Serious rock music fans never let go of a band they love, and it doesn’t take much to bring out their total geekdom. Such was the case the other night in Music City when the local R.E.M. faithful got to let their geek flags fly, enjoying perhaps the most exciting live music moment in the […]
“Brit” Billy Bragg and “Yank” Joe Henry, have recently collaborated on one of the most unique and interesting musical projects in recent memory. Modernizing the concept of “field recordings,” Bragg and Henry used several American railroad stations as their “fields.” Their exploits travelling and recording at the stops along Amtrak’s Texas Eagle railway route from […]
Despite my disdain for outdoor shed shows filled with easily disinterested classic rock fans, I just could not pass up the opportunity of seeing Cheap Trick. After all these years, their music still sounds fresh and vital. And, as a performing live band, they still have their chops. Also, unlike many other 70’s bands, they […]
Has it really been three years since the last Silver Seas show? Criminally, it is true that Music City’s best-ever pop band last played on this same Basement stage to celebrate its last release, Alaska, on August 31, 2013. Well, for no good reason, the band got back together when someone in the band made […]
Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival @ Harlinsdale Farm / Franklin TN / September 25, 2016 (Day Two)
Was it Sunday church, the Titans’ football game, or maybe just the ridiculous heat that lessened the early crowd at the second day of the second annual Pilgrimage Festival? With not a single cloud in the sky, my guess is that it was Mr. Sunshine and the 90-degree heat that made many choose a late […]
Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival @ Harlinsdale Farm / Franklin TN / September 24, 2016 (Day One)
The second annual Pilgrimage Festival kicked off on an early fall date that was way hotter than anyone would have ever expected. There was also some buzz about whether scheduling it the same week as Nashville’s annual Americana Festival was such a good idea. But, at the end of the day, neither issue seemed to […]
I recently started buying old cheap vinyl records to revisit some 70’s singer-songwriters. My most recent was a mint copy of Harry Chapin’s 1972 Sniper and Other Love Songs for two bucks. A mellow Saturday afternoon listen on the couch made me reflect on this late New York singer-songwriter. I thought of how exciting it […]
It has not yet been 24 hours since Bruce Springsteen left the MetLife Stadium stage earlier this morning. Already, enough has been written about what many are calling the greatest concert of his legendary 50-year performing career. Previously, most music journalists pointed to his 1975 stint at New York City’s Bottom Line (two shows a […]
As a wide-eyed 10-year old, I recall being fascinated by a newspaper review of The Who’s 1970 performance of its new rock opera Tommy at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House. How I wished I was old enough to be able to go to such things! A few years later, I wound up wearing out […]
No so long ago, it was a big deal to make a record. It was no easy task, and the labels were in total control. Hearing Bruce Springsteen talk about what it felt like getting your first record pressed back in the 70s made it sound like the chance of a lifetime. Advances in recording […]
Music City Mike 