Live: Lucero with Glossary @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg 3.30.10

You can't sell camaraderie short. If you are unaware or without a working set of ears, Murfreesboro, TN's own Glossary are a great fucking band. So are Lucero, who have utilized the talents of Glossary guitarist/steel wunderkind Todd Beene for the last couple years as a touring member. For a lot of up-and-coming (or NYC) bands that would be both a death blow and a shrewd political move to keep the next band from overtaking their 21st Century devaluated five minutes of fame but Lucero have actually upped the ante by taking Glossary on the road and signing them to their own Liberty and Lament imprint. Sure Todd has to play two sets rather than one, but there are worse crosses to have to bear.

The first Glossary for their new bosses is called Feral Fire. Look for a full review soonish, but be informed that said record posits the valid question: What would Thin Lizzy sound like if they loved Fleetwood Mac and were from Tennessee rather than Dublin? Pretty fucking great sure seems to be the answer. Glossary have been beating their head against the wall for the last ten years and it's nice to finally see them getting some headway. They got a lot of notice for giving their last record away for free. For better or worse, they also got a nod from that fuckwit Conor Oberst, but let's not dwell on the negative. I showed up during the first song of their hour-long set and had my ass rocked for the duration. Joey seemed pretty shithoused, but he and his wife Kelly harmonized like a Volunteer State John and Exene nonetheless. I had hoped that the two were siblings, but my creepiness aside, one can only hope their relationship is as harmonious. I'd like to see Glossary at Mercury very soon. Here's hoping.

I had missed Lucero when they came through last time, as I was recording my bands debut EP with Mr. Dean Baltuonis, but was pleased to find that they were touring as a ten-piece with. I was also pleased to run into a gang of the Unified Scene kids, including the estimable Lawyer Chris and John Cake. They were in their cups, as was most of the younger part of the crowd. Why the crowds in recent years have gotten so rowdy with young drunk asshats, I am unsure, but know that they were out in force. I managed to stay on the periphery of the fray for the most part, but enjoyed John's simple and effective foot-dispensed prevention of douchebags stage-diving to Memphis roots rock immensely. We got most of the new 1372 Overton Place record, along with a healthy couple hours worth of back catalog. Cake cajoled Ain't No Sunshine out of the boys and Ben closed things with a solo version of the stellar Lonesome Dogtown Nights. I will again go on record with my incredulity over how that was left off the new record, but I assume we'll see it in some formally released version soon. Hopefully we'll see these two bands back in town soon as well. There are only a few dates on the docket at present, but keep checking in here to see when/if they are coming your way. Alone or together, Glossary and Lucero are two of America's finest bands. You would do well to save the cash from that Wilco ticket and see this bill twice.

R

Free No Friends EP!

Another awesome blast of goodness from the friendless ones, this time in the form of the Traditional Failures EP. Wonderfully enough, this one's free. As often happens in this strange world, it's one of the few things I've heard recently that I'd be into paying for. Six tunes, five under the two minute mark, all in the Dag Nasty/Descendents vein. The closer even cops a little D Boon in the extended guitar coda that stretches the tune to an epic 2:45. You would be an idiot not to get this from your friends at Kiss Of Death here and certainly foolish to not see them on one of the dates below, if you were able.

See you in the pit!

