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Imbibe and Listen volume one: Alpamanta Breva-Sum Intro
It was a night exactly like the rest. For one year, I’d been spending them in deep contemplation, allowing myself to float freely between notions of life…of death. The buzz of the record machine, needle at the end of the album, still spinning around even though it had no music left to play. I sat […]
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Pearl Jam: proper rock in Detroit city
“It’s evolution baby,” Vedder proclaimed after a cheeky joke that left the audience roaring for more. It was a dick joke, and it was appropriate. Because, while the band has evolved, they’ve remained relevant, they’ve remained rock and roll. And it’s that ever-present air of charisma that keeps them packing arenas.
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Paolo Nutini: life as soulful fodder
In reading past interviews, the thing that intrigued me most about Paolo Nutini was his mention of the item he cherished most, a wooden rocking horse handmade for him by his grandfather. My intention was to learn to whittle, fashion a miniature wooden horse, and hand it to the young powerhouse-of-tune after watching
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Rebecca Rego&The Trainmen: homespun acquaintance
I’m listening to superb Americana dosed with a unique blend of antiquated folk. The album presents as a conduit that carries you off, back in time, to the sun-porch at your grandma’s house. That porch, where you’d sit to sift through old photographs and reminisce, learn a thing or two. There, records were played on […]
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Wax Poetic: Frank Zappa presents Freak Out
It’s not that deep… no resounding nor epic thought patterns provoked my foray into Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. It was quite the opposite. This album, it was a breach of epic proportions… a breach of steadfast moral and virtue. Some perverted little lyrics wrapped up in shiny
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The Westies: with the tender side of a fist
The Westies were Hell’s Kitchen’s most notorious Irish-American gang. Between the late 60s and mid-80s, they were responsible for more than 100 deaths and a myriad of other crimes. Quite the accomplishment when their numbers never boasted more than 20. An accumulation of political power and criminal
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Michael McDermott: not fade away
In the era of technological babble and white noise, it’s easy to lose track of what’s important in the world of music. Any schmoe with an internet connection can hastily blog and immediately publish for hundreds, thousands, to see. Almost a game of luck, having a rock-solid internet presence in the land of amateur
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JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound: high octane funk
Gifted with the hips of Elvis and a smile stolen straight from the Cheshire cat, JC Brooks is the smooth talking, handsome, talented Winslow that got away. Classic and refined, yet, oddly uncouth. Bizarre dance moves executed with smooth precision and a wardrobe for days, JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound create an
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Gary Clark Jr.: passionately demure
Gary Clark Jr. stays hidden in the deep red shadows like Dr. Frankenstein’s beautiful monster. Dark grays and husky purples illuminate his silhouette only slightly. His face is turned to the side in musical meditation and humility, his eyes never quite finding the audience. A smooth, buttery falsetto rings through the crowd,