As I think of Rival Sons I cannot help but smile with absolute and pure delight. I find them exciting, fascinating and completely thrilling. When I first heard that there was to be a fourth record I knew straight away just how superb it was going to be. As I sit here now with their new album ‘Head Down’ I can tell you I am absolutely ecstatic and thrilled by this record. ‘Head Down’ is such a highly anticipated album - raw and powerful. Miley, Jay, Robin and Scott have completely hit the nail on the head. They have created fantastic musical landscapes in songs like ‘Nava’, and ‘Manifest Destiny pt 1’. The use of bird song, combined with Scott’s guitar work on this track is simply stunning. The guys give us pure full on rock ‘n’roll tracks such as ‘Keep on Swinging’, ‘All The Way’ & ‘The Heist’. We also have positively gorgeous ballads such as ‘True’, and ‘Jordan’ which I am not ashamed to say makes me cry every time. There are so many aspects to this record, you can break down each song and find a million different things to listen to. The musical synergy between the guys is immense and such a great thing to hear. The more I listen to this record the more I realise that now in 2012 we are here, at the start of something really special. I feel that in many years to come I will be looking back at this time, with my Rival Sons LP’s in hand with a smile on my face and memories about the good ol' days when I was watching these guys in small and intimate venues. It will happen. So buckle up, because this is gonna be one hell of a ride! The first track ‘Keep on Swinging’ is the inspiration for the album title ‘Head Down’. The lyrics were taken from this song, but they also state exactly where the band is at this point in time. In the first lyrics of the song Jay belts out “One day my prayers are gonna be answered, for so long, I’ve been hungry for something else, there’s a will, there’s way, I work hard because at the end of the day the lord helps those, that help themselves” as he breaks into the chorus “Keep my head down, gotta keep on swinging’. This is a song laced to the nines with pure unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll. Yet where the album is concerned it barely scratches the surface of what ‘Head Down’ in its entirety has to offer. ‘Wild Animal’ has a slightly different feel about it, softer in a way; I think Jay’s vocals bring a velvet tone to the track as you can hear the smoothness in his voice. Robin’s bass line follows the melody of the guitar and rhythm of the drums, with some really interesting tones. I find that I can hear each of the guys show a lot of self-expression, not only within this song but throughout the entire album. My favourite thing so far about ‘Head Down’ is the feel of it. It’s fair enough to dissect it and look at the musicality of the guys as a band and individual musicians, but it’s how it makes me feel that is important. ‘Head Down’ is such a big step ahead from its predecessor ‘Pressure and Time’ if this is how much they can grow in a year, imagine the next five years! Rival Sons are a breath of fresh air and are rock ‘n’ roll to the core. ‘Run From Revelation’ starts off quite hard and heavy before relaxing into a slow swagger, the bass weaves in and out between the vocals and drums in quite an elegant manner. I find it very enticing as it saunters along smoothly and seductively. The guitar melody is juicy as hell, while the drums are mouth wateringly tasty. Miley has a fantastic style of playing and is very quickly becoming one of my favourite drummers by far. To quote my daughter Amber-Rose as she heard it for the first time “I love it!!!!” ‘Jordan’ is a beautifully calming song, like waves against the sand on a quiet sunny morning. It’s like your mother embracing you as a child and for that moment, you know that you are going to be completely safe. The Lyrics are divine and the softness of Jay’s voice brings such warmth to the song. ‘Jordan’ is incredibly touching with its words. You can feel the story. Jay’s vocals are emotive and alluring. Some of the effects that Scott uses at the peak of the track are immense and provide the perfect soothing atmosphere. ‘All The Way’ is a stand out track for me. I love the energy and the way Jay tells us “We found our focus and we found our steam, rest of our lives this time we’re gonna fight for this dream, this time we’re going all the way’ A brilliantly written blues track in perfect Rival Sons fashion with their hunger and their appetite ever present. Another track that stands out to me is ‘Nava’. It’s an instrumental track that to me is quite euphoric as the bird song plays quietly in the back ground to a wonderfully played and written guitar melody that I can only describe as sounding like pure beauty living in complete harmony with the rest of the world. Rival Sons live to keep their music dangerous, visceral, and honest. ‘Head Down’ is nothing short of an amazing record that achieves exactly this. As Scott says “Rock and Roll can’t be over-thought, and if it is, it loses its immediacy and instinct … it needs to be a knife fight, not a knife dance.” That is exactly what this record achieves. There is no doubt in my mind that ‘Head Down’ is a definite turning point. ‘Head Down’ is Rival Sons at their best, and a much more intricate and detailed album than ‘Pressure & Time’. In its making anybody who wasn’t paying attention before, will be now. Rival Sons are definitely going all the way. Rival Sons give 'An Introduction' to Head Down:
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It’s been a while since The Peckham Cowboys rocked the crowd at Cat Scratch Fever back in March. However they are back in the saddle and riding again, this time at the 12-Bar Club in Soho. Excited to finally see them live I embarked on the 12 Bar to be greeted by the captivating sound of Brijitte West. It was an acoustic set and I was drawn in by her attitude and her obvious appetite for the music. As Brijitte belted out ‘Don’t Know How to Be Good’ the crowd were in awe as they swayed in time. Brijitte said to the crowd “This song is written about a photograph” as she played ‘Pretty Suicide’ - a melodic punk track that got everyone moving. A great start to the night. Main support came from London based punk infused rock ‘n’ rollers - The Gasoline Queens. Having heard quite a few good words on the grapevine about these guys I was really keen to see what they had to offer. Nigel on vocals was full of energy as they leapt into Dogs D’amour cover ‘Last Bandit’. The crowd loved it and The Gasoline Queens definitely did the song justice. As the band belted out track after track they had a great energy about them. Nigel shouts out to the crowd “This is our goth song” as ‘I see you’ starts to a roar of applause from the audience. The Gasoline Queens have quite a punk sound about them with tones of blues woven throughout each track. For me the highlight of their set was when Texas Terri accompanied them on stage for a brilliant rendition of ‘Dead Flowers’ - at this point the band really came alive while the crowd lapped up every moment. Next up, was the main event - The Peckham Cowboys. With their very own brand of down trodden blues, I couldn’t help but feel excited as Guy Bailey, Marc Eden and Dale Hodgkinson took to the stage dressed to kill and kicked off the night with ‘South London Thing’. As they stride into the track, full of swagger, the crowd were captivated and eating out of the palm of their hand within minutes. Marc’s dirty and lingering vocals along with the sexy sway of the blues guitar ooze charisma and dare I say it – Sex! It doesn’t stop there as they glide their way into ‘A Week in Larache’ - One thing that really appeals to me about The Peckham Cowboys is their ability to just jam out a track, they are amazing to watch live and I find it hard to take my eyes off them. You can really see how much fun they have just playing together, and that is what I love about this band, the pure unadulterated passion for the music. It’s hard to harness, yet The Peckham Cowboys seem to achieve this effortlessly. As ‘She Do The Twist and Twirl’ starts with that really heavy bass line and distorted guitars no-one in the crowd was still, as Guy Bailey and Dale rock out a groove so fine that you can’t deny just how mesmerising this band is to see.
