Sal Cannestra's Department of Amusement with Pete Donnelly and Mike Yannich

Three Mid-Atlantic indie/punk lifers walk into a recording studio. No, this is not a setup for a joke. It's the basis for Sal Cannestra's Department of Amusement, a splendid new project/album showcasing one of the most underrated songwriters of recent times and a dream team rhythm section. On vocals and guitar is Sal Cannestra (Sleeper/Serpico, The Gerunds, The Thirteeen). On bass and keyboards is Pete Donnelly of the legendary Figgs. On drums is Mike Yannich of The Ergs! and (literally) countless other bands. With this lineup, you're talking about 90+ years of combined experience in the underground music scene with connections to New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. This album may be the most "East Coast" thing ever, and I am here for it! In my mind, I picture these songs playing in every sandwich shop from Delaware County to New Haven. 

Like The Thirteen's excellent album LIFT-OFF and the outstanding 2020 solo effort Plenty of Music, Department of Amusement finds Cannestra excelling at his usual stock in trade: rocking melodic tunes with thoughtful and exceptionally clever lyrics. But with the formidable backing of Donnelly and Yannich (who are such powerhouse songwriters themselves that their instrumental prowess is often overlooked), he stretches himself considerably on this somewhat epic long player. The album weighs in at 16 tracks and over an hour of music. Cannestra humorously concedes that this quantity of music is "a LOT to deal with." But as a music lover, I could never understand why anyone would complain about getting more value for their money. It's not like Cannestra is inundating us with filler. I would consider the likes of "Drug Store Readers", "The Easiest Thing," and "Love is Never Lost and Nothing Ever Dies" some of his strongest songs to date. The power ballad "Call It Sleep" will totally break your heart, while "Give the Drummer Some ($$)" is the best Replacements song that anyone has written in a while. When these three veer off from the indie power pop thing, they are more than up to the task. Forays into funky pop ("Blue Heron Drive") and full-blown yacht rock ("Hired Hand") are pleasant surprises. A cover of "Some of Shelly's Blues" is a wonderful tribute to Mike Nesmith, recorded just days after his passing. Album closer "Nothing Is Free" is an old school SST Records style noisy rocker that carries on for over nine minutes — miraculously never wearing out its welcome.  

If your commitment issues are making you hesitant to pull the trigger on Sal Cannestra's Department of Amusement, I recommend checking out the music videos for the album's first two singles (I'll even embed them below for your convenience). The clip for "Drug Store Readers" is a lyric video. And I'll just say that lyrics as good as these merit a close inspection! If the song title of "Give the Drummer Some ($$)" doesn't already make the point of the song abundantly clear, the video will erase any doubts. "You're only as good as the one on the throne" are some of the truest words ever sung. If you like what you hear from the singles, I can assure you that the full album is worth both hours of your time and eight dollars of your hard-earned cash. If you had told me some time ago that Sal Cannestra was going to make an album with Pete Donnelly and Mikey Erg, I would have said that was going to be something spectacular. I wouldn't have been wrong! 

-L.R.

https://salcannestra.bandcamp.com/album/sal-cannestras-department-of-amusement

Pete Donnelly - Anthem of the Time

Any year that begins with new music from Pete Donnelly promises to be very good! The longtime Figgs co-frontman has just released Anthem of the Time, a five-song EP done almost entirely "one man band" style. The only exception is the title track, which features Matt Beck on guitar and Tony Reyes on bass. The song is Donnelly's stab at some "power pop goodness". And while Donnelly's work over the decades transcends categorization, there are few living individuals in his class when it comes to crafting perfect three-minute pop songs. The hook line "We all need love/We all want some" has never been truer. "Anthem of the Time" is an anthem for all times. Donnelly keeps the DIY tracks lively by integrating such instruments as Wurlitzer, drum machine, synthesizer, and double bass. "Play Music" and "Keynote Sparks" are nods to the home-recorded pop of yore. The latter rides the timely lyric "Go get yourself deleted", while the former rests on some life philosophy we can all stand behind: When you don't know what do, play music! "The Opposite Side" is an outtake from Donnelly's most recent album The Perpetual Twist, and "Half the Time It Takes" is a whimsical little acoustic guitar instrumental. New tunes from Pete Donnelly are always a cause for celebration, and Anthem of the Time exudes a joyful looseness that stands in contrast to some of his more "serious" work. Even legends sometimes enjoy releasing music for the sheer fun of it!

