Ehroehed is Lonny Potter, who records music in British Columbia, apparently to give away to his friends. Erik Ratcliffe is a nice person from somewhere, wherever, who dropped Ehroehed in our Suggestion Box. If I knew Lonny Potter personally, I’d tell him to burn a disc of his music to give to Erik Ratcliffe because, you know, that whole sharing the sharing thing. Plus, it’s gonna be the holidays, so let’s all be Lonny’s friends, yeah? Like Will Oldham in the Palace days, Ehroehed reminds me that there are plenty of weirdos out there making beautifully strange songs just for the hell of it (and for that I’ll count my blessings).
Machine Go Boom
Columbus? Yes, twice. Cincinnati? Yes. Cleveland? Never been. But now Jason’s little note to the Suggestion Box has got me wondering when I’m going to be in Ohio next. Machine Go Boom (from Cleveland) is one Mikey Machine, with friends, really just doing whatever they want. The frenzied, frantic pop of “Captain Obvious” is dance-inducing fun, a real gem. As for “The Kazoo Star,” there’s really kazoo, the best use of a kazoo I’ve heard since 5th grade. And “This Song Is a Secret?” I’ll never tell…
New King of France MP3 Available Now
Jets Overhead
And now some of Canada’s — actually, I’ll go out on a limb and say America’s (North, Central, and South included) — finest arena rock. With influences ranging from The Mamas and the Papas to Pink Floyd, Jets Overhead’s majestic sound gets me in the mood to grab a lighter, seat cushion, and cash to burn and cuddle up in my nearest sports stadium for a full-on rock show. Trouble is, only a minute number of today’s record and concert ticket buying public are muscially adventurous enough to put Jets Overhead in that position.
The Go! Team
The Go! Team cook up an infectious blend of double-dutch hip hop, horns-a-blazing cop show themes, and raw garage pop. But you probably already knew that. These MP3s are from their 2003 Junior Kickstart EP, which had yet to incorporate the pep squad vocals. But you probably already know that, too. However, unless you’re responsible for one of the 548 plays tallied on MySpace as I write this, you probably haven’t yet heard The Go! Team vs. Kevin Shields, which takes the yummy bits of “Ladyflash” and “Huddle Formation” and puts the proverbial cherry on top. Say G-O…T-E-A-M!
Great Concert Streams From NPR
Blue Bone Express
I often wonder what kind of music my children will end up listening to. When I was their age I was fed a steady diet of The Beach Boys, The Carpenters, Bee Gees and Roger Miller, so my parents were understandably distraught when the sounds of Dead Kennedys’ Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables blasted out of my room. I had a peek into my future when I mentioned to my son that if he kept practicing the piano and clarinet he’d soon be playing music like the punk rock that was shuffling through the car stereo at the time. “No dad,” he said, “I want to play in the Disneyland band.” Well, thanks to Patti Bao, one of our fine readers, I’ve found possible musical mentors for the kid. Straight outta Oakland, Blue Bone Express — nothing but lively traditional Dixieland jazz here. Look, I’m always worrying that he’ll end up bringing home a pan flute, or let his appearance deteriorate like this, so I am extremely relieved at his choice of aspirations.
Gotye
Gotye is Aussie one-man band Wally De Backer who, like his fellow countrymen The Avalanches, humanizes bedroom beats, quirky samples, and the odd live instrument and weaves them into epic pop structures. I guess it’s summer down under, which would explain the decidedly upbeat tone of these preview tracks from his forthcoming LP.
3hive vs. Music For Robots Podcast Is Live
Nic Armstrong & the Thieves
If you’re wondering where all the mods have gone, Nic Armstrong has your answer. Since winning a songwriting contest in his native England a couple years back, Armstrong has launched a little British Invasion by way of Austin. And that’s not just a fancy classification: Armstrong and his Thieves have circumvented a few decades of Brit-Pop and cock rock and gone straight for the birth of the mod. The result is a roadhouse rhythm and beat in line with the earliest offerings from the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Beatles and, most of all, the Kinks, which in turn was a British working class take on American R&B and Boogie Woogie. Throw in a little country and western and you have something that is reverently old but shakes it as good as new.