blues rock | Musicosity

The Modfathers

Heavy Soul, the follow-up to the million-selling Stanley Road, saw Weller twist his sound again. The album was more raw than its predecessor; Weller was now frequently playing live in the studio in as few takes as possible.[citation needed] The first single "Peacock Suit" reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart, and the album reached No. 2. Success in the charts also came from compilations: "Best Of" albums by the Jam and the Style Council charted, and in 1998 his own solo collection Modern Classics was a substantial success.

In 2000, while living in Send, Surrey, he released his fifth solo studio album, Heliocentric. Once again finding himself without a record contract, Weller's Days of Speed worldwide tour provided him with the opportunity to view his works as one back catalogue, giving rise to a second successful live album in 2001. Days of Speed contained live acoustic versions from the world tour of the same name, including some of his best-known songs from his solo career and the back catalogues of his Jam and Style Council days.

There were rumours at the time that Heliocentric would be Weller's final studio effort, but these proved unfounded when he released the No. 1 hit album Illumination in September 2002. Co-produced by Noonday Underground's Simon Dine, it was preceded by yet another top 10 hit single "It's Written in the Stars". Weller also appears on the 2002 Noonday Underground album called Surface Noise, singing on the track "I'll Walk Right On".

In 2002, Weller collaborated with Terry Callier on the single "Brother to Brother", which featured on Callier's album Speak Your Peace. In 2003, Weller teamed up with electronic rock duo Death in Vegas on a cover of Gene Clark's "So You Say You Lost Your Baby", which featured on their Scorpio Rising album.

In 2004, Weller released an album of covers entitled Studio 150. It debuted at No. 2 in the UK charts and included Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" as well as covers of songs by Gil Scott-Heron, Rose Royce and Gordon Lightfoot, amongst others.

Weller's 2005 album As Is Now featured the singles "From the Floorboards Up", "Come On/Let's Go" and "Here's the Good News". The album was well-received, though critics noted that he was not moving his music forward stylistically,[14] and it became his lowest-charting album since his 1992 debut.

In February 2006 it was announced that Weller would be the latest recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BRIT Awards. Despite a tendency to shun such occasions, Weller accepted the award in person, and performed four songs at the ceremony, including the Jam's classic "Town Called Malice". In June 2006, another double live album titled Catch-Flame!, featuring songs from both his solo work and his career with the Jam and the Style Council, was released. In late 2006, the album Hit Parade was released, which collected all the singles released by the Jam, the Style Council and Weller during his solo career. Two versions of this album were released: a single disc with a selection from each stage of his career, and a four-disc limited edition, which included every single released and came with a 64-page booklet. Weller was offered appointment as a Commander of the Order of British Empire in the 2006 birthday honours, but rejected the offer.[15]

In 2007 Weller was guest vocalist on the album issue by the folk musical project the Imagined Village.

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The Radiators

One of the first major bands on the Irish punk rock scene, the Radiators fused the angry, upstart attitude of their peers with a tough, guitar-based attack and intelligent songwriting that would earn them a potent cult following both in Ireland and Great Britain. The Radiators were formed in 1976 when guitarist and singer Philip Chevron, who had been fronting a band of his own, met guitarist Pete Holidai after reading about Holidai's like-minded band Greta Garbage and the Trashcans in an Irish music paper. Chevron, Holidai, and one of Holidai's bandmates, vocalist Steve Rapid, began rehearsing together, and after the addition of bassist Mark Megaray and drummer Jimmy Crash, the new band toyed with several different names before christening themselves the Radiators from Space.

TV Tube Heart
The new group quickly began recording demo tapes of their material, and less than a week after they made their live debut opening for Eddie & the Hot Rods in Dublin on November 13, 1976, they signed with Chiswick Records, and their debut single, "Television Screen" b/w "Love Detective," was released in April 1977. The single went into the Irish Top 20, and Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy endorsed the band, but their luck took a turn for the worse when the Radiators from Space organized a punk rock festival at a college in Dublin; a fan was killed during a fight at the gig, and the publicity cost the band a number of major bookings, though they appeared on the bill at a massive open-air gig in August with Thin Lizzy, the Boomtown Rats, and Graham Parker & the Rumour. The Radiators from Space made plans to relocate to England, but Steve Rapid opted not to go, and Chevron took over as lead singer; both sang on the group's debut album, TV Tube Heart, which appeared in October 1977.

