A diamond in the rough.... specificially, a Greek diamond..... from my vinyl vault: The Golden Bouzoukia Ensemble's, "Dancing in the Isles"

Golden Bouzoukia Emsemble's, "Dancing in the Isles"

I've had some lucky finds at Birdland Records in Virginia Beach in the past. One day, I'm browsing through the used stuff and I stumble upon this eye-catching record. Hmmm What's this? After the initial conclusion its obviously world music based on the folkloric attire of the people on the cover of the record, my interest is now peeked. I look a little harder at the translation (the Greek alphabet is very peculiar looking by the way- I must admit I'd probably never really taken a hard look at it until then) and find it's a group called the Golden Bouzoukia Ensemble with an album entitled, "Dancing in the Isles". I start reading the back of the record- where if you look very closely behind the guys holding the bouzoukis, you'll notice an accordion player to the far right (for obvious reasons- this record now has my full attention). I read the back of the record, and found out it was some form of Greek music I'd never heard of until then called rembetika (aka rembetiko- it seems to go by both spellings as far as I can tell). Rembetika is often said to be the Greek version of the blues; however, musically it's very different sounding than what most Americans would think or recognize as the blues. Apparently, the similarities are more cultural than musical; as the lyrical content is where its comparative moments lie. Rembetika was said to be the music of people not on board with societal norms. Parallel to the American blues, what serves as the basis of such a comparison is that the soul of the music lies in its tales of troubles, its sincere attitude, and tone of despiar. Typical subject matter of the lyrics often serving harsh jail sentences, usually a result for smoking hashish, or falling on hard times: frustrated romantic relationships, drug addiction, death and grief. Musically however, there is little room to compare the sounds being created. The scales (known as, "roads") are drastically unlike our blues, followed by rather different rhythmic choices, and the tonality of it is quite possibly its most notable feature. And as I'm standing there (not even aware of the definition of rembetika at this particular moment in time)- I'm thinking ok, I'm looking at  a very affordable, exotic, Greek folk record- of a subgenre I've never even heard of-  so I'm in! So for $3 I bought it. The record itself is in pretty great shape- the sleeve is mint/worn- but otherwise, she works great!

Back sleeve to, "Dancing in the Isles"

I take it home, while wondering if I'd found something good, and set the needle on the record. Within seconds I was highly intrigued. This exciting shimmering melody filled the room; a new world of music had instantly flooded my ears. Bouzoukis were plucking away at shuffling melodic lines that seemed to appealingly tug at your ear. Bouzoukis are basically pretty similar to mandolins in the way that they sound (the tone is a tiny bit different), and somewhat similar looking in the sense that they look like strange tiny guitars. They are rounded on the bodies at the end, and have a similar string scenario: 8 strings, four sets of paired strings, just like mandolins. I'm assuming they are tuned the way mandolins are as well, but I've never seen or touched one in person to be sure. The accordion serves the record mostly rhythmically, but gets a moment to shine for a solo on, "Dance of the Brave Men" a very energetic hopping number. The rhythm section consists of a mostly relaxed, but highly effective bass and simple drumming section. This entire record is instrumental, with the bouzoukis in the foreground taking the leads. The extraordinary qualities of the Greek melodies plucked note by note have highly memorable characteristics to them, galloping from one song into another throughout the course of the thirteen tunes that compose the record. What is most striking to me about this album, and this could be just because it was my first record to put me into contact with the sound of rembetika; is that every track is sonically unique while still adhering to the defining elements of this very particular style of Greek music. This a very unique record, and though I hope to find out more about this group (if there is anything else out there from them to find)- in the mean time, I'm glad I'm finding out more about the type of music it introduced me to in the first place.

A diamond in the rough.... from my vinyl vault: S.O.A.- Demo EP

S.O.A's demo EP 12/29/1980.

After recently posting about Dischord Record's 1981: The Year in Seven Inches compilation, I couldn't resist also posting about how stoked I was after ordering this record that I just received in the mail a couple days ago! Here we have S.O.A.'s (State of Alert) 12/29/1980 demo EP, containing previously unreleased versions of the some of the same songs that were also done on the, "No Policy" contained on the compilation mentioned above.

