VIA PRESS RELEASE | “Pete Townshend & Roger Daltrey deploy full orchestra to electrifying effect.” —The Guardian

On July 6, 2019, The Who headlined Wembley Stadium in London for the first time in forty years. The show was the only U.K. date on their “Moving On” Tour and featured the band accompanied by an over 50-piece orchestra performing classic tracks from Quadrophenia, Tommy, Who’s Next, Who Are You and more as well tracks from their WHO album, their first studio release in thirteen years.

The Who With Orchestra Live At Wembley will be released on March 31st as a limited edition yellow, orange, and red 3LP set, triple black vinyl, and a 2CD / Blu-Ray set which features the audio remixed in Dolby Atmos. In addition, all formats feature a booklet with unseen photos from the show.

Performing with The Who and an orchestra had been a long-held ambition for singer Roger Daltrey “Just because it is The Who with an orchestra, in no way does it compromise the way Pete and I deliver our music. It is full throttle Who with horns and bells on.” Pete Townshend: “Roger christened this tour Moving On! I love it. It is what both of us want to do. Move on, with new music, classic Who music, all performed in new and exciting ways. Taking risks, nothing to lose.”

VIA PRESS RELEASE | On April 7, rock icons KISS will release the next installment of their Off The Soundboard official live bootleg series with KISS – Off The Soundboard: Poughkeepsie, New York, 1984. Recorded live at the Mid-Hudson Arena on November 28th, 1984, during the Animalize World Tour, this is the fifth in a series of live releases by the band and will be available to stream and download, with a 2-LP standard black vinyl set, CD, and a limited edition 2-LP set pressed on 180g custard yellow vinyl which are available to pre-order now exclusively through the Official KISS online store, HERE.

The multi-platinum band’s fifth authorized Soundboard live release comes from the November 28th, 1984 Animalize Tour show at the Mid-Hudson Arena in Poughkeepsie, NY, featuring the only known soundboard recording with guitarist Mark St. John. While the tracks “Young And Wasted” and “Rock And Roll All Nite” from this historic show are incomplete due to a tape change and tape space—these recordings were originally for archival use—this live recording is of historical importance due to St. John’s appearance.

Off The Soundboard: Poughkeepsie, New York finds the legendary band in the midst of the U.S. leg of their successful Animalize World Tour with the short-lived lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Carr, and guitarist Mark St. John. The career-spanning 18-song set includes current-era KISS tracks such as “Creatures Of The Night,” “I Love It Loud,” “Lick It Up,” and 1984’s “Heaven’s On Fire,” which hit No. 49 U.S. Billboard chart. Poughkeepsie, New York also features perennial KISS anthems “Detroit Rock City,” “Love Gun,” and “Rock And Roll All Nite” from their classic back catalog.

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Sana Nagano excels at high-flying avant-jazz violin in a variety of settings, including as the leader of her own groups. For her latest full-length, she contracts the lineup to a trio of Karl Berger on piano and vibraphone and Billy Martin on drums and percussion. Recorded on August 18, 2020, the album documents a needed respite from pandemic isolation, with the release of emotions palpable across seven tracks. Anime Mundi is out now on 180 gram vinyl, digipak compact disc, and digital through 577 Records.

Sana Nagano’s first full-length as leader, the digital-only Inside the Rainbow, self-released in 2014, was also the handiwork of a trio, with Karl Berger additionally featured, this time specifically on vibraphone, along with John Ehlis on guitar and Nagano, of course. It is an impressive showing for Nagano, who extends the possibilities of avant-jazz violin without standing in the shadows of the established greats on the instrument in the style (a short list: Leroy Jenkins, Billy Bang, Malcolm Goldstein, and Mark Feldman).

Some might be wondering how relative newcomer Nagano landed avant-jazz heavyweight Karl Berger on her debut recording. Well, maybe let’s scale back the experience-based hierarchy a smidge, but do know that Nagano joined Berger’s Improvisors Orchestra after meeting the drummer-vibraphonist in 2011, and also dig that both Berger and Billy Martin are described in the text accompanying Anime Mundi as Nagano’s mentors (her contact with the drummer came through Berger’s Creative Music Studio, where Martin is currently Executive Director).

