Lamar Smith, the chief sponsor of SOPA, said on Friday that he is pulling the bill “until there is wider agreement on a solution.”
“I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy,” Smith (R-Texas) said. “It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products.”
DON’T STOP NOW, THE SENATE RETURNS ON MONDAY, JANUARY 23rd TO VOTE ON PIPA.
CALL THE SENATE SWITCHBOARD TO CONTINUE THE PROTEST UP UNTIL THEY VOTE . . . 202-224-3121.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE DATA AND SCREEN SHOTS OF ALL THE PROTESTS.
Director, Christopher Kelley, has licensed “Little Cisco” for, Double Back, a film short that uniquely contrasts a new romantic relationship, with a destructive relationship. The ending reminds viewers to always expect the unexpected. Double Back is the latest release by Kelley’s, Table Sixteen Productions.
Double Back premiered December 16, 2011 at Birmingham, Alabama’s Sidewalk Moving Pictures Film Festival. Sidewalk festival entries are screened at nine venues located within Birmingham’s historic Theatre District, including the newly restored Albama Theatre, a 2,200 seat movie palace built by Paramount in 1927.
“Little Cisco” was written, performed and produced by Rick Shaffer and Bruce Cohen, and is track #2 on The Reds® album, Fugitives From The Laughing House.
John Lawrence, has licensed “Dark As Night” for his feature film debut, Peloton. Lawrence wrote and directed Peloton, the story of a man finding his way back into his life, by redeeming himself via cycling. Before directing Peloton, John was a supporting actor in 127 Hours, holds a BA from Georgetown University, and an MD from the University of Utah. He is currently working on several scripts, a television pilot, and a book.
Peloton was the Official Selection of the 2011, Heartland Film Festival, Napa Valley Film Festival, and the Lucerne International Film Festival. To learn more about film click on . . . VIEW TRAILER . . . and CAST.
“Dark As Night” was written, performed and produced by Rick Shaffer and Bruce Cohen, and is track #8 on The Reds® album, Fugitives From The Laughing House.
Tarock Music was happy to have Skope Magazine’s STOLI check-in with Bruce Cohen about his latest album, Two BC, so take a break from your busy day to read their conversation below.
STOLI & BRUCE COHEN TAKE IT BACK TO ‘TWO BC’
My guest today is well known as one half of the famous band, The Reds®. Well as we are going to see today there is a lot more to Bruce Cohen. Bruce was gracious enough to take time away from a beautiful day in Miami, FL to talk all about his new album, ‘Two BC.’ It has been about two years since Bruce released the first edition ‘One BC.’ I am thrilled to talk with an authentic musician who has no choice but to do music. Bruce Cohen talks about the new album, The Reds®, juggling various bands/projects, and so much more!
Stoli: Where are we talking from today, and will you miss summertime now that fall is here?
Bruce Cohen: Right now I live in Miami, Florida, where there are no seasons. Maybe, around November/December, it will get down to a bone chilling 70 degrees. Love it!
Stoli: Would you say the cold or warm weather effects your ambition to write music, or does it not matter?
BC: Miami is always warm, so it really doesn’t matter.
Stoli: This is your second edition of ‘Two BC.’ How did you know this was the right time for the album, and how long have you been writing songs for this album?
BC: I’m always writing and recording ideas or songs. One BC was released a couple of years ago and it felt like a new edition was in order. So I went through my library of songs I’ve recorded over the years, and with my manager, Theresa (Marchione), came up with the final songs for Two BC.
Stoli: What differences is there between ‘One BC’ and ‘Two BC’?
BC: One BC was really an experiment to see what I could do with an all instrumental album. With Two BC everything came faster to me, and was easier to record, I guess because of One BC Two is a little harder and bigger sounding, more spacial, and can get your feet moving at the same time. It really expanded from what I did on One and took it even further. I even got into some heavy Dub with the song “In Limbo,” and fooled around with some “treated guitar” sounds on “Thumpalina” and “You Think.” And, I have a lot more percussion on the track “Puzzle Piece.” Two BC is definitely a progression from One BC.
