Reviews

With its emotional honesty and clarity of introspection, there’s such a deep-rooted melancholy in Gregg Allman’s greatest song, “Old Before My Time” (from 2003’s ABB album Hittin’ the Note), that it’s inclusion in the setlist for All My Friends might well have unduly dampened the celebratory atmosphere that permeates the concert. But every other well-known […]

“Cusp of Eternity” probably won’t appeal to the band’s early fans, but it’s another step in their fascinating sonic journey.

In an unusual turn of events, lower Manhattan flooded on Thursday, May 22nd, leaving the Mercury Lounge inaccessible, and leaving Stone Jack Jones and his “From Nashville with Love and Torture” tour mates without a venue. Thankfully, The Delancey saved the evening, offering the four acts a stage. Unfortunately, they definitely lost some of their […]

Big and powerful: Those words were written more times in my notepad during the two nights I covered Guns N’ Roses at their new Las Vegas residency at The Joint inside the Las Vegas Hard Rock than any other adjectives. Although most of the setlist was similar to their past residency in 2012, some of […]

“We’re here for one reason: to rock all your asses!” So shouted the self-proclaimed “Maharaja of Soul,” King Khan himself, who strolled gallantly onto the stage at the Mohawk on Friday night with the kind of radiant aura only found in a truly great showman. Adorned in a shimmering purple shirt and a crown-like hat […]

[rating=9.00] The Sharon Van Etten you’ve gotten to know on her last two records Epic and Tramp, respectively, has made some major changes. Her newest release Are We There is more lucid and much bigger, making waves with more pop-heavy melodies and a quicker pulse than we’re used to from her. And it’s really something […]

BANKS is an artist with incredible control over her voice, ranging from alien falsetto to raging ferocity, who will only continue to grow and stretch her muscles, as was evident during her sold out show at the Independent in San Francisco this week.

Celebrating its fifth year, The Hangout Beach, Music and Arts Festival came back in 2014 to take over the beach of Gulf Shores, Alabama. Fairly quiet, as far as gulf coast tourist destinations go, the area really comes alive when Hangout comes to town. And this year would be no different when a great range […]

The Howlin’ Brothers owned the room at Subculture in Manhattan on Wednesday, May 21st, and definitely took many folks in the audience by surprise. If anyone in attendance wasn’t familiar with their music, they left there as devotees. Playing a long, nearly two hour set with no opening band, the trio kept a really nice […]

Live in Holland 1976 is an ideal companion piece to the previously released Little Feat DVD Skin It Back recorded in Germany in 1977. On the latter, Lowell George was no longer titular leader of the group, but rather well into his withdrawal from that role as he acquiesced to the creative input of keyboardist […]

Conventional wisdom has it that any Phish song with vocals is a loathsome thing. But that doesn’t tell the full story — and it doesn’t apply to new single ‘Fuego.’

What ‘A Dotted Line,’ Nickel Creek’s first studio LP in nine years, made clear in CD format is even truer live: This trio hasn’t lost a step.

[rating=6.00] It’s been nearly a decade since Conor Oberst followed up a few preceding years of solid work with his masterpiece, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. That album, released under his Bright Eyes moniker, has stood up nicely over the ensuing years, and continues to be cited time and again by critics and fans alike, […]

New York City’s Apollo Theater has undoubtedly heard many a sad song from musicians legendary to obscure, but perhaps never has the storied venue experienced such a devastatingly brilliant and emotionally gut-wrenching performance as that of Lykke Li.

[rating=6.00] In his first full length recording, Built on Glass, Australian artist Chet Faker (humanly named Nick Murphy), sets you down within an electronic haze of emotion. His fascination for jazz is well documented on the record with the looseness of sounds and open space outside of the verses, along with the use of a […]

Every year there are just so many choices for late night shows during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival naturally things are missed, but if you weren’t involved with the magic emanating from Saturn Bar on late Saturday/early Sunday you sure missed one hell of a burner. Opening the show was drum/guitar duo The […]

As handsomely packaged as last year’s Brothers & Sisters, ‘Deluxe Edition,’ 40 is so impeccably recorded in audio and video (the latter of which makes an often cheesy light show look impressive), it is comparable to 2003’s Live at the Beacon Theatre DVD (though lacking its assortment of bonus features). Classy as the designated event […]

Hayes Carll and Caroline Rose compliment each other very nicely, as was evident during their show at Brooklyn’s Bell House. Both are rootsy, Americana artists with bare-bones song-writing, that work naturally well together. Caroline Rose’s on-stage persona is unexpectedly quirky. With her soulful and raw outlook on life coming through in her music, it’s a […]

“I played drums before I played bass,” Brian Marshall told me backstage after an exhaustingly energetic performance by his band Alter Bridge. “Thankfully you made the change,” deadpanned drummer Scott Phillips. The foundation of the more-popular-than-ever band, which also features guitar god Mark Tremonti and vocalist extraordinaire Myles Kennedy, have sat down with me following […]

It’s a shame that some people only know of the late Harry Nilsson via his association with his onetime drinking buddy John Lennon. Sure the two raised more than a few ruckuses in their day, but more importantly,  Harry Nilsson, who passed away in 1994, was a gifted singer/songwriter with a multi-octave voice. He was […]