Everyone seems to be focusing on 1969 for their anniversary pieces this year. Hey, I've been guilty of it too. I get it. But you know when was a really strange time? The summer of 2009, when some crazy weird shit went down over a short period of time. Tomorrow's Rock Music Menu in The... Continue Reading →
Interview: James Frontman Tim Booth
One of the better double bills of the summer so far is James and The Psychedelic Furs. For the former, I sat down with band leader Tim Booth to talk about the group's latest album, Living in Extraordinary Times, the current state of the world and how he found out Batman was a fan of... Continue Reading →
Prince and the ‘Batman’ Soundtrack: A Roundtable
Earlier this month, the folks behind Ultimate Classic Rock launched a site dedicated to all things Prince, aptly dubbed Ultimate Prince. It's a deep repository of reviews, criticisms and news surrounding the life and death of the Purple One, and this week I took part in a roundtable to discuss the curiosity that is Prince's... Continue Reading →
Talking ‘Unknown Pleasures’ at 40
June 15 marks the 40th anniversary of Joy Division's first full-length LP, Unknown Pleasures, and today I was a guest on Indie617's Morning Glory with Michael Marotta to sit down and talk about it. The two of us discussed a variety of the record's aspects, from the iconic cover to the fresh and "futuristic" sound... Continue Reading →
The Music Feuds of Howard Stern
Howard Stern Comes Again, the first book by the legendary shock jock in nearly 25 years, lands on shelves today. Music has always played a major part of his radio show, whether it's by having many of his favorite musicians perform or be interviewed on the show. He's also got into a number of feuds... Continue Reading →
Why the Exile of Kate Smith is the Ultimate in Duplicity
[Note: Typically I link my writings directly to the publication to read. This week over at The Daily Times, I covered the Kate Smith saga, but since there is a paywall, have included the piece in its entirety below for non-subscribers as I think it raises some important points.] The eradication of Kate Smith and... Continue Reading →
A Few Record Store Day 2019 Endorsements
There are few things I enjoy more than the Record Store Day events throughout the year. For the main, big one in April, I try to make it up to Portland, Maine. That's where Bull Moose records is based, where the head Chris Brown co-founded the vinyl holiday 12 years ago. Over at The Daily... Continue Reading →
The Death of Kurt Cobain: 25 Years Later
Today marks 25 years since the death of Kurt Cobain. The Nirvana frontman took his life in the greenhouse above the garage in his Seattle home on April 5, 1994. Over at The Daily Times, I looked back on the weeks leading up to his untimely passing, what happened when the news hit the wires... Continue Reading →
Mötley Crüe Movie ‘The Dirt’ Lands on Netflix
The Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt premiered on Netflix one week ago, and I've been busy doing multiple instances of coverage for it. First up is a review of the film I did. Is it worth checking out? How is the acting? Is it a possible Oscar dark horse (spoiler: it's not)? How much was... Continue Reading →
Sex Scandals Involving Children Mean Different Things for Different Artists
The new documentaries focusing on the accusations levied against both Michael Jackson and R. Kelly over the years have raised questions once again about how the music of an artist who has allegedly committed sexual abuse against children should be handled. Some radio stations have stopped playing songs by both, but streams and music sales... Continue Reading →