Posts tagged with "Jul/Aug 2010"

BELINDA CARLISLE

BELINDA CARLISLE From the heights of pop stardom to the depths of drug abuse—and back “I always knew I had a good book in me,” says Belinda Carlisle. With a career that spans the heady days of L.A.’s early punk scene to pop superstardom, the Go-Go’s lead singer and solo pop star has plenty of rock ’n’ roll dirt to dish. But it was her recovery from cocaine addiction that prompted Carlisle to finally write her new memoir, Lips Unsealed.... 

JOEY KRAMER

JOEY KRAMER Aerosmith’s hard-hitting drummer sounds off about recovery and rock As recently as a few months ago, it appeared the 40-year story of Aerosmith could be coming to an end. Lead singer Steven Tyler was out of touch with the band and focused on solo projects, and guitarist Joe Perry announced that he and his fellow members were looking for a replacement. Uncertainty and speculation reigned for months before the group surprised the world... 

JIMMIE VAUGHAN

JIMMIE VAUGHAN The Texas guitar master still considers himself a student of the blues By Eric R. Danton Texas-born guitar slinger Jimmie Vaughan grew up listening to songs by the likes of Jimmy Reed, Johnny Ace and Lonnie Brooks—the kind of old rock ’n’ roll, vintage blues and country that once filled up jukeboxes and crackled from transistor radios. Stations at the time regularly played songs that blurred genre lines, and young Jimmie didn’t... 

BRYAN-MICHAEL COX

BRYAN-MICHAEL COX He can make a hit record for you—but he’d like a conversation first By Dan Daley For Bryan-Michael Cox, it’s all about the conversation. That’s the first point of contact between the 32-year-old producer and the artists with whom he works. The conversation builds a groundwork of trust and mutual understanding. Then he’ll write a song about something meaningful that comes out of that conversation—like Usher’s 2004... 

THE BLACK CROWES

THE BLACK CROWES Chris Robinson looks back on two decades of keeping it weird By Chris Neal In January 2002, the Black Crowes announced plans for an indefinite hiatus. Relations among the members had reached an all-time low, particularly the famously tempestuous bond between lead singer Chris Robinson and guitarist brother Rich. They all needed a break from each other. “There was a lot of negativity surrounding all of our feelings,” recalls... 

INDIGO GIRLS

INDIGO GIRLS Staring down the challenge of a live album together When the Indigo Girls began compiling Staring Down the Brilliant Dream, their first live album since 1995’s 1200 Curfews, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers were pretty sure they knew what wouldn’t be included: their signature hit, 1989’s “Closer to Fine.” They were looking for lesser-known gems and newer songs. But then they stumbled on a performance of the song featuring guests Michelle... 

CROWDED HOUSE

CROWDED HOUSE Neil Finn and company return with some very intriguing new music Upon its reunion in 2006 after a decade of inaction, Crowded House and its fans alike took some time getting used to a reality without original drummer Paul Hester, who passed away the previous year. But the new Intriguer album, recorded in the group’s native New Zealand and producer Jim Scott’s home base of Los Angeles, is very much the work of an act whose now-stable... 

TOM JONES

TOM JONES An unrepentant sex bomb showing his spiritual side? It’s not unusual Tom Jones’ record label asked if he’d consider recording an album of gospel hymns—something nice and pretty that the company could sell around Christmastime. What he gave them was something very different. Praise & Blame is indeed an album built on spiritual themes, but its gutbucket blues-based rock sound is hardly holiday easy-listening fare. Jones and producer... 

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO Finding himself again in songs about the mysteries of love After releasing two intensely personal concept albums—2006’s The Boxing Mirror, about a near-fatal bout with hepatitis C, and 2008’s Real Animal, a detail-rich rock ’n’ roll memoir—Alejandro Escovedo needed a change. He and collaborator Chuck Prophet began writing what would become Street Songs of Love, Escovedo’s 10th solo album. What emerged was a record... 

TIM O’BRIEN

TIM O’BRIEN A bluegrass master in competition only with himself When selecting a title for his new album, bluegrass icon Tim O’Brien found inspiration when his neighbor’s chickens wandered into his photo shoot. He had a moment of realization later during a lunch of hardboiled eggs: “You don’t know what came first,” he says, “and it doesn’t matter.” Such is O’Brien’s approach to folk and bluegrass music on Chicken & Egg.... 

