BY MIKE METTLER – UPDATED JUNE 14, 2016 / ORIGINALLY POSTED APRIL 10, 2016
Sir George Martin passed away at the age of 90 in Wiltshire, England on March 8, 2016. Best known for his indelible, enduring, and daringly innovative studio work with The Beatles from 1962–70, Martin also produced a wide swath of artists including […]
BY MIKE METTLER — MAY 19, 2016
Rock is rock, no matter where it comes from and who’s playing it. Sure, certain sounds and styles will always get some kind of genre label attached to them, but it all really boils down to one thing: Does the music move you? “Obviously, we’re from the South […]
BY MIKE METTLER — FEBRUARY 24, 2016
It takes a special breed to put down serious roots in Laurel Canyon, California — and that’s exactly what Three Dog Night vocalist Danny Hutton did more than four decades ago. “I bought my house from Alice Cooper in 1977 or ’78, and Micky Dolenz [of The Monkees] lived next door,” […]
BY MIKE METTLER — FEBRUARY 10, 2016
He’s a man who’s been everywhere and done it with everyone, and lived to tell the tales. He’s Dave Stewart, the production wizard best known for his indelible partnership with Annie Lennox in the uber-popular ’80s electronic duo Eurythmics. His new memoir, Sweet Dreams Are Made of This – […]
BY MIKE METTLER — FEBRUARY 3, 2016
The concept of being a true global artist didn’t really exist until the rise of Yanni, the visionary Greek keyboardist/composer who’s played his own unique brand of instrumental music for over 5 million concertgoers worldwide (and counting). Sometimes, you’ll find him and his top-tier “United Nations” orchestra playing for […]
BY MIKE METTLER — DECEMBER 9, 2015
The songwriter’s songwriter is one who adheres to an unwavering standard of excellence. His work is honed, sculpted, shaped, and then reshaped until it feels right to share with the world. These are just a few of the guiding principles Steve Forbert followed while composing the 11 original songs […]
BY MIKE METTLER — SEPTEMBER 10, 2015
Harmony (/ˈhärmənē/, noun): 1. The combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce chords and chord progressions having a pleasing effect. 2. A relationship where various components exist together without destroying one another; agreement or concord. See also: America.
If there’s one band from the ’70s that epitomizes the literal definition of the […]
BY MIKE METTLER — AUGUST 13, 2015
In a band of equals, some can appear to be more equal than others. “I always like to have the first word and the last word on albums,” laughs keyboardist Tony Banks, one of the main songwriters in Genesis. Banks has always felt making an impression right as […]
BY MIKE METTLER — JULY 15, 2015
Leave it to Dave Edmunds to always want to take things a little bit left of center. “I’ve never liked listening to albums, and I’ve never liked making them,” admits the Welsh-born guitarist and producer known for his modern rockabilly sensibilities (see Rockpile’s Seconds of Pleasure and solo hits like […]
BY MIKE METTLER — JUNE 12, 2015
Graham Parker has a surefire way of ensuring his longtime backing band The Rumour understands exactly how to execute the arrangements of his new songs: “You have to kick them a lot, very hard!” he says with a devilish laugh. He is, of course, joking (I think). Parker and […]
