New Riders of the Purple Sage: Live New Years Eve 2006
ith its sharp replication of the original New Riders’ cover art an accurate reflection of the music itself recorded at Mexicali Blues Café (except for the often abrupt track changes), this modern-day version of the band proves itself to be not just an extension of the (seemingly) bottomless roots of The Grateful Dead, but a worthwhile endeavor its own terms.
Ten Anticipated Albums & Artists to Hear In 2008
With the record industry in flux, 2008 will be full of surprises. Expect new mainstream releases from Coldplay, Madonna and Weezer sometime this year, and indie releases from Toyko Police Club’s, M83, Raveonettes, and Deerhunter's Bradford Cox new band, Atlas Sound. In the first quarter alone, a lot of spectacular releases are expected. And away we go.
The Kinks to Reunite?
Lead singer and guitarist Ray Davies has been hinting at a reunion for some time, and the Daily Mail is reporting that the original line-up intend to reform for a 2008 tour. Ray Davies‘ brother and guitarist Dave Davies suffered a stroke in 2004 and bassist Pete Quaife has kidney troubles, but Ray said that […]
The New Year’s Baby: Radiohead Webcast
It’s only fitting that the band generating the biggest industry buzz in 2007 would also make the biggest splash on New Year’s Eve. Clay Aiken-Yorke and the rest of the Radiohead fellers put in a solid 52 minutes of work last night, webcasting a dynamic (mostly) studio performance that showed off how the material off […]
Stormy Mondays: Well, It’s Close Enough
Since Monday’s often thought of as the beginning of the week, we sat on this for an extra 24 hours to publish it at the beginning of what promises to be another fine year.
To usher us into this revolution, this week’s offering is from the world of John Coltrane, bright joyful music. I can think of no better way to welcome an end and ring in a beginning. The opening Spiritual, from 1961 with Eric Dolphy in the band, is one of my all-time favorite performances from the band, dramatic and sweeping. The following cut is from Amiri Baraka and Air Koeln in 1984, a hot little spoken word tribute to the sax man. And to close it out, we’ve got a long, wondrous version of My Favorite Things. This shit’s guaranteed to cure a hangover. Happy New Year, and as always, enjoy!