Over the years I expanded my musical taste beyond rock and roll. I embraced classical music, but not opera. I navigated jazz by listening to a regular show on the radio and attended dozens of concerts. Likewise, at the urging of son #2, I have exposed myself to dubstep. Thus, I currently rave about Nanostorm …
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HUGE* Ministry fan here! I’ve been hooked ever since a co-worker introduced me in the late 1980s to the industrial metal genre found on Twitch and The Land of Rape and Honey. Releases pleasing to my mind, body, and wespirit followed later, too. During the Presidency of George W. Bush aka “Shrub” (thanks to muckraker …
I got a turntable for Xmas. I have since opened the lp crate, which had been in storage for over 25 years. At times after leaving a visit with Dad and Mom, and then only Mom, I’d swing by the Goodwill in Glenview, Illinois. Maybe find a potentially superior nonfiction hardcover and/or lp. This is …
Photo Credit A decade ago, Nike co-founder Phil Knight bequeathed a whopping amount of money to the University of Oregon to build a facility for only athletes. My memory is foggy, but I thought the structure was a hybrid dorm and training complex for football players only. Maybe not. A quick search found this: https://www.businessinsider.com/phil-knight-own-locker-oregon-football-facility-2013-9 …
When I saw dubstep live at Lollapalooza the acts relied far too much on a repetitive, thumping bass. I had the same impression of nearly all I heard when in the presence of son #2. However, Griz has potential. Then I heard Nanostorm (on Third Dimension) on WNUR! Nanostorm connected with my metalhead sensibilities while …
Last night I dreamt that I killed Henry Kissinger. ‘Twas a vivid dream. Setting: a beach with many people engaged in typical beach behavior. I noticed the former Secretary of State (or as I refer to him – Satan’s Emissary on Earth) to my left with his son. Henry stood and sauntered toward the water …
Craneium, a twin-guitar Finnish quartet, has released its second single, “Things Have Changed,” from its fourth release, Point of No Return (on The Sign Records). Craneium hails from Turku, which is Finland’s oldest “city.” Its population hovers around 200,000 inhabitants. Turku has several tourist attractions; namely, the aurora borealis, water, and the Moominland theme park. …
Television content creators have had coverage/payment disputes with cable providers for a few years now. My first memory of such a standoff was connected to the Big Ten Network demanding more money for its content than cable operators wanted to pay. Currently, the nation’s second largest cable operator, Charter, has reached an impasse with Disney. The …
When this old man, a veteran of the inaugural, third, and two other Lollapalooza festivals, scanned the 2023 lineup, the easy decision was – no thanks. I have already seen the Red Hot Chili Peppers two times and no other act would activate my credit card to charge more than $125 for a single day …
Earlier this year I praised a single by the Swedish rock duo, Molosser Crude. Tess sings and plays drums and Jahn uses guitars and bass. Twin Moons – a stoner rock diamond from Swedish duo Molosser Crude, by Mark Erickson – East Portland Blog They have now released another single, offering both electric and acoustic …
Put your head in the vice, demanded the uniformed figure twice. Or I will squeeze your balls under my jackboot, with firmness and without emotion, either will suit. Our torture methods will force you to cooperate. You acquiesce or we target your mate. If you prefer, the instructions will consist of a haiku. We want …
FFO: Children of Bodom, Kalmah, Soilwork, As I Lay Dying, Five Finger Death Punch, Dream Theater, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Amorphis, Dimmu Borgir Hämärä’s “Ivory Tower”, according to the request for this review, noted the release is the band’s first since reuniting after a seven year “hiatus.” I went to reddit.com to see any activity for Hämärä and …
TWENTY years ago this month imperialistic America started the War in Iraq. After failing to obtain authorization for war from the UN Security Council, #43 resorted to a PR move by declaring the (illegal) impending invasion a “Coalition of the Willing.” Twas just black information, i.e., lies. In this case of specious multilateralism, only Great …
Before I had a driver’s license, the KQRS DJ announced from my clock radio while I sat in my bedroom after dinner with homework in front of me that he would do something he had not previously done. I will never forget; he played an entire album without interruption because it was that good. First …
A few weeks ago I wrote about a repository of Bandcamp material for a musical artists of a certain genre. I tend to eschew categories because I will never embrace all artists of a certain genre and do not wish to dissuade myself from adventuring into musical realms that I typically do not embrace. However, …
