New Jersey legend Glen Burtnik doesn’t seem to know how or when to slow down. Always busy, always making music, always performing somewhere with someone, this multi-faceted musician is a…
Rob Ross
1030 Articles
Rob Ross has been, for good, bad or indifferent, involved in the music industry for over 30 years - first as guitarist/singer/songwriter with The Punch Line, then as freelance journalist, producer and manager to working for independent and major record labels. He resides in Staten Island, New York with his wife and cats; he works out a lot, reads voraciously, loves Big Star and his orange Gretsch. Doesn't that make him neat?
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There’s been something of a buzz about Nadine Shah as of late – of which I remain ignorant, as a buzz will usually mean I have no interest in it. …
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An interesting story here – this album, from Buffalo, Missouri native Lyal Strickland, was originally recorded in 2013, but he decided to resuscitate it, re-release it and tour behind it. …
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It’s not often that a “classic” band can come back together after disbanding and put out a new album that sounds fresh – but then add to that, this new…
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You may as well give up any notions of resistance to The Weeklings, because this is quite simply, the good old fashioned rock and roll we ALL grew up with…
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Like a breath of warmer spring air, the opening, chiming strums of “Wake Me When Tomorrow’s Here”, the first track on George Usher and Lisa Burns’ The Last Day Of…
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From the moment “Outta My Head” begins, I love this album. Liz Longley’s self-titled debut on the legendary Sugar Hill label is a thing of beauty. Her voice, filled with…
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In Geek Rock: An Exploration of Music and Subculture, editors Alex DiBlasi and Victoria Willis examine the intertwining of “geek culture” and music, in a methodical and very academic fashion. …
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Having been a fan of The Bangles from the moment I first heard “The Real World” sometime in late ’82, I was always curious-to-irritated as to why the five song…
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From the opening strums of Big Sky Country, the newest album – 6th, overall – from Sweden’s Sofia Talvik, you know you’re in for an aural pleasure experience. Her sweet,…
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To say that Bill Murray is getting better with age is an understatement; that he chooses interesting, meaty roles would probably be an accurate assumption. Going back to his masterfully…
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Coming from Oxford, Mississippi, Young Buffalo are about to make their mark on music with this fine debut album, House. A five-piece, Young Buffalo are like a fresh breeze on…
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Warm, pleasant, embracing, soothing – these are the immediate impressions upon first listen to Peppina, a singer-songwriter from Finland, who has signed on with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s production company, hitRECord.org and…
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Here’s a guy with one of the most varied and impressive resumes in music – across the boards. Journalist, publicist (starting at Apple Records), D.J., photographer and now singer/performer. Irish…
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The first rock bio I ever bought was in 1979, when I was 14. It was about The Who, Headliners by John Swenson, as I had just become a devotee…
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Moody, atmospheric and full of texture would be a fair assessment of Duke Garwood’s fifth album, Heavy Love. The British singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist unleashes ten songs of a subdued yet near-sinister nature,…
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Another masterpiece this early in the year. And something completely new for me – an Israeli musician with such an American feel, it’s hard to make the distinction that he’s…
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Sedona, Arizona native Brandon Decker comes up with some interesting sounds on this, his latest release, Patsy. Issued under the simple moniker of “Decker”, he unleashes nine songs of varying…
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This Wisconsin native is no stranger to creating interesting and introspective music. Tulsa is John Statz’ seventh release and a fine, cohesive piece of work. Masterfully produced by Jeffrey Foucault,…
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I don’t know if Peter Buck, the fellow who played guitar in that band from Athens, Georgia, intended his third solo release to be “funny” but damn it, it is. …
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It’s a sadly familiar story: a hard-working band performs works their way to a major label deal only to have the rug pulled out from under them and… nothing. It’s…
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This is excellent – pure and simple. Chicago singer-songwriter Brandon Cunningham delivers four absolutely stunning tracks on this latest E.P., Giveout. From sparse and haunting to lush and textured, this…
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Very nice and impressive mini-album from Honey & The 45s, a Chicago-based outfit. Mad is a smooth mixture of soulfulness, funky grooves and Americana (quite an achievement) with great production…
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Delightful; warm; embracing. A few quick adjectives to describe Reckless Skyline, the new album from Caitlin Canty. This Vermont native delivers twelve songs that feel highly personal and intimate and…
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An E.P. is always a good way to dip your musical toe in the market; it’s also a great way to begin laying the foundation of a band-to-audience relationship. Two…
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Interesting, dreamy – veering close to neo-psychedelia and very good indeed. Pennsylvania’s Birdie Num Num And The Spirit Squad unleash 9 songs of melody, power, atmospherics and catharsis. Led by…
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A ninth solo album is no mean achievement; singer-songwriter-guitarist Victor Krummenacher (most often recognized for being a member of Camper Van Beethoven) has done just that with his latest effort,…