If You Are Not Listening To Sturgill Simpson, What Are You Doing With Your Life?

It took me awhile, but I've finally caught on. I've lauded the work of Shooter Jennings on this blog quite a bit. His brand of music is authentic, catchy, and has staying power. There is another artist that has caught my attention lately and he shares a lot of traits with Shooter that I find appealing in a musician. His name is Sturgill Simpson. He's a Kentuckian and is best defined as a country artist, if you want to lay a genre on him. He's more than that though. From song to song, he can wiggle free of genre and bring a wide spectrum of influence into his work. 

Simpson has become very popular despite not getting radio play or support from the Nashville establishment, which he clearly doesn't want or need. In 2014 he won big at the Americana Music Awards grabbing the top prize for "Emerging Artist", "Artist of the Year" and "Song of the Year". In 2015 he was nominated for a Grammy for his album "Metamodern Sounds In Country Music". He plays to sold out shows all over the country and his latest album "A Sailors Guide To Earth" hit number one on the country charts despite getting very little mainstream radio play.

The guy isn't afraid to ruffle any feathers either. He took ACM to task for bumping Merle Haggard from the magazine just before his (Haggard's) death. 

Rolling Stone: Simpson Blasts ACM Over Haggard Snub

Sturgill Simpson & Merle Haggard

Simpson is a different kind of artist. He draws on the influences of his youth and teenage years, like most artists, but he isn't afraid of his own eclecticism. He openly talks about the influence that Merle Haggard, Keith Whitley, and Willie Nelson have had on his music, but in the same breath, he'll include Pink Floyd, Nirvana or any number of artists that you may not immediately catch in his music. In other words, he doesn't like to be pinned down as a musician that is falling back on his influences from a boxed in genre, but he expands his music by letting the variety shine through in a blatantly unapologetic manner. I've found his music to have such depth that I can listen to it over and over without growing weary of it or doing song skipping. There always seems to be something there that I didn't catch on a previous listen. His music speaks to me in a way that The Beatles, The Replacements, and Shooter Jennings have. I hold his artistry in that high esteem. 

Simpson has a draw for both country and rock fans. He drifts into the area of psychedelia at times, both lyrically and musically, and his interest in Buddhism is weaved in and out of quite a bit of his music. He doesn't preach it, but he just lays it out it there to let you know who he is. He is probably the first country artist to ever sing about ego death and the benefits of taking DMT and mushrooms to get a look at the world that steps outside of our day to day perceptions. 

This guy is the real deal and I wouldn't be taking time out of my Saturday if I didn't want to try to turn a couple more people on to him, in hopes his music has the same impact on them as it has me. 

If you want to get a really good look and listen, I'll start you out right here with his performance at Farm Aid on September 17th. A rousing performance with the Dap Kings backing him up on horns and featuring some passionate guitar work from Sturgill. Just a kick ass performance....

I'd recommend anyone that is interested in finding out more about Sturgill's music to start with songs from the "Metamodern Soungs In Country Music" album and if it strikes you right, move on from there. His first album "High Top Mountain" is solid, but not quite as polished or immediately satisfying as a genre busting piece of music like "Metamodern..." and "Sailors Guide To Earth" are. That's certainly not a knock on it at all. It has its' own charm and merit and is probably the most overtly country of his three albums. On each album he moves effortlessly between country, folk, psychedelia, and pop and does so without taking huge leaps. I hope someone finds out about the greatness of Sturgill Simpson from this blog, but if not, at least I got to spend an hour writing about an artist I believe is very important to modern music and is sure to continue making music that will stand the test of time. 

"Turtles All The Way Down"

This is probably his most accessible song musically, but lyrically it captured the attention of a lot of music lovers that see modern country music as shallow and devoid of any lyrical depth. Simpson defies that in a refreshing manner with the subject matter he speaks to here. 

