Upcoming Shows

Ana Popovic, Young Revelators

TomorrowMay 23, 20188:00pm $25.00

Widely regarded as one of worlds very best female guitar-players, Ana’s career has been meteoric and shows no signs of slowing down! The 5x Blues Music Awards nominee blends smoking electric funk slide guitar, jazzy instrumentals and tight blues groove with soulful feminine vocals. Her incredible stage presence makes her....

Matt Costa, Elizabeth and the Catapult

MondayMay 28, 20188:00pm $15.00

Judith Owen featuring the legendary Leland Sklar

TuesdayMay 29, 20188:00pm $25.00

Recently Added Shows

Pundamonium: The Milwaukee Pun Slam

SaturdayJune 16, 20188:00pm $8.00

Pundamonium is a slam-style pun contest. One by one, 15 contestants make puns based on prompts. Then they do it again. Each contestant is immediately judged by five members of the audience, who have been selected before the show to be judges. They rank each punner on a scale of 1 to 10, often with hilariously long....

Shooter Jennings, Bottle Rockets

ThursdayJuly 12, 20188:00pm $35.00

The Handsome Family, Chris Crofton

TuesdayJuly 17, 20188:00pm $20.00

The Alarm

ThursdayJuly 26, 20188:00pm $25.00

Wayne Baker Brooks

FridayJuly 27, 20188:00pm $15.00

Born and Raised in Chicago, Illinois Wayne Baker Brooks is considered one of today's top guitarists who's signature style combines powerful vocals with liquid fire guitar playing that honors his rich blues heritage yet effortlessly expands the boundaries of the genre. In 1997 he formed the Wayne Baker Brooks Band. In....

Pundamonium: The Milwaukee Pun Slam

FridayAugust 3, 20188:00pm $8.00

Kinky Friedman, Jim Hoehn

MondayAugust 6, 20188:00pm $25.00

The Producers

FridayAugust 24, 20188:00pm $25.00

The Producers is a new wave and power pop band formed in the 80s from Atlanta, Ga. The original line up still includes Van Temple on guitar and vocals, Kyle Henderson on bass and vocals, Wayne Famous on keyboards and Bryan Holmes on drums and vocals. Originally formed as a Beatles cover band named Cartoon, they changed....

Steve 'n' Seagulls

TuesdaySeptember 4, 20188:00pm $20.00

Steve 'n' Seagulls is a Finnish country band, playing bluegrass versions of well-known hard rock and metal songs. The band became known in the summer of 2014 with the publication of videos on YouTube. Especially popular was the band's version of "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC which received over 50 million views on YouTube. The....

Lucy Spraggan

SaturdaySeptember 15, 20188:00pm $10 advance / $12 door

If 2018 is anywhere near as eventful as the previous year, Lucy Spraggan is set for an interesting 12 months. The singer-songwriter netted her fourth top 40 album in January last year, and followed that success with more than 22,000 ticket sales across her UK and European tours. I Hope You Don't Mind Me Writing....

Alex Clare

SundayOctober 14, 20188:00pm $15.00

Alternative Concert Group Presents

Steve Earle

SundayJune 3, 20187:00pm $50 / $40 / $30

At the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center, Eau Claire, WI.

Tickets on sale at eauclairearts.com, by calling 715-832-2787 or at the box office Monday-Friday 9:00am-4:30pm (9:00am-7:00pm on Thursdays).

Leo Kottke, Shana Morrison

FridayJune 8, 20188:00pm $55 / $40

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com, or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

Leo Kottke, Shana Morrison

SaturdayJune 9, 20188:00pm $46.00

At the Wilson Theatre at Vogel Hall at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, Milwaukee, WI.

Tickets on sale at the Marcus Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com or 414-273- 7206.

Justin Hayward "Voice of the Moody Blues"

TuesdayAugust 28, 20187:30pm $70 / $50

Justin Hayward "Voice of the Moody Blues"

WednesdayAugust 29, 20187:30pm $70.00

At The Grand, Oshkosh, WI.

Tickets on sale at thegrandoshkosh.org, 920-424-2350 or 1-866-96GRAND or at The Grand box office Monday-Friday 11:30am-5:00pm, Saturday 11:00am-2:00pm.

Justin Hayward "Voice of the Moody Blues" with special guest Mike Dawes

ThursdayAugust 30, 20187:30pm $70.00 / $50.00

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com, or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary

FridayOctober 26, 2018

At South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee, WI.

Tickets on sale at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center box office, online at southmilwaukeepac.org/tickets, or by phone at 414-766-5049.

Bruce Cockburn

SaturdayOctober 27, 2018

Hot Tuna

SundayDecember 9, 20187:30pm $75 / $40

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com, or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

Quick Calendar

Like certain other Southern California songwriters before him, Matt Costa has drifted through a strange and varied life in music, pushed toward pop music at a young age, selling hundreds of thousands of records and touring the world on the back of a simple, direct, and freewheeling debut. In the last few years, Costa took heavy stock in his work, and made unexpected turns into more progressive and thoughtful territories. This new direction has found him wandering; an outlier between the worlds of his own development as an artist, modern Orange County, his former label Brushfire Records, and cutting through the center of a now hidden and older California mystique.

Prolific at every turn, Matt has taken on the aura of a classic California drifter, spinning records in the midnight hours of his local Laguna Beach radio station, writing by day cataclysmically varied music, from fingerpicked John Fahey like numbers to Beach Boys like pop, to singer songwriter numbers like a young Harry Nillson, to early rock & roll- Eric Burdon and the Animals, Van Morrison's Them, the guitar playing and arrangements of Brian Jones.

The last years have been eventful ones. Born and raised in Laguna Beach, Costa met some filmmakers hard at work on a documentary entitled Orange Sunshine detailing the story of the Brotherhood of Eternal love; a coastal church centered on psychedelics who became the largest manufacturers and distributors of LSD in the United States. Matt composed the entire score, beginning to tap into the underlying myths and secrets of his hometown. The film and Matt's soundtrack were both released to wide acclaim at the end of 2016. Concurrently with the film, Matt Costa began to write so much music that it threw off label schedules. Exhausted by talk of record and touring cycles, and the economics of the music industry, Matt quietly self released a total of 5 EP's, each with a different and varied sound.

The start of 2017 brings a new found purpose, resolution, and a powerful new cycle of songs harkening to the sunny side and the darker edges of California. With each song speaking from both its own history and experience, Matt is now returning to the studio, embarking on his first full LP in almost five years. Recording at New Monkey Studio (Elliott Smith's old room in Los Angeles), and produced alongside Peter Matthew Bauer (The Walkmen) & Nick Stumpf (French Kicks, Caveman), this new record takes Matt Costa's experiments and journeys of the last few years and focuses them into a new and direct statement. There is a classic sound and focus reminiscent of Tom Petty and early Elvis Costello, complete with a strong back beat discovered with his rollicking touring band, and an an acoustic side that plays out as some of Matt's best individual stories put to tape. After a long time wandering, it is now time for a return to the world at large.

Elizabeth Ziman, who performs as Elizabeth and the Catapult, is a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter from New York, living and working in Brooklyn. She's toured with the likes of Sara Bareilles and Kishi Bashi; collaborated with Esperanza Spalding, Gillian Welch, Blake Mills and Ben Folds; scored, with Paul Brill, a variety of international award-winning documentaries including "Trapped," a Peabody winner; and won An Independent Music Award for Songwriting, Folk category. Her songs have been featured in national television campaigns for Google, Amazon, Sky TV, and "So You Think You Can Dance".

Always writing, Elizabeth has narrowed her vast collection of previously unrecorded material down to her fourth full-length studio album "Keepsake," produced by Dan Molad (Lucius) and featuring collaborations with Richard Swift (The Shins).

Pianist-singer-songwriter Judith Owen is known for her love of musical variety and melding it into a great stylistic gumbo all her own. 'Somebody's Child' is the culmination of this mix: voice and piano front and centre, songs that are vignettes of life crafted from the perspective that we ARE all "somebody's child" -- parental as well as planetary. An album about us.

"By nature, I am a diverse musician. It's who I am because of all the music I grew up being exposed to, from opera to Sinatra, Joni to Stevie Wonder, and everything in between," says Judith.

Whereas 2014's critically-acclaimed 'Ebb & Flow' was personal and very much a love letter to Laurel Canyon, 'Somebody's Child' takes a leap from the confessional to the observational, whilst recruiting the same crème de la crème of Los Angeles session musicians -- bassist Leland Sklar, guitarist Waddy Wachtel and drummer Russell Kunkel -- and incorporating them with her British-based musicians -- master percussionist Pedro Segundo and sublime cellist Gabriella Swallow -- to create a fresh new dynamic.

"It's a very British thing where you love mixing all those styles. It's classical. It's pop. There's jazz. There's rhythm and blues. Then there's rock thrown in there too," Judith emphasizes, as evident in the jewel-like, pastoral and melancholic 'No More Goodbyes' and the staccato, jazzy rocker 'We Give In'.

The opening song, and title track, is intimately framed with a string quartet and "is the heart of the record. It sets the tone -- a mission statement. I was in New York, in the middle of winter, and I saw this beautiful young woman, about nine months pregnant, barefoot in the snow, wearing a trash bag, that was all she had, stomach out and in a state. I was crossing the street, with everybody else, trying to avoid her, when I thought, "That's somebody's child, and if my life had been different, that could have been me. Or any of us! We're all so dehumanized, and this whole record is about reconnecting with our humanity, really seeing what's around us, discarding, even if it is just for a moment, our constant state of denial."

Until recently, her pinpoint sense of observation was often turned inwards as she concentrated on her own feelings. "I made 'Ebb & Flow' right after my father passed away," she explains, referring to her opera singer father who loomed large over her life. "Much later I wrote 'No More Goodbyes' about the hardest thing that any of us have to admit--that there's a relief in letting go, that there's a desire for pain to end." Even though that sounds serious, Judith emphasizes that "this is a much more life-affirming, joyful record."

"'Mystery' is probably the most honest love song I've ever written. How any of us ever find love in the first place is hard enough; how any of us stay together is the true mystery" she gleefully admits. "There's no planning to it. The last verse, which is the most important -- 'It takes patience, it takes time, today we might quarrel, tomorrow we'll be fine' -- is the point of it all. It's the rough with the smooth."

"I'm with someone who doesn't go by the rules romantically," she says of partner Harry Shearer (Spinal Tap, the Simpsons) "However, I'm with somebody who makes me laugh, who adores me, who I have the best time with". Judith turns these personal observations into the universal truths of 'Mystery' and 'That's Why I Love My Baby'. The latter features Harry on upright bass. "I get it now. It's the things he doesn't do that make me love him. Not doing the expected stuff. These are bookends," she reflects about one of her favourite songwriting tricks, composing two sets of lyrics around the same topic.

Another pair of bookends 'Tell All Your Children' -- all retro R&B cool with just a touch of Gaye -- and 'I Know Why The Sun Shines' -- which borrows from one of Sergei Rachmaninoff's best-loved piano phrases -- are both sending a message about what we're doing to the planet (oil exploitation, fracking). "Sometimes I just have to put on a big, floppy hat, put a candelabra on the piano, and vent!"

Developing first name character songs like the wonderfully-sketched 'Arianne' (inspired by a trip to the Berlin Wall), 'Josephine' and the "buddy" of first single 'Send Me A Line'--a social commentary on people, including herself, "not being present but preoccupied by technology"-- came easy to her. "They're like tiny soap operas," she says about the compositions that are adorned so sympathetically by the stellar musicians.

A Judith signature is also to turn the most unlikely song inside out. She's done it before with her tongue-in-cheek adaptation of the Deep Purple rock anthem 'Smoke On The Water' and Mungo Jerry's irresistible, irresponsible and politically incorrect 'In The Summertime'. This time, it's her languid interpretation of Roxy Music's 'More Than This', endorsed by none other than its creator Bryan Ferry whom she opened for last year, that lingers long in the memory. In fact it was recorded at Bryan's London studio on his piano. Not to mention her playful adaptation of 'Aquarius' from the rock musical 'Hair'. "I love playing with overtly earnest lyrics like these, and putting them in a totally different musical context. I'm a serious person who likes to laugh a lot. I need to."

The album ends on the beautifully uplifting orchestral 'The Rain Is Gonna Fall' whose intentions are opposite to what one might think. Yes, it will rain but that is life and all will be ok. Let it rain.

'Ebb & Flow' was when many discovered Judith's highly seductive sound and was hailed as one of the releases of 2014 by The Independent newspaper in the UK, receiving further praise from Le Figaro in France, La Repubblica in Italy, Rolling Stone in Germany and the Wall Street Journal in the US. It also enjoyed sterling support at British radio, particularly from Jamie Cullum, Bob Harris and the late Sir Terry Wogan, stalwarts and tastemakers of the BBC Radio 2 network. All three hosted sessions featuring the Welsh-born songstress and demonstrated her commercial potential and wide-ranging appeal. In addition, 'Ebb and Flow' earned passionate support from Irish RTE Radio 1, Spanish RTNE Radio 3, German ARD Network, and Nordic National Radio and led to several key radio and television appearances on both sides of the Atlantic.

