Sevi Ettinger – Salty Water Sevi Ettinger – Salty Water (Sevillana Records) Political unrest and protest have been a fertile inspiration for music for generations now. However, you don’t necessarily to hear that kind of music from a 15-year-old girl. Sevi Ettinger is an American-born singer who is currently living in Shanghai. She was struck by stories and films she saw about Syrian refugees – how adults and particularly children could be set adrift, trying desperately to esc

On Thursday, the axe wizardry of Dick Dale – the King of Surf Guitar – will grace the stage of Ardmore Music Hall. The inventor of surf music and creator of such classics as “Miserlou,” Dale will certainly put on an unforgettable show. Philly-based modern guitar guru Chris Forsyth will open with The Solar Motel Band in tow. Thursday night will be rocking on the Main Line. Do not miss it! Tickets are available here for a night full of Surfin’ and Swingin’: https://www.ardmorem

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt – Scottish Rite Auditorium – Collingswood, New Jersey – January 26, 2017 – Photo by Chris Sikich © 2017 Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt – Scottish Rite Auditorium – Collingswood, New Jersey – January 26, 2017 On Thursday, January 26, the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood resonated with the sounds of two of the premiere voices in music – Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt. Alternating between each other on lead vocals, their acoustic guitars and stories fi

Hinds – U Street Music Hall – Washington, DC – March 10, 2016 – Photo by Chris Sikich © 2016 Hinds & Goodbye Honolulu – U Street Music Hall – Washington, DC – March 10, 2016 With a catchy debut LP in Leave Me Alone and an infectious garage rock sound that is as fun and poppy as anything in ages, the Spanish quartet Hinds blew away a sold out Washington, D.C., crowd last Thursday. The four women of the Madrid-based outfit give the songs a vast depth of sound and vision. Carlot

Mothers – Milkboy – Philadelphia, PA – February 4, 2016 – Photo by Chris Sikich © 2016 Mothers – Milkboy -Philadelphia, PA – February 4, 2016 Coming out of the brilliant scene of Athens, Georgia is Mothers, a four-piece that specializes in angular, understated mini-jams. Playing first on the bill of the Communion line-up at MilkBoy last Thursday, their buzz certainly brought out a solid contingent. Led by the vocal and writing backbone of the band, Kristine Leschper, Mothers

Jill Hennessy – World Café Live – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – December 2, 2015 Photo by Jim Rinaldi © 2015. Jill Hennessy A Little Bit of Comfort by Jay S. Jacobs There is sometimes a bit of mistrust of actors who suddenly decide to become musicians.  And while it is true that some of them are trying to exploit their name recognition, more and more often it is turning out that those actors really are talented singer/songwriters who just became well known in a different mediu

Brantley Gilbert Brantley Gilbert Lets It Ride Down the Highway by Danielle Speiss For a guy that’s dubbed himself a “rebel,” a sour patch kid, and who thinks it might be cool to live like Bonnie and Clyde, Brantley Gilbert comes off pretty responsible and a bit serious. When chatting, he gives thoughtful, honest answers, although you can tell he does like to have fun. He speaks from his gut and it’s obvious he is passionate about his business. He is a true musician and a gre

Roméo Testa performing at the Union Transfer in Philadelphia on October 12. Photo copyright 2014 by Ally Abramson. Roméo Testa Contemplating The End by Ally Abramson Roméo Testa is a young singer hailing from Los Angeles. At only nineteen years old he is blowing up the music scene. Testa recently released his debut EP “The End.” The EP has six songs, each with its own special meaning to Testa. The songs range from heartfelt ballads to more upbeat and lighter tunes, but all ar

Peter Hook & the Light – The Trocadero – Philadelphia, PA – September 14, 2013 – Photo copyright 2013 Serge Levin. Peter Hook & the Light – The Trocadero – Philadelphia, PA – September 14, 2013 What Peter Hook and the Light offered was a glimpse into the greatness of Joy Division and New Order. They also exposed the transition of the members of the first band surviving the tragic passing of their lead singer, Ian Curtis, and changing to develop the sound of iconic New Order.

