Rock Music

For the first time ever, Philadelphia will join the World Music Day celebrations. World Music Day is a global celebration of music that falls on the summer solstice every year. Inaugurated in France in 1982 with their Fetes de la Musique celebration, the holiday now takes place in over 450 cities and 100 different countries. The holiday was officially recognized in the United States in 2006 as National Music Day. According to NationalMusicDay.org, the purpose of the day is to “celebrate the central role of music in our lives and our country through free, open and accessible events throughout the US and the world.” From 8am to 8pm on June 21st this year, Philadelphia will be part of the festivities for the first time in the city’s history. Across Philadelphia, performers of all shapes and sizes and genres will host and play events in venues that range from the typical to the offbeat and the pop up-esque. Local radio station WXPN took the reigns on the day as lead organizers. Dubbed Make Music Philly, the day will showcase a wide variety of free and DIY performances by local artists and musicians for any and every music lover out there. Working with the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, the hometown leaders have set up an almost seamless resource that helps organizers and bands participate in official MMP events. Through the event’s website, MakeMusicPhilly.org, artists, venues, and/or organizers can register their event free to ensure it becomes an official event. The site also features a “matchmaking” tool that helps link artists with different venues. After receiving approval, each event is then displayed on an interactive map. Those interested in volunteering for the day can also do so via the website.  With dozens of events taking place, there is a little something for every music fan. At the National Constitution Center, folk singers David Falcone and Ryan Tennis will perform (at 11am and 1pm respectively) as part of the new “1968″ exhibit. Commerce Square at 2001 Market Street will play host to Rock To The Future House Band, a ensemble of 12 to 17 year old musicians for a lunchtime concert beginning at 12pm. After work down at City Hall, The Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia and Norwegian Arms play in conjunction with the “City Hall Presents” free summer concert series. Other sites include Ortlieb’s Lounge, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and UPenn’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. A full, searchable listing can be found here. With over 33 different venues taking part in the day, there is no excuse not to get out and join in on the fun! And if there isn’t anything that invites your attention, get some friends together and put together your own event that does. That’s what the day is all about! The post Inaugural Make Music Philly Day coming 6/21 appeared first on The Vinyl District.

He’s been called “the greatest songwriter of our time,” and Rufus Wainwright did not disappoint, taking the stripped down stage to showcase his raw talents. With only a piano and acoustic guitar to accompany him, Wainwright played a set of familiar classics and songs from his latest masterpiece, Out of the Game. “Maybe I should have chosen a different title for my comeback record,” he jokes with the crowd. Out of the Game was produced by the renowned Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse) and as Wainwright put it, “was supposed to be huge.” While half-heartedly joking, he was absolutely right. Three songs into the evening’s set, Wainwright switches from piano and goes into the two highlights of the evening—the title track from his latest opus “Out of the Game,” and into what is quite possibly the best song of his career, the ’70s cabaret, roadhouse gem, “Jericho.” This is where Wainwright really shines and his one of a kind voice reminds us that there are true originals in the current bloated music scene. Another highlight of the evening was a moving story about how Wainwright first met the late, great Jeff Buckley. Buckley stormed onto the scene around the same time that Wainwright was first getting started. Everyone was going to see Buckley and raving about his shows. “I hated him,” Wainwright joked. A short time later the two actually “hung out and had several drinks.” Wainwright spoke sincerely of how kind and brilliant Buckley was and that they would soon become friends, only to find out that Buckley would pass a few weeks later. Both Wainwright and Buckley covered Leonard Cohen’s classic “Hallelujah”and both are incredibly inspiring and unique in their own right. Wainwright played the song with such compassion and heart that I swear the entire sold out Davies Symphony Hall was holding back the tears. Other highlights from the set included the fan favorite “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk,” “California,” and a breathtaking version of “Memphis Skyline.” The post TVD Live: Rufus Wainwright at Davies Symphony Hall, 6/9 appeared first on The Vinyl District.

