Earlier this year saw the return of Rich Ruth via the Nashville based artist’s third long-player, Water Still Flows, an album we described as “absolutely audacious in its musical fusions and amalgamations… a woozy kaleidoscope of spiritual jazz, post-rock, chiming minimalism, Berlin school synth sequencers, metal and drone.” For this installment of the Lagniappe Sessions, Michael Ruth and co. reimagine the Boognish via a cover of Ween’s “A Tear For Eddie,” and take on Black Sabbath outlier “Planet Caravan,” via the band’s sophomore effort, 1970’s Paranoid.
Category: Lagniappe Sessions
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Caravan 222
“…I’m your toy, I’m your old boy.” Country-fried Los Angeles outfit Caravan 222 continue to put the honk in the tonk. For their Lagniappe Session, the septet works up stalwart ’70s British pub-rockers Brinsley Schwarz’s “Country Girl,” Danny O’Keefe’s 1972 chestnut “I’m Sober Now,” and a faithful rendition of Gram’s “Hot Burrito #1.”
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Caleb Dailey
Phoenix songwriter Caleb Dailey’s voice is a warm, enveloping thing. On his solo debut, 2022 LP Warm Evenings, Pale Mornings: Beside You Then, he applied it to a survey of country and western music, covering songs by Gordon Lightfoot, Waylon Jennings, Blaze Foley, Chip Moman, and more. But the album was far from an exercise in retro country—in these timeworn songs, Dailey finds a site for experimentation, ambient textures, and smoked out soundscapes. For his Lagniappe session, brings a similar sense of vision and mystery to selections by Skeeter Davis and NRBQ, Leroy Van Dyke, and Lucinda Williams.
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Bobby Lee
Cosmic country rambler Bobby Lee takes the controls and sets a course for the heart of the cosmos with these covers of songs by Don Williams, Fred Eaglesmith, and funk legends Cymande.
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Sam Moss
In the midst of a northeast tour Sam Moss stopped in to Pale Moon Services in Cambridge, NY for an afternoon where he spent some time meeting, working with, and being guided by studio proprietor Jared Samuel and assistant engineer Victor Pacek. The day culminated in the following four covers, including Townes Van Zandt’s anthropomorphizing a window, 1979 Leonard Cohen, a Willie Nelson chestnut, and Jenn Wasner’s Flock of Dimes.
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Chet Sounds
Last fall saw the release of the Sydney, Australia based DIY artist Chet Sounds’ sophomore LP, Changes Happen to Everyone, Everywhere. At a dozen tracks, it’s a lo-fi glossy and groove-laden trip across 70s-am pop, yacht rock, private press outsider folk, library funk, and Rundgren-esque psychedelia. For this installment of the Lagniappe Sessions we catch up with Chet (Tucker) as he works his way through a grip of disparate favorites, ranging from a mid-60s fantasy sit-com theme, to reinterpreting Judee Sill and the undisputed majesty that is Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale”.
The Lagniappe Sessions :: The Reds, Pinks and Purples
Through some sort of infernal jangle-pop sorcery, the ever-prolific RPP mainman Glenn Donaldson continues to come up with the goods; in fact, the latest LP, Unwishing Well, may well be his best effort yet. It’s a record that blends 16 Lovers Lane shimmer with Felt-like melancholy, heartfelt sentiments with occasionally hilarious barbs. Lovingly crafted, world weary, expertly bittersweet — just like heaven. For this excellent Lagniappe Session, Donaldson takes us on a tour of a few favorites old and new-ish.
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Orions Belte | Second Session
Orions Belte return with their second Lagniappe Session, a follow up to their 2021 entry which found the Norwegian trio transfiguring material from the likes of Mac Miller and Danzig. This time out they transmute tunes by two disparate American artists: the late rapper XXXTentacion’s 2017 single “Jocelyn Flores”, and roots iconoclast Lucinda Williams’ “Copenhagen” via her 2011 LP, Blessed.
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Jeffrey Silverstein
Songwriter Jeffrey Silverstein joins the Lagniappe Sessions with inspired country funk covers of tunes by Chip Taylor, Steely Dan (via Waylon Jennings), Jim Ford, and Tom T. Hall’s immortal “That’s How I Got To Memphis.”
The Lagniappe Sessions :: En Attendant Ana
Principia, the third album from Parisian quintet En Attendant Ana, was one of 2023’s most enduring pleasures. Throughout its 10 extremely catchy / sneakily sophisticated tunes, the LP contained elements of vintage 1990s indie, dashes of Stereolab-esque motorik pop and a hint of the classic French yé-yé style, all centered on the winning vocals of Margaux Bouchaudon. Those ingredients are all on display in the band’s debut Lagniappe Session, as they tackle tunes by Tim Gane’s pre-‘Lab band McCarthy and Britpop synth-sters Dubstar, in addition to a delightful French language rendition of the old Frank ‘n’ Nancy Sinatra chestnut “Somethin’ Stupid.” C’est magnifique!
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Reverend Baron
The Lagniappe Sessions return in 2024, this time stepping into the world of Reverend Baron, the nom de tune of LA based singer-songwriter Daniel Garcia. For this installment of the series, the multi-instrumentalist, engineer, and producer reflects on early ’70s Randy Newman, the title track from British singer-songwriter Labi SIffre’s 1972 LP, Paul Simon’s “Nobody”, via the 1980 film One-Trick Pony, and the enigmatic Lewis Baloue’s “Let’s Fall In Love”.
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Cactus Lee (Second Session)
On the heels of his superb new album, Caravan, Cactus Lee’s Kevin Dehan returns for his second Lagniappe Session fresh in the air of a newer, bigger, more boogieing climate. On this outing, Dehan and some sacred personnel lay their slick, soulful style down on renditions of the glossy, top ten pop of mid-80’s Christine McVie, Butthole Surfers’ absurdist punk, and a rootsy glam-jam from the Dead.
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Graves
Earlier this year, Graves (moniker of veteran singer-songwriter Greg Olin) released his best record yet in Gary Owens: I Have Some Thoughts, a country gem influenced by “a lineage of West Coast dreamers, surfers and skaters”. The California-based musician treats his inaugural Lagniappe Session with a similar country touch, the five eclectic tracks accompanied accompanied by pedal steel guitar, Wurlitzer piano and more.
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Jeffrey Alexander
You can’t Jeffrey Alexander down. Whether with The Heavy Lidders or Dire Wolves, he’s been traveling the highways and byways the New Weird frontier for decades. Hot off the heels of this latest album Easy Portals, he drops by AD to share a grab bag of covers from various projects, featuring tunes by The Fall, Top Drawer, and Swedish psych legends International Harvester.
The Lagniappe Sessions :: H. Hawkline
This week’s installment of the Lagniappe Sessions catches up with Welsh singer-songwriter Huw Evans who, under the guise of H. Hawkline, has released five records over the past thirteen years. Evans most recent effort, the excellent Cate Le Bon produced LP, Milk For Flowers, dropped earlier this year and the following session acts as a sort of companion set. Expect: unexpected covers of covers, hi-fi nods to Cleaners From Venus, and the majesty of Yoko Ono.