The recordings all from the same session at Inner Ear Studios; the EP contains 8 tracks total. "Disease" and, "Stepping Stone" are the same versions that wound up being selected for the, "Flex Your Head" compilation. The version of "Gonna' Have to Fight" made the bands official EP. The other 5 tracks: "Public Defender", "Gang Fight", "Draw a Blank", "Warzone", and ,"Riot" are all previously unreleased alternate takes; separate from the sessions that made the EP. 

The record itself came in a neat bright red disc, complete with awesome live shots from their gigs, past flyers, and even a neat recruit flyer for the brief period when they switched from Simon Jacobsen to Ivor Hansen. Before (at least I believe it was before) they were called S.O.A. for a brief period they were the Extorts; it seems a demo under that name exists. There are some bootlegs of the Extorts demo out there that contains 5 songs: "Draw Blank", "I Hate the Kids", "Not For Free", "Curfew",   and , "Stepping Stone". As to whether the Dischord Records has any intentions of releasing that particular demo I don't know at this time, as they haven't stated so on their webpage about it in the news about reissues; but I suppose its not impossible that they may choose to release it later on.  I don't know how the process for reissuing these demos really works; in regards to transferring the masters (as most of these were most likely originally on cassette tape form I think)

The inside sleeve of the record indicates that S.O.A. only played 8 shows total: December 13th 1980 at a party on Calvert Street, December 17th 1980 at D.C. Space for the Unheard Of Music Festival, January 9th 1981 at D.C. Space again, January 10th 1981 at the 9:30 Club, April 4th 1981 at the Wilson Center, May 9th 1981 at H.B. Woodlawn Highschool, May 22nd 1981 at the Rumba Club, and July 10th 1981 at  the Starlite Ballroom-Kensington in Philadelphia, Pennsylvnia (there only show ever outside of their hometown area before disbanding).

I'm not entirely certain if S.O.A. disbanded as a result of Henry Rollins joining Black Flag, or if they had broken up anyways and he coincidentally joined Black Flag shortly after? He seems to rarely mention or talk about S.O.A. at all in his interviews/spoken word shows, etc. However, there could be something I'm not aware of- and I haven't read all of his books, so it's possible he maybe mentions it on there. Again however, it seems to rarely be a topic he addresses, or quite possibly is never even asked about since he's much more known for his work with Black Flag and Rollins Band.

Ad for drummer on back of sleeve.

It's not that I'm not raving this release; but to go too into detail about the material would be overly redundant of the material I discussed for the, "No Policy" EP review. The recording quality is definitely equal/on par with the, "No Policy" EP. As for the alternate takes of some of the same songs that were on the official EP, they don't sound drastically different, and they are all great takes. It's hard to say whether they are better or worse? I don't know if that's really even a valid concern. They more of just are what they are: the difference is noticeable, but also somewhat subtle. Most people probably wouldn't notice the differences too much; only those who are really familiar with the material will notice it. The songs themselves are the blistering furious iconic D.C. hardcore you can expect. This is a wonderfully packaged great reissue of an interesting and short-lived band, worth grabbing if you collect punk/hardcore; definitely a must for the genre.

Another huge diamond in the rough.... from my vinyl vault: Beirut's, "Gulag Orkestar"

Beirut's,"Gulag Orkestar".

Considering my last post was a huge influential record for me, I feel Beirut's,"Gulag Orkestar" is an appropriate and equally inspiring record to follow up that post with. This record came out the summer of 2006 (released by Ba Da Bing! Records),  I remember my oldest sister Holly got it as a gift for me when we were in Relative Theory Records together in Norfolk. I remember walking up to the desk and asking to hear it at the listening stations they had. Once it started playing it wasn't what I expected, it all felt entirely new to me; simultaneously, it had qualities that made you feel like you knew it, even though you know you never had before. Beirut has consistently often been labeled as indie-folk, which is not untrue, but I would argue a tad bit misleading. I remember the handwritten note by one of the clerks had also filed it this way, but honestly its leaning categorically much more towards world music in general, and projected through a thick pop music lens. Regardless of what you want to call it, it is a brilliant modern take on folk music infused heavily with Balkan and traditional world music.
The personnel on this album consists of both memebers from a the somewhat similar Hack And A Hacksaw: Jeremy Barnes (also formerly of Neutral Milk Hotel fame) on accordion and percussion and Heather Trost on violin, Perrin Cloutier is credited as cello (however, its worth noting he currently is doing accordion at their live shows and specializes in both instruments; and according to liner notes and online sources, it seems this is the only recording he didn't perform as the accordionist on), Hari Ziznewski on clarinet (notably was also involved with Alaska In Winter's, "Dance Part In the Balkans- a group also from Albuquerque, New Mexico that even featured Zach Condon some), and then of course last, but certainly not least- Zach Condon on (basically everything else! Are you ready for it?): lead vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn, ukulele, also percussion and accordion, mandolin, organ, and piano. If that wasn't enough, he recorded a considerable chunk of the record in his bedroom, finishing the rest with said lineup.

