It shuffles, it bounces, it somehow manages to rock as much as it rolls; it’s the debut from Zeus, the latest release of Arts & Crafts’s diverse line-up. Two members of Jason Collett’s backing band provide rhythms fit for an island and backbone fit for a steel town on “Sounds Like…” Though short in stature,…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
Bill Ortiz, From Where I Stand
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Metallica has their Master of Puppets and I would say Bill Ortiz is master of trumpets. This artist has been a staple of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene for the past 25 years. During this time span, Ortiz has also had the pleasure of working with some big hitters in the…
500 Days of Summer soundtrack
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The movie “500 Days of Summer” starring Zooey Deschanel and Joesph Gordon-Levitt is an offbeat comedy about a girl who doesn’t believe in love and the unfortunate and hopeless romantic that falls for her. Of course its makes sense to cast Deschanel in the role of Summer – she’s had a successful foray as a…
Mina, Mina
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Mina is inviting you to take a trip to the dark side just for a bit. This journey will take you on a haunting trip through the human mind. You will hear raw emotions & feelings being poured out by Mina, from a dark-clouded standpoint. Mina’s vocals & performance on this record…
T.O.K., Our World
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After a four-year hiatus, dancehall supergroup, T.O.K. is back with their third highly-anticipated album, “Our World,” which releases on August 25th. Since their 2001 debut album, “My Crew, My Dawgs,” T.O.K., which comprises of members Alex, Bay-C, Flexx and Craigy T., have taken not only the U.S. and Caribbean by storm, but the…
Tarrus Riley, Contagious
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Released earlier this month, Tarrus Riley’s third release, “Contagious” is everything its’ title embodies, and more. Riley’s beautiful tenor vocals are soft and smooth, remaining consistently delightful throughout each track. Though his music screams roots reggae and is in the Rastafarian tradition, Riley’s sound is also more contemporary, noting issues that affect our generation…
Amanda Blank, I Love You
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It’s out of character for the typically foul-mouthed rapper Amanda Blank to talk about love and that’s why her debut album’s title I Love You seems wildly inconsistent with her established persona. Our first taste of the dirty rap diva has been on her potty-mouthed cameo appearances on Spank Rock and Plastic Little tracks —…
Bahamas, Pink Strat
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Very rarely does an artist choose a stage moniker with apt precision. Finnish-Canadian troubadour Afie Jurvanen and his axe over his shoulder attitude is better known as Bahamas. Though this reviewer has never visited the tropical island region, it’s safe to say that if I do go, I’ll be bringing Bahamas Pink Strat with me.…
Gaby Velazquez, Let Me In
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This San Francisco based singer/songwriter, who was born in Puerto Rico, has one incredible story that absolutely needs to be told first. Four short years ago, Gaby Velazquez worked at a Los Angeles real estate office as a mortgage loan officer. There was steady income, but Gaby’s heart wasn’t in the work as…
Requiem For Delinquency, Hobs End
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The mastermind behind Requiem For Delinquency’s newest creation, Hobs End, is Faron Chance Morrison. This one man also produced, engineered, mixed, composed and orchestrated this entire work. One individual has come up with a layer of sounds that are creatively-driven, humble, sensual, passionate, well-textured, matured, emotive, incredibly serene and equally full of spiritual…
West Gate, Daylight
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Coming off their 2008 EP, Selah, which sold over 1,000 copies, West Gate is looking high to skies with their new release, Daylight. It is also worth noting that Selah was produced by Grammy Award Winner, John Seymour whose impressive resume includes work with U2, Santana, Dave Matthews and many others. West Gate…
Cobra Starship, Hot Mess
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With an album named Hot Mess with its garish cover art, Cobra Starship delivers another musical punch line. Their irreverent humor and cavalier attitude make it hard to know when they are joking — where the lampoon ends and the music starts. To this day, it’s not clear whether or not their name is supposed…
Mutemath, Armistice
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Armistice is Mutemath’s second full length album. The New Orleans based electro alt rock band broke out on the music scene with a self title release in 2006. Here they continue with their shiny brand of electronic rock. The band constructs a full and lush sound through samples, chords and keys. The album starts off…
John Vanderslice, Romanian Names
