Belinda Carlisle will forever be associated with the ’80s, but that's not her fault. After hitting the ground running with the Go-Go’s, some thought Carlisle'd be barefoot minus her band. Tis true that some of …
November 25, 2016
Articles by Robert Duffy
Collecting Belinda Carlisle
Captain Hook walks on water
A marathon set of Joy Division and New Order classics by Manchester legend Peter Hook as the U.S. votes itself to hell is the only cure for the surrounding catastrophe. After a subtle start, “Ceremony” …
November 18, 2016
Be Here Now — is it really that bad?
The Emperors New Clothes, the musical starring five working-class lads from Manchester, mega millions, and an Escobar of cocaine recording at Abbey Road. What could possibly go wrong? Seemingly everything. Time has not been kind …
October 28, 2016
The Who. The Hits
Thirty-four years after their first farewell, mod-rockers the Who hit San Diego on their latest (rescheduled) swan song. With only two surviving members, this really could be the last time… Okay, it's not the classic …
May 30, 2016
Paul Weller — Modernist with a capital M
Don’t you just love places that charge $18 for two cans of PBR? Me neither. North Park’s Observatory played host to a visit from the modstar, Paul Weller. It’s been a long time since he …
October 16, 2015
A Space Modyssey
Most artists 38 years into their career have long slipped into something more comfortable — classic album tours. Not Paul Weller, since 2008’s 22 Dreams he’s shown he doesn’t know what laurels are, never mind …
June 12, 2015
Noel Gallagher's Chasing Yesterday — to kick its arse
Elder statesman of British rock Noel Gallagher has ignored the speculation of an Oasis reunion to concentrate on making new music rather than backtracking. However, “Riverman,” the opening scene of the cinematographic Chasing Yesterday, is …
April 10, 2015
Loons get loose
Kicking off the head-trip that is the Loons’ Inside Outside Your Mind, “Siren City” engages with its hypnotic riff and upbeat melody, cruising comfortably detached from the surrounding pandemonium. Snapping at its heels is “Moon …
March 14, 2015
Touched by the hand of Mod
“Mod” has often been described as a “broad church.” Ask ten of its disciples to define it and you’ll get ten different answers, or forty. Well, a lot suffer from Quadrophenia, don’t you know. From …
March 4, 2015