Mr. Big, the hard rock supergroup that formed in the 1980s and yielded the hits "To Be With You" and "Green Tinted Sixties Mind" has reunited.
The band is comprised of bassist Billy Sheehan (of Talas and David Lee Roth Band fame), guitarist Paul Gilbert (formerly Racer X), drummer Pat Torpey (formerly of The Knack) and singer Eric Martin.
The group debuted with their eponymous album in 1989. This album laid the groundwork for their distinct sound: crunching, shredding guitars, precision-pounded drums, booming bass, and raspy melodic vocals. Soaring choruses combined with crunch delighted fans of the band the world over.
Wait. This sounds like almost every other band that blossomed out of the 80s under the rock/heavy metal genre.
What differentiated Mr. Big from other bands of their time was the fact that all of the members had previous successful careers in
The blockbuster season has gotten off to a pretty good start money-wise behind the good opening weekend fortunes of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Star Trek . I only see the latter as having any long term success, but I could be wrong. Anyway, week three sees us step away from the big effects, teen-targeted blockbusters to a potentially more thoughtful thriller aimed at an audience that skews older. I have to wonder if it has the strength to climb to the top, or if last week's champ, Star Trek , will stay at the top on the strength of its positive word of mouth. Aside from that, we also get a limited release romantic comedy that hopes to do well enough to garner a wider release.
Angels & Demons. (2009, 140 minutes, PG-13, thriller) A few years ago, director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks teamed up for The DaVinci Code . That film arrived amid immense hype and a boatload of
Blues guitar legend, Johnny Winter, finally gets some due justice on DVD.
"Born cross-eyed and albino, Johnny Winter (John Dawson Winter III) disregarded Mother Nature's unkindness to forge a career as one of the few great white blues-rockers." I thought that this quote from The Johnny Winter Story website summed it up quite nicely.I have not followed Johnny Winter's career as closely as I should have,...
Canadian alt-country rocker Luke Doucet embarks on cross Canada tour in support of his latest outing "Blood's Too Rich".
For alt-country rocker, studio musician and producer Luke Doucet, being on the road since the age of 18 is finally paying off.Doucet and his band The White Falcon have been busy touring all over the U.S. and Canada, opening for both Blue Rodeo and James Blunt in promotion for the now year-old Blood’s Too Rich album.A native of Winnipeg,...
But tonight I got to thinking, who really is the best modern day rock band out there? Coldplay? White Stripes? Kings of Leon?
I mean let's face it, we really haven't got that many really great candidates waiting in the wings to assume the throne right now. There certainly isn't any Beatles, Stones, or Who standing in waiting and ready to step up to the plate -- to say nothing of a future Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd.
As far as songwriters go, I likewise can't see the next Dylan, Springsteen, Brian Wilson, or Neil Young anywhere out there on the horizon -- as much as I would really like to. I mean, I like Conor Oberst as much as the next guy, but honestly speaking I just don't see him filling the shoes of Bob or Bruce.
These are different times than the sixties or the seventies were, and I understand that. Believe me, I do.
Years before the Blues Brothers, this group brought Chicago-style blues to a wide audience.
The rise of what came to be known in the 1960s as 'blue-eyed soul' included contributions from a lot of different musicians. One band that should receive more recognition as an important influence in the evolution of the music is the Butterfield Blues Band, the Chicago-based band led by harmonica wiz and vocalist Paul Butterfield. Of...
