JJ Voss 'Show Em Who's Voss'

I recently got my hands JJ Voss' sophmore record 'Show Em Who's Voss'. In the dozen or so albums I have picked up so far this year it is quickly becoming a favourite of mine. I consider myself a rock n roll kind of guy that likes a lot of country. A more accurate statement would be that I like well written story songs. Just about anything that I can really feel and grabs me I can get behind. Where the magic really happens is when you believe the artist. This is definitely the case with Regina native JJ Voss. JJ writes workin' man music. He writes honest music.


I really dug the first record 'Hillbilly Storybook' from a couple years back but wondered if JJ could top his debut when I picked up my copy of 'Show Em Who's Voss'. I was delighted to find out out that the hardest working musician in Regina has really hit his stride with his most recent effort. In scene chalk full of the likes Taylor Swift's and Lady Antebellum's, JJ is the everything you like about classic country with a really fresh new edge which keeps him from sounding dated, I have no doubt this record will get a lot of spins in the months/years to come. 


'Show Em Who's Voss' really pops. Between working with some killer people in Nashville and another group of stellar people in Regina, JJ has his bases covered. The Nashville band includes on of the original Steve Earle Duke's Harry Stinson, Paul Martin of Exile/Marty Stuart and Kenny Vaughan who has worked with Lucinda Williams and Rodney Crowell when not playing with Marty Stewart also. There are several uber talented musicians that he worked with in Nashville. That being said his Regina band is really impressive also. Jayson Brinkworth, Ken Burton, Brett Schinbein and Laura Roddick really lay it down at home. Between the two bands it's hard to pick a favourite. 


One thing is for sure you won't be disappointed in picking up this title. It really is fantastic from start to finish. It never drags and always keeps moving ahead steady like a train, My personal favourites are 'It's a Pride Thing', a song about being blue collar and happy with it, 'Bare Bones' which deals with the reality of living beyond your means, 'Breakin' Things' a super fun song about simply getting out of hand and 'You Pull Away', a ditty about chasing a girl in a seesaw situation.  


JJ can be seen many Tuesday's at Bocado's lounge in Regina as the host of the weekly Tuesday Night Troubadour. You can pick up 'Show Em Who's Voss featuring "It's A Pride Thing" by ordering though his website here: http://jjvoss.com/store.html. It's also available at the Future Commincations outlet which is located at 508 Henderson Drive here in Regina.

Holly McNarland 'Run Body Run'

The first time I saw Holly McNarland, I was sixteen years old and walking through the wood chips at the then cross Canada touring Edgefest. The year was 1998 and it was my first concert. It was hot and just trying to take in everything was almost impossible. I felt as though I was in another world. It would have been hard to soak up everything at any concert for me the first time but a festival of this talent level had me on sensory overload. I was there to see Econoline Crush, Foo Fighters and Green Day. I was there to see those bands that day at Sask Place but I became a fan of Bif Naked and Holly McNarland. I knew virtually nothing of Holly McNarland. So as I walk across the grass heard this powerful voice sing/yell “…but I f@#ked him anyway”. I looked at the stage and thought, “that didn’t come out of that artists mouth did it?” On that day when I stopped and listened I was blown away. Fourteen years later I am still blown away.

Holly seems less angry on each record however she still emotes and is still a hell of if not better songwriter. With her having a family now and growing as an artist her songwriting has got to be affected in one way or another. Her phrasing, lyrics and earnest are still in every song on her newest record ‘Run Body Run’. That will never change for her.

As I have grown over the years, so has Holly McNarland. Which really works; she’s where she should be. I think this keeps her from getting stale and keeps her relevant. On this record you have some pop songs and some folk songs but they are all HOLLY songs. The only one that reminds of someone else is ‘After I’m Gone’ which is reminiscent of the beautiful and talented Emmylou Harris. No one can say there is anything wrong with being on the same page as Emmylou. ‘Only Money’ is a sure hit single and the other tracks are perfect for a Holly McNarland record. My personal favorites are ‘Alone’s Just Fine’ and the song she wrote for her daughter, title track ‘Run Body Run’.

