Blue Coupe magazine

Ramone on Ramone

2012-01-20T13:02:00.001-08:00

The year before he died of prostrate cancer in 2004, Johnny Ramone appeared in 16th place on the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list in Rolling Stone and was listed on Time magazine’s 10 Greatest Electric-Guitar Players of all time. Eight years after his death, the autobiography of punk band The Ramones guitarist will be released. From The Wall Street Journal:Commando: The Autobiography of

Stop SOPA and PIPA

2012-01-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

The ramifications of the proposed Internet Blacklist Legislation are numerous and potentially dire. The Electronic Frontier Foundation boils it down most succinctly:The Internet blacklist legislation -- known as PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House -- invites Internet security risks, threatens online speech, and hampers Internet innovation. Urge your

Elton John Book Will Fight AIDS

2012-01-10T00:05:00.000-08:00

On Monday publisher Little, Brown announced that they will publish a book by pop icon Elton John later this year. Proceeds of the book, Love is the Cure: Ending the Global AIDS Epidemic, will go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, an organization that has, over the last two decades, raised almost a quarter of a billion dollars towards fighting the disease.The Little, Brown announcement said that

War Horse: New from John Williams

2011-11-28T19:12:00.000-08:00

It has been three years since John Williams scored a movie, and this holiday season brings us two new scores, both for films directed by Steven Spielberg: The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse. War Horse, based on the same book as the currently running play on Broadway, is about a horse who's separated from his owner during World War I. The score is beyond lush and beyond rich. Many themes are

Holiday Gift Guide: Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell With Black Sabbath by Tony Iommi

2011-11-22T00:18:00.000-08:00

When it comes to rocker biographies, the 2011 winner is former Black Sabbath lead guitarist, Tony Iommi’s Iron Man (Da Capo). This is the whole package: Iommi is candid, engaging and celebrated and that’s exactly the right combo for this sort of book.Though it’s Iommi’s autobiography, this is also the story of Black Sabbath, one of the most celebrated and seminal rock outfits of all time. And on

Art & Culture: Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge by Mark Yarm

2011-11-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

Reviewed by David MiddletonTwenty years after Nirvana’s Nevermind and Pearl Jam’s debut, Ten, Blender senior editor, Mark Yarm, delivers Everybody Loves Our Town (Crown), the perfect remembrance/celebration/recollection of an era that some would say never was and others say never left us. After all, as Yarm tells us early on, even the grunge label itself is entirely subjective:We could argue

What Were the Worst Songs of the 1970s?

2011-10-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

Rolling Stones’ readers pick the worst songs of the 1970s. Why? Pretty much because they can, it seems.A word of warning before you embark: some of this stuff is pretty compelling. For instance, I haven’t been able to get Minnie Riperton’s trembling falsetto out of my head since I read the article and listened to her performance. “La-la-la-la-la… I love you cuz you’re beautiful…”But the best line

Glee - The 2nd Season

2011-10-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

No one can deny the sophomore slump—and it's especially poetic when it happens to a TV show about high school. Personally, I loved the second season of Glee, but there are detractors. There are those who think the show last season was too focused on the kids' love lives, be they straight, gay, or both of the above. Fact is, while I loved it, the season did have some hiccups. Though it had a

The Great Folk Discography: Pioneers & Early Legends by Martin C. Strong

2011-09-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

If the name Martin C. Strong is familiar to you, it’s likely you are a serious music fan of some kind. It’s possible you’re even some sort of music geek. Strong is developing into the guy when it comes to encyclopedic books about various branches of music. Thus far he has authored or been part of The Great Rock Discography, The Essential Rock Discography, The Great Metal Discography, The Great

Our Big, Fat Prediction: Rival Sons Will Break Through With Pressure & Time

2011-07-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Imagine Black Crowes crossed with Aerosmith, and more than a hint of Zeppelin and you’re getting kinda close.Every band wants to be Radiohead or Coldplay and Rival Sons are far from that. What they are: an LA-based four piece demolition squad that we predict, after very little contact, are going to be kicking some serious butt. Pressure and Time is their second studio album (after 2008’s Before

Amy Winehouse Dead at 27

2011-07-23T11:56:00.001-07:00

I don't ever want to do anything mediocre. I hear the music in the charts and I don't mean to be rude, but those people have no soul. Learning from music is like eating a meal.. you have to pace yourself. You can't take everything from it all at once. I want to be different, definitely. I'm not a one trick pony. I'm at least a five-trick pony.Sad this morning to read about the death of Amy

The Tree of Life: Musical Branches

2011-05-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

Terrence Malick's new film The Tree of Life is generating a lot of interest and even more buzz. Critics are saying this film—only his fifth—is the director's masterpiece. Maybe they're right. I hear it wrestles with several major themes, among them the dynamics of family, the span of generations, and the origins of the universe. Filmed three years ago, it's been trapped as much in the editing

