Category Archives: The TVD Storefront

The Rolling Stones are true rock ‘n’ roll survivors. Even in the midst of losing one of their key founding members, drummer extraordinaire, Charlie Watts, in 2021, and with its three principal members (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood) headed toward or going past the ripe old age of 80, the group is in one of its most creative and successful recording phases since the late ’70s and early ’80s.

Beginning in 2016, the group has released three excellent albums, with its newest and maybe its best album in nearly 50 years. Rather than trying to awkwardly adapt to the current flavor of the week in pop music, the group does what they do best on their new album, but with a newfound vigor and just enough studio sheen to make the album more than just a nostalgic trip down classic rock music main street.

Like Paul McCartney, the group has enlisted the help of producer and, in many ways, co-collaborator Andrew Watt. Watt is a guitar rocker at heart, and he clearly knows what makes the Stones tick. He’s not trying to control them or make them sound too modern. He’s letting them be and allowing their unique bluesy sway, even with Charlie Watts gone, to shine through. What this album also highlights, which is sometimes overlooked, is that the Stones know how to write great songs.

Their image, reputation as the world’s greatest rock band, and epic narrative history often overshadow what is, in fact, a truly robust catalog of songs, primarily written by Jagger and Richards, that they can still pull off with aplomb. Of the fourteen tracks, Jagger and Richards are assisted in writing by Watt on two tracks and by Matt Clifford on one. Clifford also wrote one song with Richards. On their previous album, Watt also produced and co-wrote three songs.

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Formed in the early 1970s by rock impresario Kim Fowley in a manner similar to his more famous aggregation The Runaways, The Hollywood Stars existed in the space betwixt three big rocks, specifically glam, hard, and punk. Although positioned for success, the band’s existence was rocky, and they released a sole album in 1977 before breaking up and becoming the stuff of legend. Archival albums and a reformation followed, with Hey! L.A! emerging as the band’s second LP of new material. It’s a solid effort out now on vinyl, compact disc, and digital through Rum Bar Records.

The short description of The Hollywood Stars is that Kim Fowley assembled them as a West Coast answer to the New York Dolls. Some might be turned off by the blatant attempt to manufacture a group, but Fowley was an old-school figure who unabashedly functioned as part of the music business. That he was seeking to create a version of a band that was struggling on the fringes of glam and proto-punk reflects Fowley’s habit of chalking up his successes from the often disreputable margins.

The Hollywood Stars are also associated with two Fowley songs, “Escape” and “King of the Night Time World,” that are better known through contemporaneous recordings by Alice Cooper and Kiss, respectively. Neither song is part of the self-titled 1977 album by the Hollywood Stars, a set cut for Arista after a failed dalliance with Columbia Records and a prior breakup.

Shine Like a Radio: The Great Lost Album of 1974, released in 2013 by the Last Summer label, resurrects sessions for Columbia that included versions of “Escape” and “King of the Night Time World.” Although far from a brain-melter stylistically, the record is a fine listening experience, as it provides a glimpse into an upstart new thing transpiring on the California rock landscape of the era.

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NEWPORT, RI | Newport Folk Festival’s final day feels like a victory lap, a closing chapter where the boundaries between artists dissolve completely. The 2026 festival finale proved no exception, delivering a balance of blistering political anthems, lush pop-country, and an all-star curtain call that will echo in Fort Adams history.

Tom Morello packed the Quad Stage tent to absolute capacity for an explosive, politically charged acoustic-and-electric set. He brought his teenage son, Roman Morello, on stage to shred guitar on a high-energy performance of the Rage Against the Machine classic “Killing in the Name.”

Rousing the crowd with rebellious riffs and singalong anthems, Morello brought a punk-rock urgency that reminded everyone of folk music’s long history as the music of protest.

“I make anti-racist songs for anti-racists,” said Morello. “I make anti-fascist songs for anti-fascists. And I make anti-Nazi songs for anti-Nazis. On his new song, “‘Date Night’ is really a ‘which side are you on?’ song. If any of that offends you, do the math. Oh, and Roman Morello wrote the killer riff in this tune.”

