Check It Out: Unsung Episode #1: Jason Molina and Songs: Ohia’s Didn’t It Rain

5 March, 2015 Brian Mc Leave a comment

I owe my pal Kyle for turning me into a huge Jason Molina fan.

Yesterday, WXPN aired a hour-long special on the late and great Jason Molina.

The moment I learned of this, I stopped what I was doing to tell him. Now I am sharing this with you.

Last night, WXPN in Philadelphia aired the first of Folkadelphia’s Unsung specials of which Jason Molina and Songs: Ohia were the focus. The hour-long feature centered around a watershed moment in Molina’s career, specifically the time leading up to Didn’t It Rain, it’s creation, and the transition to Magnolia Electric Co. Host Fred Kittel guides us through the time period and explores Molina’s impact on a larger scale. The episode includes conversations with important partners in the creation of Didn’t It Rain as well as a compilation of Songs: Ohia covers by local Philadelphia bands. Stream the full episode, covers, etc via the links below.

STREAM FULL SHOW VIA SOUNDCLOUD
https://soundcloud.com/secretlycanadian/folkadelphia-songs-ohia-xpn/

SONGS: OHIA WXPN FOLKADELPHIA COVERS
https://soundcloud.com/secretlycanadian/sets/folkadelphia-songs-ohia-covers/s-ThSEr

Listen to Unsung Episode #1: Jason Molina and Songs: Ohia’s Didn’t It Rain. Make sure you have some spare time on your hands as you are going to get sucked into this. It is a very interesting look into Molina and his time in Philadelphia while recording and those influenced by it.

Now comes the cool part… Some of those folk who were influenced by the late and great Molina have contributed to a very appropriate compilation.

Stream and download the entire Songs: Ohia Folkadelphia Covers Compilation, which features Restorations, Psalmships (ft. Mike “Slo-Mo” Brenner), The Weaks (ft. Frances Quinlan from Hop Along), Teen Men, Laura Baird, and Adeline Hotel performing Jason Molina’s music.

Enjoy. I know I did. Especially that Restorations cover…

Acoustic, Electronic, Folk, Indie, Music, New Release, Pop, Review, Rock

Album Review: Bombadil – Hold On

28 February, 2015 Brian Mc Leave a comment

I was told Bombadil, who hail from Durham, NC, were a pop-folk act that I needed to listen to.

Seeing they hail from the same state as a certain Brothers band that I adore enough to tattoo their cover art on me, I figured why the heck not.

I cannot say I’d heard of Bombadil prior to checking them out, but after doing a little research, I learned that they have been around since 2005 and caught the attention of Ramseur Records thanks to their MySpace page. Next month, the band is dropping their fifth full length album on titled Hold On.

I was not sure about “Coughing on the F Train” when I first listened to it. The song reminded me of an 80s track mixed with a storyline Beck might have created in the 90s. Overall, it was catchy, but just slower in some areas. One song in and I already started to wonder if this band had any folk in them (Note: Their older material has a much heavier folk appeal to it from what I have listened to after writing this up).

“Amy’s Friend” cleared my question up immediately. This track was a gentle duet that clearly has swooning abilities with great harmonies throughout.

I enjoyed “Bill You For Your Trash”, especially the guitar solo towards the end. I could not help but think of Simon & Garfunkel in a sense while listening to this track.

“I Can’t Believe in Myself and Love You Too” made me just want to crawl in a hole with a bottle of something strong. What a sad track. I can not say I dug the backing vocals though, it was almost too much.

“Framboise” was one of my favorite tracks on the album. It was almost like listening to something from the 60s. I loved the mix of French and English singing on this track. I secretly wish this song would have morphed into a “Bohemian Rhapsody” of sorts. The explosion at the end I was waiting for, never happened though. Still, very creative track.

“Love You Too Much” carried one hell of a Motown feel. Robinson’s vocal range on this track was impressive to say the least. I have the feeling this track is ten times better live.

