I recently saw the band Lucero in concert at Warsaw in Brooklyn, a cool venue in a former Polish community center where I had a kielbasa sandwich and some tasty pierogies during the show. I’m relatively new to Lucero, a 20-year veteran band out of Memphis, that’s in the country/punk family and lately has been … More Lucero “For The Lonely Ones” (2018)
If you even remotely keep tabs on what’s doing in the current music scene, by now you’ve probably heard of the band Greta Van Fleet, who are either the saviors of rock and roll or its sure sign of ruination. Little in the middle seems possible. With the release of their first full-length album this … More Greta Van Fleet “When The Curtain Falls” (2018)
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck brought Elliott Smith to much of the world, but my son Max brought him to me. And I feel extremely fortunate that he did; Smith’s songs regularly reached a level of poignancy I think few artists achieve, or probably even seek. His sweet, breathy vocals, painfully personal lyrics, and stripped-down, … More Elliott Smith “Miss Misery” (1997)
Is this song quirky? Is it just plain weird? I’m not really sure exactly what to make of it, I just remember being amused by it when it came out in the early ‘90’s and I caught it on some late-night MTV show (back when MTV actually played music, of course), and after I listened … More King Missile “Detachable Penis” (1992)
Obviously, there was ‘Freebird’ and there was ‘Green Grass and High Tides’. That pair seems undeniable and indisputable as numbers 1 & 2. But beyond those two epic southern rock guitar marathons by Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Outlaws respectively, what would come next? I’d allow either of ‘Whipping Post’ or … More Blackfoot “Highway Song” (1979)
He may not look like it, but JP Harris is an absolute traditionalist. When he took the stage at a packed hole-in-the-wall in Brooklyn called Skinny Dennis this past Saturday night, he began by issuing the crowd a tongue-in-cheek warning: “I don’t know if any of ya’ll know who I am, so I hope you’re … More JP Harris “JP’s Florida Blues #1” (2018)
This is a hit song, right? A big time, wide scale hit. Listen to it, it’s got to be. (But of course, it won’t be). There was a time when songs like this were played on mainstream rock stations, but that time was long ago. Can you imagine if groups like Marshall Tucker and the … More Parker Millsap “Fine Line” (2018)
Not long ago I was engaged in an important discussion at a Mets game with some old friends Ike, Petey and Sean about what our “walk up” music would be if we were major league ballplayers. I didn’t hesitate in naming ‘Testify’, this absolutely incendiary Stevie Ray Vaughan instrumental from his … More Stevie Ray Vaughan “Testify” (1983)
For all the cheeriness of ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, ‘All You Need Is Love’, ‘Good Day Sunshine’, ‘Here Comes The Sun’ and ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’, the Beatles also wrote some goddamn dark songs. And I’m not even talking about … More Beatles “Run For Your Life” (1965)
Who’s buried in Grant’s tomb? Well alright then, how many people were in the band The Dave Clark Five? If you guessed five you would be correct. What I’d bet many people might not know, though, is that Dave Clark wasn’t actually the front man but the drummer, making this the only band I can … More Dave Clark Five “Glad All Over” (1963)
