San Francisco Bay Area-based power quintet Howlin Rain’s come howlin’ back with their third album, The Russian Wilds. Having been formed by bandleader-singer-guitarist Ethan Miller in 2004, as a melodic offshoot of blazing new-psych innovators Comets On Fire, Howlin Rain soon caught the attention of uber-producer Rick Rubin, who signed them to his American Recordings label and involved himself deeply in their subsequent musical evolution thereafter.
“There was a point when we were really trying to blend Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland, Steely Dan’s Gaucho and Bruce Springsteen’s Darkness On The Edge of Town,” says Ethan Miller. “I love the Boss’ singing, where he’s just blowing out his voice even when it’s just a pop ballad moment. And we were inspired by some of the grooves and close mic stuff on Gaucho, and by how Electric Ladyland runs the gamut from super long jams to blues numbers to drifting psychedelic pieces. There’s a sense of audacity to these records – a band chasing down strong, invisible connections – and there’s moments like that on our record. We didn’t always do the smartest or safest things [laughs].”
I’ve heard The Russian Wilds, and the album is incredible. If any of the above makes any sense to you, then you’ll want to pick up this record when it drops on Valentine’s Day. Check out “Phantom In the Valley” to get a first taste…
In the meantime, you can enter to win two tickets to see Howlin Rain on Tuesday at Mercury Lounge! The fucking fantastic D. Charles Speer & the Helix open the show. Just comment below with your favorite classic rock record. Or simply by Tweeting this post (tag it with @BBiB). Cool? Well, get to it then! Winner will be notified by Monday morning.
I was absolutely thrilled to be able to host this show last week. The legendary socio-political singer/musician, Rodriguez was in town for a show with Charles Bradley and stopped by EVR to play a couple songs and chat with me. Take a listen to the archive here…
ARCHIVE: RODRIGUEZ ON BBIB SPECIAL ON EVR
The big-Beat, psychedelic, Southern rock, circus pop band Gringo Star are dropping in on Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio Thursday from noon to 2pm EST, to lay down some booty-shakin’ garage grooviness for us.
They’re rolling though New York before they finish up the tour supporting their great new album Count Yer Lucky Stars, out now on Gigantic Music.
The remaining tour dates:
12/1 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY (w/ J Roddy Walston & The Business)
12/3 – Cameo Gallery – Brooklyn, NY
12/6 – Will’s Pub – Orlando, FL
12/7 – Hippodrome – Cocoa, FL
12/8 – Jack Rabbits – Jacksonville, FL
12/10 – Sarasota Lanes (Cosmic Groove Festival) – Sarasota, FL
So tune in to EVR.com on Thursday, noon to 2pm EST, to hear them rip it up live in the studio!
~BE THERE~
I’m really excited to welcome Woodsman to Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio, Thursday noon-2pm (EST). They’ll jam live and who knows what sounds will emanate from the EVR studio…and your radio or mobile. Be there then.
Stream their new EP Mystic Places below to get acquainted…
Woodsman: Mystic Places by alteredzones
The prog-rock giants, Gentle Giant, just remastered and re-released their 3rd and 4th albums, Three Friends and Octopus, both originally released in 1972…a fine fine year! I’ll have Gentle Giant frontman, Derek Shulman, on Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio on Thursday to talk about those amazing albums and spin selections from them. Join us from noon to 2pm on Thursday and get your afternoon prog on!
Director and Editor, Chris Piazza and his killer vid team at Panopticon 360 came out to this year’s BBiB Summer Jam on the Hudson and shot some amazing 360 footage of Endless Boogie. The result of which lies before you. And be sure to crank it up!
Panopticon360 is a visually groundbreaking new live music webseries, featuring 10 of New York’s most innovative bands playing live sets that were filmed with 360 degree, panoramic video cameras. Follow them at Facebook.com/Panopticonnyc or Twitter (@panopticonnyc) for the full Season 1 line-up, artist additions, behind the scenes photos, and more information.
