BEEHIVE CANDY

With the Mott The Hoople reunion gigs taking place this weekend in London, the first time in 35 years that the band have played together, I thought it would be good to hear some more from their front man Ian Hunter whose solo career has kept him in touch with us in the passing time. During that time Ian has released some excellent solo material and continues to occasionally tour. Performing live on the free Town Lake Stage located at Auditorium Shores, Austin, Texas, back in March 2005 during the SXSW festival, this is Ian Hunter performing a mixture of solo and classic Mott The Hoople material along with an excellent band. Source: XM Radio Broadcast Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3 @256kbps Genre: Rock, Hard Rock, Glam Rock. Set: Full set. Set List: 1. Rest In Peace 2. Lounge Lizard 3. Once Bitten Twice Shy 4. I Wish I Was Your Mother 5. Knees Of My Heart 6. Wash Us Away 7. 23A Swan Hill 8. Michael Picasso 9. The Truth, The Whole Truth ... 10. Rollerball 11. Roll Away The Ston...

Hollands are from New York and have a new EP out on the 13th October called 'Mother'. They are a mixture of rock'n'roll, strings, pounding drums, driving guitar, but add into all of that some cello, violin and some softer moments and you have Hollands. This band have my attention and the individual members have some very strong backgrounds in the music business, however for once no name dropping, just a strong emphasis on checking them out. I personally reckon we will be hearing more about these folk in the coming months. Listen: 'Air Conditioned Heart' MP3: HERE . Website: MySpace . Official . As mentioned the EP Mother is out on the 13th so keep an eye on their website for more details and enjoy!

Secondstar is Liam Carey and a few other fine musicians. With a new EP out called 'Teeth' which is best described as a mixture of alt-folk-rock with guitar, banjo, layered vocals, drums, cello and whistling and with bunches of harmonies. Secondstar are in my opinion worth checking out if the above description gains your attention. The band live in Brooklyn, New York, and a follow-up EP called 'Feets' should be out in a few weeks. Listen: 'Great Machine' MP3: HERE . Website: MySpace You can find out more about Secondstar at their MySpace site along with details of getting hold of a copy of 'Teeth', and of course stream a few more songs there.

This is the The Troggs live in concert in Dijon, France, back on the 5th October 1981. Famous for a number of sixties hits including 'Wild Thing' the band found a sympathetic ear at French label New Rose in the 1980s, the label releasing 1982's Black Bottom LP. This concert would therefore be around the time of the recording of the album and some new material is featured, and with a release on the horizon touring in France made eminent sense. It is fascinating hearing them do covers of Buddy Holly and The Stones with Reg Presley's accent & vocal style putting a 'Troggs' slant on the proceedings. I never thought of The Troggs as a 'play it loud' rock'n'roll band, I stand corrected! Source: FM Broadcast Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3 @192kbps Genre: Pop, Rock, R&B. Set: Majority of concert Set List: 01 - Love Is All Around 02 - Feels Like A Woman 03 - Strange Movie 04 - Black Bottom 05 - I Don't 06 - Peggy Sue 07 - Satisfacti...

Sadly Stereolab have called it a day for the time being, however having been together for nineteen years the desire to take a rest and move on to new projects is understandable. This is the band a decade ago from two different concerts both recorded by the BBC. Tracks 1 to 5 are from a BBC Broadcast at The Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool on the 28th, October 1999. Tracks 6 to 15 are from a BBC Broadcast at The Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on the 3rd June 1999. Source: FM Broadcast Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@224kbps Genre: Post-rock, indie rock, ambient. Set: Two sets (neither complete). Set List: Liverpool: 1. Escape pod. 2. The free design. 3. Metronomic underground. 4. Op hop detonation. 5. Analogue rock. London: 6. Miss modular. 7. Escape pod. 8. The free design. 9. Analogue rock. 10. Op hop detonation. 11. Percolator. 12. Rainbow conversation. 13. People do it all the time. 14. Metronomic underground. 15. The seeming and the meaning. Links: Official site HERE . Comme...