The 11 songs that shape this record are wonderfully crafted gems full of European melodies, with  Condon's soothing vocals gliding over each tune, and the instrumentation truly transcends you to a different sound of the globe. The opening title track gradually lifts you off into Beirut's unique brand of folk, and ever so carefully slides you into the gorgeous waltz of, "Prenzlauerberg", then sweeping into the the strum patterns, "Brandenburg". All the while, the energy carefully pulling you in as the needle draws more and more near the center of the first side; the trumpets blaring in all the right places, fading into what has become the hit of the album (and with good reason!), "Postcards From Italy" with its charming vocal melody unfolding the poetic story of the song as it builds into a climatic moment and slowly dies back down to transform into the waltz of, "Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)". Once again, Beirut makes you get lost in the record, Wroclai creates the desire to shout the chorus along with them, like a chapter inside a marvelous novel, you are compelled to immediately flip to side B to see what's happening next!

The divide picks up right where Wroclai left off and, "Rhineland (Heartland)" continues with that same intensity and then just when you thought you knew every trick up Condon's sleeve, a glimpse of his past electronica project Realpeople (which he resumed again for the other half of the March of the Zapotec EP; quick interesting fact about Realpeople: he released an LP under this pseudonym before forming  Beirut entitled, "The Joys of Losing Weight"- it seems semi-rare, but worth checking out for fans of Condon's music) with, "Scenic World" (later to have another wonderful alternate version on the, "Lon Gisland" EP). The momentum of, "Bratislava" of perfectly transitions in the soft build-up of, "The Bunker" before once again bursting into another gloriously uplifting chorus. As we start to come to a close, "The Canals of Our City" helps wind us down into the final cries of, "After the Curtain".

Back of, "Gulag Orkestar".

Gulag Orkestar is a momentous occasion every time is spins on the turntable, a genius album full of songs that prove themselves as carefully constructed tunes rich harmony, melody, and an overwhelming swarm of controlled emotion. The record is constantly building and rolling from one song to another. Even more so, with each listen- little details seem to reveal themselves to the listener every time.

I had gotten it on CD from my oldest sister as mentioned above, and years later when I saw them perform at the Norva- I decided that I needed this classic for my vinyl collection, and was lucky enough to have a brief encounter with Condon himself and he was kind enough to autograph my copy, which as both a fan and a musician was a huge honor. This record is one of the absolute main reasons I decided I wanted to start playing accordion. Though the accordion lines on this record are mostly rhythmic, and serve more as muscle tissue around the bones of the songs- with Condon's voice and the trumpets/horns taking the lead- it doesn't matter. Every line it plays in the record though is so important, regardless of it not always being in the foreground. Its simply the overall execution, and the end result that matters; this record is a case of the sum being greater than the means. The big picture of this record, is its transcending qualities, and the way it creates the feeling of floating musically and drifting you up into a stratosphere. Gulag Orkestar is an all time favorite of mine, and has captured the hearts of people with its iconic song writing and unique sense of taste and style.

A huge diamond in the rough.... from my vinyl vault: Dischord Records compilation/1981: The Year in Seven Inches....

"Dischord Records 1981: The Year In Seven Inches"

It's not a rare story, and it's already been told by the ones who were there and lived it before, but its still worth hearing and amazing to think about every time. Most people know Ian MacKaye and about Dischord Records to a certain extent at least- to sum it up though: Dischord was founded when the Teen Idles wanted to make a record to document what they had done, and since no one else was gonna put out their band that was virtually unknown and played a style of music that was considered not safe or unmarketable from a record company's point of view (also the band had already broken up)- they made it their mission to do it themselves. They did this totally independent and successfully released it pre-internet. Think about that for real for a minute... I mean really give it some thought... let it sink in. Ok, now consider this- now anybody can record a punk EP (or just music in general), spend very little if any money and throw it on say bandcamp- just do it all digitally- and be done with it for relatively low to no hassle- but pre-internet? The amount of energy outside of the music alone just to accomplish this, for an exceptionally young group of people I might add- a group of late teens to early 20's- to release their own record- is really phenomenal and an accomplishment in itself. They did the first thousand copies by hand, and reused the money made to be able to continue to put out other releases, gradually growing the record company overtime into what it is today- making this historically remarkable and as far as I'm concerned a truly iconic and one of a kind D.C. hardcore punk compilation.

