The Ear Hole

Stuff You Probably Haven't Heard

How does one make sense of an annoying, hours-long, Amoeba voyage?

My approach: wine, cigs and a scattered bag of shit just for you. Dig it.

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Let's lead off with a little Ike Turner.

Ike was good at things. Yes, hurting women. But he also knew how to play some shit-funk guitar, tickle ivories and arrange what most of you may know as a J5 joint. Let's hear it:

Ike Turner and The Kings Of Rhythm—Getting Nasty

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Bettye Lavette with the Drive-By Truckers makes about as much sense as this (I saw him in person last week). But somehow it works. Well.

Bettye Lavette w/ Drive-By Truckers—Before The Money Came

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Clarence Reid showed up on the last post (scroll down). He now also holds the Ear Hole title for Best Album Cover.

Clarence Reid—Nobody But You Babe

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Ween. Oh, Ween. I thought they were off the junk, but the new record tells us otherwise.

Ween—Your Party

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I know nothing about Robert Parker, other than that his is the best track on this disc I just bought.

Robert Parker—Get Ta Steppin'

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It's tough to pick a favorite from Atmosphere's new trifecta of EPs, but this is what I came up with.

Buy all three.

Atmosphere—66th Street

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These guys are Italian.

The Link Quartet—Milwaukee Hunter

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And yes, it is raining in L.A.

Irma Thomas—It's Raining

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Betty Davis was married to Miles and nailing Jimi. Sounds like it, anyway.

Betty Davis—Anti-Love Song

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Guilty pleasure.

Bee Gees—I Started A Joke

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If you've gotten this far, why not indulge with a plug: a good read on this MP3 blogosphere you are exploiting.

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Wait, here's another tight Atmosphere joint from the aforementioned EPs:

Atmosphere—Ha, This One Is About Alcohol Too

Skimming The Skum

Amsterdam's Lefties Soul Connection and L.A.'s Orgone share a similar Meters-meets-John Spencer-meets-James Taylor (the cool James Taylor) sound. Chunky guitars and leathery B-3 melodies ladled over organic, head-nodding beats. See how easy it is to bullshit your way through a music review? Anyway, listen for yourself below. The two are featured intermittently in the new podcast episode, which you can dig over there somewhere -->>

Lefties Soul Connection—Chop It!

Lefties Soul Connection—Paul Newman

Buy Skimming The Skum

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Orgone—Sophisticated Honky

Orgone—Who Knows Who

Buy The Killion Floor

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Extra Credit:

Bob Schneider—Hocaine

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Also, hows about a shameless, unrelated plug? Just a Q&A piece on what is actually a pretty amazing project. Worth checking out.

Well That's Nitpicking, Isn't It?

DJ Miles Muthafuckin' Tackett. As loyal Ear Holer D-Dubs puts it, the mixtape is "dripping with funk." The previous post may reflect that.

But upon further inspection, vital details have been omitted. Take heed.*

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Clarence Reid - Masterpiece

The Mohawks - Champ

Stevie Wonder - Light My Fire

All The People - Cramp Your Style

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Guitarists? If you don't know Robben Ford, you should. Listening to him will make you better...or at least make you want to quit. On Truth, the virtuoso journeyman offsets a recent slew of pussy-footed releases with a few hints of grit.

Actually, it's not that edgy. But the phrasing in those fingers makes me want to sever my hand.

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Robben Ford - Too Much

Robben Ford - Nobody's Fault But Mine

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And in case you're not up on the new season of Curb...

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Bonus:

Umphrey's McGee's early material slung the Chicago band into a deep jam-band hole. But the versatile sextet's gradual prog-rock movement has hippies double-checking the bowl. Meanwhile, the more musically inclined base is grinning over the band's new set of funky, aggressive, King Crimson-tinged compositions. Expect more of this shit on their new studio album, due out in early '08.**

Umphrey's McGee - Wizard Burial Ground

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*'cuz i'm a lyrical poet. (Anyone?)
** acquired taste.

Saturday Soul

I made the very costly mistake of visiting Amoeba Records yesterday. Yes, my wallet is a little thinner, but my soul collection is much, much filthier. And you, loyal readers, shall reap the benefits.

