Eleni Mandell's Dark Lights Up album set for July 24 release on Yep Roc

Eleni cut her 10th album Dark Lights Up with Ryan Feves & Jake Blanton. Here's "Someone To Love Like You."

Happy Birthday Hasil Adkins!

Remembering the amazing Hasil Adkins on his day with some rare house party footage.

Crazy Cajun strikes back with raunchy Gulf Coast 60s garage punk comp

Excavated from deep in the vaults of Huey P. Meaux’s Crazy Cajun empire, Ace has assembled the rippin' new 26-track Don't Be Bad! collection sourced from the analog master tapes. Even better news for serious garage-punk hounds – 10 of the tracks included are previously unreleased!

Maverick Texas-based producer Huey P. Meaux hit paydirt with Sir Douglas Quintet’s ‘She’s About A Mover’ in early 1965 and immediately threw out a cattle-call in order to rope in the next bunch of teenaged longhairs who could deliver him a hit. That didn’t happen, but over the next few years he amassed a catalogue of superb grassroots punk and rock’n’roll recordings, spread across his Pacemaker, Tear Drop, Pic 1, Ventural, Capri and other imprints.

While there were occasional visitors from out of state – the Phinx from Mississippi, the Pirates from Louisiana and the Trashmen of Minneapolis – the bulk of Meaux’s acts hail from Texas, ground zero for the raunchiest, gnarliest 60s punk. Mostly taped at Gold Star in Houston or Meaux’s Pasadena Sounds facility, “Don’t Be Bad!” celebrates his garage rock legacy. All tracks are from the golden punk period of 1965-66, as Meaux’s tastes, not to mention the start of his lifelong problems with the law, precluded much investigation of the psychedelic era.

This is the first time these tracks have been officially reissued. Master tape sound on classics such as Barry & Life’s ‘Top-Less Girl’, Destiny’s Children’s ‘The Fall Of The Queen’ and the Passions’ ‘Lively One’ guarantees a punchy listen. And extensive research into the vault located at Houston’s Sugar Hill studios provided unreleased sides from the Driving Wheels, The Sands, Gaylan Ladd and others.

In recent years the Ace team spent weeks sifting through the rarely tapped archive, blowing the dust off countless tape boxes with Texas expert Andrew Brown, who would raise his thumb in appreciation whenever a reel revealed some punk gem or gutbucket blues workout – and would just as easily point it downward if the contents proved to be schlocky pop or wretched white gospel.

The cookers were compiled on Don't Be Bad! – the handle taken from the raging Driving Wheels gem that tops the heap – and you can check out the complete track list along with brief song clips on the Ace site right after listening to the Passions' frantic "Lively One", The Pirates' "Cuttin' Out" and "Girl Said No" by the What's Left.   

Calexico vs. Yeasayer

Calexico's new clip for Falling From The Sky oddly echoes Yeasayer's Madder Red video from 2010.

Tuxedo DJ set @ Tattoo, Friday

It'll be interesting to see how Mayer & Jake One follow roof-raising sets from J-ROCC and Peanut Butter Wolf.

Happy Birthday Krzysztof Komeda!

Remembering Polish composer/pianist Krzysztof Komeda on his day with his fab score for Knife In The Water.  

Whaddya mean you don't know Tess Parks

Check out the clip for Mama, the b-side of the single Tess Parks recorded with Anton Newcombe.

Watch the "lost" video for The Cramps' Human Fly

Here's Alex de Laszlo's rarely seen 1978 footage of Lux and Ivy in a video for Human Fly.  

Catl opens for The Sonics @ Lee's Palace, Sunday

Jamie and Sarah will be joined by harp honker Pete Ross on Sunday. Here's a clip from Catl's Pinball Session. 

Alex Pangman celebrates Ella Fitzgerald's birthday @ The Rex, Saturday

You can expect to hear Alex reprise a couple of Ella's early classics recorded with Chick Webb's Orchestra. 

Elvis Costello sings Nick Lowe for final Letterman appearance

Elvis Costello's choice to sing When I Write The Book on the Late Show has had little impact on Rockpile sales.

Wrong Hole opens for Danko Jones @ Danforth Music Hall, Friday

Have a look at a few video clips inspired by songs from Wrong Hole's latest opus 2012.

Happy Birthday Catherine MacLellan!

Here are a couple of stellar performances from P.E.I.'s finest who received a well-deserved Juno for The Raven's Sun.

One For The Weekend: Lonnie in the Garden

"Song 3" is off Lonnie in the Garden's new Black album due May 2. For the moment, you can stream it right here.

Happy Birthday John Waters!

Fans of the Baltimore filmmaker will enjoy Vito Zaggario's 1981 doc Divine Waters followed by a home visit. 

Watch The Sonics rock Philadelphia

Here's what you can expect when Tacoma's garage punk kings The Sonics hit Lee's Palace on Sunday, April 26.

Electric Citizen vs. Black Sabbath

Check out David Brodsky's Sabbathy clip for Electric Citizen's Light Years Beyond off the Sateen album.

Whaddya mean you don't know Antorcha(s)

Happy Birthday Beaver Harris!

Remembering drumming dynamo Beaver Harris with his 1970 Moldejazz Festival performance. 

Sun Ra's Arkestra on a Sunday afternoon

The Arkestra's four-track Planets Of Life Or Death was released by Strut for Record Store Day.

