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Movies: Bruce Springsteen – The Promise: Houston '78 Bootleg (2010)

by Mark Saleski The Darkness on the Edge of Town tour has taken on a sort of mythic quality, mostly because there has been scant video evidence. This “bootleg” tape unearthed by Camp Springsteen confirms what fans lucky enough to have seen one of the shows have known all along:Read More

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Alex Hirsch – Naturally (2009)

In a time of buttoned-down, procedural rock records, Alex Hirsch is still admirably working toward one of those old-school Grand Statements that defies category. Hirsch, whose dad is television and Broadway star Judd Hirsch of “Taxi” fame, brilliantly races through musical subgenres – and personas – on Naturally. That makesRead More

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Movies: Bruce Springsteen – The Promise: The making of Darkness on the Edge of Town (2010)

by Mark Saleski It is perhaps too easy to dismiss the work of celebrities. In the case of Bruce Springsteen, there has been much vitriol expressed over his “supposed” blue collar leanings, as if success can (no…must) wipe out your roots. If you look back at this documentary on theRead More

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Bruce Springsteen: The Promise: The Lost Sessions (2010)

by Mark Saleski To call this group of songs “The Lost Sessions” is to put a slightly misleading spin on things. We all know the story, the one of the huge volume of music that Bruce wrote post-Born To Run with some songs ending up on Darkness On The EdgeRead More

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Bruce Springsteen – The Promise: Darkness on the Edge of Town Remastered (1978)

This world of digital sound can be quite tricky. The original line about CDs was that they would provide “perfect sound forever.” Yeah, sure. In their haste to get product to market, the early mastering jobs produced less than stellar results. In the intervening years, we’ve learned a lot aboutRead More

Old School (2003): Movies

Old School (2003): Movies

A coworker kept insisted that I have to see Old School, that it was just the funniest movie in ages. The day it came out he rushed out to buy it, watched it immediately, and has been quoting lines from the movie ever since. I should know by now, havingRead More

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Half Notes: Mario Romano Quartet – Valentino (2010)

by S. Victor Aaron Here’s the setup: a successful real estate tycoon suddenly decides to revisit his original passion, music, and pulls in three of Canada’s most prestigious jazz musicians and a top-notch producer to make his first record, one full of done-to-death standards. And you’re thinking, this is probablyRead More

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Half Notes: The Britton Brothers Band – Uncertain Living (2010)

by S. Victor Aaron Bands led by horn players tend to work well if there’s a lot of rapport between the horn players. That’s not an issue for The Britton Brothers Band, whose trumpet player (John) and saxophonist (Ben) have the same parents. For this debut, these young cats builtRead More

Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore - 'Three Kinds of Happiness' (2010): Half Notes

Jason Stein’s Locksmith Isidore – ‘Three Kinds of Happiness’ (2010): Half Notes

Jason Stein’s ‘Three Kinds of Happiness’ makes all kinds of sweet noise.

Vinyl

Half Notes: Fred Fried And Core – Core 3.0 (2010)

by S. Victor Aaron Fred Fried comes from the George Van Eps school of guitarists, having been taught by the late guitar great himself. That’s readily apparent from his harmonically intricate style that leads with full chordal lines while simultaneously playing the enhancing bass lines. In other words, Fred FriedRead More