Facebook and probably other social media outlets.

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Sarah Borges: "Together Alone"

 

   I have enjoyed Sarah Borges’ music for years, and gave a very positive review to her “Diamonds in the Dark” CD with the Broken Singles way back when Val and I had our BuffaloRoots.com web site. So I was very happy to see she released a new album. “Together Alone," on Blue Corn Music. Even better is that I’m not disappointed; this is a great album.

     “Together Alone” frequently focuses on life just before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its aftermath (no, not end), not only how all parts of life have been affected, but how the loneliness, hurt, longing, fun and need for others, while worsened during the pandemic, existed beforehand, continue and will always be there. Borges’ music includes punk and power pop to basic rock and roll, country, blues, Americana and pop.

     She and the musicians (producer, guitarist and occasional co-songwriter Eric “Roscoe” Ambel stands out) start flexing their muscles from the start on “Wasting My Time,” bluesy Americana rock basically describing life during the new wartime, COVID-19, fighting through the loss, loneliness and death. Just living and even making mistakes are worth it and Borges’ choices. The driving rock of “Lucky Day” follows, on which Borges seemingly hopes a relationship will get better while pretty much knowing it won’t, like one’s chances playing the lottery. “Wouldn’t You Know,” chugging blues and rock, comes to the realization that she never really got to know this guy despite them having fun.

     Despite the seriousness of most of the songs Borges maintains her sense and need for fun on the rocking “You Got Me on the Boat,” the story of she and her band’s great experience on the xM Satellite Radio Outlaw Country Cruise #5, the last thing they did before COVID-19 changed the world. “She’s a Trucker” describes the jobs Borges took to get by during the pandemic, way more than just as a musician, again with Ambel leading the band through some driving rock.

     Borges and company leave the title song to the end, a thoughtful, jangly tune recalling life before and during the pandemic. Trying to stay in contact with lovers and friends will always be different and vital; nothing is the same any more, broken hearts, death, separation and loneliness all have more causes and longer lasting pain. Things don’t and won’t get magically better when COVID ends and relationships won’t continue or improve because people realize their faults and mistakes. Borges sounds mournful, slightly hopeful but also uncertain. 

     Not wanting to over categorize things, but this album is really good rock and roll for grownups while still remaining youthful at times. Here’s to hoping Borges and band will stop in Buffalo soon supporting “Together Alone,” because it’s been way too long since I last caught them live. Borges can be contacted at Blue Corn Music, at www.sarahborges.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Ray Wylie Hubbard - Co-Starring Too

    Musical collaborations can be dicey; just because two artists admire each other’s work or till similar fields, doesn’t mean working together will produce a good song. The prospect of an album full of collaborations runs a gauntlet, and a second such album almost invites them. So, it is very good fortune that Ray Wylie Hubbard’s new recording, “Co-Starring Too,” on Big Machine Records, is a really good album.

     The 11 songs avoid the pitfall of sounding disjointed; you can’t tell at times that these are 11 different collaborations. It sounds like the songs were conceived to be on an album that just happens to have different musicians on most songs. It doesn’t hurt that Hubbard lends his gravelly, swampy vocals and sound to some fine musicians, starting off with “Stone Blind Horses,” sharing lead vocals with Willie Nelson on a stately, slightly battered country flavored song where they acknowledge approaching the end of their earthly existence and hope they’ve touched the lives of people well and maybe been appreciated along the way. There’s some nice accordion and Lloyd Maines plays his usual excellent steel guitar.


     Hubbard and friends kick up some serious dust on several songs (possible credit to his son and excellent guitarist, Lucas Hubbard, part of his father’s touring band. who appears on several songs). “Only a Fool” is a great, rough rocking tune where Hubbard and the Bluebonnets strongly assert that one would disrespect women at their serious peril, with angry guitar supplied by Eve Monsees and/or Kathy Valentine (yes, that Kathy Valentine). “Naturally Wild,” featuring Lzzy Hale of Halestorm on vocals and guitar and John 5 (currently with Rob Zombie, formerly with David Lee Roth, Marilyn Manson and k.d. lang) on guitar, warns the listener not to expect them to calm down or ease up. “Texas Wild Boys” has some fuzzy guitar illustrating hard living but decent people who aren’t like the police, politicians or corporate crooks, with a tough solo by (apparently) Tom Lukovac.


     On the swampier, more soulful side, “Groove” is a slinky, funky song about where the groove started, crediting many places and influences but certainly leaving the listener to think soul, funk, blues, gospel, rock and other styles combined in various ways. Kevin Russell and the Shiny Soul Sisters add great gospel vocals. On the country rocker “Hellbent for Leather,” Hubbard and Steve Earle sing of returning to Oklahoma from Los Angeles, having had enough of the bright lights. “Pretty Reckless” is a humorous story of ending up on a night out in Austin with someone as crazy and, well, reckless as yourself. Wynonna Judd duets with Hubbard while Charlie Sexton and Gurf Morlix (the former Buffalonian who also played bass in Hubbard’s band for a 2022 Austin City Limits performance and previously produced Hubbard) provided smokey, bluesy guitars and bass.


