Hellllloooo, everyone! It’s finally Friday, y’all, and I’m in some kind of a great mood. Let’s do the damn thing!

One more week until I return to the good ol’ US of A, and I am pumped! I’ve had such an incredible time here in Europe. I’ve learned things, met people, and seen so many things I never thought I’d be able to see. My gratitude for this experience is boundless! I’ll definitely miss this lifestyle, but I know I’ll be back very soon, so I’m feeling particularly positive about parting.

Now, it’s time to kick off this weekend (my last weekend in Italy) and live it the FUCK up! That’s why I’ve decided to get funky with this one – with a cover of 1967’s “Cold Sweat,” by none other than the godfather of soul himself, Mr. James Brown.

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Last night Jack White's Roseland Ballroom performance was streamed on Sirius/XM radio, and while I don't have it yet, this is pretty cool. Anyone that has been visiting The Steam Engine for a while knows that I am an AVID supporter of all things Jack White: The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, and while I've shared 41 various Jack White recordings over the years (check out The Treasury), this is something I've never put out there. I'm really not sure why, but, I was so pumped after last nights performance I just had to get something tasty out there.

The Upholsterers were two piece consisting of Jack White on guitar and vocals and Brian Muldoon on drums that existed in the year 2000. Muldoon owned the upholstery shop that Jack worked at and was an early musical and professional mentor. This is before The White Stripes were The White Stripes, really before Jack White was Jack White.

The EP is not for sale anywhere, that is why I feel comfortable sharing it. Apparently only 1000 of these were printed and Jack and Brian supposedly stapled some copies on the inside of the very furniture they were upholstering. So, if you're hardcore enough it may be time to hit those St. Vincent DePaul stores in the Detroit area for used furniture.

Jack White Official - Facebook - Twitter - The Treasury - Insound - 

The White Stripes Official - Facebook - The Treasury - Insound - 

The Raconteurs Official - Facebook - The Treasury - Insound - 

The Dead Weather Official - Facebook - The Treasury - Insound - 

01 Ain't Superstitious
02 Pain (Give Me Sympathy)
03 Apple of My Eye

DOWNLOAD - The Upholsterers (early Jack White band) - Makers of High Grade Suites EP

I'm working on getting a good quality copy of this entire set but for now this is pretty darn awesome. What we have here are the five songs that were broadcast during The Flaming Lips 2004 performance at Austin City Limits. Check out Cat Power rock some Black Sabbath with Wayne and Co. below.

The Flaming Lips Official - Facebook - Twitter (Wayne Coyne) - The Treasury - Insound - 

01 Race for the Prize
02 Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
03 War Pigs (Black Sabbath Cover)
04 Over the Rainbow
05 She Don't Use Jelly

DOWNLOAD - The Flaming Lips - 2004-09-21 - Austin City Limits - Austin, TX

Photo is from the killer site Merchants of Rock

Dr. Dog have a great new record out called Be The Void and they are currently touring all over the country. Their Chicago stop is Lollapalooza which I don't plan on attending but they will be at this years mighty Forecastle Festival in Louisville, KY, that I can't for.

Dr. Dog Official - Facebook - Twitter - The Treasury - Insound -

01 Mirror Mirror
02 Hang On
03 The Old Days
04 Army Of Ancients
05 The Way The Lazy Do
06 Someday
07 Shadow People
08 The Ark
09 The World May Never Know
10 I Only Wear Blue
11 Later
12 Unbearable Why
13 The Beach
14 The Breeze
15 The Rabbit, The Bat and The Reindeer
16 Station
17 The Girl
18 Shame, Shame
19 Jackie Wants a Black Eye
20 Stranger
21 Die Die Die
22 Fat Dog
23 Easy Beat
24 Heart It Races (Architecture In Helsinki)
25 My Friend

DOWNLOAD - Dr. Dog - 2010-05-12 - The Paradise - Boston, MA - pt.1

DOWNLOAD - Dr. Dog - 2010-05-12 - The Paradise - Boston, MA - pt.2

Let's get this out of the way from the start: I'm a fun guy.  I don't mean that I have good jokes and wear clown shoes at inopportune times.  I'm a fun guy because I like to have fun.  I like to do fun things. I like to go out and do things that are fun.  For example, I spent this past Saturday at a canned beer festival in Scottsdale, AZ.  That's right, an entire festival devoted to canned beer from places like New Orleans, Indianapolis, New York . . .places like that.  This is how it worked: you pay $25 to get in and you get to sample twenty beers.  As you do, the beer guys tick off places and when you've had twenty, you're done.  That's what was SUPPOSED to happen.  This is what really went down.

First of all, Courtney found a deal . . . a buy one get one free type of thing, so we drop $25 for TWO people to enjoy frosty libations.  We pick up a friend and head to Scottsdale, completely excited to be outside (despite temperatures in the high 90's), going from brewer to brewer, getting beer.  We meet up with two friends that also live in the area, Jimmy and Megan (married and also tons of fun.  Jimmy's in the process of building an old cigar box guitar.), and begin the beer journey. 

