BergALERT

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By Eric Berg

Vampire Weekend has graduated with full honors this time on their new third album, “Modern Vampires of the City”. What a huge and mature leap forward this is for the New York foursome who have created here 12 brilliant tracks of infectious pop rock. It’s a perfect summer album featuring one of the catchiest songs of the year “Ya Hey”. Very clever indeed.

VW’s music always had a college friendly appeal ever since they got together in 2007 at Columbia University. The band’s name was inspired by a vampire film lead singer Ezra Koenig had worked on in Cape Cod one summer. The group’s equally irresistible first two albums were a little long in the Paul Simon-Graceland department and hooked on a few too many campus romances. Now that the band is approaching their 30’s, they’ve jettisoned all that frat boy Cape Cod college party stuff and grown up on “Modern Vampires of the City”.  Nor is Koenig no longer denying his unabashed embracing of his inner Simon on several tracks,  “Unbelievers” and “Everlasting Arms”. And that’s a good thing.

A Big Step

A big step forward in VW’s maturity is in the romance relationship department. No longer writing about college loves, Koenig is taking a more realistic approach.  One of the strongest on “Modern Vampires” is “Hannah Hunt”, a song that sticks with you long after you’ve listened to it. An unattached couple goes on a road trip that starts in New York and winds up on a beach in Santa Barbara with all hopes of a romantic relationship dashed, as a Hannah, missing NYC, tears up a copy of the New York Times to start a camp fire.

Vampire Weekend, from left, Chris Baio, Rostam Batmanglij, Ezra Koenig, and Chris Thomson.

Gone are the guitar driven quasi-Afro pop beats that marked the previous two Vampire albums in favor of multi-layered keyboards and orchestra effects that give “Modern Vampires” an almost atmospheric film noir soundtrack feel to songs like “Hudson” and the fade out of  “Hannah Hunt”.  There’s even a prominent harpsichord that pops up on the album’s third track, “Step”.

Look Out Grammies!

Vampire Weekend deserves full credit for creating a cohesive and brilliant pop album. “Modern Vampires of The City” is simply irresistible. It’s one of the best albums of the year and no doubt will be a big winner at the next Grammy Awards.

MUSIC ALERT: VW makes its only Bay Area appearance at San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music Festival in Golden Gate Park this August 9-11, 2013.

WATCH A LIVE PERFORMANCE: Vampire Weekend performed a 12 song set from “Modern Vampires of the City” in Santa Monica recorded for NPR station KCRW on May 15th.

http://www.npr.org/event/music/184040955/vampire-weekend-live-in-concert

Meanwhile…

http://www.vampireweekend.com/

With some 30 solo albums to his credit, there’s one thing you can always count on when it comes to jazz guitarist John Scofield – don’t count on anything!  Scofield’s always going to do something completely new and different.  That what makes this guitarist so unique and fresh. Scofield’s always on the quest for new sounds and musical directions – be it straight ahead jazz, gospel-blues, funk-electronica or something that sounds downright close to rock and  roll – he’s a hell’uva slide player too!

John Scofield returns again to Santa Cruz’s Kuumbwa Jazz on Friday, June 21 at 7 and 9 pm (½ off admission for students at the 9 pm show). This time around Scofield is revisiting the funk-electronic grooves of his 2002’s “Uberjam” album released on Verve Records. For this evening, Scofield’s band features Andy Hess on bass, Tony Mason on drums and Avi Bortnick on guitar and electronics.  Bortnick was part of original “Uberjam” album band that also featured John Medeski and Karl Denson.

Hess and Bortnick both play on Scofield’s upcoming new release – “Uberjam Deux” to be released on July 2, 2013.  –Eric Berg

Check out:

Kuumbwa Jazz

John Scofield

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By Eric Berg

Creed Bratton when he’s not at the office.

It’s true. That weirdo old guy behind the glass sitting at his desk who’s supposed to be in charge quality control for the paper company on the long running comedy The Office, which had it’s final episode this May after 9 seasons.  Playing a sort of nonfiction version of himself with the same name, Creed Bratton has a running gag on the NBC hit that he used to be a rock star in the late 60’s and toured on the same bills with the likes of Cream and the Doors etc. etc. and his quirkiness is all cause by the drugs he took back in the day.

