The Top 25 records of 2011 are -

'Rebel' Rod's # 1 of the year

By 'Rebel' Rod Ames

It is the last day of the year – finally. It has been a trying year to say the least. Trying to keep up with all of the wonderful music has been a chore, all be it a good chore. I hate to even call it a chore because that would imply work. The only work was to figure out who to exclude from my top 25.

I used to do a top 10 list but that was just so unfair, so I decided to lengthened the list to 25. Not quite as difficult, but difficult never the less.

So without further ado here is my list-finally! One more note, the top 10 is in order. After 10 there is no particular order.



1 – 13ghosts “Liar’s Melody” (This is American Music)

2 – Ray Manzarek/Roy Rogers Band – “Translucent Blues” (Blind Pig Records)

3 – Carolyn Wonderland – “Peace Meal” (Bismeaux Records)

4 – The Cash Box Kings –“ Holler and Stomp” (Blind Pig Records)

5 – Lauderdale – “Moving On” (Lauderdalemusic.com)

6 – Drive-By Truckers – “Go Go Boots” (ATO Records)

7 – Ian Seigal and the Youngest Sons – “The Skinny” (Nugene Records)

8 – The Hollows – “Belong to the Land” (self-released)

9 – Scotty Alan – “Wreck and the Mess” (Spinout Records)

10 – Eric Hisaw – “Ghost Stories” (self-released)


The above albums round out my top 10 of the year. They were outstanding in every way. Literally every tune on the album is at the very least, great! You can’t go wrong with any of these and will without fail want to add each one to your library.

The remaining albums finish out the top 25 and are in no particular order. They are all great records. Rebel Rod would never steer you wrong!



The Far West – “The Far West” (Light Fighter) – This one could have very easily been in the top 10. It was a coin toss – literally.

Piñataland – “Hymns for a Dreadful Night” (Mekkatone Records) – a wonderful concept record – pure genius.

Candye Kane – “Sister Vagabond” (Delta Groove) – Candye Kane is awesome as usual and Laura Chavez bends them strings brothers and sisters!

The Black Keys –“El Camino” (Nonesuch Records) – This may not be their best it is still the Black Keys.

Hadden Sayers – “Hard Dollar” – Good Texas style blues.

Tracy Nelson – “Victim of the Blues" (Delta Groove) – Come on, It’s Tracy Nelson for cryin’ out loud!

Jack Cade and the Everyday Sinners – This Fiery Road (Collision Music) – great American Music from across the pond – I wish American music were as popular in America (loud and long sigh!).

Robert Earl Reed – “Carlene” (Hill Country Music) – The good reverend is proving himself a force to reckon with, hailing from the Hill Country of Mississippi. We will be hearing from this amazing singer-songwriter for years to come.

Butchers Blind – “Play For the Films” (Paradiddle Records) – This band is just getting started – expect to hear from this band in the future for sure – a very talented group of young musicians from Brooklyn!

Jo Wymer – “Living With Scars” (Lakehouse Music) – This beautiful lady from New Jersey can belt out a tune!

Pokey La Farge – “Middle of Nowhere” (Free Dirt Records) – This young cat knows how it’s supposed to be done and does it in fine fashion here.

Tom Waits – “Bad As Me” (Anti/Epitaph) – Mr. Waits is as incredible as ever!

Rhubarb Whiskey – “Cautionary Tales” (Self-released) – Dark, humorous, weird, just the way I like it.

Wess Floyd – “Foxhole Confessions (Blind Roar/TIAM) – anyone that writes and performs a song titled “George A. Romero” is a friend of mine. Truly and awesome album. 

Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears - "Scandalous" (Lost Highway Records) - This guy's got soul and covers just about every genre from R&B to Blues on this record.






Happy New Year everyone! Rebel Rod says check ‘em all out! Let’s all get ready for the end of the world!

Peace!

THE DEL FUEGOS REUNITE FOR 11-CITY U.S. TOUR IN FEBRUARY, MARCH 2012

Original members Dan Zanes, Warren Zanes, Tom Lloyd and

Woody Giessmann run wild through East Coast and Midwest

BOSTON, Mass. — After disbanding in the late 1980s, the various members of the Del Fuegos went on to lead remarkable second lives. In the New Year, however, all four original members of the acclaimed Boston quartet will come together for a 12-city tour of the Eastern Seaboard and Midwest.

On Wednesday, February 22, the band will begin at The Paradise Rock Club in their hometown of Boston, heading from there to New York, Cleveland, Chicago, Evanston, Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kent and Brooklyn with a March 4 wrap in Concord, N.H.

