Music Reviews by Kent Mathie<\/p>\n
Copperhead: \u201cLive & Lost\u201d (Eastwinds Records)
\n A band that has been around the block a couple times and is still not interested in selling out is Copperhead. In 2002 they released a CD called \u201cLive & Lost\u201d, their third studio release which includes four live tracks, smack dab in the middle of the studio cuts.
\n Copperhead are in that tradition of that other great Southern band, Allman Brothers, including an organ player and smokin\u2019 guitarist(s). I really dig \u201cLive & Lost\u201d \u2013 some down home rock & roll, no gimmicks, just straight ahead, rock steady jams.
\n The man behind the music is Lake James, NC (Blue Ridge Mountain-land)-native Neil Carswell, founder, songwriter, guitar player, vocalist and front-man. He lists such disparate influences such as Robert Plant, Paul Rodgers, Don Williams and Waylon Jennings that have all guided him and inspired him over the years and has lead him in the direction that he\u2019s taken in the songs he has written thus far.
\n Besides the live stuff, which is pretty good, there are some catchy studio tracks too, including the opener, \u201cStricken\u201d, \u201cGet Out of My Way\u201d and a cover of the oldie but goodie, \u201cDrift Away\u201d turned into a Southern-tinged rocker.
\n As for more recent stuff, there Carswell has a new solo album, entitled \u201cGood Man\u2019s Journey\u201d, featuring guests including Barry Goodreau, from Boston, Chris Anderson of The Outlaws and Johnny Neel, who plays in the Allman Brothers band currently. There is also a DVD out now that features \u201cWhiskey\u201d. If you\u2019d like to get more information on Copperhead, including how to buy their CDs, check out http:\/\/www.copperhead.info \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
It: \u201cLive in Holland\u201d (Nidus Productions)
\n This is It! It are a intense, young group of kids who play wild, devil-may-care, jump up & down screaming and waving all your limbs while loud, raucous punk-rock plays loudly enough for your eardrums to hurt a bit.
\n On \u201cLive in Holland\u201d, It was captured putting on a blistering, raw, intense performance; a CD of live stuff recorded at a smallish club in Amsterdam. It have a sort of Stooges-like swagger, the same kind of ragged guitar that dominates in between gnarling, growling vocals that, in a synergistic way, put you in a hypnotic reverie. So, this is where all the real underground bands are \u2013 they\u2019re hanging out in Holland, getting stoned, kicking back and not missing much back home, here, where authoritarianism is creeping in not-so-slowly anymore and propaganda rules \u2013 with a smiley-face on it. But if you\u2019re still stuck here in the good ol\u2019 US of A, you can always buy this CD for starters; it\u2019ll give you an escapist sort of catharsis, help you forget about all the problems surrounding you \u2013 your personal ones and that depressing, vague, collective feeling of malaise that hangs like a pall over America. I\u2019d probably be a happier person, overall, if more of the CDs I received to review were as fun to listen to as \u201cIt: Live in Holland\u201d is. http:\/\/www.nidusprod.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Sklatch: \u201cBring the Noisemakers\u201d (Nidus Productions)
\n The other day I was sitting around thinking about stuff when it hit me that there is a fundamental difference between men and women when it comes to art and the creative process. These observations are pure conjecture and haven\u2019t been tested or scientifically worked out, but rather are just things I\u2019ve noticed over the years in my pursuit of a sartorial life. What I\u2019ve noticed about art is that when men create a painting, for instance, or a collage, for instance, they unconsciously, at least, use more symbols and symbolic imagery whether or not they\u2019re trying to. When women create art they do so more consciously aware of what it is they\u2019re trying to say or express and when they do use symbols or metaphors they do so consciously, knowing what it is they\u2019re trying to get across with it. It makes more sense when you think about all the people in the Dada and Surrealist movements and the fact that they were all men: people like Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp and Andre Breton. Then look at something by Georgia O\u2019Keefe \u2013 now no man could\u2019ve done anything like those beautiful crocuses or other huge, bright flowers she painted; they\u2019re so sublime, so implicitly feminine.
