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.
It takes a lot for me to admit I like a modern day hip hop act.
I’m not trying to sound like a jaded hipster supreme or anything, but I just can’t get into a lot of these hip hop acts out there let alone understand what the hell they are talking about.
Maybe it is because I am getting old. Or maybe it is because I prefer 90s hip hop over anything else (Bone Thugs and Wu Tang will always remain my favs).
I can always make exceptions of course.
Doomtree is easily one of those exceptions. (Note: Run The Jewels is another – but we are not going to talk about them in this post.)
Hailing from Minneapolis, Doomtree is a hip hop collective full of artists who bring different talents together to create a complex and intricate style of hip hop.
I can’t lie, P.O.S. is how I learned of Doomtree. I was introduced to him years ago and even got to shoot some up clone and personal photos him him during a memorable set at a Warped Tour as he performed literally in the middle of the crowd standing upon an equipment case. Anyone who sings Fugazi in the middle of a rap track is ok with me. Not to mention, he was in Wharf Rats too.
Should I even mention that another member in Doomtree, Cecil Otter, was 1/2 behind Wugazi? Do you see why I dig these guys so much? Perhaps I need to calm down. Nah…
I was introduced to Doomtree’s second release No Kings shortly after and was completely blown away. To be honest, I still listen to that album. It is a timeless collection of awesome with plenty of memorable tracks that have not gotten stale by any means not to mention the “Bangarang” video still rules thanks to Har Mar Superstar.
Doomtree recently dropped an all new album in January called All Hands. This will be their third official album and was actually recorded far away from civilization and cellphone signals. The result is not surprising, an eyebrow lifting album that easily will gather tons of attention.
“Final Boss” started off things so strong with a incredibly likable track that was full of 8-bit beats. Each of the 5 MCs took a turns rifling off lyrics praising their hometown, recognizing talent, talking video games, and just life. The repeating “get up like I never f*cking got up before and I get it like I never f*cking got it before” seemingly pumped this listener up each time it repeated. I thought it was great that the track just ended with Jake Hanson playing a simple riff on his guitar.
You know, I thought I was impressed with the first track, and suddenly I was treated to “My Own Nation”. Wow. I am not even certain I can describe how much I dug this track. I think you will just need to hear it for yourself (see below). The climax of this track is where things got insane.
“.38 Airweight” brought light of Bernie Goetz, a NYC so-called vigilante douchebag who shot and killed 4 young men almost 30 years ago because he thought he was going to get mugged. This track to me was a callout to all of the senseless violence from yesteryear and today.
“Mini Brute” was a mess of sounds that almost seemed to encompass my entire attention, pulling me away from the lyrics, but I just kept fighting to just absorb the poetry. This track was insane. I wish those jackasses in Akron, OH never broke into my Cavalier and stole my mediocre stereo system in 2004. I really would have loved to have the opportunity to blast this track.
Of course “Cabin Killer” had me hoping for Evil Dead references, but instead I was treated to plenty of head-nodding smooth flows. I wish Cecil and P.O.S. both could have kept going for a tad longer, but I am grateful for the Stay Puft reference.
“Generator” may have been speaking about speeding up, but this song just fell short. I appreciated the Atari Teenage Riot electronic-sounding heavy beats, but overall I was kind of bored.
Thankfully “Off in the Deep” jumped out of that rut and returned to awesomeness. P.O.S. Sims, and Dessa all took turns doing what they do best on this track. I am still trying to figure out if they sampled a song behind the scenes on this track as it sounded so familiar. If not, kudos to Doomtree for creating such a likable sound.
“Marathon” closed things with a punk edge thanks to the repeating hook “when it all boils down there’s nothing but bones left”. Maybe this track was not as heavy as the others, but it was certainly the most well-written, especially the final “hashtag No Kings, crash y’alls server.” What a way to end an album.
I can not tell you the number of times that I have gotten myself so worked up over an album only to hear it with pure disappointment. This is so not the case as All Hands does not disappoint at all.
