There was a time, largely consigned to memory now, when lead guitar players were not like the rest of us. They were gods; long-haired supermen who strode over the sod with giant platform shoes, despoiling women and melting faces with equal impunity. Thunder crashed in their wake and lightning burst forth from their guitars. The plucking of but a few mere notes by an experienced lead guitarist was enough to summon beasts to defy description, demons from the very banks of the River Styx, and, in some cases, The Devil himself. In recent times, the role of the lead guitarist has dwindled in much of popular music. Pot-luck dinners and intimate evenings have taken the place of conquest and pillage, and a typical axeman these days is undoubtedly more comfortable ordering a cup of organic fair-trade coffee than shredding for the future of mankind, atop a snow-covered mountain peak somewhere deep in the former Soviet Union. It’s deplorable. That’s where Ellis Ashbrook comes into the fold… – Andrew Jeromski. – Read Meijin Bruttomesso’s interview with the band here.

Anyone out there who remembers those fantastic voyages Thom Yorke used to take in his vocalized trances on ‘Kid A’ and ‘Amnesiac’ will appreciate hearing the journeys Public Speaking is planning on taking you on.
This is soul music functioning as 21st century meditation. Jason Anthony Harris has taken the defining objects of our modern age, and imported hidden meaning to their status. From re-purposed kitchen utensils in ‘Funny You Ask,’ to the percussive cold comfort of ‘Isn’t Fair,’ to the chilling range of the processed harmonium in album closer ‘Subtraction,’ Public Speaking is what happens when an artist personally realizes the sound of his environment, and puts it to use. For everyone a little tired of James Blake, come back home to Brooklyn and experience the intimate soul croon of Public Speaking, and see him when he plays at Theaterlab March 31st. – Mike Levine

YOU NEED MORE FUNK IN YOUR LIFE! It’s an undeniable fact. It’s why you’re so pale and your Mom keeps calling and telling you how tired you sound. Well, worry not; a healthy dose of righteous funk is right around the corner. Brooklyn’s Underground Horns (in the picture) and NYC’s PitchBlak Brass Band are entering the ring at Brooklyn Bowl to battle for free-range brass-fed horn-ganic superiority in a no-holds-barred funkfest. April 12 someone’s trumpet is going to explode. -=brokeMC

big beat by underground horns

The Suzan is an indie pop band from New York with Japanese roots. Their bouncy pop and fun attitude earned them a tour with party bands Chromeo and MNDR in 2011. We won’t say that songs like “Hahaha” and “High and Low” stand out as lyrical masterpieces, but they can surely induce even the most adamant of wallflowers to tap their toes to the driving beat. Our favorite track “Devils” (see awesome video below) has a more serious undertone, with the internal conflict between The Devil and Jesus addressed, but still manages to cause an uncontrollable urge to shake your booty. The Suzan will be performing Thursday, March 29th at The Delancey in NYC. – Christine Cauthen

Brooklyn based, somewhat Beatlesque Americana-Pop mainstays Robbers on High Street will be releasing a new EP, “Anything Could Happen” on April 21st 2012. In honor of this effort, the band will be playing a record release party with Diamond Doves (who used to be Elvis Perkins’ backing band) at the Mercury Lounge on the day of the release. The doors will be opening at 7:30 PM with Diamond Doves set to play immediately, so get a good spot. Both bands are known for their exciting live shows so this promises to be a fun evening. Streaming below "Didn’t Wanna Know" from the new EP. – Chelsea Eriksen

We wrote about Frankie Rose’s new album and video of "Gospel/Race" just over a month ago, and the lady already has a new sonic and visual treat for us: the video for "Night Swim". We’ve been digging Frankie’s new album, and music fans in the US and Canada will be able to hear these songs live this spring during her tour with Dive. Newyorkers should mark May 5th, date of the homecoming show at The Mercury Lounge

Though they claim The Roots as a major musical influence, B.Funk is rocking the party with a vibe all their own. MC B.C. flips every verse with practiced flows and conscious lyrics, and the band blazes beats that would meet even the late great James Brown’s approval. With their presence firmly established in the NE from Philly to Maine, they are planning an expansive national tour this summer. In the mean time, they just dropped a video for their single “Check Yo Mind,” and you probably should take their advice. B.Funk are on a roll. – Broke MC

