CD Review: Queensryche / Frequency Unknown

Frequency Unknown
Queensryche
Reviewed by: Roger Scales

I want to address the ongoing debate/issue concerning the fact that there are two versions of the same band that exist currently in the world of Queensryche.  This is not unchartered waters nor will it be something that goes away anytime soon.  Unfortunately for the fans,  Rock n’ Roll is a business and in the old days when Joe Perry and Brad Whitford left Aerosmith (for example) there became The Joe Perry Project.  No problem.  New name, new identity, no harm done.  Today with the branding being so identifiable within the rock community there are now legal battles to see who rightfully owns and gets to use the name –  both for recording purposes and touring.  RATT, L.A. Guns, Great White, Grand Funk Railroad, Black Sabbath – the list goes on of popular bands that shift band members and fight over ownership of the logo and identity.  I have always looked at it as more music, more shows, more reasons to get excited about hearing a new or slightly different take on a band or sound that I found pleasing.  Have I liked all of the different versions of the bands?  NO.  Corabi replaces Vince Neil and they put an album called Motley Crue..did I like It? Yes.  Did it bomb?  Yes.  Who cares? Whether Geoff Tate’s  version of Queensryche ultimately gets ownership of the name or the camp featuring Todd LaTorre  wins out..I win as the fan because I can enjoy both for what they each offer.  Read more

CD/DVD Review: Whitesnake / Made in Japan

Made in Japan
Whitesnake
Frontiers Records
Reviewed by: Roger Scales

When Forevermore was released back in 2011 my initial thoughts were “Coverdale was able to bring back vintage Snake while still sounding fresh and current”.  A ton of credit must go to Doug Aldrich whose contributions to the songwriting stood out even more here than on 2008’s “Good To Be Bad”.  Tracks like “Love Will Set You Free” and “Steal Your Heart Away” are some of the strongest Snake tracks ever.  Aldrich is able to pick up the mantle passed down from Micky Moody, John Sykes, Adrian Vandenberg, Vivian Campbell, Steve Vai and leave his indelible mark on the legacy of one of rocks classic acts.  Read more

Concert Review: Ivan & Alyosha/The Lone Bellow at Brighton Music Hall in Allston, MA

Ivan & Alyosha
The Lone Bellow
April 20, 2013
Brighton Music Hall
Allston, MA
Reviewed by: Dorise Gruber

It was an emotional night to see a show in Boston on Saturday.  With the Marathon bombing on Monday, a lockdown the day before and the cancellation of all shows in the area, it was questionable as to whether or not this concert would even take place.  Lone Bellow female vocalist Kanene Doheney Pipkin even commented on the extreme energy of the crowd, “did somebody just let you all out of your houses?”  The bands were sweet to us and present with the high-running emotions of the night’s audience.  Opener Twin Forks even began the night with a short Augustana cover of “I Think I’ll Go To Boston” to pay respect to the crazy week we’d all just endured. Read more

Concert Review: Jamie Lidell at Brighton Music Hall in Allston, MA

Jamie Lidell
April 11, 2013
Brighton Music Hall
Allston, MA
Reviewed by: Dorise Gruber

Jamie Lidell’s 2013 S/T album Jamie Lidell combines the Motown soul of early albums Jim/Multiply and the technologic fanciness of Compass, though a little dancier than the former and a little less aggressive than the last.  In either case, I was expecting a somewhat more mellowed album would likely mean that his performance may have mellowed over time, too.  Sorely mistaken but solidly thrilled, Lidell prevailed as a true neofunk mogul at Brighton Music Hall, rocking a floor-length raincoat and drenching it from the inside with the hot-blooded steam of vitality. Read more

Concert Review: Kishi Bashi at the Sinclair in Cambridge, MA

Kishi Bashi
March 26, 2013
The Sinclair
Cambridge, MA
Reviewed by: Dorise Gruber

In the same way that I’m a sucker for a man with a beard, every music lover has a trigger that makes them far more likely to fall for a song.  For some people it’s handclaps, for some it’s beachy oohs and aahs, for some it’s a heavy-dropped bass, take your pick.  For me, though – it’s looping.  If a musician knows how to live-loop a song with skill, it’s the umami of the concert-going experience.  For those who aren’t familiar with the concept, a performer will break songs into segments, and will utilize fancy shmancy gear (this is a technical term) to record these parceled phrases one piece at a time.  Ideally without breaking flow of the song, the performer will play back the piece they’ve just recorded and harmonize with it, add in bass/drums/other instruments, and continually forge together each sector of the song until it hits its saturation point.  It adds an entirely separate sense of construction and dynamism to the songs at hand, and transforms otherwise pleasant songs into an extraordinary art form. Read more

Concert Review: Now, Now at the Paradise in Boston, MA

Now, Now
November 9, 2012
The Paradise – Boston, MA
Reviewed by: Dorise Gruber

When I comb the lists of bands coming to town, I scour not only for headliners, but always try to peep the openers, just in case.  An all-ages Motion City Soundtrack show would not normally be the first thing to catch my eye, but when I scoped Now, Now tucked away on the bill, I immediately jumped at the chance to see these Minnesota wunderkinds. Read more

Book Review: Makeup to Breakup: My Life In and Out of Kiss / Peter Criss

Makeup to Breakup: My Life In and Out of Kiss
Peter Criss
Reviewed by: Roger Scales

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Concert Review: Admiral Fallow at Berklee Cafe 939 in Boston, MA

Admiral Fallow
October 17, 2012
Berklee Cafe 939
Boston, MA
Reviewed by: Dorise Gruber

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Concert Review: Ryan Bingham at Royale in Boston, MA

Ryan Bingham
October 20, 2012
Royale 
Boston, MA
Reviewed by: Alex Pinto Read more

Concert Review: Skeletonwitch at Cherry Street Station in Wallingford, CT

Skeletonwitch
September 24, 2012
Cherry Street Station
Wallingford, CT
Reviewed by: Brian Cross
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