Depeche Mode: Spirit [Album Review]

Depeche Mode Spirit Columbia Records [2017] Fire Note Says: On their 14th studio album, synth pop pioneers Depeche Mode have become more predictable compared to their early work. Album Review: By now, nearly 40 years in, Depeche Mode must be the most popular and successful of the 80s bands that abandoned traditional instruments for the … Read more

Moon Duo: Occult Architecture, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 [Album Review]

Moon Duo Occult Architecture, Vol. 1 Sacred Bones Records [2017] Moon Duo Occult Architecture Vol. 2 Sacred Bones Records [2017] Who: Portland, Oregon’s Moon Duo return for their fourth album which was released in two separate volumes. Sound: Moon Duo have a heavy psychedelic krautrock sound that is layered with clever flourishes of synth and … Read more

Damaged Bug: Bunker Funk [Album Review]

Damaged Bug Bunker Funk Castle Face Records [2017] Who: Damaged Bug is the very low profile side project of the super busy John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees and Castle Face Records fame. Sound: Damaged Bug separates itself out from Dwyer’s other work by focusing more on synths and electronic noises. It has a krautrock … Read more

Ray Davies: Americana [Album Review]

Ray Davies Americana Sony/Legacy Recrodings [2017] Fire Note Says: Kinks’ rocker Ray Davies joins with alt-country Jayhawks to take a musical journey through the wild west, sorting reality from fantasy in pursuit of the American Dream Album Review: Ray Davies, 73, is still best remembered for a pop song he wrote and recorded with the … Read more

Me First And The Gimmie Gimmies: Rake It In – The Greatestest Hits [Album Review]

Me First And The Gimmie Gimmies Rake It In: The Greatestest Hits Fat Wreck Chords [2017] Who: Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, consists of NOFX frontman Fat Mike, Lagwagon frontman Joey Cape, (Foo Fighting) Chris Shiflett, Lagwagon drummer Dave Raun, and Spike Slawson. The band has been covering other artists’ hits for over two … Read more

Ty Segall – “Break A Guitar” [Video]

Ty Segall has just released a new video for “Break a Guitar,” which is the lead track off his excellent self-titled record released earlier this year.

The video projects a kaleidoscopic (literally) mashup of rock ‘n’ rollers rockin’, with the full band in full effect (Emmett Kelly, Mikal Cronin, Charles Moothart and Ben Boye) while a stream of familiar faces roll with a guitar mash-up!

Ty Segall and the Freedom Band are headed back on tour in early May to select US cities, and then it’s across the water for even MORE shows! Dates below.

Ty Segall Tour Dates:
Sat. May 6—Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s
Mon. May 8 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar
Wed. May 10 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
Thu. May 11 – Indianapolis, IN @ Irving Theater
Sat. May 13 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
Sun. May 14 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Wed. May 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Thu. May 18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Fri. May 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Sat. May 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theater
Sun. May 21 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theater
Mon. May 22 – Louisville, KY @ Headliner’s Music Hall
Thu. May 25 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
Fri. May 26 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s
Sat. May 27 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre
Sun. May 28—El Paso, TX @ Neon Desert Festival
Mon. May 29 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Pressroom
Tues. June 2—Thu. June 4—San Francisco, CA @ Colossal Clusterfest
Fri. July 21—Sun. July—Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Fest
Fri. Aug. 4 – Sun. Aug. 6 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
Thu. Aug. 3—Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue Theatre
Thu. Aug. 17—Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop Festival
Fri. Aug. 18 — Biddinghuizen, NL @ Lowlands Festival
Sat. Aug. 19—Paredes de Coura, PT @ Festival Paredes de Coura
Sun. Aug. 20—Saint Malo, FR @ La Route du Rock Festival
Wed. Aug. 23 – Copenhagen, DK @ Den Grå Hal
Thu. Aug. 24 – Berlin, DE @ Astra
Fri. Aug. 25—Mezieres, FR @ Le Cabaret Vert Charleville
Sun. Aug. 27—Paris, FR @ Rock En Seine
Tues. Aug. 29—Biarritz, FR @ Atabal
Wed. Aug. 30—Toulouse, FR @ Le Bikini
Thu. Aug. 31 – Miranda De Ebro, ES @ Ebrovisión Festival
Fri. Sep. 1—London, UK @ The Coronet
Sat. Sep. 2.—Larmer Tree Gardens UK @ End of The Road Festival

Chris Shiflett: West Coast Town [Album Review]

Chris Shiflett West Coast Town SideOneDummy Records [2017] Fire Note Says: Foo Fighter’s Chris Shiflett’s high octane approach emphasizes the rock in country rock. Album Review: If you didn’t know that the Foo Fighter’s lead guitarist Chris Shiflett had also played with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, the country rock direction on his latest … Read more

The Friday Fire Track: Lords Of Sealand – “Motion”

While the track title might be a tad convoluted, the songs journey is anything but. Lords of Sealand hail from San Francisco bringing with them the digital concept single “Motion.” While a recording of a full-length album Zs is taking place, “Motion” wasn’t really supposed to evolve into the single that it did. The track … Read more

Trapper Schoepp – “Bumper Cars” [Video]

Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Trapper Schoepp will be releasing a six-song concept EP on June 2nd via Xtra Mile Recordings. The EP is centered around a 125-year-old wooden rollercoaster named The Zippin Pippin, which is located in Green Bay, WI on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Schoepp celebrates the Pippin and the other classic rides with these six songs that take the listener on six different adventures. Schoepp sings in the first single “Bumper Cars,” where pop culture rivalries such as Jerry Seinfeld and Newman and the Jedi and Sith collide on the ride. Check out the music video for “Bumper Cars.”

