Brian Q. Newcomb 
Robert Randolph & The Family Band Brighter Days Mascot Label Group [2019] Fire Note Says: 17 years and 6 studio albums later, Robert Randolph & The Family Band celebrate their early roots in soulful Gospel grooves and funky R&B and rock suitable for the clubs. Album Review: Robert Randolph and his Family Band came on … Read more
Violent Femmes Hotel Last Resort [PIAS] [2019] Fire Note Says: Acoustic folk/punk rockers, Violent Femmes carries forward their unique musical vision for the next decade. Album Review: On their 10th album, 36 years after their self-titled debut that included some of their best-loved songs – “Blister in the Sun,” “Kiss Off,” and “Add It Up,” … Read more
Redd Kross Beyond The Door Merge Records [2019] Album Review: Here in the new dark ages, I can think of no better antidote to the political malaise or our troubled times than the return of power-pop (with the emphasis on the “power” & the “pop”) wunderkinds, Redd Kross. Arriving in the 80’s along-side Material Issue, … Read more
The Hold Steady Thrashing Thru The Passion Frenchkiss Records [2019] Album Review: Very few fans of The Hold Steady have any doubts about the story writing ability of singer/songwriter Craig Finn, but if anyone did by the release of the band’s sixth and last release, 2014’s Teeth Dreams, we now have three more solo albums … Read more
Jeff Lynne’s ELO w/ Dhani Harrison; ELO Live Tour 2019; Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH – Tuesday, July 30, 2019 When Jeff Lynne played ten shows in the U.S. in August of 2018, his first concerts with the Electric Light Orchestra in 35 years, and then announced 20 more dates for this summer it felt like … Read more
Beck & Cage The Elephant w/ Spoon & Wild Belle; The Night Running Tour 2019; Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH – Friday, August 2, 2019 Anybody who saw Beck appear in the “Echo In the Canyon” movie, a film celebrating the music from the LA area in the late 60’s and early 70’s, performing the … Read more
The Dream Syndicate These Times ANTI- [2019] Album Review: The Dream Syndicate is a band with two distinct periods of activity, with singer/songwriter Steve Wynn as the thread that connects the two. Active throughout the 80’s, the band’s first incarnation was part of the so-called Paisley Underground, a collection of So. California bands that tended … Read more
Jeff Tweedy Warmer dBpm Records [2019] Fire Note Says: Jeff Tweedy’s Record Store Day release follow-up to Warm is now available everywhere, adding more personal acoustic songs to the original, while we wait on a new Wilco album. Album Review: Jeff Tweedy’s Warm arrived at the end of last year, offering a more intimate collection … Read more
Tedeschi Trucks Band w/ Shovels & Rope and Blackberry Smoke; Wheels of Soul Tour 2019; Rose Music Center, Huber Heights, OH – Saturday, July 20, 2019 There are some pieces of music that are so iconic, so memorable, so potent and influential, that it only takes a few seconds of sound to transport you to … Read more
King’s X; Summer Of Love Tour 2019; Turnbuckles & Brews, Dayton, OH – Thursday, July 18, 2019 Given that King’s X has been playing essentially the same set for the last few years and I reviewed their show in Dayton nearly 3 years ago at TFN, there may not seem like there’s anything new to … Read more
The Minus 5 Stroke Manor Yep Roc [2019] Album Review: In November of 2017, Scott McCaughey, the central figure in The Minus 5 alongside Peter Buck, who also played an auxiliary role in R.E.M. when it was active, had a stroke that pretty much stripped all knowledge of music from his memory. The Portland, Ore. … Read more
Sheryl Crow w/ Yola; World Tour 2019; Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, OH – Wednesday, July 10, 2019 When Sheryl Crow and her 6-piece band took the stage of the Fraze Pavilion on this hot and sweaty night in July, it was the ease and confidence of someone who had been here before. In fact, as she … Read more
The Ocean Blue Kings And Queens / Knaves And Thieves Korda Records [2019] Album Review: The Ocean Blue return after a six-year absence (and nearly a decade before that) with a sound that would feel right at home on their earliest major label albums, including their self-titled debut released 30 years ago. Signed by Sire … Read more
