Everyone's a Critic
Tom Jones and I go back a long time. While on a beach in Barcelona in the ’60s, I was feeling homesick, and over the speakers of a beachfront café came Jones's voice belting out …
The full moon was rising in the east as the capacity crowd waited for the Rocket Man to take the stage. At 8 p.m., the haunting melody of “Funeral for a Friend” filled the amphitheater, …
Like he's never been away. That simple. That gobsmacking. Which is why I can't get, along the subject of gobs, with all this lukewarm mumbling about "pretty good for outtakes," which of course means pretty …
Move over Morrissey, there's a new Pope of Mope; his name is Matt Berninger, lead singer and lyricist for the National, whose latest CD, High Violet, might be more aptly titled High Anxiety. Vocally and …
New York Jazz vocalist Kendra Shank had a triumphant return to San Diego. The Point Loma High grad has several well-received and critically acclaimed releases under her belt — namely Mosaic and Spirit Free: The …
"Long distance information, give me Memphis, Tennesse..." What is it with Memphis these days? There’s a new TV series about a blues-singing detective (Memphis Beat) and new albums out by Cyndi Lauper (Memphis Blues) and …
There are not many bands around that can unite a crowd as diverse as the one that Devo played to at the annual Gay Pride Festival in Balboa Park. While these old new-wavers have been …
The Dead Weather is the latest group to feature Jack White (White Stripes, Raconteurs). The band includes vocalist Alison Mosshart (the Kills), bassist Jack Lawrence (the Raconteurs), and guitarist Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone …
Jackson Browne's reunion tour with guitarist-collaborator David Lindley found its way to the summer concert series at Humphrey's by the Bay. Browne joined opener Lindley for a brief acoustic set, kicking off the show with …
Float like a butterfly, abrade like sandpaper. Thus, the curious and fascinating dichotomy between band and bandleader on this, Marion Brown's second album for ESP-Disk as a leader. Originally released 42 years ago in '68, …
"Think for yourself. Question authority." The words of Timothy Leary echoed through Viejas Arena as Tool took the stage, letting the expectant crowd know that they'd be blasting off with "Third Eye." The abundance of …
Noise-pop trio Wavves deshackulates above the critic-infested waters of popular music. “You're never gonna stop me!” resounds San Diego native Nathan Williams on the title track, a single-finger salute to those who dismissed Wavves’ debut …
A frosty-haired woman resembling the one who taunted Henry Chinaski in Barfly stares at the band, barely moving her hips. Friends and family crowd the stage, tapping on cameras. Black Bone Child's trek from Austin …
Jazz history was on display at the Saville Theater with the sold-out performance of the Mundell Lowe Quartet. One of the original participants in the Bebop revolution, Lowe's resume includes work experience with three of …
After years of delay and a label change, Big Boi's solo career is finally out of the gate. While Sir Lucious is a solo record, Speakerboxxx found Big Boi operating under the Outkast framework with …
Grace Potter's got legs, and in the deathless words of ZZ Top, "she knows how to use them." Fortunately, for the visually impaired, she's got pipes too, and she uses them superbly on Grace Potter …