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Top 5 Records of the Year
Another year has passed, and we were once again treated to so many great new albums. I just hope that 2025 presents us with as much music enrichment as these last 365 days. I am attempting to list my Top 5 records of 2024 and in doing so I have scratched out so many, then…
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Happy Elke Day!
Elke Celebrates Her Record Release as Meg Elsier Opens As I stood outside The Blue Room, I felt my body battling both the 25-degree weather and the sheer excitement of the show that I was going to see. Tonight, attached to Jack White’s Third Man Records, the shivering crowd was going to be let in…
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Mickey Raphael Plays Well With Others
Mickey Raphael Welcomes Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Billy F. Gibbons, Margo Price, T Bone Burnett and More for Debut Headline Concert at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville This week I was a part of something very special. I didn’t know how special ahead of time, but during it started setting in and by the end I realized…
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Kim Deal Sails Alone
It’s a very personal and reflective album that showcases her range of musical platforms. Tracks jump from slower orchestral driven sonatas to energetic pop songs, which might distract some listeners. However, it is ultimately her journey and we are just the onlookers. It reads as fragments, which I think is fantastic.
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Kenny Garrett Infectious at Blue Note
Last Sunday I was able to cross a venue off my concert bucket list by going with my wife and daughter to the Blue Note in NYC. My 17-year-old loves jazz and wanted to go to a jazz club while we were visiting New York for Thanksgiving week. If you are going to go to…
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Vertical House Made Us Feel at Home
If you’re ever in the Huntsville area stop by Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment and help support all things local and if you are into vinyl you MUST stop by Vertical House Records. My experience was an impeccable five-star one and I highly recommend.
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Love Courtney 🖤
On March 14th, 1995, my friend Josh Kaye and I grabbed tickets to go see Hole at The Edge in Orlando, Florida. It was one of the first shows that Courtney Love and her band played after the death of her husband, Kurt Cobain, nearly one year earlier. This was the closest I could get…
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The Thrill of the Pick!
Record Store Day was created with a nod to “Free Comic Book Day”. Its inspiration came from an independently owned record store ownership meeting in Baltimore. Founded officially by Michael Kurtz, Eric Leven, Amy Dorfman, Carrie Colliton, Brian Poehner, and Don Van Cleave, Record Store Day was established in 2007 in celebration of individual artists.…
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Beyoncé Bounced
“Cowboy Carter” has been considered a reclamation of country music because it highlights Black artists’ contributions to the genre. Many folks had hoped that it would bring even more visibility to country Black artists. Emmett Price III, dean of Africana studies at Berklee College of Music, said her album was “calling into question not only the…
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A Space Disco with The Weird Sisters
They are the self-described “Dance Commanders” and that aptly chronicles the status of their compilations. Funk has collided with electronica and slammed danced with jazz and soul with punk-EDM and psychedelia ploughing into the onslaught. Are you getting it yet? You will just have to listen for yourselves. In fact, I implore you to dive into the…
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The Beatles Get a Grammy Nod
The Beatles might finally be able to win a “Record of the Year” Grammy. The Fab Four’s latest “new” song, ‘Now and Then,’ was nominated this past Friday for the “Record of the Year” Grammy and will be competing against songs by Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter, and Taylor…
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Melancholy Goes Up To 11
Since 1978, when The Cure formed, they have always seemed older to me than they really were, but now they are older and the insight that they have ingested is recognizable more than ever. It took 16 years to make this album because they wanted it to be right. We know that Robert Smith craves…
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THANK YOU MR. JONES
With producing credits for legends such as Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Lesley Gore, and Donna Summer, his impact on contemporary music is legendary. He embarked on a journey that had him starting a life as a touring musician, serving as Dizzy Gillespie’s musical director in the 1950s. Jones went on to arrange songs…
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PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT CONTENT
However, rather than determining whether albums would be labeled (nineteen record labels had already voluntarily added advisory stickers a month earlier), the Senate hearing would provide a chance to hear all sides. John Denver, for example, spoke about his own experience with censorship when his song “Rocky Mountain High” was thought to be about drugs.…
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Meg Elsier Raises the Roof
I brought my niece, Becca, as my plus one guest and didn’t know what to expect when encountering this rising star. Meg Elsier is just 30 years old- as is my niece- and she is quickly rising up the ladder of stardom in the industry. Nashville Scene magazine just awarded her the Best Indie/Rock Debut…
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Songs of a Lost World
The album is titled Songs of a Lost World and the group had already dropped two tracks from the LP on streaming services. So why did it take so long for this record to be produced? The project has been long discussed by Robert Smith throughout several interviews. When talking to the LA Times in…