Ghostown
By this time, the band had streamlined their name to the Radiators and had signed a deal with CBS Records for Ireland. In 1978, the band started work on their second album with noted producer Tony Visconti at the controls; the group also added guitarist Bill Morley, who had been a member of Greta Garbage and the Trashcans. An early single from the Visconti sessions, "Million Dollar Hero," was well reviewed after it was released in April 1978, but it stalled in the charts, and the group's ambitious new material didn't click with fans at live shows, and the band stopped touring in England after a combative London gig at the end of October. It wasn't until August 1979 that the Radiators' long-completed second album, Ghostown, was finally released, and despite rave notices from critics, it didn't do well in the charts. By the time the album had finally appeared, Bill Morley and Mark Megaray had quit the Radiators, and rather than tour to support the disc, Chevron focused on writing and staging a musical, The Ha'Penny Place.

Rum, Sodomy & the Lash
The Radiators soldiered on for a bit, recording new material with producer Hans Zimmer, but while two singles were released in 1980 and the band toured Ireland for the first time in two years, tensions grew within the group, and shortly before releasing a farewell single, "Song of the Faithful Departed," in March 1981, the group announced their breakup. In 1985, Chevron joined Celtic folk-punks the Pogues in time for the recording of their breakthrough album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, and finally enjoyed the international success that had somehow avoided the Radiators. The Radiators reunited for a one-off show in 1987 to benefit a Dublin AIDS group, and the show was recorded for a cassette-only release, 1988's Dollar for Your Dreams. A new song from Chevron, "Under Clery's Clock," was debuted at the benefit show, and a studio recording was released as a single in early 1989; it was later added to a remastered reissue of Ghostown that appeared later the same year.

Alive-Alive-O!
In 1996, the same year the Pogues announced their breakup, a live Radiators album, Alive-Alive-O!, recorded at a London gig in February 1978, was issued. In 2004, the Radiators reunited for a handful of live shows and released a new EP. More shows followed in 2005, and the following year the group recorded a new album, Trouble Pilgrim, which was released in Ireland on October 20, 2006; it featured the group name the Radiators from Space, possibly to avoid confusion with the American roots rock act the Radiators. The album was issued in Great Britain in 2007.

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Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald (born February 12, 1952) is an American singer, keyboardist and songwriter known for his distinctive, soulful voice and as a member of the bands the Doobie Brothers (1975–1982, 1987, 2019–present) and Steely Dan (1973-1974). McDonald wrote and sang several hit singles with the Doobie Brothers, including "What a Fool Believes", "Minute by Minute", and "Takin' It to the Streets." McDonald has also performed as a prominent backing vocalist on numerous recordings by artists including Steely Dan, Christopher Cross, and Kenny Loggins.

McDonald's solo career consists of nine studio albums and a number of singles, including the 1982 hit "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)". During his career, McDonald has collaborated with a number of other artists, including James Ingram, David Cassidy, Van Halen, Patti LaBelle, Lee Ritenour, the Winans, Aretha Franklin, the rock band Toto,[2] Grizzly Bear,[3] Joni Mitchell, and Thundercat. He has also recorded for television and film soundtracks. McDonald is the recipient of five Grammy Awards, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Doobie Brothers in 2020.

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Persecution Blues

After a two-year stint living and working in Sydney, Van Dungen returned to Melbourne just as The Tote was celebrating its 21st anniversary. Van Dungen had already taken note of Melbourne’s vibrant live music scene, and hatched an idea to document various live music venues in their natural, thriving state. “Initially I thought it might be good to do a documentary on the Rainbow, which I used to go to, and which was threatening to close because of noise complaints,” Van Dungen says. “Then the next day I was going through the street press and realised it was The Tote’s 21st anniversary, so I thought I’d seize the moment and do some filming in The Tote.”

Van Dungen approached then-licensee Richie Ramone to film a Magic Dirt gig. “Richie said it was fine, as long as the venue didn’t have to do anything to set up,” Van Dungen says. Van Dungen gradually realised that, rather than a collage of Melbourne venues, she should concentrate on the legendary Tote. “I did a lot of research on The Tote, and started shooting bands and interviewing people,” Van Dungen says.

The original concept – a long-form documentary celebrating The Tote in all its festering rock ‘n’ roll glory – took a sharp turn when Bruce Milne announced that the venue would be forced to close in the face of Milne’s escalating debts. Van Dungen took her camera into The Tote to witness The Tote staff, past and present, come together to provide a suitable send-off. As a former Tote staff member herself, filming the last days and hours was a particularly emotional activity. “It was hard because I was pointing a camera at the staff as they went through it,” Van Dungen says. “It was hard watching the grief that went through the community. But I was hoping it would re-open, because there was so much grief going on, and it seemed wrong that The Tote was being taken away from this community,” she says.