Crazy – The Hank Garland Story CRAZY – THE HANK GARLAND STORY (2008) Starring Waylon Payne, Ali Larter, Lane Garrison, Scott Michael Campbell, David Conrad, John Fleck, Timothy Omundson, Brent Briscoe, Beau Baxter, Raymond O’Connor, Steve Vai, Katharine McPhee and Nicole Steinwedell. Screenplay by Rick Bieber, Jason Ehlers and Brent Boyd. Directed by Rick Bieber. Distributed by Favored Nations.  104 minutes.  Rated R. Hank Garland may have been a brilliant country music sessi

Jason Lee in Memphis Beat Jason Lee Walking in Memphis by Jay S. Jacobs After a few years of playing the title character in the popular sitcom My Name Is Earl and starring in such kid-friendly comedies as Alvin and the Chipmunks and Underdog, Jason Lee is taking a totally different tack for his return to series television. Memphis Beat is a moody and slightly downbeat, yet rather funny in its own way, police procedural about the southern musical mecca. Lee plays Dwight, a sma

Little Big Town Little Big Town The Band Has Landed By Mark Mussari It’s an impossible task trying to define Little Big Town. There’s no one like them in country music – or in any genre of music for that matter. And their singularity goes far beyond their unique configuration of two men and two women. Flying high on the heels of their platinum-selling CD The Road to Here (Equity Music, 2006), which spawned such mega-hits as “Boondocks” and “Bring It on Home,” the band has rec

Ed Quinn Ed Quinn The Road to Eureka by Jay S. Jacobs Brilliant scientist.  Guitar hero.  Adventurer.  Professor’s son.  Sci-Fi icon.  Runway model.  Surf bum.  Eccentric.  Reputed iron man.  Dog lover.  Respected actor.  Renaissance man. Ed Quinn has worn a lot of hats over the years. In a career (and life) that has been fascinating for its refusal to play by the supposed rules, Quinn has put together an intriguing body of work without forgetting what is really important in

The Naked Cowboy The Naked Cowboy On Broadway by Ronald Sklar Robert Burck, aka The Naked Cowboy, stands at the crossroads of the world, a prism strumming a guitar. Through the millions of people who curiously walk by him, marvel at him, laugh at him, laugh with him, narrow their eyebrows at him, pose with him (he claims to hold about twenty babies a day) and/or call him a fag, he finds his personal inner peace. He’s the worst dream in your dream journal: hey, I dreamt that I

Little Big Town Little Big Town Four Distinct Voices in Perfect Harmony By Mark Mussari As a vocal group Little Big Town exists on a rarified plane. The country-rock quartet – whose album The Road to Here has already sold over 500,000 copies and spawned a mega-hit in the stomping Southern anthem “Boondocks” – consists of two women and two men. That would be singular enough in the country field, but all four members of this powerhouse group, who also write much of their own mu

KT Tunstall Eyes to the Skies by Jay S. Jacobs Is it possible that the next big thing in music is a thirtyish woman from Scotland? An adopted daughter of a scientist who had no real interest to speak of in music? An iconoclast who became a figurehead of a local music scene where lack of commercial success was considered a badge of honor? A busking guitarist who played guitar on streets all over Europe and once got a quid from a member of then British supergroup Take That? Wel

Joss Stone JOSS STONE SOUL SISTER by  Jay S. Jacobs You can’t help but notice the voice.  It is strong, sensuous, assured.  It soars to a crescendo or sighs to a whisper.  It flat-out belts a soulful, joyful noise that reaches for the heavens and tries to box with God.  Yet it doesn’t fall victim to the showiness of the Mariah Carey / Christina Aguilera wannabes.  This woman ain’t gonna use ten notes when one is good enough, even if she has the ability to do so.  The voice is

No One Their Name Is… NO ONE by Bill Henhoeffer Many bands look for a distinctive name to give them an identity. This new metal band’s name fights that notion, it has a sense of anonymity, a sense of everyman. NO ONE took their name to illustrate the way they all felt. All the members coming from bands that had recently broken up. Having to start over completely, they were feeling pretty low and down on themselves. The band’s credo is that eyes and voice are two distinctive w