Neat clear disc edition.

At this point, you are quite possibly wondering why is this compilation is so special/what makes these EP's so special? Afterall, these bands didn't single-handedly create a new form of music, it's definitely a fair argument to look at all the other punk and hardcore acts at the time spread across the country; its a fair argument that they weren't musically inventing anything or remaking any wheels so to speak. So perhaps your wondering what separates these bands/this record from the herd?

Let's take a minute and dissect it: what's happening musically might not have been 100% brand spanking new; however, to be fair, hardcore-punk as a genre actually was new, so they were participants in a new movement and at a time in what was the birth period of this new subgenre- and in that sense it is very new, completely new. Sure, it can be easily slapped with a plain old hardcore/punk rock tag- but its not overly generic/dull material by a long shot, and to blatantly oversimplify it is really an injustice to the music itself. In fact, musically- what makes this record, (along with some of the other Dischord material that would soon follow) so incredible was that amongst a sea of hardcore and punk that was happening during this era; is that the fact this material really stands out and has withstood the test of time.

Back of the sleeve.

The songwriting on these EP's (and on the Flex Your Head compilation as well), and the subsequent material to follow with the Faith, Void, Scream, Marginal Man, and Minor Threat was all totally strong across the board. A lot of the songs have anthem-like qualities (Teen Idles, "Sneakers" is really catchy, State of Alert/S.O.A.'s chanting during, "Riot", Youth Brigade's chorus on their EP opener, "It's About Time That We Had A Change") unique chord progressions (for example Government Issue's, "Asshole" and, "Rock and Roll Bullshit" have really memorable riff qualities in the guitar lines), and bold and unmistakable frontmen. When you hear John Stabb- there is no one, I mean no one in hardcore that sounded the same as him- his voice is very particular; kind've parallel to what Jello Biafra's voice was for the Dead Kennedys and what Barney Greenway of Napalm Death is for grindcore/death metal. Despite the fact that hundreds of bands have come along since within those genres of music, each time you hear any of these guys get behind the mic- its unquestionably them, they have an irreplaceable presence that cannot be done quite the same by anybody but them. The ferocity of Henry Rollins, his vicious delivery in, "Gonna Have to Fight", his intimidating vibe in, "Public Defender".  Nathan Strejcek's blaring fury and sincere delivery throughout the Minor Disturbance EP and particuarly in, "Deadhead". The record is full of radical lyrical content and unique ideas: Teen Idles, "Get Up and Go" really captures the essence of it all and what I'm talking about below when they said, "You keep talking about talent. Talent, what do you know? Instead of studying theory- we're gonna get up and go!". S.O.A.'s song, "Girl Problems"- the relate-ability of it all- the whole songs lyrical point of view- what guy hasn't felt that way at some point in their life? Government Issue's "Bored to Death" capturing the angst of it all in the first verse, "Ain't got a job. My life's a drag. I'm just a waste- put me in a bag. I went to school- to learn how to cheat. And all I got- were words on a sheet" while also taking an important and interesting stance by the time the second verse rolls around, "When boredom sets in. I just wanna' die. I just can't move no matter how I try. I don't do drugs and I won't start. I did 'em once and got blown apart."  Youth Brigade just catapulting you into the energy of the moment with, "Full Speed Ahead". Overall, it's the high energy spirit of all these bands that really put both Dischord Records and the D.C. music scene on the map.

Inside sleeve.

For me personally, this record has a lot of sentimental value; when I was in high school, after the last class let out on Fridays and on the weekends, a close group of friends and I would get together and play covers from this record, it was the biggest influence and reason that we wanted to play hardcore too. Plus it was so much fun! Hardcore and punk rock in its purest form is so much fun and the beauty in it is that you don't have to be a musical wizard to do it! So you can have great ideas, teach yourself, learn the basics with a group of friends, soak it all in, and spit it back out! It's a great experience- you don't have to be discouraged that you can't play your guitar like Hendrix; you don't have to be the greatest band in the world to learn as you go, have fun, create music, and just get up and go!

