Earth Day (Revisited): An Appreciation of Black Sabbath
Sean MurphyEvery day is Earth Day. Question: Is it possible that a band could sell over one hundred million albums, be referenced constantly by groups spanning multiple genres, and whose very…
Keeping Hope Alive
Not a ton of people remember Opal (actually, to remember a band, you need to have heard of them in the first place, right?). It's a shame, although admittedly, this…
A Splendid Time Is Not Guaranteed For All
The Easy Star All-Stars, to their credit, do not believe in half-measures. In 2003, they introduced themselves to the world with their reggae reimagining of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of…
Herbie Hancock is Cooler Than Us And He Always Has Been
Everyone knows that Herbie Hancock is one of the coolest men on the planet, and has been for almost half a century. Anyone who doesn't know this doesn't know much; all…
Two Disasters of the 20th Century
On April 15, 1912, the British luxury liner Titanic sank in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland, less than three hours after striking an iceberg. About 1,500 people died. Unfortunately, one…
My Mix Tape Confession
God I miss mixed tapes. (Which begs the question: Is it mixed tape, mix tape or mixtape? I say all of the above, and shall use them interchangeably.) I know this…
Like Ray Charles on Helium…
One of the blogs I take great pleasure in linking to is my man Mark's delectably named Trotsky's Cranium, here. There are always worthwhile and insightful nuggets to glean over…
Got A Beef? Sure ‘Nuff ‘N Yes I Do
As T.S. Eliot portentously opined: April is the cruelest month. Apparently someone once pulled an April Fools' Day joke on him too. What's really sad is I saw this one coming almost…
Steven Wilson: Appetite for Construction
To point out the superhuman scale Steven Wilson operates on is like pondering whether Donald Trump's hair is for real. Wilson, whose name you may not know, nevertheless recorded a new…
It Was 335 Years Ago Today: A Brief History of Jethro Tull (Both of Them)
Most people knew Jethro Tull had been around forever, but more than three centuries?? Oh. You mean the actual British dude, Mr. Tull, whom the progressive band was named after?…