Archive for January, 2023

How Velvet Underground Created the DIY Movement With 'White Light / White Heat'

How Velvet Underground Created the DIY Movement With ‘White Light / White Heat’

The Velvet Underground released ‘White Light / White Heat’ 55 years ago this week. Lou Reed later rightly described it as “the Statue of Liberty of punk.”

Returning to One of Yes' Most Overlooked Eras: 'Open Your Eyes'

Returning to One of Yes’ Most Overlooked Eras: ‘Open Your Eyes’

John M. Gouldin breaks down five less-heralded albums Yes released between 1996-2001, continuing with 1997’s ‘Open Your Eyes.’

Thomas Truax - 'Dream Catching Songs' (2023)

Thomas Truax – ‘Dream Catching Songs’ (2023)

Thomas Truax’s ‘Dream Catching Songs’ thrillingly spins with gadgets, weird combustions, Budgie the drummer, urgent electric guitar and the odd idea or two.

Tobin Mueller - 'Prestidigitation'; Kansas - 'Another Fork in the Road' (2022)

Tobin Mueller – ‘Prestidigitation’; Kansas – ‘Another Fork in the Road’ (2022)

Is this jazz? Is this rock? Is this “progressive” – and if so, what does that mean? Tobin Mueller and Kansas lead us back into an age-old discussion.

Mike Dillon & Punkadelick - 'Inflorescence' (2023)

Mike Dillon & Punkadelick – ‘Inflorescence’ (2023)

Punkadelick’s ‘Inflorescence’ is one of Mike Dillon’s most balls-out records, thanks to the backing of seasoned, genre-free vets Brian Haas and Nikki Glaspie.

Blue Cheer Set a New Rock Standard With 'Vincebus Eruptum'

Blue Cheer Set a New Rock Standard With ‘Vincebus Eruptum’

Louder than Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Blue Cheer arrived 55 years ago this month as something radical – even by the era’s standards of anything goes.

GEORGE [John Hollenbeck] - 'Letters to George' (2023)

GEORGE [John Hollenbeck] – ‘Letters to George’ (2023)

With ‘Letters to George’ by his exciting new combo GEORGE, John Hollenbeck once again takes a somewhat odd assortment of musicians and shaped them into the something truly fresh and compelling.

Returning to One of Yes' Most Overlooked Eras: 'Keys to Ascension' + 'Keys to Ascension 2'

Returning to One of Yes’ Most Overlooked Eras: ‘Keys to Ascension’ + ‘Keys to Ascension 2’

John M. Gouldin is breaking down five less-heralded albums Yes released between 1996-2001, beginning with the ‘Keys to Ascension’ projects.

Makaya McCraven - 'In These Times' (2022)

Makaya McCraven – ‘In These Times’ (2022)

No artist is pushing harder to expand jazz’s frontiers than Makaya McCraven, and ‘In These Times’ opens up further possibilities of how the music form can progress upward.

The Night When David Crosby (Justifiably) Flipped Me Off

The Night When David Crosby (Justifiably) Flipped Me Off

David Crosby was a little ways off, walking away from where I stood — then I shouted out. His quick acknowledgement amused me greatly.