Author Archives: AmandaPerfectMess

About AmandaPerfectMess

Mom, wife, writer, blogger, earth witch, human being living with multiple sclerosis.

A Complete Unknown took me there…

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OK, I feel like I should start by saying that I really don’t ever write stuff like this. Movie reviews just aren’t my bag, baby. Since 2012 I have mostly stuck to reviewing albums, shows, and a great once in a while a good book. Something happened to me though and I am going to tell you about it.

So here we go. Thank you Hulu for making it available, as I finally got to watch “A Complete Unknown” this weekend. Mind you, I was not avoiding it – having this stupid disease that makes me fall down, walk into things, and spend week long stints in the hospital just tends to put a damper on your plans for being a normal person. It also tends to make me depressed and forget that there are things I love. This is a movie I was waiting for. I had wanted to see it in the movies on that big screen. We even had a gift card we had planned to use to do it. Life just has other plans sometimes. Anyway, my chance finally came on my big comfy couch with my husband who loves me and knew I wanted to finally see it, and I took that plunge.

Now, it should be said that being raised on heavy doses of Bob Dylan from birth to this ripe ol’ age of 46 years can give you some opinions on things and make you a bit of what could probably be called a bitchy purist. (I can admit it, can you?) Then you throw in my many, many years of nerdy obsession with Woody Guthrie and, well, folk music in general as well as the histories of things and lets just say that I had my concerns. I read all the articles and I knew the years that went into making of this movie. I knew the skill sets involved and despite my reservations, I had much faith in all those people. At the same time, these people being portrayed have been the people I have leaned on for so many years. Their voices, their stories, their lessons have been a part of this big life that I just didn’t want to see shown, told, portrayed without care or respect. I was genuinely worried about that more than anything. Tell the story! I love the story! Just please love the story you tell and let that love shine through.

Man, let me tell you something.

Friends, readers, folks. I am here to say the film was fantastic! It was gorgeously shot. It was incredibly cast. It was superbly and lovingly acted. The story itself was so well written. You yourself as a bitchy purist and keeper of the love might have reservations, but I’m here to say that you can safely enjoy it. Remember as you start it that it’s a story. Yes, it tells some truths but it also tells some tall tales and that’s why books and movies are fun. I know that Bob himself put one or two in there for the folks who might know and I truly enjoyed when I would catch one. It gave me a smile because not once did any fact or fiction ruin how much I enjoyed the telling of the story. It was a ride I was glad to be on. I didn’t want it to end.

I like to say in my writings that you don’t have to take my word for it. It’s a subtle high five to the lovely LeVar Burton who always made sure we loved books and stories. But here is another one for you: As the legendary voice of Chip Monk once said so notably, “…you may take it with however many grains of salt you wish”…

The movie is there to entertain you and you can and should go enjoy it.

Also, this is a weird side note, but thank you for including Greystone. It’s a strange thing, but we grew up in it’s creepy, mysterious shadow here in the Morris County area and “The Wardy Forty” as Woody called his section of the hospital, was an important piece of entertainment and representation for us here in Weird NJ land. I might have gotten a little giddy and I only wish our former governor Chris Christy hadn’t been so hell bent on getting it demolished, as it’s hulking, brooding exterior would have been a welcome addition to the film.

I don’t know – these days, it’s hard to find sincere joy in things because the world is scary and dammit, it’s hard. I have a disease that is slowing me down a little more every day. We have a president that is determined to land us in a war, in poverty, and smack dab in the middle of fascism. We are all going about our daily lives and going to work, trying to pay our bills, raise good humans, cook dinner, and just exist while we occasionally pat the head of the existential dread growing out from within us. I myself have had so much trouble even writing this little blog of mine because I have just not had the words for anything. But this film woke something up in me. It was a much needed reminder that it’s still out there. That thing that makes me want to write.

Friend, please find what gives you that thing – that joy, that spark, that kick in the f’ing pants and makes you want to keep living, keep dreaming, keep creating, and keep fighting.


PS, I grew up being told the legendary tale of Al Kooper in the studio during that recording by my dad. It’s one of those stories you hear a thousand times but could only really imagine in your head. Actor Charlie Tahan – thank you for bringing that to life. I laughed, and then I cried a little. Your scene is the one I am MOST EXCITED for my dad to see. It’s because of his love of this music that I have that love myself. He’s the most faithful Bob Dylan fan there ever was -and he himself has battled so many battles the last few months. I don’t care if he hates the whole damn thing. I just hope he loves that moment. Your scene.

