Jon Herington - Time On My Hands

Steely Dan's current lead guitarist rocks on his own with Time On My Hands. Jon Herington hails from New Jersey, used to open for Bruce Springsteen, is well known as a New York session musician and has played for over a decade with Donald Fagen, Walter Becker and, more recently, Boz Skaggs.
The album Time On My Hands is Herington's fifth solo album. He generally plays a driving bluesy jazz rock. But, as the leader of The Jon Herington Band, which, at its core, is a power rock trio that has played together for decades, Herington gets downright funky. The Band consists of guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Herington, bassist and vocalist Dennis Espantman, and drummer and vocalist Frank Pagano.  For Time On My Hands Herington calls on Donald Fagen and Jim Beard of Steely Dan, Danny Louis of Government Mule and Rob Morsberger to add keyboards.

Herington's guitar virtuosity, voice and songwriting stand out.  The lyrics have a dry sense of humor; the voices and arrangements are tasteful and accessible; and the lead guitar solos - oh my, each is a master course in progressive rock and funk guitar.

As the album starts the audience mulls about as Herington launches into "Shine, Shine, Shine," a classic party rock dance boogie.  Deep bass, funky rhythm guitar with wailing lead parts and a shakin', poundin', hip movin' drum beat get the effort rolling. Then, take a sitar guitar, mix it with the beat from Johnny Otis' classic "Willie And The Hand Jive,"  tweak the lyrics, change the chorus and you have the second track, Herington's "Sweet Ginny Rose." Together, it unexpectedly comes off like a Grateful Dead concert piece.

A soul blues, "I Ain't Got You," is an instant classic that rivals the works of B.B. King. It is a complete song, with clever lyrics, tacit, backing vocals, Hammond B-5 and wailing lead guitar interludes. The album is named after the next track, "Time On My Hands",  which is marked by a quick tempo, booming bass, and call and response rock and roll blues that erupts into a slurry guitar riff party.  It is like an alternate take on Cream's "Tales Of Brave Ulysses."

There is also a softer, folk side to Jon Harington. It shines through on "Runnin' Out Of Time."  Here, the focus is on rhythm guitar and vocal harmonies.  A lead interlude accentuates the harmonies.  It is as beautiful as a mid-1960's Byrds ballad.  Folk gives way to the track "I'll Fix Your Wagon,"  a dissonant rock blues that sounded to me sort of like a cross between John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band  and Robert Johnson's classic "Crossroads."  That obviously puts Herington among some pretty good company. A funky soul piece, "I Heard They Shoot Horses", warps a rock jazz structure and shows why Herington is now Steely Dan's lead guitarist.  It is the most Steely Dan-ish track on the entire album.

The penultimate song is a talking jump blues, "Egirl," a tongue in cheek effort that Herington describes as a being "a tale about a loner with a really good internet connection."  The final track, "The Bucket Song," is a funky soul that would make James Brown proud.

With "Time On My Hands" one can no longer think of Jon Herington as a lead guitarist belatedly added to Steely Dan, or just as a sought after session musician.  Herington has discovered a voice of his own.  It is jazzy, funky, bluesy, soulful and playful and, if you have time on your hands, I suggest you give it a listen.

- Old School   

“I Ain’t Got You” (Live)


“Time On My Hands” (Live)

Ripple Tech - Bassbuds Earbuds Review and Special Offer

Another look into some cool tech that might appeal to waveriders of all types.

Recently, I’d been invited to try a set of Bassbuds earbuds/earphones.  If you’ve not heard of them before, Bassbuds are in-ear buds with a focus on fashion as well as sound. Rather than just being plain black (or plastic), Bassbuds have a Swarovski crystal on the outside and come in litany of different color choices.  For what it's worth, mine were deep gray, and in truth, a fine looking set of buds.  But let's be honest, I'm hardly a fashion plate, and I really don't care what my ear buds look like, just how they sound.  Which is where these tasty little devices really impressed.

Popping these babies into my ears, I thought for a moment what would be the perfect music to test the quality of the sound, the range, and yes, the bass.  I wanted something dynamic, with soaring epic moments, bass heavy valleys, heavy and loud, yet soft at times, and acoustic.  Scrolling through my iPhone, Fen's "Trails Out of Gloom" came up.  Not only is it one of my favorite albums that we've released so far on Ripple Music, but it's an album I've heard a thousand times, so I'm intimately familiar with every nook and cranny.

