(@blabbernsmoke) — Bluesky Profile

1 month ago

Tony Poole, Faith In Us, Aurora Records Releasing your first solo album 51 years after you first committed to vinyl might not be worthy of a mention in The Guinness Book Of Records (or maybe it might) but Tony Poole’s “Faith In Us”, recorded with Poole now in his eighth decade, is certainly worthy of celebration. For those not in the know Poole was the jangly 12 string Rickenbacker player in the early 70s band Starry Eyed & Laughing, a band who inhaled of The Byrds and Crosby Stills Nash & Young and who delivered two superb albums, sadly never making the big time.

Starry Eyed & Laughing's Tony Poole eventually releases a sol album and it's a cracker.

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2 months ago

Brinsley Schwarz. Shouting At The Moon. Fretsore Records. A third solo album from the legendary “pub rocker” who gave his name to perhaps the premier “pub rock” band and who was an integral member of The Rumour who started off as Graham Parker’s backing band finds this veteran in a soulful and bluesy mood. Shouting At The Moon follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, 2016’s Unexpected and 2021’s Tangled when Schwarz returned to recording after a lengthy lay off.

Third solo album from Brinsley Schwarz is a grand collection of soulful bluesy songs with a definite groove. @brinsleyschwarz @fretstorerecords

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3 months ago

Glen Peters. Where Do You Come From? This is an intriguing album. On the face of it it’s a collection of expertly played songs which hark back to singer/songwriter folksiness of the seventies in their manner and delivery. Indeed, there are occasions when the ghost of Jake Thackray seems to be hidden within the grooves although much of the album tackles fairly heavyweight themes including identity, race, immigration and empire.

Album review. Glen Peters' Where Do You Come From? is an intriguing album which tackles themes including identity, race, immigration and empire.

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3 months ago

Geckøs, Geckøs An inspired grouping of three like minded characters, Geckøs features the line up of Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), M Ward and McKowski (Mark McCausland of The Lost Brothers). Gelb has collaborated with Ward and McKowski over the years but it was an invitation to a mutual friend’s wedding in Tucson that led to the trio’s formation. Invited to compose and perform a wedding waltz, Gelb and McKowski felt their effort was just too low key so Ward stepped in and added, as Gelb says, “That guy, he's got celebration up the ying yang.

An inspired collection of transcendental border songs from Geckøs. Featuring @howegelb @mwardtravelogue @mark_mckowski @we_are_geckos

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3 months ago

Robin Adams The Beggar Hamework Records Robin Adams’ latest album The Beggar maintains a habit which has occasionally crept into his previous recordings, that of revisiting older songs, often just demos or curiosities, sometimes available to download but essentially somewhat ephemeral in comparison to his official releases. That’s not to say that these back pages are in any way inferior, it’s more that Adams seem to be forever on a song writing quest and some of his writings can be waylaid or left behind, only to be picked up again and re examined.

Album review. Robin Adams, The Beggar. An excellent collection of dark songs played in a winning manner reminiscent of Witchseason productions.

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4 months ago

Michael Rooney. Intersections While The Primevals, Glasgow’s premier garage rock psychedelic free jazz grunge band have recently had a brush with fame due to a link up with Stuart Lee (““the world’s greatest living stand-up comedian” The Times”, as Lee always gleefully points out) via their song I’m The Man-Wulf, their front man Michael Rooney has stealthily released a solo album. Intersections is not a great departure from recent Primevals albums, primarily because Rooney’s dead pan, dead cool vocals are to the front and centre, but across the seven songs here he has the opportunity to spread out a bit while his band mates (assorted Primevals and like minded associates) contort themselves to accommodate the shifts.

Glasgow's The Primevals front man, Michael Rooney steps out with a solo album which is, kind of, primeval. @michael.rooney794

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5 months ago

Nathan Bell + Scott Ashton. Glasgow Americana Festival, The Glad Café, Glasgow. 5th October 2025. If you’ve ever wondered what a real life “hard core troubadour” looked and sounded like then I’d recommend a trip to a Nathan Bell show. After a shot at fame in the 80s, Bell only returned to recording after a 30 year hiatus, working and raising a family. When his job went belly up a decade or so ago he picked up his guitar again and has since released a series of albums which sink their teeth into the American jugular.

An excellent outing from Nathan Bell, supported by Scott Ashworth, part of Glasgow Americana Festival via @fallen_angels_club and @nathanbellmusic @scottashworthmusic

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5 months ago

Simon Kempston & Paul Tasker. Tangled Strings Since 2022 guitarists Simon Kempston and Paul Tasker have appeared annually at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for their Songs Without Words residency at Edinburgh’s venerable folk venue The Royal Oak, an oasis of calm amidst the hurly burly of the carnival atmosphere on the nearby Royal Mile. One thing that was missing however was a souvenir for the audience to take home with them, a recording of the pair playing together.

