Odds and Ends

Each week I use this space to post some mini-reviews, cool tracks, random thoughts, neat news, or whatever else I damn well please.

MiniReview
Drew Martin and the Limelights [EP] – Drew Martin is a singer-songwriter from Richmond, VA, leading the band Drew Martin & the Limelights. Their first EP is self-titled and available on iTunes and Amazon – it features five jangle pop tracks to enhance your chilling out this summer. Drew is also a member of the Jim Ivins Band, which we’ve covered a couple times here previously on BMF (click here), and Ivins plays along here as one of the Limelights. Martin has a soothing voice, which can kick up into an ear-pleasing falsetto, perfect for this style of mellow yet upbeat pop rock. Most of the tunes are acoustic-based and feature cozy melodies atop of smart lyrics telling stories of deceit, nostalgia, and hope. Highlights include the driving rockers “Calling Your Bluff” and “Bring The Light”, but don’t miss the breezy closer “Just Call Me” either. Learn more about the band and their music here.

Great new video from Neil Nathan
Check out this great new animated video from Neil Nathan, “a homage to the perfect Sunday drive and to my uncle who used to drive a 67 Chevy Corvette Sting Ray Convertible and refurbish 'em for other collectors”. See more on Neil Nathan here.



Surprise of the week
Um…Rob Zombie has done a commercial for…wait for it…WOOLITE! You know, the gentle laundry detergent. Perfect match up, wouldn’t you say? It’s actually kind of cool – check it out here.

News
Tyketto reunion and new album for 2012. “Well...the ink is finally dry, and we can announce that Tyketto has signed with worldwide giant, FRONTIERS RECORDS. Tyketto happily joins the Frontiers family, which houses such heavyweights as Def leppard, Whitesnake and Journey! We have been busy finalizing the deal, and working on material for our fourth studio release. This will be our first new album since 1995's SHINE. These are some of the best ideas we have worked on in years. There's plenty of the classic DON'T COME EASY sound, mixed in with some new ideas and some great surprises! Look out for a Spring 2012 release....everywhere! All FOUR ORIGINAL MEMBERS WILL BE A PART OF THIS SPECIAL EVENT!”

American Idol David Cook will be celebrating the release of his sophomore album “This Loud Morning” on June 28th, 2011 with a special event at the Paramount Hotel in Times Square, NYC. Read more about it here.

New Butch Walker coming this Fall – not many details at this time, but you can read the story here.

Check out three new songs by Morrissey from his forthcoming new album here.

Paul McCartney opens up about the release of his first solo album and the breakup of the Beatles. McCartney said, "I was not a popular bunny". Read the full story here. By the way, Sir Paul turns 69 today - Happy Birthday!

Random iPOD song of the week
Never understood why the leadoff single, “Didn’t Know It Was Love”, from Survivor’s “Too Hot To Sleep” album didn’t help the record blaze up the charts. What is there not to like about this song?

Neil Nathan Releases Earth Day A/B Side

Neil Nathan Releases Earth Day A/B Side
Featuring "What A Wonderful World"
To Raise Funds for Reverb & Earth Day NY

NEW YORK (April 22, 2011) — "Indie pop rocker Neil Nathan can always be counted on to provide a song for a holiday," says Snob's Music. Whether it's his April Fool's Day release of his "original version" of "Honkytonk Woman," or his darkly comic "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" charity video, or his Valentine's Day Video for his ode to undying love, "You're Mine," Nathan is always looking for an excuse to celebrate.

This time he sets his sights on Earth Day with an A/B side entitled EARTH A.B. It features his breezy power popping cover of the Louis Armstrong and Ramones Classic "What a Wonderful World." Nathan enlisted the help of fellow Pirate Vinyl labelmates, Pete Sinjin and SusannaH Conn to create a Fleetwood Mac/Traveling Wilbury's influenced hippie gang vocal that riffs once more on this timeless classic. Riley McMahon co produced and Adrian Harpham played drums.

