Tag Archives: Gene Clark

Obituaries, Playlist

Flashlite #602

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Lelee

Today we begin with two bands based in Slovenia: Čao Portorož and Lelee. In addition to their local tongue, in the best tradition of Slovenian bands, they also mix in Serbocroatian. And Lelee also does lyrics in Macedonian. That sort of panslavism is welcome at the Little Lighthouse. Another thing welcome is Todd Rundgren. Two recent bands released songs that sound a lot like his tunes: The Nude Party from North Carolina and Green Seagull from London. Son of Gene Clark, Kai Clark has released a tribute to his father and we check it out today. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard has a new single. We close the show with two tributes to fallen heroes. Emitt Rhodes has passed away on July 19 and Peter Green six days after that.

Peter Bardens – Homage To The God Of Light;
ÄŒao Portorož – Å est;
Lelee – Fasciniran (sum od mnogu lugje);
Todd Rundgren – Izzat love;
Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer;
Todd Rundgren – I Saw the Light;
The Nude Party – Shine Your Light;
Green Seagull – Dream You’re Living;
The Rolling Stones – Scarlet;
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Honey;
Kai Clark – Eight Miles Higher;
Byrds – Eight Miles High;
Merry-go-round – Early in the Morning;
Emitt Rhodes – Live Till You Die;
Fleetwood Mac – Homework.

Playlist

Flashlite #445

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Jenny Don'tToday we start of with the new music from Guided By Voices and their former band mate Tobin Spout. Then we hear new music from Jenny Don’t, this time with her band The Spurs. Kelli Halliburton from The Pierced Arrows is also there. Jake Xerxes Fussell hails from Columbus, GA and he covered an awesome Jimmy Lee Williams song in a manner similar to Ed Crawford tribute to Elizabeth Cotten long time ago on a fIREHOSE record. Paul Kelly is back with the newest record and we also introduce Rahill Jamalifard and her band Roya. Jason Look of Part Time Lover is live in CLE with a Gene Clark song.

Tom Trocolli’s Dog – Suicide;
Tobin Sprout – A Walk Across the Human Bridge;
Guided By Voices – The Birthday Democrats;
The Windbreakers – Young Republicans;
Swa – Sex Doctor;
fIREHOSE – In Memory of Elizabeth Cotton;
Jake Xerxes Fussell – Have You Ever Seen Peaches Growing On a Sweet Potato Vine;
Jenny Don’t & The Spurs – Ghost of His Love;
Don’t – You Keep Cutting Through;
Hard Stuff – Jay Time;
Miriam Linna – So You Say You Lost Your Baby;
Gene Clark – So You Say You Lost Your Baby;
Jason Look – So You Say You Lost Your Baby (Live in CLE);
Paul Kelly – Finally Something Good;
My Buddy Moose – Letters From The Past;
Dream Machine – Buried Alive;
Daniel Romano – Roya;
Roya – Mailman;
Scarcity Of Tanks – Asylum Agents.

Reviews

The Haden Triplets (Third Man) and Kelley Mickwee – You Used To Live Here

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The Haden Triplets and Kelley Mickwee review
Kelley Mickwee used to be with The Trishas. With them, she sailed safe and predictable waters of acoustic old-time Americana. This year, she’s back with a new record You Used To Live Here. The new record is by far her most interesting. In just half an hour, she shows us some incredible signing and expands her musical palette beyond the old-time country. Opening tune River Girl is a blues tune with amazing keyboards (I’d swear it gotta be Ian McLagan playing it, but I can’t find the confirmation at the moment). It really gets rocking with a great Eliza Gilkyson tune Dark Side of Town and Kelley’s Hotel Jackson. Mickwee made an album which can be played next to any Gene Clark record and live up to it.