My favourite track was next - ‘Crackhouse Blues’. It has a very slow and sexy rhythm to it as Guy plays a fantastic euphonious riff that is captivating to say the least. Dale is passionate as he jams away and between them both they have created a brilliant sound, filled with distortion and personality. The Peckham Cowboys are one of a kind for their time, and not only do they pull off this spectacular sound in a studio; live they are magnified and magnificent. The crowd were left literally reeling for more as The Peckham Cowboys left the stage and rode off into the night. If you get a chance to see these boys do their south London thing anywhere near you, then don’t miss it! They are a treasure to behold! Set List: 1) South London Thing 2) A Week in Larache 3) Ain’t That Somethin’ 4) She Do The Twist And Twirl 5) Crackhouse Blues 6) Rock ‘n’ Roll Star From the second I clapped ears on Saint Jude they have astounded me. Constantly fascinated by them, I was instantly drawn to their music. Saint Jude are a force of nature and with Lynne Jackaman at the helm guiding them to new and dizzying heights, I think we have a lot to look forward to. Although they have been tucked away tight, writing and recording for their second album, soulful songstress Lynne stole herself away long enough to meet me for a chat and a cider in the clutches of Soho to discuss the new album, family, friends and of course music. Lynne has an incredible vocal talent, not surprisingly she started singing at quite a young age. Lynne tells me; “I always, always loved music, I’d go to boot fairs with my dad. And we’d pick up old vinyl. I’m not ashamed to say, it could be anything from The Carpenters - I think she has a beautiful voice. Right through to Led Zeppelin, to Julie London, or Peggy Lee & Ella Fitzgerald. So it’s just singers; I love crooners.” “At one point I was getting classical guitar lessons from the age of about 10, I used to drive my tutor mad because I just thought this is alright, and it’s nice but it’s just scales, it was classical and I was really, really bored. I used to go in and just annoy him with my singing. He was going around working men’s clubs at the time. When I was about 13 -14, I used to do some writing and recording with him in his studio and I said ‘I should come out with you’ you know to have a female singer. He was like ‘OK, OK,’ so from about the age of 13-14 up until 16 I went out 3 nights a week and was just doing working man’s clubs. I was out Friday, Saturday, Sunday out gigging, then spending that money on records, and if I stayed in I would play my favourite records and just try and hit the notes that they hit, and annoy the fuck out of my parents basically. My Dad had an amazing Motown collection, as well as others, just all of it you know.” “I’m a twin so it all really astounds me because I kind of think it’s all really odd, coming into this world together, and she could have gotten the voice.” I asked Lynne if her sister was as vocally gifted. “My sister, no she can’t really sing, she can draw she is really artistic. I admire her; the best thing I can draw is two circles for a cat and a stick man, that’s me! “I often think, well, she could have got the voice, so I feel really lucky, there are ups and downs with this line of work but at least it is within the bounds of something I love.” Speaking of things you love, I asked Lynne if she could divulge any information about the new album. “Yeah, so this is the thing. People have been asking ‘When is the next album?’ in a very nice way, but this is a great opportunity, because essentially for me it’s about being an artist, if you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no-one. So you just have to do what you do, and hope that people love it. And if they don’t love what you do, there will be other artists out there for their tastes.” “In regards to the new album, I really want to get things in place, and I really want to make sure that this next release is very much about the songs and something that takes it to the next level, because there’s been a lot of blood sweat and tears over the years to get it this far, and I don’t want to spend my energy wallowing on that. It’s time to move forward now, to diversify, because there are a lot of different aspects to my voice. I love Blues, I love Soul, I love Jazz and I love Rock, so it would be nice to make an album that shows the diversity of that, it’s all very exciting!" So where would you be drawing inspiration from for this album? I asked Lynne. “I have got so, so many stories to tell now, all this time that’s been evolving between the last album and this has just been my life, so that’s why I want the next album to be, well, the stories about what you don’t get to see. The stories you don’t get to hear, and hopefully the fans will get an understanding from the stories and lyrics on the album.” ‘Diary of a Soul Fiend’ to me, is an album of beautifully woven music, intricate and delicate; as well as fierce. Lynne reflects on the making of that record. “When ‘Diary of a Soul Fiend’ was written, we went to the states for three months; we went out to the states thinking that we had the whole album down. We were cocky and like ‘WOO HOO! We’re going to America for three months and we’re going to Nashville, Kentucky to cut a record and live it up’. We ended up pretty much only writing half of the album out there, the thing is that it’s never completed until it’s recorded and pressed.” “I’m just trying to write great songs, just trying to come up with something. I don’t want to let either myself or our fans down, our fans are amazing. There are going to be differences on the second album, because I don’t want to make a sequel of ‘Diary of a Soul Fiend’.” An important aspect of an artist is to constantly re-evaluate, evolve; a band might grow dull if they keep trying to sound the same. I agreed with Lynne that of course the evolution of a band over time is vital. “Yes, I’d also like to maybe spin some surprises on people too.” Lynne laughs, “I can sing high notes and I can sing rock, but I can do a lot of really soulful low stuff as well, I have a massive range. So for me it would be nice to try different techniques too. I think it is going to be a much more mature record.” Saint Jude have received such an exuberant fan base over the years and Lynne spoke to me about how grateful they are to be so lucky and have that support. “If you remember we did that mini tour last year, and the whole point of that tour was to say to our fans; we haven’t disappeared and this is our headline tour, it’s only four dates but it was like working as a team, and wanting to say to our fans, you know, we’re here and thank you.” “In today’s climate, everyone knows it’s tough out there. If you’re trying to do something of your own, and be musical, it’s a long slog and you have to really love it, it’s amazing just the amount of people that turned up. The Scala was just rammed, completely sold out!” “We went up to Birmingham and it was a really rainy Sunday night, and you remember Chelle, we did this tour a week before Christmas, and it was a fantastic tour, the crowd were fantastic.” Knowing