Stoli: Did Rick Shaffer from The Reds® contribute at all to this new album, and did you miss his input and guitar skills?
BC: Well the whole concept was to make an instrumental album without any guitars, just all keyboards along with bass and drums. Rick would listen to the final versions and give pointers production wise, like suggesting making the bass deeper, or keyboard louder.
Stoli: You are world renowned for your skills on the keyboard. At what age did you learn to play, and what brand equipment do you use?
BC: Thanks for that compliment. When I was seven, out of the clear blue sky, I told my parents I wanted to play the accordion. Don’t ask why, I just did. Then when I was about fourteen, I heard Gimme Some Lovin’ by Spencer Davis and knew I had to switch to organ. The sound that Winwood got out of that Hammond organ changed everything for me. The next time I felt like that was when I heard Eno on the first Roxy Music album. So I combine the two sounds that influenced me the most. I play mainly a Hammond XK-1, along with a old 05R/W Korg module, plus a mess of VST plug-ins which include mellotron’s, Farfisa and Vox organs, and synths galore.
Stoli: I love your song “Martian River.” What is the meaning and inspiration behind that tune?
BC: That’s one of my favorites on the album. When I write I always think of a movie, be it real or imaginary. I saw on the news that scientists think they may have discovered a lake or river on Mars. Well that got me thinking. What if some Astronauts were on Mars and were sailing down that river. Then I thought of “Apocalypse, Now!” and how Kurtz was at the end of the river, but this time on Mars. So it became, Apocalypse, Mars!.
Stoli: Through Tarock Music you are truly in charge of your own musical destiny. How important is it that you control your music, and everything from production, distribution, and marketing?
BC: The only control I like having is the writing and recording of the projects. Once it’s all done and I’m happy with the results it doesn’t matter to me what happens next. If someone decides they want to use a track in a film or TV show, once they license it, you have no control of what they do with it. You do have the control though to say yes, or no, to a project. So that’s cool. As far as marketing, distribution, and promotion that’s all in the trusting hands of Theresa.
Stoli: You have The Reds®, Big Fun 3, and your solo work. How do you balance everything, and could you see yourself doing anything besides music?
BC: It’s too late for me to do anything besides music. Ha! It’s actually a lot easier than it sounds to balance everything. The Reds® is mainly a recording project now, and it could be years between albums. Big Fun 3 never rehearses, we just show up at the gig and play. Total improvisation. Even the first album was total improv on the spot, not rehearsed. On my solo projects I work at home on a computer, then when it’s all ready, I go into the studio. I can take as much time as I want on the solo stuff. So it all works out.
Stoli: As a big Reds fan, can I ask if and when a new album or single will be out?
BC: When Rick and I feel it’s time we’ll do a new Reds album. Meanwhile we both put out solo albums for now, but I’m sure we’ll get the itch to record together again. When? Who knows? What you should do in the meantime, if you can, play Rick’s solo CD’s and my solo CD’s together at the same time and there you go, a Reds album. Hey maybe someone can do a Danger Mouse, and mix the music from both CD’s into one crazy CD. Hmmmm . . . are you listening Danger Mouse?
Stoli: What is coming up for Bruce Cohen and where can we find you online?
BC: A new Big Fun 3 CD will be coming out in the near future comprised of live concert performances, and to find BF3 on-line go to reverbnation.com/bigfun3, or ropeadope.com. For anything related to The Reds®, Rick Shaffer, and Bruce Cohen, go to TarockMusic.com. Thanks for a great interview, Stoli.
. . . . and we listened.
The Stronger Silence and Fatal Slide albums, by The Reds®, are now available on CD Baby to buy 89¢ mp3′s, or get one song free when you buy an entire album. Or, purchase on iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, eMusic, or MOG. To buy now, click on the album’s title . . . . STRONGER SILENCE . . . . FATAL SLIDE
Tarock Music has released Two BC, a new solo album by Bruce Cohen. The album is the second installment of instrumental tracks by The Reds® innovative keyboard player.
