Jack Bruce – Silver Rails (Album Review)

Jack Bruce – Silver Rails (Album Review)

Since the dissolution of Cream in 1968, Jack Bruce has released a stylistic array of albums delving into the rock, jazz and classical genres he touched upon as a member of that seminal power trio. The personnel he has enlisted for his latest release, Silver Rails, is representative of that  ...[more]

Medeski, Martin & Wood + Nels Cline – The Woodstock Sessions (Vol. 2)

Medeski, Martin & Wood + Nels Cline – ...

The second installment of a live performance/recording series, Medeski, Martin & Wood + Nels Cline’s Woodstock Sessions Vol. 2 consists of edits from a roughly two-hour performance in front of a small audience conducted in late August of last year. Just as collaborating with guitarist John Scofield elicits largely funky  ...[more]

Bobby Bare Jr’s Young Criminal Starvation League- Undefeated

Bobby Bare Jr’s Young Criminal Starvation League- Undefeated

Bobby Bare Jr. practically oozes swagger, and on his first new record in nearly 4 years, his sound is more defined than ever. Undefeated brings his effortlessly cool vocals to the forefront amidst his seamless hybrid of country and alt rock. At times quirky like the country-folk and oh-so-dark banjo  ...[more]

The Hold Steady – The Hollow, Albany, NY 4/11/14 (Show Review)

The Hold Steady – The Hollow, Albany, NY ...

For a band that has played large festivals, arenas and theaters it was nice to catch them in their old natural surroundings: a small bar on a Friday night. The Hollow in Albany might have been an undersized venue but The Hold Steady put on a show that was huge,  ...[more]

Umphrey’s McGee – Stubb’s Austin, TX 4/19/14 (Show Review)

Umphrey’s McGee – Stubb’s Austin, TX 4/19/14 (Show ...

A fellow music writer once described Eric Clapton as all technique and no soul. Where I differed from this writer was in my view that being highly talented but lacking soul is not necessarily a bad thing. The same can be said for Umphrey’s McGee. Not that Umphrey’s and Clapton  ...[more]

Holly Go Lightly and the Brokeoffs- Knitting Factory, Williamsburg, Brooklyn 4/16/14 (Show Review)

Holly Go Lightly and the Brokeoffs- Knitting Factory, ...

Given that she’s only played five shows in a year and a half (so she said), getting to see Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs is a major treat. She headlined at The Knitting Factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on April 16th  to a pretty stuffed room for a pared down, country  ...[more]

Move Me Brightly DVD A Documentary Concert Film Celebrating Jerry Garcia’s 70th Birthday

Move Me Brightly DVD A Documentary Concert Film ...

There have been numerous tributes to the late Jerry Garcia since his death in 1995, but none such as an accurate reflection of the man’s own uniquely Zen approach to life and art. If the tongue-in-cheek opening interval is slightly disconcerting-showing actor Luke Wilson asking directions to the site of  ...[more]

Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me

Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me

Near the beginning of the documentary film Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me rock critic Lester Bangs equates Memphis rock band Big Star with The Beatles. At the time of his comment, a 1970s interview, few people had heard of Big Star. Turns out Bangs was on to something. Big  ...[more]

The Rolling Stones- Charlie Is My Darling

The Rolling Stones- Charlie Is My Darling

As The Rolling Stones evolved from blues purists and made a concerted attempt to commercialize themselves for the pop market, their manager Andrew Loog Oldham posited them as bad boy alternatives to the cuddly mop-tops that were The Beatles. It only makes sense then, that instead of the semi-fictionalized presentation  ...[more]

One Way Out: The Inside History of The Allman Brothers Band

One Way Out: The Inside History of The ...

Alan Paul creates the chronological narrative of One Way Out: The Inside History of The Allman Brothers Band by interweaving excerpts of interviews with band members, family and friends, business partners and acquaintances, with much the same intricacy the band itself improvises. In doing so, he, more often than not,  ...[more]

Willin’: The Story of Little Feat

Willin’: The Story of Little Feat

If ever a beloved band (besides the seminal country-rockers Poco) deserved its story told, it’s Little feat. One of the most distinctive rock and roll units of its time, Lowell George and co. went unjustly under recognized during his lifetime despite an affectionate fanbase whose passion and loyalty far surpassed  ...[more]

Keith Richards on Keith Richards

It’s been a very, very big year for the Rolling Stones. After all, not many bands can say they are legitimately 50 years old. So if you’re looking for a little rock history reading let us recommend Keith Richards On Keith Richards, edited by Sean Egan, which is basically a  ...[more]

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