Author: David Hens

For years, the guys in U2 have been stuck in a moment that they can’t seem to get out of. Bono and Co. have tried to be everything to everyone for so long that they’ve forgotten how to exist solely as a rock band capable of transcendence when the lights are brightest. They allowed the … Continue reading U2’s “Songs of Surrender” is a soulful yet self-aggrandizing reminder of the band’s not-dead-yet potential

Hemingway once said that his aim as a writer was to express his feelings in the simplest way possible, which is the same recipe that Journey perfected en route to cementing its Hall-of-Fame resumé. Neal Schon and Co. have churned out so many commercial earworms, in fact, that critics forget just how many stellar musicians … Continue reading Journey and Toto welcomed with open arms to Buffalo’s KeyBank Center

I’ve been thinking and writing about movies long enough to remember a time when the selections by the Academy were actually in sync with the pulse of the people, but, if you’ve been paying attention, you know that hasn’t happened in quite some time. Box office behemoths such as “Rocky,” “Titanic,” and “The Lord of … Continue reading The List: My 10 Favorite Best Picture Winners

Let’s imagine for a second that the alien anthropologists referenced in the title track to Roger Waters’ “Amused to Death” came to Earth and were interested in studying the origins of what is commonly referred to as hair metal. Bands such as Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe, and Hanoi Rocks would be cited as early titans … Continue reading The Undesirables #1: Poison – “Native Tongue”

On Aug. 13, 2003, an unknown singer from Northern Ireland named Ricky Warwick found himself opening for Def Leppard at the Erie County Fairgrounds. He was armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a 30-minute window with which to make an impression, but the fact that he’s fronting UK-based hard rock outfit Black Star … Continue reading Wrong Side of Paradise: Black Star Riders bassist Robbie Crane discusses the band’s fifth studio release

If you’ve been following this space since Day One, you’re undoubtedly familiar with what some of my favorite bands/artists are, but I figured the time had come to go on the record once again. I wanted to force myself to whittle the list down to 10 bands that I consider to be my absolutes at … Continue reading The List: My 10 Favorite Bands of All Time

Michael Jordan spent six seasons getting pummeled by the Celtics and Pistons before Chicago Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause finally surrounded him with the right pieces to win an NBA Championship. While MJ was always “The Man,” the contributions of Scottie Pippen, John Paxson, Horace Grant, and Bill Cartwright were invaluable en route to creating … Continue reading The Lords of 52nd Street take The Riviera on a riveting ride through the Billy Joel songbook

Building a band from the ground up after playing an integral role in three platinum-selling albums isn’t easy, but that’s what Tommy Skeoch has done with Resist & Bite. The ex-Tesla guitarist joined forces with former Lynch Mob vocalist Nathan Utz, Brian Powell, David Parks, and Steve Stokes to go back to the bars with … Continue reading Resist & Bite: Ex-Tesla guitarist Tommy Skeoch hypes his new band ahead of Niagara Falls date

When I assembled my first Top 10 list back in 1997, a movie was a movie and no one was judging art based on its ability to conform to what a small yet painfully vocal group of self-righteous individuals considered acceptable. “Titanic” won 11 Academy Awards and hauled in $600 Million domestically based on the … Continue reading Time Is the Thing: The Best and Worst Films of 2022

When a legion of fans assembled in Times Square on July 5, 1999 hoping to catch a glimpse of 98 Degrees on MTV’s Total Request Live, their passion in the moment likely clouded any consideration as to what their favorite band would look and sound like two decades later. After all, stressing about the future … Continue reading A Boy Band Christmas provides a harmless holiday diversion at Seneca Niagara