Everyone's a Critic
The third effort from Baltimore foursome All Time Low finds the band struggling to establish credibility in the saturated pop-punk market. Lead single "Weightless," like a majority of the record, is by-the-numbers upbeat power pop. …
Cake kicked off their Street Scene set Friday night with the song "Frank Sinatra." There was unexpected feedback and several on-stage technical difficulties during the number. Singer John McCrea, vibraslap in hand, said, “We’re Cake …
Everything Changes is the third CD from Mesa, Arizona, trio Audra and their first since leaving Projekt Records. The production on this CD was a collaborative effort between Audra's Helm brothers and producer Robb Vallier. …
San Diego band Scène Enterre appeared out of nowhere, but in the past month, the duo of “jonny” and “n.r.” has made its presence known. Their first single, “Teenager,” a blown-out take on Beach Boys …
Clipse and the Cool Kids may not get the airplay of mainstream rap acts, but their importance in rap world is undeniable. Fans filled Canes on Tuesday to celebrate a pair of rare performances in …
On Friday, August 14, Casbah staged a pop-punk triple bill featuring locals Revenge Club, Bay Area band the Lovemakers, and L.A. trio the Muffs. Revenge Club was a pleasant surprise. You never know how the …
On Thursday, August 13, two blues legends came to Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. James Cotton's Superharp Band started the night. I didn't know that Cotton underwent throat surgery in 1994 making it difficult …
On Saturday, August 8, the Billboard-topping, Grammy-winning L.A. band No Doubt, fronted by pop diva Gwen Stefani, concluded their 2009 tour at Cricket Amphitheatre in Chula Vista. As my musical tastes tend to heavy metal, …
On Tuesday, August 4, legendary British bands Whitesnake and Judas Priest played SDSU's Open Air Theatre. Though I was eager to see headlining heavy-metal giants Judas Priest, I was dismissive of Whitesnake's popular but goofy …
Melodic metal trio Heretic is an emerging San Diego band to be on the lookout for. I haven’t noticed many show dates for the band, but they have a new EP out called Greetings. The …
It didn't matter that I didn't know one word of their lyrics or that I had never before heard any music by Michael Rose. When the band started playing -- about an hour after their …
There couldn't be a better title for this project than The Seed. If The Seed is about anything, it's about roots. On the EP, rappers Kahlee and Uptown Swuite and producer Adikt 1 come to …
Billion Dollar Babies by Alice Cooper is a tired album. Serving as a perfunctory follow-up to School's Out, it continues the group's pre-occupation with elemental muzak. A backdrop for Cooper's theatrics. In the context of …
Here it was 9 A.M., and John Prine hadn't had a single brew so he hollered for somebody to go fetch some Heineckens. Shortly thereafter the guy returned to the record studio with five bottles. …
Contemporary music is frequently divided into two categories: underground and straight, young-old, longhair-shorthair, liberal-conservative, progressive rock and easy listening, Kinks or Carpenters. Linking these extremes, however, is an area of music we could call "Middleground." …
It was way back in the Sgt. Pepper days of 1967 when the Incredible String Band first appeared. It was formed by Robin Williamson and Mike Heron, both of whom were steeped in the ways …