Tom Tom Club - Stella Blue 2001 (Internet Archive)

From the Internet Archive this is this Tom Tom Club live at Stella Blue, in Asheville, NC, USA. The band undertook a US tour in the fall (autumn for us Brits) of 2001, this concert was on the 25th September. Describing that tour their timeline states - 'The group tooled the East Coast from Maine to Florida, searching out the hip and the compassionate. They were not disappointed'.

The tour was partly in support of the group's album, 'The Good, the Bad, and the Funky', which was released in 2000 and featured cover versions of Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" and Lee "Scratch" Perry's "Soul Fire." One of the album's tracks, "Who Feelin' It," was also featured in remixed form in the soundtrack album of the 1999 film American Psycho. Among the musicians on The Good, the Bad, and the Funky are Jamaican singer Mystic Bowie, Charles Pettigrew and Toots Hebbert of Toots and the Maytals. The album's release was followed by one European and several American tours, of which this gig is sourced from.

Recording Technical Details: AKG C1000s (hypercardioid) > Denecke AD-20 > Sony TCD-D8 Lineage D8 > Midiman CO2 > Zoltrix Nightengale > CD Wave v1.43 > Soundforge XP 4.0 (fades) > mkwACT v0.97 > xACT 1.4b28 (shn > flac encoding level 6, batch rename, shntool len).

Sound Quality: Very Good - a very strong, powerful and clean recording reflecting the bands live talent.

Set List:

1. Suboceana
2. Time to Bounce
3. Punk Lolita
4. Soul Fire
5. Who Feelin' It
6. Happiness Can't Buy Money
7. Sand
8. She's Dangerous
9. The Man With the 4-Way Hips
10. Genius of Love
11. Band Intros > You Sexy Thing
12. Holy Water
13. Wordy Rappinghood (plus encore break)
14. As Above, So Below
15. 96 Tears > Take Me to the River

Website: Official Here.

Comments: There are FLAC, Ogg Vorbis and mp3 files along with the streaming material over at the Internet Archive (here).

Stream Below:

Sundays Alternative Take - From 'Free Form' To 'Top Form'

Trancescapes - Anima (from the album 'Gaia Sadhana').

Background - The members of ‘new age’ musical group Trancescapes view free and open improvisation as an authentic connection to the holistic nature of music for meditation.  Like great jazz or blues, free improv is best recorded 'live off the floor'.   Capturing the essence and magic that is brought forth spontaneously moment by moment, coloured by the musical influences and the unexpected developments of open-minded musicians, the music is as stimulating for the listener as it was while being performed live by the musicians.

Welcome to the world of Trancescapes, whose debut album, ‘Gaia Sadhana,’  (loosely translated from Hindi and Greek words meaning ‘earth’ and ‘instrument’)  - is being released September 4th world-wide via Spring Hill Records. Recorded live off the floor on a magical evening in early 2015, the album is a collaboration with multiple Juno award winning singer - songwriter Bill Bourne leading a diverse group of Edmonton based Canadian musicians including Miguel Ferrer, Shannon Hambler, Izumi Kurybayashi, Bria Lizotte, Dr. Kevin Sisk, and Lisi Sommer, performing all organic instrumentation including guitars, percussion, violin, Tibetan singing bowl, vocalisations, and a variety of drones. The open improvisational musical group began creating music together in the summer of 2013, and will be performing select concerts in North America in 2015 – 2016.

Now this is different even for our 'Alternative Take' feature. The presented track is slower than most of the others however gives a flavour. Rhythms, textures, instruments and ideas come together and in the main really work well. For those who crave something fresh and different, this is well worth further investigation.

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James Vincent McMorrow - How To Waste A Moment.

Background - James Vincent McMorrow shared the track “How to Waste a Moment” via Soundcloud. The new song hints at a continued evolution for James adding more beats to his layered, production and soulful vocals. McMorrow has been hard at work on the follow up to 2014’s Post Tropical and the track is a pivot from the ethereal moods of the previous album to something more direct R&B based.

US Tour:

8/17 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory - w/Blake Mills
8/18 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot - w/Dawes
8/19 - Fort Collins, CO - Mishawaka Amphitheater - w/Dawes
8/20 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater - w/Blake Mills
8/22 - Salida, CO - Gentlemen of the Road Stopover - w/Mumford and Sons, Flaming Lips tUnEyArDs, Jenny Lewis
8/24 - Apple Valley, MN - Weesner Amphitheater - w/Kevin Garrett
8/25 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theater - w/Kevin Garrett
8/26 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall - w/Kevin Garrett

James has a voice created for soulful renderings. Add a soundtrack like this and you have a superb song.

