Fusillade

I’ve lamented before about the diminishing health of Rock music. Its landscape is littered with unfulfilled promise and diluted versions of a once majestic bombast.
Sure, there have been some big Rock moments, in the legacies of bands like Alice In Chains, Screaming Trees, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, Wolfmother, and [...]

Peace Queer

 
It’s refreshing to hear from the far-side of American liberalism. Folk, who, in a largely conservative world, put up their hand to be identified with the hippies, and other socially aberrant misfits. Championing their point of view at the risk of ridicule, or sometimes, worse. In the 60s, it was called waving your freak flag.
When [...]

Chocolate Rain

I was chastened by one email this morning, for not including “Chocolate Rain” among the recent radioBrandonawards for 2008. That’s okay I was expecting something along the lines of, “What about Britney?” In fairness, I can claim that it was because “Chocolate Rain” was first released on the internet in April 2007, or was not [...]

2008 In The Rearview Mirror (Part Two)

Welcome back to this evening’s presentation of the 2008 radioBrandonawardsâ, I trust you all availed yourselves of the complimentary champagne and canapés in the reception hall….
The first award in this second half goes to:  
Best Return to Form: “Time The Conqueror” – Jackson Browne (from ‘Time The Conqueror’) Earlier in the year, Joe Jackson [...]

2008 In The Rearview Mirror (Part One)

Welcome to the radioBrandonblog  ‘Bumper Holiday Edition’.
Split over two parts, it is a glance over the shoulder at some of the music highlights of 2008, and a farewell to some of those who have left us. There are also plenty of links to investigate at your leisure over the coming holiday period.
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The idea [...]

Como Now

In the early 1990s I was immersed in my passion for Rural Blues, Jug Bands and all things pre-Chicago, before the influence of electricity and amplification.  I wanted to know all I could about those names I’d heard mentioned as influences for the musicians I admired.
Bill Wyman’s Blues Odyssey book, documentary and CDs were just [...]

Frank Is My Elvis

Lots of people have a favourite guitarist. When I was a kid, Eric Clapton was my first guitar hero, soon followed by Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page.
Little did I know, however, when I first heard ‘Live At The Fillmore East 1971’ and ‘Just Another Band From L.A.’ that it would be Frank Zappa who [...]