Comforting Sounds amidst COVID-19 outbreak

The coronavirus pandemic has had an impact around the globe, and that includes on the arts where theaters have closed and concert events have either been cancelled or delayed. During this period of uncertainty and "social distancing," it's a good time to rediscover the comforting sounds of reassuring voices to help get us through these tough times courtesy of some special greatest hits, reissues and special editions titles available now.

Artist: Paul Kelly
Title: Songs From the South 1985-2019: Paul Kelly's Greatest Hits (Cooking Vinyl)
You might like if you enjoy: Paul Kelly, Neil Finn, Tim Finn, Kasey Chambers
Tell me more: It's all about the song. Australia's Paul Kelly is one of the most celebrated artists to ever emerge from Down Under and it's no wonder. His songs exude an authenticity, warmth and sonic grace; they are also sumptuous listens that typically connect with a single listen. On the recently-released compilation Songs From the South 1985-2019: Paul Kelly's Greatest Hits, Kelly's stellar talents are showcased via 43 essential selections. From the tuneful acoustic introduction "From St. Kilda to Kings Cross" and tuneful power pop-minded "Before Too Long" and "Leaps and Bounds" to the indie rockers "Look So Fine Feel So Low" and "Sweet Guy," Kelly is expert as pulling in the best sensibilities of any number of genres to craft his finely-crafted songs. Indeed spoken word ("Bradman"), folk ("Everything's Turning to White," "When I First Met Your Ma"), and melodic rock ("Deeper Water") are also showcased on the first disc covering his work from 1985 to 1999. Bluegrass (the affecting "Our Sunshine"), baroque folk ("If I Could Start Today Again," "I'm On Your Side"), country-western ("Your Lovin' Is On My Mind," "They Thought I Was Asleep") and potent rockers ("God Told Me To," "With the One I Love") are on display on the equally strong second disc. The title closes out with a previously-unreleased cut, "When We're Both Old & Mad," an Americana duet featuring Kelly and Aussie songstress Kasey Chambers. The ambition and wide range of material on Songs from the South astounds across the outstanding set. If you haven't yet discovered Kelly's considerable talents, this two-disc collection is a wonderful place to start. Information: cookingvinyl.com.

Artist: Mister Rogers
Titles: You're Growing; Coming and Going; You Are Special; Bedtime (Omnivore Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: Johnny Costa, Mister Rogers, children's music, jazz 
Tell me more: Generations have grown up watching episodes of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" since it premiered on television in the late 1960s. A large part of the magic of the beloved PBS-TV series were the songs that were written and sung by show host Fred Rogers. Between 1968 and 2001, Rogers created more than 200 original songs; casual fans might be surprised to learn he wrote all the lyrics and melodies heard on the children's show. Now on the heels of 2019's It's Such a Good Feeling: The Best of Mister Rogers Omnivore Recordings compilation comes four new full-length audio reissues featuring delightful music from "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." The release of the 2018 documentary "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" and the popular 2019 film "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" (starring Tom Hanks as Rogers) rekindled widespread interest in the legacy of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." 

The four new reissues include 1992's Bedtime, You're Growing, and You Are Special, as well as 1997's Coming and Going. The four audio CDs provide a comprehensive overview of the magic created by Rogers (who is backed by long-time collaborator and pianist Johnny Costa, bassist Carl McViker and percussionist Bobby Rawsthorne). The 60 songs work on several levels with lyrics focused on teaching about a wide variety of topics while also offering up inviting jazz stylings to help young audiences develop an appreciation of jazz-flavored song craft. There is a uniform sense of fun and intelligence on this welcome series of releases. Information: omnivorerecordings.com.

Artist: Kiefer Sutherland
Title: Reckless & Me: Special Edition (BMG)
You might like if you enjoy: Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings
Tell me more: When I first reviewed Kiefer Sutherland's excellent sophomore album Reckless & Me in 2019 I somehow missed that it was available via a two-disc special edition. The second disc features live versions of many of the finest originals from his 2016 debut Down in a Hole and last year's Reckless & Me that were recorded at a concert in Berlin, Germany. Sutherland has quickly established him as one of the strongest talents in country music, primarily because he has found a way to tap into the rich vein of outlaw music and make it his own. Whether singing intimate ballads such as "Saskatchewan," probing confessionals like "Down In A Hole" or kicking things up with "Rebel Wind," the tracks on the expanded set capture the excitement of Sutherland's recent concert tours. Information: KieferSutherland.net.