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Catchfire takes you to the ‘Wild Side’
The rattling echo from the burning words and instrumentals stays with the listener even when the song is silenced. It is now out there in the ethos for others to discover- for that is all that we can do. We create and place our art in the world for the scavengers to find. This track…
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Bourbon and Beyond: Days 3 & 4
Days One and Two of Bourbon & Beyond were highly organized and very strict when it came to the front gates. The event was constantly posting on their socials and emailing out rules and regulations for standards that they wanted upheld throughout the long weekend. You could only bring in chairs if you had a…
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Bourbon & Beyond: Day Two
So now we reside in Day Two of Bourbon & Beyond. Day one nearly killed me as I realized that 10 hours standing in the sun after driving three hours to get here was too long of a day for this 50-year-old. There is nowhere to hide at this festival. There are tents around the…
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Bourbon & Beyond: Day One
Here I am, in my hotel room, just north of Louisville, Kentucky in Sellersberg, Indiana pondering what I have seen over the last two days. It’s Bourbon & Beyond and it’s a lot. According to local news sources and the Bourbon & Beyond website the festival is bringing in $12.5 million dollars in local revenue…
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Childish Gambino in Tampa
I first heard Childish Gambino on the Late Night with Conan O’Brien show singing Heartbeat from his debut album Camp in 2011. I immediately downloaded Heartbeat and then found Bonfire and Sunrise which are two of my favorite rap songs of all time. The humor that Gambino has in his lyrics is incredibly unique as…
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Jon Bon Jovi Saves A Woman In Crisis
Bon Jovi has worked with vulnerable people through his Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, which provides food, affordable housing, job training and social services to people experiencing hunger, poverty and homelessness. Bon Jovi also has had training in speaking to individuals during difficult situations. In February, Bon Jovi was recognized as the MusiCares Person of the…
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Let Them In!
There are so many other great bands that haven’t made the cut either. Groups like The Guess Who, DEVO, Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies, Soundgarden and on and on. I surmise that the walls are only so big and that this “committee” can only select few, but my rebuttal is C’MON MAN!
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Here We Go!
As a wanna be skater and surfer Jane’s songs were the soundtrack of so many skating/surfing videos in the mid to late 80s that they became ingrained in my subconscious. The Hard Rock Hotel in South Florida was the backdrop for this latest adventure. You probably have seen the giant guitar shaped hotel in commercials…
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We Had the Time of Our Lives
Green Day headlines their Savior’s Tour with The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and The Linda Linda’s The last time I went to see Green Day it was in September of 2021 in Seattle, Washington. We were still coming out of pandemic and the world was different. This was the first concert I was able to attend…
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Fresh Lemons : Nothing Canned
The Lemonheads are an indie/alternative/punk band, originally from Boston, Massachusetts formed in 1986, and they were playing their two most successful albums tonight. The setlist was It’s A Shame About Ray which was constantly in my cars cassette player my senior year of high school (1992), and Come On Feel The Lemonheads (1996) which featured…
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Oasis is Back, Definitely Maybe
We never saw The Beatles reunite but some current fans find this to be equal to or greater than that reconciliation. And if Fab Four from Liverpool were bigger than Jesus (John Lennon’s words), then how big is this news?! If you don’t recall in 1996, Noel Gallagher “joked” in an MTV interview that Oasis…
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The Queen of Noise Rocks The Ryman
There are only a handful of true rockstars left in the world and Joan Jett is certainly one of them. On Sunday, August 25th, I witnessed that greatness at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Joan Marie Larkin has been doing this rockstar thing for a bit now, and she still has that “It” factor.…
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Getting to Know John Lennon
A Ranking of John Lennon’s Solo Records I just finished watching the film Nowhere Boy which is a lovely movie about the early days of John Lennon (pre The Beatles). The movie, based off the book by his sister Julia Baird entitled, “Imagine This: Growing Up with My Brother John Lennon“, is a remarkably beautiful…
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Thanks for the Memories
A look at the music from the Closing Ceremonies at the 2024 Summer Games The Olympics have come to a close and we are left with some great moments. We saw individuals and teams excelling at levels that we can only dream about. We cheered and screamed at our television sets and always had something…
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Day Four at Lolla and Top 10 Lessons Learned
After 3 days and 24 hours of festival time we finally made it to Sunday. We were running on fumes by the last day. Thank goodness the first artist on the teen list was later in the day! Late start getting out the door and decided to not brave the subway and uber in style…
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Cashing in on a Florida Stick Figure Bonus
Stick Figure was coming off their largest headlining sellout just a week prior (20,000 fans in Massachusetts). The chance to see them in a cozy little waterfront amphitheater in Cocoa Florida was a rare chance to catch the band up close.
