The rest of the world may be titillated by what the Stones smoked, shot, snorted, or ingested. But some of us have our priorities straight; we’re more concerned with what the band strummed and drummed. Noted guitar historian Andy Babiuk is hip to all this. Babiuk is, of course, the author of the phenomenal Beatles […]
The DBT tell great stories. That continues to be true on their latest album as well. From the workingman’s stomp of “Sh*t Shots Count” that opens the record to the melancholy but majestic closer “Grand Canyon,” the lyrical content is as good as it gets. Patterson Hood and Mike Colley split the writing and singing […]
Bryan Sutton’s roots-music pedigree is flawless. His award-winning work as an accompanist and soloist spans bluegrass, Americana, and contemporary country, all proof of his versatility and virtuosity. A gifted guitar educator, he earned two Grammys as part of Ricky Skaggs’s Kentucky Thunder, another for “Whiskey Before Breakfast” with Doc Watson. His skills are front and […]
Wilko Johnson was having quite a run. In 2009 he stole the show in Oil City Confidential, Julien Temple’s acclaimed rock doc about Johnson’s old band, Dr. Feelgood. In 2011 he began appearing as a mute executioner in the cable series “Game of Thrones.” In 2012, he released his autobiography Looking Back at Me, followed […]
The title of the latest record from jazzer Dave Stryker refers to the eight-track cartridges many of us grew up with in the ’70s. The concept might seem odd, but it ends up working perfectly. Here are 10 pop, soul, and rock songs you’d have listened to on eight-tracks, reinvented for what amounts to an […]
Nashville Pussy marks its territory of trailer-park Southern rock with lowbrow humor and infectious charisma. The band consists of the husband-and-wife team of Blaine Cartwright on vocals and guitar and Ruyter Suys on guitar. This salty, riff-rockin’ duo is complimented by the contributions of bassist Bonnie Buitrago and drummer Jeremy Thompson. This is the band’s […]
Entering his 15th year as Mike Ness’ guitar foil in Social Distortion, Jonny “Two Bags” Wickersham steps out with a platter of his own. Social D fans hoping for a stopgap collection of roots-punk with a Stonesy patina until that band’s next LP will instead find 10 wonderfully crafted tracks of Americana with a pronounced […]
MAB ignores the critics and pushes his art forward with prodigious talent and inspired business savvy. He borrows here from the model used on Santana’s hit album Supernatural to bring together some of the best-known guitarists in shred and metal. Intermezzo is a sprawling note-intensive rollercoaster ride with some of Batio’s finest compositions to date. […]
Spontaneity is one of Robben Ford’s earmarks. So, recording nine backing tracks in one day, then adding vocals and finishing touches a week later (rarely attempted these days) played to his strength. To say the 62-year-old’s credits are all over the map – from Charlie Musselwhite in ’71, then ricocheting from Joni Mitchell to George […]
Little Feat’s run of records for Warner Bros. from 1971 to 1990 was no little feat. The band suffered the effects of too many genius musicians, personnel changes, drugs, and alcohol. In effect, too much of the bad old ’70s in general. The band’s music remains legendary, however. This 13-CD box set explains why. The […]