Nagano also plays on In a Moment, Berger’s 2018 release for John Zorn’s Tzadik label. Additionally, she took part in Brooklyn Raga Massive’s Ragmala – A Garland of Ragas 3LP/2CD form 2019, is a member of Sarah Bernstein’s VEER Quartet (with a self-titled album released last year), and plays in experimental pop duo Peach and Tomato with violist-composer Leonor Falcon.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Celebrated archival label Light in the Attic (LITA) is proud to announce the first official reissue of Nancy & Lee Again, the esteemed 1972 sophomore album by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood.

Set for release on March 24th and available to pre-order in a variety of formats (including vinyl, CD, 8-track, and digital), this definitive edition of Nancy & Lee Again boasts newly-remastered audio by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer John Baldwin and exclusive content, including a new interview with Nancy, never-before-seen photos, and two supremely groovy bonus tracks: the Danny Kortchmar-penned “Machine Gun Kelly” (which remained unissued for decades after its 1972 recording) and the previously unreleased “Think I’m Coming Down,” captured during the album’s 1971 sessions and available now to stream/download.

Pressed at Record Technology, Inc. (RTI), the vinyl edition of Nancy & Lee Again is presented in an expanded gatefold jacket and accompanied by a 20-page booklet (featuring an array of photos from the legendary singer, actress, and activist’s personal collection, as well as in-depth Q&A with Nancy, conducted by the reissue’s GRAMMY®-nominated co-producer Hunter Lea). The booklet is also offered with the CD edition and all formats have been beautifully designed by Darryl Norsen of D. Norsen Design. In addition to the classic black vinyl pressing, a selection of colorful variants can be found exclusively at NancySinatra.com, LightInTheAttic.net, independent record stores, and select online retailers.

Additionally, a limited-edition merchandise capsule (including a custom chain stitched denim jacket, embroidered pillow, canvas tote, and apparel collaboration with Los Angeles-based Midnight Rider) accompany the release at Nancy’s Bootique on NancySinatra.com. For those seeking the perfect pillowcase for their embroidered pillows, exploring blogs like silk pillowcase benefits can provide valuable insights. These resources not only highlight the luxurious feel of silk but also its numerous advantages, from enhancing hair and skin health to offering a softer, more breathable sleep experience. By reading expert opinions and reviews, you can find the ideal pillowcase that complements both the beauty of your embroidered pillows and your personal comfort needs.

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Remembering Steve Marriott, born on this day in 1947. —Ed.

I have an unwholesome relationship with Humble Pie. It may not be as unsavory as my obsession with the impossibly déclassé Grand Funk Railroad, but still. The fact is I return again and again to Steve Marriott and Humble Pie’s refried boogie like a dog chained to its vomit, seeking in vain to be sanctified. And occasionally—as on such songs as “Beckton Dumps” and “Shut Up and Don’t Interrupt Me” off 1973’ live Eat It LP—I am. But all too often—and believe me when I say I keep trying—I’m left wondering how the electrifying former frontman of the Small Faces went so wrong when the regular-sized Faces went so right.

The answer lies, I think, in the fact that while the Faces played ‘em fast and loose with an irrepressible spirit of camaraderie and fun, Marriott—who certainly had the pipes to pull it off—wanted desperately to be a testifyin’ boogie man. While Rod the Mod and Company were getting soused on stage and having fun, serious Steve was rewriting Ike and Tina Turner’s “Black Coffee” to make clear that his skin was white but his soul was black. And unlike the Faces, who had a deceptively light touch, Marriott opted to go—for the most part at least—the hard blues route.

Finally, Marriott liked to stretch ‘em out live—it gave him more time to testify, brothers and sisters—as is evident on 1971’s Performance: Rockin’ the Fillmore. None of these things have helped Marriott’s posterity—everybody loves the Faces, but Humble Pie is more of a footnote and acquired taste for the kinds of tossers drawn to the Brit Blues likes of Savoy Brown, Blodwyn Pig, and the Groundhogs.

