Tag Archives: rock and roll

An interview with Nick Burbridge of McDermott’s Two Hours and other endeavors

Nick Burbridge, vocalist and tunesmith with McDermott’s Two Hours, joins me in the Green Man Pub for a conversation about him, his music, and his views on a number of political subjects. I first encountered his band when reading George … Continue reading

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Hayden Childs’ Shoot Out The Lights

The 33-1/3 book series by Continuum is rightly praised as one of the best and most innovative forms of rock criticism today. In this series, writers take on the subject of a favorite album and write about it in depth. … Continue reading

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Kevin Courrier’s Trout Mask Replica, and Sean Nelson’s Court and Spark

We have reviewed other books in the fascinating series called 33 1/3. It’s an incredible conceit. Give an author carte blanche to write about a favourite album, in any way they want. Recall Allan Moore’s didactic treatise on Jethro Tull’s … Continue reading

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Allan Moore’s Aqualung

Sometimes it feels as though I am too easy on the things I review. Even the stuff I start off not liking, I listen to – or think about – long enough to see the good in it. And then … Continue reading

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Johnny Hallyday’s Live at Montreux, 1988

Jean-Philippe Smet was born on June 15, 1943. Influenced and inspired by Elvis Presley, he joined the rock revolution as Johnny Hallyday when he released his first album in 1960. He is a hero in France, but almost unknown in … Continue reading

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How the pedal steel guitar stole my heart

The pedal steel guitar has long been one of my favorite instruments. There’s just something about its sound that can go from quicksilver pure to rough and distorted in the blink of an eye that captured my heart at some … Continue reading

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Medicine Singers’ Medicine Singers

The Medicine Singers’ self-titled debut release is yet another mind-blowing musical project out of Indian Country. This year of 2022 seems to be the year for them! Although this one includes some guest vocals from Joe Rainey, a Red Lake … Continue reading

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Mike Scott’s Adventures of a Waterboy

The moment I opened this book about Mike Scott and started reading it was when I first realized that it was a memoir. And if you’ve read many musicians’ autobiographies, you’ll know why my heart sank. “Oh, great, another slog … Continue reading

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The Waterboys’ Fisherman’s Blues Part Two, The Live Adventures of The Waterboys, and The Secret Life of the Waterboys 81-85

Originally, the function of songs was devotional. Then in the balladeering centuries, songs became a vehicle for the spreading of information, stories and opinions. Now in the 20th century, they have become a way of making money and achieving fame. … Continue reading

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The Waterboys’ A Rock In The Weary Land

No’am Newman wrote this review. Oh No’am, I know you’re disappointed with this disc; I know that you were expecting The Waterboys of Whole Of The Moon and Fisherman’s Blues and instead you got something else. But it’s not my … Continue reading

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