Listening Room Blog

Roberto Parente Listening Room columnist Today marks 40 years since Jimi Hendrix first played the legendary Fillmore East ( 12-31-69) with his new Band, the Band of Gypsies: Jimi Hendrix on Guitar, Bill Cox on Bass, and Buddy Miles on drums. This represented a more funkier sound than the Jimi… Read More →

Two things marked Ana Popovic’s childhood: war and music. The Belgrade-born blues guitarist grew up in a house full of musicians, including her father, who was prone to hosting frequent jam sessions in the family home. Eventually, that musical legacy took root in Popovic, who carried it from the ruins… Read More →

The end of the decade brings this kind of thing on, with list upon list on the best of the year and the best of the last 10 years. We say bring it on. Having just completed our first three polls here at the Listening Room, we’re sitting back and… Read More →

This one was a tight one to the very end, with three singers running neck-and-neck. Then our eventual winner pulled away over the past few days, winning easily. Like our earlier Listening Room polls, we received tons of entries for our Best Male Singer poll. And they were all over… Read More →

We’ve closed the books on our Best Male Singer poll, and we’ll tell you who was voted the winner by our readers and contributors tomorrow. As with our earlier polls, we received a ton of votes — nearly 250 names were submitted this time around. It was a varied field,... Read More →

Roberto Parente Listening Room columnist What Radio Stations do I listen to? WFMU 91.1. This is a true free form radio station  — there is no format. They also have a huge record fair every year in the fall. I have attended 8 times since 1996; the best record fair… Read More →

Whether it’s four, six or twelve strings, they’re still guitars to us. And when you’re talking the four-string variety, there are few players like “Madman Bassist” Rev Jones. The Oklahoma-born bass player has peddled his talents to legendary rockers like Michael Schenker and Leslie West’s Mountain, while doing solo work…. Read More →

I’m not even sure how I came up with this one. But there I was with my son in the children’s room at the library, with whatever piped-in music was coming over the speakers, when a Herman’s Hermits song comes on. It was their most sugar-coated of all: “Something Tells… Read More →

We’re in the home stretch: There’s one week left in our Listening Room Readers Poll for Best Male Singer. So far we’ve received 125 nominees, with a tie for the lead. Of course, you’ll have to wait until Christmas Day, when we post the results right here. So, our question… Read More →

Yeah, she was that wild-haired chick on stage with Michael Jackson – a bleach-blonde gimmick in tight spandex pants. But did you listen? Because if there’s one thing Jennifer Batten can do it’s the play guitar. And who — man, woman or martian — can trade licks with Jeff Beck?... Read More →

Who’s your favorite crooner? We want to know Welcome to our latest Listening Room Readers Poll. Today, we ask you for your favorite male singers — in any era, in any genre. Still kicking, long deceased or Keith Richards. Doesn’t matter. All that does matter is that they’re male, they… Read More →

You might overlook Adam Jones — unless you listen closely. The Tool guitarist is in many ways atypical, preferring well-crafted chords and off-time riffs to traditional screaming guitar solos: Jones is no shredder. But his style makes him one of the most inventive and unique guitar players to emerge from… Read More →