Dawes were mighty impressive opening up for Brett Dennen at Higher Ground, so much so that the headliner must’ve been more than a little intimidated at the prospect of following them on stage.
It is now 2011 and lo and behold Cheap Trick are still around, still selling out venues, while playing on massive tours with the likes of Def Leppard and Poison. In fact, the gentleman sitting next to me could barely contain himself when they ripped into “Surrender”. The Blotz wasn’t kidding when he said the music would take you back to a time and a place when youth was taken for granted.
Ever since releasing records entitled I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child and Everything into Nothing, Manchester Orchestra has staked a claim as sensitively extravagant rockers. With the more mutedly titled, Simple Math, Hull has concocted a collection of simultaneously bombastic and intimate songs tracking the dissolution and reconstruction of his marriage and his life.
Just days before masses of people descended on the District of Columbia for Memorial Day, Paul Simon paid a visit to D.A.R. Constitution Hall, one of the city’s most patriotic venues. Whatever political subject may have been on the 69-year-old legend’s mind, he kept banter to a bare minimum, quipping only that he recalled “playing here with Artie in the 60’s.
Kurt Vile has put together a release worthy of an early candidate for Album of the Year with Smoke Ring For My Halo. By including his touring band, The Violaters, here Vile has upped the sound quality and density, forgoing the low-fi aesthetic that had somewhat muddied his previous albums by giving them a little too much of a DIY-feel.
Drawing heavily from their forthcoming album, Nothing Is Wrong, Dawes wowed the room, getting people shaking and pumping their fists and even inspiring a sing-a-long during the set-closing “When My Time Comes”, no easy feat as Cradle patrons are usually a bit sedate in showing their enthusiasm.
While Duff McKagan has always appeared far more open to a reunion than the iconoclastic and downright ridiculous Axl Rose, he has soldiered on since their mid 90’s breakup. The modern world of metal has been more than welcoming with his platinum selling work in Velvet Revolver as well as his longtime band, Loaded. Having always played a supporting role in his two other bands, since 1999, Loaded has afforded McKagan the opportunity to step to the fore, showcasing his song writing, guitar playing and singing.
One of the most anticipated albums of 2011 thus far, My Morning Jacket’s Circuital is one of those ever-so-rare instances where inspiration meets expectation.
Musicians possessing a cocky attitude are an age-old accessory to rock & roll. It is how they have used that sass that makes the musician loved or hated. John Mellencamp is one of those artists who have at times told you bluntly to kiss his ass.
Deliberately poor production is a badge of honor proudly worn by most indie bands today, with terms like ‘honesty’ and ‘rebellion’ casually thrown about. But Times New Viking, the quaintly-named indie-pop/rock trio from Columbus, Ohio (fondly categorized by some as “shitgaze”), are definitely pushing their luck with their latest release Dancer Equired.
