

Thursday, July 26, 2007



Come On Down

Track List:
1. Come On Down
2. New God
3. Swallow My Pride
4. Ride Of Your Life
5. Corner of My Eye
6. Tunnel Of Love

Download: Green River - Come On Down (32.2MB)

Dry As A Bone/Rehab Doll

Track List:
1. This Town
2. P.C.C.
3. Ozzie
4. Unwind
5. Baby Takes
6. Searchin'
7. Ain't Nothing To Do
8. Queen Bitch
9. Forever Means
10. Rehab Doll
11. Swallow My Pride
12. Together We'll Never
13. Smiling And Dyin'
14. Porkfist
15. Take A Dive
16. One More Stitch


Moving Sidewalks - Flash

The sole album by the Moving Sidewalks is as fascinating as it is unremarkable. As the birthing ground for legendary blues-rock guitarist Billy Gibbons, one would expect at least a taste of what would later make ZZ Top one of the best touring and recording bands on the planet; sadly, the album offers little in the way of revelation in its 15 tracks. Admittedly, at the time of ZZ Top's 1970 debut, Gibbons' transformation from a journeyman bandleader into a boogie-blues demigod was still not fully realized, but his chops were miles away from what is heard here. Part of that lies in the fact that ZZ Top was less about psychedelia than straight blues; whatever psychedelic touches made their way onto the studio albums were largely an accessory. (They would eventually fully integrate on 1979's Deguello.) The Moving Sidewalks, on the other hand, were psychedelic rockers whose songs hinted at the blues without fully diving in. The songs show little of Gibbons' future promise, and in fact are so thoroughly mediocre (both in writing and playing) that it's amazing to think he was only a few years away from international success. "Pluto-Sept. 31st" shows a clear Hendrix influence (the two guitarists openly admired each other), and as a bonus, Akarma's reissue includes five bonus singles that are some of the strongest material on the album, especially "Need Me," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and the legendary single "99th Floor."

Track List:
1. Flashback
2. Scoun da Be
3. You Make Me Shake
4. You Don't Know the Life
5. Pluto-Sept. 31st.
6. No Good to Cry
7. Crimson Witch
8. Joe Blues
9. Eclipse
10. Reclipse
11. 99th Floor
12. What Are You Doing to Do
13. I Want to Hold Your Hand
14. Need Me
15. Every Night a New Surpise

Download: Moving Sidewalks - Flash (50.7MB)

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Buckethead - Acoustic Shards

Acoustic Shards is an album by Buckethead, which consists of acoustic recordings culled from tapes that were reportedly recorded in 1991. This is largely considered his 20th album release, but more of a specialty album than his latest efforts

The album was released on May 31 by Jas Obrecht, through his label Avabella, who also released the Young Buckethead DVDs.[2]

According to Jas Obrecht:
“ Imagine, if you will, that Buckethead walked into a quiet living room, picked up an acoustic guitar, and began improvising one amazing composition after the next -- that's what happened when we recorded "Acoustic Shards" back in 1991. (It was taped a couple of weeks after the final Deli Creeps concert on the Young Buckethead DVDs, but is quite different musically.) It is a single-CD, 52:30 minutes in length, 15 tracks. Included are very early versions of "For Mom" and "Who Me?" as well as a lot of stuff you've never heard before. The playing is spectacular -- some of it sounds like Django Reinhardt meets Ornette Coleman meets young EVH meets... well, that which is uniquely and lovably Buckethead. Some passages are so advanced you'd swear it's two guitarists -- but it was all recorded in real time and without overdubs -- while other parts are just melodically beautiful beyond words. So far, everyone who's heard it has said it's the kind of music that resonates in you long after the stereo's been turned off.
(Year of Release: 2007)

Track List:
1. For Mom [Early Version]
2. Little Gracie
3. Who Me? [Early Version]
4. Ed's Rhapsody/Midnight Dance/Jars
5. Ganryu Island/Saskia's Gone
6. Ghosts Upstairs
7. Spirals
8. Cubes, Chunks & Crumbles
9. Thugs
10. Dinging/Ah-Ji-Jee
11. Johnny
12. Stay out of the Shed
13. Serape
14. Longing
15. Box Elders

