Blog Post

Welcome to the second edition of what's become a bi-weekly column.  While the weather has begun to get a little colder, entertainment and online media have not cooled off.  But should I be missing anything worthwhile and deserving of column space, please feel free to reach out to me with an e-mail: darren.paltrowitz@gmail.com. Here are 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader: L.E.O. / Alpacas Orgling - Admittedly, I missed the boat on this gem of an album.  Essentially, L.E.O. is a one-off led by renowned singer-songwriter Bleu.  Wearing his E.L.O. influences on his sleeve, Bleu and friends (including…

Newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, YouTube, blogs, RSS feeds, viral marketing campaigns...it's nearly impossible to stay current nowadays. As soon as you think you're caught up on your reading and streaming, your phone is bound to start ringing. And your inbox fills up again. Without a doubt, we are living in an age where information is the currency. This column isn't meant to tell you everything that's going on everywhere. Instead, it intends to clue you in about some media (e.g. music, film, books, websites) that its author has recently discovered. These discoveries may not be cutting-edge, but they will be…

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine sucks. It used to be called Irvine Meadows. Been there a few times to see various other acts and every time is a letdown. Don’t get me wrong; it’s never the performer’s fault. It’s the outdoor theater’s fault. It seats uncomfortably about 15,000 people. Just like most other outdoor theaters, the acoustics are god-awful…extraordinarily bad. So bad it often makes it hard to enjoy the music, or rather, always makes it hard to enjoy the music. Last Friday’s Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers show was no exception. But there were other factors that made for…

[Editor's note: Cover images of albums previously reviewed on the DV have been linked to the review.] "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" Led Zeppelin Sweet and a little sad with a weaving skiffle beat, this is no Immigrant Song or Kashmir’s churning beats and relentless drumming; instead, there’s a lovely innocence in this ode to Plant’s blue-eyed Merle dog , while Page’s melodic guitar lines weaving through hand-clap accented verses add a catchy lightness not immediately associated with Zeppelin. "Something In The Way" – Nirvana Propelled to the masses by the heart-pounding, dynamism of singles “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Lithium,” 1991’s Nevermind…

Having lived in Southern California my entire life, I should probably be a little more beach-friendly. Still, even though I burn to a crisp pretty much instantly, there’s still a romanticism to the ocean I can’t help but adore: the churn of the waves, the scent of saltwater that clings to your skin, that wonderful sense of sun-soaked laziness. From rollicking, upbeat songs to wispier, more downbeat cuts, this mix is meant to recall those bright, blissful summer days, whether it’s through sun-soaked harmonies, crashing, surf-like instrumentation, or just by virtue of sea-themed titles. So, dive in! (Just don’t forget…

If I didn’t believe Rolling Stone before, I do now: John Mayer is a rock god. Playing a sold-out, two-plus hour show at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California, Mayer blew through a crammed-full setlist of already-classic cuts off of 2006’s Continuum, catchy, folk-pop hits from earlier in his career, a surprisingly wide selection of covers, two encores, as well as the debut of a promising brand new song. “The set list is so right on and so packed that I was told not to trade story time for song time tonight,” Mayer announced at the beginning of the…

I’m not really one for guilty pleasures. I like what I like, whether it’s a weepy Coldplay ballad, driving along to old Backstreet Boys hits, or in this case, George Michael. But though he’s more associated with the bubblegum choruses and short-shorts of his Wham! days, over the years Michael has proven himself as a more than competent songwriter and cemented his chops as a tremendous singer. And there’s no better evidence of that than seeing him live on his Twenty-Five Live tour, which has him delving through his rich back catalogue for the first time in fifteen years (and…