(Photo of Ian Hunter with Mick Ronson’s daughter.) ”I didn’t know if I was going to become a musician, because I couldn’t sing very good. In those days you really had to be a good singer. I didn’t know I had a chance until Dylan came along. I couldn’t really understand what he was saying, …
This youtube clip has had 1,580,728 people watch it (as of 7/10/12), can they all be wrong? You decide, cast your vote now… – Pat Thomas is the author of the recently released work, Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 Just when I’d come to believe I was safe from ever …
When asked: “What is a friend?” Aristotle replied: “One soul inhabiting two bodies.” In 1989, Dylan spent some time with Van Morrison in Athens, Greece. The two were at Philopappos (The Hill Of The Muses) on June 27, performing Van’s song “Foreign Window”, “it’s a song about suffering….it’s not about any one person or any …
Antonio Carlos Jobim is best known for having written this tune, “The Girl From Ipanema,” said to be one the most recorded songs of all time. Brazilians are quite aware, but Americans may not know, that there was an actual young beauty in the Ipanema section of Rio de Janeiro of whom the song was …
Mysterious Brooklyn-based duo, MS MR, have created excitement online with their latest single, “Hurricane,” a dark glitch pop track with equally hauntingly beautiful vocals. The 7” for “Hurricane” will be officially released on July 10th via IAMSOUND Records/Chess Club. Stream/download the single via the MS MR Soundcloud (over 210k streams) and watch the video that …
Saturday night, July 7, Studio Seven hosted the Tonight We Unite hardcore punk rock show. Though psychobilly gods, The Nekromantix, played last, it’s a safe bet to say that there were two headliners, The Nekromantix and The Casualties. I’d say the Casualties stole the show. They came on stage all punked out with singer Jorge …
One can trace a direct line from Louis Jordan to Chuck Berry and Little Richard to rock’n’roll. He is described by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as “the Father of Rhythm & Blues” and “the Grandfather of Rock’n’Roll.” Jordan usually performed with small, tightly arranged bands and did most of his work in …
Fall of ’69, I’m in elementary school, my brother is in high school and we’ve got just a handful of LPs in the basement rec room of our house in western New York – including “In a Gadda Da Vida” and the “Easy Rider” soundtrack. Our two favorite bands are Iron Butterfly and Steppenwolf. (In …
Sinatra’s confident voice acknowledged death yet evinced no fear thereto. When that dark voice was caressed by the sunny sweetness of Jobim’s deathless guitar, well… como é doce… Jobim is best known for this tune, said to be one the most recorded songs of all time. Brazilians are quite aware, but Americans may not know …
Garbage – wow, away for seven years. It’s a bit of a personal journey for me too in the 13 years since I last saw them. Back then I was a shrinking violet at gigs, sat up in the cheap seats. Tonight, I’m not ashamed to admit that we queued two hours before doors, and …
OMG – Mayteana Morales of The Pimps of Joytime is literally too cool for school. That’s because we used to watch her on PBS’s Ghostwriters back when we were in school. – Davin Michael Stedman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD90ReIEEKY
Jess Bryant is someone I first came across in London, playing on a boat 200 metres in a straight line from where I lived. I saw her twice in quick succession and then a few times after that, but that first time, she announced with all seriousness (and she can be serious) that this was …
The King Blues have released their latest video for their new song “Wasted Words.” Even though the King Blues’ songwriter, Itch, still manages to come up with creative rhymes, the content is just another boyfriend/girlfriend breakup song with a synthetic female vocalist adding harmony. In other words, it’s just like 90% of the songs and …
The UK’s Dub Pistols have just released a video for their song “Alive.” The visuals in the video are intriguing as the band performs with a distinct reggae sound, but with a dub back beat. The song does, however, get monotonous after awhile. The overdub, electronic sounds don’t vary at all so it’s just the …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scctp8-xYX4
Girl In A Coma released their cover of the classic “Heatwave,” the song made famous by Martha and the Vandellas in 1964. Girl In A Coma’s version of the song, which was just released today, is now available on iTunes and has been picked up by JC Penney for their July national ad campaign. Girl …
Here’s “The Keepers,” the new single from Santigold’s album Master of My Make-Believe (Downtown/Atlantic), which features the portentous, oft-repeated refrain, “While we sleep in America, our house is burning down.” In the video, Santigold portrays a member of an idyllic 1950s, blonde-wigged, American family which happily and cluelessly sits down to an unappetizing meal of …
This video will remind you how great these guys were together. – Linda Newman Andersson
“Youth In Trouble” is the first taste of new music to come from The Presets in over four years.The track is a never-ending, undulating slice of face-melting techno, listen here. Their new album, Pacifica, is due out in September on Casablanca. After several teasers, the band has also premiered of the full video for “Youth …
Dub Pistols have spent the past 15 years winning over audiences globally with their infectious blend of ska, dub, hip-hop, electronic and punk. Now, Barry Ashworth and his motley crew are back with their fifth studio album, Worshipping The Dollar. Featuring guest vocals from UK hip hop legend Rodney P. and rising reggae group Red …
Wednesday night, June 27, The Chop Tops headlined a show at Seattle’s El Corazon. I was unfamiliar with the Chop Tops, but heard the show advertised on KGRG, liked what I heard, so decided to check them out. I was not disappointed. The Chop Tops are a psychobilly trio from Santa Cruz, California. This means …
They Might Be Giants have been carving out their own path for three decades, continuously pushing the envelope and creating entirely new approaches to music along the way. The release of their first family album No! in 2002 opened new doors for the band and paved the way for other acts in the kid’s music …
In celebration of the release of Joe Jackson’s new album The Duke, out on Razor & Tie, Jackson is offering a free MP3 of “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got Swing)” HERE. Teaming up with Iggy Pop on vocals, the track challenged both legendary artists to create “something that swings like hell, …
The King Blues are breaking up. There are rumors of strife within the band. This CD will apparently be their last hurrah. Personally, I’m bummed. We need more bands out there protesting the fact that the wealth of the entire developed world is being concentrated on the top 1% and turning all developed countries into …
A few years ago, lightning struck when a classically trained, competition-level pianist turned her full attention to pop and electronica — resulting in the critically acclaimed 2010 album, When You Dream. Music history is full of such unlikely stories, odd segues and their accompanying bursts of brilliance. But when lightning strikes twice, and when the …