Rewind 80s Festival: Worth A Visit To The UK?
40,000 people will revel in two days’ worth of iconic 80s music performed by a staggering line-up
Public Image LTD Tour The US
Lydon has remained an icon of pop culture and actively keeps his name in the press. From writing books to selling butter he simply wont burn out or fade away.
Best Tracks Of the Year Thru July 31st, 2012
Train Station – The Moms – The spirit of rock and roll lives on and if you read their tour diary you will know exactly what I mean: between the days without showers and the nights without gigs, they released a killer EP. This is the best song.
Frank Zappa's Catalog And Universal Music
‘They made us the offer we couldn’t refuse ‘ for all the right reasons. It is a win-win for all of us, but mostly for Frank Zappa. Long may his baton wave. We are so ready to go.’
How Much Did Paul McCartney Get Paid To Sing At The Olympic Opening Ceremony?
They all agreed to play for free but had to be paid the symbolic sum of £1($1.57) for contract reason. And McCartney doesn’t seem to regret anything since he declared: ‘It was terrific, great, really cool. It was a trip and very exciting. It was a great opening ceremony.’
Rock N Roll Will Never Die Because Rock N Roll Never Existed
rock isn’t dead because that isn’t what rock is: rock is the spirit of youth personified and renewing itself endlessly, in perpetuity, through sound.
Listen Up: 7-2-12
Yaselame Lalo – Mahmoud Ahmed -here’s an oversimplification South African music is folky, West African soulful and East African Mahmoud being a master of, and who brought Summerstage to its knees in awe Tuesday night, is soulful. This is off Live In Paris, and worth it just to hear him go “brrrrr-eh”. Grade: B+
Cheap Trick At The Moody Center, Austin, TX, July 29th, 2012 Reviewed
The major change for Cheap Trick during the past few years has been the replacement of Bun E. Carlos with Daxx Nielsen (one of Rick’s sons) on the drums. While Daxx does not match Bun E.’s resounding authority, the replacement has resulted in longer/more varied set lists.
Fiona Apple At The Hollywood Palladium, Sunday July 29th 2012, Reviewed
She apologized for the lateness, she was nervous she said, and starting from this, she hardly stopped during her set, just a few times to sip her tea or water, leaving the 3-4,000 people who had packed the place in complete awe
Conor Oberst's "You Are Your Moms" and "Kicks" Reviewed (Video Included)
Both songs are simple and elegant melodic games, snapshot story songs, slice of life: “You Are Your Moms” has a tugging nostalgia, denied in the next song, “Kicks”. In the former Conor is watching a friend grow up, and on the latter a friend go down. Stuck in in a void, “Kicks” is simply a beautiful downer with a way out pointed to in “You Are Your Moms”.
Bringin' Sassy Bach: The Stray Cats "Built For Speed"
My school friends loved “Rock This Town”, the albums opening track. I thought it sucked. I loved the bass in it though, that’s about it. I was actually just happy those broads appreciated something worth hearing considering in their cars
The Essential Songs Of The Essential Decade: 1969
The Essential Songs of 1969 closes the decade out on a high note. Creedence Clearwater Revival released three albums that year, tossing out superb singles like alt-country candy. Led Zeppelin were establishing a new brand of heavy metal while the Stooges were embracing the aesthetic that would evolve into punk rock in the 1970s
Gwen Stefani and a Bit of Help From Her Fans
This past week she performed with No Doubt for Good Morning America. Throngs of fans camped out in wait for the 7am program to fire up. Perhaps it was the early hour or just age (Gwen is 42) that caused it but the singer kept forgetting the lyrics to some of No Doubts big hits- so she asked for help.
Azealia Banks Rejects The Offer To Tour With Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj is currently touring the States before doing a few more dates in Europe in August, and the LA Times is pointing out that this could have been the ‘girl power moment of the year’, but she refused! Was she in her right mind?
Jonah Lehrer Of the New Yorker Fabricated Bob Dylan Quotes… That Gives Me An Idea
Leaving aside the obvious comment: how could Jonah NOT find a quote from Dylan to suit his purposes, rock nyc has just discovered a new way to get interviews with people we can’t get interviews with: we WILL MAKE THEM UP
Bret Michaels Biopic
Biopic is a dumb new term for biography movie. Biohazzard is more like it in this case. Michales has no loss for self esteem thats for sure. He has been noted that his battle with diabetes alone makes him MVP at life itself.
2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony Album "Isles Of Wonder" Reviewed
The rest of the album are plastic souvenirs from the show of the show. The world went to the Olympic Games and all I got was this lousy soundtrack and none of it is off the McCartney set.