Anyway, great film. Many emotions. Laughs and tears. Go watch it.


Picture of me in Bethel, my favorite place in the world, for not so dramatic effect. ❤️

These are the days I miss Bourdain…

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I mean, I miss him often. He is one of many people who inspired me to be a writer and showed me that my imperfections were not a reason to keep quiet. He also showed me that the things I thought I knew about places that I had not been were very often wrong. I have watched all of his shows, many times over. Some favorite episodes of mine were when he visited places like Beirut, Iran, and Gaza. Places that struggled. Places that fought. He wanted us all to know that governments are not people, and people are not governments. That at our core, we are all very much the same. We want to love, we want to laugh, and we can all be friends over a good meal. More, we can learn so much about one another if we just shut up and share a meal. That the mere concept of opening up your home and your heart through cooking for someone is intimate. It’s revealing. It’s human.

But it’s these times. These tragically uncertain times when we desperately grasp for any kind of hope that the lessons of our grandparents are not being forgotten and as such…repeated. I know that in the wake of these stupid tariffs, he would have taken us on a Parts Unknown adventure to both Canada AND Mexico. Places that we followed him several time between his three television shows, but this time would be different. It would be to remind us why we are friends. To remind us why we are allies. To remind us why we are partners not just in trade, but in security. He would have highlighted how after many hurricanes, fires, and floods, Canada was right there at our doorstep to help us recover and rebuild. They are stanch allies and strong trade partners who have always, almost humorously at times, been those nice folks who live upstairs.

I don’t doubt that he would have highlighted the firemen from both Canada and Mexico who risked their lives to help save ours in California recently. Then he would remind of of the many, many personal stories he has of immigrants from many nations but including Mexico who worked with him in kitchens – the trenches where only the strong survive. (and I say that as the wife of a former chef who herself tended bar for many years) People who risked their lives to build a better one. Wonderful, hard working people doing work most who criticize wouldn’t have the stomach for even a partial shift in. I remember many, many things written by Bourdain about both the Mexican people and the nation of Mexico as a visitor. I have personally been there myself many times and have told everyone who would listen how incredibly kind and generous the people are every single time I visit.

I also know for certain that he would have long ago been banned from Twitter for telling it’s owner and destroyer about himself. Honestly, I would have probably kept that account longer just to watch the show erupt between the two of them simply because that other guy is a spoiled rich boy who never worked a real job in his life and Bourdain had decades in service work, travel, and was easily far more intelligent and well written.

I miss the shows he did about America. He visited cities like Houston that are full of immigrants of many kinds and he showed us that when we are so full of diversity, we are the most American. He took us to cities like Detroit that has seemed to fall and crumble but at their core were still full of people willing to share some home cooked food with you (but not the recipe secrets, mind you!) and show you with those flavors that we are America. He took us to cities like New Orleans who had seen the tragedy of a hurricane that broke levees and flooded whole wards, senselessly killing so many and almost washing away entire generations of families and culture. In that episode, we saw the damage – and we met the people who stayed there or came back to rebuild, often with their bare hands. He took us to Montana. He took us to West Virginia and into Coal Country. He took us to Pittsburgh. He talked about lost industries and their economic impact. He talked about the crisis of addiction, something he had personal experience conquering.

Speaking of Pittsburgh, I feel like he would so disappointed in John Fetterman who is not even a shadow of the man he was in that episode.

But mostly, I miss the way he helped make sense in times of uncertainty so that we do not lose hope. I have to admit that right now, hope is something I am losing my grasp on as I read my morning posts and blogs today. We are watching tragic history repeat itself in real time and I struggle to find the light in a very daunting and dark room. I feel like Anthony would have had wisdom from his many, many years of travel in insecure nations to share with us that might help us hold on to that hope. He would remind us of nations that took back power. He would recount stories told to him by the actual freedom fighters that he had the opportunity to meet with, to share a meal with, to find hope within. Mostly, he would tell us to keep fighting – and share a meal with those neighbors.

We kind of need that right now, and I miss him.

