SMM #30: April 15th, 2022

A whole slew of April new releases, and another scattered rock gem playlist for your holiday weekend.

New Releases

I’ve rounded up an extra-large batch of new releases for this issue… they cover a wide range of musical styles so there should be something for everybody… enjoy!

CALEXICO - El Mirador… Arizona band led by the duo of Joey Burns (guitar/vocals) & John Convertino (drums) has been putting out high quality albums since 1998 and their latest is no exception… All Music Guide describes their music as a fusion of “the dusty sounds of the American Southwest with spaghetti western soundtracks, cool jazz, and a broad spectrum of Latin influences”... saw them in 2015 at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC… only knew a few of their songs at the time but didn’t matter - they were great! Had two trumpet players that just added so much to the music… anyway, check this album out! 

MOLLY TUTTLE & GOLDEN HIGHWAY - Crooked Tree… Tuttle is a virtuosic guitarist -  the first woman to win the International Bluegrass Music Association's Guitar Player of the Year Award - banjoist, vocalist & songwriter, and one of the stars of modern bluegrass… this is her fourth album and first with her band Golden Highway and it hits the mark from beginning to end… guests are a who’s who of bluegrass and country, including: Billy Strings, Old Crow Medicine Show, Margo Price, Sierra Hull and Gillian Welch… Tuttle co-wrote all the songs, most of them with Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor… 

ALBERT CASTIGLIA - I Got Love… the Miami-raised blues guitarist and singer comes roaring out of the gate with the title track of his latest album and doesn’t let up… I recently discovered Castiglia after randomly checking out his 2016 album, Big Dog, and was most impressed with his blazing guitar playing and powerful vocals… plus, his material is a cut above a lot of the blues-rock out there…

CABINET - The Sugarhouse Sessions… latest studio release from the veteran Pennsylvania-based roots-rock band… their music leans towards the country/bluegrass side of the genre and they really shine in a live setting where they can display their instrumental prowess on some lengthy jams… saw them at Brooklyn Bowl in 2015 and they definitely give you your money’s worth!

FOOKS NIHIL - Tranquility… was not familiar with this strangely-named German band but was most impressed with the 60s California vibe of their music… the songs are catchy and really well crafted and as Shindig! Magazine said, “if you like surfy guitar twang and Laurel Canyon vocal blend, you’ll feel right at home with this one”...

DEDICATED MEN OF ZION - The Devil Don’t Like It… second release from this Southern gospel group on the Bible & Tire Record Company label, a spinoff from renowned Hill Country blues label, Fat Possum (R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, early Black Keys)… they take Southern gospel standards and give them a fired-up, soul-rockin’ treatment with a band that features some stellar Memphis musicians, including Will Sexton on guitar, Al Gamble on B-3 organ, and George Sluppick on drums… great stuff!

MAGGIE KOERNER - The Bartholomew Songs… Maggie is a terrific New Orleans-based singer and regional favorite and hopefully this album will garner her wider acclaim… when I saw the title I assumed they were covers of legendary NOLA musician & songwriter Dave Bartholomew but per Maggie’s Facebook page, she wrote or co-wrote all the songs over several years while living on Bartholomew Street in NOLA… check it out and also check out this video from 2014 JazzFest of her singing Aretha’s “Rock Steady” with Galactic.

GOOD LOOKS - Bummer Year… debut album from this Austin-based country/indie rock band… they list Spoon, the Replacements, Willie Nelson, and Townes Van Zant as primary influences… remind me of Band of Horses… only 7 songs/30 minutes but there are some quality tunes that show promise for the future…

NICK FRATER - Presents The Rebutles: Ron, Dirk, Stig and Barry, The Solo Years, Vol. 1… only 8 songs & 22 minutes but this is a very well-executed take on a great Beatles parody called The Rutles… so basically a parody of a parody minus the comedy aspect… the Rutles was the brainchild of ex-Monty Python member, Eric Idle, and it was aired in 1978 as a made-for-television mockumentary… a soundtrack album was also released… 

THE MIKE BELL CARTEL - The Cartel & I… debut album from this Helsinki-based band is an excellent slice of 60s style garage rock with fuzzy guitars, farfisa organ and smooth vocal harmonies… the songs are consistently solid from beginning to end…

Playlist: Scattered Nuggets - Rock and Roll, Vol. 3

I will close out this Easter week issue with my third volume of Scattered Nuggets rockin’ tunes… one of the kings of rock n’ roll, Jerry Lee Lewis, kicks things off with his signature tune “Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Going On” from the 1973 album The Session, recorded in London with an all-star cast of U.K. rockers… my all time fave Rory Gallagher (SMM #3) handles the guitar solos… next is one of my favorite bands from the 70s & 80s, the J. Geils Band with “Floyd’s Hotel” from their album, The Morning After… if you’ve never heard them, time to dip into their catalog! Although Canadian band The Sheepdogs never really caught on after some early buzz, “I Don’t Know” is a very catchy tune… before he hooked up with Neil Young and then went solo, Nils Lofgren was cranking out great guitar-driven rockers like “Moon Tears” with his unsung band, Grin… next is Scottish band Nazareth with a nice cover of Crazy Horse’s “Gone Dead Train” (Crazy Horse DID put out some solid songs without Neil Young!)... obscure Brooklyn roots-rockers The National Reserve have a sound reminiscent of The Band and Levon Helm and here’s a good example… if you live in Brooklyn, they can be found playing most Friday nights at Williamsburg honky tonk bar, Skinny Dennis… Los Lobos are another one of my favorite bands and here guitarists David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas go to town on “Mis-Treater Boogie Blues”... one of the best live bands around! Vancouver psych-rockers Black Mountain follow with the cool tune “Druganaut” which sounds like Black Sabbath on a low simmer... Ron Wood showed off his guitar prowess on “Big Bayou” right around the time he left the Faces and was being worked into the Rolling Stones mix as Mick Taylor’s replacement… Bauhaus was a group I never listened to but spinoff Love and Rockets locked into some great grooves like this tune, “So Alive”... next is  “Cadillac Walk” from Oklahoma rocker, Moon Martin… he wrote a bunch of great, rock n’ roll songs in the 70s and early 80s that turned out to be bigger hits for other artists… the setlist closes with the great Warren Zevon’s ode to boxer “Boom Boom Mancini”... 

Enjoy and Happy Easter to everyone! — SL