Since the old Northern Lights venue in Clifton Park, NY has changed hands and been renamed The Upstate Concert Hall the shows have gotten a lot better. 1) It seems as though they have finally put some capable person in charge of the acoustics so that they don’t sound absolutely awful at every show, and 2) They actually attract acts worth seeing; there are still bullshit stoner cover bands which wrangle the desperate, scene-less 40&50-somethings, but NYC’s A$AP Rocky was in Upstate New York a few months back, Foals play there this coming Monday and Wales’ The Joy Formidable Continue reading
Dirty Projectors at Skidmore College (4/13/2013)
23 AprI was thrilled when I heard that Dirty Projectors would be playing at Skidmore College in Saratoga, NY, a mere 30 minute drive. I had been to the venue before some years ago for a Wilco show. It’s a gymnasium but the acoustics are surprisingly sharp.
My girlfriend, two friends and I arrived unfashionably early Continue reading
Hook – Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division
18 AprUnknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division by Peter Hook (2013)
This is a book that I was so excited about that I pre-ordered it twice (a drunken oversight as the book’s publication was backed out a few months). Not only was there a new back-story to one of my all-time favorite bands, it was told by the band’s bassist. Continue reading
Al Di Meola and Gonzalo Rubalcaba at The Egg (4/7/2013)
16 AprAbove: My ticket to the show atop Al Di Meola’s 1976 debut Land of the Midnight Sun.
I have to say that I’m glad that I subscribed to The Egg’s email list some months ago because I’m not sure that I would have heard about this show otherwise. Last Sunday night two legends of jazz in Al Di Meola and Gonzalo Rubalcaba played at the Swyer Theatre within The Egg. Continue reading
Guided by Voices – The Bears for Lunch
5 Mar
This was supposed to be published 12/14/2013 and then it wasn’t.
Though Guided by Voices didn’t have any big winners this year, they would definitely be up for a Most Productive of 2012 nomination. The Bears for Lunch was the third LP released this year Continue reading
Crystal Castles – (III)
5 DecSince Crystal Castles’ proper formation in 2004 they have attracted a lot of attention. The tongue-twisted Toronto duo of Ethan Kath and Alice Glass burst onto the scene in 2008 with their first self-titled LP which sounded like a panicked Tetris tournament at a rave.
Continue reading
Menconi – Ryan Adams: Losering, A Story of Whiskeytown
24 NovRyan Adams: Losering, A Story of Whiskeytown by David Menconi (2012)
Originally published on Pop ‘stache
At first glance, the cover of Losering implies that it’s a Whiskeytown memoir written by none other than Ryan Adams. Upon closer inspection though, David Menconi’s name is detectable in the form of a beer label. This might disappoint some expecting Adams’ histrionic musings in print, but Continue reading
Emeralds – Just to Feel Anything
11 NovReview originally posted on Pop ‘stache
Emeralds is a trio from Cleveland comprised of John Elliott and Steve Hauschildt on synth and guitarist Mark McGuire. Their sound is a modern electronic spin of the 1970s kosmische artists–something in between Continue reading
Licht – Will Oldham on Bonnie “Prince” Billy
1 NovWill Oldham on Bonnie “Prince” Billy Edited by Alan Licht (2012)
Originally published on Pop ‘stache
Alan Licht, interviewer/editor of Will Oldham on Bonnie “Prince” Billy, does the once-thought impossible and Continue reading
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
26 OctReview originally posted on Pop ‘stache
Some fans were introduced to Godspeed You! Black Emperor in 1998 upon hearing “East Hastings” off of their debut album F#A#∞, featured on the soundtrack to the instant cult-horror classic 28 Days Later. Others were Continue reading








