Birmingham, Alabama native/Los Angeles-based Beth Thornley returns with her fourth release/first EP, Septagon and this is fast becoming a favorite of mine. Ms. Thornley knows how to construct a song…
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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Punk In Africa is a surprise to me. First, because it is a concept I did not know existed – for someone who had lived the punk-rock life or worshiped…
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Rock River, the new solo album from Deena Shoshkes of New Jersey’s The Cucumbers, is a breath of fresh pop air that I welcome. For someone who’s put out great…
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This album, of which a performance called “Look Behind You” is based around, is a highly personal memoir by Irish singer/songwriter SteafÁ¡n Hanvey. Released in 2013, Nuclear Family is about…
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Holly George Warren did an exemplary job of writing about Alex Chilton, the frontman of ’60’s hitmakers The Box Tops, the ramshackle director of his solo career and of course,…
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I keep getting lucky in hearing melodic, thoughtful and American music, which has been my taste for a while. Yet again, a warm new voice is heard in Noah Gundersen,…
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The music on this album is fantastic. Great sounding; great arrangements, so many delicious nuances in each track – a gloriously lush album. Good, strong lyrics abound – these are…
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A teenage, “hard rock” band – well, yes. This Southern California quartet delivers a strong 5-song mini-album with some nicely heavy numbers and good production. There’s a very ’70’s feel…
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Being that we (us, being Allison Johnelle Boron and Rob Ross, respectively, both of Popdose) were at City Winery in New York on Sunday night (March 16th) to see the…
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This book is a proverbial “Top Of The Pops” greatest hits – most of which can be looked upon with a warm nostalgic smile as “’80’s Top 40” pop…
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There is a very fine line between “clever” and “cutesy” – and cutesy usually winds up smarmy and annoying, especially when it comes to music. Sarah Dooley, however, knows how…
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This is one of those happy moments of discovery – an unknown young band is recommended to you; you listen and you immediately connect with what you hear. Lion’s Den,…
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I was as surprised as anyone when it was announced in early 2012 that Peter Buck would be releasing a solo album and even more surprised that he would be…
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At this point, I think I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve seen Richard Barone and Nick Celeste perform; that’s how much I enjoy seeing/hearing them. They never fail…
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I grew up in a household where the name “Elvis Presley” was worshiped and revered (as was “McCartney”, “Lennon”, “Townshend”, “Beck” and “Everly”, but that’s a whole different story). My…
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A beautiful and stirring rendition of The Velvet Underground (and Nico)’s classic, as offered up by Richard Barone. One of the few artists I know of who can take a…
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So there’s this band I like and have written about a few times. You may have heard about them by now – The Bongos. This album, Drums Along The Hudson,…
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Certain albums, for me, are forever attached to a memory – sometimes good, sometimes bad. When I first bought/heard Workbook in the summer of ’89 on Virgin, it was an…
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It isn’t often you get to see a true musical giant up so close and personal. Seeing Booker T. Jones, the man whose name is (to me) most synonymous with…
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When a band reunites, it’s often a good thing. When they reunite and record new material, it’s an even better thing. It’s more interesting, however, when they record new versions…
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As a lifelong Beatles obsessive, I could ruminate and pontificate about the various permutations of Beatles albums. As we all know, Capitol Records in the U.S. saw fit to reconfigure…
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A name I hadn’t heard before, but was impressed by on first listen. Warm and melodic, this New York based songwriter offers up his (I believe) second full length album. …
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Upbeat piano-pop by native New Yorker Ryan Hobler is my nod for “Single Of The Week” – catchy, well-crafted. Airy and light with that early ’70’s Harry Nilsson/Gilbert O’Sullivan pop-ness…
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This 432-page tome is a loving tribute to City Gardens, the legendary (to many) but often overlooked club in Trenton, New Jersey that was crucial to the then-burgeoning punk-to-hardcore punk…
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This wonderful documentary tells the story of the U.K.-based label which gave the world “indie” music at its defined best and a slew of bands that have now become legendary….
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Once again, the venerable Atlanta rockers deliver their fourth new e.p. release since 2012; Songs For The Turntable is a sonic blast that kicks the New Year off in top…