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John Vanderslice isn’t new to the music scene, Romanian Names is his seventh album in only nine years. He is a prolific artist with a wide berth of work and production experience plus collaborations with bands like The Mountain Goats and Spoon. His expressive and poetic spirit is delivered in a signature sound which is…
Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
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Grizzly Bear is currently enjoying indie darling status – it is a band that is unanimously being lauded for its brilliance by The New York Times and other purveyors of taste. The genius of some bands can be overestimated and the hype of the blogosphere can get out of hand. But in this case they…
RANDOM STABBINGS & ARTLESS CRITIQUE, AUGUST 2009
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The Queen Killing Kings, Tidal Eyes (Windup Records) The sounds-like list with which one could tag this Connecticut 4-piece is nearly as long as the unabridged historical roster of upper-middle-class-targeted radio-pop-rock artists itself: Marillion, Ben Folds, Supertramp, this kind of thing. Singer Coley O’Toole’s androgynous tenor resembles low-end Geddy Lee retrofitted with Styx’s clipped…
Over The Hill, Looking For A Spark
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First off, don’t try to pin-point as to what type of music this is because you will rack your brain trying to figure it out. Over The Hill and their new record, Looking For A Spark, is in a league of its own. Hailing from Austin, Texas, OTH is made up of: …
Swamphouse, The Fade
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This LA-based group of EIGHT is bringing an invigorating sound to the table with their latest EP, The Fade. Swamphouse is made up of: Pause-rapper, Devin-vocals, John M F Stover-guitar, Mike Navarette-bass, Blewfoot-drums, Nick-trombone, Forrest-trumpet and Tuna Butter-keys. This large group of musicians offers up so many styles of music that it will…
Encore, Her Name is Music
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Her name may be music, but his name is Jonathan Cook AKA Encore. The new record is special in terms of Encore finding himself, as an artist & person, and also finding God. Much praise to the lord comes straight from the mouth & heart of Encore. He includes a powerful note…
The Great Lake Swimmers, Lost Channels
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What is it about folk music and Canada that mesh so well together? Is it the vast landscape, giving way to unique tales of even more unique characters? Or is it simply that so many Canadians were/are raised on a strict diet of wheat and Neil Young? If it’s the former, then lend the microphone…
Diana Catherine and The Thrusty Tweeters, The Spirit Ranch Sessions
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First off, I wanted to get the inside scoop on Diana Catherine and these Thrusty Tweeters–just who they are really? Well, if you’re going to go strictly by the definitions of thrust & tweeters then they would be a band pushing or driving their music with force through a small loudspeaker. The first…
Varshons, The Lemonheads
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Evan Dando and the Lemonheads have just released this beautiful mix of covers inspired by Butthole Surfers lead singer Gibby Haynes’s mixtapes that he has exchanged with Dando over the years. “Varshons” features covers of songs from such mainstream acts as Gram Parsons, Leonard Cohen, and Christina Aguilera/ Linda Perry to obscure nuggets…
Various Artists, New Tales to Tell: A Tribute to Love and Rockets
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Former Bauhaus (first gothic rock group) rockers Daniel Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins became Love and Rockets in 1983. Named after the ground-breaking comic book by the Hernandez Brothers, Love and Rockets have been putting out influential genre-spanning music for decades. Proof of Love and Rockets influence can be found in the…
THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE, LIVE 1968 PARIS/OTTAWA
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Guitar fans and players alike, never tire of guitar legends like Jimi. Okay, we’re tired of Page/Zeppelin, but that’s due to the airwave overplay of the same damn material for the past 20 years! Any newly released work by Jimi, shows you some element of his playing style in a new light. …
Vincent Minor, Born in the Wrong Era
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Vincent Minor’s bright, fun piano melodies are instantly reminiscent of Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright. There is something different about him, though. Minor’s songs are conversations. They’re very laid back, almost as if you asked him how his day was and he waited to answer until he sat down at the piano, singing in reply…
APACHE STONE, APACHE STONE
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Mike Lombardi of TV’s Rescue Me fame has taken the road of other actors; Jared Leto (30 Seconds To Mars) comes to mind, and is fronting his own group. The actor, who plays Mike “Probie” Silleti opposite Denis Leary, actually has a good rock voice. Some of the group’s songs will be heard…
The Dear Hunter, Act III: Life and Death