just how much Saint Jude fans are looking forward to the new record, I asked Lynne roughly when they would expect the record to be released. “Just when it’s ready, it’s very difficult to put a date on it.” Lynne said “The quality has to be the deadline. However, it will be this year, and as soon as we can, but it has to feel right, and when that happens we’ll know it’s finished.” “Once you release a record, you live with it for the rest of your life, and the demand for it is lovely and I hope that the gigs that we have coming up satisfy their need for that. We are writing all the time and we are doing it as quickly as we can but I’m not going to sacrifice quality for that; hopefully people don’t mind waiting for it to come out.” Have you thought of any possible album names? “I like albums where not only does each song have a story, but the album has a concept too. So you know track 1 through to track 10, there’s a line, a story - I think that’s what I would quite like to achieve. I don’t know if that’s what we’ll end up doing, things change all the time, that’s the beauty of creativity and I don’t want to put a stamp on it. Something else might come along, and things grow in the space that you leave for it, so that’s my relationship with it. I don’t know what we’ll call it yet, it will probably be something quite different to ‘Diary of a Soul Fiend’ the amount of times it’s been called ‘Dairy of a Soul Friend’.” Lynne laughs. “I’m like some kind of milk maid or something.” Lynne continues laughing – “Some devilish milk maid.” How many tracks do you have down for the record at the moment?
“Oh god, well the thing is what we do for an album is, that we just way over shoot it, we write as many songs as we can. Ideally it will be great to go in with 25 brilliant songs and see which ones make the recording.” You played some new songs at the Scala gig in December didn’t you? I asked Lynne. I don’t remember the names I think it was two tracks you played. Will they be on the album? They were really good. “Yeah, they are definitely contestants as I sit here today, but you know if I end up having some sort of moment then maybe not. I love those tracks and they have had the ‘live’ test! There are lots more songs that I won’t be playing out live before we make the record, as I don’t people to have heard too much from the album.” Lynne teases. “I know I’m not giving away too much about the album, we are just deep down writing, I don’t want to say something as not even I know exactly what it is going to be yet, and it’s in a good place. I would like to get across the point that we wouldn’t even be where we are literally without our fans and their patience. Their love, their support it always empowers me to be honest.” Since it would ruin the surprise to divulge too much about the new record, I asked Lynne about the work she did with The Answer on ‘Nowhere Freeway’. As you may remember from my interview with Cormac and Micky I asked them what it was like to work with Lynne, so I thought only right to get Lynne’s perspective on being part of such a fantastic song and how it all came about. “Jesus, ha-ha, I think there was an introduction done by their manager. Cormac and I chatted, him being the main song writer in The Answer and kind of the band leader, and me being the same in Saint Jude, I think there was a coming together of minds. They asked me if I wanted to come along, as there was a track for the album with space to obviously do something a little different. Which I find commendable, after a while that’s going to bring a really different dynamic to it and I have kind of been offered things before, but for some reason, with them it just felt right.” Lynne laughs. “So they got me in the studio, it was in North London and it was really nice. It was a really great experience. I went down. It was only Cormac there, I think the boys were up north and we just worked on it and worked on it and then I did my verse and it was all kind of my mid to low range, kind of thing and obviously people know that I can go higher and I think Cormac was sitting there, thinking ‘when is that coming, when is that coming’ but it’s difficult when you’re singing on someone else’s track. I wasn’t sure, and it’s almost like you have to feel your own way, I didn’t just want to suddenly take over, we have to complement each other, and also I was very respectful of the fact that it is their band, it’s their song. We got towards the end and we were just trying different things out and it just came, even I don’t know how I hit that note, very, very odd. And I actually had a sore throat that day so I was sitting there with all my herbs going ‘I don’t feel very well’ so it was yeah, it was great; I was very, very flattered. The biggest thing that I respect about The Answer is that they are so hard working you know the real deal in that way. Always touring, always thinking about the next album, it’s great, I just didn’t see any negative in doing it. It was a fantastic experience.” As well as doing the second album Saint Jude have also been confirmed to play download. Lynne tells me about what they have planned. “Did you come to the gig at The Hard Rock?” Yeah I was there it was so great to see you guys in that environment. “Download is gonna be more like that. It’s an acoustic set in the Jager tent. It’s gonna be intense, but it will obviously not be as loud as an electric set, but I love doing acoustic. We are really looking forward to it.” I think that will be quite nice, because the gig at The Hard Rock was quite limited, tickets wise as it was a showcase, so people will get a chance to see you on a bigger scale do an acoustic set. “Well, that’s what’s going to be nice about Download; you know you’ve got the main stage which is where the music is all electric. I especially really enjoy acoustic, I think that also as we aren’t doing loads of gigs right now, if I’m going to do less I would rather give more and I think that when you’re in those intimate surroundings, people really feel that you are singing to them. It’s so funny how you sit down with a song like ‘Angel’ and you write them as its particularly close to me and you get fans come up after gigs and they tell the stories - how they have lost a child or how this has happened, and they listen to ‘Angel’ every day and it just gets them through. You never thought when you sat down to write that it would have that effect on people. Life throws things at you and it’s not what happens to you, it’s the way you deal with it.” Saint Jude are going strong. Their highly anticipated second album is in the works and the Download Festival swiftly approaching on the horizon, the sky is the limit for this band of incredibly talented musicians. I can’t thank Lynne enough for meeting with me today; we have had a fantastic chat which has been very enlightening as well as emotional. I know Saint Jude will be a name on our lips for many years to come, and I am very excited to hear and see what the next instalment of their story will bring. From the very beginning Bob Wayne knew that he wanted a life on the road, to play his music and share it with as many people as possible.
