Category: Bands/Comps/Splits
Providence Monthly reviews Bill Keough’s ‘You’ll Disappear, Just Like They All Do’
By Adam Hogue
“Therapy without the doctors bills I suppose.”
That’s the way Bill Keough muses about his most recent set of songs off his newest album You’ll Disappear, Just Like They All Do. The songs on this latest effort come out at various points with biting tone, apathetic reflections, and shades of gray humor that create an album tempered and moody, yet a raucous call for celebration and heartfelt earnestness.
“I went through a two year stretch (during the writing and recording process of the record) where the up-to-then always solid walls of my life were caving in all around me,” Bill says. “Death, deception, divorce, self doubt… you name it, it all found its way to me. This led to a lot of re-self discovery and an honest reckoning of what had transpired and where it had dropped me off at after the tumultuous trip. Perfect timing if one is looking for subject matter for songs for sure.”
The title You’ll Disappear, Just Like They All Do sets the tone in a Rust Never Sleeps kind of Neil Young-resignation, along with a distinctive ‘90s garage, grunge, post-punk style reminiscent of Modest Mouse or Pixies. With those elements at play, mood becomes a big aspect of this record.
I can’t think of a local record quite as moody or style-focused as this one in recent memory.
With the lead-off track (complete with a music video) “I Am the Lighthouse,” Bill presents a noise-driven collection of music that uses time and space, sparse lyricism, and chaotic guitars to bring stark reality to the forefront, but allows it to linger over lush musical arrangements. The tracks “Bed” into “Gentle Smile” offer the best expression of Bill’s Frank Black approach to lyrics spat out between long forays into dual guitar interludes that follow unexpected chordal changes.
“I feel it’s vital to present a story in a series of songs where attention to sequencing of the songs from beginning to end plays an important role,” Bill says. “It sets a tone and lays a fluid foundation for the mood, whether it’s the one you intended or what the listener walks away with and comes back to. My songs are deeply personal. I have no reservations in parting my ribs to share my heart in hopes that it might strike a chord with anyone willing to listen and relate on their own level. It’s what’s always been special to me about music, hearing that song that hits you in such a way you never expected.”
Along with his 75 or Less Records counterparts, Bill falls in with artists given the artistic space to be themselves both in the studio and out. Listening to You’ll Disappear, Just Like They All Do plays like an album meant to be heard recorded. Yet, each song can clearly be imagined to take on a life of its own, unafraid to exist as something unique to what is heard on the album.
“I keep it pretty simple [live],” Bill says, “just an electric acoustic guitar and a few pedals heading back through my amp. I have not had the joy of playing with a full band for the last few years although nothing is more euphoric than that experience for sure, musically. I definitely fall into the category of a recording artist who plays their songs live. It used to be the opposite back in the day.”
Bill Keough is currently working on another video from the album to be released soon.
The Same Thing Project – Walks of Life Collaborations
75OL-293 The Same Thing Project – Walks of Life Collaborations
$15.00 S&H Included
Digital download and streaming is available here
Track Listing
- Common Ground
- Mama’s Blueberry Pie
- Someone to Love
- Music of the Night
- Better Days
- Scary Love
- Dream
- Ebb and Flow
- Home
- We’re Leaving
The Same Thing Project is a songwriting workshop for people from all walks of life.
We have musicians, artists, retired folks, people with disabilities, blue and white collar workers participate every week in writing a song.
We provide a place where you don’t have to be skilled at a musical instrument in order to be musical. The goal is to have a place where someone can be part of a creative community that is open, non judgmental and encouraging.
It’s our belief that the world is a better place when people can express themselves in an imaginative way. A society is measured by how much it nurtures its arts and culture. People appreciate the arts more when they themselves take part in creating it (whatever that might be). People are never too old or young to learn something new or to write a song. You can see that spark of inspiration go on in young kids, retired newspaper writers and the father and son who take lessons so that they can play guitars together. People who take part in The Same Thing Project know the feeling of being in the midst of the creative process. We want others in the community to experience it.
The Same Thing Project meets every Tuesday morning, 10:00AM at The Artists Exchange 82 Rolfe Square Cranston, RI and it’s free and open to everyone!
David Tessier All-Star Stars at Oriental Pearl
Oriental Pearl Restaurant
576 State Rd
Westport, Mass
9pm. No cover
If It’s Too Loud reviews Keith AB’s ‘Without Grievance’
According to his brief Bandcamp bio, “Keith A/B is a singer-songwriter from the Providence area.” But that doesn’t really describe his newest album, Without Grievance.
The opening song, “Hey Kelly,” does not fit what you’d expect from a singer-songwriter. That term conjures an image of an acoustic guitar and something along the lines of folk, or maybe some mainstream, straight up rock music. Instead, “Hey Kelly” sounds like Jason Lowenstein’s contributions to Sebadoh. It’s much louder and more dissonant than a singer-songwriter usually sounds. From there “I’d Be a Success” sounds more like a singer-songwriter, but only because it’s more mellow. It still has an undercurrent of abrasive noise lurking underneath. It’s not until the fourth track, “No Black Magic Required,” that Without Grievance almost sounds like a traditional singer-songwriter, but once again even this song goes off in its own direction. And these are all good things.