Kristin Hersh Possible Dust Clouds Fire Records [2019] Album Review: Ever since her arrival on the scene in Throwing Muses, the band she shared with her step-sister Tanya Donelly in the early 80’s, Kristin Hersh has been steadily releasing music that speak to her unique musical vision. While Donelly, who went on to start the … Read more
The Black Keys Let’s Rock Easy Eye Sound/Nonesuch Records [2019] Fire Note Says: The Black Keys return with a fun album that lives up to its title: Let’s Rock. Album Review: Too often, when we think of rock music – that guitar driven folk music of the common people that grew out of geographically unique … Read more
Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Columbia Records [2019] Fire Note Says: Bruce Springsteen steps out for some 60’s & 70’s California folk/pop a la Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman” on his 19th studio album, Western Stars. Album Review: The advance word on Western Stars, the nineteenth studio album from Bruce Springsteen was a major change of direction … Read more
Phil Keaggy & Rex Paul Illumination Strobie Records [2019] Fire Note Says: World class guitar hero, Phil Keaggy collaborates with Rex Paul to produce one of the most polished recordings of his long career. Album Review: When I last wrote about guitarist Phil Keaggy for TFN it was earlier this year in a review of … Read more
Silversun Pickups Widow’s Weeds New Machine Recordings [2019] Fire Note Says: With Widow’s Weeds, LA’s Silversun Pickups break fresh musical ground with the help of producer, Butch Vig. Album Review: Widow’s Weeds, the fifth studio album from L.A. band Silversun Pickups, depicts an artist/band going through dramatic life changes. The album’s first single, “It Doesn’t … Read more
Todd Rundgren; The Individualist Tour; The Taft Theater, Cincinnati, OH – Wednesday, June 5, 2019 Two decades into the 21st Century, Todd Rundgren, noted rocker, producer, and now author, may not be a household name, but for a faithful audience of fans he remains an artist worthy of our time, attention and hard-earned cash. In … Read more
The Waterboys Where The Action Is Cooking Vinyl [2019] Fire Note Says: Irish rocker Mike Scott’s Waterboys return with another outing of the “Big Music.” Album Review: Irish rockers, The Waterboys arrived on the scene making “The Big Music,” in the same wave that introduced bands like U2 and the Scottish Big Country. A mix … Read more
T Bone Burnett / Jay Bellerose / Keefus Ciancia The Invisible Light: Acoustic Space Verve Forecast [2019] Fire Note Says: Producer/artist/influencer, T Bone Burnett joins forces to create a strong experimental soundtrack for these challenging times. Album Review: “`The Invisible Light,’” explains T Bone Burnett in this album’s liner notes, “is a song cycle concerned … Read more
Andy Statman Monroe Bus Shefa Records [2019] Fire Note Says: Andy Statman pays tribute to the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe, with this instrumental album rooted in the mastery of the mandolin. Album Review: Andy Statman’s had a long and celebrated career (he’s 79) has deep roots in two classic musical traditions. As a clarinetist, … Read more
The Yawpers Human Question Bloodshot Records [2019] Fire Note Says: The Yawpers return with a primal scream of roots rock originality that demands to be heard. Album Review: That the Denver-based trio took their name from a piece of Walt Whitman poetry should tell us something, but don’t think quiet library reading rooms. “I sound … Read more
Mavis Staples We Get By ANTI- [2019] Fire Note Says: Mavis Staples wraps up her 8th decade by putting her best musical foot forward with the aid of Ben Harper. Album Review: I’ll have whatever it is that Mavis Staples is having. Of course, we’re talking about the hardest working 80 year old working in … Read more
Sad Planets Akron, Ohio Tee Pee Records [2019] Album Review: The coming together of two successful rockers with impressive careers to collaborate on a record celebrating their hometown is the kind of idea that sounds great on paper. So, I’m sure that Patrick Carney, the drummer half of The Black Keys, and John Petkovic, who’s … Read more