Of Note
Richard Elliott first caught my ear during the mid-’80s as a member of one of the West Coast’s hottest funk/jazz bands, Tower of Power. Later, he put out a solo album called Trolltown that featured …
“We were not really part of that whole MTV, new wavey thing,” says Stan Ridgway, speaking about his old band, Wall of Voodoo. This comment may come as a surprise to the many poor souls …
If the acoustic duo Rodrigo y Gabriella sounds more like a trio, it is because Gabriella Quintero’s right hand does the work of two guitarists. It flutters and snaps and swivels in the air above …
A couple of weeks ago I went to a party for an indie rock listserv I’ve belonged to for a long time and found myself listening to DJs spinning ’70s hard rock bands like Starz …
With his long curls, wire-rim glasses, and red plastic shoes, Joel Bluestone looks the part of the rock star. I’m backstage with him at Mandeville Recital Hall, where Bluestone is listed as the guest percussionist …
Does this ever happen to you? You’re listening to your iPod on shuffle mode and a song comes on that you just can’t identify. It’s your collection, you put it on the iPod — how …
Stanley Clarke is back after a five-year respite from solo recording. He has a new CD and a hot young band that is reviving the sound of ’70s jazz fusion with an animation and propulsion …
Brandon Boyd plays up the new-age, en vogue rock star thing a bit too much for my tastes, but there’s nothing wrong with his band. Incubus is a wonderland of power chords and hip-hop beats …
Jello Biafra has called Legendary Shack Shakers vocalist J.D. Wilkes “the last great rock and roll front man.” I don’t know about the “last” part, but I agree that there are not many singers left …
The Electric Prunes are best known for their 1966 hit “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night),” a great song and a fantastic example of psychedelia kitsch. With its backwards-playing guitars and unusual echo …
It’s probably a bad idea to name your band with a Beatles reference, especially if you write melodic, exquisitely arranged guitar-pop songs with lots of vocal harmonies. That’s like having a Led Zeppelin-y hard-rock band …
“I wasn’t a singer,” says Jeannie Cheatham after I tell her how much I have enjoyed her singing over the years. “I was always a piano player,” she says, “that played for other vocalists.” Maybe …
Belly Up Tavern, Monday, December 31, 9 p.m. 858-481-8140. $38. The Aggrolites say they are not a ska band, but for the life of me they sound like one, minus horns. That's the tipping point …