Many jazz standards have faded from popular memory and been usurped by newer charts, but a select few continue to be played throughout the years, never losing their luster and sounding as current as the day they were composed. In the spirit of the upcoming romantically themed holiday I’ll explore one such standard: My […]
Down With Love: A Cabaret will be presented on February 16 at the Common Fence Point Hall in Portsmouth. Jeff Blanchette and Rachel Hanauer will be performing jazz standards, musical theater and pop. “Jeff and I wanted to perform again at the Common Fence Point Hall, specifically to fundraise for some theater arts equipment,” Hanauer […]
If you have been reading this review column for the past couple of years, there’s one thing that you should realize by now. At least once a year I’m going to write about a certain musician’s new album due to his immense talent and his continuously prolific output. That certain musician is Los Angeles garage […]
The Z-Boys are a power trio that set themselves apart. This act from Newport brings an amplified style of surf rock that shreds into the infinite abyss. Guitarist and vocalist Greg Burgess has a unique jazzy flair. The rhythm section of bass guitarist Amato Zinno and drummer Ziggy Coffey is incredibly tight. When their talents […]
Portsmouth’s Rick Wells is truly one of New England’s top jazz drummers. Rick separates himself from other drummers, smartly choosing to be more of an accompanist, rather than a showman soloist. He wisely recognizes that he is hired to complement other members of the group, not to take away from other talents during performances. His softness […]
Over the past couple of months, there’s been a band from Boston that has nearly everyone affiliated with the city’s music scene talking about them. They’re known as Matthew Stubbs and the Antiguas, and they have a groovy instrumental sound that fuses psychedelic rock, acid jazz and funky blues. It’s the kind of music that […]
Worcester, MA, psych-rock act The Prefab Messiahs were a bit ahead of their time when they started out during the early ‘80s. They were doing a weird take on hypnotic ‘60s pop and raw garage rock during a time where somber post-punk and electro-fueled new wave were dominating the music spectrum. After a couple of […]
Nobody’s Boyscout is a true case of musical serendipity. They are proof-positive that the incestuous Providence music scene provides consistent opportunities for musicians to experiment and collaborate with like-minded (as well as not-so-like-minded) artists. Singer/guitarist Sean Murphy raucously screamed the origins of the band at me; “I play in another band called No Plateau. Matt […]
Some of the best music comes from ideas that are inventive. These ideas push boundaries and inspire new sounds that spark creativity. These days, who knows this better than drummer Brendan Canty and bassist Joe Lally. As the rhythm section for punk legends Fugazi, they were the anchor behind a band that turned an entire […]
In an age where the mass populace is questioning rock ‘n’ roll’s legitimacy due to the mass proliferation of pop and due to hip-hop’s rise in record sales, bands like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are still sticking around. The group from Los Angeles have always set themselves apart from their contemporaries with a leather-clad sound […]