Archive | January, 2013

Before They Were Young Dudes – Mott the Hoople

9 Jan
Mott The Hoople (1969/70)

Mott The Hoople (1969/70)

Mott the Hoople may forever be linked with their glam-rock anthem “All The Young Dudes,” but some of their best material was released before David Bowie produced their seminal album and provided them with their breakthrough hit. A month before the turn of the decade, Mott the Hoople released their eponymous first album and it helped garner the band a cult following in the UK and even the United States. The album, though, remains unrecognized, as does much of Mott the Hoople’s work prior to All The Young Dudes was released in 1972, and while this is understandable (despite the fact that the majority of the band’s seven albums was released prior to 1972) it is not defensible. Mott the Hoople, released a month before the turn of the decade, features a diverse assortment of rock music that should achieve more recognition.

For most, the story of Mott the Hoople starts in 1972 with the band in discord. After the trio of albums released after their debut received negative reviews and did not sell well, the band seriously considered splitting up. Glam-rock superstar, David Bowie, a fan of Mott the Hoople, pleaded to the band to not traverse the River Styx. He offered them “Suffragette City” and when Mott the Hoople declined, Bowie gave them “All the Young Dudes,” a song he penned, and proceeded to produce the album of the same name. The album was awesome (and well-received), and the band dove head first into the Glam rock genre.

But let’s go back to the debut album. The group was ostensibly formed in 1966 (under a different name), but Mott the Hoople didn’t really start until Ian Hunter joined the band as lead singer/pianist. Mott the Hoople was recorded in a week, and the album features several covers, hard-rock hits, and, well, good Bob Dylan impersonations. Let me explain.

The first track on the 8-track album is a guitar-fueled instrumental cover of the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.”

It’s a three-minute rocker drenched in pedal-aided distortion and classic mid-70s flavor. Mid-70s flavor? I thought this album was released in 1969. It was. I’d argue that the album sounds more like a mid-70s, rock n’ roll-inspired compilation. This is, of course, where Mott the Hoople would end up prior to disbanding. In a sense, they inspired their later material, but in doing so I believe they helped inspire other bands. Listen to this.

You can really hear two styles duking it out in “Rock and Roll Queen,” the fifth track on Mott the Hoople. On one side you can hear bits and pieces of the blues-inspired psychedelic rock that clearly influenced Mott the Hoople’s sound. This, though, is covered up by the conventional 70’s heavy blues sound. You could just as easily hear this piece recorded by Bad Company, which was founded in 1973. Hmm…I wonder why… Well, the song also features a killer guitar solo by Mick Ralphs. Ralphs left Mott the Hoople in 1973 to start a new supergroup with his friend Paul Rodgers. The group’s name was Bad Company.

“Backsliding Fearlessly” is “The Times They Are A Changin.” Okay, it’s not exactly a Dylan song, but it certainly is an ode to Bob Dylan. It’s an excellent song, though; my favorite song on the album. It also represents why I love this album. There is such variety. It is a blend of fading 60s influences and the emerging powerful sound of 70s heavy rock. So, when we talk of Mott the Hoople, let it not just be about all the young dudes.

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Bike Thief Lives Up to Their Name

7 Jan

Bike Thief - Providence

It took more than a bike for Febian Perez, lead vocalist/guitar/bass/piano of new Indie/Rock band Bike Thief, to end up in Portland, Oregon, where he formed the subject of today’s Music Court post, but after creating an open triangle with his musical travels (Rhode Island to Texas to Portland) he has settled nicely into a sprawling Indie act reminiscent of the ornate sound of bands like Arcade Fire.

Bike Thief was named for the famous Italian film of a similar name – “The Bicycle Thieves” – and, in a sense, the opening track of Bike Thief’s incipient EP Ghost of Providence, which was released last week on River Jones Music label, is reminiscent of some of the expansive compositions of Italian composers.

