Right away I’m intrigued by the title of this band and album; The Wolfe Gang, ‘Read The Fine Print’–hmm…wonder what this will be about? Definitely a good start just for the fact that I’m highly interested in this group and their new record before I’ve even heard anything. Wondering if there will be…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
Sounding Rick, Dinosaur Bones
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Over the years we’ve seen music slowly erode into something quite disturbing. Morph back to a happier time when you will find a more carefree musical expression — embodiment of a carefree society. Music these day, though very technically savvy is missing something. What you get is artists that act in a very overcompensating way…
The Memorials, The Memorials
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For any accomplished musician, leaving your established and respected full-time gig can be a tough decision. The transition becomes that much easier when there is a new project waiting in the wings. For Thomas Fridgen, former drummer for The Mars Volta, it’s clear that his new project, The Memorials isn’t just a project to occupy…
James Evans, ZepOcean
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If you like group-oriented instrumentals that focus on the almighty guitar then you should love this album. The artist’s name is James Evans and his new project is called ZepOcean. Hmmm…wonder if the title has anything to do with the legendary band Led Zeppelin and they’re song “The Ocean” off of ‘Houses of the Holy’???…
Seven Against Thebes, Equilibrium EP
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Seattle 4 piece Alternative Metal band Seven Against Thebes (7AT) www.7at.net just released their long awaited debut 5 song EP sampler entitled Equilibrium in January 2011. Seven Against Thebes or 7AT consists of Cyrus Rhodes (guitars) Bruce Burgess (Drums) Dave Black (Bass) & Rusty Hoyle (vocals). Here we go another grunge spin off right? Nope…
Phil DaRosa, Away
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Wait till you get a load of Phil DaRosa and his new EP ‘Away’. Even though there are just four songs on this recording you get a very good feel for DaRosa and what type of artist he is. What you find out is that Phil does not have any tricks under his…
The Establishment, The Consumer
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Some people say booze and soft drugs don’t mix. The Establishment would probably disagree. The Consumer, their latest, is as much an exercise in highly-charged riffs that could fuel a night of liquored-up madness as it is one in thought-provoking and socially aware lyrics. Throw some deeply penetrating riffs into the mix and you’ve got…
Doug McCurry, Seven Songs About Leaving
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First thing I noticed when checking out this album was the front cover. Right away I’m seeing a bright sun just shining away like there is no tomorrow. Of course, this gave me a good feeling as it would anybody I would imagine. Nothing more positive than seeing that magnificent light of…
Dale Turner, Mannerisms Magnified
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Get ready to hear something so unique & original on Dale Turner’s latest project titled Mannerisms Magnified. Turner wrote all 12 songs on the new album along with being the sole producer, recorder, arranger and performer. This singer/songwriter & multi-instrumentalist and his one-man-show-band included the likes of: voices & vocal/mouth effects, electric &…
ROB ZOMBIE, ICON 2
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Rob Zombie has become the poster boy for “Shock Till You Drop” cinematic and musical mayhem. This release is touted as “The First Ever 2CD Collection Of Rob Zombie’s Metal Mayhem”. Who can argue with that? A devout follower of Alice Cooper, Rob teamed up with the master for this year’s double-whammy…
GARY HOEY, UTOPIA
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Gary earned his industry guitar credits becoming the leading voice of surf music, even collaborating with surf guru/mentor Dick Dale. He then went on to gain recognition with a string of phenomenal instrumental Christmas albums, which he incorporated into a great “Ho, Ho, Hoey” Christmas tour. Gary’s playing can be better described as…
Jeff Cochell, Between the Lines
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Over the years we’ve seen music slowly erode itself into popish nothingness. Artist after artist presenting themselves as superstars in the making with nothing more than a pretty face, pushed in front of a microphone by the corporate giants in the hopes of making a quick superficial buck off of fans who don’t realize how…
RANDOM STABBINGS & ARTLESS CRITIQUE, FEBRUARY 2011
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Scott Holt, Kudzu (Gracetone Entertainment) I can allow for vanity releases (the press blurb is that this is the record company’s first release), and I can deal with someone wanting to take some of John Cougar’s pie (if there is any — know anyone who bought the latest John Cougar, I mean Mellencamp, album?). …
Pantera, Cowboys From Hell—20th Anniversary Set
