Hey Swingin’ Utters fans, Darius Koski is about to debut his solo album. Before you start throwing down assumptions that the guy is going acoustic just to to make a quick buck, please see what he had to say about the whole solo route:
“I’ve been wanting to have an outlet for it for so long—for longer than I’ve been with the Swingin’ Utters, basically. And I just hadn’t done anything with it. I didn’t really know how I was going to release it, I hadn’t done much live, I have problems remembering lyrics… So I’ve been putting it off for so many years, but it’s finally coming together, and I’m thrilled about it. I’m totally going to go for it.”
Now that you’ve read that, how about you take a listen to one of this new songs:
You’re weren’t expecting that much twang were you? I know I was not, but I will tell you this, I love it.
Dropping on April 7th, Sisu, is in a genre really of its own with a plethora (yes I said plethora) instrument playing including guitar, piano, banjo, accordion, violin, glockenspiel, vibraphone, melodica, ukulele, and percussion. This is not just some solo album. This is years of built up creativity by Koski finally being released property.
It’s no lie, Tim Barry just dropped one of my favorite albums of 2014.
After hearing it just one time through, I had no choice but to make an immediate edit to my best of 2014 post. I was blown away.
Lost & Rootless, Barry’s fifth studio release as a solo artist, is the best thing I’ve heard from him to date.
The Richmond, VA folk crooner is one of the most talented music writers I consider myself a fan of and he just further proved that to me with his latest effort. To say he is on top of his game is a complete understatement.
Barry, on his website, said the sound to his latest release could be described as “Wooden.” He stated “that’s the feel that I was going for when I picked the songs. There’s violin, voice, a wooden resonator guitar…there’s a very subtle electric bass on one track, but otherwise I wanted to do a wooden record.”
“Wooden” is the perfect description when you think about it.
Hiding out in a backyard shed with his sister and pal Josh Small, Barry recorded Lost & Rootless with no time frame and no worries at all. The result is a tireless release that I have listened to over and over and found myself enjoying more so than the last listen.
One thing I adore about Barry is his storytelling abilities. In Lost & Rootless, Barry doesn’t hold back with his tales that do not necessary have a theme to them but certainly reach back to other stores of past albums. There is no concept to be heard and to be honest, I think Barry and crew just recorded whatever was on their mind.
Starting the album off was “No News From North”. This was actually taken from Barry’s Laurel Street Demos, but re-recorded just as he has done with other selections. I loved the rendition of this song from its original. It sounded so much more homely and emotional.
“Poppa’s Porch” had me thinking of Barry on his front porch with his wife and kids singing to them on a weekend morning. This song told a story about the neighborhood that surrounds said porch full of fisticuffs and shenanigans. This was overall such a friendly track to listen to. It was like Cheers, but different.
“All My Friends” painted such a beautiful picture of who Barry surrounds himself with. This was a very old-timey sounding story about people who took to the streets for entertainment and communication.
I can honestly say I know exactly what “Breathe Slow Let ‘Em Pass” was all about. My rebel youth recalled those days when the law passed me by and I turned into stone until they were far away only to release a tightly held in breath. This track was amazing based on the idea of it.
The cover of “Clay Pigeons” by the late and great Blaze Foley was just amazing to listen to. Having just learned about the Austin musician myself, I can understand why Barry chose to record his own version of the song.
The somber story told in “Solid Gone” reflected hard times with family and finances and the outlawed methods to make things manageable resulting in further calamity. I can not say I have heard a song quite like this before and found myself captivated throughout it. This is one track I think everyone needs to check out on this album.
“Lela Days” was clearly written for Barry’s daughter. I have the feeling she loves it when he sings this song to her. It is a fun folky jam with real life expectations hidden within.
I can not tell you the number of times that I thought to myself how much I enjoy Tim Barry’s music. This is coming from a aging punk rocker who has matured just a bit but still has a lot of growing up to do. It’s nice to see that I still get excited about things.
By now, it shouldn’t matter that Tim Barry once was in Avail. Even though his former punk act will always be one of my favorites, it is perfectly clear why Barry has moved on and started something he can call his own.
It’s no wonder he has no plans of ever getting Avail back together, his new direction just makes so much sense and does not seem to be going off track. He has been going strong for 10 years and I hope to hell he has no intention of slowing down.
I am still kicking my ass for missing Rise Against when they recently played Cleveland. I literally overlooked the show until hours before they started and had already committed to other engagements.
Ok, I am done feeling sorry for myself.
Today I was reminded of an awesome protest compilation album being released by A-F Records called This Concerns Everyone.
