Tim McGraw has had all the fame that one could conceivably want in country music. While it seems almost as if older performers can coast on the successes that they have achieved, McGraw’s work on Emotional Traffic shows a performer that still give it eir all. The album starts out with Halo, a longer track that sets up the overall feel of Emotional Traffic, along with the styles and sounds…
There is so much to learn about The Doors. The band hit a wall with the death of Jim Morrison, and the different interviews between Ray Manzarek, John Densmore and Robbie Krieger show that. However, the process that the band entered into when they were recording L.A. Woman was nothing different than the norm. One gets into the mind of each of The Doors as they laid some of the…
Houston progressive instrumentalists SCALE THE SUMMIT are currently leveling stages across the U.S. on their first ever headlining tour with support provided by Elitist. Dubbed Their Strings Are Voices Tour 2012, the trek is a week and a half in. Commented guitarist Chris Letchford from the road: “Our Their Strings Are Voices headlining tour has been a blast so far. It’s great to see everyone really excited about us playing…
I must admit that before receiving The Moment of Truth (Il momento della verita), I was not too familiar with the works of Francesco Rosi (Hands Over the City, Christ Stopped at Eboli). The Moment of Truth is Rosi’s 1965 film, and it focuses on the trials and tribulations of an up and coming bullfighters. This is a story of an underdog that ultimate receives fame and riches, all while…
The whole-hog restoration and placement of older films onto the Blu-Ray format is great. It allows different resources to be tapped, while giving viewers a take on the film that is utterly and completely new. Synapse Films has released this 1989 Scott Spiegel title, with luminaries such as Quentin Tarantino and Lawrence Bender tapped to provide this vision. A cast of stars (Bruce Campbell, Renee Estevez, and Sam Raimi) all…
The film is something that requires a few solid views to capture everything that has been presented in its 105 minute run time. Where the film could travel down a path that numerous films have taken, I believe that it provides a fresh take on the horror and suspense genres. Sam Worthington and Brian Heigh do a stellar job in creating the camaraderie that two detectives would have after working…
MENCEA will release their new album, “Pyrophoric,” on February 23rd in Europe and March 27th in North America. The eight track-long soundtrack of unearthly moods, demonstrates an immensely wide sonic landscape, packing punch and diversity that few bands can match. Most of all, it undoubtedly shows that MENCEA belongs to a movement of bands exploring boundaries between extreme metal sub-genres, often morphing into a mix of extreme metal with progressive…
This film is fantastic, and showcases the fact that period historical pieces can still work. It is the attention to detail that makes this film soar, as one will be transported back to the Spanish Civil War period. While individuals that have taken American history courses will have little information about this event, I believe that Roland Joffe’s (The Mission) skill ensures that a back story is provided. I liked…
U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens has been pretty busy lately. After showing up in two books by Elmore Leonard, the character was given his own TV show on FX, the critical darling Justified. So what better time than to trot him back out onto the printed page. In Raylan, Leonard’s 200th or so book (I’m guessing here), the ex-Kentucky coal miner/current marshal is back in another of the author’s finest. Like…
French trio Juveniles have readied their second single Ambitions for a February 28th release on Kitsuné. The single, also featured on the forthcoming Kitsuné Parisien II compilation, features remixes from Reflex, Midnight Savari (Australia), O Safari, and STAL (ex-M83). The single and remixes can be heard in the Ambitions Minimix, available now as a free download. Ambassadors of a retro futurism enlightened by a monochrome shiny disco ball, Juveniles swept…
Chances are you’ve never heard of the Kashmere Stage Band, but thanks to Jamie Foxx and this stellar documentary, the Houston-based former high school funk band is finally getting the recognition they deserve. The band, from the predominately black Kashmere Gardens neighborhood, ran from the late 60’s to the late 70’s. With robust narration, a story is told through interviews with the former band members decades after taking part in…
In 1996, at the age of seventeen, she began carving out a name for herself in the Texas music scene with punk-pop trio Lucy Loves Schroeder and her own solo project. Eight years later, ex-Weezer bassist Matt Sharp played a show with her in Dallas, and very soon after, he asked her to relocate to Los Angeles, CA in 2005 to re-form The Rentals. Radle and Sharp re-built the band…
Pop-punk four-piece JOYCE MANOR’s 2011 self-titled debut record was hailed as genius by more than one music critic and the album found its way onto many a 2011 Best-Of list. Now, just a few weeks into 2012, the band has announced that their sophomore album, titled Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired, will be released on Asian Man Records on April 17, 2012. Alternative Press released the tracklisting…
Savannah Stopover Music: Over 70 bands, most of which are en route to SXSW, will fill Savannah’s small clubs and venues with the best up and coming indie acts. Bands have been hand-curated across multiple genres to represent an ideal microcosm of emerging excellence. Highlights include The War On Drugs, Grimes, Caveman, Oberhofer, Prince Rama, The Love Language, The Men, PUJOL, Guards, Girl In A Coma, The Knocks, Jukebox The…
Shirley Clarke was the most important woman director of the post-war era; creating art, controversy and acclaim throughout her career. Her jazz-infused films won international awards including an Oscar® nomination and a win for Best Documentary. Since her death in 1997, her films have fallen out of distribution and her work has been rarely seen. The preservation and release of Shirley Clarke’s films will be an important contribution to the…
Greek melodic metal outfit, Firewind, is excited to announce a new distribution deal for North America with DisManic Distribution via E1 Music. Together Firewind and DisManic/E1 Music will unleash the band’s highly anticipated new record, Few Against Many, on May 22nd. Commented Firewind driving force, renowned guitarist, Gus G. (Ozzy Osbourne), “I’m very excited about this new partnership! While we’ve been around for sometime, North American territory is relatively new…
Welcome COP PROBLEM, an energetic act born within the politically-motivated bustling underbelly of Philadelphia’s punk/hardcore scene, and ready to bust loose onto the rest of the planet with their debut EP. With a high-energy D-beat-infused punk rock delivery littered with rampant blasting hardcore/crust rage, COP PROBLEM have raided Philly live venues on DIY gigs as well as supporting national acts including Converge, Trap Them, Dropdead, Coke Bust, Resistant Culture, Leftover…
When is retirement not really retirement? When you’re in band, of course. Just look at Cher’s farewell tour which stretched out for years ; the same can be said for the group Kiss, and let’s be honest as long as Gene Simmons thinks he can squeeze out one more penny from the band they will never go away. So when The Scorpions, by far Germany’s most successful musical export since…
Allison’s Invention continues to showcase her latest album, Sweet and Vicious, by offering the title track as a free download during the month of February. A sensual torch song about romantic pursuit, “Sweet and Vicious” will entice those who have sweethearts, those slain by Cupid’s vicious arrows and even those for whom “it’s complicated.” Allison’s Invention is a music project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Allison Tartalia. Tartalia’s quirky and eclectic…
Already causing such a huge splash in Japan that they’ve had to block out entire floors of hotel rooms to keep their obsessive fans at bay, the UK’s LITTLE BARRIE are riding their wave of unique brand of fiery, surf-infused rock ‘n’ roll into North America in February on a string of dates with Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires (tour dates below). With their third album, King of the Waves…