rock nyc

I mentioned yesterday I thought the New York Times music pages were the best in the business and not just because my old pal Jon Pareles writes for em; it’s […]

First Costello was awesome and then he was fair to middling for an hour and a half and then he was awesome again. In front of a hometown audience and

I loved the movie though i can understand why people may have had problems with it. And I think “The Times They Are A changing” was way too obvious for

It is one of gods’ great jokes that on the first song of the first side of his first album Cremshaw fell into his career epitaph. “Will her heart ever

Rock That Body – Black Eyed Peas I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas From “The Energy Never Dies” -their new album- and it’s true, the energy just keeps pumping.

In the letter from the editor for the Kings Of Leon Rolling Stone cover story, the editor Will Dana brags how writer Austin Scaggs is long time drinking buddies with

Oh Yeah -ChickenfootSoap On A Rope – Chickenfoot“Got money, got fame, fast cars and everything”. Who do they think they are? Kid rock? Whatever, this should solve everybodies metal, not

I wish I could get the picture from my cell on my blog so you could see as much as I saw of the Dirty Projectors and TV On the

I don’t suffer from social nostalgia. I don’t believe the past was better than today, I know it was worse. The 40s may have been a fairy tale time for

Sound City was my local record store in Long island City till I stopped frequenting the place a couple of years ago because I was buying all my music on

Heart Of Gold – Neil YoungOnly Love Can Break Your Heart – Crosby, Stills, Nash and YoungEverybody Knows This Is Nowhere – Neil YoungMarrakesh Express – Crosby, Stills, Nash and

In August of 1962 I was five years old and on vacation in Bournemouth, a somewhat working class vacation resort in the North of England. It was then I went

Just A Friend – Biz Markie Let Me Clear My Throat – DJ Kool Have you seen the Heinekin ad with the kids singing “Just A Friend” in the back

Have you ever known a person who seem perfectly nice and everybody thinks he is just wonderful but for some reason you just don’t get on? Well, this is me

“Who remembers Rudolf Hess?”-Warsaw Manchester, England is my home time. A rainy, grimy, miserable place half an hour from Liverpool which fancies inself a major player and isn’t at all

I actually found a list on The Onion of 8 song about sexual mishaps and they are quite right – Elastica’s “Stutter” was a big surprise to me. Dead Kennedy’s

2009 appears to have awaken from its winter slumber with the third good week in a row. Not great, mind but definitely good Doom Draw – Julian MarleyFamily Time –

I know, it’s terrible right? I mean, not only were they the early 80s saving grace rockwise but a) my friends were their friends and fans b) the Replacements had

At first glance Olivia Newton-John’s career trajectory appears to be a refraction on the Sandy charecter she played in the iconic movie musical “Grease, chocking on her cigarette, high heel

A Change Is Going To Come – Adam LambertHe was a standby for the road production of “Wicked” which, if not making him and amateur, sure made him a passing

My ex text me the other day to tell me her new guy’s favorite color is now blue because she looks so good in blue. Very nice, right? Well, it

One of my very favorite novels is Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” (she is absolutely my favorite) but as novels go it doesn’t translate well into other mediums: even the Olivier

Greatest album of all time? “Sgt Peppers,” Best? “Are You Experienced”? My fave? No contest: from Steve Nieve’s Booker T pounded intro on “Love For Tender” to the lost in

As my good friend Anonymous kindly corrected me, I asininely referred to Leonard Cohen as a tenor in my live at Radio City review. He is, of course, a bass

Look at it this way: we live in a world filled with real and terrifying fears and as consumers of entertainment we deal with these fears. Female sexuality, virginity, death,

I checked out the folks who hate me at leonardcohenforum.com . The actual review by Patricia Zohn is very good and if you want to see what the fans thinks

With Green Day’s “21st Century Breakdown” having all the hallmarks of a protest album dated before its release, and with critics writing drivel like “If it is out of step

Earlier this year I went to see Van Morrison perform “Astral Weeks” twice, once at MSG and once and for days later at the Beacon. The MSG set was excellent,

The Static Age – Green Day (“21 Guns” pretty lame on SNL last night)Get Down – Cam’ronOn the Road To Find Out – Cat StevensSofter, Softest – HoleGood Ol’ USA

From today’s New York Times

It is June 1997 and Lil Kim is a mess -I know this because she is performing at a great women of hip hop concert and she can’t speak and

One day after writing the obituary of the album, I bought the album of the year and first runner up. I have only spinned Green Day’s “21st Century Breakdown” once

Chris Difford once claimed Frank Sinatra’s “In The Wee Small Hours Of the Morning” was the first record album as we know it. And he might be right. Produced by

“Before there was Elvis there was nothing.” -John Lennon The last time I wrote about Elvis Presley I was a 20something and i did a think piece about how Capitalism

After listening some more I must admit to having underestimated Cam’ron’s “Get It In Ohio” -Cam’rons spits the lyric real good, gangstas in the mid-west. The other two songs I

Together Through This – Bob Dylan 11 Songs:1 Pointless studio rehearsal of “Lay lady Lay”.1 Middling Berry knock off (Chuck, is that you?)1 Croaking atrocity.1 Missed opprtunity-but really missed, missed

Alphabetically by album name All I Ever Wanted – Kelly ClarksonArt Brut Vs Satan – Art BrutBl0od Bank EP – Bon IverCarolina – Eric ChurchCrack The Skye – MastadonDown The

Eleven years ago I saw Public Enemy open for Run DMC. PE had recently released their excellent soundtrack for (him again) Spike Lee’s “He Got Game” and they were pretty

Love Your Love the Most – Eric Church (latest in a long tradition of real good country boys) Alcoholics Unanimous – Art Brut (angular satire produced by the bloke from

The first of a long, long series: Contrary to my earlier comment Cracker’s “Darling One” is a lovely ballad…. Also, Cohen’s “Live In London” is better than I gave it

What pictures and videos don’t show you about Branford Marsalis is his sheer presence on the stage. Leading a young (the drummer is just eighteen!) intensely vigorous sharp as hell

LOS CAMPESINOS: THEY’RE GONNA GET DRUNK AND CALL YOU AT FOUR IN THE MORNING

Get Happy!! -Elvis Costello and the Attractions Are You Experienced? – Jimi Hendrix Experience In the Wee Small Hours Of the Morning -Frank Sinatra Ready to Die – Notorious B.I.G.

As a self-professed populist I believe that in a consumer society fiscal success is a hugely important part of artistic (or at least cultural) merit. In the 80s I championed

STEP FORWARD FOR: ESP MEDIUM DISCHORD

This is a love story. In 1980 I was a huge Elvis Costello fan (still am: the albums have lost their consistency but the live shows are stellar and his

I’d like to say it was about the time Lady Sovereign shared her Heinekin with the punters at the front of the stage with a shout of “SWINE FLU” or

A real good week this week. Two singles into the new Ciara, I like Justin Timberlake a lot but MAYBE he is spreading himself a bit thin -still “Love, Sex,

Legend has it Lennon and Ono spent their first night together working on avant-Garde music before making love. The result was three albums of experimental music and if “the Wedding

Hi Ho Silver Lining -Jeff Beck (Hatton entered the ring with ths b4 Pasqual knocked him out)Fantsay -Mariah Carey and Ol’ Dirty Bastard (forget to mention this oneNo Bed For