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XTC famously went out with the one-two punch of its Apple Venus Volume 1 and Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2), the first of which came out in 1999, seven years after their previous album due to a self-imposed strike protesting the band’s treatment at the hands of its label. In short, us XTC fans […]

So many great shows to check out, so little time! Here are four off the top of my head that you should be considering, if you’re not already. I’m sure there’s more, but here are the ones I’m thinking of at the moment… First, the amazing Lady Lamb the Beekeeper plays a show at the […]

I want to sincerely thank everyone who contributed to the Dreaming for Hours Indiegogo campaign.  Over 60 days, we raised $2,045, exceeding the goal of $2,000.  Raising these funds ensured that the album was professionally and lovingly mixed at Sonelab with Mark Alan Miller, and that it will be produced in a beautiful package featuring […]

At the risk of sounding gloomy, I have been rained upon lately, both literally and figuratively. I performed as part of Lord Russ & Friends at this year’s Transperformance, in which we “transperformed” as The Cure. Our rehearsals were great fun, and I was very proud to be a part of this great annual tradition […]

Recording an album is a tricky business.  As I was telling one of my good friends the other day, your average person doesn’t understand the amount of work that goes into the making of an album. It is a completely different beast than performing live.  When you perform live, what’s most important are the broad […]

If you haven’t already heard about Colorway, you should check them out. Colorway is the new band headed by F. Alex Johnson of Drunk Stuntmen, along with J.J. O’Connell and Dave Hayes. Talk about a power trio. They’ve been getting a lot of positive press, and rightfully so. Back in March, I witnessed their debut […]

Couple great ones this week First, pop music geek/DJ/writer/musicianKen Maiuri takes over The Parlor Room in Northampton for a night, curating a night of music with a trio of his projects: The Super 8 Players (trio performing songs from films), The TV Show (quartet-plus playing classic TV themes), and The Four Color Press (playing Ken […]

I was lucky enough to meet Ray Manzarek once.  As an undergraduate, I assisted Ann Charters and Allen Ginsberg when they co-chaired a conference on the Beat Generation at NYU. During that conference, I saw Ray perform with Michael McClure, the poet–McClure reading and Ray playing piano underscore. The next day I was taking a […]

Wow, if you are in the western Massachusetts area, you need to know about this amazing show. The Demographic is celebrating its album release at The Elevens tomorrow night (Friday May 10), and they are a great act to catch. In addition, fellow Mystic Brian Marchese plays percussion on the album.  As if that’s not […]

I went into the studio with Brian Marchese, Matt Silberstein, and Andy Goulet this past weekend, with Mark Alan Miller at the helm of Sonelab, a wonderful recording studio located in Easthampton, Massachusetts.  We had a blast.  The plan was just to capture the special chemistry that happens when the four of us play one […]