This week’s songs
Sunny War – New Day
July Talk – After This
The Mary Wallopers – Love Will Never Conquer Me
Crown Lands – White Buffalo
Gina Birch – I Play My Bass Loud
Caroline Rose – Miami
Joe Henry – Mission
Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers – Bad Night
Robert Forster – Go Free
Sunny War – “New Day” from Anarchist Gospel
Sunny War is actually Sydney Lyndella , a singer/songwiter based in California. She started playing guitar at 13 and became enamoured with punk/folk rock and a wide variety of music as evidenced by her participation in The Anus Kings.
She spent a rough period combating substance abuse and poverty and she eventually shifted to blues and folk and adopted the moniker Sunny War.
Mary Wallopers – “Love will Never Conquer Me” from The Mary Wallopers
The Mary Wallopers are an Irish folk music group based in Dundalk, County Louth. The main members are brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy who also front TPM, a comedy rap duo. If you liked The Pogues, you’ll like these folks.
The Mary Wallopers name has an interesting backstory. To quote, “We were named after a boat; the harbourmaster at the dock had a little rowing boat and he wrote on the side, the “Mary Walloper”. “Walloper” actually means “a mad person”. When Seán was a child, his father would say, “There’s the Mary Walloper!” as a joke. It was a tiny row boat and those don’t even have names on them. But this fella wrote a massive name for Mary Walloper on his boat. We only found out later on that there was actually a sex worker who used to work around the docks called Mary Walloper. She used to drink cider and like starting riots and having craic. So, he named the boat after her.”
Let’s get to know these fine fellows. https://roarnews.co.uk/2022/getting-to-know-the-mary-wallopers-interview/
“Love Will never Conquer Me” is simple but powerful.
Gina Birch – I Play My Bass Loud from I play My Bass Loud
Gina Birch is an English musician and filmmaker. She is best known as a member of the seminal late 70’s band The Raincoats. Probably their most “famous” song is this one:
The Raincoats broke up in 1984. Birch went on to attend art college. She has spent the last 40 years directing film, video and painting. This year at the age of 67, she created her first solo album. An AllMusic review noted that “It’s a loud, celebratory album that perfectly boils down Birch’s 40-plus-year journey as a tireless, boundless, and most of all fearless, creator”
The song has a very cool video
Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers – Bad Night
The Steep Canyon Rangers have been together since 2000 and have produced nine albums, two with Steve Martin. In 2013 they won Best Bluegrass Album at the Emmys. They toured with Martin for a few years and produced two albums with him.
A great band, glad to include them here. They are still playing, but there have been several personnel changes. I would think there was lots of comedy during their touring time with Steve Martin including this one.
Crown Lands
We saw this band when they opened for July Talk this week. We didn’t know anything about them, but they are pretty amazing. Just a band of two with an incredible story.
a little from one of their interviews:
“We don’t really do a lot in solitude for this band,” Comeau says. “When I’m alone and making music, it’s synth music, kind of like Vangelis or Tangerine Dream or John Carpenter. And when Cody’s on their own, Cody’s playing all these amazing flutes these days, and that’s a whole other world. But when we come together, it’s like, what would Pink Floyd do if they jammed with Rush? It’s a different kind of headspace.”
From their bio
This I didn’t know, from Wikipedia
Crown Lands won the Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year (this is their acceptance speech) at the Juno Awards of 2021.[6] The band were also nominated for Rock Album of the Year.[7]
The band consists of vocalist and drummer Cody Bowles, and guitarist, bassist and keyboardist Kevin Comeau.[1][2]
and from their Facebook Page
They also do an amazing cover of Come Together
Their influences (from e-talk) include Rush, Yes, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin. If you hear them this makes lots of sense.
They also do a great version of Come Together. They were asked to play this for the FIFA World Cup.
July Talk – After This
Everything this band does energizes. We saw them this week at the NAC, and really I couldn’t take my eyes off the stage. Every song was a dynamic dialogue among the members, especially Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay.
They have been together since 2012 and won a Juno for Alternative Album of the Year. Their new two albums also won Alternative Album of the Year – why not Album of the Year?
Their latest album Remember Never Before is now out. Exclaim loved it saying this is a return to their “hurl yourself into the moment” style of playing. I really didn’t know that they had to return to this – looking at their material it’s always been there.
Listening to Paper Girl right now – produced ten years ago now. And of course – Picturing Love which they played perfectly at the NAC.
Caroline Rose – Miami (Official Music Video)
Caroline Rose
Just because I’m brooding
Carolyn Rose – Miami
And wanna kill everything moving
It doesn’t mean I’m losing my marbles
I’m just moody
I keep on hearing this song. What really captures me first is the ending of the plaintive song. The video is dramatic and she comments on the featured song Miami
“I’m not one to shy away from drama, and so this was a perfect opportunity to really bring out every ounce of desperation and anger and all those confusing emotions that happen after a big heartbreak,” Rose elaborates on “Miami.”
Stereogum
This is Rose’s third album all since 2020.
and the ending
This is the hard part
The part that they don’t tell you about
There is the art of loving
This is the art of forgetting howThis is gonna break you
You’re gonna rip your own heart out
There is the art of loving
This is the art of forgetting howThis is the art of forgetting how
This is the art of forgetting how
This is the art of forgetting how
This is the art of forgetting howYou’ve gotta get through this life somehow
You’ve gotta get through this life somehow
You’ve gotta get through this life somehow
You’ve gotta get through this life somehow
Joe Henry – “Mission” from All the Eye Can See
Joe Henry has had an illustrious and varied career as an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He has released multiple studio albums and produced countless recordings for other artists, including three Grammy Award-winning albums. Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina he moved to Brooklyn in 1985 after graduating from the University of Michigan. He has produced Solomon Burke, Billy Bragg, Louden Wainwright 111 , Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello and many others.
He has co-written with Madonna as he has been married to her sister since 1987. From his 15th solo album, “The Mission”
The new release is garnering good reviews.
Years ago, Henry released “Our Song” Always loved these cryptic and melancholy lyrics.
“ Our Song”
I saw Willie Mays
At a Scotsdale Home Depot
Looking at Garage Door Springs
At the the far end of the 14th row
His wife stood there beside him
She was quiet and they both were proud
I gave them room but was close enough
That I heard him when he said out loud
This was my country
And this was my song
Somewhere in the middle there
Though it started badly and it's ending wrong
Robert Forster – “Go Free” from The Candle and the Flame
Robert Forster is a a former of the great 80’s Australian band The Go- Betweens mainly with the late great Grant McLennan. The Go-Betweens broke up in 1989 after six stellar underappreciated albums. Fave track? This gem:
The Go – Betweens reformed in 2000 and miraculously didn’t lose a beat releasing three more wonderful albums. Unfortunately, MacLennan succumbed to a heart attack in 2006 at the age of 48. Since then, Forster established a career as a music journalist in Australia and has over the years, released solo material. From his eighth solo lp, “Go Free”
The Guardian article excellently describes Forster’s tribulations which inspired his latest release, The Candle and the Flame
Whole-Hearted 