I laughed to myself when I saw the title “Rhapsody in Black and White” given my previous thought regarding Queen. I was not too sure about this track. It was almost too weird. I understood the premise, but was this serious or satire? Also, can I just comment how much Robinson sounds like Pete Townshend? I can not tell you how long it took me to find the perfect comparison, but while listening to this song, it finally struck me.

“Honest” should have been called “Brutally Honest”. If this was not a personal confession of revalation, then Robinson has one creative ass thought process. This track easily could have been a Brand New track. I am not sure how many of you will even understand what I just stated, so allow me to clarify: This track was super heavy on the emo, even with the random electronic breakdown towards the end. This was an amazing, powerful song that I was not expecting.

“Love Is Simply” closed out the album with a very well put together composure. There was so much going on in this track. I candidly thought of Flight of the Concords, but only due to the singing styles. This track was pro-love, at least I think it is. The burning bag comment kind of threw me off.

Bombadil has their own unique approach to pop-folk with a more subtle sound that in turn is quite comforting and catchy at times. I really think their genre is a lot broader than they get credit for.

Plenty of people are going to get into this band with Hold On as it almost caters to everyone. With plenty of creativity in creating their own style, I can admit that I am now a fan.

Cleveland, Documentary, Film, Review, The Awesome, Watch This

Film Review: Draw Hard (Turnstyle Films)

24 February, 2015 Brian Mc Leave a comment

I sometimes feel like I am an 80 year old man when I write. I am not sure that is going to make much sense to you yet until you read the following:

In my life, I have met a lot of good, amazing faces.

Granted I have yet to turn 40, but that sentence holds so true. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many people in my short existance on this planet.

One of those people is Jon Nix. He is a fellow Cleveland resident with a bigger love for music and film than I will ever have in my lifetime. He has leaped boundaries I could only have imagined doing at his age and currently runs the fast-moving Turnstyle Films.

Next week, Turnstyle Films is dropping Draw Hard, an amazing short form documentary on Cleveland’s most bad ass underground comic artist John G.

I watched the documentary not really knowing what to expect.

I know who John G. is and I have seen his art everywhere from his Lake Erie Monster comic illustrations to the numerous concert posters he had done for many local acts.

Chances are if you are from Cleveland you have even seen his artwork on the monthly menu fliers that make those Melt Bar & Grilled sandwich of the months look even more enticing.

What I did not know was John G.’s story.

Draw Hard did a hell of a job bringing me to speed with a solid dude I am sure I rubbed shoulders with back in the 90s. In one sitting, my appreciation for John G. grew easily 100 times.

The story is real and the best part about it was how it was told throughout. It is a truly inspiring short documentary that everyone needs to check out.

You do not even need to love comic books to appreciate this documentary. This showcasing of a man who overcame tragedy to his advantage proving you can do anything when you put your mind to it and without looking back.

On February 27th, Draw Hard will be available for rental or purchase on VHX . For $10, you can even get digital versions of the first 5 volumes of the Lake Erie Monster comic as part of a bundle deal.

The documentary will also be available for streaming through Fandor,

Don’t pass this up. Seriously. It is well worth your time.

Props to Jon Nix and Turnstyle Films for creating such a captivating documentary about one of the most talented humans in Cleveland.

Check out the Draw Hard packages available on VHX:

Take A Dip Package – $4.99
-A Digital Copy of the Film
-Director’s Commentary
-Trailer
-Hi-Res Digital PDF of “The Lake Erie Monster” Volume #1

The Monster Package – $8.99
-A Digital Copy of the Film
-Director’s Commentary
-Trailer
-Hi-Res Digital PDFs of the First 5 Volumes of “The Lake Erie Monster” & The Summer Special issue

The Gritty Package – $9.99
-A Digital Copy of the Film
-Director’s Commentary
-Trailer
-Hi-Res Digital PDFs of the First 5 Volumes of “The Lake Erie Monster” & The Summer Special issue
-Hi-Res Digital PDFs of The John G Art collections “No Gods No Monsters” & “No Gods No Monsters Non Grata”

Garage, Indie, Music, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock

Album Review: Big Dick – Disappointment

12 February, 2015 Brian Mc Leave a comment

Indie-punk duo Big Dick have returned with an all new album titled Disappointment.

