rawk Archive
18 Dec 2025
Hundred-word Reviews for December 2025: Rock
I get lots of music sent my way. And even after I weed out the ones that don’t move me enough to write about ‘em, I’m left with a surfeit, […]
16 Dec 2025
Nelson Bragg: Been There, Done That
A much shorter edit of this feature appeared previously in SPIN. Some recording artists continue to churn out new music long after its audience has dwindled or even disappeared. Like […]
15 Dec 2025
30 Days Out, December 2025 #2: Jon Stickley Trio, Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters, A Swannanoa Solstice, The Cheeksters
It’s time for an all-local edition of 30 Days Out. I’ve been running this twice-monthly roundup of live music in Asheville for twelve years now: six for Mountain Xpress, six […]
12 Dec 2025
The Lingering Legacy of Dolores O’Riordan and the Cranberries (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One… Finding the Magic Street concedes that effective production sometimes means making edits to bring the pieces together effectively. But when crafting No Need to Argue, The […]
11 Dec 2025
The Lingering Legacy of Dolores O’Riordan and the Cranberries (Part 1 of 2)
Celebrated Irish alternative rock band The Cranberries recently released a deluxe and expanded 30th anniversary reissue of their landmark second album, 1994’s No Need to Argue. The new release appends […]
01 Dec 2025
30 Days Out, December 2025 #1: Min Xiao-Fen and River Guerguerian, Dillon Fence, Thievery Corporation, Squawk
Two superb locally-based acts, and two touring groups who don’t often make it the mountains of WNC. Those are the highlights of live music in Asheville for the next 30 […]
22 Nov 2025
EP Review: Sanjay Michael – Wall Street Blues
The opening chords on Sanjay Michael’s 2023 album Rocking Into Midnight suggests that he’s ingested a good bit of AC/DC. And that makes sense: though Singapore-born, the guitarist-singer-songwriter is based […]
22 Nov 2025
Album Review: Jordan Seven – 7
Orlando-based Jordan Seven is a contemporary artist claiming classic rock influences. And the music on 7 lines up with that assertion. His songwriting and arrangement is reminiscent of early David […]
20 Nov 2025
Album Review: Vegas With Randolph – Drops of Gold
I’ve written about Washington DC-based group Vegas With Randolph before; 2019’s Legs & Luggage is a great collection of songs in a Cheap Trick-meets-Fountains of Wayne mold, as are Rings […]
19 Nov 2025
Robin Trower’s 21st Century Blues
Robin Trower is one of rock’s true guitar heroes. The London-born musician got his professional start forming and leading the Paramounts, an Essex beat group that would during its seven-year […]