Album Of The Week: Violent Sons’ Nothing As It Seems

Boiling in the depths of the Providence music scene is pure intensity. Regardless of genre, nothing is sugarcoated and everything is as real as your senses tell you. A wonderful example of this trademark has to be Sean Murphy. He’s fronted hardcore punk revolutionaries Verse and lo-fi shoegaze punk act Bad Swimmers, and now this ball of poetic rage is returning to his roots. Violent Sons have a new album out titled Nothing As It Seems, and it very well could be one of the best debut albums to ever come out of The Creative Capital. It’s loud, unapologetic and angry. In other words, it’s absolutely pristine.

Classic hardcore riffs crawl up your spine and feverish drums destroy everything in sight while Murphy’s vocals bring the assault again for good measure. Anti-establishment and anti-authority, Violent Sons’ new album is for the rebel in us all. It makes you want to shout and break all the chains that bind you; its songs will hit your soul and reenergize it with an adrenaline-filled battery. If you’re looking for a new awesome punk album, Nothing As It Seems is exactly what you’ve been looking for.

And now it’s the wonderful time for the top tracks off of my Album Of The Week. Don’t be afraid, don’t fret, it’s purely painless. Hey, you might even learn something.

The cryptic intro roaring into “Clean Boots” gets right into a furious track about entitlement and concludes with another scorcher of a riff. One that really gets me is “MK Ultra Minds,” a pro- individualist anti-war anthem all about government brainwashing and the wearing away of the human condition via war. Murphy sings about what a lot of people are afraid to talk about in this one. Another great anti-establishment anthem is “Faith Pushers,” all about living your own life and not letting anyone waving around a book tell you any different.

Violent Sons will celebrate the release of Nothing As It Seems at AS220 in Providence on September 25th with Caught In A Crowd, My Fictions, and Barber Cop. If you want to bump around in a mosh pit, get a little crazy and have a lot of fun at a punk rock show, I highly suggest you go. Link to where people can buy & stream the album: http://bridge9.bandcamp.com/album/nothing-as-- it-seems

CD Review: The Sugar Honey Iced Tea’s Silver Spells

Some of my earliest music listening memories consist of sitting around the RCA console stereo/color television set in the family room, blindly going through my parents’ record collection. A 5-year-old has a severely limited reference when it comes to musical tastes, so whatever I found in that milk crate instantly became my indelible starting-point. And oh man, what a crate that was. Amazing records from the likes of The Chiffons, The Dixie Cups, The Ronettes, and those punk protype bad-girls The Shangri-Las, all made an impression on me in ways I would not fully realize until I was a bit older. Those goddess-like vocal harmonies made from equal parts of innocence and sexiness really made me want to hear more.

And I experienced a similar, visceral reaction when I began to listen to the The Sugar Honey Iced Tea and their latest album Silver Spells. From the very first note to the last, the blending of voices from this angelic choir hooked my ear bigtime. The vocals of Ana Mallozzi (banjo, cello), Emily Shaw (guitar), Kate Jones (banjolele), and Laila Aukee (ukulele) do harken back to that dirty-sweet Girl Group sound of the early ’60s, but that’s pretty much where the comparisons end. Both musically and lyrically, their songs rely on a wide range of influences far more diverse than simply early rock ‘n’ roll. Strong instances of folk-based Americana and bluegrass styles appear throughout Silver Spells, presented in a memorable and thoroughly original form.

The disc begins with the haunting, mostly-acapella “Blessings & Blues,” which quickly establishes that Sugar Honey Iced Tea signature blend of beautiful vocal harmonies. Each unfolding verse stacks another layer of voices, which creates a wonderful tension within this requiem: “Got a place where I spend my pay – Got a home but it’s far away – Got a friend and she fills my cup – When I count my blessings they dont add up …”

“Sister Stay Away” is simply a great song. This quirky upbeat number spotlights the ladies’ musical astuteness, and utilizes a sneaky rhythm made of little more than drums and banjo to punctuate the admonition being offered: “A man will take what he can use. A shine can’t hide the shit on his shoes. You better wipe his mouth if he’s kissing on you … sister stay away, he’s got the blues!” The ladies would be wise to send this one over to Lucinda Williams to consider covering, as it’s got hit written all over it!