Review by Epignosis — Keyboard and guitar and the main focuses here, with the programmed rhythm section forming theskeleton for the melodic themes and lead work present throughout. Highlights for me are "ImaginaryLandscapes," "Sintesi," and "Flying." For those interested in generally lighter, instrumentalneo-progressive rock, Insights by Galdalf's Porject (unlike the Balrog) shall pass."Grey Rain" Thunder and spoken word open the album."Imaginary Landscapes" Guitars and light synthesizer give the impression of a quiet storm atnightfall. Very melodic, this piece is quite easy and a pleasure to follow."Seashore" A semi-bluesy piece made for guitar soloing, "Seashore" remains hazy and unwaveringlyrepetitive."India's Secret" As the title implies, this has some Indian style percussion and instrumentation. Spacious keyboards and an eventual lead guitar soon take over completely. Heavy drumming androbotic noises then take over from there, followed by a 1980's Rush synth-laden heavy rockexcursion, followed by a bit of light metal. A disjointed track, "India's Secret" at least showsthe band's stylistic variety."Sintesi" A simple piano melody presents the main theme before the rest of the instruments comecrashing through. I like the unexpected rhythmic diversions. Although the drums during the middlesection are very unconvincing, the keyboard work is good and fitting."Flying" This track sounds like its name suggests, full of brisk passages. It is an odd but notunpleasant fusion of electronic, R&B, and symphonic elements."Walking" An odd, spacey interlude led by piano, there almost sounds like there's a click track inthe background of this one."Stolen Innocence" Heavy piano initially with thick synthesizers entering sooner after, this piececould have been the background for a 1980s Journey song."Coloured Waves" Speaking of Journey, this track would not have been out of place on one of NealSchon's 1990s guitar instrumental solo records."Infinite Lactean Seashore" A strange title to be sure, but the beginning is thick and smooth likecream. Had this been the only piece one heard, one could be forgiven for assuming Gandalf's Projectwas a post-rock outfit.

Review by tarkus1980 — Once it was announced that Steve Hackett and Chris Squire were going to collaborate on an album under the name "Squackett," it was inevitable that a flood of GTR sequel jokes and barbs would come out. Honestly, comparisons to GTR in this situation are just lazy; where GTR was a case of trying to mesh clashing skill-sets in an attempt to make mainstream-oriented rock for a mainstream that no longer had a use for Howe or Hackett, Squackett was a case of rather complimentary skill-sets coming together to make music they wanted to make anyway, with a sense that the music would sell however much it sold. Plus, Squire had made a number of appearances on Hackett albums in the previous few years, and the results had been quite positive on the whole, so the two of them officially collaborating wasn't a big leap.This basically sounds like a Hackett solo album, with a good dose of Squire's vocals (both in lead and in harmonies) and Squire's rumbling bass (which is prominent in the same way it had been since The Ladder or so), as well as some bits of recognizable non-Buggles elements from Fly From Here . It's definitely a clear step down from Out of the Tunnel's Mouth and Beyond the Shrouded Horizon (it's a low **** rather than a high ****), but it's also a notch above Fly From Here , and somebody coming into this album with appropriate expectations should find plenty to enjoy. Squire's voice (which had been starting to show visible cracks on stage in recent years) is mostly in good form, and while I'm sure he got some "help" from the various production efforts in all parts where he sings, the only glaringly (and embarrassingly) obvious use of Auto-tune comes in "Can't Stop the Rain," an otherwise playful and lovely ballad Squire had written a few years previously. Steve's voice continues to sound fine (in its own low-key way), creating some nice harmonies with Chris in spots, and while his guitar playing doesn't really show much that hasn't been heard in other albums, it still produces some typically interesting stretches.That said, while I'm quite fond of the album as a whole, I still don't really love the first few tracks, which, in my first couple of listens, really gave me the sense of a couple of old farts trying a little too hard. The opening title track, in particular, strikes me as having some nice moments (especially the first prominent guitar line) stuck in a rather flawed framework. The track is basically a "Kashmir" knockoff (In 2012? Really?), but it also has some ugly guitar tones and an instrumental passage that's seemingly only there because they decided it would be a waste to have a whole album with Squire and Hackett without having any fast "woo prog" passages. I like the vocals and the more majestic moments, but the opening track doesn't really do the album justice.The next two tracks are better, but each has a feature that makes me raise an eyebrow. "Tall Ships" may have a nice bass riff driving it forward, but the music in the verses is still basically a kind of quasi-funk (with Chris on lead vocals) that sounds silly coming from an old white guy. Everything else about the track, though, is just fine, especially in the parts with the majestic rising "Tall ships, bright stars ..." chorus. "Divided Self" is a fine pop song based around cheery guitar lines, with well-placed vocal effects and a good build into each iteration of the chorus, but it ends in an awfully awkward manner, dissolving the main melody into a discordant version of itself surrounding by ugly sounds. I guess this matches with the "division" of the title, but it doesn't seem at all like a logical conclusion to what had come before it, and I always wish the track was a minute shorter.This should seem like a lot of complaining for an album that gets this high of a grade, but the good news is that the rest of the album, aside from the distracting Auto-tune in "Can't Stop the Rain," is full of songs that leave a positiv

