interview Archive
18 Nov 2016
Outside Now: A Conversation with Dweezil Zappa, Part 2
Continued from Part One … While Dweezil Zappa‘s tour will include a few tracks from Via Zammata, most of each show will center around performances of Frank’s challenging material. And […]
17 Nov 2016
Outside Now: A Conversation with Dweezil Zappa, Part 1
Last month I interviewed Dweezil Zappa; I wrote three features based upon that interview: one each for papers in Chicago, Richmond and Pittsburgh. But even with that, a great deal […]
16 Nov 2016
Blue October: Not so Blue Anymore
Texas-based Blue October enjoyed a half dozen or so charting singles in the first decade of the 21st century; their angst-filled songs struck a chord with listeners who – though […]
15 Nov 2016
A Belated Hello to “Farewell Aldebaran”
In 1969 a husband-and-wife duo made a record that sounded little like anything either had done previously. Judy Henske was a critically-acclaimed folk singer with an impressive range; after performing […]
14 Nov 2016
Making Success out of … Failure
Though Failure‘s third album, 1997’s Fantastic Planet received good reviews and spawned a moderately-successful single (“Stuck on You”), the band couldn’t capitalize or build on that success. Though the group […]
11 Nov 2016
Sweet Claudette: What We Learned at Bird Camp
On their 2013 For the Birds EP, Sweet Claudette successfully blended classic country and Americana, delivering six original tunes in an intimate, homespun style that focused on their vocal strengths. […]
09 Nov 2016
Elephant Stone’s Rhisi Dhir: Sitar Man
There aren’t many rock bands that feature the sitar as a primary instrument. But Montreal-based Elephant Stone does, and the band incorporates the Indian classical acoustic instrument into its modern […]
07 Nov 2016
Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes Lives in the Moment
Operating just under the radar of the commercial pop landscape, of Montreal nonetheless makes undeniably catchy – if not truly mass-market oriented – pop music. Originally part of the Elephant […]
04 Nov 2016
Jon Anderson: Invention of a New Musical Collaboration
Former Yes vocalist Jon Anderson kicked off a tour with two of his old band mates, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman on October 4; Anderson Rabin Wakeman already has dates […]
03 Nov 2016
Esperanza Spalding’s Musical Evolution (or D+Evolution?), Part Two
Continued from Part One… Working with Tony Visconti In the music business, Tony Visconti is something of a household name. Since his start in 1968, Visconti has produced more than […]