Tag Archives: Warren Zevon

Flashlite #740

Altin Gun

Nice show today with new music from California’s Crocodiles, Londoners Embrooks, Sunfruits of Australia, Les Lullies from Frnace and Turkish band from Netherlands Altin Gun. We introduce Moonlight Benjamin from Toulouse France, originally Haitian. We also welcome legendary Iggy Pop, Julie Christensen and Jody Stephens with new tunes. Jody is with Luther Russell in the third installment of Those Pretty Wrongs. At the tail end of the show we pay a tribute to David Lindley, who started his career in sixties with Kaleidoscope and continued contributing to important solo records, most notable Warren Zevon’s.

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Zlatni akordi – My Generation
Crocodiles – Degeneration
The Embrooks – In The Sky
Babaganouj – Stay Up For Me
Sunfruits – End Of The World
Those Pretty Wrongs – Scream
Popular Creeps – Wait & See
Iggy Pop – Strung Out Johnny
Les Lullies – Dernier Soir
Robert Forster – Always
Eamon McGrath – Fireworks
Julie Christensen – How He Lost Her
Moonlight Benjamin – Taye banda
Moonlight Benjamin – Salwe
Altin Gun – Kalk Gidelim
Kaleidoscope – Pulsating Dream
Warren Zevon – Detox Mansion
Warren Zevon – Something Bad Happened To A Clown

Flashlite #566

Fabienne DelSol

We begin today internationally. We started with Frustration from Paris, France, and Metal Babies from Australia. Then Fabienne DelSol from London revisits an old Warren Zevon tune. And then we land back into the good old USA. Rain Perry has a lovely song about Julie Christensen. Las Nubes come from Florida and we check them both live from Cleveland and from their recent album. Allysen Callery has a neat cover of an old Donovan tune. Last Daze from Austin are back with the new album. Obnc is a new band too, but I know absolutely nothing about them. They sound good though!

Mark Lanegan – Two Bells Ringing at Once;
Furstration – Pulse;
The Metal Babies – Forty Minues;
Teenage Fanclub – Metal Baby;
Lyme & Cybelle – Follow Me;
Fabienne DelSol – Follow Me;
Rain Perry – St. Julie of Iowa;
Julie Christensen And Stone Cupid – Cold Tennessee Rain;
The Flesh Eaters – The Wedding Dice;
Luke & The Apostles – Not Far Off;
Amon Duul II – Archangel’s Thunderbird;
Breeders – Archangel’s Thunderbird;
Las Nubes (Live in CLE);
Las Nubes – Tired of Trying;
Allysen Callery – Catch The Wind;
The Shivas – Start A Fire;
Exploding Eyes – Something Critical;
Last Daze – Shed My Skin;
Obnc – Dive Bar of Dreamers;
Detroit featuring Mitch Ryder – Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Eamon McGrath – Young Canadians

Eamon McGrath - Young CanadiansEamon McGrath comes from Canada. He grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canadian Western province, North of the US state of Montana, with lots of prairies. This is where he started to come up with his first songs, recording them in his house and distributing them around on cd-rs to friends and fans. There is about 15 to 20 of those proto albums that he made in very small amount of copies and it is unclear what exactly is contained in those releases. Perhaps some songs repeated in multiple versions, but what we can tell for sure, they were all recorded relatively cheaply in lo-fi technology.

Some of these first recordings appeared on McGrath first official release for an actual label White Whale Records in 2009 on a compilation record 13 Songs of Whiskey and Light. This is when I first heard of McGrath. Although 13 Songs of Whiskey and Light record is technically a compilation, it really flows as a normal release. All songs are fresh and show a great consistency and a talent of a new songwriter. This is also around the time when McGrath moved to Toronto to pursue his musical career more actively.

With a label, growing audience and extremely positive reviews from the British press, McGrath quickly established his name as the greatest new name coming from Toronto. The quality of the songs also showed that some of the current great songwriters, such as Greg Cartwright and Harlan T. Bobo from Memphis TN, got a new challenger from an unexpected place. The race for the greatest contemporary songwriter is on.

This year brought another release for McGrath. As you can see from the title Young Canadians, the record is a patriotic view on the Canada today and the generation to which McGrath belongs to. He is quite young, in his early twenties, and he can already claim to be the poet of his generation. Images of the Canadian life and landscapes fill the lyrics of the songs. This is not an idealized picture of the world around McGrath. It’s similar to Springsteen’s Nebraska or Born In The USA – it’s patriotism with consciousness.

