Essential New Music: Steve Miller Band, International Pop Overthrow collections

The Steve Miller Band's amazing Welcome to the Vault and a showcase of today's best power pop add up to two essential multi-disc collections worth adding to any discerning listener's music library.

Artist: Steve Miller Band
Title: Welcome to the Vault (Capitol)
You might like if you enjoy: Steve Miller Band, Les Paul, classic rock, blues
Tell me more: The rich and expansive legacy of singer-songwriter-guitar master Steve Miller is explored across the Steve Miller Band's outstanding and must-have Welcome to the Vault anthology. The amazing collection includes three audio CD discs as well as a DVD that are collectively loaded with more than enough music to thrill casual and hardcore fans of the groundbreaking Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. The anthology includes 38 previously-unreleased rarities including alternate versions of well-known songs, live performances, and five previously-unheard Steve Miller Band songs from the 1960s and '70s. 

Highlights abound across the loaded DVD disc. On a 1973 episode of "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert," a young Miller delves into his mix of blues, funk and rock with a full-length set. I was particularly impressed by the freewheeling jazz-meets-funk of "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma,"a jazzy take on "The Gangster is Back," a solo rendering of bluesman Robert Johnson's 1937 masterpiece "Come On In My Kitchen," and early version of his then work-in-progress "Fly Like an Eagle." Later, a legendary appearance by Miller and Les Paul captured at Fat Tuesday's in 1990, and archival performances ranging from the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967 to "Live From Austin City Limits" in 2011 all thrill. Indeed, the DVD features 21 live tracks captured across six decades.

The audio recordings expand the Milwaukee-born artist's legacy to be sure, no sooner than with the opening track on the collection – a 10-minute tear through Little Walter's 1953 single "Blues with a Feeling" at the Fillmore West in San Francisco in 1969.

As if all the great music wasn't enough of a draw, the special collection includes  a hardcover book with detailed liner notes from writer David Fricke, 10 guitar picks, four postcards, a poster and an authentic backstage pass! Information: SteveMillerBand.com.

Artists: Bird Streets, Danny Wilkerson, Lannie Flowers, The Top Boost, Van Duren, Peter Holsapple, more
Title: International Pop Overthrow: Vol. 22 (Omnivore Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: Roger Joseph Manning Jr., the Raspberries, Cheap Trick, Big Star 
Tell me more: The three-disc (!) International Pop Overthrow: Vol. 22 marks the latest must-have collection released in connection with power pop proponent David Bash's ongoing "International Pop Overthrow" festivals – better known as IPO. This year's collection again features some of melodic rock's most essential heroes. From the high-powered opening track from the Bishop's Daredevil Stunt Club ("Christine You're Mean") to the Beatlesque offering from the Last Hurrah ("Saturday in the Sunshine") that closes things out, the sixty-nine selections make for a terrific marathon listen. This writer was  super excited to see some of his favorite music makers included on this set; Bird Streets thrill with the previously-unreleased harmonies-adorned "The Rabbit," Lannie Flowers excels on the infectious "Straight to the Blues," and Peter Holsapple is at his confessional best on the probing "Commonplace." Standouts on disc one of this expansive collection include the propulsive Britpop-styled rocker "Bitter Pills" (courtesy of Velvet Starlings), the progressive psychedelic pop of Pikal's Zombies-meets-Hollies "Balik Sa Trabaho," and the Lilacs' rollicking "If You Get Home." Disc two is home to the luxurious sound of the Top Boost's "Dreaming" (featuring guest Roger Joseph Manning Jr.), the driving "Oh My Girl" from the Sharona, the stunning "Lonely Place" from Three Hour Tour, the Americana-tinged "Cowboys" from the Occasional Orchestra, and the prog-rock tunefulness of Rainy Day Crush on "Heartbreak (Or How to Get Over It)." Disc three is bolstered by the chamber pop of Ulysses' "Calendar Street," Danny Wilkerson's dazzling "Too Much of A Good Thing," Scott Gagner's intoxicating "Bella," magnaphonic's aptly-titled "Daydream" and the exhilarating "Run Away" from Belgium's Alain Pire Experience. International Pop Overthrow: Vol. 22  is an expansive and exciting collection worth discovering. Information: OmnivoreRecordings.com.


