Category: Reviews & Commentary

The Ghost of Gentle Giant Haunts NEARfest 2010

Three Friends, Iona, Forgas Band Phenomena and Astra Supercharge Saturday’s NEARfest. It was a day of nostalgic memories, faithful recreations, and technical ferocity on the second day of NEARfest 2010 Three Friends is essentially a reconstituted Gentle Giant, the  venerable 70s progressive rock band who played some of the most complex music of the era.…

Nearfest Night One: Steve Hackett & Riverside.

Nearfest 2010 is underway, and it started out spanning generations with a musician who started his career in 1970 and a band who started in 2002 . Riverside is a Polish band that mixes elements of progressive rock, heavy metal and a touch of screamo in a sound that had me floored when they played…

Five Essential Robert Rich CDs Plus Two.

http://media.blubrry.com/echoespodcast/www.xpn.org/podcasts/echoes/echoes20100331.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSThe Best from Robert Rich, One of 20 Icons of Echoes. Few artists have cut a creative swath over the last thirty years as consistently and with as much innovation  as Robert Rich.  Each one of his nearly 40 albums is a meticulously crafted, creatively conceived work that…

Jeff Beck-Live Electric Assault

Jeff Beck is Eternal. I always felt like Jeff Beck owed me one.  The last time I saw him live was in the summer of 1969 headlining a day at the Newport Jazz Festival.  This was the Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood. They followed powerhouse performances by Ten Years After, Jethro…

Karaoke Koncerts Konversation @ Hypnos

There is a lively conversation going on in the Hypnos forum regarding my Blog on Karaoke electronic music concerts,  Metheny Mecanique and Karaoke Koncerts.  It’s in the topic called Robert Rich Tour Blog and starts toward the bottom of the first page.

Going Dutch-Cinematic Trip-Hop

Philadelphia band Dutch release debut album Summer is near and I’m glad winter’s gone, but I still have to embrace A Bright Cold Day,  the debut album from Dutch, a Philadelphia duo of Stoupe (Kevin Baldwin) from Jedi Mind Trick and singer Liz Fullerton.  A Bright Cold Day is sweeping epic songs of heartbroken love…

The Best of Michael Hedges-1 of 20 Icons of Echoes

The Man Who Revolutionized Finger-style Guitar. Tonight, May 20, 2010, we feature Michael Hedges, #12 among 20 Icons of Echoes. All of his instrumental albums set the standard for modern acoustic guitar playing. Here are my favorites. Five  Best Michael Hedges CDs, Plus One 1 Taproot This is a middle period Hedges album and a…

Metheny Mécanique and Karaoke Koncerts

https://media.blubrry.com/echoespodcast/echoes.org/podcasts/EchoesPodcast-PatMetheny2010.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSWhat’s the difference between a concert and Karaoke? The specter of plug ‘n’ play concerts has reared its pre-wired head again. I’ve been confronted with another spate of contrasting concerts.  On the one hand, there’s music that’s played live and in the moment and on the other, music…

Hank Jones R.I.P.

HANK JONES-Jazz Great-R.I.P. Press Release Hank Jones, pianist and jazz legend, beloved husband of Theodosia, dear uncle to his nieces and nephews across the country, friend to music, inspiration to countless musicians, died May 16, 2010 in New York City, after a brief illness. He was 91 years old, and would have been 92 on…

5 Essential Enya CDs (Minus One)

Enya: #12 of  20 Icons of Echoes Late last year, Echoes listeners voted Irish singer Enya, #12 among 20 Icons of Echoes. The voice of Enya has become ubiquitous on television commercials and film soundtracks.  Whether heard in American Express ads or the movie, “The Age of Innocence,” her ethereal choirs and Celtic cadences seem…