This reprinted edition of the EP's as a comp. came out on CD too. I got this neat clear disc version for my copy on vinyl, I'm pretty positive it's available in the traditional black (and I think transparent red, but not totally sure). If your into punk music in general, interested in adding  to your collection, or just searching for something exciting and new- this is a really great and inspiring compilation to get started with. Records like this change you after you put it on, you wanna get out and start your own band after hearing it.

Another diamond in the rough.... from my vinyl vault: James White & the Blacks,"Off White".

James White & the Blacks, "Off White".

James Chance (in this case under the pseudonym of James White) altered his name/bands name a few times: he usually goes by James Chance & the Contortions (usually the name of his backing band)- but on this particular album its James White & the Blacks; same guy. James Chance was part of the, "No Wave"  music movement in New York in the late 1970's/early 1980's. For those unaware, it was a short-lived music scene and somewhat of an offshoot of punk if you will, but far noisier and much more musically nihilistic. No Wave is somewhat loosely defined, as it is difficult to categorize- is often characterized by often (though not always) repetitive and hard driving rhythms often, dissonant sounds, blending punk, jazz, blues, and dance music with noise. Though I'm not a firm believe in trying to sum up an entire musical movement in a few sentences, let alone one as little known and complex as No Wave- this paints a clear enough picture to give you an idea.

 In the case of James Chance in particular, a common stylistic foundation of his music is for the rhythm section of the bass and drums and horn section to provide a solid and surprisingly somewhat conventional form of funk music, quite similar and perhaps a reinterpretation, very derivative if you will, of James Brown; layered over top with the noisier section of the group featuring the spastic vocal work of the madman that is James Chance, with scratchy guitar, his trademark skronk saxophone, and sometimes piercing and wild keyboard/organ hits.

Back of the sleeve...

That being said, as most of you most likely are not familiar with this, be warned: this music is most definitely not for everyone. In fact, it most likely isn't going to be your cup of tea. Realistically, that's putting it very lightly. However, I've always found the No Wave movement highly interesting. This is a seriously challenging brew of music. It's got elements strangely familiar, elements of funk and disco- but with his incredibly defiant vocal attack and armed with his blaring saxophone over top, shattering the part you know, making it fun and almost scary too; all at the same time. James Chance is definitely a strange guy, but he's weird in a good way, it's very entertaining.

I was lucky enough to pick this little gem up while digging through the used bins in Birdland Records in Virgina Beach for $3. Which feels like a real steal since it goes for a pretty penny of Amazon and Ebay- I checked out of curiosity- other than two reasonably priced Amazon sales- one for $7 and one for $10- the average Ebay seller wants anywhere between $20-40 for it. This is definitely a specialty record for a very specific and specialty buyer. "Contort Yourself" is easily the best number and this is one of multiple recorded versions of this tune. "White Devil" is also a standout; the whole album is good and both represents and follows the sound  that Chance has created his unique style in throughout. James Chance is still going strong today and his discography has some really interesting and wild music for those daring to adventure to a music that even when punk rock was happening at the time, was often too noisy/crazy for a lot of punk rockers (that in itself- is kind've a very weird accomplishment!). If you do like this though, your in for a treat- and similar acts such as Lydia Lunch, the New York Noise compilations (on Soul Jazz Records), the No New York compilation, the Lounge Lizards, and many others will be up your alley too. Also, its definitely worth youtubing some interesting information from Thurston Moore's chats and interviews he did on No Wave after the book he released on it (really neat sometimes hour long talks- he did about several of them I've found on youbtube- just really interesting stories of his). He was a fan of and witnessed quite a bit of these groups in person; and the noisier half of Sonic Youth is obviously musically equivalent in some ways to the No Wave material. If your ears survive this and you find yourself craving more, start with the No New York comp. as it starts off with James Chance himself.

A diamond in the rough...... from my vinyl vault: Mel Brandt's, "Accordion Favorites".

