Riding high and mighty on the tails and coattails of Dogs of Winter, we've got not one but TWO more Spinal Tap cover-songs from alt-bluesman, Brian Grosz.

First up, it's a rollicking delta-blues stomp as Grosz re-imagines "Gimme Some Money" - then we careen off into the saddest of all keys, with the piano/guitar arrangement of "Lick My Love Pump," featuring guest vocals from the illustrious and illustrated lady of Needles and Sins, Marisa Kakoulas.

As always, it's all free, so go download your copy today at lapdanceacademy.com/tap




As we all ring in the birth of the new year and a new decade (and the end of those cheap, holiday sunglasses that have the "00" as the eye-pieces), we're proud to give you a little birthing of our own courtesy of Dogs of Winter.  Initially released through the Coverville.com "Unhenged" tribute album to Spinal Tap, "Rock N Roll Creation" is now available for download with some gorgeous cover art from the one and only Joe Boyle.

So, what are you waiting for?  Go download it at lapdanceacademy.com/rrc.






Now go on and cop yourself a shirt!

(Got a photo of yourself with some LDA gear?  Send in your photos for our "Student Yearbook")



We all know that those boys in Dogs of Winter love to push air and howl bloody murder, but is there substance beneath all that style?  The answer is a resounding YES.  Just take their latest single, "Beneath The Fold," as a the only proof you'll ever need.

Stripping away the psychedelic maelstrom of the song's original recording on From Soil To Shale, The Dags have left us with a sparse arrangement of dueling acoustic guitars, a small string section and the whispering harmonies of singers Ryan Dowd and Brian Grosz.  Proving, without a doubt, that decibels don't always mean an absence of delicacy.

[Click here to download the mp3 in 320 or 256kbps compression]

And if that wasn't enough, guitarist/vocalist Brian Grosz just directed a companion piece video for the song, cobbled entirely out of royalty-free imagery from the National Archives and NASA.  Needless to say, as with any work from Mr. Grosz, it's beautiful... and creepy.





Check out the killer review of From Soil To Shale by MikeSOS over at 3:16 Productions:

"A sinewy yet soothing dose of hypnotic Hesher rock comes courtesy of NYC outfit Dogs of Winter, whose debut full-length FROM SOIL TO SHALE renders an exquisite nine-track rock excursion teeming with a loud and clear yet down and dirty elegance. This trio serves up a veritable stoner rock smorgasbord bursting with crafty nuggets of raucous rock 'n roll audacity and well-placed off kilter alternative metal techniques ("Flesh to Stone", "Ghost"). Bridging the oceansized gap between the grassroots metal of Baroness, the keep you guessing tendencies of Faith No More, and the hard hitting tunefulness of Foo Fighters, this unit's fluid musical interplay and standout soulful vocal harmonies ("Beneath the Fold") yield hybrids of muscular hard rock with brazen hooks, throbbing rhythms, and sly lyrical content that embody an earthy vibe as if whittled down from endless late night studio session jams. Showcasing lean and mean arrangements with an abundance of floating rhythms abound ("Anathema"), Dogs of Winter is poised to satisfy your sweet tooth with their batch of voluminous and voraciously addictive rock 'n roll."



Our lunatic-composer-in-residence, Alex Walker, recently had one of his pieces performed at the 2009 La Guitarra California conference by the Alturas Duo and hot dang is it a smokin' rendition.  Dig it here on the YouTubes...






Didn't make it to the "Back To School Bonanza" show last Saturday?  Well, you missed some amazing performers, but thanks to the magic of YouTube, you can catch it all here...






















Catch Brian Grosz tonight at The Listening Room in Cold Spring, NY, located at 184 Main St.  The show is free and will also feature performances by Lorraine Leckie, Mark Westin, Kati Mac, Neal Gomberg, Kevin Haden, John Mueller, Leara Bee and Alyson Greenfield.  Brian will be playing in the 10:30 set.






...WE ALL HAVE TO MAKE A "SACRIFICE"
THE LATEST FREE DOWNLOAD FROM ALEX WALKER AND LAPDANCE ACADEMY

How do you release a "Summer Anthem" during a season plagued with monsoons worthy of a January in Jakarta?  If you're ALEX WALKER, you don't give a fuck; you just write the song and wait for Al Roker, Al Gore and the rest of the world to catch up with you.  SACRIFICE, the latest single from ALEX WALKER, is the track you would have heard bumping from drop-tops in every major city if we had actually had a "summer."

Shortly after touring as a side-man with ANDREW STRONG (THE COMMITMENTS), Walker began a breakneck recording schedule with a wealth of Brooklyn-based musicians (JAKE SIEGLER, BRIAN GROSZ, EMILY ZUZIK, SUE CERRETA) to churn out a song that has heads nodding in harmony from the cradle to the grave.  

After all, it would take a man with a master's degree in "classical guitar performance" and a resume that includes composing for G.I. JOE and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES to bring you a track that combines the sex of STEREOLAB with the groove of GORILLAZ.

SACRIFICE is available starting September 15th, 2009 as a high-quality MP3 download from LAPDANCE ACADEMY at www.lapdanceacademy.com/sacrifice - with accompanying PDF digibooklet - absolutely free of charge.





After that set at Safe To Swim Weekend?  Don't fuck around... get to the Dags show on their home turf.