J. Lansdowne (Atlanta); Headboggle (San Francisco)

Moving forward on October releases. J. Lansdowne is a guitarist from Atlanta and this s/t is his first vinyl release, which you can purchase on his Bandcamp page. Groovy lo-fi psych-blues. Totally rock'n'roll:

Ratskin Records is a collective based out of Oakland. Check out their mission statement:

"Ratskin Records is a collective record label and archival imprint championing decolonial experimental music centered in the Bay Area. We focus on LGBTQ+, Black, Native, POC, and disabled artists who create work that is sonically and politically pushing boundaries toward liberation. We work together to create an alternative to an industry that has historically exploited and devalued artist labor and requires artists to exhaust themselves to fulfill their life’s passion. We see the work of decolonial artists as world-building activism that centers empathy and basic human needs. The crux of our work is centered in engaging the healing power of sound for communities in struggle. Our goal is to pay and provide material resources for artists whose work lies on the margins of mainstream consumption. Our work is multifaceted in that we take multiple avenues to address issues around accountability, accessibility, racism, transphobia, and other systems of oppression. Ratskin is curation centered in its practice and provides resources for artists to create self-determined spaces."

I think that's rad.

Headboggle's Digital Digital Analog is a recent Ratskin release, the artist's first vinyl release on Ratskin. The solo project of Derek Gedalacia, a San Francisco based musician who has been performing under the Headboggle moniker since 2006. Experimental electronica, extremely cool, check it out:

More from Ratskin Records and other October releases to come. In the meantime, don't forget to drink lots of water throughout your day. Your body needs that shit.

A CNQ Pop-Up Show on Mixcloud

Starting with one of my favorite Lomax field recordings followed by a Charley Patton classic, the show then veers off into novelty, hot jazz and blues courtesy the 78 RPMs available on the Internet Archive. Just shy of 40 minutes and worth a listen.

CNQ 2015 Retrospective

I'll be coming up with faves from the year's posts here shortly. Meanwhile, I had a lot of favorite other things this year, and this 30 Rock clip sums them up.

Bully's Feels Like is my favorite album of the year.

I became openly reggae and got big into dub and rocksteady. Check out The Upsetters' "Super Ape." Totally rad.

I discovered 19th-early 20th century composer Erik Satie's Gymnopédies.

I loved Tom Holkenborg's Mad Max: Fury Road score. I listened to his Black Mass score the other night and it's also good. Music scores in general are a new thing for me. I have never had a taste for them until recently.

The new Faith No More, Sol Invictus, was really good.

I like the Leon Bridges album.

The Lil Bub album "Science and Magic" might be the last great album of 2015.

Protomartyr's The Agent Intellect is top notch.

I recently discovered these next few. Johnny Burnette is amazing o.g. rockabilly. Some really raw, rockin' songs. This one is a little more kitschy:

The Vibrators are amazing o.g. punk. Here's the complete Peel Sessions.

Bluesman Tommy Johnson. The band Canned Heat got their name from this song:

Hollywood session man/jazz guitarist Howard Roberts. This is a cut from his excellent 1959 album, Good Pickin's.

Blastin'

I've been away for a couple of weeks, so this post is some catching up with some new stuff from the U.S. and abroad, courtesy CNQ's fave labels and bands on bandcamp.

Robert Belfour was a Mississippi bluesman who died at age 74 this past February 24. I have been sadly ignorant of Belfour and his work until tonight. R.I.P., Robert Belfour:

Pretty little garage rocker by the Lemons. They're from Chicago:

This Brooklyn band has a Paper Chase thing going on:

This was put out two years ago but it's new to me, and I like it:

Birthday Suits are from Minneapolis/St. Paul and the label, Recess Records, is outta LA:

Here's an L.A. band, also from Recess:

These are both courtesy France's Frantic City Records:

CNQ fave avant-folkie Clara Engel has teamed up with an experimental minimalist from the UK on this track:

