Matt White Band - "All Signs Point to Yes" (live at KUT)

This week we're offering up YET ANOTHER Austin, TX band.  I first came across the music of the Matt White Band about 4-5 years ago and I'm not sure how.  They have an interesting combination of southern roots rock and soul that I find appealing.  So I'm scouring the internet trying to find out more about them for this post and really had a hard time finding much.  iTunes had one of their albums posted and that was a 2006 release called 'Burn Out Bright.'   Since there is no Wikipedia entry for them I did not even have access to a discography.

There is a short bio on Matt White on mattwhiteband..com which has a couple of tidbits which include the fact that Matt is born and raised in Texas, grew up listening to a wide variety of music, fronted a band called Bent through college and started Matt White Band shortly after settling in Austin.  Beyond that, I'm fairly clueless about these guys.

Why did I choose this particular song? I chose this song because my wife really likes it.
It was apparently recorded during a live in studio session at radio station KUT at the University of Texas. When, you ask? Who knows!

Turn it up and ENJOY!

Listen to "All Signs Point to Yes"
Recorded live at KUT

Click here to view a video of Matt White Band playing "Angel."

Cake - "Ruby Sees All"

I must confess that the band Cake was never really on my radar screen.  "Ruby Sees All" streamed on my Pandora this week and caught my attention.  Turns out I did have several of their songs in my music library but I didn't know a l lot about them until this week.  What I know now is I like several of their songs very much.  I appreciate their unique sound, their use of the trumpet and the chances they take with structure and lyrics.

Wikipedia describes them as follows: Cake is an American alternative rock band from Sacramento, California. Consisting of singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Gabe Nelson and drummer Paulo Baldi, the band has been noted for McCrea's sarcastic lyrics and deadpan voice, DiFiore's trumpet parts, and their wide-ranging musical influences, including country music, Mariachi, rock, funk, Iranian folk music and hip-hop.

I can't say I know too many bands that have been influenced by Iranian folk music!
Anyway, today's song selection comes from their 1994 album entitled 'Motorcade of Generosity.'
Funky little beat and trumpet for your listening pleasure...ENJOY.

Listen to "Ruby Sees All"
From the album 'Motorcade of Generosity'

Click here to view a live Cake video of "Ruby Sees All."
Click here to view Cake tour dates.

Monsters of Folk - "Say Please"

Monsters of Folk is a band that started out as a side project.  Each of its members are in other bands: Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Brite Eyes, Jim James from My Morning Jacket and M. Ward is a renown solo artist/producer.

The band was formed in 2004 when the members were on tour with their respective bands and solo projects. After playing together both on-stage and backstage, they started working together on various material. Due to the members' main projects, Monsters of Folk did not wrap up their first album until 2009.  That year, they released their one and only album as Monsters of Folk.  The self-titled record cracked the Billboard Top 200 at #143 and peaked at #3 on the U.S. indie chart.

From the Amazon site review: All four members play every instrument on the album, supplying everything from drum kills to cascading backing vocals. The songs – some road-worn fables, some intimate and intricate with electronic elements, some woozy and sun-soaked – are everything one expects from these four musical minds collaborating together. The album exudes a warm, organic spaciousness, filled by brilliant choruses, intoxicating harmonies and effortless melodies, as each member brings his own strengths to the table to create one perfect whole.

Well there you go...Our song today is "Say Please" and I think you're going to like it.
ENJOY!

Listen to "Say Please"
From the album 'Monsters of Folk'


Click to view Monsters of Folk video from Austin City Limits.

Trombone Shorty - "On Your Way Down"

Today we've got the funky, jazzy, New Orleans sound of Trombone Shorty and his Orleans Avenue band.  Twenty-five year old Troy Andrews (aka Trombone Shorty) has been wowing crowds with his horn prowess since the age of six (see photo on left playing the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival 1991 with the Carlsberg Brass Band from Denmark).


 

His solo musical career began to take shape around 2006 shortly after a stint as a horn player touring with Lenny Kravitz.
From Wikipedia:   In early 2007, New Orleans’ music magazine Offbeat named Andrews their Performer of the Year. He also garnered honors as Best Contemporary Jazz Performer. Also in 2007, he accepted an invitation to contribute to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino.  As of 2009, his current project is Orleans Avenue, a funk/pop/hip-hop mix including musicians Mike Ballard on bass, Dan Oestreicher on baritone sax, Tim McFatter on tenor sax, Pete Murano on guitar, Joey Peebles on drums, and Dwayne "Big D" Williams on percussion.
He appeared in four episodes of the 2010 HBO series Treme.  In 2010 Andrews released Backatown (Verve Forecast), which hit Billboard magazine's Contemporary Jazz Chart at #1 and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue toured across North America, Europe, Japan and Brazil, as well as supporting shows for Jeff Beck in the U.K. and Dave Matthews Band in the U.S. They performed on television shows including Conan, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Bonaroo, and Austin City Limits. He also recorded on new and upcoming CDs from Galactic, Eric Clapton, and Lenny Kravitz and on the Academy Award nominated "Down In New Orleans" with Dr. John.

As you know, I love the New Orleans sound and Trombone Shorty's unique combination of NOLA jazz and funk are truly irresistible.  ENJOY!

Listen to "On Your Way Down"
From the album 'Backatown'


Click to view Trombone Shorty tour dates.
Click to view Trombone Shorty live "On Your Way Down" video.