Meanwhile, Irish sensation CMAT brought country-pop flair and theatrical wit to the Fort Stage, showcasing cuts from Euro Country. The highlight came when she invited Brandi Carlile out for a joy-filled duet of “I’d Want U,” sparking one of the biggest crowd roars of the afternoon. “Do you like me?” CMAT cheekily asked, receiving a wave of applause and cheers. “Well, that’s good!”

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MoFi), the leader in high-fidelity audio reissues, is proud to reissue Warren Zevon’s Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School in audiophile sound for the first time on vinyl and as a Hybrid SACD. Available for order beginning August 14, MoFi’s numbered-edition 180g 45RPM 2LP Set (order HERE) and limited-edition Hybrid SACD (order HERE) present the gold-certified record with exceptional presence, detail, and ultra-quiet backgrounds.

The regal strings and successive gunshots that announce the start of Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School encapsulate the contrasts Warren Zevon deftly navigates on an album that further telescoped his witty, neo-noir songwriting to a broad audience. Recorded as the Chicago native struggled to overcome toxic addictions and advance from a soured marriage, the 1980 record showcases his interest in classical arrangements and knack for incisive observation, tongue-in-cheek fun, and heartbreaking emotion.

Sourced from the original analog master tapes (1/4″ / 15 IPS Dolby A analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe), pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition 180g 45RPM 2LP set presents Zevon’s fourth album in audiophile sound. MoFi’s hybrid SACD is also sourced from the original analog master tapes, housed in mini-LP-style packaging, and strictly limited to 2,500 numbered copies.

Co-produced by Zevon and longtime studio partner Greg Ladanyi, Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School benefits from key collaborations with ace musicians such as Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Ben Keith, Waddy Wachtel, J.D. Souther, and Eagles members Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Don Felder.

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Remembering Carl Wayne, born on this day in 1944. —Ed.

This is what fans of The Move call a masterpiece? You might expect it to be, seeing as how it’s the product of the bizarre mind of professional eccentric Roy Wood, future co-founder of Electric Light Orchestra and founder of the glam rock band Wizzard. And that’s the major flaw of 1970’s Shazam–despite the presence of Wood, the album isn’t eccentric enough.

The Move takes a scattershot approach on Shazam, delving into art rock, classical rock, raga rock, and proto-metal, while also taking stabs at The Beatles and sixties folk rock. But their most important influence is the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, and that’s where things fall apart. The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band kept whimsical tongue firmly planted firmly in dada cheek, but on Shazam The Move want to have it both ways. They wander into Stanshall/Innes territory on a couple of cuts, but for the most part, they play it straight. Shazam is a case of a split personality, and it’s too late for it to seek therapy.

“Cherry Blossom Clinic” makes the comedy grade, what with its light-hearted treatment of “they’re coming to take me away ha ha” lunacy, but the song is ruined for me by the extended foray into the music of Bach and Paul Dukas. Sure, it’s all in fun, but I don’t enjoy being classically gassed–if I wanted to listen to the likes of Bach, I’d have to become a different person, because the person I am is bored stiff by the stuff.

Far less funny is the opening of the tender and very serious “Beautiful Daughter,” in which the band takes the same “talk to the man in the street” approach the Bonzo Dog Band employed in their masterpiece of absurdity, “Shirts.” Trouble is, with the exception of the old woman who responds to the question of whether she likes pop music by saying, “Well, it’s nice in its way, you know some of it, not uh, not when they go naked,” the Q and A just ain’t that funny. One laugh line doesn’t not a comedy classic make.

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Veteran producer-musician Bleu has a new record set for release. Tapping into the power pop mainline, the cuts that comprise Sargeant Pepper Grinder, the Los Angeles-based artist’s seventh album, are bold in conception and bright in execution. It’s radio-ready pop-rock with infusions of glam and flashes of tuneful psychedelia. It’s out on August 20 through Miracle Records with the vinyl mastered by Licorice Pizza Records.

Sargeant Pepper Grinder is coming out at the right time, as it is very much a volume-up, windows-down, acceleration-to-the-floor kind of record. As the tracks pile up, the scale broadens considerably, but the shebang starts in a mode closer to singer-songwriter pop with a baroque psych tinge.

That’s the title track, which will get a reprise in the record’s tail end, but next is the catchy stomping rocker “Start a Band,” loaded with guitar zest and anthemic dynamic shifts wild enough to turn even the most finicky power pop fan’s frown upside down. Next is “This Song Won’t Sell,” which swings from calm and contemplative to pummeling and explosive in a manner that’s maximal but engagingly non-trite.

