MUSIC Four genre-breaking artists shine on new sets BY ROBERT KINSLER
Four noteworthy ensembles are breaking new ground across a wide range of genres, including jazz, the blues, soul and Americana.
Artist: GoGo Penguin Title: Man Made Object (Blue Note Records) You might like if you enjoy: Vince Guaraldi Trio, Robert Glasper Trio, Brian Eno Tell me more: Manchester, UK-based trio GoGo Penguin crafts soundscapes as lush and exciting as any young jazz troupe in memory. The groundbreaking trio (drummer Rob Turner, double bassist Nick Blacka and pianist Chris Illingworth) have truly created a new sound that draws from a wide range of seminal jazz artists (ranging from the Vince Guaraldi Trio to contemporary heroes Robert Glasper Trio); the three members of GoGo Penguin use a deep sense of composition, acoustic instrumentation, electronic touches (think Brian Eno and Moby) and melody to draw in listeners. GoGo Penguin’s latest album, “Man-Made Object,”
features 10 extraordinary instrumental selections. While the mesmerizing “Branches Break” and “”Surrender to Mountain” are the most accessible, tracks such as “Weird Cat,” “Quiet Mind” and the haunting pianoanchored ‘Gbfisysih’ also has an enormous power to evoke emotions. If you are bound for Coachella, make sure to catch GoGo Penguin at the festival on Saturday, April 23. Information: gogopenguin.co.uk/. Artist: 7Horse Title: Livin’ in a Bitch of a World (7Horse Music Ltd.) You might like if you enjoy: Moreland & Arbuckle, dada, 7Horse Tell me more: Bluesrock doesn’t get much more honest and stripped down than 7Horse. The duo (lead singer-drummer Phil Leavitt and guitarist-vocalist Joie Calio) backed by several other talented players perform songs that thrive on basic, straightforward riffs and deep grooves adorned with catchy choruses whose rich melodies
bring welcome layers to the material across the newlyreleased “Livin’ in a Bitch of a World.” The gritty ‘Two-Stroke Machine’ begins with a Rolling Stones-styled vibe bolstered by a soaring chorus, honest storytelling and wonderful blues-rock guitar riffs courtesy of Calio. Slide guitar fills the riveting “One Week” and Southwest blues of “Answer the Bell.” Elsewhere, the band’s hard-hitting and reworked take on the Bee Gees ‘Stayin’ Alive’ is truly an epic. “Livin’ in a Bitch of a World” cements the fact that 7Horse ranks with Moreland & Arbuckle as one of the contemporary blues-rock’s most mighty young voices. Information: 7HorseMusic.com. Artist: Riddle & The Stars Title: New Coastline (Riddle & The Stars) You might like if you enjoy: The Fallen Stars, the Jayhawks, Dawes Tell me more: An exceptional follow-up to their 2014 debut collaboration “This Is Happening,” the new album
from Riddle & The Stars titled “New Coastline” is truly a reason to celebrate the musicmaking union forged between Australian singer-songwriter Ben Riddle and Huntington Beach, California-based the Fallen Stars (husband-and-wife duo Bobbo and Tracy Barnes). All three singers are featured via memorable performances, with their blended voices providing an additional winning element across the disc (particularly on the beautiful Americana nugget “When We Ride”). Riddle brings a distinctive singer-songwriter touch to the proceedings, notably on the reflective folk rocker “Running Back to You” and yearning “Tracks.” Bobbo Barnes leads the collective through the rousing root’s rocker “I May Never Know” and an affecting take on the John Prine gem “Mexican Home.” Tracy Barnes sings the elegiac “Apples & Knives,” and the authentic countrystyled “Valentine’s Day.” Information: the fallenstars. com or riddleandthestars.com. Artist: The Bo-Keys
Title: Heartaches by the Number (Electraphonic Recording/Omnivore Recordings) You might like if you enjoy: St. Paul & the Broken Bones, James Hunter Six, Paul Rodgers’ “The Royal Sessions” Tell me more: The fusion of Memphis soul, classic country and R&B burns bright across the Bo-Keys’ new album “Heartaches by the Numbers” (set for release on April 29). Singer Percy Wiggins and company never sound less than incredible on the 10-song set, which finds the ensemble mixing marvelous originals with heartfelt interpretations of material popularized by the likes of Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Swamp Dogg and Ray Price. Perhaps the most impressive showcase of the Bo-Keys’ stunning hybrid is a version of Merle Haggard’s emotive “The Longer You Wait,” with the blend of country and soul offered up via an authentic and stirring performance of the tearjerker. Information: omnivorerecordings.co
One Billion Vegans - Banquet Dinner Event – Palm Desert By Desert Star Staff On Saturday June 11, 2016, 4pm-9pm, One Billion Vegans is proud to present to residents of Coachella Valley, a delicious evening, with five course gourmet Vegan dinner, banquet-style in a beautiful
country club setting, with live music, vendors, and more. The event will be held at the Woodhaven Country Club, 41-555 Woodhaven Road East, Palm Desert, California. The country club is 5 minutes from the 10 freeway off Washington
Avenue just before Hovley. The event is a fundraiser to support the launch of the OneBillionVegans.com Indiegogo crowd funding campaign to raise its first million dollars to develop a global social media website to
link health-conscious people from around the world. In the past few years, there has been an explosion of Vegan businesses and events. People around the world are beginning to recognize and learn about how to
adopt a plant-based lifestyle to attain a healthier life. Reserve your seat at the table by purchasing a $40 Guest Ticket at www. onebillionvegans.com/events. Phone is 760-383-2888.
By Desert Star Staff SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California has almost 50,000 oil wells and more than 4,100 gas wells – and a new report says federal law allows companies to use chemicals for drilling and fracking with virtually no health testing and then use confidentiality claims to hide basic information on what’s being injected. The report, by the nonprofit advocacy group the Partnership for Policy Integrity, reviewed
EPA records and found that health information was made public in only two of 99 cases. Dusty Horwitt, senior counsel with the Partnership for Policy Integrity, says the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act is too lax. “Companies can claim the chemicals’ name confidential, same thing with the expected production volume, how people might be exposed to the chemical,” he states. “And that prevents people from
identifying in some cases where the chemicals are used.” The EPA has expressed concern about many of these chemicals, saying exposure can cause skin and eye irritation and be toxic to the brain, liver and kidneys. Oil and gas companies say they comply with the law and are within their rights to claim proprietary information as confidential. Horwitt says the EPA tests don’t take into account the
possibilityof leaks or spills, and adds that researchers found that two of the chemicals of concern have been used in . “We think it’s important that someone from the state of California or an independent researcher go to these well sites and make sure that these chemicals aren’t migrating into groundwater or otherwise getting out into the environment where they can come into contact with people,” he states. Two bills are making
their way through Congress that improve the rules on confidentiality and make it easier for the EPA to request more health tests. But Horwitt notes that the bills still don’t require public disclosure of information about the chemicals or the health testing. California does have a fracking disclosure registry called FracFocus, but companies’ participation in it is voluntary.
Potentially Dangerous Fracking Chemicals Used in California
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DesertSTAR
April 20, 2016
www.desertstarweekly.com