Black Keys & Arctic Monkey's Review Afterglow

Both Bluesy and British

I'll read it to you above

This Friday the 27th at 8pm, The Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys will play a sold out show at the Chaifetz Arena. The two bands will be traveling from Austin, Texas to our historically blues friendly town of St. Louis on the day before the show. They are currently in a US tour together that will end in the middle of May. The Black Keys will then hop the pond to start a European tour as the Arctic Monkeys continue in a US based direction. It's strange to note that both bands will travel from packed stadium to packed stadium charging between forty and fifty dollars and call themselves indie rock. It's a sign that the term alternative rock has been replaced by the term indie rock. Once more, the terms are becoming about equally vague.

The Black Keys are currently riding high on their El Camino album which made it to second highest spot on Billboard's top 200 list. El Camino was produced by the Danger Mouse, Grammy producer of the year in 2011. He also produced The Grey Album: a mash-up album that combines The Beatles' White Album with Jay Z's Black Album. The Grey Album gained notoriety when EMI attempted to halt distribution while Jay-Z and Paul McCartney had no problem with the project. The Grey Album was then released to protest the practices of major labels for free on a day dubbed Grey Tuesday. Ironically, The Black Keys are under a label called V2 which is owned by EMI.

The Arctic Monkeys released a purple 7" on Record Store Day last Saturday the 21st. Their newest full album release, Suck It and See, made it to number one on British charts and 14 on Billboard's top 200. The Arctic Monkey's sound has changed a great deal in their last two albums. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not and Favourite Worst Nightmare are both witty and edgy with a dancable beat. There most recent, Humbug and Suck It and See, are atmospheric, mellow, deadened when compared the the first two. Early Arctic Monkeys music is characterized by an almost constant use of British slang, their new albums are strikingly without that slang. The Arctic Monkeys have moved from energy packed beginnings and perhaps found a larger audience for their music.

The Black Keys are seven albums into a ten year career. Their early albums are filled with raw blues rock sound and covers of their favorite blues songs. Around the time of their fifth album, Attack & Release, they started to come into a sound that was more their own. Their sound moves freely from blues-y, folksy, and psychedelic tones. Brothers and El Camino show a really solid and unique sound starting to emerge.

If this week's show is anything like other shows this year, the Arctic Monkeys are great openers and will play songs that were well received in the US and then get into there newer catalog. The Black Keys will rock through their catalog emphasizing their more recent hits. There stage effects will be awesome, but I won't ruin them here.

It's an unwritten rule of concerts that you don't listen to the music of a band you're driving to see. However, this concert is at the Chaifetz Arena, so you will probably be walking. Nevertheless, don't listen to these songs on your phone on the way to the concert. Listen to From the Ritz to the Rubble from Arctic Monkeys early stuff and Don't Sit Down Because I've Moved Your Chair from their most recent album. Listen to Busted from The Black Keys first album to experience their early grit and grime. Watch the music video to Lonely Boy from El Camino to get some dancing tips from some old guy.

For the edited version that went to the SLU's U News go here -  At Chaifetz, The Black Keys are ‘Howlin’ for You’

Mountain Goats Concert Review

On the 21st of April, several KSLU members and friends went to the Mountain Goats show for KWUR's Awareness Week on the Washington University campus at the Gargoyle.  This is a short audio review of that concert.

Acid Jazz Show

 Combining Jazz, Funk, Hip hop, and Electronica: Acid Jazz brings new life to a tried and true genre. So, crank up your stereo and drop into a strange technicolor dream world.

Everyone Loves the Sunshine - Roy Ayers

(Fallin´ Like) Dominoes - Donald Byrd
Sookie Sookie - Grant Green

Runaway - Jamiroquai
Totally Together - Galliano
Blanket - Urban Species

Stay This Way - The Brand New Heavies
Can't Get you out of my Head - Incognito
Message in a Dream - Norman Jay

Reality and Fantasy - Gilles Peterson
RETRO-ACIVE - Chris Bangs
People Tree - Mother Earth

Ocean Floor - Groove Collective
The Creator Has a Master Plan - Brooklyn Funk Collective
Life - Mondo Grosso

Skank into Spring Afterglow: Reel Big Fish, Mustard Plug, and Left Alone

SKA RISES FROM THE GRAVE!