Robert Kinsler

New releases provide an immersive listen

A marvelous greatest hits set from British legends The Zombies, a glorious debut from Bird Streets, and welcome returns from Peter Holsapple and Roger Len Smith are among this summer's best releases.

Artist: The Zombies
Title: Greatest Hits (Varèse Sarabande Records)
You might like if you enjoy: The Beatles, the Hollies
Tell me more: The Zombies were an early member of the British Invasion and the new collection Greatest Hits (available on Aug. 10, 2018) showcases why the English quintet rates as one of that era's most groundbreaking and enduring musical heroes. Completely remastered, the new 16-track Greatest Hits set features many of the band's most beloved songs. Early hits such as "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No" as well as late '60s gems (notably "Time of The Season" and "This Will Be Our Year" from the group's masterwork Odessey and Oracle) are here; of equal interest are the terrific selections that expand the legacy of The Zombies including the soulful "Whenever You're Ready," intoxicating "I Love You" (still a key part of the band's concert sets), the cinematic thriller "Just Out of Reach" and the stirring "The Way I Feel Inside" (the latter a mostly a cappella track featuring lead singer Colin Blunstone). The colorful booklet includes outstanding liner notes penned by Andrew Sandoval that add insight about each of the songs included on the outstanding collection. If you are in Southern California, make sure to catch The Zombies when they open for Arcade Fire at the Greek Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Information: VareseSarabande.com.

Artist: Bird Streets
Title: Bird Streets (Omnivore Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: Big Star, Pete Yorn, Neil Finn, Todd Rundgren
Tell me more: Singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist wonders John Brodeur and Jason Falkner have joined forces as Bird Streets. Just listening to the pair's eponymous 11-track disc is to be awed by the power of song craft, virtuoso musicianship and creative give and take. The shimmering "Betting On The Sun" impresses with a fusion of strong melody, probing lyrics and a soundscape that thrives on vocal layers, immersive guitars and a unifying rhythm. The ambitious "Stop To Breathe" builds to a swirling climax, with multiple guitar lines that thrill even in the fade out. The tuneful Americana-tinged power pop "Same Dream" is a driving nugget, avoiding cliche while soaring to tuneful heights. On the beautiful "Spaceship" Brodeur's affecting vocals explore life's disappointments with artful candor. Bird Street was produced by Falkner, and features 11 tracks written and performed by Brodeur (in conjunction with Falkner); the disc also features guest appearances by Miranda Lee Richards and Luther Russell (The Freewheelers, Those Pretty Wrongs). Information: OmnivoreRecordings.com.

Artist: Peter Holsapple

Title: Game Day (Omnivore Recordings)

You might like if you enjoy: the dB's, the Minus 5, Radio

Tell me more: Just because Game Day marks singer-songwriter Peter Holsapple's first new solo album in 21 years doesn't mean the artist hasn't been busy. Indeed, in addition to his well-known role as a member of the North Carolina-spawned dB's, Holsapple was also a member of the acclaimed Continental Drifters in the 1990s and '00s. Holsapple's new solo album features more than a dozen original songs bolstered by his straightforward lyrics and talent tackling the majority of musical chores on the disc. Whether celebrating life's little everyday joys ("Game Day") or struggles ("Tuff Day," "The Better Man") or chronicling secret moments (the intimate "Don't Ever Leave" and confessional "Commonplace") there is an honesty and authenticity that bridges all the material. In addition to the 13 new tracks and a bonus track (a cover of "Them Changes/Sing Lady Sing"), there are two so-called "Super Bonus Tracks" ("Don't Mention the War," "Cinderella Style") that were released in 2017. Information: OmnivoreRecordings.com.

Artist: Roger Len Smith

Title: Anything Goes (CD Baby)

You might like if you enjoy: Tom Petty, Warren Zevon, Traveling Wilburys

Tell me more: There is a joyful quality across Roger Len Smith's newly-released Anything Goes, the artist's first new album release in nearly a decade. Smith's clear baritone vocals paint heartfelt notes across a rich Americana-meets-rock backdrop. There are uptempo sing-alongs ("Can't Wait For Another Day," "Raining On A Sunny Day"), Texas-fried blues rock ("Leaving It All Behind," adorned by slide guitar and blues harp), roots rockers ("Empty," "Down At Juniors") and reflective ballads ("Anything Goes," the bluesy "Aim"). Guests on the LP include Foo Fighters keyboardist Rami Jaffee, banjo player AJ Downing (who co-produced the album with Smith) and multi-instrumentalist Kim Deschamps. Smith's sixth album, Anything Goes serves as the perfect introduction to an independent artist deserving of widespread attention. Information: RogerLenSmith.net.