Working my way through this weeks music inbox I came across The Dustys for the first time. It was one of those moments that when I started listening I found my self immediately stop everything else my attention grabbed. I like those moments so thanks The Dustys! Part of their bio states ' The Dustys began as a new direction for veterans of the DC-area garage punk scene, getting together to write fuller, more power-pop and acid rock influenced tunes. Though they’ve always been in love with classic sounds like Big Star, Badfinger, Can, and T-rex, it was a revelation to finally get a chance to merge that sweet love with the muscle of the Devil Dogs and the stoner grooves of Fu Manchu or Red Sparrowes'. and 'The Dustys sound is classic without being nostalgic, psychedelic without being pretentious--banging enough to make you dance but intricate enough to take you on a roadtrip through the desert in every song'. I would only add that I really like what I have heard so fa...

There are days when bands like Hey Ocean! are madatory listening. Days when you need a boost, your spirit needs a little lift, or you kinda wanna jig around a bit. Having just announced their Fall tour in Canada & the USA a good number of people are in for a treat as their live shows are reckoned to be pretty special. Quoting some of the detail (it's Friday I am intitiled to copy and paste a little! 'Often described as one of Canada’s best up-and-coming acts, Hey Ocean is a young band with an extraordinary talent for blending various musical styles into a brand of infectious pop that is uniquely their own. Together, Ashleigh Ball, David Beckingham and David Vertesi have created a musical repertoire that cannot be ignored – be it on radio, television or your neighbor’s iPod, Hey Ocean will soon be everywhere. What began as a very casual musical partnership on the beaches of Costa Rica, has now morphed into one of Canada’s most successful independent bands. Their rapid succ...

Captain Beefheart (aka Don Van Vliet) and The Magic Band had a rather tumultuous relationship at times, and in early 1974 he found himself touring with a new set of musicians. Don Van Vliet's music attracted a devoted following and his influence on fellow musicians, particularly those of the punk and New Wave movements, has been described as incalculable. He stopped touring and recording in the early 1980's to concentrate on painting. This is Captain Beefheart nonetheless in characteristic form back live at The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, on the 22nd June 1974. Source: FM Broadcast Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps Genre: Experimental rock, psychedelic rock, blues-rock, avant garde, protopunk. Set: Full set Set List: 1. Mighty Crazy - Be Your Dog. 2. Sweet Georgia Brown. 3. This Is The Day. 4. Abba Zaba. 5. Peaches. 6. Who'll Be The Next One ? and Yer Gonna Need Somebody On Yer bond. Links: Semi Official Fan Site HERE . Comments: In...

This is the classic line up of Gong performing live in Oslo, Norway back on the 15th December 1974. For the uninitiated Gong are a Franco-British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. Between 1973 and 1974, Gong, now augmented by guitarist Steve Hillage, released their best-known work, the "Radio Gnome Trilogy", three records that expounded upon the (previously only hinted at) Gong mythology, Flying Teapot , Angel's Egg , and You . In 1975 the band line began to alter and key members of the group moved on. Source: Soundboard Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps Genre: Progressive rock, psychedelic rock, space rock, jazz fusion Set: Full set (unable to confirm). Set List: 01. Invocation [06:13] 02. Master Builder [07:00] 03. A Perfect Mystery [02:59] 04. Tropical Fish [07:13] 05. I Never Did Before [07:56] 06. White Christmas [00:28] 07. Solar Musik Suite pt. 1 [06:09] 08. Solar Musik Suite pt. 2 ...

This is Arcade Fire performing live for France Inters 'White Session' back on the 9th March 2005. I read somewhere that the difference between the White and Black sessions on France Inter was that the White session was without an audience, well there is clearly an audience here so who knows. There is also a French presenter that likes to get his voice heard between songs, I am sure you could edit him out fully but in fairness he does stop before they start a new number. Source: FM Stereo Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@224kbps Genre : Indie Rock, Post Punk, Baroque. Set: Full set Set List: Intro 01 - Wake Up 02 - Neighborhood (Laika) 03 - No Cars Go 04 - Une Année Sans Lumière 05 - Power Out 06 - Rebellion 07 - Neighborhood (Kettles) 08 - Crown Of Love 09 - Neighborhood (Tunnels) Outro Links: Official Site HERE . Comments: The session was recorded at Maison de la Radio, Studio 106, White Session Paris, France, on the 9th March 2005 and su...

