My Aim Is True Turns 45

Elvis Costello’s Debut Album Released July 22, 1977

It was a pivotal year for music. Punk was just beginning to be noticed inElvis Costello My Aim Is True small clubs in Los Angeles, New York, and London.

For the rest of the world, Disco was reigning supreme on the pop charts, and progressive rock acts such as Styx, Boston, Kansas, Pink Floyd, Queen et al held court among the Album Oriented Rock radio stations. Many of these acts had some meteoric crossovers into the pop charts as well.

Silk, skin tight satin ensembles, feathered hair, and an air of androgyny permeated nearly every music act that came out of the mid 70s…and that was just the male groups! Continue reading “My Aim Is True Turns 45”

This Date In History: MP3.com Goes Public in 1999

Music Streaming Service Once Valued In The Billions Before Collapsing

If you access MP3.com now, you’ll find a home page filled with links toMP3 dot com various news articles in glorified clickbait fashion. But once upon a time, it was home to a vast music sharing network worth billions…at least on paper!

Today, we take for granted the idea that we can easily access practically any type of music through the web. With the rise of DSL and Broadband by the turn of the century, it was much easier to stream or download digital media in ways that earlier Internet access, with its 56K maximum speed, couldn’t. Continue reading “This Date In History: MP3.com Goes Public in 1999”

Go-Go’s Vacation Turns 40

Go-Go’s Second Album Released July 20, 1982

They were a post punk/pop phenomenon who reached worldwide status theThe Go-Go's Vacation previous summer with their breakthrough debut album, Beauty and the Beat.

Proclaimed and acknowledged as “the first all-girl group, who played their own instruments and wrote their own songs, to reach number one on the Billboard charts,” the Go-Go’s were under pressure to recreate the magic of their first album. Continue reading “Go-Go’s Vacation Turns 40”

Under The Covers: Kathy Valentine’s Under My Thumb

Go-Go’s Bassist Gives Classic Stones Song a New Take For Charity

It was during the bleak months of 2020. COVID was everywhere, and we allGo-Go's Bassist Kathy Valentine hunkered down for an unknown period of time, awaiting a cure, or at least some sort of ‘all clear’ to begin going about our lives.

While it took some getting used to, the COVID lockdowns didn’t stop everything, including fundraisers for charity. Continue reading “Under The Covers: Kathy Valentine’s Under My Thumb”

New Single From The Interrupters Upcoming Album

The Interrupters Remind Us That Ska Is Not Dead with “In The Mirror”

It’s that “skank” upbeat, innit!The Interrupters In The Wild

Ska, with its rhythmic triplets and driving beat. At the very least, it makes you want to dance. At the very most, it makes you want to break things in the most wonderful, wonderful way!

Ska has been a part of the Alt music scene for a generation. Its evolution from a kinder, gentler Jamaican dance genre into the edgier 2 Tone style was made famous by English bands such as The Selector, The Specials, and Madness in the late 70s. Continue reading “New Single From The Interrupters Upcoming Album”

AP: Nearly 400 Uniformed Officers Responded to Uvalde Massacre

Report Finds ‘Systemic Failure’ In Law Enforcement Response to Robb Elementary

An 80 page bipartisan report was released today detailing the events thatRobb Elementary took place before, during, and after the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022.

As the Associated Press reported, 376 law enforcement officials arrived at Robb Elementary school before and during the incident, in which a lone 18 year old gunman killed 21 people, including 19 students and 2 teachers, and wounded 17 others. Continue reading “AP: Nearly 400 Uniformed Officers Responded to Uvalde Massacre”

Up And Coming Bands: Namen Namen

Ft Wayne Indiana’s Namen Namen Makes A Fun and Energetic Noise…And we like it!

If you’re from the West Coast, you probably don’t know much aboutNamen Namen Indiana, unless you’ve visited or have family hailing from those parts…neither of which is my case.

I came across Namen Namen while tuning into a college radio station out of Ithaca NY, and was surprised at their energy and verve. Of course I had to learn more. Continue reading “Up And Coming Bands: Namen Namen”

Red Hot Chili Peppers and Unlimited Love

A Perfectly Fine Album by a Perfectly Fine Band

When bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers have been around as long as they have, one may begin to question their relevance in the 21st century music scene. One of the biggest issues with rockRed Hot Chili Peppers Unlimited Love and roll in this day and age is that all of the really big acts are now at the “grandparent” age. Yes, there are definitely newer acts keeping the scene alive, but with the demise of local radio in lieu of large corporate broadcast networks and the rise of “talent scout” network TV shows, it’s become much more difficult for new alternative bands to get their foot in the door on a national/international level. Continue reading “Red Hot Chili Peppers and Unlimited Love”