I wasn’t too sure this podcast was even gonna happen in the middle of the month. The beginning of the month was all holidays, the middle was spent in the mountains on vacation and the end was spent prepping for, and then undergoing, some medical tests. All of this failed to allow me to do one thing, prep for the ninebullets.net January podcast. That said, I seriously think this might have turned out to be the best podcast I’ve done yet, quality wise. During the podcast I thought it was too mellow but after listening to it in the car I think I was wrong, and not only is this one of the best podcasts I’ve done quality wise, it very well may be one of the best I’ve done, period. On a final note, I tried something a little new on this podcast and mixed in music underneath me while I was talking. I’d love to hear how you guys think it turned out and if I should make it a regular thing.

Since it’s a new year I tried to focus on new or freshly released music. All of these songs were released in the past month or will be getting released in the coming month. So enjoy the hell out of it, lemme know what you think and, as always, please tell your friends and Facebook/Twitter followers about it, I’ll greatly appreciate it.
~ Autopsy IV (twitter/facebook/myspace)

TRACK LISTING:

1. Drive-By Truckers – This Fucking Job [00.00.00]
2. Tim Barry – (Memento Mori) [00.04.52]
3. Justin Townes Earle & Dawn Landes – Do I Ever Cross Your Mind [00.08.04]
4. Autopsy IV Talking [00.10.24]
5. Joe Pug – Not So Sure [00.11.52]
6. Kasey Anderson – Bellingham Blues [00.16.24]
7. Glossary – Through the Screen Door [00.20.36]
8. The Fox Hunt -Lower Than I Should Be [00.25.04]
9. Autopsy IV Talking [00.28.20]
10. Luther Dickinson & The Sons of Mudboy – Glory Glory [00.30.00]
11. Black Diamond Heavies – Bidin’ My Time [00.31.48]
12. KC McKanzie – Lovesick Boy [00.36.56]
13. Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs – Forget It [00.40.16]
14. Autopsy IV Talking [00.43.08]
15. Prison Book Club – Cold Front [00.45.08]
16. I Can Lick Any SOB In The House – Bad Days Ahead [00.48.12]
17. Autopsy IV Talking [00.58.20]
18. Grayson Capps – Big Ole Woman [00.53.12]

ninebullets.net is bringing the .357 String Band & Bob Wayne’s revue style (think revival tour) show to The Emerald in Downtown St. Pete. If the idea of outlaw country and plenty of punk injected into your bluegrass sounds fun then this is a must see show.

Opening is St. Pete’s own Dear Old Liar as featured in Creative Loafing’s 2009 Best of the Bay edition, BEST NEW CHICK BAND: “No coffee shop waifs stinking of patchouli and singing sappy ballads here. Whiskey, cigarettes and sultry blues perfect for these hot Florida nights.”

Hope to see y’all out there!

Dear Old Liar: http://www.myspace.com/dearoldliar
Bob Wayne: http://www.myspace.com/bobwayne
.357 String Band: http://www.myspace.com/357stringband

Nobody is ever going to mistake Mark Oliver “E” Everett for Jason Mraz, that’s for damn sure. Sure, Everett’s Eels may make the occasional foray into upbeat, jangly rock that sounds deceptively sunny but, make no mistake, Everett’s is a discontented soul, and he is more than willing to place that soul on display.

Never more was that the case than on End Times, a bleak collection of gorgeous apocalyptic ballads. So stark, in fact, is End Times, that one is left to wonder whether Everett does indeed believe the world will indeed end in a year’s time, and is perhaps preparing himself accordingly. As Everett mourns lost loves and likes over sparkling guitars, and muses on impending doom over a pulsing rhythm section, one thing becomes clear: if Mark Oliver Everett is going out, he’s going out with a bang and a whimper.

In the Eels cannon, End Times fits along side Blinking Lights and Other Meditations as perhaps Everett’s bleakest work to date, but the album is not without a degree of hope, even if it is just implied hope. For, one must assume, if one is continually finding and losing love and contentment, then it stands to reason that which was lost will be found again, and lost again, and rediscovered, and so on and so on, etc. It is that implied hope that finds its way into Everett’s voice, as he equates a broken heart with the fleeting presence of a sparrow on “Little Bird,” and as he plumbs the depths of his own seemingly incurable despair on “I Need A Mother.” Buried somehwere beneath Everett’s sadness lies the acknowledgment that the sun will, indeed, come out tomorrow. What remains unclear is whether Everett finds that inevitable sunrise to be a brief respite from the darkness or an insistent and tormenting reminder that sunset is on its way again.