And let me say, it's never sounded better!  I have a nice over ear set of plugs that I usually wear.  They cost me about $150, which I sacrificed willingly.  Since I travel a ton and own a record label and a music review site, you could say hearing music with crispness and clarity is extremely important to me.  Whether examining a newly turned in master recording of one of our bands, or listening for a Ripple review, the music has to sound real and dynamic.  With the Bassbuds it definitely did.

The sound was incredibly warm for the acoustic passages.  The bass response was heavy and full and brought the meat to the metallic passages.  Nothing was too tinny or piercing.  It actually may have been the best the album has ever sounded to me.

On top of that, the Bassbuds are amazingly comfortable for in-ear devices.  Considering I'm on long flights and listen to music non-stop, I'm very sensitive to this.  Standard iPhone buds dig into my ear canals like dentists drills after awhile.  Nothing like having your ears hurt listening to music; not from the raging volume but from the damn buds!  Not here.  I wore these several hours straight with no discomfort whatsoever.  Even more comfortable than my over-ear buds.   Plus they come with earpieces of three sizes (and two colors of each size.)

The Bassbuds seem to be well built too. I've broken and/or worn out more earbuds than I can count.  But these feel solid and sturdy.  The cable also seems durable and strong.

Reading about the buds suggests that the crystals play some role in the delivery of a better quality audio experience.  Maybe I'm just too dense to understand this, but I can't refute it.  These buds sound good.  Also, outside noise is nearly completely reduced (which is another big thing for plane flight) and just as importantly, there's almost no sound leakage.  Holding these about 14" from my ears, I can barely hear the music playing.  That's a plus for those around me on those long flights. 

So over all, I'm sold and have found my newest set of buds.  And in the spirit of giving, Ripple is gonna help you try them out yourself.  Below, find a special voucher code to buy your own Bassbuds and save $30.

That's $30 off a killer set of earbuds.  Just in time for the holidays.

BB59772  and the link is: www.bassbuds.net/usa

Enjoy!

















Features:

6 pairs of silicone (small, med., large) earbuds in both black and white colors
3 pairs of black memory foam comfort earbuds
Compatible with all Smartphones
MP3 Controller w/ play/pause and next/prev track
Answer/end calls as well as voice control
Anti-tangle, durable, double wrapped cable
High-quality, light weight aluminum housing
Crystaltonics high performance sound technology
Gold Plated 3.5mm jack
BassBag; protective phone/MP3 & bassbuds carrying case
Made with Swarovski elements

Marillion from a Swedebeast's point of view; Market Square Heroes

Marillion from a Swedebeast's point of view


When I first contemplated writing about Marillion's back catalogue, I was going to concentrate on their studio albums only and nothing else. Not long after getting the ball rolling I realised something was amiss...where was their breakthrough song Market Square Heroes? My mistake dawned on me, it was only released on 7" and 12" vinly. Despite that fact, Marillion's very first release had to be included and should naturally start my chronological "book" about one of England's best ever bands. At the time of writing I have no idea how many chapters I will pen and what shape they will take, but there will be quite a few. After all they have released 17 studio albums so far and who knows how long this project is going to take.

So put on your parka, grab a pint of the beverage of your choice and welcome to my world of Marillion!


Marillion- Market Square Heroes

EMI
October 1982

Not many bands in the history of recorded music can claim to have kick-started their career with a 7" release that never made it onto a studio album. Marillion, on the other hand have never been an ordinary band. Market Square Heroes peaked at #53 in the English singles chart which might not be all that much hoopla for commercially-directed artists but for Marillion I'm sure this was more than they had hoped for. They already were signed to a major label, EMI, and they had garnered quite a following even before this release which did increase with Market Square Heroes. The other side of the coin though is they received more than their fair share of negative criticism, mainly that they were mere Genesis et al rip-offs. If this affected the band negatively or not I don't know but it seems to me that Marillion fed off of all those harsh words with their future releases as they went from strength to strength....but more on that later, I seem to get carried away and let's focus on Market Square Heroes.

