Rose Hill Drive

"Hard Rock, reborn"

Pinned as one of Rolling Stone's 10 Artists to Watch in 2007, Boulder, CO-based Rose Hill Drive are picking up where bands like Cream, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath left off. Blending a powerful mix of psychedelic, hard-rock/metal, and blues (with some pop sensibilities thrown in for good measure), RHD are quickly gaining favor with old and new heads alike.

Brothers Jake (bass) and Daniel Sproul (guitar) joined forces with childhood friend Nate Barnes (drums) around 2001, when not a single member was even old enough to vote. Since then, the band has toured relentlessly, slowly building a devoted grassroots fanbase while perfecting their sound and songwriting. And it seems like their hard work is beginning to pay off: the band was handpicked by Pete Townshend to open The Who's recent world tour.

Rose Hill Drive released their debut, self-titled studio album last August and are currently in the studio working on the follow up. Be on the lookout for a national tour in the near future. To hold you over, we have posted a studio track and a live video below. As an added bonus for all of you Comcast cable subscribers, be sure to check out another live clip in the concert.tv section of your OnDemand menu.

Rose Hill Drive- Cool Cody

"Showdown" (live from the Boulder Theater, 12.31.06)

Re-discovering Mississippi...Again

"Avalon's my home town / always on my mind"

If Nick Drake were a black farm hand in Mississippi in 1920 his name would be Mississippi John Hurt. I rolled the dice today at the record store and picked a random blues album (I liked the name): Mississippi John Hurt - Avalon Blues: The Complete 1928 Okeh Recordings.

Hurt recorded briefly for OKeh in 1928 before the depression forced them to shut their doors, sending Hurt back to the farm and into obscurity. In 1963, folk musicologist Tom Hoskins tracked down Hurt, then 71, and convinced him to move to DC to pursue his music career. Timely performances and three new records for Vanguard helped Hurt gain new fans and, until his death in 1966, remain extremely popular.

The tracks below are from Avalon Blues (1928), Today! (1966), and The Immortal (1967). It's hard to believe there's almost 40 years between the recordings. Hurt's voice seems more mature and patient on his re-recordings and his unique finger-picking is surpisingly as delicate and powerful as the originals.

Mississippi John Hurt - Frankie [1928]
Mississippi John Hurt - Got the Blues (Can't be Satisfied) [1928]
Mississippi John Hurt - I Got the Blues and I Can't be Satisfied [1967]
Mississippi John Hurt - Pay Day [1966]