AN INTERVIEW WITH GRATEFUL DEAD LYRICIST ROBERT HUNTER, PART ONE
By Michael Lello Photo by Maureen Hunter Robert Hunter’s words have left an indelible imprint on pop culture – “what a long strange trip it’s been” and “drivin’ that train, high on cocaine,” anyone?...
ReadmoreGUITAR GODS DISPLAY SIX-STRING MASTERY AT KIRBY CENTER
HW81.GuitarGods (9 of 13) By Michael Lester and Chris Krepich WILKES-BARRE -- Flashily clad in tight black leather pants and a black leathe...
ReadmoreYNGWIE MALMSTEEN: STILL A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH
By Michael Lello Subtlety is not one of Yngwie Malmsteen’s strong suits. Known for his lightning-fast, classically influenced guitar shredding, the Swedish virtuoso is larger than life, whether play...
ReadmoreTIGERS JAW FINALLY UNCAGES LONG-AWAITED “CHARMER”
By Michael Lello If you feel like you’ve been waiting for the new Tigers Jaw album for a while, try being in the band. It’s been since 2010 since their last full-length release, and since last April...
ReadmoreSTARGAZER LILIES CAST THEIR GAZE BEYOND GENRE
By Michael Lello The Dingmans Ferry exit off Interstate 84 in the Poconos is not exactly a hotbed of shoegaze music. But in a remote area near Milford, John Cep and Kim Field are crafting the brand ...
ReadmoreESCOVEDO AND THE SENSITIVE BOYS DELIVER DARK BRILLIANCE
By Michael Lello WILKES-BARRE – When you hear certain songs, you can also hear the compositional process, the structure and the intent. Here’s the verse, there’s the hook, here’s the bridge and chor...
ReadmoreJOAN OSBORNE’S SIMPLE AND DIRECT KIRBY CENTER OUTING
By Michael Lello Photos by Jesse Faatz WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- Just a day after the release of her ninth album, “Love and Hate,” musical chameleon Joan Osborne continued the FM Kirby Center’s “Live f...
ReadmoreKIRBY CENTER “LOBBYING” FOR INTIMATE SHOWS
IMG_0515 By Michael Lello Photos by Jesse Faatz What do you do if you’re in charge of booking an 1,800-seat theater, but you want to host ...
ReadmoreBUCK KNIFE, CREEPOID EXPLORE THE OTHER SIDE
By Michael Lello For every group of musicians with stars in its eyes, there’s another band whose goals are purely artistic. Success is almost seen as the opposite of the goal. Buck Knife, a newer p...
ReadmoreNATALIE CRESSMAN: PAINTING IN BROAD STROKES
By Michael Lello While Natalie Cressman’s instrument of choice is the trombone, one might say the paintbrush – at least figuratively – is also a key tool in the arsenal of the young multi-instrumenta...
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