new release Archive
12 Dec 2021
Album Review: NRBQ — Dragnet
NRBQ is an American treasure. Founded in the mid ‘60s, the band has always transcended – smashed, even – genre boundaries. They’re as likely to be inspired by Sun Ra […]
08 Dec 2021
Raza del Soul’s ‘Revolución del Vinilo’
In California of the 1960s, a style of music known as Chicano soul (sometimes referred to as brown-eyed soul – took hold among listeners. Groups like Cannibal & the Headhunters […]
07 Dec 2021
Album Review: Rachel Flowers — Bigger on the Inside
The manner in which I first discovered Rachel Flowers is, I would imagine, similar to the way that many others learned of this remarkable artist. Videos on YouTube showcased her […]
06 Dec 2021
Album Review: Tito Jackson — Under Your Spell
If you’re any of the offspring of Joe Jackson of Gary, Indiana, your surname carries with it a great deal of baggage. The stunningly talented Jackson 5 (later The Jacksons) […]
03 Dec 2021
Hundred-word Reviews December 2021 #2
Welcome back for another round of capsule commentaries concerning current creations. Onetwothree – (untitled) What might happen if Trio (“Da Da Da”), Nina Hagen and Neu! got together for a […]
02 Dec 2021
Hundred-word Reviews December 2021 #1
Happy December! While I’ve been busy with activities related to the impending publishing of my book Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, I’ve found time […]
30 Nov 2021
Hundred-word Reviews, November 2021
This has been an unusual year, and that’s putting it mildly. With life slowly and tentatively inching in the direction of new-normal, it’s time to bring back my Hundred-word Reviews. […]
28 Nov 2021
Album Review: Peter Bilt Group — Do It Up
One set of rhetorical questions that I encountered during my research for my new book was as collection of what-ifs. Of the nearly 30 bands that released music on the […]
27 Nov 2021
Album Review: The Pulsators — Let’s Play!
From Petaluma, California comes the six-piece band The Pulsators. The band is led by drummer-vocalist Johnny Campbell, a musician who came to my attention as a member of late’ 70s […]
26 Nov 2021
Album Review: Gabe Stillman — Just Say the Word
From the roaring slide guitar figure that opens “Give Me Some Time,” on Gabe Stillman’s new Just Say the Word, it’s clear that this youthful musician from Pennsylvania is steeped […]