\n Sklatch \u2013a punk band with pop aspirations have this new-ish album out now called \u201cBring the Noisemakers\u201d \u2013 a bouncy power pop record with hooks galore and bitchin\u2019 rhythms, good vibes and a dancin\u2019 fool\u2019s party time fun tool. There\u2019s a little bit of that Grrl! \u2013 thing going on there, but it\u2019s tempered by good lookin\u2019 tunes and a low-down punk vibe that will cover your carpet with cigarette burns. They will rock your world and then come back for the moon and the stars. My favorite songs on \u201cBring the Noisemakers\u201d are definitely \u201cOne-Eyed Jack\u201d and \u201cParasite\u201d, but, you know, the opening cut, \u201cGetcha\u201d is pretty damn groovy too, it is the first impression of the CD one gets which can be critical and they do well here to pull you in and impel further listening. (http:\/\/www.sklatch.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Eben Brooks: \u201cMirrors\u201d (self-released)
\n In this modern age of micro-electronics that keep getting smaller and smaller and faster and faster we are able to do almost everything on our own that used to be only able to be done by companies with their money and their resources.
\n In this revolution of convenience and self-reliance more and more bands and artists are bypassing the traditional route of making a demo and then slipping copies of it under every record company in L.A. or mail it out there if you\u2019re not on the coast. In the past few years I\u2019ve begun to notice a dearth of CDs coming out by bands with no label support whatsoever and who\u2019ve done everything themselves, from recording all the songs in their bedrooms to recording onto a bunch of blank recordable CDs and \u2013 voila \u2013 you\u2019ve just released your own album \u2013 congratulations! Now, there are two ways of considering the merits of this new phenomenon: 1) It enables anyone so inclined to put out a CD of their own making; and 2) It enables anyone so inclined to put out their own CDs.
\n Eben Brooks is one such example of this phenomenon, having just put out \u201cMirrors\u201d, a DIY CD with 12 folksy tunes on it. She wrote or co-wrote all the songs except the title track and plays guitar and various accoutrements. Helping out Brooks is Steve Langdon, who also plays guitar as well as the mandolin and background vocals, Justin Grinnell on bass and Nathan Hubbard on Drums as well as a few extra folks on background vocals, etc. \u201cMirrors\u201d is a quiet, homespun folk record with hippie dreams and flashbacks. To tell you the truth, it kind of made me cringe to listen to the corny lyrics and goofy, unabashed, unironic, life-loving communists. But, hey, what can you do? Give it to your mom for her birthday. (http:\/\/www.music.ebenbrooks.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Deciding Tonight: \u201cThe Delusionist\u201d (Hotfoot Records)
\n Rock \u2018n\u2019 roll looks like it truly is here to stay and no matter what you try to do to stamp it out it\u2019ll keep coming back over and over again. While fads may come and go, subgenres rise and fall but the classic set-up of guitar(s), bass, drums, vocals and maybe keyboards\/piano will always re-emerge, it keeps popping back up like a weed, determined to blossom.
\n To wit: Deciding Tonight. A high-energy hard-rock combo; their new album is \u201cThe Delusionist\u201d with some original hooks and such but when it comes down to it \u2013 this is rock \u2018n\u2019 roll \u2013 as old as the Rolling Stones and still rockin\u2019 steady.
\n I wasn\u2019t awed by this CD, nor was I thrilled, excited or surprised. So, while it didn\u2019t nauseate me it didn\u2019t make me wet my pants in a fit of overjoyed ecstasy.
\n \u201cThe Delusionist\u201d will fit in just fine on your city\u2019s hard rock\/heavy metal radio station \u2013 throw one of the tracks from this CD in between cuts by Disturbed and Sevendust. Not my cup of tea, but neither is it total crap. They had some able assistance in the studio with a producer, but they at least have the talent to jam well \u2013 they\u2019d have to be able to if they want to survive some crazy summer metal fest concert or some such nightmare scenario.
