Rock journalist Rob Kern, an avowed metalhead, chronicles his journey across a blistering sunscape of Chicago music in 33 Days in the Hole, now available in eBook format. You May Also Like: Chicago, “Questions 67 & 68” from Chicago Transit Authority (1969): One Track Mind Chicago, “It Better End Soon”Read More

Broad and spacious as all hell, Astra’s The Black Chord is retro in excess. The San Diego outfit employs all manner of guitar and analog synths to get the job done You May Also Like: Left Lane Cruiser – Beck In Black (2016) Why Black Sabbath Went Out on aRead More

Former Journey drummer Steve Smith joins his old bandmate Neal Schon as part of this week’s all-star tribute concert honoring Ronnie Montrose on Friday, April 27, 2012 You May Also Like: Steve Smith: The Albums That Shaped My Career

The next step beyond the ‘new’ garage rock movement? Successors to The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Hives, etc? Man, this tune really reminds me of the New Wave era. Maybe it’s the Robert Smith-like vocals. The snarky Gang Of Four-ish guitar line doesn’t hurt either. And geez, is thatRead More

The Sweet’s effervescent take on “New York Groove” opens their album of mashed-up cover tunes, ‘New York Connection.’

Clarinetists don’t typically have a reputation of being adventurous (our own Mort Weiss notwithstanding), but it isn’t for the lack of such practitioners as Ben Goldberg and Chris Speed working hard to punch holes into those perceptions. Add Aaron Novik to that list of clarinet insurgents. Novik, who once studiedRead More