Sam Sprague of The Donkeys and The Flamming Groovies
Sam Sprague’s recommendation: “A band The Donkeys really love is The Flamin’ Groovies. Especially fond of the early Roy Loney era records. The Groovies really proved that it’s okay to span all type of genres in music, something The Donkeys really appreciate because all four of us write songs which in turns brings alot of diversity. But enough about us. The Groovies are a Rock n Roll monster. They are just so fun and excting. So many bands forget that Rock n Roll should have a lighter side. The Groovies write such amazing songs. And they just are a kick ass tight machine. Sneakers, Super Snazz, Flamingo, Teenage Head. You can’t go wrong. Teenage Head
About our guest author, Sam Sprague: Sam is the drummer and lead singer of The Donkeys, a band that Rocktorch learned about from, you guessed it, an artist recommendation. Craig Finn of The Hold Steady was asked during the Jim Beam Music Series who the best kept secret in music is and Craig chose The Donkeys. We snagged up their CDs and found one treasure after another. Each album is stocked with laid back tunes that would get thumbs up from Gram Parsons, Wilco and Pavement fans alike, but their appeal easily can spread beyond the alt/alt-country sphere. Are The Donkeys alternative? Country? 70’s throwbacks? We’d say yes to all and just add that this is simply good music that has to be heard. Be sure to catch The Donkeys on tour and pick up their latest album, Born With Stripes.
MP3: I Like the Way You Walk by The Donkeys from
Born With Stripes
— One of my favorite Elvis albums. I recently cut a song from it called Like a Baby with Jack White for 
About our guest author, Wanda Jackson: Where do you even begin to describe the greatness that is Wanda Jackson? You can talk about her well earned titles of “Queen of Rockabilly” or “First Lady of Rock,” but leave it to Bob Dylan to come up with the description that is perhaps the most fitting: “An Atomic Bomb in Lipstick.” Who else but the trailblazing Wanda could have toured with Elvis, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis and, as her site bio describes it, “was the first woman to perform unadulterated rock and roll?” Wanda signed with Capitol records in 1956 and then blasted up the charts with a top 40 hit, Let’s Have a Party. Since then, she’s been nominated twice for Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. But the story doesn’t end there. Jack White has produced her latest album, 
About our guest author, Mark Charles Heidinger: Mark is the frontman and songwriter for Vandaveer, a band whose lineup changes from studio to stage (although Rose Guerin has been a constant in many of the recent press photos). Vandaveer caught tons of buzz when they shared the bill with both Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver and their credibility continues to rise with the release of their latest album 
. That’s the hit, and for good reason – it has my three all-time favorite songs of hers (Black Boys on Mopeds, The Emperor’s New Clothes, and Last Day of Our Acquaintance) AND Nothing Compares 2 U. C’mon. And while some of the sounds haven’t aged well, the songs have. The Gospel Oak EP may be my favorite music she’s made, and Universal Mother is a pretty great record too, but I think this is where you’d point someone looking to get familiar.”
About our guest author, Kevin Devine: You may know Kevin from his days of fronting Miracle of 86 (Mets fans, you get the reference, right?). Since those days, Kevin has toned down his vocals and moved stylistically towards the late, great Elliot Smith, an artist that Kevin says “changed the way I look at writing music.” In fact, Devine snagged Elliot Smith’s producer, Rob Schnapf for his major label debut, Put Your Ghost To Rest. In 2009, Paste Magazine gushed about Devine’s release, 