Perhaps no track on Silver Spells better utilizes that classic Phil Spector-produced essence than “Howl.” This superbly strange amalgam of American folk and doo-wop creates a sound that is both retro and cutting-edge. Admittedly, it doesn’t employ the telltale instrumentation of 10 pianos and echo chambers galore as Spector’s Wall Of Sound did, but contained throughout is that ethereal soul and spirit that truly made those records magical. You can’t bottle it – you can’t sell it. But there issomething there. From the opening inverted “Be My Baby” drumbeat, the song billows away to explain the singer’s apparent resignation to the fact that life is what it is: “What can I do now? What can I do now? Howl at the moon now? Howl at the moon now?”

True to their namesake, The Sugar Honey Iced Tea are sincerely a satisfying refreshment in what sometimes seems an unrelenting and sweltering creative void. This rarefied talent has only been on the scene for a few years now, but the quartet that came together through a series of open-mic appearances has already landed a profile in the Andy Warhol founded publication Interview Magazine. I’m certain even higher honors await them, but as for today, Silver Spells easily makes my personal list for Best Albums of 2014.

Album Of The Week: Broncho’s Just Enough Hip to Be Woman

If you delve deep enough, you’d be surprised how artistically and musically weird Oklahoma can get. Psychedelic dream punks The Flaming Lips started out there and The Philbrook Museum of Art, located in Tulsa, is one of the finest museums in the country. There’s also an up-and-coming rock ‘n’ roll act coming through the tumbleweeds to make a name for themselves. Groovy fuzz rockers Broncho have their new album Just Hip Enough to Be Woman currently out, and the fusion of glam and post-punk styles is impeccable. Imagine if T.Rex & The Cars had a baby who started singing like Lou Reed and Ric Ocasek and you’ll have Broncho.

There’s a certain amount of pop within the distorted guitars in this album; one moment you’ll want to shake your hips on the dance floor while another will have you rocking out to a blistering solo. Just Hip Enough to Be Woman sounds like a new wave album without the cheesy synth. It’s pure rock that’s very accessible to the point that you could spin this album either to a bunch of ravers or to a crew of guys in leather jackets doing whiskey shots all night. Sometimes you wonder if a group putting out a new album deserves the hype. Broncho’s new release definitely does.

Sometimes this world doesn’t make sense. It can be mind-boggling, aggravating and blissful all at the same time. To be on the more blissful side of things, open the door and walk into the top tracks off of my Album Of The Week:

The single “Class Historian” is catchy as hell. A simple chorus and rocking riffs are the ingredients to make the track one of the best songs to come out this year. A stone cold bass lick is the backbone in “Kurt,” one of the many headbobbers on the album that makes it kick. Definitely a smooth punk anthem, “Deena” is short, sweet and to the point with the clashing guitars. As you can tell, the guitars dominate Just Hip Enough to Be Woman from front to back. That’s what you have to expect from a rock ‘n’ roll band right?

Broncho will be taking over Great Scott in Allston, Mass., on September 17 with fellow Oklahomans Low Litas. Anyone who loves the sound an electric six-string makes shouldn’t miss this show. While you’re there, grab a copy of Broncho’s new album. It’s ideal for the movers, shakers and the moneymakers.

Broncho’s website: bronchoband.com

CD Review: Ryan Adams’ Self-Titled Album Ryan Adams has made a career doing pretty much whatever he wants. As a young man, he became an alt-country icon, mostly for his work with his band Whiskytown, but has since gone on to explore a variety of genres, even making forays in punk rock and metal. His new album, Ryan Adams, marks the 39-year-old’s 14th solo album, and with the three Whiskytown LPs, the total adds up to a staggering 17 LPs of material. This album shows a more even-keeled Adams dealing with middle age.

The leadoff single, “Gimme Something Good,” is a possible reference to Adams’ career almost being cut short by his Meniere’s disease diagnosis (“All my life, been shaking, wanting something/holding everything I had like it was broken”). The song’s organ intro brings to mind Tom Petty (think “Refugee”), which makes sense because Petty’s longtime organ piano player, Benmont Tench, plays on the whole album.

About “Gimme,” YouTube user “southrules” commented that “We all knew it could happen and it unfortunately has: Ryan Adams and Bryan Adams have become one.” This sarcastic remark actually holds some truth; he hasn’t gone full-on power ballad, but listen to the jangly, poppy choruses on songs like ”Feels Like Fire” and tell me “southrules” is way off base. Historically, Adams hasn’t been amused by the comparison, but in a way, he seems to be becoming the thing he once rebelled against.

