Music Blog covers Indie Music with a focus on the WNY area. Bands are encouraged to submit promo material for review. Listening to new music with an open mind is important. This blog is about exposing new music and promoting new bands that want a push. Music blog is sponsored by Buffalo Iron Works and Buffalo's best comic book shop Queen City Bookstore. (Blog is not about Joe Tell.) Go to https://www.youtube.com/@joetellsmusicblog3095 to see Joe Tells Music Blog Videos Youtube channel.
Friday, May 17, 2019
Friday, December 7, 2018
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
NOREiKA - Buffalo, NY
NOREiKA BIO:
Hailing from Akron, NY (suburb of Buffalo) Noreika began his career as a guitarist for a number of Heavy Metal & Thrash bands. Some gained regional notoriety and others never left the basement. Through the years, the daily band rehearsals turned into only twice a week, then to once a week, then to once a month. It seems that life crept up and changed priorities for Noreika and the other band members. Eventually being in a band faded into memory. Playing guitar for the joy of it became the norm. Gone was its importance as a career - it had turned into a hobby. To Noreika, this alternate path wasn’t empty or hollow. Quite the opposite, it’s brought him love, a Wife, a Son, a reasonable pay check, and many things he wouldn’t have known otherwise. Still, he missed doing the job he loved - performing music. That being said, it was his, then 4 year old, son that keyed him into the fact that something was missing.
One morning Noreika was complaining under his breath about business attire, while ironing his clothes before work, when his Son said, “will you play with me?” Noreika tried to explain that he had to go to work and that he would play when he returned in the evening. His son looked up at him, slightly perplexed by the explanation, and said the words that changed everything, “Daddy, I wish you could be a songwriter so you could stay with me instead of going to work”. That was it (after Noreika wiped away some tears). That was the motivation he needed. The motivation he silently longed for. The giant kick in the pants that only a 4 year old could provide. That evening, after he tucked his son into bed, he began writing, composing, and practicing. He knew that being in a band was tricky and wrought with obstacles. So a decision to go solo was made.
Of significant importance was advice he received from his good friend and one time band-mate; Joe Goretti (drummer from AJR Brothers, Robyn, Ne-Yo, Moby, and many others), "Do it with no expectation of fame. Do it because you love it. Do it because it makes you happy. Do it because it's who you are. Do it solo and be in charge of your own destiny". With that as inspiration, it began. A three song EP, METACOUSTiFOLK was recorded and released to much acclaim.
Metacoustifolk weblinks:
itunes: http://apple.co/1Gsn7Gr
Apple Music: http://apple.co/1QUCnS9
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1hpYx2n
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1VilNBH
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/1LDeHDV
2016's follow up; Throw the Switch to Begin, hit the ground running with even more metal inspired, acoustic folk rock, with stirring melodies, thought provoking vocals and a certain vibe that only NOREiKA can provide.
Throw the Switch to Begin Weblinks:
itunes: http://apple.co/2b4Xeqo
Apple Music: http://apple.co/2b6npgw
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bVwpD1
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2bzMRsF
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2biq32P
2017 - Noreika presents: BoXaRoX. A departure from the full band recording of the previous EPs by stripping down the music to the bare essentials of guitar and vocals. A singer / songwriter approach with Noreika's twist of metal inspired acoustic rock.
BoXaRoX Weblinks:
itunes: http://apple.co/2uvg9k7
Apple Music: http://apple.co/2hzpOoN
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2uWDrQf
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2vK1wiI
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2iuTkwc
2018 - New EP in the works. Back to the full orchestration of the first 2 EPs. Coming summer 2018.
NOREiKA LINKS:
www.peternoreika.com
www.metacoustifolk.com
https://peternoreika.bandcamp.com
www.soundcloud.com/peternoreika
www.facebook.com/noreika
www.youtube.com/peternoreika
www.instagram.com/peternoreika
www.twitter.com/peternoreika
http://peternoreika.tumblr.com
www.linkedin.com/in/peternoreika
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Great Lake Swimmers - Toronto, Canada
Great Lake Swimmers The Waves, The Wake album art
The Waves, The Wake music review by Joe Tell.
