Scott H. Biram – The Bad Testament (Bloodshot Records) On The Bad Testament, Scott Biram unleashes a collection of rollicking outlaw country fuzz stompers for these troubled times. The opening plea of “Set Me Free” is filled with yearning to return to the rambling ways of the road. “Red Wine” is a slow honky-tonk number […]
Okee dokee folks… In 13 years of writing this column I have had two byline photos. Sometimes I try to update them, but for some reason it never gets done. The current pic is about five years old and for the most part is still representative, except for the beard. I tricked my father into letting […]
By artistically fusing both vintage and contemporary aesthetics, Los Angeles indie soul act Electric Guest brings a unique groove. Frontman Asa Taccone has a velvety and soulful voice that reaches different levels of vocal range while Matthew “Cornbread” Compton creates electronically fueled beats and rhythms. It’s a melding of Motown swagger with modern pop and […]
I know what’s going through your head. Without even giving it a listen, this album most likely evokes two thoughts: Either the name of the band reminds you of a punk song written by the Beastie Boys or the album title brings visions of an elderly deranged serial killer who single-handedly killed the dream of […]
Supergroups pop up at least once a year, and they can be an imploding disaster waiting to happen or a brilliant melding of talents that’s simply amazing. The latter can be said for Crystal Fairy, a brand new band consisting of Dale Crover and Buzz Osbourne from Seattle sludge legends The Melvins, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez from […]
Okee dokee folks… I went to see Grand Funk Railroad and former Eagles member Don Felder at Twin River last Friday night. These are my thoughts on the show. First of all, we were a bit late for the show. All week I had been thinking, “How are they going to squeeze two acts into […]
Independent music has an endless variety of styles and tones. There also are acts that meld musical dimensions to create something truly unique. That can be said for No Joy, a duo of Jasamine White-Gluz and Laura Lloyd from Montreal that exude a shoegaze sound with hints of electronic notes. It makes for a captivating […]
In December, Providence was introduced to Brooklyn-based composer/saxophonist Angela Morris and her group Rallidae. After watching their inspiring performance, I had the chance to speak with her briefly and found her thoughts on music to be as interesting as her performance. So we arranged to have a longer interview in which we could discuss her journey, […]
Sometimes the best art comes from pain and loneliness. It can be a fantastically brilliant antidote for whatever the artist is feeling. With his 16th studio album, Prisoner, due out on February 17, Ryan Adams examines misery and heartache. It’s intense and honest, and each song tells a story of emotional strain. The album proves […]
An Evening with Lol Tolhurst, Founding Member of The Cure I’ve been a fan of The Cure for almost 30 years and don’t recall anything remotely related to them ever happening in Providence. That is part of what makes this a special night as co-founder Lol Tolhurst comes to town to promote his new book, […]