Child prodigies.  Most don’t measure up to Mozart.  Then, again, how many kids do you know were composing and performing before royalty at five years old?  Amadeus may have been the exceptional exception.  The ultimate musical genius of all musical geniuses.

There have been others, especially guitar-based bluesmen and rockers.  Jonny Lang released Smokin’ when he was fourteen years old and had his first hit album, Lie To Me, at sixteen.  Kenny Wayne Shepherd was wailing on stage with blues greats when he was thirteen.  By the time he was eighteen he already had a top ten single.

Add to those blues child guitar prodigies Andy Poxon.  He started playing gigs at fourteen and at sixteen years old released a barn burner of an album called Red Roots with The Andy Poxon Band.  If you look beyond Poxon’s giant shock ‘fro of tangled red hair and queue the music, you will hear a thirteen track bombardment of guitar blues – from rockabilly to soul – fronted by a teenager with the pain in his voice of an eighty year old Mississippi Delta blues denizen, the sadness of a middle aged country blues singer and the guitar playing ability of a blues master.

Red Roots starts with Hottest Thing In Town which establishes that Poxon has the musical chops of rockabilly legends. It is Stray Cats on steroids  Poxon follows the opening track with a funky blues number, No Love. Could that really be a late 1970’s Slowhand?  Nope, it’s Poxon.

So what do you do when you write songs and play well enough to rival Brian Setzer and Eric Clapton? Well, you play a country blues on par with Albert Lee. That is exactly what Poxon does on the track Quitters Never Lose. Is that Sam Cooke or Percy Faith?  Nope, it’s Poxon.  While you grapple with the idea that this kid has never lived in a world without the internet,  I Want You So Bad plays and he throws down a guitar solo that would make Joe Bonamassa smile.

The only track that didn’t work for me was I Need My Girl, a pop song with an early rock/blues ballad sound.  It seems like the least mature songwriting on the album. Yet, it too contains some tasty blues licks from a mean guitar slinger.

Is that Stevie Ray Vaughan or Buddy Guy on I’ll Sing The Blues? Nope, it’s Poxon.  What can’t he do with that guitar?  Is that Gary Moore on the track Stop?  Nope, it’s Poxon.

A third country love ballad on the album explores country rock. When is a weepy whopper of a song; Raining In brings Poxon back to the blues of the late 50’s/early 60’s.   How can a kid born in 1996 channel Otis Rush?  Even more insane – a 16 year old creating an Albert King-worthy song and performance like Poxon does on Run Of Bad Luck.

Just when you think Poxon has exhausted his blues tricks he tears it up with an extraordinary blues shuffle, I Hate Being Alone.   Still, he is not done.  The penultimate track, Is There Anything I Can Do, is reminiscent of some of the greatest blues songs ever written.  In it are touches of I Still Have The Blues For You, Born Under A Bad Sign and Stormy Monday. 

The last track is C’mon Pretty Baby, a rockabilly swing country blues which brings Poxon and Red Roots full circle.   It is incredibly hard to believe that Andy Poxon is just turned 17 years old. Hell, when I was 17 years old I was looking for a date to the senior prom, not opening on the road for Coco Montoya and channeling Gene Vincent.  What about you?

–Old School

Now normally I’m not a fan of writing reviews about singles, but lately several cool songs have come across my desk. Although the majority of them can be classified as alternative and indie music, there is a cool New York hard rock band worth mentioning. I hope you enjoy my random selection

Fun – We Are Young

From the moment I first heard “We Are Young” I knew I listened to one of the best songs of 2012. Yes, only a few weeks into the new year I discovered a great song worthy to be considered one of my favorites for 2012. While waiting for my friend outside his place in Hancock Park I listened to KROQ when “We Are Young” by Fun (featuring Janelle Monáe) came on the radio.

