Rock Music
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Born To Boogie DVD Review
After languishing in obscurity for years, Born To Boogie, the infamous T-Rex concert film, has been painstakingly restored and is now available as a 2 disc DVD set with plenty of previously unreleased extras.
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Uneon Entertainment-One of Music's New Breed
Uneon Entertainment is one of music's new breed of independent artists/entrepreneurs. With an internet radio station and a unique,socially conscious mission, founders Mali Wood and Bryant Johnson are indicative of popular music's DIY ethic.
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Billy Idol-Devil's Playground
Billy Idol is back with a new CD, "Devil's Playground" that packs the same punch as his previous efforts while demonstrating a mature side as well.
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Intelligent Music Versus Big Dumb Rock: A Moral Dilemma
After receiving severe reprimands from several music snob friends for daring to attend a Velvet Revolver concert last summer, I took inventory of my musical tastes,and realized that I am, indeed, torn between liking "intelligent" music and "big dumb rock."
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M83-Dead Cities, Red Seas And Lost Ghosts
M83 is a techno dance duo from France with a sound that's fun yet rich in atmosphere and texture. At the other end of the spectrum, there's Brit hard rockers Hurricane Party.
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Interview With Olli Koskela of Finnish Rock Band Valerian
In August, I included a short review of Intimations of Sorrow by Finnish band Valerian in my column. Now the CD has been released in the U.S. by City Canyons Records. Here's an interview I conducted via e-mail with the bands vocalist, Olli Koskela.
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Ronnie Montrose- A True Guitar Hero
Ronnie Montrose's career has spanned three decades, from his work as a backing musician for Boz Scaggs and Van Morrison to albums with his bands Montrose and Gamma.
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Weird Al Yankovic - 25 Years Of Musical Wackiness
Weird Al Yankovic started his musical career at 13 with a song called "Belvedere Cruising." Since then, both his pop music parodies and originals have entertained countless fans and earned him three Grammys. Also, reviews of CDs by singer-songwriter David Steele and Finnish glam-metal group Valerian.
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Indie Label Skipping Discs Puts A New Spin on “Tribute” CDs
Skipping Discs is a new record label out of northern Massachusetts that specializes in unsigned bands doing cover versions of songs by well-known artists. Their latest disc is “ Spiders From Venus: Indie Women Artists and Female-Fronted Bands Cover David Bowie.” Other Compilation CDs are “Love Her Madly: New Women Artists Cover The Doors” and the improbable but fun “Saturday Night Hay Fever” Bluegrass Artists Perform Disco Hits.”
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Wendy O. Williams-Rock's First Riot Grrrl
The Plasmatics took "shock-rock" and outrageous stage antics to a new level in the early 1980s. Lead vocalist/exhibitionist Wendy O. Williams was the real deal, chainsawing guitars and appearing onstage in little more than electrical tape.
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Sparks- 30 Years of Quirky Art Rock
Sparks' creative, intelligent lyrics and catchy keyboard based music has spawned thirty years of albums, videos and other projects. Although they are best known to the causual fan for the song "Cool Places" with Jane Wiedlin, brothers Ron and Russell Mael have produced an impressive catalouge of music over the years.
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Behind The Scenes, Pt 1- Groupies
Interesting rock 'n' roll characters are not always on the stage. Here is part one of a series on ancillary rock music figures. Part 1 is an intro to groupiedom. Interviews T/K!
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Reason To Rock-It's All About The Music (Part 2)
Here is part 2 of an interview I conducted with Herb Bowie, the author of the web book Reason To Rock. In it, he addresses the elements that comprise an enduring rock song and discusses some of his favorite lyricists.
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Reason To Rock-It's All About The Music
Most of the current books and articles about rock music focus on personality and scandal more than the songs that brought the artists to our attention in the first place. Although thoughtful, no-frills treatises on rock’n’roll are harder to find than fluff, they are well worth the search. One such text is Herb Bowie’s web book Reason To Rock.
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Libertines - Up The Bracket /Concrete Blonde Live
Critics have accused UK rockers the Libertines of sloppy playing, monotone vocals & many of their gigs in the US have been cancelled. Love 'em or hate 'em, they capture your attention. Also, a review of Concrete Blonde's Live In Brazil double disc.
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Depswa - Two Angels And A Dream
2003 has been a great year for California based band Depswa,as they have just completed a successful tour with Mudvayne, and the release of their new CD Two Angels And A Dream continues their lucky streak.
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The Professionals - I Didn't See It Coming
The Professionals were a short-lived band that featured the only post Sex Pistols collaborations by Steve Jones and Paul Cook. The recent re-issue I Didn't See It Coming is a must for fans of the Pistols or punk/new wave music in general.
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Girlschool - Not That Innocent
One of the most prominent bands during the infamous British "New Wave of Heavy Metal", Girlschool were proteges of Motorhead, opened for bands like Ironmaiden and Saxon, and rocked harder than many all-male bands.
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Inland Invasion 2002 - 25 Years Of Punk
On September 14th, a cross-section of "nu-punk" bands and their fiesty predecessors congregated at the Blockbuster Pavilion in Devore, CA. to celebrate the 25th anniversary of punk rock.
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Original Sinners CD Review
Exene is back with new material, via her band Original Sinners, and a new poetry collecton, A Beer On Every Page.
