Chuck Prophet – ‘The Land Time Forgot’ (Yep Roc Records)

Chuck Prophet – ‘The Land Time Forgot’ (Yep Roc Records)

‘The Land That Time Forgot’  Was written for the most part with Prophets longtime co-conspirator,  but after the initial splurge of nailing three tracks in San Fran with Grammy-winning alchemist Matt Winegar, Prophet confesses,

“We hit a wall. Schedules. Money. Towed vehicles: a thousand large to get one van out of lockup.” So the San Fran troubadour returns with his new album varying from the rich heartland rock of songs like ‘Best Shirt On’, to the drum machine driven  ‘Marathon’ and all the way back to stripped back words and guitar of ‘Nixonland’ and ‘Get Off the Stage’, Prophet’s work has always been sublime from his days as the perfect foil for Dan Stuart in the magnificent Green On Red to the roots folk and Americana of his early solo career. Chuck Prophet is a rock and roll star a real gunslinger of the six-string variety in a world that needs rock and roll stars and songwriters that just ooze class and quality.

There’s something quite beautiful about the track  ‘Paying My Respects To The Train’, Turn the record player up loud, sit back,  close one’s eyes and let Chuck pour some good times into my stereo speakers with that mellow baritone croon as he start singing and his stories paint a thousand pictures with the beautiful and dovetailed harmonies of his partner in crime  Stephanie Finch, that have always worked so well together on his albums from the early knockings of Brother Aldo to this like a modern-day Cash and Carter.

‘Fast Kid’ has so much going on whilst swaggering outta the speakers there’s a steady beat holding everything together over some contrasting synths and slide with some easter sounds for good measure all adding up to an incredible listen.

The acoustic ‘Love Don’t Come From The Barrel Of A Gun’ is more upbeat than it sounds whereas ‘Nixonland’ is smoldering storytelling at its very best from the snare brushes to the softly spoken words your hanging onto his every word man he could be reading the phone book and it would still be cool.

The album continues to twist and turn with the fantastic balladeering of  ‘Meet Me At The Roundabout’ and ‘Womanhood’ to the final cut of ‘Get Off The Stage’ and its autobiographical lyrics and spot-on assessment for a certain individual and another twist to complete what is a blindingly good record and I haven’t even gushed over ‘High Like Johnny Thunders’.  Let’s just say that this is an album you shouldn’t forget and one you should cherish and love as much as his previous albums, a real genuine American talent of the highest grade, just get yourself a copy and play it to death you deserve it and Chuck Prophet deserves it.

Buy it Here

Author: Dom Daley

Chuck Prophet – ‘Strings In The Temple’ – Temple Beautiful With Strings (Yep Roc)

Chuck Prophet – ‘Strings In The Temple’ – Temple Beautiful With Strings (Yep Roc)

“If you’re to believe what you read, today’s San Francisco is under siege by predatory tech nerds and drones, plutocrats, wiz kids and opportunistic real estate developers. People have reacted in different ways to this onslaught. The Occupy Movement for one. You may have heard of people laying down in front of google buses in protest or smashing google glasses on the sidewalk.

There’s also the path of art… In 2012, I released Temple Beautiful – an open love letter to San Francisco and its history and characters. After two years of performing the songs across the U.S and the globe, in late 2013, my band and I delivered the 12 song cycle Temple Beautiful with a string octet (scored and conducted by Brad Jones) in our hometown of San Francisco.

We had one chance to get it right. And this film is a document of the twists and turns in the road that brought us to that one-night-only sold-out performance at the Great American Music Hall (Itself a former bordello and a deco SF institution).

The songs performed that night include characters like Willie Mays, martyred supervisor Harvey Milk, Cain & Abel porn kings Jim & Artie Mitchell, mythic oddball “Red Man,” preacher/Svengali Jim Jones, politician-turned assassin Dan White, and Emperor Norton, with cameos by Laffing Sal, Carol Doda, Bill Graham, and Fatty Arbuckle. Locations also play a key role, including the Castro and Mission Districts. One song is devoted to the White Night Riots, sparked by the light sentence received by the assassination of Milk and Mayor Moscone.