The more upbeat tracks besides “Gimme,” including “Am I Safe” and “Stay With Me,” sound like Eagles- y guitar jams, songs you would listen to if you were going for a summer cruise in your convertible. It all seems very safe for such a boundary-breaker like Adams. The vibe makes even more sense when you consider Adams’ explanation for the origins: “I would go in with a couple bros at seven o’clock and just jam. We would like, smoke a bowl and drink some tea – and the words came free-flowing out of me.”

But his departure into ’70s radio rock isn’t entirely a downer, as the album has plenty of high points. “Kim” is a stirring, up-tempo ballad about a lost love, and shows Adams is still capable of arousing the emotions of even the most jaded indie listener. The album’s highlight is “My Wrecking Ball,” an incredible folk tune inspired by the death of his grandmother, which harkens back to early classics like “Come Pick Me Up.” At the folk fest, he prefaced the song with “This is a protest song … protesting the death of my grandma.”

Also evident on the new album is a sense of slowing down, which is no small detail for an artist known for breakneck prolificacy. In “Shadows,” Adams questions his mortality (“How long do I have here with you?”) and wonders about his potential (“Tired of Giving Up”). And his recent headlining slot at the Newport Folk Fest lacked any aspects of the tantrums for which he is well-known.

Adding to the new sound, Adams has a brand new band playing on the album, one that even includes Johnny Depp on a few tracks! It seems like he’s trying to relax instead of break new ground, which for other artists would be a bad thing. Over the course of his career, he’s challenged himself to evolve, sometimes with mixed results (see 2010’s Orion), and perhaps this new brand of soft rock is just the next chapter.

The album doesn’t have to twang of the Whiskeytown records or the driving edge of rock ‘n’ roll, but as a solid entry in the ongoing saga that is Ryan Adams, it’s certainly worth a listen. It’s not his best work, but that’s what you get when you’ve released seminal albums like Cold Roses and Heartbreaker.

Album Of The Week: Death From Above 1979’s The Physical World

When a band takes a decade to put out the follow-up to their debut album, it can either ruin high expectations or keep things fresh so they can create a gem. Drum & bass dance-punks Death From Above 1979 have put out The Physical World, the duo’s first album since the release of their debut You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine back in 2004. The new record shows that Toronto musicians Sebastien Grainger and Jesse F. Keeler haven’t fallen off at all since reuniting in 2011. The thunderous siege of fuzziness and deep tones invade each track like a full-scale assault. Stuff that you can either rock out or dance to, Death From Above 1979’s new album hits on all cylinders for a spectacular reentry to the musical consciousness.

I noticed in The Physical World the tinges of influence from both Grainger & Keeler’s other musical endeavors. After the duo broke up in 2006, Keeler started up the electronic dance music duo MSTRKRFT with Al-P while Grainger embarked on a successful solo career. With the minor electronic effects and the use of guitars in a couple tracks, it’s as if the progression of both musicians’ styles over the years combined to further the classic drum and bass of Death From Above 1979. The new album isn’t as raw sounding as their debut, but The Physical World holds its own by taking risks and not being afraid to change things up.

It’s that time again. Like death and taxes, you can guarantee that you’ll be immersing yourself in the top tracks off of my Album Of The Week:

Starting off the album with a boom, “Cheap Talk” is the light that burns this dynamite of an album. This track is an excellent example of the duo using minor electronic effects with the drum and bass giving the whole song a dose of raw power. A groovy body mover, “Always On” has bass licks that are flat-out ridiculous. I wonder how many blisters Keeler got on his fingers from how many times he played the song during the recording process. Downbeats for days, “Government Trash” is a mosh pit accelerator for the masses. From start to finish this number will get you acting like a human tornado in a jiffy.

Death From Above 1979 will start a tour of Europe and The United States in October and they’ll blow the roof off of The House Of Blues in Boston on December 2. Until they come to rip apart your friendly neighborhood music venue, get yourself a copy of The Physical World. It’ll rock your socks off so hard that you’ll need a new pair of shoes.

Death From Above 1979’s website: deathfromabove1979.com

Album Of The Week: Dan Blakeslee’s Owed To The Tanglin’ Wind

Boston musician Dan Blakeslee is an extremely talented individual on the folk music scene. Along with being one of the kindest and most energetic human beings you’ll ever meet, his songs have immense heart and passion that’s rarely equaled. Dan has a brand new album out called Owed To The Tanglin’ Wind and it’s quite a jewel. Each song is bound to take your breath away while giving the senses a touch of bliss.

