Category Archives: Live Music

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/