New Music Roundup: Styx, Todd Rundgren & Joe Jackson, Van Dyke Parks & Verónica Valerio, Edward Rogers, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

A wide range of thrilling new releases await listeners who have a hunger for a myriad of sounds and musical styles.

Artist: Styx

Title: Crash Of The Crown (UMe)

You might like if you enjoy: Styx, Asia, Tommy Shaw

Tell me more: Styx has returned with Crash Of The Crown, the veteran band's 17th album and first since 2017's brilliant concept album The Mission. The new Will Evankovich-produced disc is another ambitious effort filled with a wonderful range of memorable and enticing originals. Styx (singer-guitarist James "JY" Young, singer-guitarist Tommy Shaw, bassist-vocalist Chuck Panozzo, drummer Todd Sucherman, singer-keyboardist Lawrence Gowan, bassist-vocalist Ricky Phillips) wrote the songs for Crash Of The Crown pre-pandemic and subsequently recorded the album during the challenging time of the COVID-19 outbreak. There is a decidedly defiant and uplifting spirit across the 15-track disc and it unquestionably resonates in an era where the U.S. is emerging from a prolonged and devastating pandemic. On the opener "The Fight of Our Lives," lyrics such as "We will not give in / The game is ours to win" and "This is our moment now / This is the fight of our lives" set to driving synth-adorned rock resound to be sure. Highlights abound across the ambitious set. The fearless rocker "A Monster" and psychedelia-tinged "Reveries" are early standouts, showcasing the band's incredible musicianship and intelligent songcraft. The lush "Hold Back the Darkness" is as beautiful and affecting as any track ever recorded by the classic rock troupe. On "Our Wonderful Lives," a rousing melodic chorus mesmerizes with lavish harmonies, Shaw's banjo playing and the deft drumming from Sucherman adding to the magic. The album's parade of strong songs continues with the reflective "Sound the Alarm," triumphant "Long Live the King" and "Coming Out the Otherside," and fanciful closer "Stream." Information: StyxWorld.com.

Artist: Joe Jackson & Todd Rundgren

Title: State Theater New Jersey 2005 (Purple Pyramid / Cleopatra Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Joe Jackson, Todd Rundgren, Ethel

Tell me more: A legendary 2005 tour teaming singer-songwriter greats Joe Jackson and Todd Rundgren is available to revisit via a special three-disc set available now. State Theater New Jersey 2005 features the two acclaimed artists performing solo sets, as well as several songs together. There is a great mix of hits and deep cuts sure to delight fans of Jackson and Rundgren. There is a warmth and intimacy displayed across the live recording; Jackson impresses on "Steppin' Out," "Is She Really Going Out With Him" and an artfully-reworked cover of the John Lennon-penned "Girl." Rundgren hits sonic pay dirt via the folk rocker "Love of the Common Man," the acoustic ballad "I Don't Want To Tie You Down," yearning "Hello It's Me" and whimsical "Bang The Drum All Day."  New York string quartet Ethel also performs a set of instrumental music, and then accompanies the headliners during the concert's finale (notably on a powerful take on The Beatles' George Harrison masterwork "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"). The special eight-panel digipak release includes the full 31-track concert on two audio CDs and a DVD of the event too. Information: CleoRecs.com.

Artist: Van Dyke Parks and Verónica Valerio

Title: Van Dyke Parks Orchestrates Verónica Valerio: Only In America (BMG Modern Recordings)

You might like if you enjoy: Van Dyke Parks, Verónica Valerio

Tell me more: Classical, world music and alternative orchestral pop collide in varied and wonderful ways on the exciting new collaboration from composer Van Dyke Parks and singer-harp master Verónica Valerio. Van Dyke Parks Orchestrates Verónica Valerio: Only In America is a 4-song EP that effortlessly brings together the undeniable talents of Parks (best known for collaborating with Brian Wilson on The Beach Boys' "lost" masterpiece SMiLE and on the more recent Orange Crate Art) and Valerio, the latter who is an acclaimed singer-harpist who has performed her songs in Mexico, the U.S., Asia and Europe. "Two years ago, I wrote Van Dyke because he is a sincere person, a selfless communicator, polite, a fighter and great artist," explains Valerio in press notes. The two artists worked together from a distance during the global pandemic for a full year to create the extravagant songs that delight on the EP. Artist Klaus Voorman adds to the magic with a cover design (he created the iconic cover of The Beatles' Revolver album). Information: https://modernrecordings.de.

