For those who follow the jam band scene, Bonnaroo was Mecca. 70,000 people came together through word of mouth and e-mail (no advertising), and converged on an exceptional gathering of artists. To take the three day music festival, populated by bands that thrive on live energy and extended jams, and cram it into one package,… Continue reading Live from Bonnaroo
Results for "Peter Hemminger"
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Tiger Army, The Early Years EP
To be fair, every band has growing pains. They struggle to find a sound that works, and maybe even more difficult, to find a personality that will sell. On The Early Years EP, it’s obvious Tiger Army were struggling. Torn between the sense of humour shown on Jungle Cat (“Out looking for a tigress/in fishnet… Continue reading Tiger Army, The Early Years EP
Pigeon-Hole, And The One They Call Lightning
Its wasn’t until a full 45 minutes into And The One They Call Lightning that I was fully struck by how good this album is. The folk-fusion atmosphere of the rest of the album drops away, leaving only its best elements: a jazzy bassline, hip-hop influenced drumming, and Isabelle Fahmy and Natasha Szuber crooning out… Continue reading Pigeon-Hole, And The One They Call Lightning
Leftover Salmon, Live
Live albums have two main purposes: to prove that a band has the chops to pull off their sound without a studio, and to convince the listener that a band is worth their ticket price, so they can make money off of a tour. Keeping that in mind, Leftover Salmon’s live album, cleverly titled Live,… Continue reading Leftover Salmon, Live
Beck, Sea Change
My writer Peter Hemminger is wrong–very wrong (click here for Peter’s review). The new Beck CD isn’t just good, it’s fantastic.Just to give you a little background information: My CD player only has a slot for one single disc, and for the past two weeks, Sea Change, Beck’s latest release, has graced the crown of… Continue reading Beck, Sea Change
Beck, Sea Change (Part Two)
A lot has been made of the fact that Beck’s new album is the product of a break-up. What’s usually implied is that since Bob Dylan’s masterpiece, Blood on the Tracks, is a direct reaction to the end of his marriage, Beck’s album must also be, well, an instant classic. To a certain extent, this… Continue reading Beck, Sea Change (Part Two)
Supergrass, Life on Other Planets
Aside from the 1999 single “Pumping on your Stereo,” Supergrass have been shamefully overlooked in North America. With the release of Life on Other Planets, you now have a chance to make up for it. Many of their British peers may be falling into the traps of maudlin self-pity and overblown pretensions, but Supergrass have… Continue reading Supergrass, Life on Other Planets
Scott Merritt, The Detour Home
On the first track of The Detour Home, Scott Merritt sings “you can’t stop a good thing.” Hopefully it’s true, as Merritt deserves all the success he can gather. After releasing four albums to relative obscurity over a decade ago, he’s returned with an album brimming with originality and talent. He pays tribute to conventional… Continue reading Scott Merritt, The Detour Home
Haven, Between the Senses
I’ve been trying for 20 minutes to come up with a way to describe Haven without mentioning Jeff Buckley. Maybe it’s just because of my lack of musical touchstones, a lack of creativity, or just out-and-out laziness, but I can’t find one. Between the Senses contains all the hallmarks of Buckley’s sound: ethereal vocals, soaring… Continue reading Haven, Between the Senses
Thoth
In documentary filmmaking, subject is everything. Thoth is the story of a 46-year-old man, who considers himself an emotional hermaphrodite, singing an opera he wrote in a language he created, while playing violin and dancing in a loincloth. As compelling as that sounds, that description is dismissive and hardly does this film justice. Needless to… Continue reading Thoth