The Yes Pleases - Designer

“I’m alive!” This wake-up song celebrates simplicity and computer beats with choruses of voices announcing the joy of a new week. This is one of those songs that promise to do nothing else but wake you up long enough to get some cofdfee in your system, and once you’ve had a bit of coffee you put it on repeat and dance around the kitchen getting the toast and butter ready. Then leave the house bopping & holding your hands over your hear swinging and swaying and yelling along, “I’m alive!” The Yes Pleases

The Woodstock Experience

An interesting concept. There are 10 CDs here, 5 of which were the original CDs from 1969, and the other 5 are the full performances of the bands at Woodstock. The 5 bands included here are Sly & The Family Stone, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin & Johnny Winter. The price for the set is fair if you catch it while it’s on sale. I’m one of those who have the original CDs already on CD, and it doesn’t thrill me that these are simply re-packaged. If I were the CEO at Sony I would have pushed harder for including 5 more Woodstock-only CDs. Of course, there’s a very good chance the CEO at Sony wasn’t even born when Woodstock happened, so there’s already a disconnect.

The great thing here is also an aggravating thing. Many of us bought the Santana Legacy CDs – which included the demos of the original CD & the Woodstock performance. Lo and behold, the Woodstock performance here includes one more unreleased song! The good news is these CDs are all available separately, so if you are a Santana completist, you will not have to purchase the whole set.

The Airplane set at Woodstock ran longer than a CD, so that one runs over into their 1969 release, Volunteers. The Janis Joplin set is exactly what’s been available through collectors for many years now. The Johnny Winter set sounds great, and has better sound than the collectors set. The true excellence here is the Sly & The Family Stone set, which has 3 songs that are not on the collectors set.

The collectors set runs 20 CDs. Many of those are just partial shows. Somewhere there’s a vault with the rest in them, and it looks like we’ll have to wait for the 50th anniversary to get more. Some that have been officially released are Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and John Sebastian. They’re often stuck in the midst of something (for example, Sebastian’s set was stuck in a box set). Trying to put together a Woodstock-only collection has been a hobbyist’s nightmare for years. Many were hoping the 40th would see the floodgates open. There’s also the question of how many more will still be here to purchase the sets 10 years from now!

There’re some stories around, for example: “anyone who says they remember Woodstock could not have really been there.” There’re also stories about how poor the music actually was. Well, I wasn’t present at Woodstock for these performances, perhaps that’s in retrospect a good thing. But I’ve heard many performances, the present 5 sets included, and the music was/is fantastic. You will think of Joplin differently after listening to this. Picture Sly & The Family Stone in the wee hours of the morning & all the energy they are unleashing! Johnny Winter – sweet performances here. Santana was captured on film – so multiply the movie performance by several more great songs. Jefferson Airplane – no comment.

I’m thinking like this – if you are a completist, no question – good investment. If you have nothing from Woodstock, this is as good a place as any to start. If you’re simply curious, I’m betting there will be someone like me in your town in the middle of August blasting their speakers loud enough for you to hear. These 5 CDs alone run close to 6 hours. Enjoy!

Woodstock Experience

George Thorogood & The Destroyers - Tail Dragger

“I get what I want and I don’t come sneaking back.” Nope, he sure ain’t ‘sneaking’ back, he’s back full force, with some good old fashioned rock and roll keeping a party shouting, dancing, and throwing back the ice cold beer to let it slide down our throats with finesse and superb technique. The best news is he still makes the old songs sound salad-fresh. Shoutouts for an upbeat version of Born Lover, and the diddley beat of Let Me Pass. Note that the second ½ of this CD is previously released. George Thorogood

The Tyrants in Therapy - Apocalypso

Any good Friday night party needs humor & Tyrants in Therapy are more than happy to supply that. Sneak this cut in anywhere & you’ll have people roiling on the floor laughing for at least three minutes. Old fashioned margaritaville calypso music added to the book of Revelation. I personally can’t wait to try this one out at my next meeting with the prophecy enthusiasts at the church – this will test their sense of humor. I know Chuck Missler, my favorite end times instructor, will giggle. “When it all came down, it was a sad day indeed for every organism from billionaires to weeds!” LOL!!! “The sky overheated, and the sun got real hot!” STOP!!! You’re hurting my side! “and the earth started smoking like a rastaman’s pot!” ARRGGHHH!!! You guys are killing me HAHAHA!!! I’m laughing too hard to share the rest with you, just know if you love to laugh a lot, you’re going to love blasting this at your next party. To hear the track, select the CD entitled High Class Trash below, and it's the first cut. Enjoy!The Tyrants in Therapy