Artist: Edward Rogers

Title: Catch A Cloud (Zip Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Rogers & Butler, Public Image Ltd

Tell me more: Written and recorded pre-pandemic, the release of Edward Rogers' eighth solo album Catch A Cloud was put on hold when Rogers and Steve Butler released their full-length debut Poets & Sinners (issued in June 2020). The 11-track Catch A Cloud – co-produced by Rogers and Don Piper – includes a slew of top-tier guests including guitarist James Mastro (the Ian Hunter Band), guitarist Marty Willson-Piper (formerly of The Church), bassist Sal Maida (Roxy Music, Sparks), drummer Konrad Meissner (The Mammals) and sax player Geoff Blythe (Dexy's Midnight Runners). All that star power comes in the service of a wide-ranging and adventuresome listen; the probing opener "Imaginary Man," sweet-tempered "Button Box" and electro dream pop track "This Bird Has Flown" are among early high marks on the album. The wide range of ideas and observations Rogers fused into his track list continues via the lovely "Catch A Cloud," jazzy foray "Hayley" and disc-ending dark rocker "The Head of the Nail." Information: ZipRecords.com.

Artist: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Title: Back The Way We Came: Vol. 1 (Sour Mash Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Oasis, Blur, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Tell me more: A year after leaving Oasis in August 2009, singer-songwriter/guitarist Noel Gallagher formed the aptly-titled Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. Now comes Back The Way We Came: Vol. 1, which collects Gallagher's favorite cuts released by the collective between 2011 and 2021. In addition to featuring 16 previously-released cuts from the group's first three full-length albums, Back The Way We Came: Vol. 1  includes several new songs (the sumptuous "We're On Our Way Now" and breezy "Flying on the Ground"). This retrospective serves as a great introduction to Gallagher's talents. Many of his greatest songs are featured on the set, including the wistful rocker "Riverman," fiery "Lock All The Doors," haunting "The Dying of the Light" and exhilarating "It's a Beautiful World." A bonus third disc on the deluxe edition reviewed here includes a dozen extras including instrumental versions, acoustic takes and remixes. Information: NoelGallagher.com.

Robert Kinsler

Sights and Sounds: The Church, The Lone Bellow, Rising Appalachia

Here is a roundup of some of the week's biggest news, including today's announcement from Steve Kilbey of The Church. That item leads off this roundup...

14,600 Nights of Space RocknRoll

the first 40 years....

A band is like a family and over 40 years it is only natural that families will change and that members will come and go. Therefore it is with great sadness that we must announce the departure of Peter Koppes from our ranks to explore his own musical path. Peter has made the hugest contribution to the Church's sound and he will be sorely missed. However the remaining members have decided to carry on with this immense body of work which Peter, as well as Richard Ploog, Jay dee Daugherty and of course Marty Willson-Piper, have been invaluable in creating.

We wish Peter all the success with whatever he pursues from now on. 

The good news is The Church are delighted to announce Jeffrey Cain will be staying on as a permanent member with Ian Haug and Tim Powles and we are very happy to welcome Melbournian guitar slinger Ashley Naylor into the band.

We are already under way creating a brand new album which so far is turning out to be a beautiful thing. "

Steve Kilbey
Coogee
01.02.2020

The Lone Bellow release "Just Enough to Get By"

The Lone Bellow's 'Half Moon Light' arrives via Dualtone Records on Feb. 7, 2020

The Lone Bellow performing at the Stagecoach Festival in 2013.
Photo: Robert Kinsler

The Lone Bellow has released a new song, the powerful and deeply personal "Just Enough To Get By." The song, written by Kanene Donehey Pipkin, is the latest song from the band's eagerly awaited new album, Half Moon Light, due next Friday, February 7 from Dualtone Records (An Entertainment One Company); pre–orders – including limited edition gold vinyl and autographed merchandise bundles – are available now. You can read my review of the band's breakout performance at the Stagecoach Festival back in April 2013 here.

"I wrote this song when I heard a secret kept by someone close to me," says Pipkin. "It was a secret about a trauma they had experienced decades ago, and had kept hidden from nearly everyone they could, until everything unexpectedly came out into the open. Even then, she didn’t know if anyone she’d told believed her. I wanted to put myself in her shoes. When I began to imagine the years of burying this secret, I heard words of advice from all sides; cross-stitch clichés, culture, my confidants, my own mind. Mostly, they told me to get over it, keep it to myself, protect my reputation, and to never discomfort others with the truth of my past. I realized that living that way would only give me just enough to get by; I’d never be free."

LISTEN TO "JUST ENOUGH TO GET BY"

WATCH "JUST ENOUGH TO GET BY (BEHIND THE SCENES)" VIDEO

PRE–ORDER HALF MOON LIGHT

Earlier in the month, The Lone Bellow unveiled their super-charged muscle-car lovin’ lyric video for their chart–topping single, “Count On Me,” streaming now at the band’s official YouTube channel. “Count On Me” – which recently hit #1 at Americana radio outlets nationwide, with spins on over 70 Triple A and Americana stations across the country – is but one of the indelible highlights of HALF MOON LIGHT, alongside the song, “Good Times,” streaming now following an exclusive premiere via Billboard, which praised the song as “rhythmic, joyous.” A special teaser video detailing the writing and recording of “Good Times” is streaming now via YouTube.