The title track basically starts off with tribal-like drumming from Mick Pointer which is quickly backed up by Mark Kelly fantastic key-work giving the music an upbeat feeling throughout the entire song before the rest of the band joins in. Once Fish starts to sing though I quickly realise that the song is not about shiny happy people. To me it's a call to arms for the common man against the injustices governments pile upon their people. The start of the 80's  had seen several riots in England and Market Square Heroes is Marillion's response to them.

It's a compelling track where Marillion immediately show their superior song-writing skills. They write extremely memorable great music without giving in to the MAN, i.e. the record label. We'll see this throughout as my Marillion story moves along. An excellent song and a great start to a long career.

Three Boats Down From The Candy is the B-side of the single and clearly shows the band's progressive leanings. Whereas the title track is more accessible, the flipside song is more intricate displaying the members technical prowess. Lyrically it deals with broken misinterpreted and desperate love. In the end it doesn't work out and you break up but years later you looking back on the pictures from your time together, you second-guess yourself and think 'what if we took it further? What would our lives have been?'

On the 12" version a third song is included, Grendel. This 17-minute+ monster of a song is Marillion's adaption of the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf. And they've done a great job with it. In all honesty I haven't read the actual poem but that doesn't matter because the band takes you on a brilliant journey where Beowulf searches for the monster Grendel to kill him in order to stop the latter's brutal killings and eatings of everyone he sees. A truly epic song that definitely brought out the band's progressive influences.

Apart from kick-starting their career with this release Marillion also started a partnership with artist Mark Wilkinson who basically made all the covers for their releases up until the departure of singer Fish in 1988.
Since these three songs never were released on a studio album and the single is long out of print check out the compilation album B'Sides Themselves where they are all present.

I didn't get into Marillion until the release of their second album Fugazi. I might have heard Market Square Heroes on the radio a few times prior to becoming a fan. But honestly I do not remember that so this chapter is based on a fanboy's backtracking of a favourite band's back catalogue.

Swedebeast

Groan - The Divine Right of Kings

Groan made my day. I was feeling really down in the dumps. My amplifiers got soaked in toxic sludge from the Gowanus canal in Brooklyn during Hurricane Sandy. Never in my life did I think I would intentionally hose down a 50 watt Orange and a 100 watt Marshall but that's what I had to do to get the crud off. After letting them dry out in a storage locker for a week I finally decided to bring them to the music store to see if they could be repaired. I put them in the trunk of my car and went space truckin on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. For some reason I decided this was the time to give the first of the new Groan album The Divine Right of Kings a spin. I'm very glad I did.

Album opener "Weeping Jesus" showed promise. Starting off with a short but very heavy Black Sabbath Volume 4 influenced jam, eventually the seas part for an creepy Uriah Heepy vocal section. It flows into "Sacrificial Virgin" which continues under the spell of Sabbath filtered through Cathedral. But it's the third song "Magic Man" that really grabbed my attention. No doubt named in tribute the best Heart song, vocalist Mazzereth lets loose a barrage of rabble rousing ramalama that turned my frown into party down. Over a cacophony of hellish feedback he starts screaming about how when the terminal stasis starts to bring you down "you're wise, you're clever. You know how to deal with this bad situation. I'm talkin' about reaching for the Sabbath, the 'DC, the Priest." He goes on to list all the other heavy rock essentials. But when he mentioned reaching for the FOGHAT I really started to burn rubber. Talk about the power of music to soothe a troubled soul. Groan's just lucky that I had to keep both hands on the wheel and couldn't reach for my Grand Funk tapes. But if I did that I wouldn't have heard the rest of their kick ass album.

It's hard to follow up such a pinnacle jam as that, but they make noble attempts on every song. Stained Class is my favorite Judas Priest album and it sounds like it inspired "Atomic Prophets" and "Gods Of Fire." And how can you not love a song called "How Black Was Our Sabbath?" You've read the book written by former Sabbath roadies, now crank the song! Songs like "Dissolution" and "Black Death" bear a strong Candlemass/Cathedral take on heavy doom. "Let's Have A Pint At The Crooked Cock" is a short musical interlude with an excellent immature title. The album wraps up with the incredible 8 minute title track, which throws in everything from church organ, choirs, spooky sing alongs and enough riffs to keep it all glued together.

