Word on the streets (and in cyberspace) is that one and only The Penny Black Remedy are currently working on their second album…I will keep you updated as information rolls in, or you can keep up on your own via their website. If you sign up for email updates, I promise you will receive some of the funniest and best news updates from a band ever.
Heaps of goodies to share today so I’m going to get right to it by sharing some of the recent interviews, video clips and news from some of the bands I love most-est. So grab a cuppa whatever and check out this bevvy of great tunage I’m about to unleash on you!
The Penny Black Remedy recently appeared live at BBC Radio 5 Live Show for a short interview (with a nice little mention of drummer Wilco’s name likeness to another of my long time favorite American bands, Wilco). You have to hurry though, the interview will only be up until this Saturday, December 11. They are on around the 3 hour 30 minute mark. Another great clip (and a must watch!), an appearance by The Penny Black Remedy on Croatian television channel Nova TV on a program called Provjereno, which you can watch here. It’s quite a unique interview, taking place in a hair styling parlor and includes a chihuahua, as well as some very unique drumming during a snippet of an acoustic version of “The First Time I Saw Angels” they performed in the salon. A very fun clip, here is The Penny Black Remedy on Provjereno!
Much luck to the band at their upcoming performance on Saturday, December 11 at their Soundinistas Winter Jam at the Luminaire in London.
Stateside, I’ve been watching with joy as Joseph Arthur has been touring around with his new band, Fistful of Mercy, which includes bandmates Dhani Harrison (a son-of-a-Beatle), and Ben Harper. I have seen JA (originally from my neck of the woods, cheers to NEOhioan musicians!) perform live many times in various configurations—with his band The Lonely Astronauts,
completely solo, and also performing briefly with Emily Wells—all in intimate settings, so I know just how much talent Joseph Arthur is loaded with, and it is really great to see him take off in yet another creative setting, and gaining momentum. His very distinct songwriting style and voice still shines through within the band of three, but synthesized with the sounds and styles of Harrison and Harper, the result is a very beautiful album: a softer Arthurian Traveling Wilburys in a way. I’ve noticed in the process of the band’s promotions that over on Joseph Arthur’s website a free six-song mp3 download sampler of some of his solo works is being offered. I won’t give away what’s in the download, you’ll have to do yourself a favor and check it out. Follow the link above to go directly to it, or you can find it on the front page of his website.
Here’s a clip of the title song “Fistful of Mercy,” a very Joseph Arthuresque tune, filmed during the recording sessions.a
The Yalla Yallas have also been active lately as well, appearing on two separate radio programs recently, and I have a couple of interviews with Rob Galloway and the band from these programs to share. From Stockholm, Sweeden comes The Ronny B. Goode Show, and through Rob I have been put in touch with Ronny and Ann, two very cool people I am so pleased to have met in the process of making arrangements to share their feature on The Yalla Yallas (thank you for that again, Rob!). The Ronny B. Goode Show airs every Wednesday at 1900 UTC (2-3pm EST in the USA) on Radio Österåker 103,7.
The interview was conducted by Ann Bergholtz during one of their performances in London and is a great conversation that reflects the exuberance and passion for music that Rob brings to his band. The entire show is filled with great songs, and you’ll find The Yalla Yallas about a quarter of the way into the show.
Rob Galloway interviewed by Ann Bergholz on The Ronny B. Goode Show, November 17, 2010
The second interview is from a show called Punk Britannia out of Leeds, that airs as a weekly show on an internet punk rock station in Los Angeles, California called punkrockdemo.com. In the words of the man behind the show, Paul Aich, Punk Britannia is “aimed at giving UK punk and ska bands a bit of exposure both in the UK and in America. It’s not a nostagia trip. I scour the internet to pick up on new bands, although there are one or two older bands that are making new music that I also play.” The show airs California time Tuesdays noon to 1pm and Fridays 11pm to midnight (UK time Tuesdays 7pm to 8pm and Fridays 6am to 7am).
Rob Galloway on Punk Britannia, November 16, 2010
Time keeps getting away from me, but I have made arrangements to do another interview with Rob here on the blog, so much more on them to come in the near future. Until then, go here to listen to a few tracks from their latest album, Diamond In Dirt.
And finally comes The Savage Nomads, self described as experimental/pop/rock, these guys from London are popping up all over the place lately, most recently having won November’s Best of Myspace and they have recently released their debut record, ‘What The Angel Said EP’ on Alaska Sounds which has received many positive reviews. Check out their tracks via myspace, a blend of ethereal, funky groovy tunes, nice jangly guitars and swirling melodies that are all tied together with lead singer Cole Salewicz’s rich and powerful voice. Good stuff. Give a listen to a couple tracks via the videos here, and follow the link above for more.
Happy listening, and stay tuned for part 2 with a few more goodies regarding my favorite musicians and bands.
THE PENNY BLACK REMEDY | bio
From top left: Marijana Hajdarhodzic (vocals/percussion), Steve Nelson (bass), Wilco van Eijk (drums), Keith Thomson (vocals/guitars/song-writing duties)
The Penny Black Remedy (Balkan/gypsy/punk/juggernauts that they are!) fast became one of my favorites last year. I have been cheering them on from over here for awhile now, privy to their live shows and goings-on that they’ve been up to lately (a lot) over in the London area and other parts of the UK and Europe. I’ve also come to learn very recently through my dear friend Steve (who looks suspiciously similar to TPBR’s bass player) the exciting news that they will be playing several music festivals this summer, one of which is a recently confirmed date at Glastonbury!
To celebrate this news, TPBR have just released their 2nd single, and it is available as a free download via their website, now through June 27th.
The single, “You Have Wasted Your Life, Now Please Stop Wasting Your Money,” includes a b-side—you have to pretend the download has a second side to it, ok?—a brand new song titled “You Look Funny When You Think,” which I just heard for the first time earlier today. It’s a great acoustic track with Marijana Hajdarhodzic on lead vocals (what an amazing voice). The download comes as a zipped file (it also contains hi res artwork of the single cover, and a signed lyric sheet) and you can select among different file types (.mp3, flac, AAC) depending on how discerning your ears are.
To download the single they only ask that you sign up for their mailing list, a very fair trade in my opinion, and they also allow you the option to unsubscribe if you wish, but trust me, Keith’s email updates are among some of the funniest things I have ever read, you won’t want to unsubscribe.
If you enjoy “You Have Wasted Your Life, Now Please Stop Wasting Your Money” you need to check out the rest of the album, No One’s Fault But Your Own. It’s an incredibly infectious collection of songs full of wit and dark humor, and you can listen to in its entirety via stream and purchase from their website here rather than just me talking about it, so stop listening to me and get on over there!
Wait! Before you go, they have also sent out into the wilds a new video to go with the “You Have Wasted Your Life, Now Please Stop Wasting Your Money” single, and you can view it on their site along with other videos, and also right here:
Wait again, there’s still more! You should also check out this great article about the launch party for the single from Clink Magazine, a review with some great photos of the show.
Downside: I’m stuck all the way on the other side of the ocean and I’ll be missing all the fun (but cheering from afar!)
Sisters Dissonance 