Artist: Ten Years After
DVD Title: Live from the Marquee Club, London (Store For Music)
You might like if you enjoy: Ten Years After, Alvin Lee, Joe Bonamassa, Humble Pie
Tell me more: Released back in 2012, Ten Years After's Live from the Marquee Club, London is definitely worth watching if you love classic British blues rock. Ten Years frontman Alvin Lee was a gifted singer and one of the world's first guitar heroes. On this performance captured in 1983 that was staged in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Marquee Club, Lee and company tear through a fiery set including the masterful blues cut "Help Me," jazz jam "Woodchoppers Ball," and a marathon tear through "I'm Going Home." Information: thestoreformusic.com.





Robert Kinsler

Music Lovers Gift Guide: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Steve Miller, The Cure, Chuck Berry, more!

Watch Robert Kinsler and TJR discuss a number of great gift ideas for music lovers, including box sets, reissues and multi-format titles. 

Sights and Sounds: 'The Best of Mister Rogers,' Salamander, The Magpie Salute, more...

A diverse field of great titles are on the way...


Omnivore Recordings to release 'The Best of Mr. Rogers' plus 'Johnny Costa Plays Mr. Rogers Neighborhood'

It’s Such a Good Feeling: The Best of Mister Rogers, a collection of 23 songs by Fred Rogers — beloved host of the landmark children’s television series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood — will be released by Omnivore Recordings on October 4, 2019. The album, which is backed by long-time collaborator and pianist Johnny Costa, Carl McViker on bass, and percussionist Bobby Rawsthorne, features classics like “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” “You Are Special,” and the title track, plus five previously unissued tracks, including the show’s original closer, “Tomorrow.” 

 

The CD packaging contains photos, an introductory note from Academy Award^®- and GRAMMY^®-winning director Morgan Neville, and an essay by Robert Bianco, long-time TV writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and former USA Today TV critic.

 

Produced at WQED-TV in Pittsburgh and premiering on national public television more than five decades ago, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood has long been a part of the lives of countless kids and adults who experienced and learned from Fred Rogers’ timeless wisdom. While the series’ staying power never lapsed, Neville’s acclaimed 2018 documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor reawakened the public’s love for Mister Rogers, and introduced a new generation to him. With the upcoming November release of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (starring Tom Hanks as Rogers), the cherished host and his Neighborhood will once again be front and center in the hearts, minds, and ears of everyone.

Rogers found his perfect accompanist in Costa. The performances, flourishes, and embellishments that Costa and the band made during the show (all performed live) not only enhanced the experience, but also taught viewers about jazz.

 

In 1986, Rogers, Costa, McViker, and Rawsthorne teamed for the last record from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Records: Johnny Costa Plays Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Jazz. The band takes an instrumental journey through 13 of Rogers’ songs, retaining their original compositional intent, while breathing new life into them. The release has been out of print for decades, fetching top dollar from collectors. It returns for the first time on CD and Digital.

 

Director Neville contributes an introduction in the packaging, while Musoscribe’s Bill Kopp traces Costa’s history and work on the program in an informative essay.

Mister Rogers trailer: https://youtu.be/_yusJ1GF-FI

 

Track listings:

It’s Such a Good Feeling: The Best of Mister Rogers

1. Today Is A Very Special Day*

2. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

3. I Think I’m Going To Like Today*

4. Look And Listen

5. Be Brave, Be Strong

6. Then Your Heart Is Full Of Love

7. Pretending

8. You Can Never Go Down The Drain 9. I Like To Take My Time

10. Sometimes People Are Good

11. You Are Special

12. I’m Looking For A Friend*

13. Some Things I Don’t Understand

14. The Clown In Me

15. It’s The Style To

16. Wear A Smile

17. I’m Taking Care Of You

18. It’s You I Like

19. Once Upon Each Lovely Day* Wishes Don’t Make

20. Things Come True

21. You’re Growing

22. Tree Tree Tree

23. It’s Such A Good Feeling Tomorrow*

* Previously Unissued

 

Johnny Costa Plays Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Jazz

1. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? 

