Friday, October 30, 2015

This week's ResonanceFM podcast...

This week's Bonanza & Son on Resonance 104.4fm is now available to listen on demand...

The show features a truly awesome live session from Thisell, Sweden's finest exponents of Atmospheric Avant-Americana...
As always Bonanza & Son showcases the best of all the new and upcoming Americana, Country & Roots releases including brand, new long players from Donnie Fritts, Bob Dylan and many many more...
... and of course it wouldn't be Bonanza & Son without lots of old vinyl that we've picked up along the Americana highway including songs by Ted Hawkins plus many more...

Thisell:
Swedish Atmospheric Avant-Americana from Thisell a Swedish band that records and performs the songs of Peter Thisell. The group was formed around the creation of the debut album “I” in 2010. Since October 2013, Thisell has toured Europe eight times in support of “I”.Thisell’s debut "I" is on Folk Radio UK's list of “Best Albums 2014,” Bonanza & Son's list of “Best Albums 2014” and the song "Lay Here" from "I" was on the pop-polit.de list of “Best Songs of 2014.”Thisell ́s second album titled “II” will be released in February of 2016....
'Their sumptuous songs reminiscent of Gram Parsons & Neko Case in a snowstorm... Suddenly Neil Young turns up to save the day on his John Deere snow plough with Townes Van Zandt shoveling grit behind!”

Bonanza & Son On Resonance 104.4fm
‘Tracing the roots and subsequent influence of the pioneers, innovators, outlaws, renegades and mavericks of Country Music and Americana’s past present and future'

Wednesdays at 4:30pm (repeated Thursdays at Midnight)
Tune in to Bonanza & Son on Resonance 104.4fmFM
on 104.4FM in London
or anywhere at www.resonancefm.com

Bonanza & Son on ResonanceFM 28/10/15: Thisell live session by Bonanza & Son on Mixcloud

Monday, October 12, 2015

Bonanza & Son on ResonanceFM 7th October 2015

This week's Bonanza & Son on Resonance 104.4fm is now available to listen on demand... Just click the Mixcloud link...

We have a stunning live session and interview from not one but two great young, Americana artists and Texan troubadours Betty Soo & Curtis McMurtry.

Bonanza & Son on ResonanceFM 07/10/15: BettySoo & Curtis McMurtry session by Bonanza & Son on Mixcloud


Betty is currently on tour in Europe in support of her most recent LP 'When We're Gone' on a joint tour with Curtis McMurtry. Curtis whose most recent LP 'Respectable Enemy' is a consummate piece of work by a great songwriter and storyteller which is no surprise when you consider he is son of legendary Americana songwriter James McMurtry and grandson of great American novelist and screenwriter Larry McMurtry.

As always Bonanza & Son showcases the best of all the new and upcoming Americana, Country & Roots releases including brand, new long players from Kinky Friedman, Donnie Fritts, Joe Ely, Stephen Simmons and many more.



... and it wouldn't be Bonanza & Son without lots of old vinyl including Dave Kirby, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and tons more.

Glen Campbell 'Less Of Me'.

Glen Campbell was never really known as a songwriter being particularly insecure about his own songwriting ability but he did write a handful of songs including a little gem in the form of 'Less Of Me'.



I've always loved its simplicity; no chorus, no middle eight, no bridge just a pure beauty and gorgeous sentiment.

Here's The Everley Brothers doing it justice and making it sound like some long lost Dylan or Byrds track.



'Less Of Me.'
'Let me be a little kinder. Let me be a little blinder.
To the faults of those about me, let me praise a little more.
Let me be, when I am weary, just a little bit more cheery.
Think a little more of others and a little less of me.
Let me be a little braver when temptation bids me waver.
Let me strive a little harder to be all that I should be.
Let me be a little meeker with the brother that is weaker.
Let me think more of my neighbor and a little less of me.
Let me be, when I am weary, just a little bit more cheery.
Let me serve a little better those that I am striving for.
Let me be a little meeker with the brother that is weaker
Think a little more of others and a little less of me.'

Saturday, October 03, 2015

It was twenty years ago today Sgt Pepper said 'Some Might Say!'

So it was twenty years ago today... again!.. Well yesterday to be precise.
I bought this on its day of release, of course... Oasis completist innit!.. Double vinyl, gatefold first press.



Listening to it today has got me thinking... I never really liked this album to tell the truth. Well that's a bit harsh, it's my least favourite Oasis album of the first five... I stopped listening to them after 2005 and have never even heard 'Dig Out Your Soul' from 2008... Come to think of it I don't know why that is and I can't quite believe it... I'll listen to it tonight on Spotify!

Anyway I digress. As is well documented the first album, in my view, is a masterpiece and arguably the greatest debut album first equal with 'Never Mind The Bollocks'... (CS&N doesn't count for obvious reasons).

I digress, again!.. So I was slightly disappointed with the album... Firstly some of the production is terrible although that's probably splitting hairs but it does my head in... Secondly and most importantly it was just a bit too 'poppy' for me following the raw bludgeoning we had previously experienced with 'Definitely Maybe'... Also 'Don't Look Back In Anger' is just too much even for this Oasis nut and 'Bonehead's Bank Holiday' is quite frankly unforgivable...

The truth is I'm really not arsed about Noel's singing, I'm here to hear Liam, end of'!
That said I could listen to 'Roll With It', 'Wonderwall', 'Cast No Shadow' the title track and especially 'Some Might Say' until the Northern Dairies cows come home...

However the greatest achievement in my eyes was the final song 'Champagne Supernova' which is a fucking genius, inspired piece of songwriting and a Neo-Psychedelic classic the equal of any obscure Psych' 45 or Beatles tune and ironically vindicated them finally from any accusations of being mere Beatles copyists...
If they'd gone in that direction for the whole of the second disc then it may well have been their best album.