Sexually inquisitive college girls have Ani DiFranco. Metaphysically minded faerie fetishists have Tori Amos. And aging Gen-X hipsters have Kristin Hersh. Of the three women, the latter is the most underrated and vital artist and probably the most normal. On Learn to Sing Like a Star — her 21st release…
Laurie Jennings understands the merits of being a singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. As former proprietor of Homestead’s now-defunct Mainstreet Café, she not only developed a solid reputation by booking nationally renowned folk acts but also frequently performed with her own house band, the Pathfinders. Although the club is now closed,…
Headbangers argue all day whether Slayer is the greatest heavy-metal band ever. And 25 years into the band’s hall-of-fame career, a smaller number of music fans — not all them metalheads — claim the thrash kings are one of the best rock bands ever, hands-down, period. The group just won…
Since wowing us with The Grey Album, Danger Mouse has been constantly on the grind, delivering modern classics one after another. Still riding the monster success of his collaboration with Cee-Lo, last year’s infectious-as-herpes album from Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere, the mighty Mouse starts this year showing off yet more…
Sharing the same West Texas roots that birthed Buddy Holly, Joe Ely helped kick-start the so-called outlaw country movement and has impacted its direction ever since. More than 30 years ago, he was part of the region’s first supergroup, the Flatlanders, and he was there with Tex Mex stars Los…
The guys in White Demons may occasionally wear eyeliner and tight jeans, but there’s not a single song about a chick on this CD and not one stinky whiff of shitty emo. What we’ve got instead is explosive, trashy, borderline-glam punk ‘n’ roll with shouted choruses and crisp, fiery guitar…
Oy, yet another single-named electronica guy? And why exactly should you care? Chiefly because the Minneapolis-based Martin Dosh, also part-time member of Fog and Lateduster, is a multi-instrumentalist who approaches sampling and electronics as a composer rather than as a conceptualist or DJ. Dosh doesn’t merely slice and dice others’…
Jared Cole is working hard to defy classifications. The part-time promoter and barfly has recently released a debut album, Virginiahead, that careens from emo to folk, rock, and post-punk, all with a DIY lo-fi sound. Much of the album centers on basement electronic tinkering and acoustic guitar work that supports…
Walking into Churchill’s Pub in the heart of Little Haiti during this year’s International Noise Conference (INC) is guaranteed to be a soul-jarring experience. Those not accustomed to the genre will probably wind up perplexed, awed, downright disgusted, and, if they’re lucky, a combination of all three. Chances are, though,…
Despite putting out nine albums and having a knack for writing songs that would make Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson wince with envy, Ron Sexsmith has somehow managed to fly below the radar with the music-buying masses. Just exactly why remains an unfathomable mystery. Yet to his credit, this baby-faced…
In 2003, trombonist Conrad Herwig performed a weeklong engagement at New York’s Blue Note with a nine-piece ensemble that featured pianist Edsel Gomez and legendary reedsman Paquito D’Rivera for a show billed as “The Latin Side of Miles Davis.” Three nights were recorded, including the Grammy-nominated Another Kind of Blue,…
When one thinks of significant “duo” performers in American pop culture, who comes to mind? Sam and Dave, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Simon and Garfunkel… um, ahem. Add to that list the Bird and the Bee, a California twosome of Greg Kurstin (all instruments except horns) and Inara George…
Although flamenco is the main source of inspiration for this world-renowned Spanish band, the eight members of Ojos de Brujo tend to incorporate various musical influences into their compositions. What else can you expect from a band of gypsies who hail from Barcelona, a literal crossroads for the best musical…
Miami-based singer/producer Wibby White should learn how to quit when he’s ahead. The track arrangement on his newest album, The Trendsetter… starts out strong and can easily fool a listener into thinking he just copped an innovative CD. The album’s lead single, “Enjoy Yourself,” is a damned good blend of…
Rick Miller isn’t a fan of South Florida’s club scene. As the singer/guitarist for popular rockabilly group Southern Culture on the Skids, he’s not in love with venues festooned with chrome and mirrors. And he says he hasn’t had good luck winning over crowds this far south. For a North…
The king of lover’s rock is tired of freezing his ass off. It’s week five of a grueling eight-week North American tour, and Jamaican singer Beres Hammond has absolutely had it with nontropical weather. Detroit was frigid. Toronto was freezing. And if you even get him started on Montreal, all…
After their first single, “Don’t Let Go,” was featured on the soundtrack of the movie La Mujer de Mi Hermano last year, this Bronx-based duo formed by Dominican-born singer Nova (keys, guitar, vocals) and Colombian-born instrumentalist Maya (bass) finally emerges with its debut album. This is one of the most…
Poor Tommy Castro was born 40 years too late. He really should have been going to elementary school with folks like John Lee Hooker and Wilson Pickett. That way, he could have donated to the golden era of blues, when monsters like B.B. King and Buddy Guy were seemingly in…
The son of the recently departed Malian singer and guitarist Ali Farka Touré continues his father’s legacy with style and grace. Thankfully, he is also able to live up to his famous surname when it comes to Malian blues. Almost predictably, Vieux’s self-titled debut album is drenched in musical influences…
After four albums of exceptional, introspective folk-pop musings, it’s something of a shock to find Erin McKeown turning her attention to jazz gems of the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. Still, she does a credible job of capturing the spirit of those songs with a wink and a nudge of irreverence…
Here’s a hip-hop artist who knows how to poke fun at himself. Lex One doesn’t seem to take life seriously on No Respect for Pedestrians, the shit-talking, party-rocking album from this Hollywood-based MC. The music here is reminiscent of early ’80s comedy-style hip-hop from Biz Markie or Kool Keith —…
Evan Dando has gone missing. That might not be surprising news to anyone who’s followed the 39-year-old singer/guitarist’s frequently brilliant, frequently maddening two-decade career, both as leader of the Boston-bred punk-turned-alt-pop trio the Lemonheads and, briefly, as a solo artist. For a while there, Dando had a penchant for not…
