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FEBRUARY 2005 ISSUE #68 
Music Maker Relief Foundation / Hill Street Press Book with 23 track CD If you love the blues and/or American roots music, then this incredible book and CD combo should certainly be the cornerstone of your collection. Author Timothy Duffy has travelled throughout the country for the past 20+ years, discovering and documenting the wealth of underground blues music through his Music Maker Relief Foundation. This foundation also provides support for the artists who create this music, including shelter and medical care for those who need it. The book / CD combo profiles a number of artists, including interviews and photos along with samples of their music. The artists run the gamut of the roots world from the fairly well-known, such as Taj Mahal and Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, to the relatively obscure, like Henry Stewart and Albert Smith. The photos are stark and emotional, presented in a timeless black and white---without seeing the dates you can't tell if they're from 1942 or 2002, a true testament to the ageless quality of this music. Most of the CD was recorded in various places on location, which gives it a nice homemade quality. It's not slick at all, and the music comes alive without the trappings of the studio. Raw and real, just like the blues should be. Kudos to Duffy and the MMRF for going way out of their way to not only help these artists, but also for giving their work the respect and presentation it deserves. Music Maker Relief Foundation Website
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New Music Reviews |
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CHEAP TRICK From Tokyo To You Big 3 Records DVD
The songs are a mix of old and new (promoting their latest studio album, Special One), as performed live recently in Japan, where the band caught their first big break 25 years ago. The real fun comes from the interviews and backstage banter, where the boys tell tall tales about each other and the songs they've written over the years. The truly Tap moment comes when Rick Nielsen shows off part of his arsenal of 200+ guitars, including the monstrous 5-necked beast he pulls out every night for Surrender. Fans of the band will love every minute, while those not familiar with the group will probably go away scratching their heads. In case you're wondering, I loved every minute. MISH MASH Mandate: Cheeky Trick VOLUME 1 Volume 1 Self-Released 7 Song CD
The album never really goes anyplace out of the ordinary until the last track, Insight, which is a short and strange guitar and lyric-less vocal exercise, which is hopefully a hint of more to come. MISH MASH Mandate: The Edge of Angst JESSE KRAKOW Oceans In The Sun Public Eyesore 31 Song CD
I almost feel like I should be listening to this on a cheap cassette deck, because it reminds me of all the crazy crap I used to listen to in college. This is so homemade and lo-fi, it is almost impossible to describe fully without mentioning almost every weirded out four-track recording I've ever heard. Sometimes it is pop, and other times it's just noise, all wrapped up in absolutely stupid humor. So awful, it's a classic. MISH MASH Mandate: Down Home Stoopid ..It's What Life Feels Like When You're Lost Out Here... Debauchary Records 2 CD Set
BERMAN Life In The Stars Random Gong 11 Song CD
Doesn't matter---whatever it is, man it rocks. Crunchy riffs and powerful vocals, at times pensive and at other times at your throat, dynamics are the name of the game. And they do it well. MISH MASH Mandate: Dynamically Emotic KIDDER KIT Kidder Kit Self-Released 4 Song Mini-CD
That's a lot of ground to cover in an EP, but Kidder Kit (aka Jonathan Lee) manages to do it without breaking a sweat. The question is, where does he go from here? Kidder Kit Website © 2005 Mish Mash Music Reviews, All Rights Reserved
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