All about guitars and vinyl – Joe Hoyle
Little Hurricane is a “dirty blues” duo from San Diego, California. Formed in 2010, the band consists of Anthony “Tone” Catalano, on lead vocals and guitar, and Celeste “C.C.” Spina, on drums and backing vocals. Their songwriting is faultless, their hooks are catchy and their sound is exquisite.
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Last night I attended one of the many Oxjam Music Festival events that are happening around the UK this October. The venue was O’Neill’s, in Kingston-Upon-Thames, South West London. It was a wonderful evening. I enjoyed a bunch of fabulous bands. But the stars of the night were Tsar Bomba, an alternative/indie four-piece from Epsom, Surrey. They just blew everyone away.
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Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a fan of simplicity. Less is more, and all that. Stagger Lee by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds exemplifies how, in the hands of master magicians, the simplest musical structure can provide a foundation for incredible texture, emotion and narrative. The song, from the album Murder Ballads, is an astonishing work, packed full of pulp obscenity and brutality, built around only two chords – D minor and A minor.
It’s a rare thing, but occasionally I come across someone with a lust for life who is so packed full of talent and verve they can’t help but carry all around them on a wave of energy and enthusiasm. They have impact and generate affection. Such people are special. They add value. And so it is with Andy.
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It’s been a long time coming, but the 15th album from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds proves to have been well worth the wait. It is, quite simply, extraordinary. Arguably the band’s finest work.
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Cake’s guitarist Xan McCurdy gets incredible tone from a basic rig.
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Artist: Eels
Song: Souljacker Part 1
Album: Souljacker
At the heart of this simple, instantly memorable song is an infectious rockabilly-esque riff that drives both the verse and chorus. That’s it, really. There’s not much else. Read more…
In recent weeks, I have become obsessed with Cortez The Killer from the 1975 album Zuma by Neil Young with Crazy Horse. So much so, that I’ve started pestering my son to jam it with me and have ordered multiple copies of the album from Amazon, so I can share the masterpiece with friends who I think will appreciate it. Read more…
You spend years learning to play and perfecting your style. You spend hours in rehearsal rooms nailing your tone. You master how to play in time with other musicians. Then you rock up to the gig, tune up, plug in and go for it…and what comes out of the PA sounds appalling.
What went wrong? It’s more than likely that you, or your friendly neighbourhood tech, got your mix wrong. Making sure that you can actually hear the sound you make through stage monitors and that it translates as intended to the audience through the PA is no easy task. It’s the difference between heaven and hell. Read more…
The Flat Duo Jets, a rockabilly band from North Carolina, have influenced many, including Jack White of the White Stripes.
“Crazy Hazy Kisses”, a re-worked version of “Baby Blue” by Gene Vincent, which featured in the film “It might get loud“, exemplifies what can be achieved with a drum kit, a guitar, a small amp and a kick ass attitude. You just gotta know how to give it some.
More about the Flat Duo Jets at Wikipedia
Fat Sound 