Rocket Queen of The Cocktail Slippers and The Ramones
The Recommendation Quote from Rocket Queen, guitarist for the Cocktail Slippers: “I am always moved by the intensity of the voices of Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash. There is just something very honest and real to the way they sing. On the other hand – bands such as The Ramones, The Undertones, Iggy Pop and the Stooges and The Rolling Stones always make me wanna dance and sing, so this is not an easy question to answer…”
More on: The Cocktail Slippers (Editor’s note: This girl group from Oslo impressed Steven Van Zandt enough for him to want to produce their new collection, Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre (hear a track from the album below). They bring their killer live show to SXSW later this month. Check the Cocktail Slippers My Space page for tour and album info.)
Rocket Queen’s Album Suggestions: “When it comes to Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison you should just buy the whole lot!!!! My favorite Ramones album is Pleasant Dreams (which was actually produced by legendary Phil Spector). I love just about every note the Rolling Stones ever released, but if I had to pick just one album I think it would be Sticky Fingers.”
The recommendation from Peter Phythian: “There’s lots of people & bands that I obsess about, but the one I seem to have a real problem with is the Night Tripper series of albums by Dr John (his first four records that is). I don’t seem to be able to stop listening to them & I wake up with the songs in my head on a regular basis.The albums being Gris-Gris, Babylon, Remedies and Sun, Moon & Herbs (even the fact the last has Clapton & Jagger on doesn’t put me off it).”
More on: The Gilded Palace of Sin (Editor’s note: This UK outfit has been lauded by The New York Times, Mojo and Uncut. Pete’s lyrics are described as ‘crucial… like he’s just been kicked out of Tom Waits’ bar.’ Hear their rock soundscapes and check info about their fantastic debut You Break Our Hearts, We’ll Tear Yours Out at their My Space page)
New to Dr. John? Start here: “The thing I love about them, Gris-Gris in particular, is that I can’t get a grip on where they came from, where they were born. I can see the influences (well some of them) but Gris-Gris seems like seems like he was trying to make a normal record and something came out of the swamps in waves and took over (that’s what I’d like to think anyway). The record flows like a spirit battle between dark and light (guess that’s where the Gris-Gris is). The first two tracks are pretty voodoo, then Mama Roux seems like he’s just woken from a bad dream and needs to forget what it was about before the dark magik takes over again. I Walk on Gilded Splinters the last track is one of the best album closers ever, like he’s accepted he is what he is, the in-between, the bridge , the Night Tripper, the Gris-Gris man.”
The Recommendation Quote from Willie Nile: “One part beatnik, one part Clashaholic, one part romantic poet and all street rocker, he’s one of the rare one’s out there who can write a song about real life, sing his heart out doing it, and you believe every single word he says. His songs mean something and you can put his music on to dance the night away. Not a bad combination. He’s a throwback to a time that never was. Whether he’s playing live with his band or solo acoustic doesn’t really matter as his gift is his fire and the flames can light up the whole town from wherever he’s singing.”
More on: Willie Nile (Editor’s note: Willie makes great rock records that garners praise from heavyweights like Lucinda Williams, Lou Reed, Graham Parker and Little Steven Van Zandt. Boss-man Bruce Springsteen also has brought Willie on stage at Giants Stadium shows and most recently they shared the mic at the Light of Day show in Asubury Park. Willie is hard at work on a new collection of songs and is currently on tour. Don’t miss him!)
New to Jesse Malin? Start here: “An album of his that I would definitely recommend is Glitter In The Gutter. It’s loaded with great songs. It’s hook city and has guest artists Ryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen and a house of cards. It’s hard to pick a best song there’s so many good ones on it. This album came out last year. He’s got a new one coming out in March and from what I’ve heard he hasn’t lost a step.”
The recommendation from Jamin Orrall: “Abner Jay was one of the last true minstrels. He was a one man band and played a guitar or a six string banjo along with drums, harmonica and vocals all at the same time. He did everything himself, putting out his own records and travelling around in a mobile home that folded out into a little stage on which he performed. His music is mesmerizing. Sometimes haunting and other times funny, a mix of folk, blues, jokes and monologues. Abner Jay lived a pretty interesting life and left behind some incredible songs.”
New to Abner Jay? Start here: “True Story of Abner Jay is a great place to start. It is a collection of what I think are some of his most intense performances. I’m So Depressed can literally knock you down, and it has a lot of good stories on it too.”
The Recommendation Quote from Shannon Boone, drummer for 7dayBinge: “Led Zeppelin inspires me because of the pure raw energy they had. A lot of their music wasn’t extremely complex; a lot of it was just freaked out blues. But the feel and emotion that was put into it was what made it great. Each guy in the band was very talented in their own right, and, of course, being a drummer, I love John Bonham’s work. He was absolutely bad ass!”
More on: Shannon Boone and 7dayBinge (Editor’s note: 7dayBinge is a new group made up of members of 3 Doors Down (Todd Harrell) and Kid Rock’s Band (Kenny Olson). Their album, End of the Road is available now.)
New to Led Zeppelin? Start here: “I would recommend Zeppelin IV. Every Zep album is amazing, but I think I have a love for the 4 album because it was probably the album that I played most over and over and over till my cassette was worn out! It starts off with Black Dog and that sets the tone for the rest of the album. It takes you on a sort of journey from song to song and the production of the record is awesome and undeniable! All you need to hear is about 2 seconds worth of any song on the album and you know exactly who it is! And of course they end the record with When The Levee Breaks, which is a legendary, almost mythical, performance by Bonham and production of drums by Andy Johns and Robert Plant.”
The recommendation from Jay Weinberg: “I rarely find an artist that I can call a musical obsession, but one that really stands out to me in that way is Rachael Yamagata. I can’t remember how I stumbled upon her music, but it was sometime around 2006. I immediately loved and connected with her songwriting; she has an extraordinary way of making such intimate, personal music that can capture so many different emotions at once. I love that oftentimes her songs are relatively long. Some of my favorite songs of hers are more than seven minutes! In my opinion, time should never even be a consideration when making music, and I really like that she doesn’t rush every emotion she wants to capture into a 3-minute track. Very cool.
I also find it kind of funny that I usually like turning friends on to bands and artists that I’m into, but I’ve actually never played her music for anyone in that way. To me, listening to her records is a really personal experience, and takes some isolation to really connect with it. I’ve felt like that with bands like Neurosis, My Bloody Valentine, Converge – she hits like that, for sure. To me, she strikes a chord that not many artists do, and it’s hard to share that kind of feeling with a lot of people. But on one’s lonesome, it’s awesome!”
More on: Jay Weinberg (Editor’s note: Of course you all know Jay’s father, the legendary drummer Max Weinberg of The E Street Band and Conan fame (Jay played with Bruce and the band on the recent world tour while Max returned to the Conan show), but Jay is pounding out his own path in the blazing Brooklyn based punk quartet, The Reveling. Check tour dates for the band here and pick up their EP, 3D Radio at CD Baby.)
New to Rachael Yamagata? Start here: “To suggest a specific album (as much as I love Happenstance), the one that I could play on repeat all day is Elephants…Teeth Sinking Into Heart. It’s a double album that kicks so much ass, it’s not even funny. Elephants has a quiet, paced feel, and Teeth… really rips into high gear. Standout tracks for me include What If I Leave,Brown Eyes, and Don’t. I think it takes a lot for someone to make music that nearly emotionally cripples the listener, but leaves them feeling inspired and empowered – she certainly achieves that. Plus, Ode To… could be one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever head.
End of the Road
