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Following the departure last year of Snareface,The Flying Skulls‘ Jeff Wareham (J.Tonal) enlisted the help of keyboardist Jacob Hernandez, a.k.a. Esau, to tie together a collection of original tracks, remixes, and collaborations celebrating the scope and history of the bass-laden sonic revolution of the past couple of years that began in pockets of the Bay Area and L.A. and exploded outwards. The result is West Coast Bass, a 10-track history lesson available through all digital download stores on 1320 Records and Digital Music Marketing on November 1st. Inspired greatly by glitch-hop, dubstep, downtempo, and 90’s R&B, WCB details the shifting sounds that have defined a whole new generation of producers. The Skulls have been Bay Area fixtures, with J. Tonal producing and locally promoting in San Francisco for nearly a decade. Sharing bills and compilations with some of the biggest acts of the day (most notably Bassnectar, Prefuse 73, The Glitch Mob, and more), the act has the perspective necessary to examine the changing musical environment with their latest effort.
The opening track, “Beats by the Pound,” has a distinctlyearly-90’s Dr. Dre feel. Audio Angel introduces the featuredplayers, which include the U.K.’s Mudmowth and licks from livetronicasuperstarsLotus. Funky, and delectablyold-school, the bouncy opener sets the stage for an album which runs the gamut from rip-roaring bass blasts to sharply dresseddowntempo that lets well-place wobbles ripple out into space without stepping on each others’ toes. Those who may have been dwelling underneath large rocks for the past few years might use this album as a Zagat-style guide to the beautiful landscape that isWest Coast Bass. -theuntz.com
16-SONG COMPILATION FEATURES ALL PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED LIVE MATERIAL RECORDED IN THE US & EUROPE FROM
2000-2007
ATLANTA, GA – Landslide Records announces a November 15 release date for Sean Costello: At His Best – Live, a special album of live performances recorded by the late blues guitarist/singer, featuring 16 tracks of all previously unreleased live material recorded in the US and Europe from 2000-2007. This first ever completely live album of Sean Costello performances includes 11 songs not on any prior Costello release. At His Best – Live was mastered by acclaimed producer/engineer Rodney Mills (Gregg Allman, Atlanta Rhythm Section) and represents the essence of Sean Costello’s unique artistry and total devotion to the genre.
Landslide Records is distributed nationally in the U.S. by Select-O-Hits. A portion of the royalties from the sale of the album will benefit the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bi-Polar Research (http://www.seancostellofund.org).
Throughout At His Best – Live, Costello demonstrates why he was tagged as a blues artist of immense talent and potential at the age of 16, and how he continued to deliver on that promise up until his tragic death in April, 2008, just one day shy of his 29th birthday.
It also documents the strong overall musicianship Sean surrounded himself with throughout his career. In September of 2009, Landslide Records released Sean’s Blues, a 20-track memorial retrospective collection culled from his three commercial album releases from 1996 through 2001, as well as previously unreleased tracks, which garnered rave reviews from fans and critics alike.
Now, on At His Best – Live, blues fans who never got to see Costello perform will hear what all the excitement was about; and for those fortunate enough to have experienced a Sean Costello show in-person, the new CD will bring back vivid memories of the energy force that drew audiences from all over the world to this incredibly talented musician.
“This CD release intends to share the incomparable power and magic of Sean Costello’s shows,” writes blues writer Tom Hyslop in the album’s liner notes. “Drawing from clean soundboard recordings and warts-and-all, you-are-there audience tapes alike, it offers a fair representation of Costello’s ever-evolving musical reach, including serious blues, sultry soul and R&B, and rock ’n’ roll.
“When performing songs from his albums, Sean generally hewed closely to the reference versions. We have tried here to present rare performances in which Costello shook off those bonds and took artistic flight. More difficult was selecting the “best” takes of blues that Sean had not recorded, and therefore approached with complete liberty and palpable joy. On these favorites, his improvisations were reliably staggering, displaying his playful sense of humor, impeccable groove, chops, and attitude. It was a rare night that went by without Costello pulling down stars from the sky. Like his hero Johnnie Taylor, he was just doing his own thing. And how.”
