IIt’s hard not to feel a strange sense of connection with each of the hapless heroines played by Anna Faris. Although generally understated, his signature mix of humor and silliness makes him a charming presence in every project. While he’s been praised for some of his work (The House Bunny, Scary Movie), his portrayal of … Read more
The inaugural Canadian Blues Music Awards took place on Monday, March 30 at The Phoenix Concert Theatre, marking the launch of Canada’s new national blues awards program. The event had 16 competing teams and brought together professionals and industry professionals from across the country. Brandon Isaak was the top winner of the night, earning Electric … Read more
Ebet Roberts/Getty Images By 1982, a new wave (so to speak) of new hybrid bands like The Police and Talking Heads had left the old rock pillars of the ’60s and ’70s. In that year, new wave, punk pop, and synth-pop broke through the last of the … Read more
Think of a song. (After you finish thinking about Scatman John”Skatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop),” let me finish my presentation.) Consider a song about the great classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a song about his rock-star achievements but also spending a lot of time talking about his faults. At this point, what we have mentally constructed is a … Read more
We’ve recently been reminded that when we announce our Tracks Of The Week winners, we neglect to do them in reverse order, a time-honored way of creating unnecessary tension at such events. So here goes. In the third place … Crown Lands, by Through The Looking Glass. In the second place … The Meffs, by … Read more
As a critic, I should probably be offended by the title “The Last Critic.” This film is a fascinating portrait of Robert Christgau, the legendary music writer who was one of the founders of what was once known as “rock criticism”. (These were the days before hope, not to mention Taylor Swift’s fan base.) To … Read more
The British invasion was aptly named. A story titled “Redcoats Revisiting” in the April 4, 1964, issue of Billboard noted that they currently hold 19 spots on the Hot 100. The Beatles led the way, but Peter and Gordon, the Animals, Manfred Mann, Petula Clark, Freddie and the Dreamers, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, Herman’s … Read more
Avalon/Getty Images When it comes to rock music, there were so many improvements in 1964 in terms of sound, songwriting, and performance that there are still countless gems. For one, rock fans got a big dose of new and exciting artists in 1964, when the Beatlemania phenomenon … Read more
Time has an unforgiving habit of hiding many groups. If that’s true, then it’s little wonder we’re still talking about a little retro group called the Flamin’ Groovies half a century later. They never changed many records or shot any chart with a rock, let alone a bullet, yet the name of this cult group … Read more