New Music Revue – 8/26/20

Written by Jim S.

It’s been a while since I did a New Music Revue. Laziness I suppose. It’s more work to listen to new shit than it is to showcase the old shit. So here we go, a one-ah and a two-ah …

From his press release: James Kennedy – the singer/guitarist with the now-disbanded alt-rock band Kyshera – is launching his solo career with a new song and video” The Power.” This rebellious and insurrectional song lays down the foundations for the artist’s upcoming album Make Anger Great Again out on September 25th via Konic Records.

“I’ve had enough. Trump, Brexit, Boris, the pandemic – this song is a reaction to all of it. The recent protests show that people everywhere have had enough too. It’s time to Make Anger Great Again.”

I’ve had it with that shit too. Here’s “The Power.” It’s got some of that Rage rage.

Spotify link

Have you ever heard of the Dean Ween Group? I hadn’t either. But when I found out they had a song called “Dickie Betts” I just had to do some exploring. (Dickie’s having his year. Bob Dylan name-checked him in a song.)

It all starts with an alt-rock band called Ween who have been around forever and about whom I know very little. One half of that band is a guitarist named Mickey Melchinodo and his nom de plume is Dean Ween.

I found an interview with the Ween-meister but no real clue of when or how he got into the Allmans. But the tune sounds very much like a bright, open Dickie song if a little heavier. (And there is a ‘monster’ 13-minute jam out there on the series of tubes known as the Internet.)

But. I cheated on this one. It’s a couple years old. So I will stretch the term ‘new’ here to mean ‘newish’ or perhaps new in spirit or – oh, fuck it. Just listen to it.

Spotify link

Remember Fee Waybill? Sure you do.if you remember the Tubes. (“What do you want from Life?” “White Punks on Dope,” and of course, a baby’s arm holding an apple.)

Frankly, I forgot all about these guys. Then one day I got this email that said. Fee Waybill Rides Again. Blurb: Fee Waybill, the raucous, irrepressible frontman for the Tubes reacts, “It is a thrill to have such an enthusiastic response to this new music. The gift of having the incredibly talented Richard Marx produce, write, sing, and play on this album pushed me to a new level of songwriting and singing.”

This song “Faker’ is direct, no bullshit rock and roll and at 3 1/2 minutes, comes all wrapped up neatly in a bow:

Spotify link

Here’s something from Wikipedia on another guy I didn’t know was still out there – “David Bromberg is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. An eclectic artist, Bromberg plays bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz country and western, and rock and roll. He is known for his quirky humorous lyrics and the ability to play rhythm and lead guitar at the same time.

Bromberg has played with many famous musicians, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Willie Nelson, Jorma Kaukonen, Jerry Garcia, Rusty Evans (The Deep), and Bob Dylan. He co-wrote the song “The Holdup” with George Harrison, who played on Bromberg’s self-titled 1972 album. Bromberg is known for his fingerpicking style which he learned from Reverend Gary Davis.” (That’s saying something – ME).

His latest album, Big Road, dropped in April and it’s a lot bluesier than I recall him being. Here’s the funky title track:

Spotify link

19 thoughts on “New Music Revue – 8/26/20”

  1. Dean Ween is a really good guitarist – Ween did a lot of 1970s parodies where they’d write an entirely new song but you could tell they were emulating Philly soul or Jimmy Buffett or whatever. Gene Ween used to do Billy Joel tribute shows too.

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  2. Interesting serendipitous event. Just a half hour ago Tubularsock was adjusting a turn table and grab an LP off the shelf and it was a David Bromberg album. Tubularsock happens to have all his albums.

    Anyway Tubularsock thought ….. “I wonder what ever happened to David Bromberg?”

    And then as if a genie from a bottle The Music Enthusiast answered Tubularsock’s query. Thanks, and so quick too.

    Saw Bromberg live many moons ago at The Great America Music Hall in SF. Love his music but haven’t kept up ……….. guess it’s time.

