(Author of A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton, From Box Tops to Big Star to Backdoor Man with special guests) I first heard about Big Star from reading Circus magazine in 1972 around the time of the release of their first LP. I even recall getting into a “Who’s on […]
In the music world, there are Josh Roush, Joshua Radin and Josh Ritter. If this gets confusing, just remember that Josh Ritter is the songwriting machine with the perpetual smile. Undoubtedly the humblest and nicest person in show business I have ever met, Ritter is also almost as big in Ireland as Springsteen is in […]
Sometimes you are exposed to a new band that you expect to like based on what you have heard about them in the press or through friends. However, it often happens that after listening to their record and/or seeing them live, they just don’t meet your expectations. Acoustic-folk duo, The Milk Carton Kids created a […]
After Arcade Fire sold out the Ryman in a flash in 2010, I had no doubt that their next visit to Music City would find them at the Arena. Such was the case on this recent spring night. The pre-show advertising asked fans to attend in formal attire—some did, but as expected, most did not. […]
To this day, I regret skipping over The Rolling Stones’ U.S. tours that took place every three years from 1969 through 1978. Even if I tried, tickets for their New York area shows back them were tough to get. Living in Texas in 1981, it was easy though for me to be among the 100,000 […]
We sure will miss having Joan around. Here she is in 1984 filling-in for Johnny Carson on NBC’s The Tonight Show. She does a great interview with Elvis Costello in between some fine musical performances.
If asked to get real specific about my favorite type of music, I guess I would say power pop: songs driven by distinctive guitar riffs with catchy hooks and harmonies, mostly sung by guys about girls. Some of the notable proponents of the genre were bands like The Raspberries, Big Star and Badfinger. Power pop […]
The 1st International Rock Awards (ABC-TV) 1989 If anyone wondered which came first, the idea for their appearance or the actual song itself, Paul Westerberg’s opening “What the hell are we doing here?” removed any doubt. But it sure was just a stroke of genius to get The Replacements to play this song from their […]
Nestled in the southwest corner of downtown Nashville is an area known as The Gulch. The name likely comes from the fact that its main thoroughfare, 12th Street, somehow manages to sink below the adjacent interstate leaving you seemingly submerged and trapped. It is home to some of Music City’s most upscale development. However, somehow […]
Although this now marks the third time that I have covered Rockpile in this space, this entry is more about the venue than the band. I moved to the Lone Star state in early 1980, just in time to catch three shows at Austin’s legendary Armadillo Word Headquarters in its final days. This famous venue […]
Music City Mike 