But as the local music community grappled with the shock of The Tote’s impending closure, a rear guard action – in the form of the Save Live Australia’s Music (SLAM) community action movement – was being conceived. Van Dungen took her cameras to the SLAM Rally in January 2010, an outpouring of support for live music that took the state government by surprise. Having previously been given a distribution deal and the use of an edit suite by Madman, Van Dungen approached the ABC for funding support to finalise the documentary, now recalibrated to narrate the events leading up to, and immediately following The Tote’s closure.

The final product, Persecution Blues – named after the Powder Monkeys song featured on the wall of The Tote as a poetic tribute – premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival last month. “At the first screening I was looking out into the crowd and seeing all these familiar faces,” Van Dungen says. “Having spent seven years making it, it was tremendous to be able to share it – but it was also quite nerve-wracking!” she laughs.

Persecution Blues has now secured a feature run at the Cinema Nova in Carlton, with a DVD release slated for early 2012, shortly after the film is shown on ABC. “With the DVD I’d like to use as much footage as we can that didn’t appear on the final documentary,” Van Dungen says. “It’s pretty hard to cram 400 hours of film into 57 minutes, so there’s still a lot more to show.”

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Walter Trout Band

On his latest single “Waiting For The Dawn,” released today via Provogue/Mascot Label Group, the
iconic blues-rock guitarist Walter Trout urges fans – and himself – to stay strong, in light of all of the
challenges we’ve faced over the past few years. “There were times in this pandemic where I have sunk
into some pretty deep depressions, sitting around, wondering whether life has a point,” Trout recalls.
It’s the latest single from Trout’s new studio album ‘Ride,’ out August 19th. Written in his beloved and
often-missed home in Huntington Beach, California, the album is filled with pointed reflections from
Trout, informed by his decades of stardom in the blues world.
As long-standing Trout fans know, the Golden State has been the bluesman’s home for 47 years. Trout
joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers lineup in ’85, before embarking on an acclaimed solo career from ’89 onwards. But before that came

Photo by Austin Hargrave
his chaotic, self-destructive years as a jobbing lead guitarist, whether for
revered-but-tricky blues pioneers like John Lee Hooker and Big Mama Thornton, or an unhinged tenure
in an ’80s Canned Heat line-up controlled by the Hell’s Angels.

Trout’s well-documented excess in this era was darker than a young rock star cutting loose. It could all
be traced back to his troubled childhood in New Jersey, he explains, where an unstable stepfather –
himself the victim of shocking cruelty as a prisoner of war – was a terrifying presence. As 'Ride' took
form, such memories couldn’t help but flavor the music. “This album is obviously what I was going
through mentally and emotionally,” he considers. “All I did was express it. I spent a lot of time crying,
because I would dig down into my emotional core. I want my songs to have some sort of truth to them.”
Some memories that Trout examines on 'Ride' are long-distant but eternally poignant. Try the
deceptively upbeat title track, another song that began as a poem, recounting the locomotive that
rattled past his childhood home each night and enticed him to freight-hop to freedom. “That song is
about what it felt like to lay there in bed and dream about escaping on that train. I also wanted to
express that music has always been another sort of virtual escape for me.”
The stormy "Hey Mama" takes inspiration from the same period, with Trout debating whether his
trauma could have been averted. “I’m not pissed off with my mom and I love her memory,” he says,
“but my wife says, ‘Your mom probably could have done more to protect you from your stepdad’. Yeah,
maybe she could have. But it’s easy to say that looking back.”
Walter Trout is the beating heart of the modern blues rock scene. Respected by the old guard. Revered
by the young guns. Adored by the fans who shake his hand after the show each night, and after five
decades in the game, Trout remains a talismanic figure.
But, however fast or far a man travels, he can never truly outrun his past. On the new album he found
himself eyeing the horizon and the green shoots of his triumphant late career. There was a new record
deal with Mascot/Provogue. A temporary move from California to Denmark to be with his beloved
family. Even now, aged 70, Trout was still writing fresh chapters of his life story.
By now, Trout knows that nobody ever really leaves their old selves behind. But with 'Ride' providing an
emotional release-valve – both for its creator and his loyal listeners – perhaps this veteran artist can
reconcile with his past, accept his future and live in the present as it unfolds. “I think you can interpret
this album title a few different ways,” he concludes. “I mean, this album is definitely a musical ride and I
certainly tried to cover a lot of ground. But, really, life is kind of a ride too, isn’t it? And I want to live
mine to the fullest.”

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The Regnans

Hailing from the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, The Regnans are an explosive, captivating band that blends funk, blues and rock to deliver an electrifying experience - and are excited to bring a new headline show to The Workers Club in October.

