Weirdo Wednesday: ‘Fantastic Planet’s’ Hallucinogenic Meditation Scene
Possibly the most outright bizarre film of the 1970s (or any era, for that matter) Fantastic Planet has consistently been blowing people’s minds since it was released way back in 1973. Essentially one long, strange, bad trip about humans (aka Oms) being pets to a giant/superior blue alien species (aka The Traag…who are kind of […]
Amelia White Teams With Kim Richey On Lyrically Rich, Pop-Tinged ‘Love I Swore’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
East Nashville-based singer-songwriter Amelia White has now released three noteworthy albums in the past five years yet only two, including presumably this one, Love I Swore, get much attention. Yet, while her ‘pandemic’ album, 2022’s Rocket Rearview is the unheralded one, this recent effort is arguably the outlier. That’s because Dave Coleman produced Rocket Rearview […]
Rising Songstress Zada Seeks To Balance The Internal and The External on Debut Album ‘Water in the Desert’ (INTERVIEW)
British Columbia-based singer/songwriter Zada was born in Ethiopia and spent many of her formative years in the mountains of Canada where she became a proficient skier and horseback rider. She calls herself a “mountain girl” for that reason and brings a lot of her love for the natural world into her work, particularly through her […]
Art Pepper Quintet’s 1960 Post-bop Masterclass ‘Smack Up’ Gets Vinyl Reissue (ALBUM REVIEW)
Smack Up by the Art Pepper Quintet is a timeless jazz album that showcases the extraordinary talent and emotional depth of saxophonist Art Pepper. Released in 1960, the album is a masterclass in post-bop jazz, featuring Pepper’s exceptional alto saxophone skills alongside a stellar ensemble. Pepper is joined by an outstanding lineup, including the brilliant […]
Corb Lund Returns with Timeless Americana Character Studies on ‘El Viejo’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
Canada’s favorite cowboy, Corb Lund, is back with his first album of all original music in almost five years. El Viejo is a stunning character study of gamblers and loners moving from card game to card game, perfectly bridging modern Americana with the likes of Jerry Reed, Del McCoury and Marty Robbins with a Springsteen-like […]
LISTEN: Ol’ Burger Beats Lay Down Stellar Wordplay & Chill Beats On “Black Sabbath
Crafting the sonic equivalent of a rolling storm cloud, Ol’ Burger Beats combines dusty nostalgia with modern tones via an amalgamation of influences and experiences. “Black Sabbath” features a subtle piano melody that adds vivid movement to the melancholy mood of this single, with two of the best emcees working today billy woods and Tha God Fahim laying down poetic narratives via […]
LISTEN: On “Best Thing” Shady Oaks Carve Out Contagious Rowdy Rock Textures
In the year since their last release, 2022’s MAD, Shady Oaks has had the chance to calm down a little, to process the angst and anger that permeated that EP, and focus on looking inward. Shady Oaks’ “Best Thing” has a runtime of 3:28 and you will be dancing for even longer after the groovy twang […]
Mary Timony Mixes The Freak Folk Formula On ‘Untame The Tiger’ (ALBUM REVIEW
For her first solo album in almost 15 years, Mary Timoney worked through the pain of losing both parents and the ending of a long-term relationship, conjuring a mix of freak folk, art rock, and a touch of pop on the excellently mysterious Untame The Tiger. Timoney’s successful outings with Ex Hex and Wild Flag […]
Misfits, Black Flag, Bad Religion, Turnstile, Iggy Pop Lead NO VALUES One Day Festival
Goldenvoice has announced a new one-day festival celebrating veteran punk bands tilted NO VALUES taking place on Saturday, June 8th at the Pomona Fairplex. For one day only, many of the greatest punk bands of all time will perform in one place, on four stages. Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 23 at 11AM […]
Everyone Orchestra Takes Fans on a Funk-Soul Journey in Portland, OR (SHOW RECAP/PHOTOS)
About 20 minutes after the opening notes of Everyone Orchestra’s Saturday, February 17th performance at Portland, Oregon’s Alberta Rose Theater, conductor Matt Butler took a moment to address the crowd. He said that backstage before the show, he told the assembled group of musicians that the first set of the night would be a mellow, […]