By Doug Levine If you’re in the mood for some great electric blues, look no further than two new releases from Stony Plain Records. First, veteran guitarist, singer and bandleader Duke Robillard treats us to his signature blend of R&B, rock, jazz and Tex-Mex on his new album, “Independently Blue.” I remember hearing the name […]
The Big International Jazz Day Jam
April 30th is International Jazz Day, a United Nations sponsored annual event being celebrated this year with an all-star concert in Istanbul, Turkey. Among the artists performing at the show will be pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, trumpeter Terrence Blanchard, and bassist/singer Esperanza Spalding. Also, there will be musicians from all over the world, […]
R.I.P. George Jones
By Katherine Cole George Jones, arguably the greatest country singer ever, died today. It’s not like we didn’t know it was coming. The Grand Ole Opry member and Country Music Hall of Famer was 81 years old and lived what you might call “a hard life.” But it was still a shock to see […]
Start Them Up!
By Ray McDonald Let’s play a game, shall we? Let’s assume that the Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary tour, which starts on May 3 in Los Angeles, will be their final outing. It could very well be: the youngest member, Ronnie Wood, is 65, while elder statesman drummer Charlie Watts is 71 and has been grumbling […]
My New Favorite Holiday
By Katherine Cole I have a confession to make: my new favorite holiday is April 20th, AKA Record Store Day! Unfortunately, I’ve got to wait 51 weeks until the next celebration. I know what you’re saying–who needs to go into a bricks and mortar store when you can download a song on your phone or […]
Remembering Richie Havens
By Katherine Cole In all honesty, that’s a stupid title for this blog post. How could we ever forget a guy who looks and sounds like this??? It was that opening performance at Woodstock in 1969 that catapulted Richie Havens into the history books, but did you know that it almost didn’t happen that way? […]
I’ll Remember April
American jazz vocalist Elli Fordyce talks with Music Beat about her musical journey
What A Feeling!
By Ray McDonald There was no shortage of pop-rock topics to blog about this week: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held its 2013 Induction Ceremony on April 18. The Canadian rock band Rush finally made it in after years of stonewalling by critics, and that would have made a great post. And then […]
Remembering Scott Miller
By Katherine Cole Scott Miller died this week at 53. Critics and fellow musicians would refer to the former Loud Family singer as “one of America’s most underappreciated songwriters.” He was he kind of artist who devoted fans just knew would be HUGE… if only more people had the chance […]
SOCK! POW! ZOK!
By Eric Felten According to Variety, the superhero flicks lined up for this summer’s silly-film season are being scored with music that breaks the genre’s tired molds. I can’t say that I’m convinced. The sound of superhero soundtracks has for years been dominated by orchestral angst: Heroic, yes, but always drenched in a moody ambivalence […]