The Future of the Ramblin’ Kid

The future of the ramblin’ kid is unknown. As far as this blog goes, thanks to the few who did tune in. I will not be continuing the blog in this form, but will likely keep it around and post now and then about whatever catches my interest.
Running this blog gave me some insight into what it is to be a music journalist and I did enjoy the experience, which is why I do not plan to shut the site down altogether. Music is a priority in my life, and so I will continue to experience music wherever I can. I figure I might as well have the option to write about it when I see something great.

‘Into The Presence’ Debuts Album

At the head a pretty good crowd for a Tuesday night, guitarist and singer of Into The Presence Luis Carlos Maldonado hung around the stage of Philadelphia’s The Manhattan Room as eager fans awaited the performance of the fairly new band. The band has been touring up and down the east coast for the past couple of months, however they did not release their first album until the 28th of April at the Manhattan Room. The energy of the band matched the occasion as for about an hour Into The Presence played songs from their stylish and progressive new album. To this listener’s delight, the band even played an arrangement of Led Zeppelin’s No Quarter that invoked as much mysticism as the original.
I was not sure what to expect as the band took the stage at the Manhattan Room, but what ensued was more than anyone could hope to hear in a bar on a Tuesday night. Into the presence filled the room with their impressive melodies. I recall that the room seemed to throb with the rhythm of ‘The Garden’ and Maldonado’s vocal prowess grabbed the attention of everyone in the audience during the achingly heartfelt yet up-beat song, ‘Lover’. Three of the ten songs on the album are available to listen to on the band’s website.

Released under Razor & Tie records, the self-titled debut album is a rejuvenating reminder that music is an inexhaustible sea of possibility. Through decisive syncopation and crunching guitar tones, Into The Presence’s first album clearly tells of the musical chops and years of musical endeavor required to produce such an impressive album. That, of course, is no coincidence.
Filling the other half of the two man project is renowned drummer Tim Alexander. Best known for his work in Primus, Alexander has been a drumming force in the rock world since the early ‘90s. Throughout his career Tim Alexander has bounced in and out of the spotlight lending his beats to bands such as A Perfect Circle and even spending some time as part of the Blue Man Group. Although generally characterized by complexity, to me Tim Alexander’s drumming has always displayed a mastery of musical parsimony, and it is exactly that which we hear in Into The Presence.
“This was about the basics,” said Alexander, “The songs and making you feel something. We got rid of anything that didn’t improve the song.” Front-man Luis Carlos Maldonado has enjoyed esteem as a virtuoso session guitarist however it was not until Into The Presence that he was able to pursue his aspirations as a touring songwriter. “We looked at records like ‘A Night at the Opera’ and ‘Dark Side of the Moon’- We thought about when those were made and what they had access to,” said Maldonado, “All those records sound amazing, but everything on there is an honest sound.” Achieving that honest sound came through old-fashioned painstaking recording on vintage analog equipment. The two musicians recorded Into The Presence’s first album themselves in Tim Alexander’s Arizona home. (Quotes from article on www.myspace.com/intothepresence)

Employing an impeccable use of space and singing and playing straight from the heart, Into The Presence has achieved an impressive and completely honest sound. These timeless musical values define Into The Presence as forerunners in the exploration of modern rock. Into The Presence’s self-titled debut is available at any show for $15.00 or on iTunes for $9.90.

Click here for a map upcoming shows on the East Coast

2009 MMRBQ

If you live in the Philadelphia area and listen to 93.3 WMMR, then you have probably heard some promotion for this year’s MMRBQ. The 2009 MMRBQ will take place at the Susquehanna Bank Center (formerly the Tweeter Center) on Sunday May 17th.

I attended last year’s MMRBQ, although admitedly I thought I was just going to a Stone Temple Pilots concert. In terms of location, MMR could not have picked a better spot to have their yearly ho-down than the Susquehanna Bank Center. There is plenty of room to roam around, the grounds are very well kept, and there is enough room for an occassional concession stand. There are also some high ledges at the back of the amphitheater which are convenient for some booby displays (after all, it is a rock show). If you are thinking of attending, I recommend the lawn seats. They are way cheaper than actual seats, but there is a chance you could end up like me at last year’s MMRBQ; huddled under two ponchos in the rain with four other friends. Oh well, what’s a little water anyway.

The lineup this year is as follows: The Offspring, Papa Roach, ZZ Top, Puddle of Mud, Saliva, Halestorm, and Duff McKagan’s Loaded.

Here are a few pictures of last years performance including STP’s epic set.

The Truth About Rock Music… cont.

Last week I posted a link to an anti-rock website called “Wasted Words: The Truth About Rock Music”. I happened to stumble upon the site, which is laid out in comic book form, and thought it was funny. While it is a bit unsettling, in the sort of way that a comedian makes a funny joke about a serious or untouchable subject, I have to admit that I get a chuckle from people who are adamantly against “those kids and their loud music”.

On a more serious note, its the whole “anti” attitude that bothers me the most. For a multitude of reasons, a lot of people attack or take an unyielding stance against things, in this case rock music. Personally I find it more beneficial and constructive to be “pro” rather than “anti”. I really see no need to publish comic books (which are clearly aimed at young kids, tisk tisk) which defame rock music. (I will not touch upon the fact that this comic book is religious and also aimed at young kids. That is a whole other article in itself.)

All this “anti-rock” propaganda really does is put up walls. It is just another bumper in life to keep people walking a straight line without a need to make their own choices. Few walls that we have ever built resulted in anything good, excluding of course Pink Floyd’s The Wall.

“Sitting in a bunker here behind my wall
Waiting for the worms to come.
In perfect isolation here behind my wall
Waiting for the worms to come.”