Wonderland: Needs more wonder

2011-05-10T15:25:00.000-07:00

I have been a Frank Wildhorn fan for quite a long, time, since his musical Jekyll & Hyde first appeared as a concept recording in the mid-80s. Love it or hate it, Jekyll had a long and winding road to Broadway, where too many of its wonders were diminished by a director who seemed not to understand the material. Since then, Wildhorn has composed other musicals, including Dracula, The Civil War,

The Lincoln Lawyer: 2 Great CDs

2011-04-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Lincoln Lawyer is the new Matthew McConnaughey movie based on the novel by Michael Connelly. It's a terrific flick that's full of double-crosses and twists and turns, great characters and a lawyer of great character. One of the highlights of the film is the music. The score, by Cliff Martinez, supports the mysterious underbelly of L.A., whose streets supply the lawyer's world, office, and

Eddie Vedder to Release New Solo Album… on the Ukulele

2011-03-25T16:05:00.000-07:00

Pearl Jam frontman, Eddie Vedder, will release his second solo album at the end of May: based entirely on his work with the ukulele. From The Guardian:Grunge legend Eddie Vedder has announced he will release a ukulele solo album. The Pearl Jam frontman will follow in the footsteps of Tiny Tim, George Formby and Amanda Palmer, releasing a collection of original songs (and three covers) performed

The Vandelles Set For Summer Fling

2011-03-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

This week will be the busiest yet for what has proven to be a busy year so far for the Brooklyn-based Vandelles (see Alarm Press, My Old Kentucky Blog, and Consequence of Sound).AOL Spinner will be throwing a week long listening party for the band’s entire new EP, Summer Fling, beginning today. The EP serves as a taster of things to come as the band finishes up a second album, and makes its SxSW

Etheridge Sitting on a Powder Keg

2011-03-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

Riley Etheridge Jr. calls New York City home now, but his music sounds like he’s still living down South.A South Carolina native, Etheridge spent many years living and playing music in Louisiana. Powder Keg, his much anticipated album, is released today. Throughout the album, Etheridge deftly blends together rock, country, blues, soul, and folk into a rich Americana sound.You can learn more about

Who Knew the Web Could Smell This Good?

2011-02-16T09:05:00.000-08:00

It’s hokey as hell, but also kinda fun, which is likely what the marketing powers behind Reb’l Fleur had in mind when they dreamed up the campaign behind Rihanna’s new scent. They used different words, though: “New Sexy, Innovative Interactive Website for Reb’l Fleur by Rihanna Allows Fans to Explore the Playful Romantic Duality of the Pop Icon.”And, in truth, you’ve never seen a website quite

A Flash Mob Valentine

2011-02-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

Hard not to love this flash mob Valentine’s Day kissing video. Props to Toronto’s Lazybones, whose pop, punk, reggae, ska beats are fantastic here.

Jazz for the Classroom with Jazzy Fairy Tales

2011-02-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

Jazzy Fairy Tales brings jazz music into the classroom with the music stories of “The Three Jazzy Little Pigs,” “The Three Jazzy Goats” and “The Three Jazzy Bears.” The book can be used as either a supplement to an existing program or as a readymade, all-encompassing music curriculum, and is adaptable for different student populations and learning abilities.Jazzy Fairy Tales is intended to be a

Swimming With the Band

2011-02-01T00:05:00.000-08:00

New York Internet radio platform, East Village Radio, is launching a Single of the Month Club, dubbed EVR Records. The debut will happen on March 7th, with a 7-inch release from the UK band, Swimming.EVR Records plans to release one single in 7-inch vinyl and digital formats from an artist selected monthly by a different East Village Radio DJ. Artists will mirror the broad range of musical genres

Best Music Writing of 2010 edited by Ann Powers

2011-01-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

One of my personal treats around this time every year is a copy of Best Music Writing of the year, published annually by Da Capo. It’s a particularly well produced and thought out book. It’s not a beauty contest (although it easily could be). And it’s not about the biggest artists or the most envied mastheads or anything like that. Rather it does exactly what it promises: it collects the very

High Valley Will Open for Emerson Drive

2011-01-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

Canadian Country Music Award nominees, High Valley, have announced that they will be joining Emerson Drive this March, opening for all shows on the eastern leg of the 2011 Decade and Driving Tour.The first stop will be on March 16 in Sarnia, Ontario, where they will be performing songs off of their two previous albums.“We’ve been wanting to get back out to the East Coast for a long time,” says

Grow Some Gnarly Hair. Win A Rad Prize Pack!

2011-01-14T00:36:00.000-08:00

MetalSucks has announced a Viking Beard Contest inspired by the upcoming release of Amon Amrath’s eight studio album, Surtur Rising, which will drop in March. The magnificent mane of Amon Amrath vocalist Johan Hegg provided additional inspiration for the contest which will run from now until the record’s release date and be judged by the folks at MetalSucks and the band.The contest page is here.

