pop Archive
26 Oct 2023
Album Review: Blaine Campbell and the California Sound
Blaine Campbell is that rare artist who simultaneously makes music that wears its influences upon its metaphorical sleeve and does so while creating that music in a way that allows […]
15 Oct 2023
30 Days Out, October 2023 #2: Tennis, Nation of Language, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Graham Nash
Modern-day intelligent pop, homegrown funk, and rock royalty are just some of the highlights of live music in Asheville over the coming 30 days. Artist: Tennis Venue: The Orange Peel […]
12 Oct 2023
Album Review: R.E.M. – Reveal
Imagine, if you will, that it’s 1984. You’re a serious fan of R.E.M., owning and treasuring their debut EP Chronic Town and the pair of albums they released, 1983’s Murmur […]
04 Oct 2023
Album Review: Andrew Gold — Greetings from Planet Love
Andrew Gold never got the respect or recognition he so richly deserved. He’s best known for his hit single “Thank You for Being a Friend,” a pop tune from 1978. […]
03 Oct 2023
Take Five: Andrew Gold
A multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, arranger, engineer, live performer and recording artist, the late Andrew Gold is best known for his pair of 1970s hit singles “Lonely Boy” and “Thank You […]
12 Sep 2023
Jason Scheff: Nothin’s Gonna Stop Him (part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One… Almost from the start, you were placing some of your compositions on the group’s albums. Were they songs that you already had, or did you write […]
11 Sep 2023
Jason Scheff: Nothin’s Gonna Stop Him (part 1 of 2)
For more than three decades, Jason Scheff was the voice of Chicago. Taking over for high-profile Peter Cetera in 1985, the bassist was only 23 when he joined the massively […]
08 Sep 2023
“Why Not Us?” Train Approaching 30 Years of Pop Rock (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One… While the band’s lineup has gone through some changes over the years, more often than not, Train has featured six or more members. What are the […]
07 Sep 2023
“Why Not Us?” Train Approaching 30 Years of Pop Rock (Part 1 of 2)
Vocalist and songwriter Pat Monahan formed Train in San Francisco in 1994. The pop-rock band worked hard to develop its sound and cultivate its Bay Area fan base for a […]
02 Sep 2023
Album Review: Scott Gagner – Reverse
When I reviewed Gagner’s Hummingbird Heart in 2019, I characterized the music within as “intimate and melancholy,” and noted the Midwestern character to the material. When I covered his 2021 […]