He started his career without an agent, manager, record label, proper touring vehicle, or full-time backing band. He picked up and moved from the Pacific Northwest to Nashville and was instantly embraced by the community of underbelly outlaws whose stripped down and straightforward country cuts through the mainstream noise and pop pretenders. “You can’t rely on waiting around,” Bob insists. “You just go. That’s what I do. I’m just going to keep doing it.” ‘Till The Wheels Fall Off’ shows us a great reflection of Bob’s personality and outlook on life. It is filled with fun and frolics, not to mention an outstanding lust for life! Bob has the ability to sit you down and create a story in your mind through his music. A fantastic conjurer of imagery, this album is a wonderful collection of stories, some with elements of real life, some written purely for entertainment. ‘Hunger in My Soul’ is one of my favourite tracks among others. I love the rhythm of the bass in this track. It tells a great story and is most definitely a stellar example of Bob Wayne at his best. In fact, I can’t fault one track on here. The quality of the musicianship is so high and goes to show that you can play Country and rock at the same time. This entire record is oozing charisma and talent. Definitely Country,‘Till The Wheels Fall Off’ has a kind of swagger that only Bob Wayne could pull off. The album is laced with profanity which you don’t often get on a typical Country album, and shows us the rebel that Bob is, and that he isn’t afraid to just be himself. This latest offering has Bob’s own rebellious and ‘fuck you if you can’t take a joke’ stamp on it and I for one, love it! This outlaw is making waves within the industry and his direct approach is striking a chord amongst music fans across the genres. Bob’s songs, although a little ‘sweary’ at times are written with the utmost passion and is Country music at it’s most raw. ‘Till The Wheels Fall Off’ is an album that will make you happy, it might make you sad, it will make you dance, but most of all it will make you smile. Not to be missed! If you fancy getting in on the action that is Bob Wayne, he has been barnstorming his way across Europe and is playing a few dates in the UK (yes, they let him in this time) so be sure not to miss out and make sure you book your tickets pronto! 04-06-2012: Stamford (UK) @ Voodoo Lounge 05-06-2012: London (UK) @ Borderline 06-06-2012: Nottingham (UK) @ The Navigation 07-06-2012: Manchester (UK) @ Roadhouse Gasoline Thrill, a predominantly female band comprises of Samara Kain (vocals/guitar), Marf Lewis (guitar), Monica Nix (bass) and Dave Guy (drums).
Formed by Samara and having previously recorded under the name of Catfight, Gasoline Thrill is a raw, edgy band with an appetite for sharp and fast riffs. Their latest album ‘Burn’ is packed with raunchy rock’n’roll numbers, played feverishly under bawdy vocals. This 13 track album is definitely versatile, with more ubiquitous tracks such as, ‘Break’, ‘Leeches’ and ‘Never Go Back’ entailing punky guitar riffs, mixed with tight drums, and less heavy songs like the haunting ‘Kill me again’ or tracks like ‘Hayleen’; which are filled with raw emotion. The music sounds a lot like The Distillers crossed with The Runaways. Imagine if Kurt Cobain had been born a girl and you’re somewhere along the right lines of Gasoline Thrill. Their sound matches their ballsy, but articulate demeanour; the album isn’t short of songs that will get your heart thumping. The album opens with ‘Afraid’ - consisting of throaty vocals, backed by bulky guitar work. With its almost anthemic chorus, this is a track that sets the tone for the rest of the album. Next is ‘Break’ - a more frantic and old school punk track that builds up into a big climax. ‘Break’ is closely followed by ‘Burn The Flame’, which is the first of the softer songs on the album, beginning with just an acoustic and Samara’s voice, it ascends into a very emotional, almost pleading song, and although instrumentally sounds quite simple and clean, that’s what makes it all the more thrilling. It contains a wonderful dream-like guitar solo about half way through, which is in good keeping with the ethos of the song. Taking the pace back up, Track 4 - ‘Enemy’ brings back that raw punchy sound, as does ‘Hayleen’ which also has an element of melancholy to it. ‘Kill Me Again’ is the next track which begins with a slower tempo, building up to a crescendo at each chorus within which are shimmering drum beats, lingering vocals and quite a refined guitar hook. ‘Kill Me Again’ is followed by ‘Leeches’, ‘Let Me Down’ then ‘Never Go Back’ all typical of the strong and heavy riffs we have come to expect from Gasoline Thrill by now. Track 10 ‘Singing’ is one of the catchiest on the album, with its simple chorus and pure guitars; it’s not only easy on the ear, but quite uplifting, and definitely will be one of the ones stuck in your head for weeks to come. One of the stand out tracks for me is ‘So Be It’ which is a more mellow, lurching route into a punchy chorus proclaiming “I hate your guts, I hate your lies!” Another, is the penultimate one - ‘Walking On Steel’ which begins with warm vibrations that build up to a rich full climax. Samara’s sultry tones really shine through in this one. Finally, closing the album is ‘The Pill’ starting just as abruptly as it ends this track really shows you what the album is made of. Rich and full, it showcases how tight the instruments are, and just how fierce these girls (and guy!) are. ‘Burn’ is overall a raunchy, lustful album produced by girls with swagger that Gwen Stefani wishes she could reproduce. Yes! After what feels like an incredibly long wait, released this week, the debut album ‘A Broken State of Bliss’ from The Mercy House is here! The boys are back, and they are triumphant!
