Posts by Lee Zimmerman

[rating=7.00] It’s a strange title. Likewise, it’s not immediately clear what it might refer to. If one was a marketing guru and wanted to play off it in some strange way, there’s room to insist on 10,000 reasons to love it. Granted, that’s an exaggeration, but considering the fact that this is Emilie & Ogden’s […]

[rating=6.00] You’d hardly be blamed if you questioned why, after 45 years, Billy Gibbons felt the need to make a solo album. After all, he’s one third of ZZ Top and from all accounts, the one largely responsible for writing the material and singing the songs. Backed by a handpicked group of musicians dubbed The […]

[rating=8.00] Maia Sharp has accumulated quite a career in the nearly 20 years since she was first came to the attention of the well known record exec Miles Copeland in 1997. She’s acquired all sorts of accolades along the way, and even managed to participate in a superstar summit of sorts when she joined Art […]

[rating=7.00] Jeff Campbell’s like a thousand and one other starry-eyed dreamers desperately hoping to carve out a career making music. However, unlike many others, he was willing to stake his fortunes on making that dream come true. Once a successful investment advisor, he sacked that stable career to pursue his muse, roughing it out in […]

[rating=7.00] If the title of Jeffrey Focault’s latest endeavor, Salt As Wolves, seems somewhat ominous at the outset, then mood is quickly affirmed by the music contained within. Considering the fact that Foucault’s often typecast as a pensive folkie — he’s married to a likeminded singer/songwriter and a notable artist on her own, Kris Delmhorst […]

[rating=7.00] Born Ruffians are a quirky bunch. Hailing from Toronto, they’ve made a respectable name for themselves north of the border, having received extensive airplay on the CBC and by touring quite extensively. While part of their repute comes by way of covers — an early version of Grizzly Bear’s “Knife” helped bring them to […]

[rating=8.00] Falls’ backstory seems like the stuff of soap operas. The Australian duo — Simon Rudston-Brown and Melinda Kirwin — met while the two were attending the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney. They clicked both personally and professionally and then went on to establish a musical residency at a little hotel in Sydney before heading […]

The phone rings on the other end and a person with an uncommonly high voice answers. Truth be told, the gender is uncertain. Nevertheless, it’s no real surprise. The voice sounds exactly what one would expect to find in a man whose elfin like demeanour has become rather iconic over the course of more than […]

As he approaches age 71, singer/songwriter, author, politician and provocateur Kinky Friedman remains as irascible as ever. However it’s fair to say he comes by that trait naturally. His has been a storied life, one that’s taken him from being a chess champion at the tender age of seven to serving in the Peace Corps, […]

After an extraordinary concert, it’s often tempting to call it the greatest performance one’s ever witnessed. There’s that feeling of afterglow that lingers awhile, maybe for even a week or two before it slowly dissipates and thoughts come back into focus. It’s hard to say if that will be the case with the concert performed […]

[rating=7.00] Alex Bleeker already has an exceedingly cool day job as bassist for Real Estate, one of the more esteemed indie  bands of the present era. But when he opted to also do his own thing with The Freaks, he was really able to spread his wings and express his individuality. Now, three Real Estate […]

[rating=8.00] Matt Nathanson has always been a superb storyteller. Over the course of his career – and the past several years in particular – his songs have been tagged for such high profile network television shows as NCIS, Scrubs, The Vampire Diaries, and The Bachelor among many others. It’s a distinction that’s not to be taken […]

In retrospect, it seems somewhat astonishing that the Zombies, one of the most innovative outfits at the forefront of the ‘60s British invasion, only made one album during their actual tenure together. Nevertheless, with two massive worldwide hits that positioned them at the top of the charts — “Tell Her No” and “She’s Not There” […]

[rating=8.00] It’s never easy being part of a spin-off band, especially when the band that you’ve spun off from (A) had enough gold records to fill a good portion of Fort Knox and (B) when the individual who wrote all the material and sang all the songs has opted to seek his or her fortunes […]

[rating=8.00] Granted, being the home town heroes isn’t necessarily a major distinction when the town you’re presiding over doesn’t offer all that much in terms of competition, and you’ve won the crown as much by default as by your abilities. But when you’ve secured that title in a town like Knoxville Tennessee, where the talent […]

[rating=8.00] As they have since the beginning, Mercury Rev seem to reside in their own celestial sphere. Their’s is a freewheeling take on psychedelia that’s as disrespectful of mode or melody as those first flights of fantasy explored by the Grateful Dead or Pink Floyd in their heyday, although Mercury Rev doesn’t necessarily sound like […]

“Umm, excuse me,” a hesitant Matisyahu apologises prior to initiating our conversation. “This woman is kind of giving me this look and I’m not sure if she was someone I’d met before or if she was interested in possibly getting acquainted. This may be worth pursuing” Being known as an orthodox Jewish rapper and reggae […]

[rating=7.00] Silversun Pickups have never been a band that lends itself to typecasting or instant identification. While the band still lingers slightly below the surface, it has achieved sufficient buzz to qualify them as a band on the verge, one whose name can be dropped in any conversation wherever and indeed whenever hipper ensembles are […]

[rating=7.00] Having invented one of the most famous signature guitar riffs in rock ‘n’ roll history Dave Davies’ place in the rock ‘n’ roll firmament has always been well assured. The fact that he currently plays the role of a bespectacled journeyman rocker is both a testament to his tenaciousness — his career was nearly […]

[rating=7.00] Patty Griffin has never been what one might term ostentatious. Her albums take on a stripped down approach that leaves plenty of room for honest emotion to take hold. Her famous associations not withstanding — an on and off touring collaboration with Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris and Shawn Colvin as well as her musical […]