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CD Reviews
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Written by Matt Kanner
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Thursday, 24 January 2008 |
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‘Late Nights on Washington’
by Tim McCoy
The interior album art on Tim McCoy’s new CD
shows the musician seated in front of a graffiti-covered wall, tying
the laces of his Converse sneakers while sporting a black pork pie hat
and leather jacket. After spending years as a worthy figurehead in the
Seacoast music scene—playing bass and guitar with a plethora of bands
that includes Heavens to Murgatroid, Lemon Fresh Kids and Tim McCoy and
the Papercuts—the photo seems to reassure everyone that McCoy is still
rocking local, just like he’s always done.
The album, “Late Nights on Washington,” includes 10 original
rock songs with a good-natured punk edge. With fast-paced tunes that
somehow manage to simultaneously sound fierce and celebratory, “Late
Nights” is a fun listen, perfect for a drive around the Seacoast.
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Written by Matt Kanner
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Thursday, 27 December 2007 |
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by One Hand Free
It has been almost four years since
Portsmouth rock ’n’ rollers One Hand Free released a new album. The
group’s self-titled 2004 release established the band as an assemblage
of classic rock purists, determined to deliver the type of 1960s and
’70s style rock that inspired them to take up their instruments. The
latest disc, released on the record label ThunderTrauzer, cranks up the
volume of the band’s musical mission.
Officially due out in January, “Quadraphonic” features eight
original tunes that amount to “a hot slab of unrepentant Rock and Roll
right between the ears,” according to the band’s promotional material.
Apparently dissatisfied with the state of modern music, but holding
dear to the bygone spirit of rock’s past pioneers, One Hand Free set
out to restore the heart and soul of rock ’n’ roll.
The album begins with the blues-based “King By Now,” which
quickly introduces gritty instrumental attitude, as well as the bluesy
and soulful vocal attack of singer and keyboardist Andrew Blowen. A
couple of minutes later, Geoff Taylor’s bass line shifts gears and
guitarist Josh DiJoseph asserts his authority with a gripping electric
solo. Meanwhile, drummer Kelly Bower anchors everything with tight,
punctuating drumbeats. The next song, “Majesty,” begins with a guitar
melody that sounds like something out of Steely Dan’s playbook. At six
minutes and 14 seconds, it is the longest track on the disc.
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Written by Alan Chase
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Thursday, 20 December 2007 |
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by Organism
Over the past several years, the organ
combo has made a remarkable resurgence, as young musicians find the
pared down format of keyboards, drums, sax and/or guitar conducive to
exploring a variety of sonic grooves and textures. Groups such as
Soulive; Medeski, Martin & Wood; Joshua Redman’s Elastic Band; and
Chris Potter’s Underground all offer a contemporary spin on an approach
originally popularized by such notables as Big John Patton, Brother
Jack McDuff, Babyface Willette, Larry Young and the legendary Jimmy
Smith.
Organism, a Boston-based quartet comprised of Steve Giannaros on
tenor sax, Brian Leccese on guitar, Pete McLean on drums and John Corda
on keyboards and left-hand bass, offers its take on this group sound
with “Sound Helmet,” a remarkable self-produced and self-released debut
recording that exudes a variety of pulsating grooves. Rendered by a
group that is comfortably tight as an ensemble, the disc highlights
some fine individual playing by each instrumentalist. The music, mostly
originals written by Corda and Leccese, is in a jazz-funk-Latin vein
that both offers a variety of tonal colors without sacrificing the core
grooves and serves as a starting point for exceptional solos from all
the group members.
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Written by Matt Kanner
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Wednesday, 24 October 2007 |
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by Elsa Cross
Only a handful of rockabilly acts have
reared their pomade-smothered heads on the Seacoast in recent years.
Satan’s Teardrops quickly pops to mind, as well as surf-oriented
thrashers Hotrod Fury. One-man rockabilly band Bloodshot Bill played a
memorable show at the Loaf and Ladle in Exeter a few years back, but
Southern New Hampshire has failed to maintain a strong rockabilly
presence.
So much the better for Elsa Cross, whose debut album,
“Unavailable,” digs deep into the rockabilly core to invoke the music’s
pioneering ancestors. Having played numerous live performances in the
Portsmouth area, Cross is set to unveil her first studio effort with a
CD release show at The Stone Church on Saturday, Oct. 27.
Cross’s influences include many obvious names—Elvis Presley,
Hank Williams Sr., Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Wayne
Hancock. Indeed, she has not roamed too far from the rootsy stylings of
her country/rockabilly forefathers. Her twangy guitar style and edgy
lyrics invoke all the gritty emotion of a true rockabilly soul,
complete with robust vocals and a western guitar twist that together
amount to a doggedly lonesome but resolutely independent style.
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Written by Matt Kanner
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Wednesday, 10 October 2007 |
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new disc on the way from Nat Baldwin
The atmosphere
within the cozy confines of The Red Door in Portsmouth was
claustrophobic on Monday night, as UK guitarist James Blackshaw
finger-picked a 12-string guitar. Guests crammed into the intimate
space, squeezing into leather sofas or standing along the walls, heads
nearly brushing the low ceilings. Blackshaw’s mesmerizing performance
set the ambience for what would be a memorable night of music.
Most guests came out to The Red Door on Oct. 8 to see the
closing act. As Blackshaw packed up his guitar, bassist/singer/composer
Nat Baldwin and a small ensemble of sidemen began setting up. Baldwin,
whose peculiar style has garnered him a devoted audience, kicked things
off with a solo performance of a brand new song—one so new, in fact,
that it is not included on his brand new album, “Most Valuable Player,”
which was available for sale at the show. The rest of the band joined
Baldwin as he transitioned into “Lake Erie,” the first track on the new
CD. As he intoned the lyrics and maneuvered his bow, he swayed in time
with his upright double bass, as if waltzing with a rotund woman.
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