Some will have you believe that technology is the new culture. Then again, how can technology equate culture? Can Rock and Roll build community? Can songs connect people to the world? These are the questions explored in Strings In The Temple.”

– Chuck Prophet

That’s the background sorted and with a new imminent studio album, ‘The Land Time Forgot’ (review very soon) the former Green on Red man is still the hot ticket and as productive as ever making music that relevant and above all bloody good. Yep Roc has made available as a digital download this epic and quite beautiful performance containing some exquisite songs and overall performance. Chuck is one of those rare talents that never turned in a bad record.  Sure some are a class apart like ‘Brother Aldo’ from his solo offerings or ‘Here Comes The Snakes’ from the old band but this is an accompanying piece for the album ‘Proper’ and with bells and whistles or should that be with strings and bells?

The title track is a honky tonkin’ Rock and Roll thing of beauty from the dirty slide guitar to the T rextasy strings and the handclaps and xylophone makes it something really special and sounds like the best of times being had by everyone and the fiddle players are really taking this home and from the generous round of applause, this audience is really witnessing something special.  In direct contrast, a pin could be heard dropping on ‘Museum Of Broken Hearts’.

 

You get to appreciate just what a talent Prophet is on records like this as he turns his hand to several styles yet always maintains the Chuck Prophet vibe and whoever rallied the troops and did the arrangments here has really elevated this set to the next level.  ‘White Night Big City’ is a cocky strut and can only be outdone by the impeccable cover of ‘Shake Some Action’ who’d have thought such an awesome Rock and Roll track would sound so cool with strings holding down the lead. Genius!

To wrap this bad boy up the softly sung balladeer that is Chuck Prophet leaves us with ‘No Other Love’ and I get lost in the moment as the strings wrap themselves around the slide guitar as Chuck hushes his lyrics the listener’s way and its not a tear in my eye just a spec of dust, honest. All that is left is the audience to give a huge round of applause before the record is done.  Simply brilliant stuff and now I can’t wait for the new studio album which is coming so very very soon.  Ladies and gentlemen get yerself some Chuck Prophet and do it now! You don’t need to take my word for it because Yup Roc has made the performance available on youtube (check it out below)

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Author: Dom Daley

Chuck Prophet – pre order for book and new album

Chuck Prophet – pre order for book and new album

“How do you define success? If you let somebody else define what success is, you’re a sucker. I’m no sucker.”

Chuck Prophet started out as a post-punk California kid who helped kick-start the alt-country genre when he joined Dan Stuart’s Green On Red, then making a name for themselves as part of the so-called Paisley Underground alongside bands like The Dream Syndicate and The Bangles. While Green On Red established a reputation for self-destruction illuminated by flashes of brilliance in the studio and on festival stages around Europe in the late 1980s, Prophet simultaneously immersed himself in roots music and forged a solo career via backroom and basement venues across his adopted home of San Francisco. He has emerged as one of the most respected musicians of his generation, admired for his talents as a songwriter, guitarist, vocalist, and live performer. He has worked with the likes of Tony Visconti and Warren Zevon, and his songs have been performed by artists as diverse as Bruce Springsteen and Solomon Burke.

Those who know him through his social-media presence or his live shows are well aware that no one tells a story quite like Chuck Prophet; here, his voice rings clearly from the first page to the last as he gives his perspective on writing, recording, and performing, and talks candidly about his struggles and remarkable recovery from years of addiction. As Prophet’s official archivist, author Stevie Simkin draws on over a hundred hours of interviews with his subject, as well as contributions from fellow musicians, producers, friends, and associates, and unique access to unreleased songs and live recordings and scores of previously unseen photographs. Time and again, Simkin puts the reader in the room with Chuck as he talks, or in the studio as he plays, and the live experience is captured from both sides of the stage monitors.