TikTok, RedNote, and the Connection of the Creator Culture

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I joined TikTok a few years back out of curiosity, never thinking I might start making content. Well, that is not entirely true. I had ideas about using it as a side car to this very blog. Sometimes I did. It was hard with live music slowly gearing up post-Covid. Then I started seeing people who were like me – living with Multiple Sclerosis, enjoying live music, discovering their heritage, or just really liked cats. I thought to myself, “Self…what if we tried talking about ourselves and the things we like?” (Myself is another person in my head) So I did. I started posting videos. I dug into the creator features like filters and accessories. I overlapped myself talking on a picture of what I was talking about. I made videos about Woodstock lore, canned fish, cooking haggis, living with MS, having a cool dog, buying a couch on Temu, etc. For some reason, people started following me. Then I started following them. Then I found celebs and artists and musicians I loved and we followed one another too. Suddenly I had close to 5000 followers and was following 10,000 others. We had communities of different interests. I had an international community of people living with Multiple Sclerosis and we were posting and hosting “lives”. We bought products from one another’s small businesses that they had grown on the app which allowed them to change their lives and the lives of their families for the better. This IS something! This app is fantastic! Sometimes I just scrolled through content – laughing, crying, finding new artists to dig into, and recipes! So many GREAT recipes there!

It was also a fantastic place for news. Every major news network had a profile they used regularly to share stories and smaller, independent media entities found entire followings there from people who might never have found them otherwise. It allowed us to tap into real time, real people in the very places where news was happening. It also introduced people to the consequences of their actions when creators enlisted followers to identify criminals shown in video – which they very often did, sometimes to their own selfless detriment.

Mostly though, its just been a place to turn off our mind and scroll. Find new music, meet new people, see the world through the eyes of others and open our minds to their struggles, their triumphs, and their joys.

Now it’s all going away.

Not for any good reason that anyone in our government managed to convey with any real evidence, either. Oh, they said it was! They said it was for security. They said they were preventing “data mining”. They said it was because it was connected to China and they really enjoy getting us to dislike and distrust China. This was all disproven, of course, as was the legitimacy of their argument and method of banning the app, but it didn’t matter. The minds of politicians were made up (and paid for) and that was that. Americans by the millions would be losing income, community, a method of getting up to the minute news, and in some cases their very independence and all because of the ban – regardless of the fact that we know exactly who lobbied (and paid) for it.

In our anger and frustration with this, some of us downloaded the Chinese app called RedNote. It has been China’s own version of TikTok that citizens of that country have been using for years. Immediately we were welcomed by people on that app. Many of us were enjoying their lessons in learning Mandarin, their “grocery hauls”, and we all exchanged photos of our cats, dogs, birds, and livestock. We shared meal tips and made new friends. This app was a wonderful look into the lives of the ordinary Chinese citizens and showed us how alike we really are. Sure, we speak different languages, we have different cultures, we have different governments – but at our core, we were showing one another that we are very much the same. People. People who want to feel free, feel loved, enjoy life and love our families. We all love food, we all love art, we all love to laugh.

I have heard those in charge of RedNote will be (of they have not already) splitting the servers for the app to separate Chinese citizens from foreigners. That the increase in users from outside of China has impacted the algorithms and lessened the intended experience for those within China. I can understand this and do not fault them at all for this, despite my own selfish enjoyment of the app. It has a wonderful, kind vibe. Something soothing. I give credit for that entirely to the Chinese and Chinese American folks who have made it what it is. Their personalities come through, as does the material they share. I learned several Mandarin phrases from a young boy with a whiteboard! I never learned anything so quickly! He’s a splendid teacher!

Through it all, I remember one of the reasons I loved the work Anthony Bourdain did – especially in his later years. He wanted his readers and viewers to see that people are not their governments, and governments are not their people. At the end of the day, people just want to live and be happy. He often spoke of how breaking bread with someone is a personal connection. Cooking for someone in your home is a special way to convey welcome, to give thanks, to allow the curtains to be pulled back on a family and a culture that may be very misunderstood from the outside. Some of my favorite episodes were when he visited places like Iran, Lebanon, and his episode from back in 2012 that illustrated the toxic relationship between Israel and Palestine. But he wanted you to meet families in those places and invited you into those homes with him to share a meal. It made me long to travel. It also made me long for peace.