I think the thing I love most about Doomtree is that nothing seems generic or forced. From the lyricism to the beats in each track, you can hear how genuine the pride is. It is not commercial hop hop by any means and really needs to trump some of that quick-beat, lazy written crap that seems to always grab all the attention.
This act has continued to impress me. I would not be shocked if All Hands took them a step or two closer to the spotlight that they so much deserve.
Apparently a few years back, Mason and his pal Walker decided that someone needed to make a Todd C. comp for all to hear.
What once was a booze-fueled conversation between pals turned into reality as Mason reached out to tons of bands and many of them sent in covers to be included. Maybe it did not go as quickly as he and Walker had intended, but one day Mason realized he had more than enough to make their idea a reality.
I am sure if you are a fan of punk rock, you now know who I speak of. Even if you are not, you should check out this comp and become familiar with Todd C. This dude packs tons of talent.
Todd Is My Co-Pilot features covers by amazing acts like The Brokedowns, Iron Chic, Low Culture, Sundowners, and even Mike Watt and the Secondmen.
Vacation did a great rendition of “Dead Inside” while Iron Chic put their own twist on Toys That Kill’s “White Lies”. I loved the fuzzy bass on this track. Apocalypse Meow’s clean cover on “Illegitimate” was very close sounding if not a little slower but still awesome.
Full Sun was an act on this comp who I have not really gotten to know, but after hearing them cover Toys That Kill’s “31 Year Old Daydream”, I realize that needs to change. The very 80s female driven punk rock sounds were perfect for this take and invited me to check out their original material.
Hearing The Plurals cover Todd C’s “You’ll Hear My Voice” instantly reminded of the very interesting video I saw for this song that was full of Kewpies. Check it out here.
Of course I need to talk about Mike Watt & the Secondmen’s take on “No One”. I was so stoked to see Watt and crew on this comp and to be honest, their version of the track was….well…experimental-ish. It was like Primus meets Ween meets Toys That Kill. I still dug.
This is not just some half-assed idea when you look at who all contributed. The best part about this comp? Dirt Cult released it for free. Zero cheddar. Nada.
So what the hell are you waiting on? Either head over to the Dirt Cult Band Camp page, or click below and proceed to download. It’s pay what you want, so do your thing and hope no one finds out how much of a cheap ass you really are. More importantly, enjoy.
2015 has not even started yet and here I am listening to a band I’ve never heard of before thinking to myself how deserving they are to drop on my best of 2015 list.
I know, I know, maybe I need to chill out a bit. In all honesty though, I am dead serious about how much I enjoyed this act.
What would happen if you took Brodie Dalle (Distillers) and asked her to join the White Stripes with the soul purpose of mimicking 90s Sub Pop acts prior to the turn of the century?
I speak not of the color, but of the boy-girl-boy Texas trio that literally has caught me off guard in a good good way. They call their sound party rock and I could not agree more.
In January, Purple drops their debut (409) on Pias Recordings. It is tough for me to even think that this is their first album given how well put together it sounds.
“Wallflower” started things off with a Detroit rock sound. It was tough to gauge this band until about the halfway mark and suddenly I was loving what I heard.
“Leche Loco” carried an amazing similarity to 90s acts like Dinosaur Jr. and Bikini Kill as well as even good ol’ Jane’s Addiction.
“Beach Buddy” was a catchy track that was like a morph between Used Kids, The Strokes, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. This fun beach jam was amazing. I loved the back and forth singing between Hanna Brewer and Taylor Busby only for them to join together.
“Thirteen” was like Joan Jett met a hardcore version of The Faint. Damn, this song was nuts. I loved it. The quick breakdowns and the heavy guitars with distorted vocal notes. The video for it was even more insane.
“Target” had Brewer singing like a young Gwen Stefani and Juliana Hatfield but not without adding her own force in. “Head On The Floor” continued with I am hoping the next song to be plastered all over the radio. This track reeked of 90s alt-rock and was extremely enjoyable thanks to that Weezer bass riff.