Holly McNarland is still a gem. At this stage in her career she could do coffee shops, festivals, and shows like Austin City Limits or anything else she desires. She does it not because she has to but because she wants to and that makes for a fantastic record. ‘Run Body Run’ leaves me with that same sincere captivating feeling that watching her live did all those years ago at Edgefest. I am already looking forward to the next record. This is how a classy independent artist does it. Take notes.



As far as I know there aren't any official videos yet. That being said I did run across a cool bootleg from a while back of a track that made the record.

Cheers Rockers!

Kent Rocks - Top 20 Favourite Country Songs of All Time

A couple weeks back a friend of mine (Chris) got me thinking about my top 3 favourite country songs of all time. I like singer/songwriter tunes, be it country, rock, folk etc. I am not going to get into why I like country however, you can read that article if you please here: http://tinyurl.com/6ospd6m.

It got me to thinking however. I listen to A LOT of country. It's probably still outweighed by rock'n'roll 65/35 but when you listen to as much music as I do, it's a lot of country and folk. I realize I have favourite songs from almost every recent decade 1950's to present day and they are all different kinds of country. The order varies from day to day but here is the most concise list I was able to present to you... today anyway.

Enjoy.

Cheers,

Kent Rocks

20. Kenny Rogers - The Gambler



19. Corb Lund - Time to Switch to Whiskey

18. Loretta Lynn/Jack White - Portland Oregon



17. Fred Eaglesmith - White Rose

16. The Ginn Sisters - Hey Doll

15. Shooter Jennings - 4th of July



14. Justin Townes Earle - Slippin' & Slidin'



13. Zac Brown Band - Sic Em on a Chicken

12. Reba McIntyre - Fancy



11. Dwight Yoakam - Fast as You

10. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Modern Day Romance

09. Guy Clark - The Cape

08. Dolly Parton - Jolene



07. Waylon Jennings - I've Always Been Crazy



06. Blue Rodeo - Hasn't Hit Me Yet



05. Dolly Parton - 9-5

04. Steve Earle - New York City



03. Merle Haggard - Mama Tried



02. Hal Ketchum - Past the Point of Rescue

01. Johnny Cash/June Carter - Jackson

Nickelback: the Whipping Boys of Rock 'n' Roll

Nickelback are simultaneously the most loved and the most reviled band on the music scene. They are one of the few "rock" bands that are fortunate enough to sell shitloads of albums nowadays, so they deserve some respect for that feat. There is the stereotype that commercially successful artists must, by nature, be ravaged by the critics while obscure artists get rave reviews. For the most part, this has been the case throughout the years. For every Beatles who the critics and the masses universally adore, there are twenty MC Hammers who sell millions of albums and twenty Nick Drakes who merely sell thousands.

It's pretty obvious where Nickelback sits on the musical spectrum. The boys from Hanna, Alberta have been the favourite whipping boys of critics, bloggers and fellow musicians across the world for the last few years. Perhaps it's the power of the internet, but I've never seen such an outrageous amount of HATE expressed towards one band or artist. The only case that might be comparable would be the brief backlash against the Beatles after John Lennon said they were bigger than Jesus. But it's safe to say that their reputation sufficiently recovered after that.

So why do people hate Nickelback so much? Before the NFL Thanksgiving game in Detroit, there was an online petition to get Nickelback NOT to play. And this attracted a shitload of people. A similar situation occurred when it was announced that Nickelback would play the half time show at the Grey Cup. To the band's credit, they've had a sense of humour about it. This is especially evident in a pretty clever bit they filmed for Funny or Die.

The level of hate has grown to almost comical proportions. But for a band that everyone seems to hate so much, they sell millions of albums in an age where no one buys albums. They also sell out arenas across the world at the drop of a hat. So who exactly buys Nickelback albums? It seems like the "cool" thing to do nowadays is to hate Nickelback. I'm sure that since so many people claim to hate Nickelback that there are people in the hipster contingent who like Nickelback now... but strictly in a post-modern, ironic kind of way. Regardless, Nickelback get the most publicity of any rock band on the planet. But why?

