April 6, 1968 – just over twenty-four hours after Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, James Brown took the stage at the Boston Gardens for a concert that was televised live – and simulcast on radio – and what riots had been on the brink of turning the city into a conflagration, simply went away. […]
Category: Music
MUSIC: Isaac Hayes: Renaissance Man of Soul, An Appreciation
I was working in a record store called Opus 69 when the album Hot Buttered Soul was released. I’d known Isaac Hayes from his writing and session and production work for other acts – acts like Sam & Dave and Booker T. & the MGs. The sound of these acts, and others from the same […]
MUSIC: A Wild and Crazy Ride with Producer Benny Blanco
So how does a kid from Reston, Va hit it big as a Record producer? Just ask Benny Blanco. This twenty year old Reston native sat down with me for a quirky, hilarious and slightly risque phone call to chat about breaking into the music business as a producer and working with artists from Kylie […]
Music Review: Christopher Titus: Norman Rockwell is Bleeding!
There are stand up comics who make a career out of other people’s pain; comics who make careers out of their own pain, and comics who make a career out of the story of their lives. Christopher Titus does all three [though in fairness, the other people’s pain comes from the members of his family, […]
MUSIC: Colby O’Donis Talks About Working with Akon & Making His Mark
Recently I had the pleasure of chatting with Billboard chart topper and rising star Colby O’Donis. If the name doesn’t ring any bells, his latest single “What You Got” featuring Akon, should clarify things for you. This talented quadruple threat (singer, songwriter, dancer and producer) is more than just another studio manufactured teen sensation. While […]
MUSIC: Japanese Rock Band Sensation Glay Set To Appear in America
“It’s so cool that we’re finally coming to play in America. We can’t wait to rock for all of our fans, and make some new ones, in San Francisco and L.A.” That’s Glay’s lead singer Teru, talking about the rock group’s highly anticipated and very first American appearances. Glay’s American limited tour concert series is […]
MUSIC REVIEW: Katy Perry Kissed a Girl and She Liked It!
In this day and age of MySpace, YouTube, and iPod commercials pimping the latest track it’s pretty rare to hear new music on the radio that I get too excited about…until three weeks ago when I was driving home from work and turned to Hot 99.5 with this kick ass song playing. It was “I […]
John, Paul, Tom & Ringo – The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder: John Lennon’s Last TV Interview, Plus: Paul McCartney & Wings, Ringo Starr and [huh?] Angie Dickinson!
The day after John Lennon was killed outside his New York home, The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder aired his last televised interview, which had been aired five years previously, along with appearances by journalist Lisa Robinson and Lennon’s producer, Jack Douglas. Interviews with Paul and Linda McCartney and two other members of Wings, and […]
Shine A Light: The IMAX Experience – The 60-Ft. Stones Rock The Joint!
When Mick struts onstage, he resembles a Gerry [Thunderbirds] Anderson marionette on crack, while good ol’ Keef looks like he might not make it to his next solo – but The Rolling Stones can still rock the vast majority of today’s bands under the table. Martin Scorsese’s Shine A Light is more of a concert […]
Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death and… Insects – My Stuff Doesn’t Appeal to Meatheads!
Robyn Hitchcock has been releasing his ever-so-slightly skewed music for well over twenty years – spread across three decades. Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death and… Insects is a documentary, from The Sundance Channel, that will be released on DVD on March 25. It features interviews with a number of Hitchcock’s co-conspirators and the first real look at his songwriting […]
Reality Series Gotti’s Way Ends on an Emotional, Redundant Note
One who is a fan of Hip Hop music will immediately recognize the name Irv Gotti. In the rare case of not knowing who this music biz impresario is, here is the skinny. Irv Gotti, whose birth name is Irving Lorenzo, rose to fame after forming a once bustling record label, Murder Inc. There, he was the overseer of the careers of Ja Rule, Ashanti and a number of others. Producing countless hits, Irv Gotti’s imprint became a household name.
Then, in 2003, Irv and his imprint ran into political trouble, when his offices were raided by the FBI due to allegations of a business association with a known drug kingpin. In late 2005, Irv was acquitted and went back to business as usual, so he thought.
Regaining platinum status, infinite hits and just mere respect was an uphill and arduous task for Gotti. For seven episodes, the reality series Gotti’s Way followed Irv Gotti on his quest to bring his record label and its flagship artist Ja Rule back to the top. Additionally, the series zoomed in on Irv’s efforts of balancing his career with a failing family life.