We’re just over a month away from Paul Weller’s new album 22 Dreams (on Yep Roc), which I really look forward to hearing. I thought I’d take a trip back to his great blue-eyed British soul band of the 80’s, The Style Council. Wanting to incorporate R&B, soul, and jazz into his songwriting, Weller had [...]

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My completely random dip into the Inbox tonight yielded a pretty catchy tune. The group is Junior Pantherz, and though the name elicits images of a junior varsity high school basketball team, or a football team of little kids - you know, the kind that Snoop Dogg coaches - you can’t deny a good pop [...]

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While Pete is going the old fashioned route, I’ve chosen to go the digital method to pick up the new Jason Mraz record We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Frequent fliers of this blog will note that I’ve got a huge soft spot for the singer-songwriter and as such I had pre-ordered his latest [...]

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If the ticket gods allow, I’ll be seeing Tom Waits live for the very first time next month, right here in Phoenix. For some reason - and I’m not complaining - Tom has chosen our sleepy little town to kick off his Glitter and Doom Tour for not one, but two nights at the [...]

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I’m goin’ old school tomorrow and will head out to my local record store (Zia Records) during my lunch hour, and buy myself the new Old 97’s album. Blame It On Gravity (New West) is their first studio release in four years, and reviews show it to be a return to their more charged up, [...]

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I like Texas music. And I like songs about whiskey and beer and waiting at train stations. Austin-based The Band of Heathens has ‘em all covered in this tune. It’s easy to hear how they’ve garnered comparisons to Little Feat, The Band, and Drive By Truckers. Their self-titled debut album will be released on May [...]

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A few months ago I caught some buzz on Santogold as someone to check out. At the time, her record wasn’t out, and I simply forgot about it. This week I found a slip of paper (amongst many) on my desk that said simply ‘Santogold.’ Coincidentally, her album dropped in the [...]

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Gavin Rossdale has no delusions about the risk of going it alone after being the frontman of alt-rockers Bush. “There’s such a minefield of people who have gone from bands that had success to the solo thing,” says Rossdale. “There’s a chasm to get from one to the other. It’s like Death Valley and you [...]

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You know, after hearing this Listening Party stream of Scarlett Johansson’s album, color me impressed. Not that I expected her to release a pile of garbage like Paris Hilton, but you never know what to expect with the actress turned singer debut album (did I just call Paris Hilton an actress?). But ScarJo’s got a [...]

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I was catching up on some recorded episodes of Austin City Limits this afternoon, and came across a goldmine: a repeat of the John Prine / Amos Lee episode that aired about 2 years ago. It was John’s version of “Clay Pigeons” that really affected me, and led me to the original songwriter, Blaze Foley. [...]

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