Before I continue, I may as well let the cat out of the bag. I don't like Nickelback's music. Since the day I first heard of them, I thought they were just watered down post-grunge music. "Leader of Men" was an ok song, but it was so... bland. And since then, they've only gotten worse. However, I must note that I do respect Chad Kroeger and company for making a damn good living doing something they love. They're talented musicians so I have to give them credit for that. It takes balls to go onstage and set yourself up for judgement. And they seem okay with the fact that people like myself really don't like their music. Plus, Chad and company seem like genuinely nice guys. So kudos to them for making money playing music.

So why do people hate their music? I can't speak for everyone, but here is why I cringe whenever I hear a Nickelback tune. I mentioned before that I find their music so watered down. In 1996, I thought Bush were a watered down version of Nirvana. Well, Nickelback are a watered down version of Bush. They make Bush seem like Iggy & the Stooges or the Sex Pistols by comparison. They may play guitars, bass and drums... but any trace of rock 'n' roll has been completely sapped out of their music. They are the worst thing that a rock 'n' roll band can be:

They're safe.

The cinematic equivalent of Nickelback would be a Happy Madison production starring Kevin James, and would feature talking animals, plenty of fat jokes... and at least ten scenes of guys getting hit in the nut sack. If they were a talk show host they'd be Jay Leno. If they were a beer they'd be Molson Canadian. If they were a burger they'd be a Big Mac. Nickelback is the soundtrack for people who buy their music from Walmart.

But why do they sell so many albums and sell out so many shows? See above.

The majority of the population don't want to be even remotely challenged when it comes to entertainment. With Nickelback, people can just turn their brains off and sing along. To Chad Kroeger's credit, he's found a formula that works very well commercially. In a nutshell, Nickelback are a (shitty) country band with cranked up guitars. If you combined country music with hair metal, you would have Nickelback. Chad Kroeger doesn't write metaphors. He just lays everything out for the listener. No one will listen to a Nickelback song and wonder, "I wonder what he means by that?" "I like your pants around your feet" means exactly that. They pick the standard country and rock 'n' roll subject matters: sex, booze, fights, sex and booze... with the obligatory ballad and "socially responsible" song to sway the chicks. Their music is ideal for guys getting off a 12 hour shift on the rigs. This type of listener doesn't want to hear the latest Arcade Fire or Radiohead tune. They want to get shitfaced, watch some UFC and crank up some AC/DC.

In commercial terms, Chad Kroeger's formula is brilliant. They found what sells and they stick to it. AC/DC had their formula and they stuck to it. The Ramones had a formula and they didn't change. I guess I just have a problem with Nickelback's formula because it comes across to me as pandering. I love lots of mindless rock and pop tunes. I even find LMFAO somewhat brilliant. They're dumb... but they know it. They're smart about being dumb. But Nickelback? I just don't get how people can just flock to their tunes. Yet, so many people gladly lap it up. And so many people rail against it. But they have people talking so I guess they're doing something right. In a recent Spin magazine, The Roots' ?uestlove said that he only differentiates music between being "effective and ineffective." I guess Nickelback's music is effective to lots of people.

But as I said before, despite the fact that I think their music is pure drivel and that a kid in Grade 4 could write better lyrics, I do respect the guys for actually writing and performing their own songs... and being able to perform live. In an age where every pop song seems to have autotune and people pay outrageous money to see Britney Spears lip synch onstage, it is nice to see people succeed by playing a (bastardized) version of rock 'n' roll. As Sloan once sang, "It's not the band I hate, it's their fans." I guess I don't hate Nickelback. I just hate that so many people have unquestioningly accepted that mediocrity rules. And I find that very sad.