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    1. How about that? I actually had forgotten I had the press release in my email. Came in a while back. I’d forgotten about Bromberg entirely. I pegged him entirely as a folkie who had disappeared. Guess I was wrong.

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  3. That Dean Ween tune really sounds Allman Brotherly good. And how about Fee Waybill? Frankly, the only Tubes song I know is “White Punks on Dope,” and before I heard it for the first time, I had known Nina Hagen’s German cover “Ich Glotz TV” (I watch TV). “Faker” is a good rocker, no question. I also like the David Bromberg tune. When the horn section kicks in, it kind of sounds a bit like a Bavarian band playing hum-ta-ta music. To be clear, I think it’s cool!

    Last but not least, while I find the title clever and I’m also upset about the mess in the country, “Make Anger Great Again” is a bit too angry for my taste. But perhaps to some extent, it’s also a question of mood, and maybe I like the tune better if my mood gets even worse. In any case, don’t be sad, coz three out of four ain’t bad! 🙂

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    1. I woulda had five but the fifth band who sent a tune to me didn’t respond when I asked if they’d like to be on this revue. It took me a while to respond to them so maybe they were pissed, who know.

      I couldn’t believe I stumbled on a tune called Dickie Betts. Nice tribute, great playing. Did you know Bromberg as an artist?

      Yes as to the anger I hear you on that. But anger and outrage is all we have left in this country till that guy in the White House is gone forever.

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  4. Good to see David Bromberg here! He is a great guitarist. His version Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles” is beautiful.

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      1. Bromberg has quite a number of albums out, but “Demon In Disguise” remains for me at the top. In his version about that famous drifter, he pours out every note.

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  5. I think we’ve all had it with that shit. How much longer is that orange tub of guts gonna be around?

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    1. If it was up to me that motherfucker would be in jail right now with the other 6 or 7 guys. How long he will be around depends on one thing – whether or not he and his fellow scumbags can steal the election.

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      1. Haven’t you heard? The election is clearly gonna be the most rigged election ever in the history of elections.

        I think what’s disturbing is how much has been permitted to just…. slip by. I remember a warning at the start that it wouldn’t be a massive ‘look at this’ change but lots of chipping away until the most horrendous affronts against justice and plain decency can occur with barely an eyebrow raised. Had a boss like that once and it took me years to walk away. Hopefully it’s not too late for the world to undo the damage he’s caused

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        1. There are massive amounts of people against this guy. But as his niece said in her book – which I just read – he has the Senate, half the Supreme Court and 63 million people willing to enable him. If he wins, we are truly a fucked country.

          If that happens, Plan B is that my wife and I move in with you. I too would enjoy listening to that festival for free and taking the piss out of those loathsome Kentish men.

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        2. Man, fuck those Kentish men. You’re always welcome here, sir. Is it still too early to see the polls for November with optimism?

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        3. We are cautiously optimistic. Biden is up about 7 points across all polls and has been for a while. But you cannot count Trump and his strange horde out. We made that mistake last time. Recall we have this thing called the Electoral College which tends to favor smaller, whiter, more rural areas, i.e. Trump Country. Now, based on everything I’ve seen, if I were to put money on this, Biden is a reasonably safe bet. But the wild card here is Trump’s desperation to win. And what will he do to ensure he wins and how will his enablers enable him? I personally believe it will all work out. But as Bette Davis said in some movie, “Fasten your seat belts. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”

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  6. Fee is sounding pretty good. I was on a Bromberg listening jag about a month a go. The guy is good with lots of really good music in him. He does a great version of ‘Use Me’. Some nice licks. Hook into this col Spotify thing. Get a good dose of Dave.

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    1. Fee’s album’s got good reviews. Have to listen to more. As mentioned, I’d kinda forgotten about Bromberg so it’s nice to see he’s still kicking it.

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      1. I think you’d be surprised at what you find with Bromberg. Not that “folkie” Plus a real interesting guy. He’s a guitar guy like you.
        I’m going to delve into some Fee when I get a chance

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