Consisting of Hamish Warner (Vocals), Zac Annal (Guitar), Angus Williamson (Bass) and Josh Buchanan (Drums), The Regnans have the potential to carve an incredible future in the music industry.

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funk

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Art vs Science

Beloved Sydney electronic dance band Art vs Science release their long-awaited new album ‘Big Overdrive’. The vibe-packed record, written and recorded over the past decade includes their recent dancefloor ready single ‘I Saw You’, ARIA club hit ‘SWEAT’ produced by Kim Moyes (The Presets) and their new single ‘Check The Boombox’, which was produced by Dan McNamee and Dan Williams. Rich in melodies, synth stabs and classic Art vs Science experimentation, ‘Big Overdrive’ is a collection of songs that captures the heights of the trio as a groundbreaking alternative dance band, pushing musical boundaries with crafted multi-layered bangers.

Sonically ‘Big Overdrive’ lives and breathes in a way that can be played live to an intimate club audience or to a festival crowd. It’s also a celebration of the band’s longevity performing together for fifteen years. The music was recorded in studios all around Sydney, with a heavy emphasis on DIY. The bulk of the album was tracked at Dan Mac’s parents’ old place in Dural, in a sweaty hotbox near the attic, using a handful of microphones and a bucketload of vibe!

“In the course of selecting the music for this long awaited album, some of these rare sessions were uncovered, and the joy and fun embedded within were plain to hear. Of course, lots of love and expertise came from actual outside experts such as Kim Moyes (The Presets), Alex Gooden (Mix Engineer, SAFIA), Sam Ford (Tone City Records), Joe La Porta (Mastering, Sterling Sound), and Guy Davies (Mastering, Electric Mastering).”
Art vs Science.

Festival ready single “I Saw You” explores a quiet-verse loud-chorus dynamic, with soaring synths and thumping drums. New single “Check The Boombox” was recorded at a friend’s house in Wilsons Creek in the Blue Mountains near Sydney. A full arsenal of old stereo equalisers, a terrible mixing desk, and dusty guitar amplifiers went into this track. “The cost of producing this track was keeping a black and white cat fed and entertained, and lugging the gear from Bondi in a hired Goget van.”

“How 2 Stay High” was recorded in one session at Dan Mac’s house in Thirroul, whilst “Sweat” saw the band recruit Kim Moyes from The Presets to beef up and bangify. “Joe La Porta was enlisted to give SWEAT its beautiful sheen and thump, while Guy Davies was chosen to make DANCE the most thumping it could be” Art vs Science

Dan Mac produced many of the tracks on ‘Big Overdrive’; finding weird locations and setting up mics in bedrooms and kitchens to capture Dan W’s epic drum performances. Jim as always provided the solid synth bass lines and creative counterpoint that makes the band more than the sum of its parts.

“Big Overdrive is a celebration of jamming and making music which is fun, different and experimental. It’s a collection of tracks written over most of the band’s lifespan, with an emphasis on songs which we think are beautiful in their weirdness. The themes of the songs span love, loss, exuberance, life, death and passion. And dancing.” Art vs Science

Since 2008 Art vs Science has been widely acclaimed for their dynamic live performances and energy on stage. With their insistence on playing everything 100% “live” weaving intricate dance arpeggios – played by human hands – with real drums, real presence, and a bass sound that is uniquely their own. Dan Mac, Dan W and Jim Finn’s clear musicality is empowered by a collection of random keyboards plugged into huge guitar amplifiers and pedals which inspired one critic to call them “AC/DC with keyboards”.

They’ve performed at nearly every major Australian music festival including: Falls Festival, Splendour in the Grass, Bass in the Grass, Parklife, Good Vibrations, Big Day Out, and a range of boutique festivals such as Festival of The Sun, St Kilda Festival, Caloundra Music Festival, Wine Machine, Red Deer Fest, NYE On The Hill, The Great Australian Beer Fest, The Bacardi Express and Mountain Sounds. Art vs Science also performed at the Keep Sydney Open rally in 2016 and has supported Groove Armada and The Chemical Brothers.

Peaking at #2 on the ARIA charts, their album “The Experiment” won an ARIA for Best Independent Album in 2011. They currently have over 136K Spotify monthly listeners including 4.9million streams for their ubiquitous hit ‘Parlez Vous Francais’, 2.3million plays on Apple and over 7millon views on Youtube.

Art vs Science will be returning to the festival stage playing at the Caloundra Music Festival on Friday, 30 September, and Wine Machine, along with Flight Facilities, Lime Cordiale, Masked Wolf, San Cisco and many others in December!

