The legendary rock band Pearl Jam has been known for plenty of things throughout its near two decade career. However, one of its most publicized periods was when the Seattle band took on Ticketmaster back in the 90s because of the agency’s high ticket fees. While this battle proved to be unsuccessful, it did earn…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
Jer Coons, Speak
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Jer Coons has plenty of things standing in his way of becoming a rock star. First off, he doesn’t reside where there is a celebrated music scene; he calls Burlington, Vermont home. Also, the 20-year-old probably can’t be called very hip as his forte is writing catchy pop songs with charming melodies. Despite this, Coons…
Ultimate Ears, 700
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I was fortunate enough to get a pair of Ultimate Ears 700 headphones. When I first opened up the package I was shocked at how little the ear plugs were. My girl can never find earphones that fit in her small ears so in that regard we had already found something we liked about the…
The Empty Mirror, Abstracted Catholic
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I just want to throw this out first, so it’s clear for everyone and that is that this new five-song set should not be called an EP. Rather a new release or “opus 2” is what lead singer, guitarist and producer, Grant Valdes, prefers. Opus numbering is an element of classical music and…
Tim Miller, Sessions Lamar
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This Dallas-based singer/songwriter, Tim Miller, brings you a disc titled Sessions Lamar. Acoustic/Folk/Rock are all blended together beautifully to make up crowd-pleasing music for the public. But this isn’t just your ordinary EP; this project is the highly anticipated follow-up to Miller’s successful record, Adelaide. This new EP features three songs from…
Amy Millan, Masters of the Burial
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It’s no grand coincedence that Amy Millan’s second solo LP, Masters of the Burial was released in late September. Depending on your geographical location (And if the Gods have been smiling on you, I suppose) late September is the time for lazy evenings spent soaking up every last bit of sun. And it’s damn near…
Octoberman, Fortresses
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If you could float through everyday with Octoberman’s Fortresses in your head, constantly on repeat, you’d probably share a comfortable grin with everyone you pass. That’s the effect that the potent, landscape-inspiring rhythms would have on you. They’re buoyant enough for one to constantly and comfortably keep their head above water. But when Marc Morrissette’s…
Elwood Emission, Ode to the Ego
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Elwood Emission is made up one creative-minded individual by the name of Lucy Kalantari. Her music includes a little bit of everything from elements of rock, jazz, new wave and industrial-goth. She blends all of these unique styles together by way of electronic synths, piano, strings, original vocals and even distorted ukuleles. …
Sprockets, Medicated Empty
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I have to be honest that when I saw the band title, Sprockets, I first thought of that hilarious bit Mike Myers used to do on SNL. But just as SNL isn’t as funny today, Sprockets is also proving to be no laughing matter with their new record, Medicated Empty. All jokes aside,…
PENS, Hey Friend, What You Doing?
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Poking their heads out from obscurity in London, all-girl noise-pop trio PENS is what you would expect to hear from sewer dwellering girls who have over time collected scrapped instruments and the recording equipment neccesary to make an album. But they aren’t, and they really don’t care how it sounds.“Hey Friend, What You Doing? is…
David Gray, Draw the Line
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Unless you’re an musical icon like Bob Dylan or an indie darling like Conor Oberst, being pegged as a singer-songwriter can be quite an albatross–particularly for one who writes mostly pop songs. David Gray probably knows this better than most because the critics haven’t always been kind to him despite his selling millions of albums…
Vangough, Manikin Parade
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With a name like Vangough, you’re assuming top-notch precision & artistry at its finest. Now, you and I know that one should never assume because it can make an ass out of you and me. But, in this instance the saying can stand as correct as this four-piece-band from Oklahoma is bringing high…
Sexstone, The Painful Side of True
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This Kentucky-based rock group is literally bringing The Painful Side of truth on this new record. You get a dose of the true rock & roll sound mixed with the harsh reality of life. You get a sense of pain & hurt, but done in such a lively fashion. Sexstone is made…
The Black Crowes, Before the Frost/Until the Freeze
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This past year has seen plenty of rock bands that ruled the 90s reunite in an effort to relive their past glories with some being much more welcome (Blur!!) than others (Creed??). Nevertheless, do not lump the Black Crowes in with this reunion bands. Sure, the blues rock band led by Chris and Rich Robinson…