\n (http:\/\/www.decidingtonight.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Billy Candler: \u201cMore Than This\u201d (self-released)
\n Now that anyone can record and distribute their own CDs with minimal effort there has to be a new way of filtering all the crap out and letting the cream rise to the top. One way to do that is to just let it all out there, on the internet, for instance, and just let the \u201cfree market\u201d sort it all out; the \u201cinvisible hand\u201d of the market works like magic in an otherwise unregulated, laissez-faire economy. I think this principle works purest in an industry like the music biz, because quality, for the most part, matters a lot, at least as far as longevity and integrity are concerned \u2013 I\u2019m not even thinking about the trashy pop music machine that creates pop stars out of whole cloth and spits them out after they\u2019ve outlived their shelf-life. I\u2019m really talking about serious songwriters and bands who strive for a perfect \u201csound\u201d not the next schlocky gimmick.
\n Billy Candler has decided to go the route of DIY and put out his own CD, \u201cMore Than This\u201d \u2013 a short, 6-song EP, really a kind of Demo but one that\u2019s available to the whole world thanks to the ubiquity of the internet. Instead of hardcore punk bands and left-wing agitating folkies, the self-released CD is now becoming more and more standard as pop-star manqu\u00e9s, straight-ahead rock & rollers and sensitive, poetic tunesmiths all vie for space on the web to sell you, the discerning tune-o-phile a panoply of styles and genres of original and sometimes inspired music.
\n Well, Mr. Candler comes closest to the latter category, writing some mellow, plaintive songs. I guess you could call them smart pop or jingle-jangle rock & roll. It\u2019s got some nice flowery, poetic lyrics, a few hooks here and there as well as some swinging, toe-tapping good licks. It\u2019s got a pop-folk vibe to it, I suppose. It isn\u2019t nihilistic or cynical; nor is it saccharine or phony or preachy. A good escapist EP you can bug out to on a sunny afternoon. To find out more about Billy and his music go to http:\/\/www.billycanlder.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Rude Awakening: \u201cAn Act of God\u201d (Nidus Productions)
\n Back from the grave (again) \u2013 Rude Awakening have woke us up with this release, \u201cAn Act of God\u201d, another noisy bunch of mayhem from our friends at Nidus Productions. It starts off with a wicked, churlish number; snide snarling – I dig it, don\u2019t get me wrong \u2013 it\u2019s not unlike The Cramps. It has a dark tinge, a cool, Euro-nihilistic bent, even though I think they\u2019re American. Heavy dark shadows cast about back and forth across the wall as the music plays at a titillatingly loud level. \u201cPower of Attorney\u201d is kind of a bitchin\u2019 tune; it has a bouncy rhythm that one finds irresistible when it comes to bobbing your head up & down. \u201cPossessions\u201d is another one that came at me through the speakers, it really spoke to me, showed itself to me \u2013 it said \u201cDO NOT IGNORE ME!\u201d \u2013 Something that isn\u2019t that easy to do anyway. But just when you think they\u2019re just a one-dimensional rock band they do something like surprise the hell out of us when on track #8 they do a slowed-down, crooning, mellow number, a little jazzy undertones and some of that distortion-free, high-reverb guitar ringing like bells in the foreground; it re-lit my interest in the album at a point where most CDs nowadays start to lose me \u2013 about 2\/3 of the way through a 75 minute CD filled to the brim with music whether you need it or not.
\n I think that Rude Awakening would be a fabulous live act, that they\u2019d probably put on a show worth remembering \u2013 one I\u2019d not soon forget. Of course, the audience would all have to do their part by showing up looking absolutely gorgeous and freakishly outlandish. Check out more at: http:\/\/www.rudeawakening.com or http:\/\/www.nidusprod.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
JDJ Band: \u201cCruel Way\u201d (RPG Records)
\n OK, the world is a bad place, full of hate and misery and everything sucks and life is not really all that it\u2019s cracked up to be, why not kick back and let apathy take over? JDJ Band hate the world and they prove it on \u201cCruel Way\u201d, which sounds like it was recorded in someone\u2019s garage, with the doors closed and the car running. Imagine J Mascis making a Dinosaur Jr. record while stoned on a handful of Tuinol and you get the drift.
