Archive: 2020

Its trio of leads delight but ultimately it’s too safe for its own good.

Considered by most to be Duke Ellington’s greatest work, Black, Brown & Beige, the sprawling history of African -Americans has been, recorded several times over the years either in its entirety but performed live just in pieces. Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) performed the entire piece live at Rose Theater […]

The 2020 return of Circles Around The Sun to Higher Ground on March 1st reaffirmed the distinctions of their music, in its original configuration and in the more accessible form as documented on their third studio album. Bassist Dan Horne’s subdued shout-out to the late Neal Casal as the group left the stage belied the […]

For Albuquerque, New Mexico new wave/synth-pop band Lindy Vision, family casts a shadow over everything. The trio—comprised of three Black Native sisters, Dorothy (Dee Dee), Natasha (Na), and Carla Cuylear—has spent the last six years honing their unique sonic palette, a mix of dark ‘80s new wave, bouncy synth-pop, and ethereal indie-rock that has drawn […]

The latest release from The Grateful Dead’s weekly video series All The Years Live showcases the tender Garcia/Hunter composition, “Bird Song“, from the Grateful Dead’s June 26, 1993 concert at Washington D.C.’s RFK Stadium. Introduced in 1971, the song immediately became a first-set staple, with nearly 60 performances before it was dropped from the repertoire […]

Acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician Courtney Marie Andrews will release her highly anticipated new album, Old Flowers, June 5 on Fat Possum Records. In advance of the release, the new album track, “If I Told,” is premiering today and can be heard below… Created in the aftermath of a long-term relationship, Old Flowers features Andrews’ […]

Sometime between 1965 and 1968 a shift in popular music happened. It wasn’t something that necessarily defined the time but was more a symptom of it. The acid was taking hold, marijuana was a ubiquitous part of the hiplife and ears and minds were opening to sounds to which they had once been closed. While […]

With 2020 marking a decade into their musical careers The Dirty Clergy vacillates between shoegaze-esque ruminations on love and struggle and more straightforward garage numbers that surge into ecstatic cacophony all accented by eerily laconic vocals, The Alabama-based trio (featuring vocalist/guitarist Brian Manasco, bassist Ky Carter and drummer Cody Moorehead) are looking to expand their […]

Mo Lowda began with three high school kids. Those kids all ended up at the same college in Philadelphia, PA where other kids wanted them to play at their basement parties all the time. So, they did. All the time. They are no longer kids. Two full-length albums (2013, 2018) and an EP (2016) later, […]

The album title, Cinema Swing, takes its name from the famed, tiny Cinema Bar located on Sepulveda Blvd. in Culver City, just south of Los Angeles, a place this writer frequented often on trips to L.A. In fact, one night included watching the Lakers at the bar with keyboardist/vocalist Carl Byron. That was a rare […]

Batman Through the Ages Batman is one of the most famous fictional superheroes that he’s inspired many theme-park rides, spin-off movies, video games, and even 18+ online slots from some of the best UK casinos. For both comic book fans and film fans alike, one of the main questions that lingers is who has played […]

Joe Bonamassa has announced his full-length instrumental album Easy To Buy, Hard To Sell as he debuts his brand new project, The Sleep Eazys. The first single, “Bond (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service),” a nod to the 1969 classic action film, is now available on all streaming services (https://joeb.me/SleepEazys). As producer, the blues-rock titan enlisted […]

The winning streak continues for The James Hunter Six and Daptone Records as Nick of Time is yet another fantastic slice of grooving retro soul. Hunter and producer Bosco Mann merge their Northern English style with classic American R&B over thirteen pristine sounding tracks that lovingly recalls past greats of the genre. Opener “I Can […]

Texas guitar legend Will Sexton, younger brother of Charlie Sexton, grew up in in San Antonio and played with greats like Doug Sahm and Stevie Ray Vaughan as a teenager.  Will is now based in Memphis, having married roots artist Amy LaVere in 2013. He found some time away from his busy session work to […]

The third Innings Festival in Tempe held at the city’s Tempe Beach Park held over two days (February 29 and March 1st)  was a resounding success. Blending music and baseball’s spring training has been wildly accepted by Arizonans. The producers of Lollapalooza have a home run with this festival. The event had two stages dedicated […]

Silversun Pickups have kept their modern alt flame going for quite some time now following their breakout Coachella 2007 performance. The Silverlake (LA) band has been touring in support of their return to form fifth album, 2019’s Widow’s Weeds. The New Regime opened which is led by lan Rubin who has played drums with Nine […]

Genesis are indeed reuniting in November to tour arenas all around the United Kingdom and Ireland. The 10-date tour — called “The Last Domino?” in a nod to the band’s two-part 1986 song “Domino” — begins November 16th at Dublin’s 3 Arena and wraps up December 11th at Newcastle, England’s Newcastle Utilita Arena. Tickets for most shows […]

Six decades of music, sixty-five years of song, generations tied together through the force of will of a matriarchy of powerful women. This is the story of African-American gospel quintet The Legendary Ingramettes, founded by Maggie Ingram (who passed away in 2015) as a way to keep her family together through hardship, and taken up […]

In the latest Wannabe, artist Chris Prunckle offers his illustrated commentary on LP5, the new album from singer-songwriter John Moreland, in his signature six-panel comic strip form. Click on the image for full resolution (best viewed on desktop):