CD
Heart of the Surround Rise: Steve Howe on Relishing Yes in 5.1, Playing Full Albums Live, And What to Expect From Heaven and Earth
Notice: __ngettext is deprecated since version 2.8! Use _n() instead. in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 3078
2 comments
Notice: Undefined variable: theme_options in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-content/themes/reaction-2.0/element-excerpt.php on line 27
BY MIKE METTLER
“Yes likes challenges.” So says Yes guitarist Steve Howe, and the proof is in the output. The band has been out on the boards in the U.S. and Canada playing a set comprised of three full albums: The Yes Album, Close to the Edge, and Going for the One. On their upcoming summer tour in July and August, they’ll be doing two full albums: the first-ever full run-through of Fragile and Close to the Edge, in addition to an encore centered on the band’s greatest hits. Plus, an album with new lead singer Jon Davison, Heaven and Earth, is slated for a July release. And, of course, there are the sonically brilliant 5.1 mixes of Close to the Edge and The Yes Album on Blu-ray as masterminded by Steven Wilson — and more are on the way, with the band’s blessing. Howe, 67, and I … Read More »
The Midnight Writer: Alan Paul on the Definitive Inside History of The Allman Brothers Band
Notice: __ngettext is deprecated since version 2.8! Use _n() instead. in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 3078
3 comments
Notice: Undefined variable: theme_options in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-content/themes/reaction-2.0/element-excerpt.php on line 27
BY MIKE METTLER
If knowledge is power, then Alan Paul is the chairman of The Allman Brothers board. His definitive inside history of The Allman Brothers Band, One Way Out (St. Martin’s Press), is one of the most thorough, in-depth, and best-researched rock biographies I’ve had the pleasure to read — and if you know me, you know I pretty much read ‘em all. Though I’m a diehard Allmans fan and I’ve personally interviewed ABB members Gregg Allman, Butch Trucks, Warren Haynes, and Derek Trucks, I learned something new with just about every turn of the page. Alan’s first-hand reporting and meticulous research, presented in the oral-history format and strategically interspersed with his own insightful commentary, is so spot-on that one could almost retitle the book One Way In.
I first met Alan in early 1991 when I started writing freelance for Guitar World (he remains a … Read More »
The Rhythmatist’s Method: Stewart Copeland on Restoring the 1925 Silent Film Ben-Hur, That Snare Drum Sound & a Few Police Matters
Notice: __ngettext is deprecated since version 2.8! Use _n() instead. in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 3078
2 comments
Notice: Undefined variable: theme_options in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-content/themes/reaction-2.0/element-excerpt.php on line 27
BY MIKE METTLER
Never let it be said that Stewart Copeland has idle hands. The innovative Police percussionist and ace composer has been working tirelessly on composing a soundtrack to MGM’s 1925 silent film Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, which, in addition to being a legendary broad-sweeping and groundbreaking epic tale, is on record as being the most expensive film made in the silent era. Copeland’s score receives its world premiere Easter weekend on April 19 at the Virginia Arts Festival in Norfolk, Virginia, where it will accompany his 90-minute edit of the movie.
Recently, Copeland, 61, and I discussed how restoring Ben-Hur was both invigorating and taxing, his philosophy about surround-sound scoring, some of the secrets behind his infamous snare drum sound, and a few Police-related matters.
Mike Mettler: I’m extremely fascinated about your Ben-Hur restoration.
Stewart Copeland: Well, it is a humdinger. It all began with an … Read More »
Tiers of Actual Sighs: Richard X. Heyman Puts The X in Songwriting & Pop Rocking Excellence
Notice: __ngettext is deprecated since version 2.8! Use _n() instead. in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 3078
1 Comment
Notice: Undefined variable: theme_options in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-content/themes/reaction-2.0/element-excerpt.php on line 27
BY MIKE METTLER
Richard X. Heyman is a rock & roll lifer. I first became exposed to his indelible brand of garage pop on his 1990 solo album Living Room!! (Cypress), instantly falling for the hooks of “Union County Line” and “Local Paper.” (And, yes, I do have it on vinyl, folks.) Soon thereafter, I learned of his pioneering role in nearby Plainfield, New Jersey’s ’60s garage rockers The Doughboys, who continue performing live and releasing top-notch music to this day. (“Black Sheep,” “Why Can’t She See Me?,”“It’s a Crying Shame,” and “YOYO” are but four of my favorite modern-era Doughboys tracks.)
