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Spanning the globe…
Last month we focused on Brooklyn, NY. This month we take you half way
around the world from there. One of our associates, Ian Hughes of Bowen, Australia has
managed to secure for IndepenDisc one of the downunders best kept secrets: Kieran
McCarthy, a wandering folk-rocking troubadour who calls Airlie Beach in Queensland,
Australia home.
Kieran McCarthy is a free spirit whose love of the Whitsunday Islands
(just off the coast of Airlie Beach) exceeds that of most anything. The beautiful coastal
beaches, the ocean breeze, a sailboat, some liquid refreshments, and music are the order
of the day as Kieran welcomes us to his world and his lifestyle.
Kieran presents to us a lifestyle that we all dream about, a lifestyle
that is not without history. He teaches us that history in a storytelling vein reminiscent
of Woody Guthrie (Precious Ground, Rebels Ride Again, Old Man). He uses the cultural
history of Australia as a canvas on which he sketches us a biography that could be
prefaced with Auto. His combination Jimmy Buffet beach bum (With You In Byron Bay, Wrecked
Again, Head To Broome) and Bruce Springsteen blue-collar guy (Desperate Days, Call Of The
Wild, Runaway Ride) is the perfect mate for his lovelorn Bob Dylan style ballads (Lucky,
10,000 Feet Over Nowhere).
This downunder blue collar, beach bum, history teacher,
singer-songwriting artist uses the talent of words and music as an outline. Kieran then
allows us to fill in the colors of this portrait, allows our pallets to blend with his as
he teaches us how “carefree” can be painted with pain, sorrow, and ache, as well
as joy, love, and fun.
Recorded with a solid line up of studio musicians during one of his annual
treks to Melbourne, Kieran lays down a tight enjoyable musical journey that’ll have
you wondering why he’s content to jaunt around the sands and bars of Airlie Beach in
general obscurity. In his own words, he finds that “the lifestyle of the Whitsundays
remains irresistible.” And, this is the key to the whole CD.
“Precious Ground” lives up to its title, it makes us aware
and appreciative of all that’s around us, while telling us to hang loose. To quote
Kieran “Go Hard” and “Never let a day go by.” Words to live and enjoy
life by.
We here at IndepenDisc would like to thank our associate Ian Hughes for bringing us Kieran McCarthy to share with our members. If you wish to start your summer by “Kicking back with a bottle of Jack in Paradise.” You want to start with:
“Precious Ground” by Kieran McCarthy - available now for $10.98 + s/h
The Differents – This Years Model
It’s hard to get past the title of The
Differents self manufactured CD "This Years Model". Of
all the titles, why cop one of Elvis Costello’s best? I asked The Differents
head man Lou Hallwas this – His reply: "We love Elvis Costello,...but the only
reason we named it "This Years Model", is because nothing else seemed to stick.
We tried naming it after a song title,....and that's ok,...but I preferred giving it a
title to fit the body of work." And fit it does.
The Differents are this years model of Rock
‘n’ Roll in every sense. The disc is an astounding piece of musical culture
presented to us in a wide array of stylings. We find musical references/homages spanning
four decades done with such skill, talent, and nonchalant expertise that it can’t
help but to define what Rock ‘n’ Roll through the ages is all about.
"There have always been cultural revolutions and Rock ‘n’ Roll has been a part of many of them – But, what if nobody recognized that a cultural revolution was taking place in Rock ‘n’ Roll?"
In this day and age it’s hard to put
across Rock ’n’ Roll with a fresh spin – So, The Differents
created their own spin by recording a beauty that combines the models of the past,
presented as one, for this years version. When you think about it, maybe The
Differents are onto something, maybe that’s what being an independent artist
in 2000 is all about…As the Big 4 major record Companies go about gobbling up every
artist in an attempt to manipulate, create, and sell…As each splintered group of
individuals of the masses try to decide if they are going to rebel through metal, hip-hop,
boy-toy groups or napster not to mention the whole alt., techno, riot grrrl, underground
and internet communities – What it all comes down to is; Been there, done that.
The difference (the spin) here is: The Differents say
‘let’s do it again! But, let’s do it our way. We can cram 4 whole decades
of cultural songs within their structures and pertinent to their times along with lyrics
of substance that explain the painful suffering, and earnest, heartfelt emotions of the
rebellious factor that gave birth to the subculture/genre of its day, not to mention songs
about girls (‘cause there always have been songs about girls mixed into every
counterculture Rock ‘n’ Roll rebellion) and still create it to be fresh and
relevant for today.’