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Express Rising - Spirit Darts.

Background - Express Rising is the long-running project of musician and polymath Dante Carfagna, whose abilities as a composer have yielded an expansive discography of meditative instrumentals. Express Rising's latest collection, Fixed Rope, is set for an October 2 release via an exclusive distribution deal with Numero Group.

The album is comprised of twelve single-take ambient instrumental excursions, composed in strict committee by the trio of Kevin Blagg, William Suran, and Carfagna. Recorded spontaneously in rural Arkansas, bulging sub-woofers lope through fissures of skeletal banjo and pitched down pedal steel, while delicately arranged basins of synth and guitar reverberate, providing a steady stream of granular epiphanies. Utterly faded, yet still possessing crystalline clarity, these twelve songs continually attain summits rarely reached within the span of four-minute transmissions.

Well I have only heard this track so far, so making me wait until October for more is a real tease. This is both cool, expansive and relaxing and I love it!

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NERVO - Rainham Road.

Background - Amsterdam Music Festival has another big name in store for all the fans with NERVO being added to the line-up for Amsterdam Music Festival 2015. On Friday the 16th of October, NERVO will make their long awaited debut at Amsterdam ArenA for the first day of Amsterdam Music Festival, the biggest event during Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE).

In demand and loved across the globe, NERVO’s non-stop schedule takes them from the magical island of Ibiza, to their studio in their home-away-from-hometown of London, to every major Festival in the World. Everywhere the girls go, their infectious energy, fearless personal style, deep love and understanding for music precedes them.

This summer, NERVO released their new album ‘Collateral’, performed at Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival and have up-coming shows at Creamfields and ElectricZoo. It is with great excitement that we welcome the talented and stunning ladies to Amsterdam during ADE to perform at Amsterdam Music Festival.

Pulsating rhythm and beats are the bedrock of the highly talented and popular NERVO. Their attention to detail and an instinct to know what to put in and what to leave out, makes each song exciting, as you wait to discover, what's around the next corner.

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2015 - Out Of Our Inbox - August - One

Moke Hill - Doing It Wrong.

Background words - With the stark contrast between their home bases in Detroit and LA informing the laid-back melancholy of the music, Moke Hill’s smoothly polished rock reverberates with both the blue-collar work ethic of their Midwestern roots and the sunny optimism of the West Coast.  

Their collaboration unfolded organically through the cloud, which sounds oxymoronic, but such are the times in which musicians now connect, both with each other and with fans. There is an undeniable craftsmanship to these melodies, coupled with a probing lyrical earnestness that speaks to the virtues of suiting up, working hard and sticking with it until you touch people with something beautiful.

Ben Berry and Drew Phillips first began writing and recording together as Moke Hill in 2013.  Despite a friendship that dates back to their Detroit grade school days, they didn’t get serious about making music together until Berry was in Chicago and Phillips in Mokelumne Hill – a northern California gold country town, from which the band took it’s name. 
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The self-release of Moke Hill’s debut EP and its sparkling single “Detroit” coincided with the dawning of the streaming era, enabling Berry and Phillips to access digital tools for sharing their music that were as intuitive as the tools for making the music had been.  They set about being proactive in the streaming space in a natural yet industrious way and were able to connect with fans, resulting in “Detroit” garnering over half a million plays on Spotify.

In 2015, with Berry settled back in a freshly energized Detroit and Phillips in Los Angeles, the pair again worked remotely to write the material for Time Stops Moving. After teaming up with Phillips’ former Eulogies band mates Peter Walker, Tim Hutton and Chris Reynolds, along with long time friends Dash Hutton (HAIM) and Ben Roche, Time Stops Moving became a sort of homecoming for far-flung friends. Beneath upbeat melodies, gorgeous guitar textures and choruses that reach for the skies, Time Stops Moving explores dark themes in turbulent times.

Slick and professional Ben Berry and Drew Phillips are also notable for the songs they pen and record. Easy enough on the ear, I can hear the competing background influences. It's tight and polished music that thankfully also has plenty of heart and real personality.

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August Eve - Ghost.