Now I’m not normally a big fan of bands like Jack’s Mannequin and Panic! at the Disco, but something stood out to me about Fun. “We Are Young” immediately hooked me from the very first time I heard it with its astounding opening:

Give me a second I,
I need to get my story straight
My friends are in the bathroom getting higher than the Empire State
My lover she’s waiting for me just across the bar
My seat’s been taken by some sunglasses asking bout a scar, and
I know I gave it to you months ago
I know you’re trying to forget
But between the drinks and subtle things
The holes in my apologies you know
I’m trying hard to take it back
So if by the time the bar closes
And you feel like falling down
I’ll carry you home

“We Are Young” is a distinct, delightful song, which continues with the creative catchy chorus, “Tonight/We are young/ So let’s set the world on fire/ We can burn brighter than the sun.” Before the song is done I guarantee you will be singing along. Much like their name, Fun is an exhilarating and entertaining band that aims to ignite excitement into every one of their fans’ lives. “We Are Young” is featured on Fun’s upcoming sophomore album Some Nights.

Butch Walker and The Black Widows – Synthesizers

Not only is Butch Walker an acclaimed and prolific producer, but a wonderful singer-songwriter who has delivered another incredible song, “Synthesizers.” Butch Walker and The Black Widows deliver “Synthesizers” a fun, fresh fantastic song off his sixth solo album The Spade. The perfect chemistry of power pop and narrative nostalgia hits its stride in this cool, collective song that remains relaxed and bouncy. Although you can consider “Synthesizers” super radio friendly, it was a pleasure to rediscover the alternative awesomeness that is Butch Walker with this unique, ingenious modern masterpiece.

Memorable melodies, killer beats, and a tremendous talent, Butch Walker delivers the goods once again: “Everybody’s writing songs with synthesizers/ but I don’t have a synthesizer/ I can still get down like/ Duran Duran in 1985/ I didn’t name my band after an animal/ I don’t have any feathers or neon clothe/ but I can stay out all night/ like Sacajawea in a paint fight.”

There’s no way Walker should be able to top this snarky sophisticated song, but somehow he manages to by creating an instant iconic music video. As Walker describes it on his website, “To commemorate the 20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the filming and inception of this amazing movie (Dazed and Confused), we brought a little someone from the film back to be the life of the party for our new video for the song ‘Synthesizers.’” This song somehow got even cooler…just saying.

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The Dirty Pearls- Static

I love New York. Need I say more? Okay, I’m biased towards the East Coast and will always show my love to bands from Jersey and New York (Yes, I do realize its “New Jersey,” but it will always be Jersey to me). Ever since I was born I have always possessed a New York state of mind thanks to my family, particularly my father. Whether it was sports (New York Yankees and New York Giants), movies (Taxi Driver, Manhattan, etc.) or even music (KISS, the New York Dolls, The Ramones, etc), I have and will always love New York.

Classic rock is back with a vengeance and it comes bearing the name, The Dirty Pearls. Led by frontman Tommy London (Vocals), The Dirty Pearls create a classic, hard edge sound with a new school twist. Joined by guitarists Sunny Climbs and Tommy Mokas, bassist Doug Wright and drummer Marty E, The Dirty Pearls is a high energy, fist pumping, hard rocking badass band every hard rock fan should know.

Loud guitars, delicious drumming and catchy lyrics make their single “Static” a must-hear. If more modern rock bands were like The Dirty Pearls, then rock would have never really disappeared from mainstream audiences. Considering they have supported artists like Andrew WK, Bret Michaels, Jet, KISS, the New York Dolls and Scott Weiland, it’s no surprise why The Dirty Pearls have created a lasting impression. Even Lady Gaga referenced them in her song “Heavy Metal Lover” from her album Born This Way.  The Dirty Pearls raise hell and know the true meaning behind rock n’ roll. 

General Fiasco – Don’t You Ever

I need to move to the UK. Once again, Racer has delivered another awesome band my way. Before last week I had never even heard of indie rock and alternative band General Fiasco, an awesome group from Northern Ireland. Their latest single “Don’t You Ever” is an incredible and impressive single released in the first quarter of 2012.