Download: Buckethead - Acoustic Shards (67.4MB)

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Local Artist Spotlight - The Luminaries

The Luminaries - You're So Cold

I've decided to add a new element to Digital Meltd0wn. I will be focusing on local musicians from the Northeast Tennessee/Western Virginia area that I live in, as well as artists that you all submit to me. Eventually I would like to expand on this idea, and perhaps pursue a blog devoted entirely to that concept. Of course my main focus would remain on the blog in front of you. The goal of this project is to garner some recognition for the countless number of bands who often remain unheard of because the effort they put into creating music is one of artistic expression rather than the commercial pursuit of money.

For now the spotlight will be a monthly endeavor. This month the spotlight is on The Luminaries, a local band from the Western Virginia area where I currently live, consisting of William Van Huss (Vocals, Guitar), Wayne "Brainz" Thomas (Vocals, Guitar), and Jack Costello (Drums). Their music is a bit different from the norm that you see on this blog, but I'm sure some of you will still find it enjoyable all the same. I posted their EP "You're So Cold" last week. Yesterday they released a video for the title track of the song, which I think turned out rather well.

Download: The Luminaries - You're So Cold EP (23.5MB)
Blog: http://theluminaries.blogspot.com
last.fm: http://www.last.fm/music/The+Luminaries
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/waynebrainz

Captain Beyond - Captain Beyond

Captain Beyond was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1972. Its members were singer Rod Evans, guitarist Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt, bassist Lee Dorman, and drummer Bobby Caldwell. Evans was the original lead singer for Deep Purple and probably best known for his vocals on their 1968 debut chart-breaker "Hush"; Rheinhardt and Dorman had played in Iron Butterfly. Caldwell had come to prominence playing with Johnny Winter. He was replaced by drummer Martin Rodriguez on the group's second album, after which Evans left the band. Captain Beyond re-formed in 1976, with singer Willy Daffern, and Caldwell back on the drums.

Captain Beyond played hard rock influenced by progressive rock. Although the band achieved little commercial success, the group nevertheless earned a cult following. Reinhardt and Caldwell reformed Captain Beyond in 1998. Since then they have been performing at shows and have released a four track EP. There is of yet no information whether they are going to record a new album.
(Year of Release: 1972)

Track List:
1. Dancing Madly Backwards (On A Sea Of Air)
2. Armworth
3. Myopic Void
4. Mesmerization Eclipse
5. Raging River Of Fear
6. Thousand Days Of Yesterdays (Intro)
7. Frozen Over
8. Thousand Days Of Yesterdays (Time Since Come &...)
9. I Can't Feel Nothin' (Part 1)
10. As The Moon Speaks (To The Waves Of The Sea)
11. Astral Lady
12. As The Moon Speaks (Return)
13. I Can't Feel Nothin' (Part 2)

Download: Captain Beyond - Captain Beyond (38.7MB)

Alice Cooper - Live At The Whisky A-Go-Go 1969

1969 was the year that Alice Cooper released their first album, Pretties For You. It was a strange album for the time, and is still quite strange by today's standards. Amidst gems that really showed what was to come from the group, such as "sing low, sweet cheerio", "fields of regret", and "changing arranging", were strange tidbit ideas of songs clocking in at 2 minutes or less, featuring odd vocal stylings, unexpected and frequent tempo changes and start-stop rhythms. This live album, recorded at the record's release party is a great window into the band's workings at the time. The quality far surpasses that of the much easier to find toronto rock'n'roll revival set from the same time period, and features a much more diverse setlist. Songs like "Levity Ball", "Sing Low, Sweet Cheerio",and "Nobody Likes Me" are performed exceptionally well here, but the bands more experimental tracks ("10 minutes before the worm", "bb on mars") prove very difficult to perform live and the performances of these tracks presented here are not without their share of obvious flaws. This record's most redeeming quality is the guitar playing of a young Glen Buxton. I dont care what anyone else says, this album represents Glen in his prime. His lines are often improvised here, and creatively played. He traces scales in flat-out unconventional ways and weaves in and out of the music with perfect finesse. Later in the band's career Glen's playing would suffer due to health problems and alcoholism, but Live at the Whiskey 1969 shows how truly remarkable of a musician he was, maybe not in his technicality, but in the creative construction and unconventional style of his playing. To sum things up this album is a grisly fusion of shagged out acid rock and nascent heavy metal and stands apart from other Alice Cooper albums in it's uniqueness.

