11 Aug 2017
New Music Review Roundup, Part 3
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Today I wrap up three days’ worth of reviews of new music. Dig if you will. The Pollyseeds – Sounds of Crenshaw, Vol. 1 As far as I know, none of the music on Sounds of Crenshaw Vol. 1 is used on the soundtrack of the Amazon Original series Bosch, but – like that crime
10 Aug 2017
New Music Review Roundup, Part 2
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Here’s the second of three collections of reviews. The Hangabouts – Kits & Cats and Saxon Wives Good-timing, cleverly-written melodic pop is what’s on offer on the latest album from the Hangabouts. It rocks a bit harder than their last outing, and there are hints of some of the more adventurous end of early 70s
09 Aug 2017
New Music Review Roundup, Part 1
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I’ve got lots of new music to tell you about. Eighteen albums in all, which I’ll cover over three days. Let’s get started. The Brigadier – Wash Away the Day Imagine a hybrid of mid-sixties Brian Wilson, the Raspberries, Brill Building girl group pop (sung by a guy) and the Rubinoos. Now add a dash
08 Aug 2017
Still on Top of the World: Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson (Part 2)
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Continued from Part One… Petersson recalls the early days when the band was playing clubs. “People would come up to us and go, ‘God, I love your band, but you ought to dress your guitar player up like [Jimi] Hendrix.’ Or, ‘We kind of love your band, but when is your drummer going to get
07 Aug 2017
Still on Top of the World: Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson (Part 1)
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Time certainly does fly. It was 40 years ago last February that Cheap Trick released its self-titled debut album. While the Rockford, Illinois foursome’s sound – standing on the edge (so to speak) between hard rock and power pop – took some time to catch on with the record-buying public, the band eventually became a
04 Aug 2017
Jonathan Coulton Bucks the Industry, Still Makes Traditional Albums
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Brooklynite Jonathan Coulton has been making albums for years without becoming a household name, but he made news in 2011 when he told an NPR interviewer that he was making more than half a million dollars a year from his music. Operating completely outside the traditional musical industry, Coulton nonetheless makes highly tuneful, accessible pop
03 Aug 2017
Christopher Paul Stelling: Embracing the Unknown
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Christopher Paul Stelling is a singer-songwriter; he doesn’t include an ability to predict the future among his skills. Yet unlike some of the most respected pollsters, the seismic political changes that took place in the United States last November didn’t come as a surprise to him. The songs that he wrote as the future began
02 Aug 2017
Skunk Ruckus: Disrupting the Old-time Vibe
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Nearly everything about Asheville-based band Skunk Ruckus is suffused with humor. But the band is very serious about its music. The inherent tension between those two realities is part of the band’s recipe for success, as is the band’s musical style: equal parts punk and mountain music, delivered in cheeky style. Skunk Ruckus celebrated the
01 Aug 2017
Samantha Fish’s Soul/R&B Side Trip
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Kansas City musician and vocalist Samantha Fish made a name for herself as one of relatively few female blues guitarists. She prefers to be measured on her own merits rather than as a female musician, though a 2011 album as part of a project called Girls With Guitars didn’t help much in that regard. But
31 Jul 2017
Billy Sherwood: Prog’s Pinch-hitter
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In recent months a bright spotlight has been shone upon multi-instrumentalist Billy Sherwood. The 51 year old, Las Vegas-born musician has had a long and prolific career of his own, releasing his original music and producing an array of other artists, primarily in progressive rock. But his long and fruitful association with some of the