Hey hey, my my...rock and roll can never die.
I like dark beer, music banter, books and creative people willing to take risks. I believe in the past and feel most at home while far from home. In '93 i heard CSNY's "Ohio" and it knocked the wind out of me. It was like someone poured a bottle of Jack down my throat. I was tingly all over. Since then it would be Neil Young, and a plethora of others, whose path i would forever choose to follow. This is a sanctuary for true art and roots music; if you like techno and club music, date a glow stick.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
I spoke with Tyler Bryant on all things Nashville, blues and rock ‘n’ roll. Here’s what I wrote for Elmore Magazine. Check out his band the Shakedown and be sure to grab a copy of their debut Wild Child, out January 22nd!
Ty Segall ‘Twins’ Album Review (Drag City)
Thank God for Ty Segall. The San Fran triple threat (singer/guitarist/drummer) makes records in his sleep. This year alone, he’s released Slaughterhouse with his band, Hair (a collaboration with White Fence) and most recently, Twins. Along with four solo albums and a singles compilation, Segall sets the bar high and his contemporaries have noticed. “I love that shit,” said Portugal.the Man bassist Zach Carothers, “I like the more heavy stuff he does.” On Twins, Segall yanks the seams of 60’s psychedelia, heavy garage rock and sews in a patch of punk panache, beautifully distorted in all the right places. He not only stands at the forefront of 60’s psych/rock/grunge revival, but intrepidly adds new meaning to album behavior, shoving into one disc what other musicians tend to eschew. Pay attention. This one’s got “Best Albums of 2012” written all over it.
Immediately, we are hit heavy, where unbridled guitars pierce through and make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, a common result throughout the album. Twins covers plenty of ground relentlessly; it’s rebellious (“Thank God for Sinners”), gets grungy (“Handglams”), and provides a common denominator for generations of rock fans (“The Hill”). On the latter, Segall’s vocals espouse a John Lennon a-la “Tomorrow Never Knows” with Thee Oh See’s darling, Brigid Dawson adding backup. “Would You Be My Love,” is pure sugared pop romance, a bit reminiscent of the Wonders in the film “That Thing You Do,” showcasing Segall’s sweeter side. The rest of the tracks dive into a mix match of jam-heavy, pysch-spitting rock ‘n’ roll that fails to follow any guidebook, “I want to throw people off,” he admits. Vocally, Segall makes you lean, be it his sympathetic croon, screaming eagle, or flirtatious falsetto. Fans of Portugal.the Man will easily gravitate towards the glossy high-pitched vocals of “Love Fuzz.” Lastly, “There Is No Tomorrow” seizes the day with a pair of optimistic eyes Segall was so lucky to have been born with.
With plenty of material in his backlog, Segall is able to dig in a number of pockets, and never come out empty-handed. On stage, his free-for-all madness is a terrifying jolt of life. For validity, watch his recent appearance on “Late Night with David Letterman. ” Earlier this Fall, Segall played two packed-out shows in Brooklyn; after a solid European tour under his belt, expect Webster Hall to sell out well in advance of its scheduled February 1st slot. Across his discography, Segall proves that, no matter which genre he settles in, he sounds as though he’s been there all along. With San Francisco precision, he cuts a thick slab of rock, jagged in all the right places and Twins isnothing short of extraordinary.
MELISSA CARUSO via Elmore Magazine.
Listen to Twins in it’s entirety here.
Last Fall I read Shakey and was even more in love with Neil Young than before. I saw an announcement that Brooklyn Bowl had a band from Atlanta in town that week, covering Neil Young’sTonight’s the Night.So I went. Dead Confederate blew me away; their interpretation of Neil Young’s material remained retrospective yet completely their own. And Turf War, their supporting act, failed to disappoint. So two more bands that would live in my playlist all because of one Canadian rocker who still has yet to fade away. Tonight’s the night that same guy will be tattooed on my arm. Mama, please don’t disown me.
that time i fell in love with the @alabamashakes #tbt #albumreview #elmoremagazine #boysandgirls #alabamashakes
for someone who has still yet to use spotify and pandora, this was a big move. thanks @q1043 for the push. i never turn the damn thing off #johnnywinter #iheartradio #humblepieradio #stevemarriott
i teach some smart individuals #goflyakite #romney #electionday
she’s like a 🌈 | sympathy for the 👿#therollingstones #tattyou
All ready for @starrynights! @amteleportation #expandinganyway #nails (Taken with Instagram)
STEAL! #bobbykeys autobiography…foreword by #keef 🎷 (Taken with Instagram)
Voodoo Child in Venice Beach, CA 4/2011
TODAY IN 1970: JIM MORRISON is found guilty for indecent exposure. While performing with the Doors at the Whisky A Go Go, Morrison drops his pants and is thrown out in the streets by the Sunset Strip’s nightclub manager, Elmer Valentine. When Elmore Magazine interviewed Johnny Rivers, who opened the Whisky with Elmer, he shed some light on the iconic night. “The Doors were playing down the road from the Whisky and wanted so badly to play at our club.” Once the Doors were slapped on as the house band, Jim began to get more and more comfortable on stage, to the point where he pulled out his package and waved it at the crowd. A humorous anecdote is also told of this incident in “The Doors L.A. Woman: the Story of Mojo Risin’” DVD. Morrison was fined $500 and sentenced to 6 months in the slammer but never did the time, for while he was appealing his conviction, Mr. Mojo Risin was found dead in a bathtub in Paris. A few years ago, Newsday produced an article pardoning the late singer. Too little too late.
If you ever get the chance to travel to Paris, visit Jim Morrison’s grave. Although it is constantly guarded and fans are no loner allowed to decorate the memorial, it is incredible to be in the vicinity of someone of such magnititude. Dead at 27…Neil Young questionsis it better to burn out or fade away, well in the case of Jim, in order to be either, you had to have been on FIRE at some point. Long live Mr. Jim Morrison.
REVISITING JOHNNY RIVERS
Recently Elmore Magazine sat down with Johnny Rivers (born Ramistella) and an incredible journey of a talented musician unfolded. As a teen, he received a record deal, a new name from the DJ who coined the term “rock and roll,” and royalties for a song he gave to one of the nation’s hottest acts of that time. After moving to California several years later, he meets a certain entrepreneur, and the two open up Los Angele’s iconic Whiskey Au Go Go. Modeled after the European disco, The Whisky becomes the hottest scene in L.A. during the 60’s and soon America is on fire. Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones could be seen at the nightclub whenever they hit the West Coast. Johnny Rivers’ story drips a nostalgic wonder, making this 25 year old yearn even moreso for the primitive party of the 60’s. Stay tuned for this and more in the Nov/Dec issue of Elmore.
Sometimes i take pictures @portugaltheman #terminal5 best of #cmj2011 #flashbackfriday (Taken with Instagram)
My first published photo graces the glossy pages of @elmoremagazine july/aug 2011 #cagetheelephant #tbt (Taken with Instagram)