Talking about old-time country, have you heard that Haden Triplets album? Financially, it’s a big flop for the Third Man label. The sisters got booed from TV. But we live in a tasteless world and this record doesn’t fit there…

I’m sure the three Haden sisters, Rachel, Petra and Tanya, sang together on many Haden family gatherings, but the first time wider audience got a chance to hear their old-time prairie-home interpretations was on their father’s Charlie’s album Rambling Boy. Mr Haden is a jazz musician, and it may have been a surprise to some to hear that album back in 2008. Yet, the Haden Triplets performance on that record must have been an impetus for this years album, which is a second subject of this story. A saddens hits you a bit when you have in mind that their father passed away within months from when the new record came out, but I bet he enjoyed hearing it.

In mind-blowing harmony, these three voices, usually associated to rock music, belt out a selection of old country songs, but they spice things around here and there. For instance, one of the standouts on the record is Nick Lowe’s Raining Raining.

The whole record sounds very warm. Every sound, every vocal, every instrument is recorded with mics set up pretty far, so the sounds swim together in a room. They float around and mingle. Of course, a part of the credit for such a nice live set up must go to Ry Cooder who was in charge for the instrumental backdrop of this record.

The Haden Triplets record and Kelley Mickwee record together show some new paths for the old music which is something very interesting to me. In fact, it’s not hard to imagine Haden Triplets singing Blameless from Mickwee’s record.

Obituaries, Playlist

Flashlite #173

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Robin GibbToday we say the last goodbye to the great banjo player Doug Dillard and one of the Bee Gees – Robin Gibb. Both of them passed away recently and we owe a lot to each of them for the development of rock’n’roll and popular music in general. Other than that, we check out mainly some new singles, eps – short form in general. John Doe and Exene have a new one, recorded with minimal arrangements in the studio. Richard Buckner has a new three-track ep called Willow. And then come the rockers. The Intelligence from Seattle and Nobunny have new 45s. The Paperhead from Nashville sport a lovely Syd Barrett styled single from a split EP with Mikal Cronin (among others). King Khan also splits a 45 with Mikal. Only LP tracks are by the Dillard and Clark and The Beegees today!

Dillard And Clark – Train Leaves Here This Mornin’;
Bee Gees – Massachusetts;
Dillard And Clark – She Darked The Sun;
Tom Trocolli’s Dog – Girl from the North Country;
John Doe And Exene Cervenka – Never Enough;
Richard Buckner – Willow;
The Intelligence – (They Found Me In The Back Of) The Galaxy;
The Paperhead – Stacey Grove;
Ty Segall and White Fence – I Am Not A Game;
King Tuff – Hole In My Head;
Nobunny – La La La La Love You;
King Khan – Bite My Tongue;
Suzi Chunk – Tripwire;
Cozy – Sugar On My Mind;
Noel Black – Why Not Your Baby;
Velvet Crush – Why Not Your Baby;
Dillard And Clark – Why Not Your Baby;
Bee Gees – New York Mining Disaster.

Reviews, The Best of 2009

4. Greg Koons And The Misbegotten – Welcome to the Nowhere Motel

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Greg KoonsPhiladelphian musician Greg Koons turned back the clock almost 35 years backwards and, without too many unnecessary innovations, he recorded an album in the best outlaw singer-songwriting traditions of Guy Clark and Gene Clark. 2009 was definitely the right time to return to these traditions as we begun to loose track of these great records. When you put this record on, you will find 11 modern songwriting masterpieces. At the same time, Koons’ backing band The Misbegotten will give a sharp rocking edge to his laments on heartbreaking loves, hookers and cities passed on the road. A picture of a US soldier who died in Vietnam is a dedication to the outlaw sentimentality and an anti-war cry at the same time. No misses on this one.

Reviews, The Best of 2009

11. Soulsavers – Broken

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SoulsaversMore project than a band, Soulsavers is a musical collective that got head started by electornic music producers Rich Machin and Ian Glover, but has grown into a pure rock’n’roll deal once the American rockers Mark Lanegan and Will Oldham joined in as songwriters and performers. This year’s Broken is their strongest album thus far. It’s great to see that electronic musicians, whatever that means, still keep their interest in pure, live-music-driven rock’n’roll. The highlight of this album is a cover of Gene Clark’s song Some Misunderstanding is a perfect homage to the songwriting rock era of the seventies and one of the greatest albums of that time No Other. Accidentally or not, this is also the only major label album on our year end list!