Ben Lovett’s Debut Album Will Drop Mid-March

2011-01-12T00:05:00.000-08:00

Ben Lovett is the elusive and talented man behind a long list of film scores and musical projects. In March he will unveil Highway Collection, a new album spanning an all-star carnival of contributing musicians, film directors, kids, choirs and painters.According to Lovett, his nomadic and exploratory lifestyle has compelled him to create an album of intense variety, each song crafted “from a

Burns & Poe Will Play Super Bowl Bash

2011-01-11T13:58:00.000-08:00

Burns & Poe, comprised of Keith Burns and Michelle Poe, will perform at the third Annual Jim McMahon’s Swang’n Super Bowl Bash for the benefit of The Taco Bell Foundation for Teens and the Lynda McMahon Ferguson Memorial Foundation for Literacy in Texas.Presented by two-time Super Bowl Champion Jim McMahon, the star-studded evening will be held Saturday February 5, 2011 at the Granada Theater in

Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney by Howard Sounes

2011-01-02T00:05:00.000-08:00

You only have to look at Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney (Da Capo) to know that it is going to at least try to be exhaustive: it’s a very thick book. But let’s face it: McCartney deserves a big biography. Considering the magnitude of his star, there haven’t been many books on the ex-Beatle’s life. And there’s probably some massive fan out there who can tell me why two in-depth looks at

Avatar on DVD (again)

2010-12-14T12:24:00.001-08:00

James Cameron’s Avatar, whether you like it or not, certainly made an impression. 3D movies are all the rage now—unfortunately—and those of us who are sick of paying a premium for the sometimes shoddy experience just have to wait it out. While Avatar is sometimes fun to watch, there’s almost too much here to see, with the entire world of the film realized down to the shape

Tangled on CD

2010-12-14T12:23:00.001-08:00

Tangled, the new Disney movie, is their take on the Rapunzel story. I didn’t know what to expect. I thought the trailer was funny, but sometimes trailers lie. This time, though, the trailer set up the film perfectly—and it turns out that Tangled is a thoughtful, even provocative, story that deserves a spot on the shelf next to Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, and The

Modern Family on DVD

2010-12-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

Glee isn’t the only breakout show in its second season. Modern Family is an altogether different experience, but just as fun—and even more irreverent. The sitcom involves three families: that of the patriarch, played by Ed O’Neill, and those of his two adult kids, played by Julie Bowen and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. There are young kids in each family, and the show flies on

Tis the Season to be Gleeful

2010-12-14T12:21:00.000-08:00

As it was last year, Glee is the hit of the television season. The little show that could has surpassed what everyone thought it could do and is now nothing less than a media juggernaut. There’s truly something for everyone—take your pick from a constant stream of iTunes downloads, CDs, books, merchandise of every description, special issues of entertainment magazines,

The Best Music Writing of the Year!

2010-12-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

Composer with the Dragon Tattoo

2010-09-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

What with the global mania about Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy, wasn’t it only a matter of time before we had the film scores released on CD? Well, Salander fans, wait no more. Composer Jacob Groth’s dark, twisty, and highly thematic scores for all three films are now available on two discs from two different labels.Milan Records’ soundtrack from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was out first

John Williams: Music of America

2010-09-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

For many years now, I have believed that John Williams is the composer of our time. His film scores, since the 1970s, have defined how movies sound, and his non-film work, while not as easily accessible, displays an uncanny way to bend the orchestra to his whim. As melodic as his film work is, as many doors as he offers to those who wish to enter, his other work is sometimes dissonant, difficult,

Biography: Becoming Jimi Hendrix by Steven Roby and Brad Schreiber

2010-09-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

Before you even pick the book up, you know that the story of legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix is flawed; sure to disappoint. The star of the story dies in the end. Astonishingly, September 18 is the 40th anniversary of Hendrix death.As befits a rock god, there is bound to be some brouhaha. Expect to hear some never-before-aired studio recordings and a documentary film, Valleys and Neptune,

Soundtrack: I Am Love

2010-07-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

Usually, I am not a big fan of contemporary classical music. I find it repetitive to the extreme, and sometimes it makes me feel as if I were being stung by a swarm of particularly angry African killer bees.So I was surprised when I fell into deep deep love with the music from the new movie I Am Love. The score, if one can call it that, is a compilation of pieces composed by John Adams, and the 9

Book Review: Three Chords for Beauty’s Sake: The Life of Artie Shaw by Tom Nolan

2010-06-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

When Artie Shaw died in 2004 at the age of 94, I was among those surprised that he was still alive: he had quit performing half a century before. “I did all you can do with a clarinet,” Shaw said about his early retirement. “Any more would have been less.”Tom Nolan’s account of Shaw’s life in Three Chords for Beauty’s Sake (W.W. Norton) is both respectful and in-depth. Author and journalist Nolan