Recording with Kunkel, Sklar and Wachtel, studio stalwarts behind Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Laura Nyro among others, and touring with them "served as this incredible calling card for me. I waited a long time to be able to work with some of my musical idols. I'm a late bloomer," she admits.

With 'Somebody's Child', and its many moods and shades and a contemporary twist, Judith Owen seems well on her way into the Premier League of contemporary singer-songwriters and interpreters. Which is where she belongs . . .

Michael McDermott burst onto the scene in his early 20s with his exceptional debut, 620 W. Surf and subsequently found himself touted as Rock's 'Next Big Thing'. MTV, Rolling Stone, The New York Times and even author, Stephen King added their appreciative nods and having the backing of Giant Records and prestigious producers like, Brian Koppelman and Don Gehman, seemed to go a long way towards assuring his success - overnight success.

The missteps and failures that followed, the collapse of an industry that once embraced him as its next sensation, are troubles and travails that either ruin a person completely, or they force a change of attitude and staunch determination to gather one's resolve to not only survive, but overcome. McDermott vowed to do both. Ten albums in, it's resulted in Willow Springs (Pauper Sky, June 17, 2016), one of the most honest, daring and defiant recordings of McDermott's career. Named for the small town where he now resides with his wife and young daughter, it reflects a certain circumspect about his life, the situations he's encountered, while realizing that ultimately, his fate resided in his own hands.

"This is an album of reckoning I suppose," McDermott reflects. "There was a real cacophony of change going on in my life at the time... being a new father, losing my own father, leaving the city for the country, dealing with sobriety, grief, death, mortality, shame and forgiveness. It was a veritable emotional tsunami and yet somehow I had to navigate through it all. That journey is reflected in these songs. Willow Springs is the name of the place where I took refuge and had to confront a lot of things".

Recorded at his home in the country and fan-funded, Willow Springs finds McDermott behind the boards as producer for the first time with longtime producer and collaborator, Lex Price doing the mix. Having enlisted a stellar support group of musicians -- including multi-instrumentalist, Price; guitarist, Will Kimbrough; keyboard player, John Deaderick ; sax player Rich Parenteau; and McDermott's wife, Heather Horton on backing vocals - McDermott found himself able to craft the unassuming yet cutting sound he envisioned.

Indeed, the results bear out the fact that Willow Springs is the most honest and expressive album of McDermott's extraordinary 25 year career. Songs such as, 'These Last Few Days', 'Getaway Car', 'Half Empty Kinda Guy', 'One Minus One' and the title track, convey all at once, a sound that's both reflective and confessional - borne by stark emotion and a tattered, battered delivery that's both sobering and sublime. McDermott remains more determined than ever, and Willow Springs is the result. "My enthusiasm is only matched by my desire to continue to evolve as an artist" he insists.

Accolades and kudos can be accumulated one minute and quickly dissipate the next. After all, the music biz is a fickle beast and it doesn't matter how much you pleased the masses last year, last month or even last week, but rather, about what you offer today.

Today, McDermott has offered his best.

Kudos to Michael McDermott - overnight success.

In 1981 GBH's album Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne exploded out of nowhere and forever changed the sound of both punk rock and heavy metal. Originally clocking in at a little over 22 minutes the album launched the genre of hardcore punk and its brutal yet melodic sound has been a key influence for punk and metal bands ever since. The band is proud to announce that they will perform Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne in its entirety as part of their September 2014 North American tour.

The idea of opening the set with Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne originated in a San Diego hotel room in 2012. "We were sitting around on a day off," said vocalist Colin Abrahall, "and 'State Executioner' came on one of the crew's computer. Ross said 'who's this, they're pretty good'. The crew guy says 'it's you!' We all had a great laugh but the idea got planted that it had been far too long since some of these songs had been in the set."

With over 20 albums and EPs to their credit GBH could be forgiven for forgetting a track or two but their fans remember every note. "We tried it out back home," says Abrahall, "the response was incredible. People were singing every word". Coupled with classic early tracks like "City Babies Attacked By Rats" and "Diplomatic Immunity", as well as newer favorites like "Cadillac One" and "Kids Get Down" from 2010's critically acclaimed Perfume and Piss on Hellcat Records, the iconic band's current set cements their legacy for old and new fans alike. "What's great", says Abrahall, "is when people bring their kids to our shows. The dad might like 'Sick Boy' but his kid wants to hear 'Unique'".  

Looking back on playing a record originally released in 1981 Abrahall confesses "we didn't think it'd last a week when we first got together. None of us could really play our instruments or do our specific job within the band." Nevertheless, GBH's unique sound, born in the Crown pub in Birmingham, UK -- the same working class watering hole where Black Sabbath got their start -- immediately influenced just about every punk and metal band from that point on. "I don't like metal," Abrahall declares, "but it's cool that metal kids like us. We share the same attitude...and that's what good rock and roll has always been about."

33 years later, GBH still tour constantly, playing everywhere from major rock festivals to illegal tenement squats. "It's what we live for -- the main purpose of each and every day is to get to the gig; that's the raison d'être."

And so what would the GBH of 1981 think about the GBH of 2014?

"I think they'd be pretty speechless that we're still together, doing what we're doing," Abrahall says, noting that 3 of the 4 original members still play in the band. "We used to live for the day. We never used to think about the future that much. We're still true to our roots."

For over 50 years, John Mayall has served as a pioneer of blues music, rightly earning him the title, "The Godfather of British Blues".
In 2013, John signed with producer Eric Corne's label, Forty Below Records, and has since been experiencing a true artistic and career renaissance.

The revival continues with the release of a brilliant new studio album Talk About That, produced by John and Eric at the famed House of Blues Studios in Encino, California. Joining Mayall (vocals, keyboards, harmonica and guitar), Greg Rzab (bass), Jay Davenport (drums) and Rocky Athas (guitar) as special guest is legendary guitarist Joe Walsh, who plays on two tracks, "The Devil Must Be Laughing" and "Cards on the Table," both John Mayall compositions. "We got a message through the studio owner that Joe wanted to come by and possibly play on a track or two as a guest," recalls Mayall. "Who was I to say no to that idea! So, he turned up at noon on the second day and with only a quick listen, plugged in and we did the song in one take. The second song closely followed, and with a smile and a quick photo, he was done and on his way. What a kick for all of us that day!"

For Joe Walsh, playing on a session with one of his musical heroes also held a special place. "It has been a bucket-list item since 1970 to play with John Mayall," he states. "John had a run of GREAT British guitarists (one after another) with his 'Bluesbreakers' albums, and that's how many of us in the States became aware of them. Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor - I studied them all for hours and became a much better guitarist as a result. The albums were legendary stuff and I have wanted to work with John for years and years, wondering what it would be like."

"Finally got the chance - and he was the complete gentleman and fine, fine musician I had always hoped he would be. When you meet a hero who helped shape your career - it's a wonderful feeling to find they're even cooler than you always thought they were." The album contains eleven tracks: eight originals, plus covers from Memphis soul music songwriter Bettye Crutcher ("It's Hard Going Up"), blues great Jimmy Rogers ("Goin' Away Baby") and rock singer/songwriter Jerry Lynn Williams ("Don't Deny Me"). It also showcases a three-piece horn section that adds extra punch on several tracks, including the infectious New Orleans-flavored "Gimme Some of that Gumbo."

The release of Talk About That comes on the heels of Mayall's internationally-acclaimed, Find A Way To Care in 2015. "Listeners who value a diverse, lyrical taste and a heavy dollop of classic blues music enjoyed Find a Way to Care, an album that fulfilled on every level." (Blues Rock Review), and A Special Life released in 2014. "I'd easily put this one among Mayall's best efforts - and that includes 'Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton,' 'A Hard Road' and 'Blues from Laurel Canyon!'" (about.com)

In April 2015, John and Forty Below thrilled the blues world with the release of the historical Bluesbreakers album, Live In 1967, featuring the three original members of Fleetwood Mac: Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. "Sunken treasure doesn't get much better" (Classic Rock Magazine). Live in 1967 - Volume Two followed in 2016 and was hailed as a "welcome second helping" by Rolling Stone, and "essential listening" by Blues Music Magazine.

John Mayall was born on the 29th of November 1933 and grew up in a village not too far from Manchester, England. It was here as a teenager that he first became attracted to the jazz and blues 78s in his father's record collection. Initially it was all about guitarists such as Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee, Josh White and Leadbelly. However once he heard the sounds of boogie woogie piano giants Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis, his desire to play in that style was all he could think of. At the age of 14, when he went to Manchester's Junior School of Art, he had access to a piano for the first time and he began to learn the basics of this exciting music. He also found time to continue learning the guitar and, a couple of years later, the harmonica, inspired by Sonny Terry, Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter.

After his two years at art school, he joined the art department of a major department store while starting to build up his own record collection that was to be his source of inspiration. At age eighteen, when he was due for National Service, he spent three years in the Royal Engineers as an office clerk in the south of England and in Korea all the time playing whenever he got a chance. As no one seemed to be interested in this type of music, John felt pretty much of an outsider throughout his twenties up until 1962 when the news broke in the British music magazine Melody Maker that Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies had opened a club in Ealing devoted to blues music. After Britain's ten year traditional jazz boom had about run its course, a new generation was ready for something new. Out came the amplifiers, guitars and harmonicas and out came young enthusiasts from all over the country eager to form their own groups.

This was all the encouragement thirty-year old John needed and, giving up his graphic design job, he moved from Manchester to London and began putting musicians together under the banner of the Bluesbreakers. Although things were rough at first, the music quickly took off thanks to the popularity of the Rolling Stones, Georgie Fame, Manfred Mann, The Animals and Spencer Davis with a young Steve Winwood. John also backed blues greats, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, Eddie Boyd and Sonny Boy Williamson on their first English club tours.

After a couple of years and many personnel changes, Eric Clapton quit the Yardbirds and John quickly offered him the job as his new guitarist. Although John had previously released a couple of singles and a live LP for Decca, the now classic collaboration between Eric and John resulted in the all-time best-selling classic album, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers featuring Eric Clapton. However, by the time it was entering the charts, Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce had left to form Cream. So began a succession of future stars who would define their roots under John's leadership before leaving to form their own groups. Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood became Fleetwood Mac. Andy Fraser formed Free, and Mick Taylor joined the Rolling Stones.

In 1969, with his popularity blossoming in the USA, John caused somewhat of a stir with the release of a drummer-less acoustic live album entitled The Turning Point, from which his song, "Room To Move" was destined to become a rock classic. Attracted by the West Coast climate and culture, John then made his permanent move from England to Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles and began forming bands with American musicians. Throughout the '70s, John became further revered for his many jazz/rock/blues innovations featuring such notable performers as Blue Mitchell, Red Holloway, Larry Taylor, and Harvey Mandel.

In 1982, motivated by nostalgia and fond memories, John decided to re-form the original Bluesbreakers. Mick Fleetwood was unavailable at the time so John hired drummer Colin Allen to join with John McVie and Mick Taylor for a couple of tours and a video concert film entitled Blues Alive. Featured greats were Albert King, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Etta James. By the time Mick and John had returned to their respective careers, public reaction had convinced Mayall that he should honor his driving blues roots. In Los Angeles, he selected his choices for a new incarnation of the Bluesbreakers. Officially launched in 1984, it included future stars in their own right, guitarists Coco Montoya and Walter Trout.

Throughout the '80s and '90s, John's popularity went from strength to strength with a succession of dynamic albums such as Behind The Iron Curtain, Chicago Line, A Sense of Place, and the Grammy-nominated Wake Up Call that featured guest artists Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Albert Collins and Mick Taylor.

In 1993, Texas guitarist Buddy Whittington joined the Bluesbreakers and, for the next ten years, energized the band with his unique and fiery ideas. Making his recording debut on Mayall's Spinning Coin album, he proved to be more than equal to following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessors. Other modern classics followed; Blues For the Lost Days and Padlock On The Blues, the latter featuring a rare collaboration with his close friend, John Lee Hooker. On Along For The Ride, Mayall re-teamed with a number of his former mates, including Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, as well as ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Steve Miller, Billy Preston, Steve Cropper, Otis Rush, Gary Moore and Jeff Healey. The younger generation was well represented by teenage guitar sensations Shannon Curfman and Jonny Lang. In 2002, Stories debuted the Billboard blues charts at #1.

