The Mystix

Were these guys discovered in some smoky honky tonk in Lubbock or Amarillo or some swamp pop dive in Shreveport or Lafayette? Ummm... it says here that Blue Morning was recorded in Saugus, MA! This is clearly a labor of love from a super talented ensemble of veteran session players from the Boston area, and they nail it! From Jo Lily's wonderfully raspy Hiatt/Dylan vocals and downright nasty guitar playin' to the butt-kickin' rhythym section, this is a true delight from beginning to end. There's a garage band immediacy to their sound, but these cats can really play. I haven't heard their brand new release Down to the Shore, yet, but I'm sure it will warrant mention here soon. Until then.... crank it up!

www.cdbaby.com/cd/mystix2


http://www.themystix.com/

SambaDa

Need a lift? Check out Salve a Bahia. This is joyful, sensuous music that will have your whole body movin' in no time. Bahia by way of Santa Cruz, CA, with captivating rhythms and lovely harmonies. The singing is all in Portugese, but English translations are helpfully provided in the CD package. You may just find yourself busting out some capoeira moves you didn't even know you had inya. A perfect way to get in touch with your inner Brazilian!

http://cdbaby.com/cd/sambada2

http://www.sambada.com/

John Scofield & the Piety Street Band

It's not every concert you attend where you suddenly realize "hey that's Bonnie Raitt sitting down there a few rows in front of us." What artist could draw a legend like that to sit in the audience? We were fortunate to be able to see legendary jazz guitarist John Scofield last week with a crack ensemble of master musicians from New Orleans billing themselves as the Piety Street Band. With the amazing Jon Cleary on keyboards and vocals, George Porter Jr. on bass and vocals and Ricky Fataar on drums, we knew we were in for a treat. Their arrangements of a set of classic gospel tunes rocked the house. Fortunately, the set is available on their new album Piety Street. Definitely worth a listen!

www.lala.com/#artist/john.scofield

http://www.johnscofield.com/

Damon Fowler

The twangy delights of the vintage Fender Telecaster are fully on display on Sugar Shack, the debut release on the venerable Blind Pig Records label from this gifted young Florida guitar slinger. His songwriting is also impressive, and with titles like "VFW," "Sugar Lee" and "I Hope It's Gonna Rain," you know can't get much mo' rootsier than that.... Also included are some inspired covers of classics like "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down." Great drivin' music.....

http://www.blindpigrecords.com

http://www.lala.com/#search/Damon%20Fowler

Funkapalooza

It's almost Jazzfest time, and music lovers everywhere wish they were heading to the Crescent City. I recently had the opportunity to visit and spend a couple of hours in my favorite local independent record store, the Louisiana Music Factory (www.louisianamusicfactory.com)
They've got lots of listening stations, and it's always a very effective sales device where I'm concerned. I picked up a number of local releases from 2008 that I hadn't seen in my local spots... even Amoeba. All are highly recommended:

Big Sam's Funky Nation Peace, Love and Understanding
The horns are front and center on this up tempo, high energy largely instrumental set. Immobility is not an option. http://cdbaby.com/cd/bigsamfn3

Bonerama Bringing It Home
Their four trombone front line plus electric guitar, bass and drums takes the NOLA brass band sound to a whole nother level. This nonstop boogie session is recorded live and the boys definitely rise to the occasion. http://cdbaby.com/cd/bonerama3

Joe Krown, Walter Wolfman Washington, Russell Batiste Jr. Live at the Maple Leaf
Another raucous live set from one of NOLA's funkiest venues featuring three local legends, with the master of the 1958 Hammond B3 in the spotlight. www.joekrown.com

Porter, Batiste, Stoltz Moodoo
Another of NOLA's favorite funk/jazz/rock power trios in a smokin' live performance, featuring Page McConnell on keyboards on several cuts. http://cdbaby.com/cd/pbstoltz2

Brother Tyrone

If I'd come across this self-released gem (Mindbender) from New Orleans any sooner, it would have been a serious contender for my favorite album of 2008. This is the real deal. You'll hear echoes of classic soul and blues singers like Al Green, Johnnie Taylor, and Bobbie Blue Bland, but Brother Tyrone is a true original. What a voice! And he's backed by some amazing male gospel singers and a crack ensemble of NOLA musicians, recorded at the Piety Street studios. Give this a listen and you'll need to order it or download it immediately!

http://cdbaby.com/cd/brothertyrone

The Refugees

Fans of one of my favorite groups, The Wailin' Jennys, should definitely check out this debut release from The Refugees entitled Unbound. Three veteran solo artists (Wendy Waldman, Deborah Holland and Cindy Bullens) have joined forces to produce spine tingling three-part harmonies and tasty acoustic musicianship, leavened with a sense of humor.

http://www.therefugees.com/

www.myspace.com/refugees3

Welcome to "Music for the Rest of Us"

What do I mean by that? I'm talking about the fertile yet relatively unexplored territory that lies West of Madonna and Britney but East of Radiohead and Animal Collective and South of Lil' Wayne and Fifty Cent. It's the place where Memphis Soul and New Orleans Funk and Urban Blues can be found. It's where Cajun and Zydeco artists bend genres and contemporary bluegrass pickers dazzle with their musicianship and harmonies. It's where so-called alt.country and Americana and Roots music thrives alongside rockabilly and roadhouse blues and Southern Stoner rock. It's also where Hawaiian slack key guitar meets Portugese fado and Cape Verdean and African rhythms joyfully coexist with Brazilian samba, Tex Mex conjunto and Colombian cumbia.

There's a whole world of amazing music out there that's rarely noticed by mainstream media. Despite the ongoing meltdown of the traditional music industry, artists are putting out more great tunes than ever before. How to find them? I'm a compulsive browser in independent record stores and reader of publications like Mojo, Relix, Dirty Linen, Fretboard Journal, Songlines, and No Depression. For several years now, I've been putting together an annual "top ten" list of my favorite releases of the past year for my friends. At their urging, I've decided to expand my efforts to a more year-round endeavor. This blog is a first step in that direction.

You're not going to read here about the latest releases from U2 or The Boss. You don't need me to find out about them. Rather, my beat is the somewhat more obscure artists that record on independent labels who are making music that I believe you'll love as much as I do. That's my goal.

I'm always eager to hear about new artists, so please share your tips and I'll be happy to pass them along via this venue. Your feedback is always welcome!