By contrast, the B side is a somber ethereal ballad entitled "What We Do." Nathan was inspired to write it during a trip to Jamaica and St.Croix. "All they played was Bob Marley on a loop, it was killing me. There's obviously nothing wrong with Bob, but there are other Reggae artists. It got me thinking about how much I love Jimmy Cliff and the melody just popped into my head. It took a lot of self control to not blatantly mimic him when I was recording the vocal."

Nathan is using the tunes to help raise funds for two green organizations. In the spirit of thinking globally and acting locally, there's Earth Day NY. And the other is Reverb, the org that greens rock tours for artists like Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, and Ben Harper. Click on the album cover below to stream and download the songs and on the links above to make a donation. You can also download the record at neilnathan.com/free.

Original “Honkytonk Woman” Unearthed - Rolling Stones To Be Sued For Theft

Original “Honkytonk Woman” Unearthed
Rolling Stones To Be Sued For Theft

NEW YORK (April 1, 2011) — Shocking new evidence indicates that “Honkytonk Woman” was not written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Though they’ve been credited with creating the song while on Brazilian holiday in 1968, its true birthplace goes back much further. Richard's quote that “it was originally written as a real Hank Williams/Jimmie Rodgers/1930’s country song,“ seems now to be quite revealing of its true origin; the1930’s. And the writer is golden voiced crooner, William “Silky Bill” Nathan. Virtually unknown to all but the most serious auteurs, Nathan is credited as one of Elvis’ main vocal influences. But since all his recordings were believed to be lost to oxidation, it was never known to what extent until now.

How could such a ruse have stood for the past 40 years? It seems that billionaire and noted eccentric Maurice Fetherberry, had hoarded the song amongst the rest of his 30’s vintage country, folk, and blues archives. The Maurice Fetherberry Archives were thought to be lost while in transport on the final voyage of the Andrea Doria (Fetherberry believed air travel to be unsafe).

However, the real truth is they ended up in the hands of Fetherberry’s grandaughter, Marianne Faithfull, Jagger’s girl friend from 1966-1970, and co-writer with Jagger and Richards of Sister Morphine. Although now clean and sober for decades, at the time Faithfull was battling her own demons, and sold the archives to fund her drug addiction. No one knows whose hands they passed through since then, and the collection has been all but decimated. But in a strange twist of fate, the original recording of “Honkytonk Woman” has found its final and rightful resting place; in the hands of William “Silky Bill” Nathan’s great grandson, Neil Nathan. A singer songwriter in his own right, Neil gravitated over to some cylinders of 78’s at a NYC antique fair and noticed his great grandfather’s name on one of them. Now Nathan is fuming and and plans to file suit against Jagger and Richards. “Those slimey limey bastards’ll get there’s! You can’t just tell people you did something you didn’t do!”

Contact: nicklloyd@piratevinyl.com

Neil Nathan's "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" Charity Video

Neil Nathan's "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" Charity Video was written and directed by Zev David Deans (The Yes Men Survivaball video).

In it, he plays a little boy in feetsy pajamas that opens his presents early and gets busted and whisked away by a very scary David Lynch Santa Claus and his Evil Elves. He's using it to raise funds for the The Fred Gabler Helping Hand Camp Fund, which sends underprivileged youth to summer camp and was started in the name of his dear and lifelong friend who passed in the WTC on 9/11. This is the link to make a donation.

And click here to download the song for free.

New Rock The Vote video from Neil Nathan - "So Much More"

Neil Nathan, a former high school history teacher, may no longer work at New York's Martin Luther King, Jr. High, but he's still always looking for opportunities to inspire and educate. The upcoming Election Day is just one of those opportunities. "So Much More" was written for "the angels of American democracy" and is all about the power of individual citizens to bring about positive political change. The video is filled with inspiring images that make any viewer want to rock the vote. "So Much More" can be found on his debut LP, "The Distance Calls".

Nathan was featured on the cover of American Teacher magazine for directing Martin Luther King, Jr. High School's Arts Education program and providing inner city kids with opportunities to intern and attend performances at New York City Opera, Guggenheim Museum, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. His favorite teachers turned rockers are Gene Simmons and Bob Pollard.