Van Halen or Van Hagar? The Eternal Question

Most of my friends tend to be obsessive music geeks like myself so the usual music debates always tend to pop up in conversation: the Beatles vs. the Stones, the Ramones vs. the Sex Pistols vs. the Clash, 70's Aerosmith vs. 80's/90's/00's Aerosmith, why Rush do/don't suck, U2 vs. Queen, etc. Well, now that David Lee Roth has reunited with Eddie and Alex Van Halen for a successful comeback tour and now have a new studio album set to be released next month I figure now is a good time to weigh in on the Eternal Musical Question:

Diamond Dave or Sammy? Van Halen or Van Hagar?

To me, it's a no brainer. I'm a David Lee Roth fan all the way. It goes without saying that Sammy Hagar is/was a far superior singer. The dude has an amazing set of pipes. "Dreams" has to be one of the best male vocal performances in the history of 'rock n' roll... and it might even be my favourite Van Halen tune. So for pure vocal ability, Sammy wins in a landslide. It's no contest. However, rock n' roll isn't strictly about technical ability. If that were true, then Emerson, Lake and Palmer would be gods. David Lee Roth was never the best technical singer, but he made it work. He played to his strengths. But mostly, he had fun and he GOT IT.

DLR understood that a band like Van Halen should put on a a helluva show and HAVE FUN. The Roth version of the band wasn't trying to change the world. They were simply trying to provide the soundtrack to people having a good time. By combining the proto-heavy metal of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin with shades of glam rock and punk rock, Van Halen emerged from the L.A. club scene to gradually become arguably the biggest band in the world in 1984. For better or worse, Van Halen helped spawn all the hair metal bands of the mid-late 80's. Before Motley Crue could "Shout at the Devil", Van Halen were "Runnin' with the Devil." With Diamond Dave at the mic, the band understood that rock n' roll should be ridiculous at times. Most importantly, they never took themselves seriously as Artistes. Roth wasn't trying to be Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan. The lyric sheets for "Hot For Teacher" and "Everybody Wants Some!!" couldn't be mistaken for long lost Elvis Costello songs. With Diamond Dave, Van Halen were a party band with the best guitar player on the planet. And DLR was one of the best frontmen. He had a charisma and swagger that few possess. But ultimately, it's the songs that matter. "Runnin' with the Devil", "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", "Panama", "Jump", etc, etc, etc. These songs still sound amazing today.

When Sammy Hagar joined the band, they pretty much became a new band. Diamond Dave probably left at a good time because it would be pretty hard to maintain that "party band" ethos for much longer before the schtick got old. With Sammy, Van Halen tried their best to be a Serious Rock Band. There's no way they could've done this this with DLR. I will admit that Van Halen had a few great tunes with Sammy ("Dreams", "Poundcake" and "Best of Both Worlds", for instance). However, I think Van Halen lost the plot when they decided to focus so much attention on power ballads. If you saw the song titles "Love Walks In", "When It's Love", "Why Can't This Be Love" and "Can't Stop Loving You" on a set list you'd think it was for an Air Supply concert... not a hard rock band. When Sammy joined the band, they went from "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" to songs that Dianne Warren could have written. In trying to be a Serious Rock Band, Sammy Hagar once referred to his lyrics as poetry. It's safe to say that Diamond Dave never made this claim. It's pretty obvious that DLR had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he wrote most of his lyrics. On the other hand, Sammy reaches beyond his capabilities in the lyric writing department. As much as I love "Dreams", the lyrics are pretty cliche and would be perfect for a Tony Robbins infomercial.

Diamond Dave left the band when they reached a commercial peak with "Jump". So when Sammy joined the band it was kind of like a free agent signing with the New York Yankees after winning the World Series. So unless your name was Gary Cherone, it was a pretty sweet gig. The band went on to have more commercial success with Sammy Hagar because their music headed into a far more MOR direction. But just because they appealed to more soccer moms doesn't make Van Hagar a better band.

Sammy Hagar seems like a really cool, laid back guy. He just seems like a normal guy. I would much rather sit down and go for a beer with Sammy than Dave because, quite frankly, Dave seems like a bit of a douchebag. However, if I ever listen to Van Halen I always tend to skip over the Sammy songs... and I would much prefer to see the DLR version of the band than the Sammy version. For me, a band like Van Halen should be all about turning your brain off, letting loose and having fun. When Sammy joined the band they lost that key ingredient.