Greg Wood, Self-Titled
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This Canadian rocker from Edmonton known as Greg Wood is ready to rock the spot all night long. With his kick-ass, electric guitar sound & voice full of brashness, passion and soul, Wood offers a winning combo. This record offers straight rock from the heart with hard-rockin’ grooves and then some more passionate,…
Michel Ackermann, Kite
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This Berlin-based singer/songwriter brings you a 4-song EP titled Kite. I have to mention the cover art due to its incredibly tranquil setting. I am seeing vivid blues skies along with plush, white clouds. The initial reaction of this scenery is a very peaceful feeling, which could definitely offer someone a calming effect. Now, let’s…
Nitin Sawhney, London Undersound
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“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” -Alan Watts Very rarely does anything good come out of a terrorist attack (I distinctly remember that unfortunate collaboration between Nelly ( “I’m just kiddin’ like Jason”) and Fred “Don’t get me started” Durst,…
Imelda May, Love Tattoo
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With a voice that’s impossible not to fall in love with, and a heaping helping of Audrey Horn (Sherilyn Fenn) sex appeal; Imelda May can with your heart in a verse. This Dubliner rose to fame after being hand-picked by former founder-member of Squeeze; Jools Holland to appear on his show “Later… with Jools…
Arctic Monkeys, Humbug
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It is hard to believe that it has been only three years since the Arctic Monkeys burst onto the rock scene with its fantastic debut, the Mercury Prize-winning Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. That recording will be forever loved because of its standout singles such as “I Bet You Look Good…
Ted Kooshian’s Standard Orbit Quartet, Underdog, and other Stories…
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While Ted Kooshian named his album Underdog, and other Stories… Kooshian is certainly not an underdog, nor is his Standard Orbit Quartet. He gives life to old television themes and superhero anthems, such as the highly energized re-imagination of “Underdog,” an upbeat number featuring a sick tenor sax feature by Jeff Lederer that starts off…
HEALTH, GET COLOR
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If My Bloody Valentine were to ever make a baby with Crystal Castles, you’d basically be able to figure out what electronic, noise-rock nightmare you’d be getting yourself into with HEALTH. Fans of Crystal Castles should already be familiar with HEALTH; “Crimewave”, in it’s “Crystal Castles vs. HEALTH” form(as opposed to the very different version…
The Twilight Sad, Forget The Night Ahead
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There’s something about Scotland. Mysterious, seeing as how so many North Americans consider Scotland as England’s little brother. And hard-edged and gritty, thanks to the influence of pop culture mainstays such as Trainspotting and Sean Connery. Now granted, these impressions of Scotland only graze the surface of a country steeped in history and tradition. But…
The Stone Foxes, The Stone Foxes
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You know what you’re getting into with The Stone Foxes from the moment you drop the needle on their debut, self-titled LP. It’s an unabashed, dirty, rollicking good time. Borrowing heavily from their influences, the greats of the past and present including Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Black Crowes, The Stone Foxes is…
TyLean, Between 10 and 2
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Between 10 and 2 is not your usual piece of music by any standards. Vocalist, pianist and cellist, TyLean, has created something here that cannot not be matched. A sound and a style all of its own can be heard here where Lean is going in a completely different direction both musically &…
Katrin, Soul Wide Open
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Katrin goes by only one name, but she wrote from several perspectives on her latest CD Soul Wide Open. The Boston-based singer songwriter has outdone herself with this collection of 10 stellar songs that range from quiet introspection to anthem declarations of independence and survival. “Stepping Stones” is a catchy folk-rock song that plays…
Still Life Still, Girls Come Too
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When a band as young and as talented as Still Life Still make a record as swarming yet precise as Girls Come Too, one can’t help but wonder: have I wasted too many years of my life? It’s not as if the Toronto-bred five-piece make anti-climatic tunes that lend themselves to suicide or anything as…
Built to Spill, There Is No Enemy
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Built to Spill has served as the influence and inspiration for many other indie bands. They inhabit a secure area in indie rock, which gives them credibility, but where fame remains out of reach. Their folk-infused, bluesy rock teeters along the postmodern lines of Pavement while hailing to an earlier era evoking the likes of…