Review by Dr?mmarenAdrian — Beardfish's fourth record from 2008: "Sleeping in Traffic: Part Two" contains very much great music for the interesting listeners. It's not either very complicated to understand. The cover is mostly brown but it also shows a streat with a forest on the left side. The band comes from G?vle (G?strikland, Sweden) and is still active with doing great music. This record has eight tracks but is dominated by the rather long title song. The starter and the closer are short, soft and instrumental. "Into the night" shows how majestic the sound of the organ/keyboards is and it is a happy and playful song with a bright progressive mood. "The Hunter" is also sharpe and beautiful and "South of the border" is one of my favourite with a very humouristic text with a telling melody which changes during time. A very clever composition. "Cashflow" is instrumental and wonderful. It whirls towards new dimension with pretentious beauty and the sound of the keys reminds me of "Kullamannen" a great children television from the 60s. "The Downward Spiral/Chimay" proves the band's skillful musicians with a lot of technique and the melody is almost classical. "Sleeping in Traffic" finally is amazing but you have to be alert and rested to get it. This episodic compositions shows all of Beardfish's talent. And this is a perfect opportunity to study the lyrics. They are very funny and humouristic. The singer Rikard Sj?blom does a good work on this record. Beardfish is one of the best modern progressive bands in my opinion and this record is surely worth listening. There is something innocent about it I like. Best tracks: South of the border, Cashflow, Sleeping in trafficWorst track: No, every one is great!

Review by Sinusoid — For whatever reasons escape me, I can't get into the groove of MILES IN THE SKY. This album represents the precursor of Miles Davis experimenting with more rock styles to spice up his own jazz style, so MILES IN THE SKY can be retconned as a transitional album of sorts. ''Stuff'' is the track that best represents the future of Davis's body of work (particularly to fans of IN A SILENT WAY), as this cut sounds more psychedelic that the other works on the album, plus the presence of an electric piano helps progress the sound. I would point ''Stuff'' out as the best track as it handles the ''service-to-the-song'' method more so than anything else on the album.The rest of the album is locked into more traditional jazz territory, complete with walking bass lines, fast, swinging tempos (that swing is best on ''Black Comedy''), irregular chords and fastbreak horn soloing. From a technical perspective, these tracks are impressive, and I'll highlight the start-stop feel of ''Paraphernalia'' and Tony Williams's drumming overall as memorable. Yet, the last three tracks sound a bit cold. Some of the best jazz I've heard had a warmth to it that (excuse the hyperbole) could melt your soul. Albums from a decade prior to this like KIND OF BLUE or TIME OUT could nail that emotional sweet spot to the point of mesmerization. MILES IN THE SKY often makes me nod my head in indifference. Coming from Miles Davis, a man whom I respect for making jazz inviting and fun, this album is a head-scratcher.

“Ever since I was a young child, I’ve been addicted to vinyl.” “I’ve always had lots of records….at one point I had 10,000 or so. The funny thing is that I can remember where and when I bought most of them. Perhaps all of them, if I think hard enough. Records have taught me a lot over the years – not only about music, but about cultures and eras and languages, about styles and how they change, and about sound and vision. How technology has changed and how it has changed us. Records have taken me to other lands, other worlds, other sounds, both in my mind and in reality. They’re an obsession, I’ve traveled the world in search of them. There’s something about the thrill of the hunt, especially when you’re digging through piles and piles of dusty platters. You never know what you’ll find! Yeah, I know a lot about collecting and rarities and monetary value – hell, I spent nearly a decade working in used record stores. While there are many factors that go into why people collect things, the bottom line is that it’s still about the music. Those years I spent working in used record stores provided me with a greater musical education than any school could ever offer. Just imagine spending your days surrounded by thousands of records (and getting paid for it, albeit minimally), most of them unsealed and waiting to be dropped onto a turntable. Looking through stacks of LP’s and 45′s and wondering “what does this sound like?” – and then discovering the answer. Back in the pre-Internet days, that was amazing. Now its easy to hear so much via YouTube or samples on iTunes and more, but it’s a different process. Oftentimes you’d just pick up something because of the album cover art, and check it out – out of curiosity. I started collecting tiki/exotica records 30 years ago because I loved the covers, but soon I discovered I loved the music, too. Or there’s the hundreds of albums by Sun Ra with homemade, often hand-drawn, covers. I have a large collection of X-Rated “party records” on labels like Laff and Weird World, with lewd and lascivious covers. I own every weird synthesizer record of the 70s, like The Plastic Cow Goes Moog! and The Genuine Electric Latin Love Machine. I have hundreds of film soundtracks, mostly genre stuff like spy movies, blaxploitation, kung fu, and biker flicks. I have boxes and boxes of punk rock 45′s I bought in the 70s on DIY labels with DIY covers. Disco records, early hip hop singles, and thousands of electronic dance music 12″ singles—I’ve been a DJ for 20 years. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been able to feed my record addiction with a constant source of fresh product to choose from. Working in a store, you’re in the proverbial cat-bird seat, as customers constantly bring in stacks of records to sell. But it’s because of my work as a touring musician and DJ, that I’ve been able to go record shopping all over the world (I get to go to liquor stores, too, but that’s another story). I’ve had some wild experiences out there. One of my favorites is when The Singhs (who I play with now, and whose album Science Fiction has just been released) got a deal with Sony/India, and we headed off to South Asia to tour. I had been pretty obsessed with Bollywood film music for a good 20 years or so, after being exposed to it in Indian restaurants and via UHF TV. I found something wildly intoxicating about the East-Meets-West mashup of sitars and guitars, synthesizers and harmoniums, disco/funk beats played on tablas and dholaks alongside Western drum kits and Afro-Cuban percussion, topped off with high-pitched women’s voices. It sounded to me like a psychedelic Hindi remix of Shaft or Saturday Night Fever. During our first trip to India, I found a record dealer at a sidewalk stall in Bombay’s Chor Bazaar (