We go to the first booth and get a sample and the guys give us beer can necklaces on Mardi Gras beads.  This is going to be fun.  They pour our beers and as I'm reaching for my little checklist, I see that they are NOT checking them off.  Woooohooooo, it's free and it doesn't count towards my total.  The beer is good.  I got a pale ale and I was off to the races.  I finish my 8oz sample in two "sips" and head to another booth.  I find a guy that's got Tetley's and, although I've had tons of Tetley's, it's been awhile so I got some.  He fills my little can and DOESN'T check off my sheet.  Nice, two samples, no checks.  The next beer was an awesome hefeweizen by a small San Diego brewery called Tailgate Beer.  Again, no check.  So that's three beers, NO ticks off on my sample sheet.  I can see that this is going to get fun.  To make a long story short, in a span of just six hours, we sampled beer . . . and sampled beer . . . and sampled beer.  It was a glorious day to say the least.  It was fun and the music was provided by one of my favorite punk/ska bands, Reel Big Fish.  Not only did they play a great set, the guys stuck around to chat with people afterwards.  After about twenty minutes, we're chatting with the trombone player, Dan and the security guards try to run us off, the five of us AND Dan.  The security guard was clueless, but the guys from Reel Big Fish were completely awesome and if they are at a venue near you, GO SEE THEM.  You won't regret it.

Now, I told you all about my Saturday excursion because it was fun . . . in the best sense of the word. We left the beer festival and decided to walk down to a great bar/restaurant called Gilligan's.  Why Gilligan's?  Because Gilligan's has a midget bar.  I don't mean that they have a bar for midgets, they have a really short bar, manned by a midget and if there's one thing I want to do before I die, it's hold a midget in my lap like a baby and feed it a beer until the midget wraps his stubbly little sausage fingers around the bottle and holds it himself.  When the midget bartender handed people their beer, he hand to hold it with both hands.  It was awesome.  Then, as we're eating wings and emptying more pitchers of beer a tiny, scantily clad female midget joins the party on the patio with the hostess.  So now, there's a midget bartender handing out HUGE beers (they were huge to HIM) and a midget hostess.  Combine that with all the beer we had and the atmosphere of Gilligan's (life size Connect Four game included), and you've got one hell of a good time.

This weeks artist released an album that is pure fun, fun in the way that it makes you want to stand up, all inhibitions cast aside, laying on the floor with your better judgement, and simply shake your ass.  JD McPherson makes rock 'n' roll music the same way that Bill Haley and Chuck Berry made rock 'n' roll music.  He adds that fifties approach to his songs and the sound is just infectious. 

Signs and Signifiers came out in April and how I missed this is beyond me.  But, much to my chagrin, NPR featured him last Friday and I was just lucky enough to be listening at the moment.  I immediately emailed myself from my office to remind me to check him out.  And check him out I did.

McPherson, a visual artist and teacher from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma recorded Signs and Signifiers in Chicago and sticking with the entire process, recorded in the attic of bassist/producer Jimmy Sutton.  The album was recorded using a variety of vintage microphones into an old 60's era Berlant quarter inch tape machine . . . 100% analog.  Of the recordign process, McPherson says, "I've recorded this style of music in the digital realm, and it doesn't quite 'sing' as much. Slamming that 1/4" tape really hard produced the most beautiful distortion I've ever heard."

The album burns through, starting with the dance floor rocking "North Side Girl" and it twists through songs like "Firebug" and "Wolf Teeth."  The album doesn't come up for air until the sultry, bluesy song "A Gentle Awakening."  

Let me be crystal clear: This album doesn't have a single bad song.  Each and every song makes you want to dance, shaking your ass or pulling someone close, as is the case with "A Gentle Awakening."  This album would make Otis Day proud.  It would make Chubby Checker and the Big Bopper and Richie Valens and Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis all jealous.  That's just how good JD McPherson is.  That's just how good Signs and Signifiers is, so go out and get it.  The challenge here is to NOT want to dance around as you listen to it.  Here's how you can find him: 

His website

Facebook

Twitter

Oh yeah, he'll be here in Phoenix on June 11.  Guess where I'll be that night!!

I am absolutely ecstatic to have this wonderful quality recording of Norah Jones supporting her latest LP, Little Broken Hearts. The album is delightful and from a growth perspective I think it's the perfect move after 2009's The Fall. There is this perfect disconnect across the album that Norah is great at creating. The music feels like it's broadcast from outer space (not in an experimental way, it just seems seperate) while Norah is sitting properly on a wooden stool, seductively whispering each word into your ear. Chills.

Pick up her latest record, Little Broken Hearts, and make sure to catch Norah on the road this summer.