Track List:
1. No Longer Umpire
2. Today Mueller
3. 10 Minutes Before the Worm
4. Levity Ball
5. Nobody Likes Me
6. B.B. On Mars
7. Swing Low, Sweet Cheerio
8. Changing Arranging

Download: Alice Cooper - Live At The Whisky A-Go-Go 1969 (34MB)

Saturday, July 14, 2007

The Dirtbombs - Ultraglide In Black

Take a stack of soul platters from the 1960s and 1970s from the likes of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder; mix generously with a propulsive mix of two bass guitars, two drummers, and the vocals of a Detroit rock legend; and you have an underrated gem in the Motor City music scene. Ultraglide in Black puts a rock spin on recognizable nuggets of soul and funk while retaining the original version's integrity and message. Most of the tunes covered here are spirited party tracks, including a sparkling version of Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" that features a strident breakdown. Vocalist Mick Collins, of the Gories fame, paints each track with a flavorful delivery which at times will have the listener literally transported to AM radio's yesteryear. The Dirtbombs have created a record that is akin to stumbling across a box of cool records in your parent's attic, and is suitable for continuous play at any house party.

Track List:
1. Chains of Love
2. If You Can Want
3. Underdog
4. Your Love Belongs Under a Rock
5. I'll Wait
6. Livin' for the City
7. Thing
8. Kung Fu
9. Ode to a Black Man
10. Got to Give It Up
11. Livin' for the Weekend
12. I'm Qualified to Satisfy You
13. Do You See My Love (For You Growing)

Download: The Dirtbombs - Ultraglide In Black (71.4MB)

Friday, July 13, 2007

X - Los Angeles

By the late '70s, punk rock and hardcore were infiltrating the Los Angeles music scene. Such bands as Black Flag, the Germs, and, especially, X were the leaders of the pack, prompting an avalanche of copycat bands and eventually signing record contracts themselves. X's debut, Los Angeles, is considered by many to be one of punk's all-time finest recordings, and with good reason. Most punk bands used their musical inability to create their own style, but X actually consisted of some truly gifted musicians, including rockabilly guitarist Billy Zoom, bassist John Doe, and frontwoman Exene Cervenka, who, with Doe, penned poetic lyrics and perfected sweet yet biting vocal harmonies. Los Angeles is prime X, offering such all-time classics as the venomous "Your Phone's Off the Hook, but You're Not," a tale of date rape called "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene," and two of their best anthems (and enduring concert favorites), "Nausea" and the title track. While they were tagged as a punk rock act from the get-go (many felt that this eventually proved a hindrance), X are not easily categorized. Although they utilize elements of punk's frenzy and electricity, they also add country, ballads, and rockabilly to the mix.

Track List:
1. Your Phone's Off The Hook, But You're Not
2. Johnny Hit And Run Paulene
3. Soul Kitchen
4. Nausea
5. Sugarlight
6. Los Angeles
7. Sex And Dying In High Society
8. The Unheard Music
9. The World's A Mess; It's In My Kiss
10. I'm Coming Over (Demo)
11. Adult Books (Demo)
12. Delta 88 (Demo)
13. Cyrano De Berger's Back (Rehearsal)
14. Los Angeles (Dangerhouse Version)

Download: X - Los Angeles (35.69MB)

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Stinky Finger - Def and Dum

Reupdate: This was re-re-uploaded 06/25/2014. Try it again.