And as for Van Halen's new single "Tattoo" with Diamond Dave? Well... at least he has a cool hat. Unfortunately, the new single doesn't exactly help my case. But at least they'll play "Panama" in concert. You can check out the video below.

So who do you prefer? Van Halen or Van Hagar? Or do you actually think Gary Cherone was the best singer in Van Halen? Or do you not even care? Feel free to post your comments below.

Cheers!

JJ Ramone's Top 40 Fave Albums of 2011

At long last, the moment you have waited for all year long has finally arrived. Justin Bieber hit puberty! Just kidding. Give it a year. Ahem, it's time to reveal my list of favourite albums of the last 12 months. I know you've been losing sleep the last couple weeks, wondering which albums will crack my coveted list. Well, my children... you can finally rest easy. The moment is here. And this year, I've expanded it to a whopping 40 albums. What can I say? 2011 was such a great year for music. Last time I counted, I bought 60 or so albums (... which basically means I didn't watch too many movies or get laid much.) Of course, there are a handful of albums that I haven't picked up yet that would likely make the list (Fucked Up, Deep Dark Woods, etc). So this is by no means a definitive list... just one humble scribe's opinion.

So without further ado, here is my recap of the Year in Music: 2011 Edition. And like my fellow blogger Kent, I will try not to make this a novel.

The Regina Scene

For a small market, Regina has nothing to be ashamed of in terms of talent. In fact, I am confident enough to say that a lot of our musicians can hold their own with the best in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Over the last 12 months I've been lucky to see incredible performances by a host of great artists and bands, including Library Voices, Rah Rah, JJ Voss, The Bystanders, Chad Kichula, The Dustin Ritter Band, Indigo Joseph, BT Judd, Johnny Hatch, Amy Nelson, Megan Nash, Alex Runions Band, Dan Silljer, Ralph Ell and the Hardcore Troubadours, Sonic Orchid, Jack Semple, Foxx Worthee, etc. And of course, if you ever want to just have fun rocking out to familiar tunes, Regina has a plethora of fun cover bands like Leather Cobra, Dangerous Cheese, Wonderland, Whatever, Method 2 Madness, Mascara/Wildfire, Carli's Angels, the Pink Slips, etc.

Most Disappointing Albums

Sometimes a friend can be a dick to you. Sometimes your girlfriend can be a bitch. Sometimes you can make a dumb comment on Twitter that gets overblown. We're human and we're not perfect. The following albums are by artists/bands whom I normally love... but they kind of stumbled a bit this go around. I'll forgive them. I'm sure their next albums will be great.

Feist - Metals

Radiohead - The King of Limbs

The Strokes - Angles

Best Reissues/Compilations/Live Albums/etc

2011 was officially the year where I felt OLD. 1991 was 20 years ago. Oy. You know you're getting up there in age when your favourite bands reissue their classic albums and some of them get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Oh well, at least Michael Stipe or Bono never used auto tune.

R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant

U2 - Achtung Baby

Nirvana - Nevermind

The Rolling Stones - Some Girls

Iggy Pop - Roadkill Rising... The Bootleg Collection: 1977-2009

Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water

Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

Various Artists - Rave On Buddy Holly

Green Day - Awesome As Fuck

Pearl Jam - Live on Ten Legs

JJ's 40 Fave Albums of 2011

40. Jenn Grant - Honeymoon Punch

39. Ron Sexsmith - Long Player Late Bloomer

38. Johnny Hatch - Happiness Instead

37. Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You

36. Oh Land - Oh Land

35. Memphis - Here Comes a City

34. The Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts

33. The Dears - Degeneration Street

32. Young Galaxy - Shapeshifting

31. Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know

30. Kalle Mattson - Anchors

29. Timber Timbre - Creep On Creepin' On

28. The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar

27. The Horrors - Skying

26. Okkervil River - I Am Very Far

25. The Royal Alberta Advantage - Departing

24. The War On Drugs - Slave Ambient

23. Sloan - The Double Cross

22. Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital

21. Chad Kichula - Killer

20. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

19. Cage The Elephant - Thank You Happy Birthday

18. Lindi Ortega - Little Red Boots

17. The Cars - Move Like This

16. Steve Earle - I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive

15. The Pack A.D. - Unpersons

14. Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines

13. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Belong

12. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

11. Wild Flag - Wild Flag

10. The Black Keys - El Camino

The Black Keys have firmly distinguished themselves from the White Stripes comparisons with this album. Every song on this album would fit perfectly on a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack. You can't ask for much better praise than that.

