Mike Bennett reviews the latest from Denise James, Edson, Tim Reid and Franz Ferdinand. Mike also presents capsule reviews of releases by Green Circles, Action Now, The Rubinoos, Descendants, The Mighty Stars, The Evaporators, Hindu Rodeo, Pyramidiacs and Ric Menck. Mike also has another CD-R of The Month. Gary Glauber reviews the latest from Rusty Anderson, Dada, Jeff Finlin and HinduRodeo. James Baumann reviews the latest from The Bigger Lovers, Ric Menck, The League Bowlers and Magnolia Summer. David Fufkin reviews Various Artists Come to the Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets From the WEA Vaults. If you are a first time visitor, visit our About Us page.

Click here for Issue 28 and back issues.

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Old Stone Face

by Michael Lynch

Last month I gave a detailed account of The Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Well, in the interest of equal time, it's only fair to look at the other side of the coin. Here's a lookback at The Rolling Stones and all of their appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.

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October 25, 1964

The Rolling Stones first...

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Rock 'n Roll as Aphrodisiac: an Old Man Speaks

by Kurt Hernon

Destroy your safe and happy lives / before it's too late / the battles we fought were long and hard / just not to be consumed by rock and roll - "Memphis, Egypt", The Mekons

Consumed I am, sadly so. And the battles rage on.

Today I am officially an old fuck. I am an old fuck and I am okay with it. Really…I am.

I spent the past weekend doing the things I usually do: drinking, bitching about stuff, drinking some more, trying to write, drinking again, bitching some more, throwing shit CD's that came in the mail out the kitchen window (after saving the jewel case, of course), getting up to go to the fridge for another beer, drinking it as I look out the window at November, December, January, and February's pile of discs splayed across...

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Death of the Album: Will Downloading of Single Songs Get in the Way Of Rob Thomas' Message?

by Mike Bennett

A few months ago, USA Today ran an article about the demise of the album. The culprit, as it is with anything bad in music, is the downloading of music. How devastating is the effect of downloading music? If we weren't downloading so much music, Creed and Linkin Park would actually sound good. Pretty scary.

Anyway, the particular evil that was going to kill the album was the fact that people tend to download individual songs, rather than full length albums. This disturbed the artists whom were interviewed for the article. The performer whose reaction struck me the hardest was Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20. He was really worried...

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The World is Round: The Pirate Conundrum

by Alan Haber

Sue Carpenter, in her lovely, recently-published book 40 Watts from Nowhere (Scribner), chronicles her time running two popular Los Angeles-based pirate radio stations, KPBJ and KBLT. The stations were aptly named because, ultimately, Carpenter spent her 15 minutes of fame as the for-the-people, the-hell-with-the-Man filling in a sandwich for which the Man chose the bread.

I've had occasion to speak to a few radio pirate...

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Gary Pig Gold has Eight Questions for Bill Lloyd

by Gary Pig Gold

(ed. note: don't miss Bill's new CD being released this month. Advance reviews say it is his best work ever, which is saying alot if you are familiar with his music. Click here for more information. )

My favorite Nashville-based musician, songwriter, recording artist and sometimes even record producer to boot, Bill may be best renowned 'round rootier musical circles for his fine work within the unapologetically Everly-esque Foster And Lloyd. But it's his incredible-indeed string of solo releases that always hit me hardest (Set to Pop especially!) while his grand new Paisley Pop release Paparazzi, cunningly...

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Further Observations of a Jangly Music Fan

by Eric Sorensen

Wow! February featured an abundance of great new jangly discs and songs, and the month was also highlighted by an excellent area appearance by Roger McGuinn - who is still a magician with his Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar and his Martin 12-string acoustic guitar. McGuinn's encore featured "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" and "If I Needed Someone" back-to-back on his signature mapleglow Rickenbacker 12-string guitar. Roger will be releasing a brand new album - entitled Limited Edition - on April 1st; fans can learn more about this disc by visiting the www.mcguinn.com website. While you are waiting for this album to become available, here are some of the new discs and new Byrds-inspired...

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So Much Music....So Little Time

by Kevin Mathews

I'm sitting here on a balmy March afternoon, in front of my computer monitor, thankful for my life despite the challenges and appreciating that it could really be much worse than this. I lift my head to the heavens and count the blessings of family and friends. February is freshly past as the top of a new month brings with it the promise of a concert with David Bowie. Yes, indeed, that brings me back to twenty years ago, the last time Bowie graced these shores during the Serious Moonlight Tour and whilst much has...

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Liner Notes: A Real Life Guide to Independent Living

by Kurt Hernon

1. The Savage God: A Study of Suicide, The Biggest Game in Town: two books about as far apart as two books can be, but both absolutely riveting. A. Alverez is a British author/poet/card shark that knows poker as well as he knows poetry. And while the subject matter of Savage God seems depressing, Alvarez delivers his essays with as much beauty as sympathy, and in the end helps us understand that we may never understand man's relationship with death and violence. The Biggest Game in Town is, quite frankly, the best book ever written about poker (covering the 1981 World Series) - and thus the best ever written about the real Las Vegas.

2. "One Man Guy" - Rufus Wainwright: Sure...

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The Ray Materick Interview

by Robert Pally

Most people get more quiet with age. Not the Canadian singer songwriter Ray Materick, who put out his first album in 1972, Melting Pot. His album Ray Manterick and the Rumbledaddies is full of raw garage rock with naked observations about the world. I had a chance to interview him recently.

Robert Pally: Did your parents encourage you to make music?

Ray Materick: I was encouraged to play the trumpet but I was a kid and didn't like the effort it...

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SMiLE: A Masterpiece Unveiled 38 Years Later

by David Fufkin

Not too many people can say that they are related to someone who heard "Good Vibrations" on the studio monitors before the world had heard it. It's a really lame Kevin Bacon nth degree of separation fact, but it's a good enough intro to the news that Brian Wilson purportedly has finished SMiLE for a fall release.

There are the purists who complain...

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Additional Writers Needed

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Fufkin is honored to have been selected as a finalist in the 2004 SXSW Web Awards to be announced in March. Check back with us for further information on how to vote for us in the People's Choice competition.

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