Monday, January 30, 2023

Staples Jr. Singers @ la Maroquinerie, Paris - January 31st, 2023


The story of the Staples Jr. Singers is an amazing tale that will leave forever a mark in popular music mythology. It's the story of three young siblings in Mississippi who formed a gospel group and named it after their favorite soul band of the era, the legendary Staple Singers. They sang in Southern churches for a few years and recorded an album, When Do We Get Paid, when they were still teenagers. They printed 500 copies of that album which they sold at shows, and broke up a few years later.

Cory Seznec @ la Maroquinerie, Paris - January 30th, 2023

 

Friday, January 27, 2023

Listen to Uriah Heep's new album here


Uriah Heep has been releasing records for over half a century. Guitarist Mick Box is the only remaining member from the original band, but they've kept a stable line-up since 2014, and singer Bernie Shaw and keyboardist Phil Lanzon have been in the fold for nearly forty years now. The band has had its ups and downs but has been on a roll since 2008's Wake The Sleeper, releasing stellar albums like 2018's Living The Dream and selling out concert halls the world over.

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Listen to Last In Line's new single here



Ghost Town is the new single from Last In Line, from the upcoming third album Jericho, to be released on March 31st. What started as a revival of the first Dio band has turned into a bona fide band, complete with original material. While the approach is still indebted to 80's Metal, the sound and songwriting is a little more contemporary. 

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

MonoNeon @ Badaboum, Paris - January 24th, 2023


Finally, our first gig of 2023 and what better way to break in the new year than with a shot of Funk. We'd already seen low-end manipulator MonoNeon last September as part of the Scary Goldings backing band, and while he was a great asset to the group, he didn't get the chance to shine as much as we (and maybe he) would've liked. But this is his own show, where he can display his zany personality and, more importantly, his absolute command of the bass guitar. Incredibly, MonoNeon is right handed but uses a left handed technique to play an upside down bass... This is probably where his unusual phasing comes from.

Phil Anselmo is a fucking douchebag.

Here we go. It was bound to happen. Pantera's "reunion" was curtailed in Europe by Phil Anselmo's stupidity. A few years ago, he was caught screaming "white power!" while sieg heil-ing on stage, and understandably there was a backlash.

Friday, January 20, 2023

Check out Jethro Tull's new single here

Gunnungapap is the name of a void which spawned the universe in Norse mythology. It is also the name of the new Jethro Tull song, taken from the forthcoming record RökeFlöte, to be released on April 21st.

Listen to the new Metallica single here

 



After releasing Lux Aeterna last November, Metallica is back. Screaming Suicide is the second single from the upcoming album 72 Seasons and it's another killer shot of speed, brutality and melody. This sounds like Metallica is supposed to sound: crushing riffs, evil solos and sick vocal hooks...

Friday's Playlist: R.I.P. David Crosby

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Three weeks into the new year and legends are already dropping like flies. Last week's Playlist focused on Jeff Beck who had just died, this week we're covering the vast career of David Crosby, who passed away recently after a long illness at the age of 81.

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Check out the new Zombies single here

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Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone have released a new song und er The Zombies moniker. Dropped Reeling & Stupid will feature on the upcoming album Different Game, to be released on March 31st. It's not very representative of their usual psychedelic sound, in fact it sounds more like Stevie Wonder than like a 60's British band. But it's a great track, with a driving keyboard riff courtesy of Argent and and a fantastic vocal performance by Blunstone.

Monday, January 16, 2023

Jeff Beck: 1944-2023

 



It's been five days since the world has learned of the passing of Jeff Beck one day earlier, and tributes have been pouring in from the entire music industry. From former collaborators like Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder or Jimmy Page, peers like Eric Clapton, John McLaughlin or Dave Davies, and musicians he's influenced like Slash, Adrian Belew or Chrissie Hynde. All of them highlighted his unique approach to the guitar, his awe-sinpiring touch, his instantly recognizable tone, his relentless creativity and his jaw-dropping technique. 

Слава Україні!

As the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine looms, here are a few photos I took nine years ago while on assignment in Kyiv during the sham referendum on Crimea.

Friday, January 13, 2023

Friday's Playlist: R.I.P.J.B.



Earlier this week, the music world got the sad news that the legendary Jeff Beck had died... So in his honor, we have compiled a mammoth playlist. It's over 11 hours long and is mostly chronological, from the Yardbirds to his latest album with Johnny Depp. The playlist also features his numerous sessions for other players.

Thursday, January 12, 2023

R.I.P. Jeff Beck



When a person's death in announced as a hoax, it usually means that someone jumped the gun and that the real announcement isn't far behind. Pattie Boyd tweeted about El Becko's death yesterday, before she retracted herself and said it was a hoax. Unfortunately, it turned out to be premature by just one day...

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Listen to Public Image, Ltd.'s new single here



Hawaii is P.I.L.'s newest single and, if John Lydon has hi wish, will be Ireland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. Let that sink in.

Listen to Everything But The Girl's new single here

This is the English electronic duo's first single from their upcoming record Fuse, which will be their first album in nearly a quarter century.

Friday, January 6, 2023

Listen to Iggy Pop's new album here

Iggy's return to ferocious punk-rock after his (excellent) lounge album Free is a welcome move! Super-producer Andre Watt (who is currently producing The Rolling Stones' upcoming record) has assembled quite a team of musicians to back up the rock veteran and, more importantly, the songs are all pretty killer.

Listen to Peter Gabriel's new single here

Here is Peter Gabriel's first excerpt form his upcoming record. This is billed as being "Bright Side Mix"... Will there be other versions of the track? This one includes keyboards and electronics by none other than Brian Eno.

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

In The Court Of The Crimson King: King Crimson At 50

 

Much like King Crimson itself, this film is unique and eschews categorization. And much like King Crimson, this film is probably best defined by what it isn't. King Crimson is not a Progressive Rock band, and this film is not a history of the King Crimson. You won't learn about the band members timeline, how they formed, recorded their albums, or anything like that. It also doesn't tell the same rags to riches story that most rockumentaries usually tell about following your dreams.