Bruce Springsteen’s “Working on a Dream”… I’m still a fan.

Lucky Day

I’m as giddy as an 8 year old girl with her new pony! I have been waiting with much anticipation for Bruce Springsteen’s new CD “Working on a Dream”  I pre-ordered it from iTunes and downloaded it last night.

The music critics haven’t been kind to my New Jersey brother.

Joel Slevin of the San Francisco Chronicle said, “It’s hard to believe that the Springsteen of ‘Working on a Dream‘ ever produced works of poignancy and intensity.”

Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune: “Both overdone and remarkably slight, ‘Working on a Dream’ ranks with the forgettable ‘Human Touch’ (1992) as the most underwhelming Springsteen studio release.”

Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times thought, “The best thing that can be said about ‘Working on a Dream’ is that it’s boisterously scatterbrained, exhilaratingly bad.”

James Reed of the Boston Globe notes, “Curiously, ‘Working on a Dream’ comes with a DVD on the making of the album, but it’s safe to say this isn’t a classic that warrants it. You’ll just have to wait for the next curveball.”

Although there is a bit of negativity which I think is warranted, there are some really great tracks on this CD.  I think Richard Williams of The Guardian has the perfect Review of “Working on a Dream”.

500 Miles to Memphis: I never knew Country Punk was a Genre

…until I heard 500 Miles to Memphis.

A good friend of mine David Rhodes Brown who used to be with a group called “The Catalog Cowboys” and has been a mainstay on the Rock music scene for what seems to be eternity…(sorry David…but you are older than me) told me he was playing with a “new” band and that I should come out to see them.

Suffice it to say I don’t really need any reason to go see great local music. So that Friday night I made my way to The Rhythm and Blues Cafe to see what David described as the best bunch of young musicians he ever seen and worked with.

The front man for the group wasn’t David (which I thought it would be) but a young kid named Ryan Malott…David played keyboards and lap steel. I was mesmerized by what was coming out of the Amps.

I never really heard anything like it. After the first set I introduced myself and asked Ryan what exactly was the music he was playing, he said with out missing a beat…”hell, it’s Country Punk!”. I almost shit myself laughing because I’ve heard of every genre of music but Country Punk was a first.

I lived in the Over the Rhine section of Cincinnati, so it was easy to get to most of the gigs they played. I could walk there and not worry about driving. I love turning people on the them because it is a sound that no one has ever heard before and always leaves you with wanting more.

Watch this video of 500 Miles To Memphis and tell me what you think.

Tracey Walker: A musical style with Hodge Podge written all over it.

The many awards Tracey has won doesn’t even come close to telling you who she is…although the list is mighty impressive:

“Walker beat stiff competition and was named 1997 Best Singer/Songwriter and 2000 Best Folk Artist by the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards sponsored by Cincinnati CityBeat, the city’s leading weekly newspaper of arts and issues. She was also awarded two CAMMY’s, the Cincinnati Enquirer Pop Music Awards, for Best Solo Act 1999 and Best Folk/Bluegrass Vocalist 2001. She was voted Best Local Musician in CityBeat’s Best Of Cincinnati readers’ poll and received another CEA nomination in 2002. ”

- Taken from her bio on CD Baby

She stands about 5′ 3″ but her incredible alto voice albeit smooth belts out harmonious sounds that are bigger than life.  I can listen to her all day and never get sick of it.  Check out some samples of her new CD at CD BABY

Every chance I get I try to see her live.  I was able to hang out a lot with her because we would frequent the same social events and fund raisers and she was always a blast to hang out with.  Her view on the world is very refreshing and can be heard throughout the lyrics of the hodge podge or Gallimaufry of musical style. She has always been one of the most popular singer/songwriters on the Midwest music scene.

Whenever I get back to Cincinnati I always try to find where she is playing and that’s one of my first stops. Here’s video of “I’ve Been Looking Around”

Kelly Richey: F@#k Women’s Lib… She Can Play Guitar!

There really isn’t much more that can be said about Kelly Richey that the music critics haven’t already said.

“Stevie Ray Vaughn trapped in a woman’s body with Janis Joplin screaming to get out.”

“With chops and agility that just seem to scale new heights every time out, she’s actually more Albert King than Bonnie Raitt and knows full well how to burn the house down.”
- Midwest Record

“Spine-chilling, tasty blues magic from the Cincinnati-based singer/songwriter, channeling the voodoo of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan into her own deep, funky, mystic right.”
- John James

Her music is awesome but I got to meet and enjoy Kelly’s company on a personal level. She needed help to get her weight down for an upcoming tour and asked me to help her out. We got her weight down and began a longtime friendship.

There were times that I didn’t like some of the things she was doing but I always believed that she had the best intentions. I know she has the determination and the skill set to do anything she sets her mind too. She has matured into an awesome musician beyond my wildest dreams and has taken her career to a whole different level.

The one thing I love about Kelly is the intensity she possesses on stage.  She gives everything she has to her fans.  I’ve seen her sick as a dog at a gig and you would’ve never known it because she plays guitar because she loves it and her passion comes out on stage.  She also loves her fans and potential fans.  Her music has also become a poetic extension of her life and you can definitely tell where her heart is.

If Kelly is coming to your area buy a ticket now and celebrate the night you get to experience her talent. Watch the video to get a taste of what is the Kelly Richey experience.

The Melismatics: The Definition of Power Pop

I met this Minneapolis post-punk indie band with a pop sugar coating when that were playing at the 2004 Mid-Point Music Festival in Cincinnati. Mid-Point usually is about the second or third week of September and brings in about 180 or so bands, nearly half of them are local…the other half are bands that are begging to be it.

For all the flaws that Cincinnati has, this has never been one of them. Founder Bill Donabedian rocks the hell out of Cincinnati every festival and gives all 12,000 music fans great music from every genre, but this isn’t about Mid-Point this is about an indie band from Minneapolis, MN that is just a pleasure to listen to.

I thought when I went to see them that it would be more of a bubble gum show then a Rock show. I was pleasantly surprised. Their new CD at the time was New Infection and I scooped it up the second the show was over. The title track has been on my iPod Nano ever since I bought it.

What really caught my attention was the energy that everyone in the band had. Ryan Smith (lead vocals, electric guitar) sung his heart out on every single song and made it seem effortless.

The Melismatics have a brand new CD called “Acid Test” and the video below is song from it called “Soul Sucker”. Trust me it will not leave your head for a while.

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