What the time we had on TikTok and RedNote reinforced is that very point. We are all people. Human beings. We might be different in how we look and how we live, but our desires for contentment and peace in this life are very much the same. Our governments might want us to dislike one another while they battle over resources, tariffs, and weapons – but we as people simply want to live and find our happiness. If we could only have these experiences with EVERY nation! Can you even imagine? Why would be need wars? We would find friendship in our similarities, not wars in our differences. Reflecting on my experience with RedNote made me long for an app like it in every nation of the world. A place where we discover other cultures because we want to. A place where children smile and teach us their language because they want us to learn. A place where we all share pictures of our cats. A place for new friendships with different kinds of people who might show us sides of things we never even considered. A place for those curious about how others live on the other side of the world. A place to learn to cook food you might never have tasted. A place where we (as those who wish it) safely and securely discover how alike we really are. That we are not enemies, no matter what our governments say. We are not land. We are not parties. We are not resources like oil or copper. We are not a desire to own more than anyone else.

We are just people.

People who have more similarities than differences.

Peace can be real. Peace can happen today.

Jeremy Hilliard is “Going Back to Where It All Began” With His New Solo Album

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I used to think that writing about something I really liked was easy. That the words would flow from my typing fingers with fevered intensity brought on by the inspired enthusiasm created by the music in my ears. It would explode from my own creative brain without any blocks and the right words would never escape me! Then I met my friend Jeremy Hilliard.

Dammit, Jeremy.

You might have seen other pieces on this blog about his psychedelic jam funk band PEAK. They are favorites of mine around the Northeast jam scene and always a good time. I have also written about his other solo efforts as they appeal to the singer songwriter vibe I like most. It’s has always been the mission of this blog to share what I think is good. So share, I do! But this most recent collection of songs from Jeremy entitled Going Back to Where It All Began has me shook. Rarely am I speechless about anything. I take pride in the fact that sometimes I don’t know when to shut up. But this music is hitting me in a way that has knocked me on my ass and I am still sitting here wondering what happened. I have been sitting on this record for a minute, listening often and working on this review in my head but I have just not been able to get my fingers to do that whole typing out thoughts thing and I thought it was just the stress of the week or the election or the drastically weird climate of this nation right now, but I think it’s more than that. Or maybe it’s all of that?

This album is outstanding.

I make no mystery of my love for folk music, singer songwriter prose and Americana vibe in general. I was raised on a steady diet of all of it and it’s shaped my taste, as much as people have been working to really revive that vibe the last decade or so, it’s been a while since I heard music that was truly encapsulating of the mood of the world right now. The confusion, the pensive energy, but the desire not to be swallowed by it all because the world spins madly on. There is a moodiness to Jeremy’s writing that permeates this album, but it’s not a hopelessness. It’s an attitude of trying to define an emotion with sound and every song as this record progresses has more of that story to tell. A story about longing, then about remembrance. A story about the past, and then about the future.

A story.

The title track, Going Back to Where it All Began has a truly lovely but chugging sense of purpose. It’s telling a tale through the tempo and vocal but at the same time remains a blank page that you can fill with your own story. The guitar playing is reminiscent of classic folk tellers and the song moves like a train car through the countryside and if you close your eyes, you can drop yourself right on that train. The song itself tells of memories and reminiscing, something so relatable.

The second track that really stuck me was coincidently the second track on the album, Before Your Love. There is an ethereal quality to the construction of this song and I found it to be something easy to fall into and drift away. That could be a combination of Jeremy’s lofty guitar work and the dreamy song itself or just the melancholy mood of the whole package and it’s storytelling with layers of vocals of sound. It’s spiritual and lovely.

The album is full of familiar themes but I love the fact that nothing is defined too much for you so that you can still find yourself within it. I love the warmth of the song To Luna. The words resonate in such a way that you hear your own story in it. “It’s only love changing shape”.

The last track on the album, Sweet Kathleen, was written for his friend who passed in 2023. This song is a whole vibe and if there was ever a tribute to be written, that is exactly how it should be. It’s a steady but gentle, trucking, danceable song with such a freedom air to it. It’s a smile in your ears. I love that.

Jeremy also brings back the gorgeous backup vocals of his lovely wife Bethany Hilliard, as well as bass work from PEAK’s own Josh T. Carter, drums by Brendan Hefty, and key work by Marshall Norton. In his own words, Jeremy says, “I’m not great at having a “story” around and album. I live and write!” His record Trouble for Another Day was put out September 2023. It was the first official solo album but hardly the end of that journey. Jeremy went on to write another 30 songs over the next eight months. After keeping two for PEAK, this album was borne from what remained.