Stinky Finger was the biggest band to come out of the East Tennessee area, which I call home. This was passed on to me from a friend of a friend. After hearing the album I was amazed that this was recorded in 1988. Their sound is original, but if I were forced to draw comparisons, I would describe it as a mix between the Beastie Boys and the Angry Samoans. I didn't have the pleasure of seeing them live, or listening to them when they were around, but fortunately I have a friend who did. This album was uploaded by my friend Brian Van Huss, another local musician from the Tri-Cities scene, and vocalist, song writer, and guitar player for the Luminaries. It was originally posted on his Psyche Zenobia blog. You can also find the link in the sidebar to the right for future reference. The following is an excerpt from his blog:

The Tri-Cities, (Bristol, Johnson City, Kingsport) was never known for it's music scene like Athens, Los Angeles, or Seattle. When I was a high school kid into punk rock and starting my first zines and bands my friends and I felt a bit outnumbered. The Sex Pistols and Ramones never really hit around here so, as far as the locals were concerned, we were the first wave of that. And we took the shit that came with it and kept on going. A first glance at the music scene here didn't reveal much besides cover bands and music store prog rockers but there was something else happening. I'm gonna go ahead and go on record as saying that before two bands there was no real "alternative" music scene here. Those two bands were Stinky Finger and Brian And The Nightmares. We all followed their lead. And if I had to narrow it down even further, we followed Stinky Finger's lead. Not musically but in attitude. They were bigger and more influential in our scene than anyfuckingthing on MTV.

Def And Dum by Stinky Finger was put out on cassette only and recorded in Bristol at Classic Studios in 1988. Copies circulated for years and everyone I know from those days can still sing and rap these songs. Def And Dum has been pretty obscure in recent years and I haven't owned a copy since I don't know when. A friend of mine ripped this from an original cassette and I am uploading it for it's historical value to the music scene of East Tennessee in addition to the fact that it fucking rocks! Stinky Finger were probably best described as a punk/rap band. At the time they were doing it the Beastie Boys were probably the only other comparable band but Stinky may have been even stinkier. Their lyrics were foul and funny at the same time and the band was tight as a preacher's ass. I could go on forever but I'll let it speak for itself. I've had many people ask me for this one so here you go.

- William Van Huss

Track List:
1. Stinky Drinkin'
2. Sodomy
3. Cocaine Whore
4. Def Bird
5. Pollution
6. My Girlfriend
7. Don't Waste My Time
8. We Be Trippin'
9. Fag Basher
10. You're Fat
11. My Penis
12. Fleas

Download: Stinky Finger - Def and Dum (78.7MB) (MEGA decryption code in comments)

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Supergrass - Life On Other Planets

Supergrass makes music so effervescent and so effortlessly joyous that it's easy to take them and their skills for granted. Surely that was the case around the release of their third album, 1999's eponymous effort, which in its labored fun and weary ballads illustrated just how much hard work it was to craft records as brilliant as I Should Coco and In It for the Money. It suggested the group might have burned too bright and flamed out, but, happily, 2002's Life on Other Planets is a smashing return to form, an album giddy with the sheer pleasure of making music. What makes this all the more impressive is that this is the record that Supergrass attempted to be — a perfect balance of the sensibility and humor of I Should Coco with the musicality and casual virtuosity of In It for the Money. Where that album felt labored and a little weary, Life on Other Planets is teeming with life. The tempos are sprightly, the hooks tumble out of the speakers, the band mixes up styles and eras, and they never, ever forget the jokes (Gaz's fleeting Elvis impression on "Seen the Light," an allusion to Spinal Tap's "All the Way Home," or the chorus of "Evening of the Day"). Sure, it's possible to spot the influence all the way through the album — most clearly T. Rex on "Seen the Light" and "Brecon Beacons," where Gaz's warble is uncannily like Marc Bolan's — but it never sounds exactly like their inspirations — it all sounds like Supergrass. And Supergrass hasn't offered such pure, unabashed pop pleasure since their debut; there hasn't been an album that's this much fun in a long time. Since they've been away for a while and have never broken in the States, Supergrass has been curiously overlooked, even though they're better than 99 percent of the power pop and punk-pop bands out there (plus, their everything-old-is-new-again aesthetic can be heard in such albums as the Strokes' Is This It?). But, as this glorious record proves, there are few bands around these days who are as flat-out enjoyable as this trio. The world is a better place for having Supergrass in it.