The Del Fuegos are among a handful of legendary rock and roll exports from Boston, Mass. Recording alongside X, the Blasters, Los Lobos, and others for L.A. ‘s Slash Records, the Del Fuegos burned brightly through the 1980s. They played more than 200 dates a year internationally and released albums that were consistently favorites of audiences and critics alike. Even before they released their first record, Rolling Stone named them a band to watch. Touring with groups ranging from the Kinks to the Replacements to INXS, ZZ Top and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Del Fuegos played a style of rock and roll that knocked down the door, stole your girlfriend, and won your heart. Over six busy years, they built a reputation. And then they disappeared.

Of course, not every disappearance is of the same kind. In the case of the Del Fuegos, it ‘s the character of their disappearance that is finally so intriguing. After breaking up, none of the band members took a job at a bait shop. Neither did any of the band members take jobs at Guitar Center. The Del Fuegos dispersed . . . widely. In time, some reports filtered in: two of the band members earned PhDs, one launched a drug and alcohol rehab, and one started a new movement in family music. No one would have called it. Four members . . . and each one reinvented himself. And now they‘re back, if only for a short visit. Why?

Blame it on a wildly successful summer 2011 reunion show in Boston that sold out almost overnight, with extra shows added. Blame it on the audience reaction to this celebrated return. Blame it on the fact that the band came out hitting on all cylinders, somehow seeming younger than when we last saw them. Blame it on the fact that every member was able to get time away from his day job during the same two weeks. Blame it on the pure joy of elemental rock and roll.

According to Warren Zanes, “I did a motive check when the idea of reforming for a tour came up. Was I having a breakdown? Was I strapped for cash? Was there a girl in Minneapolis I couldn‘t get off my mind? The good news is that I felt like  ‘no ‘ was the answer to all those questions. Musically, you have to be doing this stuff for the right reasons or the audience can sniff it out. And I think we all wanted to do this so that we could turn the amps up one more time. It was pretty simple . . . though Woody did mention something about a certain Mary in Scranton.” Brother Dan Zanes also had to ask himself a few hard questions. “I couldn’t be more committed to the family music that I’ve been playing for the past dozen years and yet when we reunited I realized I’d been secretly missing the raw teenage emotion in the songs. And the old camaraderie. And the cursing. I also realized, much to my surprise, that this was one of those rare instances in which maturity among the band members actually seems to have helped the rocking out process. In the 80’s we probably cared too much about everything. Now we’re just looking for a loud vacation.”

The Del Fuegos handpicked the cities they remembered best from years of touring. Where the memories linger, the band is now returning. Playing the best-loved songs from their catalog and keeping a few tricks up their sleeves, a little bit of Boston is, once again, making the rounds.

How the members of the Del Fuegos spent their vacations:

Guitarist Warren Zanes earned a Ph.D from the University of Rochester in Visual and Cultural Studies. Having established himself as a professor and writer, Zanes then re-entered the music business when signed as a solo artist by the Dust Brothers, making his debut with Kings of Leon producer Angelo Petraglia. Shortly thereafter he was hired as Vice President of Education and Programs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and named Visiting Professor at Case Western Reserve University. With several books to his name and a third solo recording just released, Zanes is currently the Executive Director of The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, a non-profit started by Little Steven Van Zandt, and at work on an authorized biography of Tom Petty, for whom Zanes has done several writing projects.

Guitarist and Singer Dan Zanes earned a Grammy for his widely celebrated family album, Catch That Train! With a decade of international touring behind him and appearances in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, the Somerville Theater (where he returns every year), and hundreds of other esteemed rooms, Zanes helped rewrite the possibilities of children ‘s music by creating an organic, folk-based sound geared toward family listening and participatory music-making. He is known for a dozen recordings, several DVDs, and a handful of books, and is these days nothing short of a household name. Always collaborating in a way that further extends the possibilities of his art, he has recorded with the Kronos Quartet, Lou Reed, Philip Glass, the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Pilobolus dance company, and many more.

Bassist Tom Lloyd earned a Ph.D from Caltech in Environmental Engineering Science, after which he continued his research on biologically mediated geochemistry of transition metals (of course, right?). Following that, he worked as a consultant at McKinsey, focusing on the intersection of media and technology in the non-profit sector. After leaving McKinsey, Lloyd became the Interim Executive Director at My Friend ‘s Place, a non-profit center for homeless youth based in Hollywood. Today he works as an investment analyst at Capital Research. A classically trained cellist, Tom remains active as a musician, these days favoring the string quartet but always keeping a guitar handy.