Every little girl and boy born in the 90's knows that ska is dead and has been for almost 12 years. During the second week of April some necromancer must have raised Ska from it's shallow grave to inspire the kids to skank about to the sounding of horns once more. On the 11th, Mustard Plug and Left Alone started their 12 stop Midwestern tour at the Firebird with local openers Snooty and The Ratfinks, The Basement, and All Things Aquatic. This particular ska concert was opened by high school bands. Many high school students are attracted to Ska because it's one of the few genres of popular music that involves marching band instruments like the trombone, trumpet, and saxophone. After the local openers, a band known as Left Alone took the stage. Elvis Cortez, easily identified by his big red mohawk, addressed the Midwest crowd with the proper disdain, being from California himself. Elivs' stage presence was impeccable as was Jimmy Jam's strumming of his "big violin" upright bass and Jimmy James' fingers on his keyboard set to organ. Their medley of old punk, third wave ska, and psychobilly was something I've never heard before. After a grand entrance onto a small stage, Mustard Plug ripped through classic tunes like Skank by Numbers, Mr. Smiley, and Thigh High Nylons. The energy was high and the mood was positive and inclusive. This inclusive scene has been almost unconsciously created by third wave ska bands like Mustard Plug who draw their roots from second wave ska bands like The Selecter. Mustard Plug even participated in a tour called Ska Against Racism in '98. Dave Kirchgessner, lead singer of Mustard Plug, had this to say about Ska Against Racism "The whole 2 tone ska music movement in the UK was really prominent with a...anti-racist stance and at the time in England there was a lot of really acute racism...The whole American third wave ska scene was hugely influenced by the two tone, late 70s English era....from what I gather [Ska Against Racism] was a way of reinforcing...ideas of being anti-racist to the...crowd that was discovering 3rd wave ska at the time." With a last blast of a horn and strum of a guitar, Mustard Plug left the stage.

Ska's corpus appeared again at Webster University's Grant Gymnasium with local opener Samariot and international touring machine Reel Big Fish on the 14th. Reel Big Fish has an international tour scheduled for the summer and fall of this year that will make it to exotic locals like Russia and England. Have no fear Fish fans, they intend to make it to St. Louis in either the Summer or Fall leg of the tour according to Ryland Steen: drummer of the band. Reel Big Fish's last album release was Fame, Fortune and Fornication in 2009. But have no fear, they are not stagnating, they are gearing up for a new album release this summer to promote with their tour. The album will be "a little more aggressive" than their past albums and you will "feel like the ejector seat will pop open any second" yet it will still be "happy, fun ska music" as described by Steen.

After moving through Websters power-tripping Campus Activity staff, I saw the familiar faces of Samariot, who open for almost every big ska band that comes to town. Their habit of throwing Little Debbie cakes into the crowd hasn't wavered even a bit. The hilarity of seeing cake after cake hit fans in the face was almost too much to take. An active crowd danced about reeking of ska's stench of teenage angst and chocolaty cakes. After a brief intermission of a faceless DJ playing Streetlight Manifesto songs, Reel Big Fish took the stage. It's clear to me now what Steen meant by "The band built it's reputation on it's live show." Their stage presence is beyond comprehension as every member rocks with a vicious energy with hardly a note out of place. This is my third Reel Big Fish show yet I know people that have seen them eight times, and come back for more. Sweaty and satisfied, Webster students and the public leave the gymnasium like so many high school students after prom.

Recording of Skank into Spring PPR Show



Interview with Dave Kirchgessner: Lead Singer of Mustard Plug



Interview with Ryland Steen: Drummer of Reel Big Fish



Pictures of the two concerts



Playlist

Guns of Navarone - The Skatalites

Ghost Town - The Specials
On My Radio - The Selector

Interview with Dave Kirchgessner

Silverlake - All Things Aquatic
Sad Story - Left Alone
Mr. Smiley - Mustard Plug

Raw Revolution - Big D and the Kids Table
All My Best Friends are Metal Heads - Less Than Jake
Talk of Revolution - Car Full of Midgets

They Provide The Paint For The Picture-Perfect Masterpiece That You Will Paint On The Insides Of Your Eyelids - Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution

Come on Eileen - Save Ferris
Night Train to Moscow - The Toasters

Russian Roulette - Do It With Malace

24 Hour Roadside Resistance - Against All Authority

Guilty Pleasures - Catch 22

St. Louis Blues (music) Showcase

"A guy will promise you the world and give you nothin', and that's the blues" - Otis Rush

Well, then we will listen to the sweet songs of injustice and hardship coming from the city of St. Louis. Listen up and get your culture on fools

St. Louis Blues - W.C. Handy
Ragtime Piano - Scott Joplin
Frankie and Johnny - Frank Crumit

Smokestack Lighting by Howlin Wolf
Big George Brock - Cat Head Mini Festival
Henry Brown Blues - Henry Brown

Walk on Boy - Jim Byrnes
Bone me like you own me - Barbara Carr
Pinetop Buggie - James Crutchfield

Rudy Silvercloud Coleman - BLuesweek 2011
Stony Poney Blues - James Deshay
Back Scratcher - Frank Frost

Real Good Woman - Johnnie Johnson
These Tears - Mary Johnson
To Late to Cry - Lonnie Johnson