“Where the Colors Bleed,” which features guest vocals by Los Angeles musician Carly Paige, finds Bleu hanging in the same neighborhood that housed Jeff Lynne in the second half of the 1970s. “Scooch” is just as catchy but considerably more glammed-out, with adrenaline-gush momentum, a ripping guitar solo, and a rave-up ending plus high vocal notes galore.

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NEWPORT, RI | If Friday at Newport Folk Festival is about setting the stage, Saturday is when the magic boils over. Under a high summer sun and clear Rhode Island skies, day two of the 2026 festival brought an eclectic mix of pristine bluegrass picking, intimate indie-pop confessionals, and a full-blown funk dance party to Fort Adams State Park.

By mid-afternoon, the grounds were humming with energy that only Newport can cultivate—a space where acoustic guitars and slap-bass solos exist in complete harmony.

The morning began on a gentle, local note as Newport’s own mystic-folk trio, Princess June, opened the Fort Stage with three-part vocal harmonies that drifted softly across the harbor. They set a baseline of vocal precision that echoed throughout the day—from the intricate acoustic weaving of Yasmin Williams & William Tyler at the Harbor Stage to an upbeat, harmony-packed set by vocal trio Trousdale.

The Sea to Shining Sea Project crew set out across America this summer to answer the question, “How does music help to build community?” Hosted by Devon Gilfillian, the quad stage crowd embraced their much-anticipated, heartfelt performance, which served as a collection of answers to this very question.

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NEWPORT, RI | Newport Folk Festival 2026 opened with unscripted magic. By Friday afternoon, as the July sun hit the historic granite of Fort Adams, thousands of music lovers had already staked out their lawn chairs, feeling the cool ocean breeze drift off Narragansett Bay. Day one proved once again that while genres evolve, the spirit of Newport—spontaneous, intimate, and deeply collaborative—remains unmatched.

“I’m so happy to be back here. I have dreams set in Newport,” said Lucy Dacus, who charmed her audience with a vulnerable set, bringing the crowd to its feet when she invited Hayley Williams onstage for a surprise duet of “Bullseye.” Meanwhile, Australian rocker Courtney Barnett tore through a gritty set, highlighting songs from Creature of Habit, proving her lyricism is made for outdoor festival grounds.

The legendary Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen teamed up with longtime friend and bassist Jack Casady for Hot Tuna’s inaugural set at Newport Folk Festival, with Kaukonen playing his storied J-50 alongside Casady’s long-lost Guild Starfire. At 85, Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Kaukonen isn’t slowing down; he’s enjoying the ride.

At the Quad Stage, anticipation reached a fever pitch for Ms. Lauryn Hill. Though a delayed stage setup pushed her performance back by 40 minutes, the moment she stepped under the lights alongside Philadelphia brass powerhouse Snacktime, the frustration evaporated. Hill delivered a commanding, brass-heavy performance that recontextualized her classic catalog into a memorable experience.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | More than half a century after it was recorded, The Cyrkle’s The Minx, an album of lush pop, psychedelia, and film music from the band behind the ’60s classics “Red Rubber Ball” and “Turn-Down Day,” returns October 2 via Sundazed Music. Available on white vinyl and CD, both accompanied by a DVD featuring the original 1969 feature film, the album is available for pre-order.

Remastered from the original master reels with the full participation of the band members, the expanded edition The Minx features 20 tracks, including alternate and film versions of “Squeeze Play,” “Murray The Why,” and “Nicole,” along with “Baxter’s Dangerous Game,” “Terry’s Escape,” “Kites,” and an alternate instrumental version of “Something Special.” The expanded edition also includes bonus tracks and extensive liner notes that illuminate one of the strangest and most compelling chapters in The Cyrkle’s history.

Presented alongside the original feature film on DVD, The Minx can finally be experienced in its full, wonderfully strange late-’60s context—part pop album, part film score, part psychedelic curio and a revealing final chapter from one of the era’s most distinctive hit-making groups.