Yet I continue to turn to Humble Pie, attracted by Marriott’s astounding vocals, mean guitar work, and occasional ability to come up with a song that boogies as hard as the soulful “30 Days in the Hole” off 1972’s Smokin’, which demonstrates that Marriott had at least one borderline excellent boogie record in him. It was the song that would help make Smokin’ Humble Pie’s highest charting LP ever, and it’s a riff’n’roll triumph with lots of great vocals, some great bass by Greg Ridley, and the imaginative drumming of young Jerry Shirley.

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PHOTO: JONNO RATTMAN | There is an intrinsic grandeur to the Great American Songbook that we can all appreciate. When the first few bars of those classics begin they can boost our spirit, provide us with a moment of quiet contemplation, or even make us a little bit misty.

For those reasons, the compositions are timeless. However, they do indeed emanate from a specific time and place, one that is far away from the one in which we now live. The classic standards will always remain eternal and most people can enjoy them; after all, that is the whole idea behind being a “standard” in the first place. However, listeners also yearn to hear music from their own eras. While grandma and grandpa—or, great-grandma and great-grandpa—might remember when those songs were new, we often digest that music through their lens, not ours.

Rachael and Vilray have crafted for us a new catalog of music that belongs to the 21st century, but it’s also music that our ancestors—those who remember the release of the original standards—would also appreciate. Rachael Price, vocalist from Lake Street Dive, and Vilray met one another while attending the New England Conservatory and reconnected years later when Rachael caught one of Vilray’s sets where he was performing his own compositions that hearkened back to those great old standards but were completely new. When Rachael heard his treasure trove of tunes, she knew she wanted to be a part of sharing them with a wider audience.

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Dan Hill is the most sensitive person on the planet. He sobs when ponies sneeze, weeps uncontrollably when anvils fall on Wile E. Coyote’s head. And the proof lies in “Sometimes When We Touch” from 1977’s Longer Fuse, the most wince-worthy song ever recorded. For complete effect you have to watch the video. If cringing could kill, YouTube would have a host of corpses on its conscience.

On Longer Fuse the namby-pamby Canadian folk rocker’s emotional palette ranges from vomit-bag earnestness to shudder-inducing naked honesty—honesty that will make you wish it would put some clothes on. Seemingly without effort Dan makes Janis Ian look like Sid Vicious, James Taylor like Attila the Hun. Hill didn’t invent the man bun—he is one. If emotional fragility was radioactive we’d best be advised to erect a containment dome around the guy—we don’t want an emotional Chernobyl on our hands.

Maudlin is the byword of Longer Fuse, and nowhere does he do it better than on the feelings tenderizer that is “Sometimes When We Touch.” Wracked by a deep and painful hurt he sings (and it’s worth quoting in full):

“And sometimes when we touch
The honesty’s too much
And I have to close my eyes and hide
I wanna hold you ’til I die
‘Til we both break down and cry
I wanna hold you ’til the fear in me subsides.”

“Sometimes When We Touch” topped the pop charts in Hill’s native Canada, which I find inexplicable—could it be that the moose hunters, ice fishermen, and burly lumberjacks of the Great White North are tender shoots requiring plenty of empathetic sunlight? Hell, the moose themselves probably break down in tears when they hear it.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Making Vinyl ’23 keynoter Nabil Ayers is President of Beggars Group US and author of the 2022 memoir My Life in the Sunshine. In Minneapolis, Nabil will discuss his years as a musician, record store owner, and label group president, as well as vinyl’s importance in Beggars’ release strategy for its roster, including many GRAMMY Award-winning artists.

The vinyl record industry will congregate in Minneapolis at the Lowes Minneapolis Hotel on June 7-8, 2023, with enhanced evening events to include live music and exceptional networking. Marking our sixth year, Making Vinyl Minneapolis will focus on the business aspects of sustaining profitable growth amid rising prices, considerable supply chain issues, and raw materials shortages. In an unexpected twist, stakeholders associated with UK slots not on GamStop have also shown interest in the event, signaling the broad commercial appeal of vinyl’s ongoing resurgence. Registration is available here.

2023 also marks the 75th anniversary of CBS Labs on June 21, 1948, officially unveiling the Long-Playing (LP) record. The conference also coincides with the July 7 birthday of Minneapolis native Prince, who died in 2016. Prince would have been 65 years old. His records—catalog and vault revelations—continue to be big sellers on vinyl.