‘A Broken State of Bliss’ has been embraced by fans and was definitely worth the wait. Already sold out on Amazon and Zavvi only a day after release – it would seem that this was quite an anticipated album. The Mercy House locked themselves away for the best part of 2011 and now we know why. ‘A Broken State of Bliss’ is an intricate work of musical wizardry that shows us just how talented these lads are. Captivated by their raw energy, the album opens with ‘A Broken State of Bliss’ – an instrumental track with a haunting guitar melody amongst a back drop of dark and ominous tones, before breaking into ‘Greed’ the first song on the album. Greeted with a heavy, yet slow paced heavy metal swagger! I like the rhythm of the song and think it sets the tone perfectly for a taste of things to come. ‘My Disease’ is the next track. As I have come to learn with this album, you can’t settle into a track, as soon as you do, it changes. The drums lead us into this one, whilst the guitar work provides a perfect accent to the thunderous rhythm section. I could make really boring comparisons about who these guys sound like, but then I wouldn’t be telling you anything new. However, what I will say is this. The Mercy House are reflective of now, and are very much their own band, with their own take on the rock and heavy metal sound. The song writing and composition of this album is of an incredibly high standard and like nothing I have ever experienced of a ‘debut’ album. The next track ‘Blind’ is a lot more melodic and shows the expressions of the music a tad more, the drum accents, the hooks in the bass and guitar, not to mention the juicy as hell riffs. ‘Lead The Way’ shows the beauty and capability of Drew’s voice and tone; A surprise at every corner, this track has it’s heavy metal moments, one thing that grabs me about this album is the lyrics. Very cleverly written with a definite message. At around three quarters of the way through, the song builds to a very intense instrumental break where you can hear just how talented each musician is. Every time I listen to this album, ‘The End‘ always stands out to me. I love the melody in the chorus and the tones in Drew’s voice. The guitar melody is simply beautiful, with the rhythm section bringing a heavier feel without distracting from the elegance of the track. About half way through, it switches from a delicious ballad into a much heavier hook and is almost brutal in comparison to the rest of the song. At around the 5 minute mark you can really hear a different and very appealing tone in Drew’s voice which is very pleasing to the good ol’ ears! The rest of the album doesn’t disappoint and should definitely be played as a piece, from beginning to end as the band intended. Tracks like ‘Weight’ and ‘Unclean’ will have you head banging within seconds with their extreme face-melting power! Another thing that has grabbed me about this album is the arrangements within the songs, the additional audio throughout the album that gives that extra punch, and helps to set the tone. The gun locking in ‘Hayt’ is the perfect example of this. What more can I say? They have appeared from virtually nowhere and have released an album that will literally take your breath away. Embellished with pure hard rock and heavy metal, The Mercy House are clearly not taking any prisoners and going straight to the top. Mark my words! ‘A Broken State of Bliss’ - Really heavy, passion driven rock at it’s finest. This album is an essential must have! When you think back to the seventies and the eighties, the start, so to speak, of the British Rock and Heavy Metal movements, Iron Claw wouldn’t be amongst the names of the bands that sprung to mind. However in the late 60’s, three teenagers, Jim Ronnie, Alex Wilson and Ian Mcdougall came together through a love of the music and formed Iron Claw. Recently I chatted with guitarist Jim Ronnie about the beginning, how it all started, and the trials and tribulations of the past 40 years. Jim tells me how it all started. “I was 15 years old. It was in 1969 at an open air concert in Dumfries where I first made contact with Alex Wilson (bass). He was managing a local rock band called Amplified Heat; they were playing at the gig. I approached the band after their set, and told them that I was a guitarist looking for a band. They suggested I talk to Alex, which I did, followed by a visit to his house the next day for some guitar playing. I must have impressed him as he offered me the job of guitarist in the band he was putting together. Alex knew the best local drummer available, Ian McDougall (also aged 15) and so Iron Claw was born.”
Iron Claw, in the very early stages, spanned from 1969 to 1974 which covered the band through their teens into their early twenties. Considering their age at the time and the songs they wrote, the quality of the writing was beyond their years. I asked Jim how they went about writing at that age, and if they found their new career daunting. “Daunting? Hell no! It’s what I wanted to do and it was great fun. Besides, I’d been in a band before that. We were called 'Jonah’s Kingdom'. We played at local community centres and youth clubs, we had a wide range of material, from Cream and Hendrix to some pop and soul. Iron Claw was my first “real” band though. That’s when I got into exploring more obscure rock and blues, and started writing in earnest. Most of the material, if I remember correctly, came out of jamming with input from all the band members. It was very much a group effort. We always rehearsed hard though, and some of the arrangements got pretty complicated. I listen to some of the real early recordings and think “How the hell did we come up with that?” We recently decided to include the 1970 favourite 'Skullcrusher' into our live set. The problem was I couldn’t remember how to play it. Luckily there was a Norwegian guy who covered the song on Youtube so I got the chords from his video!” “You ask if I was ever scared or struck with stage fright? No, is the simple answer to that. It’s a privilege to be able to take to the stage and play for people, it’s a great buzz when the audience warms to the music. If you are well rehearsed and therefore self-confident, then any nerves are only pre-gig excitement and that’s good!” At a point in any music fan’s life, the love of music comes from somewhere. I asked Jim where his love of music started? “I remember my first performance in front of strangers, I was 5 years old and took to entertaining the rest of the class with my song and dance routine! The teacher must have thought I was crazy as she took me on a tour of the school; I did a repeat performance for all of the other classes in turn! My first performance as a guitarist was age 12, at my cousin’s wedding. It went down a storm playing Shadows tunes and I was hooked!” Jim discusses his guitar influences “The influences of the band members are quite diverse. As a guitarist, surprisingly, I’ve taken my influences from other guitar players. This tends to happen to a greater extent during your formative playing years. I started playing at age 12 (1966) so my main influences come from the late 60’s and early 70’s. The usual list