Track List:
1. Za
2. Rush Hour Soul
3. Seen The Light
4. Brecon Beacons
5. Can't Get Up
6. Evening Of The Day
7. Never Done Nothing Like That Before
8. Funniest Thing
9. Grace
10. La Song
11. Prophet 15
12. Run

Download: Supergrass - Life on Other Planets (55.5MB)

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power


Track List:
1. Search And Destroy
2. Gimme Danger
3. Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell
4. Penetration
5. Raw Power
6. I Need Somebody
7. Shake Appeal
8. Death Trip

Download: Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power (45.7MB)

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

The Luminaries - You're So Cold EP

"The Luminaries traveled to this blue marble oasis in a steam powered spacecraft on a mission to save rock and roll. Unfortunately, their vessel crashed in northeast Tennessee and they were forced to frantically record an album in one day at a studio in Bristol while their ship was being repaired. Psyche Zenobia and Brains Erratica were entrusted to release this gem to the world and these two songs are here to give you the proverbial blue balls of ROCK!"

The Luminaries are William Van Huss, Wayne Brains, and Jack Costello. The record was recorded at Sonic Design studios in Bristol Tennessee in March of 2007. All songs written by William Van Huss and Wayne Brains and copyright Psyche Zenobia/Brains Erratica music.

Track List:
1. You're So Cold
2. Hiding
3. From Outer Space To You
4. Baby Come On
5. Someone Else
6. Psycho Babble

Download: The Luminaries - You're So Cold (23.5MB)

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Back From Bonnaroo

I just got back from Bonnaroo a couple of days ago. I wish I had the time to write about everything that I experienced there, but unfortunately I don't have enough time for that. As I mentioned in my previous post, it was the first time I had ever been to any type of major concert, so it was an absolutely mind blowing experience for me to start it off by going to one of the largest festivals in North America. There were 80,000 fans who bought tickets, along with 6,000 staff, and close to 10,000 vendors.

I didn't get a chance to see half the bands that I wanted to see. I worked till 6pm each day so I missed out on a lot of great performances during the day, and I had to shower after work, even though I wanted to skip straight to the music, because we were filthier and stinkier than anyone else there, and my stench was revolting even to myself. Regardless of this I still had the time of my life and regret absolutely nothing. I managed to see Tool, which was a major achievement for me. I've been following them since they released their first demo and were virtually unheard of. I got to check out the White Stripes, The Police, and the Black Angels also.

I worked for Clean Vibes, which had the monumental task of cleaning up during and after the festival. Even though the work turned out to be much harder than I ever could have anticipated, it turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Clean Vibes took such great care of the employees and the people that volunteered to help clean up that I felt as if I should have been paying them.

The advantages of working with Clean Vibes, rather than being a regular festival attendee, were numerous. They hired a catering company which prepared three fantastic meals a day. We had 24/7 access to the catering tent which was stocked with ice, water, juices, ice cream, desserts, and various other goodies. I realized how fortunate we were to have such a luxury after I witnessed at least 50 people waiting in line to buy bags of ice for $5 a pop. We were also able to bypass the sea of people which were entering the venue and being searched. Security usually didn't even bother to search us, and if they did they conveniently overlooked the alcohol and weed that we had on us. During the cleanup the two other people I went with and myself groundscored a few cool items, including 4 glass bowls (one which was brand new, packed with weed, with a bag of weed sitting beside it), 3 one hitters, a half ounce of opium, 5 blocks of hash, shoes, clothing, camping equipment, $35 in cash, over $20 in change, an insane amount of beer, and various other items.

