All posts tagged: Bob Dylan

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Hailey Knox It Outta The Park With New EP, Homage to a Legend

Published by Keith Creighton

When she was 17, it was a very good year. That is, if you’re Hailey Knox in 2016. The singer/songwriter from Carmel, NY has already been featured in the New York Times, appeared on the Today Show and is setting out on a national tour opening for Charlie Puth. All this to promote A Little Awkward, her enchanting new EP on S-Curve Records. While rage against the parental machine might seem like a dark and odd choice for a debut pop single to anyone over 21, the lyrics certainly stir memories of meddling parents that were intrusive enough when I was trying to hide Prince albums in my bedroom, long before there was social media to be spied upon. Awkward will surely appeal to a generation raised on Disney Channel fare where all parents are bumbling idiots and all kids are wise, sassy, rebellious and usually spies or pop stars. Don’t even get me started on that dog with the freaking blog. Back to Ms. Knox, as stunning as she is, beautiful girls with guitars are a dime a million in …

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ALBUM REVIEW: Leland Sundries, “music for outcasts”

Published by Pete Chianca

The worst you can say about Leland Sundries’ two EP releases — 2010’s “The Apothecary” and 2012’s “The Foundry” — is that they were frustratingly short (as EPs are wont to be). Thick stews of steampunk Americana that made the most of frontman Nick Loss-Eaton’s gnarly rasp, both pointed toward bigger things to come. With “music for outcasts,” the band’s first full-length album, that bigger thing has arrived, and it was worth the wait. Operating on a broader canvas than the EPs, and boasting a more alternative feel, the band finally gets to stretch on “outcasts.” They find their inner Clash on guitar-fueled rockers like “Greyhound From Reno,” wail through wild psychobilly distortion on “Bad Hair Day” and conjure up what could be a long-lost “Blonde on Blonde” outtake with “Freckle Blues.” “We rushed uptown see Bob Dylan sing and play,” sings Eaton on that melancholy blues track, appropriately namechecking the bard. “Afterwards, you didn’t have nothing to say.” But one thing that “music for outcasts” carries over from the EPs is a cutting sense …

Notable music highlights from 2015 included the hip-hop “Hamilton;” Adele’s omnipresent “Hello;” Katy Perry’s sharks; Elvis Costello’s book soundtrack (not to mention the book); and Ryan Adams morphing into Taylor Swift. Photos: Joan Marcus/The Public Theater; Virginia Sherwood/NBC; Wikimedia Commons; Courtesy Photos.

20 2015 Music Trends That Probably Weren’t Actually Trends

Published by Pete Chianca

After running down the best 2015 albums from classic rockers and taking a look at the rock/pop and country/rootsrecords you don’t want to miss from the past year, you’d think there would be nothing left to report. But there were a few stragglers left in my music inbox that I felt compelled to share. Herewith, then, my 2015 music notables (which is a lot nicer than saying “leftovers”). Notable Release of Live Soundchecks: Leonard Cohen, “Can’t Forget.” Cohen seems determined to officially release live versions of his entire back catalog, and good for him — his ancient baritone has developed character that suits his subject matter. Notable Odd Outbursts: Nate Ruess, “Grand Romantic.” The Fun singer’s solo debut has some fine tracks, but they tend to go off the rails when he breaks into bizarre and possibly involuntary hiccups and squawks, like he’s trying to walk into a freezing cold swimming pool. Notable Use of Sharks: Katy Perry, Super Bowl XLIX. Notable Use of Everything Else (Mentos, giant eyeballs, duct tape, Stars of David, rainbow …

Kingsley Flood, 'To The Fire'

EP REVIEW: Kingsley Flood, “To The Fire”

Published by Pete Chianca

It’s been almost six months since the Boston-based band Kingsley Flood launched an innovative PledgeMusic drive to fund the entirety of its 2015 output — who needs record companies anyway? — and if the first fruits of that effort are any indication, those pledges are going to all the right places. (No solid gold Humvees for them.) The new EP “To The Fire” is very much a worthy follow-up to the band’s last full-length LP, 2013’s “Battles” — the tight, raucous folk-punk instrumentation, compelling backing harmonies (ably provided by Jenee Morgan) and impassioned, raspy lead vocals from frontman Naseem Khuri are all present and accounted for. But that’s not to say it suffers from sameness: Following their Americana-tinged debut “Dust Windows” in 2010, Kingsley Flood’s sound has bloomed into an almost unclassifiable indie rock melange of styles and influences, and the band remains all the more surprising — and listenable — because of it. In particular Khuri, with his fiery, almost Strummer-esque delivery, continues to stand out in an indie landscape of one-too-many emo crooners …

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The 2014 Music Notable Awards!

