Staff Picks

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. Yesterday Dom and I hit the road once again to catch our favorite bluegrass virtuoso Billy Strings in Roanoke, Virginia and had an absolute blast. A couple months ago in April, Billy broke his leg while doing a skateboard trick right before an encore, so he’s been out of commission for a bit. Very fittingly though, he did a cover of “If You’re Gonna Be Dumb, You Gotta Be Tough” for the new Jackass movie. Anyways, this Roanoke show was his first return to tour after the injury and I’m happy to report, he still rips on one leg. I was curious how the show would be in terms of sitting/standing and it was a pretty even mix of both, standing for a few songs then taking a seat for a couple. Being seated didn’t bring the energy down at all tho. One of the most electric parts of the show came from a seated Billy tearing up Reuben’s Train. Of course, being in Virginia, they had to throw in some Stanley Brothers songs like White Dove and Our Last Goodbye for the closer. All in all, like every Billy show, it was amazing from start to finish and a good time was had by all. The drive home through the late night also ended up being interesting as well cause my maps decided to direct me some weird ass way home that was pretty much all through dark, winding back roads. I think we passed by pretty much any animal you could imagine you may see late night in the woods, including a dog that was just casually walking in the middle of the road and didn’t really seem to care that we were driving by. I think we saw more deer than cars. I wouldn’t want the drive home after a Virginia barn burner to be any different.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has been keeping cool out there. It’s been brutally hot/humid here in North Carolina,=; it feels like the second you step out your door you’re immediately covered in a layer of sweat. I love me some summer weather, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to some cooler temperatures this fall. Last week I wrote about a New Order record and mentioned I had been on a real 80s kick and if anyone had any listening suggestions to send em my way. Well, someone recommended this record by The Wake and it’s awesome. Thank you for sending that over, I’ve really been digging it! Anyways, for this week I wanted to talk about this Sugar Minott at Studio One record. Sometimes when I’m flipping thru my collection at home I’ll come across something I totally forgot that I even had, even if it’s something I love! Sometimes things just slip thru the cracks, but while I was thumbing through my records I was greeted by this and was thinking “shit, I haven’t played this in forever!” I picked this record up on my trip to London a couple years back and haven’t given it the proper playing time it deserves. It’s Studio One, so it’s no surprise that this record is amazing from front to back. There’s not a bad track on here, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be the first song on side three, Give Me Jah Jah. It’s just such a good laid back tune, perfect to listen to while melting out in the hot summer sun. Thank you Soul Jazz Records for always putting out quality releases.

What’s up Sorry State readers? It feels like it’s been AGES since my last write up. It’s been a busy summer here. I just got back from a nice trip to Seattle to visit my dad and got some good eating and hiking in while I was there, and then headed over to Boulder, Colorado for my best friend’s wedding, which was a blast. Oh yeah, and the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup, which was pretty fucking awesome. Now we’ve got the World Cup going on here in the US. I’ve never been a huge soccer guy, but I’ve gotten sucked into this tournament and have been watching and keeping up and it’s been pretty damn entertaining. I hope everyone reading has found some ways to enjoy this summer. Okay, now to the music. For some reason, the last month or two I’ve been on a big 80s kick. Not really sure why, but I found myself gravitating to a lot of stuff from that era. OMD, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Go-Go’s, you get the picture. Recently, we got a beautiful older pressing of New Order’s Low-Life that I decided to treat myself to. I had been listening to the song The Perfect Kiss a bunch after I watched Marty Supreme earlier this year cause it was featured in a cool ass montage scene in the movie. I love the frog noises in it; they just blend in so well and sound so cool. The last week or two ,though, I’ve had Sooner Than You Think stuck in my head. Probably the most dance friendly song on the album, just a total banger. I think I just really love synths honestly. That’s all for this week, but if anyone has any cool ass 80s albums that kinda fly under the radar, send em my way cause that’s an era I definitely need to explore more.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a nice week. I’m sure most of you are aware Record Store Day was a couple weeks ago. Whether you love it or hate it, there’s always some cool titles that are released. I know there was a bunch of stuff this year that caught my eye, but I had to limit myself. One record I did pick up though is this awesome compilation from Stax: Killer B’s – 14 Fabulous Flip Sides, which if you can guess from the title, is a bunch of old B-Sides from past Stax releases. Just banger after banger on this compilation featuring artists like The Bar-kays, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, Little Sonny, Margie Joseph and a whole bunch more. The pressing seems loud and punchy, which is nice. My only complaint is there’s no inner or anything with descriptions of the songs, just a tracklist on the back of the jacket that has some credits and the original release dates. Every song on here is great, but I’m partial to the Booker T instrumental Soul Clap ’69 and the Eddie Floyd track Consider Me. Definitely worth checking out if you’re a Stax fan.

