rawk Archive
04 Feb 2019
Badfinger’s WB Years Revisited, Part One
The story of Badfinger is a cautionary tale, one filled with betrayal, despair, missed opportunity, unfulfilled promise, neglect and two suicides. But all of those discomforting elements should not overshadow […]
01 Feb 2019
Hundred-word Reviews for February 2019
I’ve been doing these hundred-word reviews for many years now; they’re a handy way to communicate my enthusiasm for new and newly-reissued albums without taking the time for a deep-dive […]
22 Jan 2019
Steven Wilson: Expect the Unexpected (Part Two)
Continued from Part One… For the title track of To the Bone, Wilson wrote the music, leaving the lyric composition to Andy Partridge, formerly of XTC. “If I’m going to […]
21 Jan 2019
Steven Wilson: Expect the Unexpected (Part One)
In some ways, the 2017 album To the Bone introduced a more user-friendly Steven Wilson. Certainly, Wilson’s fifth solo full-length features a good deal of the musically ambitious progressive rock […]
19 Jan 2019
Album Review: American High – U.N. Article 14
For a quick bit of context, “Article 14” refers to a section of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights stating that people should be free from persecution. (It’s […]
19 Jan 2019
Album Review: Norine Braun – Through Train Windows
There’s long been an appealing character to songs inspired by travel. Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Norine Braun’s Through Train Windows is the latest entry in that tradition; it’s a collection of […]
17 Jan 2019
Asheville’s Top 10 for 2018
2018 has brought forth a bumper crop of superb albums in every genre from artists local (or with strong connections) to Asheville and the surrounding region. Any of these 10 […]
16 Jan 2019
No Way Out: The Curious Case of The Chocolate Watchband (Part Three)
Continued from Part Two… “I can’t think of too many bands that manage to build a reputation through as small a body of work,” says Palao. “When anybody looks at […]
15 Jan 2019
No Way Out: The Curious Case of The Chocolate Watchband (Part Two)
Continued from Part One… The punky ethos of Watchband songs like “Are You Gonna Be There (At the Love-in)” and “Let’s Talk About Girls” was no put-on; the band could […]
14 Jan 2019
No Way Out: The Curious Case of The Chocolate Watchband (Part One)
(Note: An edited version of this feature appeared in Record Collector Magazine.) Throughout the history of popular music, certain managers, producers and promoters have been wiling to engage in a […]