One of the best things about Groan is that it's obvious they take the music seriously but they don't take themselves too seriously. Too often doom metal is bogged down by rules of conduct. Who the hell wants more rules and clearly defined parameters? Mazzereth isn't afraid to howl and command the band to boogie during instrumental breaks, and they respond enthusiastically. The musical trio of guitarist Dan Wainwright, bassist Leigh Jones and drummer Chris West is supremely tight and can really rock. The production on the album is top notch and the cover art is truly denim jacket worthy.


--Woody

http://www.facebook.com/groanuk/

Buy from -
http://groan.bigcartel.com

It Came From ReverbNation #24 - Featuring Teak, Stolen Rose, Virgil and the Accelerators, Prateek Kuhad, and Silent Motif

From April 4^th to June 4^th The Ripple Effect ran a campaign on the excellent online music website ReverbNation (www.reverbnation.com).  This campaign allowed any artist or band registered with ReverbNation to submit their music to The Ripple Effect for possible review on the site and airplay on The Ripple Effect radio shows.  When all was said and done we had received 4,799 submissions!  Incredible!  The purpose of this column is to highlight those artists and bands whose musical submissions I accepted as being worthy of consideration.  While these are not reviews per se, I’m going to provide a brief rundown of what to expect from each artist/band, a sample when available, and a link to check out more on their corresponding ReverbNation page.

Teak – I know, I know.  This is getting ridiculous.  There are simply too many interesting bands out of Australia and they show no signs of dwindling.  Teak is a straight up rock and roll/alt rock band whose submission really impressed me.  The instrumentation strongly reminded of the Foo Fighters sound, while the vocals were reminiscent of a deeper register Chris Martin of Coldplay.  The combination of sounds totally worked for me.  Similar artists include the aforementioned Foo Fighters, Midnight Oil, and 3 Doors Down.

ReverbNation Page – http://www.reverbnation.com/teak

Song Sample – This Time http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=syEqm_g5Flo#!

Stolen Rose – Roaring out of Portland, OR this power trio is looking to rock your world.  If you dig the heavily amplified rock anthems of the 1970s with a little punk flavor thrown in for good measure than these guys will be right up your alley.  One listen to ‘Die By Fire’ and I think you’ll agree with me.

ReverbNation Page – http://www.reverbnation.com/stolenrose

Song Sample – Die By Fire http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hNOmZrLLV0c#!

Virgil And The Accelerators – This trio from Birmingham, UK has really got it going on if you’re in the mood for some rock solid heavy blues rock.  Their bio emphasizes how they take inspiration from the likes of ZZ Top, Joe Bonamassa, and The Hoax, but I hear a lot of early 80s musical influences in their sound as well.  For instance I catch Van Halen guitar tones here and there.  Long story short, check these guys out.  You’ll like them.

ReverbNation Page – http://www.reverbnation.com/virgilandtheaccelerators

Song Sample – Backstabber http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qOVpd3-buyk

Prateek Kuhad– Too much tumult in your daily life?  I understand, and I’ve got some good news!  This young man from New York, NY is here to ease your worried mind with his soothing guitar playing and his smooth, jazz inflected vocals.  Honestly I liked his submission so much that I listened to it three times in a row.  Did it bring me inner peace?  No, but I am certifiably crazy and therefore not a good indicator of what a typical person will experience.  Similar artists include Eliot Smith, John Mayer, and Nick Drake.  Click the link folks.

ReverbNation Page – http://www.reverbnation.com/prateekkuhad

Song Sample – Something Wrong http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Kc-KXb82qxQ#!

Silent Motif – Alright, here’s a quick story.  Two ambient electronica artists (their bio states the number of artists as three, but I only see two names listed) meet up and decide to create some music that will effectively ‘chill out’ every person residing in Oakland, CA.  They succeed, but they succeed on a much grander scale!  Upon hearing their work the world descends into a deep, deep groove and everything and everyone seems to relax.  Yeah, you could say I liked this submission.  Similar artists include Orbital, Munich Syndrome, and Citizen 16.

ReverbNation Page – http://www.reverbnation.com/silentmotif

Song Sample – No Youtube Sample

Captain Midnight Band – I’ll admit it waveriders.  Based on the band photo I wasn’t sure what to make of this five person outfit from Nashville, TN.  Their description states that they are a rock/jam/soul band.  That sounded good to me so I listened to their submission.  The first song sounded very similar to an Eagles song, while the second was much funkier with a bouncy bass line and tasteful horns.  Similar artists include Steely Dan, Frank Zappa, and Parliament/Funkadelic.  Why don’t you take a listen and see what you hear? 

