There are far too many bands and artists out there claiming to understand blues music, but in reality are merely rock bands whom add a dash of the blues to their bombast. Whether the sounds of The Union, Blues Pills, Big River or even Blues Traveler, these bands’ blues always comes from a watered down and very white perspective; music channelled through Free or many a Woodstock jam band throwback. Jack Broadbent is different. A bearded, rural Englishman and a one-man powerhouse of the slide guitar, his music takes on far purer blues intents than so many of his contemporaries. The sleeve of 2015’s full length album ‘Along The Trail of Tears’ saw Broadbent recreating one of the only two known photographs of blues pioneer Robert Johnson and its eleven songs brought far more of an authentic back porch blues in places than most other blues releases of the day.
Monthly Archives: October 2016
Reviewing the Reviewer: Fraser Marshall talks to Real Gone
Frank Zappa once supposedly claimed that writing about music was “like dancing about architecture”. For many, though, writing about music has become an important part of pop culture. From the listening notes on the backs of old jazz albums from the 1950s and the great Rolling Stone essays during rock’s 70s boom, to the punk fanzines and the many essays filling the twenty-first century’s super deluxe box sets, writing about music has taken many forms, which sometimes can enrich a listening experience. A good music review can inspire a new purchase or even make a listener seek out forgotten treasures. Maybe Frank didn’t understand. Maybe Frank didn’t want to understand (and depending on whom you believe, he borrowed the phrase from any one of about five people, including actor Martin Mull). Whatever, the importance of music scribes hasn’t escaped music fan Fraser Marshall.
In an age where we now have access to more music than ever and the rise of the internet has meant there are now more budding scribes out there, Fraser hit upon a plan… A plan not only to highlight some of the best independent music websites, but to also sit down with prolific reviewers and find out what makes them tick.
Not all good ideas come to full fruition, as Fraser explains below. For the first time, you can now read the full interview Lee Realgone gave Fraser back in June ’16. Our many thanks to Fraser for not only being interested in what we had to say, but also for allowing us to publish the interview at Real Gone.
Maybe one day Reviewing the Reviewer will become a reality but, in the meantime, it’s over to Fraser…
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EIGHT DAYS – More To Life EP
The formation of Eight Days dates back to the band’s school years, but like so many, they wouldn’t be ready to take their music careers seriously until a fair while later. Refusing to take the easy way out, they spurned the obvious punk pop sounds practised by so many and set about creating a ferocious sound that fused hardcore punk and metal. Although this too had been done by many bands, by the time of Eight Days’ debut release in 2014, it was nowhere as predictable – or stale, even – as the more common, identikit pop-punk mould had become. The band then toured extensively, picking up fans along the way and found time to plug a recording gap with two new songs and a demo on their ‘Surrounded By Ones Who Want Me To Fail’ release in 2015. In the first half of 2016, Eight Days recorded four new tracks; these were eventually released as the ‘More To Life’ EP in the autumn.
KEE MARCELLO – Scaling Up
Best known as the guitarist with Europe on their ‘Out of This World’ and ‘Prisoners In Paradise’ albums (released in 1988 and 1991, respectively) Kee Marcello is no stranger to the world of melodic rock. Although his time as a member of hit-makers Europe was brief, his impact on the band’s sound was significant; his soloing on parts of ‘Out of This World’ in particular singled him out as being a gifted player with a great tone. Throughout the next two decades, Marcello worked extensively with other artists, racking up guest credits on dozens of rock albums, as well as embarking on an oft-overlooked solo career.
CONTESSA & THE SQUIRES – Stomp The Bomb EP
Occupying a musical space somewhere between noisier rockabilly revivalism and the more accessible end of the psychobilly movement, Italian outfit Contessa & The Squires very much bring a party atmosphere on their third EP, 2016’s ‘Stomp The Bomb’. On these tracks, they don’t just stomp, but twist and shake with a whiskey-fuelled retro cool that should appeal to those who loved the Stray Cats, Polecats and The Jets back in 1981. If you’re approaching this hoping for a Meteors or Brains level of intensity, however, it’s very much time for you to step aside. The Squires are high energy, but in direct comparison to some of the scene’s more intense bands, accessible melodies are far more at the forefront here.