Talking about Springsteen, this is a name that is often quoted as a strong ingfluence on McGrath. But, it is not the only influence. I can also hear a lot of Warren Zevon, particularly when some cynicism springs through some of the lyrics. On the other hand, McGrath also never hides some of the fresher influences. Paul Westerberg is often mentioned in his interviews and Bob Mould from his “poison years” is another one that I hear. Just listen to the screaming vocals of the closing track Saskatoon on this album, and you will understand what I’m talking about. The synthesis of all these influences in McGrath music is for one perfect. He is picking on some of the most wonderful songwriters in the history of rock’n’roll. Also, the synthesis is seamless. He wears the influences proudly, but also brings a lot of new things into the mix.

It would we wrong to understand McGrath purely as a singer songwriter, although this is pretty logical if you are basing your conclusion only on his records. However, the news comes to us that his live shows are totally rocking, and his live trio sounds more like Black Flag than the E Street Band. If you ask me, that’s kind of a surprise I’d love to experience!

McGrath is raw, unpolished jewel that is rare to find. He breathes greatness from every grove on this new record and we can consider ourselves lucky to be his contemporaries. He takes all from the life and experiences around him and fiercely returns it all to us on a record. May the spirit of Bob Stinson be forever with him.

First published on rockxs.com.

Flashlite #72

Lorette VelvetteToday’s editions brings you the newest album for The Kropotkins, band fronted by Lorette Velvette and Dave Soldier. This is their third album, and listeners of this show their two first albums very well if they followed our past episodes. We also have A. A. Bondy with his new album Daytrotter Session volume 2, Suzanne Vega with her new album Close-Up Vol. 1 Love Songs. Jon Dee Graham is also here with his brand new album It’s Not As Bad As It Looks. We know him previously as the member of The Skunks, True Believers and The Resentments. He recently had an accident that nearly took his life, and we’re glad to see him back raging full on. John Wesley Coleman III is the new name at the Little Lighthouse. In this show you can hear a tune from his new album called Steal My Mind, Coleman’s version of Warren Zevon’s Lawyers, Guns And Money.

Ivica Percl – Dobar Dan;
Kropotkins – Little Drag Racer;
Kropotkins – Cold Wet Steel;
Kropotkins – Junior’s Groove;
A.A. Bondy – Among The Pines;
A.A. Bondy – I Can See The Pines Are Dancing;
Luther Dickinson & The Sons Of Mudboy – Back Back Train;
Warren Zevon – Lawyers, Guns And Money;
John Wesley Coleman III – Lawyers, Guns & Money;
True Believers – Sleep Enough To Dream;
Jon Dee Graham – My Lucky Day;
Javier Escovedo – The Music Keeps On Playin’;
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs – Maggie May;
Suzanne Vega – I’ll Never Be Your Maggie May;
The Boomtown Rats – (She’s Gonna) Do You In;
The Vibrators – Sweet Sweet Heart.

Flashlite #31

Mitch MitchellAfter Mickey Waller dying earlier this year, we’re seeing another great british drummer leaving this ugly planet. I’m sure you heard it already, Mitch Mitchell, legendary drummer of Jimi Hendrix Experience died on November 12 in his hotel room in Portland OR. We dedicate this show to him and a large portion of this show we go through some of the stuff that he recorded. The rest of the show is filled with some new stuff. Some of the new ladies on the rock’n’roll scene close the show this time. We have Jessica Lea Mayfield from Ohio and two duets, furious blues duet The Pack A.D. from Canada and an acoustic duet from Stroudsburg PA, Friday Night Parking Lots. Good old Yugo-rock band from Rijeka, Fit is back with a live record, so we check that out as well. Mark Lanegan has a new EP too. Warren Zevon’s second, selftitled album from 1976 received recently a deluxe treatment with a great new remastered sound and an extra disc of rarities and alternate takes. We compare the newly revealed alternate take of Poor Poor Pitiful Me with an early demo that came out on last year’s Preludes.

Linda Ronstadt – Poor Poor Pitiful Me;
Warren Zevon – Poor Poor Pitiful Me;
Dirty Mac – Yer Blues;
Jimi Hendrix Experience – Driving South;
Jimi Hendrix Experience – Hey Joe;
Jimi Hendrix Experience – Foxey Lady;
Jimi Hendrix Experience – All Along the Watchtower;
Jimi Hendrix Experience – May This Be Love;
Fit – Macka;
Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers – A Page In History;
Mark Lanegan – Keep Me In Mind Sweetheart;
The Pack A.D. – Don’t Have To Like You;
Jessica Lea Mayfield – The One That I Love Best;
Friday Night Parking Lots – Gesture;
Cobra Verde – Haunted Heavens.