Recorded in mid-to-late 1967, The Minx is, in many ways, the great lost Cyrkle album. Created as the soundtrack to a provocative independent film, the sessions arrived as the group was moving beyond the pristine folk-pop that had taken them into the Top 20 and toward something more adventurous. Laden with three-part harmonies, breezy arrangements, psychedelic flourishes, and inventive instrumental passages.

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Celebrating Colin Moulding on his 71st birthday. —Ed.

In their early days, XTC released a copious amount of singles, with this output appropriately corralled onto a handful of compilations, situating the band as one of the more interesting acts produced in the late-‘70s UK. Amongst these songs were the three cuts that comprise their debut, ‘77’s “3D EP.” Many consider it a strong but minor first effort in a trajectory toward future greatness, but examining them apart from the group’s initial prolific tide provided this writer with the key that unlocked XTC’s substantial value.

By the time I became acquainted with them in the mid-‘80s, XTC was essentially a critics’ fave, largely functioning as an album band. This was the era of Skylarking, and while “Dear God,” the b-side of that LP’s first single “Grass,” kicked up quite a bit of dust via MTV and even replaced “Mermaid Smiled” on the US version of the disc, in the US it only managed to land on a now defunct barometer of radio play named the Billboard Album Rock Chart, where it found modest success.

And on their home turf, it barely even entered the Singles Chart, peaking at the severe back end at #99. This really is no surprise, since “Dear God” is a truly eloquent dispatch of religious disbelief, a song that likely would’ve caused their countryman Bertrand Russell to stand up and cheer had he only lived to hear it.

“Dear God” was so cogent (while simultaneously manifesting a well-harnessed anger) that more than a few believers in my personal circle considered it a legitimate expression of doubt and questioning rather than quickly dismissing it as merely sacrilegious. The tune’s that good. But even though ‘86’s Skylarking and its follow-up Oranges & Lemons were both strong sellers and the group was very popular on college radio, the rise of their singles during this period seemed mainly tied to video play.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Small Change by Tom Waits turns fifty this year. To celebrate the landmark occasion a new vinyl re-issue of the album will be available on 2nd October. Pre-order it HERE.

Uniquely combining elements of the great American songbook, jazz, beat poetry, vivid storytelling and his own modern sensibility, Small Change was the high watermark of Waits’ ’70s period, with classic songs like “Tom Traubert’s Blues,” “Step Right Up,” and “The Piano Has Been Drinking.”

Upon the album’s original release in the autumn of 1976, Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times declared: [Waits] “has not only fulfilled the promise of his early work, but extended it in a way that makes him one of America’s most valuable pop performers,” and that “by refusing to stay in the safe mould of his first two albums, he enriched his art.”

In a 1976 interview following the release of his third album, Waits reflected on the storytelling roots behind his evolving style, tracing his songs back to his days working the door at a local nightclub and eavesdropping in late-night diners:

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Who the hell was Frank Wilson? And why should you care? The simple answer is that Wilson was a songwriter and producer who wrote or produced dozens of hits for Motown acts like the Four Tops, The Supremes (both before and after Diana Ross jumped ship), The Miracles, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Brenda Holloway, and many more, including Stevie Wonder, Ike and Tina Turner, and Marvin Gaye.

Wilson also tested the waters as a recording act, recording a song in 1965 that never made it past the demo stage. He subsequently released three songs (two on Motown compilations between 1978 and 2012). All of them fared about as well as the Titanic. Wilson never made a dent in the charts. Amazingly enough, it was the 1965 song that was never released that accounts for Wilson’s small degree of fame. It makes for an interesting story.

Two hundred and fifty demo copies of “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” were pressed. But Motown head honcho Berry Gordy, who disliked the vocals and was dead set on preventing his producers from pursuing recording careers, asked Wilson to decide—he could pursue a career as a recording artist, but if he did, it was the end of his relationship with Motown. Basically, Gordy gave Wilson an ultimatum—destroy the demos or else.

Wilson prudently chose the latter, doing as Berry bid—he destroyed the two hundred and fifty demos. (It’s not known whether he set them on fire, tossed them in the Detroit River, or trampled them like grapes.) And that would have been that had several copies (two or five, depending on who you ask) not survived, perhaps by escaping the studio and joining the Witness Protection Program.

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Day two of the Lion Heart Music Festival arrived with another packed lineup, plenty of sunshine, and temperatures that promised another long, hot day of music. What no one knew was that Mother Nature was about to throw a serious curveball into the schedule. But if there was one thing the second day proved, it was just how well this festival is run.