Psyched to welcome the Jacksonville, Florida-native boogie/soul/old-school rocker, Abstract Artimus to Beyond Beyond is Beyond on Thursday for a live performance. AA now lives in NYC and he just released his new album Rite of Passage on his own Dire Life Records this week and will soon be out on tour.
So tune in on Thursday from noon-2pm eastern to Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio to get a taste of Abstract Artimus’ brand of killer lo-fi home-recorded rock n’ roll!
I’m very happy to welcome the live ‘Interstellar California Vibes‘ of Jeffertitti’s Nile to Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio on Thursday (noon to 2pm eastern). Come aboard the Space Shuttle Jeffertitti!
And speaking of Space Shuttles and shit, don’t miss the Dog Gone Blog party that JN will be playing along with our pals Minerva Lions and Superhuman Happiness…at the Church. Here are the FB deets.
Check ‘em out in the meantime…
I’m very happy to be welcoming Brian Olive to Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio on Thursday! The ex-Greenhorne, ex-Soledad Bro and fellow Cincinnati-native has released one of the best rock albums of the year in Two of Everything…on one of my favorite record labels, Alive Naturalsound. And he’ll be recording with the legendary Dr. John this year! We’ll talk about that stuff, his tour, Cincinnati chili and plenty more on Thursday, PLUS Brian will perform live for you in the EVR studio. Don’t miss! Noon-2pm eastern on Thursday.
Dig the first tune from Two of Everything in the meantime…
Brian Olive – Left Side Rock
*flier by Justin Gabbard
Brooklyn’s own Minerva Lions are gonna come perform live on Beyond Beyond is Beyond on Thursday, of course on East Village Radio from noon to 2pm eastern time. I first heard the band’s praises from a number of pals. First from Miss Nicole Atkins, then from Julian Woolsey of Perfect Prescription and Rock Edition fame, and last but not least, Sam Davis at Relix and Dog Gone Blog.
Now I’ve finally heard Minerva Lions’ new EP, Great Strides, Priestess and Queen for myself and am quite excited for the Lions’ live action!
So come along on the listening adventure on Thursday, July 7th from noon to 2pm (est) on Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio!
*And make sure to catch Minerva Lions when they play Beyond Beyond is Beyond presents…in Riverside Park, along with Endless Boogie, on July 31st*
I’m really psyched to welcome the Donkeys to Beyond Beyond is Beyond on Thursday, May 26th. The Californian’s are on an East Coast tour to bring some sunshine jammery to our rainy metropolis…and other Eastern metropoli. Here are the NYC dates:
THURSDAY 05/26/2011: (with Citay!)
Cake Shop, 152 Ludlow
New York, New York 10002
FRIDAY 05/27/2011:
The Rock Shop
Brooklyn, NY
The Donkeys new Dead Oceans release, Born With Stripes is a phenomenally-textured listen, which starts with this tune below…and proceeds to take you on a fantastic hazy, psych-tinged, country-rock safari over the next 45 minutes. An album that truly plays as an album.
The Donkeys-Don’t Know Who You Are
So check them out for an in-studio live performance and chat on Thursday’s Beyond Beyond is Beyond show on East Village Radio, Thursday from noon to 2pm (EST)…
I’m excited to announce that our friends in far-outedness, White Hills, will be joining me on Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio for a chat and live ambient performance! It all goes down Thursday, May 19th between noon and 2pm (EST) on EVR.com.
On June 21st, White Hills new album, H-p1, will be released on Thrill Jockey.
Musically, H-p1, White Hills second full-length for Thrill Jockey, expands on the explorations of previous albums in ambience, noise, and space rock all led by guitarist Dave W.’s blistering guitar solos. This is the most fully realized White Hills album to date and the one that takes them furthest from their pure space rock roots. It is also their most angry record. It is a reaction to what White Hills sees as government co-opted and controlled by corporations. It is a wake up call.
