Hung: The Complete Third Season (available now on Blu-Ray and DVD formats) captures the final 10 episodes of the show. During this season, Ray and Tanya have to expand the scope of their business. By the time that the show’s finale (“The Whole Beefalo”) ends, the status quo seems destined for a shakeup. The closing episode does conclude things nicely, but I feel that the story of Tanya, Ray, Sandee,…
Pop group Hedley make a welcome return to the charts as their new single, “Kiss You Inside Out,” hits the Hot AC Top 40 this week while their video logs in over 1.2 million views on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksrFRkA8J4w). Dubbed “swooningly romantic” by CBS radio, “Kiss You Inside Out” jumps up to #36, nestled between hits from Nicki Minaj and John Mayer. Already a top 5 hit across multiple formats in…
The sheer depth and breadth of Art Garfunkel’s career is substantial, and this compilation acts as a starting point for those that are too young or were otherwise unable to pick up Garfunkel’s music up to this point. Eir largest hits – Bridge Over Troubled Water and The Sound of Silence – are presented alongside lesser-known tracks. I find that the later registers of the disc – the first…
Unless you called Spokane, WA home in the early 80’s you’ve likely never heard of a single band that appears in the quirky indie documentary about the local punk scene in the middle of nowhere Pacific Northwest. Hell, even if you lived your entire life in Spokane you’ve probably never heard of these bands and that’s part of the appeal. Spokanarchy! Takes a look back at the tiny punk rock…
There are bookshelves crammed with tomes about the origins of punk rock and just as many, if not more, about how hip-hop first began. It’s refreshing then that Will Hermes, a long time music critic, manages to cover both genres as well as disco, salsa, jazz and other aspects of the music world from his unique perspective growing up in New York in the mid 70’s. Love Goes to Buildings…
Who are you and how long have you been active? My name is Sven Sundberg, and I am a songwriter/composer from Springfield, Illinois. I play piano and guitar, and I specialize in creating relaxing, melodic instrumental pop songs. I learned to play the piano at a young age, but I’ve only been recording for a year or so. I have always written melodies as far back as I can remember.…
Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue is a must-have title for anyone that wants to further flesh out visiting the titular city in any campaign. The sheer amount of information that is stashed in this title will fuel many a session. I believe that the descriptions made of the city itself are perhaps the most valuable additions to the title. Successfully painting a backdrop for the players as a DM is perhaps…
Lisztomania was released in 1975 by Ken Russell (Altered States, Tommy), and features Roger Daltrey as Franz Liszt. This film is incredibly off the wall. As the same director/actor pair that led Tommy to such heights are present here, one should have some idea of what to expect. There is a much more erotic and human feel to Lisztomania. The title, set during the 19th century, focuses on the stratospheric…
The summer of 2012 will likely go down as the “Summer of 90’s Nostalgia”. Every Gen Xer (myself included) who rolled their eyes through childhood while the Boomers re-lived every inane musical milestone of their generation somehow found themselves carrying the torch over the past few months, as everyone from Everclear to Marcy Playground trotted out new records and tours packed to the gills with graying musical acts. Joining the…
Steve Buscemi’s Nucky and his corrupt Atlantic City political pals (is that redundant?) are back in the second season of one of HBO’s best dramas. If you missed the first season, adapted by Soparnos vet Terence Winter, stop what you’re doing and get caught up. It’s that good. Season two finds Nucky on the ropes after being betrayed by his brother and his new crew. There is competition in the…
I’ve always felt a little bad for California’s Incubus (though not too bad, once you factor in all the money they raked in and the hot and cold running groupies… but I digress). Coming on the radio in the mid-to-late-90’s their record label took the easy route and simply tried to cram them into a box alongside the other nu metal mooks who were ruling the world at the time.…
Kent, Ohio’s Slave has just released a new track / DJing tool. Slave provides some backstory about the cut: “Here’s a short bootleg track I put together while at Big Dub Candy Mountain, first played when I opened for Doctor P. There’s not that many transition pieces like this out there, so I’m making this a free download in hopes that my fellow DJ’s will find it useful during their…
It’s almost frightening how good novelist Laura Lippman is at churning out top shelf books that take a twisted view of suburbia. Her latest, And When She Was Good, her 11th, showcases Lippman at her best. It’s not technically a mystery or even a thriller – though there are certainly some white knuckle passages toward the end – but the story is impossible to resist nonetheless. Helen, the protagonist, is…
As the third season of this popular realty series about bidding on abandoned storage units comes out on DVD, I’ve taken it upon myself to come up with the Storage Wars Drinking Game. Those who have never seen the show before just sit this one out. You’ll catch soon enough. Here goes: · Every time couple Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante toss an insult at each other, take a drink; · When the missing…
Despite the best efforts from U.S. music mags to try and recreate the same Blur vs. Oasis rivalry that their British counterparts had been able to set up and milk for years, the competition never really caught on over here. In fact, Brit Pop as a genre never really made as much as an impact in the U.S. as it did in Europe. But for those of us who did…
You know you’re getting old when those bands that first surfaced in your college years are now touring as a packaged nostalgia acts alongside fellow graying rock bands. In the case of Everclear, now celebrating 20 years as a band, that means hitting the road with the Gin Blossoms, Lit, Marcy Playground and Sugar Ray. And if audiences are permitting, Everclear can even sneak in some new songs from…
Canada’s favorite purveyors of folk/prog metal, Scythia are proud to share with fans a FREE DOWNLOAD of their first single “Sailor’s Accolade” from their new EP “For The Bear” due out on September 25, 2012 at the following location here. Youtube embed link – Sailor’s Accolade – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG63ssJR1as “This year, we are releasing our EP right before we hit the long road across Canada and the Eastern US with dates soon to be announced.…
Encanto is a groovy bit of rock that will keep listeners swinging. Hints of soul, funk, and Caribbean music can be heard alongside a more continental and Spanish flair. Encanto is incredibly rewarding; subsequent listens will spotlight sides to the track that were previously hidden. Birth of Music has a unique sound that unites psychedelic rock, funk, and even surf into a retro-futuristic sound. Suns of Orpheus continue to…
Who are you and how long have you been active? My Name is Keith Williams. I have been active as an entertainer in the music business for over 35 years. What musical trends will be big next year? This is the 54 million dollar question. If I really knew the answer to this one I could make a fortune. Unfortunately, I have to say anything the kids will buy ,…
Having played well over 50 shows in the states (about 50 overseas) so far this year, from Pitchfork Music Festival to The Smell, The Men will continue bringing their anthemic rock n roll across the globe. They will be performing new songs from their follow-up to Open Your Heart on this upcoming tour, which they recorded this past spring in Big Indian, NY. The Men will be touring this fall in select US markets & make…