It’s Friday night in Ramsgate. In the harbour, people are going about their usual Friday night business, drinking Belgian beers and eating tapas. On the other side of town, at the Ramsgate Music Hall, something far more unexpected is about to happen. Tommy Stinson is about to take the stage with his band Bash & Pop. For those still unaware, Tommy is a cult hero, possibly even a legend. Between the early 80s and 90s, he played bass with The Replacements, a garage rock/punk band who gained a devoted following and became influential to a future generation of musicians. He’s been a member of both Soul Asylum and Guns N’ Roses. In between those musical ventures, he’s put out a couple of great solo records and two releases with a largely overlooked band, the ironically named Perfect.
Author Archives: Real Gone
Listen to a new track by Kris Rodgers
Kris “Fingers” Rodgers has been called “rock ‘n’ roll’s secret weapon”. The pianist has recorded as sideman with a truckload of underground bands in the US over the past decade and been a regular fixture with Kurt Baker, Mono In Stereo and the excellent Bullet Proof Lovers. In 2011, he started his own band, The Dirty Gems, as a throwback to old-school piano rock and by 2014, the Gems had become a fully fledged recording outfit.
At the end of July 2017, Rodgers releases ‘Losing The Frequency’, a high octane homage to the old days of AM radio. Expect huge hooky choruses and summer vibes with the piano out there, front and centre.
If you can’t wait until then, you can stream the excellent ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio’ below.
Watch the new video from Funeralglade
Scandinavia has never been short of extreme metal bands, but there’s always room for more! Funeralglade is a new melodic death metal/deathcore band from Finland, trading in huge riffs and a fearsome bottom end. With the members all still in their teens, their debut release ‘May The Funeral Begin’ (released via Inverse Records on August 18th) very much marks the beginning of a musical journey for these musicians, but the presence and weight of their riffs is well beyond their years.
KING BLACK ACID & THE CRYSTAL UNICORN – Super Beautiful Magic
In March 2017, retro rock band King Black Acid released their ‘Twin Flames‘ EP. Despite ’17 barely being a few months old at that point, it was clear that the EP was special enough to potentially be one of the year’s best releases. Bringing together the sounds of Crazy Horse, Band of Horses and more besides (not necessarily horse related), its three tracks dropped the listener into a twenty minute musical cycle that was both other worldly and pretty much timeless. If ever there were a great example of music being utterly satisfying, then ‘Twin Flames’ most assuredly fit the bill.
REAL GONE GOES OUT: Dearly Beloved – Ramsgate Music Hall, Ramsgate, Kent 30/06/2017
It’s been a busy week for Dearly Beloved. They’ve made the long haul trip from Toronto to the UK to play a handful of shows with Tommy Stinson‘s Bash & Pop. Earlier in 2017 they released their fourth full length ‘Admission’ – an excellent record, made with Ramones/White Zombie/Misfits producer Daniel Rey – and while they don’t have the biggest audience in Britain, apparently, at last night’s London gig “they absolutely killed it”. Given such enthusiasm for their live current show, any opportunity to catch them live should be taken and this final night of the UK visit provides an excellent opportunity to see them working in a more intimate environment. Much more intimate.