BEEHIVE CANDY

Reloaded 10/May/2015 - This is Arcade Fire in concert at the I-Day Festival in Bologna, Italy, back on the 2nd September 2010. The tour in support of the release of The Suburbs album was in my opinion their best yet and musically this is a very good example. However be warned, a rather annoying Italian DJ pops up on occasion practicing his skills (or inflating his ego even further) as this concert was broadcast live on FM and this recording sourced from that broadcast.   From wikipedia regarding recent events for the band - On January 13, 2011 it was announced that Arcade Fire would perform at the 53rd Grammy Awards in February 2011. The band was nominated for Grammy Awards in three categories: Album of the Year, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and Best Alternative Music Album (for The Suburbs). Out of the three nominations, they won the award for Album of the Year. At the 2011 BRIT Awards, "The Suburbs" won Best International Album, and Arcade Fire...

Welcome to our second new music round up for May 2015 and we begin with  Brontosaurus . The song 'Safe To Surface' came my way a few days back without very much other information. A quick listen to the song had me wanting to know more and thankfully this was followed up by more detail on the band. A quote from ' redeyeChicago ' makes my life easier they described the bands music as - "Combining disparate elements of folk, chamber pop, math rock and more, it’s difficult to pick up echoes of other acts, as the band’s music is wholly its own". Brontosaurus add more to the story -   “Wail, and we might wake the dead” warns drummer/guitarist/vocalist Nicholas Kelley midway through Brontosaurus' second album, Our Animal Ways, but with all the menacing organ, fuzz-heavy bass and ground-rumbling percussion that's carefully littered throughout the record's forty-some minutes, this is much more of a promise than a warning. Along with keyboardist/guitaris...

Reloaded 08/May/2015 -   Emmylou Harris contributions to country-rock, the bluegrass revival, folk music, and the Americana movement are widely lauded. I am always pleased that I got to read a review of 'Elite Hotel' her second solo album, back in 1976 when it was first released. Not only did I love the album, it helped me discover the country rock genre of that time, and set high standards, that helped me avoid the more 'cheesy' country artists. She remains a firm favorite of mine. This concert was Emmylou Harris and The Daniel Lanois Band at the Shepherds Bush Empire, London, England on the November 23rd 1995. This is a republication of an Emmylou Harris concert we first featured in October 2007 and the download includes four tracks missing from the original feature, which therefore now makes this a full concert archive recording . Genre: Americana, country, country rock, alt country. Set: Full Set. Source: Soundboard and FM Stereo (BBC Radio Two). ...

Reloaded 08/May/2015 - This is the second live performance from Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings to be featured on Beehive Candy, because it's just a great selection of songs and a superb gig. The notes that came with it suggest that this is "one of the (and possibly the) earliest circulating Gillian Welch/David Rawlings live performances, sourced from a soundboard recording. Essential listening, including a range of pre-Revival material no longer played live, in much better quality than the San Francisco pub gig that forms part of  the Working On A Building set" . The concert took place at the Station Inn, Nashville, TN, back on May 19th 1994. Biography material by Jason Ankeny tells us that Gillian Welch first appeared on the folk scene as a young singer/songwriter armed with a voice and sensibility far beyond her years, earning widespread acclaim for her deft, evocative resurrection of the musical styles most commonly associated with rural Appalachia of ...

This is an unashamed plug for Pree. Totally unashamed and I do not care!   I will add that Paper Garden Records who released Pree's latest album Rima earlier this week, seem to have a knack in finding great artists, Little Tybee and Eli Mardock to name just two others. So what's all this Beehive Candy being even more upbeat about a new recording than normal, bearing in mind we tend to write only about music we like anyway! Well cards on the table, I have loved Pree's music since the above mentioned record label first introduced them to me a few years back. As regards the new album here are the eloquent words that came my way a week or so ago -  Known for their unique and vibrant pop songs, Rima  was crafted after returning to DC following touring, and a time of reorientation and reexamination of relationships. The ten tracks of Rima  (which takes its name from geologic fissures on the Moon) are a series of confrontations--perceptions enhanced and at t...

