Bloggerhythms

When I first heard the latest CD from the quintessential 70s soft-rock band, America , I was surprised to learn that one of the co-producers of their 2007 comeback, Homecoming , was James Iha , co-founder and guitarist for the 90s rock band, Smashing Pumpkins. It's not because I'm a big fan of the Pumpkins. To the contrary, I barely know their music. The surprise was discovering that a member of a critically acclaimed modern rock band would work with an artist who was not even considered cool back in their own heyday of the 70s. Iha and his co-producer, Adam Schlesinger of Fountains Of Wayne, worked with the band famous for "A Horse With No Name" without trying to update America's sound. They simply used their talents to enhance what Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell always did best. Iha must have a strong affection for America, and the genre they represent, because in 1998, years before he produced Homecoming , the ex-Pumpkin released his one and only solo ...

The Mother Truckers are back with their third CD, Let's All Go To Bed . The thirteen song set offers us a heavy dose of rock n' roll that often makes you forget The Truckers have frequently been described as a country-rock band. Even the quartet's official web site doesn't believe they are a country band because it brands them as "a kick-ass rock 'n' roll band from Austin, Texas." As their high octane music moves further and further away from country with each succeeding release they sound tighter and more alive than ever before. Teal Collins excellent, full throttle vocals wail, Josh Zee's electric lead guitar scorches, and the new rhythm section of drummer Dan Thompson and bassist Danny G. provides a backbeat that would make any rock band proud. Call them whatever you want: rock, country, or Americana. Fans of all those genres will find something to love on this excellent collection. One of the new CD's strongest tunes, "Streets...

Last year on August 12th, the anniversary of the invention of the phonograph, the Honorable J. A. Bartlett, owner and proprietor of the excellent pop music blog The Hits Just Keep On Comin' , hosted something he referred to as a "blogswarm." It's a term I had never heard before. A blogswarm occurs when a lot of like-minded bloggers post about the same subject on the the same day. This year Mr. Bartlett has invited many of his fellow online acquaintances to join him again in celebrating the second annual Vinyl Record Day. . Based on the number of emails and comments I received about Bloggerhythms' 2007 submission to the swarm, last year's contribution became this blog's most discussed article ever. I don't expect the same reaction this year because nothing seems to generate discussion like nostalgia and last year's post had it in abundance. You can read it here. This year's post is not nostalgic. It's not futuristic either. It...