\n JDJ Band is the new vehicle for JD Jackson, who used to be in another legendary punk band, the cult-followed Destroyers. On \u201cCruel Way\u201d Jackson delves into deep, dark ravines full of sludge and mud. I wasn\u2019t sure what to make of it at first, but I kept on listening and I think I figured it out. A little bit, maybe.
\n \u201cCruel Way\u201d is a bunch of dirge-like, punk-Goth suicide jams to prove that depressed people like to do stuff too. I dig it, though, it makes for an eerie soundtrack late at night or when you\u2019re in a jaded, cynical mood and want to blast some I-don\u2019t-give-a-damn music. It actually starts to grow on you as you listen further and further. Either you get used to it after a while or else the songs do get better as the album wears on.
\n My favorite tunes on this CD, \u201cSerial Killer\u201d, \u201cShe\u2019s So Heavy\u201d, which has a hypnotic hook to it and \u201cRising from My Grave\u201d, a demon-jam, all have a devil-may-care aloofness to them and would fit in perfectly as a backdrop in a dark, dreary dive bar where people drink beer and stare into space while loud music drones on. Remember the scene at that bar in the Twin Peaks feature-length movie, \u201cFire Walk With Me\u201d? This could\u2019ve just as easily been the band playing there and it would\u2019ve been just as cool a scene. For more information, check out http:\/\/www.rpgrecords.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Mastery: \u201cLethal Legacy\u201d (Spinerazor Records)
\n Instead of a growling cur spitting out venom, Mastery have decided to ditch the \u201cvocalist\u201d altogether and do an instrumental metal album. The result is \u201cLethal Legacy\u201d, a fiery balls-to-the-wall set of supercharged speed metal. No sentimental ballads or experimental stuff on this CD, rather, you can probably lift a car up with the adrenaline rush you\u2019ll get from playing this on your 6\u2019 high Klipsch speakers at about level 7 \u2013 because there\u2019s no way you could turn up Klipsch\u2019s all the way and live.
\n The operative word on \u201cLethal Legacy\u201d is SPEED- everything\u2019s fast: double-dipping drummers, 32nd notes being played on the guitar and bass. It\u2019s a riot of speedy proportions. But do you know what the best part of \u201cLethal Legacy\u201d is? I\u2019m really glad that they decided to go instrumental and leave the growling, guttural ralphing for Cannibal Corpse or Slayer. One can appreciate, if that\u2019s the right word, the music a lot more than if it had the interference of some schmuck screaming into a microphone. The tight arpeggio-laden guitar licks, the double-thumping bass drums going \u201cbrrrrrrrdrdrdrdrdrdrdr\u201d and the whole thing going faster and faster, ending up in a case of whiplash. This should be an object lesson for other screaming metal yahoos out there that keep on ruining their albums by covering up the otherwise tight musicianship with the cacophony of a guy who can\u2019t sing or who purposely doesn\u2019t sing but growls. \u201cOfficial\u201d website: http:\/\/www.masterymetal.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
The Red Button: \u201cShe\u2019s About to Cross My Mind\u201d (no label)
\n Yet another label-less, DIY release by some chaps with a British pop-music sound, a big, lush, pop music that owes allegiance to the United Kingdom (did you ever notice that Queen Elizabeth has some really big tits?). Although, I can\u2019t pretend to know where they\u2019re from, but there\u2019s some pretty pop on this CD, \u201cShe\u2019s About to Cross My Mind\u201d, the latest from these two guys, Seth Swirsky and Mike Ruekberg who, together call themselves The Red Button. On \u201cShe\u2019s About to\u2026\u201d they get help from a whole slew of guests, people with names like John Fields, Mike Datz and Stevie Blacke.
\n Why they don\u2019t have any label support is beyond me. Is this a demo? Well, it\u2019s not packaged like a demo, which is why I was shocked to not see the logo of some record company on the CD cover anywhere.