An exciting rock’n’roll odyssey, What Makes The Monkey Dance… is essential reading for every fan of this phenomenal artist, but also for anyone with an interest in alternative music during a period seismic change, offering a fascinating portrait of how a true artist has managed to carve out a career at the sharp end of a notoriously ruthless industry.

Pre Order his book and new album Here

Rainy Days & Mondays

Rainy Days & Mondays

As we enter week god knows what of this Lockdown we thought we’d go through the gears and begin with this wonderful rendition of ‘High As Johnny Thunders’ from the awesome Chuck Prophet.

Always messing with your head Hank Von Hell is back in the room with ‘Disco’ and here’s the official video

45 RPM – its the singles club round up

45 RPM – its the singles club round up

The Kopek Millionaires – So Alone (Bandcamp Self Release) Gotta love Johny Skullknuckles when he drops a single without fanfare I always think to myself – what a tune! and being a massive fan of Soho Roses and knowing Mr Skull Knuckles this was always going to be a bit of a banger and so it would prove to be.  If you haven’t got a clue who or what I’m chundering on about then this is a great time to educate your ears and marvel in a bit of punk rock n roll before it was even a thing.  Mixing up the make up of Hanoi Rocks n the Dolls and drinking special brew with the Buzzcocks Soho Roses were a couple of singles and an album then crash and burn in a blaze of glory one last night in the Astoria never to be seen or heard of again.  Let Johny and his Kopek Millionaires remind us all of their splendour with this trashy take on their classic ‘So Alone’.  Enough waffle from me just clck the link and head over to bandcamp for a blast done exceedingly well.

Bandcamp track Here

Johny Skullknuckles – ‘A Face Made For Radio’ (Self Release) If one release wasn’t enough Johny turns in his second offering. ‘A Face Made For Radio’ is four tracks of snotty power-pop-punk rock n roll (and breathe) ‘Turn My Day Into Night’ is a rapid couple of jabs followed by a wild haymaker and if it connects then whamo! you’re done.  Its snotty ragged punk rock with melody and a hook. Then he follows it up with something a little punkier ‘Cheap Night Out’ is the sound of a cheap night out great guitar licks around a banging backbeat.

‘Overattached’ is a ’70s agony aunt dedicated to kinda song.  Like The Boys meets Buzzcocks with a punchy bass run it’s my pick of the four. then to wrap it up there’s the trashy ‘Cool Christine’ and whilst she might be cool shes not as cool as the tune about her.  Keep on Rockin’ Skullknuckles we need more trashy punk n roll in the world and this will tide us over nicely.  pick up a copy here

Chuck Prophet – ‘High As Johnny Thunders’ (Yep Roc Records) With a distinguished career in one of the 80s best alt-rock bands Green On Red and a solo career since that’s produced dozens of great songs why would this latest single from Chuck not be on our radar? with his sultry late-night vocals and amazing guitar skills, Prophet sees the first release in two years and is about to hit the road  ‘High As Johnny Thunders’ is a mellow laid back affair led by acoustic guitar and strings its a beautiful number and anything singing about the Dolls and Thunders gets a huge thumbs up from me especially when its this good.

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Calva Louise – ‘Interlude For The Borderline Unsettled’(Ditto Music) an EP featuring Five tracks that are really three-track because Calva goes old school and does a clean and non clean mix as well as a remix of the lead track ‘Belicoso’ sees the band deliver some of their CyberPunk racket on the public. With a heady mix of dance and breakbeats its a confusing sound it’s not quite the prodigy but the spirit is there.  ‘Sleeper’ is more pop noise if there’s such a genre (there is now) this manchester three-piece are causing a stir on mainstream radio stations with a Radio 1 jock hailing their sound as ‘Face Melting’ so not too shabby praise. the band mix it up further with ‘Adelante’ channelling their inner Depeche Mode with a decent slice of electronica. Facebook

 

The Young Gods – You Gave Me A Name (BUONASERA Productions Sàrl) Available on all digital platforms the Young Gods have been pushing the limits of sound for more than thirty years. They began as pioneers of industrial punk who flirted with surreal cabaret, and as sonic wizards they moved on to shamanize electro/techno music, all the while forging their own unique sound. Some genres for you to explore right there.  this release is a trippy slice of experimental rock it comes with a remix of ‘Tear Up The Red Sky’  by Gaspar Narby. Check it out, space cadets.

