Well I have a few gems for you this week.  I have a new metal band that I have been listening to for the past month (and should’ve told you about long before today). And an artist who was on a previous podast that has released a masterpiece of intimate and inspiring acoustic rock. Here ya go.

Deflagration “A Call To Arms” (Metal)

This stuff is damn heavy and breaks some new ground ta boot (I can’t quite pinpoint it but you’ll see what I mean). I’ve been listening before and during my workouts for over a month now and this stuff gets me really – and I mean REALLY – jacked up (which reminds me, try not to listen around your buddies that drink whiskey, unless you are looking to break up a fight).

Anyway, they kind of remind me of the band Pro-Pain (I think its the singing). Oh and don’t just take my word for it. I’ve shared their stuff with some of my live and bleed metal buddies and here are their comments;

Mark on Facebook – “Dude! I checked out Deflagration and it was awesome! Thanks!”

Bob on Facebook – “I like them. They sound different. I like the sound though. I might have to get the CD.”

My favorite tunes are “Split Wide” and “Color and Ash”. Bottom line, if you are a metal fan, you are gonna like these guys. These tunes will fit nicely in a playlist along side Slayer, Testament, Exodus, Metallica, Slipknot and many of the newer bands of that ilk. Check them out on MySpace or CDBaby.

Rob Anthony – “While the World Sleeps” (Acoustic Rock/Americana)

Speaking of metal, Rob Anthony is an ex-thrasher who has learned how to turn it up by turning it down. He has crafted a great acoustic album.

Even though I know it’s borderline heresy in the indie world, I’ve been listening a decent amount of top 40 rock, country and adult contemporary lately as part of my songwriting self-education. The stuff on this release could EASILY go toe to toe with almost anything on the pop charts. The top-notch songwriting is both timely and timeless.

His performance is very personal and very intimate. He will tap your psychy and bleed the emotion out of you on nearly every tune.  There is really no way to pick a few favorites because I love pretty much every tune on the disc. And for all of you cover tune nuts, you will want to check out his take on the DePeche Mode tune “Personal Jesus”.

Bottom line, if you haven’t heard him, you are missing out. Check him out on the official Rob Anthony Site or on CDBaby. Then tell everyone you know because he deserve to be heard. Oh and be on the lookout for an interview with Rob in the near future. We’ve been in contact and are trying to find some time in our schedules.

Today’s the day. We are finally gonna do it. You and I are going to tell the boss to take a freakin hike. We are gonna play hooky.

Yep, we are going to the beach or the bar or wherever and we are gonna have couple….and just chill!

Hold that thought, press play and check out my latest offering…
[audio:http://musicgoat.com/podcast/mmp027_bluemoonmellow.mp3]
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Spanning the globe to bring you music with no boundaries. Where the niche is not having the niche, I give you eight great songs by eight great artists.

Please your ears by pressing play now.
[audio:http://musicgoat.com/podcast/mmp024_betweenrock.mp3]
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NEW! Have a comment, request or review of your own that you would like played on the show? Call (206)202-7672 now and leave a message.
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Spring is here and summers on its way. If you are like me that means grillin and chillin. In this episode I’ve cooked up a music playlist that include a few ingredients perfect for this occasion – blues and beer.

And for a few ideas on what you can put on the grill, check out the BBQ tips over on my buddy James’ blog, DoubleDanger.

Anyway, get the brew flowin and your mojo goin. Press play now.
[audio:http://musicgoat.com/podcast/mmp020_fingerlickenblues.mp3]
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NEW! Have a comment, request or review of your own that you would like played on the show? Call (206)202-7672 now and leave a message.

Here are the songs heard on this podcast and links to each artists website;
Seth Walker – “Change My Way” (get it free on eMusic)
James Travis – “Goin Downtown Tonight”
Boo Boo Davis – “Tell Me What To Do” (get it free on eMusic)
Chris Juergensen – “Born To Love You (Live)” (get it free on eMusic)
Johnny Nicholas – “Sleeping with the Devil”
Guitar Jack and No Slack – “Angel of Mercy”
LA Big Daddys - “The Night Time”
Doug MacLoed – “Comin Your Brand New Day” ( get it free on eMusic)
Doug MacLoed – “What You Got Ain’t Necessarily What You Own” (get it free on eMusic)

Other links mentioned in the show:
New Glarus Brewing Company makers of Spotted Cow.
PodcastAnswerMan helps make this podcast sound better and better.
MudStone Music introduced me to James Travis.

Stop by my iTunes page, tell me what you think and subscribe now.

Most of these and a ton of other great artists can be found on the Pod Safe Music Network.

