Cry If You Want To: Leslie Gore, 1946-2015
One of the strong female voices in rock ’n’ roll came out of a teenager in Tenafly, N.J., whose very first hit was the anthem “It’s My Party.” “I was…
Grim Times for Grammys
Smiling like a self-satisfied distant nephew of Boy George, Sam Smith was the multi-statuette winner Sunday night at the Grammys, picking up new artist, song of the year and pop…
Ten Christmas Songs That Aren’t Really
Think of it as the inverse of the War on Christmas. Rather than being downsized by supposed political correctness, Christmas is the aggressor, swallowing up land (mall parking lots), airwaves…
Remembering Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker, who died Monday at 70, was an anomaly in his era of self-expression — a charged, nuanced interpreter of others’ material who threw himself into his material…
Nick Lowe’s Quality Holiday Revue
The snow white hair of Nick Lowe is about the only concession to seasonal decor in his tasty “Quality Holiday Revue” that played a sold out show at the Birchmere…
Yo La Tengo Turns 30 at the 9:30
After a few big shows in New York earlier this week to really mark the 30th anniversary Yo La Tengo first took to the stage, the band played the sold-out…
When Bowie Met Bing
It's one of the iconic videos of the holiday season: An alien-looking David Bowie trading countermelodies with the 20th century's most iconic crooners, Bing Crosby. But their 1977 TV collaboration…
Bob Dylan at DAR Constitution Hall
Two blocks from the White House Tuesday, where a Ferguson protest was raging on, Bob Dylan sat between the columns at the DAR Constitution Hall and asked one more time…
Avoiding the Concert for Valor
The biggest concert in the known world was occurring just a couple of miles away, but I stayed home to watch it on TV anyway. The trouble with big, genre-jumping…
With Bob in the Basement
Been spending most of the week in the basement, seemingly the best place to listen to “Bob Dylan and the Band: The Basement Tapes Complete.” It’s also where my stereo…