Recorded at The Columbus Theatre in Providence, the album features an ensemble cast joining Dan to give each track it’s own identity. With The Low Anthem’s Jeffrey Prystowsky and Ben Knox Miller, Death Vessel’s Joel Thibodeau, Ian Fitzgerald and Joe Fletcher, among others, providing their accentual beauty to Owed To The Tanglin’ Wind, it’s a great example of how a community can come together to create something truly brilliant. Dan Blakeslee shows his talents with his thoroughly soulful voice and his amazing skills on guitar exquisitely to create a whole album that’s a series of stories. The fiddle of Joseph Arnold is all over Owed To The Tanglin’ Wind to add a nice body to the recordings.

Before you know it the long days will quickly become early nights and the weather will get colder and colder as the days go on. While you get ready to bring out your sweaters and scarves, get cozy and jump into the top tracks off of my Album Of The Week:

I do love “My Lightning Valentino” a lot, a spectacular ballad about a southern man meeting a northern girl, and an amazing white horse takes your mind to picturesque places you never thought imaginable. The strumming chords of “Sleepwalkin’” set the song off perfectly and when Dan starts to sing about walking with his eyes closed, his voice shows you his essence. Another wonderful track is “Love and Confection.” Dan’s description of falling for a girl at a bakery while drinking a cup of coffee is another example of how he can tell a mesmerizing story and make a pretty damn good song out of it.

Dan will be doing a little mini tour in celebration of Owed To The Tanglin’ Wind’s release with fellow Bostonians Tallahassee starting at Great Scott in Allston, Mass., on September 3 with Tigerman WOAH! and Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons, September 4 at The Columbus Theatre with Will Dailey and The Press Room in Portsmouth, NH, with Brook, Bear and The Elephant on September 5. You better make plans to go to one of these shows because once you see Dan Blakeslee play you won’t regret it. While you’re at it, grab a copy of Dan’s new album. It’s a fantastic piece of music that I guarantee you won’t be able to stop enjoying.

Dan Blakeslee’s BandCamp page: http://danblakeslee.bandcamp.com

Album Of The Week: Ty Segall’s Manipulator Some musicians put out so much material in such a short amount of time that even the biggest music fan will have a hard time trying to catch up with them. There are acts that will probably put out two albums over the course of a calendar year, and then Los Angeles rock ‘n’ roll phenom Ty Segall puts out three solo albums and two other albums with two other bands in one year and acts like it’s all old hat. He’s 27 and he’s already put out more releases than most of the musicians he probably grew up listening to. What separates Ty from a lot of others with an extended catalog is that he’s never put out a dud. Everything he touches is rhythmic gold, like his brand new album Manipulator that’s currently out. He gets back to his roots following up last year’s acoustic gem Sleeper, and he gets louder, louder and even louder as the album goes from track to track.

There’s that ’60s psychedelic pop influence covering Manipulator like a pristine diamond sheen and that guitar of his has a snarl that seems to get angrier and more rigid with each strum. The tones are groovy and the lyrics are infectious. A wall of sound crushes everything in sight at times and the destruction is simply glorious. Ty Segall’s new album was one of the most anticipated releases of 2014 and I think it lives up to the hype.

While reading my Album Of The Week I highly recommend drinking your favorite cup of coffee and opening your mind to the adventure each album presents. Think of my top tracks as a guide to the adventure.

It was tough to choose my favorite off of Manipulator, but after much deliberation it has to be “The Crawler.” Fuzzy bass licks, crazy drum beats and distorted riffs never let up from start to finish and it’s a pure brain melter. The screech at the beginning of “It’s Over” sets the tone for a dreamy surf-punk opus that’s sure to amaze. With a tad bit of pop to go along with the emphatic guitars and drums, “Susie Thumb” makes me think that it would be a song The Kinks would have written if they started out in the late ’70s London punk scene. There are so many damn good songs off of Manipulator it’s ridiculous; once you get your hands on a copy, listen to it from front to back.