It's getting nearer to that time of year when the music biz tends to release what they hope will be big sellers (and the repackaged best of 'whoever' emerge of course), so it's great to see that there is still no shortage of new & newer bands vying for attention. The Kora Records continue on their march for world domination with Sweden's Fredrik (pictured) who have their second full length album 'Trilogi' released this coming November 17th. Fredrik started out in late 2006 as the songwriter/sound artist duo of Fredrik and Lindefelt. The idea was to attempt narrative structures in music through the combination of electro acoustic composition and folk-infused musical form. Before the release of their critically acclaimed debut, Na Na Ni, the lineup was expanded to a 6-piece. On stage the sextet could be seen playing banjo, clarinet, cello, wind up music boxes and hand made instruments along side bass, guitars ...

This is 10000 Maniacs back on the 30th March 1992 during their ' Our Time In Eden ' tour rehearsals, at the Bearsville Theater; Bearsville, NY. The tour that promoted the new album has a few live recordings (more about them another time), however I found it interesting listening to the band developing the live versions of songs that seem so familiar now, If You Intend * is a good example of the band rehearsing the then new material if not exactly one for your mp3 player, the majority of the songs are however tight live performances and highly enjoyable versions. Source: Soundboard Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@256kbps Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie. Set: Rehersal Session (not complete day). Rehearsal List: 01 - These Are Days (incomplete) 02 - Few and Far Between 03 - Hey Jack Kerouac 04 - Eat For Two 05 - I'm Not The Man 06 - If You Intend * 07 - Noah's Dove (incomplete) 08 - Eden 09 - Jezebel 10 - What's The Matter Here? 11 - Stockton Gala Days 12 - Can...

Joe Walsh formed Barnstorm after he left the James Gang. The original members of the group were Joe Walsh (guitars, keyboards), Joe Vitale (drums, flute, keyboards) and Kenny Passarelli (bass); all of the members contributed vocals and songs, although Joe Walsh was the principal singer and songwriter. Later, the group added keyboardist Rocke Grace , to permit it to play the complex arrangements live that it was creating through multi tracking in the studio or with the help of session musicians Paul Harris (piano) and Joe Lala (percussion). This is Joe Walsh and Barnstorm back on September 24th, 1973, at The University of Texas, Arlington, Texas, USA. Source: Soundboard Sound Quality : Very good stereo mp3@320kbps. Genre: Rock (country to hard). Set: Fifty Minute Set. Set List: 01 Meadows 02 The Bomber, Turn To Stone, Midnight Moodies 03 Tend My Garden 04 Rocky Mountain Way 05 The Bomber (outro version) 06 Turn To Stone (outro version) Band Line Up: Jo...

It would appear that Kora Records are going all international, having recently signed up Stricken City who are from London. Well good for both of them and from what I have heard so far Stricken City are gonna be checked out some more by my good self when the debut album lands. I quote what the promo says and I would add its pretty much on the mark. 'Defined by their clattering guitars, the scattergun pounding of the drums, basslines bursting with hooks and the strikingly voiced melodies of otherworldly front woman Rebekah Raa; SC produce an indie-pop of hitherto untapped gems drawn from influences Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, Young Marble Giants and The Slits as well as those lost sources of alternative melodica Life Without Buildings, The Sundays and Bow Wow Wow'. OK so I am a sucker for this kind of music all I would add is I think I can hear a little bit of Siouxsie in there somewhere, in a very positive manner that is. They have been getting some attention here in the UK bo...

OK first the comparisons: “ Warm Cozy Songs that Hark Back to Late 70's Van Morrison ” – New York Times “ The roots offspring of Jackson Browne and Ricki Lee Jones ” – Boston Phoenix “ Jazz-infused songs reminiscent of Moondance-era Van Morrison. ” – Time Out New York Clarence Bucaro on reflection, is bound to have these comparisons made, he does carry some of those styles in his music, however he is most definitely a singer songwriter in his own right, and a very good one at that. His new album 'New Orleans' is due for release on Hyena Records on the 13th October 09, and comprises of a set of ten timeless songs brought to life by the 28 year old with his stunning falsetto vocals. Listen: MP3: HERE . Web Link: MySpace . BUY: Clarence Bucaro You can listen to more on his MySpace site, if the comparisons have aroused your interest, I think you will enjoy Clarence Bucaro!