“I believe the album has some recurring themes and some kind of through-line”, Jeremy says, “but I try not to think about that too much and just work intuitively.”

The tracks Deep Blue Me and Sailor’s Warning will be being released as singles, so keep your ears open for that. As always, I am over here pushing the hope that there will be some live shows with these songs someday. In the meantime, you can find Going Back to Where It All Began in all the best places for new music –

JUST IN: Fall Shows Galore!

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Goodness, this summer was a DOOZY!

The heat, the news, the storms, the HEAT. Then all of a sudden here in Northwest New Jersey, someone hit the OFF switch on summer and the temperatures cooled down, the bugs went into hiding, and good music started planning some incredible fall shows and fall tours! Nothing says the end of summer like crispy leaves, apple cider, and good live music without the intense perspiration!

Let’s get right into it, shall we?

The coolest jazz, electronica, funk trio, Octave Cat has announced a couple of fall hometown shows in the Philly, PA region. Those groovy gents, Eli Winderman, Jesse Miller, and Charlie Patierno show you what happens when you mix a lil’ Dopapod with a lil’ Lotus and a whole lot of groove. You can check them out in full, including their most recent album Sprezzatura, over at their bandcamp: https://octavecatmusic.bandcamp.com/album/sprezzatura

Then check them out live!

Speaking of good vibe danceable grooves, Magic Beans have announced a full on fall tour! These guys have perfected bringing their patented blend of funk, R’n’B, rock, soul that weaves itself into a neo-jam blend to keep audiences engaged and moving. You can check them out in full on their website at https://www.magicbeansmusic.com and then head out and catch them live at any of the posted dates below!

In some EXCITING ska scene news, The Pilfers www.facebook.com/pilfers are running two incredible reunion shows next month with their original lineup in New York City with the Hub City Stompers, El Grande, The Agents, and Solgyres at the Space Ballroom and Mercury Lounge. These shows are guaranteed to be a damn good time if you are in town so I highly recommend you get those tickets!

But wait, there’s more!

Were you bumming that you missed out on all that sweet Dopapod groove all summer long knowing they are calling it quits soon? I know I was. All is not lost, friends. Thankfully, the guys have announced some good East Coast loving for us in Philly AND New York City.

Head over to https://www.dopapod.com for more info and see flyer for details below!

Speaking of rare opportunities to grab some GREAT live music, we have some outstanding ska coming out from the West coast and Columbia! Come out for The Toughers, The Steady 45’s, with Agent Jay of The Slackers and Boss Selektah doing some spinning on September 11th at Brooklyn Made! Tickets are a measly $15 so if you are in the area, you have no good reason not to get out and shake it with some damn good folks and incredible ska, rocksteady, and soul sounds!

https://thetoughers.com

https://www.steady45s.com

Maybe you are a Strange Machines fan! They have also just announced some sweet fall dates complete with appropriately fall themed flyer to help get that vibe in your soul! These New England folks are a true melting pot of musical fusion, with sounds catering to funk, livetronica, rock, reggae and so much more! You can groove on over to their bandcamp page here for more!

https://strangemachines.bandcamp.com

Maybe you fancy some sweet, soaring, sometimes improvisational jamtronica goodness? Well Lotus has been out there promoting their new album How To Dream In Color (more on that in a later post) and they are catching that dance wave right through the fall! I am digging hard on this new album and I bet you will too – get out and catch them live if you can! It’s been a minute for me and I might have to remedy that on this tour…

LotusVibes.com

If you are down for what has become the greatest ska festival in the entire united states, you still have a chance to get your tickets for the Supernova International Ska Festival coming to Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia this September 13th-15th! There are absolute LEGENDS on this show. I have yet to be able to make it down for this but my besties in the scene cannot stop talking about it every year – and I usually spend a few weeks pouring over their live footage and pictures and crying to myself inside afterwards! Some day…some day A Perfect Mess will be there. But anyway, YOU SHOULD BE THERE! Tickets are still on sale!

https://linktr.ee/supernovaska

Then we have some of my personal favorites from way back when, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad coming in HOT with some fall dates as well, celebrating their 20th! These guys throw down something special and I am here kinda hoping they add a date closer to me so I can go…

www.livepanda.com

That is HARDLY all, folks, and I will keep updating this post as information is sent to me. In the meantime, gather those pennies and start stacking those calendars with tasty live music this fall! It’s what’s good about life!