TEGAN AND SARA

TEGAN AND SARA Ready to mix things up, in the studio and on stage After more than a dozen years of recording and performing, Canadian indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara know their fan base. Now they’re finding creative ways to expand it. That was the idea behind Alligator, a 17-track iTunes exclusive of remixes (and one demo) of the title song, a bouncy piano-based pop number that appeared on Tegan and Sara’s 2009 album Sainthood. For the remixes,... 

GOO GOO DOLLS

GOO GOO DOLLS Seeking inspiration from without as well as within Past Goo Goo Dolls hits—“Name,” “Slide” and “Let Love In,” to name a few—have been deeply introspective. For the band’s latest album, Something for the Rest of Us, frontman and principal songwriter Johnny Rzeznik wanted to look outside himself. A beautiful ballad, “Notbroken,” paved the way. “That song was based on conversations I had with a woman whose husband... 

FEFE DOBSON

FEFE DOBSON Making the most of an unexpected second chance at stardom Toronto native Fefe Dobson appeared poised for a major breakthrough in 2003—her song “Take Me Away” was climbing the charts, she scored endorsement deals with Tommy Hilfiger and the Got Milk? ad campaign and was picked as the opening act for Justin Timberlake’s world tour. Nonetheless, Dobson was dumped from her major label right before the release of her second album,... 

SQUEEZE

SQUEEZE Painstakingly recreating the past while looking to the future Squeeze’s Glenn Tilbrook knows a thing or two about the pressure of expectations. In the late ’70s, when the London-based band first came onto the scene, he and songwriting partner Chris Difford were lauded as “the new Lennon and McCartney.” “That was a tremendous compliment,” Tilbrook says. “But as a result, our writing got more mannered, more stylized and more... 

NIKKI & RICH

NIKKI & RICH A California girl and New York guy make beautiful music together As far as mea culpas go, “Next Best Thing,” the debut single by pop duo Nikki & Rich, isn’t particularly remorseful. Over malt-shop piano and doo-wop backing vocals, singer Nikki Leonti tells a heartbroken ex it was boredom that led her to stray. “It’s my fault, I’m the one to blame,” she coos, callous and cavalier. “Shame on me and my man-eating... 

MICHAEL FRANTI

MICHAEL FRANTI A sonic innovator with a sunny disposition—even in the hospital Michael Franti has long been acclaimed by critics and a devoted cult of fans for his fusion of hip-hop with blues, reggae and soul. But last year Franti and his backing group, Spearhead, were surprised to find a mass audience with the breakout hit “Say Hey (I Love You),” a charming nugget of reggae-pop. “We’ve gone from traveling in vans and playing in the street... 

GEAR – BASS ODYSSEY

The sounds you get from the bottom end can take you to the top WHETHER IT’S HIP-HOP OR HEAVY metal, jazz or country, the right bass sounds can make your music boom with hip-shaking power—while the wrong choices can make it flop with a thud. How do musicians, engineers and producers steer their sounds into that elusive deep-end comfort zone? Even the simplest of standout bass parts have more going on than meets the ear. To help pull back the curtain,... 

Jackson Browne

IN 1971, PHOTOGRAPHER HENRY DILTZ AND ART director Gary Burden were invited to the home of an unknown singer and songwriter named Jackson Browne to dream up the cover of his first album. “We went into his house, he gave us each a beer and started playing the piano,” Diltz recalls. “He started singing ‘Rock Me on the Water’ full voice, and I got the shivers. It was just awesome.” Diltz instinctively grabbed his camera and began snapping... 

Kurth & Taylor

KURTH & TAYLOR TV made them famous, but real life separated them—until now Wally Kurth and Christian Taylor are the first to acknowledge that the decision to reunite their band, Kurth & Taylor, was spurred by a touch of midlife crisis. The group formed in 1992 and was known best for its performances on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, on which Kurth was a cast member. But the two found themselves settling in different areas (Kurth in... 

Christina Perri

WHO’S NEXT: CHRISTINA PERRI HOMETOWN: Philadelphia INFLUENCES: The Beatles, Beth Hart, Jason Mraz ALBUM: As yet untitled EP, due out soon WEBSITE: christinaperri.com Christina Perri began singing at a very early age, both in her school choir and for customers in her parents’ barber shop. By 15 she was so devoted to the music of the Beatles that she had the members’ names tattooed permanently on her wrist. Her older brother Nick Perri made... 

Chief

WHO’S NEXT: CHIEF HOMETOWN: Los Angeles MEMBERS: Evan Koga  (vocals, guitar) Danny Fujikawa (guitar) Mike Moonves (bass) Michael Fujikawa  (drums) ALBUM: Modern Rituals, due out Aug. 17 WEBSITE: chieftheband.com Frontman Evan Koga and his fellow L.A.-born members of Chief formed the band as students at New York University. They made the move back to California last year, guitarist Danny Fujikawa leaving school to do so. “I had faith in... 