ART VS SCIENCE TOUR DATES
Friday 30 September, Caloundra Music Festival, Queensland Tickets
Saturday, 17 December, Wine Machine, McLaren Vale, South Australia Tickets

“Stoked to be playing at the Caloundra Music Festival again this year. Had a ball at the 2017 one. Also keen as beans for another round of Wine Machine, this time in South Australia. Psyched!”
Art vs Science

PRAISE FOR ART VS SCIENCE

Art vs Science – The Experiment album – 200 Greatest Australian Albums Of All Time – Honorable Mentions List
ROLLING STONE AUSTRALIA

“It’s easy to tell why crowds love these boys. Their music is laced with happiness: it’s addictive, plus their live shows involve inflatable penguins!”
MUSIC FEEDS

“Unlike most hyped-up artists, this claim wasn’t far from the truth, with singles like ‘Magic Fountain’ and their debut album, The Experiment, going on to cement the band as household names in no time.”
TONE DEAF

“The Sydney trio’s new tune is definitely larger than their previous stuff, with their signature, fast-paced synth blending super nicely with rolling piano chords, bouncy vocals and hectic drum work.”
PILERATS

“Art vs Science have always been capable of producing – an album that is sharp, full of confidence and great musical execution.”
AU REVIEW

ART VS SCIENCE are:
Jim Finn (vocals, keyboard)
Dan McNamee (vocals, guitars, keyboard)
Dan Williams (vocals, drums)

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Little House Godz

Original Australian Rock & Blues from Songwriter and Musician Ross Percy, with John Coupe on bass, and Rohan Way on drums.

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Joni Mitchell

Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell CC (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her starkly personal lyrics and unconventional compositions, which grew to incorporate pop and jazz influences.[1] She has received many accolades, including ten Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Rolling Stone called her "one of the greatest songwriters ever",[2] and AllMusic has stated, "When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century".[1]

Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and throughout western Canada, before moving on to the nightclubs of Toronto, Ontario. She moved to the United States and began touring in 1965. Some of her original songs ("Urge for Going", "Chelsea Morning", "Both Sides, Now", "The Circle Game") were recorded by other folk singers, allowing her to sign with Reprise Records and record her debut album, Song to a Seagull, in 1968.[3] Settling in Southern California, Mitchell helped define an era and a generation with popular songs like "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Woodstock". Her 1971 album Blue is often cited as one of the best albums of all time; it was rated the 30th best album ever made in Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time",[4] rising to number 3 in the 2020 edition.[5] In 2000, The New York Times chose Blue as one of the 25 albums that represented "turning points and pinnacles in 20th-century popular music".[6] NPR ranked Blue number 1 on a 2017 list of Greatest Albums Made By Women.[7]

Mitchell switched labels and began exploring more jazz-influenced ideas, by way of lush pop textures, on 1974's Court and Spark, which featured the radio hits "Help Me" and "Free Man in Paris"[8] and became her best-selling album. Mitchell's vocal range began to shift from mezzo-soprano to more of a wide-ranging contralto around 1975.[9][10][11] Her distinctive piano and open-tuned guitar compositions also grew more harmonically and rhythmically complex as she melded jazz with rock and roll, R&B, classical music and non-Western beats. In the late 1970s, she began working with noted jazz musicians including Jaco Pastorius, Tom Scott, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Pat Metheny as well as Charles Mingus, who asked her to collaborate on his final recordings.[12] She later turned to pop and electronic music and engaged in political protest. She was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in 2002[13] and became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2021.[14]

Mitchell produced or co-produced most of her albums. A critic of the music industry, she quit touring and released her 17th and last album of original songs in 2007. Mitchell has designed most of her own album covers, describing herself as a "painter derailed by circumstance".

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Dane Blacklock and the Preacher's Daughter

Dane Blacklock moved to Melbourne in 2010 and immediately fell in with a bad crowd. Those unwashed miscreants from the wrong side of the tracks that were up to no good. They were into pre-marital sex, illicit substances and rock and roll music. Dane began frequenting live music venues where he was exposed to a host of grimy, rough, blues and country artists. His poor innocent mind was never the same. Soon he was practicing guitar, and 'jamming' with other would be musicians, he formed rock and roll 'groups' with his friends, first Golgotha Motel, a rough and ready savage little enterprise, then the later more refined evolution, Dane Blacklock and the Preacher's Daughter, who together created a kind of doom-folk grime blues hootenanny sound. They played around the Fitzroy and Collingwood area in dive bars of low moral calibre. Now after years of fraternising, dallying, drinking alcoholic beverages, playing music, and other dangerous behaviour, Dane plays with the Preacher's Daughter ...

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