Posts by Tim Newby

Sunrise in the Land of Milk & Honey, Cracker’s tenth studio album, is a great David Lowery record, but a bit confusing as a Cracker album. 

  Live! draws from all realms of LSMB's long career, including their most well known song, “Homeless”, which was co-written with Simon for Graceland.   It is quite simply the culmination of the dream Shabalala had so many years ago, and the perfect choir he envisioned.

Echo & the Bunnymen rose to prominence at the end of the punk era and had a lasting impact on the New Wave movement that followed. But they always seemed a step ahead of other bands from that time because Echo and the Bunnymen were never really punk enough and always had more soul than other New Wave bands as they liberally dipped a toe into the pool of classic British blues bands.

Backed by an army of world-renown percussionists, Global Drum Project again explores the rich poly-rhythms of the world beat sound that the two musicians have journeyed through together for the past thirty years.

his Meets That is as guitarist John Scofield describes, “real jazz music,” and he’s not exaggerating.  With so many albums being tagged with some variation of the jazz label (acid, free, smooth), it is refreshing to hear an album that recalls the classic jazz greats: Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, and Chet Baker.

on Spencer has always been a man on the move, constantly bouncing from project to project and band to band, though he always seems to come back to his longtime cohorts and friends in Blues Explosion. Recently he hooked up with Canadian guitarist Matt Verta-Ray, who has played with Madder Rose and Speedball Baby, to form Heavy Trash.

Like Los Lobos, Ozomatli was born and raised in Los Angeles and their music reflects the essence of the city, blending the city's multi-cultural flavor.  Where Los Lobos used the traditional sounds of Mexican folk and fused them with the rock ‘n’ roll, Ozomatli brings together hip-hop, ska, rock, and the Latin flavors that are so prevalent in their home city. 

Mago is not about MMW minus the W, it is a chance for two old friends to try on some different hats, as they provide a tasty treat until the next Medeski, Martin, & Wood album.

The John Butler Trio is Australia’s answer to the Dave Matthews Band, and that is not meant as a jab at the fingerpickin’ Australian and his crew.  The trio's music is reminiscent of Dave Matthews’s early feel-good-rootsy-rock (before they took a turn into the overproduced and overdone).

All realms of Wilco's shape-shifting self were on display recently on a rainy night at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD, as Wilco played one of their longest shows of the year; a 26 song monster that even included a Tweedy led rendition of “Happy Birthday” for multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone.

Just as we all age and mature and become less “hardcore," so has Clutch. From Beale Street to Oblivion finds the band continuing their recent trend of moving away from their heavy/ hardcore roots to a blues-based sound that borders on the edge of classic outlaw southern-rock.

Keller Williams’ Dream is a collection of collaborations between Keller and a host of his favorite musical guests that came about from Williams dream of recording an album with his musical heroes. And while there is nothing particularly wrong with this album, it just does not quite take off the way one would expect with the roster of All-Star talent assembled (Bob Weir, Michael Frantic, Steve Kimock, Charlie Hunter, Bela Fleck, John Scofield to name just a few.)

Over two years in the making, Waiting Room serves as the end-piece to career of Addison Groove Project, who after years of uncertainness due to the death of bassist John Hall and the decision of guitarist/ singer Brendan McGinn to attend medical school, finally decided to part ways.

If the Meters and Stevie Ray Vaughn made love the result would be The Bridge.

This new documentary follows Hosoi’s career from young skating prodigy to the top of the skateboard world and his status as a certified “rock star” living a notorious life style with endless money to burn. Thats when his life begins a descent into crystal-meth addiction and an eventual arrest that led to him spending just over four years in a Hawaiian prison.

n the thirty plus years that John & Peter’s has been open, much has changed, styles have evolved, musical trends have come and gone, bands have come and gone, but not much as changed at the tiny New Hope club.  John & Peter’s is a throw back to the days when Rock ‘n’ Roll venues were more than just bright lights, big stages, and flashy extras.  John & Peter’s serves cold beer, plays the music loud, has small dirty bathrooms, but it is one helluva a good time.

Much as The Grateful Dead did when they got psychedelic on the traditional folk music they grew up on, Toubab Krewe has blended the deep percussive sounds emanating from West Africa and straight ahead rock n’ roll, creating a style that is revolutionary and imaginative.

Seven years in, Devon Allmans’s (son of Greg, nephew of Duane) Honeytribe have finally released their debut album Torch, and it sounds like you would imagine it to – a modern take on the well worn Southern Rock model that has been perfected by Daddy Gregg and Uncle Duane.

Following a series of impromptu jam sessions, The Wood Brothers recorded Ways Not To Lose, a stripped down explosion of folky-blues built around Chris’ distinct bass rumblings and Oliver’s road weary voice and simple, yet soulful guitar. Produced by John Medeski, the brothers’ debut album, was released on Blue Note Records, March 7, 2006.

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