Breaking Out: Brooklyn's Baby Brother

Blues and punk meet pure rock in Baby Brother’s debut album, Strange Things. They are a Brooklyn-based band whose tunes pay homage to their current city while staying true to the roots from which they hail.

On Strange Things you can hear influences from big names such as The Ramones, Richard Hell, and John Lennon (circa the Double Fantasy album). It’s rock ‘n’ roll and it’s raw, no electro pop fusion here - the music is as naked and honest as the subject matter. Their lyrics pine and whine about love and loss, fucking up, having your heart broken, getting mad, going mad and being hopeful.

Their twangy rhythms and bluesy vocals are off-set by the sporadic appearance of heavy power chords and quick, harsh tempos. Most of their songs clock in at about three minutes leaving no time for drawn-out gimmicks. Instead Baby Brother pay tribute to the past few generations by hitting upon the three major music markers of the last century: blues, punk and rock ‘n’ roll.

Big Brother may be watching you, but Baby Brother is the one to watch. Their debut album Strange Things is currently available on iTunes with their follow-up album set to be released at the end of this year, and if it’s anything like their first, it is sure not to disappoint.

Review by Lauren Lomma

The Stone Foxes: Representing San Fran at Outside Lands Festival

Homegrown Bay Area residents The Stone Foxes are gearing up for their first ever Outside Lands performance and first official after party (they're playing The Independent with Warren Haynes Band) at just the right time.

The band has rekindled label interest and industry buzz with their late festival season push and opening spots on tours with acts like George Thorogood & The Destroyers. With promo releases of gritty and crunchy bartime tunes like "Psycho" coming out this week - the band continues to reinvent what it means to play modern day blues rock. You can acquire the aforementioned track on their website as well as contribute to their music video for the song. I love it, in part, because it has the same lo-fi appeal that "Mr. Hangman" does. It also has pretty funny lyrics too.

Speaking of Hangman, you can be certain that Shannon will be nearly swallowing his harmonica on Saturday August 13th in the fields of Golden Gate Park - kind of like he does in these videos.

'Roo Preview: Alberta Cross

With just under a month to go until the tenth anniversary of Bonnaroo, we’re finally getting into our countdown and what better place to start than a band that is also doing a residency at The Satellite in Los Angeles this month?

That band is Alberta Cross and their contagious indie blues Americana rock album Broken Side of Time has infected my headphones and car stereo for the last week. The five piece are based in New York, but original formers Petter Ericson Stakee and Terry Wolfers were bred from a European rock background.

A listen to their full length, Broken Side of Time, which was released in September 2009, invites comparisons to groups like The Raconteurs and The Band – although I’d say Cross sits in a slightly edgier, rougher space. Understandably, the band has shared stages with acts like Ben Harper & The Relentless 7, Them Crooked Vultures, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club as a result.

Check out songs like “Song 3Three Blues” to get a taste – and then buy their record directly from them at their webstore. Unfortunately the 180 Gram Vinyl and the Deluxe Edition are both sold out…but the CD or digital download are well worth it. If you’re going to the ‘Roo, you’re going to want to be familiar with these songs. And if you're not going, you may want to be familiar with them for Sasquatch Music Festival or the traveling Dave Matthews Band event.

If you’re in Los Angeles, get familiar in person ever Tuesday this May at The Satellite. Coming up on the 17^th they share stage with local westsiders Chasing Kings as well as Sunny War. And for their final installment on the 24^th they are joined by Rumspringa, Last American Buffalo and Catwalk. Tickets for The Satellite shows are $10 and tickets for Bonnaroo X are still available through Bonnaroo’s website for $249.50 + applicable fees.

Explosion of Dirty Detroit Rock at The Echo

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing one of my favorite Detroit rock bands - The Dirtbombs - (check out their various pages here, here and here) at the echo. On this Thursday night in LA, they were not victims of the Dirtbombs Curse, as they were the headliner. The band from the 248 and 313 did not disappoint - they delivered a riveting hour long set of the garage bluesy-soulful rock they've been perfecting over the years - including a handful of material from The Sermon's album "Articles of War" (The Sermon is a side project featuring many Dirtbombs members).

Mick Collins killed it as usual - fronting the quintet with his soulful, Richie Havens-ish voice. As the night progressed the vocals only seemed to improve - either Mick was getting more comfortable with the sound in the room or I was getting more intoxicated and not paying as close attention. Either way - he just kept getting better in my eyes.

Backing him up was the awesome stylings of Ko Melina, their cute, perky little asian bassist. She is a perfect example of how having a girl in a band can totally enhance your stage appeal and dynamic. She is good at her craft, but by no means is she Les Claypool. Nonetheless, she breaks it down, head bangs, plays slap and looks like she is having a good time. She gets Detroit dirty on that bass and I think I may have fallen in love with her. The other bassist, Zachary Weedon, is good himself - but, my attention was totally on Ko.

The dueling drums of Ben Blackwell and Pat Pantano also kicked ass. Beating away through most of the set - when it came time for the encore - one drummer brought his whole kit to the dance floor, played a song, only to be followed by the other drummer joining the floor frenzy. I've seen artists jump into the crowd and perform before - but this was better than average. It didn't seem choreographed, but they moved pretty seamlessly from one song to the next, despite moving their drums from the stage without stopping playing (I guess that is one of the many benefits of having two drummers). As the drummers rained down on their snares and kicked their respective bass drums, the mostly middle aged crowd swarmed around the beat duo and partied until the band called it quits....