Glee Goes Madonna

2010-04-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

It started 11 months ago, when the premiere episode of Glee was telecast after the American Idol finale. Right away, people started to sing the show's praises. I know: I was one of them. When the show started airing weekly last September, what had begun as a swell took on the shape of a wave. Now, 14 episodes later, that wave has become absolutely tsunamic.Glee is, in a word, everywhere. It's

Love Never Dies & Finian's Rainbow

2010-03-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

I wonder if anyone really needed a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber apperently did, and he reportedly spent 20 years trying to wrestle it onto the stage. It arrived recently in London, with a Broadway edition set to open in November. True to form, the composer released an elaborate cast recording CD the week the show opened, along with web-friendly videos and a

Biography: Tupac Shakur: The Life of an American Icon by Tayannah Lee McQuillar and Fred Johnson

2010-03-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

While the death of Tupac Shakur may not have a universal “Where were you when you heard the news?” sort of reverberation, for some people it was as intense a moment as the death of Elvis, JFK or Michael Jackson might have been for others. That is to say that a great many people remember exactly where they were and what they were doing on September 13, 1996 when they heard the news that Tupac

This blog has moved

2010-03-07T21:29:00.001-08:00

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Evening’s Empire by Bill Flanagan

2010-02-01T00:05:00.000-08:00

In the world of rock n’ roll novels, Bill Flanagan (A&R, New Bedlam) has got the most butt-kicking blurbs. Ev-ah. Dream up the two most perfect blurbers for this book and you won’t pull these two names. Ready? Bono (who says the book “feels truer than what really happened”) and Bob Dylan. You don’t need to go further than that. (Even though Flanagan does, with a blurb from book-writing, history

Nine gets a 2

2010-01-04T05:54:00.000-08:00

By Tony BuchsbaumI'm reminded of a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I gave it to a friend who loved the cookies. Then she used white chocolate chips instead—and they weren't as good.Somewhere along the way, between its briliant original Broadway staging and the recent film, the recipe for the musical Nine was similarly screwed up. And I can't imagine how it could have happened.Nine is

The Indie Rock Coloring Book by Yellow Bird Project

2009-12-29T00:05:00.000-08:00

This is not so much a review as a mention: a great project for a great cause that makes a great gift!The Yellow Bird Project is a Montreal-based non-profit organization who have, since 2006, worked with a number of indie rock acts to create T-shirt designs that, in the end, benefit a wide range of charities.The Indie Rock Coloring Book takes it to the next level, offering up 28 coloring and

Precious Metal

2009-12-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

Understand going in that this is a book for the already converted. If you -- or the person you’re trying so hard to find the perfect gift for -- is not already deeply infected by heavy metal music, then Precious Metal (Da Capo) is not for you. Or them. But if they are... if they are this is seriously the best gift a metalhead could get.And why? These are the untold stories. Okay: that’s not

Best Music Writing 2009

2009-11-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

2009 marks the tenth anniversary of the Best Music Writing anthologies edited by music journalist and scholar Daphne Carr and published by Da Capo. As befits an anniversary edition, this anthology is stunning with contributions from some of the very top names in music writing, and letters, as well.As guest editor Greil Marcus points out, Best Music Writing 2009 is not meant to be an almanac:It is

Glee Full

2009-11-02T17:42:00.000-08:00

By Tony BuchsbaumWe've all seen the endless news reports about H1N1. But there's another epidemic sweeping the country: Glee.I caught the Glee bug early on, when I watched the pilot last May. Since then, there was first a groundswell, then real momentum, and now an almost religious devotion to the show that's not only redefined what a sitcom looks and feels like, but also what a sitcom sounds

How the Beatles Destroyed Rock ‘N’ Roll by Elijah Wald

2009-10-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

It’s important to know going in that How the Beatles Destroyed Rock ‘N’ Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music (Oxford University Press), doesn’t really have much to do with the Beatles at all. Or maybe it is more accurate to say that it has everything and nothing to do with them.What the book really does is take on everything we think we know about popular music because, as

The Supremes by Mark Ribowsky

2009-09-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

As a culture, we just don’t seem to get sick of epic Motown girl group, The Supremes. We’ve had movies and television shows and, of course, books and books and books. None of this diminishes the pleasure of author Mark Ribowsky’s The Supremes (Da Capo). Nor, in some ways, does it diminish Ribowsky’s hubris: for himself and his chosen subjects. “[The Supremes] are the most important modern

Travelin' Music

2009-08-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumYou gotta love a soundtrack whose cover art is a photo displayed on its side. But it's the perfect image for the film, which certainly turns the love story on its side. The Time Traveler's Wife, based on the bestseller by Audrey Niffenegger, is one of those stories that you just know will make a spellbinding movie. And as a filmmaker, you sort of know, going in, that you want

Biography: Black Tooth Grin: The High Life, Good Times, and Tragic End of “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott by Zac Crain

