rock nyc

rock nyc

First Song Off Wesley Wolfe's New Label

Imagine Bryan Ferry singing lead on an early Shins track with the piano taking top honors and an arrangement that sounds busier than it is before ascending into a psychedelic jam and there you have it. The first release on Wesley Wolfe’s tiny wittly named Tangible Formats label.

rock nyc

The Smiths Are Not Reforming

The Smiths were one of those bands that we will love because they fit in their time so well. The Smiths were a great example of the turning point of new wave/emo/alt. They were a bridge of brilliance, so to speak. A band I will always love and never ever want to age

rock nyc

So That's Where Vampire Weekend Are At…

It would be cool if it was [released] this year. I always want to release music as soon as possible, but more and more I’m realizing it’s something you almost have no control over. We just never want to be in a position [where] when we put out something, we feel could’ve benefited from more time”

rock nyc

Active Viewin': Pick Concerts Week Of April 29th, 2012

On one of those special weeks of pop in the city )(next weekend is pretty awesome as well), Scissor Sisters at Bowery Ballroom wins the place of honor. BB is T5 -where they are playing later this year, it is a small, first rate room and although it’s a Sunday night, it is also a rare oppornuity to see a built for Arenas dance band in a intimate quarters!

rock nyc

UK Top 10 Albums, May 5th, 2012

White will be at # 1 in the States this week as well, so good, somthing we can all agree upon: White killed it. Now, where is Ed Sheeran, has he finally slipped out of the top 10 (he is at #11!!). What else? Congrats to Rufus, now all he has to do is release “Jericho” as the first single.

rock nyc

UK Top 10 Singles, May 5th, 2012

youth of America’s opinion notwithstanding, Carlu Rae’s single is pretty damn catchy and deserves its success. More than I can say about Train or BoB or Gotye -though, if pop music is meant to be popular, it is hard to deny gotye’s popularity…

rock nyc

Listen Up: 4-30-12

RHCP’s best song is also their most generic: a drug drenched Kiedis self-portrait completely overwhelmed by Fleas’ stupendous bass licks, which own it completely. The lyric owes so much to rap without actually take anything from the genre and it builds to a crushing mirror and anti-American image that at first seems like a metaphor but at second glance is a self truth. This place is their mesh of DNA. Grade: A+

rock nyc

Musicians Who Are Also Visual Artists

And, if you need another evidence that visual art and music are totally intertwined: Cats Stevens, Joseph Arthur, John Cougar Mellencamp, David Bowie, Marilyn Manson, Paul McCartney, Kim Gordon, Ryan Adams, Joni Mitchell,… all terrific painters!

rock nyc

Jackson Browne Unplugged

Jackson is infamous for his smooth sound and timeless work. The guy has been around forever but his music still has relevance- and another nothing to prove persona. I love the idea of improv for the set list.

rock nyc

Singles Going Steady: Album Reviews Week of April 23rd, 2012

These Machines – the Dandy Warhols – Ten albums into their career, these glam garage abattoires of sound don’t need me picking on them. So I won’t bother. This is more of the same with a coupla experimental tracks, a lot of guitar based New York 1970s updates, and, er, “16 Tons”. I’ve heard the new Brian Jonestown and it is better than that. Do with it what you will. Grade: B+

rock nyc

Listen Up: 4-29-12

Johnny Rotten was such an overwhelming vocalist that for the seven minutes (on the extended version) as he spits and scats his way through the Stooges classic, you can’t help ignoring the rest of the band. But this belongs to Paul Cook and Glen Matlock who find and groove and ride it into the ground. Grade: A+

rock nyc

Charles Aznavour Always? Not So Fast…

Charles is 88 years old and had cancelled a gig in Quebec on April 14th… I feared the worse. But then came the statement that started this post: “None of the clauses were respected, and there is no reason for us to take the stage with him owing us so much money already,” he said.

