saltybullfrog

This weeks band is an easy choice, because they are in town. State Radio carries a politically weighted message to most of their music. (ex. Guantanamo, Democracy in Kind or Camilo) My favorites are often when they mix in reggae influence, such as Bohemian Groove or People to People, but the song that gets stuck in my head most frequently is Diner Song. You can listen to most of their new album on MySpace.

All of their albums have been brilliant and Let It Go, their 2009 endeavor, was no exception. I have enjoyed Chad Urmston's work since his Dispatch days and if you have never heard of these groups check them out, because I the more I listen to, the more I want to hear.

So, we Floridians are in for a treat this week. Wednesday they will be at the Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale and I am heading up to Orlando for the show at the Social on Thursday.

phriday: computer trash

2010-02-05T15:55:00.001-05:00

It ended up a little dark and blue, but it was the best picture I took this week and I controlled the settings.

musicMonday: Malcolm Palmer

2010-01-25T10:12:00.001-05:00

Looking back through past posts, I was astonished I had not written about Malcolm Palmer. In 2005, he released Between the Womb and the Tomb, which was a beautiful combination of spoken word over an rhythmic acoustic folk. Lyrically, he is brash, honest and not something everyone will like or appreciate. Some of my favorite songs from the first album where Useless Blues, The Sermon and Awkward Situation. The way he structures songs, by telling a story and causing what repetition exists in the chorus to develop with more meaning as the song continues, is something I wish was more common in music.

In June he released a new single and you can check out videos for them on YouTube or hear them on MySpace. Favorites is great fun, but not in his normal storytelling format, so I suggest Polly Prayer or Gasoline. The latter song is actually on a compilation album called Acoustic Chicago, which is also a great selection of artists. I hope that he has some more projects underway and it isn't another 4 years before he resurfaces.