Iman Lababedi

Founding Editor of Rock NYC. Iman Lababedi was a freelance rock critic in the 1980s, took a break of 20 years, and has been writing and editing the music blog rocknyc.live since 2009. He considers this to be in many ways a golden age for pop music and hopes you are enjoying it too.

Medium Cool, News, Slideshow

Medium Cool: Talk Show Guest Of The week 3-2-15

Usually I am looking up and down the list for half an hour before catching the name of a must see artist but next week Kate Pierson is sitting in with the Seth Myers show for four nights, in celebration of her new album, the absolutely terrific Guitar And Microphones and therefore goes straight to the head of the class. The picture is of rock nyc friend and B-52s fanatic Michael Malone and her royal Kateness.

Charity, Slideshow

10 Songs: Saturday, February 28th, 2015

The Seventh Moon – The Black Ryder – This sounds like when you can’t rise yourself from a deep sleep, you try and shake youself awake but it is too deep and everythng from the outside world sounds like it is comng from a great distance, sort of muffled and othewere – B+

News, Slideshow

Billy Corgan Nails Kanye West Big time

“I’ve been on that podium too and if someone got up on my stage I’d knock them out. I don’t care who it is I would’ve knocked them out … That’s my stage. I earned the right to be on the stage at that moment. That was Beck’s moment.”

rock nyc top 10 songs, Slideshow

rnyc Top 10 Songs Week Of February 23rd, 2015

Nice week, the Rhiannon cover is aces (the lone holdover!) and Scout, Juliana (finally on Spotify!) , Nate proves that whatever Jack brings to fun. he doesn’t bring the big anthemic stuff, he brings the rock and roll…. All the way through Deacon, and all great stuff. Even ATE, another of those bands we love to hate, managed a goodie!!!

Charts, Slideshow

10 Songs: Friday, February 27th, 2015

West has a good line, “if you leave Mickey you’re gonna end up with Goofy” and the other guy? “My crib done got bigger, my women got badder”. Plus, Sean’s beats are a little stale, plus plus if he is the closest thing to Michael since Janet, I am Malcolm X- C-

Slideshow, US Top 10 Singles

US Top 10 Singles 3-7-15

A bit of a snoozer though better the Weeknd than Ellie, and how sick am I of Bruno and Mark -every time i hear it I want to bitch slap em both… do we really have to hear these fakers for the rest of our lives? The jerks Plus what’s with this damn weather?

Charts, Slideshow, US Top 10 Albums

US Top 10 Albums 3-7-15

Well, Imagine Dragons had one job on earth and when you have one job and you do it, well, more power to you. Personally, with the exception of a song here and there I find them fairly abysmal but to add rock to EDM beats actually hit # 1… good for you.

Charts

10 Songs: Thursday, February 26th, 2015

Baywatch – Drug Cabin – Sounds like soft rock put through a hot tub time machine and replanted into 2015, and I mean that in the nicest way possible, sickly sweetness and medium tempo prettiness, but like the man said, it can make graves – B+

News, Slideshow, Upcoming Tours

ILOVEMAKONNEN On Tour, Spring 2015

“I’m a not so regular person in a not so regular world, and I’m just making the most of it and embracing myself,” explains Makonnen (born Makonnen Sheran), who signed to Drake’s OVO imprint in Sept. 2014. The success of the gold-certified “Tuesday” has been explosive: it topped the Billboard

Charts

10 Songs: Wednesday, February 25th, 2015

This Probably Won’t End Well – All That Remains – Is this a new thing? Songs that start like full blown ballads before finding their feet and becoming what they are? Anyway, the album ain’t great but this is a terrific slice of angst-emo-coredom – B+

Be Here Now, Live, Recorded, Slideshow

Be Here Now: New Album Reviews 2-24-15

Ricky Warwick sounds enough like Phil Lynott to tug your memory and not enough to sound a copy, and this band, first a very late Thin Lizzy band and now a foil for Scott Gorham’s lead guitar, made the right choice in changing the band name. without the baggage, or at least without too much of the baggage, you can appreciate it as very good, old time hard rock – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – B+

News, Slideshow, Upcoming Releases

Van Morrison’s Duets: Re-Working The Catalogue Album Arriving March 24th, 2015 Could Be A Goodie

I thought let’s pass on the Knopfler track but then noticed which song it was and Knopfler channelling the Chieftains might be excellent but even if it isn’t, surely a Bobby Womack duet alone is worth the price of admission, plus Mavis Staples, Gregory Porter, Georgie Fame, Taj Mahal… these are good singers, these are guys we can imagine giving Van a little bit of competition.

