Month: January 2003

Kansas Carries On: A Conversation With Phil Ehart

Kansas is one of America's longest-running progressive rock bands. They're also considered a classic rock band, as their 1970s hits ("Carry On Wayward Son," "Dust in the Wind," "Point of Know Return") "are often played on radio stations specializing in that format. Whatever you wanna call them, one thing is true: they're an outstanding band and very original in what they do. That continues today -- Kansas does not give an impression of a band that strictly relies on their greatest hits catalogue. They're still releasing new albums, playing many concerts, and staying active creatively. Their newer material may not…
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Joe Strummer: Through Death And Glory

If I had a time machine that could take me back to see one rock concert, it would have been the Clash, around 1979. No question. No debate. Thinking of all the potential concerts: U2 in Austin during the Joshua Tree tour, Nirvana at a club in Seattle in early, early 1991, Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Ranch Bowl in 1992, when each band was hungry and had something to prove. Public Enemy in 1989 in New York. James Brown at the Apollo in 1968 (OK, that one would be close).But, honestly, at their most…
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Death Of The Deth

  It was the summer of 1990. I was a soon-to-be junior in college and working in a restaurant, bussing tables, doing dishes, waiting on tables, cashiering - - I did anything but cook. A co-worker, a punk reject who quit school between 8th and 9th grade, came in to work with a casette version of Rust In Peace. "Listen to this."Remember, this is 1990. Thrash metal was on the verge of going mainstream. Slayer's South of Heaven was out and The Clash of the Titans tour was in full-swing: an unknown band called Alice in Chains, Anthrax, Megadeth and…
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Rush In No Hurry This Time Around

It might have been tempting for Rush to short-change their fans on this tour. After all, a band of their status could figure that most in the audience have seen the band before so, hey, they've had their night, let's not play all the songs people want to hear - - that way they'll come back. Rush resisted that temptation Friday, November 1, 2002, when it landed its current Vapor Trails tour at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. Rush fans gathered for what could be called a business meeting. The agenda? Three hours of progressive rock and roll with…
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