I successfully de-programmed myself from the Cult of Frank Zappa at the tail end of the seventies, when I finally realized he was a smug, smarter-than-thou anal-retentive with bad classical and jazz tendencies and a proclivity for 13-year-old potty humor who held everyone, including his own fans, in contempt. I finally realized the only reason I was listening to him was for the guitar solos. And in the end they just weren’t enough. I left the fold, ashamed of myself for having been suckered in by the arrogant sour-puss in the first place, and never looked back. In the end, I just wasn’t prepared to drink the strychnine-laced Kool Aid.

That’s how these things always end, right?

The Village Voice’s Robert Christgau, never a fan, finally lost patience not too long after I did; his parting words to Zappa, written in 1982, were “Oh shut up.” Possibly he wanted him to just shut his mouth—Zappa’s snide and increasingly low-brow satire was what did me in. This explains why the only Zappa album I’ve been able to listen to over the years—and it’s something I only do every decade or so—is the 1969 jazz-rock exercise Hot Rats. Zappa doesn’t open his mouth once. Some of it is fusion with a stick up its ass—his fussy orchestral arrangements guarantee the lesser songs don’t swing—but a few of its songs do rock.

Zappa himself made clear that the lyrics were a sop, and a bit of condescension on his part, to his no-nothing audiences. He once told an interviewer, “Americans, in general, know very little about music. They like to hear words, so I give them words—sometimes they overlook the music involved.” Look down upon much? And had the guy ever heard of jazz? By music he meant the classical works of Europeans like Edgar Varese. For Zappa rock music was a lower life form and a kind of afterthought.

Read More »

PHOENIX, AZ | Shakey Graves and the 10th anniversary of And The War Came tour came through Phoenix on April Fools Day, and the show was no joke. Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of some of his biggest hits, Shaky Graves delivers a consistent message with the same power.

I have seen Shakey live before, but nothing quite like this. He wrote the songs on that record at a low point in his life, and the lyrics stem from challenges he has battled. To take them back on the road 10 years later, at such a different point in his career, is something special to witness from the artist.

He’s also quite the storyteller, both sonically and on the mic. He spoke in between almost every song with little tidbits about the song or his journey. It was very stream-of-consciousness and offered an intimate insight into the brain of Shakey Graves. He mixed in two of his most popular songs at the end, but the tour captures And The War Came straight through.

Shakey plays both extremely complicated guitar parts while effectively marching in place with one foot hitting a kick drum and the other a tambourine—he’s been doing this for years, yet still plays with a band. They make a lot of noise because Shakey is an octopus, and he’s one of the most impressive, unique guitar players I have seen live. He mixes in a little bit of bluegrass, rock, folk—and a mystery blend that I have only heard from Shakey.

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Craft Latino announces a special reissue of 1969’s Guisando: Doing a Job, the third collaboration from pioneering salsa duo Willie Colón featuring Héctor Lavoe. With such classic tracks as “No Me Den Candela,” the instrumental “I Wish I Had a Watermelon” (Colón’s response to Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man”) and “Guisando,” the album is a must-have for fans of classic salsa.

Returning to wax for the first time in over half a century, Guisando was mastered from its original analog tapes by Dave Polster and Clint Holley at Well Made Music and pressed on 180-gram vinyl for an optimal listening experience. The album, which arrives May 30th, will also make its debut in hi-res digital. A limited-edition “Candela Orange” color vinyl variant (limited to 300 copies), with an exclusive bundle option that includes a Fania T-shirt, is available at Fania.com. Click here to pre-order Guisando: Doing a Job.

In 1967, Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe were just 16 and 21, respectively, when Fania Records co-founder and musical director, Johnny Pacheco, paired them in the studio. Before long, the talented young men would become one of Latin music’s most formidable duos. Known as “El Cantante,” Lavoe (1946–1993) was one of the great interpreters of salsa music, revered for his bright vocals, seamless phrasing, and witty, ad-libbed anecdotes.

Colón (b. 1950), meanwhile, quickly became a key figure in the scene, who shaped the sound of salsa on and off stage as a trombonist, composer, producer, and leader of his namesake orchestra. Together, Colón and Lavoe defined one of Latin music’s most exciting eras through 11 legendary albums, beginning with two classics: 1967’s El Malo and 1968’s The Hustler.

Read More »

Remembering Muddy Waters, born on this day in 1913. —Ed.

Where to start with the music of that sly titan of 20th century music Muddy Waters? Some will advise an inquisitive newbie to invest in an exhaustive multi-disc box set that retails in the neighborhood of a Franklin, while a closet Johnny Winter-aficionado might recommend one of his late-‘70s LPs for the Blue Sky label (and that’s definitely not the place to begin.) However, the most sensible way to commence a journey into the everlasting goodness of McKinley Morganfield is to simply follow the path many thousands have already made, and it leads directly to the doorstep of 1958’s extraordinarily enlightening The Best of Muddy Waters.