-L.R.   

https://petedonnellymusic.bandcamp.com/album/anthem-of-the-time-ep
https://www.facebook.com/PeteDonnellySounds
http://www.petedonnellymusic.com/

Sal Cannestra - Plenty Of Music

After fully embracing his sensitive singer/songwriter side on his proper solo debut Easiest Thing To Do in 2017, Sal Cannestra vowed that "the next one will rock". And on the Pete Donnelly produced Plenty of Music, this New York indie rock and roll lifer delivers on his promise. Cannestra (Sleeper/Serpico, The Gerunds) was most recently heard fronting The Thirteen, a terrific Philly-based pop/rock and roll outfit that released albums in 2008 and 2013. For this particular release, Cannestra recruited a whole bunch of talented friends. Donnelly, in addition to producing, plays bass and keyboards. Peter Santa Maria (The Thirteen, Jukebox Zeros), Jim Balga (Blockhouses), TJ Quatrone (Hurricane Kate, Sleeper/Serpico), and Jason Victor (Dream Syndicate, Matthew Sweet, Skull Practitioners) are also featured players. Here Cannestra explores a great mix of the musical styles he's been associated with over the past quarter century plus. He tries everything from power pop to indie/alternative rock to ballads to poppy punk. I would describe this overall as a good, honest rock and roll record. If you liked The Thirteen's Lift-Off!, you will almost certainly find Plenty of Music to be a logical progression from that album. Songs like "Daisy and Dani", "The Heart Of It", and "A Little Dumb, A Little Cruel" are punchy pop songs with smart lyrics and great hooks. With its vivid imagery and memorable refrain, "All This Will Be A Park Someday" just might be Cannestra's crowning songwriting achievement. Elsewhere, tender love songs ("By Any Other Name"), kick-ass rockers ("Listen Up"), and epic ballads ("Soft Sunrise") fall perfectly into place. 

Plenty of Music manages to be both a satisfying rock record and a quintessential singer/songwriter effort. Cannestra assembled a dream team of backing players, and this album has got the oomph of full band rock and roll. But the songs themselves leave plenty of space for Cannestra to tell stories, impart wisdom, and reflect on his life. If you've never heard of Sal Cannestra before, Plenty Of Music will tell you a lot about who he is. All money he makes from this release will be donated to the Center for the Integration and Advancement of New Americans. 

-L.R.

https://salcannestra.bandcamp.com/album/plenty-of-music

Tim Schweiger & The Middlemen - "Red Coyote"

Here's a quick little post that you all ought to enjoy! Milwaukee-based rock and roller Tim Schweiger has been releasing cool tunes with his band The Middlemen for a whole lot of years now. New single "Red Coyote" is the third release this year from Schweiger & The Middlemen (not including the best-of collection The Good Stuff). I highly recommend checking out all of the band's releases. But "Red Coyote" is certainly a great place to start. If you're into rootsy Midwestern rock and roll with a pop sensibility, this swinging tune should be very much to your liking. Schweiger recorded this track in Pete Donnelly's home studio in Haddonfield, New Jersey. Schweiger sings lead and plays guitar and drums while Donnelly plays guitar and bass. You can tell these two had great fun rocking out this number in the studio. What a perfect slice of infectious rock and roll! For good measure, Schweiger called in Wisconsin indie/punk luminaries Justin Perkins (mastering) and Amos Pitsch (artwork) to add crucial touches to this dandy digital single. If you like what you hear, be sure to dive deeper into the full catalog from Tim Schweiger & The Middlemen!

 

-L.R.

https://timschweigerandthemiddlemen.bandcamp.com/track/red-coyote

https://www.facebook.com/schwimtiger

Hey! The Figgs are on Bandcamp!

We interrupt our regularly-scheduled programming to bring you this urgent public service announcement. The Figgs, one of the greatest American rock and roll bands of the past 30 years, recently made the bulk of their discography available on Bandcamp. This year marks 33 years of The Figgs being a band, and the only thing more impressive than their longevity is their sustained excellence. For obvious reasons, the Bandcamp page omits The Figgs' two major label releases from the mid-'90s. However, it does include the band's pre-major full-length tape Ready Steady Stoned, all of its albums released since 1998, and several compilations. It's very cool to be able to follow The Figgs from their scrappy lo-fi pop roots through their untouchable late '90s-early 2000s run to the highly ambitious yet remarkably high-quality turn they've taken over the past decade. You won't find a better songwriting tandem in modern-day rock and roll than Mike Gent and Pete Donnelly, and now the bulk of their output is just a few clicks away. If you've got a Figgs album or two in your collection, now is a great opportunity to explore the rest of the catalog. And if the Figgs are still a new band to you, clear your schedule for the next few hours and dig in!



-L.R.

https://thefiggs.bandcamp.com/music
http://thefiggs.net/
https://www.facebook.com/The-Figgs-89126473046/

Beach Patrol - Levity

Is there anything more rewarding in music fandom than following a band's journey from very good to truly great? I've been touting Beach Patrol since 2006 - when the Green Bay then-trio debuted with a release I ultimately named my album of the year. A full decade later, Eudaimonia was one of my favorite long players of 2016. The band's growth over that ten-year period was staggering. It was Eudaimonia that convinced me that Domenic Marcantonio had become one of our finest present-day songwriters. I knew he would be challenged to top those songs. But here comes the new album Levity, and all I can say is wow!