Jay Allen & the Archcriminals – ‘Beautiful Chaos EP’  (Rum Bar Records) The fact that Jay Allen is truly Neil Diamond’s Cousin isn’t something you hear every day and who are we to argue? but there is where any comparisons might begin and end as Jay rocks with a roots ragged slice of rock and roll maybe had they had Cous Neil singing the BVs that would really have been something. Its a rock solid single is ‘Beautiful Chaos’ and the fact its part of the Rum Bar stable is good enough for me to want to give it a play and some.  The second track ‘Big Lie’ is from the same ragged rock n roll that bands Like The Replacements fell outta.  Just check em out on their Bandcamp page you might just surprise yourself – Bandcamp

Belladonna – ‘Astronomer Of Life’ (Belladonna Records) The video of Astronomer Of Life is synced to a scene of a pre-existing movie, the last scene of the Russian director Andrej Tarkovsky 70s movie Stalker. It is a one-take-only video, but it has an overwhelming starkness, otherworld-ness and emotional power.  That’s what the press release said me I’d say its an acoustic atmospheric number that doesn’t particularly go anywhere and is just kinda’ there. A band for a late-night chill out I’d imagine and maybe not what a singles club is looking for at this time.  but we’ll let you be the judge of that

 

 

Beat City Tubeworks – ‘Rat Race’ (The Sign)  You wanted the best you got the best Beat City Tubeworks channel their inner Kiss meets Imperial State Electric and come up with ‘Rat Race’. Action rockers everywhere will wet their dirty denim when they get down n dirty with ‘Rat Race’ Jönköping Sweden birthed these rockers and they’ve sped along ever since.  you know the drill by now it’s 70s Rock mixed with some dirty attitude and this is taken from their soon to be released album ‘I Just Cannot Believe It’s The Incredible…’ which originally came out in 2016 but the Sign Records are rebirthing the beast so check em out. Facebook

Lazybones – Trash Talk (Say Something Records) “That moment when you know you’re about to say something you’ll regret, when you’re right on the edge and you just can’t stop it,” vocalist Candi Underwood explains. this thumping track has boundless energy as the song is driven by that wild fuzzed guitar and the big vocals that spit the lyrics all over the track.

It’s fresh and commercial enough to have wide-reaching appeal and no surprise that Radio has been playing this track Facebook

Cabinet Of Millionaires – ‘Stop The Coup’ (Chocolate Fireguard Records) Politically charged electronica much like Chumbawumba of yesteryear.  Cobbled together speeches fro the likes of Corbyn and Jones reciting some of Johnson’s lies and foul-mouthed diatribes that seem to pass the general population by without even a raised eyebrow.  Many people say you shouldn’t mix politics with music but we say bollocks to that if it needs saying then say it and Cabinet of Millionaires pull no punches as they say it as it is. With three mixes coming out early December to coincide with the election this should soundtrack everyone old enough to vote as they enter the room to put their cross on the ballot paper.  No more austerity and Tory rule We’ll have some of that! Bandcamp

 

The 1865 – ‘John Browns Gat’ (Mass Appeal) NYC residents kick up a storm with their groove-heavy track.  Taken from their forthcoming album ‘Don’t Tread On We’ there’s a tonne of attitude and punk happening here but it’s mixed with something altogether different siting Husker Du and Rage against the machine as influences will probably tell you nothing about where they’re coming from. Maybe not as hard-hitting as some of the other songs on the album its a brief glimpse into what they are about and Honeychild Coleman has a captivating vocal style. Check out ‘Get Out’ for a mash-up of styles in a very listenable sound. The 1865 have something to say so we suggest you listen up!

