ULI JON ROTH ON THREE-HOUR, MULTIMEDIA LIVE SHOW, HIS LOVE OF TEACHING AND A GIFT FROM KIRK HAMMETT
Uli Jon Roth, the German-born guitarist noted for inventing his own guitar, an early-career run with the Scorpions and a style that has influenced the likes of Kirk Hammett of Metallica and Yngwie Mal...
ReadmoreOLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF COOKING THE MUSICAL GUMBO
Ketch Secor, the frontman of Old Crow Medicine Show, is making us hungry. "The thing about music in America is it's a gumbo, and it takes a long time to cook that roux down," he says during a phone...
ReadmoreSLEATER-KINNEY AT BROOKLYN STEEL: CHOPS, MELODY & TAMELESS ENERGY
Much ink and digital bandwith have been spilled to extol the influence and importance of Sleater-Kinney, the long-running Washington state indie/alternative/riot grrrl band, all of it valid. But the v...
ReadmoreMATISYAHU, THE METS AND A MATZO BALL: THE INSIDE STORY
Last September, my wife and I went to Citi Field for a Mets game because they were playing her favorite team, the Seattle Mariners. It turned out to be Jewish Heritage Day at the stadium, leading to t...
ReadmoreGUSTER ALSO HAS ‘ERAS’: ‘WE THINK WE’RE FUNNY’
With scripted skits and set changes, Guster's We Also Have Eras tour tells the 30-year tale of the band in two and a half hours. Asked if he'd like to see one of his favorite groups try to pull it ...
ReadmoreMATISYAHU SHARES THE LIGHT DURING DARK TIME FOR JEWISH PEOPLE
Matisyahu, the reggae rapper whose Jewish faith is a major component of his music and life, has not set out to preach on his Hold The Fire tour. "I’m doing music, right, so I’m not going go be maki...
ReadmoreMICHAEL NAU ON MUSICAL TAPESTRIES AND SONGS AS JUMPING-OFF POINTS
Whether fronting beloved indie-folk groups Page France and Cotton Jones or working under his own name, sometimes with his band The Mighty Thread, Michael Nau has blended the familiar with the surprisi...
ReadmoreCOLD WAR KIDS: ‘MAINTAINING SUCCESS IS A THING’
Consistent isn't the sexiest adjective you could pick to describe a band. But it's a valuable and hard-earned one that suits Cold War Kids, the alt rock band that has been churning out memorable anthe...
ReadmoreMATT POND PA ON THE VAGARIES OF GEOGRAPHY, THE INDIE SLOG AND NIKKI GLASER
"Everything is backwards and opposite to me," says Matt Pond. It's a generalization that comes when he's discussing geography during our recent interview, and it's an apt one: His long-time band is na...
ReadmoreSCOTT GUILD’S DEBUT NOVEL HAS ALBUM TO MATCH
Scott Guild, whose debut novel, "Plastic," is out Feb. 13, has created a literary and sonic universe where his characters have sprung to life, leaping off the page and out of speakers, too. The compan...
Readmore