JAMES: DEATH, DANCE and REBIRTH AT WEBSTER HALL
By Michael Lello Photos by Joe Russo Backstage at Webster Hall, James trumpet player Andy Diagram is slumped on a sofa, wearing a knit winter cap topped with a tassle while he's trying to fight ...
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UMPHREY’S McGEE’S DRUNKEN JAM SESSION LEADS TO PROG-IMPROV STARDOM
By Michael Lester Umphrey’s McGee formed on the campus of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., nearly 17 years ago. But it was during a drunken, post-wedding, early-morning, tux-wearing jam session in ...
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DYLAN JANE HITS HER STRIDE ON THIRD ALBUM (EXCLUSIVE SONG DEBUT)
With a palette that ranges in taste from Bonnie Raitt to Bonnie “Prince” Billy, singer/songwriter Dylan Jane has quite a deep well to draw from when it comes to her own music. It’s a range of dept...
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CHEROKEE RED DEBUTS ‘THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER’ (EXCLUSIVE)
"On some level as a musician, you want to release some kind of opus you're working on, but in a lot of cases it's better to have something people can relate to. And a good chorus is hard to come b...
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SAM AMIDON TALKS ‘LILY-O,’ BILL FRISELL and ‘COLLABORATION’ WITH HENDRIX
Sam Amidon had an idea for his new album. But the album seemed to have another idea for him. That sounds a bit weird, so let's back up a second. Amidon, a singer, songwriter, guitarist and player o...
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LEWIS & CLARKE COMPLETE THE TRIPTYCH: AN INTERVIEW WITH LOU ROGAI
By Michael Lello Photo by Jonno Rattman In 2007, when Lewis & Clarke released its most recent full-length album “Blasts of Holy Birth,” Apple was launching its first iPhone. The Hollywood Wr...
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DUSTIN DOUGLAS PREMIERES TRACK and DISCUSSES DEBUT ALBUM (EXCLUSIVE)
By Michael Lello The artist’s name Dustin Douglas might not ring a bell for you. But the music on his album -- “Black Skies and Starlight,” the debut from the artist more widely known by his r...
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KANGAROOS ON THE WING? A CONVERSATION WITH AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD
By Michael Lester Australian Pink Floyd bassist/vocalist Colin Wilson was awestruck two years ago when he got a look at those gigantic illuminated blast furnaces from a bygone industrial era...
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PATRICK SWEANY: A VOICE OF THE BLUES AND AN OLD-SCHOOL SOUL
By Michael Lello Some of the greatest artists of our time have thrived at a confluence of various musical rivers rather than following the path of just one singular stream. Their influences are so ...
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LUTHER DICKINSON DISCUSSES ‘ALL STAR’ CAREER
By Michael Lester Guitarist Luther Dickinson’s late father Jim Dickinson, a legendary record producer who played keyboards on Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan albums, tried to talk Luther out of playing ...
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