The list of presenters at this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame reads like, well, a hall of fame induction class: John Mellencamp, Motown legend Smokey Robinson, singer-songwriter Carole King, the Band’s Robbie Robertson and ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons and Dusty Hill — each of them already membersRead More

On this special edition of Something Else Reviews’ One Track Mind, we hand the reins over to ubiquitous sideman Kenny Aronoff You May Also Like: Supersonic Blues Machine – West of Flushing, South of Frisco (2016) John Fogerty, LPT, Alan Parsons Project + Others: Five for the Road

When superstar drummer Kenny Aronoff — on tour now with Chickenfoot — starts recalling his sideman projects, they spill out with no rhyme or reason. He’s, almost literally, played them all. You May Also Like: Supersonic Blues Machine – West of Flushing, South of Frisco (2016)

John Mellencamp and Stephen King’s dramatic “roots musical,” in the works for more than a decade, will finally debut this spring. You May Also Like: John Mellencamp’s Dark, Down-Home Life, Death, Love and Freedom Still Resonates John Mellencamp’s ‘Freedom’s Road’ Heralded an On-Going Artistic Rejuvenation

We had the “official” start of summer a little over a week ago, by I’ve always felt that the 4th of July weekend was when summer stepped into its full bloom. You May Also Like: Lisa Germano’s ‘Happiness’ Broke Out of the John Mellencamp Roots Rut John Mellencamp’s ‘Freedom’s Road’Read More

by Something Else Reviews Over the last few weeks, this merry band of music lovers has offered its varied take on the Year That Was. Now, we winnow it all down. First to go were the personal obsessions (Mark: Mary Halvorson; Pico: Greg Ward’s Fitted Shards), and other worthy entriesRead More

by Mark Saleski Sometimes, a writer can feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of releases that come along during the year. Look at those piles of CDs! It’s a fraction of what shows up on my desk over a 12-month timespan. As I said in my list of Jazz FavoritesRead More

by Nick DeRiso For me, the traditional year-ending Top 10 list has a more utilitarian standard: Which albums did I add to my permanent rotation? See, it’s the rarest of rare items that actually becomes a member of the collection. That’s the kind of standout recording we’ll be talking aboutRead More

I had intended for this essay to start out something like this: OK, I’ll come right out and say it. I used to hate John Mellencamp. Back then he was known as John Cougar. All of my friends had their copies of American Fool, and I had to put upRead More

The Quickies columns have been settling into a theme of late, a theme of pimping obscure jazzers, especially whack jazzers. Hey, I can do nothing but that for years on end, but then I’d be skipping over some albums worthy of salute that come the more mainstream side of music.Read More