At His Best – Live showcases that special gift Sean Costello had to interpret songs and truly make them his own. The track list for the album highlights his mastery of Chicago blues, swing/jazz, funk, rhythm and blues, soul and rock. Highlights abound throughout the CD: witness his amazing take on Freddy King’s “San-Ho-Zay”, Lloyd Glenn’s “Blue Shadows,” Magic Sam’s “All Your Love,” Lowell Fulson’s “Reconsider Baby” and Johnny “Guitar Watson’s “Motor Head Baby” (wherein Sean ascends to interplanetary heights with his guitar work). On songs such as “T-Bone Boogie” and “The Hucklebuck,” Costello exhibits a deft touch within the swing/jazz idiom with some amazing fretwork and interplay with standout keyboard player Matt Wauchope; and on such killer soul/rhythm & blues tracks as “I Get a Feeling,” “Check It Out,” “Can I Change My Mind” and “Doing My Own Thing,” his soulful vocals and guitar work get inside the songs themselves. Closing out the set is Sean’s version of Little Richard’s classic, “Lucille,” which shows that he could also rock out with the best of them.
Bailey Park Recording artist Ian McGlynn is on his way to successfully funding his new LP titled "Now Were Golden". Through a variety of offers ranging from a pre-release download (Pedestrian Level: $10) to a 2 hour living room performance (Valedictorian Level: $500), the IndieGoGo campaign has raised $3,620 of the $5,500 goal and there is still 8 days left to go.
McGlynn has just returned from Paris and Amsterdam, where he recorded the new record with Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, Big Star, and R.E.M.) The funding will be used to help cover the costs of travel, studio time, production, mixing and finishing touches that are taking place now. Look for the record to be released exclusively to donors sometime in October or early November and a public streetdate early next year!
Landslide Records announces the exclusive digital only release of two critically acclaimed Jazz albums which originally appeared on Landslide vinyl in the early 80's, but are now out of print. Look for both releases at your favorite download store starting September 6, 2011.
Route Twois from a jazz trio led by the late percussionist David Earle Johnson with notable guitarist John Abercrombie and powerful organist Dan Wall. Route Two presents an exciting fusion of Latin rhythms, fluid guitar work, and propulsive Hammond B-3 organ. Johnson was well known for his percussion work with keyboardist Jan Hammer, and he appeared on many recordings by, among others, Billy Cobham, Oregon, and Lenny White. Abercrombie, who contributed three original compositions, is highly regarded for his superb solo outings on numerous ECM records, though Route Two finds his fluid style perfectly meshed within an entirely different setting. The album marks Wall’s first recordings as an organist, and he also wrote two of the tracks included. Other sidemen on Route Two include Jeremy Steig, flute, Gary Campbell, tenor saxophone, Joe Chambers, drums, and Col. Bruce Hampton (aka Hampton B. Coles) who provides inimitable intros over the closing track.
Song For The Night by jazz pianist Dan Wall appeared on Landslide vinyl in 1981, was Wall’s initial appearance on record and features stellar sidemen Steve Grossman, soprano sax, Mike Richmond, bass, and Jimmy Madison, drums. Given influences from Thelonious Monk and McCoy Tyner, Wall boasts considerable prowess on keyboards in a lively set which includes all original tracks. Since the album’s initial release, Wall has cultivated a strong reputation as a jazz pianist and organist via his work performing and recording with such artists as guitarist John Abercrombie, drummer Bernard Purdie, bassist Eddie Gomez, and saxophonist Eddie Harris. His compositions have been recorded by, among others, Gomez and Chick Corea. Wall has been a featured artist for countless stories in numerous publications including DOWNBEAT, JAZZ TIMES, and KEYBOARD PLAYER. Currently he maintains an international touring schedule and acts as Associate Professor of Jazz Piano at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
