Tag Archives: Acoustic

Acoustic, Music, Music Video, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock, Solo

Album Review: Dan Andriano In The Emergency Room – Hurricane Season

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Dan Andriano, also known as the bassist/singer of Alkaline Trio, recently released an impressive solo album called Hurricane Season. Under the moniker Dan Andriano In The Emergency Room, the man took the album into his hands, literally.  He wrote all the songs, played/sang all the music (sans the organ, piano, and a couple of harmony vocals), and even produced it.  It is safe to say that Hurricane Season is indeed a true solo album.  The man even took it upon himself to supply the photos as seen throughout the album and booklet.

Andriano, in case you live under a rock, is one of the impressive three that make up the popular punk rock band Alkaline Trio.  Formerly of Slapstick, he is known these days for his distinguishable signing in many AK3 songs (including “Fine” as heard on AK3’s last full length This Addiction). Andriano has toyed with side projects in the past including a 2002 split as well as been a part of the punk rock supergroup The Falcon.   He writes, he plays, he performs, and this time with help from Asian Man Records, he has given his talent a challenge of sorts and dropped quite the impressive album.

“It’s Gonna Rain All Day” opens the ten track album with Andriano doing what he does best; write heavy, meaningful lyrics.  Such the sorrowful track with piano sneaking in and out of acoustic guitar playing making for one of my favorite tracks on the release.  “Hurricane Season” followed in a more upbeat rock feel with some familiar cries coming from Andriano’s pipes.  “Hollow Sounds” was more of an acoustic jam with many the reference to addicting temptations and comparisons revolving around a heartfelt memory.

“Let Me In” was a busy rock track throughout, impressive when you think that one man put it together by himself.  “On Monday” had a nice country/rock feel to it.  “The Last Day We Ever Close Our Eyes” was the closest thing on the entire album that resembled a heartfelt track.  Then came, “From This Oil Can”, a seemingly happy ending to Hurricane Season that easily was meant to swoon someone in a clever, direct way.  I really enjoyed this closing track a lot.

Hurricane Season was an album full of songs that easily could have been mistaken for AK3 b-sides or acoustic jams, but I know that is not at all what he was looking to do.  Dan Andriano In The Emergency Room was more of a personal sounding voyage with deep tracks most likely that have been trapped in his mind for quite some time.

Andriano does contribute quite a lot to AK3, so it is not surprising that a lot of the tracks on Hurricane Season are dark and lost.  Knowing though that this album is a solo release means that Andriano has offered so much more to it over the the typical 1/3 he probably does in AK3 as the two other members help make AK3 what they are too.  The result is a personal tribute to himself.  If anything, an amazing musician who probably just wanted to play some songs all by himself for others to listen to did just that.  I just hope he takes this solo project on the road, only time will tell. See tour dates below.  No Cleveland show, but who knows, maybe next time!

Fall Tour Dates:
Sept. 9th – Gainesville, FL at The Double Down
Sept. 10th – Naples, FL at Flieschmann Park
Sept. 11th – Ybor City, FL at Crowbar
Sept. 13th – Charlotte, NC at The Evening Muse
Sept. 14th – Chapel Hill, NC at Local 506
Sept. 15th – West Columbia, SC at New Brookland Tavern
Sept. 16th – St. Augustine, FL at Cafe 11
Sept. 24th – Chicago, IL at The Bottom Lounge

Acoustic, Akron, Cleveland, Folk, House Show, Live Shows, Music, Punk

Jeff Rowe To Play The Gurley House On Wednesday

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So in a change of events, it looks as if I will not be heading down to the Rock Hall on Wednesday after all (sorry Cleveland!).

Why?

Well, it turns out that folk/punk rocker Jeff Roweis playing the Gurley House in Akron at the same time. 

I reviewed Rowe’s debut releaselast year and loved it.  This is going to be an intimate show right down the street from my hood.  Why would I not go??? 

Honestly, I was torn for a moment as I know the show going on at the Rock Hall will be entertaining, but then I came to my senses knowing I needed to be at the Gurley House for this show on Wednesday.

Supporting acts The Ohioans and Scott Moses (Annabel, Northwestern, Comfort Clouds, etc) will join Rowe.

The fun starts around 7pm.  The house show is free to all who attend but please bring cash to donate!!!

Acoustic, Cleveland, Folk, Live Shows, Music, Music News, Rock

Ten Things Mike Doughty Would Like You To Know About His New Album

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Mike Doughty has a new album coming out on August 30th called Yes And Also Yes.  The man, known for his lead in the now defunct Soul Coughing, continues his quest to entertain the masses one clever song after another.

There is still some time before the album drops, but Doughty wants everyone to know some things about his album.  Ten things to be exact:

TEN THINGS MIKE DOUGHTY WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW ABOUT HIS NEW ALBUM…

# 1 “The title, YES AND ALSO YES was the headline of my profile on an online dating site. I improvised it off the top of my head, because they wouldn’t let me post until I wrote a headline. I was unsuccessful at online dating”

# 2 “The first single, “NA NA NOTHING”, was partially stolen from a song written by Nikki Sixx, Dan Wilson (wrote “Closing Time”), and Matt Gerrard (wrote a bunch of tunes in “High School Musical.”) (I got their permission to steal it)”

# 3 “Holiday,” a Christmas song, is a duet with Rosanne Cash. I did a show with her, and she said, onstage, “I feel nervous playing my new songs, because Mike Doughty is here, and he’s such a great songwriter.” That BLEW MY MIND.