What does this have to do with Rise Against you ask? Go on, keep reading…
The album will feature a ton of artists playing covers and originals including Tom Morello, Tim McIlrath (Rise Against), Chris Farren (Fake Problems), Erica Freas (RVIVR), Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves, as well as Justin Sane and Chris#2 (Anti-Flag), just to name a few. See below for the complete track listing.
What first stated as a split between Anti-Flag’s Justin Sane and Chris #2 as well as The Homeless Gospel Choir and Chris Stowe turned into an inspirational idea. More and more people got involved and soon the split turned into a compilation.
An undisclosed portion of proceeds will be donated to the Right To Heal Campaign. I think this is an amazing way for artists to reach out to troops in need.
The good folk at Alternative Press are currently streaming Tim McIlrath’s rendition of a classic Guns N Roses track. Head over to Alternative Press to check out his rendition of “Civil War”.
This comp drops on 11/18/2014. Head over to A-F Records and pre-order yourself a copy now.
Side A:
01. Chris Farren (Fake Problems) – Establishment Blues (Rodriguez)
02. Erica Freas (RVIVR) – Tiny Murders
03. Chris Conley (Saves The Day) – A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke)
04. Chris #2 (Anti-Flag) – What Did You Learn In School Today (Pete Seeger)
05. PJ Bond – Dirty Hands
06. Anika Pyle (Chumped) – Ugly
07. Tom Morello (The Nightwatchman) – House Gone Up In Flames
08. The Homeless Gospel Choir – Some People
09. Chris Stowe – Other Peoples Guns Side B:
10. Chris Wollard (Hot Water Music) – Selected Scenes
11. Roger Harvey – What Are You Fighting For (Phil Ochs)
12. Shawna Potter and Brooks Harlan (War On Women) – Servilia
13. Tim Mcllrath (Rise Against) – Civil War (Guns N’ Roses)
14. Justin Sane (Anti-Flag) – I Ain’t Got No Home (Woody Guthrie)
15. Thomas From The Burning Land (Strike Anywhere) – The Deep State (Field Recording) Digital Bonus Tracks:
01. Prophet Motive – Hallowawa
02. Josh Massie – Life During War Time (Green Day)
03. Spoonboy – Last Of The Asshole (The Max Levine Ensemble)
04. Pat Thetic – Owe Us A Living (CRASS)
For those of you who checked out the interview I did with Joey Cape months back, you may have learned about One Week Records. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, I suggest you take a moment and read that awesome interview.
Chris Cresswell of The Flatliners was one of the first artists to hole up in Cape’s abode and record an album. In one week, the two recorded 10 amazing songs and skipped out on any type of over-producing. The result was just an amazing release that I was not expecting.
Cresswell is typically known for his gruff vocals in The Flatliners but he’s completely cleared his throat for his One Week Record. In fact, I was set back for a moment on how different and appealing his singing style was. Having known he’s stripped down his style before, I suppose I just did not know what to expect prior to checking out this release.
Listening to “Meet Me in the Shade” was just so heavy on the heart. I could almost relate in my past to the feelings Cresswell transformed into song. Full of lyrics of dismay and solitude, Cresswell seemingly dumped heavy emotion into this track. I really fond myself enjoying the song even more so when the piano playing snuck in.
Picking things up was “Little Bones”, a track what sounds like some serious swooning until the moment you realize that the lyrics on this track were pretty much Cresswell tearing a certain someone apart for being a cold, heartless human being. The lyrics were amazing on this album.
“Stitches” really collaborated Cresswell and Cape’s talent in a great way in a song about healing and moving on. Perhaps the best part of this track is when Cresswell belted out “I fall in love again with the silence in this song” over and over at the end. Hands down, this was best track on this album.
Hearing the cover of Dead To Me’s “Arrhythmic Palpitations” was a nice bonus on this album. Cresswell recorded a damn fine version that I may seriously now prefer over the original. Everyone needs to hear this track.
“On the Day That You Died” was beyond somber and yet so beautiful. This is the kind of song that brings tears to eyes while saying goodbye to a loved one. Seriously, this track should be in the next Zach Braff movie he releases. So sad…
Overall, this album far exceeded my expectations and I am going to be pre-ordering the vinyl release soon as I know this will be an album I will listen to quite frequently.
I think the thing I like best about this album is knowing that Cresswell and Cape recorded all of the songs in 7 days in Cape’s home. I also love knowing that at the end, Cape handed Cresswell a Sharpie marker and told him to draw up the album cover.
The album is available digitally now on One Week Records for just 5 bucks. The album is also going to be pressed on vinyl (as previously mentioned) thanks to Fat Wreck Chords and will be dropping soon.
