Blues & Roots

New album: Televisionaries || Mad About You

Rock-‘n’-roll dance party starting in 1-2-3-4.

We’ve been looking forward to Televisionaries’ debut LP for quite some time, and that anticipation increased even more once we did a Gimme 5 feature with one of its members (Trevor Lake). Televisionaries (Rochester, NY) are three Lake brothers (Austin, Brendan, and Trevor) backed up by their buddy Aaron Mika on drums. Although they grew up as skateboarding punk kids, they quickly developed a taste for surf music and other early rock-‘n’-roll styles and an obsession with NRBQ, Nick Lowe & The Kinks.

Ultimately, those combined influences have lead to their debut LP Mad About You. It is an absolute blast and a time portal to the dancehalls of the ’50s and ’60s. There is a pureness to the songs on Mad About you, and at no time the old timey surfrock-‘n’-roll of Televisionaries feels inauthentic or filled with faux romanticism. Here’s a band that is not faking it, but using their talents to communicate their love for great rock-‘n’-roll and pop music.

On the dance floor, Televisionaries will challenge you to keep up with the pace of some of their songs (listen to the title track, Ultimatum and Annie), but also offer a swooner in Satisfaction Guaranteed. In between, Televisionaries aim for pop perfection, and with songs like Girls and Over And Out they succeed or, at the very least, come eerily close. Never does the record become too sappy or sugary. Instead, the band is unafraid to give their songs some welcome bite.

The Lake brothers and Aaron Mika sound in perfect harmony on Mad About You. It’s a must own and out now through Nutone Records (a division of Hi-Tide Recordings).



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Gimme 5! Trevor Lake Shares 5 All-Time Favs In Anticipation of Televisionaries’ Debut LP Mad About You

Photo by Cam Lawson

With ‘Gimme 5!’ we take a peek into the collections of artists we admire. The premise is simple: artists WE like share 5 records THEY love.

Trevor Lake has been poppin’ up in different capacities since we started this website. We covered his work with Sweet Pete, The Shine, Danny’s Favorites and Televisionaries. So yeah, to say we are fans of the music of Trevor Lake is an understatement. Two things stand out with Lake.  One: whatever style he plays, whether it’s punk, surf or rock-‘n’-roll, it sounds very authentic, pure and true to its origins – making him the perfect candidate for a Gimme 5. Two: he makes it look all so easy and effortless. [post continues below]

New EP: The Offsides || The Offsides EP

Following up on our post on the excellent Tha Retail Simps LP, here is some more rock-‘n’-roll weirdness. The Offsides are a new trio ( Paul Misuraca, Pietro O’Rourke and Keith Smith) from Detroit that plays a mix of r’n’n, blues and (post)punk.

My favorite song on this six song EP is Herky Jerky. The singer sounds a bit like Joe Strummer on the song, giving it the feel of a Clash outtake. The Cowboys are another reference point for the sound of The Offsides.

Interesting and eccentric first outing that definitely caught my interest. The Offsides EP is out now in a small run of 50 tapes at Detroit label Painters Tapes.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Tha Retail Simps || Reverberant Scratch: 9 Shots in tha Dark

We listen to a lot of new music at ATW. If you are a regular visitor of our site, you know that being original or different is not a necessary part for great music in our book. Most of the releases we cover, I believe, have an instant likeability from mere exposure to similar sounds in the past, with just the right execution and a certain freshness to still excite us. And then, sometimes you come across a record whose individual parts may sound familiar, but its sum sounding totally different and surprising. The debut by Tha Retail Simps is a prime example.

Its press release reads: “What if the Velvet Underground had written ‘Wooly Bully’ and Sam The Sham ‘Sister Ray?’ If Ron House picked up some bongos and joined CCR or If Half Japanese and Hasil Adkins started a Meters cover band?” If that piqued your interest, wait until you hear the nine tracks on Reverberant Scratch: 9 Shots in tha Dark. What a thrill! There is so much to discover, so many detours. It rocks, it rolls, it confuses. It’s loud, it’s dirty and full of attitude, but also suprisingly gentle and nuanced. It’s punk, but will make audiences dance rather than pogo.

A couple of spins in, I still feel I’ve only touched the surface of understanding the true value of Reverberant Scratch: 9 Shots in tha Dark. And that is one of the many reasons why this needs to be in my collection ASAP. Available for streaming purposes now, vinyl expected to ship from Total Punk on March 25.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Total Punk

New album: Paul Zinnard || Formula H

Veteran singer-songwriter Paul Zinnard lives in Madrid, but his new minialbum Formula H sounds very American. To add to the confusion, Zinnard’s real name is Carlos Oliver and he is actually from Mallorca. He used to play in The Bolivians and The Pauls, and has been releasing solo records for over a decade.

First thought that came up while listening to his latest record: Paul Westerberg goes Americana? Not sure if that is fair to either artist, but I’m thoroughly enjoying Formula H. It’s a laid back record and Zinnard has a great voice with just enough sandpaper to keep this from getting too polished. On Formula H, Zinnard wears his influences on his sleeve. In addition to Westerberg, there’s a bit of Dylan, and a lot of Petty.

Fun fact: the album cover photo was shot by Zinnard’s dad in 1971 in Mallorca.


