So you say that your finances are under more pressure than Rod Blagojevich and you still have gifts to buy for the holidays? Join the club. When you think about…
Ken Shane
844 Articles
Ken Shane lives in Narragansett, R.I. He is a freelance writer and far and away the oldest Popdose writer. In fact, he may be the oldest writer, period. He wants you to know that he generally does not share his colleagues' love for the music of the '80s, and he does not forgive them for loving it. (Ken passed away in November 2022. R.I.P. —Ed.)
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
He’s 67 years old now. The still-full head of hair is graying. There are a few extra pounds around the midsection of the once lanky frame. His eyes reflect a…
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
The parallels between 1976 and 2008 are undeniable. Back then, the economy was in shambles, suffering through a wicked bout of inflation. Late in the year, hope arrived in the…
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Cardinology (2008) purchase this album (Amazon) It’s been fashionable for the last few years to slag Ryan Adams at every turn. There’s no doubt that…
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
October 30, 2002 – It was close to the end when Warren Zevon made what everyone knew would be his final appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. The cancer…
Ken Shane
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When I was in my early 20s, I worked for a major concert promoter here in New Jersey. I recall that each time I walked into his office, I would…
Ken Shane
2 Min Read
The career of a music writer certainly does have its perks. While it very often lacks in financial reward, it occasionally compensates with rewards of a more soul-satisfying sort. Last…
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
Like many other people, I welcomed Lucinda Williams into my life with the release of the Grammy-winning Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, in 1998. Over the course of the…
Ken Shane
2 Min Read
I guess itÁ¢€â„¢s true: absence does make the heart grow fonder. Of course, thereÁ¢€â„¢s always the Á¢€Å“out of sight, out of mindÁ¢€ risk. Fortunately for My Bloody Valentine, the former…
Ken Shane
2 Min Read
Work or play. Family or friends. Protein or carbohydrates. Life is about seeking balance. Lindsey Buckingham has been seeking balance too. In his case, the challenge is to balance his…
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
Christmas Eve, 1970. I was at the Fillmore East to see Laura Nyro. A month earlier, Nyro had released her fourth album, Christmas and the Beads of Sweat, and it…
Ken Shane
2 Min Read
Brian Wilson – That Lucky Old Sun purchase this album (Amazon) Á¢€Å“Genius is the ability to make something very complex seem very simple.Á¢€ There goes my lead. Brian Wilson speaks…
Ken Shane
2 Min Read
Tepoztlan, Morelas, Mexico is a place known for Aztec magic and extra-terrestrial sightings — so it only seems natural that Conor Oberst would head down there to record his latest…
Ken Shane
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Randy Newman will be 65 years old in November. On his first album of new material since 1999Á¢€â„¢s Bad Love, he emphatically demonstrates that he has not lost one bit…
Ken Shane
2 Min Read
The final entry in Ry CooderÁ¢€â„¢s California trilogy, I, Flathead finds Cooder exploring the Southern California drag-racing culture that centered on the stateÁ¢€â„¢s salt flats. Much like the first entry…
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
WeÁ¢€â„¢ve been hearing the Á¢€Å“rock is deadÁ¢€ pronouncements for so many years now that we donÁ¢€â„¢t even listen anymore. Á¢€Å“It is what it is,Á¢€ we blithely proclaim, pretending not to…
Ken Shane
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Success is problematic for a band. When you’re flying under the radar, no one expects much from you. But then, when you deliver a breakthrough, as The Hold Steady did…
Ken Shane
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What do we have here? Two bands, two albums, one package. Well yes, and no. While the bands have different names, and very different styles, South San Gabriel is the…
Ken Shane
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From a place apart Morpheus, God of dreams, awakes The artist Robert Mapplethorpe died from complications of AIDS in 1989. According to his great friend, Patti Smith, Á¢€Å“His mortal suffering…
Ken Shane
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What was that goddamn noise? Something had been in my ear for a few weeks. I had my suspicions, so I paid a visit to my favorite review aggregator. Just…
Ken Shane
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One of the things that I like most about my job is that it allows me the opportunity to listen to, and write about, a variety of styles of music….
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
I’m going to give Augustana the benefit of the doubt. I’m not sure exactly why — itÁ¢€â„¢s not that I know much about them. All I really know is that…
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
… and the soul train rolls on. This week’s entrant in the soul revival sweepstakes is Boston’s own Eli “Paperboy” Reed, who along with his band The True Loves, has…
Ken Shane
2 Min Read
This raises a question that I have pondered recently. When asked to review a classic album, what is the job of the reviewer? Surely anyone who is taking the time…
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
Last week I reported on the recent spate of old school soul releases by, for the most part, younger artists. It’s a trend that I’m as grateful for as I…