Quincy Jones: The 75th Birthday Celebration Live At Montreux
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What best way to pay tribute to one of the biggest music moguls today than to give a five-hour concert on his 75th birthday? That’s what Quincy Jones received last year at the Stravinski Auditorium in Montreux, Switzerland, home to the Montreux Jazz Festival. In this more than two-hour long DVD, the Montreux stage…
Blueskyreality, The Cabin Sessions
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Some of the greatest hits in music today were made from grassroots bands working on low budgets. The same goes for Blueskyreality, a group of five young 19 and 20-somethings from California, in their EP “The Cabin Sessions.” The members, made up of Zak Stucchi on lead vocals, Philip Bloom on bass, John Chong…
LIGHTS, LIGHTS
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Hailing from Toronto, LIGHTS is formerly Valerie Poxleitner; a girl who cooled off Warped Tour-goers with her light hearted synth-driven melodies and pop-ballads, while toting a keytar. At the age of 22, LIGHTS has come far from sitting in her room creating music, already gaining much attention in her home of Canada, and will soon…
Skip-Dawg, We Will Rise
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There are not many hip hop albums out there that have impressed me from start to finish as much as the fourth release by Dann Furia, popularly known as Skip-Dawg, entitled, “We Will Rise.” A Philly-based artist, Skip-Dawg’s album is a positive, and rather inspirational, piece of work. “Make A Miracle Happen” talks…
Audible Mainframe, Transients
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Audible Mainframe catapulted from their popular Boston nightclub status to making a name for themselves all over the west coast. Their sophomore CD Transients is a slick combo of rapper hip hop and 1970s funk. You can get into their raps or you can dance to the funky beat. Music fans who usually don’t go…
Cristen Grey and the Moving Dunes, 10,000 Things
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Cristen Grey once was the lead guitarist & rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal act, All Eyes. She and her heavy-hittin’ band opened for some pretty big 80’s rock acts such as: Quiet Riot and Cinderella. That was then and these 10,000 Things are the now. 10,000 Things came from “Grey’s realization,…
RANDOM STABBINGS & ARTLESS CRITIQUE, SEPTEMBER 2009
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Bobby Bare Jr., American Bread (Perfecto Records) 7-song EP of 70s radio-pop rehashes from the fortunate son of country legend Bobby Bare, assisted here and there by fortunate grandson Chris Scruggs. It’s a departure for the often more punk-oriented (at least as a live experience) Junior, now in his early 40s, but that doesn’t…
John Pondel, John Pondel
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Listening to John Pondel creates the illusion of having a nice, quiet dinner and some drinks at a jazz club. It is smooth, fun, and sexy, creating the perfect ambiance for the first date: the unpredictable world of improvisation, in this case full of flawless solos that seem to soar over the rest of the…
Sideways Reign, A Stand For All Stages
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Expect the unexpected here from a Washington-based band known as Sideways Reign. A Stand For All Stages is music for all faces. This group of musicians blends an interesting variety of rock, blues, folk and even some funk. The meaning behind the band name relates to their “Pacific Northwest roots and as a reference to…
TV Ghost, Cold Fish
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I really wanted to like TV Ghost’s latest self-titled release. Cool name, rad cover art and the backing of a highly reputable label. Ingredients for a memorable ten tracks, no? But unfortunately,where there’s smoke, there isn’t always fire. There’s just a paltry attempt from TV Ghost to scream their way into entertainment. And as we…
Desolation Wilderness, New Universe
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It’s a wild world out there. A world filled with bands essentially sponsored by faceless corporations, playing paint by numbers rock void of any emotion. A world in which talented, seamless bands fade into obscurity because they don’t fit into genres defined by words like “Accessible” and “Radio friendly.” So many succumb to the powers…
Reigning Sound, Love and Curses
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You know what you’re getting into with the Reigning Sound: a rollicking good time. Led by Greg Cartwright, the garage virtuosos chug through the 14 tracks on Love and Curses with remarkable ease, leaving listeners with a sense of loss and abandonment; how could something so exuberant be over so quickly? To be fair,…
The Kenny Young Project, EP
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This 4-song EP is nice & subtle, easy-going music. You hear a southern rock sound with elements of country and even some straight-to-the-core rootsy-type vibes. The Kenny Young Project is made up of Kenny Young mainly on vocals with an array of other talented musicians that tend to: rhythm guitars, acoustic guitars, lead…
