So, I heard the news this morning — David Foster is splitting from his wife of over a decade, Linda Thompson-Jenner. I read it about it first over at ohnotheydidnt,…
Music
9,176 Articles
John C. Hughes
3 Min Read
In a nice bit of blog synergy, it seems everyone is talking about blue-eyed soulÁ¢€¦which leads me to one of the sadder stories of the also-rans (at least in the…
Jeff Giles
3 Min Read
The Refreshments Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy (1996) Here’s a little gem I stumbled across the other day while dusting my CD collection. You remember CDs, right? They were all…
Jeff Giles
9 Min Read
Talk about a guy who should have been huge. An accomplished guitarist and songwriter who paid his dues playing for established artists, worked his way up through the ranks, and…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
I haven’t been writing every day lately, on account of a few things: 1. Summer = disruption of my carefully constructed schedule 2. Full-time self-employment = less time for aimless…
John C. Hughes
3 Min Read
Talk about DIY Á¢€” when club promoter and all-around Paris-Hilton-famous-for-merely-being-famous trailblazer Steven Strange didnÁ¢€â„¢t like that there werenÁ¢€â„¢t enough good songs to play on his club night, he grabbed some…
Jeff Giles
6 Min Read
I just got back from a last-minute business trip to Los Angeles (otherwise known as “my least favorite city in the world”), so I’m dealing with all the fun of…
Jeff Giles
2 Min Read
Indigo Girls – Rarities (2005) They don’t get as much attention as they used to, but I think that’s more a function of short attention spans than a drop in…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Pete Wylie – “Sinful” It’s sinfulIt’s tragicIt’s sinfulIt’s tragic Hey Joe! I got the news tonightwell, should I laugh or should I cry or should I stay and fight?It’s sinful,…
Jeff Giles
7 Min Read
Now here’s a band that would be huge if the world made any sense. A trio of non-threateningly scruffy alterna-pop minstrels, singing songs about love and loss, hope and heartbreak,…
John C. Hughes
5 Min Read
The music business can be cruel and unforgiving Á¢€” clichÁƒ©d, sure, but as I found out years ago, very true. In 1985, William Á¢€Å“Boogie KnightÁ¢€ Stroman was in the Top…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
AMERICA 1989 Rock has been driven underground. The authorities stalk pirate broadcasters and their followers. Those who are apprehended suffer severe consequences. Hey, kid! What are you doing? Haven’t you…
John C. Hughes
2 Min Read
Newcleus had been bouncing around the early hip-hop/breakdancing scene since 1977 when they were part of a DJ crew calling itself Jam On Productions, but it wasnÁ¢€â„¢t until 1983 and…
Jeff Giles
29 Min Read
Á¢€Å“Randy Newman Finds Something New Under the Sun,Á¢€ proclaimed the back cover of his 1968 debut, and even if that wasnÁ¢€â„¢t entirely true Á¢€” his music, after all, has always…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Laura CantrellHumming by the Flowered Vine (2005) Since making her debut in 2000, Cantrell has released a string of critically lauded albums. Her fascinating background story (late musical bloomer with…
John C. Hughes
2 Min Read
LetÁ¢€â„¢s dive right in, shall we? First, I have an e-mail from a very reliable source (try Pete Byrne, the co-founder and lead singer!) that Naked Eyes are touring the…
Jeff Giles
3 Min Read
John HiattMaster of Disaster (2005) When you’ve made as many records as Hiatt has (this is his seventeenth studio album), you’ve likely broken all the new ground you’re going to…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
It’s official: my good friend Fred Wilhelm and his song, “Dearly Beloved,” have made the final track listing for the new Faith Hill album, due in August. I’m no country…
Jeff Giles
13 Min Read
You don’t hear their songs much on the radio anymore — not even on classic rock stations — and they’ll probably never be elected to the Rock & Roll Hall…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
1986…small town Ohio Elyria West High School’s Senior Prom! A date with my “best girlfriend” (uh huh)! And the song that reminds me most of this occassion? “Say you, Say…
Jeff Giles
3 Min Read
I haven’t written too many of these this year, partly because school was having its way with me from January through May, but also because there just hasn’t been much…
Jeff Giles
12 Min Read
Over the last few decades, American folk music — like jazz and blues — has largely ceased to be a genre of any commercial importance. Many point to Dylan “going…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Watch the video for The Jacksons’ “Torture”. “Torture” peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984.
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Behold the first official ARRRR t-shirt! I hear it may also be the album cover!
John C. Hughes
3 Min Read
You got your Chaka Khan in my Scritti Politti! Well, you got your Scritti Politti in my Chaka Khan! MmmmÁ¢€¦hey! This is pretty good! Chaka Khan was cooling off in…
Jeff Giles
20 Min Read
Credit Where Credit is Due Dept.: This week’s selection of Downloadablesâ„¢ is inspired, once again, by those beautiful, crazy bastards over at audiography, where the theme for the week is…
John C. Hughes
3 Min Read
While MTV has launched many a career, it could be argued that Julie Brown (the white one, as she called herself) was the networkÁ¢€â„¢s first home-grown superstar. By the time…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Cut from the Loverboy mold of rocking gently and non-offensively (which sounds like an insult, I realize, but isnÁ¢€â„¢t really), Niagra Falls, CanadaÁ¢€â„¢s Honeymoon Suite (get it? GET IT?!?) got…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Two albums I think I’ll be listening to throughout the summer: It’s very good. I’m not a huge Coldplay fan. As I was just explaining to Benja the other day,…