This is a follow up to the band’s impressive 2013 self-titled debut and once again has been released through Dirt Cult Records.

Before you question the band’s name and its meaning, just note it was taken from a NoMeansNo song title. Don’t dig in too deep you pervs. Who am I kidding? If you ever heard the original song, your questions might be validated instantly.

Anyways…

Cultivating their own sound with just drums, bass, and dueling vocals, Big Dick really reaches back to 90s alternative rock styles while keeping a DIY punk and even garage rock edge. The result is melodic yet heavy at times making for a truly killer listen.

“Let Down” was a catchy self-esteem downer of a track fueled throughout with a heavy distorted bass. This opening track was a subtile reminder to me how much I enjoy this band as well as one of my favorite cuts on this release.

“Last Days” straight up ruled with the dual harmonies and just addicting bass riffs. It’s hard to believe that there are only two dudes in this band when you hear songs like this. This was another favored track over the rest.

“Up A Step” took more pop-punk noise route that was totally ok with this listener. At times, the vocals just seemed off but not enough to ruin the track.

“Out On A Limb” was a tad more technical with intricate bass lines. The dual vocals and singing on “Crawl” was worth of an immediate second listen. I dug this track a ton.

Tracks like “Marnier”, “Good Hunting”, and “Another Minute” really showed the band has matured and mastered their own sound. From the lyrics to the insane drum and bass playing, I could not help but just get sucked into what I was listening to. Then came “Young Love”, a more experimental track of sorts that clearly could have been a Ween b-side.

“Bad Dream” was one of my favorite tracks on the album. I loved the different genres I could hear in this track, especially the grungy garage rock. The slight harmonies in the background and the throat-clearing screams made it that much better.

Disappointment is anything but that. Fans of Japandroids, Two Gallants, and even Death From Above 1979 are going to eat this up.

70's, Cleveland, Indie, Music, Music News, Punk, The Awesome, Vinyl

Cleveland’s Blue Arrow Records To Release Jonathan Richman Singles

11 February, 2015 Brian Mc Leave a comment

I am so stoked to be able to share this:

Cleveland’s Blue Arrow Records have started their own record label with the same name and first on their roster is the amazing Jonathan Richman.

Seeing that I am huge fan of them both, I could not help but stop what I was doing tonight to share the good news.

Jonathan Richman is easily one of my favorite singer-songwriters out there. His career reaches all the way back to the 70s with the Modern Lovers and has continued over the years with him turning more into a solo artist. I have always appreciated his upbeat outlook on life as well as got a kick out of seeing him in There’s Something About Mary and Kingpin.

Blue Arrow Records is a brick and mortar record store staple on Waterloo in the East Cleveland neighborhood of Collinwood. Owned by the good folk Pete and Debbie Gulyas, the store has been selling vinyl and other music related formats/memorabilia since 2009. I adore that store (and the owners) and have found some incredible gems there over the years including a lot of Richman’s catalog.

The Gulyas’s actually used to own a shop on Coventry in Cleveland Hts. and met Richman in the area some 18 years ago.

Over the years, a friendship was formed between the Gulyas’s and Richman. Just a few years back, Richman asked the Gulyas’s to help sell merch on an East coast tour. It just makes sense that this is happening.

On March 1st, Blue Arrow will release 7-inch singles by Richman, “O Sun” and “Keith”. There are plans for a full length to drop in the Fall as well as extending the label to other acts in due time.

Click on the album covers below to place your pre-order today at Blue Arrow Records ($10 each – Ships in April):

Richman is actually playing the Euclid Tavern on March 8th with Tommy Larkins on drums. If you know what is good for you, you will make it and see him perform. It is a show not to be missed.