In the popular poker game Texas Hold ‘Em, the concept of going all in is when you put all your cards on the table and offer up your life—win or lose—to the fates. This is exactly what super-duper guitarist Ned Evett did with the Adrian Belew-produced Treehouse. He left…
Rant ‘N’ Roll: I Am Elvis
It’s true. I’m really Elvis. He resides within me, alive and vibrant. Just like he resided within Andy Kaufman (1949-1984), the comedian, performance artist and wrestler. When Kaufman, most known for his Latka character on TV’s Taxi sitcom, did Elvis, that essence was revealed. It was no comedy bit.…
Rant ‘N’ Roll: Still Rolling
So, next year the Rolling Stones will celebrate a half-century of being a rock ’n’ roll band. Are there any plans? They’re being coy. But I’ll tell you this: If the dear lovable, demented genius Brian Wilson can get back with the evil Beach Boy, Mike Love, next year,…
Rant ‘N’ Roll: CD Pile
Where It All Begins (Stax/Concord) is the sixth album from “The First Daughter Of Soul,” Lalah Hathaway, whose father, Donny Hathaway (1945-1979) recorded five ‘70s albums (two with Roberta Flack). Its 12 tracks bespeak a sly insinuating sensuality, perfect for her oh-so-soulful retro stance. If her dad was a…
Rant ‘N’ Roll: A Look Back At 2011
My musical year was pockmarked more by what I didn’t go to than what I did. Elvis Presley, despite being dead, played Radio City Music Hall in February. I really wanted to see that big band and those back-up singers playing behind Elvis himself on the big screen complete…
Paul Simon @ New Jersey Performing Arts Center
NEWARK, NJ—Paul Simon came back to where he was born to perform for the first time in his 47-year career, and he brought with him an octet that was so overpowering in its unerring syncopation, percussion and wildly diverse soundscapes that the sold-out crowd at this beautiful downtown venue…
Rant ‘N’ Roll: Hank 3
Country Music’s Ultimate Outlaw
Hank Williams (1923-1953) died in the back seat of his Cadillac on his way to a gig in Canton, Ohio. Hank Williams, Jr. was three. By the time he was eight, his mother pushed him out on stages singing his daddy’s songs. Ultimately, he rebelled…
Rant ‘N’ Roll: America’s Greatest Living Songwriter
Paul Simon personally picked the 32 songs that are heard in chronological order on the new two-CD Songwriter set (Columbia/Legacy) as indicative of his career. Obviously, he’s been startlingly consistent having written opener “The Sound Of Silence” (represented here by a previously unreleased—and totally haunting—live solo version at Webster…
Rant ’N’ Roll: Guitarist Andy Timmons In His Own Words
Sgt. Pepper Re-Imagined
In what has to be considered a left-field surprise, guitarist Andy Timmons has successfully struck at the soul of a little 1967 album by The Beatles called Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by recording The Andy Timmons Band Plays Sgt. Pepper. All instrumental, with plenty…
Rant ‘N’ Roll: Noemi Liba
Exotic, mysterious, sensual, the music of Noemi Liba, like her name, flows off the lips rhythmically. A beautiful Aussie, I met her on the streets of New York and found myself having dinner with her.
“I’m a recording artist,” she told me.
“I’m a music journalist,” I told her.…