Schoepp – who has already crisscrossed the country sharing stages with The Wallflowers, The Jayhawks and Old 97’s – will be back on the road throughout 2017 in support of Bay Beach Amusement Park, starting with a three-week run throughout the U.S. supporting Ha Ha Tonka. Dates below with more to be announced soon.

04/22 – Milwaukee, WI @ Estabrook Park
05/18 – Kansas City, MO @ recordBar *
05/19 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway Music Venue *
05/20 – Chicago, IL The Empty Bottle *
05/31 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club *
06/01 – Green Bay, WI @ Lyric Room Live Music *
06/02 – Milwaukee, WI @ Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. *
06/03 – Indianapolis, IN @ The White Rabbit Cabaret *
06/04 – Cleveland, OH @ The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern *
06/06 – Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch *
06/07 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern *
06/08 – Rochester, NY @ Abilene Bar and Lounge *
06/09 – Providence, RI @ Firehouse 13 *
06/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ MilkBoy *
06/11 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn *
06/14 – Washington DC @ DC9 Nightclub *
06/15 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe *
06/16 – Newport, KY @ The Southgate House Revival
07/16 – Sheboygan, WI @ Midsummer Festival of the Arts
07/21 – Cedarburg, WI @ Summer Sounds
08/03 – Green Bay, WI @ Green Bay Botanical Garden
08/04 – Appleton, WI @ Mile of Music Festival
08/10 – Oshkosh, WI @ Waterfest
08/12 – Shell Lake, WI @ Potter’s Shed
08/31 – Wauwatosa, WI @ Tosa Tonight

* = supporting Ha Ha Tonka

Robert Randolph & The Family Band: Got Soul [Album Review]

Robert Randolph & The Family Band Got Soul Sony Masterworks [2017] Fire Note Says: Nothing else sounds like the mysterious pedal steel guitar in the hands of Robert Randolph, who mixes blues, gospel, R&B with jam band rock on his latest studio outing. Album Review: Fifteen years ago, Robert Randolph and his Family Band burst … Read more

The Friday Fire Track: Chain And The Gang – “The Logic Of Night”

Chain and the Gang have released five records over the past 8 years. Their new release, Best of Crime Rock, was meant to quickly catch you up if you have not been formally introduced as it is a collection of brand new recordings of hits from the band’s discography as well as two new songs. … Read more

RAYS: RAYS [Album Review]

RAYS RAYS Trouble In Mind Records [2017] Who: Oakland band is comprised of four Bay-area music veterans whose current & past musical projects include local bands-of-note like The World, Life Stinks, Violent Change, & Dadfag. Sound: RAYS have a Wire vibe to them with their urgent post-punk. Along with Wire, think Parquet Courts, The Modern … Read more

Aimee Mann: Mental Illness [Album Review]

Aimee Mann Mental Illness Superego [2017] Fire Note Says: Aimee Mann returns to her most comfortable acoustic folk/pop surroundings. Album Review: If Aimee Mann had another pop/rock band album in her after the break-up of her 80’s breakout as vocalist and bassist with the band ‘Til Tuesday, she got that out of her system with … Read more

Grandaddy: Last Place [Album Review]

Grandaddy Last Place 30th Century Records [2017] Fire Note Says: After a decade long hiatus, Grandaddy returns with Last Place, and it sounds like they never left. Album Review: Grandaddy main man, Jason Lytle, never really went away; he just parked his main car (Grandaddy) in the garage for the better part of a decade, … Read more

The New Pornographers: Whiteout Conditions [Album Review]

The New Pornographers Whiteout Conditions Collected Works/Concord Records [2017] Fire Note Says: The New Pornographers are consistently great. Album Review: The New Pornographers have returned with a new album by the name of Whiteout Conditions. It is unique in that it is the first album that the band has released without the contributions of Dan … Read more

Craig Finn: We All Want The Same Things [Album Review]

Craig Finn We All Want The Same Things Partison Records [2017] Fire Note Says: The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn finds his own voice, a stark story teller juxtaposing a bleak world view with uplifting music. Album Review: Craig Finn’s songs, with his band The Hold Steady and on his two previous solo releases, have always … Read more

Mastodon: Emperor Of Sand [Album Review]

Mastodon Emperor Of Sand Reprise Records [2017] Who: Atlanta, GA’s Mastodon has been a prominent member of the metal community ever since they released their 2002 debut album Remission. Mastodon adhere to many influences but, their albums are usually influenced by personal events and take on a somewhat conceptual nature. Sound: Mastodon have always kept … Read more

Father John Misty: Pure Comedy [Album Review]

Father John Misty Pure Comedy Sub Pop Records [2017] Fire Note Says: Father John Misty draws his line in the sand. Album Review: Pure Comedy will no doubt provoke numerous think pieces, and it’s difficult to resist the urge to join the fray. However, Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) has already done all the … Read more

Guided By Voices: August By Cake [Album Review]

Guided By Voices August By Cake GBV Inc. [2017] Fire Note Says: Robert Pollard’s 100th album is also one of his best. Album Review: Releasing a shit ton of music is in Robert Pollard’s DNA. Even Captain Obvious knows this. And no, he does not hold any kind of record for most songs written or … Read more