Before anyone even says anything, I know that this stuff was geared toward adolescent males (and actually appealed most to pre-adolescent males). I know the lyrics are about as stupid as anything rock music has ever produced. I know the objectification of women is part and parcel of Kiss and I hate that. However, I was about six when I… Read more »
Label: Smithsonian Folkways Released: April 25, 2005 It’s interesting how sometimes, two completely different artists can embody the greatest facets of an entire style of music. For example, take a look at The Beatles and The Rolling Stones; one is the hopeful and adventurous warmth of daylight, while the other is the nihilistic swagger of darkness. And while rock fans… Read more »
Label: Ramseur Records Released: March 15, 2007 Americana’s return to the distant roots of rock music can be both a strength and a limitation. The genre often taps into the stripped down honesty of early music, but is also limited in its influences. The Avett Brothers, however, capture the genre’s strengths without being held to its limitations. The band, Scott… Read more »
Label: Drive-Thru Records Released: October 16, 2007 Trampoline is aptly titled, because the album has a lot of bounce and not the teeny-bopper kind of bounce either. This bounce is the combined force of Steel Train’s energy and elasticity. The band’s biggest influence is perhaps the Beatles (and who would complain?) and they draw on everything from early jangly pop… Read more »
January 23, 2008, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore, Maryland Everyone remembers Ladysmith Black Mambazo for their contributions to Paul Simon’s Graceland, but the group, formed in the late 1950s in South Africa, has had a prolific recording career to which many people are oblivious. As an a capella group playing traditional African music, there isn’t a huge market for their… Read more »
Label: self-released Released: Like many great punk records, this one’s almost over before it starts. While this isn’t quite great, it does cover all the hardcore bases: fast, loud, aggressive. The four song demo clocks in at just 5:39, but it lets up very little over that time. Bad Habit draws a lot from Minor Threat with just a slightly… Read more »
Label: Smithsonian Folkways Released: January 29, 2008 I attended a memorial service for a coworker’s husband a few years ago. The chapel was small, and the service was filled with speeches and laughter and the occasional gut-wrenching sob from the front of the room. It was touching, but as someone who didn’t know the dead man, it was relatively mundane…. Read more »
Label: Smithsonian Folkways Released: March 23, 1999 Lead Belly is widely considered one of the greatest influences on modern American music, yet I know few who actually listen to him. That doesn’t diminish his influence, but it does call into question whether he is directly relevant today or a generation or two removed. The follow-up question would then be, if… Read more »
Here’s some particularly bad news for anyone who likes good music and/or good movies: Geoff Tate (of Queensrÿche) and Candice Night (of Blackmore’s Night) will make their acting debuts together in House of Eternity. After hearing recent releases from both of them, the movie theater will feel like a house of eternity unless they can both act better than they… Read more »
Label: Bad Reputation Released: January 15, 2008 For those not familiar with the Gypsy Pistoleros, they play sleazy, gritty glam with a touch of Latin flair (although not quite as prevalent as they sell it, it certainly amounts to a lot more than just some Spanish lyrics). Unlike the many bands from the hair metal heyday of the 80s that… Read more »