But first, a few things I wish would cease to exist this Saturday morning:

Lou Holtz's "Pep Talk" segment
The Fighting Illini
Football announcers who can't simply call it a "ball" (e.g., "He's gotta get rid of that football"; "They're moving the football now, boy")
Pam Ward
The Dr Pepper end-zone dance spot
"Gut-check Saturday"
Hangovers
And of course, Pete Wentz

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OK, on to the grime:

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Speedometer soul clap

Speedometer - Meter's Running

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Some rare RJ

RJD2 - Fuck Soundcheck

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New Bamboos w/ Ohmega

The Bamboos - Rockin' It

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Miles Mix

Lastly, my new prized possession, DJ Miles - Funky Sole vol. 1. Miles Tackett of Breakestra fame spins some fierce old funk and soul on this mixtape. Think RJD2's "Poorboy Lover Megamix" with a bit more tempo. The disc is pretty hard to find, but you can catch his weekly gig, The Root Down, at Little Temple in Silver Lake on Thursdays. Highly recommended.

Carolyn Franklin - Deal With It

Noraida - Oye

The JB's - Funky Drummer (DJ Muro Mix).mp3

Eugene Blacknell - We Got To Live Together (DJ Miles Drum Mix)

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Bonus:

Beatlejazz - Blackbird

Blog For Burma

Just dropping in to say say Free Burma.

Follow the link and show your support.

If you're not too familiar with what's going on over there, I suggest you do some reading. You can start with a quick article I did here.

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Also, here's the RJD2 track from Mad Men on AMC, which has become a mild obsession of mine. New episode tonight.

RJD2 - A Beautiful Mine

Sleeve Of Wizard

Hi. It's been a while. That's because I'm up to my nuts in grad school.

But I'm back for now...if only by way of procastination.

Heard the new Charlie Hunter yet? Mistico is a wad of acidic, rocky jazz. Chuck's been getting a little edgier with each new release, and I like it. I also like how quickly he manages to shit out fresh material. I think you should buy this.

Charlie Hunter Trio - Speakers Built In

Charlie Hunter Trio - Wizard Sleeve

Charlie Hunter Trio - Special Shirt

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Digging on Joe Cocker a lot lately. Particularly "The Letter," which Al Green also does well.

Joe Cocker - The Letter (live)

Al Green - The Letter

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I found a cool Lee Fields record on emusic, which in turn led me to discover The Dynamites. I love emusic.

Lee Fields - Intro By Mr. Fields

Lee Fields - I'm A Millionaire

The Dynamites - Can You Feel It

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Oh, and of course the new Galactic record is disgusting. I was skeptical when I heard they were trying a hip-hop experiment, but they pulled it off, for the most part.

Galactic feat. Lyrics Born - I Got It (What You Need)

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Finally, in honor of NHL opening day tomorrow, hows about a little Darcy Tucker?

Go Rangers.

No (Place Like) Soul

Sorry guys. You're still one of my favorite bands, and I will continue to listen to this record until it grows on me, but I'm just not feeling the new formula so far.

Not to compare Soulive's new record to past works. The band openly strives to break new ground with each release, and for that they have kept my attention from the beginning. What's more, this was the trio's first studio venture with a single, full-time vocalist in tow.

That said, that a small personnel change would alter their groove to this extent was certainly not expected. With No Place Like Soul, Soulive has managed to shit out some of their least "Soulive-sounding" matter to date.

Can you spot the band member who wanted to make a real Soulive record? Hint: It's Neal.

Toussaint can sing, no doubt: strong pipes, distinctive tone, solid range. Great vocalist; just maybe not a great Soulive vocalist (see Ivan Neville). His reggae-dusted sound feels more forced than it does natural, and Neal, Alan and Kraz even seem to have dialed themselves back to make things more musically cozy for him.

Sure, the playing itself is top-notch, and I do hear some cool things here and there (Kraz's axe tone, the bridge on "One Of Those Days" and the overall production quality, to name a few). But the structured pop format puts a frustrating cap on the trio's musical capabilities, and the bright spots unfortunately fall within the greater context of, dare I say it, the best Cool Runnings soundtrack never made.

I understand the desire to broaden appeal, and I do hope they reel new fans with this more R&B/pop-leaning sound. (The release's alignment with the Stax re-launch won't hurt in that regard, either.) Still, it is frustrating for us Soulive snobs who have been hanging around since the trio days. Personally, I had been hoping to hear that rock sound from Spring '06 ("See In U," "The Ocean," "Power To Soul") come to life in the studio. Between that tour and the Break Out lineup, I thought they had finally landed on the perfect mix of horns, vocals and Soulive. Oh well.

In any case, it sounds like the band is pretty excited about the record and itching to bring the new songs to the stage. So more power to them for that. I just hope they pick up where they left off with the next project. Take a listen to one of the album's two instrumentals, "Bubble," and you get an idea for where the band might have been headed, were it not for the Toussaint monkey wrench.

