There was a brief time when the Monkees outsold the Beatles in the U.S., and Davey Jones was the face of the band. Now comes word that Jones, 66, has died of a heart attack in Florida while on a solo tour. Granted, the band is a thing of the… Read More →
Alternative rockers Radiohead long ago established themselves as one of the world’s premier bands, with a crazed and loyal following that makes tickets to their live shows a precious commodity. It all began with “Creep.” The song, reportedly written by singer/songwriter Thom Yorke years before it was recorded, was the… Read More →
Guitar geeks, the gods are smiling on us today. George Harrison’s son, Dhani, has developed an app for the iPad that gives you, me, anyone with access to an iPad, a stunningly intimate look at several of the late Beatle’s now-iconic guitars. The app is available today and costs $9.99…. Read More →
The Listening Room generally steers clear of politics, but it being Presidents’ Day season and all, we couldn’t let this go unnoticed. Like him or dislike him, President Obama isn’t all that bad a singer—at least with BB King, Buddy Guy and Mick Jagger backing him up on his home… Read More →
I type this post listening to a track from Bruce Springsteen’s soon-to-be-released album, Wrecking Ball. The tune’s called “Shackled and Drawn” and it’s not bad at all. A whole lot better than anything on his previous album, Working on a Dream, which I thought was generally lousy. Springsteen’s marketing team… Read More →
I saw the Dough Rollers play Brooklyn Bowl, in Williamsburg, Monday night. If you like crisp blues done right and tight, you’ll like these young guys. From what I’ve read about them, the core of the band is singer/guitarist Malcolm Ford (Han Solo’s son, for real) and lead guitarist Jack… Read More →
Fun feature from Rolling Stone magazine, which has posted a quiz to test fans on their Van Halen trivia skills. Check for the link to the quiz farther down below. But just a few quick notes. The hit rockers recently reunited, with David Lee Roth and brothers Eddie and Alex… Read More →
J.J. Cale has long been one of the most overlooked musicians and songwriters in the country. But while mainstream music fans may not be familiar with the Oklahoma-born guitarist, other artists certainly are. Cale is a Grammy Award winner, and his work has been covered by some of the biggest… Read More →
Truly tragic news today that music pioneer Don Cornelius was found dead in his California home early this morning, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot. Cornelius, 75, was the founder and host of Soul Train, a long-running television dance show that revolutionized the music industry by providing the first national TV… Read More →