Ryan Star

WHO’S NEXT: RYAN STAR HOMETOWN: Dix Hills, N.Y. INFLUENCES: Leonard Cohen, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam ALBUM: 11:59, out now WEBSITE: rstar.net Ryan Star inherited his big brother’s barely played guitar as a teenager, and was soon writing songs and making demos on a four-track recorder. By 14 he was selling recordings to classmates, and by his late teens he and some friends had formed a band called Stage. The group played local New York City... 

MARTIN GUITAR GPCPA1

Martin’s new Performing Artist Series guitar has all the accessibility of an acoustic/electric. FOR: Acoustic performers. The GPCPA1 is made from woods selected for tone, beauty and reliability. Sitka spruce top and East Indian rosewood sides and back make for a sweet and sturdy sound that lives up to the Martin name whether plugged in or not. The Fishman F1 Aura electronics system onboard translates this rich acoustic sound for an amp or PA in... 

ART M-FOUR TUBE MIC

Applied Research and Technology M-Four offers a multi-purpose, multi-pattern mic with a twist of versatility. FOR: Recording instrumentalists and singers. The M-Four has all the presence and character expected in a tube mic, but its biggest draw is its ability to customize the perfect response pattern for whatever is being recorded. On top of the usual cardioid, omni- and bidirectional patterns, there are also six additional subtle stages between.... 

OVATION GUITAR IDEA CC54I

An innovative instrument that can record, playback and interface with a computer. FOR: Guitar players, students and songwriters. The iDea OPI-1 preamp can record around 100 minutes of MP3 files from a combination of saddle pickup and an onboard mic. It can also export song ideas or import other material via USB. Use playback to learn tunes, and even change the tempo without changing pitch to work up to speed on new material. Creatively speaking, it’s... 

DEAN MARKLEY ULTRASOUND CD60 AMP

The Dean Markley UltraSound CD60 reissue is a dual-channel combo guitar amp with headroom to spare. FOR: Guitarists playing everything from rhythm guitar in a blues band to Queen covers with treble-heavy distorted leads. This is an all-tube tone machine. After years of turning knobs and hearing a broad shelving of low, middle or high frequencies, the CD60’s EQ—tuned to a guitar’s tonal sweet spots—turns on a dime. Bright and Mid-Boost switches... 

PEAVEY/AGILE PARTNERS AMPKIT & AMPKIT LINK

New for the iPhone: high-quality guitar recording! AmpKit is a virtual amp, effects board and recorder, and AmpKit LiNK interface plugs you in. FOR: Recording on the go. The LiNK is smaller than the iPhone, so taking it to practice or on the road is a snap. It even eliminates crosstalk, so it can be used as a very low latency preamp and sent out to speakers. AmpKit is a free app, although it is equipped with a built-in gear store for racking up more... 

STONE RIVER BOYS + Love on the Dial

STONE RIVER BOYS Love on the Dial stoneriverboys.com QUICK TAKE + While they come across as a down-home country combo, replete with smooth harmonies and steel guitars, Stone River Boys are remarkably versatile—as evidenced by a heartfelt take on the R&B standard “Can I Change My Mind.” But even their soulful, deep-throated originals sound like instant classics.  Read More →

DAN NAVARRO WITH STONEHONEY + Live at McCabe’s

DAN NAVARRO WITH STONEHONEY Live at McCabe’s dannavarro.com QUICK TAKE + The pairing of Dan Navarro with rookie country-rock combo Stonehoney reaps dividends for both parties. Navarro’s breezy style adds a distinctive lead voice that supports Stonehoney’s early-’70s sensibilities, while the group muscles up Navarro’s more easygoing inclinations.  Read More →

MARK EVANS + Rain on the Roses

MARK EVANS Rain on the Roses markevansmusic.com QUICK TAKE + New York City-based Mark Evans has composed for film, radio and television. His musical skill, as well as his obvious affinity for catchy country, are just as evident here. Given its instantly appealing melodies, this impressive debut should help him find his own place in the spotlight.  Read More →

ELLERY + This Isn’t Over Yet

ELLERY This Isn’t Over Yet ellerymusic.com QUICK TAKE + The sophomore effort by husband-and-wife duo Tasha and Justin Golden ups the ante over their highly praised debut. Enlisting the services of famed producer Malcolm Burn, Ellery further affirms its penchant for shimmering melodies, rich textures and emotional clarity.  Read More →