At a 70th Birthday celebration in aid of UNICEF in Liverpool a concert was filmed, recorded and released as a DVD and double CD in December 2003. Along with the Bluesbreakers, it featured old friends Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Chris Barber. The BBC also aired an hour-long documentary on John's life and career entitled The Godfather of British Blues to coincide with the release of Road Dogs. In 2005, John was awarded an OBE on The Queen's Honours list. In the Spring of 2007, John Mayall's 56th album release, In The Palace Of The King, was an entire studio album that honored and paid tribute to the music of Mayall's long-time hero of the blues, Freddie King. All garnered great reviews, critical and popular acclaim and represented Mayall's ongoing mastery of the Blues and his continuing importance in contemporary music.

In addition, over the last ten years, Mayall released live recordings on his own online label, Private Stash Records. (Some still available from his website johnmayall.com.) They included Time Capsule (containing historic 1957-62 live tapes), UK Tour 2K, (from a 2000 British tour), Boogie Woogie Man, (a selection of solo performances), Cookin' Down Under, (a live DVD from Australia) and No Days Off, (another British live show) and a 3 volume CD set of live performances covering the years 1970 to 1998 entitled Historic Live Shows.

In October 2008, John made the decision to permanently retire the name "Bluesbreakers" and move on to make a brand new start. It was a sad occasion to say farewell to Buddy and the guys after twenty years of great music and camaraderie but things had reached another turning point. This caused quite a stir in blues circles and led to rumors about total retirement. Happily for the fans, early in 2009 Eagle Records called upon John to come up with a new album. Feeling much revived after a couple of months off the road, he put together a new band for the project.

A few years ago, Buddy Whittington had introduced John to a fellow Texas guitarist, Rocky Athas and he recalled how impressed he'd been at the time. Luckily he answered John's call and was eager to come on board for the proposed album. With the need for a rhythm section of dynamic strength, John turned to bassist Greg Rzab who recommended his fellow Chicagoan Jay Davenport on drums. Finally, the three guys were put together with keyboardist Tom Canning and within two days of meeting up in Los Angeles, the album Tough was in the can. It had taken all of three days in the studio and ever since its release, and a growing schedule of world tours, a new era was born. Soon after its release Tom left to pursue other projects.

A leaner four piece line-up gave John more room to stretch out as an instrumentalist and the band's chemistry hit new heights. For the next seven years, John and the band continued to tour extensively throughout the world, and racked up their usual target of over a hundred shows per year. In 2010 a concert in London was filmed, and Live in London was released as a double CD and DVD through Private Stash.

After being invited to do a guest spot on Walter Trout's latest album, John met engineer/producer Eric Corne. John was so impressed that he asked Eric to record his new album A Special Life. Greg, Jay and Rocky flew in for the sessions which took less than a week to record and the end result was one of John's best albums ever, with it's deep devotion to blues and roots music. The album was released in 2014 to rave reviews, followed by an extensive tour of North America, Europe, and The UK to celebrate John's 80th birthday Find A Way To Care followed in 2015 and was equally well received.

Early in 2016 the co-producing team of John Mayall and Eric Corne assembled at the House of Blues studio in Los Angeles to record the new album Talk About That. This time around John wrote most of the songs that cover a wide range of exciting new material and are enhanced by some rock solid horn arrangements. The album with special guest Joe Walsh was released in January 2017.

2016 brought yet another change in the evolving Mayall history when serious Texas thunderstorms prevented Rocky Athas from making a festival date and John, Greg and Jay were compelled to perform as a trio. As fate would have it, the sound they came up with lent an amazing new slant to John's music and subsequently led him to explore the possibilities of making music as a trio. Unfortunately, this would mean a guitarist would now not be required as John was heading in a new direction. A sad parting of the ways, but Rocky has been supportive of John's decision. For information on what's happening next for him please check his website at: www.rockyathas.com.

So with a very full calendar of touring booked from coast to coast and all over the world, the John Mayall saga continues with his music as vital as it has ever been.

Twenty-five years into a celebrated career is an unlikely time to switch things up, but the "divinely inspired" (Rolling Stone) Mother Hips have never been ones to follow convention. For their brilliant and exhilarating tenth album, 'Chorus,' the California stalwarts turned their recording process on its head in order to make their most fully realized and essential collection yet.

Originally signed by Rick Rubin while still just students at Chico State, The Mother Hips have spent two-and-a-half decades at the forefront of a new breed of California rock and roll--one equally informed by the breezy harmonies of the Beach Boys, the funky roots of The Band, and the psychedelic Americana of Buffalo Springfield--and established themselves as "one of the Bay Area's most beloved live outfits" (San Francisco Guardian) through countless headline shows, massive festival appearances, and dates with everyone from Johnny Cash and Wilco to Lucinda Williams and The Black Crowes. The New Yorker lauded the band's ability to "sing it sweet and play it dirty," and 'Chorus' is perhaps the finest example yet of that intoxicating dichotomy, a richly melodic album firmly rooted in gritty rock and roll with the kind of evocative storytelling that The Mother Hips do best.
The Mother Hips, the center of which is the duo of Tim Bluhm (vocals/guitar) and Greg Loiacono (guitar/vocals), have spent over two decades writing, recording and performing songs, and die-hard fans who still talk about their "first Hips show," have hung on every word and have enabled The Mother Hips to become a bona fide cottage industry. The band was even able to lay claim to a rock subgenre, "California Soul" (aptly arrived upon) so solidified that brands like Sierra Nevada Brewery crafted a beer "Hips Helles" based on the bands' sound, not to mention, spearhead a longstanding music and arts festival, The Hipnic, (now in its sixth year) slated for May 9-11 in Big Sur.

But most of all, what comes through loud and clear is that The Hips have already left us with an incredible legacy of music, from their stunning 1993 debut Back To The Grotto to 2013's Behind Beyond (their eighth studio album). 2011 saw a four (!) CD retrospective compilation of all previously unreleased material called Days of Sun and Grass-- a special treat to their fans for all their support over the years. And the fans aren't alone in their admiration of the impressive catalog. The Mother Hips have garnered critical acclaim from the likes of The New Yorker, Mojo, Relix, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, among many other outlets, over the years.

The album kicks off with the dark ramble of "Desert Song," for years a forgotten and oftwhispered about mythic ode to sojourners of the West. Next up is "El Pancho Villa," a one-time live show favorite that takes the early Bee Gees and rides them hard over a fuzzy, shambolic groove. "St. Andrew," with its' historical lesson and downer country vibes, is the Hip's feel in a nutshell. From the jackhammer hard rock of the title track to the organ-laden blues raunch of "Headache To Headache," Chronicle Man's reintroduction of these unearthed gems will satisfy old fans and newcomers alike. Please step up and give it some of your time and attention.

http://www.midgeure.com
An artist who has received Ivor Novello, Grammy, BASCAP awards along with a flotilla of gold and platinum records, really needs very little introduction. Musical success is seldom measured in time spans of more than a few years, if not Andy Warhol's often quoted "fifteen minutes", so the fact that by the time Midge's single "If I Was" went to No1 in 1985 he had already crammed several musical lifetimes into a 10 year professional career speaks volumes - Slik, The Rich Kids, Thin Lizzy, Visage, Ultravox and of course the most famous one off group in musical history Band Aid had by then all had the guiding hand of his musical navigation.

Then you have to take account of Midge's musical directorship of a series of rock concerts for The Prince's Trust, Night of the Proms, Wicked Women for Breakthrough and in honour of Nelson Mandela; record production for Phil Lynott, Steve Harley and countless others; his video direction of memorable hits by the Fun Boy Three, Bananarama and others, or a whole swathe of landmark singles by Ultravox; TV, theatre and film music credits ranging from 'Max Headroom' to stage and big screen.

2015, being the 20th anniversary of Breathe being completed, Midge decided to perform the album in it's entirety for the first time. Ably accompanied by the boys from The India Electric Company, who had caught Midge's attention at a show in 2013, the songs took on a new dimension and the show was a total success both with the critics and audiences throughout the UK and Europe. A live CD of the show was released by Oblivion/SPV.

Never content with his many achievements Ure now embarks on a North American tour with a couple of American musician friends, this time with electric guitar and synthesizer in tow.

Paul Antony Young was born January 17th 1956. He was the middle child of three, has an elder brother Mark and a younger sister Joanne. His interest in music dates back to when he was very young, when he learnt to play the piano and then the guitar. On leaving school he worked, as did his father and brother, for Vauxhall Motors and played in various bands at night. He played bass guitar in his first and second band, but always wanted to become the singer. However his preferred style of music, blues and in particular soul, was not that popular in Luton. So his second band, Kat Kool & The Kool Kats, gave him a small section in the middle of the set where Paul chose to sing covers of Bill Withers and Albert King amongst others, as well as a couple of self penned songs.

This wasn't enough though for Paul, and after hearing Paul's demos at a local recording studio, he left the Kool Kats, and moved to London in 1976 taking up the offer to be in the better known Streetband.

Towards the end of 2015, Paul was contacted by Gary Barlow (Take That) and asked to consider recording a song for a soundtrack that Gary was producing for a movie based around the story of Eddie The Eagle. The song in question "People Like Us" was a perfect fit for Paul.

The end of 2015 saw the final recording on the Paul/Arthur project, working title "Good Times" with a release date scheduled on the NewState label for March/April 2016,

2017 See's Paul following on from the well received "Good Times" release extensive touring throughout the UK during the months of March/April followed by in July/August a long awaited return tour in the USA along with Howard Jones & others.

It is a true, and nowadays rare, musician who writes lyrics so vulnerable and authentic that an audience is irrevocably captured by the powerful experience of sharing the journey. An album that is essentially an autobiographical account of personal mistakes, change, and growth, offers listeners a chance to reflect on their own experiences and connect with another's story.

With Griffin House's upcoming album, So On and So Forth, it is clear the artist digs deep and offers up his narrative after much reflection. House is now a young family man and artist who is choosing sobriety and celebrating the path to his success, through songs which share his perspective on how people remember the past with rose-colored glasses, how we grow up and realize what we deeply need, and how we must find happiness in ourselves in the present.

"The record has a lot to do with recognizing the ego in one's self and letting it die. It can feel like your whole identity is being wiped away, and you don't even know who you are anymore. For the person singing these songs, holding on to one's own individuality in order to remain special or important in the world has started to became far less important than being content with being a good, decent, and loving person. But old habits die hard," adds House.

The project was tracked last summer at Lakehouse Recording Studios, in Asbury Park, New Jersey. House's ties to Asbury Park go all the back to 2004, when he was invited to tour with Patti Scialfa. His first show in the boardwalk town was opening a show for Scialfa at the Paramount Theatre. It was there that Griffin met her husband, Bruce Springsteen, and all the wonderful characters in their crew and band. Those memories and experiences made returning to Asbury Park over a decade later to record So On and So Forth feel like a full circle moment in his career.

House recorded the essentially live project with no click track and very little overdubbing. Lakehouse owner, Jon Leidersdorff, helped assemble the band. Prior to walking into the studio, House had never met the musicians and had no idea how the songs would turn out. He adds, "The experience ended up being one of the most fun and positive of my career. The process was stress-free and freeing." The resulting album reflects this journey -- a leap of faith with triumphant results.

Recording and performing for over a decade, House has toured with Ron Sexsmith, Patti Scialfa, Josh Ritter, John Mellencamp, Mat Kearney, and The Cranberries. He received early critical acclaim on the CBS Sunday Morning, and his songs have since been featured in countless films and television shows such as One Tree Hill, Army Wives, and Brothers and Sisters. He has also appeared on Late Night with Craig Ferguson. Most recently, CNN Newsroom invited House to perform "Paris Calling," from So On and So Forth, live on the air, and the song has been picked up by radio prior to being serviced. House has released ten albums and continues to headline his own national tours. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife Jane and their two daughters.

When you hear about the son of two country music legends, the product seems inevitable... But what you get from Shooter Jennings is a little bit of that, and a whole lot of what you didn't realize you wanted.

A musician, song writer, producer, and video game creator, Jennings has released eight studio albums, two live records, and has produced and released various projects courtesy of his own record label Black Country Rock. Jennings' career hasn't ever stuck to one format, and you can find him all over the map when it comes to where he is at in the game.

His latest album, released in 2016, Countach (For Giorgio), came in at #7 on the US Dance/Electronic charts, and was Jennings' ode to electronic music innovator and songwriter, Giorgio Moroder. The album features songs with various artists including Marilyn Manson, Brandi Carlile, and Steve Young.

With his 2005 debut solo record, Put The O Back In Country, Jennings enlisted Dave Cobb as producer (who remained producer on his first four solo records) and the album included southern rock tracks "4th Of July" and "Steady At The Wheel". The record debuted at #22 on the US Country chart.

Fast forward to 2010, and you'll find Jennings releasing Black Ribbons, a heavy, psychedeliccountry-rock concept album that included narration from Stephen King as the album's character Will O' The Wisp. At the time, the album was a left turn for Jennings, but created a new path for fans of all genres, and somewhat of a cult-following of the record. Black Ribbons will be re-released on November 8th, 2016 (Election Day) as an "Ultimate Edition"

While some stay in the safe-place of their genres, Jennings continues to place himself where he wants to be, and creates exactly what he feels is needed for the time. Music.

