essay Archive
08 Feb 2019
Ice-T’s ‘Power’ at 30
When considering the work of a high-profile, successful recording artist, it’s often instructive to look at the work they did prior to their breakthrough. Important clues in regard to their […]
13 Jan 2019
Greta Van Fleet: The Sound Remains the Same
Greta Van Fleet can’t seem to catch a break. The young foursome from the faux-Bavarian town of Frankenmuth, Michigan, has sustained criticism for copping its sound from 1970s rock giants […]
23 Dec 2018
Los Lobos: Genre-spanning NorteAmericana Heroes
Los Lobos is an American treasure. Formed in East L.A. in the early 1970s, the band has always drawn from across the entire spectrum of American music. While the group’s […]
02 Nov 2018
Todd Rundgren’s ‘No World Order” at 25
Todd Rundgren has long made a career out of alternatively (and sometimes simultaneously) confounding and delighting his most ardent fans. Resolutely following his muse wherever it takes him, Rundgren is […]
25 Jun 2018
The Fire Still Burns for the Animals’ Eric Burdon
Many of the bands considered part of the “British invasion” of the mid-sixties drew from American rhythm & blues or soul. Some, like the Beatles, filtered those influences through their […]
24 Nov 2017
In Memory of Tommy Keene
Every so often – and not really that often at all – I hear a song that figuratively grabs me by the lapels and shakes me. It happened with World […]
04 Nov 2017
A Pink Floyd Anniversary
I first discovered the music of Pink Floyd in the mid 1970s. The Dark Side of the Moon had already been out a few years, and Wish You Were Here […]
06 Jun 2017
A Johnny Mathis Playlist
To preview a Johnny Mathis concert, my editor at Salt Lake City Paper recently asked me to compile a playlist of the vocalist’s lesser-known tracks. This I did. The piece […]
08 Mar 2017
Floating Festivals
Rock ‘n’ Roll-themed Cruises While retirees and young professionals might not always share the same taste in music, one leisure activity with appeal that spans generations is the music festival […]
31 Oct 2016
Sigur Rós Proves That Music Really is the Universal Language
A brief written description of the music of Sigur Rós rarely does it justice. Variously described as post-rock, impressionistic, glacial and abstract, the music on the trio’s seven studio albums […]