Welcome fellow time travelers !! This is U2 free zone!!

"BROTHERS AND SISTERS . . . the time has come for each and every one of you to decide, whether you are going to be the problem or whether you are going to be the solution!"

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Deadboy & The Elephantman - We Are Night Sky 2006

Ok, first off Merry Christmas and all that jazz.  Now thats out of the way.  Next Topic, Deadboy & The Elephantman's sophomore release, "We Are Night Sky".  If you haven't heard these guys, heres a quick synopsis.  Fucked.  Fronted by Dax Riggs of Acid Bath,  this Louisiana swamp rock group offers up a mix of stoner, acoustic, indie and plain odd tunage!  With that being said this Fat Possum group delivers what could be interpreted as chaotic garbage, or soulful bliss... you be the judge!!
Highlighted tracks are "Ancient Man" & "Blood Music"


ENJOY!!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Black Oak Arkansas - The First 30 Years Movie

Alright ladies and gents, I'm back!  Sorry about the delay in posts but today I am going to make it up in style!  Black Oak Arkansas led by the David Lee Roth prototype, Jim Dandy and accompanied by Tommy Aldrige, Ruby Starr, and many other long haired dirtbags, have compiled a dvd of dynamite footage, ridiculous interviews and rock solid tunes!  I won't ramble on today about the details of this band, cause if you know them, you'll know their live performances are legendary.  So with out further ado, sit back and dig this flick!!  I've also taken the liberty of uploading it into 1 file, for easy download... merry christmas all.....Black Oak Style!!
JIM DANDY TO THE RESCUE!!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Scott H Biram - Something's Wrong/Lost Forever 2009

Alright! Greetings fellow righteous scavengers of tunes!  Today, I'm putting up on the table, what could be my favorite album of 2009.  Scott H Biram's latest release, "Something's Wrong/Lost Forever".  Where to start...... This album takes everything we've come to love about our lo-fi hero, but throws in some sensational Hammond organs, a few guitar overdubs, and even a cover of Muddy Waters "I feel so good" accompanied by none other than the always raw and filthy "Black Diamond Heavies"(BDH myspace).
From the opening track, which is a message he left for a friend on an answering machine after he was hospitalized from a near fatal car wreck involving an 18 wheeler, to the closing seconds of "go down ol' Hannah", Scott keeps you captivated and emotionally enthralled.  Powerhouse spellbinders like "still drunk, still crazy, still blue" and "dragging down the line make this album worth the purchase alone.  I'll say no more, listen and enjoy!!
@320
Highlighted tracks include.. well this time... ALL OF THEM! Listen start to finish, and enjoy 38 minutes of soulful bliss!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Charlie Parr & The Black Twig Pickers - Glory In The Meeting House 2010

Alright folks!  Today we've got some serious ear candy for ya!!  Mr Charlie Parr out of Minnesota... with his new album "Glory In The Meeting House".  Everything you've come to know about Mr Parr (If you already knew him) is featured on this album.  Resonator Guitars, loads of banjo, and dark eerie lyrics that will leave your soul chilled.  I don't really know what else to say about this album, except it somehow almost reinvents the wheel... not a great amount, but just enough to leave you feeling... well.... i guess that depends on you!
Highlighted tracks are "Deaths Black Train" and "There Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down"
Charlie speaks of the album - 
"Recorded in the shed behind Mike Gangloff's house in southwest Virginia with The Black Twig Pickers. Old gospel tunes that have been around forever and always a part of my set - The Black Twig Pickers set them on fire and I'm hanging on for dear life. Hopefully this will sway the Lord when the time comes."




Monday, November 15, 2010

The Bad Plus - Suspicious Activity? 2005


Welcome back, and sorry for the absence.  I've been settling in to Yellowknife, and exercising my liver and in doing so, I've been negligent to my blog!  So up on the chopping block today we have a slice of serious jazz!! These cats, hailing from Minnesota, have been releasing killer records for a decade now, and have a gained a great live reputation as well as solid reviews from Rolling Stone to Allmusic... and RIGHTFULLY so!!  So is it jazz? yes... is it avant garde? yes.... do they cover Nirvana, Sabbbath, and Neil young? YES!  I can't say much more about these guys, you're just gonna have to listen to it yourself!  I promise it's worth it! 
Highlighted Tracks include "The Empire Strikes Backwards" & "Rhinoceros Is My Profession"
@320

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Yellowknife bound!


Well ladies and gentlemen this universe once again has surprised me.  After a lengthy skype interview, I've been offered a job in yellowknife.... and I leave in less than 2 days.  Now I know what your all thinking.. but this not the end of "The Righteous Empire"! I'm simply incorporating it into a new paradigm... The Righteous Empire + Yellowknife! I'll be digging my paws through obscure and rare tunage from the great north, so be sure to check back for the latest and greatest of the golden nuggets of the territories!