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Silverchair - Australia's Grunge Rockers Grow Up
Silverchair, best known in America for their 1995 hit Tomorrow,are a big draw in Europe and their native Australia. With the release of their new album Diorama, will they be able to conquer the U.S. as well?
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Jerry Cantrell - Degradation Trip
Degradation Trip,Jerry Cantrell's long-awaited follow-up to his first solo CD, finally arrives. Plus, Monster Magnet live at L.A.'s Troubador
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Japan - From Glam To Thoughful Synth-Pop
Japan started out as a slightly artier combination of Roxy Music and the New York Dolls, but their sound matured into experimental, synth-driven pop by the end of their brief career.
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The Devil And Glenn Danzig
From his days as a member of hardcore punk band The Misfits to his long and primal reign as one of Goth metal's favorite sons, Glenn Danzig
has never strayed far from the dark side.
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Toilet Boys - Updated Glam/Punk From NYC
The Toilet Boys revived trashy glam rock in the East Village, and are currently bringing their brand of raucous party rock to the rest of the country on their current tour.
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Steve Vai - Rock Guitar Maestro
Steve Vai was one of the premier guitar virtuosos of the late 1980s' and 1990s, and he continues to write release dazzling instrumental CDs today.
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More Albums You Should Know
Some great rock albums are mentioned and played constantly; others stay hidden in the archives. Here are some great ones you might not have heard for awhile.
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X Concert Review
To celebrate the re-release of their first 3 albums, X played two sold-out shows at Los Angeles El Rey Theatre last month.
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Amanda Thorpe - Mass
Amanda Thorpe's potent combination of jazz, rock and folk,evident on her new Cropduster release,Mass,gives the listener more ear candy than the normal pop/rock CD.
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Rock Star - The Movie
The Mark Wahlberg - Jennifer Anniston flick, Rock Star opened in theatres last week to little fanfare and even less ticket sales - but the chronicle of a 1980s heavy metal star has its' good points.
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Faster Pussycat- Ten Years Later
Faster Pussycat was one of the glam rock bands that gained notoriety in the post Poison & Motley Crue world "hair band" era. After disappearing for awhile, they're back with a tour and new projects. Plus, the L.A. Guns stage their return with Man In The Moon.
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Henry Rollins - Rock's Renaissance Man
From his days as a member of legendary L.A. punk band Black Flag, Henry Rollins has never been at a loss for words. Nearly 20 years into his career, he's more prolific than ever.
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The Best (And Worst) of "Behind The Music", Rock Style
Behind The Music is one of the most addictive shows on TV today. Here are some key moments from the series, with a focus on rock bands instead of the usual divas in distress. Plus, a look at the websites where rock groupies dish the dirt about their dudes...
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The New York Dolls - Glam, Drag And Rock 'N' Roll
The New York Dolls combined ear-blasting rock, a theatrical presence, and costumes that would make Hedwig and the Angry Inch
jealous at a time when mainstream radio doused the airwaves with James Taylor and Harry Chapin.
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Gwar Is Cool
They dress funny. They've been on Jerry Springer. One of their members set a world record as a human conductor of electricity. And they can actually play rock 'n' roll pretty well, too! Plus, L.A.rockers Bitch.
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Jennifer Tefft - Shift
Jennifer Tefft has opened for Aerosmith, and has been compared to Sarah McLachlan, but may soon be a star in her own right if her new CD Shift is any indication. Plus a retro review of Pat Benatar's In The Heat Of The Night.
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Econoline Crush - Brand New History
The newest album from Econoline Crush, Brand New History features their strongest songs to date. Plus, a retro view of Heart's Dreamboat Annie
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Top Jimmy - R.I.P.
L.A. bluesman Top Jimmy, who was immortalized in song by Van Halen on their 1984 album, passed away last week in Las Vegas.
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Black Crowes - Lions
Lions is the new album from the Black Crowes, whose up and down career is now hitting the decade mark.
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Nu Metal Vs. Old Metal - Which is Better?
There are many genres and subgenres in music - but in today's hard rock, nu metal and the riff-based old school metal. So what's the real difference, and does it matter? Plus a retro review of Kid Rock's Devil Without A Cause.
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Lucid Nation: Literate Punk From The Heart Of L.A.
Lucid Nation has received kudos from such music industry notables as Keith Richards & Danny Goldberg of Artemis Records. Their new release Suburban Legends is hitting the playlists of rock stations nationwide. Plus, a list of punk rock sites on the web.
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Napster R.I.P.?
Napster is going down for the count, with millions of copyrighted files to be removed. Couldn't all the time and effort spent on bickering been used to reach a compromise?
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Cheap Trick - A Rock Original
Cheap Trick were combination rock group,clown princes,and teeny-bopper idols in the 1980s and late 1970s, and recently released their 25th anniversary CD
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Alice Cooper: The Godfather of Shock Rock
Alice Cooper's career has spanned more than 30 years. His stage show and controversial lyrics first shook the rock world at a time when sensitive singer/songwriters were all the rage.
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Koko Taylor - Royal Blue
Koko Taylor's first CD in seven years reinforces her status as Chicago blues'most powerful female belter - and as an inspiration to both rockers and R & B musicians alike.
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Four Songs That Raised A Ruckus
Many rock songs make you sit up and take notice the first time you hear them, while some songs fuel a cultural phenomenon and give morning DJs lots of good material. Plus, remember the "other" songs from Use Your Illusion I & II?
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