Toys in the Attic (Vox Populi Edition)

The Wailin' Jennys

nobody@vox.com(Ron) — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:05:15 -0500

The Wailin's Jennys are a 3-piece Canadian ensemble that mix beautiful harmonies and a folksy sound, creating some of the most beautiful music around today. The trio defies conventional categorization, fusing country, bluegrass, folk and rock. "One Voice" the first track off their first full-length CD, "40 Days" might easily be confused with The Dixie Chicks, but has more in common with early Crosby, Stills & Nash in its layered harmonies. The Jennys are slowly gaining popularity outside their home base of Canada, touring the US and Great Britain. On Tuesday January 9th, The Jennys will perform an online set on CMT.com's 330 Sessions. The Jennys are scheduled through May 2007 for a US Tour following their return from the UK, including stops in Park City, Utah; Las Vegas, and St.Louis among many others.

On the Web:

Wailin' Jennys Official Site, Wailin' Jennys MySpace

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The Police

nobody@vox.com(Ron) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:59:52 -0500

Ghost in the Machine

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

At the peak of their creative and artistic success, The Police walked away from the music industry. The band had long known inner-turmoil and it was quite public knowledge that the three members, Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland, had extremely tense relationships with one another. Creatively, most of the bands albums were dominated by Sting, whose music and lyrics were the most popular, and ultimately embraced by critics as the best. Summers and Copeland had the odd track or two on a record, but these were in many ways afterthoughts. Such musical tension was not a new development- The Beatles broke up in fact for a similar reason, among others. Often, during the last two decades of his solo work, Sting has denounced the idea of a full scale reunion. Such talk was highest after the band played an impromptu set during Sting's wedding to Trudy Styler, and after their performance at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. If a reunion does materialize, you can be sure it will be one of the hottest tickets on the concert scene. The bands 4th album, Ghosts in the Machine spawned 3 hit singles, including Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic which reached #3 on the US charts.

According to a story in Reuters (and Billboard) talk of a reunion to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the bands first hit single, Roxanne, has been given significant traction in the recent months:

Police reunion rumors reaching fever pitch

By Jonathan CohenWed Jan 3, 5:48 PM ET

Rumors are swirling that the Police will reunite for 2007 dates in England and the United States, which would be the rock trio's first since disbanding in 1986.

Sources told Billboard.com the reports -- in the British press -- were legitimate, but they would not publicly comment until final details are nearer to completion.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of "Roxanne," the single that broke the Police in the United States. In a statement issued last month, A&M Records said, "It is our intention to mark the anniversary by doing something special with the band's catalog of songs. Needless to say, everyone is hopeful the band will support our plans and while early discussions have taken place, nothing has been decided."

Sources say in addition to DVD releases, A&M is planning another multi-disc collection in the vein of 1993's "Message in a Box," which featured the band's complete studio recordings and a handful of rarities.

A Police reunion has been the concert industry's dream for two decades, as it is believed the band could play stadiums internationally should it choose to reunite. But besides an impromptu set at Sting's 1992 wedding to Trudie Styler, the Police's only other post-breakup performance was in celebration of its 2003 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

And while Sting has repeatedly expressed reluctance at reuniting, drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers have kept the flame alive. This summer, Summers told Billboard he was certain the group could have continued past its 1983 commercial peak with "Synchronicity."

"The more rational approach would have been, 'OK, Sting, go make a solo record, and let's get back together in two or three years,"' he said. "I'm certain we could have done that. Of course we could have. We were definitely not in a creative dry space. We could have easily carried on, and we could probably still be there. That wasn't to be our fate. It went in another way. I regret we never paid it off with a last tour."

Reuters/Billboard

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Gin Blossoms...

nobody@vox.com(Ron) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:18:00 -0500

Gin Blossoms

05 As Long As It Matters

The Gin Blossoms have always been one of those refreshing sounds you turn to when life just become to stressful. Blending harmonies and Byrds influenced guitar, the Gin Blossoms had several hits in the their early incarnation. The band underwent several significant changes and eventually dissolved in the mid 90s, only to return last year with a slightly varied line-up but a fresh approach. Congratulations, I'm Sorry was the follow-up CD to their hit album New Miserable Experience which launched them on the charts. Congratulations, I'm Sorry was met with less success, however musically it is a far superior record on the whole. "As Long As It Matters" is a desperate love song braced with the reality of time running out on a relationship. The band is touring early in 2007, with dates in Tempe, AZ (Jan 14th), Sutton's Bay, MI (Jan 27th), and Los Angeles (Feb 16th).

