The Zombies are experiencing an amazing phase in their career that began in 1961. The brilliant rock and pop outfit from St. Albans, Hertfordshire in England unleashes their new album, Still Got That Hunger, this week and they’re on tour playing their 1968 masterpiece Odessey and Oracle (sic!) in its entirety for […]
Eric Holland
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Joan Armatrading has had an amazing career… and it ain’t over yet! The UK based singer/songwriter/mean guitarist/bass player (etc) has, however, decided to stop doing the punishing kind of 18 month treks around the world that’s she currently on and limit herself to a month on the road maximum at […]
Buster Poindexter (alias for David Johansen, frontman for The New York Dolls) has rolled into Cafe Carlyle for a run of shows ending next Saturday October 10, 2015. I spoke to the Staten Island native not too long ago at a gig he did at The Cutting Room.
It’s been my pleasure to work with Dennis Elsas over the past 7 years at WFUV radio. To paraphrase the fat man in The Maltese Falcon, I’m a man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk and what an engaging, encyclopedic, and enthusiastic guy Dennis is when […]
Smoking hot R&B is what Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats deliver on their self-titled debut album out on Stax Records. Yes, this band is worthy of rebooting the legendary record label. The 8 man outfit crowded into WFUV’s Studio A and duly burned it down! Click HERE for the […]
Stromae is a guy worth knowing! The Belgian artist makes thoughtful songs in a border between Hip Hop and Dance music, and he’s attracted collaborators like Kanye West and Lorde. I spoke with him at SXSW. Catch him at Madison Square Garden this Thursday 10-1-15.
Upon hearing Shawn Colvin had a new album of covers, Uncovered, her first such collection in 21 years, I looked forward to the album release with something similar to the feeling of sitting down for brunch at La Bonbonniere. That is, I knew I was going to be happy. There […]
Vijay Iyer is currently the most acclaimed pianist in jazz. This year he released the third album – Break Stuff – as the Vijay Iyer Trio featuring Marcus Gilmore on drums and Stephan Crump on double bass. I spoke with the Harlem resident (and Harvard University Professor) at the Montreal Jazz Festival earlier […]
Quintessential New Yorkers Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel played to a half million in Central Park 34 years ago, September 19, 1981. The previously out-of-print recording of the event is back, as are vinyl versions of all their studio albums. Both have their own gigs in town next month… the […]
Madonna did her Veni, Vidi, Vici thing at Madison Square Garden last week. Ms. Ciccone first headlined here 30 years ago and the seasoned professional entertainer knows what’s she doing.
It was a brilliant week at WFUV radio where a pair of Juniors – both amazing guitar players – stopped by for conversations with me and to lay down live versions of songs found on recently released albums. Follow the links to hear the chats and enjoy video of the […]
I don’t want to put a jinx on her but after spending some time with Melanie Martinez, I’m convinced she’s got an extremely promising future as a recording artist. The 20 year old out of Baldwin, Long Island clearly has a creative vision for her music and whether it’s co-writing […]
Robert Plant is at The Capital Theatre tomorrow night Thursday 9-17-2015 and the Hammerstein Ballroom on Friday. The former Led Zeppelin frontman is enjoying playing relatively intimate venues while Jimmy Page recently wrapped up his top to bottom remastering of the Led Zeppelin catalog.
When I spoke with Jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove the other day, I asked him about R&B phenom D’Angelo. Here’s what he said about the man and working on D’Angelo’s Black Messiah. D’Angelo is playing Carnegie Hall on October 1, 2015 with other artists “Celebrating the Music of Bill Withers”.
There’s no trumpet (and flugelhorn) player I”d rather listen to than Roy Hargrove. He burns equally bright whether applying his pure lustrous tone to tough hard bop or to smoldering ballads. I spoke with the artist on a sunny late afternoon here in the city over the long Labor Day […]
An amazing group of Disc Jockeys spins under the Mobile Mondays! flag at The Bowery Electric. They all have their own unique style under a unifying aesthetic of playing 45 RPM records with great passion and knowledge. I had the pleasure of catching a hang with a pair of the […]
The new James Maddock album is called The Green. The British-born singer-songwriter who has called the Lower East Side of Manhattan home for the past 12 years has penned another appealing collection of songs. He treated the fortunate group who squeezed into Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 to a good handful […]
Fifth Harmony are on a roll! Their single Worth It was recently certified double platinum, they celebrated the release of their new video for I’m In Love With A Monster by premiering it in Times Square, and they sold out The Beacon Theatre. In addition to the look at the fab […]
Those who have seen The J. Geils Band perform in concert know the kind of energy, power, and passion that they bring every time they congregate. With Magic Dick blowing sublime harp, DK (Dr Funk) Daniel Klein rumbling and tumbling on bass, Seth Justman barrelhousing on keys, and the incomparable […]
Howard Jones combined adept, crafty skills on synthesizers and keyboards and (an area where many of his contemporaries who were lumped in a general category of synth-pop were lacking) strong songwriting to create a memorable catalog of hits. He brought those hits, 15 in the top 40 including 6 in […]
Yesterday I participated in the final broadcast of The Alternate Side radio station. It was emotional! After Russ Boris, Alisa Ali and I played New Order and Joy Division back to back, I recalled the once in a lifetime pairing of Iggy Pop and New Order performing a couple of […]
We are lucky to have Warren Haynes as local talent. The Asheville, NC bred artist moved to the East Village decades ago and is now ‘burbing it up in Westchester. He tapped New Jersey’s Railroad Earth to flesh out a group of songs that he had written over many years including one penned […]
Australian rockers DMA’s, who recently released their self-titled EP in the States, are regulafellas. The guys in this exciting rock band still have day jobs back in Sydney and are tormented tenants too; they told me how they plan to trash their house above a hairdresser’s salon before they move […]
Justin Townes Earle was part of AmericanaFest NYC at Lincoln Center earlier this month. The singer-songwriter has added significantly to his impressive body of work recently with Single Mothers followed closely by Absent Fathers that was recorded in the same sessions. Here’s a taste of the performance and our conversation which featured […]
Before their show in Brooklyn at Barclays Arena, TOTO were given commemorative plaques to recognize an eyebrow-raising 40 million albums sold. The achievement is another feather in the cap of the veteran rock ensemble best known for their three top 5 hits Africa, Rosanna, and Hold The Line. Fans of […]