Being laid up on a week’s bed rest means at we’ve at least managed to finally get our longstanding idea for a blog/website for wannabe writers up and running. Roundthecampfire.wordpress.com is a new idea where we regularly give you a couple of titles, and you use that stimulus and your imagination to write something. You can write whatever you like, in any genre and any … Continue reading Check out our new site…for writers
Hearts And Daggers released their debut album And Then There Was Dust earlier this year, but we have only recently picked up a couple of tracks from it via There’s Always Someone Cooler Than You. Now we are aware of it, we shall be making an effort to discover a lot more. Of the tracks we have for you, Convict Blues fair drips dust, sweat, … Continue reading Introducing…Hearts And Daggers
Texan singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo releases his tenth solo album Street Songs Of Love in June via the Concord Music Group. Mostly written in collaboration with ex Green On Red man Chuck Prophet, the album has garnered fine advance reviews and we’re looking forward to getting our hands on a copy as soon as we can. ‘Til then, like us, you’ll just have to make do … Continue reading New from Alejandro Escovedo
The intimate (that means slightly cramped) Borderline was the host for last night’s gig by Blitzen Trapper supported by The Dutchess & The Duke. The latter gave us 35 minutes of beautifully crafted folk harmonies and the occasional arsenic tinged lyric. The hushed, attentive crowd and easy going banter from the band made it feel like a 60s coffee house in Greenwich Village and so … Continue reading Live Review: Blitzen Trapper
The Futurebirds play the kind of off-kilter, psychedelic and slightly ramshackle country rock that MM likes. A lot. Having released a freely available self-titled 6 track EP, they are now readying their debut album Hampton’s Lullaby (out July on Autumn Tone Records). We’re looking forward to acquainting ourselves fully with the record and check out advance track Johnny Utah to see why. Until then, go … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…The Futurebirds
Indulge me today. My youngest boy was six on Tuesday. Blessed with an excellent fledgling taste in music, his current faves includes Jason Ward, Stornoway and Dr Dog. Perhaps being named after MM’s all time hero, Joe Strummer (or Joe Drummer as our Joe called him for some time), has helped. So much personality packed into one so small. Anyway, enough of these frivolities, we’ve … Continue reading Mrs Mackerel’s TFI Friday
As usual, here is our round-up of some of the best songs we’ve posted during April plus a couple of new ones. Thirty great songs all ready to go on one cracking playlist and impress your family and friends. Without further ado… Shabby Rogue – My Life As A Secret Agent mp3 (High octane, paranoia induced rock ‘n’ roll riffage) Kurt Vile – Invisibility Nonexistent … Continue reading MM’s Best of the Month: April
We’ve already posted the quite excellent Private Land, the first track from the new Johnny Bertram & The Golden Bicycles album Days That Passed, which gets its official release tomorrow. To mark the occasion they have made a second track available titled At The Wake. This track offers a nice contrast to the full on rock and roll of Private Land and shows exactly why … Continue reading Johnny Bertram album released tomorrow
Ah, how we love a good murder ballad! This weekend we visited our local independent record shop (the excellent Rapture in Witney) for the annual Record Store Day extravaganza. As well as picking up the latest Chapel Club 7″ and a copy of the limited edition 4AD taster for the latest Big Pink track we couldn’t help but purchase unheard a copy of a CD … Continue reading Settle down with a tasty murder ballad
It’s one rule for you and another for everyone else. Do as I say, but not as I do. And so on. On Thursday, the original MM site was taken down without warning, without a backward glance, without apology, by some faceless individual/s at a soulless organisation. All that hard work switched off, tuned out, unplugged. Unlike some we could mention, however, we are passionate … Continue reading Mrs Mackerel’s TFI Friday
The Mad Mackerel 