rock nyc

Cat Stevens "Moonshadow", The Musical

Yousef has captivated millions with his Cat Stevens work and has carried it gracefully throuhg name change and personal changes. His voice remains true and there are many performances recorded to prove this. I had no idea he was working on a show, but it seems a wonderful thing

rock nyc

Listen Up: 4-28-12

Grading my post? This one is pretty lousy, I couldn’t get a handle on The Men song, and it ruined the entire tone for everything that followed. . I try for at least one original thought per review, and here I haven’t managed one all combined… no wait, # 8 is pretty clever… I was gonna give myself a D+ but I am upgrading it to C-

rock nyc

Max Bemis Performs "Say Anything" Live and Acoustic Reviewed

For a love song, it sure isn’t mushy or cliche. I especially love the way he sings the line “I’d listen to a piercing squeal on a loop to make this real with you”; you can hear the intensity in his voice. He’s an incredible guitarist, which I find that I overlook because I typically fall in love with his vocals

rock nyc

Blue October, "Worry List" Video Review

The video done in soft light with symbolic flash is peppered with photographs and home movies of Furstenfelds daughter, Blue. A beautiful little girl with a wonderful father. A campaign pioneer for fathers rights after his marriage ended less than amicably. The video suits the song very well.

rock nyc

Gatekeeper At The Echoplex, Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

They said to have worked on Hollywood film scores, which works perfectly to their cinematic compositions filled with sonic swirls, techno beats,… yeah I totally could see epic pursuits and weird apocalyptic fantasies going with that stuff, but this is what bothers me, if it is potential movie background, is it enough?

rock nyc

All Into The Dead Pool

Betting on rock and roll death is a suckers game, for one thing ask not for whom the bell tolls, etc. etc, and for another, life is way too random and for a third… well, for a third I would’ve bet that Robin Gibb was gone before Levon Helm.

rock nyc

Is Bono Gay?

Sure, the masses will gossip about the actions of the great and nobody is claiming that there is any reason why Bono shouldn’t be gay if he wants to. I mean, he has a dick, he is a dick so why not suck a dick. right?

rock nyc

US Top 10 Albums, May 5th, 2012

Is there any reason why the first quarter of 2012 has been bereft of country after last years banner year? None that I can think of. And this is about as lousy a chart as I’ve seen all year. The blind leading the deaf leading the mediocre.

rock nyc

Listen Up: 4-27-12

Anything with a self-referential “poor boy” in its title is half way there, evem if the rest of the name is crap, and any song with a calliope backing track to open can’t be all bad. This piece of torn from the pages of his diary, jinhle is the best on the album because it is the least assuming while nailing a bracing sneer – Grade: A

rock nyc

Fluorescen​t Adolescent​: Maturity is Clearly Lacking In The Hood

think fights are not only pointless, but extremely immature. Fights during a hockey or rugby game? Sure whatever you’re playing a sport that is rough by nature. Drunken bar fights? Understandable since both parties have presumably had their judgment removed by the effective application of alcohol. But school fights and ghetto street brawls are, in general, stupid.

rock nyc

The Beach Boys, A Date and A Promo

You’d think I’d have something snarky to say about the Beach Boys, buncha old dudes in Hawaiin shirts, right? Wrong. These are some way cool cats and you whippersnappers should pony up for some schooling.

rock nyc

So I'm Streaming The New Rufus Wainwright On NPR…

Rufus’ latest, Out Of The Game, is as good as anything else in his career, better than whole chunks of it. “Jericho” alone reminds you what a terrrific melodist this man. he is like a Morrissey cum Jeff Buckley vocal mish mash with even greater operatic undertones, writing songs that Elton John could’ve imagined

rock nyc

Carole King's "The Legendary Demos" Reviewed

For historic value, The Legendary Demos is an “A+”, a must own. But as music, it is a complete irrelevance. Tracking song after tracking song. This is not a collection of some Carole King’s solo and some of Goffin And Kings works in progress, it is not the deams show, how we constructed, what was added or removed, or moved or developed or without the hook: there isn’t a lightbulb moment

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