Here's the skinny on the CD release show for Nick Dittmeier's "Extra Better" solo EP. It's a great lineup with Johnny Berry and Fifth on the Floor opening the show. Just $5 gets you in, so be at the Monkey Wrench next Friday night.
You'll likely already know Nick from his time as singer/songwriter/guitarist for Slithering Beast, who put out three great alt-country albums over the past few years. If you don't, now is a good time to get acquainted because Nick is picking up right where he left off with Slithering Beast. Check out the track below off the new album.
It's time again for the world famous mixtape that gets passed around the blogging circles each month. As usual, it is a pretty diverse collection with a lot of great songs. Slithering Beast, acoustic Rolling Stones, and Have Gun, Will Travel to name a few. Stream it in the awesome player below, or download the zip file from Feel Bad For You. You can find a complete track list and corresponding album info there as well.
Great news for a rainy bluegrass day: Slithering Beast's new EP Delicious can be downloaded for free from their Bandcamp from now until the official release date of March 5th. After that you'll be able to get your physical copies from CD Baby and the band. You'll probably agree with me after listening that this little album has some of the best Slithering Beast songs to date (I'm looking at you "Fool Out of You"). It seems the pedal steel is not nearly as prominent on Delicious, with more focus given to the electric guitar hooks and even some horns. That's not a complaint, just an observation. Give it a listen for free this week and if you are inclined pick up the older albums (I highly recommend these as well) from the Slithering Beast store. Looks like they have a sale on T-shirts right now too at $5 each. You can't beat that. Also, they'll be doing a free in store show on the release date (March 5th) at Ear X-tacy, so come out and get the album in person if you can.
Check out a couple videos I saw posted over on the Slithering Beast Facebook page. They come from this past weekend's New Year's Eve show at the Third Street Dive. Looks like a couple new songs from the upcoming Delicious EP. There are also a few other Slithering Beast videos to check out on their Youtube channel. They have an acoustic show this Saturday night at Common Grounds in Lexington, so if you are looking for something to do, check them out.
Happy New Year folks. 2011 is looking good for our type of music. Just check out some of these upcoming releases I'm looking forward to.
The Only Sons - American Stranger Murfreesboro's rock and rollers are gonna hit a homerun with this one. Their last album was really good (check out their site to get it for free), this one might be better.
Drive-By Truckers - Go-Go Boots The songs I've heard from this one already put it way ahead of last year's The Big To-Do. Let's hope that it is.
Hayes Carll - KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories) I don't think Hayes could make a bad album if he tried.
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Untitled as of yet I'm really looking forward to hearing how Jason follows up the masterpiece that was 2009's self-titled release. I've heard some live versions of a couple tunes and they sound promising.
Slithering Beast - Delicious EP Should be out in the first part of the year, and will probably have a little more rock and roll flavor than the last two albums. That's a good thing based on the recent live shows I've seen.
Kelsey Waldon - Untitled as of yet I really like Kelsey's 2010 country release. This one is supposed to lean a little more towards the rock side of things and even have a Neil Young cover on it.
Also, I added a "The Free Stuff" link in the upper right hand corner of the main page. Check there for free albums or EP's. I don't post everything I find that is free, just the good stuff. So if it is listed, it is worth downloading. Let me know if links are down or you have something you think I should add to the list.
I'm probably forgetting a few as well. Most of these I've listed should be out in the first couple months too.
Friday night Slithering Beast played two sets at the Dragon Pub in Frankfort. It was my first time at the Dragon and I didn't know what to expect. I showed up just as the guys were getting started on the first set. It was a small crowd, maybe due to the UK basketball game, as I noticed a few groups showing up later on decked out in blue. The guys started off with the classics, a new song,and a couple covers (one a nod to In My Basement Room with "Dead Flowers") in the first set. The band (Mark Sieckman-drums, Alex Plamp-guitar, Nick Dittmeier-guitar & vox, Paul Dittmeier-pedal steel, Matt Kavorovic-bass & vox) sounded really good. Bass and drums were really locking in for that unique Slithering Beast rhythm, Nick and Alex were trading guitar licks, and Paul was all over the steel. After a short break, the band came back out with a more of the older songs from the first two albums mixed in with a couple more new songs. They ended the show with a pure rock and roll cover of "In the Midnight Hour" that even had people walking over from the pool tables to check it out. It was a great show and I wish more people had been there to see a really good original band in their own backyard. Nick will be doing an FREE acoustic show with Ryan Davis of State Champion on November 26th (7pm) at Sunergos Coffee House in Louisville.
Really looking forward to this show. State Champion has their new album Stale Champagne that was released this week. Slithering Beast is retiring some older songs. Should be a good show at the Zeppelin Cafe.
Two great bands are playing next Friday (Jan. 29th) at the Zeppelin Cafe in Louisville. Slithering Beast and State Champion. Both have been featured here. I'll post more details next week or you can take a little bit of initiative and check their sites yourself. I actually have a lot of local concerts on the agenda over the next two months and I'll share those as well. Til then, here is a video I pulled from the Beast's myspace.
To me there is nothing better than hearing a band you have never heard before and being blown away and hooked right from the start. It happened when I first heard the Drive-By Truckers. It happened the first time I heard Lucero. And Slithering Beast. It's a sense of excitement about what I am hearing that makes me feel like a kid on Christmas morning, waiting on everyone else to wake up so they can join in the excitement. And I am truly glad that it happened when I fired up Stale Champagne, the upcoming release from State Champion. State Champion, now calling Louisville home, play a garage-country style of music with a little folk, songwriter, and indie rock influence as well. Stale Champagne is coming out in January on Sophomore Lounge records (which also happens to be the home of IMBR favorite Slithering Beast). The band is Ryan Davis (vocals/guitar/piano), Aaron Osbourne (drums), Mikie Poland (bass), Sabrina Rush (violin/mandolin/banjo) w/ additional vocal contributions by Lindsay Powell. They have a bunch of upcoming shows across the states listed on their myspace, with one later this month in Louisville. Check out the tracks below then get in line at a show to get the album. "Thanks Given"
Nick Dittmeier writes and sings the songs for the Southern Indiana outfit Slithering Beast. The songs focus on that dirty triumvirate of good country music : drinking, driving a truck, and drinking and driving (be it truck, lawnmower, or bicycle). The band has two albums out on Sophomore Lounge Records: 2007's Werewolf Ballads and 2008's Midnight Royalty. I hear a little bit of the Bottle Rockets and a little bit of Old Crow in their sound. Get bit by the Beast here.
Slithering Beast plays Molly Malone's in Covington on November 13th.