Bandcamp

 

 

 

Black Bombers – Volume 4 (Easy Action)

Black Bombers – Volume 4 (Easy Action)

One of shit Islands finest “Best-kept secrets” Black Bombers have only gone and recorded another barnstorming slab of garage rock n roll that played at volume will I guarantee – knock you off your feet. the only downside is this is only six tracks but then for the sake of our sanity it makes sense as anything more would be a waste besides, why release ten when you can say it all in six? ‘Volume 4’ begins with the call to arms riff-o-la and anvil pound before Alan Byron joins in with his vocals as his drawl is hitting the nail squarely on the head as the off kilt melody draws you in and then slips a Black Bomber under your tongue then you can relax as the trip takes you through a garage wormhole that’s dripping with attitude and bang on the money tunes. Over the next three minutes and fifty-two seconds this power trio give you a fantastic one-note guitar solo a bass and drums breakdown that is as good as anyone and all roads lead to the smashing climax and we’re straight into ‘Relentless’ and its train kept a-rollin’ rhythm mixed with enough Brian James tone playing some fuzzed up Stooges licks that is healthy to try and once you imagine that you’re in the right ballpark.  Its taken me quite a few plays to get through this record because as soon as one finishes rather than let the next one play I can’t help but press repeat.

Dave Twist (drums), Darren Birch (bass guitar), and Alan Byron (guitar and vocals) were clearly paying attention to what was the good and the great when spinning the black circles in their bedrooms now older and (hopefully) wiser they are unraveling all that pent up aggression and knowledge into their records with Black Bombers because this is excellent.  Sure there are shades of previous bands happening here and there (why wouldn’t there be) but the power and execution is exquisite on ‘Animals And Cages’ even with the ‘I Wanna Be Your dog’ lift it nails their colours to the mast with style but the real ace in the pack here is ‘Gnarley’ Now this is something I never thought I’d be saying out loud but a song with no words is absolutely fuckin’ killer.  Brooding with menace and mesmerizing from the opening chord through the Bass breakdown its worth the price all on its own.  Astounding stuff.

‘Sometimes’ is more of the same with its raw power (sorry couldn’t help myself) and boundless energy. Closing with a cover of the most excellent ‘Hair Of The Dog’ that’s every bit as sleazy and hanging on by a thread as the original if you’re going to do a cover then this is how you do it.

These Black Bombers aren’t illegal but they will keep you up all night my only advice would be to pick up a copy of this right now and enjoy the trip it’s awesome.

 

Buy Vol 4 Here

 

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Author: Dom Daley

Dan Stuart- The Unfortunate demise of  Marlowe Billings (Cadiz Music)

Dan Stuart- The Unfortunate demise of  Marlowe Billings (Cadiz Music)

Nev Brooks.

Not so long back I caught a great doubleheader over the bridge in Bristol consisting of Jesse Malin and Chuck Prophet. Now people in the know would probably remember Chuck Prophet from his days in a band called Green on Red, I caught them live a couple of times back in the day, and could never quite categorize them, psychedelic, alt-country, alt-rock, indie there were so many labels that fitted but if you got bogged down in how to listen to them from which viewpoint you missed the fact that they were a Bloody good live band. Where am I going with this, not long after seeing Chuck this little beauty dropped in my inbox from Dan Stuart, the guitarist, and frontman of Green on Red.

Settling in and kicking back you are immediately caught up in the production, it’s so clean, the music breathes, its given space. There’s something in the picked intro to opener March 5th, 1961 that pulls you into the story that runs through the LP, setting you up chapter by chapter, song by song.

We drift through the story, it’s definitely got that Alt-Country vibe, steeped in that Americana tradition. Moods and emotions change as you work your way through and fleetingly my thoughts drift towards the Who as a point of reference especially on “Here comes my boy”.  There’s even a hint of Bowie wrapped around “Tucson”, what I’m saying is very much as with Green on Red you can’t quite label things, to me a sign of how comfortable someone is with their music, letting things develop organically taking on its own life story, following its own pathway to the finish.

This LP draws in so many references to so many different artists, sometimes Lou Reed, Sometimes Roger Waters, Sometimes Roger Daltrey, Sometimes Steve Earle, what have they all got in common? They are fantastic storytellers.