Billie Joe Armstrong joins the Cast of NBC’s The Voice
I worry about rockers stooping to these shows. Steve Tyler first now this? I want to see Bruce Springsteen, no wait I WANT BOB SEGER to judge one of these shows so I can die of laughter. There is nothing cool about TV talent shows
VMA Nominations 2012
The annual irrelevance known as the VMA’s will take place and any chance of it having in the slightly the relevance it did 20 years ago will be deader than Michael Jackson.
Lana Del Rey Covers Nirvana, Courtney Love Reacts
‘When I was 11, I saw Kurt Cobain singing ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ on MTV and it really stopped me dead in my tracks. I thought he was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. Even at a young age, I really related to his sadness.’
Listen Up: 8-1-12
Keys To The City – Spider Bags – At first it sounds like the garage band of your dreams but once you’ve listened to it a couple of times, you will realize it is the punk rock band of your dreams. An amphetamine rush of power chords and infidlity – Grade: A+
Nick Waterhouse At The Getty Center, Saturday July 28th 2012
The saxophones almost dominated the music at times, marking the tempo, constantly adding punch with their squawks in series, responding to Nick’s guitar and his light dose of garage rock and touch of surfing, whereas the rest was all voices and rhythms with bongos and tambourines, light drumming and bass. In these times of electronic and ultra-layered music
Tomas Doncker: A Shining Moment In Black History Will Come To Life At Summerstage
There is no doubt about the music here, it took a little while to sink in but it is masterful, powerful and beautiful music which should gain added resonance (But not power: it already has that) through transmogrification
Henry Rollins Cast In Series
The program called “Dark Prophet” is scheduled for premier this fall. Seems a custom fit role for Rollins as a big know it all, so this could work. He has a great number of die hard fans too, so hes one up on the competition.
Not With The Band: Image And Music
At the end, whatever the image, it is music that matters the most for me. I just saw Fiona Apple and there wasn’t any artifice around her, she doesn’t need any, she is the anti Lady-Gaga-Lana-Del-Rey-crowd, and I guess that there wasn’t one person among the 4000 people around me, who was missing the balloons.
I Would Rather Have "This Year's Model"
I have a friend on Facebook who has 500 different version of Cheap Trick’s Live At Budokan, which kinda puts this in perspective. Dziga Vertov noted that the first version of TYM was so poorly mastered , you could return the album for a new version. Now they’d just call it remastered and sell it to you again.
God Save The Music
Music isn’t about the art anymore. It’s no longer about what you feel, and what you hear. It’s all about what you see and if it’s catchy. No one wants to take the time to listen to older bands because they’re “irrelevant” or they all “sound the same” when in reality, every Bieber tune is exactly the same.
Wafa-Abela's "Life In The Middle" Reviewed
The result is Life In The Middle -a flawed masterpiece. The album is wounded and missing parts, but it has a deep musical balance and a mystical quality. It is the definition of a cult album. Grade: B+
North America Still Owns The Music
The US may well be heading for a great depression, may never be the force it was, it might be too much of a job to police the world and who wants it anywhere? Unless the US brings back slave labor they can never compete with Russian and Chinese industry. But in the world of music, North America OWNS IT/
Cuts Like a Knife- Concerts and Stabbings
Well its back to man on man fun. Stabbings. Swedish House Mafia announce their calling it quits and already on this farewell tour there have been to shankings, WTF? The Cro Mag reunion had an actual former band member wielding sharp steel. Who the hell goes to shows with knives and what the hell fat ass security guard with a ‘staff’ T-shirt isn’t watching the door
The Jackson Family Feud For Dummies!
New York Post had an article on Sunday detailing what was really happening behind the scenes and I am gonna dumb it down. But first let me really dumb it down: Randy tried to wrestle control of the kids away from his mother, Tito’s son TJ got it, and Janet should’ve stayed clear and didn’t.
Sick of Jack White Yet?
Ohhh I’m intrigued.I would be shocked if his next release was as good and Blunder, there are some levels that cant be maintained and Jack White is a bit odd for consistency. He is scattered with multiple projects and well, lets face it- it was a case of great timing.
Three Members Of The Russian Punk Band Pussy Riot Are Facing Seven Years In Jail
Pussy Riot performed in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow, and the song, which contained the lyrics ‘chase Putin out’. didn’t please the authorities. As a result several members of the band were arrested and accused of ‘hooliganism’, and they are now recognized as political prisoners
Sneak Peaks Week Of July 30th, 2012
Rick Ross has a great voice, and he is a great rapper, but having said that the man has no soul: in the center there is a black hole where the soul should fit. I might get the Neil Diamond.