This is Hawkwind  in three parts, concentrating on rarities from 1970 to 1980. It is also an introduction to another website that if you enjoy Hawkwind's music should know about ( perhaps you already do, but no harm in sharing the details ). One of the fascinating things about unofficial recordings is the various sources they come from and the levels of audio quality available. These three recordings kind of demonstrate this. The first one is clearly a home recording of BBC radio sessions and the music is joined by the wonders of 'radio' noise. That said, I reckon any self respecting Hawkwind fan may well have a copy of this somewhere, for the sake of completeness if nothing else. Don't get me wrong, it is quite listenable, it's just that there is a considerable amount of far better material around, more about later. Audio quality - Average, listenable Part One: BBC Radio One Sessions 1970-71 John Peel Intro Paranoia See It As You Really Are I Do It ...

Reloaded - 05/May/2015  This is R.E.M. recorded live (soundboard sourced) at one of the bands local venues namely Tyrone's O.C., in Athens GA, USA, way back on the 23rd September 1981. This recording features both sets and includes the sound check (not proven but by sound quality etc generally agreed to be from this gig). This was the bands 26th gig at Tyrone's O.C. the first at this venue taking place just over a year earlier on the 6th May 1980, and that performance was only their 5th ever full live gig. As regular home town shows go, the band sound incredible, full of natural energy, respectful of a growing local following and clearly enjoying and developing their craft. Noting their early history wikipedia tells us: In January 1980, Michael Stipe met Peter Buck in the Athens record store where Buck worked. The pair discovered that they shared similar tastes in music, particularly punk rock and protopunk artists like Patti Smith, Television, and The Velvet Undergroun...

Reloaded 05/May/2015  King Crimson made their live debut on April 9th, 1969. They became widely known three months later, by playing at the free concert in Hyde Park, London, staged by The Rolling Stones in July 1969, before 650,000 people. The first King Crimson album, In the Court of the Crimson King was released in October 1969 . Among those impressed by the album was Pete Townshend from The Who, who described the album "as an uncanny masterpiece." King Crimson (along with quite a few other bands) have been credited as the founders of progressive rock - I am never really sure if that is a good thing! This is King Crimson live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco, on the 14th of December 1969. King Crimson were the opening act at the Fillmore West on this particular night, providing support for The Chambers Brothers and The Nice. Not only was this the final night of King Crimson's first U.S. tour, it was also the last concert played by the original lineup. Se...

Reloaded 03/May/2015.  This is Louis Armstrong performing at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA, way back on the 4th May 1954. During the 1950's Louis Armstrong and His All Stars undertook a considerable amount of touring. Also his recordings 'Satch Plays Fats, all Fats Waller tunes', and 'Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy' both released in the 1950s were perhaps among the last of his great creative recordings. Following a highly successful small-group jazz concert at New York Town Hall on May 17th, 1947, featuring Armstrong with trombonist/singer Jack Teagarden, Armstrong's manager Joe Glaser dissolved the Armstrong big band (August 1947) and established a six-piece small group featuring Armstrong with (initially) Teagarden, Earl Hines and other top swing and dixieland musicians, most of them ex-big band leaders. The new group was announced at the opening of Billy Berg's Supper Club. This group was called Louis Armstrong and his ...

The rules are simple, anything we like, no particular order, as and when we can, so here's our first 2015 round up, of new or very recent material received. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chanel Samson . Chanel Samson's 'The Beginning' EP is inspired by this Californian girl's time in Liverpool, the men in her life, her friends, and one particular doomed relationship with Matthew. The track 'F U Matthew' documents the doomed love affair but it's as cheerfully upbeat and irreverent as Chanel herself. Her lyrics are biting yet playful, and her delivery is tongue in cheek and knowing, allowing her to explore the darker aspects of relationships without ever losing that Californian sunshine smile. 'The Beginning' EP was recorded and produced by Felix Hagan, lead singer and songwriter of Felix Hagan and the Family. Chanel met Felix last year and was initially dr...

