Blog Post

As I was walking out of the Rush concert in Moline, IL, on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, I overheard a woman say, “Yeah, that was not the best Rush show I’ve ever been to, but it was pretty good.” Pretty good?? Rush provided around 6,000 fans with a grade-A, excellent rock concert. In addition to superb musicianship, a couple of loud explosions startled fans and an impressive laser light show supplemented the songs. There were also three huge screens that showed an assortment of images throughout the concert. The only way I can come close to understanding what this woman…

Disclaimer: I adore Elton John. I mean, really love him. Growing up, the music of Elton John was shoved down my throat the same way some children are force-fed the Bible. One of my earliest childhood memories is being in my bed, supposed to be napping, while my mother played Blue Moves and Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Piano Player brain-scramblingly loud on the record player. It always seemed to me, and still does, that Elton John’s music was unusually and distinctively sophisticated for pop; there’s really nothing else like it out there. Between Elton’s gift for composition, Bernie…

Jozef Skrzek sounds very relaxed speaking from his home in Poland.  It’s a late evening when I call, but he seems to be happy to discuss his beloved SBB, a band he formed nearly 40 years ago.  Despite the poor phone connection, Skrzek is full of enthusiasm, very laid back and willing to share a lot of interesting facts about the band and his songwriting in general.  SBB(which stands for Silesian Blues Band) is a fantastic progressive rock band from Poland. They formed back in 1969 with three already established musicians: Jozef Skrzek handled keyboards, bass and vocals, Apostolis Antymos…

The one idea that resonates throughout this film is that it is about The Smiths from the people who were actually there (and no, they aren’t Marr or Morrissey. And the way it is shot goes hand-in-hand with this idea – Inside The Smiths is not a typical rock documentary of The Smiths. It doesn’t go deep inside the lives of the band to expose spectacular facts about its members that the public never knew. It is merely a series of interviews – almost like story-telling – of the “other” two Smiths, bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce.In a…

Bloodsimple first came to my attention as a band “featuring former members of Vision Of Disorder.” However, Bloodsimple quickly stood on its own feet, inking a deal with Bullygoat, Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray’s imprint on Warner Brothers. The New York-based quintet has toured with the likes of Alice In Chains, Stone Sour, Trivium and Sevendust. Summer 2007 saw a stint with Korn on the Family Values Tour, which preceded the October 2007 release of Red Harvest. The band’s second full-length, as produced by Machine, has been earning substantial U.S. radio airplay with first single “Out To Get You.” Bassist Kyle…

Too often, we see music superstars who pass away long before their time. The list of the all time great rock musicians is littered with the names of those who died young: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc. Today, it is not a stretch to imagine waking up, turning on the television, and seeing that Amy Winehouse has OD’ed. Thankfully there are still those who, against the odds, continue to play music and contribute in some manner despite having faced major problems and addictions. Eric Clapton is one of those people. Clapton…