I’d say the greatest band of my lifetime, but I was two when the Beatles officially broke up. None of their peers sounded like this, and while so many in their wake were inspired or influenced, no one since has emulated them. No one married r&b, disco and prog rock with jazz, funk, and sex …
I pulled off losing all that weight since March. Now it’s time to get that muscle back. Hearing your song on Jamaican pop radio and shaking hands with David Rodigan at a BBC television taping has a way of making you want to come back and shock Jamaica. I haven’t even played there LIVE yet, …
Simply put, this is the best folk or pop recording of “O Holy Night” ever. Hannah’s voice, like a mighty decree gone forth from Caesar Augustus, confidently proclaims Messiah’s birth as three wise strings— mandolin, dobro and guitar— follow the star-seeking lyrics bearing gifts of golden light, frank innocence and mirthful texture. Nothing more need …
I cannot sit by and watch the legacy of Bill Walton be tarnished by valid criticism of his diminishing mental faculties. This is the man that gave birth to Luke Walton. If he wants to drop acid and do color commentary, by all means, just turn his mic off. Put on a Beach Boys cassette …
https://youtu.be/AgkuO7EOcPk Only You
Today, Martin Jensen released his official video for “Somebody I’m Not.” Starring Jensen and collaborator Bjørnskov, the video opens to Bjornskov performing in an ominous warehouse, while Jensen pensively makes his way across a scenic beach – filled with flares, drones, and gorgeous views. The two eventually find one another in the dark, hazy warehouse. “Working with Bjørnskov on “Somebody I’m Not” and getting the opportunity …
How to conquer Puerto Rico. Go back to Puerto Rico, go on TV and suit up. Sing a medley of my cousin Daniel Santos’ hits with local musicians. Allow me to paint us both a picture of this stop on the march to promote ‘Free Your Mind’. You tell the hosts and the audience at …
Last week I vacationed alone in Utah, visiting, hiking, and taking pictures at two national parks – Zion and Bryce. Simply put, awesome!! Bryce is known for its odd rock formations called “hoo doos.*” The parks lacked the usual throngs of tourists that naturally visit when the kids are not in school, which enabled me …
Myrkur is the project of Danish composer, vocalist and classically trained multi-instrumentalist, Amalie Bruun, who unveils two ethereal new studio tracks with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost, Paradise Lost, Solstafir) at Orgone Studios in Bedfordshire, England. A-Side “Juniper” is a gorgeous and powerful ballad that immediately hooks the listener with it’s infectious chorus and lush …
Today, NYC-based indie rock outfit, Miss Grit, shares her lead single and title track “Talk Talk” and announces her debut EP, out next year. Yesterday, The 405 premiered the track, praising, “A looping synth, some light piano and drums and Sohn’s voice are all that welcome the listener on ‘Talk Talk.’ But as the song …
A truly singular genius, David Byrne has followed his personal aesthetic for forty years and we are all the better for it. I found this press release to be so David Byrne that I present it to you uncut: David Byrne’s American Utopia album, released earlier this year on Todomundo / Nonesuch Records, has been nominated for Best …
It’s better than Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison.
Growing up on a small island outside Stockholm, singer-songwriter Marlene Oak turned to music as her escape. After spending her teenage years busking on the streets of the Swedish capital’s Old Town, she first got discovered by someone who simply happened to pass by. After releasing a couple of songs, she has gone all in …
The Buzzcocks’ Pete Shelley, dead at 63. While I appreciated the Buzzcocks’s brief initial splash — and often mention that bands who wouldn’t be bands without The Buzzcocks are now getting into the Hall of Fame — I enjoyed Pete Shelley’s and Howard Devoto’s solo/post Buzzcocks careers much more. With amazingly crafted albums that boasted …
This is so beautiful it hurts. This is live Chicago blues. I’m thirty years past Chicago and I’d swear I rode the Englewoood-Howard B Train tonight, shared a bottle of Christian Brothers on the down low and got clotheslined by “the Hawk” wind when I transferred for the Ravenswood line. Heaven on a bone, Smiffy’s …
“So Excited,” the latest blast of emotional energy from Brooklyn indie artist Foxanne, is the bold, upbeat antithesis to “cool kid” apathy. The song is an unapologetic ode to being shamelessly yourself. Foxanne, a songstress and science writer belts out, “I just want to be embarrassingly honest to me.” For this song, she was inspired …
Infectious and uplifting, Tina’s newest single is all about loving yourself when you’re at your loneliest. Quite often, we’ve set upon a path of success that leads us down a path that only we can travel. This is especially true when pursuing the art of music and pushing onwards to the success as a recording …
Before I am 50, I want to have an orchestra perform a symphony I wrote. The melodies and themes, and chord structures will be a breeze. I can lay that out now. But to arrange the music with the brushes available to Beethoven, that’s the hard part. I am really good at the skeleton of …
“Why didn’t they leave us to wander through buttercup summers?” – Van Morrison, “The Master’s Eyes” For me, this is Van Morrison’s most most memdorable lyric, by far. Please engrave it on my my tombstone. Don’t worry, I’m not ill. You’ve got many years to plan for this.
Some of my conservative friends got mad at me for even analyzing ‘Baby it’s Cold Outside’ after they made a political post comparing it to the pass so called Liberals give rap. Especially the rap we grew up with. It was actually a really good discussion topic. But of course when I simply analyzed the …
Congratulations to Marco Collins. He’s going back on the air. I grew up listening to Marco on The End. He is featured in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for his roll in making Seattle very very very very famous for becoming the final frontier of this Revolution we still love, called Rock & Roll. …
I want to better understand where free speech begins, ends, lives, and ultimately dies. There are billions of people on this website, and some people go to jail and get shot on bridges for what you and I have said on here without giving this a second thought. Yet if our political climate shifts, or …
My wife Joyce and I are personally saddened by the passing of one of the most honorable and decent men our country ever had serve as its President. I had the honor of performing at his 1989 Inaugural concert Joyce co-produced ‘The Celebration for Young Americans’, his and Barbara’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration, where The …
There’s no substitute for genius. David Gray is back with an incredible song and video. Dig it! David Gray personally sought out Baltimore-based zoetrope artist Eric Dyer to create the kaleidoscopic clip featured in the video. The visual nods towards the track’s rumination on the cyclical brevity of life and ecology with projected time lapse …
The Village People have a new Christmas tune for this holiday season and it’s a stone cold jam. Give it a listen. Victor Willis, the lead singer for such yesteryear hits as “YMCA” and “In the Navy” has returned for this track.
Behold the world you have created… This will become the country-hop “Jolene” for the smartphone generation. “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart” was co-written by Ronson with Miley Cyrus, along with Ilsey Juber, Thomas Brenneck, The Picard Brothers, and Conor Rayne Syzmanski. The track was produced by Ronson and co-produced by the Picard Brothers, with additional …
On November 27 I had the esteemed privilege of attending a concert by Squirrel Nut Zippers. I have been a fan of this band for over 20 years and was elated to learn they were touring again and making a stop at Seattle’s Crocodile, one of Seattle’s long-standing clubs. This eight-piece hailing from Chapel Hill, …
LAND OF A 1000 Hooks: I am working with Adam Kutchman on a new track. It’s been an exciting challenge to connect with different producers and friends on developing singles I intend to reproduce on stage. Some of these songs…they sound like hits. I am used to playing a song for years before I even have a …