“Battles” begins with a Western-style progression styled like “Rocky Raccoon” by The Beatles, and flows into a duskily dulcet collection of voices. The beginning triggers thoughts of Danger Mouse and Italian composer Daniele Luppi’s Spaghetti-Western inspired album Rome, and it is because of this that I find the initial Italian connection defensible. The song continues with the twang of the lead guitar and moaning strings (nice work by Greg Allen). Perez’s airy croon snuggly fits the piece. His voice is made for his music – go figure! The song culminates into an instrumental medley. It’s a refreshing opening track, one that travels quickly and leaves the listener wanting more.

“Ghost of Providence Pt. 1” is the more, and it is also the best track on the debut EP. This track beings more like a traditional Indie/Pop song (like that of Mumford and Sons), but it grows into something more elaborate. An acoustic riff and well-formed drum track (by Jim Cuda) leads into staccato strings. The strength of the song is in the repetitive lyric. I applaud the decision to pair the vocals with the strings. Equal credit here to the rest of the band: Charlie Barker – Vocals/guitar and Erica Shafer-Bass.

You can check out the rest of the EP on Bike Thief’s Bandcamp. Make sure to Like them on Facebook and Twitter.

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The Incredibly Diverse SummerStage Showcase – January 10

4 Jan

City Parks Foundation Summerstage

The New York City Parks Foundation founded SummerStage in 1986 with the intention of providing genre-bending lineups to New York City’s diverse communities. Since its inception, it has done just that, providing New Yorkers with premium entertainment that has now stretched to more than 100 performances to 18 parks throughout the five boroughs. If you live in the New York area and you have not taken advantage of this program, 2013 is a great year to jump on board. Still not sure. Well, let me do a little convincing.

SummerStage will present the 2013 Showcase on Thu, Jan. 10 at Highline Ballroom. The show will serve up an intriguing appetizer of the upcoming 2013 season of SummerStage. Tickets are $25 in advance/$30 at the door. The doors open at 6 p.m. and the jam-packed concert begins at 6:30 p.m. For more information visit http://highlineballroom.com or SummerStage’s website (link above).

The concert will feature R&B legend Shuggie Otis, Pop/Rock group People Get Ready, enigmatic soul singer/producer Ofei, Kosher Gospel singer Joshua Nelson and Hip/Hop pioneer DJ Kool Herc. R&B/Pop/Rock/Soul/Gospel/Hip-Hop. If that’s not a true musical amalgamation, I don’t know what is. Let’s delve a little deeper into these artists.

Shuggie Otis

Shuggie, the son of the godfather of R&B Johnny Otis (who passed away last year), is an incredibly talented musician whose indelible impact on music influenced all artists he came in contact with including future generations of musicians (Prince, for example). He is an musician’s musician, one who is touted by his peers but not often recognized by the fans. Part of this is due to his reclusiveness. But 2013 will see Otis tour again, and he will grace the Highline Ballroom stage in what is a much-anticipated performance. Otis is perhaps best known for writing “Strawberry Letter #23,” a big R&B/Funk hit for the Brothers Johnson in 1977. As the son of Johnny Otis, Shuggie balanced his tremendous knowledge of jazz, blues, and early R&B, with his love for the music of his contemporaries (Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone), and he brewed these diverse influences into his music. He is a multi-instrumentalist, but his main tool is the guitar, which he excels in.

People Get Ready

People Get Ready is a Brooklyn-based foursome formed by Steven Reker and Luke Fasano in 2009. Reker and Fasano met at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Reker was dancing and playing guitar on David Byrne’s 2008-2009 world tour and Fasano was playing percussion with his then-band Yeasayer. They joined forces in an effort to bring together performance art and music. Jen Goma (A Sunny Day In Glasgow) and James Rickman (Slow Gherkin) joined in the summer of 2010. The band’s effervescent music is marked with solid harmonies and Vampire Weekend-esque guitar riffs, and this matches there bubbly style on stage.

