Month: April 2015

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GUEST EDITOR

From The Desk Of Diamond Rugs: George Jones

As was the case with Diamond Rugs’ 2012 self-titled debut record, much of the band’s sophomore album, Cosmetics, formed and grew in the studio. That’s an impressive feat, considering that Diamond Rugs is something of a weekender project for members of no fewer than five bands, all of whom keep moderate-to-ridiculous recording and touring schedules anyway: John McCauley and Robbie Crowell (both Deer Tick), Ian St. Pé (Black Lips), T. Hardy Morris (Dead Confederate), Bryan Dufresne (Six Finger Satellite) and the legendary Steve Berlin (Los Lobos, Blasters and about six dozen other outfits). The boys in the band will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our recent feature on them.

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Morris: George Jones, good lord, George! If you have even the slightest love of music autobiographies and you have not read George Jones’ I Lived To Tell It All, well, go on eBay or whatever and get a copy, now, before George’s ghost snorts it up. George was a one-man Mötley Crüe, and the stories have to be read to even begin to be comprehended. Unbelievable that he only died a couple of years ago. Seriously, read it.

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VIDEOS

Film At 11: Martin Gore

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Martin Gore, also known as a founding member and songwriter for Depeche Mode, will release his new instrumental album, MG, on April 28 and now shares a video for “Europa Hymn.” The spacey visuals become more and more hallucinogenic as the music chimes on. Check it out below.

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FREE MP3s

MP3 At 3PM: Birds Of Night

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Denton, Texas, rock quartet Birds Of Night will release its self-titled debut on April 21 and now offers first single “Asleep In The Pine” for free download. The intro of the track seethes with darkness, and the song evolves into a bluesy tune with great vocal harmonies. Birds Of Night brings a new edge to standard rock ‘n’ roll. Download “Asleep In The Pine” below.

“Asleep In The Pine” (download):

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MIX TAPE

This Way To The EGRESS Makes MAGNET A Mix Tape

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Bethlehem, Pa., group This Way To The EGRESS has been described as “gypsy jazz,” as it incorporates European musical styles to form a unique sound. The band will release a new album, Great Balancing Act, on May 19, an LP featuring a variety of diverse instruments including fiddle, trombone and accordion. Now, the group has been so kind as to make MAGNET a mix tape. Check it out below.

DeVotchKa “We’re Leaving”
DeVotchKa makes the best road-trip music. It is no surprise they were chosen for the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack. All of the songs on this album, this one particularly, are driving. It drives you forward while pulling at your last heart strings. We make it a point to put it on in the band van whenever we leave a city on tour that we wish we weren’t leaving. It is the audio equivalent to life experience and wandering. Aside from the fact that the music is impeccably arranged, the lyrics strike the most perfect chord for us and would for anyone who felt they needed to leave a time or place or that their hometown had become too small. Video

Foxy Shazam “The Rocketeer”
Taylor: I love the unique writing style of this band! They have such interesting song subjects and lyrical content. They also put on a highly energetic live show! Video

Spike Jones And His City Slickers “Clink Clink Another Drink”
Sarah: Spike Jones has to be one of the band’s biggest influences and favorite listening music while on the road. The musicianship is amazing, and the songs are hysterical. I seriously think it is impossible to not utterly enjoy whatever you are doing while you are listening to Spike Jones. To this day, there is no one doing this. Video

Violent Femmes “Look Like That”
Taylor: One of my favorite all-time bands. This is the third track off their fifth studio album. The Femmes have been going strong for more than 30 years. They have the most loyal fan base I’ve ever seen, which is pretty amazing since they never really had any number-one hits. Great live band as well. I’ve seen them as minimal as a three piece and as big as a 13 piece. They’re amazing!!! Video

Beck “Missing”
Sarah: I fell in love with Beck when I was 13. My favorite album of his is probably Midnight Vultures, but this song has the most amazing groove and I love the strings. He is another enigma and amazing songwriter. He strikes a perfect balance between bizarre and pop culture and has left his mark on music while completely doing it his way. I admire that as a music listener and a musician. Video

Ween “Roses Are Free”
Taylor: Another one of my all-time favorite bands! This track is off their album entitled Chocolate And Cheese. Ween has always been such a unique band with a huge following. Every album, they free themselves to explore different genres and styles. They even recorded a full-on country album! Video

Buena Vista Social Club “Chan Chan”
Sarah: This is one of my favorite driving songs. I am just a sucker for Latin American music. It makes anything doing more fun to do, house chores, dancing in my kitchen, going for a jog and, especially, driving. Video

Tom Waits “2:19
Taylor: Tom Waits has been a huge influence on me for the last few years and, overall, an influence on everyone in the band. Another genius that spans more than four decades of constant, evolving music. He’s also influenced many other great and successful artists over the years. Tom Waits’ lyrics stand alone, and when added with his sound and voice, you can’t go wrong! Video

Yula Beeri (Yula & The eXtended family & Kiss Slash Crooked Smile) “Keep Me Satisfied”
Sarah: I originally couldn’t choose between the Beatles and Michael Jackson for this my choice but I said to myself, “Everyone knows the lasting power of that music.” I am going to choose a song that some people might not know about. Yula Beeri is probably one of the best songwriters, musicians and stage performers I have ever met. She commands something from the audience and the listeners that is indescribable. Video

Slayer “Angel Of Death”
Taylor: A bit of a change in genres on this one! I always listened to so many different kinds of music, and Slayer was a group I was really into when I was younger. Intense thrash metal and intense shows! The mosh pits were crazy to be in the middle of! This song was written by the late Jeff Hanneman, one of the epic guitarists of Slayer. Video

Categories
GUEST EDITOR

From The Desk Of Diamond Rugs: Black Sabbath: Paris 1970

As was the case with Diamond Rugs’ 2012 self-titled debut record, much of the band’s sophomore album, Cosmetics, formed and grew in the studio. That’s an impressive feat, considering that Diamond Rugs is something of a weekender project for members of no fewer than five bands, all of whom keep moderate-to-ridiculous recording and touring schedules anyway: John McCauley and Robbie Crowell (both Deer Tick), Ian St. Pé (Black Lips), T. Hardy Morris (Dead Confederate), Bryan Dufresne (Six Finger Satellite) and the legendary Steve Berlin (Los Lobos, Blasters and about six dozen other outfits). The boys in the band will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our recent feature on them.

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Morris: Many years ago, at a sushi karaoke party, a friend of mine gave me (what I thought was) a CD labeled, “Black Sabbath: Paris 1970.” I was excited and intrigued, but when I put it in my truck CD player, nothing happened, so it sat in my truck and I would pop it in every so often with the futile hope that it might play. Eventually, I tried putting it in a friend’s computer because I thought, “Maybe my CD player just sucks,” and whaddaya know!? Black Sabbath comes up on the screen in full 1970 force, ripping through tunes like rabid cats trapped in paper bags. It was a DVD (duh), and I had wasted almost two years not seeing the amazement my friend had so generously been trying to bestow upon me. So don’t waste your time. Watch it. Over and over. It’s the best thing on the ‘net, anyway.