2009-08-01T01:42:00.000-07:00

Unsurprisingly, Black Tooth Grin (Da Capo) begins at the end. December 8, 2004, 24 years to the day that John Lennon died. “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott killed onstage, mid-song. The founder of the metal cover band Pantera, Abbott was not well known outside of his own metal community. However according to author Zac Crain, no one who knew the musician ever wondered why so many people called the act “

Same West Side, Slightly New Story

2009-07-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumI have always identified with West Side Story. I think this is probably because I'm named after its tragic hero. But there's more to it than that. After all, West Side Story is one of those rare indelible musicals. Whether you see it on stage or in a movie theater, whether you listen to the original cast recording or the soundtrack, it's still a brilliant look at New York in the

Check this, mate

2009-07-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumThe musical Chess is back. Not that it was ever terribly far away. From concept album in the mid-80s to British stage musical, to Broadway adaptation, to London revival, and now, to a concert version now available on CD and DVD.With music by Abba masters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and lyrics by Tim Rice (Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, and countless other iconic muscials),

The Rough Week That Was: David Carradine & KoKo Taylor

2009-06-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

Though neither was particularly young, both were sharply talented, and so a week that takes both actor David Carradine and “Queen of the Blues” KoKo Taylor seems especially ugly.When I heard Taylor had died, my mind went to a single song, though she performed many. Still, “Wang Dang Doodle” was somewhat anthemic in Taylor’s hands, a call to good times and living well and the sexual overtones

The Return of Film Music

2009-05-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumI was afraid film scores were dying. Movie after movie, I craved robust, thoughtful, melodic scores—and instead ended up with blood pouring from my ears. Even old standbys, the James Bond film scores, have under-delivered. The series' current composer, David Arnold, who held such promise early on, now creates scores that are utterly forgettable, devoid of any real coherence, save

2009 Junos Turn Up Some Surprises

2009-03-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

After an all-party weekend, the awards program that some people insist on calling “the Canadian Grammys” are done for another year. The Georgia Straight has that story:The Junos have now come and gone through Vancouver. After a four-day party, much of it on Granville Street, the major winners of Canada’s national music awards were announced tonight at a glitzy ceremony at General Motors Place

Wild Things Trailer

2009-03-26T00:45:00.000-07:00

The film version of Maurice Sendak’s children’s classic, Where the Wild Things Are, will fill a screen near you this fall.The screenplay was written by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers, with Jonze directing Forest Whitaker, Katherine Keener, Paul Dano and James Gandolfini.Viewers who just can’t wait for the film to open can get a real solid tease from the film’s trailer, released today.Where the Wild

SXSW is Here!

2009-03-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

After a whole lot of waiting, SXSW in Austin runs from today until the 22nd at the Austin Convention Center as well as various venues throughout the downtown core. Simply too much going on to run it all down for you, but links to absolutely everything are at the official SXSW site here.

Jericho Will See New Life As Comic

2009-03-13T00:05:00.000-07:00

Are you still sad about the cancellation of Jericho, the nuclear disaster-themed nighttime soap? If so, help is definitely on the way. You might have already heard about the feature film version that is planned but there’s even better news yet: your favorite characters are headed for a comic book near you. From the MTV Movies blog:Nothing can keep the folks of “Jericho” down. Not a nuclear

Novel Approaches

2009-02-11T08:26:00.000-08:00

The two new Kate Winslet movies—both of them based on successful novels—couldn't be more different, and yet there's also something intriguingly the same about them. Both are about relationships based on desire...and that leave something to be desired. The marriage in Revolutionary Road seems, for a while, idyllic, then veers into very dangerous territory before falling to pieces. The affair in

And Now For Something Completely Different...

2009-01-20T17:45:00.000-08:00

We interrupt your musical programming for something that has no business being here: a mention of my latest novel, Death Was in the Picture, published today by St. Martin’s Minotaur/Thomas Dunne Books. Word from Publishers Weekly: “Richards’s swell follow-up to Death Was the Other Woman … handles the slang and patois of the period neatly. Likewise, she paints a vivid picture of the contrast

Curious, indeed

2009-01-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

By Tony BuchsbaumThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of the year's best films...and maybe its best film. Beyond all the special effects, which transform Brad Pitt from an aging infant to a young octegenarian, the film is an elegy to all the things that make New Orleans New Orleans. Filmed primarily in the city, the film is rich with its colors and smells and its lingering sense of ghosts

Eartha Kitt Dead at 81

2008-12-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

I can’t help but think that legendary chanteuse Eartha Kitt would be at least a little pleased at the timing of her final exit. The singer best known for her 1953 recording of “Santa Baby” died on Christmas Day. J. Kingston Pierce at The Rap Sheet points out the irony:This is both sad and ironic news for Christmas Day: Singer and actress Eartha Kitt, whose renditions of the song “Santa Baby” were

Hitman by David Foster

2008-12-11T08:42:00.000-08:00

Consider the music producer. Do you know what they do? In the simplest terms, a music producer directs the music, just as a director directs a film. That is, he (or she) brings all aspects of a song to life, from performance to orchestration to mix to final release. Some music producers are famous in their own right; perhaps the most famous is Quincy Jones, who has worked in many different kinds

