“James’s writing truly upholds everything good, right and true about American Roots music. Like Kristofferson, Prine, Goodman and Zevon, James Curley is a visionary way ahead of today’s mainstream songwriters.”
Pop/rock singer and songwriter Tim Mahoney has been raising industry eyebrows a lot this past twelve months. His Stay/Leave album, released last February, was selected by Target as part of its Emerging Artists Program, landing it on the end caps in music sections of 500 Target stores in the Midwest. After that, Mahoney won the Ray-Ban “Never Hide†music contest, which earned him a 2-page spread in Rolling Stone Magazine’s…
Ahn Trio – Lullaby For My Favorite Insomniac / 2008 Sony BMG / 16 Tracks / http://www.sonybmgmasterworks.com / http://www.ahntrio.com / Individuals may not know who exactly the Ahn Trio are. They have been around in some form or another for the last 20 years, when Time Magazine called them “Asian Whizz-kidsâ€. Their releases have been scattered over the course of these last twenty years, with their last album being 2002’s…
The Hispanic funk groove of “La Valla” is the perfect example of the Truth & Soul aesthetic. Soulful and timeless, most listeners will be surprised to find that the song was penned and recorded a short time ago. Truth & Soul’s premier Latin soul outfit, Bronx River Parkway, is a collective of musicians from both New York and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Members include lead singer, Sammy Ayala, who was…
  Puddle Of Mudd have another # 1 rock radio hit to add to their list with their latest single “Psycho,†off their third studio album Famous, reaching the top of the charts.  “Psycho†is # 1 on both the Active and Mainstream Rock Radio charts. The track also rockets up the Modern Rock radio chart bolting from # 10 to # 6.
Strangers Die Every Day – Aperture For Departure / 2008 This Generation Tapes / 11 Tracks / http://www.thisgenerationtapes.com / Few acts can pull off an instrumental album and keep the attention of individuals through a full length album. Strangers Die Every Day do just that, and their “Aperture For Departure†is a disc that will keep individuals engrossed in the band for a good fifty minutes. The strings that start…
All Crazy – Sex Drugs & Hip Rock / 2007 Self / 14 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/allcrazyphilly / All Crazy are trying to follow acts like Gym Class Heroes in the incorporation of emo and hip-hop. The first track on the album is “Scarfaceâ€, and it provides fans of all genres something to appreciate. Where acts have tried to combine each of the different genres in the past, it seems that…
THE CLASH LIVE: REVOLUTION ROCK is an exciting new documentary film directed by long-time Clash collaborator and Grammy-winning producer Don Letts (Westway To The World) that chronicles the electric live performances of one of the most influential bands to emerge from the UK.
In the Tradition of Random Thoughts #11 / $2 / :5 / 4M / PO Box 441429, Somerville, MA 02144 / I have never seen a postcard zine. Well, now I have as this “issue†of In the Tradition of Random Thoughts is contained by an envelope and features David McNamara’s photography. There is no discussion of the monument that ey has taken a picture of beyond informing the viewers…
As founder/vocalist/songwriter/guitarist for New York City power-pop band The Rosenbergs, David Fagin has done things his way, whether it was opposing industry giants like Jimmy Iovine and Doug Morris in publicly refusing to sign an exploitative deal, or having one of the group’s tours sponsored by Napster back in its renegade days.
Rosemary & Thyme: The Complete Collection / 2008 Acorn / 1100 Minutes / http://www.acornonline.com / Rosemary & Thyme was a show that ran on ITV for three series, finally closing up shop in August 2007. The show has an interesting premise: while the places in which they are in are typically idyllic, Laura Thyme and Rosemary Boxer eventually find themselves in the middle of a crime scene. The two are…
 Duck Down Records is continuing its expansion and doing so by adding two of the most highly respected talents in Hip-Hop to its roster of artists: THE TEACHA himself, KRS-ONE and DJ Revolution.
Philadelphia’s Make A Rising is back: bigger and better than ever. Expanded to a sextet for its second album on High Two Records, Infinite Ellipse and Head with Open Fontanel, Make A Rising has realized its potential.
Blue Murder Set 2 / 2008 Acorn / 275 Minutes / http://www.acornonline.com / After the release of the first set of Blue Murder back in June of 2007, Acorn felt that the resulting sales were enough to merit the release of the second set of Blue Murder. Please note that this Blue Murder is not the Canadian television show that completed around 50 episodes, but rather is a reality-type of…
Los Angeles, CA:  On March 18, JSHOCK DD LLC will release two albums and a live concert DVD from Japanese rock bands D’espairsRay and the Underneath in conjunction with their appearance on the North American Rockstar Taste of Chaos (RTOC) tour.
In These Times (May 9, 2005) / $2.95 / :35 / 44M / http://www.inthesetimes.com / 308 E. Hitt St, Mt. Morris, IL 61054 /Â Most people are familiar with In These Times, have seen it around their libraries or at the free pile at shows. How many have actually picked a copy up and read through it? Before this issue, I had picked up a few issues but only glanced…
The Felice Brothers add more shows to their never ending tour New festival dates announced including dates with DRIVE BY TRUCKERS, MAN MAN and JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE & McCARTHY TRENCHING Currently out on the road with the Drive By Truckers, the boys from upstate will make a stop at the Langerado Festival in early March only to trek across the south just in time for MANY shows at this years…
Orion Rigel Dommisse – What I Want From You Is Sweet / 2007 Drag City / 10 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/OrionRigelDommisse / http://www.dragcity.com / “Fake Yer Death†is the first single on “What I Want From Youâ€, and it is very deliberate in its composition. The strings provide a very ordered and sedate bed for Dommisse’s vocals to lies on. Dommisse does more with eir vocals that most other musicians; they…
Wailing Blues: The Story of Bob Marley’s Wailers by John Masouri – The story of The Wailers is a litany of betrayal and greed that’s rarely been reported elsewhere. Written in collaboration with Family Man and other surviving members, The Wailers’ Story reveals the truth behind the Marley legacy. Traces the early lives of the Barrett brothers before they joined Marley in the ‘60s and discusses how reggae artists like…
All that I can start out this review with is a big “Wow!”. This zine is just one of a very few that can do what is called a perzine properly. The emotion contained in this issue, the heavy sense of loss that permeates this issue, all the letters and the characters and bits of ink that are used to make this zine are infused with this. Most of this…