Published by Pete Chianca

Yes, I’ve already run down my picks for the year’s standout albums, my 2014 mixtape suggestions and my ratings for new albums by artists over 50. But that’s not everything that graced our earbuds this past year. Herewith, then, are the winners of the first annual Music Notable Awards, otherwise known as the stuff that didn’t fit in any other category. • Notable Performance By A Dead Person: Johnny Cash, “Out Among The Stars.” • Notable Performance By Two Dead People: Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, “Baby Ride Easy,” the standout track from that album. • Notable Use Of A Hologram: The vinyl edition of “Lazaretto” by Jack White (which also features one side that plays from the middle out; mind = blown). • Notable Revival Of The Phrase “Ooga-Chucka”: “Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix No. 1.” • Notable Unexpected Sex Reference Leading To Parental Embarrassment: “Don’t,” Ed Sheeran. • Notable Surprise Live Album: Kingsley Flood, “Live at the Armory.” • Notable Live Album You’d Be Forgiven For Thinking Was Recorded In An Ice …

Bob Dylan in the '80s: Volume One

Here’s the proof: Dylan was good in the ’80s

Published by Pete Chianca

Maybe it’s because it’s when I first discovered Dylan, but I’ve always had a soft spot for his much-maligned ’80s output. I was still an impressionable college sophomore when a friend gave me a mixtape of Dylan songs in an attempt to win me over into the Order of Bob, and he was ecumenical about his choices — he included then-recent songs like “Jokerman” right alongside ’60s tracks like “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again.” Sure, you could tell which ones were newer by the general croakiness of Bob’s nasally whine, but I think coming at them without being predisposed as to which were the “classics” helped me appreciate just how intricate and often brilliant those newer lyrics were. Twenty-five years later, that’s definitely something that hasn’t been lost on the contributors to “Bob Dylan in the ’80s” (ATO Records). This album, with many tracks by artists too young to actually remember the ’80s, much less Dylan in them, is one of the most consistent collections of Dylan covers to come along …

Eron Falbo by Plectro Productions

ALBUM REVIEW: Eron Falbo, “73”

Published by Allison Johnelle Boron

What do you get when you combine an up-and-coming Brazilian singer/songwriter with the mastermind producer behind Blonde on Blonde and The Sound of Silence? An album that represents the best part of the ’60s music scene, with a fresh, youthful approach and optimistic bounce. In short, you get Eron Falbo’s debut, 73. Some musicians have a (kind of unfounded) sense of entitlement when it comes to expecting careers to drop into their laps; Falbo is just the opposite. The genesis of 73 tells of a pre-destined assurance, culminating with a call to legendary ’60s producer Bob Johnston, Falbo’s only choice for his first album. After hearing a handful of rough cuts over the telephone, Falbo successfully convinced Johnston to come out of retirement to embed his fingerprints in this record. So, off to Austin Falbo went, and the rest, as they say, is music history. Or will be, one day. Don’t let Falbo’s Brazilian beginnings give you the wrong impression. Now based in London, his sound is ambiguous except that it’s damn good. Like Falbo …

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BOOK REVIEW: David Kinney, “The Dylanologists”

Published by Jack Feerick

People get into the fandom scene because they are deeply and sincerely interested in an artist, of course. But it’s also an effective way to boost one’s own self-esteem, because there’s always someone to look down upon and regard with suspicion. Every fan gets to set their own yardstick as to what constitutes “good” and “bad” fandom — and to locate themselves, inevitably, in the “good” category. Like Baby Bear’s porridge, their fannish devotion is neither too hot nor too cool; it’s always ju-u-ust right. As an initiated fan, you can cast confident side-eye on those noobs who haven’t even got the full studio discography, and who don’t even recognize their own favorite songs until the vocals come in. But on the other hand, if you should find yourself the object of family concern because you spend six months a year and thousands of dollars following the band around the country, and sleepless nights scouring the torrent sites for audience bootlegs of that second show in Kuala Lumpur — well, it’s not like you’re obsessed …

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Exclusive: Extreme’s Gary Cherone Previews The New Hurtsmile Album “Retrogrenade”

Published by Matt Wardlaw

Gary Cherone is perhaps best-known for being the longtime vocalist of the Boston-based rock band Extreme and after that, the guy who picked up the microphone for Van Halen as the group’s singer for the Van Halen III album and tour. (If you’re a Van Halen fan, hopefully you got a chance to see Cherone on that tour — the shows were great!) Since 2007, Cherone has been focused on his new band Hurtsmile, a collaboration with his brother Mark playing guitars, bassist Joe Pessia and drummer Dana Spellman. They released their self-titled debut in 2011, which Cherone described at the time as an album which was “about returning to my roots [and] writing a record in my basement — a straight up rock `n’ roll record that turned out to be more diverse and ambitious than I expected.” The Hurtsmile album was well-received and Cherone and crew have come back around for round two, with plans to release their second album Retrogrenade in late May. Fans can pre-order the album now via PledgeMusic and …