JANGLE ON – February

Posted on 20 February 2014

JANGLE ON!

 FEBRUARY

by Eric Sorensen

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Winter has been a lion of a season so far – even here in the mid-Atlantic.  Thank goodness there has been a steady stream of new jangly pop tunes to accompany my indoor activities.  I encourage those of you who also enjoy jangly music to check out the following new discs and videos:

I mentioned Under The Covers: Volume Three – Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs (AKA Sid and Susie) in my last column.  Lo and behold, members of LA’s Paisley Underground scene – Ms. Hoffs and the Bangles, the Rain Parade, the Dream Syndicate and the Three O’Clock – reunited for a short tour of west coast cities late last year.  Go to You Tube and check out the entourage’s great version of the Byrds/Gene Clark classic song “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” at the groups’ LA and San Francisco shows.  I certainly wish I could have been in either audience.  Perhaps these groups will be inspired to make a short tour of east coast cities in 2014?  One can always hope.

Roger McguinnHot off the presses (and available from CD Baby) is a new live two-CD compilation, with a companion DVD – entitled Stories, Songs & Friends – from Roger McGuinn.  The DVD, which features interviews with other folk/rock artists, is worth the price of admission … but McGuinn enthusiasts will thoroughly enjoy the two discs of music.  The sound board recording makes the listener feel like he/she was present at this Fox Theater concert in Tucson, Arizona.  Long may you run, Sir Roger!

 

autumndefense-esmFifth, Full Ten Paces and Eastside Manor Sessions – the Autumn Defense.  This band is quickly becoming one of my favorite pop bands.  There are traces of Teenage Fan Club and alt-country (two band members are also members of Wilco) in the tracks.  The catchy chiming guitars on “Things On My Mind,” “None of This Will Matter,” “This Thing That I’ve Found,” “The Light In Your Eyes” and “Full Five Paces” are what have me hooked on this band.  Kudos to Kool Kat Musik for making these discs available to the pop community.

 

thecontrastsinflikA Sinister Flick – the Contrast.  The Contrast was one of my favorite bands on the now defunct Rainbow Quartz label.  The group triumphantly returns on the Angel Air label with a 16-track disc that is chock full of psych-pop tunes and two jangly gems – “Balloon Man” and “Johnny the Torch.”   A hearty welcome back!

 

SSACatch The Sun – Shake Some Action.  This latest disc from the prolific Shake Some Action features: twelve more new songs; twelve more chiming, jangly pop tunes.  It’s all good!

 Starbyrd

Although Starbyrd is a studio band, an international businessman requested that Starbyrd perform at his 50th birthday party.  As good fortune would have it, all of the artists who played on the second and third Starbyrd albums happened to be available for the private concert in Cologne, Germany.  The result is a terrific double CD (to be released in 2014) – Starbyrd: Live in Cologne 2013.   I have often said that if Roger McGuinn is the “King of Twelve-String,” Horst-Peter Schmidt is the “Crown Prince of Twelve-String.”  This album is further testament to that accolade … and this rare occasion to see Schmidt and his band mates perform live is undoubtedly the next best thing to seeing Roger McGuinn perform live.  Starbyrd reprised songs from earlier Different Faces and Starbyrd releases – all of them featuring Horst-Peter Schmidt on his signature Rickenbacker 370RM 12-string guitar.  In addition, the band concluded the concert with a three-song Byrds medley: “Mr. Tambourine Man”; “Turn! Turn! Turn!;” and a great extended version of “Eight Miles High.”  Jangleholics should keep checking CD Baby for the release of this live double CD.

 

Byrdsian Volume 97 and 98 (compiled by Ray Verno) have rounded out my playlist for the past two weeks.  These two Byrdsian volumes include some excellent chiming cover songs by the Bordersnakes, some jangly tracks by the Young Sinclairs, a cool new track by Rickenbacker 12-string artist Fred Hoffman … and an audio version of the Paisley Underground group version of “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” (cited above).   Thanks Ray!

 

Until next time, enjoy the tunes and other indoor activities as we all await the spring season … and jangle on!

ERIC

 

 

 

One Response to “JANGLE ON – February”

  1. Kevin Kamphaus says:

    LOVE Starbyrd’s live CD!!