Simon Kempston & Paul Tasker. Tangled Strings. An excellent collection of instrumental guitar tunes from a talented duo. @pntasker

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6 months ago

The Pleasures. Enemy Of My Enemy. Űber Savvy Music Most country themed male/female duo acts are compared to classic forebears such as George and Tammy or Gram and Emmylou. The Pleasures, a duo comprised of Australians Catherine Britt and Lachlan Bryan are a shade darker, more gothic if you will, and not afraid to shake the rafters with some rattling rock’n’roll when it suits them. They are more akin to departed bands such as Blanche and Twilight Hotel, both of whom were gloriously dark and messy.

Album review: Lachlan Bryan and Catherine Britt team up again as The Pleasures and deliver a no holds barred set of sparring duets on "Enemy Of My Enemy." @thepleasuresmusic

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7 months ago

Rain Parade. Crashing Dream – Deluxe Edition. Label 51 We’re a bit late to the party with this disc which was officially released at the end of May. In our defence it was only a few weeks ago that the mail man delivered it; post from the States these days is a bit of a hit and miss affair. Anyhow, there was huge excitement at Blabber’n’Smoke as we tore open the package and delved into this remastered, deluxe edition of…

Rain Parade's ill fated second album, Crashing Dream, is resurrected and sounds mighty fine these days. @therainparadeofficial @label51recordings

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8 months ago

Maria Muldaur. One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey. Nola Blue Records. Blabber’n'Smoke last encountered Maria Muldaur when she released the excellent Let’s Get Happy Together, recorded with the New Orleans band Skinny Tuba, an exuberant celebration of New Orleans styled old time music, syncopated and swinging. It was the latest in a lengthy catalogue of albums which have showed that Muldaur, a genuine one hit wonder with her 1972 song Midnight At The Oasis…

Maria Muldaur pays tribute to Victoria Spivey in swell style on One Hour Mama. @mariamuldaurmusic

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8 months ago

David Starr. Must Be Blue. Quarto Valley Records Colorado based David Starr has gained a lot of fans here in the UK with his annual tours and an array of albums which have found him firmly in the singer/songwriter orbit. Love & Sabotage was a country rock album in the sense of 70s luminaries such as Poco while the more expansive Beauty & Ruin (based on a book written by his grandfather) dug into timeless themes in a manner reminiscent of the Eagles’ Western album Desperado.

David Starr rakes a breather from his usual fare to revisit the blues he heard as a youngster on "Must Be Blue" @davidstarrmusic

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9 months ago

Findlay Napier. Outsider. The Bothy Society Judging from his regular newsletters Scotland’s Findlay Napier is a busy, busy man. He has a finger in many pies, his work in the folk supergroup that is The Magpie Arc, an ongoing commitment to song writing workshops, a lecturer on traditional music at Scotland’s Conservatoire (formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, the institution he attended), along with being a sometime stand-up comedian, it’s surprising that he has the time to consider his solo career.

An excellent third album from @findlaynapier with superb songs and playing on Outsider.

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9 months ago

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9 months ago

Grabbed this photo of Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s tonight at Cruel World. She absolutely ROCKS and her guitar says it all. ✊🏽

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9 months ago

Thee Holy Brothers. High In My Balloon Back in 2020 Thee Holy Brothers sparked into view with their excellent debut album My Name Is Sparkle. The duo -Marvin Etzioni (ex Lone Justice) and Willie Aron (of The Third Mind) - were so named by the rabbi at their local synagogue , Mordecai Finley, who described them thus, a moniker which was heartily endorsed by another member of the congregation, Leonard Cohen.

Thee Holy Brothers overcome adversity with a tremendous selection of harmonious songs on High In My Balloon. @theeholybrothersofficial

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10 months ago

Ian M Bailey. Lost In A Sound. Kool Kat Musik Alongside Edinburgh’s Dropkick, Ian M Bailey has been foremost recently in reviving the jangled and sun kissed era of Los Angeles pop and folk rock with particular reverence given to the sound of the Byrds and Roger McGuinn’s 12 string Rickenbacker. This time around, on Lost In A Sound, Bailey and his co-writer, Glasgow’s Daniel Wylie, continue to mine the goldmine that is the heyday of California music but there’s less of the jangle and much more of the introspection and social awareness which characterised the shift from chart oriented singles to much weightier topics as the 60s progressed.

Ian M Bailey continues to mine the rich seam of Californian rock on Lost In A Sound, another collaboration with Daniel Wylie.

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1 year ago

Another wonderful review for @stephensimmons.bsky.social’s album, Drink Ring Jesus. Thanks so much, Paul.