See you out there!

A Perfect Mess is here for you!

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“Major” music news outlets over the past few days have illustrated that they are more interested in click-bait articles based on controversial ideas, “artists” (and I used that term loosely), and their questionable actions than telling you what is actually going on, new, and worthy of your ears in music.

My health forced me to slow my work with my blog and I genuinely had not realized how much I needed it…and apparently so did everyone else. What in the world are these journalists writing about? They are not concerned with promoting good music, getting people out for live music, or helping grow the scenes we have loved to be a part of and given so much of ourselves to. They want clicks. That has NEVER been what I was all about in my work, and I just remembered why.

This has reinvigorated the hell out of me. A Perfect Mess is back in full swing starting today with an album review of what is new from Lotus, tour announcements from Magic Beans, and some local NYC area show announcements.

If you have news, send my way.

aperfectmessblog@gmail.com

A Perfect Mess has never been here for the clicks.

We are here for the music, the scene, and the vibe.

And tacos.

My Friend I Never Met

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I don’t have many heroes in this world.

I don’t look up to too many folks.

We are all so very flawed, no matter how great we might think we are.

However, my dad introduced me to Bourdain many years ago when he was still on Food Network. I became a fan and followed him from then on. He became a published author later in his life and its this that has kept me writing, pushing, and working to get published myself. It was his style of storytelling about real people that inspired me to tell stories that were hard to tell about myself and my own struggle. It was his metamorphosis from the person he started out as to the person he became through lessons learned in travel through other countries and cultures, always learning and passing those lessons on to readers and viewers. It was through his work that I learned a nation is its people, their food and their music, and not it’s government and wars. He inspired me to want to learn more about people and food. So today I send birthday wishes to the man I never got a chance to meet but who inspired me to write. (and long to travel…)

Happy Anniversary to “Firewalk” from The Prizefighters! Five Years of Steady Groove…

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Five years ago last week, I posted a blog on one of my favorite ska records to come out in the last decade…Firewalk from The Prizefighters. In honor of that record, here is the review I did of that fantastic album! If you are not already a fan of this band, you should be – so give a read and give a listen!

Originally posted February 5th, 2019

The Prizefighters are a Midwest rocksteady force to be reckoned with, and I have no problem saying they are leaders in their genre right now as a still fairly young band. I first heard them in the infancy of this blog when I reviewed their record Follow My Sound back in 2012. Not long after that, this blog went on a hiatus for a couple years while this band continued to build their mastery of the ska and rocksteady sound. This is no exaggeration.

The Prizefighters have been a backing band for respected legends like Derrick Morgan, Stranger Cole and Patsy Todd, Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison, just to name a few. They have teamed up with legendary harmonica player and vocalist Charlie Organaire on a trio of 45rpm singles (released on Jump Up! Records) and a European tour. When it comes to an American band injecting real authenticity into a Jamaican sound, the Prizefighters have done more than their share of homework. They present this respectfully and as authentically as possible. This is clearly evident when you hear their new album, Firewalk.

The love and deep respect for the ska and rocksteady sounds is loud and clear through this record. In fact, the album was recorded in a 100% analog environment to preserve that sound and energy and it truly has the feel of something straight out of the 1960’s. I was immediately impressed by this. In a modern recording world with so many artists relying on technology to polish their sound, I respect deeply how much care went into the preservation of that vibe that we all know and love. It was perfectly captured. The groove of the record itself from start to finish is purely classic while still highlighting the modern chops of this band.

Right out of the gate, the record is a hitter. The opening track, Just Let The Music Play, has a steady bass groove, great smooth horns, and a gentle but hitting vocal. The next track, You’ll Never Know, kicks the energy right up with a sound that sends you straight back to the 60’s with the beat and the vocal energy. This is a fun song, and the horn and drum work is great, capturing that energy and sending it upwards and outwards. I would look forward to seeing this one done live, it’s a LOT of fun.

As much as I dig the Prizefighters’ vocals, they do a fantastic job with the traditional rocksteady sound as an instrumental as well. The third track on the album, The Accolade, is a great example of what they can do without vocal. Spectacular brass work and that steady chugging groove keeps feet tapping through to the end. Bebop Rocksteady is another one. It kicks right in with those horns to grab you and then holds on tight with a steady drum and bass groove. The thing about these folks is the way they make the music sing without having to say a word. They bring all the energy of an enormous crowd and funnel it through horns and bass to come out steady and smooth.

