Rock To Defeat ALS – 30 August @ Claremont Moose

Inspired by a local doctor’s struggle with a debilitating neurological disease, six area bands will perform a fundraiser at the Claremont Moose Hall on Saturday, August 30.
The show, called “Rock to Defeat ALS,” is the result of efforts by Chris Bergmann, guitarist for the hard rock trio (and benefit headliners) Spectris.
Bergmann’s wife Karen has worked [...]

Fleetwood Mac News – No Crow

Lindsey Buckingham did a roundtable press conference today, on which there will be more in a future article.  During the telephone sit-down, he addressed the rumors (Rumours?) about Sheryl Crow joining the band next year, and he didn’t pull any punches:
When Fleetwood Mac was touring [in support of 2003's "Say You Will"], Christine McVie had [...]

Local Rhythms – Conventional Music

Politics and music make strange bedfellows – well, for one party anyway.  When fellow Georgians the Allman Brothers played to raise money for Jimmy Carter in 1976, it made complete sense. Linda Ronstadt singing for Jerry Brown was another no-brainer.  The two were dating at the time.
But when Ronald Reagan’s campaign tried to appropriate Bruce [...]

Local Rhythms – CRB May Put Pandora In A Box

With Apple’s introduction of the iTunes App Store, there came a whole range of things to do with the iPhone and iPod Touch besides phone calls, music and movies.
Like Internet radio – the über gadget twins aren’t the first to offer Pandora, a leader in the emerging field of personalized stations.  But these digital concierges, [...]

Local Rhythms – My Favorite Years

I don’t really have a definitive answer to the question, “what’s your favorite band?”  Before the Beatles, all I cared about was television cartoons.
All I cared about after was … rock and roll, so it’s probably the Fab Four.
But I can tell you my favorite time – mid-1970 to mid-1972, right after the Beatles officially [...]

Meadowbrook Marathon – Live, Collective Soul & Blues Traveler

In what could have been billed as a festival (Post-Grunge-Palooza?), three bands that helped shape rock in the 1990s shared the stage at the Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion Saturday night.  Live, Collective Soul and Blues Traveler each attracted their own focused contingent of fans, a testament to the decade’s fragmented music landscape.
Few acts reached critical [...]

Sensible Shoes and Friends

The area music scene thrives on collaboration.  A Thursday night supper club soloist frequently turns up as part of a six-piece Friday night band.  Sensible Shoes is a familiar version of the latter variety, an energetic combo with a knack for packing the dance floor.
Tim Utt and Barbara Blaisdell often perform as Sensible Soul, a [...]

For The Heroes Concert 16 August @ Claremont Speedway

For Pat Kelley of Springfield, it began with an email, one of the many passed around by friends and family trying to understand the Iraq War.  Kelley’s nephew Shaun read the message, an attempt to describe the life of a soldier, and it touched a nerve.
“He responded to it courteously but strongly,” says Kelley.  Shaun, [...]

Local Rhythms – Internet Radio Goes Local

Writing about music is fun, but it’s no substitute for the real thing.  That’s why I frequently point readers in the direction of Yellow House Media, a one-stop repository for local bands.  Dave Clark’s web site offers selections from 51 different artists, who perform in venues from Brattleboro to Burlington.
Let’s say you’ve considered attending this [...]

Newport Festival – Not Folk, But Great Nonetheless

It was left for Steve Earle to distill the musical essence of Newport, Rhode Island last weekend.  He began his set by evoking Woody Guthrie on “Christmas in Washington” and ended with a scratch mixer sampling his voice on “Satellite Radio.”
Never mind that, over 49 years, the Newport Folk Festival welcomed everyone from Janis Joplin [...]