Rare Georgie Fame recordings for Record Store Day

The 4-song Georgie Fame Soul EP – with a 1965 cover of Earl Van Dyke's Soul Stomp – is limited to 1000 copies. 

One For The Weekend: Sounds Of Harley

Watch Public Animal's animated video for Careful

The entertaining clip for "Careful" off Public Animal's Habitat Animal album was created by Ian Jeans. 

Peach Kelli Pop w/ Lord Almightys & Total Love @ Smiling Buddha, Wednesday

Ottawa's Allie Hanlon and pals will playing songs from their new album III which you can preview here.

Earl Sweatshirt @ The Opera House, Tuesday

Earl Sweatshirt discusses the messed up release of his new album I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside out today. 

Happy Birthday Ken Nordine!

Cheers to word jazz pioneer Ken Nordine on his 95th birthday! Enjoy his spooky Edgar Allan Poe reading below. 

The Soft Moon @ Drake Hotel, Monday

Watch Luis Vasquez get interrogated about The Soft Moon in advance of his show at The Drake tonight.  

One For The Weekend: Stephen Encinas

Stephen Encinas tells the Disco Illusion story right here. Check out the pan-enhanced Lypso Illusion below.

Kyoto Jazz Sextet plays their Blue Note faves

Hopefully Shuya Okino's brilliant new Kyoto Jazz Sextet album Mission will get a North American release.

Tyvek w/ Teenanger, Das Rad @ Cinecycle, Thursday

Detroit's mighty Tyvek will be on at 12 midnight with Teenanger at 11pm and Das Rad opening at 10pm.

The Fleshtones w/ Crummy Stuff & Noble Savages @ This Ain't Hollywood, tonight!

Watch The Fleshtones in top form at Dig It Up! Sydney back in April, 2012.

Happy Birthday Carmen McRae

Remembering the great Carmen McRae with a 1968 performance backed by the Clarke-Boland Big Band.

Resonance to issue Larry Young's "lost" Paris sessions for Record Store Day

Titled “Selections from Larry Young In Paris - The ORTF Recordings”,  the Resonance Records 10-inch album represents just a sampling of Larry Young's previously unissued live and studio recordings cut while the jazz pianist/keyboardist was living in Paris back in 1964-65.

The tapes were discovered by Resonance's executive vice president and general manager Zev Feldman back in 2012 while rooting around the archives of France's National Audiovisual Institute (INA) where they'd been collecting dust in the vault of the Office of Radio and Television (ORTF) for almost 50 years.

On the four tracks included on the Selections sampler, namely Beyond All Limits, Luny Tune, Frame of Thought and Larry’s Blues, Young is joined by a stellar group with Woody Shaw on trumpet, Billy Brooks on drums and the enormously underrated Nathan Davis on saxophone.

Resonance's release of the 140-gram Selections from Larry Young In Paris - The ORTF Recordings 10-inch (cut at 33 1/3 RPM by Erika Records) is limited to 1500 copies available on Record Store Day April 18 which will eventually be followed by an expanded 2 CD and 3 LP full-length edition at a later date.

What may be just as exciting to spiritual jazz fans around the globe is the news that Feldman's vault dig also turned up some Nathan Davis Quartet recordings from the same period. Hopefully they will be released in full by Resonance or another reissue operation like say Jazzman Records which appreciates their historical importance.

While were on the subject of archival jazz projects, Resonance is releasing a 26-track collection of rare early recordings (1948-53) by guitar great Wes Montgomery called In The Beginning as 2 CD or 3 LP package on May 12. Along with newly discovered 78 sides Montgomery cut as a sideman for Spire Records in 1949, the set will include Montgomery's complete 1955 session for Epic produced by Quincy Jones along with live recordings made at the Turf Club (1956), Missile Lounge (1958) in Indianapolis and C&C Music Lounge (1957) in Chicago.

Here's Feldman discussing Resonance's promising addition to Wes Montgomery's recorded legacy:

Hamilton's Dinner Belles launch April residency @ Dakota Tavern tonight

The Dinner Belles will be playing songs from their latest album The River and the Willow available here.

Watch Lykke Li's jarring new clip for Never Gonna Love Again

The unusual Philippe Tempelman-directed video below was shot by cinematographer Mattias Montero.  

The Fleshtones with Crummy Stuff @ The Horseshoe, Wednesday

A rockin' Crummy Stuff set at 9:15pm leads up to the frantic Fleshtones' fiesta at 10:30pm. 

Happy Birthday Peter Case!

Celebrating the birthday of singer/songwriter Peter Case with a couple of his collaborations. 

Happy Birthday Muddy Waters!

Remembering the great Muddy Waters on his day with a 1968 performance in Copenhagen.

Hanni El Khatib @ Lee's Palace, tonight

Hanni El Khatib is well amped for his Lee's Palace show. Check out his dope new Moonlight album below. 

Members of Jale join Joe Pernice & Norman Blake @ Dakota Tavern tonight

Norman & Joe launch their April residency with Jale's Jennifer Pierce, Laura Stein & Mike Belitsky. 

One For The Weekend: Manna Dey

Enjoy Manna Dey's "Aao Twist Karen" from the 1965 Bollywood classic Bhoot Bungla.

Watch Frank Zappa on What's My Line?

Happy Birthday Serge Gainsbourg

Remembering Serge on his day with a couple of clips and Lisa Robinson's revealing 2007 Vanity Fair article.

Lambert & Stamp film about The Who slated to open in Toronto April 15th