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1 year ago

Stephen Simmons. Drink Ring Jesus. We set our sights here on an album which was originally released back in 2006 and then kind of disappeared. It’s popped back up into view due to a vinyl pressing by the UK label Unspun Heroes whose…

With my Ark PR head on, lovely to see @blabbernsmoke.bsky.social review the @stephensimmons.bsky.social vinyl reissue of his masterful Drink Ring Jesus album on @unspunheroes.com

'a stark yet warming slice of a man’s soul, masterfully delivered....'

paulkerr.wordpress.com/2025/03/12/s...

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1 year ago

Stephen Simmons. Drink Ring Jesus. We set our sights here on an album which was originally released back in 2006 and then kind of disappeared. It’s popped back up into view due to a vinyl pressing by the UK label Unspun Heroes whose raison d’etre is, to quote, “To go on a musical adventure of reissued vinyl. Releases happen in small batches, limited to no more than 500 pressings… the label has a guiding principle: to find and highlight music deserving of wider attention.

Very nice vinyl reissue of an album deserving a close listen. Stephen Simmons' Drink Ring Jesus. @unspunheroes @stephensimmons

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1 year ago

Daniel Meade. Hip Hip Hooray! From The Top Records If your concept of boogie woogie piano only extends to hearing Jools Holland tinkling the ivories, no matter who he’s playing with on the telly, then prepare to have your boundaries expanded by Glasgow’s Daniel Meade on his latest album. While Meade is a versatile character, as seen on previous albums, a rocker, a balladeer, a country singer at times, …

Here's a rip roaring set of piano boogie woogie songs from Glasgow’s Daniel Meade @dmeademusic

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1 year ago

Next show is in the glorious North-east, in Aberdeen on 7th March! If you're nearby please come along to The Blue Lamp , hosted by Almost Blue Promotions
The exceptional Iona Macdonald (Doghouse Roses)will be playing a solo set too. Info in comments 👇

www.almostbluepromotions.com/events/dropk...

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1 year ago

Doug Sahm & The Sir Douglas Quintet. The Complete Mercury Recordings. Floating World Records/Retroworld Now, here’s a thing, a bit of a holy grail really if you are a fan of Doug Sahm in his early incarnations, the leader of various line ups of The Sir Douglas Quintet. The Complete Mercury Recordings is a very cool (and comprehensive) box set which contains six hard to find albums recorded between 1968 and 1971 (Sir Douglas Quintet +2 = Honkey Blues, Mendocino, Together After Five, 1+1+1=4 The Return Of Doug Saldaña…

This box set of Doug Sahm/Sir Douglas Quintet's Mercury recordings is a treasure trove. @floatingworldrecords

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1 year ago

Dropkick. Primary Colours. Bobo Integral Records It’s very tempting to limit this review to the words, “Here’s another Dropkick album,” and leave it at that. Those in the know will then be rushing to their merchant of choice to purchase said albu…

Another fantastic review of the new album, Primary Colours, this time by Paul Kerr @blabbernsmoke.bsky.social
🥳

paulkerr.wordpress.com/2025/02/11/d...

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1 year ago

Dropkick. Primary Colours. Bobo Integral Records It’s very tempting to limit this review to the words, “Here’s another Dropkick album,” and leave it at that. Those in the know will then be rushing to their merchant of choice to purchase said album. Sadly, it seems there are still some folk who have not been exposed to the perfect power pop espoused by this Edinburgh band despite their being one of the most prolific bands around.

Scotland's Dropkick continue to ply their version of jangled pop rock with some style. @dropkickband

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1 year ago

Elon Musk giving a Nazi salute at Trump's 2025 inauguration

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1 year ago

We've had loads of thoughtful critical responses to the album - here's one of the first from @blabbernsmoke.bsky.social - we've pulled out a highlight but the full review is well worth reading. paulkerr.wordpress.com/2024/11/26/t...

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1 year ago

Rain Parade. Emergency Third Rail Power Trip Deluxe Edition. Label 51 Recordings. Although the Paisley Underground was a somewhat nebulous concept, there’s little doubt these days that The Rain Parade’s debut album, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip was the quintessential album of this short lived phenomenon. Released in 1983, the album was an astounding update of the psychedelic sounds of bands such as The Byrds along with several acts who had appeared on the seminal 60s collection, Nuggets.

Deluxe reissue of Rain Parade's debut album is chock-full of delights. @therainparadeofficial

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1 year ago

Single release and video: Save You All My Blues by Sulidae Blabber’n’Smoke was much taken with Sulidae’s second album … Invincible Summer and we were fortunate enough to catch one of the launch gigs for the album in Glasgow’s Glad Café. Today sees the release as a single (with accompanying video) of one its outstanding songs. Co-written by Bobby Motherwell (AKA Sulidae), James Grant and Bobby Bluebell (some well kent names for sure), …

A great video to accompany Sulidae's new single release which includes some excellent live songs from their album release show. @bonkertrains

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1 year ago

Never forget.

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