Monthly Archives: May 2014
CLASSIC CONCERT: Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes @ The Bottom Line / New York, NY / October 16, 1976
Most everyone familiar with the early career of Bruce Springsteen knows about Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes. Both Johnny and Bruce started out on the Jersey shore music scene around the same time. E-Streeter Steve Van Zandt was an original Juke in addition to a songwriter and producer for most of their early recorded […]
ON THE ROAD: The Blockheads @ 929 Venue 2 / London, UK / May 23, 2014
In the late Seventies, I closely followed the releases of England’s Stiff Records. One of Stiff’s best-selling artists was the late Ian Dury who amassed major stardom in his home of England. In fact, I believe that his only tour of the States was for his debut record in 1978, opening for Lou Reed. (Yours […]
ON THE ROAD: Roddy Frame @ O2 Empire—Shepherd’s Bush / London, UK / May 22, 2014
Over 30 years ago in 1983, I was thrilled to be introduced to the talents of a 19-year old Roddy Frame through the praises of Elvis Costello. I was further privileged to see Frame’s band, Aztec Camera, open three dates on Costello’s American tour that year. Despite some later moderate success over here, Aztec Camera […]
Greg Garing and Friends @ Logue’s Black Raven Emporium / Nashville TN / May 14, 2014
In honor of last week’s 40th anniversary of Jon Landau’s famous quote about Bruce Springsteen, let me say that “I have seen country music future, and its name is Greg Garing.” Really, this is just wishful thinking on my part that country music would shed its current tired face and go back to its great lost traditional sound. While most of what plays on country radio today […]
CLASSIC CONCERT: Ray Davies @ Empire Theatre / San Antonio, TX / May 8, 1998
I have complained before that when I lived in San Antonio I often had to travel to Austin to see my favorite artists. But every now and then something special would sneak into town that I could see without suffering the long drive. It turns out that the last show I went to in SA before moving to Music City was […]
Grant Lee Hitchcock @ The Basement / Nashville TN / February 12, 2014
The unusual artist billing for this show refers to the frequent musical pairing of two singer-songwriters: rootsy American, Grant Lee Phillips, and eccentric Brit, Robyn Hitchcock. With both now using Music City as a part-time hub around touring, some scattered appearances around town together led the two to make this formal scheduled appearance. The Basement’s […]
CLASSIC CONCERT: Dave Edmund’s Rockpile featuring Nick Lowe @ The Bottom Line / New York, NY / October 25, 1978
I have already covered my love for Rockpile in this space, but this show at The Bottom Line was a special one. On a short sabbatical from work to study for my CPA exam, I was low on both time and funds. It had been over a month since I had seen a live show […]
The Long Players revisit The Beatles’ 50th Anniversary on The Ed Sullivan Show @ Mercy Lounge / Nashville TN / February 8, 2014
I am old enough to have watched The Beatles make their live American television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show back on February 9, 1964. It was certainly a life-changer, and I will never forget the excitement the next morning when I joined my third-grade classmates to sing “She Loves You” on the schoolyard steps. […]
The Secret Sisters & John Oates: Record Store Day @ Grimey’s New and Preloved Music / Nashville, TN / April 19, 2014
Record Store Day has easily become my second favorite day of the year falling just behind Christmas. This year was no exception, and I spent the day at Grimey’s just like I did for the previous six years. I started my day by getting on line at 6 a.m. where I was 40th for their 10 a.m. […]
Music City Mike 