Music N' Other Drugs

The history of hard rock and heavy metal is littered with bands that people say should have been huge, but Riot is one that actually had everything in place to do so. Killer songs, feral guitars, and a definitive masterpiece in 1981’s “Fire Down Under” that remains a 10 out of 10 to this day. … Continue reading Former Riot guitarist Rick Ventura is back with a new band and that same scorching Les Paul sound

The Kentucky Headhunters released their twelfth studio album last fall and have dates lined up all the way through this fall, so it’s a good thing that guitarist Greg Martin already cleaned his basement. That’s right, folks. Live music is back in full force, which means that anything resembling domesticity is likely be put on … Continue reading That’s a Fact Jack!: Greg Martin of The Kentucky Headhunters on the band’s latest album and his lifelong love of radio

Her brother was named the “Greatest Drummer of All Time” by Rolling Stone in 2016, but how many people outside the UK are aware of the musical legacy that Deborah Bonham has been building for herself since 1985? The answer is not enough, as Bonham has consistently proven to be a singer capable of summoning … Continue reading Bonham-Bullick thrillingly channels the blues on self-titled covers album due out April 29

From 1980 to 1986, Dale Bozzio, Terry Bozzio, and Warren Cuccurullo came out from under the tutelage of Frank Zappa to release three studio albums as Missing Persons. They crafted some of the most memorable material of the New Wave genre and Dale’s fearless presence up front was like catnip for the MTV generation. Every … Continue reading My Book, My Story: A conversation with Missing Persons co-founder Dale Bozzio

There’s a scene in Oliver Stone’s overlooked 2010 sequel, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” where Shia LaBeouf asks Josh Brolin if he has an idea of how much wealth he’ll need to retire, and, rather than rattle off a specific dollar amount, he simply replies, “More.” The same concept applies to how our current woke … Continue reading Once Upon a Stream II: The Best and Worst Films of 2021

Once upon a time, I aspired to write for a national publication such as Rolling Stone, Spin, or Entertainment Weekly, but, given how diametrically opposed our tastes are in 2021, it’s hard to believe that I ever felt that way. My time spent perusing their lists of what they consider to be the finest albums … Continue reading 2021’s Essential Listening

While taking in James Taylor’s 110-minute set inside KeyBank Center on Monday night, I kept referring back to what Henry Hill said about Paul Cicero in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 masterpiece “GoodFellas.” He said, “Paulie may have moved slow, but it was only because Paulie didn’t have to move for anybody,” which is exactly how I … Continue reading James Taylor and Jackson Browne make for an all-star pairing at KeyBank Center

One of my favorite lyrics from Willie Nile’s 2018 album, “Children of Paradise,” finds the Buffalo-born singer-songwriter imploring the listener to not let the “fuckers kill your buzz.” I loved it at the time and find its urgency even greater now that COVID-19 has killed more than just our buzz throughout the past year-and-a-half. His … Continue reading Willie Nile returns to Buffalo with a stunning new album in tow

Genesis opened The Last Domino? tour on Sept. 20 in Birmingham, England and the majority of discussion since then has revolved around the diminished capacity of Phil Collins as a performer. He walks with a cane, sits in a chair, and bares little resemblance to the dynamo responsible for leading the band into the pop … Continue reading Genesis rages against the fading lights during triumphant return to Buffalo

I was 14 when I first heard Genesis’s 1973 opus, “Selling England by the Pound,” on vinyl. The year was 2002, and, as an intellectual introvert for whom attracting female attention already felt like a Sisyphean struggle, the fact that I was becoming obsessed with an English progressive rock band while everyone else was losing … Continue reading In the Red Ochre Corridor: A Dive Into the Past, Present, and Future of Genesis