DC's Paperhaus Release 'Helicopters' from Forthcoming Sophomore EP 'Lo Hi Lo' (Out May 28th)

Based on the first track, "Helicopters", from DC's Paperhaus, I'm intrigued as the band sounds somewhat like Michael Hampton's (x-Faith, State of Alert) little-heard but much missed DC post-hardcore band Manifesto. Paperhaus is playing a show tonight in California and is working their way back east but...there are no local area shows scheduled.Paperhaus released its alt-country styled self-titled EP in 2011, and will release its second effort, an...

Read More

The Nance (Staring Nathan Lane and Jonny Orsini) - Broadway Show Review / Show Runs Through June 16th

When watching Nathan Lane star in the new Broadway play The Nance, it is hard not to make comparisons to Lane’s role in the 1996 film “The Birdcage”. While “The Birdcage” was a ‘feel good’ that ended with (pre-Tea Party) conservative Republican Senator Kevin Keeley (essentially) accepting that his new in-laws are a gay couple, Nathan Lane’s character in The Nance never breaks free of the stereotypes and bigotry of that era.Douglas Carter Beane's...

Read More

Edinburgh's We Were Promised Jetpacks Play Maxwells on June 15th (Closest Show on Brief US Tour)

We Were Promised Jetpacks released their sophomore album, In the Pit of the Stomach, two years ago and this disc (in my not-so-humble opinion) was one of the best British indie-rock discs that I've heard in quite some time. The BBC described the disc as "powered by an edgy, nervous hunger – a sense of being on the verge of getting exactly what you want but full in the knowledge and with the expectation that it won’t ever actually happen."We Were...

Read More

Paul McCartney Reissues Radio-Only Promo of 'Maybe I'm Amazed' (Live) as a Ltd. Edition 12" for Record Store Day (Tomorrow)

Paul McCartney's triple-LP Wings Over America (documenting the band's 1976 "Wings Over America" tour) has always been on my list of Top-10 live albums of all time and a deluxe reissue of the disc is due out on May 28th.For the vinyl geeks, tomorrow (for Record Store Day) Paul McCartney will be issuing "Maybe I'm Amazed" on 12" vinyl. This live version of “Maybe I’m Amazed” was originally serviced as a radio-only promotional 12" vinyl single back...

Read More

Kopecky Family Band - "Kids Raising Kids" CD Review (ATO Records) // Show at Mercury Lounge on May 16th

Nashville buzz-band Kopecky Family Band (KFB) just re-released their playfully exuberant eleven-track debut disc, Kids Raising Kids, via ATO Records. The new disc mixes foot-stomping orchestral pop with vocal harmonies and ringing guitars that sound straight from the 60’s Laurel Canyon scene.While the band’s music will strike a familiar chord with fans of music collectives like Broken Social Scene and The Polyphonic Spree, KFB seems more willing...

Read More

Blind Melon Release Deluxe Edition of 1992 Debut Album with Five Unreleased Tracks (Out April 16th on Capital/UMe)

After reviewing Blind Melon bassist Brad Smith's last Abandon Jalopy disc, I've been looking for an opportunity go back and give a listen to Blind Melon. The reissue of the band's 1992 self-titled debut may be a good place from which to reassess my (somewhat dated) views of the band's music as this new deluxe edition includes the original 12-track disc plus five bonus tracks from a scrapped session that the band recorded in Los Angeles with Neil...

Read More