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Hard to believe that 20 years ago Cowboys From Hell made its debut changing metal music forever. Now you can enjoy this 3-disc Deluxe Edition with rare and unreleased demos and live tracks. I actually never heard the original Cowboys From Hell in full, so I knew I was going to really enjoy…
Various Artists, Daddy Rockin’ Strong: A Tribute To Nolan Strong and the Diablos
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Lou Reed was definitely onto something when he proclaimed “If I could really sing, I’d be Nolan Strong.” While Daddy Rockin’ Strong doesn’t feature any of Strong’s original doo-wop and Detroit-based R&B, what it does contain is a slew of talented artists doing justice to Strong’s classics. Strong has always remained something of an enigma…
Laura Roppe, I’m Still Here
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Laura is an artist who is not holding back and letting it all hang out (not literally of course–lol) on her new release. What I mean is that Roppe is offering up an invigorating style & presence that will be hard to ignore. With infectious rhythms, wonderful harmony and an overall sound that…
Dana & Lauren, Self-Titled EP
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You may have heard of these ladies already possibly under The Shankman Twins or Malibu Storm. The single “Photograph” by Def Leppard off of Malibu Storm’s debut album actually reached #2 on the Billboard country single sales chart and the music video hit the Top 20 Countdown on CMT and GAC. These identical…
Corinne Bailey Rae, The Love E.P.
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To me, when a musician does an ‘artist tribute’ and does a re-make of an original song, the outcome results only one of two ways. It’s either a heartbreaking turn-in-your-grave piece where the artist murders the essence of the track — or the piece is “something like a phenomenon” (yeah, I bit off LL Cool…
Accidental Tribe, Resolution
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Make no mistakes because Accidental Tribe has a Resolution for you; simply listen up and listen close. You will be attracted right away toward the infectious hooks & rhythms coming from this NYC band. Accidental Tribe has an alternative punk rock thing goin’ for them and it’s really working in their favor. The…
Steve Steele, The Expat
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Whether you like alternative, progressive, experimental or art rock, you’ll hear all of this and much more on Steve Steele’s debut album The Expat. Steele’s record literally plays out like a well-written story that has three sections. The first part focuses on Steele’s character living a secluded life and feeling alone in a…
The Sunrise, Spread The Word
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Husband and wife duo James and Rebecca Mileti are bringing Jesus to the forefront on their debut release titled Spread The Word. The Sunrise is taking a trip back to the 70s, but don’t be mistaken because these two musicians are not performing to the tune of peace & love hippies. They are…
SHOUSE, ALONE ON THE SUN
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Over the years we’ve seen music slowly shift its emphasis away from solid musicianship to other more marketable skill sets. Fact is most of the biggest hit’s in 2010 were nothing more that creative sampling, via a BOLD IN YOUR FACE MIX with an artist that possessed many cosmetic heavy attributes. Kind of like Ramon…
PepperDome, Chaos Point
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I remember when I reviewed PepperDome’s last album Let’s Try The Other Side back in 2009 and I was left thinking what the hell did I just hear? PepperDome is back with a brand new EP titled Chaos Point. Get ready to fasten your seatbelt once again because PepperDome is taking you on…
Katey Laurel, From Here
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Katey Laurel is a singer/songwriter from Denver who hopes to impress you with her new EP From Here. This latest release is a follow-up to her debut solo record titled Upstairs, Downstairs. Katey proved it then and she proved it once again on this eight-track set that she is one committed artist. …
Daniel Park, Search and Rescue
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Mr. Park does it again! Coming off his last release These Illusions, Daniel Park proves that he did not lose a beat. On the new EP Search and Rescue, Park continues to impress listeners everywhere with a sound and voice that makes you listen. There are a number of talented musicians on this…
Giorgio, Party of the Century
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Italy’s own Giorgio Onorato Aquilani or Giorgio for short recently released his latest CD entitled Party of the Centur in 2010. During my preliminary investigation of the production I quickly realized the sheer magnitude of this project with its impressive line up of players & various production folk. (Simon Phillips, Bobby Kimball, David Paitch, Greg…
Carmen Tosca, Time Only
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I had the pleasure of reviewing Carmen Tosca’s last album titled Wind (http://skopemag.com/2010/03/05/carmen-tosca-wind), which was a breath of fresh air for the most part. Her new record Time Only stays in the realm of a new-age, electronic and ambient setting. There are, however, some nice surprises that Tosca throws in like some hot…