But first on my list of things to do in NWT is have a bite at the legendary Wildcat cafe!  Followed by a pint at the Dark Knight Pub!  Photos and reviews to follow! Cheers all!!

Monday, November 1, 2010

American Yodeling 1911-1946

Well if you all survived Halloween, this may be just the album you need to bring yourself back from the dark side!  But be forewarned, this is not for the timid!  From the open track "the Yodeling Mountaineer" till the end of track 26, "Sleep, Baby Sleep" you'll be bombarded by country yodeling unlike anything you've heard on CMT!!  With a few of these recordings going back as far as 1911, don't expect high def. clarity or Pro-tools pitch correction (gag) here, however do expect to be yodeling in the shower for the next week or so.... after all it IS the language of Angels!

Highlighted track include  "The Devils Great Granson" & "Yodeling Mule"!!

This record is a blast !!!  If you have a bottle of grain alcohol kickin around, it may be time to open her up!!
Track Listing & Reviews

Download Via Megaupload

Friday, October 29, 2010

Big Elf - Cheat the Gallows 2008

Were gonna get a little more heavy now!  This 4 piece band based out of LA have been kickin' out the jams since 1991 and some how manage to fly under the radar.. how you ask... I have no idea!  Led by the eccentric double organ playing, top hat wearing, Allister Crowley worshipping Damon Fox, these dirtbags, equipped with mighty beards and long hair have a style all their own.  With Hammond organs, Mellotrons, orange amps, SG guitars, and vista-lite drums the spaced out quartet deliver what could only be referred to as thunderous psychedelic jam groove, taking the best of the Beatles, Floyd, Sabbath and Crimson influences and creating their own unique sound.  Their latest offering, "Cheat the Gallows" thrives on thick riffs, progressive jams, eerie and soulful harmonies and blistering tempo changes.  Get ready to have your mind drenched in righteous tones and strained through a leslie.  Accompany with stimulants!
@320
Wikipedia w/ Track Listing

Download

Leadbelly - Complete Recorded Works, Vol.1-7 1939-1947 (FLAC)

Alright! By request we have a real treat today!  The complete Leadbelly recordings from 39-47.  These cuts are raw, mono, and packed full of delta blues.  This guy plays it all, guitar, lap steel, harp, accordion piano and one hell of a voice!  I would assume the majority of you know who this legend is, but for you younger cats, you may know the song "where did you sleep last night" recorded by Nirvana, which is an old old leadbelly tune.  With out further ado i present you with a album that you would hear walking down a dirt road in Louisiana or by the Bayou trying to stay hidden from the Klan and the crocs!(thanks Shel!!!)  Break out the corn liquor and pipe tobacco!
Highlighted cuts - Looky Looky Longer/Black Betty and the Bourgeois Blues

Leadbelly at Wikipedia


Part 1 Part 2

Stardeath and White Dwarfs - The Birth 2009

Well, Folks, I don't know how to describe this one!  This must be listened to an evaluated by YOU!  It's a mixture of psychedelia, garage rock, a hint of new wave and whole bunch of I don't know... does that help? I think not!  Well nonetheless to realize the full potential of this album you may have to enlist the help of LSD or some serious opiates.  Think flaming lips(as the singer is the son of Wayne Coyne) and comets on fire, with elements of the 13th floor Elevators... or perhaps none of those bands..... in fact this album is so cool I can't compare it to anything, so grab some grass and call an adult, cause you will need supervision if things get too confusing... which they will.
@320
Website with Track Listing

Download

Scott H. Biram - The Dirty Old One Man Band - 2005

Now It's time for another southern hero who has had little no recognition, Mr Scott H. Biram out of Lockhart Texas.  This songster draws his influences from the like of Doc Watson, Leadbelly and Mance Lipscomb, and combines a nice mixture of aggression via punk and at times borderline metal.... and does this all by himself!  Sitting in an old chair and stomping his foot against a board during his performances, this guy has set a new precedent for hillbilly blues rockers everywhere.  With cuts like "wreck my car", he can immerse you in laid back country, or jump into "I see the light/Whats his name" and rip out some gritty soul reminiscent of of early 40s gospel!  This guy has it all! In 2003 he was involved in a head on collision with an 18 wheeler, and within a month he was performing live in a wheelchair with IV tubes hanging from his arms.  This guy is a force to be reckoned with and an artist with a solid career ahead!

