Author Archive
24 Apr 2024
The Gospel According to Rev. Billy C. Wirtz
With a stage name like Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, you’d expect that the man would be an evangelist of some kind. And you’d be right. But Wirtz – born William […]
23 Apr 2024
Take 5: Notable Nick Mason Production Credits
Nick Mason is best-known as the drummer, sonic fiddler and unofficial/de facto archivist of Pink Floyd. (He currently leads his own group, the amazing Saucerful of Secrets.) But his interests […]
22 Apr 2024
Five Semi-rare Cuts from Deep Purple
Deep Purple released Burn, their eighth studio album a half-century ago in February 1974. Today the band endures: founding member Ian Paice (drums) is joined by Roger Glover and Ian […]
21 Apr 2024
Album Review: Bernie Worrell – Wave from the Wooniverse
Musician and producer Bernie Worrell was a beloved figure here in my hometown of Asheville NC. While he didn’t live here, the keyboardist cultivated an ardent following in our mountain […]
20 Apr 2024
Album Review: The Westbound Sound
Armen Boladian’s Westbound Records was an important force in the funk and r&b scene of the late ‘60s and early 1970s. With Funkadelic as its anchor artist, the label turned […]
19 Apr 2024
Los Straitjackets: Who Are Those Masked Men?
Surf music is often associated with a specific time and place. The rock subgenre featuring instrumental tunes built around sonorous electric lead guitar enjoyed its heyday in the late 1950s […]
18 Apr 2024
Twilley Don’t Stop (Part 3 of 3)
Continued from Part Two… Now and Always Amidst all the closet-clearing archival sets, the most notable release of new music from Dwight Twilley in the 21st century would be 2014’s […]
17 Apr 2024
Twilley Don’t Stop (Part 2 of 3)
Continued from Part One… Looking for the Magic Meanwhile, encouraged by the success of their first single and undaunted by the problems that sank their first album, Twilley and Seymour […]
16 Apr 2024
Twilley Don’t Stop (Part 1 of 3)
Power pop enjoyed its commercial heyday in the early 70s thanks to enduring music from Badfinger, the Raspberries and similar artists. But during and after that brief period, the style […]
15 Apr 2024
30 Days Out, April 2024 #2: Pylon Reenactment Society, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, Primus, Destroy Boys
A whole lot is happening in Asheville during these next 30 days. This time around, I’m featuring four touring groups, all of which I’ve interviewed at one time or another […]