Rock On

Musicmap

View Larger Map

I mapped out some specific musical locations in the New York and Philadelphia areas. I have been to all of the locations except for the Philadelphia Record Exchange. I stumbled upon that one online, but it looks like it is worth checking out. Each of these locations present on this map of record stores, clubs, and music shops have some charm to them, and provide a pleasant musical experience.

The Truth About Rock Music…

Stumbled upon this on the internet. It’s a little disturbing, but entertaining also. Just check it out.

It is getting warmer outside and summer tours are right around the corner.  Here are a few to look forward to.

Dave Matthews Band – 4/15/09 – Izod Center (Formerly Continental Airlines Arena)

The Temptations – 4/23/09 – Union County Arts Center, Rahway

Joe Cocker – 4/26/09 – State Theatre, New Brunswick – 4/29/09 – Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood

The Dead – 4/28/09 – Izod Center

The Offspring – 6/7/09 – Starland Ballroom

More to come.

The Black Keys

Just a few days ago, a friend and I drove to Deptford’s Best Buy, however I was not going to browse for music. I was in seach of a particular album recommended to me by a friend. The album which I purchased is titled “Attack and Release” by the “Black Keys”.

Like many others, I had heard a piece of one of the songs from Attack and Release on an HBO commercial for the show Big Love. I did not know who I was listening to at the time but that did not stop the lyrics “I got a stone where my heart should be” from repeating in my head. In that song titled “Lies”, the Black Keys employ such an entrancing use of space and take advantage of the natural crescendos in the song that it is hard not to find yourself singing the song after you hear it. The organ swells up just before the chorus and singer Dan Auerbach cries more than sings the title word, lies.

It is this soulfulness that is oftentimes hard to find in newer rock music that I find so attractive in the Black Keys. The band is comprised of two members, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, and it is apparent that each of them is quite in tune with the blues. The song “Things Ain’t Like They Used to Be” takes some style from the blues and old R&B and the song “Oceans and Streams” seems to have the soul of John Fogerty embedded in it. 

Songs like “Strange Times” and “I Got Mine” round out this album with a faster pace while still keeping a catchy and soulful styled chorus. Indeed my favorite part about this band is the bluesy atmosphere surrounding each of their songs. It is this bluesy sound that is maintained throughout the album, even in their more modern sounding songs.

From start to finish, Attack and Release is a pleasure to listen to. Tour dates, songs, videos, and biography are all available on the bands website.

Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus

Last night I got into my car with my girlfriend and three other friends of ours and headed into Philadelphia. Our plan was to find Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus and take in some live jazz and a few drinks. Ortlieb’s, located at 847 N 3rd Street, is one of Philadelphia’s top jazz clubs and is rated by Playboy as one of the top ten jazz clubs in the country.

Being that it was a rainy thursday night, the club was not exactly bustling with people, but the house band was playing hot. Following the waitress past the stage and through the long room of the club, the dark atmosphere concealed small clusters of people seated around the low glow of candlelit tables. Perfect conditions for some live jazz. We were seated towards the back of the club so that the soft pastel color of the upholstered ceiling blended with our view of the stage.

After ordering a plate of beer battered french fries (possibly the best french fries I have ever had, by the way) and the waitress took our drink orders I fixed my sight upon the stage where the three piece house band was playing. The band consisted of piano player Sid Simmons, bassist Steve Beskrone, and drummer Amwar Marshall, although they were later joined by saxaphone player Victor North.

As they played, Simmons danced on the keys behind a jet black baby grand piano as Marshall rode the cymbals and tapped out syncopation on the tight snare drum. Being between the two on the stage, Beskrone physically and musically tied the two together as he hugged his upright double bass. With the addition of North and his alto saxaphone the band really started to swing.

There is something about live jazz. The music seems to fill the room around you and the listener takes away something that cannot be got from a stereo or record player. Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus is a great place to tap into some live jazz and tap your feet under the table while enjoying drinks and good food. I hope to see you there, as I will be going back.

The Up and Coming Artist

I recently paid a visit to my home of River Edge NJ during my spring break from school. I spent my time at home in the usual fashion of a student home from school: seeing friends, spending time with family, enjoying home cooking, etc. One part of going home which is always enjoyable is spending time with my old bandmates, which includes getting updates on new music projects and hearing new songs.

One particular night during spring break I made my way to my friend Ciaron’s house where along with our friend Dan we played some tunes and caught up on the ups, downs and comings and goings of our lives. I have had the pleasure of being in bands with each of these two  friends, and so during the course of the night conversation naturally drifted to our old musical endeavors.

When Ciaron informed me that one of the songs that we played in our former band was being covered, I was pretty excited. This is an honor which I have never experienced before. We made our way from the front porch to Ciaron’s computer where he showed me the Myspace page of Hannah Devine and her excellent cover of our band “AUM”’s song, “Sensimilla”. The song was originally written by our bandmate Chris, whose spring break unfortunately did not sync up with mine. Hannah took what was a reggae song and smoothed it out into a jazzy heartfelt acoustic piece.

As soon as I heard Hannah’s soulfull and beautiful voice I wanted to hear more. The spell of her voice was cast and being so impressed with what she did with Sensimilla, I could not wait to hear her originals. I was not disappointed as I browsed Hannah’s Myspace page. Her voice has an easily recognizable timeless beauty which one can hear through each pristine note she hits. Hannah’s jazzy tone is entrancing as she effortlessly climbs a chromatic scale such as in “Have I Been Too Nice”. Her voice swings and leaves the listener hanging on each note in songs such as “Morning Song” or “Our Love To Be”. Hannah’s voice is accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, which she also plays. Young or old, I submit that anyone listening to Hannah Devine would take on a jazzy swagger as her music surrounds the listener. I believe that timelessness is a mark of a great musician/writer, and this mark is evident in Hannah Devine.