Beat Alley

06.01.09

Rancid releases their 7th album, Let The Domioes Falll,  on June 2nd.  Released on Hellcat Records. I have seen Tim and the crew play numerous times, but never have I been so excited for a new album.  Someone told me years ago they would never last this long.  They could never keep that sound alive.  Well, its been twelve years since I heard that, I was twenty-four, and here comes their next album and another tour. I might be on the downward slide to 40 but Rancid never ceases to amaze me.  I have been a fan since the begining and no matter how old I get I will remain.

Let The Dominoes Fall

 Rancid is touring with Rise Against this summer.  They are making another Denver stop.  On June 11th they will be at Red Rocks.  

 Check out their webisodes on Hellcat Records.  Click here to go directly to their artist page.

For those of you that have no idea who these guys are I recommend going to their website http://www.thosepoorbastards.com/ and listening to their shit.  I found an old review about them and thought I would bring it back to life a bit....

If you’re wanting to hear Kenny Chesney soundalikes sing about sexy tractors and honky tonk badonkadonks, you best look someplace else, because singer Lonesome Wyatt and his reclusive bandmate, The Minister, are serving up songs of damnation and misery sung with pentecostal fury.  While much of today’s country music—commercial, independent, or the dreaded alt-country—features overblown instrumentation and spit-shined vocals that have been ProTooled beyond recognition, Those Poor Bastards are refreshingly minimalist in comparison, using only guitars and banjos to accompany their delightfully depraved songwriting and raw voices.  There’s no steel guitar or fiddle, but this music is undeniably country, and more than a little disturbing. (this review was from Juli Thanki)

Dead Confederate's music is intense - a lumbering, southern, psychedelic grizzly that reveals itself like fireworks in slow motion. The songs build before they burst into either giant melodic overtures or a shimmering cascade of saturated squalor - or both. They're rock songs with a drawl. But when a charge is needed, Dead Confederate cut through the fog in favor of razor sharp punkers that pay tribute to nineties rock heroes - a rock edge that helps them find balance against more challenging soundscapes.

Record Label: The Artists Organization
Label Type: Independent
Band Members: Hardy (vocals, guitar), Brantley (bass, vocals), John (keys, vocals), Jason (drums), Walker (guitar)
Influences: On the Beach, Meddle, Bleach
Sounds Like: Dead Confederate
City: Athens

Lux Interior, aka Erick Lee Purkhiserlead singer of The Cramps, passed away on February 4th.  Lux has been an inspiration and influence to millions of artists and fans around the world. He and wife Poison Ivy’s contributions with The Cramps have had an immeasurable impact on modern music.

The Cramps emerged from the original New York punk scene of CBGB and Max’s Kansas City, with a singular sound and iconography. Their distinct take on rockabilly and surf along with their midnight movie imagery reminded us all just how exciting, dangerous, vital and sexy rock and roll should be and has spawned entire subcultures. Lux was a fearless frontman who transformed every stage he stepped on into a place of passion, abandon, and true freedom. He is a rare icon who will be missed dearly.