Lady Lazarus - Sister Savior

“I met my sister on the bridge staring from the precipice.” The narrator shares a dream-like sequence through this CD that pulls my interest in with pure melody. There are instruments present, but they are there apparently simply to set tone. On Color Opposition Theory there is a breathing-type accordion harmonica sounding instrument that takes in air and sends it back into our habitat with a solid, steady pace through deep, colorful sleep. Master & Servant has a Lennonesque piano with ambient sounds of cars driving through the street with a harmony child angel protecting the dreamer from danger. “Lately, the Devil’s been talking to me”. The End of the Dream is exactly as described by the title. The narrator reminds me of dreams where, no matter what had happened within the dream I have no earthly intention of leaving it. The voices keep me in the dream, and they repeat even as someone attempts to wake me. The reality of the dream is much more alive and energetic than the world I wake into. I want to stay in the madness of the dream, not move on to the insanity of another day. Lady Lazarus

The Wiyos - Roll On Down The Road

Spend a minute listening to these guys & you’ll want them to come play at your next BBQ because it’s easy to tell their live show must be great. The good news is a lotta people have heard them, and now they are playing at some really big bbqs, so you may be able to catch them at a party near you this summer. If not, the CD is still great fun to spin at the party. “Drive out to the west son, go watch the river run.” There are many stories about wanderin’ men headin’ down the road in the folk tradition, and the Wiyos shoot for making it fun. Like all macho traditions, when the woman kicks the narrator out, he smiles and pretends “I won’t worry when it’s over”, even while he’s kinda hinting for her to “keep my place set at your table.” Quite simply, he doesn’t believe she’s kicking him out for good. Confidence, expressed with fun. The narrator seems plenty happy with passing corn fields, roosters, barns, and rivers on his round trip. If funky country folk wasn’t a genre, it is now. Shoutout for the harmonizing jug band party of Promenade (we’ll all dance the night away”). The Wiyos

Cathy-Anne McClintock - I Wanna Live Like That

What gives a normal song the oomph it takes to be noticed by the eartaster? It differs on every song, but this one was easy. I was bouncing along with the song thinking about its upbeat lyrics and low key presentation and out of nowhere two words were whispered, “trust me”. The lyrics are simple, yet within that simplicity is much wisdom. “I wanna learn from my mistakes, I wanna give back what I take.” The shout-out tune is Strong Enough. Yep, that one. When Ms Crow sings with her strong blasting voice the message is clearly ‘I’m a strong woman, can you take me on?’ Cathy-Anne has a totally different approach – she’s being extremely honest about all her weaknesses, but isn’t shouting proudly about them. She approaches them as a fact of being a woman – there’s going to be times she’s hard to live with. Knowing these truths, all she wants is consistency in her man. Cathy-Anne takes a powerful song and turns it inwards showing a completely different depth in its poetry. A quiet album, with a tasty back-up band that never overwhelms. Cathy-Anne McClintock

Larry Levy - Catherine, Catherine (Here's How I Love)

Behind every great album is a group of songs which were experiments, dreams, understandings, life affirming spatial desserts floating through and beyond the goal. Usually those moments are lost in the ether. Practices, trials, mindful strivings are not usually recorded until the spirit is perfected and ready for what the artist feels others are ready to consume. While Larry was recording with the Thromboes this spring, the recorder was left on during the strumming usually heard only by God. I feel blessed to be able to hear these visions, and I’m sure if you’ve read this far that you will too. Contact Larry through his web page and offer him enough cash to buy a meal or some really good beer and I’ll bet you can get a copy of this. Larry Levy

The Silent Years – free download

I talked these guys up in April, and just received the word that Eartaste fans can download the song – so hey! Go for it. Right click on the link below & listen in. The plan, of course, is to encourage you to purchase the entire CD. There’s a link for that too. And, if you can’t remember what I wrote the day after my birthday 3 months ago, well – there’s a link for that too!

