Documentary Reminds: He’s Rick James
More than 20 years after his hitmaking heyday, Rick James became a household name to a whole new generation in 2004 when Dave Chappelle mocked his brash personality with the…
Willie Nile Finally Returns to Rock
Willie Nile’s pent up energy for getting back on the road was fairly palpable in his show Saturday at the Hamilton in D.C. Originally scheduled for April 2020, it had…
Elizabeth Cook, Waylon Payne Perform
Elizabeth Cook could well be the best of the legion of DJs on Sirius XM. Her weekday “Apron Strings” show on the Outlaw Country channel reflects her personality, as she…
Remembering Nanci Griffith, 1953-2021
Though I spent my days as a small town news reporter in Eastern Connecticut in the mid-80s, I got my foot into the features writing at the Hartford Courant by…
When Woodstock ’99 Burned It All Down
Warning: There may be a little PTSD for anybody who was there triggered by the new documentary “Music Box: Woodstock ’99: Peace, Love and Rage” (HBO, 9 p.m.), chronicling the…
Bob Dylan Streams ‘Shadow Kingdom’
Out of all the musicians knocked off the road by the pandemic, it must have been a real strain on Bob Dylan. A guy who has essentially played one tour…
McCartney Considers His Beatles Role
Given the size and power of the Baby Boomers demo, it's a wonder the whole of TV isn't back to back classic rock documentaries. But there are actually quite a…
The Prince, Elvis Facsimilies of Vegas
Rising like a shimmering fever dream in the middle of the desert, Las Vegas has always been about fakery. Magicians and impersonators continue to be top draws in showrooms, the…
Laurie Anderson Muses Under a Tree
On a splendid summer’s night in the shadow of Rodin’s greatest work, Laurie Anderson sat with her electric CR violin before a laptop before two invited audiences of a couple…
How the Music of 1971 Changed Things
Picking an epochal year in music can be tricky. While 1954 or 1977 may be easy choices for turning points in rock, I was always partial to 1966. Ronald Brownstein’s…