As I have said before, sometimes it just takes a forgotten song on the radio to take you back to a moment in your musical life. As with this morning, when I was plowing my way into the office through mounds of snow, downed wires and collapsed branches. The song… Read More →
In the spirit of Jorge’s “guitar players you should know” series, I’m going to write about a guitar player you should watch. She is Marissa Paternoster and she is killing fans and critics with her aggressive, punk playing as the lead guitarist/singer for the Screaming Females. I met Paternoster briefly… Read More →
The first great tragedy of Eddie Hazel is that he never got the acclaim that he very richly deserved. The second is that his years of substance abuse were largely to blame. But make no mistake — Hazel’s guitar brilliance was undeniable. The Brooklyn-born Hazel is best known for his… Read More →
When I think of a Buddhism, I don’t think of shirtless, long-haired men writhing on the floor while belting out hard-core rock/punk. But that’s to be expected Friday when Iggy Pop takes the stage at Carnegie Hall, with a handful of other more mellow, but also accomplished artists at the… Read More →
Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford, the oft-overlooked man behind Joe Perry, turns 58 today. We’re not overlooking you Brad. Happy birthday. (photo courtesy of aerosmith.com) Whitford certainly hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves. Often billed as Aerosmith’s rythm guitarist, he’s quite the axe-man. The team of Perry and Whitford certainly give… Read More →
They grow up so fast, don’t they? It seems like only yesterday that 107.1 The Peak began broadcasting “world class rock” right here in Westchester County, but the station is actually ready to celebrate its sixth birthday in April. As usual, the crew will be throwing a heck of a… Read More →
Our friends over at Metromix are looking for the best cover band in the Hudson Valley. Think you have the goods? Follow this link and enter you band into the contest — which could get you a $500 gas card to help fuel up the van! Here’s how it’ll work:... Read More →
I have to admit that when I started the “Guitar Players You Should Know” series a year ago I had no idea how long I would keep it going. It wasn’t for lack of want — anyone who reads The Listening Room with any regularity knows my own particular love… Read More →
The Smashing Pumpkins are recording a new album, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. As sweet as that is, sweeter still is that each of the album’s 44 songs will be available for free download as they are finished, one by one. So far only “A Song for a Son” and “Widow Wake… Read More →
The Strokes are back. Really. The band is in the studio working on its fourth studio album. And the news just gets better. The band will be touring. The Strokes will hit a couple of festivals in Europe in June and plans to add more tour dates in the U.S…. Read More →
Robert Parente Listening Room columnist Today, February 14, marks the 40th anniversary of the recording of LIVE AT LEEDS by The Who. The album was released several months later and became a massive best seller, reaching # 4 on the Billboard Album Charts, where it remained for 44 weeks. On… Read More →
Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Peter Gabriel is scheduled for two nights at Radio City Music Hall in May, with tickets going on sale next week. If you’re a fan you might want to jump on this: Right now it’s Gabriel’s only scheduled show on the East Coast. The former Genesis founder and… Read More →
There’s this photo of Rick Derringer in his younger days that you can normally come up on if you search Google images. It shows Derringer on stage, smiling, with a seemingly massive Gibson Explorer. I love the photo because it’s a visual representation of the fact that Derringer may be… Read More →
It’s nearly impossible to get your head around the magnetism that Irish rockers Thin Lizzy retain nearly a quarter century after the band’s founder and mastermind, Phil Lynott, died as a result of herion abuse. I’ve always been one of those drawn to it myself and have never been able to put my… Read More →
We’re already big fans of second-generation guitar wiz Murali Coryell. In recent months we’ve posted both an interview and a profile of Coryell, the son of legenary jazz guitarist Larry Coryell, noting that musical genius certainly didn’t skip a generation in the Coryell family — Murali’s brother Julian is an… Read More →