Stemming from rock & roll angst, folk chords and rhythms and grunge-esque aesthetics, Providence's Keith McCurdy has made one hell of a debut record under his pseudonym Vudu Sister  with Bastard Children. The album features a revolving cast of fellow Providence musicians such as Sugar Honey Iced Tea's Kate Jones, multi-instrumentalist Michael Samos, violinist Diane O'Connor, mandolin extraordinaire Chris Owens, Tig & Bean's Caroline Hecht and Lily Costner, The Famous Winters' Alexander Garzone and Sean Kennedy, Big River Stomp's Jesse Burdick and Joe Fletcher, Joe Principe and Dave Hemingway from The Wrong Reasons. It doesn't really matter who McCurdy plays with on each track, each song resonates pure audial gold.

Bastard Children was recorded this past summer by Greg Holmes at Treading Thomas Records in Providence, who also assisted McCurdy and Samos with producing the album. The album is not just your average singer-songwriter folk record, McCurdy takes it to another level with his poetically morbid, dark and sometimes powerful lyrics and his ability to rock a guitar so hard that it doesn't even need an amplifier. Ranging from the gothic country styles of Johnny Cash, 60's folk influences like Neil Young and Bob Dylan to 90's alt-rock techniques that makes you think of guys like Eddie Vedder, Mark Lanegan and Kurt Cobain, McCurdy's music is as contemporary as it is timeless.  

"Dead Man's Pockets" is a track about stealing money from a corpse, with Samos strumming the dobro, Burdick plucking the banjo and Garzone pounding the drums along with McCurdy's guitar skills and gentle, cryptic voice that gives you a mental picture of being dirt poor in the woods and scavenging through a lifeless body to get a couple bucks. "The Quiet Man" features Costner and Hecht on backing vocals, Samos changing it up to an electric guitar and Owens on mandolin backing up McCurdy as he sings about loneliness and how sometimes the people who don't talk just want some company. "Underground" is my favorite ditty on Bastard Children, featuring Kennedy rocking a catchy guitar, Garzone doing what he does best on the drums and McCurdy echoing the thoughts of a serial killer. "One Of A Kind" has classic rock & roll rhythms and jumping beats as McCurdy, Fletcher, Principe and Hemenway bring the pain, but the pain feels oh so good. "Wicked King" is the most epic folk song I've heard in a long time, with McCurdy playing a solo acoustic guitar singing about how humanity is unaware of it's own doom and with the rich getting richer, hope seems to fade. I highly suggest you don't take my word on just a select few, grab the album and listen in for yourself.

Vudu Sister will be having it's album release show for Bastard Children at Local 121 on 121 Washington Street in Providence on May 4th with Tallahassee, The Famous Winters and Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons sharing the stage. After that Keith will be playing at Java Madness in Wakefield, RI on May 12th and 990WBOB's Mondays on Blast at The Apartment on 373 Richmond Street in Providence on May 21st. There will surely be more shows from Vudu Sister in the future, but until then get yourself a copy of Vudu Sister's Bastard Children. It's a fantastic album that deserves to be listened to over and over and over again.

  
In many Asian countries, traffic congestion has led to people to utilize bicycles for multiple purposes, including commuting, delivery, and even "Food-Bikes."   In many European nations, such as Belgium and The Netherlands, they actually have created tax incentives for those who bike to work.

In the United States, bicycling as transportation is fast becoming a preferred method of many urban commuters.  The high price of gasoline, the lack of available and affordable parking, as well as environmental concerns have caused a shift in many people's commuting philosophy.  Public transportation authorities have  followed suit, placing bike racks on city buses to encourage a hybrid approach to travel.

Now that this practice is becoming more common in American cities,  I think it is only appropriate to add a few rules to the social contract:

Now, please do not mistake my point.  I am all for the use of bicycles as transportation, and am more than happy to share the road.  However, I have encountered far too many instances of a bike riding 14 MPH in traffic, then blatantly blasting through stop signs and traffic lights with no regard for their own safety or the rules of the road.   God forbid that a car is coming with the right of way, and has to screech to a halt to avoid hitting the two-wheeled scofflaw, only to have their hood punched in anger... because yeah, it's the car's fault.

End of Rant.