Before getting into the music, a huge shout-out needs to go to the volunteers, staff, and everyone behind the scenes who make Lion Heart happen, especially Rebel Sounds Rising. A storm rolled through mid-afternoon, forcing set times to change, artists to move between stages, and the schedule to be reshuffled on the fly. They even found room for an artist whose day one performance had been rained out.

Behind the scenes, people were running everywhere making adjustments. Out front? You would have barely known anything was wrong. The music kept flowing, the crowd kept moving, and the festival never seemed to miss a beat. Pulling that off takes serious organization.

Coastal High got day two rolling on the main stage with their sweet reggae-rock vibe, while Head High opened the Dub Stage tucked away in the woods. Head High immediately established a rootsy feel, but it was their take on Bob Marley’s “The Heathen” that really stood out. Rather than simply covering the classic, they completely made it their own, stretching it into an almost dub-style interpretation. It worked beautifully and easily ranked among my favorite songs of the entire weekend.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Reggae Girlz, the powerful new documentary from Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton, shining a light on one of the biggest sporting underdog stories in modern times, will be released by Red Bull Studios to stream exclusively on Jolt from 27th August 2026 and on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube Movies, TubiTV, and Xumo from October 27th 2026.

During the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Jamaican women’s football team challenged the powerhouses of France and Brazil in historic matches. Fighting against all odds, the groundbreaking and beloved team proves to the world with heart and determination that anything is possible.

Set against the backdrop of one of the most attended women’s sporting events in history, the documentary follows the Reggae Girlz on their extraordinary journey to Australia. When the team is struggling from limited resources, the Bob and Rita Marley Foundation and Cedella Marley, the Global Ambassador of the Jamaica Women’s Football Team (2014–2024), step in to help pave their way.

As the first Caribbean team to qualify for two consecutive World Cups, the team is determined to prove that, even with everything against them, their talent and resilience are unstoppable. This is more than just a sports story; it’s a powerful testament to courage, determination, and the relentless fight against adversity.

Two-time Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton bring to life the ultimate underdog story. Reggae Girlz is a vibrant portrayal of Jamaica’s heart and soul, with the rhythms of Bob Marley’s reggae, whose daughter, Cedella Marley, is an executive producer on the film. Fueled by the spirit of the Jamaican people, the film embodies Marley’s iconic words, “football is freedom.”

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Celebrating Terry Adams on his 78th birthday. —Ed.

The music of NRBQ is one of rock ‘n’ roll’s great paradoxical pleasures. How can a band this accessible and joyous be banished to the musical fringe? It’s a true stumper. But if widespread success was denied them, the group endured and excelled through relentless bar gigs, college radio play, and via the persistent word of mouth of the converted. Their early days found them hopping labels only to be dumped after disappointing sales, but instead of quitting, they smartly decided to put out their own records. 1977’s All Hopped Up was the first, and for new listeners it makes a fine introduction.

Their name originally stood for the New Rhythm and Blues Quintet. Formed by guitarist Steve Ferguson, pianist Terry Adams, drummer Tom Staley, bassist Joey Spampinato (aka Jody St. Nicholas), and vocalist Frank Gadler, they combined a stylistic eclecticism—the titular R&B, rockabilly, early Brit-invasion pop, jazz, and even more into a highly potent and easily digestible brew. But if one possesses an unusual level of diversity, constant factors were also at play. Foremost was a lighthearted sincerity about their shared influences, but NRBQ are also among the least egocentric bands, both musically and in terms of personality, to have spanned decades of neglect.

They came together in Florida but moved to New York City, where they quickly gathered steam, even playing Fillmore East, and eventually found themselves signed to Columbia Records. This resulted in a truly swell self-titled debut in ’69 that didn’t sell squat. And that’s not really a surprise; if the Q’s long-term lack of a wide following is hard to fathom, in the year of Woodstock, they weren’t exactly the height of trendiness. What to make of a group that covered Eddie Cochran, Sun Ra, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, and Bobby Channel’s oldies station rotation warhorse “Hey Baby” all on the same album? The high number of covers alone was a little divergent from the era’s norm of boldfaced originality.

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