It is almost impossible to keep up with all of the review requests I get. Most of the time I just take a quick listen to see if there is anything I can use in my podcast. If it is really good, I will write something if I REALLY think it is worth it. But today I want to give you the chance to participate.

Starting with this post I to give you the opportunity to read and hear the music review requests I get from artists. I’ll call it the “You Music Review.”

Here’s how me can do it, Rather than me spending hours upon hours writing about why I like it and why you should, why don’t I let you play the roll of reviewer. I will post a portion of the review request on the blog, you can check it out and then – love it or hate it – put your comments below.

To make it interesting I will be posting requests from different genres. For those of you interested in doing a more full scale review I have a bunch of CD’s at home that I could send you to review.

Today I start with Read the rest of this entry

Do you have dreams? Better yet, do you have the balls to chase those dream? Well a guy Nick Daugherty did and I wanted pass his inspiring story on to you.

While listening to the Musicians Cooler podcast. I heard the host, Dave Jackson talk about this musician that decided it was time to become proactive in making his dream of getting a recording contract a reality. I had to investigate.

What I found was a year long journal of the trials and tribulations of aspiring musician Nick Daugherty. Nick decided, a little over a year ago, that he would begin seeking out a record deal and he gave himself a year to do it. This journal, found at Nick’s Journey, was a brilliant way for Nick to share his experiences with the world and, at the same time, keep himself accountable to his pursuit.

You can follow along with him as his proactive approach, belief in himself and an insatiable willingness to learn help all of the pieces for his dream fall into place. From the bits and pieces I’ve had the time to read, he was able to put together a band and assemble a network of trustworthy individuals to help him out.

Find out what he learned on his journey and whether or not he got his wish then be sure to check out his music.

The first song I checked out entitled “1000 Times Tonight” had me thinking “ladies… lookout!” I bet this song could melt just about any woman. Hell, under the right circumstances like a first date, anniversary, romantic surprise, etc you could really fan the flames with this tune. I just know there are love scenes everywhere just begging for a song like this.

Next up was “Can’t Say I Love You Anymore.” If you are going through a breakup, Nick offers up a remedy and some hope. I have been there myself, so trust me when I tell you it will ease your pain.

Finally, “Out Of My League” is as sincere as they come. A humble admission in the presence of complete admiration.

Overall, every song is offers up great lyrics, crisp acoustic guitar and haunting, heartfelt vocals! You’ll love his voice.

You can find these songs on Nick’s music page.

Whether you are a musician, music fan, entrepreneur or human being you will appreciate Nick Daugherty’s story. He is a musician who decided it was time to be proactive in the search for his dream. His story is inspiring and a great life lesson for us all. He reminds us all that dreams are not something that come looking for us but something we must actively seek out. Now go and see if he got that record deal.

Requests for music reviews are coming in fast and furious. In an attempt to keep up with all the goat-worthy requests, and give you a nice selection of new cuts to check out, I am going to offer up what I call nano reviews.

These teasers will give you just enough information to get you started along the path to new music discovery. Here are a few Indie music artists that are worthy of your consideration:

John Batdorf (self described – acoustic, folk rock) Veteran of the 70’s scene. I’m a sucker for good acoustic guitar and John Batdorf easily satisfies. Solid! Check out “Home Again” and the don’t even think about missing the 70’s epic joyride “Batdorf Rodney Silver.” Check him out on MySpace too.

Blip Blop (self described – Down-tempo, Jazz, Nu-Jazz)
Not really sure what to say, it all just sounds pretty damn cool. Must be heard to be appreciated. There are a few tunes on their MySpace page but you’ll find a larger, better sounding collection on their KamakazeMusic.com page .

John Mullane (self described – pop, rock, electro)
His sound takes me back to my youth by having a classic 80’s radio written all over it. If that is your genre, his song “Desire” is sure to please. For a healthy shot of inspiration make sure you listen to “Go the Distance.” We could all benefit from this type of mindset. Great message. Oh, and make sure you check out his cover of Tainted Love (the crunchy guitar is a nice touch). Go check out this Canadian rocker now.

Check them out and let them know the Musicgoat sent you.

If you have some tasty music you would like reviewed, use the contact form and I’ll tell you how.

If you like to read reviews and hear about new bands and artists then you are in luck. I am going to start doing at least one album review per week. I have been doing some advertising on a few other sites and I am pretty sure it will produce some content for me to review. Many bands and artists out there are looking for exposure and I want to give it to them if they are good.

