Category: MMMM (New Music)

The Colorado Sound – V4 EP41 2012 + Pepper Tree (review) + Alchemy (video)

I guess it was a week or so ago when I mentioned to my wife I had not heard anything in years from John William Davis, and I wondered how he’d been since I last saw him round about 2005 or maybe 06.  His debut album, Dreams of the Lost Tribe, has remained a vibrant part of my music consciousness for fully a decade now, a wonderful still frame of deep Southern mysticism and mythology …of swamp moss, diamond backs, hurricanes, bull gators, floods and deep spiritualism.  So, it was with considerable joy that I caught a post by John on Facebook this week – announcing a new recording; this one a stripped down guitar and vocal release, no less a work in lyrical imagery or in his incredibly adroit guitar style.  On the first single, Pepper Tree, he begins by telling us he’s been staring at a crack in the wall indeterminately, waiting for it to blink, before enjoining us to be aware of the chimpanzee in the tree who he imagines looks a “whole lot like you and me.”  In the telling, a baboon wants to kick the chimp’s ass and a crocodile wants to “gobble you up with that pepper seasonin’.”  Cocaine contrails and perfume bombshells, an angel with bent wings and a tail on fire…. and in all of it a lesson for living … “if you ever get stuck up in the pepper tree, you’d better hang on tight if you happen to sneeze.”

We’re blessed here in Colorado to have a couple of fellas who know how to use words to paint stories with details that lesser songwriters can only imagine and then attempt to conjure with vapid cliches.   As John William Davis is just releasing his new work, Jeff Finlin is preparing one – a kickstarter project in place, and a new video accomplished with the help once again of award winning steel guitarist and up and coming filmmaker Sally Van Meter.  Enjoy.

PLAYLIST

(D) = debut of new album, ep or single release.  (N) = a new track from previously debuted album or ep.  (D) and (N) => linked to artist/band.

The Samples “Tom Joad” from Return to Earth (2001)
Acoustic Junction “Strange Days” from Strange Days (2000)
(D) Ten Pound Elephant “Talk to Me” from Ten Pound Elephant (2012)
Petals of Spain “Working 9 to 5” from Late Night Visitor (2011)
FaceMan “Feeding Time” from Feeding Time (2012)
(N) I’m With Her “Hang Among the Stars” from I’m With Her (2011)
Firefall “Cinderella” from Firefall (1976)
Chris Thompson & the Coral Creek String Band “Catfish John” from Forty Years (2012)
Ash Ganley and Lyons Rock Council “Elysian Fields” from Dark Fuel (2006)
(D) John William Davis “Pepper Tree” from Dead Simple, Vol. 1: You Talk Funny (2013)
Cary Morin “Sing It Louder” from Sing It Louder (2011)
(D) Jill Brzezicki “The Horizon” from The Horizon (2012)
After Midnight Jazz Band “A Smooth One” from Midnight in Madison (2010)
Dan Fogelberg “Part of the Plan” from Souvenirs (1974)
Big Head Todd & The Monsters “Broken Hearted Savior” from Sister Sweetly (1993)
(N) Jeff Brinkman “Face” from Strange (2012)
(N) Bop Skizzum “Known It All Along” from Coloradical (2012)
Places “Honesty” from No More Wasted Days (2012)
(N) Beats Noir! “Going Nowhere (feat. Venus Cruz)” from Where the Sun Goes Down (2013)
The Blender Cats “Somethin’s Gotta Give” from Just Like This (2012)
Megan Burtt “Walls Come Down” from Megan Burtt (2008)
Halden Wofford & the Hi Beams “Hippie In My House” from Midnight Rodeo (2006)
Palmer Divide “Knockin’ At Your Door” from Shenandoah Train (2009)
Esme Patterson “My Young Man” from All Princes, I (2012)
Lumineers “Ho Hey” from The Lumineers (2012)
Strange Americans “Roses On Ice” from A Royal Battle (2012)
Shirley “4th of July” from From A Bright Clearing (2012)

The Colorado Sound – V4 EP39 Oct 2012 (+ a rare review / Jeff Brinkman – Strange)

Someone recently gave me a good idea for my monthly news notes and spins column – hyperlink every band/album.   I haven’t got the time to do that unfortunately.  What I think I can do is provide a link to “debut” entries… here on the weekly playlist to begin with, and I’ll give some consideration to doing it on the monthly charts also.