Robert Kinsler

Bird Streets (featuring John Brodeur & Jason Falkner) preview Omnivore Recordings album at Hotel Cafe, August 25

Here is breaking news on an exciting new release from Bird Streets, a project teaming artists John Brodeur and Jason Falkner...

Look what’s flying in from Brooklyn…the new band from John Brodeur and Jason Falkner

With new self-titled Omnivore debut album out August 10th.

BIRD STREETS

Sat. Aug. 25 • LOS ANGELES • Hotel Café, Second Stage

1623 North Cahuenga Blvd., Showtime: 9:00p.m.; Tickets: $10 pre sale

https://www.hotelcafe.com/tickets/?s=events_view&id=7987

Bird Streets' Jason Falkner, left, with John Brodeur.

Brooklyn-based musician John Brodeur is the New York songwriter and musician behind Bird Streets.  He will be live in Los Angeles at the Hotel Café Second Stage on Saturday, August 25.  He will be joined by Los Angeles-based friend, collaborator and producer Jason Falkner for this special show. 

Bird Streets will be released on August 10 via Los Angeles record label Omnivore Recordings.  The label is known primarily as a reissues label so when it releases something new, it’s always tuneful and noteworthy. 

In need of a creative rebirth after years on the music-industry margins, Brodeur reached out to his friend, the producer and multi-instrumentalist Jason Falkner, to suggest they record together. The album yielded by this pairing is both fresh and familiar — a dynamic collection of introspective indie-rock and power-pop that draws liberally on the music of decades past without being bluntly nostalgic, with Brodeur’s voice like an old friend you’re meeting for the first time.

Over a career that’s spanned nearly 20 years, Brodeur has independently produced and released several solo albums, including 2013’s Little Hopes; fronted rock trios the Suggestions and Maggie Mayday; and worked as a touring and studio musician for scores of acts, including the Morning After Girls, Freedy Johnston, and White Hills. Falkner is a widely respected performer and producer whose studio credits include Paul McCartney, Noel Gallagher, and Daniel Johnston. He’s a founding member of power-pop legends Jellyfish, and is the one-man band behind a string of critically lauded solo records, including 1996’s Author Unknown; and a longstanding associate of Beck, currently serving as the lead guitarist in his live band.

The name Bird Streets springs from a tony real-estate enclave in the Hollywood Hills, which Brodeur first discovered when the recording sessions were first getting underway — but also references Brodeur’s one-time hometown of Albany, N.Y., which provided the characters and inspiration for some of the album’s 11 songs.

Brodeur and Falkner were introduced some years ago by mutual friend and fellow one-man-band type Luther Russell (The Freewheelers, Those Pretty Wrongs). Russell appears on Bird Streets via one of the three battling guitar solos that close the track “Stop to Breathe.” Other guests include Miranda Lee Richards and Maesa Pullman, whose voices form the “choir of angels” that gives wings to “Spaceship.”

Lyrically, these songs draw heavily on internal conflict — self-doubt, anxiety, depression — with an overarching feeling of wistful resignation rather than blind optimism. Periodically difficult themes are delivered via unshakable melodies, a dichotomy that recalls the tightrope walked by artists like Elliott Smith and David Bazan/Pedro the Lion. In album opener “Carry Me,” Brodeur celebrates “new beginnings and bitter ends” over a bright, bristling bed of electric guitars, then laments the end of a friendship that was once “tighter than Steely Dan” in the eminently catchy “Betting on the Sun.” From there the album jumps between epic power-ballads (“Stop to Breathe”) and British Invasion-flavored power-pop (“Thanks for Calling”), the George Harrison-via-Radiohead melancholy of “Heal” and the grungy jangle of “Until the Crown.”

Now, after years in the making — and decades on the outside looking in — Bird Streets is giving Brodeur a renewed creative energy, and a shot at reaching a larger audience.