Author Archive
23 Dec 2025
Remembering the Raspberries, Part 2 of 4
Continued from Part One… Raspberries Off and Running Three, four or possibly more labels courted the group. Epic was one; Columbia was another. 55 years later Bonfanti can’t recall some […]
22 Dec 2025
Remembering the Raspberries, Part 1 of 4
One of the 1970s’ most beloved and influential bands is the subject of a new, all-star tribute project. Released August 12, Play On: A Raspberries Tribute features 37 artists paying […]
19 Dec 2025
Album Review: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers – Strasbourg 82
Hard bop heroes Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers are one of the most important acts in jazz. Their music navigated a path that creatively balanced adventurousness and accessibility. The […]
18 Dec 2025
Hundred-word Reviews for December 2025: Rock
I get lots of music sent my way. And even after I weed out the ones that don’t move me enough to write about ‘em, I’m left with a surfeit, […]
17 Dec 2025
Hundred-word Reviews for December 2025: Blues, Soul and Jazz
Here’s another round of capsule reviews of new (well, newish) releases, covered in a tidy 100 words. Charlie Rouse Band – Cinnamon Flower (Expanded Edition) This Zev Feldman project is […]
16 Dec 2025
Nelson Bragg: Been There, Done That
A much shorter edit of this feature appeared previously in SPIN. Some recording artists continue to churn out new music long after its audience has dwindled or even disappeared. Like […]
15 Dec 2025
30 Days Out, December 2025 #2: Jon Stickley Trio, Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters, A Swannanoa Solstice, The Cheeksters
It’s time for an all-local edition of 30 Days Out. I’ve been running this twice-monthly roundup of live music in Asheville for twelve years now: six for Mountain Xpress, six […]
12 Dec 2025
The Lingering Legacy of Dolores O’Riordan and the Cranberries (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One… Finding the Magic Street concedes that effective production sometimes means making edits to bring the pieces together effectively. But when crafting No Need to Argue, The […]
11 Dec 2025
The Lingering Legacy of Dolores O’Riordan and the Cranberries (Part 1 of 2)
Celebrated Irish alternative rock band The Cranberries recently released a deluxe and expanded 30th anniversary reissue of their landmark second album, 1994’s No Need to Argue. The new release appends […]
10 Dec 2025
Album Review: Ultravox – The Collection
Ultravox was an exemplar of the new wave movement of the 1980s. The band’s distinctive sound brought together the insistent motorik of krautrock (the band’s name initially included an exclamation […]