"Life Of Sin"

This is a fun romp of a song that easily appeals to country sensibilities but has the backbone of a rockabilly tune. 

"Oh Sarah"

This tune kind of plods along on the initial listen. Very pretty and not flashy, but it takes a turn that many of his songs take and the second half just sucks you in. The band starts picking up the tempo and Sturgill gets to show off his amazing voice and passion. 

Joe Rogan and Marc Maron have featured him on their podcasts. You can check those out at the links below! 

Bands and Reunions: When Is A Band Not A Band?

Bob, Tommy, Chris, and Paul; The Replacements

Sunday, August 25th will mark the return of my all-time favorite band, The Replacements. Or will it? Over the years, I have heard people say that there are no reunions without the original members of a band. Recently, I have been hearing the rumblings that Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson getting together is not The Replacements. I guess I understand that stance, but if you start saying that a missing member of a band negates that bands existence, then there are a lot of bands, past and present, that should hang it up or feel like they have been living a lie. 

Are the Rolling Stones not the Rolling Stones because Brian Jones died in 1969? If not, then they have been pulling the wool over our eyes for decades, but it sure does sound like the Stones when I hear "It's Only Rock N Roll" or "Some Girls". Wilco is down to only having Jeff Tweedy and John Stirrat as band members that were there from the start. Are they no longer Wilco? 

Perhaps defining what makes a band who they are would help. For me, the creative elements have to be there and the stage presence has to be in the mix. If the main creative forces of a band are there, along with the personality I have a tough time throwing the towel in. I think Wilco is Wilco and will be as long as Jeff Tweedy is there. I think the Stones are the Stones unless Mick, Keith or Charlie hit the bricks. The Who is the Who so long as Townsend and Daltrey are there (apologies to the great Keith Moon, but he left way too soon). Led Zeppelin could still be Led Zeppelin so long as Page and Plant are involved. As with those bands (and as a hardcore fan), I don't have any problem with Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson calling themselves The Replacements. They were the main creative forces every step of the way. Tommy embodied the attitude, even after they booted his brother Bob, and Paul steered them artistically. It's their band and their band is The Replacements. Sure, it'd be sweet to see Chris Mars and Bob Stinson with them, but Bob is dead and Chris is a painter. Slim Dunlap and Steve Foley? Well, if you are against reunions that don't include original members, those guys are out. Well, they are out anyhow as Foley is dead and Slim suffered a major stroke. If you could accept them as The Replacements, then why have a problem with a couple of great musicians (drummer Josh Freese, and guitarist David Minehan) that have backed Paul in the past coming on board as members? 

I will say this in defense of those who cry foul over reunions; there are definitely times where a band isn't really a band anymore, no matter what they call themselves and even saying that I'm sure someone will be able to refute me and I'm not saying that they would be out of line. For instance, take a band like Journey. Journey without Steve Perry rings false. He and Neal Schon were the faces of the band. Are they REALLY Journey if one of them isn't around? Pink Floyd? That is another band that I just can't call by their name (despite going to see them without Waters....sue me). When Roger Waters left, I just don't see how they could go on using the name Pink Floyd. It'd be like the Beatles without John Lennon. In my opinion, the Beach Boys are not the Beach Boys without Brian Wilson. Queen without Freddie Mercury? Come on, really? I can't imagine the Beastie Boys touring without Adam Yauch and still claiming to be THAT band. 

Unless I meet an untimely demise, I will be in Chicago to see The Replacements in a few weeks. Yep, I'll be seeing The Replacements and I'll be damned happy to be there!

This will do, but I really wish Saturday Night Live had not pulled their "Bastards of Young" performance from You Tube. Tremendous and kick ass.  

Happy Birthday Paul Westerberg!

I have a lot of "favorites" when it comes to music. I don't think I've ever just targeted one band or one person as the tip-top, but Paul Westerberg is about as close to the top as you can get with me without seeing much competition. 