The band was unceremoniously birthed in 1992 and they very quickly became a forebearer for the new style alongside Uncle Tupelo, the Jayhawks, Old 97's, Blue Mountain and Whiskeytown.

When The Bottle Rockets hit the scene in the mid '90s, the world wasn't quite sure what to do with them. With their punk-rock pedigrees and arena-rock energy, their tougher-than-Springsteen storytelling and their romantic hearts sewn bare on their denim sleeves, the pride of Festus, MO confounded musical generalities as they laid waste to clubs across the Midwest and then, soon enough, the nation.

Back in a time when the critical language and resulting idioms for mixing underground rock with country was in its infancy, The Bottle Rockets were fearlessly -- and quite loudly -- playing rootsy weepers alongside howling rave ups, with singer/guitarist Brian Henneman (who paid some dues as a roadie for Uncle Tupelo and playing on their March 16-20, 1992 album and Wilco's debut A.M.) leading the charge as some sort of Roger Miller of the indie set. It's a sound propped up (and hopped up) just as much on the pillars of Leslie West & Mountain as it was on those of the Ramones and the Clash.

Until every regular guy gets a fair shake, the songs and sentiments of the Bottle Rockets will never get stale. The band, and their sound and their message, goes beyond a time or a place or a fad. The Bottle Rockets are true folk music, albeit it with beards, biker wallets and a lot more muscle.

RENNIE SPARKS DISAPPEARED one afternoon while waiting for a flight at O'Hare. A middle-aged businessman, McDonald's bag in one hand, rolling-bag dragged by the other-- walked up to Rennie and, without pause, turned and sat down on her lap. A second later his french fries and rolling bag were on the floor and he was sputtering apologies, insisting he'd seen an empty chair.

Rennie often has trouble with automatic faucets ignoring her waving hands but this unexpected airport invisibility was in 2014, the year the TV show True Detective used her song, "Far From Any Road" as its opening theme. This was the year The Handsome Family (aka husband and wife Brett and Rennie Sparks) became visible to millions. Even as she was getting sat on by strangers, youtube counts for The Handsome Family's 'hit' song climbed from two million to ten million, twenty million and more. The song was in the top 10 in US and UK Spotify charts and spent months in itunes top 100 in countries as far-flung as Vietnam, South Africa, and the Ukraine.

Millions of viewers 'broke the internet' watching the final episode of True Detective S1, but Rennie and Brett watched in their little house in Albuquerque, NM feeling oddly alone. The Handsome Family were now known around the globe for a song they'd written 12 years earlier about fire ants and desert plants, a song now linked forever to a show about cops in a psychic swamp. The Sparks were arguably famous now, but at the same time unknown. They were not their famous song nor was their famous song written for the show that made it famous. All these disconnections, though, are fine when you're a writer of songs.

For almost as long as they've been married (26 years) Brett and Rennie have written songs together (Brett, music; Rennie, words). Their finished work is never fully one or the other's, but lives in unseen space between them. William Burroughs claimed he walked busy streets without being seen simply by seeing everyone else first. This is similar to the Sparks' approach to songwriting and why Rennie embraces her power to vanish. You have to willingly disappear in order to write lyrics for someone else's voice or to write music for someone else's words. Invisible songwriters are happiest when their songs outshine them, leaving their creators unseen in the dust.

The Sparks have released 10 albums since 1995's Odessa. Their songs have been covered by countless youtubers and well-known artists like Jeff Tweedy, Amanda Palmer, Christy Moore, Cerys Matthews and Andrew Bird (who released an entire record of HF covers). Guns 'N Roses used, "Far From Any Road" as stage entrance music for a South American tour and both Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr are fans. Decades into their careers, after winning the TV theme-show jackpot-- the Sparks still find their greatest reward in disappearing into new songs.

And so in the strange light of 2014 they began again to write. 2016 brings the release of Unseen-- 10 songs by a couple both world-famous and happily invisible. Each song on the record has a guiding color--gold, silver, green, red, white. Rennie is also a painter known for her vivid and surprising use of color and she finds herself painting even when her brushes are made of words. The stories of Unseen are mostly inspired by real events-- "Gold" began when a bunch of twenty-dollar bills blew in Brett's face in a parking-lot dust storm. "Gentlemen," is a tribute to William Crookes who built the first vacuum tube in 1875 hoping to detect spirits from unseen dimensions. And "Tiny Tina"-- Rennie still hasn't seen that little horse.

Unseen is about the light that emanates from things we can't see-- behind "The Red Door," in the empty hands of blackjack losers ("The Silver Light"), and amidst desert bones bleaching in the sun ("King of Dust").

Since 2001 Brett has made their albums in a converted garage at the back of their house. He recorded Unseen on a Mac and played most of the parts at night with only hawk moths listening. There were guest musicians-- David Gutierrez: mandolin on "Tiny Tina" and dobro on "The Silver Light." Alex MacMahon: guitar on "The Silver Light," baritone guitar and pedal steel on "Gold." Jason Toth: drums throughout (except "Green Willow Valley"). Rennie wrote all the lyrics. She sang and played banjo and autoharp, but didn't bother to write down on which songs.

The Sparks' music is steeped in the western gothic of New Mexico life. The unseen is powerful here. Nothing rusts, but entire oceans have disappeared. Ski masks mean robberies, but in the slow dive of the sun enormous bugs awaken in thorny yards and unseen sirens and coyotes cry out to the purple sky. Just about anywhere you stand there's been some blood drawn.

In 2016 The Handsome Family continue to sell out venues worldwide that they couldn't have filled before TV fame. Live, Brett (guitar/vocals) and Rennie (banjo/bass/ vocals) are joined by drummer Jason Toth (worldwide) and multi-instrumentalist Alex MacMahon (USA). Their shows are full of humor and chit-chat. The Sparks aren't afraid to reveal their ordinary humanness. The invisible couple is also very happy to be seen.

Armored Saint are a colossus, and Win Hands Down will long be remembered as one of the seven wonders of modern metal. The album -- the band's seventh studio offering in a career spanning more than three decades -- is all things Armored, a vintage crush of classic power propelled by a cathartic blast of life in the year 2015. This is Armored Saint, and this is nothing short of magnificent.

The fist-pumping adrenaline rush starts with the title track and escalates from there, "Win Hands Down" delivering an album-opening rally cry that re-introduces the players after their five year sojourn since the release of La Raza in 2010. As always, they are the same Saints we've grown to know and love -- frontman John Bush and bassist Joey Vera, guitarist Phil Sandoval and his brother, drummer Gonzo Sandoval, and guitarist Jeff Duncan -- five masters of metal that combine to forge one of the genre's most criminally-unsung forces.

"When we started work on this record, I said, 'Let's pretend we are a really big band and can do whatever we want'," says Bush of the spark that ignited Win Hands Down. "Technology allows us that luxury, and we can take that luxury when it comes to writing. In the end, we know who we are, so we don't have those boundaries that other bands might have -- you push yourself, dig deep and write stuff that makes you feel happy and fulfills you. That's really important, and I think it came through. This means a lot more to us than just, 'We made a rock/metal album...'"

As has been the case since their reunion album Revelation in 2000, Bush and Vera are the principal songwriters, the bassist writing the music, the frontman writing the lyrics, and the band joining the fray to add their studio punch to the musical maelstrom.

"I wanted more music sections, and didn't want to be tied to verse/chorus/verse/chorus/guitar solo/end of song -- if I felt inspired to write a bridge, and I wanted it to appear twice, it could," says Vera of his slight shift in perspective for this album. "I wanted to be able to play with the music. Some of the songs are a little long on the Armored Saint side, so I might have had to pull the reigns back a little bit with John and say I wanted one section to be just music, but we were able to play with the arrangements a bit to fit what we both wanted to do... The results are great, and there are great performances from everyone."

The Armored Saint machine is firing on all cylinders, and Win Hands Down isn't for the faint of heart or slight of metal. At the helm of the onslaught are the vocals, Bush proving yet again why his name needs to be in any discussion of the Big 4 metal singers. "There's a lighter side to some of the lyrics, like 'Up Yours,' but I'm not afraid to strip myself emotionally and lyrically and divulge my feelings," adds Bush of the nine tracks clocking in at just north of 50 minutes. "To be honest, a lot of what I write is reminding myself how to live -- 'If you want to live like this, put it in a song...' I strive to be a better person and father, and a good human -- this is a reminder. I'm not trying to be [Bob] Dylan, I don't have that much foresight, but -- especially being a little older -- you can identify things. I try and write things people can relate to, but I'm also writing about things that have an impact on me. It's the platform I have, and it's nice when people are able to relate."

From the bombast of "In An Instant," inspired by the terrorist attack on the Boston Marathon and the harsh reality that one second can change our lives forever, to the more personal "Muscle Memory," an epic reflection about one's legacy and leaving something behind that will make your family and peers proud, there's as much lyrical substance as there is instrumental prowess, Vera and Gonzo forming a rhythm section thick enough to rival any in metal, with Duncan and Phil Sandoval leading the charge with their fret boards ablaze.

There are even a few firsts on the album. Pearl Aday joins the Saint on "With A Full Head Of Steam," it's galloping gate marking the first time Bush has ever shared lead with a female singer, and "Dive" features piano as the lead instrument for the first time in the expansive Armored catalog. "'Dive' was the last song that we wrote, a midnight hour sort of thing," recalls Vera. "I wanted to do something different, and we've never had a song with piano as a lead instrument. There was a little piano overdub that I played on "Another Day," but this is the first time it was the backbone of the song." Adds Bush of the track, "Everyone can write a sweet song, everyone can write a dark song, but can you write both? That's what we were trying to do. The song was Joey's idea, and I endorsed it highly. Our lives are so fast-paced, you forget to take a moment and enjoy that moment that you are living in."

Then there are the moments that are a little more tongue-in-cheek, without losing the trademarked Armored stomp. "An Exercise In Debauchery" is about people's fascination with porn -- "I'm not lecturing, it's just my way of busting balls about it," says Bush -- and "That Was Then, Way Back When" rides the band's power metal groove as the singer pokes fun at his generation's desire to be connected online -- "People who weren't friends in high school need to be now? I'm not being mean, I just have a hard enough time communicating with the people I want to communicate with!"

"When we first got back together and decided to make Revelation back in '99, we didn't get the band back together to conquer the world," says Vera, looking back as he reflects on the current state of Armored Saint. "That was Plan A, and Plan A didn't work out. Now, we are doing this for the same reason we started making music to begin with -- the right reasons. We know who Armored Saint fans are and we know we have an obligation to the people that support us, so we try and make choices that are smart and relevant to what we're about. This isn't the place to start my polka career."

Maybe not, but don't put anything past Armored Saint. As they decree in the album's opening track:

With boots on ground
Win hands down
A giant sound
Win hands down
Just maintain
Then drop the reins
And place my crown
Win hands down

There's no polka here -- just heavy metal the way it was always mean to be. Win Hands Down? Armored Saint have... Hands down.

With their 2015 debut Birth And The Burial, Act Of Defiance delivered a blast of pure and unadulterated metal that ignored fads and hit home hard. Returning with the crushing Old Scars, New Wounds, they have only upped the stakes. "Act Of Defiance is built around the idea of writing and composing the way we want without any other influences on the music, and if people don't like it, that's fine," guitarist Chris Broderick states plainly. Drummer Shawn Drover agrees. "We don't write to please a certain musical demographic or try to sound like another trendy band at the moment. We just write how we write and formulate heavy metal songs that we like, and hopefully others may like as well." With titanic anthems such as "Overexposure" and "Rise Of Rebellion" and the in-your-face blasts of "Molten Core" and "Another Killing Spree", they prove their mettle time and again. Moreover, each of the eleven tracks sound fresh and urgent while wielding a timeless quality that will connect powerfully with metal fans new and old - and there aren't many contemporary bands who can make such a claim.