Review by Guillermo — Last week I received a private message from Johannes Luley in the Prog Archives Forums asking me to listen to his album, so I did it. Although Johannes Luley doesn't give very much detailed information about himself in his personal website, in his Soundcloud website or in his Facebook page (other than he is from Los Angeles and that played in a Progressive Rock band called Moth Vellum before recording this solo CD), I think that his music has a lot of influence from European Progressive Rock music and even some New Age and Folk music influences (influences are inevitable), particularly from artists like Steve Howe (in some of his guitar playing), Jon Anderson's solo music, Mike Oldfield, Vangelis (in the use of some keyboards atmospheres and percussion instruments and patterns), and Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips (in some guitar playing techniques and atmospheric sounds). He plays all the instruments and sings all the male vocals and he is a good singer. Among the instruments he played in this album are a lot of guitars (mainly acoustic), some keyboards and some percussion instruments, with the exception of a harp which is played by Stephanie Bennett. I think that he is mainly a guitarist but he plays very well the other instruments he uses in this album, although the keyboard sounds are used more for the creation of sound atmospheres and moods, even making the listener to imagine that he is playing his music in a forest because he uses some 'wind sounds' in the background. There are some singers (Robin Hathaway, Kristina Sattler, and Sianna Lyons) who sing very well, mostly doing backing vocals. Some of the backing vocals arrangements are influenced by Mike Oldfield and Jon Anderson, in my opinion. In general, the music is very melodic and atmospheric, and very optimistic in content. I can't say if this album is a conceptual album or not, because I'm not a native English language speaker, and I couldn't find the lyrics in his websites. Anyway, this album is very good, with 'happy moods' most of the time. It is very well recorded and mixed, and with a lot of sound variations and track transitions which work very well as a whole. I think that this album was done very professionally and maybe it took him a lot of time to plan it and to make it. The cover design is well done, and it really reflects the style of the music which the CD contains.

The Blood Arm burst onto the scene back in 2003. Hailing from LA, they quickly rose to prominence, riding the mid naughties wave of indie bands who found fame around that time—bands like Franz Ferdinand, Hot Hot Heat, and Maxïmo Park. Ten years and four albums later, half the band have moved to Berlin and are still going strong. Infinite Nights is the band’s latest album and shows a different shade to the band with half the songs being quieter, more introspective, and reflective. There’s still the nod to the old with “Midnight Moan,” for example, but this album could be a signifier of change and it’ll be interesting to see where their journey takes them next. Although The Blood Arm have taken time out now and again to move and change direction, they show no signs of slowing down. They’re definitely going to go down in music history as one of those bands who were sorely overlooked but with a body of interesting, quality work. The post UK Artist of the Week: The Blood Arm appeared first on The Vinyl District.

Review by Epignosis — Like the tide, sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes boisterous, sometimes peaceful, this albumpossesses much variation despite maintaining an almost eternal steadiness. Musically, expectgenerous quantities of symphonic, jazz, and psychedelic progressive rock, making this a wondrouslyeclectic album. Guest musician Steve Winwood adds quite a bit of flair to Waves with the keyboardinstruments. To be fair, the pieces don't flow as united works of music; that is to say, this couldhave safely been divided into eight or so tracks. For an alternative, more avant-garde experience,try playing both parts simultaneously!"Waves (part I)" Usually tumultuous music is loud and energetic, but the first five minutes of JadeWarrior's 1975 album is quiet though unsettled. A quarter of the way in, a dominant piano leadsinto a more structured jazz passage, complete with easy percussion and moaning bass slides. Swirling flute dazzles during perhaps the most satisfying section of the album. The next sectionfocuses on a gentle acoustic guitar. Gentle woodwinds carry the listener away in a reverie of sound."Waves (part II)" As with part one, the first five minutes consist of quiet, rolling sounds, thistime almost pastoral. Chiming tones and distant electric guitar enter thereafter. The funkiest(and loudest) section of the album features a repetitive groove and a blistering guitar solo,followed by whimsical woodwinds and a gritty keyboard jam. After all that, there is a return to thesoothing pastoral music, culminating in a the album's most triumphant passage. The final moments,almost a musical epilogue, offers mellow washes of sound, like a musical cocoon.