CD Review: ‘Onyx’ by Pop Evil
I've been enjoying Pop Evil's most recent album, Onyx, so much that I nearly forgot that I needed to write a review. This May release, as the name implies, is a sojourn to the dark depths of personal struggle and hardship, while maintaining the proverbi ...
CD Review: ‘Return To The Point Of Departure’ by Mahogany Head Grenade
Mahogany Head Grenade is an odd name. I haven't a clue what it means, but that doesn't make the music this Dallas-based trio has written any less worthwhile. Having read it called “home grown instraMETAL for your head” made me a bit cautious. Inst ...
CD review: “Constellation Prize” by Carbon Leaf
Earlier this year, Richmond, Va.-based band, Carbon Leaf, released its first full-blown Celtic-Rock album, entitled Ghost Dragon Attacks Castle, that enraptured me with its energy, humor and diversity of sound. I was rather surprised then, when I heard t ...
Live Review: Chris Thile’s Strathmore Bachtoberfest
In the world of Chris Thile, I'm a relative newcomer. I had no idea who he was until around four months ago, the point in time that I took up learning the mandolin, but I was quick to discover that he is one of the premier players of that instrument. Beg ...
CD Review: Walking With Giants EP
I won't lie. It was the names that caught my interest. But, from the opening notes ringing out in my ears I knew that this would be worth every moment. Gary Noon – vocalist, guitarist, bassist, and mastermind behind Walking With Giants – is living every ...
SHEL in Washington D.C. Oct. 11 Review
Rain poured down around us, drenching our shoes and any part of us that wouldn't fit under our umbrella meant for one. Despite the darkness set upon us by this overcast and drizzle, the streetlights provided no support, casting our feet into one puddle a ...
CD Review: “Break The Silence” by VOX
I'm a sucker for 80s hard rock and heavy metal. Had I been born a generation earlier, I'd likely be the long-haired guy in the crowd rockin' a sleeveless denim jacket covered in band patches and holding up the lighter I'd bought earlier in the ni ...
Concert Review: Carbon Leaf at Ram’s Head Live, Baltimore, MD.
When Carbon Leaf comes to town, nothing stops me from getting to the show – barring freak accidents and financial issues. A cancellation had already deterred my girlfriend and myself from seeing them several months ago, but thankfully they were returning ...
CD Review: “The Way We Move” by Langhorne Slim & The Law
The press release address was Los Angeles, CA, but the sounds I was hearing told me this couldn't be true. There was certainly a shimmer to the music indicative of the sheen that Hollywood always applies, but the songs were folksy, with a glint of Appalac ...
Interview: Joe Bochar – Made To Play
From musician, mixer, and producer, to guitar luthier - with adequate time for working on hot rods - Joe Bochar has transversed the musical realm from one side to the other. Releasing three stunning instrumental albums as Joboj (you can read my review ...