All Entries in the "Blog" Category
That ’70s sound
Not long ago I wrote of my quest to find a new sound, to get outside the now-overcrowded genre of “Americana” – acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle. While I still love the music played by some of the bands in the genre, it is so oversaturated that it is getting impossible to distinguish one [...]
Shock and ugh
Michelle Shocked changed my musical life forever – and for that I’ll be forever grateful. But I believe that the joy she gave me will also never return. When I first heard her album “Short Sharp Shocked” in 1988, I was listening to almost exclusively classic rock. Yes, the Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd. I had [...]
Goodbye, Newport
Goodbye, Newport. I’m very sorry but I will not be attending this year. The Newport Folk Festival has been one of my favorite summer events for many years. It’s one of the best music festivals on the East Coast: the venue is amazing, with its stage looking out past the vast audience onto the surrounding [...]
Out with the old, in with the new
As many Modern Acoustic followers know, I took a break last year from the magazine and the blog. Life and family left little time to keep up with the flood of concerts and new albums. During that time, I also realized that I needed a change – musically. In 2011, the genre of Americana [...]
The long and winding road
The road to where I am now musically is one that took many twists and turns. I can pinpoint 1976, the bicentennial year, and all I can remember is Three Dog Night songs were all over AM radio. I knew all the words to “Shambala,” “One,” and “Joy to the World.” In high school (I [...]
Teleprompters for musicians: cheating or helping?
A recent story in the Washington Post brought to light that Bruce Springsteen was using a teleprompter on stage during his recent tour as well as his last one (read it HERE.) While the article didn’t flat-out deride him for using it, it did lament that an artist of Springsteen’s stature, who comes across as [...]
Favorites of 2011
OUR ANNUAL LIST OF FAVORITES OF THE YEAR FAVORITE ALBUMS / SURPRISE ALBUMS “The King Is Dead,” the Decemberists and “The Harrow & the Harvest,” Gillian Welch In a surprising return to their roots the Decemberists stripped down their sound, mixing a ’70s Neil Young vibe with some R.E.M. guitars and became one of the [...]
An open letter to ‘fans’ who talk incessantly through concerts
Dear Biggest Fan Ever of the Band Onstage, SHUT UP! Why is it you who claims to be the biggest fan never stops talking while your band is performing onstage? Am I the only one who always finds himself trapped by you, who instead of listening to your FAVORITE BAND EVER, jabber on (loudly) as [...]
Breakouts of 2011
THREE ACTS THAT MADE BIG IMPRESSIONS It’s been a good year for Dawes, David Wax Museum and Amy Black. Each had critical success – either nationally or locally – this year and appear to ready to take the new year by storm. We asked them to give us their Top 5 highlights of their great [...]
Issue No. 35, December 2011
To download the full magazine, click HERE It seems like ages ago, but it was actually only 11 or so months when the year began – with a bang. January and February exploded with concerts and new albums like no other year we can remember. We spent time on the tour bus with Josh Ritter [...]