WATCH “COUNT ON ME”

LISTEN TO “GOOD TIMES”

WATCH “GOOD TIMES (TEASER VIDEO)”

Half Moon Light marks the fourth studio album from and first new LP since 2017 from The Lone Bellow. The Brooklyn, NY-based band – Zach Williams, Kanene Donehey Pipkin, and Brian Elmquist – first heralded the album last November with the transcendent “Wonder,” streaming now after an exclusive premiere via Relix, which hailed the track as “moving, wistful.”

LISTEN TO “WONDER”

Produced at The National’s Aaron Dessner, Half Moon Light is an artistic triumph worked toward for years, earned not by individual posturing, but by collective determination and natural growth. Recorded at Dessner’s Long Pond Studio in Upper Hudson Valley, NY and featuring guitarist Josh Kaufman and drummer J.T. Baites, the album finds The Lone Bellow pushing their acoustic storytelling prowess past new horizons, experimenting with textures and instrumentation to create their most sophisticated work to date. With earthy three–part harmonies and songwriting as provocative as it is honest, the trio – made up of guitarist Elmquist, lead vocalist Williams, and multi–instrumentalist Pipkin – creates sparks that make a stranger’s life matter or bring our sense of childlike wonder roaring back. With Half Moon Light, The Lone Bellow have returned, unified and invigorated with boundless ambition.

The Lone Bellow just started celebrating Half Moon Light with an extensive world tour that got underway January 22 and 23 with a sold out two-night-stand at London’s St. Pancras Old Church. North American dates begin with a two-night-stand at Los Angeles, CA’s famed Troubadour on February 12 and 13 and continue through the band’s first–ever headlining show at Nashville, TN’s historic Ryman Auditorium on April 24. Additional European tour dates and an array of festival appearances are also slated. For complete details, updates, and ticket information, please visit www.thelonebellow.com/tour.

# # #

THE LONE BELLOW

HALF MOON LIGHT

(Dualtone)

Release date: February 7, 2020

Tracklisting:

Intro

I Can Feel You Dancing

Good Times

Wonder

Count On Me

Wash It Clean

Enemies

Interlude

Just Enough To Get By

Martingales

Illegal Immigrant

Friends

Dust Settles

August

Finale

# # #

THE LONE BELLOW 2020 TOUR

FEBRUARY

12 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour 

13 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour 

26 - Houston, TX - The Heights Theater

27 - Austin, TX - Scoot Inn

28 - New Braunfels, TX - Gruene Hall

29 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater

MARCH

2 - Kansas City, MO - Knuckleheads

4 - Denver, CO - Bluebird

6 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Commonwealth

7 - Boise, ID - The Olympic

9 - Vancouver, BC - Imperial

10 - Seattle, WA - Neptune

11 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall

13 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore

14 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriets

APRIL

2 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater

3 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre

4 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall

5 - Louisville, KY - Headliners

7 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn

8 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse

10 - Saxapahaw, NC - Haw River Ballroom

11 - Washington DC - 9:30 Club

14 - Toronto, ON - Opera House

15 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer

16 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club

17 - New York, NY - Webster Hall

24 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium

Rising Appalachia featured on NPR Tiny Desk Concert

Nashville, TN - Adored world-folk music group, Rising Appalachia, are pleased to invite viewers, both new fans and old, to their NPR Tiny Desk Concert which was filmed in November of last year while the band was routing through Washington D.C. for their sold out show at The Hamilton Theatre. Known for broadening the definition of, and educating listeners on folk music, the band is led by sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith, who are joined by longtime members David Brown (stand-up bass, baritone guitar) and Biko Casini (world percussion), as well as two new members: West African musician Arouna Diarra (n’goni, talking drum), and Irish musician Duncan Wickel (fiddle, cello). The sonic textures of these two cultures are woven into Leylines, the band’s latest album, enhancing the stunning blend of folk, world, and urban music that has become Rising Appalachia’s calling card. Watch Rising Appalachia’s Tiny Desk Concert here. 