Norah Jones Official - Facebook - Twitter - The Treasury - Insound -

01 Intro
02 Good Morning
03 Say Goodbye
04 Little Broken Hearts
05 She's 22
06 Take It Back
07 After The Fall
08 4 Broken Hearts
09 Travelin' On
10 Out On The Road
11 Happy Pills
12 Miriam
13 All A Dream
14 Don't Know Why
15 Sunrise
16 It's Gonna Be
17 Come Away With Me
18 Stuck

DOWNLOAD - Norah Jones - 2012-04-18 - Alter Wartesaal - Cologne, DE

Exciting news for those headed to Louisiville this summer for Forecastle Festival!! Consequence of Sound will be getting the weekend started with the Official Forecastle kickoff party featuring Dean & Britta and Purity Ring.

Who: Dean & Britta + Purity Ring
What: Consequence of Sound Official Forecastle kickoff party
Where: Club 116, 116 E. Main St. in Louisville
When: Thursday, July 12

Then...can I get a drum roll please? The historic Belle of Louisville (a steamboat people!) will play host to the excellent Preservation Hall Jazz Band for an all ages event presented by Bell's Brewery. What is the only thing that could make this better? Members of My Morning Jacket will be making guest appearences! Just picture the beautiful Belle of Louisville, slow flapping down the Ohio to the big brass sounds of Preservation Hall Jazz Band on a humid Louisiville night...awesome.

Who: Preservation Hall Jazz Band + members of My Morning Jacket
What: Bell's Brewery Official Forecastle After Party
Where: Belle of Louisville
When: Saturday, July 15

Tickets go on sale this Saturday, May 19 at noon Eastern time at forecastlefest.com. Kickoff party tickets at Club 116 will set you back $22 + fees and the Saturday after-party on the big, beautiful Belle of Louisville will be $50 + fees.

More information:

From every ticket purchased for the after-party on the Belle of Louisville, a portion will be donated to the Center for Women and Families, a Louisville non-profit dedicated to helping victims of intimate partner abuse or sexual violence.

Forecastle 2012 marks the 10th year of the festival and this year’s line-up features My Morning Jacket, Wilco, Bassnectar, Andrew Bird, Girl Talk, Atmosphere, Neko Case, Sleigh Bells, A-Trak and many others. A full breakdown of artists by day can be found at forecastlefest.com.
 
Tickets for the festival are also available at select retailers throughout the region including: WHY Louisville in Louisville; Shake-It Records in Cincinnati; CD Central in Lexington; Indy CD and Vinyl in Indianapolis; and Grimey’s New & Preloved Music in Nashville. After-party tickets will only be available online.

With each purchase, 50 cents will be donated to the Forecastle Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit, dedicated to local education and international environmental conservation. For more information about the foundation, please visit www.forecastlefest.com/foundation.

Photo by TQ

Can't go wrong with a set from The National.

The National Official - Facebook - Twitter - The Treasury - Insound -

01 Anyone's Ghost
02 Mistaken for Strangers
03 Bloodbuzz Ohio
04 Slow Show
05 Squalor Victoria
06 Afraid of Everyone (w/Richard Perry)
07 Conversation 16
08 Apartment Story
09 England
10 Fake Empire
11 Start a War
12 Mr. November
13 Terrible Love

DOWNLOAD - The National - 2011-04-24 - UIC Pavillion - Chicago, IL

Another new group I've been letting creep into my daily playlist. It's still early for me but what I can say is that their latest LP, The Russian Wild, successfully fuses many different genres, sometimes within one song and it's filled with, to quote a friend, "some bad ass kick I in the teeth guitars."

Check it out!

Howlin Rain Official - Facebook - Twitter - The Treasury - Insound -

01 Self Made Man
02 Phantom In The Valley
03 Can't Satisfy Me Now
04 Cherokee Werewolf
05 Hung Out In The Rain
06 Calling Lightning Pt. 2
07 Roll On The Rusted Days

DOWNLOAD - Howlin Rain - 2012-02-25 - Doug Fir - Portland, OR

Great, high quality set from a seasoned Midwest songwriter that I'm only now looking into, largely because of "Now That I Think About It" author, Jorge. After giving this set a listen I'll definitely be picking up some of his albums.

Sufjan Stevens Official - Facebook - Twitter - The Treasury - Insound -

01 The 50 States Song
02 The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders
03 Prairie Fire + They Are Night Zombies…
04 Jacksonville
05 Casimir Pulaski Day
06 Chicago
07 The Predatory Wasp
08 A Good Man is Hard to Find
09 John Wayne Gacy Jr.
10 All the Trees of the Field
11 Seven Swans
12 The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts

DOWNLOAD - Sufjan Stevens - 2005-10-27 - The Paradiso - Amsterdam, NL - pt. 1

DOWNLOAD - Sufjan Stevens - 2005-10-27 - The Paradiso - Amsterdam, NL - pt. 2

DOWNLOAD - Sufjan Stevens - 2005-10-27 - The Paradiso - Amsterdam, NL - pt. 3