Wrong Highway

Posted on: July 17, 2013 Posted by: wolffkurt Comments: 0

‘Oxyana’ soundtrack features Jonny Fritz, John McCauley

Alt-country artist Jonny Fritz (aka Jonny Corndawg) joined up with Deer Tick’s John McCauley to create a moody soundtrack for the documentary Oxyana, which is about the oxycontin epidemic in Appalachia. As the New Republic explains, Oxyana “seeks to capture the ravages of prescription drug addiction in Oceana, a town of 1,370 deep in impoverished coal country, not far from the Kentucky border.” And the film’s stark point of view didn’t go over…

Posted on: June 14, 2013 Posted by: wolffkurt Comments: 0

Video: Line of Fire

A song that’s been haunting me this year is “Line of Fire” by the Swedish group Junip. The band features singer/guitarist José González. Mesmerizing — I can’t stop playing it. The video for the song, is directed by Mikel Cee Karlsson. Watch it below: (Featured image at top is a video still that initially appeared on Trendland)

Posted on: June 14, 2013 Posted by: wolffkurt Comments: 0

Video: Foxygen “Shuggie”

There’s something smartassy about this band that almost makes you want to slap them. But I can’t stop listening to this song. Catchy and brilliant — like the most popular boy or girl in your class, you know that they know it, too. All that aside, though, Foxygen still is one of the best new bands I heard all year. Curious to hear more?

Posted on: April 19, 2013 Posted by: wolffkurt Comments: 0

John Grant to release followup to ‘Queen of Denmark’

Three years ago I had never heard the name John Grant. But that year, Mojo named his debut solo album Queen of Denmark their favorite of the year. And like a lot of people who read that review, I was at first puzzled. Then I listened, and based on the deeply personal songs, his haunting vocals, and the warm arrangements (he was backed on the album by the band Midlake),…

Posted on: February 11, 2013 Posted by: wolffkurt Comments: 0

Classic Songs: Bill Withers, ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’

Bill Withers wrote “Ain’t No Sunshine” and released it back in 1971 on his album Just As I Am. The song was a hit at the time (reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100), but since then, it’s taken on new life and found vast new audiences, thanks to many cover versions. Here’s a version of Bill and his band performing the song in 1972 that shows just a…

Posted on: April 2, 2012 Posted by: wolffkurt Comments: 2

The Songwriters: Gene Crysler

The other day I posted the album cover for Freddie Hart’s The Neon and the Rain. The title track is credited to Gene Crysler, whom I knew little about. Doing some digging, though, turns out he wrote some cool and unusual songs. Like this one, “I Didn’t Jump the Fence,” which has been cut by the likes of Red Sovine and Cal Smith: On the surface it’s an oddball song…

Posted on: March 28, 2012 Posted by: wolffkurt Comments: 0

Vintage Album Covers: Freddie Hart

Freddie Hart’s deeply dark “The Neon and the Rain”–the title track from his 1967 album–falls into the same homicidal category as Porter Wagoner’s classic “The Cold Hard Facts of Life.” Freddie covers the latter song on this album as well, though it’s hardly necessary. He’s already taken us down the deep hole with these opening lines: As I sit beneath the steerin’ wheel a gun in my right hand I…

Porter Wagoner, The Cold Hard Facts of Life

Posted on: March 12, 2012 Posted by: wolffkurt Comments: 0

Vintage Album Covers: Porter Wagoner

Porter produced some fantastic album covers during his heyday, and the image on the front of The Cold Hard Facts of Life is one of the all-time greats. If you don’t know the song, familiarize yourself with it now — it’s a gem: The website Atlanta Time Machine did a great story a few years back about finding the original location where the cover was shot.

Posted on: February 23, 2012 Posted by: wolffkurt Comments: 0

Billy Strange Has Raised His Hand and Asked to Leave the Room — R.I.P.

“This is the part of the song where Billy Strange raised his hand and asked if he could please leave the room.” (Lee Hazlewood, from his version of “These Boots Are Made for Walking.”) Bandleader/arranger/guitarist Billy Strange passed away yesterday (Wed., Feb. 22) at age 81. While not exactly a household name, in the music world he was a major player. And over the years, on his own and as…

darcys indie band aja steely dan tribute album LP

Posted on: January 25, 2012 Posted by: wolffkurt Comments: 0

Steely Dan “Aja” Tribute

“Sometimes vanilla just tastes so good.” A friend of mine (Nate Cavalieri) once said that. He was talking about a Steely Dan video he was sharing. I always remembered it, and thought it made perfect sense in relation to that band’s sort of uber-polished, borderline-bland, radio-friendly pop sound. Personally I’ve never fully settled on where I stand with Steely Dan. On one hand their sound is ubiquitous radio pop that’s…