I can’t say that generally I am a huge fan of the Americana genre of music. There is however one exception, the always entertaining Tokyo Rosenthal. Our paths crossed a few years back when a mutual friend asked if I might be interested in reviewing a CD. I did, and I liked it so much [...]

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I had heard that somehow John Ford had been lured out to appear for a concert celebrating The Monks. In fact I knew it was more than rumor, I spent some time chatting with the miscreants involved. John Ford is old enough to know better, but young enough to know how to have fun. The [...]

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I like the eclectic, and revel in the eccentric. I talk to many musicians and I would say that most fall into one or both categories. Of course it could be said that this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black! I certainly an not of the mainstream, I am most decidedly [...]

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My wife is convinced that I know the strangest people, she might be right! There is a musician, James Ellis that hit my radar a while ago. He is a bit of an anathema in that he does not seek publicity, he doesn’t Twitter or Facebook, in fact to the best of my knowledge he [...]

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In another move for global tech dominance, Apple has recently announced that it is in talks with licensing music for an online radio service. In response to this, Pandora, another leading online streaming radio giant, had their stock plunge. Without even formally entering the market, Apple’s effects is already being felt on the streaming market. This [...]

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For you young’uns I’ll give you a quick history lesson. The Monks were a rather irreverent band that was created by John Ford and Richard Hudson in the late 70’s. These pair of characters had remained friends following the implosion of The Strawbs. To this day John Ford maintains that The Monks were about serious [...]

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Villains have permeated our culture for thousands of years. Ancient Greece and Rome thrived on villains. Shakespeare would have been lost without them. Classic villainy is a ‘must have’ in any culture. The advent of the silent movie era ushered in all sorts of villains. Once the silent B/W movie had given way to color [...]

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I don’t usually write about upcoming programs, but I have two great interviews lined up. I cannot resist talking about them. At 5pm Thursday I will be talking to Michael Des Barres. Actually his full title is Lord Michael Philip Des Barres (aka Marquis Des Barres). I will have to watch my P’s and Q’s, [...]

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There is no doubt in my mind that John Ford is a very fine musician. I like him for the fact that he is adaptable. From Prog-folk to rock to Punk, John can turn his ‘style’ on. I was somewhat taken aback when I discovered that Toronto based musician Thomas D’Arcy was planning a Monks [...]

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Without doubt one of the more entertaining ‘Punkish’ bands to come out of the late 70’s was The Monks. The Strawbs had exploded in a red mess all over the walls, and so John Ford and Richard Hudson decided to head off into uncharted waters. To this day I still do not quite understand what [...]

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It happened two years ago, but wasn’t made public until this week. Thanks to a Reddit user, it was revealed that Dark Horse Brewing Company based out of Marshall, Michigan had turned down an endorsement offering from the rock band Nickelback in 2010. Adweek reported this week that though Dark Horse owner David Morse knew that the [...]

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This morning I stumbled across a fascinating article by David Lowery discussing the state of the music industry. He presents a well thought out case that runs contrary to most peoples views. The traditional argument is that the ‘old’ record label system was grossly unfair to the musician, you could have a #1 hit, a [...]

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Bob alas died in 2005, but had he lived today would have been his 78th birthday. Bob was not a musician, but his contribution to  music changed the landscape in the late 60’s and early 70’s and continues to do so today. I view him as a major contributor to the genre of music we [...]

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No, the Catholics here in the Philippines are not boycotting Lady Gaga: these are Protestant protests. Old leftie Bishop Cruz is blasting about corruption, the RH Bill and the plans of the elites to legalize divorce on his website, but not Gaga. The Catholic bishop’s website is worried about the ecology and corruption, but not [...]

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  There is in an interesting story circulating around concerning the ‘too big to fail’ Bank of America. It makes for good reading, and provides much food for thought. I have opted to keep certain names out of this narrative at this stage, but I am sure that it will now be very long before [...]

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The is an advert on TV for a genealogy web site, it has the interesting observation, ‘You don’t need to know what you are looking for, you just have to start looking’. This a great observation. For a couple of months I have been delving into the 1970’s band The Strawbs. I had several other [...]

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Dick Clark died yesterday and because of him millions of Americans share a plethora of memories. I listened to him on the radio and watched American Bandstand for years. I’m not sure but I feel like I was on the show. If I would have seen him on the street I could easily have mistaken [...]

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One of the most identifiable hits from the 60’s was the smash hit Wipeout. It put Surf Music in the center stage for the radio listener. For as long as I can recall I have been a fan of mysteries. It matters not what the subject is, they are just fun to explore. The Kennedy [...]

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Yesterday I had the great pleasure of sitting down with the always entertaining 60’s king of bubblegum pop Tommy Roe. He also brought along his current conspirator in crime, Rick Levy. Tommy Roe is a rarity in the music world. I have interviewed many musicians from the 60’s and 70’s that are still actively playing, [...]

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Tommy Roe the 60’s king of bubblegum pop is alive and well. And he is back! It was almost exactly a year ago that I had the opportunity to sit down with Tommy Roe for a chat and to take some of his fabulous hits for a spin on the airwaves. Sure Sweet Pea, Dizzy, [...]

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What started as just a fun diversion, a review of an album released over 40 years ago has become a quest for knowledge. Antiques and Curios was, and still is, a very fine work of musical prowess. The band followed up with Witchwood, a slightly dark and haunting album. Grave New World which followed, took [...]

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I see the anti Asian mafia have a new scalp on their belts, with the conviction of an Indian born student for a “hate crime” and invasion of privacy. But lost in the homophobia meme of the politically correct is a question: Do students have the right to privacy in one dorm’s room? Because in [...]

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I always like a new Toke song. He is one of the singer/songwriters that always has something new and fresh. His repertoire is deep, and his on stage performance is always worthy of praise. Toke asked me listen to a new tune, one that the record label wanted to wrap a video around. I loved [...]

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The departure of Rick Wakeman from the band following the release of From The Witchwood left a gaping hole in the line up. The band had become known for its strong use of keyboards so a replacement needed to be located. I for one was amazed at how quickly this was seemingly achieved. The history [...]

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As 1972 drew to a close Dave Cousins and the band were once again reinventing themselves. Having vented their anger in Grave New World it was time to move on to more fruitful pastures. Two albums came out in quick succession. They are notable because of the distinctly different musical styles. Dave Cousins released a [...]

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I do not tend to use YouTube, in my mind it is mostly a collection of homemade videos of people doing really stupid things that likely resulted in a visit to the hospital, or cutesy videos of cats and dogs behaving in some bizarre manner.    However I upgraded my opinion of the site yesterday. [...]

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OK I know that this will take a little explanation. The Brits know all about Dallas, and who shot JR. In Fact I seem to recall being on a flight to Dallas/Fort Worth and the pilot coming on the air to tell us! So who are, or what were the Wombles? It was a delightful [...]

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The truth of the matter is that you really don’t need Kindle to read ebooks from Amazon. In other words, smart phones are all you need for access to ebooks, music and television. These are some of the best apps for your smartphone. From ebooks to music to live television – your smartphone can offer [...]

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The one thing that I have figured out, and this may seem odd, the best people to interview are people with a Pilots License! They are always right on time. Of course you have to explain it in Zulu time (GMT) but they are Johnny on the spot. Authors while not having the precision of [...]

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If you live in the Gainsville, Florida area the name TJ Hart will be a familiar one. He is a well known Radio voice on The Sky 97.3. Sports fans know him because of his coverage of the Florida Gators, news fans know him as the voice reporting today’s headlines, and commuters will recognize him [...]

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