Naturally blending a plethora of metallic styles and never recycling ideas, Old Scars, New Wounds is an even more dynamic and diverse collection than its predecessor, which was written solely by Broderick and Drover prior to recruiting bassist Matt Bachand and vocalist Henry Derek. "I think 'Birth And The Burial' is a great debut record, and I honestly cannot believe we released it literally nine months after Chris and I formed the band!" the drummer enthuses. "We then toured for a year on that record and played over a hundred shows, and spending that kind of time on the road you really get a sense of what your bandmates are like and what they are capable of, which has definitely worked to our benefit on this new record." With a fully-seasoned, tour-hardened band in place, there was room for everyone to bring something to the table this time around, and their varying styles helped shape the record. "Matt brings his east coast vibe, Shawn is pure metal, Henry has almost a Scandinavian vibe, while I've gone back to my roots and gotten a little more technical with my writing," Broderick states. The title - plucked from the blistering "Conspiracy Of The Gods" - stands as a metaphor for life in general, and the breadth of lyrical matter covered is as broad as the styles of heavy music found on the record. "Another Killing Spree" looks at hardcore drug use, while "Lullaby Of Vengeance" is an angry song about singing angry lyrics, and "Overexposure" is an anthem dedicated to not selling out. There is also some very topical material, most notably on "Mis-Information Age" and "Broken Dialect". "'Mis-Information Age' is very applicable in today's social climate, where we can no longer blindly trust the source of facts that determine our view," Broderick explains. "It asserts that we should be skeptical, making sure we have the truth and not someone's propaganda, while 'Broken Dialect' conveys the idea that people can no longer hold a conversation with each other where their views differ, instead turning to sources that only support the view they want to hold on to." With every track featuring a blistering solo from Broderick, fans of his shredding can rest assured that the guitarist has not held back - though that was not his initial intention. "I actually wanted to tone it down a bit technically in terms of my solos but the opposite happened! This was because I inadvertently ended up creating a few new techniques to use in my trick bag and saw their potential, so I worked really hard on the execution so they could make the record."

Going into writing the record, the quartet had no grand plan, and spread across the continental US, the individual members worked separately, bouncing demos back and forth and building on each others' ideas. Like many contemporary bands, through taking advantage of available technologies they made a record that is very much a collaborative effort, despite the distances lying between the members' home bases. Recruiting producer Dave Otero (Cattle Decapitation, Allegaeon) they tracked the record likewise, with Broderick laying down guitars in his own Ill-Fated Studios in LA, Derek and Broderick's vocals tracked at Red Light Studios also in LA, with Bachand tracking his contributions at Manshark in South Hampton, MA and Drover's drums were laid down at Atlanta's Glow In The Dark Studios. "Atlanta is near where I live, which oddly enough was the first time I have recorded there in my career, so it was nice to be able to track all day then go home and relax before heading back the next day. It was an overall great experience for me," the drummer says, and cognizant of the time available to them the entire process ran smoothly and without a hitch. When it came down to artwork the band looked once more to the vision of Travis Smith - whose visuals have accompanied records from the likes of King Diamond, Opeth, Avenged Sevenfold, and Strapping Young Lad. "As always he's delivered a great, bizarre piece of artwork," Drover enthuses. "He has such a great sense of what we're looking for, and working with him again has been really rewarding."

Having proven themselves on the road in support of Birth And The Burial both as headliners and supporting the likes of Killswitch Engage and Hatebreed, the band are looking ahead to the expansive touring that will accompany Old Scars, New Wounds, and their hunger to get back in front of crowds has not abated in the slightest. "The immediate goal is to tour hard in support of 'Old Scars, New Wounds', play live everywhere we can, and expose as many people to our music as possible," Drover asserts. "Touring is the best way to reach the people, as it always has been - and we will do whatever it takes for Act Of Defiance to get as much exposure as possible."

The Alarm was made in Wales, UK and by the time of 1981's debut single 'Unsafe Building', featured a daring mix of amped-up acoustic guitars, harmonica and passionate vocals that invited the enduring description "Bob Dylan meets The Clash".

This is the sound of The Alarm that has been heard around the world ever since, with 17 Top 50 UK singles, a host of successful albums and over 6 million sales worldwide, a career that has also seen founding member Mike Peters sing on stage with the likes of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and U2.

In fact, The Alarm scored their first chart success in the USA in 1983 with 'The Stand', before flying back from America to make their first UK TV appearance on Top Of The Pops, notching up their first British chart hit with the rousing 'Sixty Eight Guns'. The hit 'Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke?' was to follow in early 1984 before the release of their debut LP, 'Declaration', which went to Number 6 on the UK chart.

The Alarm's second album, 'Strength' (the title track becoming The Alarm's first U.S. Top 40 hit), was released in 1985 and spawned the autobiographical 'Spirit of '76'. It was at this time The Alarm made history by playing the world's very first global satellite concert, live from Los Angeles. An estimated audience of 26,000 fans turned up on the day for the original 'Spirit Of '86' concert that was ultimately watched by millions around the world. The set list included all The Alarm's greatest hits of the time such as 'The Stand, 'Absolute Reality, 'Sixty Eight Guns', 'Strength' and 'Spirit Of '76', songs that would see The Alarm break North America on a grand scale.

The 1987 album, 'Eye Of The Hurricane', followed with the international hit, 'Rain In The Summertime', backed by a series of world tours (including an extended US outing with Bob Dylan). The release of the band's first live mini album 'Electric Folklore', furthered The Alarm's reputation for engaging live shows.

'Change', The Alarm's fourth studio album was released in late 1989), and the band saw out the '80's with a sell-out concert in New York City were they were joined on stage by Neil Young to perform 'Rockin' In the Freeworld'. 'Change' went on to become a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, with 'A New South Wales' reaching the UK Top 40 in 1990 and 'Sold Me Down the River' becoming a U.S. Number 1 Rock Hit.

'Raw' was the last record to feature the original line-up of the band when, in the summer of 1991, the demands of the road were at the heart of a very public swan song at London's Brixton Academy.

A decade of solo action followed with guitarist Dave Sharp releasing 'Hard Travelling' in the month after Brixton and (following a relocation to New Orleans later in 1994), a second solo album - Downtown America.

In 1992, The Alarm became one of the first bands to have a dedicated internet site www.thealarm.com when Mike Peters registered the domain and to coincide, founded 'The Gathering', an 'Alarm' event held in North Wales which now attracts fans from all over the world.

Throughout the rest of the nineties, Mike Peters went on to establish himself as a respected solo artist with the release of the independent long player 'Breathe' in 1994 (Number 5 on album chart), followed by 'Feel Free' (1996) and 'Rise' (1998), two records which would document Mike Peters first engagement with the cancer (Leukaemia), that has followed him throughout life ever since. The recording sessions for 'Rise' featured a guest collaboration with the then ex-The Cult guitarist Billy Duffy and in 1998 the two created a short lived band called Coloursøund which (following an appearance at SXSW), attracted widespread interest within the music industry. A headline gig at London's LA2 was seen by original Alarm bass player Eddie Macdonald and The Cult vocalist Ian Astbury. Soon after The Cult was back together and reiginiting their career by playing at the new Woodstock Festival and an album of Coloursøund demos was released retrospectively.

In 1999, Peters went on to record a fourth solo album that formed the soundtrack to the stage play - 'Flesh & Blood', the recording sessions saw Mike Peters reunite with original Alarm song writing partner Eddie Macdonald. Following this collaboration, Mike Peters and Eddie Macdonald decided to reconvene as - The Alarm (without, but with the blessing of Dave Sharp and drummer Nigel Twist). Originally billed as The Alarm MM, the reconstituted band featured Mike Peters and Eddie Macdonald, backed by members of the Mike Peters solo band, namely guitarist James Stevenson (Gen X, Gene Loves Jezebel, The Cult), bass player Craig Adams (Sisters Of Mercy, The Mission, The Cult) and drummer Steve Grantley (Stiff Little Fingers).

The band's first dates were with fellow Celt Rockers - Big Country but after just eight dates including a concert at London's Shepherds Bush Empire, Eddie Macdonald decided to quit, leaving Mike Peters to forge a path that would lead to the release of new Alarm music.

In 2000, 'The Alarm Complete Collection' box set was released, bringing together The Alarm's entire 1980's musical output into a nine-CD box set, along with a bonus 'audio dedication' CD personally recorded by Mike Peters.

In 2003, and in just 5 months, the 'In The Poppy Fields Bond' was written, recorded and released (via the alarm.com website). A massive five album, 59 song set, that allowed the new line up to come of age with new music of its own and ready to face the world as a creative force once again.

In late 2003, the cameras of VH1 struck and brought the original band members together to perform for the show Bands Re-United at La Scala in Kings Cross. In the aftermath, everyone once again, went their separate ways with Mike Peters taking the 'new' Alarm back to the USA for the 'The Alarm Make A Stand In The USA Tour', which involved the band playing New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles on a weekly basis over one month.

In 2004, The Alarm's first brand new single of the millennium - '45 RPM' would ultimately take their signature electro-acoustic sound into the UK top 40, into the mainstream rock culture of North America causing worldwide controversy at the same time.

'The Poppy Fields' "fake band" escapade was conceived to conceal the identity of The Alarm from a media concerned with only playing brand new bands and brand new music.

The true identity of The Alarm was eventually revealed by the BBC on Top Of The Pops and instantly triggered a rush of global media exposure, culminating in a US TV appearance on CBS Headline News with Dan Rather.

Following this unlikely success, a new record deal with EMI was signed although The Alarm's return to prominence was halted almost immediately when, in late 2005, Mike Peters was re-diagnosed with an incurable cancer (A rare B-cell form of Leukemia), forcing the band into playing select shows only, dictated by the chemotherapy / treatment regime that has kept Mike Peters alive ever since.

In January 2006, Mike Peters was given the go ahead to resume touring duties and the group continued with the release of 'Under Attack' which was bolstered by another Top 30 record in the shape of 'Superchannel' and live anthem Without A Fight'.

In that same year, Mike Peters was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Welsh Music Awards and also coming eleventh in a Welsh Assembly Government-backed poll of the top 100 Welsh heroes.

Whilst continuing with a lengthy rehabilitation program of constant chemotherapy throughout 2007, Mike Peters founded the Love Hope Strength charity which is dedicated to 'Saving Lives - One Concert At A Time' and now firmly established as one of the world's leading rock and roll cancer foundations with over 3,500 lives potentially saved through its 'Get On The List' program.

At the beginning of 2008, Mike Peters and The Alarm recorded an Eight EP Collection - 'The Counter Attack Collective', that gave birth to the single album 'Guerilla Tactics' that was released on the day Mike Peters performed an 'pop up' concert in New York's Times Square. The album's opening cut 'Three Sevens Clash' was released to American Rock Radio and made it's way into the top 5.

In 2010, the Direct Action album followed with the cover version of 'One Guitar', that would later be performed by Bruce Springsteen along with writer Willie Nile, and a guest appearance from Mike Peters. The 'Direct Action' tour saw the band tour North America and the U.K. only this time (following the departure of Steve Grantley to take up a full time role with Stiff Little Fingers), with new permanent drummer 'Smiley' from Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros.

The 'Sound and the Fury' album was released in 2011 to mark The Alarm's 30th Anniversary. The 'Sound and the Fury' featured re-workings of songs from all eras of the band's history.

On New Years Eve in that same year, Mike Peters walked out onto the stage at Glasgow's ABC to take up guest vocal duties with Big Country and sing for his long time friend and original Big Country vocalist / guitarist - the late Stuart Adamson, whom Mike had met onstage while performing with U2 back in 1983.

Mike Peters continued to tour with Big Country throughout 2012/13, going so far as to record an album of original material entitled 'The Journey' that was received enthusiastically by fans and critics alike.

2013 was also the year of the cinematic release of the Alarm / Poppy Fields inspired movie - 'Vinyl' starring Phil Daniels (Quadrophenia/Blur), Keith Allen, Perry Benson and Jamie Blackley. Rreleased to British cinemas nationwide the 'Vinyl' - Soundtrack Album and Tour featured a collection of brand new Alarm music composed specifically for the film such as the movie's recurring theme song 'Free Rock And Roll' which was recorded by The Alarm with 'Vinyl' star Phil Daniels on guest vocals.

In 2014/15 respectively, The 30th Anniversary of The Alarm albums - Declaration (2014) and Strength (2015), were acknowledged with the release of newly recorded collections (including companion discs 'Peace Train' and 'Majority' respectively).

The new recordings centred on re-imagined takes of all the songs and b-sides from each period. A two year commitment to constant touring from Mike Peters, featured full length presentations of each of the albums via a unique one-one man band 'Mike Peters presents The Alarm' stage show that took Mike Peters all around the world.

In April 2014, the reworked 'Declaration' album was presented 'live' on BBC Wales with a stripped back 'acoustic / orchestral' version of The Alarm and the Welsh Symphony Orchestra. A surprise video message from all the members of U2 singing Alarm anthem 'Blaze Of Glory', went viral on the internet.

A second concert to celebrate the anniversary of the 'Strength' album took place at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff in October 2015 with The Alarm again, backed by a huge orchestra (conducted by arranger John Quirk). The event was filmed and recorded for release as Poppies Falling From The Sky', which took it's title from the moment when millions of red poppies literally fell 'from the sky', and down on to the unsuspecting audience during the finale.

The 'Spirit of '86 event was revisited in 2016 as 'Mike Peters presents The Alarm' concert experience returned to UCLA, (the scene of the original MTV broadcast), and performed the exact same setlist at the James Bridges Theatre. An exhaustive tour followed with The Alarm making it's first ever appearance at Glastonbury Festival.

That summer, Mike Peters wife Jules, was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and tour dates had to be cancelle. The BBC filmed events surrounding the Peters family in real time and created the documentary 'Mike and Jules - While We Still Have Time', which also featured contributions from long time family friend Bono from U2.

