Author Archive
22 Aug 2024
The Aristocrats: No Words to Describe Them
Like the boundary-pushing and scandalously vulgar joke for which they’re named, The Aristocrats aren’t for everyone. But their brand of genre-blurring music – combining jazz, hard rock, fusion, prog and […]
21 Aug 2024
The Family Stone: All in the Family
Roaring out of Vallejo in the mid ‘60s with a look and sound that set them apart from their contemporaries, Sly and the Family Stone quickly became music superstars. The […]
20 Aug 2024
Sean Mason: Eight Arms to Hug You
A protégé of jazz/classical luminary Branford Marsalis, Sean Mason first came to wide attention with his 2023 release, The Southern Suite. But the Juilliard-trained pianist, composer and band leader had […]
19 Aug 2024
Ayo Brame: Bay Area to Brazil and Back
Ayo Brame picked up the saxophone for the first time in 2021, but in a remarkably short time he has established himself as a force in the jazz world. A […]
18 Aug 2024
Hundred-word Reviews for August 2024: Rock
Here’s another tidy (metaphorical) stack of hundred-word reviews. Awhile the coverage is brief, all five albums come with my recommendation. The unifying theme is rock, albeit of various substyles. And […]
17 Aug 2024
Hundred-word Reviews for August 2024: Blues
Busy, busy, busy. It’s been a long while – fifteen months, in fact! – since I ran a clutch of my boiled-down, hundred-word album reviews. So here’s some, with more […]
16 Aug 2024
Album Review: Introducing The Rare Sounds
I’ve written quite often about Eddie Roberts. There’s good reason for that: he stand tall among the music community as an artist who makes music that’s soulful, tasteful, appealing and […]
15 Aug 2024
30 Days Out, Aug. 2024 #2: Joe Medwick, Soul Asylum, Lucky Strokes, Ghost-Note
A great locally-based artist, an overlooked indie-rock legend, and two widely-touring acts who love playing Asheville (and come here often). Those are the highlights of music in the next 30 […]
14 Aug 2024
Album Review: Jack Magnet Science – Future Forecast
Chances are good that when presented with the idea of combining jazz, funk and progressive rock, one’s reaction will be either a cringe at what seems a gruesome prospect, or […]
13 Aug 2024
Take 5: Great Roger Daltrey Tracks That Aren’t on Who Albums
Singer Roger Daltrey co-founded The Who with Pete Townshend in 1964. Daltrey is the power and distinctive voice on most of the group’s hits, from “My Generation” to “Who Are […]