Album Review: J. Roddy Walston & The Business - Hail Megaboys

J. Roddy Walston & The Business are a Baltimore band (by way of Tennessee) who released their first full-length, Hail Megaboys (Southern Brethren, distribution through Morphius Records), in early March.

First things first, rock and roll doesn't have enough piano. Maybe you've seen Any Given Tuesday's prior explications on the awesomeness of Jerry Lee Lewis (read a review of The Killer's Last Man Standing), who, whaddya know, is also from Louisiana. Well, J. Rod & The Biz have been listening. Not only that, each member must have been issued Queen's Greatest Hits as required listening upon entry into the group. Hellbilly piano and vocal harmonies rip throughout the record. On the dancehall/barroom cut "Rock and Roll The Second" the keys are the star, Rod's itchy and scratchy voice coming from behind to drive a distinct rock and roll that brews somewhere below the Mason-Dixon. Follow that with "Go For It", favoring guitar attacks over the black-and-whites, "Go For It" is a danceable jam with encouraging lyrics inspiring enough to cause you to dance away your worries and then go out and do something about them!

The real roots rock gets kicked up from the dust on "Sally Bangs", based on a tune Rod's grandmother's family used to share. Twanging guitar (or is that actually a banjo?), drums that harken up a washboard percussion sound, anybody with a little bit of country is going to get a bit reminiscent with this one. Speaking of reminiscing and nostalgia, harmonies just short of "Bohemian Rhapsody" burst from the flames of "Nineteen Ought Four", which is loosely derived from Baltimore's own history: the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 (or, if not based on the Fire itself, on a metaphorical, malevolent desire to raze the town/life and start anew). Even if the song is more of a statement of stagnance in both geography and mentality, it does name-drop our fair city. That counts for something, doesn't it?

See "Stop, Rip and Roll" for the '70s-rock backing vocals and classic-rock guitar that define Hail Megaboys, just before falling into the dysphoria of "Go Malachi". The closing track takes an album of tunes that at least sound worry-free and untroubled even if the lyrics don't always follow suit and departs on a somber tone, sharing tales of stale marriage and cognizance of one's own lackings in life. While the band's sound is like a teenager with no cognizance of her own mortality, "Go Malachi" and the other less forward-looking tracks like "The Times Are A-Staying" might be a precursor to an evolution in sound and substance for J. Roddy Walston & The Business. Don't let that keep you from enjoying the fast times of Hail Megaboys, there's plenty of time to grow up before the band comes out with another record.

Free MP3 Download: J. Roddy Walston and The Business - "Rock and Roll The Second"

Any Given Tuesday's Top 10 Music Icons

Owing a nod to Olympus Mons and to Nick Hornsby's High Fidelity, I present you with Any Given Tuesday's Top 10 Music Icons. These lists always spark debate, but this is what I'm giving you: the view of one Gen-Xer who has been through music from vinyl to 8-track to cassette to CD to digital.

My criteria are limited mostly to certain "I"s: Identifiability, Influence, Individuality and Inspiration.



1) Jimi Hendrix - His appearance at Monterey Pop changed the way guitar was heard and played forever. Suddenly, feedback was a desirable tool for guitar players to add to their repertoire.



2) Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) - Nerdy, defiant outcast who hit in the right place at the right time. Kurt Cobain wrote really simple songs that altered the paradigm of music in the 1990s.



3) Elvis Presley - So recognizable, he is a brand. Arguably due to his race, Elvis was an 'acceptable' face for rock and roll, but nonetheless it was the King who made rock huge.



4) Jerry Lee Lewis - A flamboyant rebel and probably the coolest on this list in my eyes, the Killer is tied inextricably to Elvis, Carl Perkins, and the man in black, Johnny Cash. Piano rockers like Elton John have Jerry Lee to thank.



5) Marvin Gaye - Broke tradition from Motown's wholesome but suffocating image and made some of the most sensual R&B of his time.



6) Jim Morrison (The Doors) - The very definition of rock star, Jim Morrison was not only wildly scandalous but unmatchedly charismatic. Morrison penned some of the most bizarre and provocative rock lyrics of his time.



7) Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) - Reznor's pop sensibility helped to make him a pioneer of industrial electronica, and his magic spans three decades.



8) KRS-One - Still maintaining hip-hop as intelligent and culturally relevant in a positive way, KRS pens intellectual and philosophical rhymes that most popular artists can't touch.



9) PJ Harvey - Continually doing "her thing", writing blues-tinged rock songs with emotion and intensity, and maintaining her credibility as an artist.



10) Madonna - The universal symbol for pop music, Madonna was an awakening for legions of MTV-bred music fans, continually pushing boundaries throughout her career.

New Orleans Jazz Fest - April 27-29 and May 4-6, 2007: Harry Connick, Jr., Jerry Lee Lewis, Better Than Ezra. . .Just Look!

For two weekends in the spring, fans will descend upon New Orleans for the New Orleans Jazz Fest. The festival will again be held at the Fair Grounds Race Course and run from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. daily. Harry Connick, Jr. will be closing the fest on May 6. Tickets to the 2007 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival go on sale today at http://www.nojazzfest.com and Ticketmaster.

Just look at this artist listing:
Harry Connick Jr., Rod Stewart, Steely Dan, Norah Jones, ZZ Top, John Legend, Van Morrison, Brad Paisley, Jill Scott, Ludacris, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, New Edition, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Irma Thomas, Jerry Lee Lewis, Counting Crows, Allman Brothers Band, Allen Toussaint, George Benson, Pharoah Sanders, George Thorogood, Stephen Marley featuring Jr. Gong, Better Than Ezra, Joss Stone, Banda el Recodo, Calexico, Taj Mahal, Johnny Rivers, Lucinda Williams, Branford Marsalis, Richie Havens, Soulive, Cowboy Mouth, Percy Sledge, Tony Joe White, Gillian Welch, Bobby Jones & the Nashville Super Choir, T-Bone Burnett, Rebirth Brass Band, Galactic, Mose Allison, Marcia Ball, Roy Hargrove, Chuck Leavell, Arturo Sandoval, The Holmes Brothers, Snooks Eaglin, Dr. Lonnie Smith, The New Orleans Social Club, James Carter, The Radiators, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Lucky Peterson, Darrell McFadden, Sonny Landreth, Danilo Perez, Ivan Neville, Dottie Peoples, Davell Crawford, Ba Cissoko of Guinea, George Porter, Jr., Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste, Tab Benoit, Les Amazones of Guinea, World Saxophone Group, John Mooney & Bluesiana, Buckwheat Zydeco, Anders Osborne, Elder Baab & the Madison Bumble Bees of Winnsboro, Eddie Bo, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Rosie Ledet, Amanda Shaw, The Iguanas, Marva Wright, Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Deacon John, Donald Harrison, Nicholas Payton, Terence Blanchard, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews & Orleans Avenue, Bob French, Elysian Fieldz, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers, Ellis Marsalis and over 500 more groups!

The biggest news to me is an appearance by The Killer himself, Jerry Lee Lewis, who is a rock and roll icon, and a hero in my eyes. Go the the festival's site for a more complete lineup.