This week, specifically tomorrow, Feb. 9, comedian Wanda Sykes is coming to the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank. She is fucking hilarious. You should go see her.

I interviewed Wanda Sykes by telephone (it’s amazing how old fashioned that word seems; like I had to crank up the phone first) on Thursday, Jan. 19, at 4 p.m., and I know this, because there’s a file on my desktop called, “BURNED-Wanda Sykes Interview 01.19.12.wma.” All my interviews are recorded for later transcription, and the “BURNED“ refers to the fact that I archive them physically, on CD, as well as digitally, keeping the files in a folder on my computer. It’s an old habit from the days when I used mini-discs and kept those. I still have them in a box somewhere. The CDs stay on my shelf with the rest of my albums because—that’s right—I still buy albums.

I’m getting off track.

The point is that although I interviewed Ms. Sykes on Jan. 19—the same day she appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno…

While some of us are just getting used to the idea that a new year has begun, The Gift Of Ghosts haven’t had time since the ball dropped to pause and reflect back on the passing days. Spending time in the studio and living in a routine of band practice for several upcoming shows, there’s no better way to start the New Year than with a packed schedule. Also, a new discovery was made for this young band while writing and recording new material. For singer Ray Berly, guitarist Alex Kouvatsos, bassist Rich Wagner and drummer Michael Galgano, the band has come across the perfect recipe for defining who they are.

It’s been a little over two years that TGOG has been playing together under this name, yet their ties go back a bit further. Crossing paths while in school and working on past projects, there was a familiarity already in place between these musicians in coming together. They have only just released their first EP titled In The Nick Of Time last year,…

One of the greatest thrash metal bands of all-time, Testament blew the music industry away with the reunion of their original lineup and the subsequent release of their 2008 opus, The Formation Of Damnation. That was 25 years into their career.

After that amount of time, most bands either haven’t been speaking for 20 years or are embarking on one nostalgia tour after another. Testament, however, was reinvigorated, making the best music of their career, playing their biggest shows and pulverizing audiences across the globe the way few bands can.

Three years later, after the departure of drummer Paul Bostaph and bringing “The Atomic Clock” Gene Hoglan back into the fold (Gene also played drums on 1997’s Demonic), Testament was keeping most of the industry in the dark as far as the status of the Formation follow-up. But with the second leg of their tour with Anthrax and Death Angel on the horizon, the band is ready to enlighten their legion and get the word out for the new album.

Ten studio albums is…

My wife and I were sitting on the couch this past Sunday afternoon, with not much going on—as we rarely are on weekends these days—and as a way to pass the time, she suggested we watch a half-hour cut of the film The Third Jihad she’d stumbled on while dicking around on her laptop. Given all the controversy around the movie this past week in response to the revelation that the NYPD had shown it to officers as part of their training in counter-terrorism, and New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly’s brief appearance, I figured it was worth the time. Know your enemy, right?

And just so we’re clear right off the bat, by “enemy,” I mean the forces that promulgate ignorance, not radical Islamist terrorists. Of the two very scary things, the former keeps me up far more nights than the latter.

I’ve watched a fair amount of agenda-laden documentaries in my day, and like anything, you learn to read them after a while—changes in musical cues,…

Last week President Obama gave his annual State of the Union address. The State of theUnionused to be the time a President reported on how things stood in the country, and made proposals for Congress to consider. The Constitution lays out the purpose of it, as follows: “He shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of theUnionand recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”

However, in modern times it has turned into just another game of political gamesmanship. The President gives his speech. The members of his own party clap and stand whenever he says something good, while the members of the opposite party sit on their hands and frown. It doesn’t matter which party is in power, it works both ways. The only time everyone claps is when the President mentions the military. Then they all jump up and act like they are proving how much they love their country.

The political gamesmanship reached…