Read our review of Neil Nathan's latest record, "The Distance Calls" here.

Interview: Neil Nathan

Neil Nathan's debut record, "The Distance Calls", merges ’70s style jangle pop with modern singer-songwriter smarts. He is equal parts Cat Stevens and Matthew Sweet, and he recently took a few moments to entertain some of our questions…

Q: Neil – thank you very much for taking the time to chat. Let’s go back to the beginning; we’d like to hear about the time it first dawned on you that music was your calling…

Read the full interview now at Rock and Roll Report.

Our review of "The Distance Calls" is here.

Lots of free mp3 for your weekend

Free mp3 Friday! All of these are free and legal downloads, courtesy of Green Light Go.

Echo Orbiter, From "Euphonicmontage" Release Date: September 28, 2010
“Mouth of an Incomplete Twin”
“This Worm In Rigor Mortis”
Genre: Experimental
For fans of: Elephant 6, Elf Power

Alan Cohen Experience, From "Space & Time" due out August 31, 2010 (reviewed here).
“Arrows of Time”
“The Uncertainty Principle”
“Einstein”
Genre: Anti-folk/power pop
For fans of: Adam Green, Jeffrey Lewis

Sara Radle, From "Four" Release Date: September 14, 2010 (reviewed here)
“Song for Adam”
Genre: Powerpop
For fans of: Jenny Lewis, Regina Spektor, Dum Dum Girls

Neil Nathan, From "The Distance Calls" Release Date: August 24, 2010 (reviewed here)
“California Run” http://www.greenlightgopublicity.com/clients/content/neilnathan/audio/California_Run.mp3
“Highways” http://www.greenlightgopublicity.com/clients/content/neilnathan/audio/Highways.mp3
Genre: Powerpop
For fans of: Matthew Sweet, Cat Stevens, The Go, Marc Bolan

Neutral Uke Hotel“King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1” (Neutral Milk Hotel Cover)
Genre: Indie rock, Cover song
For fans of: Neutral Milk Hotel

The White Ravens, From "Gargoyles and Weather Vanes" due out July 6, 2010
“Sparks”
“Tick Tock”
Genre: Garage rock
For fans of: The White Stripes, Fiery Furnaces

Gwyneth & Monko, From "Good Old Horse" due out July 20, 2010
“Good Old Horse”
“Lexington Ballad”
Genre: Americana/Folk
For fans of: Jenny Lewis, Gillian Welch

Leopold and His Fiction, From the upcoming album TBA
“Golden Friends”
Genre: Garage folk
For fans of: The Black Keys, Kings of Leon, Heartless Bastards

Review: Neil Nathan "The Distance Calls"

Neil Nathan's debut record, "The Distance Calls" merges 70s-style jangle pop with modern singer/songwriter smarts. The fusion is best exemplified with his gorgeous take on the E.L.O. classic "Do Ya", which Nathan has stripped down to bare essentials. It is a brilliant interpretation of a jubilant pop song, and nod to Nathan's core musical influences. The CD itself, which looks like a vinyl record, is another nod to the era Nathan embodies.

“This is the first record I’ve done where there’s a balance to my sound. Bobby [Harlow] was able to successfully marry my harder rock side with the singer/songwriter in me,” says Nathan. "The Distance Calls" contains songs that will appeal to a wide audience, including fans of Cat Stevens to Matthew Sweet.

Nathan's vocals could easily be mistaken for Cat Stevens at times - most notably on the aching ballad, "Don't Walk Away". But Nathan does more on this record than pull at the heartstrings with his sincere balladry - he can make you want to get up and dance, like on the bluesy rockers "Get On" and "Never Enough". Additional highlights on "The Distance Calls" include the cheery jangle of "California Run", the catchy mid-tempo anthem, "When The Rain Falls", and the powerpop gem "Too Late". And just when you think Nathan might have run out of steam, he perks you up with another sizzling roots rocker, "Better Be Goin'", which reminds me of Bread when they rocked out.

"The Distance Calls" will be available August 24, 2010.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 13

Neil Nathan on MySpace. Official site.