CD Review: Telekinesis – Dormarion

By Ellen Eldridge Michael Benjamin Lerner is the man behind the band Telekinesis. At 26, he has weathered through life’s ups and downs and recorded his thoughts across three albums. Dormarion succinctly completes a sort of circle around his previous two albums, 2009’s self-titled debut and 2011’s 12 Desperate Straight Lines. The haunting echo of […]

CD Review: Beth Hart – Bang Bang Boom Boom – Out TOMORROW April 2nd!

By Ellen Eldridge I actually Googled “Baddest Blues” to see if the song of the same title was originally written by blues singer Billie Holiday or maybe Nina Simone, but Beth Hart simply drew from these great inspirations and then some (according to her own list of artists to whom she dedicated Bang Bang Boom […]

CD Review: Suicidal Tendencies – 13

Review by Ellen Eldridge On the one hand, hearing that Suicidal Tendencies releases its first new album in 13 years makes me reminisce on the bands that plowed me through the ‘90s; on the other hand, a nagging voice asks, “Really?” because didn’t Megadeth just release an album called 13 in 2011? But Suicidal announces […]

CD Review: Sevendust – Black Out the Sun

Review by Ellen Eldridge Black Out the Sun is the ninth release by Atlanta natives Sevendust since 1997; this release also marks the first time the band has taken more than two years to release an album as Cold Day Memory came out in 2010. The guys must have taken the extra year to nail […]

Interview & 5GB with Kevn Kinney and Sadler Vaden of Drivin N Cryin

Scarred But Smarter; life n times of drivin n cryin is a new documentary film that takes its name from the 1986 debut released by 688 Records. The documentary is about the veteran Southern alternative rockers Drivin N Cryin, and is directed by Eric Von Haessler. You can view trailers and teasers here:  http://scarredbutsmarterdoc.com/test/ Von […]

Live Review & Picture Book: St. Lucia @ Vinyl, 3/19

Review and photos by Ellen Eldridge Fans who caught St. Lucia opening for Ellie Goulding at The Tabernacle in January returned to the Vinyl last night to catch them headlining a show, with Haerts supporting. Both acts stood out for their vocalists, who each maintained a fun atmosphere of rhythm and dancing. St. Lucia singer […]

CD Review: Colleen Green – Sock it to Me Drops Tuesday, March 19th

Review by Ellen Eldridge The Descendents’ influence on Colleen Green extends through fuzzy guitars, growling amps and quietly melodious vocals on her full-length Sock it to Me (3/19 Hardly Art Records). She has been described as “long hair and getting high,” by Joe Bernardi, and if that doesn’t speak to the theme and the undercurrent […]

CD Review: Intronaut – Habitual Levitations Drops Tuesday, March 19th

Review by Ellen Eldridge The word Intronaut makes me think of a spacesuit-clad band destined only to open for bigger bands, spiraling out musically while standing still on stage. After listening to Habitual Levitations, I feel quite certain that Intronaut will break out of its well-earned slot opening for bands including Tool and Meshuggah. Maybe […]

CD Review: Anthrax – Anthems; Drops March 19th

Review by Ellen Eldridge I’ll be the first to admit that my love of Anthrax and Scott Ian stem from Ian’s appearance on The Simpsons more than does it for my indulging in the band’s discography. Not that I ever had anything against Anthrax; I just didn’t get too into any of the albums minus […]

CD Review: Shooter Jennings – The Other Life, Releases March 12th

By Ellen Eldridge   If Waylon Jennings hadn’t given his seat up on the famous flight Buddy Holly chartered in 1958 that crashed on the “day the music died,” son “Shooter” would never have lived to combine the psychedelic influence of Pink Floyd with the earthy soul of outlaw country music.   His 1979 arrival […]

CD Review: Helado Negro – Invisible Life

By Ellen Eldridge Shoe-gazing, dancing alone in a crowd while wearing headphones, mumbling in the rain and dreaming in a foreign language all touch on the feelings contained within the first track on Helado Negro’s Invisible Life. Roberto Carlos Lange fuses synthetic elements and samples with Spanish lyrics. “Lentamente” slowly moves from “Llumina Vos,” which […]

CD Review: Buckcherry – Confessions

Review by Ellen Eldridge Fans on the bus with Buckcherry know the band for its rock appeal; the down and dirty life one would expect from a fast-soloing, hard living group of guys. And I may have always been running behind the bus unsure if I wanted on or not. I’ve seen Buckcherry open for […]

CD Review: Big Wreck – Albatross

Review by Ellen Eldridge   A thick band of power chords grinds out early in the opening track, “Head Together,” on Big Wreck’s Albatross, effectively introducing the band’s first new album in ten years. For fans unfamiliar with Big Wreck, comparisons to Soundgarden and Led Zeppelin are fair considering Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush, Alice […]

CD Review: Atlas Genius – When it was Now

Review by Ellen Eldridge Atlas Genius managed to do what almost every band wants to do and what very few achieve: buzz. Before the release of the band’s debut full-length, with only an EP, Atlas Genius generated quite a bit of well-deserved buzz. “Like an invitation you weren’t expecting to get, Atlas Genius knocks on […]

CD Review: Puscifer – Donkey Punch the Night EP

Review by Ellen Eldridge   I get nervous with my Puscifer CDs because I know I will want them around to comfort me when I need a pick me up song full of boldly layered lines and powerfully dynamic vocals. Many Tool fans assume Puscifer is frontman Maynard James Keenan’s bastard child; a joke band […]