rock oracle music reviews

ALBUM REVIEWSFEATUREDINTERVIEWS

Single Review: Zara Chantelle | ‘Toxic Ex’

There was a new track that slid across my desk last week and this one stuck with me.  I get lots of requests these days to check out new music from various artists via their management or record label.  However, this one came straight from the artist and from the Land Down Under.  Not to be confused with The Upside Down from Stranger Things (old punk head trying to keep up with the kids), this is from Australia.  I received a very polite and straight forward message, asking me to simply check it out if I could, from a musician named Zara Chantelle. 

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FEATUREDLIVE REVIEWS

THE BIG STAR QUINTET PLAYS NEUHOFF DISTRICT’S RIVER STEPS CONCERT SERIES!

My prize was going to be in the Neuhoff District at the River Steps, along the Cumberland River, for a FREE show that flew under the radar somehow.  This curation was also put on by a radio station but had limited advertising and was in the realm of IYKYK. Lightning 100.1 FM kept their promotion fairly low key, but if you were following along on The Gram you knew.  The semi-secret show was one that severely caught my eye with Big Star on the bill.  More specifically, Big Star Quintet, which is an amalgamation of legendary musicians who have recently joined forces to bring you the timeless music of the 1970’s indie power-pop band from Memphis, Tennessee. In fact, they were playing the bill alone with a gorgeously managed 7pm start time.  The beauty of seeing older bands is those early start times that lead to early end times. 

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ALBUM REVIEWSFEATURED

Rachael Rose and ‘Butterfly’ Look for Answers about the Afterlife

‘Butterfly’ takes us down that winding road of the inevitable…death.  However, this isn’t a gloom and doom song about the end of days.  It is a beacon of light that begs the question of “what really happens when we die?” and combines that with a glimmering and optimistic answer.  Hopefully we are with the ones that went before us, and if we are first, then hopefully our loves will follow us there. Rose says of the track, “Overall the song is about the idea of being so deeply bonded with someone that you believe you would stay connected in any and every lifetime.”

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B SidesFEATUREDINTERVIEWS

Cinematica | Small Town Artist Highlight

The band itself started simply enough: Eddie and Bean, guitar and drums, two guys making instrumental music together. Six months later, bassist Oj joined, and the connection was immediate. The trio eventually christened themselves the “Cosmic Triangle”, which is exactly the sort of wonderfully dramatic name I expect from a psychedelic instrumental band wandering around the New Mexico desert.
And for nearly nine years, the triangle held.

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B SidesFEATURED

Kathie, Kathy, Dolly and Punk Rock

On August 25th, 2026 the world stopped with the news that Dolly Parton had passed away.  It was a shockwave that was felt by so many.  Everyone who had ever been touched by her music and her kindness was saddened to learn that the earth would keep spinning without The Smoky Mountain Songbird. We were so lucky to live in a timeline that saw us floating on this space rock with such a bright and selfless human being.  So how would we cope?  For me this bombshell coincided with my mom, Kathie, coming up to Nashville to see my new house and celebrate her birthday.  She was also arriving in Music City with her friend, Kathy, who was also celebrating her birthday.  The best thing that we could do was to dive headfirst into the sounds and soul of Dolly.

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B SidesFEATUREDMUSIC NEWS

Ghost: 2 Big To Rig (Zealous) Review

This past weekend, I and fellow wondrous dreamer and writer Melinoe Morningstar were gifted free IMAX tickets to see the debut of Ghost’s concert/live album film ‘2 Big to Rig’. (Thanks so much again to Dorothy Keeler and Amelia Marrero for thinking of me – and to Melinoe for rallying for a 9:30 PM showing, which is hilariously a bit too late for us to just be getting out haha We are gettin’ old, baby!)

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