Skip on over to Burnt Toast and Black Coffee next and feel the energy immediately. That cool sound, great backup vocals, a great modern yet traditional sound. The vocals on this one are probably my favorite on the whole record. The title track, Firewalk, is another one worth mentioning. It’s got a sexy, creeping groove and these quick and shadowy vocals woven in that get right to the heart of the matter, “If the ground gets too hot, you must do the fire walk…” The sax work is really catchy and this track is the kind that will stick with you while keeping you moving. This is not a record to stand still listening to at all. 

All in all, this record is a must have. There is a lot of big talk out there about capturing a traditional sound and vibe in a recording. Usually instead, you get something concocted and over produced. The Prizefighters took their love for that sound and brought it way back. It rings bells in the soul to listen to their work on this record. It’s really, really well done.

Firewalk will be available on CD, cassette (yes!), and digital on February 15th. There will also be a vinyl release on Jump Up! Records later on in 2019, if you want to add some Prizefighters goodness to your library. The band’s record release show will be happening at the Turf Club in St. Paul, MN on February 15th, presented by Ska Brewing. For those of us on the East Coast, we can expect the band for a tour later on this year as well so we can get our own booty’s shaking.

You can check out more tour dates and release info on the band’s website, theprizefighters.bandzoogle.com

Grooving Until the Dawn with “Up All Night” from Johnny Young

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If you have been following the Brooklyn jam scene over the last few years, you might be familiar with the band PEAK. If you follow this blog, you surely are. The force to be reckoned with holding down the keyboard and providing the primary backups and vocal solos is the one and only Johnny Young. A multi-instrumentalist, including piano, guitar, drums and percussion, Johnny Young has played with a ton of artists and toured all over the world. His solo vocal tracks with the band such as, “It Ain’t Over ‘til the Credits Roll” emphasize his prowess as a solo powerhouse on stage and off.  Beyond all that, Johnny is just a fantastic human being.

His online bio goes on to say that he has either headlined or opened “…for both the famous and the obscure.” Obviously, I know him best for his work with PEAK but he’s also an Emmy Award winning composer with work in a variety of soaps as well as the Oprah Winfrey Show. He has worked in bands with folks like Giant Flying Turtles and Mick Taylor, just to name a few. At home in Brooklyn, he runs a full studio space doing recording. When it comes to all around accomplished musicians, Johnny is an outstanding example of getting it all done and then some and how good that can sound. It should be no surprise that when it comes to a full length solo record, he is going to throw down with a little bit of everything in the pot – and that is exactly what he has done.

Johnny’s recent solo release, Up All Night, showcases just how well he knows his way around a song, both writing it and laying it all out musically. The album is a wild trip from start to finish, and it’s a trip well worth taking.

The tracks are rocking while still having a hint of ethereal flight with strong lyrics and a solid, every changing groove. You can stay on the ground and move yourself with the beat, or you can sit and think on the sentiment, the mood, and the words. Songs like Law of Gravity kick you with hard hitting drum power and soaring vocals that are laid across a cool, bluesy vibe. Those awesome drums were laid down by Rich Zuckor who can also be heard on three other tracks across the record. In contrast, the track Never Let Go sounds like it could be a movie soundtrack staple with its great vocal overlays and catchy piano. A song like I’m Feeling Alright brings a funky, jazzy pace that is not only fun, but feels like something I need to have in my headphones all day every day for the lyrical inspiration alone. This song is a vibe! My favorite song on the album though is Searching for a Clue with its dirty cool vibe and stop and go tempo that reminds me of something heard in a dark, smoky after hours club, late at night. Totally danceable, totally sing-a-long friendly, and just a really good time. There is fantastic drum assistance on four of the tracks The whole album is a great eclectic mix of styles from pop, and rock to jazz and R&B.

The full album, Up All Night, from Johnny Young is available now on all major streaming platforms. You don’t have to take my word for it, but this album is a unique step into the well rounded, well versed rock and roll world Johnny has spent his life cultivating – and it’s a damn good time!