Ty Segall will roll on through Great Scott in Allston, Mass., on September 19 as part of a tour of the U.S. and Canada. If you’re in the area, hit that show up because it’ll be something you won’t want to miss. Until he tears apart your friendly neighborhood music venue, grab a copy of Ty Segall’s Manipulator. It’s so fuzzy wuzzy that if it were a person you’d want to give it a hug. Ty Segall’s Website: ty-segall.com

Songmill: Jesse Liam’s This Is Where I Am

Sometimes the fun in receiving new releases is hearing the continued growth and maturity of an artist. With each recording, and with each new song, Jesse Liam is no exception. Jesse has morphed from just a kid who likes to sing into a fast-maturing vocalist and performer. His new release, a 5-song collection titled This Is Where I Am, is a recorded continuum of what Jesse does best — entertain.

In previous recordings Jesse has been forthright about selecting tunes from catalogs of local writers and this production is no different. This time, however, he was more involved in the writing process and cowrote two of the songs with regional songwriters.

The EP opens with “It’s Alright,” a tune cowritten with Greg Lato. Greg Lato’s catalog has a fair share of average-looking, hard-working-guy, in dead-end-job songs. It’s hard not to appreciate the spirit behind Greg’s tunes – most men can relate to his universal message. Now take his pop sensibilities and Jesse’s vocal gusto, toss a guy-loves-great-girl theme in the mix, and you have a pretty upbeat take on the upside of being a hard-working man.

The lyric lines in “This Is Where I Am,” cowritten with Todd Thibaud, might capture a little bit more of Jesse’s personal side. It’s a shy-guy meets confident-girl in a dance hall number. It rings a bit true as when not on stage, Jesse can be found at the Mishnock Barn in East Greenwich hanging out by the lake and kickin’ up his cowboy heels on the dance floor. This tune about a young guy who wants a bit more than the promise of a dance is nicely arranged with Mike “The Monster” Welch playing some beefy guitar solos over Jack Gauthier’s sweet and steady mandolin rhythms. If you download one cut from this collection, this one would be this reviewer’s pick.

Three of the tunes on This is Where I Am are covers. “Quitters Never Lose,” written by young blues roots man Andy Poxon, is a fitting selection for this CD. Jesse delivers this pop melody’s theme – a young man trying to convince a friend that the girl he is dating is the wrong choice. I am sure some might find his cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire” refreshing, but this listener is not convinced. Being a Boss fan, it’s hard to hear this sing-songy uptempo rendition. It is nicely arranged and smartly performed with Paul Dube on accordion, Matt Dube playing keys, and Dave Tegelaar on dobro slide guitar. Vocally, however, it lacks the passion of the original. However, Jesse’s cover of Michael Bublé’s “Home,” is incredibly beautiful. It suits Jesse’s voice and clearly evokes the emotion the writer intended.

Jesse Liam and Jack Gauthier have put together another solid studio recording with Dan Hann laying down thoughtful rhythm tracks and Duke Robillard appearing on a cut or two. Jesse easily converts that energy from studio to stage and his performances are just as spot-on as his recordings. The result of much hard work and practice.

He loves performing and is not happy unless you leave one of his shows just as happy. So I strongly suggest that you put your smile on and go see him live while the sun is shining. This month he will be performing with his band at the Saltwater Anglers Association’s Galilee Fishing & Seafood Festival on Saturday, September 6, 4:30pm at the Port of Galilee or Wednesday, September 10, at the Bellingham Shopping from 5 to 7pm. Learn more at jesseliam.com

CD Review: The Pourmen — Too Old To Die Young

I’ve never been much of a drinker. Sure, in my rebellious teenage years I was known to imbibe a few adult beverages on the weekends. But on the whole, it’s safe to bet Marie Osmond has been drunk more times than I have. That said, after listening to the new release from Celtic-rockers The Pourmen titled Too Old To Die Young, I’m suddenly overtaken with an overwhelming urge to drink my weight in Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale while running naked up and down Westminster Street, stopping only to instigate a few bar brawls and refuel on Guinness Extra Stout! Lest there be any confusion, The Pourmen are NOT your father’s St. Paddy’s Day pub act. Led by singer and mandolin player Rick Bennet, this New Bedford-based quintet combines elements of the familiar sounds of traditional Irish Celtic, country, folk and bluegrass music, with an energy and attitude synonymous with punk and greasy balls-out rock ‘n’ roll! Barely a year old, this nascent act has already made waves around the New England live circuit, appearing at major area events like the New Bedford Folk Festival and the Barnstable County Fairgrounds, as well as opening for nationals like The Mahones and Continental (featuring Dropkick Murphys founding member Rick Barton).