of great blues/ rock players such as Clapton, Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Gary Moore (met him), Tony Iommi (met him), Rory Gallagher (met him), Paul Kossoff, Page, Jeff Beck.....the list goes on.” To have met musicians of such magnitude must have left a lasting impression. I wasn’t sure at what age Jim was when he met them, but investigated further and asked about the experience. “It was 1969/70 when I met Tony Iommi, Gary Moore and Rory Gallagher. These were guys not much older than me, and weren’t anywhere near famous yet. None of them gave any advice as such, but they were all fantastic guitarists who impressed me greatly …especially Gary Moore. The original Skid Row was an amazing band. They were doing something very different from anyone else at the time and Gary, although only 17, was giving everyone a lesson in what a guitar could actually do. Astounding! These three guitar players, like all the greats, have their own signature sound and are instantly recognizable. That’s what you need to achieve as a guitarist rather than chasing someone else’s sound. That’s my measure of musical prowess.” Iron Claw had the makings of success, the possibility to rise above and beyond. I asked Jim how it felt when the band disbanded for the first time? “Financial pressures, and our inability to secure a record deal, were what lead ultimately to the band split. Bit of a shame really, but that’s the way it goes. People decided to go in different directions and the band was no more. We all thought that was the end of the Iron Claw story.....fast forward from 1974 to 2012 and we’re back again!” Iron Claw have reformed due to Ripple Music; now their label taking an interest in their earlier recordings. Jim tells me how it felt to finally be signed to a record label and back in the running. “I couldn’t believe it. 40 years of seeking and a recording contract turns up completely out of the blue without even pursuing it! I was aware of the music review blog site ‘The Ripple Effect’. They had given our 1970’s recordings a lot of support and were obviously fans of early Iron Claw. Because of their support I contacted them to inform them of our plans to reform. I had no idea that they were in the process of launching their own label and when they offered to sign us I was blown away.” Last year in 2011, Iron Claw released ‘A Different Game’ which is their latest album, although they are working on a new album for this year. I wanted to know how difficult it was to piece together the past 40 years of material. Jim tells me how it all came together. “Some of the songs were first recorded in 1970 but never released. Others were part of the band’s live set in the 1970’s. I brought some songs from earlier solo projects as did Alex and some songs were written recently specifically for this album. Between us we came up with 13 songs and reworked them all for this project.” Since re-forming Iron Claw lost their previous vocalist Gordon Brown, however they have been blessed with new vocalist Gary Hair. Jim fills me in on what excites him about working with Gary and what Iron Claw fans have to look forward to in 2012. “As most people already know, we’re now going forward with our new vocalist Gary Hair and it shouldn’t be long before we have some new material for folks to hear. Gary’s a great singer and we’re sure everyone will love his voice.” “We’re in the studio recording and videoing our first track with Gary and have secured the services of fellow Ripple buddy Tony Reed (Stone Axe) to do the final mix and mastering of the song. Tony worked with us on the album ‘A Different Game’ and did a superb job. He’s keen to work with us again and we’re delighted to have him. Ripple Music have said that they would welcome a second album later this year, and that sounds like a great idea to us, so the chances are that you’ll be getting another Iron Claw album from us. Iron Claw are, and have always been, a live band. We need to get out there and rock a few venues. We’re really looking forward to that!” “Thanks Chelle for the opportunity to talk about Iron Claw and thanks to everyone for the outstanding support given to us since we reformed and released our first recorded music in almost 40 years! It really does give you heart.” It’s been great getting a little of the history behind Iron Claw and I am very much looking forward to finding out what comes next in the Iron Claw story, it will, without a doubt be something to remember and revel in. A big thanks to Jim for the chat, it has been a pleasure. I have never known a band to be more determined than Dead City Ruins. On their last UK tour they booked most of the dates whilst here and did it all off their own backs through countless emails and phone calls to venues. They hit as many gigs as possible and definitely created a steadfast fan base for themselves. Releasing their debut album ‘Midnight Killer’ in July, Dead City Ruins are set to take the music industry by storm. With an attitude and style of their own, they definitely leave a very incessant impression on everyone they seem to come into contact with. ‘Where You Gonna Run’ is the first track on the album. I think this song sums up Dead City Ruins; with killer guitar riffs, and bad ass beats. ‘Where You Gonna Run’ is a fast paced, high octane heavy rock track that is sure to get your heart racing. It glides into a slightly softer side half way through the song, where you can hear a more melodic guitar and softer tone to Jake’s vocals before it launches into a guitar solo reminiscent of the Guns ‘n’ Roses ‘Appetite’ days! It certainly has that quality about it. ‘Damn My Eyes’, the next track, has a great drum intro that I think sounds something like Matt Sorum’s on the opening of Slither. It then hits a slightly faster pace and continues to show just how much these boys can rock it! There is a great rhythm to this song that is built to keep you moving. Next up is ‘Mai Lai Massacre’, starting with reverb and a very hefty bass line indeed, it has a much dirtier sound initially before the drums and guitar kick in. With this track, it is indeed Mick’s bass line that grabs me. Title track ‘Midnight Killer’ opens with a great solo and most definitely has that ‘punch’ that I know a lot of you are looking for! This song is one of those that you can rock your ass off too. Drewsy on drums definitely keeps the beats coming hot and heavy. Tommy and Sean on guitar definitely know how to rip it up, while Jake is a great rock vocalist. ‘Blues’ up next. This track has been and I think will always be my favourite track from this record; it was my favourite song when I first saw them live last year, and still is. With a gentle, and very melodic guitar intro, with the odd hints of bass it leads into a very slow and quite seductive song. Jake definitely knows how to turn it on, whispering at times, but boy does he know how to belt it out as well. Just as you’re led to believe you know how the song will go, they turn it up to 11 and Tommy and Sean belt out fantastic guitar riffs as Mick pounds the bass, coming together with a really well written song, that leaves me reeling for more, and I am pretty sure you would be too!