The Callouts video for ‘Amelia’
The Callouts – Give Up
75OL-284 The Callouts – Give Up CD
Digital download and streaming available here
$7.00 S&H Included
Track Listing
- The Rabbit
- Reverse Clooney
- Chain Reaction
- Amelia
- California
- Hot Tuesday
- Underground Giraffe Fight
- Downtown is Dead
- Heartfelt Mixup
- Shutter
- Sweep the Leg
Keith A/B – Without Grievance
75OL-290 Keith A/B – Without Grievance CD
Digital download and streaming is available here
$7.00 S&H Included
Track Listing
- Hey Kelly
- I’d Be A Success
- Candle Wax
- No Black Magic Required
- Kids
- Future-Proof
- Triple Deckers
- Celebration
- Alligators Chased Me Home
Keith A/B is a Providence area singer-songwriter. For fans of Jeff Buckley, The Walkmen, Tame Impala, Deerhunter, Polvo, Cobra Verde, and Guided by Voices.
Powerpopaholic reviews Minky Starshine’s “Dirty Electric”
Rob Anastasi’s Minky Starshine has a new LP produced by Ken Stringfellow and has enlisted the support of Mike Musburger, Ducky Carlisle, Corin Ashley, Fernando Perdomo, and Phil Aiken. The album starts with the laid-back “Art School” as the lead lyric seems pessimistic; “I went to school for art but ended up pushing papers” however it comes around to the upbeat “everywhere is going to lead somewhere.” But the darkness creeps in on “Everybody Loves to Party” despite the catchy chords and “London Metropole” focuses on the pain of loneliness.
The notable “Good Company” is a bright spot, with its hopeful melody and layered guitars. The production is artfully done, as Anastasi’s songs are emotional and resonate, but the edge seems much softer now. Especially on the apprehensive “Go!” which mixes a fast paced verse with a big arena-friendly multi-tracked chorus. Unfortunately, many other songs just didn’t stick in my head, which seems a long way from the brilliant Womanity. This is still music that deserves to be heard, and Anastasi is a world-class talent. Check it out.
David Tessier ‘Dreams in Hyperspace’ review in Motif
David Tessier – Dreams in Hyperspace
I first saw David Tessier and his backing band when they staged a production of the rock opera Hedwig and The Angry Inch. Since then they’ve done everything from tackling Jesus Christ Superstar to doing a run of shows as a Monkees cover band. On Dreams in Hyperspace, Tessier and his band, The All-Stars Stars, move somewhere between and intergalactic hybrid of Radiohead meets E.L.O. with a nod to ’70s Pink Floyd. Dreams in Hyperspace has a lost-in-space concept feel, but I guess hence the title, right? “The Good Afternoons” reminds me of Pink Floyd meets Spacehog. “Hey Mary” starts like Radiohead’s “Creep” before blasting off into something more operatic, which was how E.L.O. came to mind. The instrumentals between songs serve to move the narration of long and can vary from old school video game vibes (“The Dream Begins”) to spacey noise (“The Colder Still”). The closing “Edge of Contact” wraps on the story where unlike Ziggy Stardust, Tessier and The All-Stars Stars seem to find a home in space.
The Low Cards at Metal Nexus
State Of The Art: Rhode Island’s THE LOW CARDS
Hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, The Low Cards are a bluesy, swamp-rock three piece band led by frontman, singer/songwriter/guitarist Dan Baker. Baker has been writing music himself for some time; he has three solo albums where his first was released back in 2008. The Low Cards came to be when Baker joined up with bassist Brian Jablonski, who actually plays an upright bass, and drummer Matt Slobogan. Their debut, self-titled album dropped on November 29, 2017 and was recorded entirely live at Machines with Magnets in Pawtucket, RI. They did this with the intention to capture the raw intensity of their sound, and boy did they ever accomplish that. The audio was mastered together by West West Side Music out of New Windsor, New York. At first glance, The Low Cards have some musical resemblance to The Black Keys and in one track off the record I’m pretty sure they really wanted to be Johnny Cash, but the more you listen, the more you realize that these guys have a genuine sound of their own that I can’t seem to get enough of.
Baker’s lyrics, for the most part, focus on life and death. He’s a great storyteller about life and seemingly welcomes the idea of death. Being from a small town myself, his words and stories definitely hit home. For example, the first track, “Townie” is about just that; being born, raised, and dying in a small town. Baker does not hold back with his vocals. You can feel the emotion and inflection he uses to create his own sound, and when the rest of the band kicks in you know you’re in for something special. The second track, “Closer” is kind of like nothing I’ve ever heard before. The goofy guitar riff paired with the perfectly timed accent of Slobogan’s cowbell give this song the feeling of what you would expect to go along with a circus act. However, the lyrics go way deeper than that, as Baker talks about putting your ego aside and coming to grips with the nature of reality. I don’t want to focus too much on the individual tracks in this article, so I’ll leave that with what is probably my favorite line on the album. The third track and first single, “Suffer”, Baker says, “I don’t care if there ain’t no god. Though you might find it odd. I do suffer.” Between the context and the way he sings it, this part is just simply badass. The only problem with this band is their following is so small that it’s hard to find much information about them. They seem to tour rather locally around Rhode Island, which is ironic that a band with such a small notoriety is playing in a state smaller than most counties. They definitely deserve some publicity, which is the whole reason I’m doing this article. Hopefully we’ll see them grow and put out more music in the near future.