Brett and Rennie Sparks are The Handsome Family. They are also a staple of the musical diet in the Mackerel household. Pioneers of modern gothic country, we’ve been fans ever since we heard such classics as After We Shot The Grizzly, Weightless Again, In The Air, right through to more recent tracks like Darling My Darling and a host of others. With a sly black humour ever … Continue reading Scattered – new album from The Handsome Family
E’ville Fuzz arrives two-and-a-half years after 6 Day Bender’s self-titled debut. The title references the farmhouse in Earlysville, Virginia, where the band crafted the album’s thirteen songs, as well as the ‘fuzzier,’ more blues-oriented dimension the album explores. The band recorded the new project between bouts of touring, bankrolling the studio sessions with proceeds from the road. The result is a high-octane rock record with … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…6 Day Bender
John Velghe is a notorious scammer, a charlatan; one of those musicians with a guitar case filled with pretty songs performed by a man of ugly intent. Over the years of performing he’s ruined his character and his body in service to rock ‘n roll. All the while leaving a trail of acrimony wrapped in shimmering chords and the snare drum’s crack. So what could … Continue reading Introducing…John Velghe
During time away from his other bands (Blackout Party, John Meeks), Brian Holwerda has recorded a collection of mostly-acoustic songs in his bedroom. The result is a 7 track EP called Witchteeth. Most of the recordings are spare, quiet acoustic versions, but they are presented in a way that retains a rawness and honesty that sets them apart from the usual fare on offer. The … Continue reading Introducing…Brian Holwerda
Yo Soybean is an alternative folk band from Athens, GA that just finished recording their new album, Manifest Blasphemy. The record will be released in January, and will be available on both Bandcamp and iTunes. Yo Soybean follow in the traditions of Dylan and Oberst, offering insidiously honest lyrics, which the band surrounds with edgy americana and newgrass. The songs are modern tales wrapped in … Continue reading Introducing…Yo Soybean
As anyone who reads this blog with any regularity will know, Howling Owls are one of our favourite discoveries of 2010. They take menacing, insistent, under-stated indie/folk matched with some of the best lyrical wordplay we’ve heard in a long while. The songs pick away at the edges of domestic strife and family troubles, gleefully revealing a queasy, black-hearted underbelly that remind us of those … Continue reading More from Howling Owls
A couple of years ago we became big fans of a band called Eulogies, their self-titled album received a lot of play time and in Life Boat they had one of our favourite tracks of the year. They’ve been quiet for a while, and so we were delighted to hear of a new album, Tear The Fences Down and to get a taster in the … Continue reading Eulogies Return
We got this via Not So Popular, it is an excellent short story called To The Boat by up and coming young writer James Walsh. It was inspired by a song by J. Tillman. We would urge you to click through and read the story – it’s certainly not one for the faint hearted, but it is excellently written and is certainly one of the … Continue reading J.Tillman inspires short story
Canadian four-piece Harlan Pepper grew up listening to music on dusty record players and hissing radios. Those sounds have been channelled into these songs that in turn make up their album Young and Old. It’s an album that encapsulates their obvious love for raw roots, rock country, blues, and folk music, but seen through their own 21st century kaleidoscope. Take a listen to Great Lakes, the … Continue reading Introducing…Harlan Pepper
This may be a day late (snow, sickness, another quiz), but Christmas has come early for us here at MM because we have a new song from the Cave Singers – glad tidings of great joy indeed. In fact, so excited were we that fishy wars broke out, with MM posting it (albeit briefly) yesterday afternoon after promising the missus that it was hers. He … Continue reading Mrs Mackerel’s TFI Friday (3 Dec)
The Mad Mackerel 