Mel Brandt's, "Accordion Favorites"

I have to admit I don't know much about Mel Brandt, and I don't know if this is the same Mel Brandt as the SNL guy or not- which is who comes up when you google the name- I'm assuming probably not- but to be honest, I know nothing about the SNL Mel-Brandt to know if this the same person or not. I'm also not totally sure if this is his only record or not, but if there ever were others- I can't find any trace or record of anything else on the internet- and as far as I can tell, sadly this is the only one. However, on the bright side this record- is an incredible accordion instrumental and definitely a diamond in the rough in my collection. I often seek out various accordion instrumental records in thrift stores, as luckily they aren't in demand and usually go for cheap- typically $1 to $3- so if you happen to stumble upon a thrift store with a ton of vinyl, you can find a decent handful of some interesting finds for little money. This one though, was actually one I bought off Amazon for a change. I received mine in excellent condition- plays perfectly, very slight wearing on the sleeve. It's not necessarily rare, but I've never been lucky enough to stumble on it in person, so I got it fairly cheap for $7, which is slightly higher than I'd pay in a thrift, but then again no one else had it- and given it was incredible shape, it was a fair deal.I was particularly interested in it for its song selection, though I hadn't heard this one- I simply collect accordion instrumentals from the get go- on top of which, this one I noticed contained two favorites of mine, "Dark Eyes" a wonderful Russian tune, and though there are many countless versions of this song- both accordion versions, along with hundreds of others in general- it's always a song with hearing, no matter how many reinterpretations of it there are. Also, the song, "Fascination" which I had at the time recently started to play myself, and is also simply a song I really love. It's just a beautiful simple instrumental, but its very peaceful and memorable and well written, just soaring strong melodies- so I knew this recorded version of that song would be interesting, and of course it's beautiful! As an added bonus too, the version I bought (and it doesn't seem to rare- but neat nevertheless) the disc itself is a really nice looking bright transparent sorta gold and yellow color, I know its also out there in regular black too- I'm not aware of any other colors. Sometimes this costs extra, so it was just icing on the cake that it didn't seem to cost more because of this. Then again, its not like this record is in demand, but eh- fine by me- I really love it.

Beautiful transparent golden yellow disc

As for the material on the record itself- its wonderful. "Besame Mucho" was another reason the record interested me, its a Mexican song (I used to play it actually- and think I remember it too- or most of it)- I've heard one or two other recorded accordion instrumental versions of it as well- the record itself consists of: as mentioned before: "Fascination", "Dark Eyes", and "Besame Mucho"- and also: "Maria Elena", "You Belong To My Heart", "Perfidia", "Tico Tico", "Adios Muchachos", "Come Back to Sorrento", "Humoresque", "Barcarolle", and "Song of India". Sure as far as accordion instrumental records go, yes this is somewhat typical and these are basically standards if you will; not dissimilar to Ella Fitzgerald and a hundred other jazz vocalists doing countless versions of, "Makin' Whoopee", "Honeysuckle Rose", or, "Dream a Little Dream", etc.

It's not the fact that these have been done before that matters, its the fact that these are amazing versions- and quite possibly- arguably some of the best accordion standard versions recorded of these batch of songs around. The melodies prevail and don't fall short due to an over assertiveness of showmanship and cramming as many notes as possible- don't get me wrong- there is plenty of flair when it comes to the musicianship; just not showing off simply for the sake of showing off- and that allows the songs to breathe and be the gorgeous melodies that they are. That's what made this particular instrumental record stand out to me. Mel Brandt certainly didn't do anything groundbreaking or reinvent any wheels, etc. The bottomline is he made a fantastic and beautifully melodic instrumental record, one that will never leave my collection, as the melodies float freely and prove it worth of every spin the needle makes around it.

March Tour w/the Fighting Jamesons- supporting Lucero, Shamrockfest, & more!!!!