Some highlights:

Soulive—Bubble

Soulive—Don't Tell Me

Some lowlights:

Soulive—Morning Light

Soulive—Never Know

The glory years:

Soulive—El Ron

Buy No Place Like Soul

Musics For Hangovers

Come to think of it, Gogol Bordello may be one of the worst things you can take for a headache. Their self-described brand of "gypsy punk" sounds sort of like Flogging Molly with clown shoes, a killer moustache and a large, plastic bottle of Siberian Ice. Loud, frenetic and delightfully Eastern European.

I'm not so sure these rogues should have been permitted to leave the East Village. Nor do I think, sadly, that they'll have much shelf life once the novelty wears off. The live act looks to be a raucous shitshow, though. If they show up on your local music calendar, don't pass it up.

A few tracks off their most cracked-out discharge to date, Super Taranta!

Gogol Bordello—Alcohol

Gogol Bordello—Ultimate

Gogol Bordello—American Wedding

And the easy-listening title track from East Infection

Gogol Bordello—East Infection

That album cover just screams, "Buy me!"

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You've probably seen this by now, but I can't get enough of the Filipino prison "Thriller" throwdown. I can't imagine there's any butt sex going on inside those walls. Impressive, nonetheless.

A little extra "Thriller" for you, courtesy of Speak Low.

Speak Low—Thriller

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You may have noticed some design changes to the Hole. I ditched the high-maintenence "what we're listening to" section on the right in lieu of a much handier Last.fm recently played chart. (If you haven't discovered Last.fm yet, get after it.)

My latest "podcast," which is basically just a mixtape, is also chilling somewhere over there. You should be able to play it right from the page.

Just Because

You may have noticed that my posting regimen has been anything but regimented of late. This is because my job sucks. But since I no longer care about it, you can more or less expect a return to form. "So what," you ask aloud? Good question. At the very least, I'll try to keep you coming back with more offerings of some decent-to-pretty good music.

Tons of notable new shit out there since we last spoke, most of which has by now had its blood drained by pesky swarms of blog mosquitos. So I will fight the urge to fellate Icky Thump, Sky Blue Sky, Ga Ga Ga Ga, Because Of The Times, Easy Tiger and The Mix Up, and instead plant my proboscis on a few blogosphere virgins, old and young.

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Marc Broussard—Kissing My Love
Because you should own this record.
Buy Marc Broussard

Martin Sexton—Will It Go Round In Circles
Because Billy Preston is dead.
Buy Martin Sexton

Townes Van Zandt—Cocaine Blues
Because cocaine's a hell of a drug.
Buy Townes

M. Ward—He Asked Me To Be A Snake And Live Underground
Because it just came out and it's good and nobody has posted it yet.
Buy M. Ward

No More Kings—Sweep The Leg
Because you hate Ralph Macchio.
Buy No More Kings

Jeff Tweedy—Summerteeth
Because it was the last song I heard on my way to work today.
Buy Jeff Tweedy

Rufus Thomas—Memphis Train '75
Because its Rufus.
Buy Rufus Thomas

Deep Banana Blackout—Memphis Train
Because it's a cover of the above song.
Buy DBB

Don Covay—Just Because
Just because...
Buy Don Covay

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This is strange.

And this is just kind of uncomfortable.

Flow Dynamics

Flow Dynamics is an Aussie funk band. A really good Aussie funk band. Just got my hands on their debut disc, and after half a spin I can tell it's going to be on heavy rotation for a long, long time.

A throwback to raw 70s soul/funk, with a low dose of beatbox botox for our times. If you're generally a fan of the music posted on this blog, you'll want to own this one. I had to order it from Australia, but it was well worth the wait.

In any case, sip these:

Flow Dynamics—Up In The Party

Flow Dynamics—Superjam

Flow Dynamics—Straight From The Ground

Flow Dynamics—Live In The Mix

Buy Flow Dynamics

Look for Flow Dynamics on the next podcast, also to feature The Gang Font, The Bad Plus, Feist, MIKA, Gang Starr, Black Sabbath feat. Dio and many more. By the way, have you given either of my sloppy podcasts a shot yet? They're random, harmless and talk-free, as I haven't figured out how to incorporate speech yet.

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Bonus Track:

For some reason, this song has been in my head all day.

POTUSA—Feather Pluckn

Buy POTUSA

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Finally, another ridiculous installment of this ridiculous series appears to be up: Planet Unicorn, pt. 3.

My unhealthy infatuation with this shit is becoming a cause for concern.

Give it up for Feathers.