Rock Torch

Mojo Nixon carries a torch for The Blind Boys of Mississippi

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Mojo NIxon and The Blind Boys of Mississippi

Mojo NIxon and The Blind Boys of Mississippi

Mojo Nixon’s recommendation:
“Blind boys of Mississippi
The 5 Blind Boys of Mississippi
The Original 5 Blind Boys of Mississippi

Many names – all greatness
Anything recorded before the death of archie brownlee is fan fucking tastic [1960]
Gospel hard rock, the foundation of soul
The true sound of American ecstasy and pain
Do not confuse with sightless bamalamians
This will lead you to the Rev RH Harris and the Soul Stirrers and a cat named Cooke”

New to The Blind Boys of Mississippi? Mojo Nixon recommends you start here:

* Great Lost Blind Boys Album

* Five Blind Boys of Mississippi (24bt)

Mojo’s song picks: ‘I’m a Soldier’ – ‘I’m a Rolling’ – ‘I Never Heard a Man;

Mojo NixonAbout the guest author, Mojo Nixon: Mojo has been making ‘psychobilly‘ records since 1985 and released a new album as recently as 2009. His songs are wound tightly with cutting commentary and driving guitar/bass/drum arrangements. Titles like ‘Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child’ (video below, starring Winona Ryder!) and ‘Don Henley Must Die’ (Henly actually surprised Nixon by joining him on the song in Austin) demonstrate Nixon’s flair for ripping into pop culture. Nixon currently hosts three Sirius radio shows: Outlaw Country (63 Sirius/12 XM) from 4-8 PM ET, Lyin’ Cocksuckers Thursdays at 8 PM ET, channel 104 Sirius/150 XM and a NASCAR show Mondays frm 10 PM -12 AM ET on 128 Sirius and XM. More on Mojo here.


Mark Sasso of Elliott BROOD carries a torch for The Jayhawks

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Mark Sasso of Elliot Brood and The Jayhawks

Mark Sasso and The Jayhawks

Mark Sasso’s recommendation: “A slew of bands flood into my head when I think about which band or artist have had a profound influence on me. They can range anywhere from Neil Young to Simon and Garfunkel, The Rolling Stones and The Band to present day groups like Grant Lee Buffalo, Richard Buckner, The Weakerthans, Wilco and lately Blitzen Trapper, Damien Jurado and the Avett Brothers. But one band that I feel inspired me early in my teenage years and never really seemed to get the acclaim or main stream attention they rightly deserved was The Jayhawks. The band excelled at great song writing and are one of my all time favorites. They were at their best with the song writing duo of Gary Louris and Mark Olson. Olson and Louris had a way of allowing their charm and brilliance to bleed right into their songs. Their distinctive singing style is a trademark all their own, that coupled with their soulful melodies is pure gold.”

New to The Jayhawks? Mark recommends you start here: “On Tomorrow Green Grass, their second album with American Records (their fourth studio album). This collection of songs blew me away from the first listen. I spent one summer devouring it daily and petty soon that tuned into a year. Its that special type of album that grows older with you. Still one of my all time favorites and definitely worth the listen. Best enjoyed on sunny afternoons lounging by the beach or during a car ride to the cottage and finally sitting by the campfire at the end of the day.”

Mark’s track picks are:
“Blue”
“Over my shoulder”
“See him on the Street””

Mark SassoAbout the guest author, Mark Sasso: Sasso is the lead singer and guitarist for the alt-country/traditional outfit, Elliot BROOD (explanation of the band name here). The band’s 2005 release, Ambassador was nominated for a Juno award and their high energy show helped them secure gigs alongside the likes of Wilco and Calexico. Their 2008 release, Mountain Meadows was also nominated for 2 Juno awards was and short listed for the 2009 Polaris Prize. Canada and Europe…be sure to check their upcoming tour dates on the official Elliott BROOD website.

Nick Hornby carries a torch for Marah

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Nick Hornby and Marah members David Bielanko and Christine Smith

Nick Hornby and Marah

Editor’s note: Yeah, we know…Nick Hornby, the acclaimed author of High Fidelity and About A Boy, is not a musician…so why is he quoted here on Rocktorch.com? Well, we’re making an exception, dammit, because there’s a new Marah record coming out on June 22 that you can order now and the band is currently on tour, so let’s celebrate the band by looking back at one one of the most passionate endorsements of a band that you’ll ever read:

“…what I love about {Marah} is that I can hear everything I ever loved about rock music in their recordings and in their live shows. Indeed, in the shows you can often hear their love for the rock canon uninflected — they play covers of the Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait,” or the Jam’s “In the City,” and they usually end with a riffed-up version of the O’Jays’ “Love Train.” They play an original called “The Catfisherman” with a great big Bo Diddley beat, and they quote the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” and the Who’s “Magic Bus.” And they do this not because they’re a bar band and people expect cover versions, but because they are unafraid of showing where their music comes from, and unafraid of the comparisons that will ensue…”

–Nick Hornby for the New York Times (2004), full article here

MP3: Valley Farm Song by Marah from their new album, Life Is A Problem

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