This 19 track CD (11 songs and an extra 8
demos) opens with "Truce" as Chicago natives
Lou Hallwas (vocals, guitars, Hammond, mellotron, piano, & shakers), and Dan Garrity
(Drum kit), along with several studio bass players (and occasional keys) tell us right up
front that they’ve been bred on Rock ‘n’ Roll and that they are going to
use it to the best of their abilities ("It sounds like somebody else’s song/ but
it’s the only one I know"). Sampling riffs, chords, and runs from every corner
of the AM and FM radio dial since the ‘60s on up The Differents
create a Rock ‘n’ Roll sound for today (this years model) not by sampling
through turntables and tape loops, but by doing it the old fashioned way – actually
learning to play them on their own instruments.
You have to admire any band that can sample The Clash, ELO, and Cheap
Trick all within a 30 second span (Feeling The World),
then go on to capture so many groundbreaking rock influences from virtually every genre
and sub-genre that has ever emerged that a list of such would be too lengthy to fit in
this limited space.
Cultural struggles have always been born of
the minds of those presenting them. There is no reason to dismiss any of them for they can
continue to educate even after they have dissipated. Sometimes spreading these findings
fulfills one’s mission in life.
I’m not sure of Lou Hallwas’ mission, but with such
hard-hitting autobiographical sounding, experience in the real world lyrics showing a
learned ideal of culture set to a timeless Rock ’n’ Roll soundtrack (which would
fit nicely into the "Nuggets" box set that chronicles the 1965-68 garage rock
movement), he is either nurturing the children of each Rock ‘n’ Roll era towards
the amicable solution they have been seeking, or teaching every free thinking 20-something
that peace and serenity can be found through the rebellion of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Listen – Put on "This Years Model" and let your ears gawk while The Differents entertain the rebellious recesses of your conscious. This is what it’s all about - good, fun Rock ‘n’ Roll for the ages.
The Differents – This Years Model is available now for $9.98 + s/h
Red Betty - “Swim” “Sister Rubber Limbs”
She enters and the room is filled with her presence. You are immediately drawn to her. Suddenly she is leading you through an exuberant dance of splendor and joy. You both soar with angelic grace and passion. You ask, even though you know: Her name is music.
Her name is Red Betty
And she dances you…
"Swim"
fills the room with a Byrds influenced soaring guitar presence, it draws you in with a
delicate rhythm section, suddenly the vocals are dancing you along the top of a perfectly
constructed pop gem. Every bridge, chord progression, chorus, refrain, run, string, solo,
etc., take their steps with the vocals perfectly intertwined. With a dancer’s passion
they match each other step for step using the give and take mentality of partners
depending on each other while together they fly to the moon.
This is the way this 5 song EP is. Put it on and allow it to dance you
to pop rock heaven.
Red Betty is Yahz (vocals), Chris Swope (guitars), Nicholas
D’Amato (bass, background vocals), and Mat DeVeau (drums). Yahz’s vocals and the
band’s pop music craftsmanship are perfect dance partners accentuated by Yahz’s
lyrics of passion. No matter what the setting, Yahz sings songs of a tortured soul
romantic from the female point of view in a true Rock-n-Roll style/fashion. The harmonies
that she achieves with herself are at once soulful, soul searching, and soul touching
while soaring in a range that is suited perfectly and used to an amazing effect (more so
on "Sister Rubber Limbs) with the music. While Amie Mann is the first name that leaps
to the forefront, I also detect a slightly buried Stevie Nicks influence. There is also an
uncanny Wilson sisters harmony a la` Heart as the guitars turn crunchy on "Sister
Rubber Limbs" (more on this in a minute).
Red Betty "Swim" is available now for $4.98 + s/h
"Sister
Rubber Limbs" was released in 1998 and how it remained under the radar is a
total mystery and abhorrence to me. I didn’t get to hear "Sister Rubber
Limbs" until after listening to "Swim" for sometime. Hitting the play
button a bunch of things quickly vied for my attention. The first was the similar
Byrds-esque guitar, but this time instead of being in the forefront, it’s content to
lay back and reside just below the drums and bass as another guitar takes the lead with a
bit more crunch.
Here the guitar still soars while Yahz’s vocals once again enter
and take control, floating above the band she elegantly steps them into that precision
that is so rightfully (and continually) prevalent on "Swim." While
"Swim" provides a more soulful background to Yahz’s angelic vocals,
"Sister Rubber Limbs" gets down with a more powerful lilt.
This lilt is courtesy of a different backing band than that of the
current (Swim) band. Sporting former Psychedelic Furs guitarist John Ashton (guitars and
in the producers seat), Michael DiLalla (guitars), Why Not Jansveld (bass), and Chad LaRue
(drums). Still, it is Yahz whose songs and vocals conduct these two different line-ups to
a harmonious existence that can be reveled from an almost spiritual level.
And so it goes. A full 10 songs of blistering pop rock that grabs you
and takes you soaring as it dances you through the hills and valleys of romance.
When music dances you, that’s great pop rock. Whether it sways you
or slams you, or for that matter do both, if it picks you up and carries you away - If it
dances you, then you have for a brief moment in time, a slice of heaven.