Whilst caring for his wife during this tense time, Mike Peters poured his feelings into song and before the year came to close, took The Alarm back into the recording studio to work on the new material.

2017 opened with a 25th Anniversary Gathering event (that was recorded by the BBC for a National Television Broadcast), and two first ever Gathering events in both New York and Los Angeles. Both the US Gathering events featured guest appearances (from Billy Duffy of The Cult in L.A.), and David Bowie producer Tony Visconti joining the band in New York to perform 'Sold Me Down The River' that he had originally produced in 1989.

The US Gathering events also coincided with premiere screenings of the Mike Peters, Alarm, Love Hope Strength movie 'Man In The Camo Jacket', which received numerous awards on the American Film Festival Circuit and was also screened at the Grammy Museum in Hollywood. A vinyl edition of the movie soundtrack was released on Record Store Day with the band performing live at stores in California and with Jules Peters now in remission and on keyboards, the band joined up with the Vans Warped Tour for select US, for an 8 week 59 date coast to coast run including a special night at The Chapel, San Francisco during which the group were joined on stage by original drummer Nigel Twist.

A UK October Tour (with original Alarm guitarist Dave Sharp joining as special guest), would see The Alarm play out one of the most creative years in it's history. A new album and tour dates are expected for 2018.

For Americana godfather David Bromberg, it all began with the blues.

His incredible journey spans five-and-a-half decades, and includes -- but is not limited to -- adventures with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jerry Garcia, and music and life lessons from seminal blues guitarist Reverend Gary Davis, who claimed the young Bromberg as a son. A musician's musician, Bromberg's mastery of several stringed instruments (guitar, fiddle, Dobro, mandolin), and multiple styles is legendary, leading Dr. John to declare him an American icon. In producing John Hartford's hugely influential Aereo-Plain LP, Bromberg even co-invented a genre: Newgrass.

Add in a period of self-imposed exile from his passion (1980-2002), during which he became a renowned violin expert, and Wilmington, Delaware's cultural ambassador; top that off with a triumphant return to music-making, and you have an amazing tale leading back to one place: the blues.

Now, with The Blues, the Whole Blues, and Nothing But the Blues, his first release for Red House Records, Bromberg and multi-Grammy-winning producer/accompanist Larry Campbell (Dylan, Levon Helm, Paul Simon) focus on the music David discovered in high school, when, circa late 50s, he was introduced to a friend's dad's collection of blues 78s. He'd only just taken up guitar as a means to pass the time while in bed with the measles.

"I loved those 78s so much," says David, "I taped them on a portable reel-to-reel, so I could listen at home and learn."

That love is evident in The Blues, the Whole Blues and Nothing But the Blues. The album is both blues primer and an opportunity to witness a master embracing this distinctly American music with passion and grace.

"There's a lot of different types of blues on there," Bromberg notes. "We decided to start it off with a dyed-in-the-wool blues [Robert Johnson's "Walkin' Blues"], but there's also country blues ["Kentucky Blues"], and gospel-influenced blues ["Yield Not"]."

Bromberg, a onetime sideman himself, is quick to give props to his long-running road-and-studio cohorts: Butch Amiot (bass), Josh Kanusky (drums), Mark Cosgrove (guitar), Nate Grower (fiddle), and Peter Ecklund (cornet). Of producer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, fellow Reverend Gary Davis acolyte, and old friend Larry Campbell, he says, "To use a baseball analogy, Larry is like a star at any position in the infield, because he can play them all."

Since meeting in the early 80's, Campbell and Bromberg had crossed paths many times. They finally worked together in Levon Helm's studio for David's 2013 return-to-form Only Slightly Mad. "He wanted to do a Chicago blues album then," Larry says. "But we decided to remind folks of what he does better than anyone: the whole gamut of Americana, the full Brombergian. And we got some new fans. For this one, we went back to the blues, and made use of David's great vocabulary in all veins of the genre."

Bromberg's guitar work remains a marvel; amped electric lead -- both slide and fretted -- and delicately powerful acoustic fingerpicking propel these songs with the same force that made him the go-to guy for acts ranging from the Eagles to Link Wray to Phoebe Snow. This is a man who can go full-on Chicago gutbucket with "You Don't Have to Go" (a Bromberg original), then slay with the jazz inflections of Ray Charles' "A Fool for You," rendered here intimately solo. Although Bromberg points out he's not the same guitarist he was before his two decades away from performing and recording. "I play differently," he says. "I can't play as fast, but playing slower gives me more time to think about what I'm doing."

"He's always able to plug into the emotion of a song," Campbell says. "He's incredibly inventive as a player. Sometimes restrictions can be good."

Listeners can actually hear what the years have given Bromberg in the spartan, acoustic "Delia." Bromberg originally covered this traditional nugget on his 1972 self-titled debut -- a live, solo rendition with a spoken-word break. The new version features Campbell and Bromberg in the studio, revisiting Bromberg's live arrangement from their occasional duo tours. It is mesmerizing, with gravitas only experience can bring. "Larry and I have played 'Delia' a lot," Bromberg says. "I love what he does on it."

Longtime fans will notice another difference: Bromberg's voice; he's really singing. The vocals cover a broad range: impassioned, vibrato-laden testifying; pew-jumping soul shouts; soft, confident, crooning; and, of course, his peerless raconteur chops (particularly in "You Been A Good Old Wagon").

"When I first started," Bromberg says, "singing was something I did between guitar solos. But during the period I did so little performing, I took some voice lessons, and now, I know more what I'm doing. I love singing now. Love it."

Larry Campbell was impressed at the newfound vocal chops, too. "He is a better vocalist than ever," he says. "He's strong, and present. None of the songs took more than three takes. And he was able to take the old folk song '900 Miles' [a "railroad song" made famous by Odetta and Woody Guthrie], and turn it into an electric blues that's a real high point of the album for me."

Although he remains the proprietor of the beloved David Bromberg Fine Violins in Wilmington, Delaware -- "I love my shop," he says -- Bromberg makes time to tour with his quintet, and he's already included every song in his live repertoire (save "Yield Not," which requires a choir), from The Blues, the Whole Blues and Nothing But the Blues. As ever, he brings his characteristic devotional intensity to the music, invigorating his surprise third act with the same passion he felt as a teen, spinning those blues 78s, just before the road called.

Where does one go in life, when you wrote your first song at age 11 ('Ole Ben Lucas'), shortly after nearly playing a chess Grand Master (Samuel Reshevsky) to a draw? If you're Kinky Friedman. there was only one way to go: up.

Like so many cool people in the boom generation, Kinky Friedman first saw the world through the Peace Corps in the sixties. Kinky did his PC time in Borneo as an agriculture extension worker, wherein he introduced the Frisbee to the natives and taught farming techniques to people who had been farming successfully for thousands of years. But it was in Borneo that Kinky began to write the tunes that would propel the rest of his life.

Kinky had formed his first band, King Arthur & the Carrots while a student at the University of Texas, prior to his Peace Corps stint, but when he returned to the states, he really got serious with his second band, Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys, the unit for which he is most famous, musically.

For his first album, Kinky released 'Sold American' in 1973 for Vanguard Records. His repertoire mixed social commentary ('We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You') and maudlin ballads ('Western Union Wire') with raucous humor (such as 'Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in Bed'). His 'Ride 'Em Jewboy' was an extended tribute to the victims of the Holocaust, and one of his most famous tunes from this session, 'They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore,' is still on many hip playlists.

In the mid-'70s, Friedman and the Jewboys toured with Bob Dylan & the Rolling Thunder Revue. By 1976 he had recorded his third album, 'Lasso From El Paso,' featuring appearances by Dylan and Eric Clapton. The Texas Jewboys disbanded less than three years later, and Friedman moved to New York, where he became a Sunday night fixture at the legendary Lone Star Cafe. His performances, often featuring guests like Robin Williams and John Belushi, were equally legendary.

During the seventies, Kinky set several high water marks in his early performance career. In 1975, Friedman and the Jewboys taped an Austin City Limits show which was never aired. According to the show's executive producer, Terry Lickona, this was the only time in the show's long history that an episode went unaired. Lickona told the Austin Chronicle "I've seen it many times -- I think it was a great show, and it might be as offensive today as it was back then."

Kinky was a musical guest on Saturday Night Live in October 1976, the first year of SNL, and he claims to have been the first full-blooded Jew to take the stage at the Grand Ole Opry. Apparently, this is true.

Starting in the early eighties, Friedman shifted his creative focus to writing detective novels, after a bizarre incident at an ATM machine. Kinky spotted a woman being robbed and dashed to her rescue using his bank card to gain entry to the locked ATM lobby. The episode unleashed Kinky Friedman, the private detective, and sparked a series of detective novels that have become world-famous. Featuring a fictionalized version of himself solving crimes in New York City and dispensing jokes, wisdom, recipes, charm and Jameson's whiskey in equal measure, the books are written in a straightforward style which owes a certain debt to Raymond Chandler, though Kinky has also quite fairly been referred to as the "Mark Twain of Texas."

Kinky continued to tour throughout the eighties, this time in support of his novels, and a series of international publishing deals took that touring around the globe. During this period, his musings began appearing in such places as the New York Times, Playboy and Texas Monthly (where he later wrote a regular column). Ebooks and audio books (read by Kinky, himself) of all his great detective novels are available on line.

In 1986, Kinky took a break from writing and touring to try something new - politics. He ran for justice of the peace in his home town of Kerrville, Texas. Though he lost the race, he did discover a passion for politics. It would be another eighteen years, but he would revisit that arena.

In the nineties, Kinky began branching out with more personal writings. Since then he has discussed everything from social mores ('Kinky Friedman's Guide To Texas Etiquette: Or How To Get To Heaven Or Hell Without Going Through Dallas-Fort Worth') to armadillos ('The Great Psychedelic Armadillo Picnic: A "Walk" In Austin'). He's even written a hit children's book ('The Christmas Pig: A Fable').

In 2004, the Kinkster returned to the political field, this time daring the state of Texas to think big and elect him governor in 2006. Running on a shoestring budget, with help from folks like Jesse Ventura and his Minnesota team of political handlers, Kinky garnered over a half million votes - not good enough to win it, but good enough to influence Texas politics long onto the future. Kinky was the first candidate in the history of the state to make it onto the November ballot as an Independent candidate - astounding, considering his campaign motto: "Why the hell not?"

In February 2007, Sustain Records released a compilation of the songs of Kinky Friedman sung by other artists called 'Pearls In The Snow.' The album includes contributions by Dwight Yoakam, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, and Kelly Willis, and is one of two Kinky tribute albums available today. More recently, hot rising star Jesse Dayton recorded a full cd of Kinky songs, which received enormous interest in Nashville and around the US.

A second return to politics in 2014 saw Kinky running for Texas State Agriculture Commissioner on a full-legalization platform that may not have won him an election, but that has been instrumental in Texas now considering both medical use and personal use marijuana legalization in its state legislature, proving once and for all that the Kinkster is truly the "governor of the heart of Texas."

In 2015, Kinky reinvented himself yet again, this time with his first all new studio album in nearly forty years. Signed to Avenue A Records/Thirty Tigers, Kinky, with the help of producer Brian Molnar and guitarist Joe Cirotti, presented an "all new Kinky," with his cd, 'The Loneliest Man I Ever Met.' Filled with never-heard-before Kinky originals and beautifully rendered covers of such artists as Tom Waits, Warren Zevon and Willie Nelson, the cd is all about Kinky's ultimate ability to deliver much more than just a funny line or humorous tune. The spare, yet lush arrangements all pointed up Kinky's unique talent as both a songwriter and interpreter of great material. Guest performers Nelson, Little Jewford and Mickey Raphael supported but never overrode the simplicity and grace of the tunes and the artist.

And there is more on the horizon too! Kinky has ten more brand new songs in the can for what has become an eagerly anticipated 2018 release from the ever-evolving Kinkster. In November 2017, a full-on biography from Back beat Books hit the shelves. Authored by Mary Lou Sullivan, who recently published the highly regarded Johnny Winter bio, and titled 'Everything's Bigger In Texas - The Life And Times Of Kinky Friedman,' it has received enormous interest, and it has been exactly that: an enormous hit.

Kinky has also co-authored a new book (pub date: early 2018) that also promises to be a huge winner. Working with Louie Kemp, lifelong friend and associate of Bob Dylan, Kinky has helped write perhaps the definitive book about Bob Dylan - not so much a biography as a sort of "tales of Bob" excursion through life from the time of his meeting with Louie to the present day. Also very highly anticipated.

