The Day the World Spins at 33 1/3 RPM

How the third Saturday in April proves there's still a lot of people in the world listening to their music on a device that spins their black vinyl discs at 33 1/3 RPM

Bill Medley & Mitch Ryder: Blue-Eyed Soul Brothers

The long and the short of it, the lows and the highs of two blue-eyed soul men, Bill Medley and Mitch Ryder

All Alone by the Microphone: Can One Man Make A Band?

The motivation & genius of musicians who take DIY to the extreme. Matthew Allen delves into one-man bands like Stevie Wonder, Lenny Kravitz & Raphael Saadiq and their unified approach

The Big Picture

Movies expose audiences to unfamiliar musical genres, often with dramatic and lasting effect. A quick peek at how music and film have skewed our culture

NEW AT ELMORE

Musicians Pay Tribute to Banjoist, Philanthropist Warren Hellman

Michael Martin Murphy (left) and Jimmy Dale Gilmore (center) with Warren Hellman at the Americana Music Festival. Photo by Scott Peavler

Warren Hellman, prominent financier and beloved banjo player died on Dec 18, 2011 at age 77. His philanthropy was widely distributed in San Francisco and the totally free three-day Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival he began in 2001 has become one of the best known musical events in the world with multiple stages and 75 musical acts performing for 750,000 appreciative fans. This year, famed Hardly Strictly veterans such as Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris and Boz Scaggs paid tribute to Hellman at a public celebration of his life in San Francisco on February 19. Elmore caught up with him after his last public performance at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville last October.

UPCOMING SHOWS

3/02: Carolina Chocolate Drops at Pace University – New York, NY

On February 28, 2012, the Carolina Chocolate Drops’ highly-anticipated second album, Leaving Eden, will be released on Nonesuch Records. Join the band in a jug-stomping celebration of the release on March 2 at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University. Fans of the band already know the high-voltage energy of this glorified [...]

SHOW REVIEWS

Cheap Trick at the Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA

Cheap Trick Greek Theatre (Los Angeles, CA) On a cool and comfortable night under the stars at this beautiful venue, Cheap Trick rocked their 1979 Dream Police album in its entirety in a two-hour-plus set that also included both the classics and deep gems from their 38-year career. Lead singer Robin Zander was in [...]

Left to right: Jim Weider, Larry Campbell, Vito Petrocitto. Photo by Paul LaRaia

Flood Aid at Hasbrouck Park – New Paltz, NY

Hurricane Irene decimated the east coast. Particularly hard-hit was the upstate-New York town of New Paltz, where many farms and homes were destroyed. The area is home to many performing artists, so it was no surprise that music would play a major role in healing the wounds the storm left behind. The result was Flood [...]

Duke Robillard at Iridium Jazz Club – New York, NY

Stony Plain Records recording artist Duke Robillard took the stage at NYC’s Iridium Jazz Club earlier this week and Elmore photographer Arnie Goodman snapped some great shots of the blues guitarist in action. Check out the full slideshow here.

ALBUM REVIEWS

Hotel Lights – Girl Graffiti

Hotel LightsGirl Graffiti(Bar/None) At first listen it’s tempting to classify Hotel Lights as background music, but even through the band’s fragile melodies and soft-spoken ways, something louder emerges on their latest effort. Girl Graffiti is a confident mix of youthful homage and adult satisfaction. While frontman Darren Jessee is still tight in his romantic niche, [...]

Gerald Clayton – Bond: The Paris Sessions

Gerald Clayton Bond: The Paris Sessions (Decca/Emarcy) Innovators like Jason Moran, Robert Glasper and Alfredo Rodriguez are changing the way people think about jazz. Gerald Clayton took his place among them with his supple and fearless playing on his bandleader debut, Two-Shade. His sophomore album, Bond: The Paris Sessions, is 16 tracks of sleekness. While [...]

Foster and Lloyd – It’s Already Tomorrow

Foster and Lloyd It’s Already Tomorrow (’Effin ’Ell) If there was any justice in Nashville, Foster and Lloyd would’ve been Brooks & Dunn. Incredibly influential in the ’80s, the duo unknowingly pioneered the Americana genre with their country harmony, jangly rock ‘n’ roll guitars and quirky compositions. After three must-have albums, they split up in [...]