Heyman’s solo career has careened more toward the melodic side of the pop dial, though he does keep his garage roots intact. Last Fall, he conducted a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund his tenth solo record, naturally dubbed X (Turn-Up Records). … Read More »
Mad Dogs and Shelter People: Leon Russell Looks Back on an Amazing Life Journey
Notice: __ngettext is deprecated since version 2.8! Use _n() instead. in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 3078
2 comments
Notice: Undefined variable: theme_options in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-content/themes/reaction-2.0/element-excerpt.php on line 27
BY MIKE METTLER
“I’m basically what is known as a talented illusionist.” So says piano wizard Leon Russell, but the Oklahoma native is being more than somewhat modest. His C.V. is as impressive as they come: First-call member of the legendary ’60s L.A. studio collective known as The Wrecking Crew, co-founder of Shelter Records in 1969 with Denny Cordell, spearhead of Joe Cocker’s infamous 1970 Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour, and beneficiary of a revived recording career by teaming up with Elton John on 2010′s T Bone Burnett-produced The Union. On his just-released Life Journey (UMe), Russell comes full circle to show his mastery of the form on tasty covers like his piano-vamp stab at Robert Johnson’s “Come on in My Kitchen,” a slip-slidin’ romp through “Fever,” and a swing-sational full-orchestral take on Duke Ellington’s “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good.” … Read More »
Go Ahead and Spin It to Me: Benmont Tench Breaks Down Why He Loves Lucky on Vinyl
Notice: __ngettext is deprecated since version 2.8! Use _n() instead. in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 3078
1 Comment
Notice: Undefined variable: theme_options in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-content/themes/reaction-2.0/element-excerpt.php on line 27
BY MIKE METTLER
“I don’t want to stop anyone from getting the CD, but vinyl is the truest way to hear this record,” says Benmont Tench about his new solo album, You Should Be So Lucky (Blue Note). “When you have Glyn Johns [The Rolling Stones, Eagles, The Who] recording something to tape, you really want to hear it on vinyl.” It’s hard to argue with the longtime Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers keyboardist, stepping out to be a frontman for the first time in his five-decades-long career. And spinning Lucky on 180-gram vinyl very much tells the tale of the details: the delicate brush drumwork and resonating bass on “Ecor Rouge,” the placement of the string quartet behind Tench’s organ lines on “Hannah,” and Tench’s deft touch on the ivories while a guitar solo caterwauls in the left channel on … Read More »
Re-Ledded and Reloaded: Led Zeppelin Soars Again With Upcoming Remasters Series
Notice: __ngettext is deprecated since version 2.8! Use _n() instead. in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 3078
Comments Off
Notice: Undefined variable: theme_options in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-content/themes/reaction-2.0/element-excerpt.php on line 27
BY MIKE METTLER
Led Zeppelin soars again.
An extensive reissue program of all nine of the band’s studio albums will rollout in chronological order from Rhino/Atlantic/Swan Song, commencing with the June 3 release of deluxe editions of Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, and Led Zeppelin III. Each album has been remastered by Zep founder, guitarist, and producer Jimmy Page. The series will also feature previously unheard studio and live recordings, with each album containing a second disc of companion audio comprised of unreleased music related to that album. In the official press release, Page notes, “The material on the companion discs presents a portal to the time of the recording of Led Zeppelin. It is a selection of work in progress with rough mixes, backing tracks, alternate versions, and new material recorded at the time.”
We Zep fans have been waiting semi-patiently for these releases after they were first discussed seriously around … Read More »
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 3320
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 3320
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /home3/skyemedi/public_html/soundbard.com/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 3320
Recent Comments