FEATURED Archives - Page 11 of 19

April 8, 2025 Jason Shrum

Record Store Day Returns in 2025

EXCLUSIVES: These titles are physically released only at indie record stores.
RSD FIRST: These titles are found first at indie record stores but may be released to other retailers or webstores at some point in the future.
SMALL RUN/REGIONAL TITLES: These titles are either regionally based and sold at specific stores, or are press runs under 1000, which means they may be much more difficult to find at record stores around the country.

Many of these RSD titles are in “limited” variety, so that usually means waking up early to secure your place in line. I usually tend to get up around 6am to be in line be 7am depending on the store and their hours. I strongly encourage contacting your local record store, or visiting their social media page or website, to see if they offer any guidance on how the queue will be operated. Most stores opt for a “first come, first served” basis and only allow a few people in the building at a time to cut down on the wildness of 1980’s Black Friday’s mayhem style.

ALBUM REVIEWS FEATURED

April 3, 2025 Jason Shrum

Kenya Eugene Finds Her Truth With New EP

The music is more complex than just reggae. It’s more of an amalgamation of various platforms that one can clearly hear with all her projects. A quote I found on Kribbean.com from Kenya seems to summarize my interpretation. “Because of my Caribbean heritage and musical influences I gravitate towards a number of genres, which you can hear in my music. I consider myself to be more of an international artist, although I am a balladeers at heart, you can hear musical influences such as reggae, r&b, pop, and soul in my work”.

B Sides FEATURED

March 28, 2025 Jason Shrum

Sex Pistols rock secret show at 100 Club in London

The 2025 iteration of the Pistols includes Jones, Cook and Matlock but are now fronted by Frank Carter (of Gallows, Pure Love and Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes) instead of Rotten and the group reconvened for a secret show at the same venue, with a now capacity of 300. It was packed with devoted fans and stars such as Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, and Bobby Gillespie. Fans old and new were greeted with roaring renditions of classics like “Holidays In The Sun” and “God Save The Queen”. “This is where it all kicked off, really, all the punk,” says Cook. It was the band’s first performance at the iconic London venue in 50 years. The Sex Pistols performed under the pseudonym SPOTS, “Sex Pistols On Tour Secretly,” as they did in the late 70s to sidestep potential bans. All accounts say the show was both nostalgic and energetic and that the bands performance was less violent and tighter.

B Sides FEATURED

March 25, 2025 Jason Shrum

Stick it to the Man

I love how clean this track is. It is a true testament into their production value and the uptick that I have personally seen in their professionalism. The mixing of the song by engineer Steve Hardy is absolutely fantastic. This band hits hard and plays fast but there isn’t any fallout of chaos. The song could quite easily fit into a movie soundtrack that is looking for a theme song. I imagine the underdog protagonist fighting against the corporate entity, who is looking to capitalize on humanities willingness to overlook their wrong doings for a handful of dimes.

FEATURED LIVE REVIEWS

March 13, 2025 Jason Shrum

Live From Nashville… It’s Tuesday Night!

The Cannery Hall is located along “Music Row” in Nashville, Tennessee and it is a staple of Music City. It is the largest independent music venue in Nashville. Anchoring Cannery Row, just outside of downtown Nashville’s lower Broadway and “The Gulch,” Cannery Hall is in the Station District. The historic building dates to 1883 and has been a music venue for over 40 years. The last time I was here I saw The Lemonheads supported by former band member John Strohm. Tonight’s show was at the Row One Stage of the buildings four available spaces for shows.

ALBUM REVIEWS FEATURED LIVE REVIEWS

March 9, 2025 Jason Shrum

Echo Pilot’s Record Release at The ’58

Let me start by saying that Punk Rock is Not Dead! I was so enamored by the garb of some of the people at the show on this night. Leather pants, mohawks, shredded jackets of jean and leather, platformed boots, piercings and tattoos glistened across the room. I was on the cusp of being the oldest in this space and basked in all these 20-something-year-olds who knew the music of the past and are now carrying the torch for the future. One kid literally had on a jacket with the phrase “Punk Rock Is Not Dead” sewn onto the back. While “heroin-sheik” has been replaced with High Noon Hard Seltzers (not a bad thing) the rawness of rock is still alive. This wasn’t necessarily a punk rock music show, but the sense was

FEATURED LIVE REVIEWS

March 3, 2025 Jason Shrum

The New Mastersounds bring Jazz-Fusion to Nashville

I was treated to an extraordinary show last week at the world-famous Exit/In in Nashville, Tennessee with The Gripsweats supporting The New Mastersounds. The two, powerhouse, electronic-forward, funk, jazz-fusion, jam bands, put on a display of rhythm-heavy-keypunching vibe and a toe tapping cavalcade of fun on a Wednesday night. I know that’s a lot of descriptors slammed together in one nearly non sensical sentence structure, but it is well needed to identify these sets.