Two BC takes over where One BC left off, expanding on themes first explored, yet more experimental, and danceable. From spacial, lush, ambient soundscapes, to metal, space funk − every track gets the special Bruce Cohen treatment.
To read the Two BC liner notes, and listen to the album’s third track, Funky Gojira, click HERE
Johnny Lee Hooker once said: “The Blues had a child and that child was Rock N’ Roll.” And it is no secret that the success that British Invasion era bands enjoyed stateside was due in large part to their obsession with the Blues. The Yardbirds did it. The Rolling Stones did it. Zeppelin even did it. The melding of period British pop with Blues not only created an appeal to American fans, but it gave birth to a sound that seemed almost obvious and appropriate. But the trend of lacing Rock and Blues continues even today . . . John Spencer is doing it. The Black Keys are doing it and The White Stripes is nothing more than deconstructed Blues. But the front-running torchbearer of the 60s garage Rock and Blues amalgam has to be former Reds guitarist Rick Shaffer. When I spoke to Rick, the interview was one part Q&A, another part music history lesson on the benefits of “vintage,” why he obsesses over the Blues and the merits of making albums the old-fashioned way.
“I think for me there is just a purity to those records and their production style,” Rick said of his Blues influences. “I think a lot of newer acts that I see everything is so thought out it and there isn’t any reckless abandon to it. I just think the old production style of the Sun Records and Excello stuff that I like, the music just holds up and there’s a lot to it in both the performance and the production.”
The foundation of Rick’s commitment to vintage began in his teens at shows the likes of Muddy Waters and Magic Sam. “Getting in to these places to see these guys, and the fact that they were accessible,” he said. “You know, you could go up and talk with them and ask them stuff, they were just larger than life to me. They always had great outfits and great suits and they were just really dynamic performers. The way they did their shows and the set pace everything just kept moving and it had this sense of urgency to it.”
And it is that “sense of urgency” that Rick has successfully brought from ago to current. When asked if he worried whether his sound would translate to the contemporary, he eschewed the notion saying: “I stopped caring about that stuff. Even with The Reds stuff, we never really worried about what people thought about it. We didn’t ‘follow the program’ and try to produce hits. All this stuff is all subjective. I mean you take somebody like The Black Keys, what are they doing? Today people seem to think it’s phenomenal and I think their very good at what they do and I like the way they present their music. But that’s neither here nor there to me.”
So whether it translates or not, Rick’s focus is bringing the song in his head to his records in a manner of fair representation which has led him to take the reins of every facet of the record making process. And the process that he feels presents his songs best is in the same vein that the vintage records he admires were made. “Having done it both ways, I just prefer this,” he said. “And I prefer producing the stuff myself because I know the sound I have in my head that I want that I don’t have to translate to a producer or an engineer.”
The latest fruits of Rick’s labors lie with Hidden Charms, the follow-up to last year’s release Necessary Illusion. Being much in the vein of its predecessor, Charms boasts another 10-track full length of Rick’s guitar magic—prototypical 60s garage fuzz, Blues riff work and the raw and organic ethos that has become synonymous with his sound. “From a production standpoint what I wanted to do was a harder sounding record and try to better some of the things I did on Necessary Illusion,” Rick said. “Things like the songwriting, the production and the style part of it . . . I really wanted to bring more of the garage element, like the fuzz, to it but also keep the groove part of it.”
The focus on the garage aspect comes through with prominence on tracks like album opener “No Big Thing.” The distorted fuzz serves as a constant backbone over bent-note Blues fills while Rick channels early Jagger in the vocal delivery. Tambourine and shakers serve as the minimal percussion section and in his signature style; the entire track is stripped down to the barest of elements allowing all the facets to shine with equal merit. “Nobody Home” continues the fuzz, which sits just below the vocals in a constant distorted growl. The track also illustrates another of Rick’s signature elements—dual guitar interplay. The drone and finger picking mingle back and forth with the fuzz almost serving as a second time-keeping bass line with intermittent blasts of Blues lead. “Cruel World” boasts slick slide work and bent-note riff work that almost sounds at times like pedal steel. The midpoint slide solo is simply dirty. “Gonna Shout” is arguably the height of the fuzz from the opening notes straight through. There is nary one “clean” note to be found on the track and by its end the guitar sounds to be begging for mercy. Rounding out Charms is the down tempo trudge of “The Stranger.” Again, Rick sings in the range of a young Jagger as the track plods along over the Blues-laden guitar work. The midpoint guitar solo wails and continues through in occasional fills through the last verse on to the outro.