     The only complaint I have is that the credits are really hard to decipher. While the insert prints the song titles, singers, writers and lyrics, the musicians aren’t listed there but are found on the packaging under where the CD goes, in small print that goes line by line without arranging them song by song. I hope I didn’t mess up any credits in this. article.


     Hubbard can be contacted at Wylieworld Music, PO Box 2706, Wimberley, TX 78676, at www.raywylie.com, and Hubbard occasionally graces Twitter and Facebook with his comments. Big Machine Records can be found online at www.bigmachinelabelgroup.com.

Monday, September 12, 2022

Music Is Art Festival: Just as the Name States

My lovely wife Val at her photography booth ay MIA

     The 20th annual Music Is Art Festival, the brainchild of Goo Goo Dolls bassist Robby Takac and company, was another great time and success at Riverworks September 10. I don’t want to write, and I doubt most people want to read, a straight narrative of the 13 or so hours my lovely wife Val and I were there manning the Val Dunne Photography booth, watching bands and so on, or the two-plus hours setting up the day before, so I’ll try to illustrate my highlights and one or two hopefully interesting takes/observations.

Soul Butchers Allan Uthman and Justin Rowland
     Let’s start with the band I’ve been wanting to catch live the most for a year or so, the Soul Butchers, who I did witness this day; simply amazing. The band delivered an intense, thundering set of punk rock and hard rock led by the scorching guitar of Allan Uthman and the insanely powerful vocals of Justin Rowland. Despite having to perform on the Ganson Silo back stage, possibly the hardest to find or most remote stage to get to, the band attracted a crowd and more than made it worth our effort. Using his voice on its own and with a megaphone on occasion, Rowland’s singing makes you feel like the guy in the chair of the classic Maxell cassette tape commercial.





     Tension/Wicked Tension also performed a memorably strong, aggressive set as the band celebrates its 40th year (I still have my four-song 45 featuring “Recruits,” and Tension was one of the first bands I professionally interviewed more than a few years ago) as Buffalo’s best hardcore punk band. Vocalist Tymn Tension, original drummer Tony Ferro, guitarist Troy Messio and bassist Mark Giuliano were energetic and solid, and Tymn’s dark but accurate sense of humor always adds some fun. The Enemies also sounded pretty good and provided an interesting moment. During part of their set, Terry Sullivan (vocalist for the Jumpers, the Restless, Terry and the Headhunters and many more) came over and said hello. As we spoke, the Enemies started playing “I Wanna Know,” a song Sullivan sang with the Restless on its only Mercury Records album. Sullivan laughed, smiled and said, “wow, this is just surreal for the both of us.” “Really for you though,” I replied, and he said back, “no, really, for both of us.” It had struck me that way, but seemed much more for Sullivan. He then went to the front of the stage to wave to guitarist Guy Pelino who also played with the Restless for a time.

The Clockers may have played to their first sit-down audience.

      For me, the strangest and somewhat funniest part of the day involved one of the hockey rinks Val’s booth was located between. In recent years, the rinks have hosted youth karaoke and talent contests for bands and individuals from young kids through high schoolers. This year, the rink nearest the front of the property hosted the youth battle of the bands, which featured some seriously good talent. But this year, at about 4-5 PM, a halfpipe was set up and punk bands played from the stage of one rink, a pretty good idea. But when I looked in during the Clockers’ set, much of the crowd was sitting in the two metal bleachers set up in front of the stage and I could not see any moshing. I suppose as a 61-year-old heart attack and massive open heart surgery survivor, I somewhat understand, but it was still funny.

     I walked in and out of several performers on the main GCR stage inside, mostly while on my way to elsewhere but to at least catch a bit of music. Tom Stahl and the Dangerfields sounded in good form and like they were having fun; not sure Stahl has ever performed a down show. Peelander Z, a flashy punk, “comics” and whatever they throw in the mix band from Japan, received an amazingly enthusiastic response from the crowd for what seemed to be formulaic, upbeat cutesy punk. The Pillagers wiped off
Tom Stahl & the Dangerfields
about a decade or so of dust to play an enjoyable rocking set. I also caught parts of sets by several bands and performers I had no wish to find out their names or subject myself to much of their music; they shall remain anonymous.

     There was much enjoyable work from artists on display; certainly, I am lucky to be married to my favorite photographer, Valerie Dunne, and spent much of the day helping at her Val Dunne Photography booth. We has Jess Pfohl create a painting of Rick James across the hallway from us, and Chris Main also created a cool painting outside near the water. There were many other artists not only displaying their work but creating on site.
Jess Pfohl painting Rick James


     Music Is Art has become an established highlight of Buffalo’s summer, not only as a great outlet and living, breathing site for music and art, but for people to get to see friends they may not have recently been with, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Admission remains free, while parking is difficult and at a premium (and private businesses charging money for the parking, none going to MIA). Takac and his group of committed volunteers deserve a lot of credit for continuing this festival, from its modest beginnings on Franklin Street in Allentown to its time at Delaware Park and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery to the present.