A friend introduced me to the music of Freehold, NJ’s The New Royalty, and I got to say that this female-fronted band has really tickled my fancy. Singer Bree Iafelice had incredible range in her vocals and amazing stage presence that can put her line with some of the…

When Mitt Romney stated flatly during the first presidential debate that he would eliminate the federal subsidy to PBS, social media, political pundits, and a certain Aquarian columnist had a good bit of fun mocking his implied villainization of Big Bird and the rest of the Sesame Street gang.

After…

A little over a week ago while Mitt Romney was kicking Barack Obama all over the stage in Denver during the first of three presidential debates, the NY Yankees were beating up a depleted Triple-A team wearing Boston Red Sox uniforms and closing in on their 17th or 18th division…

Early this past Sunday, I watched as Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner became the first human ever to break the sound barrier unassisted by a craft, jumping out of a balloon from 128,100 feet and surpassing the record for the highest freefall ever in the process. Sponsored by Red Bull, who…

When Delta Rae burst into a soaring four-part harmony on “Hey Hey Hey,” legendary A&R man Seymour Stein heard the sweet sound of a record deal. Stein, who signed the Ramones, Talking Heads, the Pretenders, and The Smiths, describes Delta Rae’s music as “Original Americana.” And on their debut…

In true Mountain Goats fashion, the band’s latest album, Transcendental Youth (Merge), couches heavy subject matter in light-hearted melodies and compelling, energetic tempos. Touring with the album’s horn wizard, Matthew E. White, and his nine-piece band as the opening act, John Darnielle spoke with me about the album, monsters,…

Speaking with me on the evening of their first show in a string of fall/winter dates, Silversun Pickups’ Brian Aubert discussed the tour, the band’s playful approach to their latest release, Neck Of The Woods (ASCAP), travel for fun’s sake, and not being recognized as this year’s latest and…

“The greatest gift you can give to any other human being is to tell it exactly like it is.” – John Lydon

John Lydon just might be one of the most truthful men in music, as he’s seriously made a living out of being honest. As frontman for the…

While most folks were watching something called the presidential debate last Wednesday night, this writer was far more interested in flipping back and forth between the final games of baseball’s regular season. It was a fitting end to an exciting yet strange year and after all is said and…

What’s up, locals? We meet again on this fine Wednesday. I hope you all have been digging the bands I have been spotlighting lately, and from the feedback I have been receiving, it seems as if you have! Hopefully this column is also inspiring some of you to get…