Jason Shrum, Author at Rock Oracle

December 9, 2024 Jason Shrum

Happy Elke Day!

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 to Elke’s record release party. Elke was debuting her new project Divine Urge. It is her sophomore record. The show was being sponsored by Nashville’s public radio station WNXP and the former “Record of the Month” artist, Meg Elsier, was slated to be the opener. This was going to be a beautiful culmination of talent, music and like-minded folks gathered to share in the mystical power that live music holds over us.

FEATURED LIVE REVIEWS

December 6, 2024 Jason Shrum

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

ALBUM REVIEWS FEATURED MUSIC NEWS

December 6, 2024 Jason Shrum

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.

B Sides FEATURED

December 2, 2024 Jason Shrum

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.

ALBUM REVIEWS B Sides MUSIC NEWS

November 26, 2024 Jason Shrum

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 to seeing Kurt and Nirvana and I was super excited to see the show. To see Courtney, and no, I don’t think she had anything to do with his death. I think that conspiracy makes people feel better about the untimely death of our John Lennon. Like, he didn’t leave us, he was taken away.

B Sides FEATURED MUSIC NEWS

November 25, 2024 Jason Shrum

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. Packed with performances, special appearances, and meet-and-greets, Record Store Day celebrated everything musical while upholding the individuality of each store.

B Sides FEATURED MUSIC NEWS

November 21, 2024 Jason Shrum

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 historical and cultural roots of country and Western but also how we normalize certain cultural aspects of country culture.”