GEOFFREY GURRUMUL YUNUPINGU + Gurrumul

GEOFFREY GURRUMUL YUNUPINGU Gurrumul www.gurrumul.com QUICK TAKE + A native of the northern territories of Australia and blind since birth, singer and guitarist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu creates a soothing, hypnotic sound from little more than acoustic guitar and lush harmonies. Singing in the native tongue of the indigenous people, he creates lullabies that transcend language or locale.  Read More →

KEVIN WELCH + A Patch of Blue Sky

KEVIN WELCH A Patch of Blue Sky kevinwelch.com Ending an eight-year absence, Kevin Welch’s new album shows us all over again why he’s regarded as an Americana icon. Accompanied by an ace band that includes son Dustin on banjo and guitar, and frequent collaborator and fellow Dead Reckoner Fats Kaplin on pedal steel, he delivers touching songs of remorse and redemption with stoic conviction and indomitable resolve. “The Great Emancipation,”... 

SAHARA SMITH + Myth of the Heart

SAHARA SMITH Myth of the Heart myspace.com/saharasmithmusic All of 21, Sahara Smith soars with the conviction and authority of someone several times her age. The Austin resident garnered honors at a songwriting contest sponsored by A Prairie Home Companion and eventually gained the attention of impresario T Bone Burnett. He oversaw the recording of this debut album, although Emile Kelman handled the production duties. Smith’s vocals soar to her... 

MATTHEW RYAN + Dear Lover (The Acoustic Version)

MATTHEW RYAN Dear Lover (The Acoustic Version) matthewryanonline.com Over the course of a dozen albums, Matthew Ryan has created a singular sound that combines low-lit arrangements with a pensive perspective. The haunting music is so consistently somber it often makes Leonard Cohen seem giddy by comparison. Regardless, Ryan’s opted to strip the sound down even more by reimagining his last album with the barest of instrumentation—acoustic guitar... 

DAVID RHODES + Bittersweet

DAVID RHODES Bittersweet davidrhodes.org David Rhodes’ lengthy résumé as a guitarist and composer includes work with Paul McCartney, Roy Orbison and Robert Plant, but he is perhaps best known for his 25-year collaborative partnership with Peter Gabriel. Bittersweet is the first solo album of his prodigious career, and his most concerted effort since his work with the band Random Hold in the late ’70s. Not surprisingly, songs like “Bittersweet,”... 

JODY PORTER + Close to the Sun

JODY PORTER Close to the Sun jodyporter.com Taking temporary leave of his day job with Fountains of Wayne, guitarist Jody Porter hews to his edgier inclinations. With only a couple of exceptions—“Aurora” and “In Between Time”—there’s little here that resembles the playful pop his usual band is best known for. Close to the Sun is more in line with Belltower, the artsy British band Porter played with early in his career. Then as now, Porter... 

GREAT BIG SEA + Safe Upon the Shore

GREAT BIG SEA Safe Upon the Shore greatbigsea.com After 18 years and 10 albums, Newfoundland’s leading musical proponents are newly independent and pared down to a core trio. The newfound flexibility becomes a launching point for Great Big Sea to veer from their usual overarching anthems. Recording in far-flung locales—studios, buses and basements—they welcome special guests, including producer Steve Berlin of Los Lobos. Following last year’s... 

ALBERT CASTIGLIA + Keepin’ On

ALBERT CASTIGLIA Keepin’ On albertcastiglia.com On his aptly titled fourth album, Castiglia, a Cuban-American guitar slinger, walks the line between traditional treatments and contemporary reinvention. His back-to-basics approach follows in the footsteps of those who fostered the blues in the Mississippi Delta and the smoky late-night haunts of Chicago. Castiglia’s muscular style is reflected in the fluid fretwork of “Cadillac Assembly Line,”... 

CINDY BULLENS + Howling Trains and Barking Dogs

CINDY BULLENS Howling Trains and Barking Dogs cindybullens.com It’s fitting that 30 years after her solo bow with “Survivor,” Cindy Bullens remains as spirited as ever. It hasn’t been easy; after contributing to the Grease soundtrack and singing with Elton John, family obligations curtailed a promising career. A move to Nashville in 1990 boosted her fortunes, offering opportunities to write with noted vets Radney Foster, Bill Lloyd, Matraca... 

WILLIAM BRITTELLE + Television Landscape

WILLIAM BRITTELLE Television Landscape myspace.com/williambrittelle William Brittelle demonstrates the distinction between a traditional songwriter and a sophisticated composer through a series of symphonic soundscapes bearing an expansive and thematic feel. Synths, strings, supple acoustic guitars and flailing metallic riffing provide a shifting setting, as Brittelle braces the arrangements with rich, vibrant textures and continual kinetic fluidity.... 