Download Taking Drugs At The Amusement Park for your pleasure

Order the CD

Forward to the past! (the original review)

Putumayo Presents - Brazilian Café

Lazy Sundays are easy to achieve when the weather stays above 100 degrees for an entire week. The music Putumayo serves up this time out is perfect for a Lazy Sunday, with voices floating over the clouds and instruments swimming through the humidity with pure blissful peace. Many thanks for sharing the talents of Katia B, Ceumar, y Teresa Cristina and Grupo Semente with the neighborhood today. The slower dancing possible with this CD makes for a cooler atmosphere than is possible by just sitting around complaining about the weather. I can feel the waves splashing around as I move through the shade offered by the hackberry trees. Experience pleasure – when you purchase this CD you wil be helping a children’s group in Brazil, as well as receiving a recipe for a 4-layer pleasurable dessert known as coffee pave and finally a recipe for cafezinho. The Brazilian Café is proud to serve up many different flavors for your ears, your soul, and your tongue. Brazilian Café

Putumayo On Eartaste

Splash In The Pool Saturday Singles

Ana Popovic - Nothing Personal b/w Putting Out The APB
Care Bears On Fire - Get Over It b/w You Can't Make Me
Chooglin' - Hal's Haberdashery
Diesel - First Time I Met The Blues
Doll and The Kicks - Leaving The Race b/w Roll Up The Red Carpet
Drawn From Bees - Amelia
Elli – Wonderdrug b/w On My Mind
Fruit Bats - The Ruminant Band b/w Feather Bed
Lizzy Parks - Soul Bird (Acoustic Version)
Modest Mouse - Satellite Skin b/w I've Got It All (Most)
She & Him - Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want b/w Feist - Mushaboom
The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out b/w Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want
Carla Bruni - Quequ'un M'a Dit
The Campbell Stokes Sunshine Recorder - Track One b/w She Looks Good in the Sun & Feel the Sunshine
Our Lady Peace - All You Did Was Save My Life
Secret Powers - Orange Trees b/w Heavy
Apartment - Fall Into Place
The Jezabels - Old Little Girls
V.V. Brown - L.O.V.E. b/w Quick Fix & Shark in the Water

The Duckworth Lewis Method - The Age Of Revolution

I already hear the complaining. You wonder why I’m slipping a song about revolution into my Friday night party. Well, there’s many types of revolutions. This one requests that you “go and get your pants on.” These guys have nothing more in mind except to accentuate our fun with slap-happy kink-smiling songs. And along with the excellent melody, these guys enjoy getting me up to dance. My DJ friends will have everyone up and dancing to this cut. Shoutouts for the equally energetic Sweet Spot (“my aim is true”) and the magical mystery kinkesque Meeting Mr Miandad (‘when we break down people tow us”). The Duckworth Lewis Method

The Peekers - Sweet Singin' Birds

“I wanna be there when you wake. I wanna help you start your day. Will you breath or suffocate?” LOL! A dramatic way to say, hey, make a decision! “I’m a stranger inside of you. Someday, be a friend of mine too.” Bordering on humor, I choose to accept the narrator here enjoys her life and is looking to share it. She does a wonderful job communicating her joy of living. The band is having a great time being the canvas that the story is splattered upon. Shoutouts for the light hearted Gather It All (“who wants to stumble over love?”), the heavy depths of Meet You In Produce (“take your medicine, sing your songs to me”), the psychedelic dreamlike nature of Concrete Feet (“I’ve lost my life a dozen times”), and the psychobilly rock of Instructions (“I know what you’re thinking”). The Peekers

Marcy Playground - Star Baby

Summer bubble pop. “Stargazer, dreammaker, I’m in love with you. Spin the bottle and every time it’s landing right on you.” It’s good to hear the kids still play spin the bottle. I promise – nothing deep here, just fun dance beats. And humor! Silly humor, but what the heck – it’s melodic and keeps the summer happy. Shoutouts for Blackbird and Gin & Money. Marcy Playground

Drew Nelson - Waiting For The Sun

”I don’t count my blessings anymore. I just keep a watchful eye, wonderin’ if God is keeping score.” It’s easy to joke about this song – around here the sun ain’t been doing nothing but shining 107 degrees every day this week. But that wouldn’t be fair to what is going on here. This cool burner is making the humidity even worse with all the sweat coming out of my body from the way the drummer forces my feet up to move. That, plus the electrical storm blazing between the two singers toward the end of this tune. Beautiful. Shoutouts for the faster dance and sweet harmonica of the honest short story of America called Stranger (“that is how a family goes from middle class to hand-out”), the Townes-like picking of Raindance (“the raven in my dream whispers your name”), and the beautiful Hello (“of all of my problems, the least was the liquor”). Drew Nelson

