Posts by Shane Handler

As the founders of the mightiest rock band in the world, wealthy beyond compare, and still musically relevant after twenty plus years, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich leave it to their gigantic egos to cruise the Metallica ship into shaky waters. Who would have imagined back in the day when you popped in your “Ride The Lightning” tape and head banged to the band

Produced by George Drakoulious (Black Crowes, Tom Petty)the trio

Perhaps no other band signifies the word melting pot than Los Angeles

i]The Giant Pin provides many different territories to explore and examine

The ten tracks on Phil Ranelin’s Inspiration serves as ideal jazz for almost any occasion, outfitting the

The Village is set in the late 1800s, and revolves around a community living with the frightening knowledge that a mythical race of creatures resides in the woods around them. Director M Night Shyamalan continues to encouraging us to face our frightened limitations and acknowledge their existence.

Scissor Sisters score low points for originality, as every beat, bass line and harmony was snatched from the Boogie Nights soundtrack. But they score with their sense of humor, outlandish style and unabashed guts to combine glam, rock, disco and funk back to the radio waves.

Long before late 90

To many devoted fans of Widespread Panic, their first unplugged album to date,

Somewhere between The Flaming Lips, a P.T. Anderson film, and a roadside evangelist with acid drenched Kool-Aid, lies The Polyphonic Spree. It

Ambulance LTD molds a bit of the Velvet Underground

Loading straight ahead classic rock with hints of glam, improv and vibrant energy, Antigone Rising is here to stay. With a big gig at SXSW behind them, praises from Rolling Stone and an opening spot for Aerosmith, these five woman continue to second guess their stubborn doubters.

The diversity in the selections epitomizes The World Before It Ever Was experience

Straying from the choppy chords, choppy hair and choppy vintage Ts of post-punk, Gerling have nice shoes and an affection for disco balls. Playing with late 70s punk swagger, and leaning towards 80s indulgence, Badblood!!! acts as a retro-predecessor of punk morphing into synth-pop.

The Heat is a poignant release that sparks with pain, solace and penetrating observations, exposing Jesse Malin as an honest punk rocker turned storyteller.

On Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love, Jonathan Richman

Set out on fulfilling their mission of songs that sounded like songs, instead of placing jam noodlings over words, the Stockholm Syndrome have broken forth with a record that aches of pain and soul, However, Holy Happy Hour still has its moments of sunshine.

On the heels of the best selling book Fast Food Nation, and recent suit
filed against McDonald’s, claiming that the company’s food led to obesity,
Morgan Spurlock chows the unthinkable in the documentary film Super Size Me.

Indian Summer is a pop rock gem, proving Carbon Leaf can hone their sound to glimmer with tasteful melodies, smart lyrics and delicate chops that you can truly grasp for numerous listens.

With this sober debut from some of rocks most excess abused survivors,
Velvet Revolver shows promise, but may need some long road and studio tuning to reach that true Supergroup potential.