Posts by Joanne Schenker

Thirty plus years later, something’s gotta give, but it’s not Glenn Tilbrook’s voice. His most recent lament involves a digit as he explains, “Right now I’m facing the most challenging thing I’ve ever dealt with, which is that there’s something wrong with my thumb.  I used to bend it around the top of the neck of the guitar and I can’t do that at all.  I’m looking to having surgery because it’s a pretty big impediment.”  The word arthritis comes to mind of which he retorts, “That’s what I was initially diagnosed with, but the latest doctor feels it’s ‘trigger thumb’ – where when you use something a lot it seizes up on you.” 

It’s over 25 years since Bruce Hornsby keyed the world in on “The Way It Is” – a hit that earned him Best New Artist Grammy and helped launch the pianist’s music into a diverse and collaborative career. From The Range to The Bruce Hornsby Trio and eventually The Noisemakers, Hornsby continues to reinvent himself with spontaneous creativity.

John Popper, the iconoclastic frontman of Blues Traveler has once again re-invented himself with The Duskray Troubadours.  His month-long recording sessions in the mountains of New Mexico were much less a solo endeavor, and more or less a collaboration anchored by the strong musical bond between Popper and Jono Manson – bandmates from days of yore.  Popper put it best as, “A liberating, scrappy roots-rock alter ego of Blues Traveler.” 

Is David Lowery going solo these days? Yes and no, according to him. His latest collection, The Palace Guards, takes Camper and Cracker’s frontman to untouched territory within his mind and music.  What may sound familiar is the trusted circle of musicians Lowery has relied on for over 17 years and who are once again instrumental in creating the sounds for The Palace.

With their ninth studio album just released and a quarter of a century under their belt, Kurt Neumann and Sam Llanas bring their most exposed, vulnerable voices to the table with Mr. Sad Clown.  The result is the perfect balance of beauty, sadness and raw realism that encompasses the changing realities of their lives.

He’s wry and restless and funny as hell.  He’s Eef Barzeley, front man for the alt-indie band Clem Snide and on February 23rd 429 Records will release The Meat of Life — 12 powerful tracks that showcase the silent sufferings and comedic moments that run through Barzelay’s head.

The Village happens to be Greenwich, the time was 1960-something and the cast is John Oates with twelve other veteran musicians (including Lucinda Williams, Bruce Hornsby, Los Lobos, Rickie Lee Jones and Amos Lee) putting their spin on classic folk songs. The result is The Village: A Celebration Of The Music Of Greenwich Village – 429 Records’s folk compilation that pays homage to the music that shook the world from the corners of McDougal and Bleeker Street.

It takes more than a few hard knocks to keep Art Alexakis down.  Riveting frontman and driving force behind the multi-platinum powerhouse Everclear, Alexakis has built up a devoted following based on songs culled from his own thorny past.  Issues of abandonment, early demons with drugs, sobriety and divorce are all chronicled through 17 years and eight albums.

The stars must have been perfectly aligned when Red Hot Chili Pepper’s drummer, Chad Smith, guitarist Jeff Kollman (Cosmosquad) and keyboardist Ed Roth were brought together to help out Glenn Hughes’ latest project.

In July 2009, The Features released their highly anticipated sophomore album, Some Kind of Salvation on the newly formed Kings of Leon/429 Records/Bug Music Records label.  Recently performing at Bonnaroo, you could say they’ve come a long way or more likely, full circle.

Marshall Crenshaw, noted guitarist/singer-songwriter has been making music for nearly three decades. His 1982 top 40 hit, “Someday, Someway” may always be synonymous with his name, but fans recognize him as an accomplished musician, actor and writer as well. 

Pete Yorn’s latest go-round with Columbia records, Back & Fourth, is a departure in both his writing and recording career. His first album in three years, following the trilogy collection, is a depiction of a difficult period in his life.  Change seems to be the key element, both personally and professionally, and this album may be the catalyst.  For starters, Yorn implored indie producer and noted Saddle Creek arranger, Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley) and recorded the album in Omaha, NE with the guidance of Columbia co-chairman, Rick Rubin.   

Signing with a new record label (Savoy/429 Records) Cracker returns with the usual suspects: Lowery’s long-time partner, Johnny Hickman, drummer Frank Funaro and bassist Sal Maida.  Taking a new approach to their creative process, Sunrise is a collaborative effort by all four bandmates. Surprisingly self-disciplined, they took one week every two months between tours to write together over the course of a year.  The result was a creative outpouring with a strong common thread – all four musicians came of age playing in the origins of punk and new wave and once again found those sounds rising up.

One day two winters ago, 14 musicians decided to leave their hectic lives for a little while and go to ‘Gilligans Island’ – only this island was Maui, Hawaii and instead of sleeping on hammocks beneath the palm trees they slept 500 feet above sea level in a compound of treehouses.  Together they lived a minimalistic existence …no electricity, no running water, hardly a road to drive on and barely a roof over their heads.  Yet, it was 30 blissful days of swimming, surfing, singing on the beach…inspiring and experimenting and most importantly, recording some very amazing music.  The end result is Operation Aloha, a collection of songs that captures the tranquility, freedom and spirit of Hawaii – and it will be self-released on May 12th, 2009.  It may sound like a great reality TV show, but it’s far from reality… about 2,500 miles (Los Angeles) to be exact…

In September 2008, Saadiq released his third album, The Way I See It, which landed him the #1 position on iTunes Top Albums of the Year, a spot on Rolling Stone's Best Album's of 2008 and three more Grammy nominations.

It’s hard to fathom that back in the ‘90’s Snow Patrol, a student band from Scotland, was teetering on thin ice.  So thin that frontman Gary Lightbody had to sell his record collection to meet his monthly nut.  Yet in the next 14 years, they not only reached land, but crossed over the universe…a story that unfolds through their albums, particularly the last three

Only one year after their self-released album, Never Trying To Catch Up (2004), the Austin natives opened for Franz Ferdinand on the PBS series Austin City Limits, making them one of the only unsigned bands ever to play for the show. Creating quite a bit of a buzz, WMMF continued riding the wave with performances at the ACL Festival, South by Southwest and Lollapalooza.

As Tall As Lions is a landscape of instruments that continually overlap to create a sonic cocktail – part orchestral pop, part lounge with a Latin backbeat holding it all in check.

Mick Jones, former Clash lead guitarist and vocalist, would never have imagined that he would be considered a punk icon, no less a major part of a legendary band. The whole concept is overwhelming as he says, “I try to ignore all of that otherwise my head will explode.” Almost six years ago, Jones teamed up with his old bandmate and fellow punk legend, Tony James (Sigue Sigue Sputnik/Generation X) to create Carbon/Silicon. These days, Jones seems fulfilled to the point where just making music is enough. Getting there though, has been a trip and a half…

We all knew Steven Wright was on to something with his 1985 Grammy-nominated CD, I Have a Pony…but did he? It took 22 years to make another CD but not for lack of lackluster or deadpan-ability. I Still Have A Pony, released on Comedy Central Records last month, proves that he’s still got it…Pony and all.