He came out of Minneapolis with his post-punk/pre-grunge, highly influential alternative (when it really was alternative) college rock band The Replacements in the early 80's. Westerberg rapidly grew into an outstanding songwriter and a pretty damned good guitarist. When The Replacements broke down (definitely not "up") he was already well on his way to doing his own thing and continued to write great songs and wear his heart on his sleeve.

He never became a big commercial success by today's standards, but his influence is felt through a thousand bands and he is well respected in rock circles among other musicians and critics. His 53rd birthday is today and I felt like writing a little bit about him in celebration. His influence on my musical tastes can't be measured. Opening my mind up to The Replacements allowed me to drive myself to all sorts of music I may not have otherwise heard. It was like "Freddy, there's a lot of music out there, don't miss it!" The years wear on and Paul isn't releasing as much music to the public as he did in years past, but that's OK. Like The Band, Waylon Jennings, Beastie Boys, The Beatles, and Roger Waters, their music that is already out there is more than enough to satisfy me for the rest of my life. The music is not to be disregarded after a listen. It's timeless for me. I just go back to my LP's or IPod and visit my friends when I'm lonely for one of their songs. 

Happy Birthday Paul! 

"First Glimmer" on MTV!

"I'll Be You" by The Replacements

"Dyslexic Heart" from the Singles soundtrack

"Love Untold" on Letterman! (Tommy Keene on guitar!)

I Love The Beastie Boys....there....I said it.

I realize it's not like I've crawled out from under a rock and admitted something that is a shock, but there may not be a lot of 43 year old men who admit to liking the Beastie Boys. Here I am though. Recently, Adam Yauch, one of the founders of the band/rap act died of cancer at age 47. I'm not ashamed to say that it kind of shook me up a little. There are a couple of bands out there that I grew up with and hold a place in my heart, mind, and psyche to this day. The Beastie Boys are one of those, along with The Replacements. Sure, I grew up listening to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and the Beatles, along with a bunch of bands and artists that sprung up during my teenage years, but only a couple really connected to me on a level that saw me follow their entire careers. The older bands were not really of my generation, so my connection is after the fact. I suppose what I'm getting at with this is that I'm finally starting to look at my mortality through a medium I love, which is music. 

The Beastie Boys were 21 year-old bad asses that invaded a mostly black art form and broke down barriers for that art form. Hip hop was generally disregarded by white, mainstream radio listeners for years. 1986 and the release of "Licensed To Ill" really changed how radio regarded rap and hip hop. When a record sells 8 or 9 million copies, you can bet that someone is going to cash in. With that "Fight For Your Right To Party" was plastered all over pop radio that summer and fueled the interest of rock and roll fans like me. I was listening to the Beatles and Led Zeppelin and then started hearing these guys that were referencing lyrics and using guitar licks from "The Ocean". Yeah, I was sold! The Beastie Boys appealed to my inner goofiness. I wanted to be like that. I wanted to let go and be less inhibited by my upbringing. I wanted to be able to have harmless fun and enjoy any type of music I wanted to. Whether it was pop, hard rock, country....or yeah, rap! 

"Licensed To Ill" made it OK for a white teenager to listen to rap. The threat was more comical than it was born of inner city turmoil. It would have been nice if hip hop had found its audience by working from the ground up behind the Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Flash and others, but to be honest, they were seen as threatening to the white standard of what music should be. It took three white, Jewish guys and heavy metal riffs to push hip hop into white, suburban consciousness. I'm glad it did, because opening myself up to it at that age, allowed me to appreciate black artists at the time like Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, and Run DMC, and later on in my life it allowed me to unapologetically (not sure if that's a word, but it works for me!) enjoy Ice T, NWA, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Pigeon John, and Lupe Fiasco. 