9. Library Voices - Summer of Lust

Just a year after the stellar Denim On Denim, Regina's own resident indie power-popsters put out a lean and mean collection of instantly infectious tunes. As usual, they have songs that make you want to peruse your bookshelf and get down with your bad self at the same time. These guys and gal just keep getting better and better.

8. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

20 years after drumming on Nevermind, Dave Grohl reunites with producer Butch Vig and Nirvana bass player Krist Noveselic, welcomes Pat Smear back into the fold, and lets Bob Mould join in on the party for a song. The result is a rejuvenated Foo Fighters. This is easily the band's best album since The Colour And The Shape. The Foos are BACK.

7. Social Distortion - Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes

Mike Ness and company stick to the formula, mixing the Ramones with Johnny Cash and the Rolling Stones. With a formula like that, why the hell would they mess with it? This album sure isn't reinventing the wheel; it's just one of Social D's better albums. It's simply a great rock and roll record by a legendary band. Nothing more, nothing less.

6. The Kills - Blood Pressures

Alison Mosshart returns from her side gig with Jack White in The Dead Weather to her day job with this album. And the results are stunning. Mosshart just oozes sexiness. They've toned down the dance beats a wee bit and have focused more on stripped down, fun, bluesy rock tunes. Brilliant.

5. Elliott Brood - Days Into Years

It's hard to believe there are only three guys in this band. They sound HUGE. Combining folk, some crunching guitars and sublime harmonies, Elliott Brood are a force. I bought this album the same day as the new Feist album, almost as an afterthought. Clearly, my money was better spent here. I expected this album to be good... but not this good!

4. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

PJ Harvey is an artist who doesn't rest on her laurels. She definitely keeps her audience guessing. Here, she abandons her trademark bluesy wail in favour of a childlike voice. Yet, when she sings bluntly of the brutality of war ("I've seen soldiers fall like lumps of meat", "Arms and legs were in the trees"), the results are chilling.

3. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

After flirting with prog rock, Colin Meloy and company strip things down and take notes from the R.E.M. and Tom Petty songbooks. They even get Peter Buck to bring his trademark jangle to a couple tunes. However, the secret weapon here is Gillian Welch who harmonizes on most of the tunes. This is simply a flawless album from start to finish.

2. Tom Waits - Bad As Me

I don't know how he does it, but Tom Waits keeps getting better and cooler with age. After (finally) getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Mr. Waits releases one of his best albums. Here, he strips things down and focuses on rollicking bluesy stompers and a handful of wistful ballads for good measure. Even the bonus tracks aren't throwaways. Tom Waits is the man.

1. R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now

Over the course of 31 years, R.E.M. rose from being college rock heroes to one of the biggest bands on the planet to being the elder statesmen of indie/alt rock. And with their 15th album, they decided to call it a day. After regaining their mojo with 2008's Accelerate, Collapse Into Now is one hell of a way to call it a career. Here, the "little band that could" from Athens, GA give a perfect sampler of most of what they do best: rockers, power pop, soul balladry, folk... and the prerequisite weird, art-rock tune. It's their best batch of tunes since New Adventures in Hi-Fi. With this album, they sound like a band that's confident and triumphant. Berry, Buck, Mills and Stipe... it's been a slice!

Well, that's it! Feel free to post comments and tell me what albums you've really dug this year. The best part of being a music fan/geek/snob is hearing about bands from friends, magazines, blogs, etc. There are so many ugly things in this world but music seems to make the world make sense most days.