The Grass Roots

Bratton was the lead guitarist in the hits selling summer of love band, The Grass Roots. Although eventually that didn’t pan out,  Bratton never stopped playing music or writing songs through the ups and downs of his roller coaster career.

The Rubbermen

Creed Bratton has a band called the Rubbermen and he just released a sort of concept album called “Tell Me About It”.  It’s not your usual. The songs are grouped together as Acts 1-3 representing three stages of Bratton’s true life adventures and were slowly  released one act at time all through May. All three acts are on the “Tell Me About It’ album. Bratton says his new songs and his current tour is an audio biography of sorts mixed with music and comedy.

Creed when he was a Grass Root

Creed Comes to Moe’s Alley

So, is the Creed Bratton on “The Office”, the same guy in real life or just your normal everyday ex-rock musician? Get over to Moe’s Alley,  Sunday June 9th  and let Creed Bratton “tell you all about it”! I’ll file a report early next week and let you know.

For more on Bratton,  Rolling Stone online interviews him along with some very cool videos.  And be sure to check out Wallace (Santa Cruz Sentinel) Baine’s article on Bratton, June 6th.

Additional Links:

Creed Bratton: http://www.creedbratton.com/

The Grass Roots: http://the-grassroots.com/

“The Office”: http://www.nbc.com/the-office/

Moe’s Alley: http://moesalley.com/

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San Francisco based singer and electronica artist, Lila Rose is appearing Friday May 31^st at Kuumbwa Jazz at 8 pm  along with two other women led groups – both based in Santa Cruz – Marya Stark and feral fauna plus the burlesque troupe, The Santa Cruz Sirens. This multimedia evening of music and theater is a benefit on behalf of the Lotus Collaborative to raise awareness about women’s eating disorders and image problems in Santa Cruz County.

Heather Deardorf, vocalist and half of the Santa Cruz electronica duo, feral fauna, came by the KUSP studios and talked to me about the performers and the event while we played tracks from each of the three artists, so check out the above podcast.   -Eric Berg

Lila Rose – Marya Stark – feral fauna and the Santa Cruz Sirens – 8 pm Fri. May 31, Kuumbwa Jazz, Santa Cruz.  For complete details on the individual artists, and the event plus a video, click here.

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By Eric Berg

The lineup at this year’s Santa Cruz Blues Festival is one of the strongest in years thanks to a well balanced array of killer supporting acts – the real reason to get your butt down to Aptos Park this Memorial Day Weekend. Like these five:

photo by R.R.Rodriguez

Carolyn Wonderland – Saturday, May 25th

Opening Saturday’s blues fest is Austin guitarist and singer, Carolyn Wonderland, a true virtuoso on lap steel and slide guitar. No stranger to the Central Coast, Wonderland has been driving around this country with her band for a couple of decades  performing some amazing gigs on what seems like a endless tour. With six solo cds to her credit and countless appearances on other albums, Wonderland is not to be pigeonholed. Musically, she is a little bit of everything – blues, country, cajun, soul, a little jazz and sometimes  a few canciones en español.  Wonderland also plays  accordion, mandolin, keyboards, trumpet and lately, she’s been doing a bit of scat singing.

Jimmie Vaughn and the Tilt-a Whirl Band featuring Lou Ann Barton – Saturday, May 25th  

photo by El Ojo Photography

Another Austin guitarslinger, Jimmie Vaughn ( yes, he is Stevie Ray’s older brother) is not to be missed as he is the real deal live when freed from the confines of studio recording.  Sharing the stage is Vaughn’s longtime singing partner, Lou Anne Barton, from back in the day when both were founding members of The Fabulous Thunderbirds. The two of the are a blues vocal match made in heaven, with Barton being the more aggressive,  backed by Vaughn’s lyrical guitar playing and the tight knit rhythm section of the Tilt-a-Whirl Band. Vaughn is also a legend in car circles as a collector and designer of classic custom built 50′s cars.