You can check it out Johnny Young HERE:

https://johnnyyoungsongs.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/johnny.young.16

Pondering Deep with Jeremy Hilliard’s “Trouble For Another Day”

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Jeremy Hilliard is that multifaceted musician’s musician who cannot be pinned down to one scene, one vibe, one trick. He is on one hand the founder and lead man behind the New York City based psychedelic-funk jam band PEAK. On the other hand, he is a modern Americana singer-songwriter who has been releasing folk infused songs that ponder life, living, and the world around us since the pandemic sent us all home to our living rooms. After quietly releasing multiple batches of his brand of music through Soundcloud and Bandcamp, he has put out his first official solo record, Trouble For Another Day on all major streaming spots and it’s a wonderful, cerebral journey worth taking.

The album includes help from PEAK bassist, Josh T. Carter and also spirited and soulful backups from Bethany Hilliard on several tracks. When COVID had us all sheltering place for months, Jeremy was often streaming living room sessions with his wife Bethany (and occasionally their cat) which seemed a perfect springboard for the solo projects that followed. This full length effort is peppered with the feels of those sessions – the hope, the precariousness, and the wonder of it all. The album has a genuine Americana vibe and at times feels like a car ride through the countryside in the autumn – crunchy leaves blowing through the sunshine and heavy thoughts sprinkled through your mind. Particularly tracks like “American Blue” where this feel is layered over storytelling, carrying a message as deep as the valley pools you encounter on this journey. As someone who was raised on a bit too much Peter, Paul, and Mary and now lives and breathes the likes of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, I am mildly infatuated with this wonderful resurgence of folk songwriting. This music that carries messages from generation to generation. This album is a fantastic example of that in so many ways.

“Swallowed By The Jungle” is another great track from this record with a steady pace and vocals that follow along, rythemic to the beat like a railway. The words are deep and pondering with great lines like, “Life, Love, And Death are a trinity” that kick you right in the soul in these bizzarre and tumultuous times. “Beautiful Reason” is a slower, gentler track with Jeremy’s trademark guitar sound and a lovely, hopeful and positive vibe in the lyrics, proving just how a well written song can light you up as fast as it can send you into a cavern of your own thoughts. Then you have a song like “What Kind of Person Are You Anyway” that ponders the true nature of those around us all the time. This song feels like meeting new people, jiving with them for a while, and sitting down to really wonder who they are. “Are you the dirt that returns to the earth that which is hers, or are you the poison that will cause her to hurt?”

I mean, I feel like I have had these conversations with myself more often than I could recall. I love that about music. It relates to you as much as you relate to it, and this kind of music has always been my favorite for those moments of wonder. As we all wander along through this world that often seems determined to test us as much as possible, so much truth can be found in the words of artists who dares to write out what resides in their soul. Even better are those who have the skill put it to music. That feels to me like the soul of this record. Listen to the song “Too Much of Everything” for even further perspective on that. This song feels like the middle of the pandemic when we had done everything we could think of to get through yet another unprecedented event in our lives that was testing the very fabric of everything we thought we were. We didn’t know what to do anymore, so we did everything we could think of. Now here we are, dealing with the overwhelming reality of it all. It’s remarkably relatable.

I have always liked this storytelling aspect of songwriting and I guess that is what always drew me into the worlds of folk music and it’s many layers. Several years ago, I started to lose my eyesight and was introduced to audiobooks. As a bibliophile, it was a hard transition to have to listen to words instead of being able to hold a book and read them myself because then my mind didn’t get to decide what the narration sounded like. Then I had a realization that it was much like the singer songwriter music that I have always held dear in that these are still the same words, but spoken so that eyes can rest while the mind is still active and running through stories, adventures, and feelings. I realized right away that this is why this music is so wonderful – it’s been telling us stories for so many years, passing them along from generation to generation in the purest aspect of what music truly is. It teaches lessons and allows the mind to wander through situations, contemplating the emotions and outcomes. This is exactly that kind of music. Jeremy simply takes that concept of storytelling and laces it expertly through his brand of guitar driven folky rhythms that still never lose that thing that makes PEAK such a fun band to see. The songs carry you. They carry you along with a groove. Your toes tap, your shoulders move ever so slightly with the song. Though this record is a very different kind of vibe overall, it’s still the product of the same groovy soul – and that is distinctly palpable with every track.

You can find Trouble For Another Day from Jeremy Hilliard everywhere music streams, and I think you absolutely should. There are travels to be had and concepts to ponder within these fantastic songs that I cannot recommend highly enough that you do. Check out the links below:

https://www.instagram.com/jeremyhilliardmusic

https://www.facebook.com/JeremyHilliardmusic/