The Sword Warp Riders Kemado Records By Al Kaufman There’s something about metal and fantasy. Gods, Norsemen, and epic battles seem to be the perfect stories to tell in front of crunching guitars.
American Bang American Bang Reprise By Al Kaufman American Bang is a rock and roll band; of that there is no doubt. Their debut CD opens with what sounds like a wild sound check, then blasts into “Whiskey Walk,” which contains the type of spiraling guitars that were Living Color’s trademark back in the early […]
Girl in a Coma Adventures in Coverland Blackheart Records By Al Kaufman Girl in a Coma are cooler than you. Deal with it. The all-female San Antonio trio formed over their love of all things Smiths and Nirvana when Jenn Alva and Phanie Diaz were still in high school. They took in Phanie’s then 12-year-old […]
Rachael Sage Delancey St. MPress Records By Al Kaufman Rachael Sage is a pop goddess. Equal parts chutzpah and glamour, her songs are glittery and shiny, but carry enough weight that they never never fly away. She’s constantly in fishnets of some sort, but she’s smart enough to start up and maintain her own record company. […]
Jenny and Johnny I’m Having Fun Now Warner Brothers By Al Kaufman Those who complain that Rilo Kiley does not have enough Jenny Lewis will have the same problem with Jenny and Johnny. Jenny and her flame, Johnathan Rice, basically trade songs on their coming out disc, relegating the other person to back-up harmonies and […]
Colour Revolt The Cradle New Fear/Dualtone By Al Kaufman For all intents and purposes, Colour Revolt should no longer be a band. In the last year they lost their recording contract with Fat Possum, then lost their guitarist, bass player and drummer. But Jesse Coppenbarger and Sean Kirkpatrick, (both vocalists, guitarists and keyboardists) soldiered on. […]
Jay Brannan In Living Cover Great Depression Records By Al Kaufman Jan Brannan is not a happy guy. He is a self-described “antisocial misanthrope.” His Christmas song is titled “Christmas Really Sucks.” His record company is called Great Depression Records. He hates dogs, Air Canada, and the Best Buy on 23rd and 6th in Manhattan. […]
Moreland and Arbuckle Flood Telarc By Al Kaufman Aaron Moreland and Dustin Arbuckle are doing everything they can to keep to blues alive. Arbuckle tears apart his harp every time he brings it to his lips. His voice is rich and just rough enough to sound like he’s lived about which he sings. He sounds […]
Steve Miller Band Bingo! Roadrunner By Al Kaufman Steve Miller has sold exactly 1.6 gazillion copies of the Steve Miller Band Greatest Hits 1974-78. In the ’80s, every single person in the United States either owned a copy or knew a person who owned a copy. For college freshmen, the album came in the orientation […]
Will Kimbrough Wings Daphne By Al Kaufman Like his musical friends Tommy Womack, Rodney Crowell, and, to a lesser degree, Todd Snider, Will Kimbrough has comfortably settled into middle age. On his fifth solo CD (he has released at least five others as part of various bands and produced a few others) Nashville/Americana stalwart Kimbrough […]
Back Row Baptists Broken Hearts & Bad Decisions Vintage Earth Music By Al Kaufman As the name implies, The Back Row Baptists are a group that carry a Bible in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. They want to be good but, well, there are just so many fun evil things […]
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Mojo Reprise By Al Kaufman Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are, first and foremost, a bar band. The fact is, they are one of the best bar bands working. Put any type of American music in front of them and they will play the hell out of it. Yes, sometimes […]
Devo Something for Everybody Warner Brothers By Al Kaufman “What we do/Is what we do/It’s all the same/There’s nothing new” sings Devo on their first album of new material in 20 years. And they are correct. Something for Everybody sounds like it’s been only 20 months since Freedom of Choice, Devo’s high watermark. And while […]
ALO Man of the World Brushfire Records By Al Kaufman Yes, the new ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra) CD was produced by Jack Johnson, recorded in his solar powered studio in Hawaii, and distributed on his Brushfire record label. And, yes, it has a certain laid-back surfer sound to it, but while too much Jack Johnson […]
Monte Montgomery Monte Montgomery Eminent Records By Al Kaufman Monte Montgomery is an extraordinary guitarist. Of that there can be no doubt. One need just listen to his tremendous instrumental cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” to understand that. It is powerful enough to make a grown man weep. Montgomery is also adept and writing […]
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