(D) = album debut = first time a track from an album has been played on the show.
(N) = song debut = first time a song from a previously debuted album has been played on the show.

REVIEW – Jeff Brinkman “Strange”

Before I publish this week – I’ve been sitting listening to the new album by Jeff Brinkman, Strange, as I work on this post.  Of the over 300 releases I’ve tracked this past year this one makes an excellent case for being among the BEST OF 2012.   Typically, when I audition an album I’m looking for that ONE song that “makes” the record – it starts with the performance and moves on from there.  Three such songs and an album “has legs,” meaning it will probably stay in rotation for several months of the year, easily long enough to be a year end TOP 40 contender.  When an album has MORE than three singles it’s a bonified hit, the kind that will usually receive both critical praise and sustained radio airplay…. and more often than not propel an artist/band to broader popularity and more featured show slots.   This is a beautiful year end surprise.  It easily establishes Jeff Brinkman and Mark Kranjcec as one of the best songwriting and co-producer teams I’ve ever heard regionally, and Jeff himself as one of the best of Colorado’s great male singer/songwriters of the past half century…. easily in the same class as Todd Park Mohr (Big Head Todd & the Monsters), Sean Kelly (the Samples), Isaac Slade (the Fray), or Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic).  I would expect this record to be featured prominently on adult/acoustic rock oriented playlists at several stations around the state.  The wonderful Miss Pattie aka Mrs Goat suggests he reminds her of  Cat Stevens and Eddie Vedder … works for me.  Also recommended for fans of Paul Simon and Dave Matthews.

PLAYLIST

Otis Taylor “Harry, Turn the Music Up” from Clovis People Vol. 3 (2010)
Eddie Turner “Monkey See, Monkey Do” from Miracles And Demons (2010)
Chris Daniels “Medical Marijuana” from Better Days (2012)
Longest Day Of The Year “Change Our Ways” from Turn Into the Ground (2012)
Johnny Hickman “Another Road” from Tilting (2012)
(D) Rocky Mountain Night Train “Get It On” [single] (2012)
(D) Cutthroat Drifters “Duration” [single] (2012)
(D) Bronze “Devil Again” from Snake Oil (2012)
Tommy Bolin “Bustin’ Out for Rosey” from Private Eyes (1976)
Coles Whalen “Beautiful Without Me” from I Wrote This for You (2012)
SHEL “The Battle of Evermore” from SHEL (2012)
The Samples “My Town” from Samples (1990)
Free Bear “The Repeater” from Free Bear (2012)
Hazel Miller “Heart to Heart” from Westword Music Showcase 1999>2000 (2000)
Lannie Garrett “I’m On Your Side” from DoubleBack (1993)
Bop Skizzum “Do You Want It?” from Coloradical (2012)
The Knew “Old and Young” from Man Monster (2012)
Churchill “Made A List” from Change EP (2012)
(D) I’m With Her “Don’t Wait for Me” from Songs We Said Goodbye To (2012)
John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light “Same Scar” from Beautiful Empty (2011)
Chimney Choir “ace of spades” from (ladder) (2012)
(N) The Epilogues “The Shadow King” from Cinematics (2012)
(D) Jonny Barber and the Rhythm Razors “Mystery Train” from Golden Plates (2012)
(N) Chris Thompson & the Coral Creek String Band “Traffic” from Forty Years (2012)
J. Miller Band “The Reasons” from The Road to Elvado (2012)
(D) Chris Malley and Bob Schlesinger “Split Shot” from Split Shot (2012)

MMMM – Catch Bees – Newman’s Open Choir

Featured track is “Atlanta” featuring Denison Witmer

I just finished listening to the entire record, start to finish, as I promised Philip Waggoner (Sunshine House) I would.  This is his official solo debut.  This early in the year I want to temper my enthusiasm, knowing there will be excellent albums to come — but DAMN … this is one very very fine album… thoughtful, sentimental, open, moving … everything on here is top shelf, grade A, masterful.  I can see too why I was asked to listen beginning to end; it is really well sequenced, and stands up well for the nearly 47 minute long journey.   There are plenty of “singles” on it for those of us in radio to get excited about – but it’s one hellova an excellent long play too for a Saturday afternoon.