Yearly Archives: 2013

The Rolling Stones – Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!

(With The Rolling Stones about to kick off their 2013 “50 & Counting” tour, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit one of my favorite Stones pieces that I’ve written. I was just a kid when I made my folks’ little house shake, playing Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! up in my room. I had […]

Paul McHugh: Teching for the Truckers and Picking for Pilgrim

I’ve always wondered when watching the techs and roadies do their thing prior to a concert how many of those folks are wishing/thinking/hoping that their turn in the spotlight is coming. In particular, it’s interesting to watch the various approaches guitar techs take in their on-stage gear checks: some are seen but never heard, listening […]

Doubleheader Review: John Medeski – A Different Time & Billy Martin’s Wicked Knee – Heels Over Head

A Different Time may be keyboard djinn John Medeski’s first solo album (and it really is, believe it or not), but his instrument of choice for this outing deserves nearly-equal billing itself. Medeski had the sound and vibe of Arthur Rubinstein’s RA recordings in mind when he went into Waterfront Studios to work on A […]

John Simon: The Producer of The Band, Janis and Leonard Cohen “Vitalizes” His Career

It’s difficult to list John Simon’s accomplishments as producer. You can start reeling off titles such as The Band’s Music from Big Pink, their self-titled second album, and The Last Waltz; Cheap Thrills by Big Brother And The Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin; Leonard Cohen’s debut album; Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel; The Electric Flag; […]

John Brown’s Body – Kings And Queens

Now this was worth waiting five years for. Hear ye, hear ye: John Brown’s Body’s new Kings And Queens is the band’s best album to date, hands down. There’s a vibe of comfort that reigns supreme – not in terms of lack of fire, as the album is loaded with it, but rather an overall […]

Steve Earle – The Low Highway

Steve Earle wastes no time in getting things rolling on The Low Highway: the title song features Kelley Looney’s easy-loping bass counting ‘em off while Chris Masterson’s pedal steel soars and moans like a semi rolling by. “Travelin’ out on the low highway/Three thousand miles to the ‘Frisco bay,” sings Earle, his observations of the […]

You Should Be Listening to Steve Jones

Let’s face it: nobody moves here to Maine to get their musical career off the ground. Hell, it’s hard enough to get performers to even swing up this way for a show during the winter months (that would be from late September through early May). I’m pretty sure there must be a master map used […]

Full Moon Resort’s Music Masters Camps: Allowing Songs to Fill the Air

Imagine, if you will, a jam-friendly country paradise where the mood is peaceful and relaxed … where live music is offered up in numerous flavors in the most intimate of settings … where everyone – musicians, music lovers, players/students/listeners – is cool … where the trees come to life and dance to the music with […]

Jimbo Mathus & The Tri-State Coalition: Ridin’ the White Buffalo

Welcome to Jimbo Mathus’ world of interplanetary honky-tonk: a place where twang and zen and tube amps and good karma and hoo-doo and doo-bee dom dom dwell in perfect harmony. The latest dispatch from Jimbo’s parallel universe (rooted within the four walls of his Delta Recording Service in Como, MS) is White Buffalo … and […]

The Fabulous Thunderbirds – On The Verge

My only quibble with the pre-release PR on The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ new album On The Verge is the reference to it being “a departure for the legendary blues rockers as they explore their soulful side.” Heck, as far as I’m concerned, the T-Birds might have been a blues band from the beginning but there’s always […]