July 22, 2014 Recap

With so much happening in the world of music and the world of Ragin' Randy yesterday, I figured a nice recap was in order. First, I had my first article published on Live For Live Music yesterday, a review of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' upcoming album Hypnotic Eye.

Album Review: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Hypnotic Eye (July 29, 2014) - Live For Live Music

Next, my review of The McLovins' show at Newby's on July 15, 2014 was published on Live Music Daily.

Concert Review: The McLovins - Newby's, Memphis, TN (July 15, 2014) - Live Music Daily

Links to both of these reviews, as well as all of my past reviews, will be held in the Album Reviews and Concert Reviews tabs of this site.

We were also lucky enough to have several tour date and festival lineup announcement yesterday. The big Fall Tour announcements came from Phish, Papadosio, Lettuce w/Exmag and Late Night Radio (special guests for some shows include Gramatik and Soulive) and Beats Antique w/Shpongle, Emancipator and Lafa Taylor, while the final festival lineup announcement for moe.down 15 was announced as well. These lineups are presented below. There is still plenty more to come from Ragin' Randy in the upcoming months, so please stay tuned, and thank you for your support!

             

Beats Antique Announces Creature Carnival Tour

Another big tour announcement this week, as bass music duo Beats Antique announces a round of tour dates with Shpongle, Emancipator and Lafa Taylor for the Creature Carnival Tour! Might be worth a mid-week trip to Nashville for this one! The dates are listed below, and you can find more information on the tour here.

moe.down 15 Final Lineup Announced

Jamband veterans moe. have finalized the lineup for their annual moe.down, now in its 15th installment. With a couple surprises in the headliners, such as O.A.R. and Gogol Bordello, the lineup is solidified with Lotus, Les Claypool's Duo de Twang, up-and-comers Twiddle and The Werks, and moe. side project Floodwood.

Concert Preview: The McLovins at Newby's, Memphis, TN (Tues. July 15, 2014)

Getting geared up for my first of three shows this week, let's take a look at tonight's band, The McLovins. Hot off of the release of their new album Beautiful Lights, released January 21, 2014, the band has already crossed the Northeast and Midwest regions this summer, and has just completed four nights in Colorado. Describing themselves as Improv Rock, the band covers a wide variety of moods and timbres on their latest project. From bass heavy dance tunes like the opening track, "Flavor of the Week," to funky, laid back tunes such as "Man in a Blue Coat" and slow tracks like "Yankee Rose," there is definitely something for everyone on the album. The McLovins have been slowly working their way up the live music totem pole ever since the band's inception in 2008. The band now has three full length albums under their belt, along with a couple of EPs and many miles of touring. Look for my review of the show on Live Music Daily and check out Beautiful Lights by The McLovins below!

Photo Gallery: The Black Cadillacs - Levitt Shell, Memphis, TN (07/06/14)

The Black Cadillacs returned to Memphis on Sunday July 6 as part of the Levitt Shell's Free Concert Series, and what a show it was! All Tennessee natives, these guys just keep getting better. Below is my full set of photos from the evening.

Welcome

Hello Music Lovers!

My name is Randy Harris, aka Ragin' Randy, and I am beginning this blog featuring music news, reviews and adventures. I have a Bachelor's degree in Music Business and Communications, I write concert and album reviews for a few different websites (including Grateful Music, Live Music Daily and the dBraker Blog), and most importantly, I LOVE MUSIC!

I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, listening to mostly jazz, blues and classic rock with my dad. Like many of my generation, my dad and I used to listen to classic rock radio stations and every other song, Dad would say, "Band?" and I would have to figure it out. All the way until after I graduated high school, I was convinced that no good music had been made since the '80s. Then, I moved to Madison, Wisconsin for college. During my time in my favorite city to date, my mind was opened in more ways than one. It was there that I was introduced to the incredible world of Trance and Techno music. I spent over 3 years as a die hard raver, going to massive raves in Chicago and Milwaukee, and I even drove with a few friends down to Florida for my 21st birthday to see Tiesto.

Finally, in 2009, 2 of my best friends convinced me to go to a Phish show with them. That was a wild weekend. I drove to Chicago that Friday to see deadmau5 with my raver friends, then took a 3 am bus to Cincinnati after the show to meet up with my friends to catch the second night of Phish Saturday night. I was immediately hooked. Since then, my taste has broadened to include most of the jam scene (including the bluegrass subgenres), most genres of dance music (primarily melodic trance, house and bass music), as well as my jazz, blues and rock roots.

Back in Memphis these days, I continue to attend shows as consistently as possible in order to improve my writing and reviews. I am also a musician. I have played guitar since I was 13, and I played percussion in my high school honor band. I have also been DJing and producing my own dance music since I was 22. I look forward to seeing all of you out on tour!

- Ragin' Randy