Surf City, Kudos
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Sometimes a band just gets it. Sometimes a band comes from the far reaches of the planet (New Zealand, in this case) and make all their contemporaries look rather foolish and do so with relative ease. Sometimes a band culls from oft-plagiarized inspirations (Jesus and Mary Chain, Velvet Underground, the Spacemen) and instead writes and…
The Love Load, The Human Resourceful
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Over the years we’ve seen punk, hard rock & even alternative rock bands slowly erode into over-commercialized, corporate puppet shows. Talking to many music fans out there, the response is overwhelming. Give me something new, something raw, something that’s pushes hard & is going to kick me in he ass. Something that doesn’t sound like…
Braids, Native Speaker
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Brace yourself. Native Speaker, the debut from Montreal via Calgary’s Braids is destined to be the first massive indie record of the year. While only seven tracks long, there is a textural depth to the entire record that allows it to become much larger than the sum of its parts. Beginning with the nearly seven-minute…
V.I.T.A.L. Emcee, Versus-Verses
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I’m gonna be honest and say that mainstream hip-hop music is in trouble right now. This V.I.T.A.L. Emcee from Long Beach, California has an answer for this problem and it’s Versus-Verses. With not much to offer the public today as far as quality-driven rap music goes, this MC comes with a total package…
Spaceships Are Cool, Heart Echoes
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Get ready for an out-of-this-world adventure that will take you “to infinity & beyond!” (gotta love a good Buzz Lightyear reference) Rob Maddison is the mastermind behind Spaceships Are Cool writing & performing all the tracks on the new record. Guest appearances include: Helen Maddison on viola, violin, cello & saxophones and Ben…
Matthew Genovese, Change
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Over the years we’ve seen music slowly erode itself into popish nothingness. Artist after artist presenting themselves as superstars in the making, but look deeper you will discover many of these artists are nothing more than a pretty face, pushed in front of a microphone by the corporate giants in the hopes of making a…
The North Lakes, Cobra
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As a cold wind rushes through the night’s darkest hour, Charlottetown’s The North Lakes inhabit my stereo, balancing apocalyptic blues-folk with an East Coast/garage rock hybrid. Though the wind howls without reprise, the forecast is calling for sun tomorrow morning. And therein lies the manner in which Cobra, the debut from The North Lakes tantalizes…
Chikita Violenta, Tre3s
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When searching for the next big thing in the world of indie rock, bloggers are quick to lend an ear to anything coming out of hot spots like Portland, Austin or Brooklyn. Mexico City doesn’t exactly have the same kind of reputation for producing hipster-approved bands that these three cities do, but things may very…
Delta Spirit, Waits Room EP
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Whenever a band releases a live album, B-sides collection–hell, even an EP–the word “stopgap” is often thrown around. By “stopgap”, of course, I’m referring to the critical go-to insult used to describe a holdover release bridging together “proper” releases, often simply a cuter way of saying a band is suffering from writer’s block. On…
Green Children, Encounter
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“Encounter”, the title track from The Green Children’s debut full-length album, begins with buzzing nature sounds, the laughter of a small child, and a cheesy, whispered promise from frontwoman Milla Sunde: “I will always be with you”. Not a promising start. That same track eventually blooms into a micro-world of synth pads, cheap beats,…
Professor Pandemonium’s Cabinet of Wonders
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Very interesting! That pretty much sums up the listening experience of Professor Pandemonium’s Cabinet of Wonders. Douglas La Ferle is the man behind it all and boy does he have a surprise for you! The first thing I notice is a Medusa-like figure on the front cover of the CD with very detailed…
WEST COAST SEATTLE BOY, THE JIMI HENDRIX ANTHOLOGY
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WCSB is the latest offering by the Hendrix Family is available in a 16 cut CD, an eight LP Limited Edition version, a one CD one DVD Deluxe Edition, and a Box Set Collectors Edition version featuring four CD’s and a DVD. The release features both unreleased and alternative versions of Jimi’s songs. …
Voice In The Dark, Best Of
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Voice In The Dark is one artist who is a singer, composer and producer. This appears to be a man of many talents and he proves it on his new Best Of collection. The San Diego-based musician actually came out with 4 CD’s in 2009 titled: GAIA, ETHERIC, PHONEME and HIKARI. Voice…