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – Sunday, May 26th

Watch out for this pint sized stick of soul and R&B dynamite!  Sharon Jones used to be a prison guard and takes no guff from those from those in the crowd still sitting on their butts once she jumps out on stage fired up by horn section of the tighter than hell Dap-Kings. Jones and crew will get you up and jumping and begging for more. Be forewarned: Jones has been regularly observed singling out an audience member or two, inviting the them up on the stage for a dance lesson in soul grindin’, peppered with some of her expert “love” advice. Don’t say no to Miss Jones.

The James Hunter Six – Sunday, May 26th

“Blue Eyed Soul” may not be the best description of British singer and guitarist James Hunter, even if his voice does hint of Jackie Wilson. Hunter is far from retro. His songwriting has very unique modern R&B feel to it punctuated by short, tasty bursts of his guitar stretched out by the band’s knockout saxophone and keyboard players. Hot on the heels of his best album to date -  ‘Minute By Minute”, Hunter and his longtime band have been working with Dap-King Records producer Bosco Mann who has tightened the group up considerably and added more focus. At one time, singer Van Morrison supposedly said that Hunter has one of the greatest soul voices “that no one’s ever heard of”.  One of these days, everyone will have, but right now Hunter’s smokin’ hot and so is his band.

The California Honey Drops – Sunday, May 26th

Oakland’s CA Honey Drops is another one of those bands that are much better live than their three studio recordings hint and they are the perfect jump start for Sunday’s show. Voted the Bay Area’s “Best Soul/R&B band”, this five piece band led by front man, and trumpeter, Lech Wierzynski (yes – he was born in Poland) mixes it up with their own blend of old and new R&B, New Orleans Jazz, blues,  gospel and some of their own brassy material marked with a sense of humor and Wierzynski’s clever lyrics. The Drops just released a brand new studio album “Like You Mean It” and performed some of the songs live at Streetlight Records in  Santa Cruz this past Record Store Day, April 21st.

The 21st Annual Santa Cruz Blues Festival – Saturday May 25th & Sunday May 26th – 11 am-7 pm – Aptos Park in Aptos Village

For complete Blues Festival info -  http://www.santacruzbluesfestival.com

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Cover art for David Bowie’s ‘The Next Day’

It’s been a good ten years since David Bowie purposely removed himself from the public eye and disappeared back into the real world and went incognito. At age 66 the singer has surprised us all by roaring back to life out of nowhere with a superb new album “The Next Day”, the title song of which Bowie acknowledges his past but he’s telling you, despite the priest’s last rites,  he’s very much alive rocking in the present with an eye on the future: “…Here I am/Not quite dying/My body left to rot in a hollow tree/Its branches throwing shadows/On the gallows for me/And the next day/And the next/And another day”.

In 2004, Bowie suffered a massive heart attack and underwent major surgery followed by a lengthy recovery and self imposed vanishing act. Like a lot of musicians and artists now experiencing their senior years, Bowie has also gone down the road of introspection on “The Next Day” with many lyrical references to his past recordings, morality and what lies ahead. The jacket art, which Bowie had a hand in, pretty much spells it out with the album title on Post-It that’s stuck smack in the middle of a crossed out “Heroes” cover from 30 years ago. He’s no longer the young leather jacketed Bowie tipping his hand but a very present 66 yr Bowie who’s staring straight at you on the inside of the gate fold cover. There’s also a black mirror so you can look at yourself.

Joined by his longtime producer and musician cohort, Tony Visconti and a cast of top notch musicians including guitarist, Earl Slick, Bowie has crafted some of the finest songs of his 25 album career. All 14 tracks on “The Next Day” can proudly stand on their own, but it will take multiple listenings to appreciate and comprehend what’s going on here. Bowie’s writing has never been sharper. There are the expected couple of Bowie ballads, plenty of honking sax and soaring and crunching guitars that won’t disappoint.