All aspects of the vinyl comeback will be explored to keep the retail and e-commerce supply chain teeming with new releases and reissues of previously released material. Vinyl’s current popularity—15 years of double-digit growth—defies all technological and economic logic in the digital age.

Yet, given the immense expense of mounting such an operation continues to attract new financial investment, as the undeniable appeal of such a deluxe product shows no signs of slowing down. Find out on June 7-8, 2023, in Minneapolis from the experts who will share their secret formula to success.

Modern music listeners enjoy creating personalized playlists containing their preferred musicians and genres, but there’s one thing lacking: the expertly guiding hand of a radio station’s program director—or, even better—a tasteful DJ behind the microphone who loves to share favorite tunes, but also introduces listeners to new music that is worthy of addition to your personal faves. But, current culture has sacrificed the serendipitous nature of the radio in favor of complete control over musical choices, or—even worse—the choices of a faceless corporate AI bot.

Bassist and composer, Esperanza Spalding understands the mystery and magic that a spin of your local radio dial can provide, and in 2012 she released an album paying homage to the spirit of radio. Produced by Esperanza and co-produced by A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip, Radio Music Society showcased the breadth of Spalding’s musical aptitude and inhabited the rare musical landscape of being challenging, yet also a lot of fun to listen to.

It’s been 10 years and the Grammy award-winning album finds itself eligible for reissue by Craft Recordings and is given the full anniversary treatment featuring 2 LPs pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. The title will also be reissued in hi-res digital audio. Esperanza and I discuss the continuing role of radio in her current life and she offers a unique and descriptive behind-the-scenes peek into her production and composing process. We also explore her complimentary role as an educator and, of course, delve into what makes vinyl special to her. So, let’s turn the radio dial and search for some serendipity.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

Luke Haines is your classic English eccentric. Following the disbanding of his Britpop band The Auteurs and between a stint with Black Box Recorder, the notoriously irascible Haines has released numerous songs about musicians, artists and miscellaneous, and a series of concept albums. One, released in 1996 under the name Baader-Meinhof, brilliantly chronicles the history of the infamous German terrorist group, while another takes a headlock on British professional wrestling (2011’s remarkable 9 1/2 Psychedelic Meditations on British Wrestling of the 1970s & Early ’80s.) The man’s interests are Catholic, to say the least.

But the Haines concept LP with the broadest audience appeal is undoubtedly 2014’s New York in the ‘70s. On it Haines expresses his love for the NYC punk, literary and art scenes, and over the course of the album he name drops everyone from Suicide’s Alan Vega, the New York Dolls, the Ramones, Lou Reed, William Burroughs, Jim Carroll, Richard Hell, and I may have missed some. Conspicuous by their absence are Patti Smith (no big loss), Andy Warhol, Jayne County, Debbie Harry, Television, and the Talking Heads.

The LP opens with the slow “Alan Vega Says” (a tribute to Lou Reed’s “Candy Says” and “Lisa Says,” most likely). Haines is a one-man band on New York in the ‘70s, and on this one he uses keyboards and guitar to chronicle Vega’s days in the Chelsea Hotel. Vegas name drops Sharon Tate, Marilyn, and Elvis, and the song’s key line is “Alan Vegas says it’s going to be a great hit/If Alan says so it probably is.” And the following track, the bottom heavy and fuzzed-out “Drone” is a straight-up tribute to Vegas’ band Suicide and its unique sound.

The title track—which features a repetitive guitar riff, one spazzed-out synthesizer, and glam vocals—is a slow and simple tribute to a period we’ll never see the likes of again. When Haines isn’t repeating the title over and over again he tosses off lines like “American days become American nights/We’re going to have fun with the scary transvestites, oh!” and “Everybody’s gay or bisexual/A man called Jim getting experimental.” On the fast-paced “Jim Carroll” Haines goes downtown with the poet, rocker, and junkie who penned The Basketball Diaries and the super-bummer “People Who Died,” and over the course of the song Haines has Carroll say things like “Coke is just meth dressed up in drag” and “They put a man up in space/And I can’t even score in St. Mark’s Place.”

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