David Brookings and The Grip Weeds

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David Brookings

David Brookings “Mania at the Talent Show”

David Brookings has continued to grow musically over the years, and with his latest Mania At The Talent Show, he’s still telling stories that resonate. “Hard Times” reflects on the COVID fueled era of anxiety. On “Keep It Real” he settles in with a laid-back catchy rhythm as he touches on some of his favorite Western pop culture icons growing up (Outlaw Josey Wales, Gunsmoke), and then he slows down even more on the sleepy jangling “Driving to Ojai.” The California vibe is strong with this one, as well as other tracks. And David’s humor is sharp as ever on the bouncy “Women of L.A.” about women “going to the vending machine to pick out a new face.”

Other standouts include “One of Us Is Crazy (The Other One Is Me),” “Get Off (My Mind),” and “Kill Shot.” The longer form story-song “Mania at The Talent Show” is a lively tale of catching “rock star” mania with catchy hooks that chug along. Some tunes are more atmospheric and less compelling (“Words Come Back To Haunt You” and “Hide Your Crazy”) but this doesn’t throw the album off track. Brookings is a talent that deserves to be heard. Highly Recommended.

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The Grip Weeds

The Grip Weeds “DiG”

For over 26 years as one of New Jersey’s finest bands, The Grip Weeds (singer/drummer Kurt Reil, his wife Kristin Pinell Reil, brother Rick Reil, and bassist Dave DeSantis) have dazzled audiences with their unique blend of psychedelic styled garage rock and power pop. In a moment of introspection, the band decided to back at what influenced their sound and pay tribute to songs they loved.  This is the inspiration for DiG, and it’s no ordinary covers album.

The late sixties has always been a benchmark for the band, and they dig deep through this 2-disc set. The challenge is to improve upon the originals, and in many ways, The Grip Weeds are up for this challenge. The one-hit wonders are usually ripe for improvement and “Shape of Things To Come” (Max Frost and The Troopers), “Journey to The Center of The Mind” (The Amboy Dukes), and “Lies” (The Knickerbockers) are instrumentally superior versions. More modern songs like The Plimsouls “Lie, Beg, Borrow, and Steal” are given a retro arrangement and there are plenty of songs you’ll not be familiar with; obscurities like “The Little Black Egg” (The Nightcrawlers). Overall a great album for those who love to dig through the classic late sixties catalog. Highly Recommended.

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IPO returns to NYC

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It’s been a long time, but it was great to get out and see live music again. The International Pop Overthrow festival returned to New York City this past weekend at Arlene’s Grocery. A lot of familiar faces were there over the weekend; Slybooks, The John Sally Ride, Wendy Ip, Bubble, Eytan Mirsky, Meyerman, The Anderson Council, and The Grip Weeds. The crowd was really into it this year, and as always David Bash was an excellent master of ceremonies. David continues to globe-trot with his festival, heading to Boston next week. If he comes to your town don’t miss it!

Nelson Bragg and Ward White

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Nelson Bragg

Nelson Bragg “Gratitude Blues”

Nelson Bragg conceived his final solo LP during COVID quarantine in Burbank, CA. Being Brian Wilson‘s percussionist/vocalist for 14 years, Bragg is a perfectionist when it comes to introspective melodic pop. Starting with “Lose Yourself” it’s a terrific song that describes the need to look inward, “and play my Beach Boys songs” sounding brooding, but upbeat, and vaguely like Lindsey Buckingham. The jangling “Glorious Days” is like a sunny warm memory fleshed out, and the Beatlesque “Whitechapel Girl” is a bouncy gem with a sugary sweet chorus.

The epic Elton John/Bernie Taupin ballad “I Want Love” is richly surrounded by harmonies, and Peter Holsapple helps define “The Cool Kids,” a lovely folk song that’s dressed up in lots of thick orchestration. It’s a hallmark of Bragg that all those Brian Wilson sonic touches leak through in his own work. “Seriously Girl” opens with a Chicago-styled intro with blaring horns and then builds into a much mellower psych-pop gem. The wordless hymn of “The Dover Twins” is a pastiche of styles and the California pop of “Dreams Made Us Free” sounds like an interview of Bragg about his tenure with the band set to music. Many of the songs here are a winsome look back on his career, and nothing is held back. Not a single dud in the bunch. This kind of craftsmanship and quality of music is a rarity, we can only hope that Bragg doesn’t really stop making these types of retro-love songs. Highly recommended and added to my list of top ten albums for 2021.