New this Week: Funkadelic: The Mothership Connection Live 1976 on DVD

2008-11-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

Filmed on Halloween night in 1976, this DVD contains seldom-seen performances of Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic in their 1970s prime filmed at the Houston Summit. The DVD represents the era of their Mothership Connection and The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein LPs.New this week, Shout! Factory releases Parliament Funkadelic: The Mothership Connection Live 1976 on DVD.On Halloween night 1976

Les Paul’s Legacy

2008-11-17T16:38:00.000-08:00

On November 15th in Cleveland at the PlayhouseSquare State Theater, a sold out tribute concert saluted Les Paul in celebration of his legacy.The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s American Music Masters series annually celebrates an artist whose career has had a significant influence on rock and roll.This year honoree was Les Paul, a name that will forever be connected to the electric

Biography: The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: A Memoir

2008-10-04T01:00:00.000-07:00

For those not keeping score, Grandmaster Flash has been to urban music what Todd Rundgren has been to MOR pop. Clearly, both would exist without these important early purveyors, but -- and arguably -- the resulting genres would have been quite different.In The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats (Broadway), Flash -- with the help of bestselling author David Ritz (Divided Soul: The

Music at the Movies

2008-08-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumEveryone always talks about the Big Summer Movies, the blockbusters we all used to wait in line to see (and which we now get into, no problem, because they're playing on six screens at the same time). But few of us talk about the music from these movies, which are an integral part of what they're about and how well they work.Mamma Mia, for example, isn't the summer's best movie (

Quote of the Week: Cultural Botox

2008-06-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

Disco is back? Or maybe it never really went anywhere.Quote of the week: Disco is “like cultural Botox. It freezes you into a youthful time when everything is glamorous.” -- Andrew Butler, Hercules and Love Affair

Kelli and Nellie

2008-05-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumFor anyone who's into Broadway musicals, The Light in the Piazza, which debuted two years ago at Lincoln Center, was and remains a revelation. It brought into the limelight the director Barlett Sher and the ingenue Kelli O'Hara, among other national treasures. But those two, in particular, have return this season in one of most highly-anticipated shows in recent memory, the

Still flying after 52 years

2008-04-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumWhen I was a kid, my mother bought me a large-trim hardcover called “The Red Balloon.” It was a storybook of photographs, with some text, about a young Parisian boy whose best friend is a red balloon. Odds are you know the story -- it follows him around, gets him into some trouble at school, then is burst by evil boys in the neighborhood -- so I won’t belabor it, but to me it was

Review: Dylanesque Live: The London Sessions by Bryan Ferry

2008-04-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

Bryan FerryDylanesque Live: The London Sessions (Eagle Rock Entertainment)Reviewed by Pedro Blas GonzalezDylanesque Live is a video performance of Bryan Ferry’s recording sessions of his latest album Dylanesque (Virgin Records). The DVD includes four bonus tracks, including a 1973 video of Ferry’s take on Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.” Also of interest are several interviews where

The Pillowman Comes to Vancouver

2008-04-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

This has nothing to do with music. Don’t bother me with details!Finally! We’re there. I’ve said “break a leg” so often today, it’s sticking to the roof of my mouth. (But it’s a nice sticking. An okay sticking.)I won’t see tonight’s performance, but I’ll be there tomorrow for the official opening night. And deeper in the run, as well. If you’re in the Vancouver area, make a point of taking in the

Weinstein Company Options Marley Story

2008-03-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

Variety reports that the Weinstein Company has optioned rights to Rita Marley’s 2004 autobiography No Woman No Cry: My Life With Bob Marley (Hyperion), “with plans to develop and produce a biopic about the legendary Jamaican singer.”The project is in early development, with a late 2009 release date anticipated.Published by Hyperion in 2004, book chronicles the couple's tempestuous marriage, which

Review: Memory Almost Full by Paul McCartney

2008-01-27T18:48:00.000-08:00

Paul McCartneyMemory Almost Full (MPL Communications Ltd, 2007)Reviewed by Pedro Blas GonzalezIn an industry that is shamelessly producer driven, people who are responsible for assembling half-competent groups overnight, and who make dress, spectacle and outrage take center stage -- not music -- Paul McCartney proves the value of being an island of talent in a sea of momentary and fashionable

"Sweeney" is to die for

2007-12-19T16:27:00.000-08:00

By Tony BuchsbaumMovie musicals are back, and for a while there it looked like they wouldn't be. A few years ago there was Chicago, which took in buckets of dough and snagged a Best Picture Oscar. And then last year there was the amazing Dreamgirls, for which Jennifer Hudson snagged a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. And now comes one of Stephen Sondheim's most popular, and most often mounted,

