Things are looking good for Ringo Starr at the moment. In the last 18 months he's released the album Postcards From Paradise, been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, … [Read more...]
For Independence Day: Jimi plays the Star-Spangled Banner!
Here's Jimi Hendrix playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock, 1969. And if that's not enough for you, check him performing it on the 4th of July in Atlanta! Jimi Hendrix - Star-Spangled … [Read more...]
Book Review — Ticket to Ride: Inside the Beatles’ 1964 Tour That Changed the World
Ticket to Ride: Inside the Beatles 1964 Tour That Changed the World by Larry Kane Backbeat Books / October 28, 2014 / 978-1480393042 / 272 pages In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the … [Read more...]
(Music Review) IR 29.1: New Generation Dub
One of the biggest crimes committed by the music industry has been their ability to co-opt, dilute and turn even the most radical of genres into something safe for mass consumption. Disco, punk and … [Read more...]
Music of the Sahara: Tinariwen’s new album Emmaar
In the early 1960s the creation of artificial borders in the trackless wastes of the Sahara desert might have been cause for celebration among the inhabitants of the newly created countries. However, … [Read more...]
Book Review – IR 30: Indigenous Visions In Dub
I guess it's appropriate that blockades have gone up again on the Tyndengia Mohawk reservation in South Eastern Ontario Canada as I begin to write this review. Here in Canada the First Nations people … [Read more...]
Review: The Doors Examined by Jim Cherry
The Doors Examined by Jim Cherry / Bennion Kearny Limited / paperback / 978-1909125124 / 240 pages Journalist and author Jim Cherry has a long history with rock 'n' roll journalism, and currently … [Read more...]
(Music Review) Soutak by Aziza Brahim
At first glance the Sahara Desert of North West Africa seems like one of the most inhospitable places on the face of the earth. Movies, and other Western media, usually show us images of trackless … [Read more...]
(Music Review) Adrian Raso and Fanfare Ciocarlia – Devil’s Tale
When the Ottoman Empire invaded Eastern Europe they brought more than just their armies with them. Even today evidence of their occupation can still be found. Muslim communities in Serbia are only the … [Read more...]
(Music Review) Acá: Viggo and Friends
Some people say, "Politics make strange bedfellows" (Don't say it to Putin - he might take it the wrong way and have you thrown in jail) but the first time I heard Viggo Mortensen had collaborated on … [Read more...]
Review – How Music Works by David Byrne
We all listen to music. Maybe we only have it playing in the background, use it to help us sleep or meditate, or perhaps you sit and listen to it carefully. However, no matter how or why you listen, … [Read more...]
Music Review – David Broza: East Jerusalem West Jerusalem
There are some subjects I know not to talk to most people about, because they probably won't like what I have to say on the matter. Always having been slightly left of most anarchists I'm supposed to … [Read more...]
Merry Christmas! Here’s the Jerry Garcia Band performing Jingle Bells
Merry Christmas! Here's the Jerry Garcia Band performing "Jingle Bells" at San Francisco's Winterland on December 20, 1975. Never heard it quite like this before! Jerry Garcia - guitar, … [Read more...]
Bob Dylan – It Must Be Santa
Today's Christmas tune is "It Must Be Santa" by Bob Dylan. It's from his Christmas album, Christmas in the Heart (which is a whole lot of fun). … [Read more...]
The Beatles – Christmas Time (Is Here Again)
Christmas Time (Is Here Again) was written and recorded by The Beatles for their 1967 fan club Christmas record. Ringo also recorded it for his Christmas album, I Wanna Be Santa Claus. Be sure to … [Read more...]
Ringo Starr – Come on Christmas, Christmas Come On!
Ringo gets the holidays rockin' with "Come on Christmas," a song from his very fun Christmas album, I Wanna Be Santa Claus which includes both original and traditional songs. … [Read more...]
Review – The Clash Special Edition Releases
I remember a conversation I had with my brother when I was a teenager. He asked me if I thought I would still be listening to any of the music I liked then when I was 50. At the time it seemed like it … [Read more...]
“Run, Run Rudolph” performed by the Grateful Dead
Today's Christmas tune is "Run, Run Rudolph," performed by the Grateful Dead at Madison Garden, on December 7, 1971. That's Pigpen singing. … [Read more...]
Music Review – An Evening With Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer
There have been many great artistic couples down through the ages. Now a days there seems to be more celebrity couplings than any real co-joining of artistic talents. So when I first began to hear … [Read more...]
Review – Nashville 2.0: The Rise of Americana
Once upon a time there was pop music. You either liked what you heard or you didn't, and you didn't particularly care about anything else. There were other types of music other people listened to, but … [Read more...]
Sly as a Vox
They’re back! The often-awful eighties with the pre-school neon colors and the radio infested with neo-synth-pop bubblegum bands. Although a few groups like Phoenix, the Killers and the recent … [Read more...]
