Archive Review: The Nighthawks’ 444 (2013)

Veteran roots ‘n’ blues legends the Nighthawks follow up their 2012 release Damn Good Time with another strong entry in a catalog that’s been 40 years in the making and littered with dozens of great albums. As shown by opening track “Walk That Walk,” the recipe the band used in baking up 444 doesn’t vary much from previous albums – a dash of rockabilly, a teaspoon of twang, and ounces and ounces of pure blues flavoring. The song swings lively, with plenty o’ founding frontman Mark Wenner’s playful harp notes, a dancing groove courtesy of rhythm section Johnny Castle (bass) and Mark Stutso (drums) and scraps of Paul Bell’s electric fretwork.

There’s more to like on 444 than the infectious opening track, though. “Livin’ the Blues,” for instance, displays a brash Chicago style, the arrangement held down by a bold walking rhythm and Wenner’s icy, Little Walter influenced harpwork. The ostensible title track, “444 A.M.,” offers up a cool cats 1950s greaser vibe with Bell’s James Burton-styled chicken-pickin’ and Wenner’s sizzling harp. “Honky Tonk Queen” is the sort of engaging twangfest one used to hear in Nashville’s Printer’s Alley back in the 1960s while “Nothin’ But the Blues” is a smoldering juke-joint romp with Wenner’s gritty vocals, blasts of mournful harp, and subtle guitarplay. 

The band goes deep into the Delta with its cover of Muddy Waters’ “Louisiana Blues,” Wenner growling out the vocals above a lusty harp line, the band’s low-key accompaniment covering the song like kudzu. Like much of the Nighthawks’ underrated back catalog, 444 is authentic American music writ large, delivered the real goods with plenty of heart and soul. Grade: B+ (EllerSoul Records, released June 17th, 2014)

New Music Monthly: April 2020 releases

Hope that everybody has been staying safe, staying indoors, and listening to a bunch of music! The pandemic crisis has impacted album release dates and distribution, so while the list below is current it could change at any moment and you might have trouble finding some of these titles on their release date. There's a lot of great new music, too, including albums from Dream Syndicate, Lucinda Williams, Thundercat, the Strokes, and many more! No matter your taste in music, there's something here for everybody... 

Release dates are subject to change and nobody tells me when they do. If you’re interesting in buying an album, just hit the ‘Buy!’ link to get it from Amazon.com...it’s just that damn easy! Your purchase puts valuable ‘store credit’ in the Reverend’s pocket that he’ll use to buy more music to write about in a never-ending loop of rock ‘n’ roll ecstasy!

APRIL 3
The Claudettes - High Times In the Dark   BUY!
Gentle Giant - Acquiring the Taste [vinyl reissue]   BUY!
Gentle Giant - Gentle Giant [vinyl reissue]   BUY!
Gentle Giant - Octopus [vinyl reissue]   BUY!
Gentle Giant - Three Friends [vinyl reissue]   BUY!
Steve Goodman - Live '69   BUY!
The Monkees - The Mike & Micky Show Live   BUY!
Thundercat - It Is What It Is   BUY!
Various Artists - Stone Crush: Memphis Modern Soul 1977-1987   BUY!
Rick Wakeman & The English Rock Ensemble - The Red Planet   BUY!
M. Ward - Migration Stories   BUY!

APRIL 10
Ayreon - Electric Castle Live and Other Tales   BUY!
Dream Syndicate - The Universe Inside   BUY!
The Gladiators - Serious Thing [vinyl reissue]   BUY!
Joe Satriani - Shapeshifting   BUY!
The Strokes - The New Abnormal   BUY!

APRIL 17
Black Dahlia Murder - Verminous   BUY!
Danzig - Danzing Sings Elvis   BUY!
The Nighthawks - Trying To Get To You   BUY!
Ron Sexsmith - Hermitage   BUY!

APRIL 24
The 1975 - Notes On A Conditional Form   BUY!
Brendan Benson - Dear Life   BUY!
Robby Krieger - The Ritual Begins At Sundown   BUY!
Trivium - What the Dead Men Say   BUY!
Lucinda Williams - Good Souls Better Angels   BUY!

Album of the Month: Not just one album this month, but rather four long overdue vinyl reissues of the first four albums from prog-rock legends Gentle Giant! The British band was right in the fray of early '70s progressive rock, and if they didn't get the respect of King Crimson or sell as many platters as Yes or ELP, these four LPs – 1970's self-titled debut, 1971's Acquiring the Taste, 1972's Three Friends and Octopus – were nevertheless innovative, ground-breaking works that set the standard for prog-rock during the decade and introduced the rock world to the immense talents of guitarist Gary Green, keyboardist Kerry Minnear, and the skilled multi-instrumentalist Shulman brothers (Derek, Phil & Ray). These albums have gone in and out-of-print on CD through the years, but these deluxe vinyl reissues are a welcome addition to the prog fan's collection!  

