As their 25th anniversary approaches art-rock band The Church, having recently returned from international touring, are continuing to push the boundaries of what a rock band should be.
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Tag Archives: 2009
Lee Rocker
Since the release of his Alligator Records debut Racin’ The Devil, bassist/vocalist/songwriter (and Stray Cats co-founder) Lee Rocker’s solo career has been skyrocketing. Publications from USA Today to Billboard and The New York Times raved about the undeniable power and foot-stomping fun of Rocker’s Americana-based roots rock. OffBeat declared, “What’s most satisfying about Lee Rocker is his ability to graft classic Sun licks and shuffles onto Americana. He bridges the gap between Bruce Springsteen and Hank Williams, Sr.” Bass Player magazine simply said, “He absolutely kills.” Lee’s live shows, fueled by his barnstorming, rocking band, grow wilder each night out. And now, on the heels of the national Stray Cats 2007 summer reunion tour, Lee Rocker is back with his second Alligator album, Black Cat Bone.
The Chicago Tribune describes Rocker’s playing as “muscular and passionate.” The Washington Post says his music consists of “impressive, catchy, driving original songs, frantic romps, finger-snapping swing and brooding slow blues.” Rolling Stone declares, “Lee Rocker’s singing naturally captures the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. His catchy, well-written songs are very difficult to get out of your head.”
Slim Jim Phantom
Slim Jim Phantom has secured his place as a true rock n roll icon.
| As the legendary drummer for the Stray Cats Phantom, alongside band mates Brian Setzer and Lee Rocker, spearheaded the neo-rockabilly movement of the early 80s. With a love for 50s rock n roll the Stray Cats took inspiration from the bygone era and mixed with their youthful energy and aggression produced the updated hard-edged rockabilly sound that saw them conquer London, Europe and later the US, gaining fans among the likes of Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Robert Plant along the way. |  |
Leonard Cohen
For four decades, Leonard Cohen has been one of the most important and influential songwriters of our time, a figure whose body of work achieves greater depths of mystery and meaning as time goes on. His songs have set a virtually unmatched standard in their seriousness and range. Sex, spirituality, religion, power – he has relentlessly examined the largest issues in human lives, always with a full appreciation of how elusive answers can be to the vexing questions he raises. But those questions, and the journey he has traveled in seeking to address them, are the ever-shifting substance of his work, as well as the reasons why his songs never lose their overwhelming emotional force.
His first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967), announced him as an undeniable major talent. It includes such songs as “Suzanne,” “Sisters of Mercy,” “So Long, Marianne” and “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Good,” all now longstanding classics. If Cohen had never recorded another album, his daunting reputation would have been assured by this one alone.
However, the two extraordinary albums that followed, Songs From a Room (1969), which includes his classic song, “Bird on the Wire,” and Songs of Love and Hate (1971), provided whatever proof anyone may have required that that the greatness of his debut was not a fluke. (All three albums are reissued in April, 2007.)
Black Mustang
Black Mustang have quickly established themselves as one of Brisbane’s most undeniably exhilarating new bands. Having developed an explosive live set with teenage kicks and manic pop thrills, their sound veers from rambunctious garage rock n roll to grungy blues-infected dynamos. Black mustangs sheer sonic momentum, combined with their intelligent use of melody, displays a maturity far beyond the band’s tender years. Powerful emotions, spanning from love and lust to fear and frustration are ever present. In short, Black Mustang provides a roller coaster ride of unashamed, delirious rock n roll.
Eskimo Joe
[photo: Stuart Blythe]
Youthful naivety can produce flashes of rock & roll excitement, but genuine experience and the passage of time can turn a good band into a truly great one. Now, more than a decade on from when the young Fremantle trio leapt onto the national stage, Eskimo Joe are taking a big, bold step towards music greatness.
On the eve of releasing their fourth album, the horizon has broadened. Band members Kav Temperley, Stu MacLeod and Joel Quartermain, have never been ones who ascribe to the status quo and consequently have proven there’s a whole world of possibilities to explore – if you simply follow your heart, listen to your muse and make the most of your talent.
Their third album, Black Fingernails, Red Wine, was a brazen step forward for a band borne of a scene that doesn’t always encourage grand statements. This dark edgy collection of songs was a monumental leap forward and landed the band not only quadruple platinum sales, but a number #1 charting album along with industry accolades with four ARIA Awards’>ARIA Awards in Australia. Consequently their world expanded.
Eskimo Joe landed a US Record deal with the respected Rykodisc, and proceeded to explore new territory. Humility coupled with a huge dynamic on-stage performance, elevated the band in the minds and hearts of locals. Their sheer perseverance from starting at the beginning again in a notoriously tough market, generated a solid base of fans.
The culmination of this international touring experience has creatively given way to new material for album number four. Looking to further shake-up their methodology, Eskimo Joe have now enlisted the assistance of world renowned English Producer, Gil Norton (Foo Fighters, Pixies, Echo and the Bunnymen). While Black Fingernails, Red Wine was an award winning first attempt at self-production, this time, the trio have openly embraced the challenge of outside perspectives.
A background of bold production brushstrokes cleverly reflecting material that has, thematically, just as much personality on display, Eskimo Joe aim to further showcase developments in their songwriting on the forthcoming album. Through previous award-winning albums, A Song Is A City and Black Fingernails, Red Wine, this consistent aspiration is vividly evident.
| Now more than ever at home in their own skin, the trio raise the bar set by past albums with the forthcoming album number four. The songs move to a brighter, dynamic mood reflecting both recent events in both their personal lives and on a universal front without abandoning the everlasting desire of forward movement. Unashamed emotion and unguarded personality envelope every track.
So, after ten years together, lesser bands may ponder what roads are left to travel… Eskimo Joe actively embrace the wide-open road before them earnestly and proudly, while being not afraid to try some roads less traveled along the way. |
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