From Wales' Small Bear Records and Sweden's "jazz-tinged indie" band Club K, this is so hep:

Speaking of the Swedes and their rich traditions of modern popular music, here's some Swedish punk:

New awesomeness from Poland's first DIY label, Nikt Nic Nie Wie:

I'm into this punk 7" from German label Terrortubbies Tonträger. Love that organ:

More hc from another German label, Sabotage Records:

Ska's not really my thing but these UK punks have a cool thing going on:

Oh, you wanted to hear some Peruvian wandering folk beatniks? Well, turn it up:

More "skramz," man, from Indiana and Middle Man Records, this is 30 seconds of rad:

Raleigh North Carolina's Sorry State Records just brings it and brings it:

You can pre-order the new Dirty Fences through the Slovenly Records bandcamp page:

This is interesting breakbeat that uses samples from Abbey Road. Cassette orders are sold out:

Rounding out this long set with three new hip-hop tracks from the LNS Crew, which is Denver-based artist Cory Kendrix, and Austinites Kydd Jones and Tank Washington:

Merry X-Mas From CNQ: New Christmas tunes from Adam Holtz; an obscure early 70s holiday blues 45 from Lowell Fulson; and two 1982 country classics from Dolly Parton and Alabama

These three new, original Christmas songs courtesy CNQ fave Adam Holtz are from Volume 18 of his copyrighted material. Click the title to listen and download:

Christmas With You
Christmas Without You
Christmas Is

Lowell Fulson, per Wikipedia, was, "after T-Bone Walker, the most important figure in West Coast blues in the 1940s and 1950s." I'm always humbled by the amount of music history I do not know. I bought it because I pick up any 45 I find that's from a Shreveport label. Lonesome Christmas Parts 1 and 2 were originally recorded by Fulson for Swing Time Records back in 1950. It charted at #7 on the R&B charts. Both songs were written by fellow West Coast Blues pioneer Lloyd Glenn. These updated, funkier/bluesier/cooler versions below are from 1970, on Shreveport's Jewel Records (Jewel 813). Fulson recorded these as Lowell Fulsom. Fulson died in 1999, age 77, the father of four and grandfather of thirteen. Glenn died in 1985, age 76. As far as I can tell, neither of these versions of Lonesome Christmas Parts 1 and 2 are otherwise available on the Internerts:

Lonesome Christmas Pt. 1 (Jewel-813, 1970):

If the embedded player above doesn't work for you, try this: Lonesome Christmas Pt. 1 (Jewel-813, 1970)

Lonesome Christmas Pt. 2 (Jewel-813, 1970):

If the embedded player above doesn't work for you, try this: Lonesome Christmas Pt. 2 (Jewel-813, 1970)

I was digging through our 45s for Christmasy singles and/or b-sides. Here's a couple I found in Mrs. CNQ's stack that were already on Youtube...the Dolly song is from 1982's The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas soundtrack:

Also from 1982:

Merry Christmas from CNQ!

Blind Blake: Police Dog Blues (1929)

From archives.org.

Download this MP3

Blues, Folk, & Field Recordings

I've been listening to a lot of blues, folk, and field recordings on Google Play. Here's a little Youtube mix, some stuff I've never heard before mixed in with some of my favorites. If I wanted to make this an interesting post I'd do a little bio or some tidbits for each artist. Tonight, however, other than the meager links presented below, I humbly request you google what you're curious about for further information.

Here's the lyrics to Early In The Mornin', there's a couple of raunchy verses:

Here's some backstory on Long John.

SPOTIFY: 60 MINUTES W/ MATT EPISODE #3

Dicky Williams: "Fat Girls" (1989)

A funky blues number from a 7" I picked up at one Half-Price Books or another for $3.00, no sleeve, because I liked the song title. Here's a Dicky Williams' bio and discography, and here is his MySpace page.

This song is off 1989's "In Your Face" LP.

Download: Fat Girls