‘Go to War’ and ‘Highway Girl’ and Fallen’ continue the album in the very rock and roll style that we have become accustomed to from these Aussie guys from Melbourne. All in all this album is a clear winner from a great rock band. Definitely an album worth having! Yes, this is a great rock album from a fantastic band, I think at times it can feel a little repetitive by the end. No doubt each track is good, but I think maybe on the next album it would be nice to hear a little difference between tracks and maybe a ballad or two to really showcase just how talented Dead City Ruins are. Rival Sons are an extraordinary, talented band of musicians. With their blues-infused brand of ROCK N' ROLL, they are unstoppable. When a band like this hits you, the way that Rival Sons do, they ignite a fire within. They fill me with an undeniable passion. Mike, Scott, Robin and Jay have an immense talent. Each of them are individually amazing. Rival Sons are a band that you can completely immerse yourself in, feel every note, every chord, every lyric and beat. Music like this is an incredibly beautiful and touching occurrence, one that I hope continues for many years to come. So when I was asked to interview Jay Buchanan, of course I had to. As the early evening approached in London, I was standing with Jay outside, in the car park behind the Forum; we did aim to sit on some kegs of beer, but ended up standing and it was still warm and sunny, a perfect way to spend an evening. Tonight is the last night of the tour with Black Stone Cherry; after this, the guys head off to Germany to start a European headlining tour. I asked Jay what he thought the highlights were so far: "It's been a great tour. They've all been highlights really. It's very much been a tour of meeting a lot of new people, sharing the bill with Black Stone Cherry, and getting to know their fans, and hopefully making new fans from them. We've been hitting some cities that we haven't hit before and it's all been fantastic." Just before leaving the States, the guys finished recording their fourth record. Looking forward to the album, I wanted to find out how it went: "Yeah, we kinda just finished it, and we did it in a few weeks. Three weeks, actually, it all kinda went by like a car crash. Right now, Vance Powell is mixing, so we haven't even really heard the tracks, we just went in, laid them down, and once again it was definitely a record full of first and second takes, just go - move onto the next song, make somethin' new." Rival Sons constantly evolve with time. The difference between 'Before The Fire' and 'Pressure And Time' is obvious but you can hear differences between the ways each record was written and recorded. Being curious, I asked Jay what evolution we can expect between 'P&T' and the new record: "I don't know, we're growing, in some way, I don't know exactly in which way that is, you know, every time you go in to make a record all it is is a snap shot of exactly where you are at that specific moment creatively. In another month, we'll be a different band, and that keeps happening. We could go in and make another record next week, and it would be different than what we did a couple of weeks back and so as far as this next record, I'd have to let you know once I hear it." I asked if he would be happy once they get the album back and can listen to it: "Yeah, on one hand, on the other hand I'm mortified, because I don't really listen to our music very much, you know, we play it every night, it's really like, well we'll see, we'll see how this next collection of songs goes. I think that maybe we stretched out definitely a lot more on this next record, beyond that, I really don't know." Since both the new record and 'P&T' were turned around quite quickly, I asked Jay if they find it tough to write within that time frame; maybe it would be better to have more time, or if they write on the road to prepare. "For me, I'm always writing, I probably have the bulk of our song writing responsibility, lyrics, melody and arrangement, and I also bring in complete songs for the band and so that makes my job a little bit different from everyone else's but, aside from that, we write very collaboratively, even when we are putting riffs together. Scott will bring in riffs, or Robin will, we'll have these different ideas, as far as difficulty, we specifically set out to make a record and put ourselves under those circumstances, so that we wouldn't have the luxury of second guessing ourselves, so that every time you hear the next track, you get hear it for the first time, and, you're hearing us hear it for the first time as well, so just to try and keep that energy going." If you're familiar with Rival Sons you would know that their records have nothing but energy, through every track. I told Jay that I thought they had a great energy, definitely one that I feel drawn to: "Thanks, we do what we can and I think that our big MO really for this band is to just try and produce the best music that we are capable of at this point, and this ethic of recording very quickly and writing very quickly and putting ourselves under the gun, is where we are at right now, that could change, you know. The world needs Radioheads and needs Pink Floyds and needs those long big thought-out records. I just think for us, we're still stretching our legs and finding out who we really are, so to attempt to make a big statement, or something along those lines, we're just not really keen on doing that yet." One of the things that I adore about the guys is their insatiable hunger for music, the knowledge that they all have, between Robin, Scott, Mike and Jay, their range of influences is humongous, from Howlin' Wolf through rhythm n' blues, jazz to Pink Floyd and the prog side of things. Jay tells me of his influences on a vocal scale: "There's too many to count, because it changes from week to week, you know, everyone from the Staple Singers, a big influence on me, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding, I mean, so many, Eric Burden, Blind Willie Johnson, they each possess something different and so, I think that growing up, as far as like the tone of my voice or what I can do, I think you spend a lot time trying to shape who you are and shape your identity, somewhere along the line, you know a couple of years back, something just clicked and I stopped listening to myself, and stopped worrying about it and I just sing now." Jay as a vocalist has such a huge range, not to mention an undeniable velvet tone to his voice. It can go from guiding you into an almost lullaby-like state, into a rock-induced frenzy on more uptempo tracks. I asked him if he'd had any vocal coaching: "No, I am 100% self-taught vocally. I can't read music; I don't even know the circle of fifths. I've been playing guitar since I was nine years old and I don't know the names of any but three or four chords." Just goes to show you don't always need to be trained or endure lessons. Passion for music is all it takes. Rival Sons have really only stepped into the limelight over the past year or two that they have been signed with Earache Records. Earlier in the mix there was a possibility of a contract with EMI. Would they have been as successful if they would have signed with EMI? "Well", Jay says, "Where EMI comes in - that part of the story was really before I got with these guys, you know they were slugging it out, trying to make things happen, and they kind of got turned away from EMI, and you know I came in and I sung the vocals on that first record, without even writing." This was 'Before The Fire'? Jay replies: "Yeah 'Before The Fire', I just went in and sang, I've never done that in my life. I've always been a writer, that has always been my thing, but I knew - I listened to what they had and I thought 'wow'. So I'm gonna get in