Celebrating Chris Mars, born on this day in 1961. —Ed. Minneapolis indie rock heroes The Replacements went from snot-nosed “let’s get drunk and puke on the ceiling then fall down on stage” punks to power pop legends on the strength of the deceptively effortless songcraft of Paul Westerberg, and Westerberg reached his peak on 1984’s […]
Remembering Gary Wright, born on this day in 1943. —Ed. Namaste, fellow seekers! And welcome back to the Vedic District and your host, Michael Paramahansa Yogananda Little! On this week’s turn of the cosmic wheel we’ll be discussing New Age seer and synthesizer-around-the-neck avatar Gary Wright, whose chakra-cleansing songs and mystical crystal revelations make him […]
Celebrating Björn Ulvaeus on his 79th birthday. —Ed. I love ABBA. I love them so much I contacted the Swedish ambassador last week to see if I could buy them. “ABBA are a national treasure,” the ambassador informed me. “But a thousand kroner would probably do it.” I was rather taken aback really, given ABBA […]
Living Waters is the fifth full-length record from E, a band with members based in Boston, MA (Thalia Zedek, guitar-bass, and Ernie Kim, drums) and Boulder, CO (Jason Sanford, guitar, electronic devices). The sound is piledriver heavy and the playing spring-action adept, qualities appropriate for this power trio cut from the cloth of noise rock. […]
Celebrating Doug Clifford, born on this day in 1945. —Ed. During a recent crawl down Bourbon Street in New Orleans I heard a lot of mangy cover bands manhandle a lot of my favorite songs. Was I outraged? Hell no. I enjoyed every minute of it. There’s nothing I love more than listening to a […]
The Cool Cloud of Okayness is Tara Jane O’Neil’s latest record and her first in seven years, available April 26 on limited vinyl and digital through Ordinal Records. The diverse sonic landscapes that comprise this new album expand on O’Neil’s growth from her post-hardcore and post-rock roots in the Louisville, KY scene of the early […]
Remembering Steve Clark, born on this day in 1960. —Ed. Hello music fans! You’re joining me here live from lovely Pyongyang, North Korea, where I’m about to sit down with Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un, who is about to make a big musical announcement! And here comes Kim now, ready to verbally spar in a glittering […]
The smart choices continue in Craft Recordings’ Original Jazz Classics reissue series. The latest entry, out April 26, is Groovy by the Red Garland Trio. Originally released by the Prestige label in 1957, it finds pianist Garland in the stalwart company of bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Taylor. This new remastered edition on 180-gram […]
Remembering Charles Mingus, born on this day in 1922. —Ed. Bassist-bandleader-composer Charles Mingus remains one of the most important figures in the history of recorded sound. A jazzman of uncommon versatility, his extensive achievement is deeply linked to a voluminous personality and an occasionally volatile temper. In 1963, as part of a brief, fertile association […]
Remembering Glen Campbell, born on this day in 1936. —Ed. The English Pre-Raphaelite poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti once wrote, “Each hour flings a bomb at my burning soul.” Before adding, “Neither from owl nor from bat can peace be gained until I clasp my wombat.” I admit to being completely flummoxed by what this Rossetti […]
Remembering Bernie Worrell, born on this day in 1944. —Ed. Funkadelic—and Parliament as well, naturally—were America’s go-to bands for psychedelic funk at the dawn of the Seventies; their acid-fried, groove-based jams came complete with fries, shake, and a generous helping of raunchy high humor, and you would practically have to be a member of the […]
Remembering Dickey Betts. —Ed. When it comes to your bad karma and shitty luck, The Allman Brothers Band is a tough act to follow. And no, I’m not just talking about the tragedy that was Allman and Woman. I’m talking about the motorcycle accidents that claimed the lives of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley; rampant […]
Celebrating Bez on his 60th birthday. —Ed. A crash course for the ravers—back in the late 1980s, Happy Mondays became the veritable house band for Madchester’s e-fueled rave scene, which transformed an entire generation of Joe Bloggs-clad English kids into pinwheel-eyed, whizz-happy 24-hour party people stepping on and up, up, up to a dizzying sound […]
Those hankering for an international strain of stripped-down ’60s rock blare should investigate Mejor de Los Nuggetz: ‘60s Garage and Psych. It serves up mucho Spanish language R&R action and arrives on opaque red vinyl just in time for Record Store Day courtesy of Liberation Hall. The bands (and one gal singer) hailed from various […]
It would be very presumptuous for any musical artist to title an album “everybody digs,” followed by their name. In the case of Bill Evans, it’s nearly a fact, especially if you are a fan of the best jazz pianists of all time. This 1959 album was his second as a leader and perhaps his […]
