Reel Big Fish Skank the Life Fantastic With Horn-Heavy ‘Life Sucks…Let’s Dance’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
[rating=9.00] Reel Big Fish is one of the bands that really rode the punk-ska wave in the 90s. “Sell Out” was a bright and happy song that ran counter to the grunge that had dominated a lot of the 90s. Before you even hear a note of their new album, you realize that the band […]
Midwest Soul Xchange Translate Flint Water Crisis Through Rock Opera ‘Weakened at the Asylum’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
[rating=8.00] A rock opera is an ambitious undertaking for any band – particularly at a time when rock operas seem very much a thing of the past. However, Midwest Soul Xchange has not only produced a rock opera, but a rock opera with a very unexpected theme. Weakened at the Asylum is a collection of […]
Stone Mecca Offers Loads of Funk Strut and Guitar Shredding on ‘Alienman’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
[rating=9.00] Stone Mecca is a Dallas artist who has worked as RZA’s musical director and bandleader. Alienman might sound like the title of a new Ace Frehley album, but it’s something much better than that. It is a mix of blues, psychedelia, and funk that makes you wonder why Stone Mecca is not better known. As […]
Blood of the Sun Rock Hard With ‘Blood’s Thicker than Love’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
[rating=8.00] When you search for Blood of the Sun, you realize that information about the band is not easily found. While you may not find much of a bio, the new album Blood’s Thicker than Love tells you all you need to know about this band. Namely that it rocks hard. The album begins with […]
Amigo the Devil “Wings It” With Fan-Pleasing Acoustic Set in Tustin, CA (SHOW REVIEW)
You could use a lot of words to describe Marty’s on Newport in Tustin, California. Large wouldn’t be one of them. It is an intimate venue that seems familiar even on your first visit. One word you could have used to describe the venue on October 25 is crowded. Thirty minutes before the music began […]
Sundrifter Melds Grunge, Doom and Classic Rock on ‘Visitations’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
[rating=8.00] Sundrifter is a heavy-rock trio from Boston. When you hear any part of the band’s music, it’s no surprise that the band found a home with Small Stone Records. Like most Small Stone artists, Sundrifter believe in volume, tempo, and fuzz, and show it on their new album Visitations (recorded, mixed, and mastered by […]
Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly Make For Raucous Double-Header in Irvine, CA (SHOW REVIEW)
“CAPTAIN KELLY’S KITCHEN!” That was the shout by Ken Casey that opened the Dropkick Murphys set at Five Point Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday, September 28. That was followed by “Famous for Nothing,” and only two songs into the show, the crowd was already in full form. Not only did the audience sing along loudly, […]