So heres another dynamite album from 2005
Highlighted Tracks are "Truck Driver" and "Wreck My Car"
@320
Scott H Biram website

Mediafire

Mississippi Bones - Self Titled 2010

Alright Brothers and Sisters its time to get a little heavier!  Up on the chopping block today is the southern friend grooves of Mississippi Bones.  Just enough swamp, sludge and solid riffage make this nugget one you won't soon recover from.  Its as if Clutch And Half Man had a bastard son who attended the University of Five Horse Johnson majoring in Alabama ThunderPussy!!  This record will be sure to flying down the highway at 150 with a trunk full of Jack D!!  Enjoy
Highlighted Track - The Silver Forked Tongue of Mr Toad and Sasquatch Paparazzi
@320

Track Listing & Review

Megaupload

Duane Allman November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971





Well, It's Oct 29th again, and it has been 39 years since Duane Allman died in a horrific bike accident in Macon Georgia back in 1971.  Duane at the young age of 24 left a legacy in southern rock that will guarantee his immortalization in our hearts and ear drums.  Rolling stone magazine ranked him #2 in their "100 greatest guitar players off al time" list.  Although that doesn't mean much considering they all ranked Kurt Cobain #12 and Jerry Garcia #13.......but thats another rant we shall save for another day!  Nonetheless Skydog was a monster in the world of slide guitar, with arguably the greatest tone to ever scream out of a marshall.  So wherever you find yourself today, stop for a moment, crack a bottle of pabst blue ribbon and pay your respects to the late great and always righteous Howard Duane Allman.



In commemoration of Duane life and death I'm posting the Allman Brothers Band Live at American University /12/13/1970.  Its Raw, it's gritty and it's perfect! Highlight - The 16 minute version of "you don't love me" is definitely the gem on here!
@320 

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Happy Birthday Mr Daniels!!

I just want to throw a big happy birthday to The Furious Fiddler himself!  This legend is 74 years old
today.  Is he taking it easy in his old age?  Notta chance! Hes On tour right now and has had well over 10 releases in this decade alone!  He just may be playing at a state fair near you!
Heres a link to the anti-bucaneer on youtube!

Charlie Daniels - Late 70's - Long Haired Country Boy




Fiddle On Charlie, Fiddle on!!!

Weird Owl - Ever the Silver Cord Be Loosed 2009

Lets get psychedelic shall we!  This psilocybin driven Brooklyn band was introduced to me by a good friend at ElectricMud (check sidebar for blog).  To say the least this mesmorizing album takes you on a journey so far down the rabbit hole you'll need DMT to get out!  Crank this while engaging in your favorite recreational pass time!  You can thank the cosmos for this one!!
@256AAC
Highlight Track is Mind Mountain

Track Listing & Review

Megaupload

Fred J. Eaglesmith - There Ain't No Easy Road 1991

Alright! Next up were gonna go with a little canadiana country!  Forget Miley Cyrus
and Keith Urban, this road warrior has been releasing music about farming, dogs, tractors,
and booze for 30 years, while playing to small rooms all over Canada he still manages to 
pump out some serious tunes!  Although this is not my favourite its a must hear for all fans of the genre! If enough people dig it,  I will post other albums.  So grab a bottle of Lucky Lager and your shotgun, and set yourself up in a rocking chair on your porch..... you're going country!
@256 AAC

Highlighted tracks are Makin Whiskey and Little Buffalo!

Track Listing

Megaupload

Sam And Dave - Sweat and Soul (FLAC) 1965-1971


Well this group needs no introduction!  If you haven't been living under a rock for the last 50 years you should be well aware of this powerhouse duo!  With brilliant help from the genius of Sir Isaac Hayes, (Black Moses!) these gents belted out some of the greatest soul this little floating marble has ever heard!  Although they despised each other to a point that they wouldn't travel together, talk to each other or even look at one another while performing for like 13 years!  Anyways up for your listening entertainment is the anthology discs containing 50 cuts!! And did i mention these files are LOSLESS!!
Enjoy this as your dancing around your house in bellbottoms and oversized collar silk shirts!!

Highlights.....EVERYTHING!!

Sunnyland Slim




Alright heres another absolute classic delta born blues artist.... Mr Sunnyland Slim!  This collection I downloaded from itunes, has 24 hollering tracks recorded in the 40s and 50's and are bound to have you slugging wine out of the bottle and dancing to the wee hours!
@256AAC
Highlighted tracks are Illinois Central and Keep Your Hands Out Of My Money!!!
track listing here

Megaupload

Heavy Deep Funk 2009

Alright! First up, my first post is a solid one man!  I just purchased this gem from itunes.
Its a 55 track funk collection of uber rare cuts!  Perfect for an evening of cocktails and dancing!
If you don't like this, than i will personally come over and FUNK you myself!!
@256 AAC
 Start With Track 18... Mister Boogie by Brother Soul... this is the reason we love our funk!!

amazon link for track listing
http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Deep-Funk/dp/B002Y5F4RI

Megaupload Link