Judging by how few of them there are, good rock CDs must be damned hard to create. But Special Racer, whose arrival is being celebrated on Saturday, September 17, at Herman’s Hideaway, makes the process — or at least the results — seem as easy as can be. The badpenny…
Pilotdrift, Water Sphere (Good Records). Combining cinematic orchestration with the twisted grandiloquence of Queen or Bobby Conn, this extraordinary debut from Texarkana’s Pilotdrift is a surprise a second. Lush and melodic odes to weightlessness (“Bubblecraft”) and illicit love affairs between Napoleon, Einstein and Doris Day (“Late Night in a Wax…
From its remote base of operations near Questa, New Mexico, thirty miles north of Taos, Art of Flying specializes in a hazy and beautiful sound that thrives off the grid like a wild desert flower. Comprised of San Francisco transplant Dave Costanza, his wife, Anne, and longtime Portland musician Larry…
The Fray’s story is as compelling as it is unbelievable. Less than two years ago, the band was completely unknown, playing sparsely attended gigs at places like the Little Bear in Evergreen. Since then, the quartet has inked a major-label deal, toured with Weezer and the Pixies, garnered a three-star…
Few soul artists of the ’70s outside of Curtis Mayfield and Donny Hathaway were able to blend funk, protest, heartbreak and harmony like the O’Jays. Formed in Ohio in 1958, the group struggled before hooking up in 1969 with the swiftly rising songsmith team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff…
Quite simply, there is no better living showman than Maceo Parker. Catching one of the alto sax maestro’s marathon three-hour shows is a truly transcendent experience for any fan of funk, jazz, hip-hop, R&B and soul: His performances are never disappointing, always worth the money, and a funky, funky good…
Technically, the Allman Brothers Band hasn’t existed since guitarist Duane Allman died in October 1971. But the group forged on after his death, and, more than three decades later, the pioneering Southern-rock institution is still keeping pace with the packs of protegés it’s spawned while fostering a loyal fan base…
Imaad Wasif has a thing for small letters. Not only did he lead moody post-punk outfit Lowercase in the ’90s, but he insists that the name of his current band, alaska!, be spelled sans capitalization. The group’s sound, though, is anything but understated. Awash in the broad melodic gestures of…
Truth be told, bands are generally most innovative early in their career — unless you’re talking about Green Day, that is. In 1994, several years after establishing themselves on the Bay Area punk scene, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool went national with Dookie, a disc that mashed…
Cartel hasn’t done anything underhanded or illegal, as its name might imply. The Atlanta-based quintet has avoided all misdemeanors by trekking down the decidedly less wanton path of guitar-driven rock with an underlying pop-punk spirit. Singer Will Pugh’s vocal delivery commands a listen and bolsters the band’s precise and well-executed…
On Thursday, September 15, the Dale Bruning Quartet heads to Dazzle to interpret the music of prolific modern-day composer Michel Legrand, who produced such classics as “The Summer Knows” and “Watch What Happens.” Sounds like an ideal fit for the Longmont-based guitarist and his ensemble — bassist Ken Walker, drummer…
In the drum-and-bass scene, Paul Harding, Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, known collectively as Pendulum, are an anomaly. While most drum-and-bass DJs and producers readily cite hip-hop as a primary influence, Pendulum swings in a vastly different direction. For these three musicians, who earned their stripes playing in metal bands…
“Every civilization is known by its culture, and jazz is America’s greatest contribution to our world,” says Tony Bennett. “It is our classical music. Jazz is spontaneous, honest and natural, and it is a celebration of life itself.” Dozens of performers (not Bennett, however) will celebrate the birthplace of jazz…
We’re an all-lesbian band if you need to label us, but we don’t go out promoting that,” says Laura Coleman, drummer for folk-blues power trio the Dearly Beloved. “The whole gay thing is pretty minor. As far as I know, this is the only all-female band in town, but we…
Long ago, in his biography of seminal jazz composer Jelly Roll Morton, my great-uncle Alan Lomax equated New Orleans’s contribution to American music to Florence’s involvement in the Renaissance. But another Italian capital seems closer to the mark now. ‘We’ve lost our city,” said Marc Morial, a former mayor of…
Sure, Dressy Bessy might wear polka dots and have a song on the Powerpuff Girls soundtrack. But the act’s new disc, Electrified, rocks some serious balls. Ventilating its bubbly pop with slashes of new wave, surf, folk and punk, the disc has a dark edge that can be oh-so-sweetly unsettling…
Late-’60s Brit rocker Terry Reid was Jimmy Page’s first choice to sing for Led Zeppelin. Now 57, the legendary band’s unsung architect (who also passed on the chance to front Deep Purple) lives in Palm Desert, California. Reid, whose latest disc, Superlungs, is being released this week on Astralwerks, took…
If there’s one thing in the world that doesn’t make sense, it’s how most offspring cringe at the discussion of Mom and Dad making sweet, sweet love. For most of us, revulsion ensues when the parental units lock the bedroom door to “turn in early.” And menopause, high blood pressure,…
It would be easy to call Coco Rosie’s music an acquired taste. The twisted sisters who make up the group, Bianca and Sierra Casady, sing with miniaturized voices, like Bjrk in jammies, and the music — nursery-rhyme rosaries banged out on toy pianos and spliced with neighing ponies — frequently…
Folks out there remain so hungry for rock that they’ll gobble up almost anything — even Staind’s Chapter V, which entered the Billboard sales charts at number one despite being as generic as white-label aspirin. Not that listening to the disc is apt to cause a migraine. Sure, lead singer…
John Vanderslice has always brought a cinematic flair to his storytelling techniques. His best songs double as short films, with enough of a story line to get you hooked, and enough mystery to keep you guessing. Pixel Revolt uses these juxtapositions to great effect: “Exodus Damage” segues from reports of…
The hard and soft sides of Opeth’s dark, enveloping sound were showcased separately on its last two albums, Deliverance and Damnation. On Ghost Reveries, the band’s Roadrunner debut, they’ve merged. Keyboardist Per Wiberg is a major presence on this record: On “The Baying of the Hounds,” he slams the keys…
