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 big news this week is of course Green Day's much-anticipated punk-opera 21st Century Breakdown . Green Day's album is one which is sure to be carefully watched by industry bean-counters. Their last album, American Idiot , was an all too rare modern-day multi-platinum selling physical CD in the MP3 era. But decades from now it may well also be remembered as symbolizing the Bush era in the same way that people like Bob Dylan are considered synonymous with the sixties. Our own Jordan "J-Rich" Richardson will be along shortly to provide his own 21st century breakdown of sorts on whether or not Green Day have once again delivered the goods.
As uncompromising in his personal life as he is in his music, Steve Earle is one of the few guys left from the original era of outlaw country who has managed to survive despite his excesses with his artistic integrity
Aprilynne Pike's debut novel, Wings , is a paranormal fantasy featuring an entirely new twist on the mythological realm of faeries. I recently published a review of Wings , and I was delighted to have the opportunity conduct an author interview with Aprilynne Pike, a fresh new voice in the young adult fantasy genre.
Damian: Your debut novel, Wings , manages to weave an intricate alternate history into a realm of faerie tale fantasy set in a modern world. You indicated in your bio that you have been “spinning faerie stories” since you were “a child with a hyper-active imagination.” Where do you find inspiration for your characters and their stories?
Pike: My brain has always been a well of strange — and often very strange — ideas. I can’t really say that I know where they come from. But I think one thing that helps is
Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope that this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.
Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles and what follows are not necessarily reviews, but opinions based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists that I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.
Friday Night Lights: The Third Season. I love this series. When I first began watching the first season, I was not sure I would. I
2008 proves to be another fruitful year for great concert DVDs.
There were plenty of great concert DVDs released in 2008, and many of them I just haven't had a chance to review yet. David Gilmour's Live At Gdansk is missing from my list since it is essentially the same show that I reviewed on last year's Remember That Night DVD, which made the top of my 2007 list. Wondering where the Rolling...
The Top 15 Albums of 2008
2008 was quite a year for the music industry. As with every other year, trends emerged and others faded away. Bands reunited and others disbanded. And albums were released that shattered our souls, broke our hearts, and made memories, while others flat-out sucked.The year marked the return of Erykah Badu, a Stone Temple Pilots reunion, and David...
There are several difficulties in trying to figure out a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ride. The biggest of them is the fact that so many people love the book, the radio show, the movie, the television show, or one of the forms of it so much that they might have problems with any new interruption. The other challenge is that of creating a fun “ride” that has the audience sit stationary watching everything unfold on a screen. It’s a different type of medium than I used last time out with The Sword in the Stone ride, but, it’s still fascinating. Sunday, May 17: 8:00 - 9:00PM Nature - “Victoria Falls.” I don’t know about you, but I just don’t think it’s right that Nature is doing an entire episode on a poor woman falling down. Sure, she didn’t have that little pendant
Blues legend David "Honeyboy" Edwards is one of the last of the original Mississippi Delta bluesmen. Riding the rails during the 1930s as a hobo, Edwards shared the road (and...