Comprised of brothers Owen (vocals/bass) and Enda Strathern (guitar), Stephen Leacock (drums) and Stuart Bell (guitarist / keyboard player), General Fiasco is certainly a band to watch out for in the near future. If you enjoy bands like Snow Patrol, The Enemy, Kids in Glass Houses, and Futures, then General Fiasco is a band worth discovering.

I really enjoy their lyrics and the chorus is quite catchy, “Don’t you ever/waste your time on me/Your better left alone/ It’s Ordinary…And I don’t want no L-O-V-E/ I can’t see that you have some other plans.” Simple and sweet, just the way I like my music.

–Mr Brownstone

  General fiasco – Don’t You Ever by Dirty Hit

Waveriders!  First of all, thank you all so much for popping in with us and checking out reviews on the “best music you’re not listening to.”  Our goal is for our writers to find music that truly excites them, then unleash themselves upon their keyboards to write missives and spread the word.

We’ve been growing like crazy recently, as we’ve crossed over 3,000,000 hits and our staff keeps on expanding so here’s a preview of what each week has in store for you.  Of course, sometimes things change because of schedules, but basically, here’s the rundown.

Sunday begins our week with Cicatriz laying down the hardcore punk and metal, grindcore, deathcore, and occasional variation followed by The Slapphappy Mortician digging into weird worlds of electronica and interesting pop.

Monday is Racer and the Pope writing about whatever catches their ears.  Look for a resurrection of the regular columns we used to do so frequently, like the Proto-metal Report, Musical Martyrs, On the Ripple Desk, and Single Life.  You never know what might catch Racer or Pope’s ears for writing that week, but it will probably be full of ambient metal, stoner groove, retro-rock, post-punk, garage and punk.

Tuesday brings on the fuzz with Heddbuzz laying into the stoner groove, doom, and riff rock, followed by Ripple’s very own graphic artist, Boogs, writing about what ever rocks his world.  But it will rock.

Wednesday is filled with the missives of Penfold and his regalia of tales as he explores the worlds of avant-metal, hip hop, and pop darkness.  Following which comes our own NW radio personality, Odin, who’s all metal all the time. 

Thursday we get entertained by the punky, rocky, metallic, off-the-cuff world of Woody as he delves into his love of all things Motorhead, Stooges, Grand Funk and more.  And don’t forget his occasional reading list suggestions, The Ripple Library, with books full of rich rock history.  Then, on days when we’re lucky, England’s Grifter, Ollie, lays down some heavy riff-rock love.

Friday is heavy, with Horn and his love of metal, sludge, doom and jazz followed by Ripple’s newest scribe, Gorgeous Nightmare who delves into metal of all sorts from gothic, to sleaze, to power.

Saturday brings the varied and entertaining worlds of Mr Brownstone and Old School who’s ears perk up with wonderously different sounds.  Expect lots of alternative pop, classic rock, blues, jazz and even a touch of bluegrass.  But really, we never know what’s going to come next. 

On top of that, we’ll still publish the odd bit of news, free compilation links, and interviews.  And the Blogtalkradio link updates every month with the latest podcast from the Ripple Radio Show.

And don’t forget to pop over to our companion facebook page, where we’ll publish every week (if not every day) links to free downloadable singles, albums, and compilations.

Yes, it’s all here on the Ripple.

I don’t normally like female fronted metal bands. I don’t know why, but besides Joan Jett, and Lzzy Hale, it’s just not my cup of tea. Shear has changed my opinion. Their vocalist, Alexa Leroux has a voice that made my jaw drop. She doesn’t have a plain operetic voice that so many women in metal fall back on. She has a soaring, guttural, melodic voice that stands out in a scene full of Amy Lee wannabes.

