Don’t think Los Lobos has had an impact on the tastes of the public and other musicians? When was the last time you saw a “Play an accordion, go to jail” bumper sticker? If making the world a safe place for accordionists to rock out were the group’s only accomplishment, their place in rock history [...]
Monthly Archives: November 2005
Steve Miller – King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents
Before he was FM rock radio king, Steve Miller was known as Stevie “Guitar” Miller. This live release, recorded in 1973 and ’76, shows why. Culled from Washington, D.C. and New York City shows taped for the “King Biscuit Flower Hour,” the two-disc set eloquently makes the case for Miller as consummate singer, songwriter, and [...]
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Big Head Todd and the Monsters – Crimes of Passion
Big Head Todd and the Monsters have been around, and been a part of several music scenes. They were “the next big thing” in the early ’90s, with a hit record and a big following. They were powered by the songs, guitar, and voice of Todd Park Mohr and made fine records. But the hits [...]
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Chris Whitley – War Crime Blues
Chris Whitley caught my attention back in ’91 with a brilliant album called Living With the Law. He’s done a lot of things since. His sound has definitely gotten rougher, with stops at the industrial music shop. But he’s still rooted heavily in the blues. Thankfully, he’s not a slave to traditional blues and isn’t [...]
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Yes – Yesspeak: 35th Anniversary DVD
While many music DVDs contain mostly concert material, the 2-disc Yesspeak takes an alternate approach – it features the famous members of the prog-rock giant Yes talking about the music created during its 35-year existence (it was founded in 1969 and has never stopped performing). The other selling point here is that this DVD celebrates [...]
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G&L Legacy
One Heckuva Guitar
I enjoy covering sleeper gear in this column. During the past 11 years, we’ve looked at bargains like the Gibson L-6S, Seagull S-6+, Martin D-1 and the Peavey Bandit, to mention a few. This month’s entree, the G&L Legacy, may be one of the finest instruments we’ve profiled in a while. If you act quickly, [...]
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Maxon VS Effects
Five Boxes of Fun
With their straight-out-of- the-’70s groovy colors – pea soup green, bright orange, powder blue, plum purple, and Mopar metallic green – Maxon’s Vintage Series Effects look like new old stock, lost-in-the-basement-of-a-music-store units. But we’ve seen loads of cool-looking pedals that just didn’t float our boat. Because we’re all about tone, obviously, the real test is [...]
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Reverend Hellhound 40/60
One step to "schizo"
Reverend Musical Instru ments founder Joe Naylor’s head is always cranking out cool ideas. A Roberto-Venn graduate who in 1996 sold his amplifier company so he could start building guitars, Naylor recently went back to the future with the introduction of his Hellhound 40/60 amplifier. Designed by Dennis Kager (of Ampeg fame), Reverend says the [...]
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Earl Slick
Zig Zag Back To The Top
Earl Slick landed his dream gig back in 1974, when a friend referred him for a gig with David Bowie, replacing Mick Ronson. During this period, Slick recorded three monumental albums – David Live At The Tower Philadelphia (1974), Young Americans (1975), and Station To Station (1976). He went on to collaborate with other major [...]
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Pat Martino
Legend, Treasure, Inspiration
He is a living legend, a national treasure, and an inspiration to musicians and music lovers of all stripes. Pat Martino’s exemplary career spans four decades, and his personal tale of trial and tribulation is one of the most powerful and miraculous success stories in music history. From his formative years as a sideman (or [...]
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