Short Rounds: Action Skulls, Arthur Adams, The Nighthawks & UFO (2017)

New album releases in 150 words or less…

Action Skulls – Angels Hear (CMP Records)
Comprised of John Cowsill (‘60s-era pop hitmakers the Cowsills and the Beach Boys’ touring drummer); child actor and adult musician Bill Mumy (TV’s Lost In Space, Barnes & Barnes); Vicki Peterson (The Bangles); and the late Rick Rosas (journeyman bassist who’s played with the likes of Neil Young and Johnny Rivers), Action Skulls deliver every pop/rock delight that the band’s pedigrees promise. An eleven-track collection of original tunes, Angels Hear resembles 1980s-styled college/alternative rock with a glossy millennial finish, not dissimilar to Dream Syndicate or Game Theory with dreamy psych-pop balanced with intricate folkish rock. Peterson’s lofty vocals are always welcome while Mumy’s fretwork is surprisingly deft and imaginative. As independent as indie rock can get, don’t overlook Action Skulls’ Angels Hear, a fine collection of mesmerizing and carefully-crafted rock ‘n’ roll. Grade: A-   BUY IT!

Arthur Adams – Look What The Blues Has Done For Me (Cleopatra Records)
Arthur Adams’ first new studio album since 2009 – the two-disc Look What The Blues Has Done For Me – offers a new recording from the underappreciated bluesman as well as a bonus disc of early tracks previously-unreleased on CD. The talented vocalist sounds a lot like Bobby “Blue” Bland on the thirteen new blues-oriented tracks, Adams knocking it out of the park with energy and emotion on songs like “Low Down and Dirty,” “I’ve Had Enough,” and “If You Let Me Love You.” With the band establishing a low-slung groove, Adams’ displays his B.B. King-influenced guitar style and deft songwriting skills. Disc two offers another thirteen tracks from four ‘70s-era albums, criminally-obscure soul-blues gems like “I’ll Never Be the Same,” the haunting “The Blues,” and the funky “Let’s Dance” guaranteed to get your liver quivering! It’s never too late to discover the soulful blues sound of Arthur Adams. Grade: A   BUY IT!

The Nighthawks – All You Gotta Do (Ellersoul Records)
Roots ‘n’ blues stalwarts the Nighthawks have released better than two-dozen live and studio albums over the past 40+ years, delivering up spirited originals and inspired covers that feature founder Mark Wenner’s gritty vocals and raging harp-play as well as some scorching fretwork, most recently courtesy of guitarist Paul Bell. The band’s latest, All You Gotta Do, doesn’t depart from this tried-and-trued formula, offering up entertaining moments like the rollicking “That’s All You Gotta Do,” a low-slung, greasy cover of Randy Newman’s “Let’s Burn Down the Cornfield,” and a raucous reading of the garage-rock standard “Dirty Water.” The band is at its best on its infrequent originals, tho’, drummer Mark Stutso’s “VooDoo Doll” a sly lil’ bit of bluesy hoodoo and Wenner’s “Blues For Brother John” a sleazy instrumental romp. Throw in high-octane covers of Sonny Boy Williamson, R.L. Burnside, and Willie Dixon tunes and you have yourself a party! Grade: B+   BUY IT!

UFO – The Salentino Cuts (Cleopatra Records)
British hard rock legends UFO deliver a long-overdue Pin-Ups styled covers disc in The Salentino Cuts and achieve mixed results. On one hand, golden-era rock ‘n’ roll tunes like “Heartful of Soul” (The Yardbirds) and “It’s My Life” (The Animals) are so finely-crafted that it’s hard to do them wrong. Surprise choices like “River of Deceit” (Mad Season) and “Ain’t No Sunshine” (Bill Withers) provide charming moments while hard rockin’ tracks like “Mississippi Queen” (Mountain) and “Rock Candy” (Montrose) are right up the band’s dark alleyway. On the other hand, stabs in the dark like “Paper In Fire” (John Mellencamp) and “Honey Bee” (Tom Petty) lack the subtlety and nuance of the originals, Phil Mogg’s voice too ravaged by time and abuse to pull off. Like I said, a mixed bag of classic rawk tunes. Grade: C+   BUY IT!

New Music Monthly: July 2017 Releases

July is on the horizon and our New Music Monthly column of upcoming releases is heating up! There's lots of great new tunes coming from folks like Blind Guardian, the Melvins, Cheap Trick, Neil Young, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, the Tangent, Steve Vai, and the Nighthawks, among others. Throw in CD reissues of classic, albeit overlooked albums from Arthur Alexander, former Uriah Heep frontman David Byron, Nick Lowe, Screaming Trees, and the Cars as well as lust-worthy vinyl reissues of LPs by Iron Maiden and we're all going to have to get a summer job to pay for all this cool music...
 

JULY 7
Blind Guardian - Live Beyond the Spheres   BUY!
Broken Social Scene - Hug of Thunder   BUY!
David Byron - Babyfaced Killer [reissue]   BUY!
Haim - Something To Tell You   BUY!
Melvins - A Walk With Love and Death   BUY!
Screaming Trees - Dust [deluxe reissue]   BUY!
Steve Vai - Modern Primitive   BUY!
 