Red Betty "Sister Rubber Limbs" is available now for $9.98 + s/h.
Her name is music.
Her name is Red Betty
She dances you.
Allow Red Betty to dance you.
A Happy and Safe Independence
IndepenDisc Day to All!
Butz - "Butz TV"
http://www.live365.com/cgi-bin/i?autostart=g_gone
Midsummer and things are a bit off kilter. The big news to all us music
fans is the Napster situation. Having just recently been converted to Napster fans and
supporters, we here at IndepenDisc followed the past few days of courtroom volleys with
great interest. The fact that you are receiving this mailing shows you to be a similar
music fan, and we need not go over all the particulars again. We will state for the record
that IndepenDisc believes in Napster as a viable alternative to corporate controlled radio
in such a manner that we feel most music fans will download songs of interest, and the end
result will find them going out and supporting the artist(s) by purchasing the CD(s).
Let me pose a question; has anyone ever heard an mp3 file that sounds
as good (or even better) than a CD? As of this writing we at IndepenDisc have not.
Remember; mp3 files are compressed, meaning the program that you use to encode the file
decides which parts of the file it can do without in order to squeeze it down into a
smaller amount of bytes. Naturally, logic will tell you that when you listen to an mp3
file the sound you are hearing is missing something. And, maybe that something is a part
of the music that makes the song what it is suppose to be. Perhaps there is a program out
there (or in development) that restores these discarded bytes upon playback, but even then
wouldn’t it be based on assumption, rather than true reproduction (which can be
achieved through the bulky [and unfavorable for that reason] .wav file format, which is
why when burning CDs the .wav format gives a true 1 for 1 digital byte reproduction and a
near perfect sound {something which can’t be said for .mp3} to the original)?
We can’t tell you how many times we have listened to an
artist’s .mp3 files on the ‘net and been unimpressed - just to have their CD
arrive in the mail and amaze us. Maybe we’re wrong, maybe we just don’t have the
technology needed to reproduce exceptional sounding mp3 files (and we’re not even
going to get into the bitrate argument - 96 vs. 160 vs. 320 – because compression is
still compression (i.e. lost bytes) no matter how you slice it), but for our money and
ears, we still prefer the sound of CDs. (any and all correspondence intended to educate us
and prove us wrong is welcome at: ).
The Feature Artist for August is Butz. Butz is a 5-man ensemble out of Brooklyn, NY. Butz is also a verb meaning to push on ahead without fear of not knowing what to do. Butz as a band gives us improvised avant-garde Glam influenced rock. Think David Bowie meets Prodigy underground in Berlin. With "Butz TV" Butz embraces the computer controlled digitized musical era. A computer feel/theme runs throughout – Like it’s the music of machines. Similar to that of Lou Reed’s "Metal Machine Music," but these machines are personal computers. Much like Alan Parson’s "I Robot," but instead of the robot controlling man, here the computer and man interact.
Humans interacting with computers on a level where each brings with
them a musical style and feeling of their own, yet are able to join each other to create a
2001 musical odyssey that has as much depth and vision as that of artists ahead of the
times on a plane of endeavor and insight which on a musical level could never be compared
to, nor prepared for mass appeal/acceptance.
Using very little F/X except what can be achieved live, Butz’
computer alliance is eminent through varied use of distorted vocals. These vocals give
each song its personality, in effect, showing us how each computer does/can possess a
sound, feel, aura that can be noticed, understood, reached, and reacted to by a human
– So, in fact not only adapting to, but adapting for acceptance on a human level, a
level that can be judged as close to that of a soul.
Quite frankly, the thinking man’s computer integrated brain and the ability not only to stretch the boundaries of the digital world, but as artists state and exploit the flaws with a live and improvised content is extremely impressive. It’s Butz’ live playing that keeps within it the human element. By using computer style distortion, Butz allows the music to lend itself perfectly to digital compression. However, even an mp3 stereo replay at 256 bits still won’t match what comes out of your speakers when playing a 1 for 1 read of digital info from a disc. This is where Butz points out and exploits the natural state of musical sound when procured via file compression.
This is Progressive/Art Rock for the new computer-reliant millennium. The opening track "Technotics" dares you to enter the music realm of personal computers with a hit and run introduction that slaps you around quickly. "Lawrence of ‘Rabia" is a song that Bowie a la` Ziggy Stardust would’ve killed to record. "NY Creepshow" drips of NY City and the underground feel of the intellectual/computer geek sect. "Hubz" sucks you in with Jazz style horns and film noir bass & drums, while "That’s Right" is a monster slamfest that gives us Devo and the Stones whipped up and dished out with a Mott The Hoople attitude.
Care to sample it for yourself, using 1 to 1 digital transfer off a real CD?
Butz – "Butz TV" is available now for $8.98 + s/h