The Pourmen consist of Jeff Shaw (fiddle, mandolin), Alex Platt (guitars), Tom Dube (bass banjo), Mike Bobrowiecki (cocktail drumset) and the aforementioned frontman Rick Bennet. The material on their latest CD Too Old To Die Young pulls constantly from their Irish folk roots, but injects a great deal of attitude and off-beat humor, which elevates the style to something uniquely their own. The kickoff track “Hellbound” is musically what you’d expect from a modern Celtic rock act: a jaunty two-step rhythm replete with mandolin and fiddle. But it’s the lyrical content that truly illustrates precisely what The Pourmen are all about. “I’ve tried so hard to give up all the booze and drugs and sin. I’ll never win. I’ll never shake this trouble that I’m in … I love this life and I don’t see no point in walking toward the light. I’ve come too far for a cheap cigar so light up that Rocky Patel. I’ll never get to Heaven so I’ll raise a little Hell.”

The band revisits this fast living, hard drinking theme on “What Did I Drink Last Night?” The song barrels along almost like an Irish version of Johnny Cash’s “Cocaine Blues,” except, of course, for that hint of a brogue in Bennet’s vocal delivery. “Well I jumped into my trousers and I headed to the street, in the middle of Dorchester, no shoes on my feet. My left eye was all swollen and I think I’m missing teeth. Tell me what did I drink last night?”

There are so many standout tracks on Too Old To Die Young it’s almost impossible to pick out just a few plum highlights. There’s the rockabilly-tinged “Irish Girl” which, though admittedly varying a bit from their Celtic style, nevertheless contains every drop of The Pourmen’s biting, 90-proof humor: “Met her in the fifth grade, tried to kiss her in the hall. She turned around and smiled and kicked me in the balls – Irish Girl, she knows how fight – Irish Girl, her mother’s taught her right, and now she rocks my world, yeah you and me Irish Girl!”

There’s no doubt in my mind that The Pourmen are brilliant musicians and songwriters, who seemlessly encapsulate all the trappings of the fast living, hard-drinking, rabble-rousing Derry culture into song with as much integrity and skill as U2 did in embodying the politically volatile side of Irish society into theirs. The difference is The Pourmen are a helluva lot more fun! Grab a copy of Too Old To Die Young, pull a proper pint of Guinness, and whatever you do, don’t wait until March 17 to experience this superb band!

Album of the Week: Benjamin Booker There’s really nothing like hearing a pristine, raucous, bluesy rock ‘n’ roll record. I can never put my finger on what makes it so damn good, but it definitely has something to do with it being loud, raw and no-holds-barred. This is where guitar whiz kid Benjamin Booker comes into play. The phenom from The Big Easy is putting out his self-titled debut and it’ll make you jump out of your chair, do the boogie woogie and cause a stir. It’s a gem that shines so boldly that musically, it’s worth its weight in gold.

Benjamin rocked Rhode Island music audiences during this year’s Newport Folk Festival and his debut album introduces audiences to the heart Benjamin shows on every track. Whether it’s lightning fast or solemnly slow, Benjamin exhibits sheer intensity on each track while presenting his soul in the most genuine of ways. You can sense that the music is done by a man with a blue-collar aesthetic — he puts his all into everything he does — a striking quality that made me fall in love with everything Benjamin Booker creates on his six-string.

For the 50th time in my life I heard that World War III is approaching and that we’re all going to die in a nuclear war. Before the world ends, check out the top tracks off of my Album Of The Week. It won’t save humanity from self-destructing, but it’ll definitely save your music taste.

“Violent Shiver” opens the album and the opening solo and the clash of riffs and drums will make you jump up and down so hard you could cause a few dents in your floor. What I like most about “Have You Seen My Son” is the noisy jam session during the last two minutes. It’s sheer insanity with complex rhythmic energy lashing out from all directions. The keys in the background of “Chippewa” really give the song a lot of groove; this one will get the ladies’ hips shakin’ in no time.

Benjamin Booker will officially release his debut on August 19 and he’ll perform at the legendary Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, Texas (October 3 – 5 and 10 – 12) after a tour of the west coast and United Kingdom. Let’s hope Benjamin graces The Ocean State with his presence once again soon. If he’s as good as he was in Newport, then it’ll be a treat for any rock ‘n’ roll enthusiast. Until then, get yourself a copy of Benjamin’s debut when it hits record store shelves. Rock ‘n’ roll ain’t dead, it’s alive and well.

Benjamin Booker’s website: benjaminbookermusic.com