Once again, Rick has offered up another installment of his Blues/garage melding that shines with raw, gritty, organic power. It is borderline overwhelming the vast amount of soundscapes he is able to produce with a simple stripped-down rig and a head full of fuzz melodies and Blues sentimentality. But Rick is simply playing to his strengths, building on what he has down, all the while continuing to give that nod to those that came before him. But more so than anything, it’s his work ethic that shines the most. “I’m working all the time,” he said. “I’ve got material, I’ve got ideas, I want to do stuff.”
So again, Rick Shaffer has the Blues . . . and if this genre of music even remotely appeals to you, you’d do well to go out and get them yourself.
● Chris West ● Skope Magazine
Following up his debut solo album from last year called, ‘Necessary Illusion,’ Rick Shaffer reveals to you ‘Hidden Charms’. This multidimensional artist not only played the role of singer, guitarist, bassist and percussionist, but also wrote and produced the entire record. Additional members backed up Shaffer wonderfully to help ‘Hidden Charms’ become discovered gems.
Rick has plenty of experience playing with his band The Reds, but now looks to make a mark as a solo act. The 10 tracks on this CD would indicate that Shaffer has stolen the spotlight. Listening to this disc felt like I was literally taking a trip back in time to when the hair was long and the mood was far out. Rick Shaffer exhibits a style and feeling that screams 60s rock ‘n’ roll all the way. Rick is rolling together some rock and blues that will leave you feeling completely satisfied. I couldn’t help but notice a strong Rolling Stones/Mick Jagger-type vibe coming forth that focused on those early bluesy rock days. The Stones feel was heavy and the Jagger-isms were highly evident which was very cool to hear but you have to be careful to not mimic too closely. I gotta hear a Rolling Stones cover now after experiencing Rick Shaffer’s musical display so go for it!
I really love the fact that Shaffer is not afraid to play outside the box and has no room for mindless 2011 and beyond pop tart songs. People in the world will always move forward but Rick Shaffer and his music will instantly take you back to a different era. It almost seems like Rick was searching for just the right mojo for this project and man did he find it– “YEAHH BABY!” (Austin Powers aka Mike Myers).
Vocally and musically, Shaffer exhibited a very raw approach that was stripped down to the bone. Early garage band appeal at its finest as Shaffer and company brought the goods! Plenty of hip tambourine playing and distorted guitar chords made for one groovin’ listening experience. ‘Hidden Charms’ is lost no more and I can’t wait to see what Rick Shaffer pulls out of his magical mystery bag next!
• Jimmy Rae • SKOPE • jrae@skopemag.com
• Rating: 4 (OUT OF 5)
This far too short review will not do the record justice. Old school Philly guy (also in The Reds®) who offers up his 2nd solo record with some nice down home rock, where that spot between blues and rockabilly meets up. My pick to click is the slow, murky “Buy And Sell.”
• Handsome Don • Daggerzine
Channeling Elvis, Link Wray, Flat Duo Jets. One man studio band with a little help, “old school” proving that the recipe still can work. Big guitar and vocals, sounds like its gonna be tradi-rock but then psyche and garbage can weirdness appears. Great stuff. Play with new Crystal Stilts, Doo Rag, all things John Spencer (e.g. Boss Hog, etc), Tav Falco and the Panther Burns, Detroit Cobras, White Stripes.