That Bowie could disappear for ten years and then pop up out of nowhere with this master stroke of an album, is simply remarkable. “The Next Day” may hark back to elements of  mid-career Bowie albums       “Heroes”, “Lodger”, “Heathen” and “Reality”, it’s very much in the present and leaves a lasting, powerfully forward moving impression. - Eric Berg

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Photo: Courtesy of Johncolesphotography.com / theselecter.net

A bit lesser known than Madness, but with a number of memorable cuts under their belt, The Selector rears its head in Santa Cruz Thursday, 4/18 after performing at the Coachella Festival last week.

Saturday April 20th is Record Store Day- a reason to celebrate the joys of listening to music,  so go visit and support your local independent record shop for a day of live entertainment, free music goodies and limited edition collector’s vinyl lps and exclusive 45′s released just for Record Store Day only.  As far as I know there are only four record shops left  in the Monterey Bay Area -  Recycled Records and Vinyl Revolution in Monterey and Streetlight Records and Meta Vinyl in Santa Cruz. To find out what’s going on this Saturday at your local shop  wherever you live, go to http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home

In honor of Record Store Day,  I have posted a few of my record store road trip photos taken over the years across the USA. Unfortunately, I can’t find my collection of European  and Austin, Texas record shop photos. But what the heck, if you’ve seen documentary “Searching for Sugarman”, you already know that record stores, once you go inside,  look pretty much the same in most western countries.

Santa Cruz, California

 One of my favorite stores ever,  the little record store that could – and did – Cymbaline,  once located at Cedar and Union St.in Santa Cruz where Cafe Bene is located today. That’s the King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier and his brother Cleveland standing out front circa 1977/78.

Nashville, Tennessee

Tubb’s Record Shop on Music Row in downtown Nashville.

Inside Ernest Tubb’s Record Shop. That’s Tubb playing guitar.

Third Man Records, home to Jack White, the Greenhornes and many others.

You have to ring a buzzer to get inside Third Man.

Grimey’s Records is one of Nashville’s most famous. A great place for hard to find new and used vinyl.

Lawrenceburg, Tennessee

You seldom see stores like this anymore. Not only do the Weathers Bros sell vintage instruments, offer music lessons, there’s a small section of cds and records hidden in the back of the store.

Memphis, Tennessee

Ecko Record’s retail store. They also produce old school gospel records under their own label. Good place to find obscure disco records.

Inside Ecko Records. Note the bulletproof glass at the cashier’s window.

Holly Springs, Mississippi

Akei Pro’s Record Shop is a classic wreck. You can buy a used bike, Volvo parts and old soda machines but inside is a treasure trove of old lps and 45s – provided you can find them. It’s a wall to wall don’t miss mess.

All photos by Eric Berg

In loving memory of Rather Ripped Records, Berkeley, CA

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(People, Hell and Angels – the new posthumous album by Jimi Hendrix, culled from 12 unreleased tapes, was released March 5th, 2013. The above podcast is the short version of my review of this album that includes sample tracks. It aired Monday, March 11th. – EB@KUSP)

Almost 42 yrs have passed since Jimi Hendrix left this earth, but he’s still releasing mind blowing albums.  Fortunately for us, he was joined at the hip by a portable reel to reel tape recorder that he took everywhere 24/7 and made sure somebody was on hand to record  every idea and guitar note he ever played in and out of the studio. Hendrix left behind over 1,500 hours of unreleased tapes now stored in the Seattle family vaults.

Hendrix’s latest album from these tapes is “People, Hell and Angels” shows completely some new sides to this legendary rock guitarist who never played a song the same way twice. These are studio jams and nearly finished tracks with Hendrix and his musician buddies experimenting with new ideas while  getting to know each other, musically speaking. A few more familiar songs are heard in their embryonic stage.

The 12 song titles selected for this posthumous album were remixed by Hendrix longtime studio recording engineer and guitar effects genius, Eddie Kramer who painstaking stripped these tracks clean and brought them back to life making them sound if Hendrix had recorded them yesterday. The album’s excellent track by track liner notes are warmly written by Hendrix biographer, archivist  and album co- producer John McDermott.

