What could a band called The Honeydogs with a CD titled Sunshine Committee possibly have to offer? Do not be deceived by the backwoods name, the syrupy title, or even the psychedelic Python-esque design on the cover.
While Spinal Tap is a great rock n roll movie that manages to expose some truth about rock n roll and tops all for pure entertainment value, Anvil the Movie is an even better film. The latter might not have nearly the comedic value as the former, but it illustrates perhaps rock n roll's greatest truth: There's more to it than just songwriting and technical proficiency.
Any musician with a well-defined style must also be the consummate recording artist to prevent with each successive recording from sounding like mere repetition of it predecessor. The Church are artists of just that caliber and their latest album, untitled #23, bears evidence to those high standards.
It’s no secret that Steve Earle has always loved Townes Van Zandt as a writer and musician—it just took him until now to record a whole album’s worth of his songs. There are 15 gems here, making Townes well worth the wait, and then some. The opener, “Poncho and Lefty,” is probably Van Zandt’s most beloved song, and hearing Earle sing it feels as natural as listening to him belt out some of his best songs like “Goodbye” or “Someday.” It’s just that good.
The Gaslight Anthem released one of 2008's best records, were a highlight of last summer's Vans Warped Tour, released a fantastic 10" on Record Store Day and are now on the verge of opening for perhaps their biggest influence, Bruce Springsteen. There really couldn't be much more of a positive vibe or greater expectations (yeah, pun intended) coming into a show than that.
Overall it is a solid effort for the duo, with top notch production and a few odd vocal choices; but it is far from the ruin implied in its title.
After the Nirvana revolution, you couldn’t even get two of those 80’s hair bands on a stage together in any house bigger than 5,000. Well if you do the decade math and now some of those same bands that rocked big ampitheaters in the 90’s are doing it again today (with the help of $20 lawn and back reserved pavilion tickets). The one thing is, that of these bands (NIN) sounded mighty relevant while the other (Jane’s Addiction) appeared to be going through the motions on this Phoenix date of the cleverly coined NIN/JA tour.
When The North Mississippi Allstars' Luther Dickinson began working with The Black Crowes, his partners, brother Cody and bassist Chris Chew, formed Hill Country Revue, whose music is a composite of the raw early sound of The Allstars and the riff-heavy style of Lynyrd Skynyrd,
There's no getting away from it but MSTRKRFT do ever so slightly resemble those French behemoths of dance, Daft Punk and Justice. And not just when it comes an aping of the rock-meets-dance sound but also in the fact that we're dealing with yet another duo.
Bowling Green, Kentucky has never been a hot spot of start-up rock bands, but Cage The Elephant, led by brothers Matt and Brad Shultz have garnered a worthwhile buzz as garage rockers, making them Kentucky’s second most popular rockers behind My Morning Jacket.
