Swiss composer Arthur Honegger is often quoted as saying that the world doesn’t want new music, and, in many cases, that outlook is achingly accurate. People like what they like without others trying to force something unfamiliar into their routine. For me, new music is a must. While I love the Sabbaths, Zeppelins, and Floyds … Continue reading Tuesday Triple Threat: Foos, Sons, and DMB
“Ah, Jesus! I wish you could see this. The light’s coming up. I’ve never seen a painting that captures the beauty of the ocean at a moment like this.” – Gordon Gekko If you remember the scene from Oliver Stone’s 1987 classic, “Wall Street,” in which Gordon Gekko is trying to articulate the grandeur of … Continue reading Styx proves that its greatness is no illusion at Artpark
The ’70s are arguably the greatest decade for movies, but the ’80s have always deserved more credit than they’re given for providing us with plenty of classics that get better with age. While I love highbrow cinema as much as anyone, I also love films whose sole purpose is to entertain the masses, so the … Continue reading The List: My 10 Favorite Films of 1988
The year began with 4,000 tons of toxic waste being dumped in Haiti and ended with Pan Am Flight 103 being blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, but not everything that happened in 1988 was negative. America was transitioning out of the Reagan years and beginning to see cracks in the Iron Curtain that would eventually … Continue reading The List: My 10 Favorite Albums of 1988
Like St. Augustine of Hippo’s friend who became inebriated by the carnage of the gladiatorial arena, all of us inside The Riviera Theatre on Tuesday night had no choice but to be swept away by the brilliance of what Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks were doing to the Yes catalog. Songs that had been … Continue reading Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks serve up supercharged versions of Yes epics at the The Riviera Theatre
I woke up on the morning of May 18, 2017 expecting to finally see Soundgarden live in Columbus, OH, but the news of Chris Cornell’s suicide made that an impossibility. While I still went on the trip, his absence cast a shadow over the weekend and altered how every other band on the bill approached … Continue reading The List: My 10 Favorite Chris Cornell Songs
In honor of Mother’s Day on May 14, this week’s list zeroes in on my favorite mothers from the small screen. The question of whether or not the quality of their parenting should factor into their placement on this list was discussed, but, ultimately, I went with whomever made the most notable impact on the … Continue reading The List: My 10 Favorite Television Moms
If you live in the Buffalo Niagara Region and have ever considered yourself a fan of Barenaked Ladies (BNL), I hope that you found yourself inside The Riviera Theatre on Saturday night to bear witness to the finest show I’ve ever seen Steven Page play. Songs that became a part of my musical DNA at … Continue reading Steven Page’s trio brings the magic to a sold-out Riviera Theatre
When you’ve been writing and recording music for as long as Metallica has, you know the drill. The album comes out, the public consumes it, and then the expulsion of vitriol about how the band should have dissolved back in 1991 begins. It’s a vicious cycle, but one that those of us interested in attempting … Continue reading Hetfield’s vulnerability transcends the sonic familiarity of “72 Seasons”
When Barenaked Ladies (BNL) released “Rock Spectacle” in 1996, I was hooked. I enjoyed the three studio albums that came before, but Steven Page’s vocal performance on the live versions of “Brian Wilson,” “Break Your Heart,” and “What a Good Boy” solidified him as one of the finest artists of his generation. His ability to … Continue reading Steven Page set to bring his trio and latest album, “Excelsior,” to The Riv on April 29
Music N' Other Drugs 