Maria Schneider Orchestra and Sky Blue

2007-12-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

If you’ve listened to enough big band jazz, you recognize the pattern easily enough. After the tempo is counted off, the trumpets often roar in with the straight melody, establishing authority and expectations. The theme is handed off, quite frequently to the reed section, who takes the ball and runs with it, generally with a solo taken from within its ranks, only to be answered with a brass solo

Bringing History to Life

2007-12-03T17:47:00.000-08:00

By Tony BuchsbaumIf I think back -- way back -- I can sort of remember first hearing the work of composer Mark Isham in his score for Mrs. Soffel, whose soundtrack was released on the Windham Hill label back when Windham Hill released pretty much just New Age music. That was the time of George Winston and his "Autumn" CD...or, rather, LP. Anyway, Mark Isham's score for Mrs. Soffel was a quiet,

In the Shadow of No One

2007-10-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumI am of certain age, an age at which I can remember, with absolutely zero difficulty, childhood days spent assembling model kits of the Saturn V rockets that took the Apollo astronauts to the moon. My dad and I did these models together. The rocket stood very tall, and the stages separated perfectly, and the Lunar Landing Module had little hinged legs that unfolded so the thing

West Side Stories

2007-10-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumWalk into a crowded room and ask for a show of hands if you love West Side Story, and my hands shoots up. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t like the musical, with Leonard Bernstein’s sharp-edged music and Stephen Sondheim’s sharper-tongued lyrics. I was, in fact, named after the ill-fated hero, and the film, which won 10 Oscars, was released the year I was born. So, not that

Music of Mass Destruction

2007-10-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumDuring the past couple of years, I’ve sometimes thought about those people who decide at the last minute not to get on a certain airplane, only to see that very flight crash. I’m from New Orleans, and I wasn’t in the city when Katrina struck on that late-August day in 2005. Though I grew up there, my family had already dispersed, to New Jersey and New Mexico. Still, when Katrina

Avast, ahoy, a Bottle of Rum

2007-09-18T00:41:00.000-07:00

No matter what you do, Talk Like A Pirate Day sneaks up on you like crazy. Here it almost is again: the 19th of September is Talk Like A Pirate Day. Seriously. I would not make this stuff up.Special note: Wikipedia mentions that the “holiday is of particular importance to Pastafarians (those who follow the teachings of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster) who consider pirates to be

That 70s Feeling

2007-09-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

Get Ready, Here Come … the 70sVarious ArtistsShout! FactoryReviewed by Mark GalloThe 1970s are apparently the new 1950s. Those of us who lived through that historical period have mixed feelings about the musical fare of the era. It was such a vacuous time for pop music. Even for those of us listened to Zappa, Santana, Coltrane and Muddy and called ourselves hip, the pop music of the day still

The Summer in Film Music

2007-08-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumAs a movie music fan from way back, I always find myself salivating for the summer movies -- as much for the film’s scores as for the films themselves. But in recent years, I’ve found my excitement seriously diminishing. Perhaps I’ve just learned not to expect something grand. Or maybe the music’s just not as good.That said, three of this summer’s scores stand out. The first is

Joe Zawinul and Brown Street

2007-08-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Brown StreetJoe ZawinulBirdJAM/WDR. 2007reviewed by Pedro Blas GonzalezRecently, as I was about to step out of my car at the university, a woman who had just parked next to me asked, “what is that beautiful music that you were just playing?” The piece was a live recording of Weather Report’s now classic melody, “A Remark you Made” in Joe Zawinul’s new recording, Brown Street. Weather Report is

Just Dreamy on DVD

2007-05-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumDreamgirls is a movie that just doesn’t stop. From its very first frames, the action is non-stop, a play of color and light and music and story that’s at once inspiring and cautionary. The story of the Dreams, a Supremes-like girl group, rockets along, from their earliest days at a Detroit talent contest to their dues-paying years as back-up singers for James Early, from their

Long Live the Queens

2007-04-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

By Tony Buchsbaum2006 was quite a year for Helen Mirren. First, she got to play Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII. Then she got to play Elizabeth II, mother-in-law of Diana. Even more remarkabe that her stellar performances is the fact that the awards people got it right: she deserved every single statuette she received. In Elizabeth I, Mirren plays the queen as randy royalty who knows just

Planet Amazing

2007-04-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumIn recent weeks, the Discovery Channel has been showing the epic BBC series Planet Earth. It’s been an astounding look at our planet’s last wildernesses in all their considerable glory. And I do mean considerable. The 11 episodes are something to see, with footage of the sort that most documentarians can only dream about. Imagine visions of the deep ocean, where strangely-shaped

McCartney and Ecce Cor Meum

2007-04-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ecce Cor MeumPaul McCartneyEMI Classicsreviewed by Pedro Blas Gonzalez Taking over eight years to complete, Ecce Cor Meum (Behold My Heart) is Paul McCartney’s fourth classical composition. The others are Liverpool Oratorio (1991), Standing Stone (1997) and Working Classical (1999). This is a work that, according to McCartney, served him as a great learning experience. The piece totals just

