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My mom recently moved out of my childhood home, packing up twenty years, two hundred Beanie Babies, countless CDs, and two bulldogs for an epic cross-country move. But what didn’t make it onto the moving truck was my Wall Of Queen, the massive collage that I spent most of my adolescence and teen years carefully curating. It was made of lyrics scrawled directly onto the paint, pictures of Freddie Mercury with and without his signature mustache, vinyl records (used for decoration seeing as I don’t actually own a record player)…over time, some other interlopers made it onto the Wall, like…

Ever since catching the Foo Fighters at a festival in 2012, it’s been on my bucket list to see the legendary rockers headline their own show. Three years later, my rock ‘n’ roll dreams have been fulfilled with the Foo’s raucous, blistering, positively epic second night at Citi Field in Queens, New York. (Not to mention a standout appearance from up-and-coming heirs to the rock throne, Royal Blood, who readied the crowd with some of the raw, roiling cuts off their self-titled debut). It was no matter that Dave Grohl was playing with a broken leg, an injury sustained at…

Fear of disappointment—that’s always been the biggest obstacle to me seeing Death Cab For Cutie live, despite their status as one of my favorite bands of the modern era. The potential pitfalls seemed obvious; Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard’s songs are finely wrought poems about death and loneliness, distance and sadness, isolation and alienation. How could music with that sort of emotional palette possibility translate in a setting that’s all about an exchange of energy between artist and audience based on a shared emotional connection? And then there are the arrangements… Death Cab’s songs are typically complex studio creations crafted…

There have been hundreds of rock documentaries over the last couple of years, covering everything from Klaus Nomi to Pearl Jam. Some have been good, some have been very modest. This one, without a doubt, is one of the best. Jobriath was one of the most hyped (some say over-hyped) rock stars of the ’70s. He was openly gay before that was accepted in pop music. He was signed by a Svengali who wanted him to be the next Bowie. This film tells that story in the tremendous, fascinating detail. Drawing from exhaustive research and interviews with associates like former…

It goes without saying that Monty Python is one of the greatest comedy acts in the world.  Even if you don't quite get their humor, their irreverent and disestablishment comedy have permeated pop culture and survived for over forty years now. With the death of Graham Chapman in 1989, the troupe seemed to be finished. John Cleese had opted out of doing a sequel to Holy Grail before Chapman's death, and with the exception of the odd reunion here and there, there has been no full comedic production from the group since 1983’s The Meaning Of Life.   Until July…

A Nigerian multi-instrumentalist known for his politically fueled songs as well as starting the Afrobeat style of music in the late '60s, Fela Kuti was also a composer, activist and father whose children have carried on his strong political beliefs with their own music. At one point, Kuti's music was so controversial it sparked an attack from the government, who not only killed his mother but also destroyed his ability to record more music. Of course, this only led the defiant Kuti to pen even more diatribes about the Nigerian military and in 1980 he even ran for President of…

7:00: And we’re back for Year 2 of the Clutterbuck Grammy Live Blog! 7:01: Beyonce mixing two great films to start the evening off; a 1-2 punch of The Exorcist and FlashDance 7:03: I do realize that these kind of performances are performance-intensive, but doesn’t it sound like Beyonce is lip-syncing? 7:05: Annnnnnd there’s Jay-Z. Vegas had the odds on him appearing during this number at 2:1 7:06: If there’s an awards show, you can be damn well sure there will be live shots of Taylor Swift jamming to every song. 7:07: LL Cool J was brought back for his…

They used to call Eric Clapton “God,” but the highest anyone’s ever placed Bruce Springsteen in the pecking order is “The Boss.” This is ironic only insofar as anyone who has ever observed the fervor and absolute devotion of Springsteen’s most loyal fans can attest to the fact that the man has been essentially deified. As more than a casual fan myself, I have witnessed this firsthand, and the results aren’t always pretty. I remember one particular run-in I had in the early days of the Internet with a fan on the old USENET group rec.music.artists.springsteen who was basically furious…

I drove two hours to see this show and, due to other obligations, I wasn’t able to stay around to see Motion City Soundtrack (MCS). I was looking forward to hearing “When You’re Around” and them hope to catch you next time they’re in the area. Don’t take it personally, MCS. The first band on the bill, State Champs, is a five piece hardcore/punk/alternative rock band that play their material with spirit. Cramped onto a small stage, the lead singer was forced to simply jump and down. Some might even be able to make the comparison to a boy band…

Probably 150 people came to see the tour that rolled into Spicoli's in Waterloo, Iowa last week, but for those 150 people, seeing a legendary metal band like Saxon play in an intimate club setting was worth every penny for a ticket.  The Unity, Halcyon Way, and Fozzy warmed up for Saxon. Each band had high points. After slaying through their original songs, The Unity ended their short set with a note-for-note worship of Iron Maiden's "The Number Of The Beast" as the approving crowd roared. Next up was Halcyon Way, who rocked the stage with their material, including the…