MEDIA Reviews
Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks
Crazy for Christmas
Surf Dog
Grinderman
Grinderman II
Mute/Anti
come across as sterile as previous studio albums
and the addition of some guests really adds to
the looser vibe. A great example is “Texas,” a
medium-slow blues where Johnson shows off
his Clapton-meets-Bloomfield licks alongside
Steve Miller and longtime Austin friend Jimmie
Vaughan. The juxtaposition of Johnson and
Vaughan’s solos shows off how unique, and
comfortable, each guitarist is with their style.
Throughout the 15 tracks on Up Close, from
the Hendrixian-ballad “A Change Has Come
to Me,” to the space boogie of “Fatdaddy,”
Johnson has created another worthy addition to
his already legendary catalog. —Jason Shadrick
Most Christmas
albums of the last
20 years make
me feel more like
the Grinch than
someone filled
with cheer and
goodwill. They
seem so cynically “cheery,” shiny perfect,
and soullessly overproduced that they’re
like icicles in the ear canal. For me, old
holiday tunes are a lot more likely to have
that vibe that takes you back to your childhood—back to relaxing in your jammies,
digging the smell of the Christmas tree,
and vegging by a crackling fire. I’m talking about songs from cats like Burl Ives or
fun stuff like the tracks on the Christmas
Kisses compilation, which has an eclectic
mix of endearing performances by artists
like Leadbelly, Les Paul, Tex Ritter, Sugar
Chile Robinson, Mel Blanc, and Harry
Stewart (performing as “Yogi Yorgesson”).
There’s a soulfulness and warmth to these
recordings, and it’s not because there’s
a nostalgic connection. I didn’t grow up
with those songs, but I feel like I did. That
warmth is partially the production process,
sure, but there’s also a feeling of genuine
joy and awe that I just don’t hear in most
newer Christmas albums. But Dan Hicks
and the Hot Licks’ new Crazy for Christmas
is one of those rare exceptions. Besides
featuring production that has that ol’
magical vibe, it’s full of swingin’ archtop
solos from Gonzalo Bergara (“Santa Gotta
Choo Choo”), rootsy slide parts (“Santa’s
Workshop”), gypsy-jazz violin solos (“Here
Comes Santa Claus”), joyous singing (how
Hicks’ trademark voice can sound gritty
and smooth is a mystery), and humor that
kids and adults alike can enjoy (check out
the scat singing and comically sped-up
choruses of “Carol of the Bells,” or the
kazoo lines on “Cool Yule”). You may not
be able to believe in Santa anymore, but
thanks to Hicks and the Hot Licks you can
still believe in the infinitely more valuable
vibe and spirit that the Fat Man represents.
—Shawn Hammond
When the first
Grinderman record
hit in 2007, it
seemed to signal
a kind of second
(or third . . . or
fourth) adolescence
for Nick Cave.
Working with Bad Seeds Warren Ellis and
Martyn Casey and former Sonic Youth drummer Jim Sclavunos, Grinderman achieved a
raw, stripped-down rock ensemble sound that
felt like the Birthday Party (Cave’s first band of
note) revisited 20 years down the line and trading numbers with a faded bar band covering
Tonight’s the Night and Nebraska.
On Grinderman II there’s a little bit less of the
blues balladry and an extra helping of the sinister savagery—thanks in large part to the chain-saw-buzzing and horror film-slashing guitar of
Warren Ellis. A longtime Cave conspirator, Ellis
seems to have a telepathic sense for punctuating Cave’s city-cool, punk-preacher verses—a
facility on plain display on the opening cut
“Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man” and
“Heathen Child.” Ellis’s tones are grotesque
and delicious, peppered with grinding fuzz and
positively filthy wah sweeps and dashes that
makes a perfect sonic picture of Grinderman’s
wonderfully lecherous, sleazy, leering miscreant
persona. Nastiness! – Charles Saufley
Eric Johnson
Up Close
Vortexan Music
Never one to be
considered “
prolific,” Eric Johnson
has emerged from
his studio with a
new collection of
tunes that gives
anxious fans just what they want: great playing,
great tone and a Texas-size dose of soul. This
is the first album that was recorded entirely in
Johnson’s home studio (which was 15 years in
the making). The sound of the record doesn’t
VIDEOS
Leo Fender’s Telecaster
– The Original Twang
Headstock Productions, Ltd
Consider this the pre-quel to the recent Strat
Masters documentary
about the Strat’s creation and impact on
modern music. Made
by the same production company, Leo
Fender’s Telecaster
traces the legacy of the guitar that started
it all and remains a go-to choice for many
players today. Interviewees include Jeff
Beck, Keith Richards, Steve Cropper, James
Burton, G.E. Smith, John 5, Seymour
Duncan, and several other players, historians and Fender employees. They talk
about, play, and romanticize the almighty
Telecaster for two hours and 39 minutes.
Highlights include Fender historian Richard
Smith giving down-to-the-last-screw tours of
the Esquire, Broadcaster, early Teles, and the
instrument’s papa—the Champion lap steel.
Other notable moments include Jerry Donahue
breaking down the three-saddles-vs.-6-saddles
debate and explaining what’s going on behind
the Tele’s famous intonation/tuning issue
known as “major 3rd syndrome.”
Some viewers may tire of the DVD’s meandering focus in the second half, the somewhat
gritty production, and the inclusion of lesser-known players who end up getting more face
time than Beck, Richards, and Cropper. Some
purists will also question the decision to spend
a bit of time with players who are known for
using Tele-inspired instruments made by other
manufacturers. Regardless, gearheads who
simply cannot get enough Tele history will be
in heaven watching this DVD. How exactly did
Leo nail it right off the bat? No other documentary has ever gone so deep in an effort to
answer that question. —Joe Coffey
