SnC 199 – Wed 23 December 2009

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A pretty chirpy selection from the flowing river of new music. Tracks from Ottawa, Venice (CA), Brooklyn, New York, Philadelphia, Rosney sous Bois (France) London and Paris.I’m fairly fresh back from Barcelona (see photo) where I was filming and meeting up with Luthea Salom (see lots of SnC shows). Such a beautiful but exhausting city although not much in the way of street music this time, probably because it was so very cold.Skinny Dipper – The Balconies (Ottawa, Canada)The Balconies formed in December of 2007 and quickly built up a reputation for their exciting, stripped down, high energy shows. Before long, they found themselves sharing bills with the likes of Mother Mother, Land of Talk, The Bicycles, Sister Suvi, and more. The Balconies’ debut album displays a unique brand of girl/boy-fronted, harmonious, epic pop rock and has already been met by an abundance of rave reviews. www.myspace.com/thebalconiesIf I could – Lisbeth Scott (Venice, CA, USA) MusicSubmitLisbeth Scott was raised as a classical pianist, rehearsing hours a day and headed for a concert career.  She studied at The New England Conservatory, Connecticut College and The University of London throughout the 1990’s.  Lisbeth then headed to Los Angeles where she really began to discover her voice… as did the film world.   Scott’s vocals can be heard on over 50 blockbuster films including The Passion of the Christ, Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe, Shrek 1 and 2, and Steven Spielberg’s Munich in which legendary composer, John Williams wrote a five minute solo specifically for her.Throughout her career she has worked closely with Steven Spielberg, John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Harry Gregson-Williams, John Debney and many others.  Her songs have been covered by other artists, including Macy Grey and Bliss.Hope is a Thing is her eighth studio solo album which is available on iTunes. “www.hopeisathing.com was originally created as a site to garner financial support for my album of the same name. Through many generous souls, the CD is done! The album was released on November 10th. So it’s time to turn this site over to YOU and see just how big we can make this.” www.lisbethscott.comwww.myspace.com/lisbethscottmusicAll my trials – Bottle up and go (Brooklyn, NY, USA)Still a relatively new genre to me: blues/punk. Despite playing a track by Bottle Up and Go about 6 weeks ago. Probably because my life has been devoid of blues punk ever since!Currently based out of a basement in Bushwick, Brooklyn, wedged between 99-cent wholesale vendors, BU&G consists of Keenan Mitchell (guitar, vocals), Fareed Sajan (drums) and saxophone accompaniment by either Lucas or his twin Andrew Carrico (alto and tenor respectively). The two-and-a-half piece neo primitive garage rock band is known across NYC for their frantic freak outs, described by various press sources as ‘neanderthalic’ and ‘barbaric’.There is no doubt that BU&G has a slight obsession with death and bones, taxidermy and bootleg whiskey.  Keenan writes lyrics that mix the language of the bible with the spirit of ancient blues hollers, western iconography, murder ballads, drunken dreams, morning tremors, hospital visits, jail time–rhythms that are indisputably alive as they call for their own death. They are narratives that mix their own lives with the myths of their blues forefathers, and that emerge as neither, a new blues form that is as much a Leadbelly song as a noise collage.www.myspace.com/bottleupandgobandCounty – Slo-Mo feat. Mic Wreka (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)From the album Gimme what you got.Slo-Mo is the brainchild of Philadelphia steel guitarist Mike “Slo-Mo” Brenner. Brenner has recorded and played on the road with such artists as Badly Drawn Boy, Magnolia Electric Company, Marah, Melody Gardot, G Love and more, but Slo-Mo is something totally different. Mixing Brenner’s steel guitar grooves with frontman Mic Wrecka’s rhymes and hip hop poetry, Slo-Mo Featuring Mic Wrecka has become a Philly favorite, winning over fans with a slamming live show and uniquely funky tunes backed by a tight 8-piece band.www.heyslomo.comwww.myspace.com/heyslomoLa Complainte du Nanti – Kapadnoms (Rosny Sous Bois and Paris, France)From their excellent 5 track “petit maxi avec 5 titres extraits du prochain album” Mis en Bouche on JamendoLes kapadnoms developpent le concept de musique en patchwork liant l electro swing au hiphop en passant par des chansons a texte plus intimes ,le tout releve d’une plume hiphop engagee,parfois enragee…la pluspart des enregistrements sont fait en autoproduction dans un homestudio et sont composees et arrangees par informatique,les musiciens travaillent les adaptations pour les lives…www.jamendo.com/en/user/kapadnomsCan’t get you out of my head – Patrick and Eugene (London)Altogether Now (Birds Bees Flowers Trees) is the U.S. debut release from the UK’s Patrick & Eugene.  The album was produced by band member Patrick Dawes.  It’s being released by the Tummy Touch Music Group.The Patrick & Eugene sound is comprised of banjos, ukuleles and sunshine pop vocals combined with whistles, bells and bongos to produce unique but accessible music for post-modern vaudevillians, with nods to Monty Python, Derek & Clive and even Woody Allen. Try to imagine Noel Coward on stage with the Duke Ellington Band at the Monterey Pop Festival and you’re getting close … or on a substance which is probably illegal in most states.www.myspace.com/patrickandeugenewww.soundsgoodinthenude.com This sentence will ruin/save your life (Born Ruffians) – Green Go (Guelph, Ontario, Canada)This appears to be a remix by Green Go of a Born Ruffians track from their self-titled EP released on Warp.Though the stages and the audiences have expanded exponentially with every performance, Green Go  refuses to abandon the turf that they tear up best:  sweaty, dirty house shows.  Rooms keep getting bigger, but that euphoric community spirit that launched the quintet continues to permeate every facet of their work.  When the band released their stop-gap remix EP to satisfy fans pre-full length release  (featuring tracks from contemporary Canadian success stories Born Ruffians, Rural Alberta Advantage, Gentleman Reg, Women and The D’Urbervilles), it read not as strategic marketing tool showcasing their remixing prowess, but as an earnest tribute to their peers – a love letter to everyone who ever crammed  themselves into a dark basement or garage to support the then-fledgling band.www.myspace.com/greengomusic Suzy – Caravan Palace (Paris, France)It all started with a double bass player, a guitarist and a violinist; all highly talented musicians who are really into swing, Django addicts who enjoy tinkering with electro. Their project swayed a singer, a clarinettist, a trombonist who doubles up on percussion and a guitarist who also acts as DJ. With their “Zazou” look (inspired by Parisian paleo-punks from the 1940s), they serve up festive, frantic music, an improbable futuristic and melodious Charleston fit for the dance floor.  It so often starts out like that: a gang of mates who’ve kicked around together for the past ten years and who each get into music off their own bat. In this case, it was Hugues on the violin, Arnaud on guitar and Carlos on the double bass. A shared craze for manouche jazz (gypsy-style jazz), played in its natural setting, bars. Relatively serious composition, with a Zeitgeist twist: DIY electro, house, dub and hip-hop. The excellent Caravan Palace musicians, who are of course “gadjos” (non-gypsies), have breathed fresh air into the timeless swing scene without coming across as preachers. As well as listeners with curious ears, the Caravan also has its own following, a horde of fans totally into the electro vibe, who turn up at each of their concerts. Caravan Palace’s reputation has rippled beyond the frontiers too, with Europe eager to check them out. www.myspace.com/caravanpalace


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