THE BRITANNICAS + The Britannicas

THE BRITANNICAS The Britannicas myspace.com/thebritannicas Chicago’s Herb Eimerman, a member of America’s power-pop elite, goes international with the Britannicas—literally and figuratively. Featuring Eimerman on bass, joined by Swedish guitarist Magnus Karlsson and Aussie drummer Joe Algeri, the Britannicas’ self-titled debut overflows with ear candy and retro touches. The soaring harmonies that grace “Those Good Vibrations” suggest the... 

THE JASON ADAMO BAND + Transistor

THE JASON ADAMO BAND Transistor jasonadamomusic.com The Jason Adamo Band’s latest album bulges with emotive anthems, surging melodies, towering refrains and passionate performances. This is music that would sound just fine on rock radio playlists between mainstays U2, Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen. Transistor bodes well for that possibility, with songs like “Los Angeles,” “Guilty Bystander” and “Far Away From Here” conveying the angst... 

EDWARD ROGERS + Sparkle Lane

EDWARD ROGERS Sparkle Lane edwardrogersmusic.com Edward Rogers finds inspiration in the quaint melodies and elaborate arrangements first conjured up by acts like the Kinks, the Hollies and the Zombies as they were crafting their seminal ’60s sounds. As an English expatriate, Edwards comes by that heritage naturally. His earlier work with the folk-rock quartet Green Rooftops and his chamber pop duo, Bedsit Poets, offered the initial evidence, and... 

DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS + On Tour With Eric Clapton

BOX SET REVIEW DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS On Tour With Eric Clapton (Deluxe Edition) [Rhino Handmade] When the American rock and R&B outfit led by husband-and-wife team Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett snagged a slot as opening act on supergroup Blind Faith’s 1969 tour, little did they know they’d also be luring away the headliner’s guitarist. Eric Clapton was so taken with the fun of Delaney & Bonnie’s shows that he tagged along... 

STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN AND DOUBLE TROUBLE + Couldn’t Stand the Weather

REISSUE REVIEW STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN AND DOUBLE TROUBLE Couldn’t Stand the Weather (Legacy Edition) [Sony Legacy] The first album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, 1983’s Texas Flood, was recorded on the fly using borrowed studio time. The follow-up was a very different story—the group headed for New York City to record for six weeks at the Power Station, where Vaughan had laid down his stinging guitar solos on David Bowie’s Let’s... 

ROSANNE CASH + Composed: A Memoir

BOOK REVIEW ROSANNE CASH Composed: A Memoir [Viking Press] First and foremost, Rosanne Cash wanted to write. It wasn’t a call to the stage that inspired the eldest daughter of Johnny Cash to make her first record in the late 1970s at age 23. Performing was simply a medium for songwriting, a craft that fascinated Cash and that she pursued with a fierce intellectualism. Her third book and first memoir, Composed is long on such procedural details about... 

DEAD CONFEDERATE + Sugar

DEAD CONFEDERATE Sugar [Tao Recordings/Old Flame] All the unflattering Nirvana-meets-My Morning Jacket comparisons heaped upon its 2008 debut didn’t do Dead Confederate any favors. Fortunately, the Athens, Ga., quintet doesn’t sound much like either band on its sophomore album, Sugar. Recorded in New Jersey with producer John Agnello, the record has a tough sound built around muscular guitarscapes and terse, stripped-down songs. On “Run From... 

MICKI FREE + American Horse

MICKI FREE American Horse [Native Music Rocks/Mighty Loud] Past stints have found guitarist Micki Free tearing it up with such diverse entities as ZZ Top, Shalamar, Janet Jackson and punk icon Wendy O. Williams. Nevertheless, Free’s own efforts leave no doubt as to his direction. He carries the frenzied, heavy-handed blues that initially inspired him into hard rock realms previously trod by Jimi Hendrix, Cream and Robin Trower. His visceral take... 

ORGONE + Cali Fever

ORGONE Cali Fever [Ubiquity] Guitars blasting and horns punctuating, West Coast funk and soul outfit Orgone roars out of the gate on its latest release with “The Last Fool,” a shuffling, syncopated piece. Cali Fever never lets up, trading off a succession of ferocious instrumental jams with vocal numbers that showcase the raw, piercing power of singer Fanny Franklin. Orgone’s building block is a species of hard-nosed funk, but the band mixes... 
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