First off The Waves, The Wake contains many different sounds, all of the songs are brilliantly orchestrated with many different instruments. The roster of instruments includes the harp, lute, pipe organ, woodwinds, congas, marimbas, the banjo, piano, 12-string guitar and the natural reverb from a 145 year old church in London, Ontario. Many of these songs sound like they could be from a movie soundtrack. These unique sounds define the sound of The Waves, The Wake, the band has a sound all their own which could be best described as Classical Americana.
The first song, The Talking Wind, has a ethereal sound with it's breezy blend of instruments and harmony vocals. The song merges classical music and alternative rock sounds into a perfect blend.
In a Certain Light shows another side of the band with it's country feel and banjo picking.
Alone but Not Alone lifts the tempo a bit with it's jangly rhythm and lead guitars. I can hear a early folk rock influence.
Falling Apart has a melancholy feel with it's brilliant string orchestration and sound swells.
Side Effects is musically driven by some strong vocal melodies and some cool abstract vocal sounds take the song out.
The Real Work is a piano based song that has a mellow melancholy sound.
Root Systems has a cool tango-like percussive groove along with some sweet vocal and string sounds.
Unmaking The Bed is also percussion driven with a relentless groove that is sure to have your hand or foot tapping along before the song is over.
Visions Of A Different World is a mesmerizing song that uses vocal harmonies to transport the listener into a trance like state.
Website http://www.greatlakeswimmers.com/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/great_lake_swimmers/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/greatlakeswimmers
Twitter https://twitter.com/GreatLakeSwim
Listen to Great Lake Swimmers
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2HcZuUtnktqMHm4H1R9gAR?si=LG8i7kBlS3KWCidHbMoLAA
Tour Dates
11/23 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
BIOGRAPHY
2018 marks the 15th anniversary of Great Lake Swimmers. Over seven albums, multiple EPs, live broadcasts, and reissues, the Toronto-based project led by singer-songwriter Tony Dekker has established itself as a beloved indie folk act in their native Canada and beyond. The CBC has called them “a national treasure” while their music has taken them around the world, sharing a sound that is at once familiar and distinct, using the tools of folk music as the starting point to delve deeper.
It’s this contrast and evolution that brings them to their latest release, The Waves, The Wake – a metaphor for the future ahead, and the past trailing behind. Abandoning the acoustic guitar, this new collection of songs sees the group branching out to include new sounds such as harp, lute, pipe organ, woodwinds, congas and marimbas, alongside the more familiar flecks and chimes of the banjo, piano, and 12-string electric guitar. The stunning acoustics of the historic, 145 year old Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church in London, Ontario lend the atmospheric touch to the album, under the guidance of co-producer Chris Stringer (Union Sound). This record is about the songs, first and foremost, and was made with many of Toronto’s most talented players, including arrangements by Drew Jurecka and electric guitar appearances both atmospheric and spirited by Kevin Kane (Grapes Of Wrath). Long time collaborators Erik Arnesen (banjo, guitar), Bret Higgins (bass), and Josh Van Tassel (percussion) also contribute their considerable musicianship.
“The Talking Wind” opens the album solely with woodwinds and vocals, setting the tone with its scaled back, minimalist approach. Similarly sparse arrangements on “Falling Apart” pair a meditative, layered piano with an appearance by renowned harpist Mary Lattimore alongside Dekker’s haunting, plaintive vocals. Bridging the album to the group’s past work, the lonely jangle of “Alone But Not Alone” is a study in song-craft; “Side Effects” matches lyrical substance to musical motifs with its expressive vibraphone, tempo variations, and vocal effects.
But perhaps the album’s centerpiece is the entirely a cappella “Visions Of A Different World” with its ghostly, longing vocals nakedly bearing its message.
Great Lake Swimmers have twice been nominated for Juno Awards, have been shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Prize, and won a Canadian Indie Award for Favourite Folk/Roots Artist/Group. They have shared the stage as support for such musical luminaries as Robert Plant, Feist, and Calexico, and have appeared as headliners for many of Canada’s major Folk Music festivals. Their relentless touring schedule and countless live shows have helped them develop devoted fan bases across Canada, the US, Europe, the UK and many points beyond. Mojo dubbed them “Ambient Zen Americana” and Exclaim has described them as a “cherished blend of folk and orchestral indie pop.”
