Curved Air’s North Star is brilliant and bright
May 6, 2014 | Posted in PROGRESSIVE ROCK | By sockii
Fans of progressive rock have great reason to rejoice; Curved Air’s 2014 album North Star is not only the band’s first album of new material since 1976 but it’s an outstanding collection of music…
Taylor Hawkins soars with The Birds of Satan
April 30, 2014 | Posted in ROCK | By sockii
Imagine, if you will, that Pink Floyd’s “Welcome to the Machine” had a love child with Aerosmith’s “Dream On”. The end result just might sound a great deal like…
The Last Ship: The 2013 Album and Upcoming Musical by Sting
April 28, 2014 | Posted in FOLK, MUSICAL THEATER | By sockii
English musician Sting has always been one to explore different sounds and styles, from punk rock and reggae with The Police to Renaissance lute music with his 2006 release Songs from the Labyrinth. In September 2013, Sting released his first full album of new music in ten years: The Last Ship…
Pet Shop Boys “Electric” Tour Review: April 25 at the Revel in Atlantic City
April 26, 2014 | Posted in ELECTRONIC, LIVE MUSIC | By sockii
Friday night, the Pet Shop Boys brought their Electric tour to Ovation Hall at the Revel in Atlantic City. I was extremely excited about the show as I’ve been a fan of the band since Please, their first album, became a pop-dance sensation in 1986…
Stewart Copeland’s Orchestral Ben-Hur is a Visual and Musical Triumph
April 22, 2014 | Posted in CLASSICS, LIVE MUSIC, ORCHESTRAL MUSIC | By sockii
Saturday night in Norfolk, Stewart Copeland rocked the house with the premiere of his Orchestral Ben-Hur. The extravaganza featured Copeland on stage himself, alternating between drumkit and percussion rack alongside the 60-member Virginia Arts Festival Orchestra…
Fiction Plane: A Great Modern Rock Band
April 17, 2014 | Posted in ROCK | By sockii
Fiction Plane may be one of the best modern rock bands you likely have never heard of. (But if you have heard of them before, good for you!) If their lead singer and bass player looks – and sounds –
Pete Townshend: Who I Am Book Review
April 17, 2014 | Posted in CLASSIC ROCK, NON-FICTION | By sockii
Who is Pete Townshend? That is the question the famous rocker purports to answer in his 2012 autobiography, Who I Am. With a musical career now encompassing…
Circa Zero’s “Circus Hero”: Is this what new Classic Rock sounds like?
April 7, 2014 | Posted in ROCK | By sockii
I had Circa Zero’s debut album Circus Hero pinned as one of my most-anticipated music releases for 2014. As a lifelong fan of The Police, how could I not be excited by this band…
The Beatles Invade the New York Public Library
April 4, 2014 | Posted in ROCK | By sockii
Fans of John, Paul, George and Ringo who find themselves in New York City should make a date to visit the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts to see “Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles!” This special exhibit, currently running through May 10, 2014, celebrates…
A Pink Floyd fan visits Pompeii
March 4, 2014 | Posted in ARCHEOLOGY, HISTORIC PLACES, ROCK | By sockii
This past January I was fortunate enough to spend several weeks in Campania, Italy, exploring the Amalfi Coast and the historic city of Naples. It was a wonderful trip for many reasons, and one of the highlights was the day I was able to spend at the ruins of Pompeii…
