new release Archive
09 Jan 2021
Album Review: Dave Brubeck — Lullabies
If someone had asked me a few years ago if I thought I’d be writing a week’s worth of content in 2021 about Dave Brubeck, I would have shot them […]
08 Jan 2021
Album Review: The Dave Brubeck Quartet — Time Outtakes
Released in 1959, The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out is a landmark album. An accomplished synthesis of West Coast and cool jazz, it’s remarkable for combining “unusual” time signatures – […]
26 Dec 2020
Album (and EP) Review: Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets — ‘Lay it on Me’ and ‘Walkabout’
Sometimes, when two great musical forces meet, the results can be disastrous, or at least unimpressive. I don’t count myself as a fan of the ill-advised Lou Reed and Metallica […]
25 Dec 2020
Blue Öyster Cult: Cultus Redux – Part 3 of 3
Continued from Part Two… Career of Evil There are many connective threads that runs through Blue Öyster Cult’s body of work. 2001’s Curse of the Hidden Mirror took its title […]
24 Dec 2020
Blue Öyster Cult: Cultus Redux – Part 2 of 3
Continued from Part One… The Making of The Symbol Remains The process of creating an album is challenging enough on its own; making a record when the band’s members are […]
23 Dec 2020
Blue Öyster Cult: Cultus Redux – Part 1 of 3
An edited version of this feature was the cover story in the December 2020 issue of Goldmine. Blue Öyster Cult returns with its first album of new music in nearly […]
22 Dec 2020
Dan Penn: Have ‘Mercy’! Part 2 of 2
Continued from Part One … Asked if there’s a set of rules he follows when making an album, Penn has a ready answer. “No,” he says. “No rules. Just throw […]
21 Dec 2020
Dan Penn: Have ‘Mercy’! Part 1 of 2
This feature appeared previously in Goldmine Magazine. Sixty-plus years into his career, Alabama-born songwriter and musician Dan Penn returns with a new album. Out on August 28, Living on Mercy […]
19 Dec 2020
For Howlin Rain’s Ethan Miller, the Truth is in the Mix
Ethan Miller is a big fan of live albums. The founder, songwriter and guitarist in Howlin Rain names The Grateful Dead’s landmark 3LP set Europe ‘72 among his favorites, along […]
18 Dec 2020
Book Review: David Menconi — Step it Up and Go
Attempting to weave together the many and varied stories that collectively tell the story of popular music in North Carolina is a task of herculean proportions. It’s a task best […]