Ofei

All people really know about Ofei is that which his music describes, and this abstruse London musician would like to keep it this way. His music, though, says a lot, and the UK music scene is certainly enjoying it. “London” features Ofei’s soul-saturated voice mixed with processed vocals over a fresh piano riff. The combination (with video) creates an esoteric piece that is oddly infectious.

Joshua Nelson

Joshua Nelson creates an elegant mixture of Jewish religious lyrics with American Gospel sounds. These ingredients, combined with his extraordinary, passionate vocal, form a deeply religious sound that oozes with ardor and excitement – ‘Kosher Gospel’.  I urge you to read his biography. His story is fascinating. As a boy, he attended synagogue with his family, observant Jews who trace their lineage back to Senegal.

DJ Kool Herc

Before there was “Rapper’s Delight” and artists like Grandmaster Flash, there were individuals pioneering the genre of music that would become known as Hip/Hop. In 1972, DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican-born American DJ, introduced what he called ‘the merry-go-round’ into his sets. Listen to him describe it below:

Utter genius. By focusing on the breaks, DJ Kool Herc gave dancers a constant flow of percussion. The foundation of Hip/Hop. As he performed, he would speak to his crowd of dancers in slang rhymes like “B-boys, b-girls, are you ready? keep on rock steady” and “This is the joint! Herc beat on the point” “To the beat, y’all!” “You don’t stop.” The b-boys and girls were dancers in his breaks. ‘Breaking’ at the time was slang for getting excited. Breakdancing (term was coined by media in the 80s.)

DJ Kool Herc is legendary, and you can see him live!

Gaining Transmission – The Creative Pop of Jon Samuel

3 Jan
Jon Samuel

Jon Samuel

Jon Samuel understands the key to creating mellifluous pop music. It doesn’t involve overused synthesizers, vocal effects, or complex sound. That would be too easy. Da Vinci wrote, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” and this quotation accurately describes Samuel’s ability as a singer/songwriter. Don’t get me wrong, some bands are able to find an electronic balance and create elegant music, but stripped-down pop music requires a certain level of simplicity that is, well, sophisticated. Such artists are handed the arduous task of creating easy, inventive pop that is not pablum. Artists must be subtle in a completely unsubtle way. The greatest artists/writers (like Da Vinci and Shakespeare – who wrote “Brevity is the soul of wit”) will stand by the belief that conciseness and guilelessness is difficult to achieve but ultimately effective. Clearly, Samuel agrees, and his debut solo release First Transmission plays to that sentiment.

Some may know Samuel as one of the musicians in the 2008 Juno Award-winning band Wintersleep. Samuel acted as a composer for Wintersleep’s new album Hello Hum, which was released in June of 2012. Samuel’s solo album followed two months later. The album was recorded in the Spring/Summer of 2011 with Wintersleep bandmates Tim D’Eon and Loel Campbell. Rah Rah’s Erin Passmore provides vocals to two tracks.

“First Transmission,” the album’s title track, is an effervescent ode to SETI scientists who search for signs of intelligent life in space. First off, awesome concept for a song. I just want to get that important note out of the way before I discuss the music. Samuel’s clean and composed vocal is a delight. His voice is soothing, and, to stick with the space theme, is equatable to an astronaut experiencing a weak gravitational force; it floats, but with composure. Underneath Samuel’s airy vocal is an elementary drum beat and few chords. The song, though, does not come off as jejune despite its absence of complication. It is aided by its bubbly simplicity. Some well-placed harmony and call-and-response parts help carry the song even further.

“To Love” similarly starts with an easy riff. Samuel’s vocal follows the chords in rhythm. It’s a pleasure to listen to. Like in “First Transmission,” Samuel’s effortless vocal shines. The song also features atmospherical strings and creative harmonies that add to its cherubic effect.

The entire album is worth a listen, and I urge you to check it out.

You can learn more about Jon Samuel and buy his album at his website. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter

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