2018 marks the 15th anniversary of Great Lake Swimmers. Over seven albums, multiple EPs, live broadcasts, and reissues, the Toronto-based project led by singer-songwriter Tony Dekker has established itself as a beloved indie folk act in their native Canada and beyond. The CBC has called them “a national treasure” while their music has taken them around the world, sharing a sound that is at once familiar and distinct, using the tools of folk music as the starting point to delve deeper.
It’s this contrast and evolution that brings them to their latest release, The Waves, The Wake – a metaphor for the future ahead, and the past trailing behind. Abandoning the acoustic guitar, this new collection of songs sees the group branching out to include new sounds such as harp, lute, pipe organ, woodwinds, congas and marimbas, alongside the more familiar flecks and chimes of the banjo, piano, and 12-string electric guitar. The stunning acoustics of the historic, 145 year old Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church in London, Ontario lend the atmospheric touch to the album, under the guidance of co-producer Chris Stringer (Union Sound). This record is about the songs, first and foremost, and was made with many of Toronto’s most talented players, including arrangements by Drew Jurecka and electric guitar appearances both atmospheric and spirited by Kevin Kane (Grapes Of Wrath). Long time collaborators Erik Arnesen (banjo, guitar), Bret Higgins (bass), and Josh Van Tassel (percussion) also contribute their considerable musicianship.
“The Talking Wind” opens the album solely with woodwinds and vocals, setting the tone with its scaled back, minimalist approach. Similarly sparse arrangements on “Falling Apart” pair a meditative, layered piano with an appearance by renowned harpist Mary Lattimore alongside Dekker’s haunting, plaintive vocals. Bridging the album to the group’s past work, the lonely jangle of “Alone But Not Alone” is a study in song-craft; “Side Effects” matches lyrical substance to musical motifs with its expressive vibraphone, tempo variations, and vocal effects.
But perhaps the album’s centerpiece is the entirely a cappella “Visions Of A Different World” with its ghostly, longing vocals nakedly bearing its message.
Great Lake Swimmers have twice been nominated for Juno Awards, have been shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Prize, and won a Canadian Indie Award for Favourite Folk/Roots Artist/Group. They have shared the stage as support for such musical luminaries as Robert Plant, Feist, and Calexico, and have appeared as headliners for many of Canada’s major Folk Music festivals. Their relentless touring schedule and countless live shows have helped them develop devoted fan bases across Canada, the US, Europe, the UK and many points beyond. Mojo dubbed them “Ambient Zen Americana” and Exclaim has described them as a “cherished blend of folk and orchestral indie pop.”
Tony Dekker: Vocals, Pianos, Guitars, Songwriter
Drew Jurecka: Guitars
Kevin Kane: Electric Guitars
Erik Arnesen: Banjo, Guitar
Brett Higgins: Bass
Josh Van Tassel: Percussion
Mary Lattimore: Harp
Labels:
Buffalo Iron Works,
Great Lake Swimmers
Friday, September 21, 2018
The Chairman Dances - Philadelphia, PA
Eric Krewson started The Chairman Dances in the fall of 2010. For five years the band quietly made albums – about one a year – and performed them in basements and bars as far from their homes in Philadelphia as the price of gasoline would allow and as often as they were beckoned.
The summer of 2016 was slated to be like any other. The group had released an album called Time Without Measure and, as ever, sent it to every like-minded writer and DJ they knew. This time, though, their album stuck. Publications like Magnet and The Big Takeover wrote glowing reviews; the record made it onto CMJ’s Top 200 chart and, across the Atlantic, the BBC’s Tom Robinson hailed The Chairman Dances his “new favorite band.” In a few months, that band was opening for the Old 97s’ Rhett Miller.
For the next year and a half, Krewson did little else than work a day job, write, and assess and hone that writing. Every piece of every new composition had the freedom of changing into something better, and it often did. The band added a second keyboardist, which changed their sound dramatically, as did many guests musicians (including Mike “Slo-Mo” Brenner of Magnolia Electric Company) who signed on to be part of a new album, one more complex and deliberate than anything the group had attempted previously.
