Archive: 2020

Blindboss is an experimental one-man act from Orange County, California. His shows have been known to include pre-recorded bass and drums while he plays guitar or synthesizers and sings. All this while projecting images of himself on a screen behind him. Sure, it might seem like a lot of work, but it’s really no harder […]

None of the principals involved in RoundAgain need the boost in public profile this collaboration surely will provide. One-time bandmates Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade all benefit already from well-established careers under their own respective names and through various other collaborations on stage and in the studio. Yet for each of […]

On A Dark Murmuration of Words, UK folk singer Emily Barker searches out the invisible connections that shape a rapidly shifting modern world. Like the dark matter that makes up the bulk of the universe or the shape-shifting coordination of a flock of starlings at dusk, it’s the gaps of the unspoken, invisible, and unacknowledged […]

When is the right time to release another record of original music? Ask the Emmy- and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Peter Himmelman and he’s likely to answer with a question of his own: “When is the wrong time?” To a standard-bearer like Himmelman — about whom Parke Puterburgh, former Rolling Stone senior editor, wrote in Stereo Review, […]

The Lemon Twigs have done it again with another shot of adrenaline straight into the vein of the American pop scene. “Live In Favor Of Tomorrow” is a euphoric dance in the clouds which brings you close enough to God to slap him five. Time is an antiquated illusion when you play this puppy loud. […]

To say the Dead’s 1995 Summer tour was a surreal disaster-laden affair is putting it mildly. In addition to Garcia’s alarmingly poor appearance & musicianship as well as his rapidly deteriorating health & well-being, a slew of ominous incidents that occurred along the way earned this near two-month twenty-six show jaunt through the U.S. the […]

Scan the press coverage on soul-groove outfit Dirty Streets and you’ll see numerous references to rock, soul, and dirty-blooze touchstones like the Faces, Humble Pie, Otis Redding, CCR and more. Spin Dirty Streets’ records and you’ll hear all of those echoes, plus others—some jazz timing, some acoustic balladry. But by and large, what you’ll hear […]

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Mario Quadracci was set to begin recording Alpha Helix, the follow up to his Ceiling Spirits project’s lauded debut when Coronavirus forced the project, along with much of the world, into a state of pause. Unable to use other musicians to perform Alpha Helix’s compositions, Ceiling Spirits has become focused on analog […]

Listening to pianist/composer Brad Mehldau is always an intense experience, but perhaps never more so than on April 2020. As provocative in its own way as any of his previous solo, trio or larger ensemble settings, his dozen new compositions, combined with three carefully-chosen covers, represent something like a blank slate upon which the discerning […]

The diminutive, 5-foot tall Ruth LaMaster ‘s moniker “Hurricane Ruth” is not the least bit understated. She can wail like the force of nature the term connotes. For this outing, her debut on American Showplace Records, all the key ingredients are in place in terms of songwriting and backing musicians. Although this is Hurricane Ruth’s […]

The latest edition of the Grateful Dead’s weekly archival series Shakedown Stream features a 30th anniversary of sorts as the red-hot July 10th, 1990 show from Carter-Finley Stadium at NC State in Raleigh, NC will be made available to the public for the first time ever this Friday, July 10th. This show, which took place […]

U.K. grindcore pioneers Napalm Death are delighted to announce their upcoming studio album, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism, is slated for a Sept. 18 release via Century Media Records. Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism, the band’s highly-anticipated follow-up to Napalm Death’s critically-acclaimed 2015 album, Apex Predator – Easy Meat, […]

The Jayhawks, one of Americana’s most enduring bands, have been with us now for three and half decades, slightly less in terms of recorded output. It only makes sense that at various points in time, the unit would need to reassess their direction and add some twists to their hallmark sound. Leader Gary Louris felt […]

Rufus Wainwright views his new album Unfollow the Rules as a bookend to his 1998 self-titled debut. That critically acclaimed album launched a career that found Wainwright veering from the pop world to cover Judy Garland, compose two operas and release a collection of Shakespeare sonnets. These musical detours alienated some fans, but the American-Canadian […]

Light Bodies is a Phoenix-based musical project spearheaded by Jack Cavanaugh that includes collaborators from its surrounding urban art community. The collective’s music focuses on the interplay between organic sounds and digital instruments, while its openhearted lyrics touch on insightful personal, spiritual, and political subject matter surrounded by Cavanaugh’s graceful vocals. Shades of The Dirty […]

Brooke C. Vettese is DOCTOR IMPOSTER. The in-demand, indie producer and beatmaker; mix engineer; and sought-after, multi-instrumentalist session and live musician steps forward as an artist with an assured self-titled debut. The Brooklyn-based artist/producer’s 12-song album is a conceptual collection of exhilarating urban electro-pop that, through a dystopian video game metaphorical overlay and video game-vibing […]

As one of the premier jazz festivals in the world, the Montreal Jazz Festival has taken the impact of their festival’s cancellation this year and turned it into a musical happening that celebrates Canadian multiculturalism. As Canada celebrates the inclusivity of all ethnic groups inside their border, Canada Multiculturalism Day is celebrated on June 27th. […]

Marcus King, has announced Four of a Kind, Live From Nashville, a four-night full production livestream series, benefitting MusiCares and airing every Monday at 8p CT on July 13th through August 3rd. Filmed in Nashville, each show has a unique performance concept and will feature guests including Brent Hinds (of Mastodon,) Billy Strings, Jennifer Hartswick, […]

Morricone’s legacy is eternal.