GrimJackMusic Blog
9/18/06
It's been quite some time since I've had the opportunity to sit down and relay my latest musical discoveries and/or acquisitions. You just got to hate it when life gets in the way of what's really important. Well, you can blame my move from my neighborhood of the past 5 years to a shining new place in the heart of the fru-fru Society Hill neighborhood of Philly. It's been a pain in the mass, bit it's almost OVER. Now, as I continue to unpack, I can gather all of my precious mental processes and throw my latest music blog at you like a sack of wet kittens.
*The Latest Dish*
Eric Hisaw - www.erichisaw.com and www.myspace.com/erichisaw :
Out of Austin, TX via the pit of doom some of us know as Las Cruces, NM comes one of the most talented singer/songwriters to ever pick up a guitar. While my point of view might be slightly skewed due to the fact that I knew this guy back in my college days, his music stands on its own merit. The latest release from Mr. Hisaw is 'The Crosses', a patchwork quilt of Americana music, merging the genre's of country, blues, and folk with the efficiency of a seasoned pro. Eric's storytelling style is on par with such classic minstrels as Cash, Williams Senior, and Guthrie, which couples well with his heart-felt musical style. Eric Hisaw's talents put the modern pretender country and western stars to shame right from the first listen, while giving the singer/songwriter mythos a much needed boost. Definitely check out his latest release as well as his previous workyou won't be disappointed.
Alejandro Escovedo - www.alejandroescovedo.com and www.myspace.com/alejandroescovedo:
Maybe it was my latest trip to the southwest this past March that marked a slight change in my music tastes. Or, maybe it was the shit loads of Lone Star Beer and Jager shots that did it. Either way, I've found myself drawn to the sounds of Cowpunk, Americana, and Folk music now more so than ever before (but don't worry too muchpunk rock is still right there on top). One such artist that flows effortlessly into all of those categories is the talented singer/songwriter, Alejandro Escovedo. The before mentioned Mr. Hisaw got me into the sultry southwest sounds of this performer back in the early 90's (we saw him perform @ some crappy bar in El Paso back in the day). A.E.'s music has evolved slightly (or even de-evolved, as some would put it) over the past 30 years of his career. Thankfully, his latest L.P. ' The Boxing Mirror' shows that his self-appreciation of his past is very evident. His songs range from the low key southwest tainted Folk sounds that flow through the music of Austin, TX , to the crossover musical amalgalm that he pioneered while playing in the seminal band Rank-N-File. There's even a few louder and grittier tunes on the LP with definite guitar anthem overtones; a possible send off to Escovedo's Punk Rock days when he was in the NYC band The Nuns. Overall, 'Boxing Mirror' is an incredible diverse and extremely listenable album that flows seamlessly from one song to another. One of his best releases to date, and worth checking out if you haven't had the opportunity to check out his prior work.
The Honor System - www.myspace.com/thehonorsystem and www.greyflightrecords.com :
Since my college days I've been a sucker for the indy record label. So, it is with unadulterated glee when I find one with a ton of serious talent. This time around, however, the label found me via the MySpaceMusic connection. The Illinois based label GreyFlight Records jumped out with some surprising incredible musical talent on their roster. Leading the pack is the now defunct Chicago outfit known as The Honor System. Reminiscent of the glory days of the Chicago post-punk days when bands like Naked Raygun, Tar, and the Jesus Lizard ruled the Great Lakes State, The Honor System unleashed their own updated version of the same pulse-pounding rhymatic punk themed musical debauchery that made the windy city's music scene so goddamn cool in the mid-late 80's and 90's. Their three releases on GreyFlight are truly some great pieces of musicand cheap to boot! Definitely a prime example of Bad Ass music done right. Loud and angst filled, but tight enough with their playing to create some great music. It's a shame they've moved on to other projects, but that still doesn't dismiss the great run these boys had.
Forte (Fort) - www.fortrock.net and www.myspace.com/fortrock :
As citizens of an isolationist/egotistical country like the U.S., we sometimes forget that some seriously awesome music can actually originate in other parts of the world (and, NO, the UK doesn't count). The land down under is a prime example, spewing out some seriously good bands over the past decade or so. So, I really wasn't too surprised when I came across the band Forte (or Fort, depending on which country you reside in) from Brisbane, Australia. These guys put out some serious 70' inspired riffs with some punk overtones to round out the sound. Sort of a Fu Manchu-meets-QOTSA-meets-Black Sabbath supergroup. While the music is goddamn solid, they've been one of the hardest bands to acquire music from. Most of their releases have been limited, found only in the Asian Pacific and South America. They've compensated for their lack of material goods by digitizing their entire back-catalog masters, including two full LP's, one live album, and a few EP's and singles to boot. Forte's music was so intriguing, I took the 'Download Plunge' for the first time, and paid the 20 bucks for the whole catalog. While it was worth the price for the buttload of songs they offered, the downloading experience was far removed from the easy iTunes system I've been used to for the past two years. After several tries and multiple correspondences with the band, I was finally able to procure each and every song I paid for. Patience has its virtue, and I have to admit that Forte is one of the most played bands on my iPod. Currently, they're in the process of recording their latest album, due out early next year and I cannot f'ing wait.
*The Wrap Up*
Right thenthat's it for this latest GrimjackMusic Blog. I've just received a ton of music within the past several days, so I should be posting some new material soon. As always, let me know what you think of the music I've thrown your way, and if you have any suggestions/comments/free beer.