Minimalist background info - "Ghost," a new track from 17 year old August Eve from LA - we were sold off of the first listen to this song. She's got an incredible voice, some early buzz and she's unsigned. She's an old soul with great style and wrote this herself.

With that limited info and a link to her web-place (here) it was just a case of listen to the song. And wow, what a beautiful song, what an incredible voice and the production is superb. I highly recommend you listen to this, if no other song today! It's an old saying and a cliche to, but August Eve really is 'one to watch out for'.

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Klee Shade - Beg For Rain.

Them there promo words - Klee Shade is some music from a guy with stuff. An ever curious fan of rock, hiphop, the loud, the soft, the angry, the happy, the constructive and the destructive. A self taught multi-instrumentalist, a poor audio production ex- student and an avid studier of all things that lie between a song being written and a song being enjoyed on an international scale. Out to bring the smiles! Just happy to be here. 

‘Beg For Rain’ is a simple song about gratitude, endeavour and release. Being thankful for what you have, but wanting something more and having the strength to push on forward until you find that you've pushed the weight of the journey off your shoulders all together - and you've arrived. 

This slow jammer of a song sits upon primitive, pounding drums and bass, and is headed by rich, articulate guitar harmonies and melodies. The down-played vocals course through the gaps to act as the spinal structure of the composition, allowing the rhythm section to pulse in the chest and the intertwining guitar harmonies to play about within the ear canals. This all culminates into a show stopper of a finale section, which is sincerely unlike any arrangement of guitar parts I know of - it is to be heard to be understood for its full uniqueness and scale. Klee shade's first single. Turn it up, tune out. 'Take it slow, settle in for the ride.'

Well fair dues to the writer above, which summarises this fine song so very well. All I will add is I found myself listening a few times to take everything in, it's a little bit like a wall of sound with intricate details peppered throughout.


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The Persian Leaps - Dottie, Queen Of The West.

Background info -  "The Persian Leaps" began as a phrase singer/guitarist Drew Forsberg doodled in a notebook margin during a college Greek Archaeology course. He wrote music independently under that name for years, until finally assembling a full band in 2012 to perform and record driving, chiming music influenced by My Bloody Valentine, The Smiths, Guided by Voices and Teenage Fanclub.
    
In 2013, the Persian Leaps released debut EP Praise Elephants, which the NME described as a “celestial guitar jangle”. The band completed a follow-up EP Drive Drive Delay in 2014, praised by XS Noize for its “instantly catchy melodic harmonies layered on top of droning guitar.”
    
The band recently completed their 3rd EP, High & Vibrate. The EP features five short, infectious songs dripping with divine guitar noise underpinning gorgeous vocal harmonies. Land Ski Records releases High & Vibrate on September 25, 2015.

Energised indie rock and five fine tracks - 'High and Vibrate' is a smart EP. There is variety between the songs, however guitars and harmonies reign supreme.

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Fridays Refreshing Rock Double

No waffle, short sharp details and a couple of songs to 'knock your socks off'. If you remember the 'air guitar' craze, then feel free to strap yours on and play along, it's not only cheesy DJ's who can say "the weekend starts here".....

Jacuzzi Boys - Sun.

Some details - Miami's own Jacuzzi Boys have announced the release date to their forthcoming Happy Damage EP and reveal their new song "Sun". The track is the second single from the EP recorded at Torche Studios in Miami and slated to drop on September 18th via their recently launched MAG MAG label. The Jacuzzi Boys' (Gabriel on guitar, Diego on drums, Danny on vocals) signature Miami party sound is unmistakable on "Sun" where they provide the theme music to the Summer blues.

A hypnotic rhythm and beat drive both guitars and vocals in this 'semi-surf' rock blast, what's more it's a free download. Website (Here).

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Zurich - Alone.

And the details - 'Zurich' are an English Rock Band from Oxford who play widescreen post-punk rock with a nod to the darker side of eighties electronic pop. Earning an impressive live reputation in a competitive Oxford music scene, the band comprise of Adrian Banks (Bass & Vocals), Chris Gillett (Guitar & Vocals) and Leigh Taylor (Drums & Samples).

Zurich have just finished working on their highly anticipated debut EP 'Small Wars' with award winning producer Gary Stevenson.

Another feisty rock song that sets standards high for this emerging band. Real energy and a sound that begs for more. Website (Here).

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