1. NO BIG THING – swampy, bouncy hip shaking (BEST TRACK?).
2. BUY AND SELL – slower jangle with tambourine.
3. SHADOW LINE – chorus effect on guitar gives this a strange 80’s new wave meets garage feel.
4. NOBODY HOME – swamp blues rhythm and mean tone, nice.
5. CRIME OF LOVE – tambourine, very Stones’y.
6. CRUEL WORLD – bluesy and soulful, slide guitar takes the spotlight.
7. BREAKIN’ DOWN – darker, fuzzier, cool guitar embellishments (BEST TRACK?).
8. GONNA SHOUT – upbeat and the fuzziness ramps up a notch, yeah!
9. THIGHT LIKE THAT – swampy smarmy blues, what Aerosmith dreams of in the old folks home.
10. THE STRANGER – slow epic bad assed blues swing, takes no prisoners.
KZSU • Stanford Radio 90.1 FM • ZOOKEEPER
Your Imaginary Friend • Reviewed 2011-05-01
Rick Shaffer’s sophomore solo record, Hidden Charms, is a gritty, fuzzy, and dusty blues-rock album that is perfect for long car rides and smoky bars. It starts abruptly, almost as if we missed the first few seconds of the first song, entitled “No Big Thing.” However, in a form-matching-content sense, that’s not a big deal, not a big thing. And that is because the album nonchalantly moves into the second track, “Buy And Sell,” which is by far my favorite song on the album, perhaps because it is the most memorable. Initially, I get the sensation that the track is a downer song, based off the tone of the melody over the first 45 seconds of the song; then all of the sudden, it starts to lift up, and so does the feeling it gives off to the listener. In songs in general, I appreciate the sour and the sweet, the dark and the light, and this track melds those oppositions into a catchy, groovy tune.
It is no wonder to me that Shaffer has experience writing songs for films. I didn’t need to know that he had penned a few songs for a couple of Michael Mann films, and songs for other movies back when he and Bruce Cohen were together in a group called The Reds™ — because this album feels like the soundtrack to a film yet to be written. Each track seems to fit a different scene. Track three, “Shadow Line,” could be either the opening shot’s song, when the plot is being set up right from the get-go, or it could be the credit music, foreshadowing the sequel. (Incidentally, this is also the song where the title of the record is born, with some of the few lyrics I can without-a-doubt make out.)
“Cruel World,” track six, could suit the flirty love scene, where the main character and his love interest meet for the first time — perhaps on a dance floor? And, though this may sound obvious, the final track of the album, “The Stranger,” could be the theme song for the villain of the film. I’m envisioning Jim Jarmusch directing this would-be film, whereby the essence of Shaffer’s songs match Jarmusch’s storytelling style, both give off a real time or real life feel as we listen to or watch the various adventures of a rebel or loner protagonist.
Shaffer’s voice is unique, possessing a cool-guy drawl. Fortunately or unfortunately, the lyrics are a little muffled, as previously indicated, but most of the time that only adds to the intrigue. Track eight, “Gonna Shout,” incorporates some background male vocals that fit remarkably well for being quite simple. I could envision this being a single for the album, like with “Buy And Sell.” Shaffer’s guitar playing predicates itself on various levels of distortion, all dependent on the feeling of the particular track; but there is a constant presence of slow fuzz throughout the album giving it a laid-back allure.
• JESSE C. DIENNER • REDEFINE MAGAZINE
There are some folks who claim that straight-up no-bullshit meat and potatoes old-time rock’n’roll racket is plumb dead. Well, both I, and more importantly, Rick Shaffer certainly know different. Shaffer’s smooth snarl hisses out the unpretentious lyrics with admirable just-say-it-man directness. Better still, the hard-as-granite drums, chugging bass lines, and rippin’ reverb-soaked guitars keep the snaky tempos and slithery beats a crawlin’ along with tremendous grit and gusto. It’s a little bit 50’s rockabilly, a dab of 60’s soul, with some lowdown blues tossed in for good measure and blended together with bang-on proficient musicianship. Think the bastard lovechild of Buddy Holly, Link Wray, and Mick Jagger, and you’ll get the picture on just how insanely boss this shit is. So, dig in, open wide, and eat it up, boppers, ‘cause good ol’ fashioned rock is here to stay, baby!