Levity was recorded back in October 2017 at Westmont Station - Pete Donnelly's home studio near Philadelphia. Taking Donnelly up on a long standing offer to record Beach Patrol, Domenic and drummer Preston Ely made the long drive to the East Coast and knocked out the album in just two days. With Donnelly producing and filling in on bass, Levity was recorded entirely in single takes with no overdubs. At a lean eight tracks, this easily stands as Domenic's strongest collection of songs to date. The irony is that if you heard Beach Patrol back in 2006, that is when you might have suspected Pete Donnelly was producing! Here Donnelly's influence is more limited to his recording expertise and always-stellar work on the bass. Beach Patrol has honed its own style and sound over the years, and Levity is the work of a seasoned rock n' roll band at the peak of its craft.  

If I was going to compare the songwriter Domenic Marcantonio was back in the earlier 2000s to the songwriter he's become today, that would be easy to summarize. Back then, he wrote great power pop songs. Now he just writes great songs, period. He can still write a hook like nobody's business, and he remains faithful to the timeless art of the three-minute pop song. Yet what is most impressive is how he uses this musical form to truly say something. He never writes a throwaway. Every song offers something clever or insightful or pertinent to his life experience. On this release he comes off a little like a modern-day counterpart to the Elvis Costello/Graham Parker/Joe Jackson triumvirate. Except he's not so much angry as he is full of practical wisdom. "Don't Panic" is upbeat rockin' pop serving essential life advice. The Parker-esque "Get It Together" is a reminder that complaining about our problems often blinds us to our many blessings. Domenic revisits a similar theme on the self-reflective "Nerve" - the ultimate statement of a band that has come to accept and truly appreciate its place in the world. And the music on this album proves to be every bit as engaging as the ideas. Opening track "Clown" pairs an instantly classic lyrical couplet ("I'd be a clown for you, baby/But please do not mistake me for a fool") with a melody you'll be humming for weeks. "Just As I Suspected" ought to have you lookin' sharp and heading for the dance floor, with Donnelly ably playing the Graham Maby to Domenic's Joe Jackson. Donnelly even pulls out the standup bass on the dramatic and soulful ballad "Hands At Love". This is the album's high point - a showcase for just how far Domenic has come as both a songwriter and a singer.

Listening to Levity, I'm somewhat stunned that it was all recorded in single takes. It doesn't sound rushed, and the band could not be any tighter (there are certainly advantages to a guitarist and drummer playing together for nearly half their lives!). I've never found a Beach Patrol recording to be lacking energy, but Donnelly's recording approach probably gave the band even more punch in the studio than usual. This was the first record where I really noticed what incredible chops Domenic has developed on guitar. Just about every song on this record is driven by a unique and memorable guitar riff. I just love how the rockin' and melodic sides of Beach Patrol work in such perfect harmony here. It's not every day that a band has the chance to make a record with one of the greatest pop/rock n' roll minds of our time. Clearly these guys seized the opportunity. Hands down, this is the best Beach Patrol album yet! Credit to Paula Mortimer for allowing the band to use her "Beautiful Lake Winnie In Quinney American Flag Sunset" photo on the cover. Isn't it amazing?!
  
-L.R.

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/beachpatrol6
https://www.facebook.com/beachpatrolwi/

Blockhouses - Greatest Hit Songs Of All-Time

Essential album alert! It's hard to believe that four years have passed since I first reviewed Blockhouses - the New York City power pop rock n' roll trio featuring ex Figg Guy Lyons on guitar and vocals. The band's lineup has remained in tact with Chris Peifer (The Kowalskis) on bass and Jim Balga on drums. With three singles in the books, the band returned from a hiatus this year to complete its first full-length album. And so here it is, aptly titled Greatest Hit Songs of All Time. This album is a power pop enthusiast's dream - full of catchy, high energy tunes that just plain rock. Lyons authored several of my favorite Figgs songs on the Banda Macho and Couldn't Get High LPs, and the songs he writes for Blockhouses have a very similar appeal. If Greatest Hit Songs of All Time sounds like it could pass for a long-lost Figgs album, then it should come as no surprise that it was produced by none other than Pete Donnelly!