Drummer Woody Giessmann started Right Turn in March of 2003 as a freestanding addiction treatment program in Arlington Ma. Through his experience as a creative person with a history of addiction, Woody developed a unique approach incorporating evidence-based treatment and an emphasis on the arts and creativity, an approach that remains at the heart of Right Turn Outpatient services. Right Turn brings creative people together in a safe haven, where they can explore their art and preserve their creative gifts. Still active as a musician, Woody recently released a solo recording and remains a fixture on the Boston scene.

The Winter 2012 Reunion Tour:

Wed., Feb. 22  BOSTON, MA  The Paradise Rock Club

Thurs., Feb. 23  NEW YORK, NY  Bowery Ballroom
Fri., Feb. 24  CLEVELAND, OH  Beachland Ballroom

Sat., Feb. 25  CHICAGO, IL  Lincoln Hall

Sun., Feb 26  TBA

Tues., Feb. 28  MINNEAPOLIS, MN  Varsity Club

Wed., Feb. 29  MILWAUKEE, WI  Turner Hall

Thurs., March 1  ST. LOUIS, MO  The Old Rock House

Fri., March 2  KENT, OH  The Kent Stage

Sat., March 3  BROOKLYN, NY  The Bell House

Sun., March 4  CONCORD, NH  The Capital Center

Life in a Blender celebrates the 40th anniversary of Sean Connery's Diamonds Are Forever

"Although it sounds like the blender they're in may also contain some potent cocktails, this is some surprisingly sober sounding quirk-core oddball musical melange story song wit rock. Bonus: Sammy Davis, Jr cameo in a song about a Sean Connery that's really about a picture of Sean Connery. Holding a picture of Sammy."  Rocktober

"True to its name, Brooklyn's Life in a Blender funnels an impressively broad range of influences into its quirky rock, from Tom Waits to R.E.M." Time Out New York

"Life in a Blender is The Brooklyn Paper's official house band. Whether singing about alcoholic desperation or gentrification on Smith Street, Life in a Blender's leader Don Ralph always seems to know exactly what we're thinking (though he says it a lot better than we do). And the 'Sean Connery' song is in my head all the time."  

Gersh Kuntzman, The Brooklyn Paper

"Life in a Blender have been around for twenty-five years,  creating their unique blend of vaudeville, rock and Americana.... Songwriter Don Ralph has a sardonic outlook on life, creating vignets and stories about hustlers (Go To Man), troublesome drug-stained cutlery (Homewrecker Spoon), and a great Scotsman (Sean Connery)."  Hans Werksman, Here Comes The Flood

17 December 2011 --  It's the 40th anniversary of the release of Sean Connery's "Diamonds Are Forever," and so Don Ralph, frontman for LIFE IN A BLENDER, reveals how he came to write his song 

"Sean Connery" from the new album, HOMEWRECKER SPOON, which is generating quite a bit of airplay and press buzz.

"My wife and I found a photo of Sean Connery in an antique shop in the West Village years ago. We are bot

h Sean Connery fans and had to buy it.  It always struck me as funny that Sean seemed a little delicate the way his fists were raised. His expression looks like "Eeek, I'm caught." So suddenly this epitome of masculinity looked vulnerable. He's also having a pampering bubble bath, as he's lounging about reading a magazine with Sammy Davis Jr. on the cover. We framed the photo and put it in our bathroom. But we liked it so much that we made copies and framed several more and put them in many other rooms in the house. So an obsession grew over this photo and a song had to be written." 

In live performances, Don sings the first set of lyrics without the audience seeing the photo and then when the middle instrumental part hits, he slyly holds up the photo and the audience puts together all the lyrics he's just sung. "I wanted to do a song where I describe something to the audience and then show it to them. It's a simple idea but somehow it works quite well," he said.  

Sean Connery film buffs recognize that the photograph is from the 1971 film, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER.  The film was released 40 years ago: 

December 17, 1971 and  it reportedly broke Hollywood's three-day gross record. 

To stream or purchase "Sean Connery", click here:

http://music.lifeinablender.net/track/sean-connery

Working at the other job today and tomorrow = no show tonight -

Do not despair though, I have one hell of a show that is going to coincide with the release of my top 25 list next Saturday evening at 10 pm on The Real Deal KERV 1230 AM and KOOK 93.5 in Kerrville and Junction respectively. Of course it will be aired on ther world wide web as well!

