Artist Special #1: The Hold Steady

The Hold Steady have just toured in Australia as one of the headliners for the Laneway Festival. Most people here haven't heard much of them but now that Triple J is giving them some airplay in 12 months they will be the next big thing, remember you heard it here first!

I was lucky enough to see them in Brisbane a few weeks back - the gig was on a small stage to a small crowd but they still ripped the place apart. In my opinion they are one of the best bands in the world right now and a great musical journey to embark upon. Straight rock, done brilliantly with superb lyrics mainly all about kids growing up in the mid-west US with too much time and not enough to do. If you grew up in a small town you will feel every story these guys relay. Superb.


The Hold Steady. BOYS AND GIRLS IN AMERICA

This album is classic rock and roll but it has a lighter side with some nice ballads & great story telling, it winds you into meeting the boys and girls they sing about - awkwardly growing up, discovering love, booze, drugs, cars and the law. The great thing about this band is hearing stories about the same kids across their different albums - its like your growing up with them and experiencing what they experience. This is a great album to start with as it has everything on it that they do so well. Check out the track "Chips Ahoy" about a girl who bets on the horses and then her and her guy 'spend the whole next week gettin high' all over a punchy rock riff.. great stuff.

The Hold Steady. ALMOST KILLED ME

Party, party, pass out, probably on top of someone, regret it. Get over it. Party more. Fight a bit, get some drugs. A soundtrack to debauchery.

Their debut album.



The Hold Steady. SEPARATION SUNDAY

More stories of the same characters that your already by now intimately familiar with. Has a slower feel overall but still rocking, and a few more ballads. More focus on stories here



Also see their latest album STAY POSITIVE which is just as good as any of the above. A tight suite of music to own.

Great Reggae for Whitey

Reggae is a niche musical taste, I know very few people who are into it but I can't understand why more people don't like it. Its such an authentic genre of music that to a large part has stayed out of the mainstream and that alone has to be reason enough to check it out...

Yabby You. JESUS DREAD 1972 - 77

This is a major down tempo fat bass line fest. Some reggae can put you into a coma but this makes you want to sing along and dance, its not fast, but its catchy and despite being recorded over 30 years ago it sounds fantastic. Ever wondered where Massive Attack got their sound and lyrics from? Check these albums out and any album by another reggae legend Horace Andy.

Burning Spear. MARCUS GARVEY.

Burning Spear have some great vocals and most of their songs are songs of praise done beautifully with driving bass lines and floating vocals. This is the album to buy if you want to try getting into real reggae and I know its around as I bought it in Melbourne 3 years ago. One the thing most people don't know about reggae is that most of it is actually gospel music sung by those who believe in a god called Jah (a once ruler of Ethopia) and who therefore belong to a group known as rastafari. This is their religious music and the real stuff, like the guys on this list are great artists and have made some fantastic records. If you can get any of these on vinyl its well worth it, the analogue recordings from the 70's reproduce on vinyl superbly...music for serious listeners!

Linval Thompson. RIDE ON DREADLOCKS 1975 - 77

Linval Thompson is my favourite reggae man. This album is not too dub-heavy meaning you won't get 21 versions of the same song played in every which way possible without vocals, that can be a downfall of reggae as it becomes tedious and boring very fast. Linval is very down tempo, laid back and heavy with thick bass lines - a real slow-your-heartbeat album.