there and I'm not really gonna write? "The record seemed like it was too good to just let it die, and so for me it took humility to go in there and go 'look, it's not just about me, this is a band, this is our band and we're going to try to make this work', so I set the ego aside and just said 'OK, let's get in there and let's do this'. "But EMI had already fallen off with the band by then. So then, for a while we were on our own, and you know, you talk about things picking up over here the past couple of years, you realise it has really only been, one, year, it's been amazing, the response, and support that we have gotten from the UK audience is really amazing." Although the band are chameleon-like, and constantly transforming and growing, I wondered if they still had a vision of where they might see themselves over the next few years. "I don't know, I really don't, I wanna make a lot more records, I couldn't sit here and tell you how many records the band will end up making, or how long it will last, or what our sound is gonna be like, I know that right now, we're really hot on the heels of trying to do something with a sense of urgency and immediacy, and maybe we will take a different approach, a different recording approach in the future, you have four guys, with very, very different opinions, with very different, um, very different vibes and how they approach music, and I think that visceral nature is what, maybe sets us apart a little, you know." I think collectively as a band and individually, the guys definitely stand out, and I would expect that in the coming years, more and more people will, hopefully, realise how special this band is. Not all will, you can't please everybody, but those of you out there who do, hold on, because this is going to be one hell of a journey, and personally, I am really looking forward to where Rival Sons will lead us in the future. I said something to Jay about how much bigger I think they will become on a mass scale in time, and Jay laughed: "Well we're working towards somethin' you know, but like I said we have a huge opportunity right now, because of all the support we are receiving, and people have been so supportive." People are stepping out in force at the moment, the band have their own street team, the 'Sleepwalkers' who are working really hard: "Yeah, yeah, the street team is building, and the shows are getting bigger and bigger, and more and more crowded and the fan base gets, more into a fever pitch, and it's been fantastic. Where we go from here? We'll be releasing this next record probably in late August early September, I'd like to get back into the studio in December and record another record. "When we set out, we wanted to record, like, two records a year. But when you're with a label, you know, they set things up in a certain time, you have to tour the record and for us, when you're not growing creatively and constantly producing, you get really, you get very bored, it becomes monotonous." Playing live every night must help with the exploration of the music, having a jam on stage; you must discover new methods, melodies.
"I think that with the experimentation of the music, touring, of course because you're on stage every night; and we never do things exactly the same way every time, and that's not to say that we get up there and its free form and 'hey, whatever', there is always something a little bit different. We have a very energetic and frenetic drummer. Your drummer, he steers the ship, and so when he's gonna switch things up... and Robin, he has such a catalogue of his knowledge, he's really our secret weapon, our bass player, because he is so educated he can do anything! You know, he can improvise on anything, on a dime!" says Jay enthusiastically. I think the reason why the band is so electric and exciting is due to the knowledge of music, talent and experience that RS have collectively: "Yeah, it's good to hear that from you, with our live show we're definitely gonna get up on stage and fuck around for 45 minutes, and that is what people are going to watch. We're a train that could go off the rails at any moment, and, you know we poke and prod each other (makes prodding gesture) to maybe do something a little bit different, we're always throwing out kicks and throwing sand in each other's faces and there is that, and at the same time, we understand that we have to support each other, whip the horse and see how fast it will go." It's refreshing to hear of a band that just constantly push the barriers and with Rival Sons the future is bright. The new record should be released (fingers crossed) in August/September 2012. I am filled with excitement at the prospect of the unknown, I'm looking forward to being educated, and hearing an album that I am sure will be refreshing and a pleasure to indulge in. This has been a fantastic experience, and one that I won't soon forget. I think Rival Sons are a treasure to behold and I look forward to watching them grow in every aspect of the word over the coming years, for it will surely be, like tonight has been, very special. You may remember last year I chatted with Cormac and Micky from The Answer. I asked Cormac at the time about the up and coming bands back in Ireland. One band that he mentioned was Trucker Diablo “Good solid, Northern Irish rock” was how he described them. Now, luckily for me, I have Trucker Diablo’s debut album ‘The Devil Rhythm’ in my possession and they are good solid rock alright! Trucker Diablo began in early 2008 as four friends coming together collectively as a group to play music they loved and that defined them as individuals. Trucker Diablo are a force of nature, taking the UK and Europe by storm as we speak. ‘The Devil Rhythm’ is a high octane, hard rock extravaganza that is hell bent on rocking you to the very core of your being!. The first track ‘Drink Beer, Destroy’ grabs you instantly with heavy guitar riffs powerful enough to demand 100% of your attention from the beginning. Not to mention the heavy bass lines and rhythm section throughout the song. As a first track, this sets the bar incredibly high. The second track on the album ‘Juggernaut’ is an even heavier track and features fellow Irish rocker and current vocalist of Thin Lizzy - Ricky Warwick. Glenn Harrison (bass) lets loose with a blistering bass riff that excites, and combined with Terry Crawford’s drum beats, the rhythm section provides a great back drop to fantastic vocal harmonies and guitar work. One of my favourite tracks on the album, this would definitely be one to get the crowd singing along live.
As the album continues, we are faced with track after track of face melting rock. After a recent appearance at Hammerfest, it is no surprise that Trucker Diablo is the name on everyone’s lips after the killer set that these guys delivered. Tracks such as ‘Big Truck’, ‘Voodoo’ and ‘Never Too late’ continue the tone of album which is 100% pure unadulterated rock, and, pardon the pun, music to my ears! It has been a while since I have heard an album that I can just let play from start to end, without having to skip a weaker track or two. Trucker Diablo have definitely unleashed a rock and roll beast upon us with ‘The Devil Rhythm’. Every song on this record is a winner, the album is explosive and stands out from other ‘rock’ albums. It can’t be faulted. If this has wet your whistle and you are keen to know where you can get a hit of Trucker Diablo live, then see below for tour dates. If you are yet to treat yourself and lend your ears to this hard hitting, absolute joy of an album, ‘The Devil Rhythm’ is available now through the usual online stockists, HMV. Play, Amazon and globally through www.ripple-music.com Enjoy!! |
AuthorAll articles are © Michelle Nevill Archives
July 2014
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