Eels – “End Times” (from End Times)

Eels – “Little Bird” (from End Times)

Eels Official Site, Eels on myspace, Buy End Times

I did this with the last DBT album so I thought it would be fun to do it with The Big To-Do as well so I headed over to the always awesome Southern Shelter and collected live versions of all the songs on the album. The only track I couldn’t find was Track #13, “Eyes Like Glue” which is apparently sung by Cooley and will have to remain a surprise for the time being.

The Big To-Do is set to be released on ATO Records (yes, Dave Matthews’ label) on March 16. Till then, enjoy these live versions of the songs:

The Big To-Do Track Listing:

1. Daddy Learned to Fly
2. The Fourth Night of My Drinking
3. Birthday Boy
4. Drag the Lake Charlie
5. The Wig He Made Her Wear
6. You Got Another
7. This Fucking Job
8. Get Downtown
9. After the Scene Dies
10. (It’s Gonna Be) I Told You So
11. Santa Fe
12. The Flying Wallendas
13. Eyes Like Glue
14. Girls Who Smoke (Bonus track – vinyl only)

By now, you know exactly what a Spoon record – any Spoon record, every Spoon record – sounds like. One part jittery drum pattern, one part slithery bassline, one part Mercybeat, one part late 70′s Stones tight acoustic guitar, two parts undeniably infections guitar and/or piano melody, two parts Motown, one hundred thousand parts hipster vocal detachment. If you’re looking for the curveball, I’ve got news for you: it’s not coming. Spoon has a formula down, the formula works for Spoon, Spoon is sticking to that formula. End of story.

Thing is, the formula does work. There is not a bad Spoon record. Some (Gimme Fiction, Kill the Moonlight) are better than others but there’s not a clunker among them. With that in mind, Transference fits nicely in the Spoon catalog, neither an awe-striking effort or an abysmal disappointment. In short, it’s a Spoon record.

Perhaps somebody believes that Transference deserves a sprawling, eloquent analysis. Perhaps that review is out there. Elsewhere. For the purposes of this review, here is Transference, distilled: If you dig Spoon, you’ll dig Transference. If you don’t, this album will not change your mind. Being as Spoon is one of the most consistent bands on the planet, I remain firmly entrenched among those who dig.

Spoon’s Official Site, Spoon on myspace, Buy Transference

When I saw that the Black Diamond Heavies had a live album coming out I didn’t even bother to ask for it. When it appeared in my mailbox I wasn’t in any hurry to listen to it. I mean, I love the band on cd and I love the band’s live show even more. I just wasn’t confident that you could capture BDH in a live environment and have it sound good. My reasons were simple, a: they’re a really bass-heavy band, and to make capturing that even more difficult there’s b: they’re exceptionally loud live. With those doubts in mind, the cd sat on my kitchen counter for weeks before I decided to give it an obligatory listen.

With all that said, whomever recorded this show deserves a high-five, 2 shots and a hell yes.

In the end, I couldn’t have been more wrong about the overall sound of the cd. Alive As Fuck captures everything that is awesome about the Black Diamond Heavies. The grit, the grooves, the grime and the funk of a live BDH show are all present as well as well presented. The only things missing are John Wesley Myers’ ever-present cigarette and head banging and me, up front and center with my fifth whiskey.

This cd is not only a must-have for the current fan of the Black Diamond Heavies, but I also wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to offer this cd as an introduction for the BDH neophyte. It manages to capture everything that is The Black Diamond Heavies, which means it has to be Essential Listening….go get you some!

Black Diamond Heavies – Take A Ride
Black Diamond Heavies – Hambone
Black Diamond Heavies – Bidin’ My Time

Black Diamond Heavies on myspace, Buy Alive As Fuck

Since Slobberbone reformed last year, toured, and rocked the asses off of fans both new and old I figure it’s about time for a little intro to one of my all time favorite Texas alt-country bands. I couldn’t get enough of these boys out of Denton, TX when they were first around and the same holds true today. While I completely missed their tour last year, mostly because they skipped anywhere I could have been, I hold out hope they will hit down here on the Gulf Coast this year and that the reunion isn’t over. So if you only heard the hype and didn’t know what it was all about then this mix is your chance to jump into Slobberbone along with the rest of us.

While the band has always insisted they’re a rock band it’s pretty obvious the alt-country tag fits them like a comfortable old flannel shirt. They released four LPs and 2 EPs between 1994 and 2002 before it all came to an end. Brent Best (Attorney at Law) played guitar, sang, and wrote most of the songs they recorded. Their shows were just dammed amazing. I, along with many fans, was crushed when Brent posted the notice the band was breaking up but the music was out there and I’ve been diggin’ on it for more than a decade. I won’t go into all the history here since you can get on the band’s website along with the lyric to all of their albums. It’s time for me to shut up and give you the music…

Track Archive

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