While a certifiable embarrassment of great LPs have been made since the format was first introduced in 1948, they don’t all command the same level of historical respect, even from individuals that happen to hold a deep relationship to the sounds those less revered records contain. For instance, after giving the realms of heavy-duty music connoisseurship a good inspection, there is no doubt that the Best of/Greatest Hits LP continues to shoulder something of a bad reputation, with its appeal often denigrated as being directed mostly to dabblers.

These records, awarded to artists who had managed to secure a handful of creative and/or commercial highpoints either in one fast spurt or in some period of sustained longevity, are reliably frowned upon by more intense listeners as essentially being easy primers designed by cash hungry record labels with the intention of giving more casual ears a quick fix and some level of conversance (a sort of career Cliff Notes, if you will) to discographies of considerable distinction.

That’s not necessarily an incorrect assessment. But there are other elements in the scenario, as anyone who ever got turned on to Donovan through their parent’s well-worn copy of his wildly popular Greatest Hits LP can surely understand. And when handed down by older siblings as they slouched off to spend four years in a cramped college dorm, the Best of/Greatest Hits album has surely functioned as a gateway into substantial musical discoveries of all types.

Read More »

Post-punk legends The Chameleons are gearing up for a brand new full-length album due later this year—their first full-length in over 20 years! They’ve released two new EPs “Where Are You?” and “Tomorrow Remember Yesterday”—the former consisting of new material and the latter of archival material recorded with the current lineup.

Their latest five song EP “Tomorrow Remember Yesterday” is a collection of newly recorded songs whose origins harken back decades. Says Vox, “These songs were amongst the very earliest songs we got together pre-Peel session in 1981, but were discarded at the time due to them feeling unfinished.”

I sat down with vocalist/bassist Vox (fka Mark Burgess) for this episode and it was quite a ride! We talked about Peel Sessions, spotting his favorite Dr. Who on the stairs at the BBC, Steve Lillywhite, LinnDrums, ayahuasca, therapy, love, and The Psychedelic Furs.

Radar features discussions with artists and industry leaders who are creators and devotees of music and is produced by Dylan Hundley and The Vinyl District. Dylan Hundley is an artist and performer, and the co-creator and lead singer of Lulu Lewis and all things at Darling Black. She co-curates and hosts Salon Lulu which is a New York based multidisciplinary performance series. She is also a cast member of the iconic New York film Metropolitan.

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Rough Trade Records is celebrating its formative years with the release of a limited boxset on June 20, 2025, featuring several of its key, early seven-inch singles.

Boasting eight classic 45s that followed the label’s formation out the original Rough Trade shop in West London in 1978, Rough Trade 45s: Volume 1 features the likes of Augustus Pablo, The Raincoats and Young Marble Giants.

The eight singles, which have been recreated especially for this edition, were handpicked by Rough Trade Records co-MDs, Jeannette Lee and Geoff Travis, who were key players in the DIY nexus that formed around the first Rough Trade shop in the late 1970s.

“There wasn’t much commercial thinking behind starting a label out of the first Rough Trade shop, not much planning,” recalls Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records’ beginnings. “We were just doing things out of love really.”

Reflecting this passion behind its foundation, rather than a dry definitive history of the label’s early years, the boxset represents a personal and musical history, as inspired by Rough Trade’s recent 45th anniversary, Geoff and Jeannette have selected tracks that represent moments of true creative spark from the time.

Read More »

Remembering Richard Manuel, born on this day in 1943. —Ed.

When I think of The Band, which just happens to be my favorite group in the whole wide world, it’s not “The Weight” that first comes to mind, or “This Wheel’s on Fire” or “Rockin’ Chair” or even the brilliant body of ramshackle demos they recorded with Bob Dylan in the basement of the rented house they dubbed Big Pink in West Saugerties, New York in 1967.

No, what I think about is the scene in 2003’s Festival Express—a documentary about the financially ill-fated but fun for all involved 1970 rock tour that crossed Canada by train—where Rick Danko leads a lounge car full of rock stars (including Janis Joplin and Jerry Garcia) in a wonderfully wasted rendition of “Ain’t No More Cane (On the Brazos).” Danko is so gloriously fucked-up, and his crazed smile and arm-waving performance so full of joy, that it seems the embodiment of the spirit of The Band itself, whose ensemble playing brimmed over with high spirits, camaraderie, and the sheer joy of making music.

The Band—whose country and Motown-tinged roots rock and wonderful songs filled with colorful characters conjured up the topsy-turvy spirit of a mythical and long-lost America—released only one live album during its original incarnation, 1972’s double-live Rock of Ages. Recorded during a triumphant four-night stint at NYC’s Academy of Music as 1971 came to a close, Rock of Ages featured The Band supplemented by a five-piece horn section arranged by New Orleans’ Allen Toussaint, as well as a guest appearance by Bob Dylan. It remains one of rock’s greatest live albums, along with Bob Dylan at Budokan… er, make that Live 1966: The “Royal Albert Hall” Concert and Killdozer’s The Last Waltz, which is not to be confused with another album bearing the same name by a band I can’t think of at the moment.

