X by the Mexicolas is a pure example of why I miss radio so much. I’m talking real radio here, not the homogenized pabulum the broadcast monopolies push down our throats. I’m talking about that time not long ago when you could flip on any number of stations and be given the opportunity to hear something new, different, exciting. The chances of having that happen today are slightly less than those of winning the lottery. Call me lucky because I found out about Mexicolas when I happened to turn on an Indie 103 weekend show that plays imports. X is a rock record. At times it sounds like Charlie Sexton singing lead for Soundgarden and at others, as on “Big in Japan,” it could have been scooped right out of the early ‘80s and plopped down onto your ancient turntable. X is filled with ...

  '80s. Marillion. Lead singer. “Kayleigh.” Left at height of popularity. Now that I’ve got the mandatory biography of Fish out of the way I can get on with the task of sharing my thoughts on 13th Star, his latest release. Fish one of those artists I support, and enjoy, even though at times I don’t know why. His solo releases are wildly uneven. Moments of sheer lyrical brilliance are teamed with clunkers that even a constipated Sting couldn’t dream up. Sometimes his voice is commanding, genuine and warm and at other times he takes on affectations that rival Neil Diamond’s “listen to me this is important” histrionics.  He’s a Scots poet in the pure traditional sense, with all the good and bad which comes along with being such. For every Robert Burns there is a William McGonagall. I’m happy to say that ...

  Boo! is genius. Boo! is funk. Boo! is America. And the Was (Not Was) boys, Don & David, have risen from the R&B graveyard to give us a fright which, like all good horror stories, is rooted in the idea that something has gone incredibly wrong (or is about to) but no one notices because they’re way too busy doing whatever.  Boo! is jammed with hot melodies, funky ball-bustin’ bass, and two of the greatest voices in music, "Sweet Pea" Atkinson and “Sir” Harry Bowens. But, as outstanding as those things are, they’re not what make Boo! so incredible. It’s incredible because it’s filled with amazing songs which, if you pay close attention, will scare the holy shit out of you. It’s as if they’re holding up a fun house mirror so we can see our ugly reflections, with the only ...

  There aren’t many true chameleons in popular music. I point this out in response to the recent Maxim magazine non-review of the new Black Crowes release, Warpaint, and the faulty logic behind reviewing music you haven’t bothered to listen to. Beyond the dishonesty, and lunacy, of attempting pull such a thing off I sincerely believe that the writer, like most of us, was spoiled by the Beatles ability to reinvent themselves with each release and in doing so change the face and course of music. Sure, Dylan did it too. Think about how he went from folkie to rocker to countrified songster. And maybe we can throw in Prince during that ‘80s period where he morphed from naughty funkster to Hendrix rocker to acid-pop king. And Neil Young always. But the truth is that, beyond a very small handful, even ...

  I’m all for new any new distribution model in music. Whether it’s DIY or MySpace or whatever I’m happy to support artists who are creating music they believe in and trying to get it out into the public to be heard. I also believe the massive shift that’s necessary in the music biz is very late coming into the station. It may be getting close, but people still don’t know which platform or where it’s headed.  The different aspects of the music business are now fully interconnected and it’s much easier for an artist to be totally self-contained. Although it still isn’t easy for a kid with a batch of cool songs to pay for a colorful billboard on Sunset Blvd, her music can actually reach many more people. And, unlike a billboard crying out to thousands of motorists who ...