JULY 14
Arthur Alexander - Arthur Alexander [reissue]   BUY!
Cheap Trick - We're All Alright!   BUY!
Lifehouse - Greatest Hits   BUY!
Nick Lowe - Nick the Knife   BUY!
Nick Lowe - The Abominable Showman   BUY!
Alan Vega - IT [vinyl]   BUY!

JULY 21
Chris Robinson Brotherhood - Barefoot In The Head   BUY!
Marillion - Misplaced Childhood [deluxe 4 CD/1 Blu-ray reissue]   BUY!
Mr. Big - Defying Gravity   BUY!
The Ramones - Leave Home [40th anniversary deluxe reissue]   BUY!
Violent Femmes - Two Mics & the Truth: Unplugged & Unhinged In America   BUY!

JULY 28
Alice Cooper - Paranormal   BUY!
Arcade Fire - Everything Now   BUY!
The Cars - Candy-O [expanded reissue]   BUY!
The Cars - Panorama [expanded reissue]   BUY!
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Black Moon [expanded reissue]   BUY!
Iron Maiden - Flight 666 [vinyl reissue]   BUY!
Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier [vinyl reissue]   BUY!
Isley Brothers & Carlos Santana - Power of Peace   BUY!
The Nighthawks - All You Gotta Do   BUY!
Prong - Zero Days   BUY!
The Tangent - The Slow Rust of Forgotten Machinery   BUY!
Various Artists - Brown Acid: The Fourth Trip   BUY!

Album of the Month: The 40th anniversary reissue of the Ramones' Leave Home album follows the blueprint of the mucho successful deluxe reissue last year of the band's 1976 self-titled debut album. This 40th anniversary reprising of the band's sophomore effort, 1977's Leave Home, offers up three CDs and a vinyl LP as well as a swanky booklet. The first disc includes the remastered version of the original album's 14 songs as well as anniversary mixes; disc two offers up 33 unreleased alternative takes, remixes, and rarities; disc three documents a 1977 live show at New York City's notorious CBGB's club with 19 scorching tracks. As for the vinyl record, it looks like it features seven tracks comprised of the 40th anniversary mixes of tunes like "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment," "Suzy Is A Headbanger," and "Pinhead." Gabba gabba hey, y'all!  

The Nighthawks Throw A Back Porch Party!

Roots ‘n’ blues veterans the Nighthawks are a respected brand with a long and storied history behind the name. Formed in 1972 by singer/harp player Mark Wenner and guitarist Jimmy Thackery, the band was part of a thriving early 1970s Washington D.C. music scene that included talents like Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton. Through the years, the band has released better than 20 albums and rotated through a number of musicians, but they’ve always been led by Wenner’s undeniable vision and love of music.

Some 40+ years later, the band is still rockin’ and earning new fans around the world. On April 21st, 2015 the Nighthawks will be throwing a Back Porch Party with the release of their latest EllerSoul Records album, and we're all invited! Following up on their critically-acclaimed 2014 album 444, the Nighthawks – frontman Wenner, guitarist Paul Bell, bassist Johnny Castle, and drummer Mark Stutso – have put together another fine set of blues, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll with a bit of twang and R&B thrown in for good measure.

Back Porch Party was recorded “live and acoustic” in the studio, the band running through a dozen songs that include five originals as well as covers of classic tunes by Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Slim, Willie Dixon, Ike Turner, and Jimmy Rogers. A couple of performances defy expectations, even for a band as flexible as the Nighthawks – their own version of “Down In The Hole,” better known as the theme from the acclaimed HBO series The Wire, and the Patsy Cline gem “Walkin’ After Midnight.”

As for the band’s return to an unplugged album so soon after the overwhelming critical success of the Blues Music Award-winning 2010 album Last Train To Bluesville, Mark Wenner explains the decision in a press release for the new album. “Although the band mostly continues its amplified style, they are quick to take advantage of situations that warrant the acoustic format,” says Wenner.

“Having enjoyed both the sound and father/son team of engineers in Montrose Studio in Richmond, Virginia, and mixing some acoustic numbers into the material on our 444 album, it seemed like the perfect place for another unplugged recording. The band and EllerSoul execs also invited a small group of sympathetic listeners in for the recording session. The resulting totally live performance was captured by Bruce and Adrian Olsen and quickly mixed into this presentation of a truly fun event, a Back Porch Party.”

Of course, the band will be touring in support of the new album – after all, the Nighthawks are a gang that lives on the road – and we have the initial slate of tour dates below. 

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: The Nighthawks' Back Porch Party

THE NIGHTHAWKS SPRING 2015 TOUR DATES

03/26 @ Bradfordville Blues Club, Tallahassee FL
03/27 @ Blind Willie’s, Atlanta GA
03/28 @ Double Door Inn, Charlotte NC
04/04 @ The Hamilton, Washington DC
04/10 @ Garfield Center for the Arts, Prince Theatre, Chestertown MD
04/11 @ Ramshead on Stage, Annapolis MD
04/12 @ Ramshead on Stage, Annapolis MD
04/17 @ Harvester Performance Center, Rocky Mount VA
04/24 @ Godfrey Daniels, Bethlehem PA
04/25 @ World Café Live, Wilmington DE
05/01 @ The Tin Angel, Philadelphia PA

The Nighthawks, 2015