Archive: 2024

John Mayall has been dubbed ‘The Godfather of British Blues’ for good reason. His Bluesbreakers bands of the Sixties constituted something of a finishing school for guitarists, among whom numbered Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor. We know about EC/Slowhand, but it may often be forgotten Green founded Fleetwood Mac (as a blues band!), while Taylor–with Mayall’s blessing to […]

The band’s fifth LP (and first in eight years), That Delicious Vice, finds Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds scaling down to a trio as their unique style of spacious art rock/post-punk rolls out.  The group (Kid Congo Powers—guitar/vocals, Mark Cisneros—bass/guitar, Ron Miller—drums/percussion/vocals) are all veterans of the scene and mix and match sounds […]

The various curators of the New Riders of the Purple Sage vault have certainly done right by the band in recent years. Besides tendering packages including recordings of performances in the group’s formative days–with Jerry Garcia on pedal steel–archivists have also issued vintage content of NRPS in its later heyday. Herewith Hempstead, a 1976 show that supplies […]

With Silent, Listening, Fred Hersch solidifies his position as one of the preeminent pianists in contemporary jazz. He does so through an admirable act of courage: he recorded this approximately fifty-minute album of solo piano as his debut on ECM Records. Yet the project was a justified leap of faith for the Cincinnati native. Hersch was […]

Today, Dickey Betts, the founding member of The Allman Brothers Band and lead guitarist through many of the band’s lineups and eras, died at age 80. Betts joined The Allman Brothers Band in the late 1960s alongside Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Jaimoe. With his exceptional guitar skills, Betts became known […]

Last week we aired Part One of our interview with Zev Feldman, an internationally recognized, GRAMMY-nominated independent record producer and the Co-President of Resonance Records in Los Angeles. He is a driving force for Record Store Day. The first interview focused on the process and his operation, while this, Part Two, addresses the releases that […]

Over the past few years, rapper/producer MIKE has been releasing music at a prolific rate. Since 2018, he has released at least one album each year, and each one is a new, refreshing take on his signature baritone vocals that juxtapose the soulful loops he raps over. His latest is the bouncy Tony Seltzer-produced Pinball […]

GospelbeacH’s final album is titled Wiggle Your Fingers, and it finds the outfit delivering more of its modern-day Laurel Canyon-inspired, slightly tripped-out pop rock vibes. Brent Rademaker has stated that the title of the album came to him “in the middle of the night while listening to the Meat Puppets play live on the Howard […]

Every so often, a new Melvins album shows up in the wild, sometimes without anyone knowing it was coming. After more than 30 albums, one could expect diminishing returns from such a prolific catalog, but the Washington rockers have mostly avoided missteps. As pioneers of the grunge and sludge metal movements, the Melvins have crafted […]

One of the greatest rewards of diving into the golden age of hip-hop is unearthing a collaboration between two titans of the era. Not that these aren’t well-known collaborations, but some of the biggest songs from the era feature a multitude of revered emcees rapping over a single beat. Just look at Tribe’s “Scenario” with […]

Ian Hunter’s accomplishment on 2023’s Defiance Pt. I was a rare one, indeed. He could meld the litany of guests into the semblance of a band rather than just a lengthy list of marketing tools. Building upon that success for this sequel—not to mention extending it via cover art by Johnny Depp—the once and future frontman of Mott […]

Following a long stint as a sideman in NYC with leading jazz musicians and being mentored by Ben Monder and Arturo O’Farrill, the currently residing Zurich, Switzerland guitarist and composer Travis Reuter returns. He gained notice with his 20212 debut, Rotational Templates, and now, twelve years later, we get his follow-up, Quintet Music. It’s similar […]

Sam Redmore’s latest Lumi HD-assisted single, “Let It All Out,” has grooves that can make a statue dance. The funky reggae-tinged dance tune explodes with vibrant colors and bold melodies as contradicting melodies harmoniously fuse. The magic is in the detail here, with every listen a new angle reveals itself, creating a song that begs […]

Breezy surf-rock tones welcome you to “Coat of Arms,” the new single from four-piece Holiday Ghosts. The tune takes a unique approach to guitar pop by implementing hushed melodies that still play as vibrant and impactful. By keeping things simple, Holiday Ghosts could toy with convention and emerge with a relaxed sound that evokes the […]

Guided By Voices (the ever-evolving act led by Robert Pollard) shares today the announcement of their next LP, Strut of Kings (due June 28 via GBV Inc). Building on 40 years of GBV history, the majestic and triumphant Strut of Kings is the 41st album by the indie rock royalty. Largely recorded in Kings County, New York (Brooklyn), the album is perhaps a gesture […]

The Folk Implosion feat. John Davis and Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh) have announced their first full length album in 25 years as Walk Thru Me arrives June 28th on Joyful Noise Recordings. The first single “Moonlit Kind” is out today and can be heard below. “Moonlit Kind” is The Folk Implosion’s bobbing, shimmering ode to […]

Today, with Rhino’s surprise release of From The Mars Hotel: The Angel’s Share, the Grateful Dead vaults have once again been opened. Featuring 16 newly unearthed session recordings, the digital collection brings listeners directly into San Francisco’s Coast Recorders during the spring of 1974, revealing the band’s real-time process as they crafted such eternal staples as “Scarlet Begonias,” […]

Upon its release on April 17, 1989, Pixies’ Doolittle was met with universal claim and many record sales. Returning to the record now, that fact could be seen as shocking. It is an album with such complex production styles and the loudness dips in and out and points in every direction except the top of […]