A couple things are apparent about Guy Lyons: 1) he's a highly underrated songwriter and 2) he sure knows how to surround himself with incredible musicians. Peifer and Balga make up the formidable rhythm section that really drives these songs. Sometimes "power trio" is just a euphemism, but I can't think of a more fitting way to describe Blockhouses. It's clear that these songs were written not just to sound good on record, but also to be fully rocked out on stage. And while the album title is obviously tongue-in-cheek, there's some real truth to it. This thing is packed with tracks that could have been A-sides to singles (a couple of them, in fact, actually were!). Opener "Love To Get You High" is something of a Blockhouses classic by now. If you wanted a textbook demonstration of how to put the power in the pop, this song is it. Punchy guitars? Check. Driving energy? Check. A chorus that will be stuck in your head from the first time you hear it? Check! In a similar vein, songs like "Be Free", "Always Have To Fall", and "Waste Our Time" are what all loud, catchy pop should aspire to be. Could "Last Love" be any more Figgs-like? And even when the band slows the pace a tad, the results are no less satisfying. "What You've Done" hits that later Replacements/solo Westerberg sweet spot, while the pure melody and sentiment of "A Night To Remember" really highlight Lyons's tremendous talent as a songwriter. To close it all out, "Tell Me You Miss Me" is a raunchy Stonesy rocker that ends the album on an even higher level of energy than it started with. I bet people go crazy for that one live!

It took a few years, but Greatest Hit Songs Of All-Time is every bit the knockout debut album I expected from Blockhouses. The songs from the singles sound better than ever, and the new material is every bit as strong. To me, the best power pop is the kind that sticks closest to the blueprint of good old rock n' roll. Blockhouses are the perfect case in point. They know it isn't necessary to reinvent the wheel. They're all about writing great tunes with memorable hooks and rocking the heck out of them. I can't imagine any regular reader of this blog not loving this album. Get it on compact disc from CD Baby. Click here for download and streaming options!



-L.R.

https://blockhouses.hearnow.com/ 
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/blockhouses2 
https://www.blockhouses.net/ 
https://www.facebook.com/blockhousesNYC/ 
https://blockhouses.bandcamp.com/ 

Face The Bird

As one-half of one of one of my all-time favorite songwriting tandems, The Figgs' Pete Donnelly has awed me for years with his talents. Not once in a quarter century has the songwriting on a Figgs record struck me as even remotely uninspired. And I'd say Donnelly has been responsible for at least half of my favorite Figgs songs. So I was more than enthused to recently hear that Donnelly had a new solo album coming out called Face The Bird. Clearly Donnelly and Mike Gent are magical together. But they've both proven that they can step out on their own and make tremendous music outside of the Figgs mold. Face The Bird is a perfect example of exactly that - a different yet completely delightful collection of pop songs.

Given the growing stylistic diversity of Donnelly's contributions to recent Figgs albums, longtime fans won't find Face The Bird's eclecticism the least bit off-putting. But this is not a Figgs record. It's a Pete Donnelly solo album - a project that has allowed an amazingly talented artist to try things that might not "fit" on a Figgs release. If you're expecting punchy power pop or sweaty rock n' roll, you're sure to be let down. But any true Donnelly fan will be absolutely thrilled with this album. It's so good. Even as Donnelly explores a wide variety of musical styles and influences, he mostly sticks to the melodic pop sensibility he's so well known for. And from a lyrical standpoint, he's never written more personal or powerful songs.

Largely recorded last fall in a makeshift home studio in an unused Ocean City, New Jersey storefront, Face The Bird is the product of Donnelly's quest to retreat into the isolation of an off-season resort town and indulge his creative muse 24/7. It's no surprise, then, that the "feel" of this album is a little different from anything we've previously heard from Donnelly. In many ways it's a throwback to the classic singer/songwriter albums of the '70s, but with enough acknowledgement of modern styles and recording techniques to keep it fresh and current. Particularly on the front end, the material is some of Donnelly's strongest in a long time. The breezy soft rock of "Always Something" is AM gold for a new generation, while the funky "Hunger Like" is a contagious shot of blue-eyed soul. And while I hear echoes of everyone from Bruce Springsteen (the great "Got Caught Up") to Paul Westerberg ("A Thing Or Two) to Jackson Browne ("Hear It From Me First"), this is uniquely a Pete Donnelly creation. His melodies dazzle as always, and it's a pleasure to encounter his many moods within the framework of a single album. The dramatic and intense "Delicate Elocution" just might be his magnum opus, and the happy-sounding title track is surprisingly profound.

After recording sessions for Face The Bird were cut short by the devastating arrival of Hurricane Sandy, the album was finished in several locations in the Philadelphia area. The ups and downs of making the record are reflected in its wide range in tone and style. It's an ambitious, bipolar achievement. Yet it flows beautifully as a whole, and it has me hoping that there will be many more Pete Donnelly solo albums to come. I wholeheartedly recommend Face The Bird - not only to fans of The Figgs, but to anyone who enjoys good music in general.


-L.R.

http://www.petedonnellymusic.com/
soundcloud.com/pete_donnelly