On April 1st, dancer Alison Clancy and her band HUFF THIS! will be taking the Highline Ballroom by storm for their largest show to date. And we may mean “by storm” in the literal sense – Alison’s lively performances have gotten her banned from venues before. The self-proclaimed “dream-thrash” four-piece has definite artsy credentials; by day Alison has danced with the Metropolitan Opera and cellist Chrissy Lancaster composes scores for major dance companies. HUFF THIS! is often joined on stage by an entourage of similarly artsy guest performers. This show, headlined by electro-rock duo Dangerous Muse, will be no exception. – Corinne Bagish

We Run is both a very NYC short sentence and a Brooklyn-born alt-rock power trio. Alexander Gruenburg (Guitar/Vocals), Martin McDonald (synths), and Jeremy Duvall (drums) are very new to the scene – the band was formed in January of this year – but are making themselves known early on with a convincing self-titled, three-track EP, which they wrote within a week of being a band. To commemorate the debut, We Run will be gigging at Cameo Gallery with local melodic rockers King Stork on Wednesday, March 28 and showcasing their high octane, straight up blues rock sensibilities. Begin celebrating with We Run at 8pm and be sure to grab a copy of the EP. – Meijin Bruttomesso

92YTribeca is hosting another great folk show on March 30th with 2 emerging NYC acts and one New England guest: Brooklyn’s singer-songwriter Will Stratton, NYC based folk collective Little Sur and Boston duo Tall Heights.
Will Stratton (pictured) is a California born artist who studied music composition at Bennington College, where he composed his first string quartet pieces. He released his first album, "What the Night Said," in 2007, and his second "No Wonder," in 2009. His music – lush, mellow and textured – features an extremely personal guitar style based on syncopated arpeggios, supported by occasional strings.

Led by Josh Meer, Little Sur create folky music with a city feel, inspired by the rich soundscapes and sights of the metropolitan setting of New York City. Their first EP was released in Spring 2011, and their most recent EP “Brothers/Idioms” is available for free on their bandcamp.

The thing with rock’n’roll is that musicians can’t really try too hard to get it out there, it must be evident – from the band’s material and their attitude – that it runs in their blood. It’s like flair, either you have it or you don’t… Pitchfork blessed The Men do "have it" indeed, and this makes them the flagship rock’n’roll band in a scene that lately has expressed mostly breakout bands confined to the pop and electronic realms. These guys took Sonic Youth’s noise-rock lesson, stripped it of overly elaborated parts and experimental guitar tones, and delivered an album that rocks in ways we haven’t heard in a long time. The Men have just announced a West Coast tour including several festivals and a show at NYC’s Webster hall on May 16.

Country singer Rench has been playing his unique mix of honky-tonk and trip hop for years now. From his spot in Brooklyn, you’re equally likely to find him strum a pedal steel as you are to see him looping drum samples and record scratches. But with his band Gangstagrass (who played our UN/OFF party in Austin during SXSW with Reptar and Body Language), he’s something else entirely.
Rench has teamed up with Bronx rapper T.O.N.E-z to come up with a unique blend of bluegrass and hip-hop styles you probably haven’t heard before (unless you’re a fan of the show ‘Justified’ – then you’ve no doubt heard their emmy-nominated theme ‘Long Hard Times to Come’. This is a group that doesn’t bother with distinctions between hip-hop and folk genres; both styles come together with the same attitude that Hank Williams and Chuck D share in common: placing a hard-hitting beat under an outlaw sentiment. While purists may take issue with their disregard of genre distinctions, the open-minded will revel in songs like the hard-hitting ‘Gunslinging Rambler,’ whose new video shows the band rocking out at Southpaw, Brooklyn. All of this should get you plenty excited for their upcoming record due out later this year, ‘Rappalachia,’ (out on June 5th) which promises to be an ode to the kind of mountain music Rench cut his teeth on set over the kind of beats that keep the party moving.
When it comes to mixing these traditions together, there are a lot of bad bartenders out there, but Gangstagrass picks the right ingredients that bring out the best in both of these worlds, showcasing the energy shared in common, and possibly carving out a new genre while they’re at it. – Mike Levine

Mp3: Gangstagrass: "Western"