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The great jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis died recently.  He was 87.  I can't say that I know much of his music, but I do know that he and his band did an amazing version of Hang On Sloopy.  Remember that track?  Remember the McCoys version (featuring Rick Derringer)?  Here they are, back to back.  Great song regardless of who is playing it. It's nonstop fun here at BRP ..read more

Holy crap, I am so far behind on my live music reviews that they are threatening to withhold my paycheck here at BRP.  I better get on with getting 'em done, right?   Anyway, months ago the Old 97's rolled into town at the Ardmore Music Hall.  To put this band into BRP perspective, I was at one time in danger of becoming a groupie of these guys.  Seriously, I think I've seen the Old 97's or Rhett Miller, their frontman, about 9 or 10 times.  It got to the point where we were exchanging Christmas cards and such (well, not quite that bad, but I think that Rhett r ..read more

It's the end of summer!  No more lazy, long days of sunshine and warmth.  No more laying around by the pool or at the beach "working remote."  No more summer shandy drinks, er, lemonade.  Bummer. But alas, BRP knows that the end of summer isn't all bad because, well, football is back.  And it will be with us through February.  Go Hokies!  So there's that.   And the end of summer means some great songs, too.  Here are a couple tracks to tide you over as you enjoy that last languid and bittersweet weekend.  Let's start with the ultimate su ..read more

I'm not sure why I wanted to drag these photos up from 2019, but for some reason they just seem to make sense right now.  They're funny and they're from Memphis - in fact, from right outside Sun Studios. Yes, we have truly become a nation of leeches.   ​Hey, here's a great one: Now that's a sign of true love. ​How about this bizarre album cover: Did the word "assclown" just go through your head?  I wonder what he did for Volume Two?  Dress up like a donkey? And does this one make you think of Joan Jett and her bad reputation? How funny is that video?  He ..read more

What is it about Texas troubadours?  You know the type – Joe Ely, Dale Watkins, Townes Van Zandt – they just write great songs that ramble around your head and make you want to go down to Austin or Houston and eat some Tex-Mex and go see some live tunes and be happy.  Well, this story is about one of that group, but it’s not all happy.  Steve Earle and the Dukes were in Ft. Lauderdale at the Broward Performing Arts Center, and we were front and center.  I had seen Steve previously, and knew that it would be a great show, but I also knew that Steve’s son, the gre ..read more

I haven't posted much of the summer and I have no excuse.  I've just been lazy, I guess.  Worse, I'm still way behind on a bunch of fun posts.  There's no better way to rectify this bad situation than by jumping in and getting back to it.   ​Anyway, I was in Boca Raton recently, and we were in a candy store.  I came across this box of goodies and was wondering if you would eat something called a Dinglebeary: I get that the name is clever (well, maybe).  But a dinglebeary?  I don't know, it just made me think of college for some reason. How about thes ..read more

Here's a couple of newer tracks.  First up is Geese with Fantasies/Survival.  These guys are XPN pets right now.  I like them, don't love them, but this song is a winner.  Enjoy it.  As an aside, Geese was in Philly a few weeks back, and they were playing on the same night as another band named Goose.  Man, you got to keep your ducks in a row to show up at the right venue! How about a few by Shame?  I can't say that I know much about this band except that these two tracks are really good.   OK, and here's one last tune that isn't at all new, b ..read more

Hey rockers, I'm working on some substantive posts that are taking me a while to complete.  In the meantime, I'll give you some tunes to tide you over.  Sound like a deal?  Cool! Let's get going.  How about we start with some ancient history, ok?  Sometimes it's only the old stuff that will satisfy that itch.  Here's a guy who came out of the British pub rocker scene with the band Ducks Deluxe.  He want on to be an influence on the entire Stiff Records crew.  He also played lead guitar with Graham Parker's band, the Rumour.  Oh, yeah, that was a cl ..read more

​Low Cut Connie remains the bomb.  Yes, indeed, Adam Weiner is still an amazing live performer, Will Donnelly still cuts a fantastic stylistic lead guitar pose, and LCC remains the best bar band in the land.  The backup band is constantly changing, and while they are still good, I’m partial to the first iteration of the band that I saw.  I still remember being at the Yards Brawler Fest in Philly, all by my lonesome, and watching wide-eyed as LCC blew my rock-saturated mind.  At one point, three different people had climbed on top of the piano known as ..read more