ReverbNation Page – http://www.reverbnation.com/captainmidnightband

Song Sample – Common Law Hussy http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XQtEEcFpGSo

--Penfold

Albert Rigoni - Three Wise Monkeys

If you’re a bassist and love rock music, you owe it to yourself to pick up Albert Rigoni’s new album Three Wise Monkeys. 

This man is a complete maestro of the bass.  The use of harmonics, epic sweeping bass lines, rocking metal riffs, and moody pedal work is unlike anything I have ever heard.   Songs like Kikazaru reveal why he’s considered a composer.  This isn’t your usual rock or progressive metal.  This is thought out and adventurous.  It’s soft, mellow, and has a moody slow buildup. 

If you aren’t into the soft, melodic side of bass work, then you should check out the song Iwazur.  It’s multiple layers of bass guitar with some awesome orchestration and a nice contemporary jazz vibe. 
The album loses me at certain points.  In fact it’s almost always when there are vocals.  The last two tracks I mentioned were instrumentals that were truly epic and masterfully written pieces of rock orchestra featuring amazing bass guitars. 

When the singing starts, it often feels like an 80’s metal group.  While I still enjoy it a great deal, and it’s still well above average, it loses the complete magic and uniqueness of the instrumentals.  In fact, it feels like two different albums. 

This is another “thinking-man’s” music.  The use of minor progressions and chords (especially in the instrumentals) gives Rigoni my respect.  This album (well, at least the instrumentals) will end up in my favorites folder, where I will continue to lose myself in the intricate winding melodies of roaring bass and soaring orchestral arrangements. 


His bass playing is extraordinary.  I’m talking virtuoso style performance on this album.  This rivals any bass work I’ve ever heard.  Ever.  I hold the utmost respect for a handful of bassists.  Generator Ohm’s bass work was incredible.  Between the Buried and Me and Trioscapes has the most technical bassist I’ve heard in Dan Briggs. 

But Rigoni’s musicality may make him the best. 

You can also stay for the well above average progressive 80’s style rock. 
If you want.


--The Professor

Charity Auction for Superstorm Sandy Relief, Package Deal for Both STONE AXE and MOS GENERATOR LP Test Pressings

 

Continuing with the company tradition of giving back to the community, Ripple Music will auction a pair of extremely Rare Original Test Pressings in one package. Stone Axe: Captured Live! and Mos Generator Nomads vinyl are being made available with proceeds going to Superstorm Sandy Relief.

Only 5 copies of each test pressings exist, and these are the only one's being made available to the public!  You can jump into the auction, win a cool heavy rock collectible and benefit the agencies that commit money and manpower to lend a helping hand. To do so, just visit us at the Ripple Music Ebay Store! The auction will start on Monday, November 19th and end on Monday, November 26th.

The Stone Axe and Mos Generator test press auction is the latest in a growing line of charity auctions that Ripple Music has created.  Previously, rare JPT Scare Band, Mos Generator, Stone Axe, and the Heavy Ripples test pressings were auctioned with proceeds going to Gulf Disaster, The Wounded Warrior Fund, Japan Tsunami and the Joplin Tornado disaster relief agencies.  With the sacrifices made by the men and women to assist their fellow Americans in need, Ripple founders John Rancik and Todd Severin thought the time was right to release another rare test pressing from their vault and raise money for a worthwhile effort.





Press raves about Mos Generator and Stone Axe:

"Tony Reed is my favorite hard rock guitarist going right now. He plays with sincere and unrivaled passion and backs it up with some of the tastiest guitar licks and riffs that I've ever heard in recent memory." -- John Perez, Solitude Aeturnus

"For those who are already fans of this band this is a welcome addition to their catalog. For those who have never heard this fantastic act then this would serve as a fine introduction."  --  Heavy Metal Time Machine

“Mos Generator are back, they are in fine form and anyone who loves their rock, raw, grungy, classic and in your face should sit up and take notice.” -- BCFM Sunday Rockshow

"If it (Stone Axe: Captured Live!) had been released in 1974 instead of 2012, Stone Axe would be flying from gig to gig in a jumbo jet with their name on the side, and Tony Reed would be a household name and worth a fortune." -- Rock Guitar Daily


Mos Generator "Lonely One Kenobi" video: Here