After gaining stardom as a member of The White Stripes, forming The Raconteurs with Brendan Benson and The Dead Weather with The Kills' Alison Mosshart, producing Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose, making music with Tom Jones, Danger Mouse and (even though I hate to mention it) Insane Clown Posse, the enigmatic guitar god known as Jack White has finally put out his first solo record, Blunderbuss, and it definitely has been worth the wait. Ranging from White's signature loud as f**k bluesy garage rock, Nashville style folk, Motown soul and 50's rock & roll, Blunderbuss is very complex but contemporary at the same time and who better than White to put out an album like this?

The story of the making of Blunderbuss is actually a very unique and coincidental one. White was getting ready to work on some music with The Wu-Tang Clan's RZA doing the producing and when RZA wasn't available to attend the session, White ended up recording several tracks with a backing band that would become part of his first solo record. If it wasn't for RZA, Blunderbuss would have never happened, I wouldn't have wrote this blog and instead White would have done an epic hip-hop/rock collaboration.

"Love Interruption" begins sounding a lot like Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" and then White enters in singing about how he wants to conquer love instead of being a slave to it. "Sixteen Saltines" is classic Jack White rock & roll, with earth-shattering riffs and eclectic chords that are guaranteed to blow you away. "Missing Pieces" sounds like its straight from Motown, honoring White's musical roots in Detroit. "I'm Shakin" is groovalicious, featuring a spine-tingling solo from White that will melt your speakers. "Trash Tongue Talker" reminds me of Get Behind Me Satan-era White Stripes, with Jack on piano sounding like he's trying to do his best impression of Ray Charles. "Freedom at 21" sounds like a lost Dead Weather track, with White strumming a mean guitar accented by cool looping beats and driving drums. Every song on Blunderbuss is fantastic so don't just rely on my opinion of a select few, grab a copy and listen in for yourself.

Jack White will be commencing a tour of The United States and Canada starting at Webster Hall in New York City on April 27th and ending with a two-night stay at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on May 30th & 31st before hitting up Europe for a few weeks. If he's stopping at a venue near you it's a must that you get a ticket and see one of the best musicians out there today. If he's not playing anywhere near you, at least he has a kickass new album out. Hit up your local record store or log on to the internet and grab a copy of Blunderbuss, the new album from Jack White. It's another stroke of greatness by in my opinion, the best guitar player of the past decade.

Down & dirty, no holds barred, unapologetic rock & roll. That's the best way to describe any music Providence's favorite son John McCauley plays with his fingertips, from the sounds of his own band, Deer Tick, and his side project with Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith and Delta Spirit's Matt Vasquez called Middle Brother. As if one side project wasn't enough, McCauley has joined up with fellow Deer Tick band mate Robbie Crowell, The Black Lips' Ian Saint Pe, Dead Confederate's Hardy Morris, Six Finger Satellite's Bryan Dufresne and Steve Berlin from rock legends Los Lobos to create a motely crew of a band that is so amazing that it'll blow your mind to smithereens after one riff.

Featuring guest appearances by Providence's best harmonica player Bryan Minto, Bucky Baxter and Spencer Callum Jr. on pedal steel, Oscar Utterstrom on trombone and J.P. Frappier on trumpet, Diamond Rugs goes beyond your typical rock band by adding different dimensions and styles to every track. There's so much going on with each song but at the same time they keep it simple with driving rhythms and catchy lyrics, making Diamond Rugs a truly unique band along with having an exceptional album.

"Gimme A Beer" flat out makes you want to drink, but in a good way. McCauley sings about what he wants in life and at the same time knowing that nobody else really cares so he just wants to crack open a cold one. "Call Girl Blues" is the anthem for any hooker on the corner, a groovy tune that has Utterstrom and Frappier sounding the horns like nobody else. "Big God" has Morris singing about how "it hurts to watch what you love so much" and not being able to experience what you love. "Motherland" is another track that had Morris on lead vocals and it's bluesy as hell, with Minto playing the harp and giving it a southern gothic feel. "Hungover and Horny" is a track any male in his mid-20s can relate to, unless you're a priest. McCauley croons about waking up after a wild night with a mean headache and trying to find his girl so they can do the nasty. 

Diamond Rugs debuted live at South by Southwest in Austin, TX this past March and they'll be having an album listening party at The High Watt in Nashville, TN on April 24th that will be followed up by a epic performance by Deer Tick. Since Deer Tick, The Black Lips and Dead Confederate will each be touring all over the place this summer, its safe to say that Diamond Rugs won't be hitting your local music venue anytime soon. Don't fret and don't shed a tear though, grab a copy of the debut album from the most unique rock & roll supergroup ever created and give it a listen, it'll make everything else in your music library completely obsolete.