Not only the best LP to come out of the massive Flying Nun / Kiwi stable (which had much good to great talent, but few who delivered complete albums as consistent and captivating as this one), but amongst the best indie albums anywhere by any group in the second half of the 80’s. – Pat …
Joe Cocker was one of those guys that my pals liked to mock and was fun for John Belushi to parody. But at his peak, Joe was “thee song interpreter” of his generation. Most famously, he was one of the first and best to really rework a Beatles song into something new, different and most …
Friday night in Seattle, less than a week before Christmas, and all through the house (called El Corazon )it is packed to the gills where X and the Blasters played a double bill. Seattle’s own Girl Trouble opened. All three bands are perfectly blended. The Blasters are traditional roots rock while X have their roots …
Los Angeles jazz organist Brian Charette has released his new single, “Time of the Season,” a cover of The Zombies’ 1968 hit. This supercoolish vamp is the latest from Charette’s full-length album, Good Tipper, which was released November 2014. When not recording or performing, Charette teaches master classes all over the world and is on …
The Joseph of the Nativity story is a cipher: one of those New Testament characters whose very blankness seems to invite us to step into their sandals and ask what we would do if we were witness to such strange events. It wasn’t until I became an adoptive father that I suddenly (if narcissistically) saw …
Friday night December 12, I once again made the long drive south to Tacoma, Washington to see yet another great show at Jazzbones. This time it was Nekromantix with Angie & the Car Wrecks opening. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve seen Nekromantix, but this was the most fun show I’ve seen them do. …
For me, this 1970 LP is the best “holiday” album. Why? Laura Nyro wrote all the songs, except one, which Carole King did. Felix Cavaliere and Arif Mardin produced it. The backing band are the Swampers from Muscle Shoals – plus Duane Allman AND Alice Coltrane play on it. What more could you want? – …
Friendly Canadian indie-rock trio Zerbin is spreading holiday cheer with a free download of its latest EP. Premiering on Pancakes & Whiskey, the new release features Christmas classics with a modern pop twist and two never before heard remixes of the band’s hit song, “New Earth.” The free download is available via NoiseTrade. Formed in …
After spending the last few months working on new music, Australian songwriter Anna O is excited by the release of her latest single, ‘Symphony.’ The track is brought to life by the artist’s warm, soulful vocals, which glide over a landscape of dreamy synths, strings and an overall sense of intrigue. It’s this unique layering …
For me, the soundtrack of the late 80’s and early 90’s, the definitive ‘indie rock’ artist, was Barbara Manning. Her ethereal vocals over the top of a 1960s English folk / 70’s Krautrock / 80’s Kiwi Flying Nun blend was not only unique, it was transcendent. Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo and Robyn Hitchcock sang …
As a Christmas gift for you, Red Sleeping Beauty is releasing “Merry Christmas, Marie,” their first new song in 17 years. Red Sleeping Beauty is a semi-legendary Swedish bedroom pop band. They released two albums and numerous singles on classic pop labels around the world between 1992 and 1997. Highly rated by pop connoisseurs, they …
Unless someone comes out with an excellent Christmas album in the next couple weeks, here’s my top ten of 2014: St. Paul and the Broken Bones Half the City The Budos Band Burnt Offering Lee Fields and the Expressions Emma Jean Benjamin Booker Violent Shiver Prince Art Official Age Jack White Lazaretto Sharon Jones and …
Recently signed to Cherrytree Records/Interscope, seven-piece sibling band The Hunts, have been playing music together almost their entire lives. Ranging from ages 16 to 24, twin sisters Jenni and Jessi and their five brothers Josh, Jonathan, Jordan, Justin, and Jamison all learned to sing and play violin as young kids and spent much of their …
You need to see this: Frida! Bjorn’s Ovation Breadwinner! Frida’s satin hot pants and charmingly awkward dancing and blithe overconfidence! That video was discovered in an Internet breadcrumb trail—there needs to be a word for that experience (start with site A, which takes you to video B, which leads to chatroom C, etc.); maybe wormholing?—with …
She’s come a long way from Rock ‘n Roll N-word. She hasn’t lost the punk rock emotion in her voice though. Beautiful. – Mike Swanson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky5E6VwSZpE
One of the first stories I ever wrote for a newspaper was coverage of a tribute to black church music for the Southern Illinois University-Carbondale newspaper. I was moved by it. My parents dragged me to a Presbyterian church and we never had cool music like that. The choirs didn’t sway. Nobody tapped their feet. …
Powerpacked, feedback-overloaded, garage-born Seattle blues rock dynamo, My Goodness, have some upcoming shows. From the video above you can tell their live show features loud, angry rock from the good old days. Below is a stream of their recent album and below that is their cover of the Rod Stewart song, “Young Turks.” My Goodness …
Here’s a catchy little tune and a really likable voice. Rabbi Steven Blane has written an all-holiday-inclusive (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa) tune and accompanies himself on the ukulele.
