A once-in-a-lifetime list of classic rock god have joined forces for “Vote For Change” tour to raise money for and rally support for Democratic candidates. At the tour’s Minnesota stop, the “stars” literally aligned and with the help of surprise guest, left the audience exhilarated and wipe out. Read our Soundbytes review. Continue reading
The new documentary about the making of Metallica’s latest album is a backstage pass to dysfunction. For two hours, fans and lay people alike can watch metal’s prevailing band wrestle with allusive creativity, substance abuse, epic ego clashes and talk about their tender-est feelings to unintentionally make one of the most entertaining music movies ever. Continue reading
Wilco returns with a fiercely experimental album. But can the Chicago-based band’s new record trump their much-praised breakthrough. Continue reading
At a concert in Minneapolis on Sunday, Albuquerque’s the Shins demonstrate onstage why their taking the underground rock world by storm and why they’re more than the sum of their parts. Continue reading
Soundbytes reviews a pair of albums from some ’80s punk veterans that have awakened from their decades-long slumber with the aim of restarting their careers and shedding light on their nearly-forgotten legacies. Continue reading
Consisting of only a couple of French guys toying with a few guitars and keyboards, you wouldn’t expect electronica innovators Air to be a great live act. You’re wrong. Continue reading
Ten years ago today, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain committed suicide in his Seattle home. And despite the passage of time, the man who was baptized as the “voice of his generation” in the 1990s is still a figure of reverence and fascination for the public and media. Soundbytes olumnist David Hyland examines his legacy. Continue reading
Soundbytes reviews the latest offerings from a pair of young bands that want to be kings of the retro-rock hill. Continue reading
Blame it on Phil Spector. Ever since the architect of the “Wall of Sound” melded string accompaniment with rock’n’roll, every band sooner or later develops ambitions to take their music to an epic scale. Two new releases feature just such audacity, including one boasting contributions from the infamous producer himself. Continue reading
With everyone from 50 Cent to Warren Zevon squaring off for Grammys this year, Soundbytes weeds through the categories to give us his picks for who’ll emerge as winners from this Sunday’s event. Continue reading
Soundbytes Music Column 