By 1989, I had found myself uncertain of my future and not knowing the direction of my life. I applied to Lindsey Wilson College and broke away from my rudderless teenage years. At the same time, the Beastie Boys released "Paul's Boutique", an album that I immediately fell in love with. Many critics panned it and the public didn't buy it. I did. It played right into my hands as a music lover. It had funk backgrounds (and I love funk), Johnny Cash, The Beatles, and witty, socially sensitive rhymes that just caught my interest. I was hooked. "Paul's Boutique" is now regarded as a hip hop masterpiece that would be too costly to try and recreate in today's litigation happy culture. The beats were clear, the rhymes were bold! They went away from directly copying their huge selling debut and from that point on plowed through their music in their special, no compromise way. "Check Your Head" was their next release and it saw the Beastie Boys playing their own instruments and pulling some influence from early 80's punk. They continued to make albums that were interesting and fun for the next 20 years, which culminated in the release of "The Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2" just a couple of years ago. That album had been delayed in its release due to Adam Yauch's (MCA) battle with cancer. Yet another record by a band that I had been following for 25 years that I really took too. The Beastie Boys were MY band. I grew from a teenager to a man listening to their awesome beats, fun rhymes and endlessly youthful attitudes.

A few weeks ago, I had three friends text me to let me know that MCA had died. They knew I was working long hours and not able to catch the latest news for a few days. Wrapped up in my work, it didn't hit me immediately. It was just another celebrity that died. A few days later, with my work behind me, I was able to reflect on Adam Yauch's death, which came just after the band was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. It hit me kind of hard. One of my cousins was sending me MCA lyrics daily. I was watching videos and interviews and really just sinking into what it meant. Part of my youth was tied to this band and I was near their age. Now, one of them was gone and I wasn't going to get any new music from them as I moved into middle age. Is that life's way of letting you know that things are winding down? That you need to start getting busy with life, because you are on the down hill slide? I'm not sure. I do know that it bummed me out for a week. I didn't know the guy. I didn't have a lot in common with him. He did make music that connected me to my teenage years. Years that I don't remember quite as well as I used to. He was a part of a musical act, along with Michael Diamond and Adam Horowitz, that broke down the wall that pop music had built around itself. It was OK to like hip hop. They made it OK to love them as well as Springsteen, Madonna, and Van Halen!  As they aged and matured, they continued to make music their way. They never became an oldies act and never got stale or irrelevant. They re-invented themselves with each new record, without selling out to the flavor of the day. They set the trends and they did  it on their terms. I will miss the Beastie Boys. 

I suppose I'm waking up to the fact that I am finally at the age where I'm going to see friends, family, and people I know leaving this existence. My connection with the past is going to start wearing away. Hell, if I died today, it would only be about 3 or 4 decades until there would only be a couple of people (my daughters) that will even really remember me or care that I was here. That's life. It's the process that all of us go through. There comes a time when you hit the wall and look back. You realize that your potential for making a difference or leading life in a certain way is pretty much gone. I'm there and I hear life loud and clear. I'm closer to the end than the beginning. 

Here is a tribute that was paid to the Beastie Boys by Mix Master Mike, Kid Rock, Travie, and Questlove (from The Roots) at the Hall of Fame induction. I really enjoyed it and it's evident this was born out of love and respect. Enjoy. 

"Girls. All I really want is girls."

The Beastie Boys

My Morning Jacket: The Best Band In The World

So I gotta start this out by saying I'm a bit biased in this assessment. The band is from Louisville, I'm from Louisville....ya stick by your family.  That's not all my opinion is based on though. My Morning Jacket is one of those bands that almost begs to be "grown" with. Their sound has evolved over the years and they always seem to keep their audience guessing as to what direction they will head next. There are not many bands, including my all-time favorites, such as The Replacements, The Beatles, and Pink Floyd, in which I have trouble finding a couple of songs that I just don't like. MMJ (as I shall call them for the remainder of this blog) just never seems to mail it in. Every song is unique and they don't seem to fit a specific genre. 

