Random Rockers Edition: Lucille Furs, J.D. Simo & Okey Dokey

Lucille Furs: Another Land

Alright, enough gallivanting, time to settle back in stateside with some good old-fashioned rock and roll. Or newfangled versions of old-fashioned rock and roll, at least. We’ll start in Chicago with Lucille Furs, a guitar-bass-drums ensemble with an updated-throwback sound that echoes favorites like the Beatles and Pink Floyd. Their new sophomore album is Another Land, out on the French label Requiem Pour un Twister and it’s a wonderful record from a band comfortable in their throwback skin. The sound is a warm first-generation, garage-brewed psych-rock — sparkling guitars, harmonies and even some heady organ — but the songs are very much historically-informed but forward looking. This one’s easy to love, so give it a spin.

Spotify

J.D. Simo: Off At 11

For the next rec, we’ll go from Chicago to Nashville which is exactly what JD Simo did, the Chicago native now resides in Nashville. His debut album, Off At 11 kind of merges the two cities together, with some ripping blues-rock jammers and a more exploratory cosmic-rock thing that seems to have found a home in Nashville. However you want to slice, dice or parse it, Simo’s record is a ripsnorter, like the Allmans and Hendrix on a blind date and finding out they had more in common then they thought. Which is to say there’s some raging guitar work from pretty much top to bottom of this one, jams getting more interesting the deeper the record goes, ending with a 16+ minute whoaaah! track that will have you scribbling Simo’s name on your keep-an-eye-out for list, no doubt. Enjoy!

Okey Dokey: Tell All Your Friend

We’ll finish up this week’s batch with Tell All Your Friend, the latest from yet another awesome Nashville band, Okey Dokey. Have you heard these guys yet? I hope someone has already told you to listen to these guys!, but if not, let me be the first to say listen to these guys! I discovered them in an opening-set slot last year and pretty much everything I’ve heard since has been golden, up to and including this one, one of my favorites of the first third of 2019. They effortlessly combine so many elements, a mix of psychedelic and Laurel Canyon historical sound with a bit of a modern-day synth feel, some rocking and some grooves, but mostly great, great songs. The kind of songs that you hit repeat on and don’t get sick of 15 plays later; the kind that get stuck in your head for days; the kind that you share with your friends. Listen to these guys!