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Violence Closes Greensboro’s Blind Tiger
I never like getting personal on this thing but well, damn it, sometimes it has to happen. Read more…
Friday Look Back: Luke Wesley – Who Are We Kidding?
Posted by Greg on Apr 15, 2022 in Music
For reasons I can never explain my cranial jukebox has been playing “Battered Apartments” by Luke Wesley non-stop this week. For those who have not heard, it is a gorgoeus song about the demise of a romance that is as affecting and poignant as anything I have ever heard. When it was first released in summer of 2010 it absolutely wrecked and floored me. “Battered Apartments” was the closing track of Wesley’s debut, which remains one of my favorite albums of the last 15 years. That of course reminded me that I reviewed his sophomore album Who Are We Kidding? for AbsolutePunk.net. That site is now defunct (reimagined as Chorus.FM) and Wesley has yet to release any folow-ups since. In an effort to right that ship, here’s the review. Read more…
Album of the Week: Mondo Cozmo – This is For The Barbarians
Posted by Greg on Apr 12, 2022 in Music
How does one accurately describe American singer/songwriter Josh Ostrander who performs under the moniker Mondo Cozmo? Profane? Shapeshifting? Brash? Self-absorbed? What about effective, absorbing and utterly engaging. There’s a dichotomy at work with Mondo Cozmo that keeps one wanting more every time. Just listen, you’ll see. Read more…
Live Music Review: Mae @ The Social, Orlando, FL; April 1 and 2, 2022
Posted by Greg on Apr 8, 2022 in Music
It’s been nearly 20 years since the Norfolk, VA band Mae burst into the emo/alt rock scene of the early 2000s with their Tooth + Nail debut Destination Beautiful. Since that time the band has seen members depart, released five albums and have cultivated livelihoods and families beyond just Mae. Most notably vocalist/guitarist/founder Dave Elkins is a Nashville producer and songwriter and guitarist Zach Getting is a college professor and vinyl retailer. New members of the band include the likes of:
Aaron Lachtman (bass, formerly of Tokyo)
Josh Grigsby (drums, formerly of Houston Calls)
Kipp Wilde (keys, formerly of Windsor Drive)
Friday Nostalgia: Athenaeum’s Radiance
Posted by Greg on Mar 25, 2022 in Music
For reasons only known to my cranial jukebox I have been stuck down the earmworm hole of the music of Athenaeum. A nearly flawless 90s pop-rock outfit that lasted all of four years they soared to some pretty titanic heights. Single “What I Didn’t Know” landed on the Billboard Hot 100, soaring as high as 58. “Un-noticed,” another single from their Raidance album was used in the film Varsity Blues. The song “Flat Tire”, also from Radiance was a big hit in the Philippines. Read more…
Artist of the Week: Nate Bergman
Posted by Greg on Mar 7, 2022 in Music
Who the heck knows what makes music popular these days? The more one casually listens to Top 40, the more disenchanted one feels. At least that’s true for this writer.
In a perfect world Nate Bergman would be a chart-topper. Whether that ends up happening remains to be seen. But if this blog has any say in the world (and we think it has some) let this be the first of many posts championing the likes of Mr. Bergman. Read more…
Midlake Gets Personal on New Song “Noble”
Posted by Greg on Mar 1, 2022 in Music
Some people listen to songs to find themselves in the lyrics. Others listen to hear a narrative play out that allows them to dream and ponder. And others want to hear a songwriter’s anguish. This writer certainly leans towards the latter two and nowhere is that more apparent than on Midlake’s new song “Noble.” Read more…
Movie of the Week – Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York
There’s a certain pride in being from New York. A kind of pride that’s hard to explain. Sure everyone is proud of their hometown but New York City, well that’s something different. Okay, sure, technically Long Island was home but the amount of time I’ve spent living and working in NYC is enough to call it home. Even now a decade-plus into living in Central Florida, there are some things one still misses about NYC. Z100 is one of those things. I can’t begin to tell you how many bus rides, carpools, road trips and mundane errands had Z100 as the backdrop. But how exactly did Z100 become the household name it is today? Read more…
Our Favorite Films of 2021
Posted by Greg on Jan 5, 2022 in Movies
I’ve seen WAY too many films this year. As the years continue to pass, I’m becoming more cinephile than audiophile. Much like the best albums list, I’m not too thrilled to put one over the other. All of these films have their merits. Without further ado, here goes. So as not to rank them, we’ll just put them in alphabetical order. I’ll probably have to edit this in a few days and add some others: Read more…
Our Favorite Albums of 2021 (61 in total)
Posted by Greg on Dec 12, 2021 in Music
Lists are stupid. Really, really stupid. I don’t like making these lists but America loves them and as such, here it goes. Now for the disclaimer. Are these all the best albums of the year? Probably not. I can’t listen to everything. And now for the controversial part. This list might be alphabetical next year. Why you ask? It can be argued that album #50 is as good as #1 and #35 is as good as #2. But nonetheless here goes. Read more…