Dave's Music #168 4 Albums- L Cohen, Luke Callen, Long Mama, and Allison Young
I'm not sure if this will be a trend for my Thursday Release Reviews but I was thinking about Bandcamp Friday being the day after this post and I really wanted to share more than one of my favorites to help promote the chance you might buy these albums. I moved these four to the top of my collection for you to find them easier though on Friday they will drop below my new purchases, so at that point use the links in the post to help you find them. (oh yeah I'm guessing about 20 new more at least will be added to the library) [Hey... I finding that this might not have taken to move them to the top because I have over 1,000 pieces in my collection. It kept warning me but it was letting me do it... See below. Dang, I need to tell them I'm disappointed.]
1) A Celebration of Leonard Cohen
I just got done watching the Netflix documentary about Leonard Cohen called "Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song" and while Simon Abrams of Roger Ebert wasn't totally impressed, I loved it. Especially how they went with him on the tour that was documented in his release Live in London. I would have only asked for an extra 10 minutes at the end to dive deeper into his last three releases after he turned 75. So this brings me to this great collection of covers, recorded in 2017 but not released until 2021. What an excellent band and voices singing; and yes Banjo was in my favorite because the banjo player is none other than Tony Trischka. His banjo sweetly shows up again on "Bird on a Wire".
Truly I love the whole album, and if you aren't a Leonard Cohen fan this might be more accessible because the voices are more tenor, Ha. Of course you'll all want to check out their version of Hallelujah and Jodi Hitzhusen did a fine job with a great bass line and chorus; yet this is a song where you all just pause and listen because it is the most secular hymn of all time. Just think if you buy it on Bandcamp, it's likely less than the price of the ticket that night, and YOU get to keep the concert forever.
Unfortunately I could not find any videos from this live performance, but if you prefer to list on YouTube, I did find an audio playlist of the album.
2) Hard Sardine - Luke Callen
Luke is both on my mind because he's a friend that I admire and I have tickets to see his band with Long Mama in LaCrosse Saturday Feb. 25th at the Grand Ballroom. Luke is a regional folk legend in the making. A kid growing playing buckets at the Trempealeau Hotel, touring with Von Stomper, and living in both Colorado and the Twin Cities; he's blended that with a history major and love for folk music. The guy can pick three finger pick on a dobro, is very comfortable in a flat pick ballad from Blaze Foley and respects the stylings of talking blues, PLUS the kind cuddly bear sized man is always a relaxed friend to anyone who isn't a Nazi.
His album is aptly named for a rare weird can of fish from his imagination, but don't discount the music for it, FEAST in it with my favorites being Minneapolis, Who Cooks for You, Alien, and Orangutans and Elephants. Luke isn't shy to poke fun at our poor leaders in office.
You know for my reviews I alway look for live or official videos from the release and the 4 pack is not going to stop that. Here's a great example of Luke's picking skills from the closing song on his album:
Here's one of my favorites, his opener Minneapolis recorded in one of the nicest venues in the Twin Cities.. and damn they have a great breakfast menu too. Ice House. Dang.. for a friend I wasn't subscribed to his channel until I wrote this blog, sorry Luke fixed now.
3) Poor Pretender - Long Mama
This new unique band led by what I can only tell is a slightly wacky creative lead, Kat Wodtke. I had seen the band connected in regional events that I hadn't had a chance to go to, but I could sense that they were right and I needed to hear her. Well as mentioned above, I have finally the chance late February. Add in that the album was produced by Erik Koskinen who as a musician I have tremendous respect.
I have owned this album for awhile and they have had TWO mentions in the blog before this post. I know I'll get the "Poor Pretender" live, but if they read this I surely hope I hear "Badlands Honeymoon" which is such a great mysteriously or not homicide song. Nationally you likely haven't heard this band from Milwaukee, but I hope this is your first taste but not the last.
Here's the video and song that inspired my Pretender playlist
Here's a live video of them performing the fourth song off the album Kite Flyer:
From the same backyard session, the fifth song, Quiet. Oh that subtle and classy lead guitar solo, and that hard working bass player. I'm excited to see them in late February.
Then the day after I posted this, they posted a new video from the album, here you go the sixth song on the album:
UPDATE Feb 27th - I ended seeing Long Mama opening up for Luke Callen at the Grand Hotel Ballroom in La Crosse WI, and here are two more videos from the album including my favorite Badlands Honeymoon.
Clean Break (I had Kite Flyer too, but that's already in this post.
4) Old Friend EP - Allison Young
If you have paid attention to the blog lately I have a crush on Allison Young, don't worry I'm harmless. It'll likely mean I'll be buying anything she puts out and watching with her other 138,000 YouTube subscribers the videos she posts. Just to put into perspective, Aoife O'Donovan that is up for a Grammy has 12,000 YouTube subscribers.
She has a few other singles in Bandcamp that are on my BC Friday Wishlist, but I highly recommend this little 2017 EP that is filled with joy. Definitely tune into to the title track Old Friend or Apple Blossom Time. A touch of vintage sound to her songs she worked up in her teens.
Bandcamp tells me this is in 93 other collections too; that is a great distribution let's keep it going.
Too funny while looking through all her videos for ones she taped for these songs, I decided to search instead and found one NOT in her page. Old Friend on a Uke.
Frankly I'm surprised and will use this blog to ask her to record Apple Blossom Time for her YouTube page or maybe with the new duo "The Bygones" If she adds one, I'll update this blog post like I always do for my previous release reviews.
I did find one more rare video, a COVER of her last song on the EP, Our Story.
All my Reviews are both for you and me as I learn more about the artists when you slow down and listen. Click here to see the past releases. You can find and follow us on Facebook and as always Good Music has NO Expiration Date, so if you are listening to this ten years from now, it still will be awesome music. If this is a first time visit, check out the index of themes for past Reviews and Playlist editions and for the Reviews alone, click here. Find out why I do this here, who I am here, and why I hate Spotify here.
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