2. You Are Special

3. It’s You I Like

4. Sometimes People Are Good/Children Can Medley

5. What Do You Do?

6. I Like To Take My Time

7. Everybody’s Fancy

8. Please Don’t Think It’s Funny

9. Something To Do While We’re Waiting

10. Many Ways To Say I Love You 

11. Then Your Heart Is Full Of Love

12. Did You Know?

13. It’s Such A Good Feeling

'1993' - Previously unreleased album by Salamander is out now; Los Angeles band featured Petra and Rachel Haden 

ALBUM WAS RECORDED IN 1993

Salamander has released their debut album, 1993, originally recorded in 1993, through Bodan Kuma Records. Unmastered, lo-fi versions of songs from the album have been shared for years, so the band felt it was the right time to shine up these classic gems and release them commercially for the first time. One song in particular included on this album is "Cherry Llama," which received airplay on KROQ "Locals Only" and Rodney Bingenheimer's show "Little Steven's Underground Garage" on Sirius XM channel 23.

Listen on Apple Music HERE

Listen on Spotify HERE

Salamander consisted of sisters Petra and Rachel Haden and brothers Scott and Sean Wheatley. The four met in high school, formed a friendship, and then formed a band, bonding over their mutual interest in bands like My Bloody Valentine, Pixies, Blur, Throwing Muses, and Cocteau Twins, all of which clearly influenced the sound of Salamander.

Petra and Rachel Haden are two of a set of triplets whose father is the legendary jazz musician Charlie Haden. (The third triplet, Tanya Haden, plays cello on the album). Petra and Rachel would go on to be half of the LA band, That Dog.

 

Petra would go on to play with The Decemberists, Green Day, the Foo Fighters, Bill Frizzel, and Lucious Jackson. Her acapella reimagined version of an entire album by The Who, The Who Sellout, is considered one of the most innovative covers of an album ever. She has gone to record acapella versions of other classic songs by David Bowie, Blind Faith, and Michael Jackson, among others.

 

Rachel Haden co-founded the Rentals with Weezer's Matt Sharpe in 1995. She has guested on records by Weezer and Beck among others and has toured with Jimmy Eat World, Todd Rundgren and Brendan Perry. As for the Wheatley Brothers, Sean played in the band Pretty Mary Sunshine, which was signed to A&M Records in the mid-1990's. Brother Scott, currently an English teacher, writes silly, imaginative, and educational songs.

The Magpie Salute set to release 3-song EP 'In Here' on Sept. 6, 2019

10” VINYL AND DIGITAL FORMATS

PRE-ORDER VINYL HERE
VIEW LYRIC VIDEO FOR "IN HERE"

The Magpie Salute’s 3-song EP In Here will be available on September 6 on digital formats worldwide, as well as on 140g black 10” vinyl (in the US only). This EP precedes the full-length album High Water II out later this year, a follow up to the band’s debut album High Water I.

Produced entirely by founding member / guitarist / songwriter Rich Robinson, and recorded/mixed by Sean Genockey, In Here was initially recorded at Dark Horse Studio in Nashville, simultaneously with the High Water I album in 2018. The band – Robinson, Marc Ford, Sven Pipien, John Hogg, Joe Magistro, and Matt Slocum– continued working on these songs, with additional sessions at Rockfield Studios in the UK, after the completion of their 2018 European tour. The result is In Here, which delivers The Magpie Salute’s signature new American Roots Rock sound.

Opening with the Robinson-penned single “In Here” (the first single from High Water II, out now on all digital platforms), the EP includes the country-tinged “Lost Boy,” co-written by guitarist Marc Ford and Robinson, with contributions from special guest Alison Krauss, who supplied vocals and fiddle.

In addition to “In Here” and “Lost Boy,” which will both be included on High Water II, the band also recorded the EP-only track “Passenger”, written by Robinson and vocalist John Hogg.

Since forming in 2016 for their now acclaimed Woodstock show, The Magpie Salutehas garnered critical praise from Guitar World, Relix, and Rolling Stone, which summed up their live set as “explosive.” Having toured with Govt. Mule, The Avett Brothers, and Blackberry Smoke throughout 2018, as well as successful shows in the US, Europe, and Japan, The Magpie Salute has engaged fans worldwide.