\n Some examples of pure pop pleasure from \u201cShe\u2019s About to\u2026\u201d are: \u201cShe\u2019s Going Down\u201d, a crooning, swooning, snap that evokes sunshine and crisp flowers; \u201cI Could Get Used to You\u201d is a levitating sweet smell that keeps the smile on your face going a bit longer; then there\u2019s the Beatle-esque \u201cHopes Up\u201d, wherein you can almost hear John Lennon singing harmony in the background.
\n It\u2019s all very pop, very upbeat and quite, quite English. Go get yourself a copy and maybe we can help these chaps get a record contract and a visa so they can come over and visit! For now, though, you can go here and buy their music, write them love letters or just take a peek at their website: http:\/\/www.theredbutton.net \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Music Reviews by Kent Mathie Copperhead: \u201cLive & Lost\u201d (Eastwinds Records) A band that has been around the block a couple times and is still not interested in selling out is Copperhead. In 2002 they released a CD called \u201cLive & Lost\u201d, their third studio release which includes four live tracks, smack dab in the middle of the studio cuts. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[296],"class_list":["post-259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","tag-music-reviews-copperhead"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":251,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/03\/01\/music-reviews-by-natalie-kardos-driftless-pony-club\/","url_meta":{"origin":259,"position":0},"title":"music reviews by Natalie Kardos – Driftless Pony Club","author":"admin","date":"March 1, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"music reviews by Natalie Kardos Driftless Pony Club Cholera The Driftless Pony Club show off their (modest) mousey roots on this CD that\u2019s characterized by abrupt tempo changes and vocals that alternate between singing and shouting. But even with their roots showing as obviously as bleached blonde\u2019s, they manage to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":212,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/01\/11\/music-reviews-by-chad-stroup\/","url_meta":{"origin":259,"position":1},"title":"Music Reviews by Chad Stroup","author":"admin","date":"January 11, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Music reviews and San Diego hardcore scene report By Chad Stroup The Fix: \u201cAt the Speed of Twisted Thought\u201d (Touch & Go Records) This is a reissue that many have been anticipating forever. The Fix are both legends and obscurities. Their two singles (from 1980 and 1981) were pressed in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":233,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/01\/30\/music-reviews-by-kristina-clayton\/","url_meta":{"origin":259,"position":2},"title":"Music Reviews by Kristina Clayton","author":"admin","date":"January 30, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"MUSIC REVIEWS by Kristina Clayton Dirty Kings Electric Dirt Nice guitar riffs, smack-ass bass and rump-rockin rhythm coming from this trio of musicians. Electric Dirt is one of the better underground rock albums even though I think the singer is a bit tone def. That would not matter at a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":655,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/04\/12\/32-music-reviews-honey-pig\/","url_meta":{"origin":259,"position":3},"title":"#32 music reviews, honey pig","author":"admin","date":"April 12, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Music reviews by Kent Manthie, music authority guy Honey Pig: \u201cExactly As We Are\u201d (Demo) Three lovely ladies who are waiting for their big break to come in the field of acting, Honey Pig are an all-female country trio in the same vein as Dixie Chicks. But to their credit,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8644,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2013\/05\/16\/free-live-hard-rock\/","url_meta":{"origin":259,"position":4},"title":"Free Live Hard Rock","author":"Reviewer Rob","date":"May 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Live Music - Free Show - TonightTweetLOCAL MUSIC SERIES AT MARYJANE'S[From the Facebook for 94.9 FM radio personality Tim Pyles and their website.] RSVP for complimentary cocktails tonight from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. HERE. Music starts at 9 p.m. with Shake Before Us, then Amerikan Bear at 10 p.m.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"maryjane-tonight","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/maryjane-tonight-194x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":265,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/03\/18\/music-reviews-the-cinematics\/","url_meta":{"origin":259,"position":5},"title":"music reviews – The Cinematics","author":"admin","date":"March 18, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Music reviews, by Natalie Kardos The Cinematics \u2013 A Strange Education With their full-length debut album A Strange Education, The Cinematics throw their hat into the dance-rock ring. Their highly polished variation on this now-familiar theme includes glitzy guitar licks, glimmery chords, and cymbal-centric drumming. Many of the songs, including\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}