Leylines has been a defining record for Rising Appalachia, garnering praise from a wide swath of critics and solidifying their place in the greater Americana musical movement. Brooklyn Vegan called “Speak Out,” one of the album's standout tunes featuring Ani DiFranco, “an appealing dose of fiddle-fueled folk and close harmonies.” NPR praised album closer, “Resilient,” as an “uplifting, original folk anthem” and Rolling Stone called their sound “protest music for the modern age bolstered by delicate, skillful musicianship and otherworldly vocal harmonies.” They topped off 2019 ranking #8 on the NACC Top Albums Chart, holding the #1 spot for over 6 weeks this past summer. Most recently, Billboard featured the video for “Cuckoo,” calling the song a “perception changer,” and noting that it “channels their southern roots.” Redefining and widening the circles of what it means to be a southern-based band is something Leah and Chloe are constantly exploring. Leah put her thoughts on this on paper for The Bitter Southerner’s Folklore Project, identifying and exploring common threads that run from Peru to the American south. 

Fans should stay tuned for announcements on new music, and in the meantime make plans to seek the band out on tour. New tour dates were announced this morning including a stop at every band’s bucket list venue, Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

On tour:

4.17.20 - Reeves Theater - Elkin, NC

4.19.20 - Charleston Music Hall - Charleston, SC

4.21.20 - Lincoln Theatre - Raleigh, NC

5.1.20 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre- Morrison, CO (with Trevor Hall and Citizen Cope)

5.3.20 - The Commonwealth Room - Salt Lake City, UT

5.7.20 - Top Hat Lounge - Missoula, MT

6.11.20 - 6.13.20 - Blue Ox Music Festival- Eau Claire, WI

7.10.20 - Green River Festival- Greenfield, MA

Visit https://www.risingappalachia.com/ for more information and tickets. 

2015 Winter NAMM Show: Kenny Howes at Rickenbacker, DigiTech, MUSIC WORTH BUYING episodes, more!

As many of my regular readers know, I am often juggling my duties as co-host of MUSIC WORTH BUYING, while penning concert reviews for The Orange County Register as well as providing album reviews and other coverage for Music News Nashville, Desert Star Weekly and this site.

So it's no surprise while covering the 2015 Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA, a few interesting things somehow didn't get into either my print-bound or video coverage I was juggling over the course of the (National Association of Music Merchants) NAMM Show last month. Here is a final recap of my 2015 journey to NAMM…

In the past after covering Media Preview Day on Wednesdays and subsequently surviving 12-15 hour marathons on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, I tend to skip Sundays so I can work on writing and posting that day (while giving my feet a break too!). Because I felt I didn't actually get to get out on the floor and actually check out enough of the great gear and instruments this year, I I did spend about eight hours at NAMM on Sunday (Jan. 25).  So now, FINALLY, I will try to fully catch you up on some last-minute news and notes from the show that drew an estimated to the Anaheim Convention Center last weekend.

Kenny Howes at Rickenbacker
Photo: Robert Kinsler

While hanging out at Rickenbacker International Corp, I got to talk to talented singer-songwriter-guitarist Kenny Howes, who is also a substitute bassist for The Smithereens. Based in Atlanta, GA, Howes is one of the leading proponents of the current power-pop scene. I may well be in the minority of music critics, but I believe that The Smithereens were one of the best bands to emerge during the 1980s. Lead singer Pat DiNizio and company would get my vote for a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

In addition to playing part-time with the Smithereens and playing solo shows, Howes told me he is working on a new album too. His last album, 2012's wonderful Tornadoes Here & Past featured special guests Marty Willson-Piper of The Church (another band I love) and aforementioned DiNizio.

"I worked with Rickenbacker for so long and developed tons of friendships," Howes told me during our brief chat. "It's great to reconnect with all those people and see all the fun new stuff. And I make a mini-vacation out of it."

On the last day of NAMM, the day kicked off with the annual "Best in Show" event, and indeed, there was plenty to celebrate via a number of cool products highlighted. 

The DigiTech TRIO Band Creator pedal not only received a "Best In Show Award" but proved to be a lot of fun when I saw the device used up-close by my MUSIC WORTH BUYING co-host TJR on Sunday afternoon. It may sound crazy, but the device allows a guitarist to create the sound of playing along with a bassist and drummer. "Users simply need to plug a guitar into TRIO, press the footswitch to teach TRIO the chords and rhythm, then press the footswitch again to start playing with a customized personal band," according to the accurate description on a media release issued by US Music Corporation on Jan. 25, 2015.

“TRIO is like no pedal ever created – it’s an entirely new type of musical accompaniment device,” said Tom Cram, Marketing Manager, DigiTech. “With TRIO, one musician can now sound like a full band. It’s an incredibly creative and useful performance tool for solo artists, or just a great way to have fun while practicing and jamming.”

The TRIO Band Creator Pedal will be available in March 2015. No band? No problem...


Finally, a special thank you to the aforementioned TJR and Kathy Barrett for their work with me on our four episodes providing a pretty good tour of our NAMM experience. You can watch all episodes via the embedded links below!

credits