Hat Tricks

2007-03-07T17:42:00.004-08:00

By Tony BuchsbaumNobody makes movies about magicians, but last year there were three. The Prestige, directed by Christopher Nolan, The Illusionist, directed by Neil Burger, and Scoop, directed by Woody Allen. I liked them all, but I fell hard for two of them, and both are newly-available on DVD.The Illusionist, which stars Ed Norton, Paul Giamatti, and Jessica Biel, is a late 19th century fable,

Review: From Mars to Sirius by Gojira

2007-03-01T01:58:00.000-08:00

From Mars to SiriusGojira(Prosthetic)reviewed by Lucas AykroydSome bands, like Led Zeppelin and Metallica, have names that mirror their overall sound. You can add Gojira to that list.Named after the monster in the groundbreaking 1954 Japanese sci-fi flick (better known as “Godzilla” to Western audiences), the French foursome has produced a weird, brutal and compelling ambience on their third

Party, Baby!

2007-02-14T00:14:00.000-08:00

Everyone loves a party. Especially when it’s free.A press release that crossed the BlueCoupe editorial desk today announces that online retailer and digital distributor CD Baby will be throwing a huge party at South by Southwest in Austin for “their clients, customers, fans, and music lovers alike.” Umm... correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t that sorta mean everyone? Sounds like it could be a

Bono’s White House Speech As Book

2007-01-24T00:26:00.000-08:00

A speech U2 frontman Bono made at the White House in 2005 will be published as a book this coming April.The idea to re-imagine Bono’s speech came from editor David Moberg of the W Publishing Group, a Christian publisher based in Nashville. Moberg said that he was “very motivated after hearing Bono speak and asked myself how we could help. We’re honored to publish this book and assist in whatever

Sweet Dreams

2007-01-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

By Tony BuchsbaumI remember the moment in late 2005 when I saw the trailer. It wasn’t a visual that caught me, but a single note, repeated like a pealing bell, followed by a few lines of lyric. It was a snippet of Jennifer Holliday’s performance of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” from the Broadway cast recording of Dreamgirls. It took another year, but the film has finally arrived, and it’s

Slow Motion Walter and the Fire Engine Guys

2007-01-18T00:40:00.000-08:00

In the 1980s, a friend of mine was in a cover band. (Wasn’t everybody in a cover band in the 80s?)So he’s at the mic one night, and a woman comes up to him between songs and asks that the band play “Slow Motion Walter And The Fire Engine Guys.”“Sorry,” my friend says, “we totally don’t know that one.”“C’mon,” she insists. “Everyone knows that song.”He looked at her blankly and repeated that he

Herbert von Karajan in Rehearsal and Performance

2007-01-02T18:22:00.000-08:00

Herbert von Karajan in Rehearsal and PerformanceWeiner Symphoniker and Berlin PhilharmonikerDirected by Henri-Georges ClouzotEuroArts, 2006.Reviewed by Pedro Blas GonzalezAt the start of these two performances we see Karajan in casual clothes. He is wearing a black turtleneck and matching slacks as he leads the Weiner Symphony in rehearsal of Schumann’s Symphony No. 4. The music begins and then

Dream Theater

2006-12-23T11:31:00.000-08:00

Dream TheaterScore: XOX: 20th Anniversary World Tour Live with the Octavarium Orchestra (Rhino)Reviewed by Lucas AykroydIn 2005, SPIN pop culture critic Chuck Klosterman published an essay called “That 70’s Cruise,” describing his experiences at sea with Styx, REO Speedwagon and Journey. He claimed that the baby boomer core audience for this bill reflected a generation gap: “The people on this

Ultimate DVDs for the ultimate spy

2006-12-19T13:29:00.000-08:00

By Tony BuchsbaumIn On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Ian Fleming wrote a motto for the Bond family crest: “The world is not enough.” Well, it seems regular old DVD is not enough, either. Because all twenty James Bond films—from Dr. No to Die Another Day—have been released on ultra-special DVD, using mega-high scanning rates that make the picture as close to high-def as you can get, without

The Kids Are All Right

2006-12-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

by Richard Klinphoto by Lily PrinceThere is a lurking fear -- albeit a minor one -- that plagues parents and parents-to-be. It’s the fear of music -- or, more precisely, being subject to that inevitable, inescapable barrage of child-friendly tunes. It is quite the irony that a generation raised on loud, sometimes ear-splitting music takes their place as parents and then has to banish their own

Also sprach Zarathustra

2006-12-07T08:54:00.000-08:00

Reviewed by Pedro Blas GonzalezRichard StraussAlso sprach ZarathustraFritz Reiner/Chicago SymphonyBMG Classics Richard Strauss (1864-1949) who is not related to either Johann Strauss, father or son, began to compose music at age six. He wrote Festival March and his Serenade for wood instruments when he was only ten years of age. By 16 Strauss had written a symphony in d minor and a string