• Joe Wawrzyniak • THE WORLD ACCORDING TO WAWRZYNIAK
It’s been the kind of week when things kept popping up from the past. With that trend being set, it was little surprise to find that Rick Shaffer had a past as the guitarist with The Reds dating all the way back to the eighties. Further research also indicated that this is, in fact, his second solo album.
What therefore of the music? It’s a curious thing and that’s the truth. Not that it is oddball or just plain difficult, more that it seems like Mr. Shaffer has decided to take the one man band approach for, while there are additional musicians credited, he clearly prefers to be the ringmaster in his own circus. Though the sonic appeal of this approach does wane over the course of the album, it is nonetheless also true that his post punk American style songs seem suited to this direct, slap you in the face approach with “Nobody Home,” and “Crime Of Love” for that matter, getting near to the howling intensity of a real bluesman while “Crime Of Love” snarls up a refreshing amount of anger management issues.
It is refreshing to hear an album that hasn’t been polished to mediocrity like so many these days and, with that in mind, I am now overcome with the urge to draw a musical parallel and say that Rick Shaffer sounds like Seasick Steve would sound if he had been imprisoned in a big city basement with only a guitar and a case of Jack Daniels for company. Rough and ready – that’s the way to go!
Bluesbunny • Independent music reviews from Glasgow, UK
“Buy And Sell” is the second track on Rick Shaffer’s solo album, Hidden Charms, released February 2011, by Tarock Music. Shaffer continues, expands, and nicely follows-up the feel of his first solo album, Necessary Illusion, released March of 2010. The concept is for Hidden Charms to have a sound both new and old simultaneously, allowing it to find it’s place in a radio mix from1965, and beyond.
The album’s vibe inspired British director, Peter McAdam, to recruit 2011 youth right off the street, and placing them on the set of a 1960’s dance hall he created at High Bridge Studios, Newcastle UK, and letting “Buy and Sell” play . . . LOUD. The result is a video that also combines new and old, continuing the Hidden Charms concept by having today’s youth easily blend into the 1960’s and not looking, or feeling, out of place.
In “Hidden Charms” Rick Shaffer follows the path that he took with his first album, “Necessary Illusion,” released in 2010. The record contains ten tracks that represent a 1960’s mood and vibe.
What catches attention is a hypnotic beat of percussion, really powerful fuzz-toned guitar, and numerous solos delivered by Shaffer that can be heard in every track. When you add his vocal, changing from bluesy and soulful, to rock and roll strong, it makes a good, and worth noticing, album.
Tracks like “No Big Thing” with a powerful guitar solo and tambourine jingle, “Shadow Line,” “Crime Of Love,” or “The Stranger” with a rocker thick atmosphere, strongly prove that “Hidden Charms” includes songs that could definitely satisfy every listener with an appetite for ’60’s music.
“Buy And Sell” is the piece especially worth mentioning, since it’s catchiness and guitar hook, with a strong and rhythmic vocal, gets stuck in your head.
You can feel the groove of these times, and enjoy rock, blues, and soul music mixed together in one album.
• Barb Adamczyk-Mitka • ROCK ON! MAGAZINE
“Shaffer’s fuzzy blues guitar drives each track commendably along the way”. . . . to read Kevin Kozel’s entire Muzik Review, of Rick Shaffer’s album, “Hidden Charms,” click HERE.
Rick Shaffer’s second solo venture, “Hidden Charms,” was released by Tarock Music on February 11th. The new album continues, expands, and nicely follows-up the feel of his first solo outing, “Necessary Illusion.” To read more about the songs on the album, and to listen to the first track, click on . . .
NO BIG THING.”
Modirn Records has just released another of their popular samplers entitled, Modirn Music Sampler IV. The album contains the song “Lost Forever,” written by Rick Shaffer and Bruce Cohen, and licensed from Tarock Music.
The album can be purchased on CD BABY, and most other popular music sites.