SOUL SIDE

The album’s real revelation here is the R&B track “Let Me Love You” from 1969 that showcases a side of Hendrix  rarely heard and is joined by Lonnie Youngblood on sax and lead vocals.  At the end of the song Hendrix throws down some gritty Albert King licks.

The other is “Mojo Man” recorded in New York City when Hendrix was working on the “Dolly Dagger” sessions and used his friends the Allen Brothers as backup singers who were later known as the Ghetto Fighters. On this contemporary soul rocker, the lead vocals are by Albert Allen accompanied by a horn section and piano.

DID YOU HEAR THAT?!!

Thank god Hendrix never played anything the same way twice. That’s what makes these unreleased-until-now recordings so interesting and current is that on every track Hendrix pulls off some groundbreaking, awesome new guitar lick or head effect that you’ve never heard before. I call it the “Wow…did you just hear that?” factor.  Be it a an off the wall riff, a totally out of body solo, a new wah-wah effect, or a sharp 90 degree creative turn exploring fresh genres with blistering guitar talk on songs most folks never knew existed.

Just when you think there can’t possibly be any more Jimi Hendrix tapes left worth listening to and that the bottom of the Hendrix tape barrel has been scraped thoroughly clean, along comes “People, Hell and Angels” – disproves all that with its  many moments of ear candy revelations. If ever there was a time to rediscover and explore a another side of Jimi Hendrix beyond the purple haze, this album is it – even if I still can’t figure out what’s with the title.

–Eric Berg

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For over 40 years the uber sauve vocalist and very romantic songwriter, 67 yr old Bryan Ferry has crafted a slate of impeccable rock albums both solo and with his band Roxy Music. But this time Ferry has thrown us a surprise curve ball with his latest, The Jazz Age, featuring the 15 piece Bryan Ferry Jazz Orchestra (of which Ferry is not a participant) time traveling back to the music of the 1920′s.

Roxy Music Redux as Big Band Swing

Ferry’s concept for “Jazz Age” presents 13 instrumental only versions of his songs in and out of Roxy Music rearranged and recorded in the jazz style made popular during F.Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby era, circa 1922-1928 known as “The Roaring 20’s”. In that sense Ferry succeeds, but it would be too easy to dismiss this actually well executed endeavor, as some sort of curiosity or do I dare say “novelty” record.  After initial shock of what at first listen sounds like the soundtrack to an old black and white Mickey mouse cartoon wears off, take a break and listen again. Forget what the songs are, and just concentrate on how energetically precise all this 20’s jazz  cacophony really is, a genre that F.Scott Fizgerald coined “yellow cocktail music”.  Check out the syncopated wood blocks used in this jazz band’s arrangement of “Don’t Stop The Dance” played in the style Don Redman of the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra created in the 20’s called “Big Band Swing”.

Perfect “Yellow Cocktail Music”

Bryan Ferry has taken a huge creative chance with this album and no doubt more than a few spoil sports will add “bad career move”.  Like all Ferry albums before it, “The Jazz Age”  packaging is tastefully designed by Ferry (who at one time was an art teacher) and peppered with classy period art by Paul Colin, 1927 . The lo-fi audio is crystal clear mono and sounds just like a pristine 20’s-30’s shellac record with, thank god, no embellished fake scratchy needle sounds, pops, or skips. Not all that surprising, the thirteen songs Ferry has selected here make for perfect “yellow cocktail music”, like Roxy’s “The Bogus Man”.

The Bryan Ferry Orchestra’s The Jazz Age is an interesting and enjoyable concept but I doubt I will be listening to it on any regular basis as I prefer the original Roxy versions any day.  However, “Jazz Age” does make me want to dig out my Muggsy Spanier and Bix Beiderbecke albums and revisit this cultural era when popular music really did deliver a gay old time – with class. Just like Bryan Ferry. - Eric Berg

Read up on history of the Jazz Age era with this well written overview: http://www.neajazzintheschools.org/lesson2/index.php?uv=s

Bryan Ferry discusses his new album, “The Jazz Age”