Steel Derrick Music

Ward White

Ward White “The Tender Age”

Ward White is back with a new set of songs that reward the attentive listener. His gentle Bowie-like croon is perfectly suited for a song like “Dirty Clouds” which adds elements of jazz and rock together. The next song is more atmospheric than melodic, “Easy Meat” about dark impulses, and then the solid “Let’s Don’t Die At The Spotlight” is an amusing scenario of LA traffic with some soaring vocal lines. White to me often is the musical equivalent to filmmaker David Lynch, where the sweet, sleek surfaces often reveal darkness underneath, and the title track “The Tender Age” is an excellent example.

Other tracks aren’t as compelling, with some exceptions. “Gail, Where’s Your Shoes” is a standout with its warbling guitar break, and “Wasn’t It Here” shows some much-needed guitar energy. Overall a solid effort that takes a few repeats to find a space in your brain. Check it out.

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Nick Frater and Scott Gagner

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Nick Frater

Nick Frater “Earworms”

Nick Frater is a 60s/70s sophisticated-pop connoisseur from Croydon, UK. Earworms are exactly what power popaholics look for in a song, and Nick does a great job by letting his work just burrow into your brain. Lots of period influences are combined to make something new, yet familiar. Staring with “It’s All Rumours” with help from Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Jellyfsh) it flows sweetly into the ELO-styled chorus. Then the wicked lead opens “Buggin’ Out,” another standout that will have you singing “doo-wops” till the end.

The “hits” keep coming with the mid-tempo “With Heavy Heart,” and shifting key changes of “Lucky Strike” which again mines Queen for its guitar flourishes. The smooth gloss of “Star Crossed” is almost like Jeff Lynne joined Seals & Crofts. And the ender “How To Survive Somebody” evokes both Elton John and The Carpenters. Each song is like a handcrafted love note to that era, and it makes for irresistible replays. Highly Recommended and another candidate for the top ten albums of 2021. Don’t miss it!

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Scott Gagner

Scott Gagner “BloodMoon”

A lot of introspective music came out of the great pandemic this year. But none so personal and deeply emotional as Scott Gagner’s BloodMoon. With the help of  Ken Stringfellow (Posies), the soaring “Rise” is an early high point, about a family moving from a natural disaster. The ghostly “Twice In A Lifetime” follows these thoughts half-spoken and half-sung in a trance-like state. The album centerpiece is “I Don’t Get Out Much Anymore” a soulful heart-breaking ballad.

Scott seems to channel his inner Lee Hazlewood for sublime “My Shadow” but after that, it gets very spacey with “On The Moon” and “Orion.” It seems to be more like a calming ASMR vibe, with meditations on the past. Even when the tempo speeds up on “Year At A Glance” and “1977” it feels like a sleepy reminiscence of events. While I did enjoy the first third of the album, it took more effort to appreciate the rest. The complex arrangements are a plus, but the brooding atmosphere will not appeal to everybody.

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Mo Troper and The Amplifier Heads

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Mo Troper

Mo Troper “Dilettante”

After a daunting Beatles cover album, Mo Troper is back to his bedroom DIY fuzzy melodies and Dilettant is more hit than miss over the course of 28 short snippets. The influences are too numerous to mention but the opener “Total Euphoria” sets up a single hook before its gone, and then the driving guitar of “The Expendables Ride Again,” a rant about how ephemeral the music is, and the reaction “What’s the name of your new band? The one with you and my old friends?”

There are thematic gems sprinkled throughout, with others being simple song sketches. “The Perfect Song” is the goal here, one that “gets stuck in my head all day long.” Some artistic anger on “All My Friends are Venmo,” and plenty of highlights that compare well with GBV; “My Master’s Voice,” “Armpit,” “Better Than Nothing” and “Blake and Lanny.” Like a bag of Halloween candy, you may not eat everything but it sure is sweet.

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Amplifier Heads

The Amplifier Heads “Saturnaliens”

Boston rocker Sal Baglio (The Stompers) skillfully continues his journey with his band The Amplifier Heads as they cruise through their third album on Bar Rum Records. Described as “a  graphic novel for the ears and head” I just start by giving kudos to the cover design. These UFOs would kick Boston’s ass.

The fine opener “Ghost Star Rider” mines that Western motif in the instrumental, and then the raw garage rock of “Rocket Boys” delivers the first salvo. Loving those riffs on “Earth Girls on the Loose,” and “All Fueled Up,” it almost goes full rockabilly with a hint of punk attitude. “GlamOrama,” “Candi Starr,” and “Bast Shit Crazy” are very Sweet-esque tributes, and the band doesn’t ease up on the gas. All lots of fun, but it can be a bit exhausting by the end of the album. Still more hits than misses here, and definitely highly recommended.

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