On the scene in the Southern USA since the mid-’90s, Tyler Keith specializes in what one might call roots punk. He’s played in numerous bands and even released a few records under his own name along the way. His latest, I Confess, is the byproduct of tough personal circumstances. Faced with a lack of ducats, no musical compadres, and rising rent, Keith made a series of wise decisions; he grabbed his instruments, set up his 4-track, and cut a truly solo record in his kitchen. Raw and bluesy, the 12-song set is out now on vinyl and digital through Black & Wyatt Records.
Way back in the boom years of the 1990s, Tyler Keith’s band The Neckbones earned the distinction of being the first, and for a long while, the only rock band on the Fat Possum label. Garage punk was the style, and after The Neckbones finally snapped, Keith fronted the Preachers’ Kids for a handful of albums, then moved on to Tyler Keith & the Apostles and Teardrop City.
Under his own name, with backup, he recorded The Last Drag in 2020 and Hell to Pay in 2023. Now here comes I Confess, which is Keith going it wholly alone with appropriately crude overdubs in the spirit of dangerous times. Opener “Out on a Limb” rips right into high gear, dishing a jagged blues-rock grind with a legit air of desperation about it.
“Lost in the Desert” is a downright doomy journey into echo overload with convulsions of harmonica. “Buckskin Girl” sounds like a Nuggets-styled act that took a wrong turn and ended up playing their one song at gunpoint on the outskirts of some demented backwoods carnival. And then “Black Cloud Blues” takes a further offramp into acidic paroxysmal pessimism; it’s a bit like a late-night dark arts communion of John Lee Hooker and Jeffrey Lee Pierce.
Woodbridge, ON | ‘These records you find feel like treasures’: New Woodbridge record store offers something for everyone. Vaughan Record Exchange, located at 7611 Pine Valley Dr. Unit 14 Upper, opened in October and is one of the only independent record stores selling rare collectibles in the city. It was in spring 2024 when Woodbridge music lover Paul Mandel was crushed by the closing of his favourite record store in Vaughan. At the time, the now closed Allora Records on Rutherford Road was one of the only independent record stores selling vinyl in the city, Mandel says. But the closure acted as the catalyst for the 45-year-old to open his own shop in Woodbridge, so other local music enthusiasts could have a place to buy their favourite albums 
Kingston, UK | Bullseye legend and former Kingston record store owner dies, aged 91: Andrew Wood, who co-created the iconic darts-themed game show Bullseye in 1980 and opened Kingston’s first-ever record store, has died at the age of 91, his daughter Laura Wood has confirmed in a heartbreaking statement. The legendary darts-themed game show, co-created with comic Norman Vaughan in 1980, quickly became a hit and was a staple on ITV throughout the 80s and 90s. Andrew’s daughter, Laura Wood, announced his passing on the social media platform, LinkedIn. She shared that her father died on Sunday, 16 November in a touching statement. It read: “On Sunday morning, my Mum and I said a goodbye that we always knew was coming, but so desperately never wanted to. “Most people will know him as the man 
As “No Blues” opens Smokin’ at the Half Note it becomes rapidly clear the album’s title is wholly accurate, though in fact it only communicates part of the release’s reality, as the three tracks on side two, the Sam Jones composition “Unit 7,” the Montgomery original “Four on Six” and the standard “What’s New?,” were cut in studio in September of 1965. The visit to Van Gelder’s Hackensack, NJ studio, reportedly at the behest of producer Creed Taylor, occurred roughly three months after the band’s engagement at the New York City club; the LP hit stores in November of that year.
Los Angeles, CA | Forget Spotify, Here Are L.A.’s 27 Best Record Shops: Everyone would have said you were crazy to open a record shop in the last few decades, as sturdy and convenient cassettes, CDs, MP3s, and music streaming services took over the world’s speakers through the years. It’s a good thing Los Angeles didn’t listen. We live in an incredible town for record collectors, with a surfeit of vinyl shops and stands in just about every one of L.A.’s 88 cities and sprawling bewilderment of neighborhoods. So many that we feel we only scratched the surface in delivering you 27. Even after we added 10 more. So whether you’re a dedicated digger of crates, a touring name in turntablism, or merely a tocadisco-dilettante hoping to start your collection, we can promise you, 
Toronto, CA | The gift of music: Here are 5 Toronto vinyl shops to find the perfect holiday present: From rare finds to independent releases and classic albums that shaped entire genres, there are plenty of record shops in the city that offer the whole package for every collector, casual listener, and vinyl novice. Vinyl is one of the most meaningful ways to connect with music, and Toronto’s record shop scene is at the heart of finding the perfect soundtrack for your favourite person this season. Skip the bustling store chaos this year and 
The entire Blue Öyster Cult Konzept was an elaborate shuck, right down to the cryptic band name, hilarious umlaut and utterly cool logo. The band’s “Career of Evil” persona was a goof, conceived by the high-spirited inmates of a group house at Long Island’s Stony Brook University. One of them was rock critic Sandy Pearlman, who was quickly named the band’s manager and contributed lyrics, and from the very start they exploited the kinds of dark imagery and subject matter (Nazi fighter jets, Altamont motorcycle gangs, dominance and submission) designed to induce a sense of menace. And this from a group of friendly Jewish guys from the nation’s first suburb whose collective notion of evil probably consisted of sneaking free food from the university’s dining hall.