# 4 “The song “Into the Un” was written for, and rejected by the Twilight soundtrack. (It’s about goth kids on LSD in a train station)”

# 5 “I recorded it in a studio in Koreatown, Manhattan, from July ’10 to April ’11. Pat Dillett produced. Notable musicians included my trusty factotum Andrew “Scrap” Livingston on bass, and the pianist Thomas Bartlett, aka Doveman, who basically plays with everybody who’s groovy (Justin Bond, Antony and the Johnsons, Glen Hansard, the National, David Byrne, Yoko Ono). I’m releasing it on my own label, SNACK BAR, through Megaforce. I split with Dave Matthews’ label ATO so I could run my own shop and have more control, business-wise.”

# 6 “I wrote most of the songs at the legendary artists’ colony Yaddo, where Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, James Baldwin, Truman Capote, Flannery O’Connor, Carson McCullers, Sylvia Plath, and a lot of other all-time giants worked. It was founded by a railroad tycoon’s wife, in her mansion, built in the 1890s. They put up artists for a month or two, feed them in an opulent dining room, and give them space and time to work.”

# 7 “I used a capsule of the antidepressant duloxetine as a percussion instrument on some tracks. I held the tiny pill between my thumb and forefinger, put it close to the mic and shook it so it made a shcka-shcka-shcka! sound.”

# 8 “I wrote a book about my ugly, drug-doing years called THE BOOK OF DRUGS. It’s coming out in 2012 on Da Capo/Perseus.”

# 9 “The song “Makelloser Mann” is in German”

# 10 “I play a Chinese lute (called a zhong ruan) on the song “Telegenic Exes #1”

# 10.5 “…in the liner notes, I say I exclusively wear Paul Smith suits and Sol Moscot eyeglasses, and eat only gummi bears made by Haribo. I did this because I hope they’ll send me free stuff…”

I have yet to hear anything off his new release (and am very curious to hear the duet with Cash), but if it is any thing like his previous releases, I know it is going to rule.

Look for Doughty to be touring this fall in support of his new release.  He is even making a stop in Cleveland.  Nov. 13th at the Beachland Ballroom.  Get your tickets now!

Country, Download This!, Folk, Music, Punk, Rock

Download This: The Enablers cover T.I.’s “Whatever You Like”

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Yeah, I am a couple years late jumping on the bandwagon on this one…

Recently Rob Coe, front-man of The Enablers,  emailed me a link to a kick ass T.I. cover that his band did a few years back.  I had heard of his Gainsville, Florida, punk act before but for whatever reason never got to check them out.

The Enablers actually are made up of other bands you may have hear about.  Rob Coe is from Fay Wray and their bassist was in some band called Dashboard Confessional.  They sound familiar…

The cover of “Whatever You Like”, originally written by the currently incarcerated rap star T.I., is brilliant.  I have listened to it over and over and just can not get enough of it.   One might be fooled upon hearing it not thinking it is a cover.  Here, check it out for yourself:

The Enablers - Whatever You Like

This cover does sound more like Lucero, but the rest of The Enablers is more like a Social D, Husker Du sound with a little Springsteen vocals added to the mix.  Not as fast and furious when it comes to the punk sound, but not exactly to be considered rock.

Here are a couple other songs I found online if you want to hear some of their original material.  I know I am digging it.

The Enablers – “Drink Beer”

The Enablers – “Tomorrow”

I am going to be searching for their material online.  I believe there is an EP out there waiting for me to purchase.  This is stuff I need to have in my vinyl collection.  I am not sure how active they are these days but I know Rob Coe did play the Suburban Home Records anniversary show last summer.

I guess there is only one way to find out…  Let’s see if Rob wants to do an interview.  Stay turned.

Acoustic, Folk, Interview, Live Shows, Music, Music News, Music Video, New Release, Punk, Rock, The Awesome

You Know What Today Is… Right?

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Today is a lot of things really. History happened, history might be made, and people will be talking about things based upon events from today for years to come.

I know, deep…

I will be ignoring everything today except for the fact that Mr. Frank Turner released an EP today entitled Rock & Roll.  The 5 song EP dropped today on iTunes and is available in limited quantities on CD (here’s hoping for a 7″).  It’s a sample of what Frank Turner is working on for his 2011 release and I have to say that I love it.

What’s that you say?

Of course I love it you say?

What’s that?

I am Frank Turner obsessed?

Yes I am and I fully admit it.

Turner is a kick ass musician and there is no reason for a music lover like myself to not adore his music.  This EP is great start to finish, especially the highly likable anthem “I Still Believe”, a track I was introduced to in October when I got to see Turner open for Social Distortion.  Even if it was a new song, it was so infections that by song’s end, everyone was singing along.

See for yourself:

Fun note: The gang vocals on the track were actually taken from the crowds at various live shows.

With non-stop touring all year, Frank Turner may be one of the busiest musicians out there.  Somehow between playing cross-country tours as well as festivals the guy found some free time to record new material and I could not be happier with the results on the EP.

Here’s to the full length release in 2011.

Proof I like Frank Turner and all he does…

A review I did of Poetry Of The Deed
An interview I did with Frank Turner
A review I did of Frank Turner opening for Flogging Molly
Another review I did of Frank Turner when he opened for Social Distortion