ME FIRST & THE GIMME GIMMES – AN INTERVIEW WITH SPIKE By Ralph Beauchamp Spike Slawson is the lead vocalist for the audacious super group and cover band, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes. Currently the band is comprised of Slawson of Swingin’ Utters, Fat MIke (Bass/Backing Vocals) of NOFX, Joey Cape (Guitar/Backing Vocals) of Lagwagon and Dave Ruan (Drums) of Lagwagon. Me First & The Gimme Gimmes work exclusively as a cover act. They take song standards, whole musical genres and even special occasions and “punk” them up with rapid fire destruction. The main reasons for their existence i ..read more

JUDAS PRIEST/SABATON – INVINCIBLE SHIELD TOUR – OAKDALE By Kat Gullage JUDAS PRIEST KICKS OFF U.S. LEG OF INVINCIBLE SHIELD TOUR WITH SABATON FOR SUPPORT. Judas Priest, the godfathers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal musical movement, chose the Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford CT for the first night of their U.S. Invincible Shield tour. Their longtime diehard fans answered the call by selling out the performance. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Judas Priest formed 55 years ago, have released 19 studio albums, and sold over 50 million LPs worldwide. Their latest, Invincible Shield, was ..read more

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the E Street Band – LIVE IN ALBANY By Joe Perusse Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – MVP Arena – Albany NY 4/15/2024 As the saying goes, third times a charm. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band finally took the stage in Albany on Monday night. Originally scheduled for March 2023 and knocked out by a snowstorm the show was moved to September 2023. This time, if you’re a fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David may or may not have gotten Bruce sick. Regardless of the reason the show was again moved. Walking around Albany before the show I noticed an older crowd w ..read more

THE BALLROOM THIEVES – AN INTERVIEW WITH CALIN PETERS By Ralph Beauchamp Calin Peters and Martin Earley make up the fantastic indie folk duo, The Ballroom Thieves. Based out of the Northeast, the twosome have released their newest full length entitled Sundust. The record is full of sublime tunes and features beautiful vocal harmonies and exquisite musicianship. Their minimal arrangements are filled with organic soundscapes that soar into the stratosphere. “Tender,” is one of the textured melodic tracks on Sundust. Consisting of the duo’s signature vocal harmonies atop a lithely finger-picked a ..read more

STRATEJACKET – A COOL INTERVIEW WITH THE BAND By Ralph Beauchamp Jackson Roemers (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Fabian Angel (Bass/Vocals) and Nate Mangold (Drums) make up the exciting StrateJacket. Based out of Northern California, the youthful trio make music that is uniquely their own and write songs that reflect the times. StrateJacket delivers edgy but energetic tracks that instantly grabs their listeners’ attention. The band has just released a second single entitled “Be My Drug” which followed their previous offering, “Bad Start”. Both songs exemplify StrateJacket’s dynamic songwriting and impre ..read more

RETURN TO DUST – A CONVERSATION WITH PRODUCER JIM KAUFMAN By Ralph Beauchamp Return To Dust is a four piece hard rock ensemble out of LA that is about to make some huge noise. We interviewed Matty Bielawski (Vocals/Guitar) and Graham Stanush (Vocals/Bass) last May when they released their forceful single “Black Road”. “Black Road” is a pulverizing monster that perfectly captures their edgy grunge inspired brazen sound. The track totally blew us away. In the studio, RTD have worked with gutsy producer, Jim Kaufman. Besides Bielawski and Stanush, the band is comprised of Sebastian Gonzalez (Lead ..read more

COZY THRONE – LIVE AT HUTGHI’S AT THE NOOK By Kerri Nelson Cozy Throne live at Hutghi’s at the Nook in Westfield, MA Photographing and reviewing big shows is always exhilarating, but there’s a unique thrill to capturing the essence of the local music scene. It’s a journey filled with surprises, as hidden gems often lie nestled among random streets, sandwiched between laundry mats and nail salons. These obscure bars exude character, a perfect match for the energy and individuality of the bands gracing their stages. On this particular Saturday evening in Hutghi’s at The Nook in Westfield, MA, th ..read more

MORTICA – A GHASTLY INTERVIEW WITH DEAD FRED By Ralph Beauchamp I met Mortica when I went to Bleachers Bar in Bristol, Ct. when they opened for my friends in Zero One Zero. I didn’t know much about the band but after their performance I was totally blown away. Their music was engaging and the staging was quite interesting. Lead singer and excellent frontman, Dead Fred was incredibly animated. He held the audience’s attention throughout the entire set. Billed as a “Horror” themed act, Mortica‘s props were perfect for the size of the room. Dead Fred wore a skeleton mask the entire time. There wa ..read more

TONY LOW – ARTIST SPOTLIGHT & EP REVIEW – REALLY REAL By Ralph Beauchamp We last featured Tony Low in 2020 when he dropped his 2019 album, To New York. With the full length, Low created a singer/songwriter tour de force with audacious arrangements, poignant lyrics and truly edgy compositions. Low is back again with a new six track EP entitled Really Real. Tony‘s songwriting on the EP proves that a few years can make a difference. His songs are more mature and the orchestration has masterfully evolved to another level. Really Real delivers six brazen songs full of dynamic synergy and vibran ..read more

DAMIAN & STEPHEN MARLEY – COLLEGE STREET MUSIC HALL By Ralph Beauchamp Damian and Stephen Marley brought their audacious Traffic Jam Tour 2024 to a sold out College Street Music Hall on 3/22/24. My wife, Jenn, usually doesn’t share my taste in music but when it comes to Reggae, she’s right there. One of her favorite artists is Bob Marley so when I told her we were attending this concert, she was elated. The night started out with a DJ. I’m sorry I didn’t get his name but the man was good. The only criticism was he kept saying the concert was starting every 20 minutes while he was there for ..read more