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Saturday in the Park – Day 3 at Lollapalooza
After 18 hours of Lolla on Thursday and Friday we decided to take our time getting into the festival on Saturday. We took the morning and afternoon to walk around the city and check out downtown. Arrived at Lolla just in time for one of my daughter’s favorite bands, TV Girl. To my surprise it…
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Doomsday Is Here
Inclement Weather Department makes the end of times sound great It is with honor, which is not lost on me, that I get the opportunity to write about one of my favorite young bands in Seattle, Washington. The band is Inclement Weather Department, and the players are Trevor (vocals/guitar,kazoo), Cam (guitar/vocals/synth), Joey (bass/vocals), Brian (drums/vocals),…
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Lolla-Day-Twooza
Day Two at Lollapalooza in Chicago After eight hours at Lolla on day one we felt like we were experts going into day 2. We hit the red line and made it to Grant Park to battle the heat and crowds for another memorable day. Using day 1 to get the lay of the land…
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Lollapalooza- Chicago
Chicago Hosts The Mega Fest I have always wanted to attend Lollapalooza and finally this year it has happened. Created as a farewell tour for Jane’s Addiction in 1991, it became an annual touring collection of alternative rock bands that helped launch the careers of Nine Inch Nails and Pearl Jam. I was always too…
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Be Your Own Pet Unleashed
Be Your Own Played the last show of this tour at home in Nashville This past Saturday night was a culmination of anticipation and love for Nashvillian hometown heroes, Be Your Own Pet. The droves of fans poured into East Side Bowl to see the band that they hold near and dear to their hearts.…
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The Underdog Wins
Catch Fire and Havana Affair Release New Music Another night in Nashville and another gem of a dive bar found to watch local and live music. Finding these spots is like collecting medals for myself. Live music is my Olympics. I have found myself once again on the podium with The Underdog. The bar and…
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The Music We Needed
At The East Room with Lily Harden, Emilio and Loose Bolts This week has been a particularly hard one for American cohesiveness. The former President, Donald Trump, barely dodged a bullet during a rally several days ago. Instead of banning together and realizing that violence is never the answer to resolving our conflicts we became more…
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Eastside Bowl at “The 58”
with Luella, Wasp Eater, and Lydia Maes I walked into Eastside Bowl not knowing exactly what I would find. Nashville sure does like its bowling alleys to feature live music and it is wonderfully nostalgic. I’ve been to Brooklyn Bowl a few times now in Music City and it has always been a trip. I…
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Tenacious Done…For Now
Tenacious D is under fire for Kyle Gass’ Comment This past weekend while performing in Australia, the comedy rock duo, Tenacious D may have gone a little too far with their sense of humor. The day after an assassination attempt on the life of former President Donald Trump, in which a bullet grazed his ear,…
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Oh Say, Can’t We Hear
The Worst National Anthem’s Performed This year’s Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas for the 2024 All-Star festivities was a most memorable one. Not because Los Angeles Dodger underdog Teoscar Hernandez won in dramatic fashion, edging out one of the favorites KC’s Bobby Witt Jr, but because of what we witnessed…
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Put Some Respect On… The B-52’s
I am not entirely sure why I gravitated toward this particular video. Maybe it was the glittery suits and beaded miniskirts, the commanding fits and spurts of happiness from the singer, or that boat of a Chrysler on that Atlanta highway, but I was hooked. My 10-year-old self had no idea what “Tin Roof Rustin”…
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