I had not heard of Logan Lynn prior to a promo arriving in the mailbox a couple of weeks back. Anyhow Logan Lynn was signed to The Dandy Warhols’ record label, “Beat The World” Records a short while back and released his third full length record, “From Pillar To Post” on line a couple of weeks ago (alongside a 4-Volume Remix EP collection called “Blood In The Water”, which features Remixes by Styrofoam, Boy In Static, The Gentry, Ariake Waveband, Y-Tron, and MANY more). Early reviews of From Pillar To Post have drawn wide comparisons, ranging from The Postal Service, to M83, Lykke Li, Cut Copy, Ladytron, Goldfrapp and even indie rockers, Metric . URB Magazine proclaimed, “Sonically adventurous, yet possessing the pop sensibilities that lesser artists would forsake in the name of artsiness, Lynn is set to become the new golden boy of sensitive electro-pop.” Having listened I can see the comparisons, and thankfully I would also add he has a definitive style of his own and if any of t...

Before forming Grin , Nils Lofgren had already played piano in Neil Young's Band (and whilst with Grin he performed on the album 'After The Gold Rush'). I understand that it was on the strength of his membership of Neil Young's band that Grin obtained a record contract and in their short history they recorded four albums. Nils Lofgren of course went on to become highly successful as a solo artist, along with his long standing membership of the E Street Band. Having discovered Nils Lofgren through his 'Cry Tough' release in 1976, I rapidly bought his back catalogue of Grin albums, and was surprised by how diverse the songs were. This is Grin live in concert at the Lisner Auditorium, George Washington University, Washington DC back on the 1st December 1972. Source: Soundboard Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps. Genre : Rock, Blues, Country Rock. Set: Full Set. Set List: 01. I Had Too Much 02. Ain't Love Nice 03. Love Or Else ...

I am told that Darla Farmer "arose from the kind of disenchantment one can only experience when living in the musical mold known as Nashville. This septet is a rousing douse of musical Discordia, who makes it their goal to sonically please, displease, and please again. Inspired by Tom Waits, The Blood Brothers, Man Man and other musical outfits alike, their arrangements include guitar, bass, drums and vocals, topped with a blasting horn section, piano and violin. Using this instrumentation to their advantage, Darla Farmer is simultaneously tumultuous and triumphant; chaotic and organized" Well having listened to them live I would have to say that's a fairly accurate summary of the whole thing, and to add my own opinion, they are best listened to fully awake otherwise you might miss something ! Listen: 'The Strangler Fig' & 'The Quotient' (both live). MP3's: HERE . Website: MySpace Buy: Rewiring The Electric Forest Darla Farmer’s first full-len...

Good quality live recordings of Siouxsie and The Banshees appear to be a bit thin on the ground, which is surprising considering they have toured regularly down the years and the whole punk & new wave scene in the early days was hardly water tight against bootlegging. So for one of my favorite bands that came out of the original punk music scene, on this occasion I will have to settle for a pretty good audience recording of a very good live show. This is the band live at Markthalle, Hamburg, Germany way back on December 12th, 1982. Source: Audience Taped Sound Quality: Very Good (for audience). Genre: Punk Rock, Post Punk, Gothic, New Wave. Set: Full Set. Set List: 01. Israel 02. Fireworks 03. Green fingers 04. Paradise place 05. Cascade 06. Melt! 07. Pulled to bits 08. Nightshift 09. Sin in my heart 10. Christine 11. Slowdive 12. Painted bird 13. Arabian knights 14. Spellbound 15. Cocoon Links: Official site HERE . Comments: Some audience recordings are awful. This one is h...

I like The Postmarks . I have always had a liking for female vocals on pop, rock, indie you name it. However it only works if the music is good, the ideas great, and the whole thing pretty much top dollar. An American band that can play with a strong retro sound, hints of France and England, well now that's just plain teasing! Their new album 'Memoirs at the End of the World' was recently released, and gets the mighty Beehive approval. The mixture of classic pop sound, with sweeping orchestration does it for me. A little more detail: 'The Postmarks are led by Tel Aviv born female singer/songwriter Tim Yehezkely, a beautiful, yet inscrutable individual possessed of a soft-textured voice that's simultaneously seductive and detached. Memoirs is the follow up to the band's 2007 debut self-titled album and 2008 covers album entitled By The Numbers . The band has a headlining tour under the ir belt, played Lollapalooza in 2007 and has toured with Múm, The Appl...