What follows is another powerful chapter in my ongoing musical journey. While volunteering my regular Monday evening shift at the local no-kill animal shelter for dogs and cats, C.A.R.E. (Community Animal Rescue Effort), YouTube played two excellent songs in succession which had never previously been heard by my ears and I must tell you about …
Photo by Paul R. Burley – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=94250424 Five centuries before Columbus made his journey to the New World, a party of Viking explorers led by Leif Eiriksson set sail from Greenland westward to the North American continent on a voyage of discovery. After the successful journey, word traveled back via …
Perry Farrell, frontman for Jane’s Addiction, conceived Lollapalooza (Lolla) as a means to bring “alternative” acts to the masses. Lolla toured America in 1991, performing for one day before moving to the next locale. My friend and I attended the inaugural event held in Tinley Park (IL). Bands like Jane’s Addiction, Siouxie and the Banshees, …
During the Fourth of July weekend violence, 71 people were shot and 8 killed in Chicago, Illinois. Those combined numbers easily exceeded the horrific and tragic shooting that happened in Highland Park, Illinois. While all major local networks fixated on Highland Park for several days, national outlets also devoted considerable resources to the suburban massacre. …
Saturday, July 4, 2022. Typical Saturday morning. Waited for my copy of Barrons to arrive; fed two guinea pigs and two cats; grabbed something for self from the fridge; read something quietly so as to not disturb anyone; retrieved said paper; ate breakfast while reading paper; watched tv; and, performed house/yard work as necessary. But this was …
My pre-order copy of WJBP came yesterday. Listening to it at work now. Can’t say I have a favorite song; I prefer the total vibe that seems to channel Prince. He was born today in 1958. Gawd I miss him. Please continue his message of peace+love, Xavier Dphrepaulezz! CU in Chicago! https://www.facebook.com/fantasticnegrito NEW MUSIC: @MusicNegrito …
The other day I listened to WNUR, which is the student-run radio station at Northwestern University though students do not host all shows. For example, Chuck Mertz @thisishellradio has conducted long-form interviews on an array of subjects for over 20 years and Erick Ricks has exposed me to jazz and contemporary classical music just as long. …
I was involved in a car accident on a snowy evening in Minnesota during the Christmas break of my freshman year in college. I sustained numerous injuries: a broken clavicle; ligaments torn from the spine; a fractured elbow; and, a fractured pelvis. I remained in the hospital for three weeks. I had to suspend my …
April 5, 2002 – the day Layne Staley of Alice in Chains died due to heroin addiction. 20 years ago today. (Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain died on April 5 also, eight years earlier. It’s a rough calendar day for Seattle musicians.) AIC, from the Pacific Northwest, got the “grunge” label along with Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl …
On Sunday, I attended a memorial service for a deceased neighbor whose family could not have a proper Jewish service due to COVID gathering restrictions. Ruth would have turned 85 years old yesterday. The outdoor service, situated next to Ruth’s headstone and that of her husband who had died 106 weeks earlier, started with a …
Greetings…We have a problem. The companies want something done about their sluggish economic situation. Profits have been running a little thin lately and we need to stimulate some growth…now we know there are an alarming high number of young people roaming around with nothing to do but stir up trouble for the police and damage …
Did Western states make a promise to Moscow in 1990, not long after the fall of the Berlin Wall, that if Moscow allowed for the reunification of Germany, then there would be “not one inch” of eastward expansion by NATO? Debatable. The pessimist would argue victors write history. We know NATO expanded and has made …
Between 1851 and 1910, approximately 1.6 million Swedish people – 86% of whom were under 35 y/o, left the fatherland to establish themselves in the United States. Swedes established the Swedish Lutheran Mission Institute in Keokuk, Iowa, in 1873. A banker in Knoxville (near Galesburg, IL) persuaded the Institute to relocate and it was renamed …
Last weekend I headed to a small Chicago venue called the Beat Kitchen to see Yakuza headline the Forever Deaf Fest. Yakuza has been my favorite Windy City band for quite a while…long before the frickin’ pandemic started. Over the years three musicians have remained constant: Bruce Lamont (vocals, saxophone, clarinet); Matt McClelland (guitar); and, …