…this fuckin’ Thursday!
And they’re gonna play live for us all in the East Village Radio studio this Thursday at noon eastern on Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio.
Press Release: New York City’s Lez Zeppelin has been causing a sensation on stages all over the world including India, Europe and Japan since its 2004 inception. Now “…the most powerful all-female band in rock history…” (according to Chuck Klosterman) and “the ultimate turn-on” (according to Lenny Kaye) is planning another assault on stages nationwide.
This is one band that has to be seen to be believed! Guitarist Steph Paynes gives such good Page that one is hard-pressed to tell the difference with eyes closed. Her unerring note-for-note accuracy is stunning. The same attention-to-detail is evident in the tight rhythm section of bassist Megan Thomas and drummer Leesa Harrington-Squyres, the latter a true Bonzo beast. Vocalist Shannon Conley, rather than copying Robert Plant, is her own woman. Her phrasing, timbre and timing are totally her own. Her vocals, coupled with the bands musicianship, swagger and gender-bending audacity, makes Lez Zeppelin one of the more remarkable bands of this or any era.
Their sophomore effort, Lez Zeppelin I, is an incredible replication of Led Zeppelin’s 1969 debut: it is obvious that this band has cemented its considerable chops into one powerhouse behemoth of monolithic proportions. It was recorded at the analog Pie Studios on Long Island, New York, with producers Perry Margouleff and William Wittman, on the very same vintage equipment that Led used on its 1969 debut. The intent was to remain true to the sound and texture of the original vinyl recording and, as such, stands as a stirring document that proves the timelessness of this material. This is material that is simply too damn good not to be performed live in 2011 because of its ageless and vibrant aesthetic. The inherent splendor lies in the fact that Lez Zeppelin, in bringing their shock-rock to an already beloved and revolutionary sound, has created a whole ‘nother animal. And this stampeding charging rhino of an animal absolutely demands to be heard.
To that end, the band’s tour will include a stop at the Rock On The Range Festival in Columbus, Ohio May 20 where they will open the festivities for the two-day fest May 21 and 22 with Steel Panther at a “pre-festival anniversary party” at the Columbus Crew Stadium. Lez Zeppelin is excited about being tapped to open such a prestigious fest.
I’m extremely psyched to welcome the Entrance Band to Beyond Beyond is Beyond this Thursday…
The killer West Coast psych trio will be performing live on EVR and we’ll chat about what’s going on in Entrance Land. Tune in at noon eastern at EVR.com.
They’ll be headlining at Glasslands on Thursday night and supporting The Kills and Cold Cave at Terminal 5 on Friday. I know which one I’d rather be at. ;)
Here are more tour dates:
April 28 – Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands – TEB Headlines
April 29 – New York, NY – Terminal 5*
April 30 – Montreal, QC – L’Olympia*
May 01 – Toronto, ON – Sound Academy*
May 03 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre*
May 04 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre*
May 05 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue*
May 08 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom*
May 09 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox*
May 10 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom*
May 11 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore*
May 13-15 – Minehead UK – Butlins Holiday Centre – All Tomorrows Parties
*with The Kills & Cold Cave
And dig this cover of Arthur Lee and Love’s ‘A House Is Not a Motel’, which was just released on 7″ on Record Store Day on Black Tent Press…
Nuff said…
*pic by Mike Newman
He’ll be on the East Coast from now till the end of May, so check out jonanderson.com for all the tour dates.
Here in NYC, at B.B. King’s, on Saturday, April 30th!
Check the interview out on East Village Radio, Thursday noon-2pm (ET)
UPDATE: DIG INTO THE ARCHIVED INTERVIEW HERE…
Hope to see you at the BBiB Record Club on Saturday (April 16th). One of the following records will be played, and one other…perhaps chosen by you. RSVP and send your record suggestions to beyondbeyondisbeyond@gmail.com…