Add to wantlist: currently for streaming only

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of February 2022

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, eg as a tribute to such a musical hero for a special reason, or they simply feel that a song deserves to be dusted and polished to reacquaint fans with great songs from the past. Other times, bands cover songs as a parody. Regardless of intent, some of those cover versions are so good or so much fun, we’d like to put a spotlight on them. Chosen from a wide range, here are – in random order – ten of our favorite covers from last month – links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

You’ve probably seen compilations with cover versions of songs by Todd Rundgren and Yoko Ono elsewhere, and for some reason at least 3 different artists released a new reimagination of Bruce Springsteen’s I’m On Fire (don’t ask), but there was a lot more to choose this month.

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere || Cover: Guerrilla Monzón || Original: Neil Young
At the end of last year I wrote enthusiastically about PCH, the debut EP by New York trio Guerrilla Monzón. Now Jason Sanchez (vocals, guitars), Eric Gordon (vocals, bass), and Rey Sinsay (drums) are back with Make It Home, featuring 7 new songs worthy of your attention. There’s this telling cover on it, which I don’t want to withhold from you (this way the legacy of Neil Young can still be listened to on Spotify, sort of ;)), but their own songs are just as good.

New album: Svante Sjöblom || Before It Breaks

Fourteen years after his debut album I Guess My Troubles Just Begun, Swedish singer/guitarist Svante Sjöblom is back with his second solo LP Before It Breaks. In the meantime he hasn’t been idle. He has performed a lot – solo, with his own band, or with other prominent Scandinavian artists – and he has collaborated with Danish folk trio Twang. With this he has further developed his craft, from which we are now reaping the benefits: we hear a wonderful melting pot of blues, folk, soul, gospel, and even jazz, in 12 beautiful, understated roots songs. Sjöblom was joined by producer Magnus Nörrenberg, and a band made up of some of southern Sweden’s best musicians, including a leading horn section and the friends of Twang. Especially when Ola Åkerman (trombone), Hannes Bennich (saxophone), and Magnus Nörrenberg (keys) can be heard, it becomes more exciting than we are used to in the folk genre. Standout tracks are Devil and Let There Be Light, classics in the making from a timeless album.

Before It Breaks is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Rootsy Music.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of January 2022

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, eg as a tribute to such a musical hero for a special reason, or they simply feel that a song deserves to be dusted and polished to reacquaint fans with great songs from the past. Other times, bands cover songs as a parody. Regardless of intent, some of those cover versions are so good or so much fun, we’d like to put a spotlight on them. Chosen from a wide range, here are – in random order – ten of our favorite covers from last month – links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

We’ve already posted reviews of cover albums by Pedico (pop-punk) and The Krontjong Devils (surf rock) last month, and compilations with covers of songs by Los Campesinos! and Townes Van Zandt were released, but a lot more great new covers came online.

Time Of The Season || Cover: The Ergs! || Original: The Zombies
Technically The Ergs! broke up 15 years ago, but the American punk rock band would pop up occasionally. After a new single in 2016, they’re back again, with four-track EP Time And The Season, out digitally and on 7″ vinyl through Dirtnap Records – each side opening with an original and closing with a cover. Besides The Remains’ Say You’re Sorry they’re also playing the Zombies’ Odessey & Oracle classic in their own style.

New album: The Blues Against Youth || As The Tide Gets High And Low

Italian songwriter / musician Gianni Tbay aka one-man-blues band The Blues Against Youth has released his new (6th) full-length album, As The Tide Gets High And Low, largely composed and recorded during lockdown by Gianni himself. The new songs are mainly inspired by his countless tours throughout Europe and the US. Other than a few biographical experiences, such as standout track Particle Filter Blues, the LP is a tribute to the blues and to those who never made it to success, while their influence on blues history is undoubtable. You can see this as a traditional blues album, with fascinating but heavy stories that run deep back in time, but it’s also a collection of strong, captivating songs that fits well with today’s challenging times.

Gianni may perform as a one-man band, but he understands the added value of contributions by Joost Dijkema (bass), Meek Hokum (guitar, saw), Margherita Patrignani (awesome backing vocals), Simone Pozzi (drums), and sound engineer Guglielmo Nodari (organ, upright bass), that take the music to an even higher level. As The Tide Gets High And Low is out digitally and on vinyl LP through Escape From Today.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Escape From Today

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of December 2021

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, eg as a tribute to such a musical hero for a special reason, or they simply feel that a song deserves to be dusted and polished to reacquaint fans with great songs from the past. Other times, bands cover songs as a parody. Regardless of intent, some of those cover versions are so good or so much fun, we’d like to put a spotlight on them. Chosen from a wide range, here are – in random order – ten of our favorite covers from last month – links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

We’ve already posted reviews of G​.​T​.​R​.​R​.​C.‘s compilation and Kepi Ghoulie & Vic Ruggiero‘s cover-rich album this month, I had to disregard Squid‘s Cover Versions EP because it is exclusive to Rough Trade shops, and I found out that I had overlooked a new, pretty good cover album by Deep Purple (Turning To Crime) last month, but these are ten other releases worth your attention.

Kiss Me Deadly || Cover: Chuck Prophet featuring Make Out Quartet || Original: Lita Ford
The most successful cover songs are often genre-transcending, with the covering artist differing considerably from the covered artist. That’s definitely the case here, where Chuck Prophet transforms Lita Ford’s 80s hard rock hit into a folk ballad with harmony vocals, acoustic guitar, violin and bells (not only the music but also the lyrics are more well-behaved now). It’s the closing song of four-track EP The Land That Time Forgot Revisited, out digitally through Yep Roc Records – Prophet re-recorded three songs of his most recent album, and this cover, live with a string quartet, on a linoleum floor on a rainy Tuesday afternoon in an empty barroom in San Francisco’s Mission District.

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