What a difference a year makes. These days, that’s stating the obvious, of course. A microcosm of that notion is The Killers. The year 2019 saw them cement their place … Read More
Album Review- The Psychedelic Furs, “Made of Rain”
The Psychedelic Furs current lineup features Amanda Kramer (ex-Information Society) as well a Mars Williams (ex-The Waitresses). It’s been 29 years since The Psychedelic released a studio album. Their only release … Read More
Album Review – The Strokes, “The New Abnormal”
The Strokes are certainly a band that is greater than the sum of its parts. Sure, guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. has put out some fine solo work as has lead … Read More
Album Review – The District, “You Know I’m Not Going Anywhere”
One of the positive things to come out of the recent lockdown is the opportunity it has presented to catch up on artists one may have slept on. One such … Read More
Album Review – OMD, “Souvenir” the Singles Collection and Box Set
It had been a topic of discussion for some time in the OMD fan group on Facebook, but many were skeptical. A CD box set, it was rumored, was coming … Read More
Concert Review: Brian Wilson with Special Guests The Zombies, Cincinnati, OH
Fun fact: you’ll see more actual Beach Boys on stage during a Brian Wilson concert than you will by the group that tours as The Beach Boys. The latter, of … Read More
Concert Review: Stray Cats, Rose Music Center, Huber Hts., OH
It’s been 40 years since Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker, and “Slim Jim” Phantom formed Stray Cats. You wouldn’t know it by seeing them today, as rock & roll as certainly … Read More
Concert Review: The Regrettes, Cincinnati, Oh
“I’ve never thought of us as a full punk band,” says The Regrette’s Lydia Knight, “because that felt wrong, and poser-ish to me. We wrote some punk songs.” Of course, … Read More
Concert Review: Drake Bell, Cincinnati, Ohio
Drake Bell I didn’t grow up with Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh, but my kids did, especially my youngest who discovered it after it ceased production. Of even more interest to … Read More
Bunbury Music Festival 2018 Review
If you’re a proper music festival goer and you haven’t attended Bunbury yet, you need to mark your 2019 calendar now. Arguably the most underrated festival in America, it has … Read More
Concert Review: Brian Setzer Orchestra, Cincinnati, Ohio
My Pop Culture Beast colleague Pat Francis has often said, and he’s not the only one, that certain guitarists have their own sound. When Brian May of Queen plays, you … Read More
CD Review – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “The Echo of Pleasure”
The biggest thing that leaps out immediately about The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s fourth album, The Echo of Pleasure, is how crisp it sounds. Previous efforts have taken … Read More
CD Review – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, “The Punishment of Luxury”
In the very fine book Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s by Jonathan Bernstein and Lori Majewski we learned, among other … Read More
Concert review: Retro Futura Tour, Dayton, Ohio
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what made this year’s Retro Futura Tour so great, as there were many factors working in the show’s favor, starting with how good everyone looked … Read More