Since the dawn of the all-encompassing non-genre now known by the blanket term “pop,” and specifically since the popularity surges of Elvis Presley and the Beatles, it’s become increasingly difficult for jazz musicians to get substantial paying gigs. Even pop players have since become relegated to legacy acts, but jazz — which has been called “America’s classical music” — … [Read more...]
2023-24 Season in Pop: From Willie to Pink to Blackberry Smoke, season features artists of integrity
There’s a tendency to presume that COVID-19 might’ve driven home one of the final nails in the coffin inhabited by the once-affordable popular music concert scene. Realistically, it was the latest in 50 years of paper cuts that turned music from art into business, and made it just another part of our advertorial non-culture. Punk music once declared that any non-rock … [Read more...]
Guitar-keyboard wizard Keneally living the prog dream with tribute band
It’s definitely a sign of the times that one of the world’s greatest all-around musical artists — the guitar and keyboard virtuoso, master composer, and singing bassist, drummer and percussionist Mike Keneally (www.keneally.com) — is part of a tribute act. Thankfully, and predictably, it’s not just a standard tribute to any pop or classic rock band or performer. ProgJect … [Read more...]
Review: King Crimson documentary finds music amid the drama
Consider writer/director Toby Amies’ late-2022 documentary In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50 a bookend to the British ensemble’s 1969 debut album of the same name, since bandleading guru guitarist Robert Fripp has called it quits for the group. Again, of course. Fans have endured this scenario countless times during his leadership, only to have King … [Read more...]
A pub crawl with three of South Florida’s top tribute bands
South Florida’s current music scene was encapsulated during a three-night, three-tribute act pub crawl through southern Palm Beach County in late July. The results included a wide variety of musical styles, settings, instrumentation, audiences, and ticket and cover charges. First up was Solid Brass (www.solidbrassband.com), the area eight-piece act that’s been saluting … [Read more...]
Boynton band brings back ‘Live at the Nut’ outdoor party Aug. 26
When area bands get booked for an outdoor event in August, it can often be the result of less competition. Other acts literally can’t stand the heat of South Florida’s hottest tropical summer month. So what you’re most likely to see at an outdoor venue this month is a relatively recently formed tribute act. South Florida venue owners and managers don’t seem to look beyond … [Read more...]
Jupiter house held lost Steely Dan song — and memories of its engineer
JUPITER — Even if you don’t recognize the name Roger Nichols (rogernichols.com), you’ve almost certainly heard his work. That’s because his most heralded efforts, and six of his eight Grammy Awards, stem directly from the entire recorded output of Steely Dan, the omnipresent California-based band that’s fused pop and rock; jazz and R&B for 50-plus years. Nichols … [Read more...]
Jupiter’s Sierra Lane brings songwriting savvy to rising pop career
It's a rarity when a musical artist comes along with the right youthfulness, look, and artistry to go to the industry's upper echelon — especially both commercially and critically. Jupiter-based singer, guitarist and songwriter Sierra Lane (www.sierralanemusic.com) checks all the boxes. She performs at the free Bag A Donuts Festival on July 22 with six other artists and … [Read more...]
Songwriter Tori Amos makes stop at Kravis on Saturday
A funny thing happened to popular music through the 1990s. In the early to middle portion of the decade, the heavy, male-centric Seattle grunge movement with Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains dominated. From the middle to end of the decade, though, practically disparate female pop artists took over. And not just female singers, but singer/songwriters who … [Read more...]
Northwood’s Café Centro becomes a haven for live jazz
Jazz is dead: Take it from a popular touring jam band launched in 1998, or a popular recording label founded in 2017. It's the name of both. The same doomsday outlook has recently been assumed — with some validity depending on the geographic market and especially locally — regarding the chances of finding either affordable or quality live music in general. And especially … [Read more...]