Something Else! Reviews

Patti Smith – Banga (2012)

Glen Boyd — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 02:42:34 +0000

Remember when Patti Smith used to be considered dangerous? It’s a little hard to reconcile the one-time high priestess of punk rock — the same one responsible for such edgy slices of punk poetry, and the subject of Gilda Radner’s dead-on Saturday Night Live character Candi Slice in the seventies — with the modern day Patti Smith. Today, Patti Smith [...]

Neil Young And Crazy Horse – Americana (2012)

S. Victor Aaron — Thu, 31 May 2012 12:15:26 +0000

Chances are pretty good that you already know the basic lowdown on this album: 1) It’s the first Neil Young/Crazy Horse record since 2003′s Greendale 2) The songs are all covers and 3) The covers are so damned old that most are in the public domain. Young himself describes them as songs you’ve “learned in kindergarten.” And if there’s one [...]

One Track Mind: Chris Squire on “Fly From Here,” “Life Within a Day,” “Tempus Fugit,” others

Nick DeRiso — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:45:03 +0000

Yes co-founder Chris Squire, featured in a new duo recording with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, takes over our One Track Mind feature this week. Find out what sparked Yes to return to the long-form compositional style of its glory years on 2011′s Fly From Here, and how a failed early 1980s project with Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page ultimately led [...]

Half Notes: Leo Kottke – Ice Water (1974)

Mark Saleski — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:22:27 +0000

Kottke’s a funny guy and a beyond great guitar player. While I’m generally a bigger fan of his solo guitar records, there’s always something of interest lurking on the rest of Kottke’s albums. Highly recommended: Ice Water has his version of Tom T. Hall’s classic “Pamela Brown.” Also, check out Chewing Pine from the next year, which has “Regards From [...]

Mort Weiss: Joey DeFrancesco projects showed the difference between music, and the music ‘business’

Mort Weiss — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:04:53 +0000

This is the story of two collaborations with Joey DeFrancesco that you almost never saw — or the difference between music … and the music “business.” The first unreleased album I recorded with Joey DeFrancesco is now known as the Mort Weiss Quartet CD featuring Joey, Ron Eschete’ and Ramon Banda, followed by 2006′s The B3 and Me. Both of [...]

Fred’s Country Fried Rock: David Allan Coe, “Longhaired Redneck” (1976)

Fred Phillips — Thu, 31 May 2012 10:49:42 +0000

So usually I try to focus this feature on the new kids on the block, but sometimes you’ve just got to dip back into the classics. Waylon Jennings may be the king of the outlaws, but without David Allan Coe, the Bob Wayne’s and Hank III’s of the world wouldn’t have the template. Waylon was considered an outlaw because of [...]

Doc Watson (1923-2012): An Appreciation

Mark Saleski — Wed, 30 May 2012 12:52:50 +0000

It’s funny how certain bits of music can get under your skin. Several years ago, I was having a visit with my old buddy Gene out in upstate New York. We were sitting in his living room, sliding doors open wide to the cool and fragrant summer air, while listening to a short stack of LPs. Gene put on an [...]

Manuel Valera – New Cuban Express (2012)

S. Victor Aaron — Wed, 30 May 2012 12:15:45 +0000

Like another Cuban product Aruán Ortiz, Manuel Valera is a gifted piano player who is able to reconcile the rhythmically based Afro-Cuban jazz of his homeland with the harmonically complex modern jazz of New York. Valera is likewise an experienced composer and bandleader, with five albums under his belt since 2004. On those dates, he’s enjoyed the support of such [...]

‘An incredible honor for me’: Steve Lukather set to tour with Beatles hero Ringo Starr

Nick DeRiso — Wed, 30 May 2012 11:47:32 +0000

Steve Lukather, tirelessly active even after 35 years in the business, is rehearsing for upcoming 2012 tours with Ringo Starr and Toto, even as he works on a new studio recording. The forthcoming solo album, tentatively titled Once Again, promises to be a brisk, nine-song cycle, with release date to be set for early 2013. Between then and now, there [...]

Dan Kibler – Dan Kibler (2012)

Beverly Paterson — Wed, 30 May 2012 11:28:47 +0000

The country rock field is a crowded one these days, but it takes a special talent to synthesize the genres in an accessible manner. And I’m pleased to announce that Dan Kibler possesses such a skill. Striking a perfect balance between the two styles, he slaps a refreshing spin on his well written songs. Bold and bright instrumentation, teeming with [...]