Live 105 once again gave their fans the ultimate Christmas gift, and once again it was in the form of a show with some of the biggest bands of the year. Not only that but, with Broken Bells, The Black Keys, Phoenix, My Chemical Romance, and Smashing Pumpkins all on the bill, there was a present something for everybody. After Broken Bells got the still-filtering-in crowd going, it was The Black Keys who really turned the energy level up a...
The much anticipated release of The Damned Things’ first LP, Ironiclast, has had many diehard metal fans stoked and I would venture to say it won’t disappoint. This somewhat unlikely collaboration includes Anthrax’s guitarists Rob Caggiano and Scott Ian, Every Time I Die’s front man Keith Buckley, and Fall Out Boy's guitarist Joe Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley. Despite The Damned Things being formed by musicians with relatively different stylistic backgrounds, the sound they achieve is seamless. While each member...
Remember back about ten years ago when on didn't have to look very hard to find a really good punk rock compilation? It was actually a really cool phenomenon; for the price of just one CD, listeners got the opportunity to sample a bunch of different bands – some big, established names, some that didn't last and some bands who got their first shot with that comp but would later be a big deal – and that quick start on...
The beauty of the Christmas season is that it is an exciting time of year of course, but it's also right there at the end of the calendar year – so it's almost like the exciting prelude to a whole new beginning. It's the last great party before everything starts over again and, for a lot of people, it's a chance to reflect and celebrate both change and growth. At the same time of course, the music industry looks back...
So we're gettin' down to the wire now folks, You know what I'm sayin' – we're comin' up on Christmas. Howzat make ya feel? It's a big time o' year inna music business an' I got a couple of things planned for dis column between now anna big day but, first, let's get the season started right – witta great big bag o' free stuff! I foun' all kindsa SWAG for ya to sample this week, an' some of it's...
In 1969, the Doors decided to release a live album, and started recording all their concerts for it. The results were whittled down to the 1970 double album Absolutely Live. Other cuts were eventually released in the 1980s as Alive She Cried. Twenty years later, as the technology for both producing and distributing CDs changed, the remaining Doors started putting out entire concerts, some in widely available commercial releases, others primarily through their web sites (thedoors.com and brightmidnightarchives.com – Bright...
Duffy is one of those distinctive voices you either love or hate. She does sound somewhat like a squeak toy, but her vocal style manages to come across as being refreshingly uncommon and full of character. She is identifiable by her voice’s higher pitch, although it still has a rich tone to it – especially when she sinks into her lower register and, in addition to having a raspy quality, her voice has a pronounced vibrato that kicks in when...
Listening to Flyleaf’s EP, Remember To Live, is a little like sleeping with someone who has an amazing body, but the experience sucks unless you are able to throw a bag over their head. Flyleaf is treading right around the outer edge of the genre that has come to be known as Christian rock. They also seem to be slightly politically driven when it comes to their lyrical content, but all of the songs on Remember To Live seem to...
Atomic Tom’s second LP, The Moment, is not the sort of record I would expect to hear great things from, but it turned out to be quite good. This Brooklyn-based band has a sound that is substantially influenced by Eighties British pop-rock with a dash of electronica mixed in for good measure, and the record will undoubtedly be popular in its' ability to get people moving and singing along. Their sound is comparable to that of The Killers, with fast-paced...
Ah, Christmas time. It's a magical time of year when the hearts of children light up in excitement at the possibility of receiving gifts from Santa. It's a magical time of year when the hearts (and pants) of teenagers swell at the thought of spending their first holiday with that special someone. It's a magical time of year when college students remember that they should have gone more regularly to class, because even acing some exams will not save them...