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Rock Opera reigns again. In stores now is the culmination of a trilogy that will go down in rock history as a must own collection. The Dear Hunter released Act III: Life And Death, the third installment of their rock opera June 23, 2009 on Triple Crown Records. For all you Pink Floyd…
The Rural Alberta Advantage, Hometowns
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The words “Rural” and “Advantage” are rarely grouped together in the same sentence when speaking within the scope of indepedent music. Bands which form outside of a major metropolis are often faced with a dilemma: stay local and comfortable and risk irrelvance or make the move to the New Yorks and the St.Paul’s alike but…
Bruce Peninsula, A Mountain Is A Mouth
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Gather around the campfire, take a few swigs from the bottle of ambiguous alcohol, start banging worn-down pots and sing loudly, regardless of your vocal training. Never mind the strange resonance lurking in the darkness and forget about what you think you saw. If this sounds like your kind of night, then the debut LP…
The Most Serene Republic, …And The Ever Expanding Universe
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The Most Serene Republic are what happens when a bunch of young, earnest musicians get together in a room and pay attention to detail. They run the gamut of instrumentation and harmonies, producing a layered ebb and flow complemented by Adrian Jewett’s rambling vocals. What’s particularily striking about “…And The Ever Expanding Universe” is how…
Pill Hill Radio, Self Titled
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Pill Hill Radio rocks out with pop-heavy hooks and a rootsy-type sound. The group’s self-titled album is full of hearty goodness while adding a catchy punch to their step. The band is made up of: John Rafferty on acoustic guitar, vocals & harmonicas, Mike Giugliano on drums, Tommy Casatelli on bass and Eric…
Shakyfoot, Down on the Rain
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Shakyfoot is one hell of a jam band–no joke! From the moment I pushed play, the energy was high and the sound was electric. Heavy-hittin’ rock grooves mixed with progressive blues makes up the core of Shakyfoot’s Down on the Rain. This band is made up of three members: Jason Scolnick on…
Ben Cooley Hall, Owning Up To A Life
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Mellow tunes for the 21st Century = Owning Up To A Life. Ben Cooley Hall brings you this decade’s version of Woodstock, but with his own unique style. The peace & love vibe is definitely evident on the record, but Hall mixes that vibe up with some of his very own rock, alternative,…
Valerie Nicole, From The Heart
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From the moment I pushed play on the CD player, I could tell one thing right away: this girl can sing! I could also tell something else and that is that Valerie Nicole definitely sings from the heart. This record is full of love, pain and everything else in between. Valerie Nicole handles…
PepperDome, Let’s Try The Other Side
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PepperDome and this new record is the sole idea of one man known as John Tokarczyk. This musician of many faces works out all the vocals, bass lines, guitar and drums for Let’s Try The Other Side. PepperDome mixes a strange blend of hard rock, alternative, progressive and new-wave that sounds like nothing…
Buckfast Superbee, Turn of The Radio Age
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As read verbatim from their CD booklet, Buckfast Superbee is made up of four members: Timothy Joseph on vocals, guitars, organ, noises and leverage—Derek Dutt on guitars, noises, harmonies and catalyst—Kevin Stram on bass, fuzz and connectivity—and William Driskill on drums, percussion, piano, noises and savagery. These four men are a creative bunch…
John O’Mara, Five Year Mission
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Five Year Mission is John O’Mara’s debut solo album and hopefully the mission will be complete after five years. The title actually comes from Star Trek and pertains to the amount of time O’Mara gives his musical journey. The backbone of the new album rests on O’Mara’s shoulders for being the best at…
The Deep Dark Woods, Winter Hours
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Light a few candles, not because you’re haphazardly attempting seduction, but because you’re reveling in a moment or two alone. Nick Drake seems too ominous and Leonard Cohen will only you how alone you are. Occupying that shaky yet gratifying middle ground is Deep Dark Woods and their third LP, “Winter Hours.” The alt-country outfit…
CHICKENFOOT, CHICKENFOOT
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Super group, haven’t had one since Velvet Revolver. Here’s a kick ass good one. It occurred to me that the band that each member came from, each had a power player. This group of power guys fit the slot correctly to deliver the punch that the previous bands had. Sammy Hagar, Chad…
Sipo, Year of The White Rose
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Freddie Sipo wrote, produced, mixed and engineered all songs on Year of The White Rose. Sipo also took care of the mastering and artwork for the new album. Not to mention, Sipo also handled the vocals & guitars along with some percussion parts. All I have to say before even hearing the…
