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Here are some more quick picks for you, the loyal reader:MUSIC: Hooray For Earth / Momo – Hooray For Earth has been renowned for distorted guitar sounds and gloomy lyrics going above layered melodic vocals. The Boston-rooted, New York City-based delivers a somewhat-new style their Momo EP, bringing more atmospheric keyboards and sounds into the mix. Prepare to be blown away by the anthemic (and optimistic) one-two punch that is “Surrounded By Your Friends” and “Comfortable, Comparable.” (hoorayforearth.net) BOOK: Jerry Weintraub / When I Stop Talking You’ll Know I’m Dead – Jerry Weintraub has had many roles in the entertainment…

Here are some more quick picks for you, the loyal reader:MUSIC: Gary Numan – Although he is primarily known for hits like “Cars” and “Down In The Park,” Gary Numan has long been renowned by music die-hards for being a pioneer of the synthesizer. Thus, Numan’s music has been covered by a wide range of artists from the Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails to Armand Van Helden and Basement Jaxx. At a recent New York City show at the Best Buy Theater, Numan flawlessly played his landmark album The Pleasure Principle in its entirety with a five-piece band backing…

I’m pretty proud of my concert repertoire; in my six or so years as a music reviewer, I’ve seen Red Hot Chili Peppers and U2, stalked James Blunt (he was cool at the time, okay?!), and endured a horde of rednecks to see Seal  at a county fair. But somehow, even the most major of those acts doesn’t quite compare to my night seeing Matt & Kim at Ram’s Head Live on Saturday, October 23rd. It’s funny, I’ve never heard a Matt & Kim song before that night, save for their big hit “Daylight,” which graced many a commercial last…

Here are some more quick picks for you, the loyal reader:MUSIC: X JAPAN – With a record-breaking 18 sell-outs of the 50,000-capacity Tokyo Dome to their credit, X JAPAN is arguably the most successful rock band in the history of Japan. Most artists would be content to relish in their domestic success, yet X JAPAN opted for their first U.S. tour this year, 28 years after their formation. Led by flamboyant drummer/pianist/composer Yoshiki, the group brought their full-scale production to the States, presenting it in front of a surprisingly-capacity crowd at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom. Given X JAPAN’s recent…

Here are some more quick picks for you, the loyal reader:MUSIC: The Madison Square Gardeners / Taste The Thunder – Arguably my new favorite New York City band, The Madison Square Gardeners are a six-piece alt-country combo that may remind you of both Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and The Replacements. A collective of scene veterans, all of the Gardeners are professional sidemen, having played with everyone from The New York Dolls and Ben Kweller to Dar Williams and Roseanne Cash. Although there are three songwriters and lead vocalists in the fold, all of the songs on Taste The Thunder…

Metal fans form a unique family, something I realized on Monday July 19 at People’s Court. People really looked out for each other that night, and it made the night that much better. The venue is divided into a large music area and a separate bar area. If someone fell down in the pit, someone helped them up. If someone slammed the door open going into the bathroom and startled someone, there was an apology (“Sorry, dude”) and an embarrassed smile. When I ventured into the bar, the bartender was friendly. The music being played was tasteful. I was in…

John Michael Osbourne, known to the world as Ozzy Osbourne, takes you deep inside his mind in nearly the 400-page I Am Ozzy. Those familiar with Osbourne will know what that means: lots of f-bombs and lots of anectdotes that trace his life from his beginnings, through the formation of Black Sabbath, being fired from Black Sabbath, forging his solo career with equally controversial wife Sharon at his side, reuniting with Black Sabbath with Ozzfest, the MTV series The Osbournes, and then ending with his sobriety. Even highlighting those events in life doesn't cover nearly half of the gory details…

Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse took his own life on March 6, 2010. He was forty-seven. The loss of a musician is a strangely potent thing. We connect with our favorite bands and singers in a way that’s sometimes impossible to do with other people: they let us immediately and entirely into their souls, into the hidden parts of themselves that we’re only lucky to share or even glimpse in our friends and loves. I’ve had friends for nearly a decade who have never said anything so intimate or striking to me as “Please don’t take my sunshine away” or “Someday…

Here are some more quick picks for you, the loyal reader:MUSIC: Robert Pollard / Elephant Jokes – Best known as the frontman and songwriter of Guided By Voices, Robert “Bob” Pollard is as prolific as rock & roll musicians come. However, Pollard also rarely opts to promote his releases. As a result, after recently discovering his July 2009 Elephant Jokes album, I also learned that he has since released an album with Boston Spaceships and another solo release titled We All Got Out Of The Army. In any case, Elephant Jokes brings more of the Who-inspired guitar-rock that GBV fans…

Here are some more quick picks for you, the loyal reader: MUSIC: Screaming Females – Hailing from New Brunswick, New Jersey, Screaming Females are a rock trio making waves nationwide less than 5 years after forming. Recently seen as a headliner of the Don Giovanni Records showcase at the Bowery Ballroom, the Females have come a long way since their basement scene origins. The latest release of the Marissa Paternoster-fronted group, Power Move, is their third full-length collection of punk-influenced indie-rock. Check out the video of first single, “Bell,” on YouTube. (screamingfemales.com) BOOK: Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres / I Am…