So I'll see you loyal listeners next week 12/17/11 at 10 PM CST on the radio for the airplay of my top 25 of  2011.

On Christmas Eve I'll have an incredibly weird Christmas show, just like always, and who the hell knows what's going to happen New Years Eve? One thing for sure, the next three weeks promise to be amazing. You do not want to miss it. I'll be sending out hints and reminders periodically.

Peace Love.....RR

NEW ORLEANS SPIRIT CAPTURED ON THE MEET ME AT MARDI GRAS COMPILATION, DUE OUT JANUARY 10, 2012 ON ROUNDER RECORDS

Album, just in time for February festivities, features Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, Professor Longhair, the Wild Magnolias, Larry Williams, Joe Liggins, Marcia Ball, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys and more LOS ANGELES, Calif. — There’s a chill in the air, and the sounds of the season are everywhere. Christmas, you ask? No, you’re in New Orleans, and it’s Carnival time — Meet Me at Mardi Gras. From every radio, bandstand, bar and coffee shop, the songs associated with Mardi Gras (especially perennial favorites such as Al Johnson’s “Carnival Time” and the ReBirth Brass Band anthem “Do Whatcha Wanna”) announce the month of parades and balls that will culminate with the nation’s biggest citywide party. The 12-song set Meet Me at Mardi Gras, to be released on January 10, 2012, presents many of the best Mardi Gras songs on Rounder Records (a division of Concord Music Group), which, for decades, has been the pre-eminent label recording the music of New Orleans. Also included are two classic songs from the Specialty catalog (Rounder’s sister label in the Concord Music Group). The album was compiled by Rounder’s Grammy-winning VP of A&R, Scott Billington. Meet Me at Mardi Gras will serve as a suitable soundtrack for any Mardi Gras party. The Soul Rebels strike a funky note with “Say Na Hey,” a brand new song written by Leo Nocentelli, the guitarist for the crucial New Orleans funk band The Meters. In contrast, several of these songs reach back more than 50 years. Pianist Joe Liggins was not from New Orleans, but his “Goin’ Back to New Orleans” has become a standard, covered by both Dr. John and Deacon John. Larry Williams’s “Jockamo a.k.a. Iko-Iko” is a rocking version of the traditional Mardi Gras Indian chant. Speaking of which, Bo Dollis of the Wild Magnolias (these tribes are African Americans who mask as outrageously plumed “Indians” on Mardi Gras and on Saint Joseph’s Day) takes the lead vocal on Professor Longhair’s timeless “Tipitina.” The Professor himself is featured on a 1960s version of his anthem “Go to the Mardi Gras” with its signature New Orleans parade beat. While Cajun music originates in the French-speaking parishes south and west of New Orleans, you’ll often hear it in the Crescent City. “Mardi Gras Mambo,” originally recorded by Art Neville’s early band, The Hawkettes, is performed here by Cajun rocker Zachary Richard, while Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys play the minor-key “La Danse de Mardi Gras,” which you’ll hear at every Cajun dance at this time of year, for Cajuns have their own Mardi Gras. For reasons not entirely known (but probably not difficult to decipher!), Jimmy and Jeannie Cheatham’s “Meet Me With Your Back Drawers On” has become a New Orleans standard, especially as performed by vocalist Chuck Carbo, a veteran of the vocal group The Spiders. Rounding out this set are pianist/singer Marcia Ball, with her song based on a Zulu character — the Big Shot with his bowler hat and big cigar — and the New Orleans Nightcrawlers, who offer a funky twist on the melody of “Li’l Liza Jane,” long a brass band staple. In the week before Mardi Gras, the evening parades are family affairs, filled with the aroma of barbeque and the sound of laughter. Chair-topped stepladders are set up along the streets as perches for children to be better positioned to catch the beads thrown from each float. Spectators shout out to kids and cousins in the high-stepping high school marching bands. And you can bet that the music on this album will be emanating from someone’s front porch, beckoning all to the party. Track list: 1. The Soul Rebels —  “Say Na Hey” 2. Joe Liggins & the Honeydrippers  — “Goin’ Back to New Orleans”  3. Zachary Richard — “Mardi Gras Mambo” 4. New Orleans Nightcrawlers  — “Funky Liza” 5. Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys  — “La Danse de Mardi Gras” 6. Larry Williams — “Jockamo a.k.a. Iko-Iko” 7. Al Johnson — “Carnival Time” 8. Marcia Ball — “Big Shot”  9. Professor Longhair  “Go to the Mardi Gras” 10. ReBirth Brass Band —  “Do Whatcha Wanna, Part 3” 11. Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias  — “Tipitina” – 12. Chuck Carbo  — “Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On”

Having trouble getting into the Holiday Season? Check these two gems out-

By ‘Rebel’ Rod Ames



The Shurman and Family Holiday Album Vol.1 (Teletone Records) -

I have been trying like hell to get into the Christmas - I mean the Holiday spirit. Who knew we would have to worry about whether or not we had to say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever?

