Thought it would be fun to share some of the music that has been kicking around my head recently. I hope you enjoy it. I also hope, partially, that if you think I have terrible taste in music, that this post continues to perpetuate that feeling for you.
CHIEF — Your Direction
JJ — CEO Birhday
This is either something you get or you don’t. I know I sure get it. Give me an open road or a few cold ones, either way this music will have me feeling no pain. This past weekend I spent about 17 hours driving and this was my co-pilot. When it came down to it, I could have kept going for a long time. 100% pure Americana right here — enjoy.
WAYLON
HAGGARD
When I was about 15 years-old a family friend gave me $25 of LTV Steel stock. It was of nominal value, but it was an amazing gift — the memory of which has remained with me in to this day. It was especially poignant the day LTV filed for Chapter 11 and closed the last remaining steel mill in Cleveland. That was a disappointing time for me. While LTV was shuttering, the local newspaper — the Cleveland Plain Dealer — ran a series of articles called The Quiet Crisis, about the deflating Northeast Ohio economy and the eroding industrial tax base. It is tough to see things like that happen to any town, especially a town you grew up loving and defending.
I found these beautiful black and white photos from the Library of Congress (via the Detroit Publishing Company archive) and was listening to Bruce Springsteen’s Youngstown and it took me back to the glory days of American industry. Or at least the American industrial 1970s (think Deer Hunter) or when I was a kid in Cleveland in the 1980s. Most of these photos are from Western Pennsylvania — places like Homestead and Braddock — and some are from Cleveland, but the spirit is from Bruce and Youngstown, Steel Town.
Download Youngstown
In lieu of a mixtape (Muxtape?) allow me to present some of the sounds that have been heard around the ACL offices as of late. Since there is a strong Brooklyn Vegan like atmosphere floating around in the comments, I figured this would be fitting. Enjoy!
The Middle East — Blood
The Zildjian company is the oldest family owned business in the United States, tracing its origin back to Turkey in the year 1623. The company was established in America in Quincy, Mass. in 1929 by Aram Zildjian who perfected the art of cymbal manufacturing. Now after many years of making some of the finest cymbals in the world, company is coming up on its 400th birthday. The 14th generation of the Zildjian continue to operate the famous percussion supplier at their headquarters and factory in Norwell, Massachusetts.
As you will learn below, Zildjian invented most of the modern day drum kit cymbals like the hi-hat, crash, splash and ride cymbals, and famously supplied drummers like Jazz legends Gene Krupa, Max Roach and Buddy Rich. Zildjian was also used by the immensely talented and crazy technical drummer Neil Peart of Rush for most of his career.
Drummer is the side project of The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney and four other drummers from Ohio bands. Seeing how The Black Keys are my most favorite living band and all of these guys are from my middlewest motherland, not writing about them was not an option. If you were wondering who plays drums in drummer? It is not Mr. Carney (he’s on bass), the kit is manned by Greg Boyd of Cincinnati’s Ghostman and Sandman.
Does it really get more American than Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music? Released in 1962 amid the civil rights struggle, the album blends musical styles and got heavy play on both R&B and Country radio. Think about that, R&B and Country are two very different groups of people. Frank Sinatra called Ray Charles “the only true genius in the business,” and I wouldn’t disagree. In producing the album, Ray Charles became the first black artist to demand and get complete artistic control over his music, which would be no small feat today let alone in 1962. Modern Sounds in Country Western gets a lot of play in my life and spans moods like very few can. If you don’t know it, hear it. If you don’t own it, buy it. If you buy it, you will love it.
Two more weeks and the wait is over; on September 14th Mr. David Gray drops Draw the Line, his tenth album. Our friends in the UK have already been enjoying David’s first album of new material in nearly four years. The first single “Fugitive” is as expected, top notch. Draw the Line is available for pre-order if you are stateside.
ACL’s favorite band U.S. Royalty teamed up with some downtown New York director kid named Jake Davis (never heard of him), on one helluva cool video for the group’s anthem (“banger” as my buddy Jeff likes to say) “Every Summer.” In true Jake Davis form, the video captures the raw energy of one of U.S. Royalty’s live performances. The fellas were kind enough to send over the sneak peek, first look, advance link whatever you want to call it. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I love it when good things come together. If you don’t own the record and haven’t seen these guys live you are missing out. Link: U.S. Royalty