Shear is from Finland, one of the best countries in the world for metal. Maybe I’m biased, but this American Finn loves her some Finnish metal. Shear has cultivated a sound that combines chugging riffs and bright keyboarding with the fantastic talents of Alexa. The keyboards in particular stand out. Lari Sorvo, the keyboardist, flies over the keys with the prescision and skill of a surgeon handling a needle.

That’s not to say that the guitarists and drummer are shabby in comparison. No siree, I loved the whole darn band. All of them are freaking phenomenal. If you like Halestorm, In Flames, or Icon & the Black Roses, man are you going to love these guys. I know this is going to sound crazy, but the guitars and keyboards sound almost like Motionless In White. Not the vocals though, they couldn’t be more different.

Listening to them it’s like you’re surrounded by the sound, like it comes through the speakers and fills your whole body and lifts you up, till you’re just suspended, caught till they decide to release you. The music just soars, and it’s heavy without being too in-your-face. The whole listening experience was exhilarating. I could easily see this band take over stations such as Octane.

Bottom line, they’re great. Definitely someone to listen to over and over again. I loved the guitars, the bass, the drums, the vocals. Everything was just spot on. Fantastic sound, no complaints from this especially picky reporter.

–Gorgeous Nightmare

What with their (as of this writing) upcoming album Blood For the Master, I revisited Goatwhore’s previous LP, Carving Out the Eyes of God, playing it on tank-like, if outdated, speakers at jet-engine volume.

At its best, in other words.

“Apocalyptic Havoc” the lead single (see below) opens with all out Venom/Celtic Frost 32nd notes updated for this year (which actually is a pretty good synopsis of the entire album), and contains the immortal line “Who needs a God, when you’ve got Satan?!”

“The All-Destroying,” next, is blastbeats then D-beats then flat-out downbeats, and contines the Goatwhore tradition thusfar, of grimly-satisfied-nodding-to-riffs, rather than out-and-out funky jams… and I love every time singer Ben Falgoust says “Ooooh!” à la Tom G. Warrior.

“Carving out the eyes of God,” has a cool, melodic blastbeaten chorus (and is pretty hummable), and on the right sterio/headphones, the triplet bass drum patterns are Alex Van Halen on “Hot For Teacher” cool.

“Shadow of a Living Knife,” in its middle section fires up a great triplet-bass-drum blast beat and segues into a sweet semi-sweep-picked solo… “Provoking the Ritual of Death” opens with tribal drums and sludge riffs before its blastbeaten percussion returns… “In Legions, I am Wars of Wrath,” with its refrain of LIES! is fucking Epic… “Reckoning of the Soul Made Godless” slows down and rocks out in 4/4, “Razor Flesh Devoured” is pure fury, blastbeat to D-beat to-blastbeat, ad infinitum, wherein it fades out (officfially ending the album), although…

“To Mourn and Wander Forever Through Forgotten Doorways,” a bonus track, comes up next, ominous minor-chorded arpeggios leading to a spoken-word invocation– easily the moodiest track here, not unlike “Lucifer” from Behemoth’s Evangelion. I can see why it wasn’t on the official LP, but it probably should’ve been, maybe right in the middle as a tempo-velocity respite….

The entire album is perfect “blackened death metal,” i.e., the guitars are detuned (i.e., bass-y as hell) and there are as many hyper-kinetic D-beats as there are blast beats, but the lyrics and imagery is occult/Satanic.

Overall, generic but completely invested in what they do.

–Horn

Goatwhore, Carving out the eyes of God

A quick side note from Les Enfoires
2/2/12 was a record number of visitors… and of course I become curious.
The who what and wheres of it all… over the last 500 visitors

The number of people looking for Alizée’s tattoos always shocks me, personally I can’t even remember to look for them, others it appears to be a hot point.

where from…

and on and on…

curious what has been the most popular pic downloads lately…
WHAT!!!!!
the last 500 have been “the eyes”… that’s it, no other pic, that’s crazy

The eyes have it…
Now back to Les Enfoires 2012