B-Sides

So much ink has been spent discussing Kanye West and what an asshole he is. It seems like no matter where you turn there’s another interview with Kanye West saying the something douchy or generally acting like a complete and total asshole. There was his feud with Jimmy Kimmel, which proved that Kanye West doesn’t […]

Ever since the infamous Nipple Gate fiasco at Super Bowl XXXVIII, the NFL has made it a point to occupy the Halftime Show of its biggest night with well established, universally regarded acts that have ranged from U2 to the Rolling Stones to Prince to Paul McCartney to The Who to Tom Petty and the […]

This past weekend, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker delivered a rousing speech at a political convention in Iowa. While many on the right praised Walker for his appearance and have begun floating him as a strong candidate for the 2016 elections, Boston heroes and Irish punk legends Dropkick Murphys were less than pleased with at least […]

Hookers? Shoot-outs? Awkward kisses? It all adds up to a feet-lickin’ bad time in 1975’s ‘Mitchell.’

This month has been busy as all hell. Moving around, working and then burning the other end of the candle to keep things nice and balanced is a sure way to keep time moving. But this also means it’s a sure way into quickly becoming a weathered and jaded cynic. That is, if you don’t […]

If there is anything as expected as the announcement of the new year’s inductees into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, it is the massive blowback it receives from the supporters of those who remain overlooked from consideration.  After careful mulling over the holidays, it has been surmised that these ten artists rank at […]

Everyone lost their minds earlier this year when the rumor of a Led Zeppelin reunion first started circulating. They lost their minds again, this time in a bad way, when it was announced that Robert Plant tore up a lucrative $800 million contract, effectively ending any talks of the reunion. While both the reunion and […]

The seven piece funk ensemble The Motet have dubbed their sold out New Year’s Eve party as Funklandia and will be hosting the celebration at Portland Oregon’s Crystal Ballroom to ring in 2015. They are bringing their talented friends The Polyrhythmics, DJ Weather, and special guest Jennifer Hartswick to bolster the bounce of the non-stop […]

Christmas time is here, a season of stress and indulgence. The holiday is contrived beyond recognition to most but for those of us who can see through the fabric or could just care less, nothing is really different except for the decor of surroundings. All throughout the town one can see the sights of minty […]

Much like soul singers Charles Bradley and Lee Fields, Sonny Knight has been making music for nearly fifty years, but recently the 66-year-old performer has found a new zest for the stage with the help of his young whipper snapper band The Lakers. Together the group released their aptly titled debut album I’m Still Here earlier this […]

Musicians are notorious gypsies, traveling around the world, never liking to stay in one place too long. Some musicians are content to stay with one band their whole lives while others love the thrill of new vibrations. There is a little of both in guitar player Keri Kelli. Reading over his portfolio you get the […]

When it’s all set and done, who knows what type of legacy 2014 will hold in the history of rock albums.  Anyhow, once again our staff writers narrowed down the list to our top 20 albums of the year along with a list of honorable mentions.  We’re confident that this is a definitive list of […]

A few years ago, I came upon the following pronouncement in a rock critic’s snarky column: “Listening to Primitive Radio God’s ‘Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand’ on YouTube is the equivalent of watching child pornography.” Obviously, this jerk takes his music too seriously — or child abuse not seriously […]

This last year New York has offered a premium taste of music in the heavy metal corner. Whether it be in the form of long awaited live shows, a fresh and emerging band, or an institution that continues to build on a grind of a career; metal and the like has recently been a hotbed […]

Chances are you haven’t heard of Greylag, but the Portland trio recently released what may be one of the finer albums to hit this year. Consisting of vocalist and acoustic guitar player Andrew Stonestreet, lead guitarist Daniel Dixon, and drummer Brady Swan, the members of Greylag were drawn together seemingly by fate and the shared […]

There is a reason why the news about Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss resurrecting Sleater-Kinney for a new album and tour in 2015 sent so many music fans to run up and sing from the digital mountaintops this past week. Whether it was by design or not, the scoop came the week the […]

As the music world mourns the loss of rock and roll pioneer Jack Bruce, we decided to take a look back through the master’s long and storied history to examine the legacy he left behind. To call him monumental would be only to scratch the surface of his influence and impact on the state of […]

Ever since Primus’s take on the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory soundtrack began streaming last week, we’ve been doing pretty much nothing but listening to it and discussing Primus. Les Claypool’s stalwart project has always been nothing if not bizarre and against the grain and their latest album is certainly a natural extension of […]

Why has Genesis’ ’86 LP acquired such a bad rap? The answer can be found in a few misconceptions regarding pop music and the band’s overall motives.

If you want to understand what hip-hop learned from the 1990s, and what the 1990s meant musically from that point onward, hip-hop or not, ‘Ill Communication’ is a good place to start — and to return.