What’s up Sorry State readers? It’s been a minute since my last write-up here. As Dom mentioned in his staff pick the other week, we moseyed our way over to Greensboro to catch our favorite bluegrass phenomenon Billy Strings in action, and he put on a hell of a show for a Tuesday night. Every show is amazing, but this definitely was a standout. Got to hear some old timey staples, psychedelic jams, and of course a heaping helping of Doc Watson tunes. Billy in North Carolina will always be a hoot. This past Monday I also celebrated my birthday, and who decided to roll into town and put on a show? None other than ol Willie Nelson himself. I figured if Willie was coming to town on my birthday, who am I not to attend? Sydney and I gathered up some of our friends and had a lil tailgate before the show complete with fried chicken, beer and a bit of the devil’s lettuce. Coincidentally, Willie’s birthday is actually today (the 29th) and he turned 93 years old, which is fuckin wild that he can still get up on stage and perform. While it might not be what a Willie show was 50 years ago, it’s still impressive that he’s going up there and actually playing and singing. Definitely not some freaky ass Frankie Valli situation (go on YouTube and watch a recent video of him performing; it’s scary as hell). A good time was had by all enjoying an evening of Willie tunes. Speaking of, the other week I picked up this cheap budget comp of Willie just cause it had a nice track list of some of the older stuff. It opens up with probably two of my favorite tracks of his, Night Life and Funny How Time Slips Away, the latter feeling relevant while me and the Red Headed Stranger are both celebrating a birthday. The B-side opens with a cover of the classic Bob Wills song San Antonio Rose with Good Hearted Woman and Help Me Make It Through The Night rounding out the album. Happy birthday Willie, we love ya!

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a nice week. A few months ago, I subscribed to the Third Man Records Vault program because they were releasing a live Billy Strings album I wanted. I’m not really one to do these vinyl subscription things, so it was gonna be a kind of one and done deal cause you can just sign up for one and then cancel your subscription. Of course, though, I forgot to actually cancel my subscription. Luckily for me, though, they announced the next release, and it was a live Jimi Hendrix record, Valley of Jams 1969 - 1970, so it ended up working out. I had kinda forgotten about it, but it arrived this past Monday and I got to blast it and I’m happy to report that it’s awesome. I didn’t realize the entire thing is all just instrumental jams (I guess the name should’ve given it away) but if you know me, I have no issue with that at all, especially if it’s Jimi doing the jamming. It’s a triple LP set, so it’s roughly two hours of Jim just absolutely shredding. It also sounds amazing too, every instrument really just jumps out and sounds so crisp. All the songs are taken from a bunch of different live shows from ‘69-‘70, which I always think is cool cause when you’re playing 15+ minute versions of songs, they’re bound to sound different from night to night and have their own personal feel to them. It’s hard to pick highlights or favorite tracks on here because there’s not a bad one on here, but I really love Jam 292 and any version of Izabella. This release also includes a 7” which has Midnight Lightning (the only track with lyrics) on the A-side, and Beginnings - Take 5 on the B-side, another banger instrumental. Overall, a great release and I’m happy to add it to my collection. I’ll always gladly take more live Jimi.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. I can’t believe it’s already April. I could say that at the start of each month, but this year really is flying by. This past week I’ve been on a big Broadcast kick, specifically I’ve been listening to their 1997 album, Work and Non Work, a bunch. Broadcast is kinda just like a moodier Stereolab. Not quite as upbeat, and I feel like a lot of their songs have this sort of dreamlike, ethereal sound to them. The first song on this album, Accidentals, definitely fits that description. It’s like slowly dipping your feet in to test the waters. My favorite track on here by far, though, has to be the final one, Lights Out. It’s just so damn good and has been stuck in my head for the past week. So many cool things going on throughout this whole album. Definitely check this one out if you’ve never listened before.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. This past week I’ve been enjoying the Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery album The Dynamic Duo. A great pairing of guitar and organ. Nothing crazy going on here, but a solid listen all the way through. I always love a good instrumental album. The first track, Down By The Riverside, always kinda catches me off guard to start it off cause it’s 10 minutes long and I catch myself around the 7-minute mark being like, “oh shit, this is still the first song.” My favorite track on here would probably be 13 (Death March). It’s just got a really cool rhythm and vibe to it. There are some pretty funny notes on the inside of the jacket. For Jimmy Smith’s description, it reads, “An animal whose attack of his prey, the Hammond Organ, results in entire submission.” I just don’t know if those are the words I would use to describe his playing. It certainly might’ve grabbed someone’s attention back in the day. This record also doubles as a Christmas album if you need it to, cause they do a cover of Baby, It’s Cold Outside, which kinda seems to come out of left field for me. You can usually find this album for pretty cheap, so if you come across a good copy under $10, why not snag it?

