You might want to stay tuned the next three weeks on my return to Jamaica. I spent every day since my return getting ready to go back, and I am still not ready. How could I be? This cover represents what happened on my first dance with Jam Rock. It was like a novel about …
Month: January 2018
Most of the music reviews come at year’s end. Great. That’s when most people are desperate to catch up on everything they missed in the previous year. I’m fine with that, sitting here with a large stack of unopened vinyl waiting to be heard. But between work life and real life – in the ‘in-between …
Without really intending to, we seem to have low-key ‘done’ Sundance this last week, mainly via the ewaitlist, which is cool fun. Of the headline grabbing films, we saw The Tale, (with Laura Dern, Jason Ritter and an eleven year old Isabelle Nélisse) which has amazing parallel times and lines storytelling. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4015500/ I can’t tell …
Lady Bird, the coming-of-age movie set in Sacramento, CA, has a stubborn disinclination to satisfy normal expectations. Whenever you expect the story to follow a certain path, it goes somewhere else, and whenever you think you know its characters, they always find a way to surprise you. This lack of cliche, along with the movie’s …
The Father, the musician, the former stand out prep shooting guard Ethan Anderson headlines Neumos this Friday, Feb. 2 with Cody Beebe’s Rust on the Rails. His band Massy Ferguson has been a mainstay of this Seattle scene for the last decade and with the help of Brighton label At The Helm Records, his band …
JAMAICA UPDATE: Man I just got a call from Lenni I-Music in Jamaica. Send this dude some friend requests. This is a friend that I want to be rolling around Kingdston with. He’s such a SOLID dude and damn good singer and songwriter. This ain’t no side kick talk. I am lucky to be his …
So Portland has a grammy-winning artist now. Portugal. The Man won folk/pop duo/group performance for “Feel It Still.” Portugal. The Man locks down pop/duo performance Portugal. The Man at Grammys 2018: ‘We’re All About Hard Work’
Most problems are like bullets, you can’t really run away from them. For example if the Perma-Frost in the Arctic Melts and releases twice as much carbon than humans have ever emitted. Nobody can run away from that. Americans born in this country don’t really comprehend how powerless refugees are and what it would be …
“I’m fortunate that I have a job that allows me to travel around our country and to meet people from all walks of life. Through those journeys, I have heard stories big and small, hopeful and heartbreaking, funny and frightening. The people behind these stories represent all corners of our country – Manhattan power-players, line …
In the wake of the latest school shooting in Kentucky, a Wild West shoot out between student and teachers is not far away. No matter what side of the political spectrum you are on, we are all living in that kind of America. Theories that having more guns will keep us safe are going to …
The Democrats are rolling out their latest weapon after the State of the Union address. Here comes Joe Kennedy Jr. part 3. He is actually the grandson of Bobby. Here are some stats. He might be worth 55 million thanks to inheritance bankrolled by his name sake, he is technically an (unoppressed) minority because he …
To be honest, I do not think social media is good for humankind. The internet had a chance to inform us, but this world has us in a tiny box where we fight like giant fire ants. This is mass manipulation and coercion on the grandest scale. …and for What? For What? To sell more …
On the 23rd of January I had the pleasure of seeing Vic Ruggiero play a solo show for the second time. Vic Ruggiero is the keyboard player and primary vocalist for the NY ska band the Slackers. This guy is classic New York Italian and very charming. He created an intimacy with his audience immediately …
The Fall were never quite my favorite band (okay, maybe during the last six months of 1988, in the wake of the glorious one-two LP punch of THE FRENZ EXPERIMENT and I AM KURIOUS ORANJ!), but their obstreperous uniqueness, unfathomable longevity, truly remarkable consistency, and unshakable integrity grew more admirable and undeniable with each passing …
Where were the designated crack smoking zones and free clean pipes in the 1980s? America sure is soft on white crime. That being said, we should be tackling this issue with methods other than locking up drug users. But our prisons are full of men from the Crack War…hmmmm. Maybe the war on crack wasn’t …