We had a few staff parties after the festival was over. I didn't think the official staff party would be very big considering the fact that I couldn't see where everyone was camped out at, and it didn't look like there was many people left. Turns out I was wrong. Rhiannon (my lady friend who accompanied me to the festival) and I could hear the party kicking in Centaroo from over a half of a mile away. They had unlimited free beer, a live band and fireworks. As soon as I arrived at the party and sat down to take everything in I had 4 bowls passed to me. The staff of Clean Vibes also had their own party each night. On the last night of cleanup we all went to a Mexican restaurant to eat. Anna, the owner of the company, paid for all our meals and one margarita for each of us. She also walked around and gave each of us a plastic cup and a shot of 1800, after which we all raised our cups in the air and toasted.

The work was very hard. I've worked at least 20 different jobs, including the military and several factories. Aside from the Army, cleaning up after Bonnaroo was the hardest job I've ever done. The heat was very intense and dry. The temperature hovered around 95 degrees every day were were there. The area was also in a drought and it hadn't rained there for two months, which caused massive amounts of dust to be stirred up by the 80,000 people and vehicles traveling about. I smelled like a dumpster was caked in dirt, sweat, and god only knows what else each and every day. I believe that we ended up cleaning up over 500 tons of trash. During the festival we rode around on 4-wheelers and hauled off the trash and recycling bags that were in the barrels located in the two locations that we were assigned to, and that was by far the easiest phase of the cleanup operation. I was blown away by the amount of trash littered across over 500 acres of farmland the day after the festival. I've read messages mentioning the amount of trash left at the festival on various message boards, and the majority of the people haven't the slightest clue as to to the effort that goes into cleaning up after Bonnaroo.

Clean Vibes has a no trace policy, which for us meant that every tiny little scrap of paper and cigaratte butt had to be picked up. After the festival we first gathered the thousands of bags of trash which were left at the campground and venue areas, and then performed line sweeps of each area as well. The group I worked with had the task of cleaning alongside Bushy Branch road, which was the road leading into the main gate. The majority of the time we were knee deep in a ditch with high grass, bugs, and the intense heat beating down on us. There was trash every few inches and bending down to pick up every can, bottle, cigarette butt, pieces of paper, and everything else you can imagine, took quite the toll on my back. We spent a lot of time crawling around on our hands and knees in the highly littered areas also.

After we finished cleaning Bushy Branch Rd, which took us two full days, they disbanded the groups and formed line sweeping crews. The line sweeps were the worst part of the job. We would line up and walk/crawl through the various campgrounds and fields throughout Bonnaroo. There were a slew of things which made the job even more difficult, including the aforementioned heat, dust, bugs, as well as shit buckets, ripped bags, rotting maggot infested food, condoms, thousands of tent steaks (which we had to dig up), billions of cigarette butts, and co-workers who were unable to walk/crawl in a straight line. Fortunately I had the pleasure of working alongside some of the most unique, intelligent, and highly motivated individuals that I have ever met, and together we were able to overcome all the challenges that we encountered, and had a fantastic time in the process.

My words are still not enough to describe the full experience of cleaning up after Bonnaroo, but hopefully they will give you an idea. Needless to say it was absolutely filthy, even if it was cleaner than the previous years. It also made me realize just how wasteful, lazy, and careless people are with the waste that they produce. I'm not the type of person that usually bitches about anything, but if you're reading this and you happen to be one of those people who throws their cigarette butts on the ground or anything else for that matter... please pick up your shit! I'm a smoker myself, and it doesn't take that much effort to knock the cherry off your cigarette and throw it in a trashcan, ashtray, or even in your pocket. If you attend festivals or concerts pick up a piece of trash on your way out, or even grab a bag and fill it up. If everyone did so it would make things much easier on the people who bust their ass to clean up such events. To those of you who do and make an attempt to recycle.. thank you. You truly are making a difference and helping to make the only home we have a better place to live.

This post is getting rather long, so I'm going to cut it short. The pictures that I used in this post were not taken by me. Whenever I get the pictures that I personally took developed, I'll post them on here also. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments about Bonnaroo that you have here. I'll begin posting albums again shortly....