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Bob Moog’s invention of the analog Moog synthesizer ignited an explosion of creativity across the music spectrum. On the classical side, there was Isao Tomita and Wendy Carlos; on the more avant-garde side, such artists as Mort Garson and Craig Leon used the new technology to explore the limits of sound production while rockers like Keith Emerson incorporated the technology into their music.

And, of course, there was also a silly pop side to the synth mania, or “moogsploitation” as some wags put it; albums by The Moog Machine, The Happy Moog, and other similarly-entitled acts provide good examples of that. But the one man straddling all these camps was Gershon Kingsley. Kingsley studied with John Cage before making a pair of groundbreaking albums with fellow electronic music pioneer Jean-Jacques Perry (their “Baroque Hoedown” was the theme for the Main Street Electrical Parade attractions in Walt Disney theme parks).

Kingsley then embarked on a solo career and scored an instant hit with this album, 1968’s Music to Moog By, and its signature track, “Pop Corn.” “Popcorn” (one word) became an international smash for Hot Butter four years later, but Music to Moog By also caught consumer ears with its blend of originals, classical, and especially versions of Beatles tunes (though you will have to excuse the egregious misspelling of “Paperback Writer” as “Paperback Rider”)!

Ever in pursuit of pop music’s most eccentric manifestations, we at Real Gone are proud to reissue Music to Moog By for the first time in the US, complete with the 8-page “The Book of Moog” that was inside some original copies.

Guitarist Mike Baggetta, bassist Mike Watt, and drummer Stephen Hodges comprise the trio mssv. Their latest LP is On and On, available now on vinyl in an edition of 500 copies and digital through BIG EGO Records. The digital release offers eight tracks and the LP adds six band-improvised link pieces to the eight selections to create two continuous and sweetly psychedelic album sides. The vividly twisted cover art by John Herndon of Tortoise complements these atmospheres very nicely. mssv is currently touring and play tonight 4/3 in Washington, DC at the Pearl Street Warehouse.

mssv describe themselves as a post-genre power trio. This essentially means they roam around a lot stylistically, which fits given the band’s diversity of background. Baggetta comes from the jazz scene where he’s part of a contemporary guitar renaissance of sorts. Hodges has recorded extensively as a session drummer with recurring credits in the discographies of Tom Waits and Mavis Staples. And Watt is the highest profile member of mssv, having played a crucial role in the Minutemen, fIREHOSE, and the reunited Stooges plus solo work and additional band projects and session gigs of his own.

Naturally, there is some overlap in the backgrounds that’s pertinent to the formation of mssv. Hodges was one third of the band that recorded Watt’s 1997 album Contemplating the Engine Room. Guitarist Nels Cline completed the Engine Room trio; he joined mssv for a 2-song 45 released in 2022. Most importantly, in 2019 Baggetta and Watt cut the Wall of Flowers album with Jim Keltner on drums. Keltner doesn’t tour, so Hodges stepped in for the live shows, which resulted in Live Flowers, a 2019 CD credited to main steam stop valve (or mssv for short).

From there, mssv has cut three studio full-lengths, Main Steam Stop Valve (2020), Human Reaction (2023), and now, On and On. Two additional 45s, “Media Kittens” b/w “When the Hoarding Has Ended” (2020) and “The Scott Aicher EP” (2021) complete the mssv discography. Baggetta, Keltner, and Watt also released a second album, Everywhen You Go (2022).

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Varèse Sarabande and Craft Recordings announce deluxe reissues for Blade and Blade II, from prolific composers Mark Isham and Marco Beltrami. Debuting on vinyl for the first time, both soundtracks—equally celebrated as unique contributions to the film canon—will be released in multiple unique color variants.

Releasing on May 16th and available for pre-order today, these classic scores will be pressed on “Bloodbath” red vinyl exclusively via Barnes & Noble, and “Blood Splatter” clear and black translucent vinyl in a limited-edition run of 500 on the Varèse Sarabande store. Both scores will be available as 2-LP gatefold packages with brand-new artwork by acclaimed illustrator Micha Huigen. Directed for the big screen by effects artist turned filmmaker Stephen Norrington (Death Machine) and written by Dark City’s David S. Goyer (with uncredited assistance from David Fincher, who originally intended to direct), 1998’s Blade tapped into the Goth Avenger vein of the adaptations of The Crow and Spawn.

Like those undead superheroes out to decimate their killers, Blade moved in the shadows of a big city built from eerily sleek visuals and Hong Kong—influenced action, as powered by the relentless beat of the era’s youth-appealing indie, grunge, and electronica bands.

At first offered to The Prodigy, Blade’s score eventually went to Mark Isham, whose origin as a jazz trumpeter didn’t suggest the most predictable fit. It was, though, Isham’s Southwestern gothic score for 1986’s The Hitcher that marked him as a musician worthy of this daunting task.

Read More »