I would class as one of those evenings into late nite LP’s when your sat, drifting along with the sound, watching the sun go down following the story as it unfolds. This is a companion piece to a novel that will be published at the same time the third part in the Marlowe Billings trilogy.  This is an excellent piece of work getting darker as the LP moves forward track by track someone going through their life story, laying everything bare. Well worth some attention from a much wider audience.

Buy the album Here

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Chuck Prophet/Jesse Malin – Bristol Hen & Chicken – 17 September 2018

Chuck Prophet/Jesse Malin – Bristol Hen & Chicken – 17 September 2018

 Nev Brooks.

When this gig flashed up on my watching list, the juices really started to flow, I mean an essential part of the great Green on Red (Chuck Prophet) that I have vague recollections of catching way back in the day at the reading festival in 1989 when it returned, taken over by The Mean Fiddler group.

 

Add into the mix probably my favourite live artist at the moment Jesse Malin part of the superb D-Generation and more to the point an incredible live act on his own, electric or acoustic. Tickets were booked instantly,

 

But enough of the waffle, arriving at the venue I have to say, parking was a bit of a nightmare, be warned, (it’s a venue I’m going to watch out for in the future) Hey Ho! The joys of driving everywhere!! Moving upstairs I did a bit of a double take, a seated gig? Hmm, and then we’re into it with Jesse Malin and I have to say what a set, even though shortened to 50 mins, we had a sample from the new LP, scheduled for release mid 2019 (my little life, meet me at the end of the world) an awesome cover of the Pogues classic,” If I should fall from grace with god”, a great collection from the St Marks social LP-love it to Life, including all the way from Moscow and an absolutely blinding “Burning the Bowery” were I to say none of the audience remained sitting would be more than fair.

 

The songs from New York before the war just keep getting stronger and tonight we had “The year that I was born” and a track that stopped me cold “Turn up the mains”. Without going track for track, we had his whole career represented, from The fine art of self destruction, through to the Outsiders with Glitter in the gutter getting a more than welcome representation.

 

With such an outstanding catalogue the music itself was always going to be top drawer, but what came across tonight was Jesse Malin the storyteller, if you get chance to catch this tour anywhere don’t miss, but also what should also hit you is why isn’t this guy huge!! I suppose a damning inditement on the malaise that the mainstream music world is currently investing it’s time in.

 

Now you’ve probably guessed I’m a bit of a Jesse Malin fan and his set was my main reason for travelling over tonight, but I was 100% in the minority the audience were here to catch Chuck Prophet so strapping in, not really knowing what to expect from a solo Chuck I entered the set with an open mind.

 

Struggling with a virus I have to say what a set followed from Chuck, and what a vocalist Stephanie Finch is, a perfect foil from that swamp blues drawl, splitting vocal duties her voice very much came across with hints of early Marianne Faithful, that innocence embedded in pop sensibilities, while also giving a nod to that world weary Americana style. This was part of a series of Americana gigs being promoted by the Hen and Chicken after all.

 

As a singer/songwriter Chuck Prophet is faultless, but the track that caught me was a track by the McCoys from 1965, re-interpreted by David Bowie on the Hunky Dory LP-Sorrow, stripped down, slowed up and re-interpreted as an Americana classic. Other tracks that stuck with me, were “Bad year for Rock and Roll, The left hand and the right hand, doubter out of Jesus” and the Bob Dylan cover “Abandoned Love”.  Again what hits you are the stories between songs, holding the audience enthralled, these two have toured together for years, hit the same audiences and made the same connections and what came across to me was the link both had to a fledgling Ryan Adams and again the though flits across my mind, they should be standing alongside him on the much larger venues.

 

As an aside, I picked up a vinyl copy of Glitter in the Gutter, one I was missing and ended in a conversation with Jesse, and what a humble guy, wrapped up in music, grounded and focused.

 

Pick up the Jesse Malin back catalogue here

Pick up the Chuck Prophet here