Music Review – Tartit With Imharhan – Live from the Sahara
When the annual Festival Au Desert in Northern Mali was cancelled in 2013 due to the territory's occupation by terrorist organizations intent on imposing a very narrow definition of Islamic rule, … [Read more...]
Jim Morrison and Jack Kerouac
“If he (Jack Kerouac) hadn’t written On The Road, The Doors never would have existed.” — Ray Manzarek Manzarek might have added that if Jack Kerouac hadn’t written On The Road, none of … [Read more...]
The Naked Beat
The Love Electric's new video was filmed in New York City, Lisbon, Berlin, and Woodstock. You can get "The Naked Beat" here. About A Love Electric The Love Electric is a band that does … [Read more...]
Book Review – Roger Waters: The Man Behind The Wall
Roger Waters: The Man Behind The Wall by Dave Thompson / Backbeat Books / 978-1-61713-564-4 271 pages Music journalist Dave Thompson's new book Roger Waters: The Man Behind The Wall is an … [Read more...]
Review – Les Paul: The Lost Interviews by Jim O’Donnell
Les Paul: The Lost Interviews: Five Never-Before-Published Talks With a Guitar Genius by Jim O'Donnell / 978-1492218913 / 152 pages What comes to mind when you hear the name "Les Paul"? Maybe the … [Read more...]
Review – I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp by Richard Hell
I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp: An Autobiography by Richard Hell / Ecco / 978-0062190833 / 304 pages Where do ideas come from? How does an individual up with an idea that starts a whole … [Read more...]
Book Review – Love Him Madly: An Intimate Memoir of Jim Morrison, by Judy Huddleston
Love Him Madly: An Intimate Memoir of Jim Morrison, by Judy Huddleston / Chicago Review Press / June 1, 2013 / 978-1613747506 / 240 pages The story begins just like many young girls' rock star … [Read more...]
Ray Manzarek
I turned my laptop on just after dawn this morning, as I usually do, and sat down with a cup of strong black coffee to see what was happening in the world. Two stories caught me like punches to the … [Read more...]
Music Review – Bee Thousand by Guided By Voices
"I love the sound of background noise I wanna hear the crack in the singer's voice Fingers moving on the fret board Every time he plays a new chord" (Art Brut, "Slap Dash For No Cash") When … [Read more...]
5 Recurring Themes In Early Bob Dylan Songs
One of the most important people in music history, Mr. Bob Dylan still stuns music lovers worldwide with his witty rhymes and colorful guitar sound. With his music being the definition of … [Read more...]
Richie Havens at the Festival of the River: Photos
[Note: I took these photos in 2009, and present them here again in memory of Richie Havens, who passed away on April 22, 2013 at the age of 72. Rest in peace, Richie.] Richie Havens played the … [Read more...]
Book Review – Jimi Hendrix FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Voodoo Child
Jimi Hendrix FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Voodoo Child / Gary J. Jucha Backbeat Books / 978-1617130953 / 363 pages I've been a listener of Jimi Hendrix's music for several decades. … [Read more...]
Book Review – Love Me Do: Behind the Scenes at the Recording of the Beatles’ First Single
Bill Harry's chronicle of the Beatles road to their first single release may not get any awards for journalistic style, but it is still a fascinating rundown of the lucky breaks, perseverence, and … [Read more...]
The Art of the Statement – Be the Mule
I found humanity through music. I lose focus and grow cynical at times, but if I am honest as a listener, and remain receptive, the chance of transcending my emotional disturbances and triumphs … [Read more...]
Music Review – Son Volt’s new Honky Tonk delivers a fresh take on old-school country
There's continuity between Son Volt's last album, American Central Dust, and Honky Tonk: both are inspired by music which is purely American, which has grown out of the heartland & even the American … [Read more...]
Review – Living with the myth of Janis Joplin: The history of Big Brother & the Holding Co.
Living with the myth of Janis JoplinThe history of Big Brother & the Holding Co. 1965-2005 by Michael Spörke (English Translation by Sam Andrew) "The fame of Big Brother is like a … [Read more...]
The Time that John Lurie Called Me
My artistic, maybe even my personal, aesthetic had me identifying with the music of John Lurie the first time I heard his compositions on record. Close to a bunch of things I cannot, or do not care, … [Read more...]
An essay on the Arcana Series, edited by John Zorn
I sat down to write this as a commentary on the series of books edited by John Zorn, all of which are entitled Arcana. The series comes in six parts, including hundreds of essays written by musicians, … [Read more...]
Music Review — Sentimental Journey by Emmy Rossum – A Musical Calendar
Emmy Rossum is a multi-talented performer. As an actress, she currently stars in Showtime's Shameless, and the forthcoming film, Beautiful Creatures. Her new CD, Sentimental Journey, is her second. … [Read more...]