Fans of the movie AIRPLANE, I had NO idea that it was taken from this obscure film ZERO HOUR. This is interesting if you are a fan. It IS the same movie, just not (intentionally) funny. Even has the “Looks like I picked the wrong week” line in it. It’s shot for shot in some …
If you’ve never seen it, you should. It’s on YouTube in a pristine print. “How Green Was My Valley” the 1941 Academy Award winner (Best Picture, Best Director JOHN FORD, Best Supporting actor DONALD CRISP, best cinematography ARTHUR MILLER, best art direction NATHAN H. JURAN, etc.). It’s an amazing oldie. They showed it to us …
In the past I have called a number of bands my favourite – Jesus & Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Pixies – but right now I am giving that small accolade to an American folk/country/rock duo based in Charleston, South Carolina called Shovels and Rope. They are literally the only act I have traveled to …
I just sent Bluejay Hankins my Anthony Red Rose-produced single ‘Free Your Mind’ to have Reggaeville premier. This is biggest raggae website, this song features Sly & Robbie and Lenky Marsden, the man behind Sean Paul’s ‘Get Busy’. I have spent the last year working with Anthony Red Rose as he crafted one of my …
Well my Jamaica tour got more exciting. It’s going to be a story. I am rolling with some good dudes when I sing in Trenchtown, and the crew I am shooting the ‘Free Your Mind’ video with are the legends. But why does it have to pop off right now? Jamaica is always going to …
The second annual women’s march began almost in disaster for me. I inadvertently left my camera bag with camera, lens and several memory cards at the ticket kiosk at Seattle’s light rail station, but didn’t realize I’d done so until I’d reached the boarding level and was ready to hop on the train. I rushed …
Quickly making a name for herself with her soulful voice and authentic songwriting, Kassi Ashton shares, “This is the song I always knew I wanted to write. It’s an intro in to everything I am.” In the deeply personal song, Kassi digs into her experience as a self-described black sheep, ridiculed for her individuality and …
The NFC Championship Game has just concluded as of this writing, with the Nick Foles-led Philadelphia Eagles beating the Minnesota Vikings by a shocking score of 38-7. The Eagles will travel to Minnesota to meet the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, thus ruining Minnesota’s dreams of winning a Lombardi Trophy in their own …
If Amazon was really on our side why would they be investing the 100 billion dollar might into taking away jobs from hard working American mothers that actually have some dignity and a still almost decent pay check as cashiers. We see the End Game. Putting women out of work, whether single, married, separated, or …
Take a listen to the extraordinary musicianship and taut harmonies of Baskery, self-proclaimed QUEENS OF BANJO PUNK and a trio made up of sisters Greta (banjo, drums, vocals), Stella (double bass, vocals) and Sunniva (guitar, vocals) Bondesson. The electric live take (above) of one of their catchiest but still unreleased songs, “Hard On You,” was …
The news for American Football just keeps getting worse. The latest study points to repeated hits to the head, not concussions, and not even ‘stingers’ and ‘seeing stars’, as the main cause of CTE. At first this was all just a wake up call for football players to realize that something they might experience multiple …
After the Portland Trailblazers’ win over the Indiana Pacers last Thursday night, comedian Cedric the Entertainer got up from his courtside seat afterward and took Coach Terry Stotts’ place at the podium for the postgame press conference: Thanks to the graciousness of the Trailblazers, I’ve been in that briefing room a couple of times. Usually, …
Well Tom Petty died of an opioid overdose, just like Prince and Michael Jackson. I know they were all in pain from the wear and tear of touring. These are my Idols too, I am not diminishing them. I am stating the obvious and undeniable fact that this country, from top to bottom is taking …
“Let Me Down”, the new song from Jorja Smith f. Stormzy, dropped last week with an overwhelmingly positive response from critics and fans. Today, she shares the official video, directed by Hector Dockrill, who did previous videos for Jorja’s “On My Mind” and “Beautiful Little Fools”. Filmed in Kiev, we see Jorja taking on the …
Australian prog oozes charm and confidence, tenderness and power. Take a listen to “The Middle,” a comeback tune for Sydney progressive rock trio Cog. The band has been around since 1998– with some time off– and this is their first new music since 2008. www.cog.com.au www.facebook.com/COG-12878803369 www.instagram.com/cog101