MMJ's first album was released in 1999, called The Tennessee Fire. That album, along with their second record, At Dawn, were given nice reviews by AllMusic.com and Pitchfork as well as others. The sound was odd and certainly different as the band used heavy reverberation and mixed tempos within many of the songs, drawing you in slowly and then punching a hole in your eardrum. One of my favorites is called "The Way That He Sings" from the At Dawn album. 

Here is a great live version performed on David Letterman

The album It Still Moves was their first major label release and it opened them up to a whole new world, as the band won critical acclaim and toured seemingly non-stop to build a rabid following. It Still Moves is a fantastic piece of music that is varied in style and can at times remind the listener of Neil Young and Crazy Horse, as well as Metallica and Pink Floyd. The song "Run Thru" is another personal favorite of mine and is ranked as one of the top 100 Great Guitar Songs by Rolling Stone magazine!

If It Still Moves was their coming out party, then their next album Z would make them darlings of the critics and again show that they are not one trick ponies who just stick with a sound. Z is just a bit more pop-ish than their previous albums, but I wouldn't call it MMJ going soft. They were refining their sound and exploring different instruments and sounds. Metacritic, who uses an aggregate score of album reviews, ranked Z as the second best album of 2005 and Pitchfork Media ranked the record at 146 of the top 200 albums of the 2000's. One of the best songs off of an album full of them (Off The Record), also features a cool video.

Z seemed like a tough act to follow, but somehow, the band just keeps making great record after great record. Evil Urges was released in 2008 and stripped away much of the bands earlier sound and was an attempt to create a record that sounded more like MMJ as a live act, as opposed to the studio touches that highlighted previous records. 2008 was a big year for the band. They appeared on Saturday Night Live, received a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Rock Album, and played a legendary 3-hour live set at the Bonnaroo music festival that featured 35 songs, with help from Kirk Hammett of Metallica and comedian Zach Galifianakis. Evil Urges was ranked on no fewer than 5 lists for one of the top 20 albums of 2008, including a ranking of #4 from Rolling Stone Magazine. 

Here is yet another fantastic song. I give you "I'm Amazed", one of a handful of great tunes off of Evil Urges.

Their latest release is called Circuital and once again, the band took it's sound to a different place. Not as easily accessible as previous albums, this one is a "sitter", meaning you need to listen to it a few times and not expect the tunes to just grab you in the way many pop tunes do. This record will get better with each listen, until you have these tunes stuck in your head....."holdin' on to black metal"....Oh, Yeah!! The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top 200 and once again the band received a Grammy nomination. 

I have to say this about MMJ; they are a great live band. As good as their albums are and as much enjoyment that I can get out of those with the headphones on, there is nothing like experiencing them live. They will flat wear an audience out. They are the type of band that doesn't let the audience get restless. They pour it all out when they are on stage. I've seen them several times and not once can I say that they were anything other than great. Years back, before they started playing to sold out festivals, I saw them open for Joe Henry at Phoenix Hill Tavern on Bardstown Road. I had no idea who they were, but I wouldn't forget them. In addition to all the albums and touring, the band has appeared as themselves on the television show "American Dad", toured with Neil Young,  have been featured on Austin City Limits a couple of times, and were a part of the VH1 Storyteller series in 2011. If you love rock n roll and don't know who this band is, you need to do some You Tube searching and get with it! If I had to recommend an album for a mainstream music fan to introduce themselves to the band with, I think I'd choose Z or Evil Urges. 

Oh, and I can't let this blog end without showing the clip of My Morning Jacket on American Dad. 

And in case you were wondering if stardom has went to lead singer Jim James' head, it hasn't. He puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like everyone else!!!

Why're we so loud when we say it wont happen to us? 

Why does my mind blow to bits every time they play that song?

It's just the way that he sings, 

Not the words that he says, or the band. 

I'm in love with this soul, it's a meaning that I understand. 

"The Way That He Sings"---My Morning Jacket