Free Summer Rock Concert in Union County New Jersey

Lots of great bands playing the Union Country Music Festival this year in 2010. Nice mix of headliners like Spoon and supporting bands playing the stages like: The Zombies, Ok Go!, Jesse Malin, Soul Asylum, Suzanne Vega with bands starting Weds Sept 8th through Sunday Sept 12th. Oh did I mention the entertainments is FREE!? Another reason why Jersey is becoming cooler every year. Not that you had to tell me that but just in case you want to road trip it for the day. The fest usually has decent vendor provided food and recently has added a beer garden and lots of stuff for the kids to do. So great reason to burn in the sun in Oak Ridge Park, in Clark NJ.

Track a couple tracks from the bands that are playing:
Queen Of The Underworld by Jesse Malin. This is a older track from the glam punker you might know jesse from D Generation days. Matured into something influenced by The Rolling Stones and cleaner P.Westerberg jams.
The Way We Get by from Spoon's awesome Kill the Moonlight album. If you get anything before their new one Transference get that one then back-fill. All great records.

The Zombies live on the BBC 1965-66: I found these live radio tracks a year or so ago out in the blogosphere so enjoy them. The songs have little radio bits with the band being interviewed and telling funny little stories about young fan girls chasing them down in hotels. Remember this was on the eve of Beatlemania. They could have been bigger than Ringo, John, Paul and George.
I Must Move
Just out of reach
When Ever You're Ready
Will you love me tomorrow?
Sitting In The Park (1966)

Ted Leo funny Bottled In Cork video

Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - "Bottled In Cork" (Official Video) from Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

I’m a big fan of Tom Scharpling; who not only hosts the best show on earth, he is also screen writer in "real life". (Isn’t everybody?). He’s a comedic spinster and spends most of his radio show hanging up on people and letting the Howard-esque one’s hang on for the fun if you are not conversationalist you are toast. Something sycophantic about it all but somehow super under-indie ground Ted Leo (also frequent guest of the show) put a cast of characters together and debuted his song Bottled in Corks on Funny or Die;s video channel. Here is a totally tongue and cheek and self referential uber cheese rock video. the song is classic Ted Leo.

Joe Strummer Know your Rights

Direct from Julien Temple's movie The Future is Unwritten a great bit from Joe Strummer (RIP 1952-2002)when he's waxing philosophic, he says "without people, you are nothing". What I think Joe was driving at is we live in a insulated society and we need to pay attention to those around us to make our and their lives richer. Still to this day with dominance of office culture in our social networks this fact is even more true. Your head is down trudging along to the next email. In a recent interview, with my now friend Jack Rabid (for a project I'm doing), who had the pleasure of buying Mr. Strummer a beer when he interviewed him for his magazine The Big Takeover. I saw this intensity for people in Jack's eyes and in how hiss a passion for the people who make music, and in the things he said, and in particular when he recalled said interview. I won't be the spoiler until it's released on Create or Else just yet. but somehow the vibe was transferred to guys like Jack and between the sub-text and fascination with culture and class that The Clash and Joe cared about so much. The notion that you can affect the future even if it is one soul at time is pretty great. Here are few tracks that if anything will enrich your day but for a moment every time you listen to them or they randomly come up on your ipod. They do for me anyways. Enjoy.

Joe Strummer's Midnight Dream - By Angledust featuring Chris Harford and Andrew Weiss
"Without People, You're Nothing" - Joe Strummer from The Future Is Unwritten (Motion Picture Soundtrack)

The Clash Live Passaic NJ 1980 (When everything happened)
Guns of Brixton
Spanish Bombs
Police & Thieves
Complete Control
Bankrobber
Tommy Gun

Related Joe Strummer post:
Love Kills Mp3 post

The InnerSpeaker of Tame Impala

ALBUM REVIEW: Tame Impala's InnerSpeaker is a jam band like no other in love with guitar effects, rubber soul and the mysterious retro parts of the Flaming Lips. Ok maybe they are more Pink Floyd but the thing is with the distortion and big drums things get like an ocean engulfed by pixies on the top with these spacey vocals that just make this album work. Right see key is here I said album. All of these tracks are woven together with guitars to create a great soundscape for that old black velvet 70's nude psychedelic poster you have.

Tame Impala_02_Desire Be Desire Go

The Ghost of New Model Army

ONLY US SHOWS: Even 30 years ago New Model Army has always been a band way ahead of their time. Always political in nature to the point of keeping them out of US according to Wiki. If I had to batch them together you could say they were a mash up of The Cult when they go acoustic or solo, Killing Joke (when they light torches) and Jesus and Mary Chain because of the leather except they played with large rusty axes and played fast with lots of chicks dressed in animal skins (imagination runs wild). Fronted by Justin Sullivan a underworld cult hero and leading their 12th band release last year Today is a good Day is as fresh as it was back in 1986 and could give all the bands on relapse a wake-up call that there can be more depth to the thrash metal genre -something they invented in my humble opinion and are still taking it to the next level in the vain of Neurosis. When I first heard their music many presidents ago it hit me that the bass could be distorted way beyond anything Geddy Lee could pull off. The newer material is big rock in a big way and still good. Once you test drive the mp3s below go find The Ghost Of Cain release. Happy hunting.

Taste some of their dirt:
Today is a good Day (title track)
Autumm

They are coming to rip-up up the pavement:
Friday September 3 & September 4, 2010 - Brooklyn, NY @ Bell House
149 7th St., Brooklyn, NY 11215 (718) 643-6510; www.thebellhouseny.com

Sirs Chicago funny version of Shellac

I like bands that randomly follow this blog's unbranded twitter feed. hello sirs what you un-follow me already? Main thing allows me to randomly stalk a band and check them out. I liked a funny lyric in one of their tunes reminded of how punk used to self mock a lot like in Repo Man where they agree to go do some crimes and get sushi and not pay.

... There is nothing that can't be blamed on Pakistani hackers

I would agree with their self assessment a noise-rock band from Chicago in the Touch&Go / Amphetamine Reptile tradition.

Anyway check them out: Illegal Criminal Crimes (Against The Law) mp3 | Sirs Band site

Jersey Beat Rockstar T-Shirts benefit foodbank

JERSEY BEAT: It's A Zine! It's A Blog! It's A Podcast!

Do you feel like you need more T-shirts? I know I always do. Long time friend Jim Testa from Jerseybeat.com is donating everything he makes from shirts sales in August to the Asbury Rock Stars Charity Softball The Game is on August 28, who will in turn donate the money to the Monmouth Food Bank. This is a wonderful volunteer organization that helps feed the poor and disenfranchised in southern New Jersey. It's for the kids!

Contact and donate Jerset Beat on Facebook. Shirts are only $10 bux!

The Big Takeover Bell House Show Photos

Coming soon will be videos and short documentary on Jack Rabid from the Big Takeover's 30th Anniversary show that I am working on. For now you can check out some of the photos from the show this past weekend at The Bell House with Flower, For Against, Mark Burgess, The Sleepover Disaster just to name a few of the bands that played the event.

Get some of the music here.

Music Bootleggers bring the show to you

There are a lot of great shows this summer which makes it impossible to attend but goody for us the live show "tapers" are a dedicated kind. Sure it's all digital now but whatever. You don't have to stand there. They do the work for you. Here's some tasty bites. So crack open a beer and crank up these shows.

Tapers & Bootleggers:
nyctaper: Has very recent shows byBuilt to Spill and The Flaming Lips
Southern Shelter: Melvins@40WattAthens and a old Tortoise show the Standards tour 2001.
North East Recordings: Hold Steady at Toads places and The Feelies from back in March.