w/the Fighting Jamesons @the Norva March 15th, 2014

Just got home recently from the end of our tour for March with the Fighting Jamesons. Previously in late January and throughout February we had recorded our new album, "Every Day Above Ground"- and  then set out all across the country to tour supporting the new album- which yes, is available on i-Tunes and also available on our website or at any of our shows/as it was released at our hometown/release party show at the Norva a short while ago on March 15th. "Everyday Above Ground" is my first album with the band, and the bands second album altogether- and it consists of 12 tracks- 9 originals, and 3 covers (2 traditional Irish numbers- "Rocky Road to Dublin" and "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya" + 1 old Virginia folk-tune redone Jamesons style, "Mid the Green Fields of Virginia")- its got some of what you would expect I'd think in terms of the Irish folk-rock/punk that the band was already known for before I joined, but also this new album has some extra little surprises along the way such as our fiddle player Tim's bluegrass influences shining through and making an appearance on, "The Ramble Home" and a bit of a semi-gypsy vibe on the song, "Song For Letting Go" along with a few other ingredients added to the melting pot. You can get previews of it on Amazon and CDbaby as well. It was a really great experience recording it, and I had a great time in the studio with the guys doing my takes, hearing their takes, and watching Mark Padgett's process in terms of recording. It was definitely a memorable experience and I had a great time being a part of it. A huge thank you to my bandmates, Mark Padgett, and all of the indiegogo contributors who helped make it all possible, as well as my family and my fiance for their continued encouragement and endless support.

Billboard for our show in Vally Center, CA

In my opinion, some highlights of the tour in particular were the Hook's Irish Rock Festival in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, our stop at the casino in Harrah's Rincon Pavillion in Vally Center, California, our hometown show at the Norva celebrating the release of, "Every Day Above Ground", our three dates supporting Lucero, and of course ShamRockFest at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C.!

I think I came to the conclusion that I really love playing outside when we were in New Jersey, I think I've known this somewhere in the back of my mind- but the light bulb went off that day and I was like ah! this feels so great out here! The Norva of course was bound to be fun as it was our hometown show, and it was great to officially release the record and see so many familiar faces in the crowd. The three dates with Lucero were spectacular: They are touring to support their new EP, "Texas & Tennessee"- I even learned quite a bit from watching them: everything from little tips of how I noticed Mary run their merch, their setup, and Rick Steff's piano/organ/accordion performances were inspiring and brought to light some interesting techniques. Rick Steff is actually a really interesting guy- he's recorded with Dexy's Midnight Runner's and been involved with Cat Power and some other really notable acts; though I didn't get to chat with him too much, he seemed extremely intelligent and had a really funny neat story he shared with us briefly one night about a tour he once did with Hank Williams Jr. in both the U.S. and Canada.

On top of all this- I had a complete blast at the show in Valley Center, CA. We had a really powerful performance that night, a wonderful response from both the audience and the staff there. I also was lucky enough to get to see my future-in-laws- my fiance's oldest brother Lee and his wife Mary- and had a great time chatting with them afterwards, it was really nice to see someone I knew in a place so far from home, and we had a great time hanging out after the show.

The Irish Sea (of people!) at ShamRockFest

ShamRockFest in itself is a truly amazing and spectacularly enormous event! We arrived early enough to get to watch a lot of other great acts: I feel perhaps most interesting was Black 47. Apparently this is their last ShamRockFest and they are retiring in a few months- but I really enjoyed the majority of their set (I missed just the first couple of songs)- they have a really unique blend of Celtic, punk, and reggae complete with horns, bagpipes (I saw possibly the most amazing bagpipe solo I've ever heard in my life that day!), tin whistle, and were also the only Irish band there you could both skank and jump around to. It was a really special set, it also dawned on me that their frontman is sort've like a Celtic-rock version of Richard Hell- which was really cool and unique. I am definitely planning on getting their final album, "Final Call" for my turntable in the near future!!
As far as having the honor and privilege to play at ShamRockFest, it was absolutely a thrilling and changing moment- it was just a sea of people- to have roughly 30,000 people singing along to our cover of the, "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" theme and then launching into the opening track, "Year Gone By" off our new album was a total rush. I'll never forget the ShamRockFest experience and am looking forward to hopefully returning to it next year (as I know the band has played it 2 or 3 times before I joined)- it's a remarkable festival and definitely a special occasion to attend both as a fan of the music and as a performer as well.

I've also very recently decided to start writing some material for a solo EP, as to what it will be called is currently undecided and I just have a song and half written so far- it will be a long journey and something I work on only in between my time with the Fighting Jamesons- it could easily be a year or two before it's all written, recorded, and released- but it's something I've decided to carry forward with and am excited to have begun gradually writing it. In the mean time, please check out the new Fighting Jamesons album, "Every Day Above Ground"- as I'd/we'd love to hear what you think of it and hope you enjoy it!  Until next time......