Two Cow Garage - Skinny Legged Girl

A Monday album that starts right off with a bass rumble to wake you up and start dancing! Complete with poetry! “Written 37 letters, none of which I’ll ever send. But I’ll write them and reread them over and over again. I have 16 that say ‘I love you’, 16 more that wish you dead, drunken Bukowski ramblings in the 5 that I have left.” I won’t go on about whether or not Bukowski wrote while drunk, because he was known to perform while drunk – and anybody trying to reach the world of stardom while roaring about Bukowski is bound to be a soul brother. The instrumentation is spare, and sounds great loud. The narrator sets the mood perfectly with his voice while the band pleasingly plays in pure pop mode. Great summer record! Shoutouts for Brass Ring, and Swingset Assassin. These tasty musical treats will lead you back to their third CD featuring Come Back to Shelby, No Shame, and Now I Know. Two Cow Garage

Soft Sunday Sounds For The Soul

Buckethead – Dawn Appears b/w Four Rivers
Yoko Ono & The Plastic Ono Band - I'm Going Away Smiling
Kenyan Boys Choir - Tuli Tuli b/w Nkosi Sikelel'i Afrika & Kayra Sillo
Andrew Bird - The Nightshade Gets In It
The Clean – Loog b/w Moon Jumper
Drawn From Bees - You Can't Relax
Noah and the Whale- My Broken Heart b/w Blue Skies & My Door is Always Open
Lenny Mac Dowell – Is It Funky? b/w Bouree
Josh Tillman - Howling Light
Sarah Jarosz - Come On Up To The House







Plus one rocker:

From the Chambers to The Mountain with WWIII Between

Ωmega Vibes - Ότι φοβηθείς
Kings Of Leon - Molly's Chambers
St Augustine - WWIII
Michael Carpenter - Workin' for a Livin' b/w The King of the Scene
Jenny Owen Youngs - Clean Break b/w Secrets & Last Person
The Minus 5 - Ambulance Dancehall
Myra Flynn – Feels Like Sunshine b/w Small Talk
UUVVWWZ - Shark Suit b/w Jap Dad
All Time Low - Break Your Little Heart b/w Therapy
Vetiver - You May Be Blue b/w The Mattson 2 - Longing of the Leftist
Mice Parade - Open Air Dance Pt 2 b/w Nbadva Kure - Lion Mountain

The Love Me Nots - Walk Around Them

My ears are very happy tonight. My original thought was the B-52’s 25 years ago, then I remembered they were simply channeling Question Mark and the Mysterians from 20 years before that. Am I saying this group is retro? Only on the surface. There’s some clean 21st century bass lines in here that make my ears extremely pleased, and my feet even happier. I dare you to sit down with the Love Me Nots on your turntable. Perfect party platter. Shoutouts for You're Really Something, Secret Pocket, and Give Em What They Want. The Love Me Nots

Nebelhexë and Other Floating Music Dreams

Nebelhexë has several CDs that stay near my player, Laguz (2004), and Essensual (2006), so it was exciting to find new sounds to devour by this artist. As I entered into the enhanced dream state produced by the aural landscapes I envisioned a show with other payers from mixed eras but similar visions, so that is the enchanted hour you’ll share if you seek out these artists with me.

Nebelhexë - Against The Wall (“No more frontiers. . .I cannot see ahead. . .The wall is painted black. . . Don't hold me down. . .I still can shout”), Dead Waters (“I won't care. . .Too self aware. . .Look behind my smile. . .Into blackened eyes”) and Beyond The Ninth Wave (“How about the ghost that sleeps with me in the dark?”). Nebelhexë






Yoko & The Plastic Ono Band - Memory Of Footsteps (“welcome to life”), Feel The Sand (“your heart is responding to the birds”) and Higa Noboru (why is this life so beautiful?”). Yoko & The Plastic Ono Band

Filmed live on a cell phone by Suzy Secret:


No words necessary for the gothic beauty of Broken Mirror, A Real Diamond In The Rough, Squid Ink, and Formless Present. Buckethead



Eyes Like Ours (“Do you recall when the world was still young? Just a small town? “) and Outside (“was afraid that you might see me”). Tiny Vipers



Adding visual depth to the earwaves, the special quality of these tunes frame a safe landing strip filled with beauty. Wish You Were Mine, As You Watch Each City Fall (Part 2), Buffalo Blues, and Time And Emotion. Robin Trower




Davide Ravera -A me resta una canzone