R

Apr 2 2010

8:00P

The PourhouseRaleigh, North Carolina

Apr 3 2010

8:00P

MACROCKHarrisonburg, Virginia

Apr 4 2010

6:00P

Corpse FortressDC, Washington DC

Apr 5 2010

8:00P

The Skid Row GarageYork, Pennsylvania

Apr 6 2010

8:00P

BosniaNew Brunswick, New Jersey

Apr 7 2010

8:00P

Church of BostonBoston, Massachusetts

Apr 8 2010

8:00P

Bruar FallsBrooklyn, New York

Apr 9 2010

8:00P

The TerrordomePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania

Apr 10 2010

8:00P

The BikelotRichmond, Virginia

Paul Mooney - Black Is The New White

Well, this isn't what I thought it would be. I was vaguely aware of Mooney and his Richard Pryor connection, but like must white people my age, he came on my radar through Chappelle's Show. I thought that this would be more of a personal memoir. Not that it isn't, but in a lot of ways it's more of a celebration of his relationship (non-sexual, for all you rumor mongers and/or Earthquake fans) with Pryor. Mooney was sort of the Yin to his comedy Yan, neither drinking nor smoking but sure as hell sharing some common comedic ground. Mooney wrote a lot of Pryor's standup, including the famous job interview with Chevy Chase bit and Exorcist satire. On top of that, he was a champion Soul Train dancer, the first black circus ringleader, and played Sam Cooke in the Buddy Holly Story. He also raised a lot of hell. And even dated Lori Petty for a long while. Quite a guy. It's not the longest book in the world, which will work out as you'll want to read it cover to cover. Pick it up here from Amazon.

R

Failure's Union review at PopMatters

Hey Kids:

Review of the new Failure's Union record In What Way is now up at PopMatters. Peep it here.

Thanks to Sarah Zupko at PopMatters and Tony Weinbender at Southern Lovin'

R

R.I.P: Alex Chilton (1950-2010)

Just as I was reveling in being away from civilization for a week, I get on the interwebs and find this out.

Like a lot of people my age, Alex Chilton came on my radar through The Replacements. I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only Mats lover who was a little confused when they finally heard his stuff and it was more Eddie Hinton than Johnny Thunders. I came to really fall for Big Star and was well bummed that I was unable to see them in their original incarnation. I saw a bunch of the Auer/Stringfellow reunion shows and it was pretty obvious that the BS shows were more of a pension plan than anything he held especially dear.

The solo shows were something different. Alex played a lot at Fez last century. Though a one-time bizarre miscommunication the doorman though I worked for the Voice and for years I always got in free there, so I saw a ton of them. They were pretty hit or miss, but were notable for having the hugest set list I had ever seen. Alex would unfold it like a roadmap, throw it on the floor and call off obscure tune after tune that irritated the shit out of people that were under the misconception they'd be hearing Thirteen. The backing band rarely missed a step, and if they did, it did not bode well for that band member post-set. If they made it that far.

The Memphis boy had called New Orleans home in recent years. Katrina had displaced him for a bit and I believe he had been in Houston for a while, but was in New Orleans when he went to the hospital on 3/17 and passed later on that day. He will be missed.

R

Back!

Hey Kids:

Back from the jungle. For all you young kids out there, don't believe the hype when it comes to stateside insect repellants. Gonna get some medical attention and will be right back with you.

R

Gary Allan - Get Off On The Pain

Working on the periphary of the ad industry for a decade has made the mute button and DVR very close friends. I was watching Conan a couple years ago and happened to look up to see Gary Allan and his band on the screen. The sound was muted, but as they panned from band member to band member I realized I hadn't seen a bunch of guys that looked like that much trouble since the good old bad days of Steve Earle and his Dukes. I caught the end of Watching Airplanes, rewound, and realized that I was going to have to get me some fucking Gary Allan records. As one often does in these matters, I asked my boy Steve Koch and solidified the deal with a gang of GA for the Ipod. He's definitely new country, but but contemporary Nashville standards, he's GG Allin. Think a more clean cut Jamey Johnson, or a more mainstream Shooter Jennings. The production sure is big, but it's not altogether a bad thing when you have songs as good as the ones on Get Off On The Pain. They could have pared the strings down a tad, but all in all, it is a truly skewed world if this record doesn't sell enormous numbers. I'd assume you're going to have to go to one of the big box retailers to get a hard copy of this, but it's well worth the indignity to get. Keep track of Gary Allan's whereabouts here and stay tuned to JS-NYC to see if I like this record enough to see him play with Brooks & Dunn.

R