This month I will be living in a
musical dream world for two nights.
March
29th & 30th I will be in Austin, Texas for the first
time in my life.
This
is where the North American Space Ritual will take place.
What
is this show all about? It’s two nights of musical madness. Jazz, rockabilly,
heavy metal, and space rock will be performed live. Performers from distant
parts of the globe, England, California, Russia, and more will come together to
make a maelstrom of musical madness.
Michael
Moorcock, author of the amazing Elric series, lyricist for Blue Oyster Cult and
Hawkwind will perform with the band Moon Hawks which also features former
Hawkwind alumni Alan Davey and Nik Turner.
My
friend, John Pack from the Georgia based space rock ensemble Spaceseed has kindly invited
me to perform with them.
This
is a… I don’t know what to type about this all. My head is swimming. I hope we
all put on an amazing show for everyone. I hope that it will be as transcendent
for you all as I know it will be for me.
One
of the wonderful endearing things about this unit is the sense of humor. All
the knobs go to 11!
Check
out the sounds it makes.
This
is a wonderful vintage style modernist instrument. Totally makes me feel like
I’m making sounds for a Silver Apples/Hawkwind/Portishead tribute album.
I
am super excited to be using this instrument for the first time “live” with
Spaceseed at the North American Space Ritual.
Here it is, the yearly list no one
except my sadistic, validation-seeking, subconscious, asks for, my three favorite
albums of 2018.
3. Adam Holzman: Truth Decay
This album was a
pleasant surprise. I read Holzman’s description of it on his Flakebook page,
which interested me enough to buy it after Steve Wilson’s gig at the Berklee
Performance Center.
So glad that I
made that purchase. What a wonderful diverse collection of music! Jazz, prog,
sixties rock, thought provoking lyrics, fusion, and a pleasing plethora of
sounds swirl through this music.
Sweeping you right
along from the opening jazzy drum smack of Ectoplasm to the smooth-ish jazz
cool of Are You High? This album is a delight to my ears from start to finish.
Thank you Mr. Holzman.
2. Squirrel Nut Zippers: Beasts of Burgundy
Firstly, let me
say, that if you told me last year, before I went to see the Squirrel Nut
Zippers for the very first time, that they’re new album would be one of my
favorites of 2018, I sure wouldn’t have believed you.
How wrong can I
get?
This is a New
Orleans bawdyhouse of musical repute that makes you want to drop your pants
after you drop the bottle of booze you just emptied in one gulp. Total voodoo
fever fun times.
This album also
features a song that is now one of my all time favorite torch songs, Fade.
This song, like so
many others on the platter, sounds as though I’ve heard it before in the best
way, but it’s all original music rooted in a classic vibe. Beautifully
familiar, yet an exciting stranger in the musical boudoir of my brain.
Here is that
wonderful new torch song that burns in the dark night of the soul.
1. Gypsy Moths: Alright
This album is a party anywhere it is played.
A flipping fantastic party with gin, bar fights, dancing, romancing and rock
and fricking roll.
There’s such energy captured in this platter of good times
and sad times and drinking up a storm times, that it’s hard to not gush praise
out every time the needle or laser drops on the wax or CD.
This is music made to dance with.
This is music made to party with.
This is amazing rock and roll.
The Moths get the party started just right
with The Boys Are Back In Town. Yes, all the songs are cover tunes, but the
Moths don’t just go through paint by number motions, it’s almost as if all
these tunes were written for them to take to the dance floor and rock and roll
all night.
So
how are the players? The band’s horn section is always on fire. Guitar playing
is gritty and smooth at the same time. Keys are classic sounding. Drums on point. Bass is bouncing and
big. Vocals? Hell yeah! Everything lands perfectly.
I seriously totally dig this album so much,
that it is mentioned more than once in a trilogy of novels that I’m writing
called, Song and Deth.