Some more recent new music that I wanted to share, again in no particular order and genre hopping, however I was reliably told many years ago that 'variety is the spice of life', shame I had such a misspent youth as all that 'variety' seems to have come back with a sting in the tale. Anyway down to business... Alborosie Meets King Jammy is a historic pairing of one of Jamaica’s most pivotal dub legends King Jammy with the modern day Italian-born dubmaster Alborosie. Last month they released 'Dub Of Thrones' a mostly instrumental collection of material and very fine music we think. If you like Dub or reggae or anything remotely in that direction this is for you! Mixed by Alborosie at his Shengen studio and King Jammy at his studio in the Waterhouse district of Kingston, this old-school meets new-school clash delivers an authentic dub reggae listening experience. With speaker-shaking, neighbor-waking and no-prisoner taking bass, this is designed to be pla...

This is a fascinating selection of Gram Parsons rehearsal tapes from 1972, and I will quote a little from the liner notes that accompanied this CD version which surfaced on 'Golden Eagle Records' in the USA in 2003. I have included a separate file with the artwork and notes as these are well worth a read. The record companies holding Gram Parson's material have more or less exhausted what material there is from his sadly short life and as Chris who provided these recordings to me pointed out (by the way, thanks Chris) a lot of the bootleg material for Gram Parsons is of fairly average audio quality. The five audio tapes that this CD was compiled from, were included in an auction lot at Christies that was bought by one of Gram Parsons biggest fans and were part of a selection of Gram's personal belongings that went to auction. The five cassettes dated from 1972 and include Emmylou Harris and others on some of the tracks that were most likely recorded through a ...

Playing catch up here on Beehive Candy does have it's upside. Today I was going through getting on for 100 artists and their music, playing a little piece from each and deciding whether to feature them, delete & move on, or play again and see if my mood just didn't fit the music at the time. Well I must have been in a pretty good place because as I have around thirty artists I have short listed to feature and that's in addition to the many that deserve a mention still, whilst we were 'sleeping'. Joni Fatora was a real stand out artist amongst the many I listened to today, taking nothing away from the rest, she just grabbed my attention the most. I remember the first time I heard First Aid Kit singing Cross Oceans a good few years ago, I am certain I was not the only person who thought they would reach greater heights back then. Well I'm not directly comparing the music, rather the freshness and distinct charm of Joni Fatora's music, and that feeli...

Get in there quick folks, here's a chance to download a free copy of a really great song from Dioni Sydney’s Sweet, Soulful, Sassy Chanteuse - Australian Pop Singer! (someone else's words after 'Sydney's' - but hey they work).  You only have a few days and I have to say if you love Dusty Springfield or Sandie Shaw, this is a must. Quoting elsewhere - "Blessed with a heavenly voice and showing her masterful use of a huge range while incorporating warm beautiful lows and powerful honey dipped highs." -O Kosmos Her promo tells us that -  Dioni has traveled extensively throughout Greece, performing in ancient theatres and stadiums in support of bands such as Faithless, Soft Cell, and The Chemical Brothers. She has also collaborated with many other respected European electronic artists. Dioni has performed as a solo artist in Australia, France, Germany, Greece, and Qatar. Dioni is an extraordinarily versatile artist who has a multilingual repertoire ...

I'm sat in front of my computer screen wondering where on earth to start. I could be clever here, do a month by month catch up of all the new music, that has come Beehive Candy's way since the beginning of 2013. I'm not sure who would be put off the quickest by that idea, you or me? The idea (I think) is to try and get Beehive Candy going again, however two years on and the world of web music coverage has moved on considerably. There are (as you know) some really professional music sites around and as previously mentioned You Tube seems currently, to be a good first port of call for live concerts both official and unofficial.  So I think Beehive Candy will for a while at least, just do it's own thing and see how some new ideas can fit in. It was and still is the new music promos that have made me feel like getting Beehive Candy up and running again. Therefore, for a while and most definitely in no order whatsoever, 'Whilst We Were Asleep' will feature some ...