Although there’s only a handful of recent, previously unreleased live tracks to tempt collectors, the mere fact that The Long Road Home is the first real retrospective to embrace John Fogerty’s entire career is in itself ample cause for celebration. Combining his seminal work with Creedence Clearwater Revival and his…
Underdog New York hardcore got a little out of hand in the Seventies, when its practitioners began hitting the gym after band practice. Soon hundreds, if not thousands, of semi-metal acts began bombarding us with “chugga-chugga” breakdowns and deep, guttural screams. NY’s Underdog can claim being there when it all…
Although he took his musical apprenticeship with the legendary Junior Wells, an evening with Albert Castiglia isn’t just another cruise through the blues. A consummate showman, Castiglia peppers his performances with witty repartee, offbeat and impromptu asides, original songs, and material mined from a diverse classic rock repertoire. The Coral…
Antony and the Johnsons’ sophomore album boasts some impressive credentials, specifically the receipt of the prestigious 2005 Mercury Award, the European honor accorded to the year’s best break-out band. Even so, Antony himself remains something of an enigma. Hailing from California by way of New York’s cabaret scene, he has…
With his furrowed features, weathered grin, trademark fedora, and hands that scurry across the keyboard, Bob Wilder — better known to local music aficionados as Piano Bob — looks like a man who spends his time in dusty dives and dead-end saloons. Tonight is no exception. Like most Wednesday evenings,…
Neil Young is quite possibly the world’s most manic rock star. One day he’s the patchwork-and-patchouli sage dispensing altruistic truisms over back-porch jam sessions, and the next he’s the flannel-shirted godfather of punk who wails against whatever is in sight over roiling feedback and reverb. Prairie Wind, the last installment…
In the annals of geezer rock, nothing matches the Rolling Stones’ reputation for sex, scandal, outrage, and sheer offensiveness. Long before bullshit blowhards like Noel and Liam Gallagher, the Sex Pistols, and Marilyn Manson began posturing and pontificating, the Stones set the standard for decadence and debauchery. For more than…
Miami homeboy Sam Beam, a.k.a Iron and Wine, and those sons of the Southwest, Calexico, share something more in common than an indie ethos. Each has built an impressive reputation by making music that’s elusive, densely textured, and draped in a meditative aura that begs quiet contemplation. Their first collaboration,…
With the possible exception of Bob Dylan or Mick Jagger, Sir Paul McCartney remains the ultimate rock idol and the world’s most influential living singer/songwriter/musician. Even so, McCartney’s relevance since the demise of the Beatles has been fiercely debated. From his self-titled solo debut to his work throughout the Eighties,…
Former Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine contributed some of the songs that clinched her band’s claim to fame, so you’d think her first solo album might echo her gal pals’ giddiness. You’d be mistaken, unfortunately. Valentine has traded her bass for a Stratocaster and recorded a perfunctory rock and roll record…
Singer/guitarist Richard Thompson’s songs of darkness and despair aren’t an easy listen, given his doleful vocals; tangled, turbulent melodies; and observational narratives that strike a not-so-delicate balance between irony and invective. Nevertheless as a founder of Fairport Convention, the Sixties band responsible for Britain’s folk-rock fusion, Thompson is still revered…
It’s easy to blame Tori Amos for inspiring a generation of whiney singer/songwriter types. But those who wallow in her wake are merely pretenders to a throne built on soul-baring ballads that relive painful personal experiences, whether it be a rape, a miscarriage, or a difficult marriage. Although Amos vacillated…
As the title suggests, Early 21st Century Blues finds Cowboy Junkies reinterpreting some well-tapped covers as a haunting series of hushed, plaintive narratives and low-key laments that are mellow to the point of being morose. The Junkies strain little to place their signature sound on Springsteen’s brooding “Brothers Under the…
Soaring on the strength of wistful sentiments and cool confidence, this fourth album from singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Erin McKeown exudes a rare quality in these troubled times — a sense of unbridled optimism. Buoyed by shifting rhythms, from the persistent shuffle of “Air” to the clattering, kinetic undertow of “To…
Circling the Sun, the Orange Peels’ third album, is a sensuous delight, a rich, vibrant ten-song set that finds primary Peel Allen Clapp singing with a lilt and clarity that could hasten wider recognition. Titles such as “How Green the Grass” and “Long Cold Summer” evoke imagery as vivid as…
Like the Pogues and Black 47, those bad boys of Beantown in Dropkick Murphys effectively retool Irish folk music (fifes, fiddles, accordions, and bagpipes) into frenzied and ferocious punk anthems. While their riveting new album rocks and rants in typical Murphys mode, they shake up the sound with humor (“Wicked…
More than 35 years, an entire generational divide, have passed since the Sixties faded from view, so any bill boasting an archetype from that era might arouse suspicion. The remnants and recasts starring in the Strange Days Festival are anchored by secondary members covering signature songs with varying degrees of…
On his previous albums, Corey Harris seemed more archivist than entertainer, one who found inspiration in blues traditions and their link to African culture. He hasn’t abandoned his quest with Daily Bread; it’s imbued with a variety of idioms, including the blues, reggae, folk, jazz, gospel, and zydeco. This time,…
That Los Lobos’ sound has had a distinctive impact on Americana music is pretty much a given. Until they came along, most roots rockers found their sources in places such as Bakersfield, Memphis, and Nashville and in groups such as the Byrds, the Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and ensembles who…
It’s appropriate that a musician who makes such a murky sound should adapt the name Smog as his nom de plume. Singer-songwriter Bill Callahan’s penchant for spinning stark, world-weary ballads gives this River a languid flow, instilling a sense of quiet yearning and desperation that shifts only slightly from haunting…
If there’s something vaguely familiar about Kate McDonnell’s sensuous style, it’s really no wonder. One listen to her haunting new album, Where the Mangoes Are, and echoes of Joni Mitchell and Janis Ian quickly spring to mind as McDonnell’s tender yet tenacious delivery leaves a beautiful yet bittersweet afterglow. A…
The three-day Calliope Fest may bill itself as “An Open Celebration of Women in Music,” but it also includes the added lure of an art auction, a day-long Young Musician Showcase, and proceeds benefiting Boys & Girls Clubs of America and MPower, the latter a national awareness initiative focusing on…