Listen Up: 7-31-12
Take Me To Manhattan – Jack Phillips – The lead off song from one of his two new albums, finds the great piano man, with a new great American songbook on his hand. The instrumental break is an old fashioned wonder and the ode to our Isle of joy a worthy addition to the pantheon of nyc songs – Grade: A
Lola And Jazz Mellor Talk Life After Daddy Joe Strummer
Jazz was 18, Lola 16 when he died and they were both devastated. It took Jazz years for the loss to sink in, and she reacted with panic attacks, Lola went into an immediate depression. “But you get over it…”
Black Lips' New Video for 'Noc-A-Homa'
At first, it may appear totally politically incorrect – however a native American mascot performing a war dance at each home run was not what I would call glorifying – but the flower-punk band actually were on a mission to save the fallen Indian
Arctic Monkeys "Come Together” Reviewed
The only redemption in this tune is some great bass sound. The vocals are boring karaoke and who the hell chose this to be performed anyway? I used to love the Monkeys so I’m not happy when I have to say they blow. Now they’re Blow Monkeys…
London's New Jerusalem Fails To Honor Israel's Terrorist Victims At The 1972 Olympics
If the British can begin the Opening Ceremony with a song about the rebirth of an Israeli city, why the Olympic Committee can’t honor the fallen Israeli athletes is a political mystery and mind field. It is repulsive.
The Load Out: Moms Tour 2012 ..The End
Give up on those destination vacations and tourist attractions. Get in your car and get lost. There is way more culture in the sticks than at the all inclusive bla but okay you’re kind of in this place thing.
Shocking: Chris Brown Had Homophobic Insults For Frank Ocean
Not a surprise from macho-man Brown! But Brown and Ocean have a history together, in 2011, they exchanged hatred tweets and Brown sent family members to attack Ocean! What?
Matt Boroff's "Filling In The Cracks" EP Reviewed
It lingers on like a sad conversation with an old friend. It isn’t melancholia, not the disruption of manic depression but the bone ache of sorrow. A beautiful thing but hard to search out, a misery loves company sound.
Television Lite July 30 – August 5, 2012
Reruns and the Olympics pretty much hog up the airwaves, sorry about that. So all week there is no Tonight Show and no Fallon, and no big loss there. So what we do have is rerun cuz really why bother
Madonna's Show At Paris' Olympia Was Booed By Fans
First of all, Madonna has a weird audience, a little bit earlier the same people who were in awe in front of her, who had been waiting for her hours and hours, camping on the sidewalk, were insulting her and saying that she was a slut? And this just because she had decided to shorten concert? Isn’t it a little extreme?
Active Viewin': Pick Concerts Week Of July 30th, 2012
I have never gotten the kick against Jackson Browne. I’ve loved him since “Saturate Before Use” and the last time I saw him perform a full set live, 2004, he blew me away. That was the night after he was inducted in the rock and roll hall of fame and Springsteen came out and sang “Take It Easy” with him
UK Top 10 Albums, August 4th, 2012
Better Plan B than the dreaded Gaslight Anthem. Plan B is a pretty good white English rapper and GA are a gawdawful litmus test for the death of rock and roll as we know it.
UK Top 10 Singles, August 4th, 2012
The Conor song and the Florence and Calvin Harris remix are towering dance pop. Smarter than the average 120bpms! Conor is proof that the boy band scene is developing closer to the Sheeran than Direction direction.
Listen Up: 7-30-12
Angels – The xx – Based solely upon my adoration of this gorgeous song, if I had no day job, I would go to T5 on Thursday to check these guys out. It is odd how all it takes is one perfect moment, here a haunted brilliance which, if re-arranged for piano, would fit in the new Regina Spektor and, if the aural dynamic was changed, PJ Harvey’s Is This Desire – Grade: A
Falling In Reverse Warped Tour Hartford CT Sunday July 22, 2012
As things escalated, Radke did a flip on stage and lost the sunglasses, revealing the teardrop tattoo and his sick, bloodshot eyes. Regardless of not feeling well, he still gave it his all and went into “Raised By Wolves”, an incredibly impressive tune recorded that’s even better live.
Sederra At The Constellation Room, Wednesday July 25th 2012
They dedicated their show to one of their friends who had just died in a motorcycle accident, but far from letting the mood down, as their set had some explosive and joyous punk songs with sometimes a light touch of hardcore, but never in an overwhelming way.