And on July 3rd, he will be releasing bias first all-new self-penned album in nearly forty years, 'Circus Of Life.' He's releasing it on his own terms and on his own Echo Hill Records label. A monster summer tour follows in June, July, and August. Yep, Kinky is finally doing it his way. Harking to his early years, he has chosen to ignore the Nashville ethos, that all must be concertedly "radio friendly," sweetened, and over-produced. What he and producer Brian Molnar have delivered is simply one of the most beautiful albums of this year or any other. The first single, Autographs In The Rain (Song To Willie) is already in heavy rotation on SiriusXM Outlaw Country, and there are at least four more top shelf A sides.

With Joe Cirotti on multiple instruments, and Mickey Raphael, Augie Meyers, Original Jewboy Little Jewford, Clay Meyers and Jim Beal providing amazing grace notes, not a single track on the album fails to reach its very high mark. Kinky may "just have to stick with songwriting" after all. To verify this, he's taking it on the road, for one of the longest, most comprehensive tours of his storied career. After flash mob-style appearances in Galveston, Houston and Nacogdoches, TX, the 'Circus Of Life Tour' begins in earnest in Pittsburgh, and rumor has it that it will continue on forever. Yes, the second act has begun. May it never end.

Jim Hoehn is a Milwaukee-based journalist/author/songwriter who has carved out a surprisingly successful niche as a performing songwriter since first stumbling out of the pressbox with a guitar.

As a career journalist - much of it spent as a sportswriter - Hoehn has covered everything from plane crashes to murder trials to the Super Bowl and the Hong Kong 7s rugby tournament.

As a source of family editorial pride, he's also the guy who broke the Jeffrey Dahmer story for the National Enquirer.

His latest recording project, "Silhouette of a Fool," includes 10 original songs brought to life under the production guidance of Milwaukee's John Sieger, founder of Semi-Twang and cofounder of the iconic R&B Cadets (with Paul Cebar).

Songs off the CD are receiving considerable airplay on alt-country and Americana programs in the U.S.; Canada, Europe and Australia. "Silhouette of a Fool" cracked the Americana Freeform Chart in August (not high, but on the chart nonetheless).

Since winning a songwriting contest and making his first public appearance at Milwaukee's Summerfest, Hoehn has maintained a time-available schedule of dates throughout the Midwest and across the country, drawing an eclectic audience of sportswriters, rugby players and the occasional normal person.

Hoehn has opened for a veritable who's who of American songwriters, including Rodney Crowell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Don McLean, Robert Earl Keen, Don Williams, Rick Springfield, Junior Brown, Todd Snider, Jack Ingram, Warren Zevon, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Steve Forbert, Kinky Friedman, Roger McGuinn and James McMurtry.

His songwriting has led to performances at prestigious music festivals hosted in Texas and Oklahoma by the likes of Gary P. Nunn and Larry Joe Taylor and an appearance on the Mitch Albom national TV show.

He has appeared at numerous Trop-Rock events such as the annual Meeting of the Minds in Key West; Six String Music Festival in New Orleans; Phins to the West in Laughlin, Nev.; Stars Fell on Alabama; Flipperstock in St. Louis; Pardi Gras in New Orleans; and Migration in Las Vegas.

His recordings include "Silhouette of a Fool," "Royalty Check Hotel," "Deadline Penitentiary," "Playa del Pressbox" and "Live at RACAfest" as well as four volumes of "Thongs In The Key Of Life," a compilation of tropical music by the best writers on the sunburn circuit, which he produced.

His CDs, "Royalty Check Hotel" and "Deadline Penitentiary" were recorded in Texas with the help of some of Austin's finest musicians, including guitarist/producer John Inmon who was for many years the lead guitarist for Jerry Jeff Walker as part of the Lost Gonzo Band.

Songs off both CDs received considerable airplay on Americana, folk or alt-country shows around the U.S.; Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

His ode to escaping cubicle life, "Callin' In Gone," was a finalist for Trop Rock song of the Year in 2010; has been recorded by beach circuit favorites, The Boat Drunks, and is a setlist staple for several bands and performers across the country.

For the four years, Hoehn also has been the host of the Trop Rock Music Awards show in Key West, Fla.

Hoehn also is the author of the award-winning book, "The Father's Guide to Birth, Babies and Loud Children," and was the host of the radio show, "The Three-Chord Barbecue," on Radio Margaritaville and Island Dreamz Radio.

The Dick Dale Phenomenon. His style is something different and unique. Since his first appearances Balboa, Ca. at the famed Rendezvous Ballroom, he has set and broken attendance records everywhere he's performed. His appearances at the Rendezvous Ballroom broke every existing record for the Ballroom by drawing capacity crowds of over four thousand screaming dancing fans every weekend each night down on the Balboa peninsula.

Dick Dale invented surf music in the 1950's. Not the '60's as is commonly believed. He was given the title "King of the Surf Guitar" by his fellow surfers with whom he surfed with from sun-up to sun-down. He met Leo Fender the guitar and amplifier Guru and Leo asked Dale to play his newly creation, the Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar. The minute Dale picked up the guitar, Leo Fender broke into uncontrolled laughter and disbelief, he was watching Dale play a right handed guitar upside down and backwards, Dale was playing a right handed guitar left handed and changing the chords in his head then transposing the chords to his hands to create a sound never heard before.

Leo Fender gave the Fender Stratocaster along with a Fender Amp to Dale and told him to beat it to death and tell him what he thought of it. Dale took the guitar and started to beat it to death, and he blew up Leo Fender's amp and blew out the speaker. Dale proceeded to blow up forty nine amps and speakers; they would actually catch on fire. Leo would say, 'Dick, why do you have to play so loud?' Dale would explain that he wanted to create the sound of Gene Krupa the famous jazz drummer that created the sounds of the native dancers in the jungles along with the roar of mother nature's creature's and the roar of the ocean.

Leo Fender kept giving Dale amps and Dale kept blowing them up! Till one night Leo and his right hand man Freddy T. went down to the Rendezvous Ballroom on the Balboa Peninsula in Balboa, California and stood in the middle of Four Thousand screaming dancing Dick Dale fans and said to Freddy, I now know what Dick Dale is trying to tell me. Back to the drawing board. A special 85 watt output transformer was made that peaked 100 watts when dale would pump up the volume of his amp, this transformer would create the sounds along with Dale's style of playing, the kind of sounds that Dale dreamed of. BUT! they now needed a speaker that would handle the power and not burn up from the volume that would come from Dale's guitar.

Leo, Freddy and Dale went to the James B. Lansing speaker company, and they explained that they wanted a fifteen inch speaker built to their specifications. That speaker would soon be known as the 15'' JBL -D130 speaker. It made the complete package for Dale to play through and was named the Single Showman Amp. When Dale plugged his Fender Stratocaster guitar into the new Showman Amp and speaker cabinet, Dale became the first creature on earth to jump from the volume scale of a modest quiet guitar player on a scale of 4 to blasting up through the volume scale to TEN! That is when Dale became the "Father of Heavy Metal" as quoted from Guitar Player Magazine. Dale broke through the electronic barrier limitations of that era!

Dale still wanted to go further, and as the crowds increased, Dale's volume increased, but he still wanted a bigger punch with thickness in the sound so that it would pulsate into the audience and leave them breathless. The JBL-D130 was doing its job until Dale froze it in the frame that held the speaker, the speaker cone would twist from the heavy playing from Dale and it would soon twist and stop to fluctuate back n forth.

Leo, Freddy and Dale went back to the JBL speaker company and told them to rubberize the front ridge of the speaker allowing it to push forward and backward from the signal of Dale's guitar without cocking and twisting. The new updated version was called the JBL D-130F; the F stood for Fender.

Leo, Freddy and Dale designed a speaker cabinet and in which they installed 2 -15''-JBL-D130F's. This caused Leo Fender to have to create a new and more powerful output transformer, they would call it the Dick Dale Transformer and it was made by the Triad Company.

This became the 100 watt output transformer that would actually peak 180 watts. Nothing like this had ever been done before in the world of guitars and amplifiers. This became known as the Dual-Showman Piggy Back Amp. This is why Dick Dale is called the Father of all the power Players in the world!

It is a Phenomena, that Dale is still playing with not only the same vengeance as he did in the 50's, but his playing is unleashed and shredding into the 90's with a focus and power as if from mother nature. He shares the stage with fellow players of all generations up into the alternative's of the 90's. Being completely self taught, Dick Dale plays left handed upside down which was a result of holding the guitar left-handed. The strings became upside-down, chords are designed for right handed players making it very difficult for a left handed player unless he were to change the strings for a left handed guitar, something that Dale never did.

Dale is also a master at the Acoustic, Electronic, Bass and Spanish Guitars'. As well as the Ukulele, Banjo, Drums, Piano, Organ, Electronic Keyboard, Harpsichord, Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone, Harmonica, Xylophone and, believe it or not... the Accordion!

Dale was also responsible for another creation to the world of guitar players, "The Fender Tank Reverb". As Dale sang in his shows, he found that he did not have a vibrato in his voice, and he did not like the straight flat dry sound. to sustain his vocal notes, he turned to an old Hammond organ and found a reverb unit and showed it to Leo Fender and together they came up with the "Fender Tank Reverb". Dale then plugged a Shure Dynamic Bird cage Microphone into it and as Dale sang, his voice took on a very rich, sexy and full sound. Later, Dale then plugged his Fender Stratocaster guitar into the Reverb Tank to sustain his guitar notes which became Dale's trademark sound.) (NOTE) Dale had already been titled "King of the Surf Guitar" by his surfer friends before his creation of the Fender Reverb, Dale's first album called "Surfer's Choice" was the first Surfing album to be commercially sold with a picture of Dale surfing by the pier in San Clemente, Ca. with a surfing title on it. This album alone sold over eighty-eight thousand albums in the late 50's and today in the 90's it would be like 4 million. There was not one song on that album that had a Reverb for effects, everything was played with nothing but Dale's sheer force and power. A bit of trivia, Dale's recording of "Miserlou" became the title song for Quentin Tarantino's Blockbuster movie "Pulp Fiction".

Dick Dale has been called one of the hardest working men in show business. In the past five years he has maintained a heavy concert tour and public appearance schedule throughout the world. Focusing in Europe, Australia, Japan, Canada, South America and the U.S.

Chuck Prophet describes his new disc BOBBY FULLER DIED FOR YOUR SINS as "California Noir." He says, "the state has always represented the Golden Dream, and it's the tension between romance and reality that lurks underneath the surface in all noir films and paperbacks, and that connects these songs. Doomed love, inconsolable loneliness, rags to riches to rags again, and fast-paced violence are always on the menu on the Left Coast."

Who is Bobby Fuller? He's the star of the ultimate Rock and Roll Babylon feel-bad story.

The title track came out of an obsession Prophet shares with co-conspirator klipschutz. Prophet explains, "One day we were sitting in my so-called office South of Market listening to LPs, when out of frustration --I picked up a guitar and shouted, 'I hear that record crackle, the needle skips and jumps!' and klipschutz shot back, '"Bobby Fuller died for your sins!'"
One thing led to another, and ten months later he found himself at the legendary Hyde St. Studios in the heart of the Tenderloin "slaving over a hot two-inch tape machine, cutting tracks with Brad Jones, Paul Q. Kolderie, and Matt Winegar riding herd." And pumping it all into the echo chamber. No computer in sight and two-inch tape boxes stacked up to the ceiling.

Prophet realizes that the title track makes a heavy claim, and laughs at the suggestion it might shine new light on the mystery long surrounding Bobby Fuller's early demise. Fuller, who migrated from El Paso to L.A. in the early 1960s, has been described as "a greaser in a world of Beach Boy bangs and Beatle boots, hopelessly out of step with the times." Found dead in his car at the age of 23, to a devoted coterie of fans, old and new, he'll always remain the skinny guy singing "I Fought the Law," on countless teen dance TV shows, and radio playlists. Ruled a suicide, his death has haunted investigators (and biographers Miriam Linna and Randall Fuller) since 1966. "Some resolution would be nice," Prophet says, "but I run a band, not a Cold Case squad."

The Mission Express, Prophet's band, which includes his wife Stephanie Finch, provided the backing. "Talented, difficult people who all played their hearts out. You can hear it," he says. And recording at Hyde Street -- walking distance from his apartment -- was a homecoming of sorts. "I did my first session there, in high school no less," says Prophet. He even dragged out his '64 Stratocaster, a guitar that Jonathan Richman said sounds, "like gasoline in the sand, like a motorcycle at a hot dog stand."

Prophet says, "there's a serious Link Wray jones that you might not hear in here too. But it's there. Guitars and drums. Rock and roll. I just haven't found anything that hits me the same way. That two guitar, bass and drums feeling."

With titles such as "Bad Year for Rock and Roll," "Post-War Cinematic Dead Man Blues," "We Got Up and Played, and, "If I Was Connie Britton," Prophet allows that, "there just might be some songs on this one. John Murry, who is never at a loss for words, says the goal is to make a record you can be proud and unsure of at the same time. Naked and belligerent, but sweetly so... I can't improve on that."

