Articles by: Nick DeRiso

Vinyl

Sasha Masakowski – Wishes and Take Your City EPs

Photo from www.SashaMasakowski.com by Nick DeRiso Sasha Masakowski, at once fearless and charming, is featured on two new EPs, one as a leader with Musical Playground (a sampling from the forthcoming next-gen jazz recording Wishes on Hypersoul Records) and another as part of the New Orleans indie rock/electronic band BionicaRead More

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Howlin’ Wolf – ‘Live and Cookin’ at Alice’s Revisited’ (1972)

Howlin’ Wolf had no right to rock it like this. Not after what he had been through.

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Gary Moore (1952-2011): An Appreciation

by Something Else Reviews Gary Moore, former guitarist with Thin Lizzy and Skid Row, has died at age 58. The Belfast-born Moore, perhaps most famous for his 1979 hit “Parisienne Walkways” with the late Phil Lynott, was found dead in a hotel room Sunday while vacationing at the Costa delRead More

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One Track Mind: John Coltrane, "Like Sonny" (1961)

by Nick DeRiso “Like Sonny,” reportedly based on an element of a Sonny Rollins solo — perhaps during “My Old Flame,” from Kenny Dorham’s 1957 Jazz Contrasts record? — illustrates the remarkable attention to detail that still makes John Coltrane’s music not just interesting but important. He wasn’t a stylist,Read More

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Don’t Ask – Nothing (2010)

Photo from Todd Christoffel’s ReverbNation.com page by Nick DeRiso Seattle-based folk-rockers Don’t Ask have a fondness for the comfy sounds of 1970s pop, though they are careful not to get too caught up in nostalgia. They simply use that era’s singer-songwriter-inspired prose, its soaring symphonic pop structure and its feel-goodRead More

Adele - 21 (2011)

Adele – 21 (2011)

’21’ could have been a game changer for the big-voiced Adele. Instead, it’s just another weigh station.

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Pablo Embon – Second Chances (2011)

You May Also Like: Modern Lovers, “Pablo Picasso” (1976): One Track Mind

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Gimme Five: King Crimson’s Adrian Belew

From adrianbelew.net His credentials are as deep as his records are extraordinary: Adrian Belew, after all, has had stints with Frank Zappa, David Bowie, the Talking Heads, King Crimson and Nine Inch Nails. You May Also Like: Adrian Belew’s ‘Side One’ Was a Journey Through His Rich Musical History AdrianRead More

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Twinray – The Train You're On (2010)

by Nick DeRiso Twinray has produced a cloud-parting blast of pop-rock buoyancy with The Train You’re On, recorded with producer/engineer Sean O’Keefe (Plain White T’s, Fallout Boy, Hawthorn Heights). Their endless enthusiasm informs both the subject matter, and the merry experimentation that propels the Chicago-based band’s genre-bending sound. “Do YouRead More

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Big Sam's Funky Nation – King of the Party (2010)

Photograph by Andy Goetz By Nick DeRiso Big Sam’s Funky Nation, all brass and sass, opens its latest CD with a floor-rattling invitation to shake every thing you’ve got. For all of its musical prowess, that remains the one and only goal of this fun-loving, funky-butt recording by New Orleans-basedRead More