I truly don’t worry about the political correctness of the season. I’m acutely aware there are other people celebrating out there and saying Happy Holidays simply covers all your bases. It is not, I repeat NOT an all out war on the Baby Jesus as some would lead us to believe.

The world, at times, seems to be filling up with total imbeciles!

That being said, there are at least two new Holiday; I mean Christmas albums out there that need to be heard by anyone who digs good music. 

The first one up is “The Shurman and Family Holiday Album Vol.1” on Teletone Records. The band is headed up by Austin artist, Aaron Beavers who is featured on each tune with various guests along the way on this nicely produced twelve-tune album. The band is completed with bassist Mike Therieau, lead guitarist Harley Husbands, and Craig Bagby on the drums . To quote All Music Guide’s prediction, “songwriting and synchronicity will carve out a distinct place for the band on the contemporary music scene.” 

Yes it is a Christmas album but the music is so good that you are going to want to listen to some of the tunes anytime, and why the hell not. I mentioned there were other guests on the album. This guest list contains some true heavyweights - members of Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, The Mother Truckers, Stonehoney, and Grammy award-winning artists, Blues Traveler. Truly an A-list if I ever saw one. 

The tunes on the record are comprised of mostly original tunes. The ones that are not written by Mr. Beavers, are certainly originally arranged to fit the Christmas mold of this album. At times it is light and airy (We Wish You a Merry Christmas – with the Boone Elementary School Christmas Choir), while at other times a heavy handed feel is present (Cold Shoulder), and even humorous (12 Drinks of Christmas), reminding me of Robert Earl Keens humor with his “Family Christmas” minus the depth of characters. This particular tune is all about the drinks and the way Mr. Beavers performs it, he may have had one or two along the way, but in a good way. It adds a festive atmosphere to the record.

The point is that this is a fun Christmas record that contains something for just about anyone willing to give it a listen. 

It is available now. 

 

 

 

The Gathering (Sycamore Road)–  

 
To switch gears a bit “The Gathering” is necessary for any lover of music, let alone bluegrass lovers. It’s roots are deeply planted in the Appalachian/Piedmont genres, but to celebrate the Holiday Season. 

Laurelyn Dossett, Carolina Chocolate Drop’s Rhiannon Giddens, Mike Compton, Joe Newberry, and Jason Sypher all join together to record one of the most original and enjoyable Christmas Albums I have ever had the pleasure to listen too. 

The music, the production, the performances are all perfect! Notice I did not say near perfect, or nearly flawless. I said PERFECT! There is nothing wrong with this record not one single flaw -not one! 

The tunes on “The Gathering” were all based on Dosset compositions commissioned by the North Carolina Symphony. Those six core songs are all based on a cold dark winter night in North Carolina and a squandering, yet greatly missed daughter's return to her Appalachian home. There is so much texture you can smell it. You can smell the smoke emitting from the stone fireplace rising into the still air from the chimney of the small dimly lit cabin, filling the night with not just smoke but wonderful earthy music to celebrate the Christmas season. 

The music will leave you joyful and all tingly inside, just like a festive album should. 

I challenge anyone to not have goose bumps literally popping up everywhere during Rhiannon Giddens’ and Jason Sypher’s beautiful rendition of “O Holy Night”. Her voice is velvety smooth and I found myself shaking off chills throughout the beautifully sung tune. Mr. Sypher’s bass is deep and soothing, and Ms. Giddens’ voice never falters. The performances represent an idiom of absolute perfection! It is divine. 

“The Gathering” is probably one of the most beautiful compilations I have ever heard, Christmas or otherwise. 

There you have it - two wonderfully enjoyable Christmas albums. Music for the Holiday Season for sure, but could and will be enjoyed by anyone, just about any time of the year. 

Well, at last! After listening to and writing about these two Christmas Albums, I am ready to set up the tree and wrap some gifts. Maybe I’ll even whip up some ginger cookies or some fruit-cake, doing it all while dancing around the house to these two gorgeously produced albums. Dig it! 

‘Rebel’ Rod says to check them out!