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. We’ve been going through all the seasons at once here in North Carolina recently. I’m ready for the warmer weather to finally prevail. Anyways, I recently came across an album I was unfamiliar with by an artist I love, so I had to scoop it up when I saw it: Dawg Jazz / Dawg Grass by David Grisman. The cover initially caught my eye cause it’s a cool ass picture of a dog with sunglasses on in a jazz club. How could I pass that up? When I flipped it around to check out any info on the back, I was greeted with an equally cool photo of the same dog dressed like a cowboy sitting on a bale of hay, and it was then I realized this is kinda a two albums in one kinda deal. Jazz on one side, bluegrass on the other. David Grisman has kinda created his own unique sound, or “dawg music” as he puts it: bluegrass with lots of different elements mixed up into it, so I was curious about the jazz side. There’s lots of great players on here: Tony Rice, Jerry Douglass, Earl Scruggs, Stephane Grappelli… a real stacked roster. Any time Tony Rice is playing guitar on a record, you can sign me up. To be honest, the jazz side isn’t too much different from your regular Grisman album… definitely still bluegrass-y, but a little more straight lined. My favorite on this side would probably be the second track, Steppin’ With Stephane. I probably lean more towards the Dawg Grass side of this record, though, cause it’s just classic David Grisman Quartet firing on all cylinders. The track Swamp Dawg on this one is a really cool standout track to me as it’s a bit slower and has more of a laid-back tone to it. I also really like the second to last track Happy Birthday, Bill Monroe. The father of bluegrass definitely deserves his own birthday track. Overall, this is a pretty cool album, and I’m glad I randomly came across it. Always a happy surprise to discover something new from an artist you’re a fan of!

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a nice week. I have a quick little write-up this week of a cool record I found here in the store, Egypt Strut by Salah Ragab. I’m often flipping through our world section here at the store when I’m looking for something to play (we’ve got a solid selection right now) and this one caught my eye a couple weeks ago. Nothing crazy, but it’s got a solid groove throughout it. I also really like all the bongos and congas going on. The highlights for me on here would probably be Mervat and Neveen. Definitely check this one out if you aren’t already familiar.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is enjoying their final week of February. I can’t believe we’re already here. Anyway, I just have a quick highlight for this week. I’d seen copies of Pylon’s Chomp come through the store, and the cover always caught my eye for some reason. I don’t know if it’s the dinosaur, the colors, or the rigid top that looks like a dinosaur literally chomped the top off, but it always stuck out to me. For some reason, though, I never just threw it on to listen. A couple of weeks ago someone must’ve traded in a newer reissue and we had it pretty cheap, so I checked it out and I really dug it. I’m always a sucker for some good female vocals, and the album has an infectious groove throughout. Just a nice refresher, cause sometimes I get stuck listening to the same artists/types of music over and over again, so this was a good switch-up. My favorite tracks on here are probably Yo-Yo, Italian Movie Theme, and Gyrate. Also, they give a shout-out to a random Winston-Salem restaurant on the back cover, which is kinda cool. I’m sure most of you have listened to this album before, but if you haven’t, check it out!

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. We’re finally getting some warmer weather here, and that spring feeling is in the air. I’m welcoming it with open arms; I could use a break from the winter weather. Last week, I made the annual February pilgrimage to Asheville to catch four nights of Billy Strings. It was nice cause they split the shows up to have an off day in the middle. A show Tuesday and Wednesday night and then Thursday off, followed by two more shows on Friday and Saturday night. The break on Thursday night was a nice breather in the middle to keep things fresh. Over the four nights, 96 songs were played with no repeats. That’s what keeps me coming back; no two shows are ever the same and can feel totally different. Lots of originals played and some real choice covers spanning Jimi Hendrix, Doc Watson, Bob Dylan and more. Sydney and I were in agreement that Friday night was our favorite night of the run. The energy was off the charts and the long, psychedelic jams were flowing. My personal highlight from that night was the 22-minute ripping version of his original song Hide and Seek that blasted off into space and then came back down to earth before going into a cover of Ralph Stanley’s I Only Exist. Even with all the shows I’d been to, I’d never heard that one before in person and was happy to finally catch it. A somber song about feeling so down in the dumps you don’t even feel like you’re alive, merely just existing and going through the motions of life. I’m sure that’s a feeling most of us have felt at some point or another. I always love when they play some crazy, long-ass song that sends your mind to another dimension, but then grounds the plane with some good ‘ol fashioned bluegrass. It just feels right. The whole city of Asheville turns into a giant circus of people who came to see the shows, and everyone is in on it. Every restaurant you go to has special menu items, and every waiter is talking about how either they’re going to the shows themselves or someone they know is attending. The damn mayor even came out on stage the final night and gave Billy the key to the city cause they love him so much. Since 2021, he’s played 19 consecutive sold-out shows there, and she talked about what a huge impact he made when he played there last year after the hurricane, bringing a lot of business when the city needed it most. Asheville loves Billy and I think he feels the same way. I think he’ll be playing there for a long time and I plan to be in attendance every time. Thank you Asheville and the band for another wonderful week in the mountains!