Bloggerhythms

This is a reprint of a post that first appeared on Bloggerhythms in 2005, the year of its inception. The controversial Michelle Shocked has always been one of my favorite singer-songwriters. She hasn't released an album since 2009, possibly due to some controversial comments she made during one of her shows in 2013.  Her recording career appears to be at a standstill even though she still tours. It should be noted that The Point, the venue where the concert below was held, no longer exists. _____________________________________________________________ The very eclectic and very entertaining Michelle Shocked played at The Point , an intimate and wonderful coffeehouse style venue in the Philadelphia suburbs this past Saturday night, and just as I hoped for she played a superb and very entertaining set of music. The evening’s performance was a big surprise because it was almost totally devoted to her recently re-released, previously long out of print, 1991 classic CD, Arkan...

Joan Baez was never known for having hit singles yet she was a truly popular artist with a golden voice and she proved it with Diamonds & Rust , the title track from her most popular album. Baez was always a composer of note although she recorded far more cover versions of other people's work than many of her songwriting contemporaries. If the singer-activist believed in a song she wouldn't hesitate to record it regardless of its roots. She even covered rock songs. Her treatment of Dire Straits' "Brothers In Arms" is a totally satisfying surprise. Folk musicians (i.e. Baez, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie) mostly sang about traditional cultures, politics, or social ills and primarily employed acoustic instruments whereas the singer-songwriters who rose to prominence in the 1970s (i.e. Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Carole King) often sang about more personal issues, looking inward for their material that was sometimes influenced by rock music. The two genres fre...

Hollis Brown, left to right: Adam Bock, Andrew Zehnal, Mike Montali, Chris Urriola, Jonathan Bonilla Bloggerhythms recently reviewed Ozone Park , the latest album by modern rock quintet Hollis Brown, and I thought enough of both the band and the record to ask lead singer Mike Montali if he would agree to an online interview. He immediately said yes. Hollis Brown is from Queens, one of New York City's outer boroughs, and the album is named after their neighborhood that is famous for being an Italian-American enclave. The quintet combines modern rock with more traditional rock styles. Their mostly electric guitar based sound uses a multitude of influences, and combines them with top notch songwriting to become one of the more appealing band of rockers working today. Singer Montali writes the songs along with lead guitarist Jonathan Bonilla. They are joined by Andrew Zehnal on drums, keyboard man Adam Bock, and bassist Chris Urriola. Montali's responses to questions are...

An Innocent Man is one of Billy Joel's greatest artistic triumphs even though its songs will never be considered high art. Instead, Joel closed out his classic period with a more relaxed album that is mostly a tribute to pre-Beatles pop and 60s rock. After this, the Long Island native's records continued to sell but he never again reached the heights he achieved with this set of music. Joel spent a lot of time in the studio with his impeccably and intricately produced predecessor, The Nylon Curtain . He said working on it wore him down so, for his next record the singer took the laid-back approach. He didn't under-produce An Innocent Man but he didn't try to turn it into another Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band either. Instead, it's the piano man's version of The Beatles' eponymous 1968 set (a.k.a. the White Album). In other words, it's a stripped down gem. An Innocent Man opens with "Easy Money" an obvious tribute to Stax/Vo...

The English version of the 45 RPM outer sleeve Today Bloggerhythms begins an occasional series entitled Almost Hits that originally appeared on a popular rock, pop, and jazz music blog, Something Else , back in 2014. The series featured songs that failed to reach the top #20 on the American Billboard Hot 100 but became popular nonetheless. Many have become classics. The first entry is below. _______________________________ Even though "No Milk Today" (#35, Hot 100 in 1967) was released in the USA by Herman's Hermits as the B-side to "There’s a Kind of Hush" (#4, Hot 100) it was the better song of the two and it received much deserved radio airplay on its own merit. Graham Gouldman, later a founding member of 10cc, wrote the tune that reached #7 when it was released in England as an A-side the previous year. The UK single had a different flip side. I’ve always enjoyed fast moving, power pop ditties with good vocals and on these two counts the track d...

Hollis Brown is a hard band to characterize. They're undoubtedly a modern rock group but they have a touch of classic rock seeping into their souls. Their most recent release, Ozone Park , employs digital drums and synths but they never forget a real rock band needs a live drummer (Andrew Zehnal) and a great electric axeman. The latter is more than ably supplied by Jonathan Bonilla. Although there is no rap on this album, lead singer Mike Montali says Hollis Brown is inspired by hip-hop, funk, singer-songwriters, and much more. Their name is derived from an early Bob Dylan song, "The Ballad of Hollis Brown," even though they sound nothing like the uber-famous, folk-rock legend. The New Yorkers' influences abound but they mix them all together into their own cohesive, identifiable image and sound. Much of that credit goes to Montali who not only sings with great emotion, he also possesses the necessary frontman swagger all top flight rockers need to connect with...