To get the ball rolling, I am going to review a compilation. Besides being out for a few years now (and having the longest title in the title in my collection), this album and its tracks incorporate a lot of what Musicgoat music is all about. It almost doesn’t matter what your taste in music is with this cd. Metalheads, Indie, Acoustic and Blues fans alike will appreciate many of these cuts.

Let me start with the highlights. Cinderella really surprised me on “Shake Me.” I almost didn’t recognize it at first. They took a relatively straight forward rock song, slowed it down and painted on some cozy blues texture. The harmony’s, the riffs… yummy.

I was literally addicted to LA Guns acoustic version of “Sex Action.” The song is almost sleazier in acoustic. I like.

“Here I Go Again” is a great strummer and really highlights David Coverdale’s vintage 70’s howling-hard blues vocals.

With a guilty pleasure factor of 15 on a scale from 1 to 10 there is just something about Jani Lanes version of “Cherry Pie.” A tip for the guys; careful how loud you have this one up when the windows are down in your car. Trust me!

Not sure how I feel about “Rock You Like A Hurricane” by the Scorpions. The song has been brutally overplayed for years now but I guess it was nice to hear another version. It is alright but I’m not sure if the arrangement goes well with the theme. It doesn’t really rock like a hurricane, more like a very mild thunderstorm.

Everything else is pretty decent, except the following. Listen at your own risk.

I have always been a fan of Ratt but don’t even waste your time with this unrecognizable, disappointing and almost confusing version of “Round and Round.” What the hell?

Poisons Talk Dirty to me doesn’t do anything except beg for distortion. Nelson “Love and Affection”… no comment.

All labels aside, this CD has a little something for everyone. This was quite a surprise and an adventure for an old metalhead like myself. Check it out – VH1 Classic Presents: Metal Mania – Stripped, Vol. 2: The Anthems

P.S. Have something you want me to review? No problem! Just fill out the info using my Contact page and let me know what it is. I will see what I can do.

You and I will never look at guitar the same again. In the videos below a man named Andy McKee raises the bar for guitarists everywhere. To call him a master would be an understatement. See for yourself…I’m going to figure where I can download a couple tunes or order a CD.

Isn’t he awesome?

Better yet there is a lot more. He has a ton of stuff on YouTube and all of it is beautifully addictive. You can need to visit the official Andy McKee website to find out more about this guy and his gift.

From time to time I am going to offer up some music that makes me, for one reason or another, all bubbly inside. I will call these periodical offerings the True Goat Music series.

Basically, I just wanted to do my part to help you feed your music player with a steady toe-tapping, groove healthy diet. Also, staying true to the Musicgoat mantra, I will be recommending old and new music from genres and styles all over the map.

Here you go…over the last month or so these are a few artists that have made my spring in Minnesota the beez kneez. Read below and see if you anything fits.

Donovan Frankenreiter – Move By Yourself – I saw a write up on him on iTunes last spring and I remembered his name from when I saw him open for Jack Johnson on the “On and On” tour. I picked this album up and it didn’t leave my cd player for at least a month.

Outside of his original acoustic sound he has a serious 70’s style groove going on all over this this album. When listening to this album you get the feeling that Donovan is a pretty laid back guy, someone who is taking life in stride by stride. He will translates that feeling to you flawlessly since many of the songs are perfect 10’s on the infectious scale. With the grooves and attitude gushing out of Donavan you can’t help but get the feeling that he doesn’t have any problem getting laid.

Favorite song is Fool. Straight blues baby. This album is best served with a lot of sunshine and a hacky sac (cocktails optional).

Matisyahu – Live At Stubbs – If you like your music with a bit of reggae, a dash of hip hop, and spiritual overtones for some unlikely inspiration, than you will dig this.

Check out “Chop ‘em Down” and be careful, this song is sticky. My 4 year old song was walking around the house for days humming this. Note to beatbox fans everywhere, you have to check out his song entitled “Beatbox.” The things the guy can do with a mouth and mic.

Coolest part about this album you get it as a free music download, right now, at a site called eMusic
. Serve with good friends and a nice relaxed outdoor setting.

Van Halen – Fair Warning – I don’t mention them because they are back in the news but because they are just damn good. The album you never hear about flat out rocks from start to finish.

You might have to be a guitar player to truly appreciate some of what I think is Eddies best work, if not take my word for it. Meanstreet and Hear About it Later both rule. Unchained and So This is Love will put you in the mood to party. If your not cruising around in your car on a sunny day serve with cold beer, some buddies and and some good looking women.

That does it for this addition of True Goat Music. Grab some new music from the artist above and put them into heavy summer rotation. You won’t regret it.