Cheers!

Kent Rocks - Top 15 of 2011

So this year rather than write up a novel about the entire year I decided to do things a little different. I decided that I would post a live video of each of the top ten. Yes a real LIVE clip! Some clips are great quality and others are very handy cam. You already know that these are may favourites, so rather than do a write up I decided to let the artists speak for themselves. Granted these aren't the best selling records and in most cases nor are they some of the most critically acclaimed. They are simply the records I liked best. That being said, I once again did not include compilation or tributes. Had I done so both Buddy Holly tributes 'Listen to Me' and 'Rave On' probably would have made the top five but I am a little biased. Eddie Spaghetti put out a great record this year entitled 'Sundowner' but being it had three originals on it and was seventy percent covers it also for this reason didn't make the list.

Albums I thought I thought were good but didn't impress me as much as I thought might were The Kills 'Blood Pressures', Electric 6's 'Heartbeats and Brainwaves' and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.

Most disappointing was Civet's 'Love & War'. I love this band. Live they rule, their first record ruled but 'Love & War' just seemed not up to the girls talent or ability. It felt like they just punched it in.

A handful of mentions incude: Alison Krauss and Union Station's 'Paper Airplane', The Cars 'Move Like This', Emmylou Harris' 'Hard Bargain' and Those Darlins 'Screws Get Loose'. These were all great records that just barely fell short of the top 15.

Best shows of they year were from acts such as the Arkells, the Darlings of Chelsea and Civet.

So without further ado. Here are my top fifteen of 2011:So this year rather than write up a novel about the entire year I decided to do things a little different. I decided that I would post a live video of each of the top ten. You already know that these are may favourites, so rather than do a write up I decided to let the artists speak for themselves. Granted these aren't the best selling records and in most cases nor are they some of the most critically acclaimed. They are simply the records I liked best. That being said, I once again did not include compilation or tributes. Had I done so both Buddy Holly tributes 'Listen to Me' and 'Rave On' probably would have made the top five but I am a little biased. Eddie Spaghetti put out a great record this year entitled 'Sundowner' but being it had three originals on it and was seventy percent covers it also for this reason didn't make the list.

Albums I thought I thought were good but didn't impress me as much as I thought might were The Kills 'Blood Pressures', Electric 6's 'Heartbeats and Brainwaves' and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.

Most disappointing was Civet's 'Love & War'. I love this band. Live they rule, their first record ruled but 'Love & War' just seemed not up to the girls talent or ability. It felt like they just punched it in.

A handful of mentions include: Alison Krauss and Union Station's 'Paper Airplane', The Cars 'Move Like This', Emmylou Harris' 'Hard Bargain' and Those Darlins 'Screws Get Loose'. These were all great records that just barely fell short of the top 15.

Best shows of they year were from acts such as the Arkells, the Darlings of Chelsea and Civet.

So without further ado. Here are my top fifteen of 2011:

15. Steve Earle - I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive
14. City and Colour - Little Hell
13. The Black Keys - El Camino
12. Fred Eaglesmith - 6 Volts
11. Sixx:A.M. - This Is Gonna Hurt


10 Jack's Mannequin - People and Things
The more adult version of Something Corporate





9. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Not as good as 'The Colour and the Shape' but damn close!





8. Billy the Kid and the Southside Boys - Ours
Beautifully written singer/songwriter tunes





7. The Horrible Crowes - Elsie
Brian Fallon of the Gaslight Anthem does not disappoint!





6. The Arkells - Michigan Left
One of the most talented bands of my list and probably the closest thing to "hipster" I listen to.





5. Butch Walker - The Spade
If you know who he is, I don't need to tell you anything else.





4. Social Distortion - Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes
They have put out better records but this record still kicks 95% of it's competition's ass.





3. The Ripperz - You Are the Moon
Such a diverse, honest, real band.





2. The Darlings of Chelsea - Panic Is Worse Than the Emergency
Saving Rock N Roll!





1. Jim Jones Revue - Burning Your House Down
Resurrecting 1957 but louder.