the411

*they have since parted ways. Still this is damn good. The Pollies exude smooth humility. The band’s camaraderie is evident. They imbue insouciance when playing their way. The  need to not rush their synchronized playing is definitive Pollies’ style. They can hang with anyone. It’s obvious they are cooly content to play for an audience. Still, if you don’t show up, physically or emotionally, They are going to play exactly the same way. Attempt to stay off your phone during live sets of music. The Pollies are a band to be savored. This music marinated in my brain before I put pen to paper. I did write it up long hand. It felt appropriate. While listening to the Pollies pair nostalgia with modern musical arrangements, I let myself get lost in their good vibrations. They chose their band name after someone's Grandmother for fuck sake. As Brian Wilson sang,  “I guess I just wasn’t made for these times”. It's too rushed, too much screen time. I want...

Flow Tribe: Flow Tribe the band is exactly as their name portrays. By definition FLOW is to “go from one place to another in a steady stream, typically in large numbers.” This six piece pack stays busy going on tour and bringing down the house at different venues around the United States. TRIBE by definition is known as a “social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities.” To be in a band you need to be like family or else society will tear you apart piece by piece leaving nothing left but a memory. This tribe of six is full of New Orleans natives and have been a wolf pack since 2004 when they were founded. And we thank the heavens they haven’t ceased their existence.  Front-man KC O’Rorke, raps, he sings, he dances and plays trumpet. He really is a true showman/entertainer. O’Rorke and his backing band have given us some brilliant music over the years. Their live performance is equivalent to a circus, without the animal cruelty. They br...

Secret American, brings on the bliss.  This exuberant 7 piece live band has that "thing".  One listen to the ebullient, get over yourself band and you are hooked. If you aren't charmed by this band's rhythmic know how and synchronized live dancing, I don't want to be your friend. Most bandmates live in the mighty music city of Philly. Derek  Krzywicki, their lead singer and principal songwriter, took  a plane ride to  the West coast and never came back East. They describe themselves as a “bi-coastal band from the U.S. blending indie soul with classic and contemporary pop-rock stylings”. They are known for their whimsical vibe while writing impactful, infectious music. They keep their music sunny and their twangy guitars give you the feeling of bonfire blasé. For all of you radio rats, I would go out on a limb to  compare these guys to the main stream band BORNS. They have also been likened to Cage the Elephant an...

A hard  rain fell in a rapid, spit fire pace for a spell. My friends drove all  the   way to Holmdell, NJ to catch a live gig. So we weren’t leaving. I had hearty friends with rock-solid taste in music back in the day. The mighty Neil Young was touring to promote Harvest Moon back in ’93. We all loved to blast Neil when we were rocking the back roads in Sussex County. About half way through, he broke out  the  acoustic to play “Unknown Legend”. He sang it in his languid, porch song style. His voice pulls out  the  syllables of "She’s been running half her life.... “ He slowed his roll down to tell us about  the  airs he breathes.  I felt the choke in my throat then I cried hot fat tears. I am not much of a tear shedder. But on this night, listening to him croon about a mysterious woman on a Harley, I lost it. I don’t think any of my inebriated compadres noticed. This is one of my all-time beloved song...

Zac Wood is building his own brick house. He's bringing on the mighty, mighty. After being in numerous dude bands, he decided to tackle the challenge of being his own one man project. He handpicked an incompatible name, Bear Flambe'. "Laying Bricks" dropped today.  The 10 song album blisters with unseemly lyrics, maniacal laughter and whip smart post punk riffs. It's glorious. "You've had enough to drink/ NOW PUT DOWN THE SPATULA! "    The band name emerged from a made up game. They cut up pieces of paper ala Dada style.  He and his artistic girlfriend put two hats side by side. One was for nouns. The other held the verbs. They popped them in the chapeaus, mixed them around and then grabbed one noun, one verb.  They placed them next to each other to see what transpired. Zac thought Bear Grill would be a harmonious appellation.  He did the due diligence to discover the incongruous band name was taken by another band. “I didn't want it t...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EYk7Cp9Eow Just listen, absorb. Dream away baby girl/boy.  "We can pretend for a little while". I am going to exist among the white spaces.  Peace and hugs.  You tubers say: "Paint me like one of your lemon girls" "We're witnessing the dawn of something beautiful. It's like vaporwave rolled around with the new psychedelic age and we are entering a great decade after years of emptiness"

Tangled up in blue The sullen measured redolent  resonances  Angus laid down in "Where Do You Go" cracked my already fractured heart. But the breaking led to the putting back together. The regroup. The healing tide.  When I heard it for the first time, I had to hold my own hand. I need to let it marinate in my conscious. I had to let it envelope my my skin. His words on the You Tube video. "You have my permission to dislike if this song doesn't change your life".  For some reason, it did. If even on a molecular level. It was one of those songs that slithered into my psyche. "Uh huh Where is that you go" The lyrics may seem simplistic but there is nothing simple about it you know sometimes you need to go deep.  Where is that you go? Dope Lemon just popped in the sidebar due to some algorithmic effect. Sometimes that shit scares me. But I wind up finding some lovely songs. Maybe he's just talking to himself  Dope Lemon is t...