Charts, Slideshow

10 Songs: Tuesday, February 24th, 2015

Short Movie – Laura Marling – I don’t see how a band helps, it doesn’t really flesh out the sound in any meaningful way at all… it is about the song, and the song is better than I first gave it credit (“they know that I love you, they’ll never know why” -quite) – A-

Charts, Slideshow, UK Top 10 Albums

UK Top 10 Albums 3-1-15

Thunder are a really good mainstream UK style hard rock band, been around over 20 years, and are in a league with the best out there. They’re opening for ZZ Top in London and that sounds like a concert to be missed under no circumstances. Meanwhile, my buddy Johnny McElhone’s (I knew him when he managed Ramona) band Texas is back on the charts.

Charts, Slideshow, UK Top 10 Singles

Uk Top 10 Singles – 3-1-15

Give young Eddie something, he sure has staying power, Is this eight months in the charts now? Plus he has a coupla more where that comes from, “”Even My Dad Does Sometimes” is patiently awaiting its close up. Meanwhile, I don’t see the charm on the Ellie track. Sounds awful lame to these ears. Her photography is another question…

Charts, Slideshow

10 Songs: Monday, February 23rd, 2015

What Liam does here, is take an anthem and give the singing a detacment, he sings it out but he doesnt give himself, the result is a godlike distance from the childhood memory. The title is great as well -it is not just our neighborhood or our kids, it is the way we do it – A+

Recorded, Slideshow

Elvis Presley’s “Just Tell Her Jim Says Hello” And My Mom

“I’d like to tell her what, I’m really feeling but…” when I made my peace with my Mom, I did it without really mentioning the past. She was 80 years old and I didn’t have the stomach for it. What difference does it make? But I wish I could have told her about watching her sleeping, sitting quietly by, watching over her. How much I had loved her. I guess it wouldn’t really matter, would it?

News, Slideshow

Noel Gallagher: A Bigger Jerk Than Morrissey?

“If somebody puts that on the table, I’ll pack my bags in the morning and say, “How many gigs do you want?”. The thing that slightly annoys me is – and I know I’m the only one doing interviews – people assume it’s up to me. Let’s say I get up tomorrow morning, have a stretch, and say to my wife, “How about this Oasis thing?” It’s not up to me”

Live, Slideshow

Let’s Active: rock nyc Concert Picks Week Of February 23rd, 2015

The second most anticipated concert of the year, right after D’Angelo, is this killer reunion: the all girl masters Sleater Kinney. I followed em through much of their career (I got bored circa The Woods), and saw both Wild flag and the Corin Tucker Backer (the latter at Mercury Lounge where Tucker sold her own tee shirts) and I love the new album and always loved them live. So I am more than excited to catch em on Thursday (they are also playing Friday). Yes, even at Terminal Five.

Charts, Slideshow

10 Songs: Sunday, February 22nd, 2015

Family (Blended) – Chance The Rapper – This is the Vic Mensa remix, and it is so good, “It still warms my heart to hear my Grandma pray” is one thing, “My sister says she likes my rap because it sounds good” is one thing, “I’m gonna stay in the land where my fam-o stays” something else again. Chance and Vic are like no one outthere. Big time hip hop guys doing it differently – A

Medium Cool, News, Slideshow

Medium Cool: Talk Show Guest Of The week:

It is a toss up between Flo Rida on Kelly and Michael and Little Big Town on ellen, I like em both though I like Flo better, especially when he is just popping out which is the majority of the time. Though the one time I saw him live I was a little disappointed. I love Little Big Town as well, their last album was excellent. But no, Flo wins the week…

Charts, Slideshow

10 Songs: Saturday, February 21st, 2015

Mountain Of Love (Live) – From New Year’s Eve 1975 and look at this: he was 26 years old at the same and the King of every move in the rock and roll yearbook, this Johnny Rivers cover is proof, a blast of joy and fresh air which ignotes with a call for the Big Man – Terrific – A

Live, Upcoming Releases

Blur’s “Go On” Reviewed

Compared to the years of crap we’ve had to sit through, last years painful rotten and boring Everyday Robots for one, it sounds like Fidlar. Truthfully it is drone rock, maybe more Blur than anything else, but a hooky one, it is like a treadmill of a song going round and round and leaving you grinning at the slay em stadium steadyness of it all.

Recorded, Slideshow

The A+ List: “Tom Ames Prayer” by Steve Earle

Ames took to robbin’ banks, and had some close calls, nearly at the end of a hang man’s rope. But as the song opens, Tom is “trapped in an alley in Abilene with all but four shells spent”, and with the end near and that’s when he asks God for a little bit of luck and doesn’t get it. But before that he yelps with joy at the memory of a close call.

News, Slideshow

Nickelback For charity

For one week (Feb. 16-22), I’m going to listen to nothing but the entire Nickelback catalogue on a loop in an effort to raise $10,000* to build a well. Please considering giving and making this dream a reality**.

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