Official Websites: http://www.ginblossoms.net/index.php , http://www.myspace.com/ginblossoms

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The La's

nobody@vox.com(Ron) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 20:08:40 -0500

01 Son Of A Gun

Thelas

Sadly this Liverpool band from the late-80s might reside in the one-hit wonder files. "There She Goes" was a huge single and has been covered several times, playing the centerpiece of Mike Myer's underrated film "So I Married An Axe Murderer".

The band had trouble getting in the same frame of mind for a follow-up to their debut. Lead Vocalist and chief songwriter, Lee Mavers, has been reportedly working on a new La's record, but it has been nearly 15 years. The band lost several members during the extended hiatus, but has reunited in recent years to play small gigs and random opening shows for bands like Oasis, sticking mainly to Great Britain. 'Son of a Gun' is the first track on the CD and has a catchy guitar intro and a definite 'mersey beat', distinctive to the Liverpool sound made famous by those four lads in the 60s.

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Guadalcanal Diary

nobody@vox.com(Ron) — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 20:59:13 -0500

02 Always Saturday

Flip Flop

Guadacanal Diary was one of those great underground (and underappreciated) bands that followed out of the Athens/Atlanta scene in the wake of R.E.M.'s success to the mainstream. The Guad's had a great pop sound that mirrored the 'jangly guitar' southern alternative of the late 70s and early 80s. "Always Saturday" was their only top ten hit, reaching #7, but the album Flip Flop (and the earlier 2x4 record) were both popular on the college radio circuit in the mid-80s. The band's chief lyricist Murray Attaway had a penchant for songs that had a reflective-spiritual message, but also lively, fun pop songs as well. The band has an on-again, off-again relationship with recording- they initially folded in 1989, but then reformed after some spontaneous jam sessions, only to then disappear once more leaving their future unknown.

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PrizeFighter

nobody@vox.com(Ron) — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 17:03:21 -0500

Prize Fighter

01 Fire & Snow

Editing this post now to include the new band picture. Here are the boys from Prize Fighter all gussied up and ready to play.

You can find them at their myspace site- http://myspace.com/prizefighterrock

The track you can hear is Fire & Snow, and don't worry you'll likely be getting a CD from me soon with that very track included.

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The Machines

nobody@vox.com(Ron) — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 13:44:26 -0500

What Have I Done- The Machines

The Machines
Originally uploaded by AmericaninCanada.

With this nifty audio and and now flickr feature I can totally build a little story...
so here's a picture of The Machines in action and if you click the little audio link you can hear a song...

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ooo Lucky you

nobody@vox.com(Ron) — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 23:10:01 -0500

I put up some sweeeet tunes in the audio portion...this could totally rock

LeakyLittleBoat

Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers

Enjoy won't you

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One-Way Ticket To Palookaville

nobody@vox.com(Ron) — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 22:53:06 -0500

There's no getting around it...tonight I was just a miserable sonofabiscuit.

I'm getting nowhere with my research and was just frustrated by traffic and the ride home which normally I use to unwind. I got in and Shell had agonizing stories to tell me 1) the television didn't see to want to work- I tapped it on the side and it came on...now my wife thinks I'm The Fonz. 2) the computer is acting up, shutting down randomly which means it needs to be serviced...and who doesn't at this point...but I digress 3) the insurance company wants to write off the van because there was more damage that originally thought, however it is driveable, so we're getting it back, repaired at our expense, but with the insurance claim...so we'll net about $1700- the catch is we can't reinsure it fully with the company again- liability only...which I guess is okay since it's now in worse shape that before.

But all of that just sort washed over me in the midst of my intellectual blockage, the fact that I had a lousy doctor's appointment, and hardly saw the baby today.

I'm just feeling lonely. Separated from my friends and family, and I'm completely rudderless at times. Shell's really been pulling the load double-time and I feel like I don't give her back anything, or at least what she deserves (if I can ever really do that anyway). She pish-poshes me when I say that but my own neuroses say otherwise.

I just want to sit in a room with some friends and have a beer and chat about anything and everything- I'm a people person when it comes to cool people, and I am getting to know some really cool people...but as always they are too far away to share a sit-down with.

At some point we're just going to be forced to travel somewhere and see some of you because I can't stands it. But winter is coming. And with its snow, and cold, and ice..we lose traction of things we want to do and try to survive, spiritually hibernating.

Days like today I feel like a could of been somebody...instead of a bum...which is what I am..

But I can't blame my brother Charlie...I don't have a brother Charlie to blame. I should have been looking out for me, and I didn't. And now I've got a one-way ticket to palookville. But maybe the train will stop somewhere and I can get a gnosh.

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