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On stage, Fishbone performs like an aged fighter backed into a corner and down on points. At the High Noon Saloon in Madison on Friday night, the band reinforced their reputation as uncompromising musical pioneers and thick-headed stalwarts even as bar-band doom stares them in the face.
After years of self-imposed exile from music-making, Jeff Mangum and his underground-rock group Neutral Milk Hotel have seen cult-like audiences grow in their absence — one that sees the group as indie-rock messiahs. Their concert in Madison on Saturday night was a second coming that proved miracles really do happen.
Let’s face facts. When most people think of the Twin Cities, images of blizzard-like conditions and bitter, breathless cold crystallize in their minds as fast as a Minnesota quick-freeze.
Rock legend Elton John gave a Vegas-honed performance Thursday night in Madison that paraded some of the greatest pop-rock songs of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s in front of America’s Dairyland. And this without any assists from Cirque du Soleil.
Like the hobbled hero from some Hollywood movie, a clearly ailing Levon Helm rallied his strength during Tuesday night’s performance to give those who gathered at a downtown Milwaukee casino an enthralling lesson in American roots music.
Long stuck in the shadow of the metal titans Queens of the Stone Age, the Eagles of Death Metal have so primed their swaggering, rock ‘n’ roll engine that no one will mistake them for a hot-rod side project again. Their recent concert in Madison, Wis., demonstrates their groove-oriented tunes can shake hips as well as preconceptions.
Besides indie-rock hipsters, there was something else that filled Chicago’s Metro on Monday night for TV on the Radio’s sold-out concert: Doubt.
For most of the last decade, singer-songwriter Victoria Williams has quietly released folk-oriented albums and collaborated with her husband Mark Olson (formerly of the Jayhawks). But, her newest effort, “Water To Drink,” threatens to alter the world’s musical perceptions of Williams and to bring her to a wider audience. Continue reading
On their self-titled debut, the new band Unified Theory — which features ex-members of alternative-rock stalwarts Blind Melon and Pearl Jam — has created a sound that borrows quite a bit from the frolicking 1960s, albeit with a modern twist. If only the songs were better. Continue reading
A new “Classic Albums” documentary on Bob Marley’s major label debut, “Catch a Fire,” transports listeners back in time to see how an unknown Jamaican band -– with the help of Island Records guru Chris Blackwell –- designed a record to capture rock fans’ attention and brought reggae to a world audience. Continue reading
At a joint show of rock veterans at Minneapolis’ Target Center, Bob Dylan proved that he’s still a stunning live act, while tourmate Phil Lesh, formerly of the Grateful Dead, proved that he still has something to learn. Continue reading
Summertime is traditionally when the movie industry doles out its biggest hitters, but it’s also when music’s heavyweights hit the road. Here’s a preview of some of the biggest tours slated for the summer of 2000. Continue reading
After delivering a hat trick of exceptional albums in the ’90s — all of which failed to register with the general public — the Jayhawks have just released “Smile,” its most blatant attempt at a commercial record to date. Continue reading
After more than 70 years of living the blues, B.B. King proved during his performance at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis why he’s billed as the “king of the blues.” Continue reading
Neil Young has completed “Silver & Gold,” yet another sequel to his ’70s country-rock masterpiece, “Harvest.” This new disc is mildly successful — if only because it seems that we’ve heard all this before. Continue reading
Lou Reed latest solo offering, “Ecstasy,” is another brilliant collection of straightforward poetics paired with music that’s much more experimental. Continue reading
After eight underrated albums together and despite a fearsome reputation for their live performances, Los Angeles’ funk-rock troupe Fishbone have released a collaborative album between the group’s revamped lineup and about a dozen guest artists. Unfortunately, this disc is a last grasp for the popular acclaim that has eluded the band for years. Continue reading