9/18/06
It's been quite some time since I've had the opportunity to sit down and relay my latest musical discoveries and/or acquisitions. You just got to hate it when life gets in the way of what's really important. Well, you can blame my move from my neighborhood of the past 5 years to a shining new place in the heart of the fru-fru Society Hill neighborhood of Philly. It's been a pain in the mass, bit it's almost OVER. Now, as I continue to unpack, I can gather all of my precious mental processes and throw my latest music blog at you like a sack of wet kittens.
*The Latest Dish*
Eric Hisaw - www.erichisaw.com and www.myspace.com/erichisaw :
Out of Austin, TX via the pit of doom some of us know as Las Cruces, NM comes one of the most talented singer/songwriters to ever pick up a guitar. While my point of view might be slightly skewed due to the fact that I knew this guy back in my college days, his music stands on its own merit. The latest release from Mr. Hisaw is 'The Crosses', a patchwork quilt of Americana music, merging the genre's of country, blues, and folk with the efficiency of a seasoned pro. Eric's storytelling style is on par with such classic minstrels as Cash, Williams Senior, and Guthrie, which couples well with his heart-felt musical style. Eric Hisaw's talents put the modern pretender country and western stars to shame right from the first listen, while giving the singer/songwriter mythos a much needed boost. Definitely check out his latest release as well as his previous workyou won't be disappointed.
Alejandro Escovedo - www.alejandroescovedo.com and www.myspace.com/alejandroescovedo:
Maybe it was my latest trip to the southwest this past March that marked a slight change in my music tastes. Or, maybe it was the shit loads of Lone Star Beer and Jager shots that did it. Either way, I've found myself drawn to the sounds of Cowpunk, Americana, and Folk music now more so than ever before (but don't worry too muchpunk rock is still right there on top). One such artist that flows effortlessly into all of those categories is the talented singer/songwriter, Alejandro Escovedo. The before mentioned Mr. Hisaw got me into the sultry southwest sounds of this performer back in the early 90's (we saw him perform @ some crappy bar in El Paso back in the day). A.E.'s music has evolved slightly (or even de-evolved, as some would put it) over the past 30 years of his career. Thankfully, his latest L.P. ' The Boxing Mirror' shows that his self-appreciation of his past is very evident. His songs range from the low key southwest tainted Folk sounds that flow through the music of Austin, TX , to the crossover musical amalgalm that he pioneered while playing in the seminal band Rank-N-File. There's even a few louder and grittier tunes on the LP with definite guitar anthem overtones; a possible send off to Escovedo's Punk Rock days when he was in the NYC band The Nuns. Overall, 'Boxing Mirror' is an incredible diverse and extremely listenable album that flows seamlessly from one song to another. One of his best releases to date, and worth checking out if you haven't had the opportunity to check out his prior work.
The Honor System - www.myspace.com/thehonorsystem and www.greyflightrecords.com :
Since my college days I've been a sucker for the indy record label. So, it is with unadulterated glee when I find one with a ton of serious talent. This time around, however, the label found me via the MySpaceMusic connection. The Illinois based label GreyFlight Records jumped out with some surprising incredible musical talent on their roster. Leading the pack is the now defunct Chicago outfit known as The Honor System. Reminiscent of the glory days of the Chicago post-punk days when bands like Naked Raygun, Tar, and the Jesus Lizard ruled the Great Lakes State, The Honor System unleashed their own updated version of the same pulse-pounding rhymatic punk themed musical debauchery that made the windy city's music scene so goddamn cool in the mid-late 80's and 90's. Their three releases on GreyFlight are truly some great pieces of musicand cheap to boot! Definitely a prime example of Bad Ass music done right. Loud and angst filled, but tight enough with their playing to create some great music. It's a shame they've moved on to other projects, but that still doesn't dismiss the great run these boys had.
Forte (Fort) - www.fortrock.net and www.myspace.com/fortrock :
As citizens of an isolationist/egotistical country like the U.S., we sometimes forget that some seriously awesome music can actually originate in other parts of the world (and, NO, the UK doesn't count). The land down under is a prime example, spewing out some seriously good bands over the past decade or so. So, I really wasn't too surprised when I came across the band Forte (or Fort, depending on which country you reside in) from Brisbane, Australia. These guys put out some serious 70' inspired riffs with some punk overtones to round out the sound. Sort of a Fu Manchu-meets-QOTSA-meets-Black Sabbath supergroup. While the music is goddamn solid, they've been one of the hardest bands to acquire music from. Most of their releases have been limited, found only in the Asian Pacific and South America. They've compensated for their lack of material goods by digitizing their entire back-catalog masters, including two full LP's, one live album, and a few EP's and singles to boot. Forte's music was so intriguing, I took the 'Download Plunge' for the first time, and paid the 20 bucks for the whole catalog. While it was worth the price for the buttload of songs they offered, the downloading experience was far removed from the easy iTunes system I've been used to for the past two years. After several tries and multiple correspondences with the band, I was finally able to procure each and every song I paid for. Patience has its virtue, and I have to admit that Forte is one of the most played bands on my iPod. Currently, they're in the process of recording their latest album, due out early next year and I cannot f'ing wait.
*The Wrap Up*
Right thenthat's it for this latest GrimjackMusic Blog. I've just received a ton of music within the past several days, so I should be posting some new material soon. As always, let me know what you think of the music I've thrown your way, and if you have any suggestions/comments/free beer.
akirali:
What was your first hint? 
alabama:
thanks for telling me that! i had no idea!