Rock’n’roll has always been about blurring gender lines: guys with long hair, dancing, and often singing in high pitches. That’s part of it’s weird attraction. As a kid, I spent a lot of time listening to my “big three”: Led Zeppelin, Rush, and The Police. The singers in each band sang in impossibly high registers. [...]
Nick Lowe – At My Age Nick Lowe’s been around (mostly England) since the 70′s, producing quasi-punk bands (The Pretenders), writing a few hit songs (Elvis Costello’s “What’s so funny (about peace, love, and understanding)”), and playing in bands. So, it seems almost like an afterthought that he would write and record a solo album. [...]
In 2003, I spent $260 on a brand new 10 GB iPod. After poor battery life and slipping processing health, it finally gave out after a short workout at the YMCA (last song “Here Comes My Baby” by Cat Stevens). For the past 4 years, I’ve seen successive generations of iPods parading in front of [...]
When I go to shows I usually make an effort to checkout opening bands. I don’t do this expecting to be impressed by the opener but because I feel the need to get my money’s worth after Ticketmaster magically turns my $20 ticket into a $40 transaction. There has been the rare occasion that the [...]
Hacktone Records has an interesting business strategy. They sign a few current artists and then scour the rock vaults for great music that either didn’t get released or was overlooked. Getting in the Christmas spirit, they put up a free sampler of their releases on their website. I downloaded most of these selections. One I [...]
Two years ago, I was in NYC visiting a friend. She worked a few blocks away from Central Park and while she worked, I walked over. It was right before Thanksgiving and the perfect time to be there. As I looked at all the buildings bordering the Park, I couldn’t stop wondering, “Which one is [...]
Die Young Stay Pretty – Blondie Released in 1979 on the album Eat to the Beat, I can’t believe this song never made much of an impression on me. It reads like legendary rock & roll, but plays like reggae. Check out this verse: “Oh, you sit all alone in your rocking chair Transistor pressed [...]
Interpol – July 21 at The Norva in Norfolk, VA Leading up to the show I was a bit bummed I hadn’t caught Interpol on a previous tour because “Our Love To Admire” had only been released a couple of weeks beforehand and I wasn’t bowled over. It’s not a bad album, but it hadn’t [...]
In December 2001 I put together a compilation of my favorite songs that were released that year and shared it with my friends. I thought that if I could encourage those friends to do the same, we’d get exposed to different music, learn something about one another’s tastes and get a smile out of the [...]
I’m going to admit that I’m getting really lazy when it comes to keeping up-to-date on the latest in music, books, and film. I don’t have time to drive across town to one of the two remaining indie record stores and trying to traverse through all of the blinged- out/crybaby rock/snot pop rubbish out there [...]