With more of a blues rock feel, “Newborn” slowed things down a bit. I felt this track proved how much talent this band holds. Dan Auerbach, maybe you need to hit these kids up over Danger Mouse next time. Seriously though, this tune was impressive.
“I like to party and ear a bikini” started off the final song “DMT”, a gritty punk jam that was heavy on the distortion and reverb. Not sure how this will come off but, it is so nice to hear new music take queue from classic punk and alt-rock sounds from my younger years.
This album was full of wholesome pop-garage-punk-rock goodness with some psychedelic flavor and even a little riot grrl-ish making for a truly refreshing listen. If anything though, most of all, it was freaking fun.
This band is going places. I know it.
The best part about this release? It drops on my birthday.
Lots can be said about punk act The Brokedowns by this music lover.
First, The Brokedowns released an amazing album years ago that I still listen to often, so chances are, this review may show light favoritism. Secondly, they rule…tons. Lastly, they have not released an album in at least 4 years, so this is something worth getting excited about.
I learned of The Brokedowns back in 2009 when I was flipping through 45s at Blue Arrow Records. I picked up a split 7″ with them and Turkish Techno on it and totally made a blind buy having no idea what to expect. I remember spinning the crap out of that 45. I loved what both bands had to offer.
The Brokedowns hail from Elgin, Illinois and have been creating their own melodic punk rock since at least 2002. They have definitely matured over the years and have mastered their sound throughout their time but without losing their unique charm.
“Joliet, The Maui Of The Midwest” started the album off with a gracious and humorous nod to their hometown area. This song was a straight up jam with a heavy dose of gang vocal opportunities at the end.
Title track “Life Is A Breeze” was a drum hitting, screaming, killer song that was ever so poppy and melodic yet kept that punk edge to it. I loved how this song was just about dealing with the surroundings and admitting things are not that bad.
“Murder Junkie/CPA” was a pop punk jam that to me sounded like a mix of Low Culture and Iron Chic. There was a garage rock sound with the punk vibe that just made this track stand out over the others.
“Everything Is Immoral” was brutal. I loved everything about this track, especially the group harmony just past the halfway mark. It fit so perfectly. I just wish I knew what that intro clip was from. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
Without trying to talk about every track on this album, I have to mention how much I loved “Born On The Bayou Too”. The track alone was one of the best on the album. I loved the quick breakdowns and just 90s reminiscant guitar playing.
“Cash For Gold” was a quick fun track, but the video for it was beyond freaking hilarious. The music video titled GG and Merle Get Jobs was more of a short film with “Cash For Gold” playing throughout. A true ode to not only crust brothers GG and Merle Allen, but also to Looney Tunes. The black and white was a nice touch, especially with assisting removing the brown. Scroll down to see what I am talking about. The song was bad ass thanks to the typical Brokedowns flavor throughout I have grown to dig.
For a second there I thought “God Hates Math” was a lost Ween track as it extended from the prior track “I Respect Your Right To Always Be Wrong About Everything” but soon just ignited.
I hope “Keep Branson Weird” was about Sir Branson. I met that dude once in Baltimore. True story. He was nice, but so weird.
Anyways…
Closing the album down was “A Child’s Guide To Black Metal”, a song that may have been toned down a bit versus the others starting ups, but still just awesome, especially once things picked up.
The end of this track left me wanting a copy of the vinyl as backwards lines repeated over seagulls and I am just dying to play the record backwards just to make out what is being said. A true cliffhanger if you ask me.
This is one memorable album by an amazing group of dudes throughout. I really hope more people than me are so over-excited about what I just heard. It rules and is not to be missed.
As promised, here is the video I made mention of earlier. It’s not exactly a safe for work video. To make it tamer, let’s just say them boys have really oily hands… Don’t say I did not warn you. Enjoy!
I am so stoked to be able to share this:
2015 has not even started yet and here I am listening to a band I’ve never heard of before thinking to myself how deserving they are to drop on my best of 2015 list.