"Bad Year for Rock and Roll" is a timely homage to rock greats lost this year, Prophet name-checking David Bowie in the opening lines: "The Thin White Duke took a final bow / there's one more star in the heavens now...I'm all dressed up in a mohair suit / watching Peter Sellers thinking of you."

The album closes with the blistering "Alex Nieto," which Prophet calls "my first protest song. I know you've listened to me rant about Twitter and how I believe San Francisco is under siege by techie man-children and billionaires." But still, he never dreamed he'd be in the middle of a culture war with real bodies. Born and raised in the City, Alex Nieto was on his way to work as a security guard when he ended up with 59 bullets in and around him, all fired by the police. There's a lot more to the story, and the details are available to anyone who wants to know. The song is a two-chord homage to a good man who should still be alive.

Just one more sign of the apocalypse.

"I live the kinda life most men only dream of/I make my livin' writin' songs and singin' them,"Merle Haggard, "Footlights"

For fans of his late, legendary father, country music great Merle Haggard, his youngest son Ben is no Stranger -- in fact, he's been the lead guitarist in Hag's longtime band of the same name for the past eight years, since he was 15 years old, fitting in easily with veterans like musical director Norm Hamlet and Scott Joss.

Ben was a regular on Merle Haggard's recordings, took the stage with him and the Highwaymen (Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson) as well as Blake Shelton for a memorable performance at the 2014 Grammys and for the 2012 "All for the Hall" show besides two of his idols, Vince Gill and Keith Urban. Earlier this year, Ben was featured with the Strangers backing Toby Keith for a Merle tribute on the nationally televised American Country Countdown Awards. He also contributed versions of "Mama Tried" and "Sing Me Back Home" to 2014'sWorking Man's Poet:Tribute to Merle Haggard album which also featured Toby Keith, Jason Aldean, Jake Owen, Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley.

Since Merle's death on April 6, 2016 -- which was also his 79th birthday (a fact he had eerily predicted)-- Ben Haggard hasn't missed a beat, passing on the legacy of his dad's music with brother Noel and the Strangers, joined on several dates by longtime friend Kris Kristofferson, opening for another frequent Hag partner, Willie Nelson.

Taking the torch from the Haggard paterfamilias, Haggard recalls a conversation he had with Merle, who sported what his son described as "a look of great depth in his eyes... He was always right about something he said because he had thought about it for so long. He overanalyzed everything to the finest degree in the most artistic way possible."

Ben recalls Merle telling him, "You'd be an idiot not to take my guitar and my bus, not to sing my songs for as long as you can... Go out there and play until there's nobody to play to."

And that is precisely what Ben Haggard has done over these past months and will continue to do in the near-future, effectively putting his own promising musical career on the back burner for the time being -- even as he plans to relocate to Nashville to pursue his own artistic identity when he's ready.

For anyone who's heard young Haggard play guitar with his father, that talent is undeniable, but he's only recently discovered a singing voice that, while borrowing genetically from dad's well-worn gravitas, adds its own fresh take on songs like "Sing Me Back Home" (a performance of which is featured on Ben's Facebook page), "Heaven Was a Drink Of Wine," "Workin' Man Blues" and "What Am I Gonna Do With the Rest of My Life?," all of them taking on new meanings in the wake of Hag's passing.

"I watched him sing on-stage, absorbed the little things he was doing, the tricks with his voice, how he handled the crowd," says Ben, who obviously learned his lessons well. "It was like going back to school. Things I didn't realize I picked up from the eight years I spent on the road with him started to come into play. My fear of the mic kind of slipped away. Things just unfolded in a beautiful way. I'm now starting to feel comfortable singing for people."

Indeed, Ben Haggard has proven as natural a performer as you'd expect from someone with his DNA. "I've always suffered from stage fright. I only sang in front of my father a couple of times, once live and once in the studio. All of a sudden, he's telling me I've got to sing for everybody. I had to grow a pair of balls, get out there and do it."

His next challenge is to carve out his own musical career, lest he be accused, as he says in his own self-effacing way, "of riding someone else's coattails."

Ben describes an incident that took place when he was four years old, and just realizing his father was "somebody special."

"I asked him, 'Since you're famous, does that make me famous too?' And he said, 'Son, you've got to create your own thunder.' That's always stuck with me. I look back at that moment as if it were a movie. It's something I never forget."

When asked what his own musical personality might be, Ben admits, like his father, he feels like a bit of an outsider when it comes to contemporary country music.

"I couldn't really go out there and sing about drinking a beer on a tailgate under the moonlight," he laughs. "I want to sing about things I value within my heart. Honesty is always pushing against the grain, in a way. My dad always said it's easier to force-feed people something they don't want than actually giving them what they do."

Ben admits, "I've started to write and finish songs lately. I used to start writing and then never finish, but now, there's more material to draw from. I'm not writing about being 15 anymore; there are a lot of things I've gone through and had to overcome. I turned that talk I had with my dad about taking over for him into a song. When I record it, I think it's something that will resonate with people. It's about as real as you can get in regard to what he was telling me."

He also admits feeling a creative kinship with Americana artists like Sturgill Simpson, whose Metamodern Sounds in Country Music album proved a throwback to the music his father made. The two have struck up a friendship, with Simpson agreeing to produce Ben's albumwhen he's ready to record.

For now, Ben's content with burnishing his father's legacy, playing his songs and pleasing Merle's many fans, doing his part as the good son.

"When I'm compared to him, I realize it's to someone far greater, but it gives me hope and the drive to emerge from his shadow, and hopefully, one day, to stand just as tall," Ben says humbly. "Merle shot for the moon, and there's no reason I can't aim for it, too."

Back on-stage, Ben leans into one of his father's signature songs, "Footlights," about his own career, and, while fudging his age, the sentiment seems to ring true from one generation to the next.

"But I'm 41 years old and I ain't got no place to go/When it's over/So I hide my age and make the stage and/Try to kick the footlights out again."

For Ben Haggard, this is just the beginning of his artistic journey, and he still has plenty of places to go, but he looks well-prepared to kick out the footlights in his own right.

London-born singer, songwriter and producer Alex Clare is one of those lucky people who will never be short of something startling to tell when the lights dim and true conversation really begins.

"Where do you even start with a story like mine?" he laughs, down the line from his home in Jerusalem - and he makes a good point. Alex signed a major label deal with Island in 2010, released a single and an album then got unceremoniously dropped. When, in 2012, a song called 'Too Close' was pulled from the album and placed on an Internet Explorer 9 advert it prompted millions of sales and, lo and behold, he got re-signed. Eighteen months later he made a new album that the label failed to get behind and, as you might expect, it sold, in his own words, "nothing." He got married, toured the US, Russia and Europe and started a family.

In the summer of 2015 he removed himself to a narrow boat on the River Lea (his debut was also recorded afloat, "I love boats," he says. "The one thing that I miss about the UK, is that Jerusalem, is on top of a mountain. No boats!") with his friend, bass-player and founder member of Submotion Orchestra, Chris Hargreaves and the pair began to record again. What they came up with is a remarkable work called 'Tail of Lions'. Written and recorded in a few short weeks, Alex would spend months with Chris working on exactly the right mix for this new collection, a place where soul, rock and funk meet steel-sharp electronica and iced-out drum and bass.

For production, Alex holds true to lifelong loves like Radiohead's OK Computer and Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. For vibe he's all about that breezy, liquid funky blues of Donny Hathaway's Magnificent Sanctuary Band and Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life, in particular, the brilliant Have a Talk With God; not forgetting his beloved iconic New Orleans street singer Snooks Eaglin - "he's the greatest cover band of all time," Alex enthuses, "and all in the one person!"

The title comes from a Jewish expression - as Alex explains. "It's better to be the tail of a lion than the head of a fox," he says. "we live in a society where the focus on success and celebrity seem too far out way the focus on ability and effort - all the money, limited talent.

The emotion behind the record is something else entirely. When Alex had his massive worldwide hit with 'Too Close' it exposed him to millions of new fans, but, as with so many others, it threatened to overshadow and derail his career. "Happily," he says, "a big part of my faith is acknowledging something that's good. So even if someone does you a kindness even for their own self-centered gains, even they deserve credit. How much more so when something comes from a place of true altruism."

For Alex, 'Too Close' took him to another level, it paid for his family home, elevated the attendance at his shows and increased his touring base. "It was an amazing thing to happen," he says, "and I still reap the benefits now. When I lived in London kids would walk down the street and sing it to me and I loved that."

'Tail of Lions' is a very different record from his two previous examples. Alex's perspective has changed so much, on life and love and fatherhood - he has two young children now and much of his time is devoted to them. The realities of his own life have changed. "I've had to step up" he says. "So many big things are happening in Europe and the US and, of course, just over the border from where we are in Syria."

For all the problems, talking to Alex impresses on you a very particular kind of positivity - you can hear his smile from 3000 miles away. The first song the pair started on was 'Get Real'. Alex says he tries to understand himself as much as we can - "although human beings are pretty complicated" - and 'Get Real' is a look at trying to rectify some bad habits and traits. "We only have a short time here, so it's important to work on yourself." "What are my bad habits?" he laughs. "Well, I'm a human being and a man, so it's a fairly wide field. There are always areas to grow and work on..."

'Tell Me What You Need' looks at how some things in relationships are good and some things are confusing, frustrating and sometimes difficult. Alex comes from a family where you shout and scream to make your point while his wife is little more reserved. "You have to learn to ride the bumps," he says. "I talk with my hands, raise my voice and put all my cards on the table, while my wife tends to close up and wait for the storm to pass."

'Bring Me Down' looks at those suffering from an attack of self-righteousness. "There's nothing more aggravating than someone who knows they are right," he says. "It's the tyranny of certitude. The height of arrogance is not to be able to see another person's point of view."

Basic tells the story of a friend of Alex's who suffered a nervous breakdown. "He lost his flat and job," Alex says, "meanwhile people were calling him a wasteman as he was having this psychotic episode. Basic is a tribute to him and what he went through..."

Then there's 'Tired From The Fire', a love song, but one that's decidedly esoteric. The lyrics draw on The Song of Songs, a parable describing the relationship between God and the Jewish people, where God is the husband and the Jewish people are the wife. The literal translation, Alex says, reads like a deep song of yearning for the one your heart desires. A real romantic drama. "It's a powerful and provocative piece of writing and 'Tired By The Fire' takes on that idea of doing right by love."

On 'Love Can Heal' Alex looks at different types of love. "There is infatuation," Alex says. "It's passionate and intense, but it's blown apart by insecurity and paranoia, it's very immature. I had those relationships, all though I'm reluctant call them relationships, before I met my wife. It's much more important to really feel like you can depend on each other, emotionally, intellectually and physically and then make a family together - and that's where I am now.

The gorgeous 'You'll Be Fine' looks at the famous thoughts of Reb Nachman of Breslov who said, "There is really no such thing as despair". But, of course, there is despair and so Alex felt very frustrated. He was thinking about people who've just lost someone, or just suffered some trauma and who can't feel these words. People who do despair, people who feel the world is as bad as it can possibly be. "When your emotions are driving you insane it can be a huge battle to develop self-control," he says. "Especially if, like me, you're impulsive and emotional. So in trying to overcome my own thoughts and feelings - in my own despair - it's been hard to see the woods from the trees. People get stuck in what they can see, if that's all there is. To say there is no such thing as despair means that there's nothing really to despair about. You will learn things from pain and trauma - terrible situations drive solutions from within. When it's nighttime one has to be aware that there's just a few hours till morning."

'Open My Eyes' "It's about people wanting a change," Alex says. "But how we sometimes look to people who might not have our best interests in mind." Alex says Western democracy has looked like "a farce" in the last few years, the song is about frustration, and how whenever there is a revolution, within a couple of years everything's back to exactly how it was. "I was into leftist politics, as a teenager" he says, "but I was very quickly disillusioned with it when I saw how the people organizing, say, the Anti-Sweatshop demos I went on, wore Nike trainers and tracksuits."

When he tried to raise the point he was always told, "the model for living now isn't the model for how we'll live in the future. It's ridiculous - people want to make a noise, but they're not actually willing to do anything."

'Tail of Lions' was A&R'd by the two men on their boat. "We're not trying to make hit records," Alex says. "We're only interested in making nasty sounding music to play live." Alex now revels in a complete creative control he's never had before. "My last two albums were bank-rolled and A&R'd which was great - major labels have the logistics and the admin nailed - but when it comes to creative input, A&Rs often don't know much music and they certainly don't know about my music. I'm trying to get my craziest ideas out there and that's not always easy. There were songs on both my last albums that I didn't like, but the label wanted them on and that meant songs I really liked got left off - and that's crazy."

Of course, the interplay between commerce and art can produce the most amazing things. "The Renaissance happened because of private sponsorship," Alex smiles, "but I like having creative freedom. I want to make music that people dance to. I want to build up that energy so people can really let go and that's my whole focus. Ultimately, I don't need anyone to A&R that."

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