Label: DC-Jam Records Released: July 21, 2009 This five song EP, in classic punk fashion, clocks in at just under eight minutes, but we all know it’s quality, not quantity, that counts. These tracks, culled from two different shows, reflect GI’s hardcore heyday in 1982-83. The recordings are good for early hardcore live material and the band is clearly in… Read more »
Label: DC-Jam Records Released: July 21, 2009 Back in 1985, I bought JFA’s Live 1984 Tour LP. It’s energy was as unbounded as the possibilities of my new found favorite genre and it quickly found itself in steady rotation on my turntable. Nearly a quarter century later, a new piece of live JFA vinyl is spinning in my basement and… Read more »
Label: Capitol/EMI Released: July 28, 2009 George Thorogood’s principle charm is that he plays the blues for people who aren’t really all that blue. In many ways, he’s a classic blues artist from his shuffling riffs to his beer-soaked voice, except, at his best…well, he’s kinda fun. Thorogood’s latest release, The Dirty Dozen, is at least sporadically successful in that… Read more »
As expected, Flogging Molly put on one of the day’s best performances at the Warped Tour stop in Columbia, MD on July 14, 2009. Check out all of my Warped Tour 2009 pictures here.
Chiodos managed to bring both the intricacy and intensity of their sound to the Main Stage of the Warped Tour on July 14, 2009 in Columbia, MD. Check out all of my Warped Tour 2009 pictures here.
Streetlight Manifesto brought their soulful ska to the Warped Tour’s Hurley.com stage in Columbia, MD on July 14, 2009. While it was one of the event’s smaller stages, they showed that they could have held their own against any band on the tour. Unlike many of today’s ska bands, these guys understand that the genre is ultimately soul music. Check… Read more »
Date: July 18, 2009 Robert Randolph tore things up on Saturday night at Artscape, including two amazing Michael Jackson covers and plenty of crowd participation.
VAMPS was one of the Warped Tour’s handful of hard rock acts. They flavored their version with equal parts of goth and sleaze, making them a unique act on the tour. Check out all of my Warped Tour 2009 pictures here.
The Devil Wears Prada brought their screamo madness to the Warped Tour main stage in Columbia, MD on July 14. They were, hands down, the most intense band I saw that day. Check out all of my Warped Tour 2009 pictures here.
Label: Essential Jazz Classics Released: June 2, 2009 The mid to late 50s was a near perfect time for jazz. As post-bop and cool jazz emerged from Charlie Parker’s bebop shake-up, the genre’s top artists were refining the sound. In a few short years, jazz would be set on its ear again by Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane and Charles Mingus… Read more »