The band recorded the majority of Child of My Sorrow live, with engineer Daniel Smith (Sufjan Stevens, Danielson) at the helm. Following this, there were weeks of experimentation: recorded drum tracks were sent through a synthesizer to be manipulated; guest string players Ezgi and Maddie were asked to repeatedly strike their priceless instruments with the wood of their bows to get a percussive-sounding note. With the help of chairman-dancers Luke Pigott and Ashley Hartman, the group took the album on the road, recording overdubs in Philadelphia, Chattanooga and Galicia, Spain.
Of the album and its release, Krewson says: “It’s a relief to give up something I’ve clung to and considered for so long. It’s a relief to pack a bag and climb into a car with my bandmates, Dan Comly, Kevin Walker, Dan Finn and Will Schwarz, to perform this album on tour. We’ll see you out there.”
Event details: The Chairman Dances at Thin Man Brewery - 9/21
https://www.bandsintown.com/a/1205277-the-chairman-dances
Listen/Share: https://soundcloud.com/the-chairman-dances
Watch/Share: The Chairman Dances - “Acme Parking Garage” https://youtu.be/BJjpwDYROEg
Labels:
The Chairman Dances,
Thin Man Brewery
Friday, August 31, 2018
Beanpole's unreleased record 'All My Kin', out 8/31
Beanpole's (Primus' Les Claypool/Larry LaLonde & Spent Poets Adam Gates + Derek Greenberg) unreleased record 'All My Kin', out 8/31 on Sean Lennon's Chimera Music.
https://www.chimeramusic.com/
All My Kin is the strange and somewhat unbelievable album by an artist called Beanpole. “Starving artist” must have been their mode of recording as stories of farming, eating, and disfigured animal-human hybrids course throughout the record. Very little is known about Beanpole, but it is widely recognized by collectors that most of the music originated from the late 1980s and early 1990s. Some sources maintain Beanpole is still active, although evidence remains unsubstantiated.
Primus’ Les Claypool claims he attempted to release a decade’s worth of Beanpole recordings on his Prawn Song label in the ‘90s. We’re told that the tracks were delivered to the mastering studio on worn-out cassette tapes and dusty DATs. As legend has it, when Claypool played the mastered tracks to his distributor, the response from company executives was poor. As a result, Claypool was summarily dismissed from his business relationship with the distribution company, effectively ending his label. For nearly 20 years thereafter, the tracks were to remain forgotten.
Fast forward to 2017 when Claypool was touring with Sean Lennon as The Claypool Lennon Delirium. Les played the old, neglected recordings to Sean, who decided that the world was finally ready for Beanpole!
“Beanpole’s All My Kin is a concept album for post-modern America. It chronicles the epic tale of Chicken Boy and his dangerously interrelated family. Years of isolation have resulted in the birth of a child who is part man and part poultry. Despite obvious adoration for their uniquely feathered offspring, having fallen upon hard times they consider the unthinkable: will Chicken Boy be sacrificed to feed his hungry family?” — Sean Lennon
Labels:
All My Kin,
Beanpole,
Chimera Music,
Primus,
Sean Lennon
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Anonymous
Anonymous,
Please stop submitting negative comments to this blog.
Any negative comments submitted by anyone will be deleted.
Stop wasting your time and mine by revealing yourself so you can be blocked.
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Saturday, July 14, 2018
Bleed The Freaks "All Is Lost"
Bleed The Freaks "All Is Lost" complete CD art. Kick ass art, Kik ass Muzik!!
Click on www.bleedthefreaks.com to get your copy today!
Will Rule aka "Angst" doin' the B.T.F. dance!

Define Devine
Define Devine
"Offering eternal liberation
Eye survive to peel away
Uncovering your tunnel vision
God is alive
Define Devine"
"Angst" aka Bill Gurgol recieves writing credits on all of these songs.
Mixed by James Peter Labonte.
All songs copyright 2004 RULE! Entertainment
CD art by David Skonberg www.shamaneyes.net
Thank You Bill!
Labels:
Angst,
Bleed The Freaks,
Define Devine,
Pimpslap The Atmosphere,
RULE!
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