Toronto-based youth band Rebel Coast release their latest single, “Lonely Christmas” just in time for the holiday season. The song, written by the five band members; Curtis Smith, Kyle McVea, Ryan Hawken, Angelo Moretti and Amer Dhaliwal, serves as the first single from the band’s upcoming holiday EP, Home For The Holidays. Produced by the …
ARIANA GRANDE has delivered her brand new original holiday single, “Santa Tell Me”. Sunday, ARIANA lit up the stage at the 2014 American Music Awards in Los Angeles. First, she delivered a sizzling medley of hits including “Problem”, “Break Free”, and “Love Me Harder” with The Weeknd. Watch the stunning performance here. Then, ARIANA’s “Bang …
GENEVIÈVE BELLEMARE is yet another young Canadian-born woman who has moved down to LA to find success in the music biz. She lived in Oregon for a while (McMinnville by way of Corvallis and won Eugene band of the year several years ago as Voudoun Moi) and found a boyfriend and a guitarist here but …
America’s most musical family CIMORELLI have released their first-ever holiday EP, Christmas Magic [Awesomeness Music/Republic Records], on November 24 via all digital retailers. For this special collection, the six sisters interpreted five seasonal classics, seamlessly adding their own spirit to each. The EP arrives hot on the heels of their fifth and latest EP, Renegade, …
Jordan Klassen is a singer/songwriter with a pop sensibility and a soulful voice. According to his online bio, “Jordan Klassen is a leader of the Peter Pan generation: a comforting voice for the lost twentysomethings of the new millennium. Only difference is – he’s found his way. A seasoned songwriter from BC, Klassen views the …
This was released yesterday and every few hours it’s had a million more Youtube views. You gotta love the part where she dials her foot like a phone (2:35) and the “fresher than you” rant (3:20).
Listening to the new Robert Plant album Lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar and while it’s not nearly as captivating as 2010’s Band of Joy (which ranks with Plant’s best work ever) – this new one, at this stage in his nearly 50 year career is fairly fresh and different from previous work. Quality-wise, I’d slot …
In our church, it’s the local obstetrician who can be counted on to bless the congregation by singing a spirited version of this song during the Advent season. (My lovely wife and I call him “Dr. MaryDidYouKnow?” and have often marveled at his spectacular sports car in the congregational parking lot.) I’ve always assumed he …
Moms and Dads will remember this groove. Very 80s. Mucho irresistable.
Check out NYC-based soul-pop artist Shilpa Narayan and her newest video “Baby Go Home,” off her upcoming EP, set to release early 2015. Vibe Magazine named her “Artist to Watch,” while Carson Daly himself selected Shilpa’s submission for a chance to audition for The Voice.
I’m standing in front of the piece of paper on which David Bowie wrote his lyrics for “Heroes,” with tears falling down my face. This is a must see exhibit for anyone at all interested in the miracle of the creative process: David Bowie Is at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Sometimes when …