Jay Farrar’s Re-‘Trace’ at the Birchmere
The proof of music that’s truly enduring can now be clearly measured in decades, so with the 20th anniversary of the Son Volt debut “Trace” comes a tour by Jay…
Dave Davies at the Howard Theatre
With one quarreling brother over 70 and the other just under, how much longer can we go on expecting a Kinks reunion? Maybe the great band finally did play its…
Chuck Prophet at Jammin’ Java
Rangy San Franciscan Chuck Prophet has a great little band in the Mission Express, but every so often he breaks away for a solo tour. Armed with just an acoustic…
The Bottle Rockets at Gypsy Sally’s
The purpose of a lot of band’s tours is to promote the new album. But I can’t imagine many being so thorough about it than the Bottle Rockets, who played…
‘American Horror Story: Hotel’ Condemned
Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story” series is flickering out in glossy repetition. Its latest incarnation, “AHS: Hotel” (FX, 10 p.m.), like its predecessors, is production-designed to within an inch of…
‘Best Time’ Has Worst Debut
Neil Patrick Harris may think of himself as an old fashioned song and dance man, whose appearances at awards shows, especially The Tonys, made network execs think that if anyone…
Thursday TV: Denis Leary’s Stab at Rock
Like its central character, Denis Leary's "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" (FX, 10 p.m.) is a little out of time. The guitar slinging, groupie magnet rock star is…
When the Podcast Becomes a Stage Show
There’s a long history of radio broadcasts and stage shows. Many of the earliest radio programs in the pre-television era were recorded before live audiences. Radio stars in turn became…
An Even More Boring Oscars Than Usual
Preshow overkill — and a lot of other movie-related awards ceremonies — almost always make the Academy Awards ultimately disappointing. This year’s event is full of fully predictable wins for…
Assessing the ‘SNL’ 40th Special
The very start of the overlong "SNL 40th Anniversary" special Sunday night -- a corny duet between Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake, as they spit out four decades of catchphrases…